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Mitchell’s WWE SmackDown Results & Report! (1/17/20)

It’s a night of returns!

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NEW SmackDown Coverage

Legit, Glorious Greatness and KAAANE~!

Sasha Banks returns to finally face Lacey Evans! Robert Roode returns to get even with Roman Reigns! John Morrison returns to the ring against Big E! And the Big Red Monster returns to bring back hellfire and brimstone!

 

OFFICIAL RESULTS

  • Big E w/ Kofi Kingston VS John Morrison w/ The Miz; Morrison wins.
  • The Usos VS The Revival; The Usos win.
  • Sasha Banks w/ Bayley VS Lacey Evans; changed to…
  • Bayley VS Lacey Evans; Evans wins.
  • Sonya Deville w/ Mandy Rose & Heavy Machinery VS Alexa Bliss w/ Nikki Cross; Bliss wins.
  • Tables Match: Roman Reigns VS Robert Roode; Reigns wins chooses Falls Count Anywhere for Reigns VS Corbin at the Royal Rumble PPV.

PLAY BY PLAY

WWE and SmackDown mourn the loss of Rocky Johnson.

The Soul Man debuted in 1964, making an instant impact with physique and athleticism. He joined the WWE in 1982, and joined Tony Atlas as the “Soul Patrol” and became the first-ever African-American world tag team champions. Rocky would marry and have a son, Dwayne Johnson. Rocky trained his son and debuted Rocky Maivia as a tribute to both parts of his family’s heritage. And in the end, his sown would be the one to induct Rocky into the WWE Hall of Fame. Rocky proudly paved the way for wrestlers of all colors, and he will be celebrated for generations to come.

 

KAAANE~ is here!

The Big Red Machine and the Devil’s Favorite Demon is BACK! Kane holds Royal Rumble records so it would seem Royal Rumble season has brought him back to SmackDown. Kane grabs a mic to say that we are just 9 days away from his favorite event. “Thirty lost souls will put their minds, bodies and spirits on the line for the opportunity of a lifetime. A chance to compete at WrestleMania! A match where you go through Hell, but the reward is a chance at immortality.” Kane holding the record for most career eliminations, he knows exactly how important this match is. He looks every opponent in the eyes as he throws them out of the ring, and watch hope fade away as their feet hit the ground, “a WrestleMania dream turned into a nightmare, all because of me.” And Kane must admit, it’s a lot of fun.

But wait, Firefly Fun House interrupts?! Bray Wyatt is excited to see Kane back! He hasn’t changed a bit! But it’s never nice to brag or find joy in another person’s misery. Shame, you Big Red Bully. Tell everyone you’re sorry. Time’s up. But Bray is still glad to see Kane. Hopefully the traffic up from H E double hockey sticks wasn’t too bad. But before Kane asks, Bray assures everyone that Ramblin’ Rabbit is alive, well, and recovering. Okay enough of him. Back to Kane. To play “Devil’s Advocate,” winning the Rumble isn’t a good idea. Especially if the winner is fool enough to challenge for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania! Oh wait a second. Kane’s on the Wall of Friends! So then, that means Kane and The Fiend “got it on!” Well of course, “I’ll never forget you, Kane. And neither will he.” The Wyatt Family struck first back in the day. And now, The Fiend strikes here!

The lights go out, then come back on, and there is red light! That’s usually Kane’s thing. As is coming out from under the ring floor! The Fiend slithers up behind Kane, but Kane is ready! “What took you so long?” The Fiend realizes there’s something wrong, and DANIEL BRYAN strikes! Knee Plus and Danielson Stomps! Bryan forces The Fiend to retreat down the hole in the mat! Smoke comes up and forces Bryan to back off, but he pulled some of The Fiend’s hair out! Fans chant “YES! YES!” as Team Hell No gets the better of Bray’s living nightmare. Will Bryan make both sides of the demented Wyatt pay?

 

Team Hell No still argues like the old days.

Kane and Bryan each insist they were the tag team champions by themselves, but Kayla Braxton comes over for an interview. Bryan has The Fiend on the run. That’s because while everyone thinks Bray is so great at mind games and double talk and victimizing, he’s the best at running away and disappearing. SO how do you beat someone who disappears when they’re in trouble? Bryan has an idea. Not a good one, nor is it smart. But Bryan wants to make their match a STRAP MATCH! They will be bound together by one big strap, and they will fight until one man wins! Bryan knows it is dangerous, that The Fiend will try to rip Bryan to pieces, but Bryan is done with mind games, running away and disappearing acts! “The Fiend, he changed me. And at the Royal Rumble, I’m going to change The Fiend and win the Universal Championship.”

 

Big E w/ Kofi Kingston VS John Morrison w/ The Miz!

The Guru of Greatness defended his good friend in the Hollywood A-Lister, but offended The New Day when he assaulted Big E during a match Miz and Kofi Kingston were having. Will Morrison’s in-ring return to the WWE be as great as his parkour skills?

The bell rings and Big E circles with Morrison. Morrison and Big E tie up, Morrison throws big forearms but Big E blocks the whip. Morrison knees low then whips but Big E reverses and bumps Morrison down! Big E swivels his hips at Morrison before the two circle again. Morrison kicks low then heel kicks, spin kicks and ROUNDHOUSES! Big E is rocked and Morrison rains down rights! Morrison bails out to drag Big E to the apron to club away on! And then sit him up for another kick, and a draping neckbreaker! Big E is down as SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns as Morrison grinds Big E down in a chinlock. Kofi and fans rally with “New! Day Rocks!” and Big E fights his way up. Big E powers Morrison up and throws him off! Big E runs but Morrison follows to calf kick him down! Fans are divided as Morrison stands over Big E, for the standing shooting star! Cover, TWO and Big E holds Morrison in his arms! Big E rolls back and brings Morrison up, but Morrison slips out. Morrison gets to the apron, slides under Big E then goes around to roundhouse! Big E wobbles, Morrison springboards, but Big E gets clear! Morrison rolls through, but into a belly2belly! And then another! Big E is fired up, but Morrison pokes eyes! Morrison runs but into a back drop!

Big E runs to BIG SPLASH! Fans fire up with Big E as he claps. Morrison slowly stands, Big E goes at him but Morrison standing switches and clobbers Big E! Morrison kicks low, MOONLIGHT DRIVE! Cover, TWO!! Big E survives and Miz protests. Kofi goes over to yank Miz off the apron! Morrison climbs, Kofi shoves Miz into steel steps! Morrison decides to LEAP onto Kofi! The same somersault cannonball takes Kofi out like he did Big E last week! Morrison grins as he takes his time returning to the ring, but Big E builds speed! Miz gets Morrison to safety, and then Morrison KICKS Big E down! Big E wobbles, SHINING WIZARD! And then Morrison climbs, for STARSHIP PAIN! Cover, Morrison wins!

Winner: John Morrison, by pinfall

The Miz is pumped up as he celebrates his friend’s victorious return! Both Miz and Morrison have a win over the SmackDown Tag Team Champions individually, but will they get a win on them as a team?

 

BREAKING NEWS!

The stakes are raised on tonight’s Table Match between Roman Reigns and Robert Roode! If The Big Dog wins, he chooses the stipulation for his match with Baron Corbin on Royal Rumble night. But on the flip side, if Roode wins, that means Corbin chooses the stipulation! Who wins the latest of grudge matches in this war for SmackDown supremacy?

 

The Usos speak with Roman.

“Big match, big night.” The winner chooses the stipulation for Roman VS Corbin. What’s it going to be? Loser Eats Dog Ish? Roman keeps it a secret. We’ll all learn at the same time. Roman wants to make sure the Usos are ready. Of course they’re ready! It’s #LOCKDOWN! Revival, welcome back to the Uso Penitentiary! Jimmy & Jey settle scores of their own, will they put the #TopGuys away again?

 

The Usos VS The Revival!

Jimmy & Jey have had history with Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder, and that all starts again in the New Year! Will history repeat itself or will a new story play out?

Dawson and Jimmy start and tie up, and Dawson puts Jimmy in a corner. The ref counts and Dawson backs off to dare Jimmy to bring it. Jimmy grins and ties up with Dawson again, but Dawson gets a headlock. jimmy powers out but Dawson runs him over. Things speed up, Jimmy hurdles and CHOPS Dawson down! Jimmy whips Dawson but Dawson reverses. Jimmy slides to a stop to uppercut Dawson down! Tag to Jey and the Usos have Dawson in the corner. Jey hits a big forearm smash then snapmares to a cover, ONE. Jey wrenches Dawson’s arm but Dawson pulls hair. Dash tags in and Dawson whips, but Jey wrecks Dash. Dawson suplexes Jey down, Dash slingshots to splash! Cover, TWO!

Dash stomps Jey around then brings him up to bump off buckles. Dash chops then tags, and The Revival mug Jey in the corner! Dawson stalks Jey as fans boo and jeer. Dawson drags Jey up by his beard and then jams an elbow in. Dawson drops a leg, and elbow and a headbutt! Cover, TWO! Dawson keeps hold of Jey by an ear, then pulls on the beard. The ref counts, Dawson lets up to wrap on a chinlock. Jey endures as Dawson leans on him. Fans rally up and Jey fights his way up. Jey reaches but Dawson keeps him away from Jimmy. Jey throws Dawson off, Dawson kicks low and suplexes, but Jey slips out. Jey kicks but Dawson blocks, to spin Jey for the Dragon Whip! Both men are down and fans rally up again. Dawson and Jey crawl, hot tags to Dash and Jimmy!

Jimmy rallies on The Revival! Big uppercuts and mule kicks, then break it down for another uppercut! Samoan Drop! Jimmy fires up with the fans as he runs corner to corner, but Dash puts him on the apron. Jimmy ROCKS Dash then climbs up top. Flying crossbody! Cover, TWO! Dash flounders and Jimmy keeps his focus, but Dash deflects the superkick! Jimmy standing switches with Dash but Dawson helps Dash buck Jimmy off. Jimmy runs in but Dawson blocks the kick and Dash rolls Jimmy! TWO, and Dash kicks low. Tornado denied, tag to Jey! DOUBLE SUPERKICKS! Dawson runs in, DOUBLE SUPERKICKS! Fans fire up again as Jey tags back to jimmy. Jimmy climbs up, Jey DIVES out onto Dawson! Jimmy USO SPLASH! Cover, Usos win!

Winners: The Usos, by pinfall

The Uso Penitentiary is officially back, and the #TopGuys just keep falling down. Will Dash & Dawson be able to turn things around? Are the Usos on the way to a lucky number 7 tag title reign?

 

Backstage interview with The Revival.

They must be frustrated, but that doesn’t even cover it. If the WWE doesn’t want to make a change, then they will! This company cares about them about as much as it cares about tag team wrestling. But before they can say more, there’s a brawl between Lacey Evans and Bayley! It seems Lacey already took Sasha Banks down and so now Lacey is after the champ! Referees and security get Lacey away, but what does this mean for their match tonight?

 

Mandy Rose is excited for Sonya VS Alexa.

Plus, Sonya was so right, this is going to be the year of Fire & Desire. That’s the spirit. But speaking of this year, do you think Otis would want to be ringside with them? Yeah but Mandy is. Sonya wasn’t sure about this “Otis thing,” but seeing him show up to support Mandy, Sonya “got it.” Otis thing? What Otis thing? Why Mandy is being nice to him. Well, he’s sweet, but- It doesn’t matter to Sonya, but she just wants Mandy to ask Otis to be ringside. Mandy will ask, but he might not say yes. If Mandy asks, he will. Is Sonya trying to help a friend out?

 

Bayley and Sasha Banks are furious!

“GI Jane” had the nerve to attack them backstage! Bayley will make Lacey a Stay-at-home Mom! Sasha is fine, but Lacey doesn’t deserve this match. Sasha has been working hard to raise her stock. Mom, Marine, it doesn’t matter, because Bayley will break Lacey’s legs! When Adam Pearce walks over, he brings up that Sasha hasn’t had her match with Lacey. It’s not her fault! It doesn’t matter. The match is happening, but with Bayley instead! Bayley just talked about wanting payback, so here’s her chance. It will be non-title, but it is happening, and next. Bayley and Sasha both complain, but will they feel even worse when Lacey wins?

 

Bayley VS Lacey Evans!

The bell rings, and Bayley bails out! Lacey pursues and Bayley eggs her on. They go back into the ring and Bayley stomps Lacey down! The ref backs Bayley off but for only a moment, and Bayley throws big forearms. Bayley whips but Lacey comes back with a lariat! And then builds speed to tilt-o-whirl headscissors! Bayley bails out again, but Lacey wrecks her with a dropkick! Lacey drags Bayley up to bump her off the apron, and then again. Lacey puts Bayley in but Bayley shoulders out, only to get a knee. Lacey slingshots up and over to roll Bayley, ONE! Lacey cradle counters, ONE! Bayley trips Lacey and high stacks, but feet on the ropes! The ref sees that and the count doesn’t count.

Lacey goes at Bayley but gets drop toehold’d onto ropes! Bayley clobbers Lacey back down, then again. Bayley is seething as she throws big forearms against the ropes. Bayley bumps Lacey off buckles then shouts at Lacey fans to shut up. Bayley pulls Lacey back against ropes using her hair, then lets go at 4 to throw Lacey down. Cover, ONE, but Bayley keeps close. Bayley armlocks and grinds Lacey down, but fans rally up. Lacey gets up, throws hands, then runs, only for Bayley to elbow her down! Cover, TWO! Bayley stalks up behind Lacey to knock her down. Fans rally for Lacey but Bayley knocks her down again. Bayley mocks the fans but Lacey rolls her up! TOW, and Bayley throws big knees into Lacey’s ribs. Bayley throws Lacey tot he apron then mocks the fans again, but Lacey shoves her away. Lacey blocks a punch to give a punch! And then bump Bayley off buckles!

Lacey kicks Bayley hard, then slingshots in to rally with clotheslines! Lacey wrings Bayley’s arm out, then whips her to a corner. Bayley reverses but Lacey goes up and over, to then hip toss Bayley away! Big kick puts Bayley in the corner! Fans fire up as Lacey runs and swings, for the bronco buster! Lacey positions Bayley in a drop zone, then climbs up. Lacey fixes her hair and salutes, for the Sassiest Moonsault EVER onto boots! Lacey flops out of the ring and Bayley goes out after her. Bayley glares as she lines up a shot, to KNEE Lacey into barriers! Bad Bad Bayley is back in control as SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns as Bayley drags Lacey up and stomps a mudhole into her. The ref backs Bayley off but Bayley goes back for more by ramming her shoulder in. Bayley backs off again, to somersault and wacky waving mock, only for Lacey to send Bayley into buckles! Lacey swings again but Bayley sees that coming. Bayley gets out, grabs at feet but Lacey kicks Bayley away. Lacey puts Bayley back in but Bayley gets her with the hotshot! Cover, TWO! Bayley rains down angry rights on Lacey and then throws hands from all sides! Bayley gets up and drags Lacey to her feet, SAIDO SUPLEX! Cover, TWO! Lacey lives and Bayley grows frustrated. Bayley drags Lacey up to put her back in a corner and ram her shoulder in again. Then the somersault to the back elbow! Bayley pushes Lacey down and hops up, to leap for a flying uppercut! Cover, TWO!

Bayley glares as she loom over Lacey. Fans rally up but Bayley knees Lacey down hard! Bayley climbs, crossbody FLOPS! Lacey runs corner to corner but Bayley flapjacks her onto buckles! Bayley runs but into the WOMAN’S RIGHT! Cover, Lacey wins!!

Winner: Lacey Evans, by pinfall

She pins the SmackDown Women’s Champion! The Sassy Southern Belle has a shortcut to the title! Will Lacey become champion on the Road to WrestleMania?

 

Backstage interview with Chad Gable!

New correspondent Alyse Ashton asks Shorty G about Sheamus’ surprising and unprovoked attack. Why is Sheamus after Gable? Well Sheamus is projecting his insecurities. But he won’t get into Gable’s head with that spooky light and blindside attacks. Over the past few months, Gable learned that accepting yourself is already the hardest battle. Gable will teach Sheamus this personally. Sheamus is one of the most decorated athletes, and Sheamus comes by pulling the old “Where is the short guy” routine. Sheamus heard the squeaking but couldn’t see Gable until he was up close. “There’s an old Irish saying that goes, ‘Keep your breath to cool your porridge.'” Otherwise, Sheamus will Brogue kick Gable’s head off again. “Alright, lil’ fella?” That’s it! Gable tackles Sheamus right there!

Referees rush to break them up and Sheamus flounders to his feet. Sheamus vows vengeance on the “vermin” and flips a table. Will Sheamus exterminate Gable for that little scrap?

 

Backstage interview with Braun Strowman!

The Monster Among Men is excited for the Royal Rumble. It’s no surprise that he’s declaring for the match. But that’s in a week. He wants the Intercontinental Championship, and Shinsuke Nakamura’s “sidekick,” Sami Zayn, is keeping Braun from that title match. To be real, Braun has pinned Nakamura twice, so what else does he have to do? Whether it’s tonight, next week or at the Royal Rumble PPV, Braun wants his shot! Will Sami have no choice but to grant this request?

 

Ladies and Gentlemen: Elias.

The Drifter returns and he needs to be honest. “Over the last year, I learned a lot about myself.” While he realized he is the embodiment of the WWE, he realized he can’t do it alone. Elias admits, he needs us. For Elias to reach where he has to go, there needs to be a truth that rings out from every voice across the world. And surely Greensboro knows it. WWE stands for, “WALK WITH ELIAS!” Elias is fired up and wrote a song for Greensboro. Please, clap along. The fans oblige and Elias plays his guitar.

“I was walkin’ in Greensboro. You’ll never guess what I saw.” Well we won’t get to know, because Shinsuke Nakamura makes his entrance, along with Sami and Cesaro! And Sami has a mic to say, “Please, please. Elias, I’m sorry to interrupt your little sing-song, but the Great Liberator” has something more important. So everyone wanting to sing along need to shut up! There is serious business, because Braun says he wants a shot at the Intercontinental Championship! Sami will tell us something about Shinsuke Nakamura. “This great man does not back down from a fight. Not from anyone, anytime, any place!” So Strowman won’t need to wait. The answer is, “Absolutely NOT!” Fans boo but Sami tells the “stupid oaf” that he is in no position to demand anything! Sami calls the shots for his team! Which means his team dictate the terms! And nothing is happening, certainly not with the Royal Rumble coming.

Because another thing, the Royal Rumble match itself, Shinsuke won the Rumble match. So this is a message to Strowman and everyone on the WWE roster! They are all on notice! Sami made his point, Elias can go back to whatever thing he does. Elias has something to say to Sami, actually. While Sami spat a bunch of nonsense, Elias was multitasking, and while he listened to Sami, he composed a new song. It’s called, “Sami Zayn Needs to Shut His Damn Mouth.” Everyone, if you want to sing the chorus, it’s “Shinsuke Sucks!” Elias plays his guitar and the fans clap but Sami interrupts with his shouting and protesting. Fans boo as Sami shouts, “How dare you!” They think this is funny, huh?! Cesaro, go show Elias what happens to funny guys. The Swiss Cyborg rushes the ring and brawls with Elias!

Elias holds his own so here comes Shinsuke! But Elias throws hands on him, too! Sami adds on and finally gets Elias down! But BRAUN appears for the save! Sami again runs away so Strowman just runs Cesaro and Shinsuke over! Strowman clotheslines Cesaro out then corner splashes Shinsuke, to throw him out! The Monster Among Men stands tall again, but will he #GetTheseHands on the title?

 

Sonya Deville w/ Mandy Rose VS Alexa Bliss w/ Nikki Cross!

Well it seems the Golden Goddess couldn’t convince Dozer to hang out ringside. But she’ll still support the Gladiator Gal to take on the sassy Goddess, who has her crazy best friend by her side. With the Women’s Rumble coming, and the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions still looking for contenders, will this go a long way towards momentum in both?

Oh wait! Heavy Machinery does head to ringside! Tucky and Otis are here to watch as the bell rings. Mandy rubs that in Alexa’s face but then gets away, and Sonya ROUNDHOUSES Alexa down! Sonya drags Alexa up to throw knees then runs to sliding knee Alexa down! Cover, TWO! Sonya keeps on Alexa with a thrashing chinlock. Alexa endures, fans rally up, and Alexa fights her way up. Alexa throws elbows and arm-drags Sonya away, but Sonya comes back, only to get a drop toehold! Sonya gets up and grabs Alexa’s hair. Alexa throws hands and SLAPS Sonya to then ROCK her with a right! And a dropkick!

Alexa stomps a mudhole into Sonya but backs off to kick and facelock. Mandy climbs up but Nikki knocks her down! Otis catches Mandy! Sonya is a bit shocked, but then Alexa rolls her up! Alexa wins!!

Winner: Alexa Bliss, by pinfall

Well that didn’t go the way Sonya hoped. She wanted Otis to be a distraction for her benefit, not Alexa’s! Otis feels a bit bad about that, but will he be able to make it up to Mandy?

 

Baron Corbin checks on Robert Roode.

The GLORIOUS “Knight in shining armor” came through for the King last week. Roman never saw that coming. And Roman putting Roode out for those six weeks, this revenge will be sweet! Roode puts Roman through a table and Corbin chooses the stipulation! Imagine the possibilities. Corbin wants a match to humiliate Roman and take him completely out of the Rumble! This will be a match where Roman will bow down. But that only happens if Roode wrecks Roman through a table. Then it will be absolutely… GLORIOUS.

 

BREAKING NEWS!

Bryan’s request has been granted! He and The Fiend won’t be able to run and hide, their Universal Championship match is now a STRAP MATCH! Plus, Shorty G will have his grudge match with Sheamus, and Lacey Evans will have her title shot at Bayley! What history will be made on top of the 2020 Men’s and Women’s Royal Rumble matches?

 

Tables Match: Roman Reigns VS Robert Roode!

The Big Dog is keeping his plans secret while the Wolf King is so excited by the possibilities, he hasn’t even made a decision yet. But who will get their way at the Rumble by breaking wood with their opponent’s body?

But before Roman even reaches the ring, Roode attacks from behind! The bell rings and Roode stomps Roman against the apron! Roode is seething as he drags Roman up to throw him in the ring. Roode throws hands but Roman counter punches! And uppercuts! Roman whips, Roode reverses but Roman leaping lariats! Roman drags Roode up but Roode throws him out of the ring. Roode grabs Roman’s hair but Roman uppercuts Roode down! Roode flops to the apron and then the ground, and fans fire up as Roman eyes one of the tables nearby. Roman brings it around and sets it up, but Roode attacks from behind! Roode bumps Roman off steel steps, then brings him around. Roman stops the next bump to bump Roode off the steel steps!

Roman decides that any table counts as a table, so he clears off the announce desk! Roman drags Roode up but Roode rakes the eyes! Roode whips Roman into the steel steps! Roode huffs and puffs as he pulls out a table from under the ring. Roode puts that in the ring, but Roman hits a Drive-By dropkick! Roman watches Roode go to the timekeeper’s area, and fans rally as Roman lets out the wary cry! Roman gains speed going around the ring, and comes around to SPEAR and miss! Roman wrecks himself through barriers!! And here comes King Corbin! Corbin rides his palanquin out to watch Roman flounder in the wreckage while SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns once more and Roode has Roman up top. Roode climbs up with a table set up nearby. Corbin shouts at Roode to finish this, but Roman resists the superplex! Roman fights back with headbutts! Roode and Roman wobble but Roman headbutts again. Roman slips under and lifts Roode, but Roode fights out of the bomb. Roode kicks low then drags Roman over, but Roman blocks the suplex to fireman’s carry! Roode fights out and pushes his table over for his own safety. But Roman throws Roode into the post! Fans rally for Roman as Roode flops to the floor. Roman clears some space and brings the one table back up. Roman puts that table in a corner, and fans rally up. Roman goes out to fetch Roode, and he leaps off the steel steps to SUPERMAN PUNCH!

Fans fire up more as Roman puts Roode back in the ring. Roman has his shot lined up, Roode slowly rises, and Roman lets out another war cry. Corbin distracts, Ziggler SUPERKICKS! The King’s Court beats down Roman as fans boo. Corbin drags Roman up, Ziggler finishes clearing the desk. They drag Roman out and over to the desk, and Roode goes up top. But here come the USOS! Roode leaps at them, into SUPERKICKS! SUPERKICKS for Ziggler and Corbin! Then the Usos double DIVE! They take out King and court, and hurry to help Roman! Roman gets in the ring, Ziggler is on the desk, and the Usos climb the barriers! They tightrope over to each other, to DOUBLE UCE on Ziggler through the announce table!!

Roman roars, aims at Roode, and SPEARS Roode through the table! Roman wins!!

Winner: Roman Reigns

The King’s Court could not conquer the Bloodline! Roman gets to choose his stipulation! “The Royal Rumble is in a baseball stadium, and that thing is huge.” Roman will whoop ass all over it! Because it will be FALLS COUNT ANYWHERE! Corbin takes his anger out on an innocent table, but will it be a home run in Houston for the Big Dog?

 


 

My Thoughts:

This was a pretty good episode with some good progress towards the Royal Rumble. Morrison VS Big E made for a great opener, and Morrison’s leap onto Kofi was a pretty crazy spot. Obviously there was no rust on Morrison as he’d been wrestling all over, from Lucha Underground to Impact Wrestling. And of course he wins, so that he and Miz can more than likely get a SmackDown Tag Team Championship for the Royal Rumble, if not Elimination Chamber. Usos VS Revival was a good match, too, but I’m wondering if their promo about WWE needing to take tag team wrestling serious will spur something for Elimination Chamber. Just on the four teams of New Day, Usos, Revival and Miz-Morrison, that’s a great tag title match right there.

I’m a little confused as to why we’re not getting Lacey VS Sasha as a 1v1 match. Is Sasha actually hurt so they had to quickly write that into kayfabe? Or are they saving it for after the Rumble? The story is going mostly how I expected, though, as Lacey is getting her SmackDown Women’s Championship match. I could see Sasha finally having her match with Lacey for the title, and then winning to become the second Grand Slam Champion in WWE history. But Lacey beating Bayley twice would be quite a big deal for Lacey. Lacey’s already been in programs involving each of the Four Horsewomen, her beating one for the title would be huge. Meanwhile, the story of Mandy and Otis is taking interesting turns. Apparently Sonya thinks Mandy is just using Otis, but Mandy is doing her best to defend that she might actually like Otis. I say again that with Valentine’s Day being a Friday, that has to be where this moves into another phase.

I really liked the scrap between Gable and Sheamus, where Gable gets the better of Sheamus. It’s a bit soon to make their first match part of a PPV, but perhaps there’s bigger things planned for the go-home SmackDown next week. And I really liked that Kane’s return wasn’t even for him, but to set up The Fiend for Bryan’s sake. I could hear some fans booing when Bryan ran Bray off, and I can understand them not wanting the Fiend to look weak, but this is actually going to be better for both guys. That Strap Match is going to be a lot of fun, but I feel like The Fiend will still win, assuming a SmackDown superstar wins the Rumble match. Strowman and Elias both had good segments with Team Sami, and it’d make Royal Rumble Weekend so much bigger if Strowman and Shinsuke have an amazing match on next week’s go-home, or even as part of the PPV.

The Table match having stakes behind it was actually a pretty good move. I was fearing that when the Usos teased an “Eat Dog Crap/Food” match, Corbin was going to steal that idea and make that the match. But in a really great and chaotic match, Roman wins and chooses the much better Falls Count Anywhere option. A match like that in a huge baseball stadium really will be a great match, but I’m not sure what is the better outcome: Roman wins that, then has a really great showing in Rumble; or Corbin wins, beating Roman up real bad, but Roman still shows up to have a great showing in the Rumble. Either one makes Roman look like he’s back to those “Super Roman Wins LOL” days but I feel like the general audience reaction won’t be negative anymore. Maybe.

My Score: 8.3/10

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Coverage

Mitchell’s WWE Raw Results & Report! (12/23/24)

The Raw Before Christmas!

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The Hollywood A-Lister’s got his own nightmare before Christmas!

Christmas is just a few days away, but things aren’t merry and bright for Raw! The Miz must face his fears as he faces Dexter Lumis 1v1!

OFFICIAL RESULTS

  • WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship Tournament Opening Round Triple Threat: Natalya VS Alba Fyre VS Iyo Sky; Iyo wins and advances to the next round.
  • Chad Gable w/ Team American Made VS Akira Tozawa w/ The Alpha Academy; Gable wins.
  • Dominik Mysterio VS Damian Priest; Damian Priest wins, by disqualification.
  • The Miz VS Dexter Lumis; Lumis wins, by disqualification.
  • Sami Zayn VS Drew McIntyre; McIntyre wins.

PLAY BY PLAY

Drew McIntyre walks to gorilla.

The Scottish Terminator makes his way through the curtain and to the stage, and the fans have a mixed reaction as he goes to the ring. McIntyre grabs a mic, and he says, “After Hell in a Cell, I’ve never been so beat up in my entire life. 16 staples in my head, my back almost broken from landing on the steel steps. And I went home to Scotland. The reason I went home, and I haven’t really talked about it publicly, is because a very close family member passed away. Some people probably feeling sympathy right now. Some guys in the back are probably talking to each other, saying, ‘I didn’t know.’ Maybe if you cared enough, you would’ve asked.

“Over these past two months, guess how many people phoned me to check. Not how I was doing mentally but how I was doing physically after Hell in a Cell. ONE PERSON! These past 17 years, I’ve been led to believe we’re all a big happy family in the back. We’re brothers and sisters, we travel the world together, we spend more time with each other than with our actual families, but it’s all BS! My brother, John, in Scotland wouldn’t stab me in the back to take my spot, but people like Jimmy, Jey and Sami 100% would.” The fans boo that, then chant “YEET! YEET! YEET!” McIntyre says that proves his point.

After watching everything The Bloodline did, Jey says he is a changed man. He does a cute hand sign, he says a made-up word, and the fans just forget about it and move on. That’s the other thing McIntyre realized: He has given and given and given all this time, and the fans turned on him for a guy who was gone for years and has told the WWE fans to go screw themselves! McIntyre was fighting for the fans, he thought they believed in him, so he believed in the fans! McIntyre bled out in the cell, and while he was gone, the fans instantly forgot him! The fans boo, that’s not true! But McIntyre says from now on, he gives no more for anybody!

McIntyre will take and take and he will tell the truth! The real villains are Roman Reigns and CM Punk! And if you choose to prop them up, as he already said, Jey, Jimmy & Sami, the things Roman did to you… Roman took a vacation, then simply snapped his fingers and they were by his side again! McIntyre suggests everyone who ever wronged McIntyre should sleep with one eye open. But wait, here comes Sami Zayn! The fans cheer and sing for Sami but Sami says hey, McIntyre is angry, he doesn’t have to believe Sami in place of believing everyone has ulterior motives. Sami doesn’t blame him.

But personally, man to man, Sami did not know what happened with McIntyre’s family. They figured he was recovering from one of the most vicious matches of all time. Sami thought that, all the guys ‘n’ girls in the back thought, and that’s all the fans thought. Believe that or not, fine, but Sami wants to level with McIntyre. Talk about 17 years, Sami has 22 years in this game. Sami’s been through what McIntyre’s been through. Sami’s had losses. Trust him. He has had losses he had to put on the side and go to work that week. The same sacrifices, from birthdays to weddings to funerals that he should’ve been at? Sami’s done it all.

Sami has put unnecessary stress on his wife, on his kid, and why? Because this is the life that they both chose! They are WWE SUPERSTARS! The fans cheer that! And as such, they are LUCKY to be WWE Superstars! And you think this is just your story or Sami’s story? Y’know who else has stories like this? Every single person sitting in the stands. Every single person at home! The kids who struggle at school, the adults who struggle at work, who struggle economically, physically, and they have their losses and sacrifices, but they still get up every day to do what they gotta do to soldier on, without pointing a finger at everyone else!

The fans fire up for that passion. Sami says McIntyre dares pointing a finger at the fans for forgetting him?! They didn’t forget, brother! They MADE McIntyre! And McIntyre still thinks the world revolves around him just because once upon a time, someone told him he was “The Chosen One.” But newsflash, just because you’re mad doesn’t make you special. And now McIntyre thinks everyone else is somehow tied to him? What Jimmy does has nothing to do with McIntyre. What Jey does has nothing to do with McIntyre! What SAMI does has nothing to do with McIntyre!

But McIntyre, if you want to still walk around all angry and pointing fingers at the fans, at Sami, at Jey, at Jimmy, at Punk, at Roman, and still be mad about The Bloodline, fine. No one is stopping McIntyre. But Sami has no problem being McIntyre’s problem and facing him in this ring right now! McIntyre says if Sami wants to know the truth… IT isn’t just anger. McIntyre’s anger comes from pain, and he doesn’t doubt what Sami just said. There was so much truth and passion, but it’s never the whole truth, is it? Sami has a way of spinning things. Because Sami can fly back home every week to his family. McIntyre is halfway across the world from his!

And no one here in Boston ever leaves Boston, they’re with their families 24/7! McIntyre doesn’t have that luxury! The fans boo that veiled insult, but McIntyre says he will remain calm and ask Sami why he wants this fight. They both know the result, we saw it time and time again, Sami has NEVER beaten McIntyre. So McIntyre suggests, given Sami isn’t 100%, and Sami’s wife and kid are here tonight… Sami should just walk back there, take their hands, and leave this arena. Of all those in the Bloodline, Sami is the least of McIntyre’s worries.

Sami says McIntyre is right about a couple things. When it comes to win-loss records, McIntyre has Sami’s number. And Sami is not 100%. Haven’t been since Saturday Night’s Main Event. And yes, the smart thing would be to just go home, celebrate and get healthy over the holidays. But Sami would so much rather do this. Sami fires hands! The fans fire up but McIntyre shoves Sami away. McIntyre swings, but gets caught! Sami lifts but McIntyre fights free, then GLASGOW KISS HEADBUTT! McIntyre takes aim, but here comes JEY USO! The fans fire up as Jey runs down the ramp, slides in, and then dodges McIntyre to SUPERKICK!

The fans fire up as Jey & Sami DOUBLE LARIAT McIntyre up and outta the ring! The fans “YEET! YEET! YEET!” with Jey & Sami Uso! Will the Scottish Terminator’s mission be ended when Sami and/or Jey shut him down?

 

Adam Pearce is met by Pure Fusion Collective.

The Raw General Manager asks Sonya Deville what he can do for her and she says not much. She knows how stressful this job can be since she once had it. She’s just here to make things easier. And how’s that? Well, Kairi Sane is not cleared to compete, there is an opening in the tournament, and Sonya wants it. Oh, is that so? Y’know, Sonya, that is a terrible idea. They caused this scenario so he’s just gonna reward them? Are they outta their minds? And zip it! Plus, he already filled that vacancy with Iyo Sky. Happy Holidays! PFC is upset by that since Iyo just lost to Liv Morgan, but will there be nothing to stop the Evil Genius now?

 

WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship Tournament Opening Round Triple Threat: Natalya VS Alba Fyre VS Iyo Sky!

Just as Pearce said, PFC taking out the Pirate Princess will not mean they get away with murder! The Queen of Harts and the Fire Keeper must now figure out how to handle this change to the program. Will Iyo redeem herself for losing Saturday Night’s Main Event by moving on to the next round?

Raw returns and Alba makes her entrance, Isla Dawn seeing her to the ramp, and then Natalya makes her entrance. The bell rings and Alba kicks Natty then ELBOWS Iyo! Alba whips but Natty reverses and Alba tumbles out of the ring! Iyo rolls Natty, TWO! Iyo whips, Natty dodges in the corner and gets Iyo up! REBOUND SIT-DOWN, and then Natty steps on Iyo, only for Alba to trip Natty up! Alba brings Natty out to send into steel steps! But then Iyo DIVES onto Alba! The fans fire up with Iyo and Raw goes to break.

Raw returns again and Natty brawls with Abla. Alba knees low, but Iyo CROSBODIES them both down! The fans fire up and Iyo SHOTEIS Alba! And SHOTEIS her again! And then DROPKICKS her down! Iyo brings Alba around, whips, but Alba reverses. Iyo goes up and out, then blocks a shot to ROCK Alba! The fans fire up, Iyo spirnboards, and MISSILE DROPKICKS! Iyo handsprings up and the fans fire up again! Iyo gets the fans going, but Alba wrenches and facelocks, TORNADO DDT! Alba gets Iyo up again to GOURD BUSTER her onto Natty! Alba then rearranges them into the drop zone!

Alba goes up, the fans are torn, but Alba grins as she SWANTON BOMBS! Cover on Iyo, TWO! Cover on Natty, TWO! But into a KOJI KLUTCH! Natty endures, flails, fights around, but Alba holds on tight! Natty pushes, stacks Alba, TWO!! Natty has the legs! Alba flails now, but Iyo runs up! Natty trips Iyo onto Alba, and she has them both! Natty turns them both over, DOUBLE SHARPSHOOTER!! Iyo and Alba both flail, both claw at the mat, and Alba gets the ROPEBREAK! No disqualifications so Natty can hold on! But now Iyo drags herself under the ropes, and there’s no room left, so Natty has to let go!

Natty rises up and she stalks Iyo to the apron. Natty drags Iyo up but Iyo HOTSHOTS Natty! Natty staggers, rebounds, but Iyo jumps the baseball slide! Natty hits Alba down, and then Iyo PENALTY KICKS Natty! Iyo fires up and springboards, ASAI MOONSAULT! Direct hit on both targets and the fans fire up! Iyo hurries to get Natty up and into the ring, then she drags Natty into the drop zone. Iyo climbs, but Alba CLUBS Iyo first! Alba snarls as she climbs up, but Iyo holds onto ropes! Natty CLUBS Alba and she adds on! SUPER GERMAN SUPLEX on Alba! But Iyo stays up top to go OVER THE MOONSAULT! Cover, Iyo wins!

Winner: Iyo Sky, by pinfall (advances to the semifinals)

The Genius of the Sky moves on, ready to fly against The Morrigan! Will Iyo be able to get past Lyra Valkyria and head for the title?

 

Judgment Day sulks in the clubhouse.

Finn Balor tells JD McDonagh that he can’t believe this. This was supposed to be a Merry Christmas, Finn was supposed to be celebrating with two titles, and now he has none! Liv Morgan tells Raquel Rodriguez to tell Finn that the reason she suggested he stay away from Damian Priest is because she knew this would happen. Raquel starts to relay the message, but Finn has JD tell Liv that she’s got her own problems to worry about and to stay off his back. But then Liv tells Raquel to tell Finn that the reason she’s “on his back” is because he lost the tag titles. JD, tell Liv that Christmas is-

Dominik speaks up to stop the arguing. Christmas IS around the corner, and now they’re not even talking to each other? Dom says he’s gonna go talk with Pearce and get a match with Priest! Dom’s gonna step up for this family. Oh, Dom thinks he’s better than Finn? No, it’s not even like that. Dom has a plan. He’ll talk with Pearce then fill everyone in later. Dom heads out, JD prays for one week of no drama while it’s Christmas. Will Dirty Dom make sure The Punisher pays for screwing Finn & JD over? Or will Priest be given the gift of sending Dom South of Heaven?

 

Sami and Jey regroup backstage.

Sami can’t believe Jey didn’t text or call about the comeback. Jey says, “My bad.” But Sami says it’s fine, he’s happy Jey is back. And thanks for having his back out there tonight and every night, Sami appreciates Jey. Jey thanks Sami for that, and says you know he had to come back for payback. Jey is gonna handle business! Actually, Sami was kinda hoping he could handle McIntyre. Sami talked a big game, he’s gotta back it up. But Sami, you’re not even 100% tonight. Sami knows, but he started something so he has to finish it. Jey says alright. He’s got next! They secret handshake and Jey wishes Sami luck. Will Sami finally get a win on McIntyre in a Christmas miracle?

 

Chad Gable w/ Team American Made VS Akira Tozawa w/ The Alpha Academy!

As “Master” Gable said last week, it was about time he settled things with his past. Will Gable prove to the world that he was always the reason the Alpha Academy was relevant? Or will he find out he can’t keep up with the Stamina Monster?

Raw returns and the #AlphaBabes make their entrance, showing off that new merch while they’re at it. The bell rings and the fans rally up. Tozawa and Gable tie up, Gable wrenches and talks trash right to Tozawa’s face! Gable CHOPS Tozawa down, stands him up, CHOPS him down again, repeat! Gable whips and CLOBBERS Tozawa, then raises the fist. The fans boo more but Gable talks smack on Otis. Gable drags Tozawa up, suplexes, but Tozawa slips free! Tozawa SOBATS, spins, slides under, and SPIN KCIKS! Gable goes to a corner and Tozawa puts him up! But Gable gets Tozawa for a HANGING ARMBAR!

Otis protests, the ref counts, and Gable lets off at 4. Gable says he didn’t break a rule, and Otis never learns. Gable SLAPS Otis, slides into the ring, but Tozawa victory rolls! TWO, but Tozawa SUPERKICKS Gable down! Tozawa rips the shirt off, goes up top, and SUPER SENTRONS onto knees! Gable saves himself and hauls Tozawa up to GERMAN SUPELX! And then GERMAN SUPLEX again! Gable GERMAN SUPLEXES again! But he isn’t done, Gable spins Tozawa around, and POWERBOMBS him! ANKLE LOCK!! Tozawa flails but he’s so far from the ropes! Tozawa TAPS, Gable wins!

Winner: Chad Gable, by submission

But Gable won’t let go! The fans boo, the ref reprimands, but Gable just drops into a GRAPEVINE! So Otis storms in and he drags Gable off the leg! Otis TOSSES Gable! The fans are thunderous, but Team American Made steps up to support Gable. Gable says Otis never learns! But Otis’ hips are moving! He’s shaking, quaking, and the fans fire up, but American Made backs off. Will Gable finally fight Otis and put this beef to rest?

 

The New Day talks backstage.

They still don’t understand how everyone here doesn’t see things their way. But then Dirty Dom walks over, clapping with “New! Day Rocks!” Finally, someone who understands! Dom says he never liked Big E, but uh, no, what they did was crazy. Well, whatever, Broke Ass Tom Selleck! Dom says Tom Selleck wishes! Dirty Dom heads for gorilla, ready to fight for the Judgment Day. But will Dom go from “Broke Ass Tom Selleck” to just broken?

 

Dominik Mysterio VS Damian Priest!

Judgment Day’s history has always been a rocky one, but it has never been rockier than right now. Betraying Rhea Ripley & Damian Priest probably has a lot to do with it, but will Dom be able to smooth things over by taking Damian down? Or will Priest finally beat some sense into #LatinoCheat?

The bell rings and Dom bails right out! Dom dares Priest to come get him, but Priest says Dom needs to get back in the ring. Priest will even give him a free shot! Dom storms up to the apron, steps in, and takes that swing, but Priest blocks it! Then Priest BELL CLAPS Dom, DECKS him, then DECKS him again! Dom staggers around, Priest picks him up to SLAM DUNK! Dom staggers back up, into a torture rack! Priest bends Dom with the Argentine Backbreaker! Priest then THROWS Dom down and the fans fire up. Priest paces around, powers up his arm, and Dom rises. The fans rally and Priest runs, but Dom ducks a lariat!

Dom kicks, CLUBS and KICKS again! SUPERKICK! Then DROPKCIK! Priest staggers but Dom hurries to stalk behind him. Priest sits up first and glares at Dom. Dom panics, but he DUMPS Priest out! Dom builds speed to DIVE, but into Priest’s hands! FLATLINER onto the desk! The fans fire up and Priest drags Dom up to then POST him! Dom falls in a heap, but Priest puts Dom in the ring. Priest then notices a very suspicious Santa Claus. Priest snatches the beard away, and tada! It’s JD! Priest TOSSES JD and the fans cheer! JD wants mercy but Priest SLIDES him across the desk! The fans fire up as Wade narrowly avoids getting hit!

Priest then has a Spider Sense moment, and he looks under the ring! Carlito spits out his apple in surprise! Priest drags Carlito up and TOSSES him into the timekeeper’s area! But then Finn attacks!

Winner: Damian Priest, by disqualification

Finn fires hands, but Priest blocks the desk bump! Priest body shots and SMACKS Finn off the desk! And again, and again! Priest puts Finn in the ring, Dom runs up, but Priest DECKS him! Priest fires more hands on Finn, but the Judgment Day regroups! They mug Priest 4v1 as usual, and JD even drops elbows! The fans boo but the Judgment Day stand Priest up. WAIT! Here comes the War Raiders! Erik & Ivar fire hands on Dom & Carlito, and Priest TOSSES JD! Finn realizes he’s alone, and Priest SUPERKICKS him down! Priest stomps a mudhole into Finn, the Raiders put Carlito and Dom in the ring!

Ivar KNEES Carlito, then feeds him to Erik’s KNEE! The fans cheer, JD gets up, but Priest LARIATS him inside-out! Dom is fed to the WAR MACHINE!! Finn staggers up, but Priest grabs him! And Finn goes SOUTH OF HEAVEN!! The Judgment Day just got further embarrassed, and that’s not even considering JD’s Santa costume. Will the War Raiders be some unlikely allies for Priest in this ongoing war with the Judgment Day?

 

Sit-down interview with Seth Rollins.

Jackie Redmond thanks The Visionary for taking this time to talk with her, and he says it is his pleasure. Jackie talked with CM Punk and heard what he had to say, what Punk believes, when it comes to Rollins’ hatred for Punk. And we have heard from Rollins, as well, but Jackie’s still just curious. What is the root cause, the driving force, of this disdain he clearly feels for CM Punk? Rollins says the thing is, he has tried to explain how he feels many times over the years, and it sort of… Well, he won’t say he’s talking into the wind, but Rollins just feels Punk has needed the WWE more than the WWE needed him.

And so that hypocrisy from Punk is what just eats at Rollins. It is hard for Rollins to let that go. Jackie mentions how Rollins has talked about getting rid of it by “cutting it out” and fighting through it, and how this fight with Punk has to happen as a catharsis. What does “cutting” Punk out look like? What should we expect from, not even so much a match, that doesn’t feel like the right word now. Rollins says it’ll be fight. That’s what we’re getting, no question. It is the biggest fight in their sport right now, and Rollins needs it now. After Survivor Series, seeing Punk hand-in-hand with Roman Reigns… Roman’s finger in the air, Punk doing the stupid Go To Sleep thing…

Rollins just wanted to throw the remote through his TV, he was so viscerally, internally destroyed. Rollins felt that was it, no more waiting. The world needs to see it. This is perfect. The Netflix debut, the world will be watching. But to answer the question, he doesn’t know what it’ll look like. You might see a side of Rollins that no one’s ever seen. No pun intended, it will be raw, visceral, violent. Rollins needs to exorcise this demon from his soul, he has to cut the cancer out of his brain, or he is going down. Then the only way to process the betrayal is to go through a fight, and we get that on January 6th, Raw in LA for Netflix.

Jackie thanks Rollins for the time and his honesty. Rollins says yeah, he can’t wait. Will Rollins truly #BurnItDown when it comes to fight CM Punk?

 

The Miz VS Dexter Lumis!

The Hollywood A-Lister has his own history with the man now turned buzzard, and things are only worse now that this is about the Final Testament and the Wyatt Sick6. Will Miz manage to bury the past once and for all? Or will he get no mercy from Lumis?

Raw returns as Miz waits. A message flashes, “I OPENED THE DOOR,” and then the lights go down. And from that mysterious door to the other side, out steps Lumis. He takes off the Mercy the Buzzard mask, then rushes the ring! Miz scrambles right out as Lumis slithers along the mat! The fans cheer Lumis on while Miz tentatively returns to the ring. The bell rings, Miz wants Lumis to hold on, but Lumis swings hands! Miz bobs ‘n’ weaves, then throws a punch! Lumis just glares at Miz! Miz runs away, Lumis gives chase, and they go around the outside, then back inside! Lumis drags Miz out of the ring to ROCK him!

Miz staggers, Lumis THROWS him into barriers! The fans cheer, Lumis ROCKS Miz again, and then Lumis SMACKS Miz off the apron! Lumis pushes Miz into the ring, Miz bails out, but Lumis goes out to the apron. CANNONBALL! The fans fire up and Lumis brings Miz up. Lumis CLUBS Miz, stalks him, then puts him in the ring. Miz again asks for mercy, but then he tries a cheap kick! Lumis blocks and UPPERCUTS! Lumis scoops, Miz slips free and Miz BOOTS Lumis! Miz runs, but into a THESZ PRESS! Lumis rains down fast hands, then runs to AX HANDLE! The fans fire up and Lumis brings Miz up.

Miz breaks free to throat chop! The ref reprimands but Miz runs, only for Lumis to catch him! URENAGE! Lumis storms around, then goes looks to the corner. Lumis climbs, but wait, the Authors of Pain are here! So Lumis CANNONBALLS onto them! The fans fire up but Kross attacks!

Winner: Dexter Lumis, by disqualification

The Final Testament beats Lumis up and puts him in the ring. Miz stands, confident now that he has reinforcements. Kross says they’ve got Lumis where they want him, but Lumis looks to the sky. Seems it’s the other way around! The lights go down, and when they come up, the rest of the Wyatts are here! They brawl with Final Testament and then send them running! Nikki wants uppies, and Erik Rowan pops her up to POWERBOMB her out onto The Final Testament! Nikki is all fired up as the Wyatts stand together! Will The Final Testament be the one buried and forgotten after all is said and done?

 

The War Raiders regroup backstage.

Erik & Ivar are fired up after getting the better of Judgment Day, and then Priest walks in. He says what’s up, and they give him some pushes and shoves of excitement. Priest says okay, okay, settle down. But that was good, and he appreciates the save. Ivar says hey, they’ve all known each other a long time. And while they haven’t always seen eye to eye, there has always been honor here. They may not be friends, but Priest had their backs in a big way last week and they don’t forget that. They owed him, they got him. Priest respects that. If the War Raiders are at war with the Judgment Day, then he’ll go to war with them.

They all fist bump, and Erik & Ivar say they like the sound of that. Could these three finally tear down Judgment Day once and for all?

 

The zero symbol returns…

And now it’s joined by a pentagram? What could these clues be leading to?

 

The New Day barges out to ringside.

And Kofi Kingston tells Joe Tessitore & Wade Barrett on commentary that no no no no! You do not get to speak about them like that! Woods asks what is going on around here? What happened to unbiased journalism? How long has Tessitore even been with the WWE? Not that long, right? Certainly not long enough to know that his job is not to have an opinion but to tell the TRUTH like they have! But it seems in 2024, no one wants the truth! Certainly not these fans. Wade was sympathizing with E as well! Well that’s fine, because Wade and Big E have something in common. They’re not man enough to lace up their boots again and get in the ring!

The fans boo now but Kofi says speaking of getting back int he ring, allow the New Day to do that and continue to tell everyone what they were trying to tell people before. They did NOT put hands on Big E. They could have, laid him out here in the ring, stretchered out of the building again, but they didn’t! So why is everyone so upset!? The fans keep booing but Kofi says this was supposed to be a homecoming for Kofi, and for the woman he bought a plane ticket for to come all the way here to Boston from Ghana, and that is Kofi’s mom! Kofi’s mom is in the front row! Miss Elizabeth Kingston is here, but she doesn’t seem very amused.

Kofi says his mom sat in the middle seat for 20 HOURS, just to see Kofi, and the fans are ruining her experience! This is his mother! The woman who taught him how to be the man that he is today! She does not deserve to see her son get booed out of his own hometown! Woods says they gave the fans ten of the best years of their LIVES…! Kofi steps back outside to apologize to his mom for the fans. She does not deserve this. Kofi doesn’t understand why they’re doing this. Kofi wants a hug. Miss Elizabeth stands up, but she pushes Kofi! She’s upset with HIM, not the fans! Miss Elizabeth takes her coat and leaves! Kofi is confused, what’s this about?

Kofi calls after his mom but she tunes him out. Though, it might be hard to hear over the fans. Will it ever get through to the New Day that they are in the wrong?

 

The New Day regroups backstage.

And then they cross paths with Rey Mysterio. Woods asks if he’s gonna pile on. Rey says no, it’s not like that. Rey thought about what they said last week, being a locker room leader and all. Rey definitely could’ve handled things better, so he’ll apologize to them. Rey just has the responsibility to help everyone as much as he can. So hey, what New Day did was out of pocket, all foul. And if they want to start fixing things, they can start by apologizing. Whoa, hold up. Them? Apologize to Rey and the locker room? No, they aren’t apologizing, because they didn’t do anything wrong! This is ridiculous!

Rey is just as bad as Big E and everyone else! Why not let Woods pop that mask off again so he can hear them better. New Day did nothing wrong. Rey says okay, fine, que pasa nada. Just don’t say he didn’t try. From this point on, New Day is on their own. And oh, get used to hearing this. “New! Day SUCKS!” With that, Rey takes his leave. After hearing that, will Kofi & Woods have anything but a Merry Christmas?

 

Sami Zayn VS Drew McIntyre!

The Honorary Uce may have just lost to the Scottish Terminator at Saturday Night’s Main Event, but he isn’t going to give up the fight. Will Sami finally get a win over McIntyre as a Christmas miracle? Or will McIntyre ruin the holidays with a Claymore?

Raw returns and Sami makes his entrance. The bell rings and McIntyre kicks low! McIntyre fires hands, then CHOPS Sami in a corner! McIntyre ROCKS Sami, stands him up, and then CHOPS again! The fans are torn but McIntyre paces while Sami sits down. Sami rises up, and he avoids a chop to fire hands! The fans fire up as Sami CHOPS and fires more punches! The ref backs Sami off, but Sami comes back to stomp and punch! The fans rally behind “SAMI USO!” and Sami whips Mcintyre corner to corner. McIntyre reverses, Sami goes up, but McIntyre KICKS him out of the air!

McIntyre snarls and then he deadlift suplexes Sami! Sami writhes and clutches his back, but McIntyre storms over to him. McIntyre STMOPS Sami’s hands! Then he ROCKS Sami with a right! Sami goes to ropes but McIntyre CHOPS him again! The fans “WOO~!” as that chop echoes out! The fans rally for Sami but McIntyre grins. McIntyre whips but Sami KICKS him in return! Mcintyre comes back but Sami TOSSES him out! The fans fire up and Sami builds speed, but then Mcintyre moves so Sami Arabian Presses to land back inside. Sami smiles as he gets the better of McIntyre, and Raw goes to break.

Raw returns again and Sami is in the corner. McIntyre storms up to stomp away on him again! The ref backs McIntyre off but then McIntyre storms back up. McIntyre drag’s Sami up to the apron, and he suplexes Sami up and into the ring! Sami flounders to the ropes and the ref checks him. Sami says he’s still in this, so McIntyre drags Sami back up. But Sami CHOPS McIntyre! And CHOSP! And fires forearms! Sami whips, McIntyre reverses but Sami ducks ‘n’ dodges, only for McIntyre to tilt-o-whirl BACKBREAKER! Cover, TWO! Sami survives and McIntyre grows annoyed. The fans rally up but Sami writhes form all the damage.

McIntyre stalks Sami to the ropes, eggs him on, and then whips him to ropes. Sami ducks ‘n’ dodges again, and this time Sami tilt-o-whirls to DDT! Both men are down and the fans fire up! Sami and McIntyre both rise up, and McIntyre bails out. Sami storms up to ropes, grits his teeth, and he PLANCHAS! But McIntyre catches him! And then he aims for the desk! Sami fights free, and he DRIBBLES McIntyre off the desk! Sami backs off as the ring count climbs, but Sami goes back for McIntyre. McIntyre stops the step bump to SMACK Sami off the steps! McIntyre refreshes the ring count because he wants to do more damage!

McIntyre stalks Sami up the steps, then lifts him for an APRON BACKBREAKER!! Sami falls and writhes, and McIntyre has a manic look on his face as he watches Sami suffer, but Raw goes to break.

Raw returns once again and Mcintyre has Sami in the Inverted Alabama Lift! INVERTED ALABAMA- VICTORY ROLL! TWO!! McIntyre escapes and runs up, but Sami dodges! McIntyre POSTS himself! The fans fire up as McIntyre flops back, and Sami hurries to the corner! Sami climbs, but his back slows him down! McIntyre ROCKS Sami first! And then CHOPS him! McIntyre climbs up after Sami, fires some shots, then fireman’s carries Sami! SUPER WHITE NOISE! A shoutout to Sheamus and McIntyre covers, TWO!! The fans fire up while McIntyre grows frustrated. Sami stirs but McIntyre watches him closely.

The fans rally and McIntyre drags Sami back up. But Sami cradle counters! TWO! McIntyre GLASGOW KISS HEADBUTTS! Sami falls and McIntyre snarls. McIntyre goes to a corner, and he takes aim at Sami. Here comes the countdown! “THREE! TWO! ONE!” But Sami LARIATS McIntyre! And then a clinch, EXPLODER into the corner! Sami goes to the other side and the fans fire up! Sami aims as McIntyre rises, but that back tightens up. Sami fights through the pain, gets running, but CLAYMORE!! Cover, McIntyre wins!

Winner: Drew McIntyre, by pinfall

That was perhaps the closest Sami’s come, but he was still so far away from victory over McIntyre. 3-0 in 2024, 10-0 overall, and McIntyre stands over Sami to rub it in. Sami is already dazed, but McIntyre rains down fists! The fans boo, the ref reprimands, but McIntyre shoves the ref away to HAMMER Sami down! But here comes Jey, just like earlier tonight! Jey runs in, dodges again, and this time, SPEAR!! Jey has Mcintyre down, but now he goes up! But wait! TAMA TONGA SHOVES JEY OFF THE TOP!! Solo Sikoa & The Bloodline are here! McIntyre is just as surprised, but given the truce they called on Friday, McIntyre takes his leave.

The Bloodline beat down Sami & Jey, which McIntyre loves to see. Tama Tonga rains down fists on Main Event Jey in a corner, but the fans chant for “O T C! O T C!” Instead, Jacob Fatu gets running! But Jey dodges the hip attack! SUPERKICK for Tama! Jey fires haymakers on Jacob! “YEET! YEET! YEET!” Solo steps in to swing, but Jey dodges! Jey ROCKS Solo! Jacob SUPERKICKS Jey! The fans boo as the Samoan Werewolf gets all geeked up! Solo adds his SAMOAN SPIKE!! Solo throws off his jacket, sits Jey back up, but Sami gets in! Sami fires hands, but Tama TACKLES Sami! Tama beats Sami down and fans boo again.

Solo tells Tama to set Sami up, and Tama stomps Sami into the corner. Jacob runs in, to HIP ATTACK! Jacob isn’t done, he puts Sami in the drop zone to go up, up and BEST MOONSAULT EVER! The fans boo but Solo adds on another SAMOAN SPIKE!! Solo roars, then he and his Bloodline stand over the OGs. Jacob adorns Solo with the ula fala, will not even Roman Reigns be able to stop the “Undisputed” Tribal Chief? Will all of the WWE have no choice but to acknowledge Solo Sikoa?


My Thoughts:

A great Raw here to build both the last Raw of 2024 and the first Raw of 2025, aka the Netflix debut. Rollins had a very good interview promo to add just a little more to things, but I feel like there’s little left that they need to say. Very good stuff with Judgment Day, such as the classic “X, can you tell Y…” gag from Finn and Liv. Dom thinking their plan to screw Priest over would work is hilarious, as was how it all fell apart. Priest gets the win from disqualification, but then great save from the War Raiders. Good promo from Priest and War Raiders, love the reference to ROH by saying “honor” there, and that’s a solid Six Man Tag right there.

Fun little bit from Pearce with Pure Fusion Collective, and of course Sonya thought she’d get a second chance, and of course Pearce uses real logic to say no way. Iyo Sky replacing Kairi Sane was announced last week on social media, so I guess Sonya didn’t check between shows. Great Triple Threat from Iyo, Alba and Natty, and of course Iyo won or else why put her in there? Iyo VS Lyra next round will be great stuff, as will Dakota Kai VS Zoey Stark, and whatever combination we get for the title match is going to be great. I don’t think we’ll get DMG CTRL VS DMG CTRL, so if Dakota wins, Iyo loses, and then vice-versa.

Great stuff with American Made and Alpha Academy, but of course Tozawa takes the loss. Otis standing up to Gable & The Creeds was a great moment, and I really hope we get Gable VS Otis for the big Netflix debut. Win or lose, Otis should definitely have a moment where he rallies through Gable and both Creeds, really get the crowd hot before the finish. Miz VS Lumis was good but could’ve been better. With only two hours, I guess they had to trim things down to the basics. Another disqualification finish tonight is a bit much, but I guess it keeps things going until we can come up with some kind of new 8 Man Tag, or even a really wild Mixed 10 Person match so Nikki and Scarlett can get involved legally.

Great stuff with New Day, from their interaction with Dom, then their “interrupting” the show to try and get their point across. It was great to have Mama Kingston there, and I just knew she would be disappointed in Kofi. Good promo with Rey, too, as Rey now leaves New Day out in the cold. I feel like we need a big tag team match to not only have Heel New Day show their stuff against like LWO, Alpha Academy, etcetera, and then they earn their way to a match with the War Raiders to revisit their feud, just with flipped Heel and Face dynamics. That could be some really good stuff as Raw on Netflix paves the road to WrestleMania 41.

And great stuff with McIntyre and the extended Bloodline. He and Sami had a great promo to again bring up family and sacrifice, but also how Roman’s OG Bloodline came back together without Roman ever changing a thing. Great brawls, great saves by Jey, and of course McIntyre won the match. Jey will of course get next, probably also for the Netflix debut, but good stuff with Solo Sikoa and his Bloodline showing up. They beat down Jey & Sami to send a message to Roman, who was obviously not going to be here tonight. There will surely be a response in part on SmackDown, but maybe more verbal than physical.

I feel like the “Transfer Window” will need to put all Bloodline members, old and new, on one brand so the story can be told all on one show. It’d just be easier while Jimmy’s foot is healing, because what can Roman do without backup against Solo, Tama & Jacob? And honestly, still waiting on when and where Hikuleo is going to show up. This is a good time to bring him in with Tonga Loa also hurt, so Solo can get the numbers edge on Roman again.

My Score: 8.8/10

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Mitchell’s NJPW Road to Tokyo Dome Results & Report! (12/22/24)

Empire VS Emperor!

Published

on

NJPW Road to Tokyo Dome

The Road to the Tokyo Dome goes through KOPW!

As 2024 nears an end, Great-O-Khan defends the KOPW Championship one more time, against a former KOPW Champion in Taichi! Who will be THE 2024 King of Pro-Wrestling?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

  • Kickoff – Chase Your Dream Match: Shoma Kato VS Hiromu Takahashi; Hiromu wins.
  • Boltin Oleg VS Satoshi Kojima; Boltin wins.
  • Triple Threat Tag: Jeff Cobb & Jakob Austin Young VS Ryohei Oiwa & Hartley Jackson VS Ren Narita & Yujiro Takahashi; Narita & Yujiro win.
  • DOUKI & Taka Michinoku VS El Desperado & Master Wato; Desperado & Wato win.
  • Fatal 4 Way: Kevin Knight VS Robbie Eagles VS Francesco Akira VS “Drilla” Dan Moloney; Eagles wins.
  • Six Man Tag: Los Ingobernables de Japon VS Bullet Club War Dogs; LIJ wins.
  • Shota Umino & Hiroshi Tanahashi VS Zack Sabre Jr. & Kosei Fujita; ZSJ & Fujita win.
  • KOPW Championship Three Stages of Hell: Great-O-Khan VS Taichi; Khan wins and is the definitive 2024 KOPW Champion.

PLAY BY PLAY

After the Triple Threat Tag…

The House of Torture of course cheated to win, but they wouldn’t leave it at that! They waited until the United Empire and TMDK argued with each other to then attack them all! Yujiro Takahashi CLUBS Oiwa down while Narita shoves Cobb into big Hartley Jackson! And then Narita JAMS Cobb with the pushup bar! The fans boo but Narita JAMS Oiwa up, too! The Souled Out Son of Strong Style is so proud of himself as he holds up his NJPW World TV Championship, but wait. Christmas music starts playing? The fans clap along as surprise! Santa and his reindeer are here! Well, one reindeer. But shouldn’t the House of Torture be on the naughty list?

Santa Claus walks over, and he gets the mic. He sounds familiar as he tells, “Narita-san… You have a Christmas present waiting. Would you like it now?” Narita asks what the heck is going on. Santa steps into the ring and offers Narita the little tiny bag. Narita snatches the bag, then he and Yujiro look at it. The fans asks, “Nani nani? <What is it?>” Narita tells them to shut up. Narita gets the bag open and pulls out… Blue sunglasses! With LED lights! The fans cheer as the lights go down! “E! L! P!” EL PHANTASMO IS HERE! The Headbanga has been battling cancer, but he’s here in Korakuen Hall!

Narita is furious but ELP slides right into the ring! Narita & Yujiro run away, but the fans cheer ELP on as he stands side-by-side with Jado Claus. ELP gets the mic now, and the fans cheer him on. ELP takes a moment before saying, in Japanese, “Cancer. Cancer… I’ve beaten cancer! And I love Korakuen!” But ELP asks Jado-san how to say a certain something in Japanese. He whispers it, but then Narita & Yujiro attack! The fans boo these cowards, but then Narita says Merry Christmas! But ELP BOOTS him, ELBOWS Yujiro, then dodges Narita to SUDDEN DEATH! Jado Claus DECKS the Tokyo Pimp!

ELP again asks Jado, and Jado says on behalf of ELP, that ELP is going to wrestle tomorrow night! And… Then he’ll be at the Tokyo Dome! ELP grabs the NJPW World TV Championship! ELP looks it over, and looks to the crowd, and then to Jado, but then Jeff Cobb and Ryohei Oiwa get in the ring. Cobb asks if ELP’s good. ELP is good. Are they good? Then let’s turn it up a notch! FATAL 4 WAY for the TV Championship! Narita snatches his belt, gets out of the ring, and tells everyone to shut up! The odds just got stacked against the House of Torture, will the New Year have a NEW NJPW World TV Champion one way or another?

 

Shota Umino & Hiroshi Tanahashi VS Zack Sabre Jr. & Kosei Fujita!

Ahead of battling for THE IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, The Roughneck and The Front Man bring some back up! The Ace is also preparing to fight Evil, will he and Shota bring a Once in a Century Paradigm Shift? Or will ZSJ and the Japanese Young Punk prove The Mighty Don’t Kneel?

The teams sort out and Shota starts against ZSJ. The fans cheer this WrestleKingdom preview, and Korakuen duels between “SHOTA! SHOTA!” and “ZAKU! ZAKU!” ZSJ and Shota feel things out, then knuckle lock. ZSJ clinches but Shota fights back with his own clinch. ZSJ slips around to chinbar but Shota wrenches to a wristlock. ZSJ rolls, tries another chinbar but Shota cranks the wristlock. ZSJ bridges, spins, slips around and wrangles Shota! Shota kips up to WRING the arm, but ZSJ UP KICKS! The fans cheer as the two reset. Shota and ZSJ circle, feel things out, and knuckle lock. ZSJ then stands on Shota’s hand!

ZSJ has another hand and twists the wrist! Then he has both arms for a motorcycle stretch but Shota fights up. Shota turns things around, and he fights ZSJ as ZSJ tries to turn them back. ZSJ keeps trying, and he pushes through, but Shota spins things right back around! The fans cheer while Shota digs a foot into ZSJ’s back. ZSJ flips, kips up, spins things around, but Shota spins them back! The fans cheer, and Shota spins ZSJ. ZSJ dodges the lariat, Shota blocks a kick, but ZSJ ducks the enzigiri! Shota avoids the Penalty Kick and arm-drags ZSJ, but ZSJ headscissors! Shota kips free, avoids a leg pick, and the fans cheer!

Shota dares ZSJ to go for the leg but the two reset again. They feel things out, knuckle lock, and each man breaks free of one. They back off, and Shota tags in Tanahashi. The fans cheer, ZSJ tags in Fujita, and Korakuen strongly supports President Ace. Tanahashi and Fujita circle, tie up, and Tanahashi powers Fujita back. The ref counts, Tanahashi lets off slowly, but then Fujita turns things around! Tanahashi turns things around, and repeat! The ref counts, Fujita lets off slowly, but then both men block a kick! They argue over who lets go first, and eventually agree for a mutual break. They set the feet down, but then Fujita holds on!

Fujita CHOPS Tanahashi, then whips. Tanahashi reverses but Fujita ducks ‘n’ dodges to GAMANGIRI! The fans fire up and Fujita aims from a corner. Fujita runs corner to corner but Tanahashi BOOTS him! Shota CLOBBERS Fujita, then eggs ZSJ on! ZSJ runs up, Shota blocks a kick and he sends ZSJ into Tanahashi’s ELBOW! Shota CLOBBERS ZSJ and the fans fire up. Shota pursues ZSJ to the outside and CLUBS him down! Shota clamps onto ZSJ with a chinlock but the ref reprimands. Tanahashi CHOPS Fujita, but Fujita CHOPS Tanahashi! The fans fire up as Fujita storms back up, but he blocks a boot!

Fujita DRAGON SCREWS Tanahashi’s leg! Fujita kips up, ZSJ sends Shota into railing, and Fujita stomps Tanahashi. The fans rally and Fujita brings Tanahashi up to CHOP! Fujita eggs Tanahashi on, CHOPS him again, then CHOPS again! Tanahashi flounders and ZSJ tags in. ZSJ drags Tanahashi up to UPPERCUT! Tanahashi ends up in the TMDK corner, ZSJ UPPERCUTS him again! ZSJ says, “Mada mada!” and he UPPERCUTS again! Tanahashi falls, ZSJ tags in Fujita, and Fujita brings Tanahashi up. Fujita CHOPS again, and then CHOPS again! Tanahashi is stinging and using the ropes for defense while the fans rally up.

Tanahashi storms up but Fujita CHOPS! Tanahashi CHOPS, Fujita CHOPS! Tanahashi falls and Fujita BLASTS Shota! Tag to ZSJ and he grabs a leg. Fujita also grabs one, they drag Tanahashi to center, and then they both go after arms. Then they shift, ZSJ has an arm while Fujita has a leg! Then they both have legs again! Then ZSJ has a leg and Fujita has an arm! Then back to the arms! They both isolate the arms for DOUBLE STOMPS! The fans cheer, the ref reprimands and ZSJ “apologizes” with a bow. ZSJ stands on one of Tanahashi’s legs to then twist the other! Tanahashi endures, even as ZSJ TWEAKS the ankle!

ZSJ twists the foot the other way, flips Tanahashi over, and shifts around to have a headscissor and armlock! Shota stomps ZSJ but Fujita goes after Shota! Fujita TOSSES Shota, ZSJ tags Fujita back in. Fujita stomps Tanahashi, KICKS him in the back, but Tanahashi gets mad! Fujita KICKS Tanahashi but Tanahashi fires up! Fujita KICKS and CHOPS, but Tanahashi fires forearm after forearm! Fujita CHOPS again! Tanahashi grits his teeth but Fujita CHOPS again! And CHOPS again! SHOTEI! Fujita falls but so does Tanahashi! The fans rally up while both men crawl, hot tag to Shota! Shota rallies on Fujita with big forearms and elbows!

Shota whips, Fujita reverses, but Shota dropkicks the legs out! ZSJ runs up and RAMS Shota! Then ZSJ runs, but into Shota’s DROPKICK! The fans fire up and Shota goes to Fujita. Shota whips corner to corner, runs up, and UPPERCUTS! Shota reels Fujita in, FISHERMAN SUPLEX! Bridging cover, TWO! Not quite perfect but Shota doesn’t mind. Shota clinches but Fujita fights the suplex with elbows. Shota runs up, but Fujita wrenches, waistlocks, but Shota ELBOWS free! Shota whips, Fujita reverses and DROPKICKS! Both men are down and the fans fire up again! Fujita crawls, hot tag to ZSJ!

ZSJ runs up to BOOT Shota! Shota stays up so ZSJ runs to BOOT him again! And BOOT him again! Shota roars and ROCKS ZSJ! Shota runs to ROCK ZSJ again! ZSJ UPPERCUTS, Shota eggs him on, repeat! Shota UPPERCUTS and ZSJ roars! ZSJ UPPER- NO, Shota hooks the arm, but ZSJ wrenches out of the backslide to PELE the arm! Then ZSJ basement DROPKICKS Shota! The fans fire up while Shota clutches a leg and an arm. ZSJ kicks him around, scuffs him and taunts him. The fans rally, the ref checks Shota, but Shota is okay to continue. ZSJ stands Shota up to UPPERCUT! And UPPERCUT!

Shota clinches to EXPLODER! Both men are down and the fans rally again! Shota crawls, hot tag to Tanahashi! Fujita runs up, but Tanahashi blocks a kick to DRAGON SCREW! Payback for earlier! Tanahashi runs up at ZSJ in a corner, blocks a boot, and DRAGON SCREWS! Tanahashi put some stank on that one! Then he goes up the corner for a SUNSET SENTON! Cover, TWO! ZSJ stays in this but the fans continue to rally! “GO ACE! GO ACE!” echoes out as Tanahashi runs, but ZSJ catches him into a COBRA TWIST! Tanahashi endures, then throws elbows into ZSJ’s leg. Tanahashi gets free to DRAGON SCREW again!

ZSJ writhes, Tanahashi ties the legs up, but ZSJ kicks at him! Tanahashi blocks a kick to GROUND DRAGON SCREW! And now, TEXAS CLOVER- NO, ZSJ fights the turnover and reels Tanahashi into a TRIANGLE HOLD! Tanahashi endures and the fans rally up, but Shota gets in! Shota stomps away on ZSJ, but then Fujita MISSILE DROPKICKS Shota! Fujita brings Tanahashi up but Tanahashi SHOTEIS him down! ZSJ is after Tanahashi but he avoids the shotei! ZSJ SLAPS Tanahashi, then PENALTY KICKS! Cover, TWO!! Tanahashi survives but ZSJ gives him a NECK TWIST! The fans fire up as ZSJ stand Tanahashi up.

ZSJ scoops but Tanahashi fights that, to a TWIST ‘N’ SHOUT! The fans fire up but Tanahashi isn’t done! TWIST ‘N’ SHOUT! Tanahashi stands ZSJ up again, but ZSJ scoops to ZACK DRIVER!! Cover, ZSJ & Fujita win!

Winners: Zack Sabre Jr. & Kosei Fujita, by pinfall

Shota can’t believe The Ace fell, but this is why ZSJ is the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion! Will ZSJ do this all to Shota when they’re 1v1 in the Tokyo Dome? Or will Shota prove he’s mightier than The Mighty?

 

KOPW Championship Three Stages of Hell: Great-O-Khan VS Taichi!

The Dominator has, well, dominated as KOPW Champion for a long stretch of 2024, but the Holy Emperor did close out 2023 with this title. Granted, Taichi says that win, lose or draw, this is his final KOPW Championship match. As such, tonight’s stipulation is a sort of “Best Of” compilation as we go Best 2 Out of 3. Part one: a no ropes Sumo Rules match! Part two: Yoshinobu Kanemaru as special guest referee? Well, he would be a neutral party… And part three, if needed, will be a LAST MAN STANDING MATCH! Will Taichi “retire” from this truly freestyle division standing tall? Or will Khan truly conquer KOPW for the United Empire?

The introductions are made, the belt is raised, but Taichi also brings back the trophy for the occasion, and it’s time to end the year in style!

Sumo Rules!

Both men finish preparations with weight belts and some stretching. They square up, the ref says go and they RAM into each other! The fans rally as both men go for those weight belts to use as leverage. They go around, get very close to the ring edge, but then Khan moves things away. Khan THROWS Taichi, but Taichi stays on the ring so the sumo match continues. They reset and go again! Taichi pushes Khan back with both hands, but Khan digs in his heels! They clinch, go around, and Taichi goes for the edge! Khan pulls on Taichi’s leg to get around, but Taichi uses that to steer Khan to another edge! But Khan hits a fireman’s carry takeover!

Khan drags Taichi up but Taichi fights off the throw! They clinch and fight for control again. They each try to lift with the belt! Khan has Taichi near the edge, but then Taichi has Khan near the edge! Khan is teetering and the fans fire up! Taichi THROWS Khan to the floor, Taichi wins the fall!

Khan: 0; Taichi: 1

Special Guest Referee!

The fans are thunderous as Taichi takes the Sumo Rules fall, but now we go to a much more complicated situation. The ropes have to be put back up, sure, but now the Heel Master of all people is going to be the referee! The time it takes to set up the ropes is a reprieve for both sides, especially Khan as he has to catch his breath and refocus. Once the ropes are up, both men wait in the ring. All that is left is the buckle pads, and of course, Kanemaru himself. Kanemaru gets a proper introduction and entrance before he goes to the ring, and wow, he’s even wearing an official NJPW referee shirt with the lion mark on it.

Referee Kanemaru does his check and he even tells Taka Michinoku to watch himself. Kanemaru does a far less thorough check of Khan than Taichi! Did the Empire pay Kanemaru off?! Kanemaru has Taichi cool off, then whispers something to Khan! The bell rings, the fans rally for Khan, and Khan circles with Taichi. They tie up, Taichi powers Khan to ropes, and Kanemaru calls for a ropebreak. Then he has a fast count! Taichi lets off before 4 and argues with Kanemaru! Kanemaru says that’s his count, deal with it. Khan and Taichi reset, tie up, and Khan puts Taichi on ropes. Kanemaru pays more attention to Taka than Taichi!

The fans can’t help but laugh as Kanemaru finally does count, and now it’s really slow! Taichi protests, but Khan pulls Taichi’s arms. Then he CHOPS Taichi and stops at “3!” Khan then goes after Taichi, wrenches and wristlocks, and Kanemaru is asking if Taichi gives up!? Taichi tells him to shut up, but Khan kicks and CLUBS Taichi. Khan whips, Taichi BOOTS Khan down, then covers! Kanemaru strolls over to count! And it’s so slow! “TWO” and the fans cheer. Taichi is upset, but Khan rolls Taichi up! SO FAST!! TWO!! Taichi is getting pissed but Kanemaru backs away. Taichi stomps Khan, and Kanemaru’s untying a buckle pad?!

Taichi stomps Khan around, Khan leaves the pad there loosely, and Taichi whips. Khan reverses, and SURPRISE! bare buckles! Taka protests but Kanemaru SMACKS him with the pad! Khan plays dumb, and then he stands on Taichi’s lower back. Taichi has the ropes, but Kanemaru kicks the arm away! Khan has Taichi’s other arm, Taichi keeps grabbing for ropes but Kanemaru keeps kicking the hand away! Khan drags Taichi up, brings him around, and ROCKS him in the back! Taichi goes to a corner, Khan Mongolian Chops him on the back! And Mongolian Chops again! And Mongolian Chops again! Kanemaru doesn’t bother counting at all!

Taka protests, Kanemaru warns him, but then Khan hops up to sit on his throne! The fans cheer while Taichi endures, and only now does Kanemaru count! Khan asks hold on, hold on, so Kanemaru stops counting! Khan hops down, and then he puts Kanemaru up on the throne! Khan gets the fans to join in on the “Ohh…! HMPH!” Kanemaru isn’t into it so he hops down. Khan apologizes to Kanemaru, then he kicks Taichi around. Taichi gets up to fire hands! Khan kicks low, whips, but Taichi reverses to wrench and HOOK KICK! The fans fire up while both men are down. Taichi stands, and he drags Khan up into SEITEI JUJIHOU!

Kanemaru might be stuck, he can’t ignore Khan tapping. But then Kanemaru drags Khan over to the ropes! Taichi is frustrated with Kanemaru but Kanemaru says that’s a ropebreak. Taichi storms up on Kanemaru, but then Khan waistlocks! Ripcord and SAYANAGI! Both men are down again and the fans rally up! Taichi goes to a corner, Khan runs in, but Taichi dodges! GAMANGIRI! The fans fire up and Taichi snarls. Taichi TAKES OFF THE PANTS! The pants were a bit stubborn, but still. But then Kanemaru “checks” Khan just to stay between him and Taichi! Taichi says move or else! Kanemaru says he’s the ref!

Kanemaru kicks Taichi, CLAWS Taichi’s eyes, then traps his arms! Khan gets up to IRON RIGHT!! Kanemaru “scolds” Khan, then “checks” Taichi. Khan rests in a corner and Kanemaru drags Taichi up for him. Taichi CHOKES Kanemaru! Kanemaru kicks low! Kanemaru whips Taichi into a corner, ELBOWS him, then Khan LARIATS! Khan snapmares and covers, Kanemaru wants more first! Khan sits Taichi up for a BASEMENT DROPKICK! Now cover, TWO!! Taichi survives so Kanemaru hurries to get his whiskey! Khan takes a swig, and Kanemaru sets Taichi up! WHISKEY MIST into Kanemaru! Taichi hits the GEDO CLUTCH, but Kanemaru really can’t count now!

Taichi lets off of Khan since there was no count to be had. Taichi drags Kanemaru up, but Khan WHISKEY BOTTLE SHOTS Taichi! IRON CLAW!! Kanemaru calls for the bell? He just hands the win to Khan without counting, so now we’re all tied up!

Khan: 1; Taichi: 1

Kanemaru has fulfilled the contract, Khan gives him the envelope of money. Khan even makes sure we all see how many thousands that is! Kanemaru heads out, is he going to party hard for the holidays? But that aside, it is time for the final fall!

Last Man Standing!

Taichi gets the mic first, and tells Khan that if that’s how Khan wants to do it, then Taichi will get down and dirty with Khan! No lumberjacks, no special guests, just the straight up ten count, and it can happen anywhere in Korakuen Hall! Khan says bet! The announcement is made for the official rule change, and now we have the final fall! Khan rushes Taichi on the outside, then whips him into railing! And we’re already going into the crowd! Khan throws Taicihi at English commentary, but big Hartley is a solid wall for Chris. Khan then drags Taichi up into the bleachers, and the fans clear out of the way!

Khan CHOKES Taichi with a chair, then lets off to clear chairs out of the way. The Young Lions try to help but Khan gets mad at them and pushes them aside. Khan drags Taichi up, knees him low, and then reels him in! But Taichi fights the sayanagi! Taichi SHOVES Khan, Khan falls to the floor but gets up, only for Taichi to CROSSBODY! Down goes Khan and Red Shoes hurries over. Both men are down but Taichi sits up. The count starts and Khan is still down at 5 of 10! Khan hurries to get up, and Taichi stomps him down! Taichi drags Khan back up into the bleachers, but we go the other way.

Taicih KICKS Khan down, Young Lions keep the fans back again, and Taichi drags Khan along. They keep moving through the crowd, and Taichi shoves Khan into chairs! Khan sputters but Taichi drags him up again. Taichi KNEES Khan, then drags him up. They go back down to floor level, and then Taichi aims at chairs! Taichi whips but Khan reverses and he BOWLS Taichi into chairs! Not quite a strike but he got a good number of those chairs! Khan pops the railing loose from the special corner piece, and he brings that corner piece over! Khan SMACKS Taichi with the steel! Taichi staggers away but he sits in a chair.

Khan starts folding chairs to stack them on the floor. Khan then uses one chair as a leash to drag Taichi over! Khan CLUBS Taichi, adds that one chair to the pile, and then snap suplexes Taichi onto the chairs! Taichi writhes but Khan rises up. Khan roars and the fans fire up! The count begins again but Taichi slowly sits up at 4. Taichi rises up, and he stands at 8! Khan brings Taichi around in a headlock, and they go to the orange bleachers! Khan uses the gate to smother Taichi, then they go up to the higher level! The fans fire up but then fans have to move! Khan KNEES and CLUBS Taichi, then whips Taichi at the exit door!

Taichi tumbles into the hallway! Khan drags Taichi back into the arena and uses the HITSUJIGOROSHI against the chairs! Taichi endures as Khan chokes him, then Khan lets him go! Red Shoes checks on Taichi, Taka coaches him, but the count begins. Khan sits in a chair to relax while he waits. Taichi sits up at 7, and stands at 9! Khan storms up on Taichi to CLUB him on the back! Khan headlocks Taichi, brings him to the other section, and he gets up close to the fans for photo ops. Khan then whips, but Taichi reverses, and Khan is sent into the wall! Taichi leaves Khan behind while the count begins again.

Khan sits up so Taichi KICKS him back down! Taichi drags Khan up, KICKS him again, and Khan falls to his knees. Taichi drags Khan up by his ponytail, and he goes close to the stairs that lead to the back! Khan fights the suplex, and for his life, but then he turns things around! Taichi fights the suplex, throws hands, and then DDTS Khan to the floor! Red Shoes checks both men, then starts the count. Taichi shakes out his arms and sits up at 4. Taichi stands at 6 but Khan is still down at 8! Khan drags himself up at 9! Taichi CLUBS Khan down, then brings him back up. Taichi brings Khan back to ground level, then snapmares him hard for a KICK!

Khan is in agony but Taichi drags him back up. But Khan RAMS Taichi into the railing! Taichi sputters while also sitting in a chair. Khan staggers away to ringside, and he goes looking under the ring. Khan brings out a trolly cart? Khan JAMS Taichi up using his own mic stand, then leaves him behind. Khan brings out a TABLE! Fans rally up as Khan puts the table on the trolly, then he staggers over to Taichi. Khan CLUBS Taichi down, then SHOVES him onto the table trolly combo. Khan has fans clear out, and then he SNOW PLOWS the chairs with Taichi on the cart!! The fans fire up as Khan stands over Taichi.

Khan drags Taichi up, and he brings the table along, too. Khan kicks chairs out of the way as he returns to the upper deck! Khan SMACKS Taichi off the edge, then he clears out space. Khan sets the table up, then he goes up to fetch Taichi. Khan JAMS Taichi up with a chair, then SMACKS him! Taichi writhes, fans rally, and Khan drags Taichi up. Khan vows to end this! IRON CLAW, and ELIMI- NO! Taichi fights Khan off! Taichi stumbles away through the crowd, but then grabs himself a chair. Taichi runs up to JAM Khan right in the face! Taichi then steals Khan’s idea to choke grip and CHOKE SLAM down through the table!!!

Khan writhes and the fans go nuts! Taichi hobbles around while Red Shoes counts Khan. Khan is still down at 5! Still down at 7! 9! KHAN GRABS RED SHOES’S HAND!! Khan survives, and though he has a couple bloody cuts on his back, he crawls his way to the ring. Taichi eggs Khan on and the fans are thunderous! Khan drags himself into the ring, Taichi runs, AX BOMBER!! The fans fire up and the count returns! Khan is still down at 5, stirs at 6, sits up at 7, and he rises at 8! So Taichi just runs up to AX BOMBER!! Khan drops to his knees, flops over, but he’s already pushing himself back up! Taichi runs again, AX BOMBER!!

Khan staggers around but he stays on his feet! Taichi says fine, AX- SAYANAGI!! Khan turns things around, and he AX BOMBERS in return!! Both men are down and the fans rally as hard as they can! The count is on both men, and Khan crawls for ropes at 5! Taichi slowly sits up at 6, and both men go to corners at 7! Red Shoes waits on them to rise up, and then Taichi fires up! Taichi runs up, DOUBLE LARIATS collide! Neither man falls, so Taichi BOOTS! Khan BOOTS back! Taichi URAKENS! Khan MONGOLIAN CHOPS! Taichi SOBATS! Khan BODY BLOWS! Both men drop to knees, but they also grab at each other.

The fans rally as Khan and Taichi slowly rise. They are forehead to forehead, and then Taichi AX BOMBERS! Khan drops to his knees, Taichi BUZZSAWS, but Khan blocks it! Khan ROCKS Taichi with a right! And then Khan reels Taichi in, but Taichi Alabama Lifts! BLACK- NO, Khan fights into a GUILLOTINE! Taichi is stuck in the body scissors!! Taichi flails, even taps out, but that’s not how Last Man Standing works! Khan squeezes tighter and tighter, Taichi fades, and Red Shoes checks! Khan lets Taichi go and the count begins! Khan rises at 6, and Taichi is somehow up at 9!! So Khan clamps on an IRON CLAW!

Khan lifts Taichi, but Taichi slips free! Taichi shoves Khan and ROCKS him! DANGEROUS SAIDO!! But Khan is staggering to his feet?! Khan goes to a corner, flounders along ropes, but he isn’t down yet! The fans rally hard while both men fight to their feet! SUPERMAN PUNCH from Khan! PELE from Taichi! Both men are down again! Red Shoes starts the count on them both, and the fans rally even harder! Taichi is up at 7! Khan grabs Red Shoes at 9 again!! Taichi roars, Korakuen is with him, and he powers up! TENSHI JUJI- NO!! Khan blocks, and he hooks Taichi! Taichi CLUBS away on Khan, but Khan still lifts! ULTIMATE ELIMINATOR!!

Both men are down again and the fans rally as hard as they can! The count is on both men, and they’re both down at 5! At 7! 9! Khan pushes up, but he FLOPS back down!! DOUBLE TEN! IT’S A DRAW!! What does that mean for the belt!? Red Shoes goes out to talk with Abe-san, and then the announcement is made. In the end, with it being 1-1-1, a true draw, it all goes to KHAN!

Winner: Great-O-Khan, by pinfall (DEFINITIVE 2024 KOPW Champion)

Khan flips Taichi off, one last insult added on top. Khan is given the belt back, but Taichi grabs his trophy. Taichi  steps up to Khan, and gives him the trophy, saying it is rightfully his now. Taichi shows Khan that respect, and Khan returns it with a handshake. Khan “retires” Taichi from KOPW, what will the Holy Emperor look to do in 2025?

As for Khan, he grabs the mic, and he asks Taichi to wait a moment. “You served this title for three years. We will honor your glory!” The fans applaud that, and Khan asks the previous champion to come closer. No, closer. The fans cheer Taichi on as he steps closer to ringside. Khan says Taichi served this title well, so here is his reward. Khan is giving the trophy back? Taichi says no, he gave that to Khan out of respect. Khan says to Taichi and to everyone to listen well. “We are the last KOPW Champion!” Everyone is a bit surprised to hear that.

Khan says, “As an alternative, on January 4th in the Tokyo Dome… as THE last KOPW Champion, We demand that the January 4th match determine the next IWGP World Heavyweight Championship challenger!” The fans are really intrigued by that idea! Khan throws down the belt, and Chris makes sure English speakers understand what Khan is suggesting. The New Japan Ranbo determining a #1 contender? Khan says that these are the words of the final KOPW Champion, The Great-O-Khan! “HAIL US, PEASANTS!” A New Year, a new era? Will Khan’s revolution bring glory to the United Empire?


My Thoughts:

A very good night for Road to Tokyo Dome, though I did skip a lot just because I didn’t have a lot of time today. But luckily I was skimming through, or I would’ve missed ELP’s great return. Congratulations on him beating cancer, and I like that they’re adding him to the NJPW World Television Championship match. It makes sense given ELP’s beef with the House of Torture, and honestly, why not just have ELP win? Not even so much for getting over cancer (though kind of that, too) but because fans love ELP and it’d help him solidify his singles run with Hikuleo long gone for WWE.

Really good stuff in the other tune-up matches, such as #DespeWado winning and the chaotic end to the Fatal 4 Way. Eagles won to help him and Fujita have momentum, but there is still more to the Road to Tokyo Dome first. Honestly that tag Fatal 4 could really go any which way they want so I’m not sure how the go-home math would even work. And Gedo of course took the loss against LIJ. Yota Tsuji is aiming for David Finlay and the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship, but who knows how things go before we get to WrestleKingdom.

Very good tag match from Shota & Tanahashi VS ZSJ & Fujita, and it was technically a surprise for Tanahashi to take the loss. This works on many levels, as Tanahashi should be figuratively on the ropes going into his match with Evil, and this gives Fujita equal momentum alongside Eagles. And then great main event, Khan and Taichi really went the distance with this one. And it all makes sense after Khan reveals this is the end of the KOPW Division. Khan wants to make the New Japan Ranbo to basically be the Royal Rumble and that is pretty cool. I think they could keep the belt to represent that contender’s status the same as the G1 Climax having a briefcase, because that KOPW belt actually looks pretty nice.

My Score: 8.8/10

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