Coverage
Mitchell’s WWE Raw Results & Report! (3/23/20)
The Beast, the Viper and much, much more!
What does Raw have in store for us this week?
With just a DOZEN DAYS before a two-night WrestleMania, Raw has Randy Orton’s response to Edge’s challenge as well as BRRROCK! LESNARRR!
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- From WWE Royal Rumble 2015 – WWE World Championship Triple Threat: Brock Lesnar VS John Cena VS Seth Rollins.
- Andrade Almas & Angel Garza w/ Zelina Vega VS Ricochet & Cedric Alexander; Almas & Garza win.
- The Street Profits VS Shane Thorne & Brendan Vink; The Street Profits win.
- Aleister Black VS Leon Ruff; Aleister wins.
- From WWE WrestleMania 34 – SmackDown Women’s Championship: Charlotte Flair VS Asuka.
PLAY BY PLAY
Paul Heyman addresses the WWE Universe.
The Advocate to the reigning, defending, undisputed WWE Heavyweight Champion of the World opens Raw and says that for 18 years, “beyond the shadow of a doubt,” his client has been the most dominant force in the WWE. The list of victims is endless. Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Randy Orton, Hulk Hogan, The Rock, Ric Flair, Stone Cold Steve Austin, John Cena and even The Undertaker and his undefeated WrestleMania streak. “No one has ever been so dominant for so long.”
But Drew McIntyre begs to differ. Here’s a shocker: Everything Heyman just said is true. There has n ever been anyone in the WWE that dominated and conquered like Lesnar. Until Lesnar ran into McIntyre at the 2020 Royal Rumble. Sweet Sixteen was the Scottish Stud, and he stunned the world when he eliminated Lesnar. If Lesnar thinks that’s a fluke, then what does he call it when McIntyre gave him THREE Claymores in one night? McIntyre doesn’t make promises he can’t back up, so he’ll choose his words very carefully. He will Claymore Lesnar again and pin him to become the NEW reigning, defending, undisputed WWE Heavyweight Champion of the World at WrestleMania!
Raw now goes to Heyman and Lesnar in the ring.
Once again, the Advocate introduces himself and the reigning, defending, undisputed WWE World Champion, Brock Lesnar. “Ladies and gentlemen, let’s all be honest with each other for a change here.” These are truly uncertain times. And at this time, where we all just need some certainty, Heyman gives us that certainty in Brock Lensar. McIntyre can do anything that he wants to, from training his ass off to sparring with mixed martial artists, but McIntyre cannot beat Brock Lesnar. And certainly not this most unique, most extraordinary WrestleMania that is “too big for one night.”
McIntyre could pray to God on hands and knees, but he’ll only get a busy signal. The next time McIntyre prays for Mania, Lesnar will answer with a “quick and painless” answer. Though, after the Royal Rumble and Brooklyn, it won’t be painless at all. What McIntyre accomplished at the Royal Rumble, and then in Brooklyn, he is already a made man! He is already a main event player just for the fight he brought to Lensar. But Heyman assures us all, when it’s all over, McIntyre will be just another “b*tch” that tried to stop the greatest WWE Champion “then, now and forever,” BRRROCK, LESNARRR! Will a legacy continue or will a new era rise when WrestleMania is not one but two nights this year?
From WWE Royal Rumble 2015 – WWE World Championship Triple Threat: Brock Lesnar VS John Cena VS Seth Rollins!
To give context to the dominance of The Beast, Raw relives him going up against both the Face that Runs the Place and The Architect, pre-Monday-Night-Messiah.
The introductions are made, Philly boos Cena and are divided on Mr. Money in the Bank. The belt is raised and the Road to WrestleMania could change right here!
Lesnar rushes Rollins but Rollins bails out, and Cena goes after Lesnar! Lesnar gets Cena in a waistlock for a German Suplex! That’s one! Lesnar looms over Cena while Rollins watches, and Lesnar gives Cena another German Suplex! Rollins rushes in but Lesnar gets him in a fireman’s carry! J&J Security rush in to save Rollins, but Lesnar gives THEM a DOUBLE GERMAN SUPLEX! Cena lurks behind Lesnar, and gets a fireman’s carry of his own. Lesnar slips off and shoves Cena into Rollins’ enziguri! Lesnar grabs Rollins for a HUGE toss! Rollins staggers but Lesnar gives him big knees to the stomach. Lesnar stalks Rollins to the ropes, waistlocks and GERMAN SUPLEXES! That makes for four! Or five since J&J was a double.
Cena runs in but gets another GERMAN for himself! Fans cheer The Beast as he stands tall. Rollins staggers up first but Lesnar knees him back down. Lesnar drags Cena up to snap suplex him across the ring! Lesnar stalks up and gives Rollins another German Suplex! Rollins and Cena are sputtering while Lesnar paces about. Lesnar drags Cena up for another snap suplex! Philly cheers Lesnar and Lesnar gives Rollins a BIG snap suplex! Rollins ends up outside the ring! Lesnar drags Cena up to throw body shots. Fans chant “E C DUB!” for Heyman as his client grabs Cena’s arm! Lesnar has a Kimura and body scissors! Cena endures and manages to power up. He manages to lift Lesnar off the ground! Rollins flies in with a flying knee and he takes them both out!
Lesnar staggers but Rollins kicks him in the leg. Rollins keeps throwing kicks and even haymakers. Lesnar knees back but Cena throws hands on Lesnar! Rollins and Cena work together to double suplex Lesnar! Cena fireman’s carries Lesnar for an ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT! But Rollins throws Cena out and covers Lesnar, ONE!! Cena returns to rain down right hands on Lesnar but Lesnar knees back. Lesnar knees Rollins then throws him out. Lesnar drags Cena up for a snap suplex! Cena bails out and Raw takes a break.
Raw returns as Cena takes ANOTHER German Suplex! Lesnar drags Cena up again for ANOTHER! Lesnar holds on but Rollins SUPERKICKS him away! Rollins leans on ropes to stay standing, then he runs to KNEE Lesnar in the back! Lesnar is out but Cena gives Rollins a scoop Falcon Arrow! Cover, TWO! Heyman goes around to check on his client while Rollins and Cena slowly rise. Cena runs in but Rollins elbows him away. Rollins hops up to hit a flying BLOCKBUSTER! Cover, but Lesnar breaks it! Lesnar clubs Rollins on the back, and again. Lesnar throws Rollins out but Cena hits back with body shots! Cena runs but Lesnar stays up out of the clothesline. Cena keeps trying, and finally gets Lesnar down! But Rollins drags Cena out!
Rollins climbs up and springboards, but into the fireman’s carry! F5!! Cover, but Cena breaks it! Cena saves the match and Rollins gets away, to flop out of the ring. Lesnar drags Cena up for ANOTHER GERMAN SUPLEX! Lesnar looms over Cena before going outside. He clears off the announce desk, much to Philly’s delight! He even SMASHES a monitor on the steel steps just to vent his frustration. But he returns to Cena to get ANOTHER AA! And ANOTHER! Lesnar is up but Cena gives him a THIRD AA IN A ROW!! Cover, Rollins drags Cena off the cover! Rollins throws Cena into the steps! Rollins gives Lesnar a CURB STOMP!! Cover, but Cena breaks it again! All three men are down and Heyman is thanking God. Philly says “This is Awesome!”
Lesnar crawls out of the ring but Cena follows. Heyman coaches Lesnar up and Lesnar is back on his feet. Lesnar still hobbles but Cena RAMS him through the barriers!! Philly loses its mind over that one! Cena manages to get up from the wreckage and Lesnar still stirs. Cena hobbles back to the ring and manages to drag himself up. But Lesnar rises, and Cena hurries back, to throw him into steel steps! Heyman himself barely gets clear of that wreck! Cena picks up part of the steel steps, and RAMS them into Lesnar! Lesnar ends up on the desk, but Rollins wrecks Cena with a dropkick! Rollins FROG SPLASHES ON LESNAR, THROUGH THE TABLE!! Philly is thunderous as Raw goes to break!
Raw returns again as Philly again declares, “This is Awesome!” Cena crawls after Rollins and brings him into the ring. Cena leaves Lesnar for dead and fans boo. But Rollins gets Cena in a cradle, TWO! SUPERKICK! Cover, TWO! Rollins is frustrated and sore but he and Cena still sit up. Cena gets to a corner, and both he and Rollins slowly stand. Rollins runs in but Cena pops him up to the fireman’s carry! AA but Rollins handsprings out! To run into a POP-UP BOMB! Cover, TWO!! Rollins survives but both men are down. Heyman shouts for doctors because he fears Lesnar is too injured to fight. Cena drags himself over to Rollins at the apron, and brings him to the corner.
Cena drags Rollins up to the top, but Rollins resists the superplex. Rollins rakes Cena’s eyes and gets up and over! Sunset flip and RUNNING BUCKLE BOMB! Cover, TWO! Rollins is at his wit’s end but he has to keep going. He gets to a corner while Cena stirs. Fans rally up as Rollins runs in, but Cena trips him up! Cena gets the STF!! Rollins crawls and reaches, but J&J attack! Mercury and Noble can attack without disqualifying Rollins, and that’s what they do! Medics bring out a stretcher for Lesnar as Rollins has J&J drag Cena up. They mock The Shield with the TRIPLE POWERBOMB!! Cover, TWO!?! Cena survives again, and Raw takes a break.
Raw returns again and Rollins grabs the MITB briefcase. Not to cash in, but to aim at Cena! But Cena dumps Rollins out! Cena throws Noble into Mercury, and picks them both up! J&J get a DOUBLE AA!! Cena catches Rollins for an AA!! Cover, TWO!?! Philly is thunderous again as both men are down again! Medics still attend to Lesnar as fans rally and duel. Rollins and Cena rise and start throwing haymakers! They go back and forth, and Cena fireman’s carries. Rollins slips out, mule kicks but runs into another carry. Rollins again escapes to enziguri! Then he runs to CURB STOMP!! Cover, TWO!?!? Cena survives yet again and Rollins can’t believe it! Rollins looks down at Cena like he’s seen a ghost. But he goes for broke and goes up top.
Rollins PHOENIX SPLASH!! But Lesnar rises?!!? GERMAN SUPLEX OR ROLLINS!! GERMAN FOR CENA!! But how?!? Lesnar glares as he has Rollins for another, but Rollins lands on his feet! BRIEFCASE SHOT! And another! Rollins puts Lesnar’s head on the case, but Lesnar gets a fireman’s carry, for an F5!!! Cover, Lesnar wins!!
Winner: Brock Lesnar, by pinfall (still WWE World Champion)
The Beast is the Beast because he’s inhuman! And now he heads to WrestleMania 31’s main event!
But that was 2015. Will Lesnar continue his legacy into the New Decade? Or will McIntyre’s time finally come?
The OC are here!
AJ Styles and the Good Brothers are back, even after the beating The Undertaker gave Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson last week. Styles says that “for the first time in WWE history, WrestleMania is just too big for just one night.” And now, it is official: Styles VS Taker 1v1! Styles doesn’t care what night it’ll be, it could be either one. But maybe Taker cares, because who knows when Michelle will let him out of the house. Taker has no control over anything! Like last week, Taker had his big stretchy pregnant mom pants! Maybe with Depends, too. But Gallows knows what Styles is getting at: Maternity pants. Right! And on top of that, Taker was like a goth Dog the Bounty Hunter, or maybe the Tiger King. Sweet burn!
But speaking of tigers, did anyone see Taker’s Twitter? That’s ridiculous in itself, Taker on Twitter. But there was this video where Taker was swimming with a tiger at Myrtle Beach Safari. Don’t take the OC’s word for it, just watch. Footage rolls of Taker, Michelle and a young tiger in a pool, plugging a charity to help both environment and tiger population. Wow, yeesh! This is real. “This guy is talking about tigers.” Who is this man? Has he lost control of his life? Ever since losing The Streak, Taker hasn’t been the same since. Style wants to take Taker’s soul, but maybe wifey Michelle already did that. The mystique is gone but that happened a long time ago. Taker’s on social media giving Likes and posting selfies. “Who is this man?!”
Styles doesn’t want Mark Calaway who writes things on social media. He wants Taker of yesteryear! But that man is nowhere to be found. But… Styles will give the fans what they want! Styles promises the fans will get what they want to see. “I’m going to bring back The Dead Man in a match that he would love to be in.” It will be… A BONEYARD MATCH! “This is your match, Taker! This is for you!” Styles says when it’s over, he has the perfect place to bury Taker. It ironically is the same plot that his wife, Michelle, picked out when she buried Taker’s career. GOTEE! But strong words and a bold choice, will Styles win this ominously named Boneyard Match?
Raw has big news for WrestleMania!
The Street Profits will defend the Raw Tag Team Championships against Zelina Vega’s stable! Will El Idolo y El Latino both become campeones as part of this historic WrestleMania Weekend?
Backstage interview with Zelina Vega and team.
Vega snaps Charly Caruso out of her daze looking at Garza, and she asks how the “clients” are preparing for the match. Aw look, it’s Charly! She looks… maybe not “good,” but… And as far as their team goes, they will show us tonight why they are the most talented and charismatic team in the WWE. Then Almas will be the most decorated champion in all of WWE. After Mania, the Profits can party all they want, but it won’t be with the titles. The Profits want the smoke, but Almas and Garza want the gold. And they are men who know what they want. Will Almas and Garza both be golden?
Andrade Almas & Angel Garza w/ Zelina Vega VS Ricochet & Cedric Alexander!
La Muneca’s team take on another new team as The One and Only joins forces with the Ebony Lion. Will this fast and furious match be a bit more than a tune-up for the lethal Latino alliance?
Alexander and Ricochet are ready for anything as Almas and Garza flank the ring. The teams calm down and go to their corners. Almas and Ricochet start, and Almas rushes Ricochet at the bell! Ricochet blocks the boot and throws forearms and CHOPS back! Ricochet whips Almas but Almas breaks free to throw forearms and CHOPS! Almas BOOTS Ricochet down and Garza cheers his tag partner on. Almas whips Ricochet but Ricochet rolls off his back then ducks under to handspring headscissor, and dropkick! Cover, TWO! Almas backs off and tags to Garza, but the ref sees Garza didn’t have the tag rope. The ref brings Garza to the corner, and Almas sucker punches Ricochet!
Ricochet gets up and goes after Almas with haymakers in the corner! Vega protests, but Almas hurries to the same corner as Almas. There are tag ropes here, can Garza use those? He tags in but the ref says that’s not their corner! Garza goes back to the corner and Almas gets another cheap shot on Ricochet! Almas puts Ricochet in the corner but Ricochet BOOTS him away! Ricochet hops but but Almas shoves him down! Ricochet crashes and burns, and Garza goes after him! Garza throws Ricochet into the LED before Alexander can run him off. But here come the Street Profits! Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins get eyes on their future challengers as they join commentary. Los Latinos complain while Raw goes to break.
Raw returns and Almas grinds Ricochet down with an armlock. Ricochet fights his way up as the Profits watch closely. Almas wrenches and elbows Ricochet, then tags in Garza. They mug and double whip Ricochet, then pop-up KICK him down! Cover, TWO! Garza kicks Ricochet down, and off comes the pants! Garza hits another Penalty Kick! He drags Ricochet up and headlocks him. He puts Ricochet on the ropes to CHOP! Almas tags in and the mugging continues. Ricochet fights back but Almas kicks and stomps Ricochet down. The Profits give Almas and Garza the proper credit as a team as Garza tags back in. Almas runs but into a SUPERKICK!
Garza headlocks Ricochet fast and throws Ricochet with a takeover, but Ricochet turns it to a cover! TWO, and Garza dropkicks Ricochet down hard! Garza puts Ricochet in the corner and throws strikes. He backs off but Ricochet fights back! Ricochet CHOPS and forearms, but walks into Garza’s kitchen sink knee! Garza drags Ricochet up, tags Almas in, and feeds Ricochet to the sunset flip! Almas feeds Ricochet back tot he basement dropkick! Cover, TWO! Vega is frustrated for her team as Almas drags Ricochet up. Almas brings Ricochet to a corner and CHOPS him in the chest from above. Almas drags Ricochet up but Ricochet breaks free. The two scrap and Ricochet kicks then NO HAND STEINERS!
The Profits fire up on commentary and Vega shouts to Almas. Hot tags to Alexander and Almas! Alexander rallies on Garza and the Profits love it! Strike fest and corner forearm! Alexander rolls Garza for a basement dropkick! Alexander runs but Garza puts him on the apron, only to get a boot! “GET OVER HERE!” Swinging Complete Shot! Cover, TWO!! Vega is freaking out as Alexander drags Garza up. Tag to Ricochet, the two double whip but Garza holds ropes. Garza boots Alexander then boots Ricochet. But he runs into an atomic drop and gets an enziguri, tot he gourd buster! Standing shooting star! Cover but Almas breaks it!
Alexander goes after Almas but gets an elbow. Almas CHOPS Ricochet, then CHOPS Alexander, but Ricochet boots. DOUBLE SUPERKICKS! Garza mule kicks Alexander out then spins Ricochet for a SUPERKICK! Garza climbs up and leaps, into a dropkick! The Profits are loving it but Vega is panicking as Raw goes to break.
Raw returns once again, and Almas brawls with Alexander. They go from their knees and back to their feet, but on wobbly legs. Almas hits again but Alexander throws another forearm. alexander gets the edge, back kicks then whips. Almas reverses but Alexander handsprings, NEURALIZER! Cover, TWO! Alexander grits his teeth as Almas gets to a corner. Alexander runs corner to corner but into a drop toehold and into buckles! Vega rallies up for Almas as he fires himself up. Almas goes corner to corner, CIEN SHADOWS! Cover, TWO!! Alexander bringing the toughness that made him a WWE/NXT Cruiserweight Champion back in the day!
Garza tags in but Alexander fights back! Garza boots and clubs Alexander into a dragon sleeper. He suplexes and has Alexander off the top rope, for an inverted suplex! Cover, TWO! Garza grabs Alexander’s arm for an armlock and chinbar. The Profits know Garza and Almas are giving their all but it isn’t scaring them. Almas tags in, he and Garza mug Alexander, and Almas CHOPS! Tag to Garza and they double whip. Alexander gets TU LO SABE! Cover, but Ricochet breaks it! Almas goes after Ricochet but gets thrown out instead. Ricochet slingshots but Almas trips him up! Garza drags Ricochet up but Alexander rolls him up, TWO! Alexander’s boot is blocked into a KNEE! Cover, TWO!?!
The Profits are loving what “Ceddy” and Ricochet are doing, but Vega wants to show them what they’re in for. Garza goes up the ropes, MOUNTAIN TOP MOONSAULT! Cover, TWO!! Tag to Almas and they drag Alexander up. They double suplex but Ricochet saves Alexander. Ricochet enziguris Almas then runs to FLY onto Garza! They crash into barriers as Alexander springboards at Almas. Almas dodges but runs into the SCOOP MICHINOKU! Cover, TWO!?! Ford says this is “Tag team action at its finest!” Alexander drags Almas up but Almas grabs ropes. Alexander stomps him down but Vega complains. The ref counts and Alexander lets up to get Almas up. Almas elbows back but Alexander clubs him down. Alexander lifts but Almas sunset flips, ONE! Boot feint to ELBOW!! Cover, Almas & Garza win!
Winners: Andrade Almas & Angel Garza, by pinfall
A little hiccup with the shoulder check but Vega’s team still comes out on top! The Profits applaud that win but are still very confident in their own chances. The Profits gamble by going to ringside, and Vega’s team rushes them! Almas and Garza brawl with Ford and Dawkins! Dawkins tackles Almas down, ROCKS Garza and Ford dropkicks Garza down! Almas comes back for more, and Garza keeps throwing hands, but the Profits run their challengers off! Things just heated up for Mania in Florida! Who will hold the Raw Tag Team Championships at the end of the WrestleMania Weekend?
The Street Profits VS Shane Thorne & Brendan Vink!
The night isn’t done for the Raw Tag Team Champions! That scrap with Almas & Garza was a good warm-up, but will Ford & Dawkins keep rolling against NXT’s Worst and Smug?
The teams sort out and Dawkins starts against Thorne. Dawkins and Thorne tie up, Thorne gets around to a waistlock then shifts to a headlock. Dawkins powers up and throws Thorne off! Thorne gets up but Dawkins headlocks him now. Thorne powers out but Dawkins hurdles to run Thorne over! Ford is still fired up from commentary as Dawkins tags him in. The Profits whip Thorne and Ford dropkicks him down! Ford applauds himself as Thorne gets to a corner. Ford wants everyone to hear this CHOP! “Did you like that?!” He CHOPS Thorne again! Ford mocks the pain as he puts Thorne in the corner. Thorne boots back and dodges Ford to tag in Vink! Vink BOOTS Ford down!
Vink rains down rights on Ford then hauls him up for big hands and stomps! The ref counts and Vink backs off, but Thorne chokes Ford on the ropes! Vink drags Ford up and CHOPS Ford back! Now Ford really is stinging as Vink throws big forearms. Vink scoops Ford and slams him down to cover, TWO! Vink brings Ford up in a facelock but Ford endures. Ford fights up and pries free. Ford throws body shots but Vink picks him up to RAM him into the corner! Tag to Thorne and Vink whips Ford to the open corner. Thorne runs in to CANNONBALL! Cover, TWO! Thorne keeps on Ford with a knee in the back and fingers hooking his face! The ref reprimands but Thorne lets up to stomp Ford down.
Thorne drags Ford up with a chinbar and drags him over, but Ford jawbreakers free! Vink tags in and grabs a foot. Ford uses Vink’s strength to help him get up and enziguri back! Vink staggers and Ford crawls, hot tags to Thorne and Dawkins! Dawkins BODY CHECKS Thorne then throws big hands on Vink. Then he uses an Exploder to throw Vink! Dawkins flapjacks Thorne and hits a cyclone splash on Vink! Then one for Thorne! SPINE BUSTER for Thorne, tag to Ford! FROM THE HEAVENS! Cover, The Profits win!
Winners: The Street Profits, by pinfall
Cash Out and frog splash, and it’s another win in the bank for Ford & Dawkins! Will the Profits be higher than ever before after WrestleMania Weekend?
Raw shares footage from WWE’s YouTube.
The WWE 24/7 Champion is jogging around the block. WWE may be forced to cancel live events, but there are no days off for The Riddick Regimen. He finishes up a run when a car pulls up. A WWE referee? Well there’s no way he lives in this neighborhood, it’s too pricey. Riddick demands to know who the ref is here with. The ref says he was just giving his new car a test drive. But out of the trunk, it’s R-Truth! Truth rolls Riddick up on the lawn for the cover! Truth WINS!
Winner: R-Truth, by pinfall (NEW WWE 24/7 Champion)
Truth ends the historic 40 day reign of Riddick and shouts, “You need to go back to football, Mr. Randy Moss!” Then Truth hops in the driver’s seat and drives away with the title! Riddick is disappointed in the ref, but the ref says that car was leased under his name! The 24/7 Championship chase aside, can the ref chase down Truth and get his car back?
Raw makes another WrestleMania announcement!
Two more matches have been added! First, Mania host Rob Gronkowski gets his wish of Elias VS Baron Corbin! Will the Drifter make a fool out of the Wolf King for Gronk?
Second, Aleister Black takes on Bobby Lashley for the first time ever! Will the Rocky Mountain Machine #FadeToBlack on the Grandest Stage of Them All?
Charly Caruso has an in-ring interview with Shayna Baszler.
The Queen of Spades stares intensely at Charly as Charly notes Shayna is the most intimidating woman in the WWE ever. Shayna became #1 contender to the Raw Women’s Championship by ripping through all five opponents in the Elimination Chamber. That is a historic first for the WWE. Shayna is very talented in the ring, and will have her match with Becky Lynch during WrestleMania Weekend. How does Shayna intend to conduct herself as champion? Shayna doesn’t say anything, so Charly does note Shayna lets her actions speak for her. But does Shayna have any words to share?
“You look nervous, Charly. Why’re you nervous? Afraid I might bite? Sorry, couldn’t help myself.” Inappropriate timing aside, that is a good segue. It was a very shocking moment for Shayna to bite Becky’s neck. Is that the level of brutality to expect at Mania? Becky should expect to lose at Mania. Charly points out Shayna agreed to the interview so there’s no need to be hostile. Then maybe Charly should ask Shayna the question we all know she wants to ask! “Why do you love to destroy? And if all you care about is destroying, why do you want to win the Raw Women’s title so bad?” The answer is Shayna wants that title because she loves to destroy! When Shayna takes the title from Becky, it will destroy Becky! “It’s not that complicated.” From the beginning, Shayna has shown everyone exactly who she is.
Charly wants Shayna to focus on the last time she and Becky had a match. That was Survivor Series, the Women’s Champion Triple Threat. Wait, someone SMACKS Shayna with a chair! It’s BECKY! The Man finally gets some payback on Shayna as she SMACKS her again! Becky smiles as she leaves Shayna writhing. There’s no more need for words, because those actions spoke very loudly. But will Shayna’s response be even louder?
Aleister Black VS Leon Ruff!
The Embodiment of the End prepares for a fight with Bobby Lashley in a test of toughness and dominance in the Raw roster. But first, will Evolve’s young star be the one to #FadeToBlack?
The bell rings and Ruff is wary of Aleister. Ruff approaches but Aleister stays in the corner a moment longer. When Aleister does step out, Ruff backs off. Aleister sits down cross-legged to put the ball in Ruff’s court. Ruff wants Aleister to stand up but he won’t. So Ruff runs in, but Aleister gets under the kick! Aleister gets up, blocks Ruff’s next kick, and holds Ruff at a distance. Aleister then spins Ruff for BLACK MASS!! Cover, Aleister wins!
Winner: Aleister Black, by pinfall
That probably could’ve been a win by knockout. Will the Rocky Mountain Machine crumble when hit with that same destructive strike? Or will Aleister even be able to use his best move against such a powerful force?
Raw returns with Kevin Owens already in the ring.
The Prizefighter gave his challenge to the Monday Night Messiah for WrestleMania, and now he wants to hear the response in person. Kevin has a mic to say, “Last week, I was here to answer your challenge, but you were nowhere to be found.” Rollins is here tonight, though, so Kevin is all ears. Come on out, Rollins! Rollins makes his entrance, but his disciples are conspicuous by their absence. “Kevin, just the man I was looking for.” Rollins has some questions for Kevin. The Performance Center looks pretty nice as an arena. But does anyone honestly believe that fighting Rollins here gives Kevin the advantage? Kevin did train here, he did make tons of memories and friends here, and earned his place in the WWE here. But does Kevin understand how he even got that opportunity?
When Seth Rollins came to the WWE, there wasn’t even a Performance Center for him to go to! “This building was built on my blood, sweat and tears, Kevin!” On Rollins’ sacrifices and success! Rollins’ first day in the WWE, he was in a “dilapidated warehouse,” and was told everything he did before the WWE didn’t matter! All of his life’s work, up in smoke. Does Kevin understand that? How could Kevin understand that day after day, Rollins suffered, persevered, and had to succeed. Not for himself, no. It was never about himself. It was for wrestlers like Kevin, so that one day they could come to a place like the WWE PC.
Rollins rebuilt the system from the ground up and wants to do that for Raw, but Kevin is in his way. Rollins isn’t sure if it’s Kevin’s selfishness or ego that gets in the way and refuses to fall in line. But none of this exists without Seth Rollins. NXT doesn’t exist without Seth Rollins. The WWE PC doesn’t exist without Seth Rollins. Every person who came through these doors after him owe their careers to Rollins! There is no Gargano, no Ciampa, no Undisputed Era, no Women’s (R)Evolution without Seth Rollins! But most importantly, without Seth Rollins, there is no Kevin Owens. Kevin is fed up with this delusional speech, but Rollins interrupts. Kevin always goes on about less talk, more fighting, but just let Rollins finish this speech.
Rollins’ next question is even more important. Why did Kevin pick WrestleMania to make an example out of him? Does Kevin know Rollins’ Mania record? WWE Intercontinental Championship, the WWE Universal Championship, beating Triple H, cashing-in his MITB contract on Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns to win the WWE World Championship! Rollins has more Mania moments than even he can count! And Kevin has… none. Kevin’s track record goes more like this: failure after failure after failure. What happened last year? Oh that’s right, Kevin wasn’t even good enough to be on Mania. So there’s no way Kevin beats Rollins even on his worst day. And Mania is never Rollins’ worst day, because under pressure, Rollins becomes “a god.” Kevin stands no chance.
From WWE WrestleMania 34 – SmackDown Women’s Championship: Charlotte Flair VS Asuka!
Back in 2018, it was “To be the Woman, you’ve got to beat the Woman.” The Empress of Tomorrow pits her undefeated streak against the Queen of Flair’s title!
The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and one wrestling royal will be made to bow down to the other!
The fans are thunderous, and the two circle. They tie up, Asuka goes for the arm, but Charlotte reverses the hold. Asuka uses the ropes to flip through the reversal but Charlotte rolls to do the same, but Asuka kicks out a leg. Charlotte gets up and cartwheels to break free and shove Asuka. Charlotte styles and profiles, and even lets out a “WOO~,” then they tie up again. Asuka kicks then puts Charlotte in a headlock. Charlotte powers out and things speed up, Charlotte trips Asuka but Asuka rolls her, TWO. Asuka hits Charlotte with a sliding knee, cover, TWO. Charlotte and Asuka back off but the fans applaud.
Asuka taunts Charlotte as she sits in the corner. Charlotte comes out, but Asuka gets her in a takedown and double stomps. Asuka runs, but Charlotte catches her, only for Asuka to victory roll, TWO. Charlotte chops Asuka with the Flair family chops, backing Asuka into a corner. Charlotte whips Asuka corner to corner but Asuka reverses, so Charlotte tumbles to the apron. Asuka runs over, avoids the shoulder and gives kicks back. Asuka runs again, and hip attacks Charlotte to the barriers! The referee checks on Charlotte while Asuka dances in the ring, and Raw takes a break.
Raw returns and Asuka grinds Charlotte’s arm. Charlotte rolls and forearms out of the hold, but Asuka hits back with a knee. Asuka runs in, but into the backbreaker and STO from Charlotte! Charlotte grabs Asuka, Asuka turns things around, but Charlotte resists the Asuka Lock! Asuka hops up onto Charlotte, but Charlotte runs for the backpack stunner! Charlotte runs in, blocks boots, and turns Asuka around to forearm away on the back. Asuka elbows back, but Charlotte yanks Asuka in through the ropes to drop the knee on her head! Charlotte keeps going with another Flair knee drop! Asuka is down, so Charlotte climbs up. Charlotte MOONSAULTS! But Asuka catches her into a triangle hold!!
Asuka has her, but Charlotte hammers away with fists. Charlotte gets free, and puts Asuka in a Boston Crab! Asuka endures the hold, crawls and pops out, cover, TWO, Charlotte covers, TWO! The fans are loving this, even as Charlotte and Asuka glare at each other. Asuka hits first and fast, then yanks Charlotte’s bad arm into the ropes. She keeps going, kicking Charlotte back into the ring. Cover, TWO, and Asuka grows frustrated. She stalks Charlotte, going after that bad arm and kicking Charlotte right in the face. Charlotte ends up in a corner but Asuka keeps kicking. Charlotte blocks one to shove Asuka down, but that bad arm slows her down. Asuka trips Charlotte up, then runs, but her hip attack misses! Charlotte’s boot doesn’t!
Asuka ends up on the apron with Charlotte. Charlotte brings Asuka up, but Asuka resists the suplex. Asuka shoves Charlotte, then kicks her into the post. Asuka grabs Charlotte now, for a suplex to the floor! Both Queen and Empress crash land! The referee checks on them, but they’re somehow okay to continue, and Raw takes a break.
Raw returns again as Asuka sits on the top rope. She wants to bring Charlotte up but Charlotte SLAPS and CHOPS and CHOPS back! Charlotte then climbs up to join Asuka, for a SUPER SPANISH FLY! Cover, TWO!! Asuka survives and Charlotte can’t believe it, but fans know “This is Awesome!” The two slowly rise, and Charlotte hits Natural Select– No! Asuka uses that to put on a grounded Octopus stretch! Asuka bends Charlotte all sorts of ways, Charlotte tries to escape, but Asuka rolls through to keep it! Charlotte suddenly pops and goes for Figure Four but Asuka kicks here away! Charlotte blocks the roundhouse and unloads CHOPS, but Asuka blocks one for a takedown! Asuka Lock attempted but Charlotte stands up.
Asuka jumps for bodyscissors and brings Charlotte down, but Charlotte rolls through to make it a cover, TWO! Buzzsaw kick from Asuka! Asuka won’t let her Streak end, but she runs into a SPEAR! Cover, TWO! Charlotte knows she’s close, but she’s growing frustrated and desperate. The fans fire up as she goes for the Figure Four, and gets it! Charlotte bridges, it’s the Figure EIGHT! Charlotte can’t keep her bad arm extended, she has to use just one arm. Even so, she holds on, and Asuka taps!! Charlotte wins and ends The Streak!!
Winner: Charlotte, by submission (still SmackDown Women’s Champion)
It finally happened! After 914 days, someone defeats The Empress! And it’s none other than The Queen!
Two years later, The Queen is now the challenger, hoping to end another incredible run. Will even the Riptide #BowDown to Charlotte?
Raw returns to the present with a backstage interview with Charlotte Flair.
What was it like for her to relive that Mania Moment? For Charlotte, “Inspiring.” But for Rhea Ripley, she surely wants to be just like Charlotte. WrestleMania 34 was both Charlotte’s successful defense of a title but also her ending Asuka’s incredible undefeated streak. Charlotte assumes Rhea is excited to be the first NXT Women’s Champion to be part of WrestleMania, but Charlotte is the “master class of making history.” WrestleMania 34 wasn’t even the first time Charlotte made history. It was WrestleMania 32 when Charlotte retired the WWE Diva’s Championship to become the new WWE Women’s Champion.
Then WrestleMania 35, Charlotte was part of WrestleMania’s first women’s main event match! So WrestleMania 36 will make Charlotte the first woman to win the NXT Women’s Champion on The Grandest Stage of Them All. So if Rhea wants, she can watch some of Charlotte’s “legacy matches,” and learn a thing or two. Will the Queen reign again after this year’s WrestleMania Weekend?
Randy Orton is here!
The Viper has a mic because we’re all expecting his answer to Edge’s WrestleMania challenge of a Last Man Standing match! “Over the last few months, I have done some things, said some things, that have been misunderstood.” What Orton did and said all came from “a place of love.” But everyone has taken it as “an act of brutality.” Orton wants Edge to listen to this. Before responding to the challenge, Orton needs to apologize. Orton lied to Edge’s wife, Beth Phoenix, in the ring. He lied when he said Edge was a junkie for “the roar of the crowd.” That’s not true. Edge is a junkie for his own ego. “Adam Copeland is a junkie for Edge.”
Last week, Edge did say something that ring true. That is the fact that Orton didn’t have to pay his dues. Orton will be the first to admit that he was handed his opportunities in the WWE because of who he was. He was handed those opportunities because of his last name. But being handed opportunities doesn’t guarantee a Hall of Fame worthy career. Orton asks Edge and all of us this. One year after Orton’s “call up” from OVW, Orton wins the WWE Intercontinental Championship. And then after that, he became the youngest World Heavyweight Champion ever. Were those handed to him? No.
Edge says that Mick Foley deserves the credit, and that he “passed the torch” to both Edge and Orton. Orton says Foley didn’t pass anything to Orton. Foley handed Edge the torch and he threw Orton onto a pile of thumbtacks! Orton spat in Foley’s face, beat him down, then took the torch. Orton takes a moment before he continues. “I went from being a third-generation prospect to the three most deadly leaders in sports entertainment. Was that handed to me? No. That all happened because I have the one thing, the one trait, that last week on Raw you said I didn’t have. And that is grit.”
But who knows? Maybe “grit” means different things to different people! “Grit” to Orton isn’t “sitting at home for nine long years on your couch, looking up to the sky and asking yourself, ‘What if?'” What “grit” means to Orton is “longevity in an industry that seldom has any.” To Orton, “grit” means being the one constant in the WWE locker room. Orton looks all around, and he doesn’t see anyone as nearly as accomplished as him. “Nobody has as much grit as me. Nobody, including you,” Edge. And yet Edge says Orton is entitled? Isn’t Edge the ultimate opportunist? Is Edge trying to say he wouldn’t have done the very same thing, had the opportunity come along? If HHH had asked Edge to join Evolution, would Edge have said no?
Orton says that everything he’s said these last few months, they still come from love. Orton loves Edge, his family, the Copeland daughters, Lyric and Ruby. That is why Orton sent their father back home. But Edge’s challenge of Last Man Standing at WrestleMania… Orton says Edge is writing the story, but Orton writes the ending. “I accept.” The Viper makes it official! He and the Rated R Superstar will fight until only one can get back to his feet! Who proves they have true grit?
My Thoughts:
Honestly, a really good episode! And that’s with two PPV match replays. Of course, they made great selections. I remember watching the Royal Rumble PPV in 2015 and loving that match, but I wasn’t doing wrestling coverage like this back then, so this was the first time I typed it all out like that. Still a great match even the second time around. The same goes for the SmackDown Women’s Championship for WM 34, which I did cover in 2018. I touched that one up a bit given the commercials changing the flow. To be honest, I would’ve used Lesnar VS Taker at WM 30 to also help give some support to Styles’ claim that Taker should’ve retired back then. That way it’s two birds, one stone to build the Lesnar VS McIntyre and Taker VS Styles matches.
Speaking of Styles, I like that he wants to up the ante given Taker beat down the Good Brothers. But what is a Boneyard Match? With Mania apparently being recorded and filmed before April 4th and 5th, it could be just about anything, but I’m thinking the go-home next week should give us that match’s rules. I’m going to guess right now that it will be a Street Fight in a graveyard, maybe with a Buried Alive Match twist. And while I’m glad to see Almas & Garza are an official tag team competing for the Raw Tag Team Championships, I’m a bit unsure why it’s happening now. Why not keep it to the Monday Night Messiah story and make it AOP? But even with that, Almas & Garza VS Ricochet & Alexander was a great match tonight. I hope Alexander and Ricochet stick together to be a team in the next phase.
Aleister VS Lashley is definitely outta nowhere, but maybe A) we would’ve gotten that build if the world wasn’t in crisis and B) this match is to fill time now that Mania is going to be two nights. That match will still be really good, and I’d imagine the winner moves on to a title. I therefore feel Aleister wins to go after the US Championship and Almas. Even if I’ve been advocating for Aleister as WWE 24/7 Champion with a John Wick style montage of matches, Aleister and Almas having a return to their NXT title feud sounds really good. Then we got great promos out of Seth Rollins and Randy Orton that add even more intensity to already intense feuds. I’m actually looking forward to Kevin VS Rollins, and how could I not want to see Orton VS Edge, Last Man Standing?
My Score: 8.3/10
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And with the first overall pick of the 2024 WWE Draft, SmackDown selects…
The WWE Draft returns for 2024, the first four rounds being right here on Friday Night SmackDown! With champions protected, who ends up where to challenge them?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee w/ Zelina Vega & Carlito VS Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo; Rey & Dragon win.
- Bron Breakker VS Cedric Alexander; Bron wins.
- WWE Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s Match: Naomi VS Tiffany Stratton; No Contest.
- Cody Rhodes VS Carmelo Hayes; Cody wins.
PLAY BY PLAY
Backstage interview with Paul Heyman.
Kayla Braxton is with the Wise Man and says that here on night one of the Draft, there are already rumors circulating, including those about The Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns. Heyman will clarify these are not rumors regarding The Tribal Chief, Roman… Reigns. These are facts! Ladies and gentlemen, Your Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns, has voluntarily withdrawn from eligibility for this year’s Draft. That is not a negative but a positive. Who built SmackDown since the Pandemic? Roman Reigns. Who is the biggest star in the entire industry? Roman Reigns. Why would Roman Reigns hog the number one draft pick spotlight when he won’t be returning in the immediate future?
Read into his words, Kayla, that is not what a real Tribal Chief would do. Instead now, the pressure is on Nick Aldis. Because if Roman Reigns isn’t the first draft pick, then who is? The first two picks make history in a brand new era. And Heyman doesn’t know about you, but he is intrigued. No Tribal Chief up for grabs, who gets their opportunity to shine in the spotlight?
SmackDown throws it to the NXT Performance Center.
Jackie Redmond says the emotion down here is palpable! There is excitement, hope, and a little bit of nerves. But for these NXT Superstars, tonight is the culmination of a lifetime of hard work, dedication, a little bit of luck and a whole lot of self-belief. It was just last year that the NEW WWE Tag Team Champion, Grayson Waller, was hoping his name would be called. And it is funny this is NXT, but time to buy a vowel, throw in an E! Who is next? We find out tonight! The draft pool is deep, who rises to the top of the list?
Corey Graves is in the ring.
Corey welcomes Cincinnati and all of us at home to night one of the 2024 WWE Draft. Understandably, the GMs have their hands full, so Corey will be moderating the contract signing for the WWE Championship match that takes place next Saturday for Backlash: France. Without further ado, it’s the #1 contender, The Phenomenal AJ Styles! Styles makes his entrance, taking a seat at the table on camera right. And now, the Undisputed WWE Champion, the American Nightmare, Cody Rhodes! Cincy fires up and sings along, “WHOA~ OH~!” as Cody makes his entrance and gets his pyro before joining everyone in the ring.
Styles looks over the contract, absolutely tuning out the fans going wild for “CODY! CODY!” Styles then gets the mic to say before he signs, he doesn’t know if we realize that we’ve got two Georgia boys about to mix it up for the first time, and for the biggest prize in the game. Styles understands why they boo, but they gotta know that he doesn’t respect LA Knight, LA Knight got under his skin. He accepts that. But that’s why Styles lost at Mania. But what happened? Styles got his composure back and realized that he is Phenomenal. Styles BEAT Knight to earn the right to face Cody Rhodes at Backlash.
Now unlike Knight, Styles does respect Cody. They hadn’t crossed paths yet, but they’ve been down the same roads. They had to prove themselves outside of the WWE. And Styles is willing to believe that the same man who gave him advice a long time ago gave Cody the same advice, on how to stand on their own two feet and be the men they are today. That man was The American Dream, Dusty Rhodes. The fans cheer for “DUSTY! DUSTY!” Styles learned a lot from Dusty. Styles gets a little emotional thinking about Dusty, he was a good man. Dusty taught Styles how to carry himself, and to carry the weight of a championship.
And Styles looks at this WWE Championship here. The weight of this isn’t just the leather and gold. And at Backlash, we see if Cody can carry it. Styles goes back to his table, signs the contract, and then hands it off to Corey. Corey brings that to Cody, and Cody picks up his mic. “So… Cincinnati…! Whadda we wanna talk about? Certainly, we can talk about respect. There is not a locker room on Earth that you’ll find where everyone in it, every single person, they all respect AJ Styles. Last week, I went on to say you are the modern day Excellence of Execution. I respect the roads that you have traveled down to get here, the parallel paths that perhaps you and I have.
“Mutual respect, much respect. But that respect goes by the wayside at Backlash. I can feel it in your words to a degree. You’ve been here before. And it seems you’re implying that I cannot carry the weight of that championship. Well, good thing the man who trained me not far from where I sit now used to tell me all the time, it’s not about winning the title, it’s about keeping it.” The fans cheer that. Cody says boy does he respect Styles’ familiarity with Cody’s last name. But when you put C O D Y in front of it on this paper, that means they’ve never touched before. That means Backlash is a level playing field.
That means no matter how Phenomenal Styles is, this isn’t a dream match for Cody. It’s a must-win! Cody signs while the fans cheer, and it is official! Cody even throws the pen to the crowd as a free souvenir. Cody then offers a handshake, and Styles says y’know what? It was a beautiful thing to see Cody #FInishTheStory and win the title. But it’s a shame that Cody’s title reign will end at Backlash. Styles still shakes Cody’s hand, and then walks away. Cody picks up the belt and holds it high, will he get to hold it high again in Lyon, France?
Triple H is here!
Just as Cody was on his way to the back, The Game makes his way out here! HHH raises Cody’s hand, then invites him over to the podium. HHH welcomes us to the first round of the 2024 WWE Draft. It is a night that changes the landscape of the WWE going into the future, and things are a bit different this year. As the GMs ponder their next steps, they have to understand it is about protecting the roster they have as it is making the roster they want. Meaning that when they use their picks, they have just as much of a chance gaining a superstar as they do losing one they already have.
HHH just felt that since champs are protected and Cody will be staying here on SmackDown, maybe Cody could help read the SmackDown picks and HHH can read the Raw picks. And since SmackDown goes first, Cody reads first. Cody takes the card to say that with the first pick of the 2024 WWE Draft, SmackDown selects… The E S T, Bianca Belair! The stongEST, fastEST, roughEST, toughEST stays on Friday nights! HHH reads that for the second pick of the 2024 WWE Draft, Raw selects… YEET! JEY USO! Monday nights will still have Main Event Jey Uso! And the fans “YEET!” Cody says for the third pick, SmackDown selects… NXT’s Carmelo Hayes!
The fans fire up as SmackDown manages to snag… HIM! The former NXT Champion makes history again by being the first NXT superstar to be chosen this high in the Draft! HHH says that’s a hell of a pick. But then the fourth and final pick of this first round, Raw selects… SETH! FREAKIN’! ROLLINS! It is still going to be Monday Night Rollins as the Visionary stays on the red brand! Cody and HHH shake hands, and then Melo makes his way out! Melo has the mic to say when they talk about who’s next up, about who’s the hottest out, they don’t call them “the hottest out,” they just call him “Carmelo Hayes.”
The fans chant “WHOOP DAT TRICK!” to remind Melo how he’s leaving NXT. Melo says okay, okay. But then to Cody Rhodes, ever since Cody won the title, he’s been talking about “If you aim for the king, you best not miss.” Well, funny how that works. Because when Melo shoots, Melo don’t miss. And as a first round draft pick, what better way to shoot his shot on SmackDown than to shoot it right at Cody? Melo leaves the mic with Cody but Cody picks it up to say, “Fortune certainly favors the bold, but I dunno. You folks don’t wanna see me in action tonight, do ya?” The fans go wild! Oh, but what if Cody forgot his gear?
Oh that’s right! He didn’t forget his gear! And this title right here, for Cody, means absolutely 100%, Melo’s on! They shake on it, and we’re about to see a huge first-time-ever showdown! But will this bold first move work out for… HIM?
Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee w/ Zelina Vega & Carlito VS Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo!
The LWO is still not convinced Legado Del Fantasma had nothing to do with the beating that took the Boy Wonder out ahead of WrestleMania. Will the King of Lucha help get to the bottom of things? Or will Angel & “Berto” make it as easy as ABC, 1-2-3?
The teams sort out, Dragon runs up on Humberto but Humberto LARIATS him down! Humberto drags Dragon up, tears the shirt away and CHOPS! Humberto whips, Dragon ducks ‘n’ dodges to RANA! Humberto tumbles out, Dragon builds speed and FLIES! Direct hit and down goes Humberto! The fans fire up as Dragon pushes Humberto into the ring, goes up a corner, and then CROSSBODIES! Cover, TWO! Dragon facelocks to drag Humberto up, but Humberto wrenches out to CLUB Dragon down. Humberto waistlocks but Dragon throws elbows. Angel tags in as Humberto shoves Dragon. Dragon ducks but Angel holds ropes open, and Dragon tumbles to the floor!
The fans boo and LWO hurries to check on Dragon! Angel & Humberto just soak up the heat as SmackDown goes to break.
SmackDown returns and both Dragon and Humberto are down! They crawl, hot tags to Angel and Rey! The fans fire up as Rey ducks ‘n’ dodges and tilt-o-whirl RANAS! Angel ends up in a corner, he puts Rey on the apron, but Rey ROCKS Angel! Rey goes up to SEATED SENTON! Rey keeps moving, wrenches and kicks, then hops on! CODE RED! Cover, Humberto breaks it! The fans boo but Humberto hauls Rey up. Rey fights and RANAS Humberto up and out! But Angelo kicks, scoops, but Rey slips free! Angelo kicks low, reels REy in, and underhooks, but Rey fights those to RANA Angel onto ropes! Rey dials it up to 619!
Tag to Dragon and he takes aim! Angel stands, into the tilt-o-whirl, PROJECT DRAGON!! Cover, LWO wins!
Winners: Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee, by pinfall
Carlito and Zelina hug it out with the team, but then Santos Escobar & Elektra Lopez walk out here. Santos says whoa, whoa, whoa, hold that celebration. Because Santos is many things, but a liar is not one of them. And when Santos said he did NOT attack Dragon that night before Mania, he meant it. Elektra has been working for weeks to track down the security footage from that night. And Rey… Oh, Rey. What you’re about to see, you will find very, very interesting. The footage plays, and it was CARLITO!! Carlito throw Dragon around backstage! No one can believe it, because of how well Carlito fooled even Dragno.
Speaking of, Carlito RAMS Dragon into Rey, then hits a BACKSTABBER! Never has that move’s name been more fitting! Carlito runs away in a panic, and Rey stands back up in a rage! Santos says he told Rey that he was right all along. They were supposed to be family, and yet look how that turned out. How will the LWO recover from this shocking development?
Bron Breakker VS Cedric Alexander!
The Big Bad Booty Nephew has been making a case for himself ever since showing up on SmackDown, and he’s already bringing the straps down! Is he going to break PRIMED Alexander while also breaking match time records? Or will Cedric prove he’s too fly for Bron?
The bell rings and Cedric dodges Bron to CHOP and ROCK! Cedric whips, Bron reverses and Cedric handsprings, into a SPEAR!! Cover, Bron wins!
Winner: Bron Breakker, by pinfall
Well, hard to say if that’s an all-time fast match, but that was a fast match! QR Code stuff going on, but will we all see Bron take the world by storm?
Nick Aldis heads out.
And waiting is Tiffany Stratton. She asks if he saw what she did last week. Wait, of course he did. Because she is the Center of the Universe. She dropped Naomi and Bayley, where is her title match? Aldis tells Tiff to look at his watch. It is NOT set to #TiffyTime. And he was this close to sending her to the back of the line. But then someone convinced him otherwise, good for her. Tonight, she goes 1v1 with Naomi again, and the winner faces Bayley for the title at Backlash. Whose stupid idea was that?! Bayley says DING DONG, it was hers. It is a win-win situation here. If Naomi wins, she gets the match she got cheated out of.
And if Tiff wins, then she’ll find out when she attacks the Role Model. Tiff gasps as she has a #TiffanyEpiphany. Bayley should be ringside for that match so she can see Tiff do what Bayley couldn’t, and that’s beat Naomi. Tootles. Tiff leaves, but will the only thing she gets is to #FeelTheGlow?
Michelle McCool and Torrie Wilson are here!
One is a former WWE Women’s Champion, the other is a WWE Hall of Famer, but they’re both here to present Draft picks! Michelle says with the first pick of the second round, SmackDown selects… The Viper, Randy Orton! SmackDown will still have to watch out for an RKO outta nowhere! Torrie says that with the second pick of the second round, Raw selects… BRON BREAKKER! We just saw Bron make quick work of opponents here on SmackDown, but now he’s gonna be rampaging on Raw!
Michelle says that with the third pick of the second round, SmackDown selects… NIA JAX! The Irresistible Force may have to change targets from the Women’s World to the Undisputed Women’s title, but will she be unstoppable all the same? And with the fourth and final pick of this round, Raw selects… LIV MORGAN! The Revenge Tour will still be part of Monday nights, will we watch Liv rise to the top?
The Bloodline arrives backstage.
Paul Heyman is there to greet them and open the door to the SUV. He apologizes for not being faster about that, but Solo Sikoa asks The Bloodline if they’ve been drafted. Not yet. Then give Solo the details. Okay, well, Roman Reigns withdrew right before the show began, and then Solo keeps adding members, so no one really knows what they’re getting if they draft The Bloodline! Solo sighs, and here comes Tama Tonga. Heyman asks they be patient but Solo wants Heyman to repeat that for him. Heyman gets scared, but then KEVIN OWENS jumps in! Kevin fires off on Tama, security and refs rush in to stop it!
The Prizefighter wants Solo’s “MFT” to bring the fight like he did last week! Security still drags Kevin away, but will he get that fight he wants?
Kayla Braxton is on stage.
SmackDown returns and Kayla welcomes us back to the show. And please welcome out the first overall pick, Bianca Belair! The fans fire up as The EST walks out on stage, and Kayla congratulates her on being the first overall pick. But let’s talk Backlash. Breaking news, Bianca and Jade Cargill are going to challenge for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships, against the Kabuki Warriors. How satisfying would it be to dethrone them on the stage of this magnitude? Bianca says so satisfying. She really hopes Jade gets drafted to SmackDown because given all this history with Damage CTRL, all the partners by her side, Bianca has never been the one to finally end it with them.
For everything they’ve done to her and this division, Bianca feels Jade is the perfect woman to help her end this. Now, DMG CTRL is falling apart piece by piece, and that final piece is the tag titles. So once Bianca & Jade take the gold at Backlash, the Kabuki Warriors won’t even have a reason to come back to SmackDown. But wait, they’re here now! Asuka & Kairi walk out here and Kayla moves aside. The Empress of Tomorrow and the Pirate Princess taunt the EST, but here comes The Storm! Jade makes her way to stand right by Bianca’s side. The four shout and argue, but this will be settled on May 4th!
WHOA! Tama and Kevin are brawling their way out here! The ladies move aside so the gentlemen can brawl all the way down to ringside! Tama hits low, gets in the ring, but Kevin pursues! Kevin TACKLES Tama, but Solo CLOBBERS Kevin! The fans boo as The Bloodline beats Kevin down! The refs hurry out here but clearly Solo’s Bloodline won’t listen! Tama DECKS producers, DECKS guards, HEADBUTTS them, throws hands and even THROWS the guards! Tama and Solo beat Kevin down again, but here comes Randy Orton! The Viper is still on SmackDown and he’s still pals with Kevin, so here he comes!
Orton DECKS Tama, fires hands on Solo, then RK- NO, Solo gets free and gets away! Orton wants to pursue, almost runs Jamie Noble and refs over to do it, but the Bloodline has gotten away! The fans cheer Randy on, and KAevin even hugs him! But then Kevin and Randy try to give chase! Security stops this, when and where will we see #RKKO strike down Solo and Tama?
The Dudley Boyz are here!
The fans fire up as Bubba Ray & D-Von are both here for the next round of picks! Cincy chants for “E C DUB! E C DUB!” Bubba and D-Von look at the cards, it’s hard to read. So out come the glasses! Bubba says with the first pick of the third round of the 2024 WWE Draft, SmackDown selects… L A KNIGHT! YEAH!! The Mega Star stays on Fridays! D-Von says with the second pick of the third round, Raw selects… RICOCHET! Mondays still has the One and Only, is Ricochet going to bring that WWE Speed Championship home to Raw, too?
Bubba says with the third pick of the third round, SmackDown selects… THE BLOODLINE! That means Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga and Paul Heyman are staying right here on Friday nights. And D-Von says with the final pick of this round, Raw selects… SHEAMUS! The Celtic Warrior just got back, but he won’t have to worry about going anywhere else but Monday nights.
WWE Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s Match: Naomi VS Tiffany Stratton!
It’s time to run it back once again! The Glow got robbed by the Spoiled Rich Girl, but supposedly, it’s #TiffyTime. Will Naomi prove there’s no such time on the clock? Or will Bayley be the one feeling the Backlash over giving Tiffany one more chance?
The bell rings and Naomi hits a THESZ PRESS! Naomi rains down fists, Tiffy shoves her away and goes to ropes, but Naomi gets up in Tiff’s face. Naomi whips, Tiff holds ropes to bail out and fans boo. Naomi scowls, runs in and WRECKS Tiff with a dropkick! Naomi then gets Tiff up, SMACKS her off the apron, and then SMACKS her off it again! And again! Naomi puts Tiff in, goes up a corner, but Tiff gets under the jump! Naomi runs back up but Tiff YANKS her into ropes! Tiff runs to HIP ATTACK! Naomi sputters, Tiff scowls and drags Naomi up, to then put through ropes. But Naomi RAMS into Tiff!
Naomi reels Tiff in, for a HEATSEEKER! Tiff flops to the floor, and then Naomi SPLIT LEG DROPS! Naomi says it’s #NaomiTime, but SmackDown goes to break.
SmackDown returns and Naomi runs, but into a SPINEBUSTER! High stack, TWO! Naomi survives and Tiff is frustrated but the fans rally up. Tiff drags Naomi up, whips her to a corner, but Naomi goes up and sunset flips! TWO! Tiff escapes, knees Naomi low, then whips. Naomi slides under the lariat to then mule kick! Then she headscissor SPIKES Tiff down! Cover, TWO! Tiff survives but barely, and Naomi keeps her cool. Naomi headlocks, but Tiff shoves her into buckles! Tiff runs, but Naomi follows, DOUBLE RUNNING FACEBUSTERS take them both down! The fans fire up as the two rise!
Naomi KICKS, ROCKS and ROCKS Tiff again! Naomi fires shots again and again but Tiff knees low! Tiff reels Naomi in, but Naomi wrenches out to ENZIGIRI! And then BUCKLE BULLDOG! But then NIA JAX attacks Bayley!? Nia SMACKS Bayley off buckles, rains down fists, and this momentarily distracts Naomi. Naomi refocuses, but by now, Tiff’s slipped away! Nia KICKS Bayley in the side, so Naomi goes out to ROCK her! Nia POSTS Naomi and that throws the match out!
No Contest
The fans boo as Nia ruins the fun, then runs Bayley over! Nia smiles as she blows kisses to Cincy. Tiff smiles, she drags Naomi up and puts her in the ring. Then she drags Bayley in! Tiff wants a repeat of last week as she puts them side by side in the drop zone! Tiff then goes up and up for the PRETTIEST MOONSAULT EVER!! Tiff says it’s her time, but the #1 contendership is still in question. Who gets their shot at the Role Model at Backlash?
B-Fab and the Street Profits meet up backstage.
Angelo Dawkins has a “WHO-DEY” sign, but Montez Ford is wondering where Bobby Lashley is right now. B-Fab says calm down, he’ll be here. Byron Saxton walks over and apologizes for interrupting. He doesn’t know what the Draft destination for this group will be until Monday Night Raw, but we do know that The Profits will challenge A-Town Down Under for the WWE Tag Team Championships. YESSIIIIIIR~! B-Fab says it doesn’t matter where they get drafted. The Profits are going to take down A-Town Down Under and take those titles. Then they’ll have their first class tickets right back to SmackDown.
SmackDown? Did someone say SmackDown~? In walk Austin Theory & Grayson Waller, showing off the titles. And Theory says you can’t have SmackDown without the GREATEST undefeated tag team of all time. And sorry, Dawkins, but these are championships, something the Bengals know nothing about! B-Fab keeps Dawkins back, but then in steps Bobby Lashley! The All Mighty scares Theory & Waller right off, and Dawkins says see y’all next Friday! Will there be nothing keeping these Profits down the night before Backlash?
The Final Testament speaks.
Karrion Kross says good evening. What’s going on here? You guessed it! More random acts of violence! Just follow him. Kross & Scarlett lead the way to show The Authors of Pain beating down New Catch Republic! Rezar beats down Pete Dunne while Akam victimizes Tyler Bate! Paul Ellering says they will know about sacrifice! Kross says whether they get drafted to Raw or stay on SmackDown, the violence will continue until they get what they want! So sayeth The Final Testament!!
Teddy Long and JBL are here!
The Hall of Famer General Manager and the Hall of Famer WWE Champion are both here, ready to give us the fourth and final round of picks tonight! Teddy gets right to it! The first pick of the fourth round, SmackDown selects… AJ STYLES! The Phenomenal One is really an obvious choice, because one way or another, the WWE Championship stays with SmackDown! JBL says the second pick of the fourth round, Raw selects… THE ALPHA ACADEMY! Raw keeps Chad Gable, Otis, Maxxine Dupri & Akira Tozawa, A THANK YEW~!
Teddy says with the third pick of this round, SmackDown selects… ANDRADE! A big move as now El Idolo will be part of Friday nights. And with the final pick of this fourth round, Raw selects… NXT’S Kiana James! The Calculator, the former NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion, has the Raw hat to put on, and after a quick hype package, Jackie Redmond is there to interview her. Kiana, congratulations! You are heading to Monday Night Raw! How much does this mean to her? This means the world to her. She is filled with gratitude, but also knows every decision she has made up to this point has been by design to get her here.
Kiana is so proud of her time in NXT, but she’s ready to show Raw why she is the One Percent. Was she surprised? Of course she was! HBK is here to wish her luck and congratulations. Is Kiana going to start the hostile takeover of the Raw Women’s Division?
Backstage interview with Nick Aldis.
Kayla is with the SmackDown GM and says that with night one in the books, how does he feel about SmackDown’s selections? He feels really good about them. SmackDown’s future is bright, he can’t wait for the new recruits to show up and show out for the blue brand. But he also wants to turn attentions to Backlash, because he’s got some new matches to announce! The first PLE in France, this is exciting stuff, Kayla. Aldis says that the WWE Women’s Championship will now be on the line in a Triple Threat! Bayley VS Naomi VS Tiffany Stratton! Will the odds make it that much harder for the Role Model to succeed?
There’s one more match to announce, but Aldis will let the GM GOAT take it from here. Teddy Long steps in, and don’t forget. We’ll talk about this tag team match. The Bloodline VS Kevin Owens & Randy Orton! Holla, players. Solo & Tama will have to face The Viper and the Prizefighter, will #RKKO strike fast and strike hard?
Cody Rhodes VS Carmelo Hayes!
The American Nightmare just put pen to paper for his match with the Phenomenal One, but he isn’t one to shy away from a challenge. The former NXT Champion is shooting his shot, but will this be nothing but net? Or will it be a frustrating airball?
The bell rings and the two circle. They tie up, the fans rally for Cody as he puts Melo in a corner then arm-drags him away. Melo runs up, Cody headlocks, Melo powers out then drops. Melo hurdles, but Cody kicks low to RHODES UPPERCUT! Melo staggers to ropes, the fans fire up, but then melo throat chops and springboard FLYING LARIATS! Melo says that’s why he’s a first round pick! But then Cody CLOBBERS him! Cody asks if Melo’s ready for this, and SmackDown goes to break.
SmackDown returns once again and Cody has a headlock. Cody hits a takeover, Melo flails and kicks around, but Cody grinds him down. Melo pushes with his forearm, then headscissors, but Cody kips free. Melo CHOPS, the fans “WOO~!” but Cody brushes himself off. Melo pie faces Cody! Cody fires forearms on Melo, then whips, but Melo reverses. Melo ELBOWS Cody, then runs up to KICK him in the side! Melo fires forearms and CHOPS in a corner, then throws body shots. Melo digs his boot in, the ref counts, and Cody goes to another corner. Cody eggs Melo on, Melo storms up, but Cody puts him in the corner to CHOP!
Cody swings, Melo dodges and CHOPS! Cody turns things around to CHOP! The fans rally, Cody whips corner to corner, then he back drops Melo away! Melo staggers up, Cody runs, and he rallies on Melo with forearms! Cody goes up and over in a corner but Melo tilt-o-whirls, LA MYSTICA! Melo springboards, FADE AWAY! Cover, TWO! Cody survives that flying DDT, but we see the NXT roster all fired up watching Melo take it to the champ. Melo sits Cody up, drags him into a facelock, but the fans rally for Cody. Cody fireman’s carries but Melo slips free to dragon sleeper! Melo grins, but Cody cradles! TWO!!
Melo swings, Cody boots, then Cody springboards to BEAUTIFUL DISASTER! Melo flips inside-out, Cody covers, TWO! Melo is still in this and he snarls up at Cody. Melo gives a forearm, Cody gives it back, and the fans rally up. Cody scoops Melo, storms around, and then hits a RUNNING POWERSLAM! Cover, TWO! Melo survives and Cody grows frustrated. Cody pounds the mat, the fans rally up, and then Cody goes to ropes. Cody springboards again, CODY CUTTER! Cover, TWO!! Melo survives yet again, proving why he’s a former NXT Champion, on top of NXT North American Champion! But then Cody drags him up!
Cody back suplexes, Melo lands out of it, then FIRST 48! Doe goes Cody and Melo goes up! Melo is setting up for the game winner! NOTHING BUT- NO, Cody avoids the flying leg drop! Melo rolls through, Cody dodges to SUPERKICK! Cody brings Melo around, but Melo gets free! They both run, both springboard, but completely miss each other, and Cody takes a rough landing! Melo drags Cody up, reels him in, but Cody wrenches out to dragon sleeper! CROSS RHODES!! Cody shakes out the bad arm but still makes the cover, and Cody wins!
Winner: Cody Rhodes, by pinfall
Melo took his shot but it was blocked! Even so, Cody sits Melo up to show him respect and tell him he’s still the future. But did this match end up more of a trap game for Cody after that crash landing? Or will he be alright in time for Backlash and his phenomenal opponent?
Speaking of, Styles sneaks right into the ring! Cody sees him in time and Styles stays back. Cody and Styles stare down, but Styles says it was that close. Styles offers a handshake, and Cody takes it. There’s still respect here, for now. But will nothing stop Styles from turning Cody’s story into a tragedy after all?
My Thoughts:
A great SmackDown to open the WWE Draft but to also set up Backlash. To recap, SmackDown took Bianca, Melo, Orton, Nia, LA Knight, The Bloodline, Styles and Andrade while Raw took Jey, Rollins, Bron, Liv, Ricochet, Sheamus, The Alpha Academy, and Kiana. Many of those choices made sense, as picks won’t be wasted on keeping champions on brands, and just need to be used to keep most stories alive and change up a few others. Kiana is perhaps one of the more surprising moves, but well-deserved. She has been a solid character and solid in-ring performer almost from the start, she’s a solid addition to Raw.
Bron of course demolished his opponent tonight, it’s just a shame it was Cedric and not local enhancement talent. But Bron will also be a good addition to Raw, but maybe he can move past his squash match phase and get right to story. Melo being a first round pick was great stuff, and he had a great promo with Cody to give us tonight’s main event. That double springboard whiff was definitely a timing problem, but at the same time, a Fade Away countered into a Cody Cutter would’ve been way too epic just for TV. Cody with a great win, and we got a really good contract signing segment, but you can bet Cody retains.
Really good tag match from LWO VS Legado but naturally Rey & Dragon won. I knew it was only a matter of time before Carlito was outed, and how he handled being exposed was pretty good. And with Andrade being drafted to SmackDown, you just know that means Andrade joins the LWO. The Final Testament attacking New Catch Republic was a wild moment, I almost thought Ellering was going to use the pliers in his hands to grab at fingers. Maybe we get that next week for SmackDown in France. Good promos from A-Town Down Under and the still technically unnamed faction of Bobby Lashley’s. As great as The Profits are, it feels like Theory & Waller will cheat to retain.
Really good promo with Tiff and Bayley to set up Naomi VS Tiff round 3, but I did not think Nia Jax would disrupt all that. A Triple Threat at Backlash is good stuff, it will protect Bayley if she loses, but can also protect Naomi and Tiff if Bayley uses them against each other to win. Good promo from Bianca that then turned into the shouting match of Bianca & Jade with Kabuki Warriors. Their tag title match is official, and I’m pretty sure Bianca & Jade win. I also liked that this segment ended up having Kevin and Tama brawl right through it. Orton saving Kevin was a great move, RKKO VS Solo & Tama is going to be awesome stuff, I can’t wait to see it.
My Score: 8.8/10
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Coverage
Andrew’s TNA iMPACT! Results & Match Ratings: 4.25.2024
We just got done with Rebellion, and Under Siege is two weeks away! Gotta see how these dots connect!
Rebellion had quite a few returns, Mike Santana, Sami Callihan and Broken Matt Hardy. All three of these guys could easily be main event players, and its nice to mix up and expand what felt like a rather small pool of potential challengers.
Under Siege is only like 2 weeks out, so we’ll see how the dots connect in such a short period of time.
.@AJFrancis410, Rich Swann, and rap legend @BunBTrillOG are IN THE HOUSE Meanwhile, @joehendry announces he will deliver an apology to Fir$t Cla$$ NEXT WEEK on #TNAiMPACT! pic.twitter.com/4GNe2xWfyU
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024
Ratings:
- Mike Santana vs Myron Reed w/Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz: Santana wins via Spin the Block – ** 1/2
- #1 Contender: Frankie Kazarian vs Josh Alexander: Josh wins via Grapevine Ankle Lock – ***
- ASH by Elegance vs Xia Brookside: Xia wins via School Girl Roll-Up – ** 3/4
- Sami Callihan vs The Good Hands: Sami Callihan wins via Cactus Driver ’97 – SQUASH
- Eddie Edwards w/Alisha Edwards & Brian Myers vs Nic Nemeth: Eddie wins via Boston Knee Party – *** 1/4
Results:
Did @NicTNemeth say BROKEN? @MATTHARDYBRAND has arrived in the iMPACT Zone! #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/HbkUangt6e
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024
A weird opening that is just framed to put Nemeth and Hardy together against The System. Feels a little awkward, but who knows how it will play out.
.@JordynneGrace vs @miyu_tjp NEXT WEEK on #TNAiMPACT will now be for the Knockouts World Championship! pic.twitter.com/YnKZjb9yjx
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024
Mike Santana vs Myron Reed w/Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz
Ahh I didn’t really pay attention to Santana’s theme at Rebellion, but its pretty damn cool. Good stuff.
Rascalz blindside Santana early, but the heel advantage doesn’t last more than a few moves. Santana whips Myron from corner to corner, hits a few Hip Attacks before Myron finally dodges one and starts using his unique offense and agility to his advantage. Matrix dodge, into an Leaping Outside Back in Slingshot Codebreaker. Some more offense and Santana powders to the ramp, Myron jumps over the rope and tries a Flying Cutter, but Santana blocks it, turns things around, gets pushed forward and hits the Rolling Cutter. Santana takes out the Rascalz, heads back into the ring, Myron tries to catch him unawares but eats the Spin the Block off the rope run! Santana wins fairly quickly.
Maclin’s music hits, he tries to employ the help of The Rascalz to attack Santana, but as soon as Maclin positions himself to get in, The Rascalz bail and flip off Maclin. Maclin makes it out of the confrontation relatively unscathed, but at least we know where he’s going for Under Siege probably.
OH FUCK ME WITH RUSTY KNIVES. Because Cardona is hurt Kon is paired with SDL, and she just challenges Jordynne and PCO to a tag match. WHY!? STOP IT. This is hot garbage.
Josh Alexander comes out…I wonder who’s Super Finisher he’s gonna conveniently kick out this time? Brian Myers? Frankie Kazarian? Rich Swann? Because yes, I’m still annoyed that Hammerstone has been in TNA for half a sandwich, he already connects with a Super version of his finish on tacks, and that’s not a finish. Oh Kaz’s music hits. Okay, so time for Josh to kick out of Fade to Black or Flux Capacitor. Kaz talks smack, says he won his match too so he should have a say in who’s number one contender. Josh challenges him, Kaz says not right now, but a referee runs out and says the match is official.
#1 Contender: Frankie Kazarian vs Josh Alexander
Kaz throws his jacket on Josh’s head, and attacks him with some strikes before Josh fights back and throws Kaz out. Commercial break, we see Kaz misses his Apron Guillotine, Josh goes for the Low Crossbody but Kaz dodges and Josh goes flying. Kaz starts throwing some chops and claws at the cauliflowered ears of Josh. Russian Leg Sweep from Kaz for a near fall. Josh swings wildly and Kaz ducks the strike and levels Josh with a Lariat.
Josh blocks a Vertical Suplex attempt, but Frankie pulls off a Fisherman’s Suplex after a few overhead strikes for a near fall. Josh stands up and connects with a straight right, rocks Kaz, Back Body Drop, into a Charging Forearm, Rolling Senton, 2 count! C4 Spike attempt countered into a Back Stabber and then Chicken Wing, but Josh fights it off, rolls through and into an Ankle Lock, Kaz kicks off and into a Head and Arm Cradle for a near fall and then the Guillotine Leg Drop into Slingshot DDT spot from Kaz for another 2 count!
Fade to Black, but its fought off, Big Boot but then Kaz counters the next move with a Power Slam into the Springboard Guillotine Leg Drop, but Josh grabs the Ankle Lock! Locomotion German Suplex time from Josh, Halfhatch Suplex after the Germans, floats over for a 2 count! C4 Spike attempt again, but Kaz fights it off, dumps him over the top rope, slingshots him in and into the Cutter for a near fall for Kaz! After the 2 Kaz grabs a chair and chain, the referee stops the chair of course, so he tries the chain, EY runs down and grabs the chain so Kaz pulls the Eddie Guerrero and the referee admonishes EY, but doesn’t DQ Josh. So as Kaz is busy laughing at EY, Josh picks the ankle, Ankle Lock with the Grapevine, Kaz taps.
Tensions are sky-high between @alexhammerstone and @JakeSomething_! #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/LLCUJOCy7H
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024
ASH by Elegance vs Xia Brookside
Both are jawing at each other and then throw hands before Xia gets the upper hand with a Headscissors from the Top Turnbuckle, Charging Knees, a Flurry of Kicks, but when the ref forces some space in the corner, ASH is finally able to dodge and work over Xia with her Twisting Body Splash, a few choking moves, a corner Stomp into a Snap Suplex for 2. ASH is in charge elegantly, but the referee keeps forcing space on both of them when they go for corner attacks. Xia manages to take advantage a little, but ASH regains control, kicks Xia up the ramp and then lands her Cartwheel Back Elbow up the ramp. It actually looks pretty cool executed like that.
Headlocks and Hair Pulling to keep Xia down and using energy to kick out. ASH is getting frustrated but Xia is remaining persistent. ASH goes back to the Headlock, but Xia fights up, Jawbreaker, Back Elbow, Kick to the gut and Drop Toe Hold sends ASH face first into the middle buckle. Xia rips off 4 Double Knee Smashes to the back of ASH’s head into her Flying Crossbody for a close 2! Xia pulls her up, but ASH spins out, then Xia slips it, but ASH kicks her in the chest and deposits her to the outside and demands a count from the referee. Iceman puts Jeweled Knuckles/Rings on ASH’s hand, the referee catches her, removes the stuff from her fingers and Xia hits the School Girl Roll-Up for the flash win.
Fraud has thrown the Ballot Box Battle into chaos, but also paved the way for an explosive showdown between @TheTreyMiguel and @The_Ace_Austin NEXT WEEK to determine the #1 Contender for the X Division Championship! #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/lYHrtgNrc3
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024
Sami Callihan vs The Good Hands
So the Good Hand Jobs are about to do their job to Sami. I’m just gonna assume Sami beats the hell out of both and wins with a Cactus Driver ’97. If anything interesting happens I might actually cover it, but come on now.
.@SteveMaclin has a proposition for @FrankieKazarian#TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/XY6lMdmSWo
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024
Kaz makes a Metallica reference with the “Wash Your Back So You Won’t Stab Mine”…and Sweet Amber is the only good song on St. Anger. So…I ain’t mad.
Eddie Edwards w/Alisha Edwards & Brian Myers vs Nic Nemeth
A little early ground wrestling and headlocks for control from both men. Nothing super flashy to start until we get to the rope run and Nemeth goes for the Flying Body Press to drop Eddie. Before Nemeth can follow up, Lish grabs his foot. Nic does have his brother Ryan in the crowd, trying to get chants going and do the old school ‘power up the babyface’ thing, but Eddie has been in control since Lish got involved. Simple offense, chokes, strikes, Snap Suplexes, Knee Drops, simple yet effective. But then Eddie ducks his head too early, Nemeth kicks him in the face, bounces his head off the buckles a few times, Dropkick sends Eddie reeling to the corner, Nemeth starts the 10 Count Punches but Myers hits the apron to distract and Eddie manages to slip the situation and push Nemeth to the floor.
Commercial break happens, Nemeth is trying to fight back with Chops, but a Kitchen Sink from Eddie puts Nemeth on the floor again! Clubbing blow from Eddie, but Eddie then misses the Hip Attack in the corner and Nemeth counters with the Rude Awakening into the 10 Count Rain of Elbows. Fame Ass-er miss, Eddie tries something but Nemeth turns it into that hesitation DDT for 2! Tuning up the band starts to build and Eddie powders to avoid it. Nemeth throws Eddie back in, goes to the top, but Eddie crotches him, rises up and hits the Superplex into Tiger Driver for 2! Eddie starts mocking with Tuning Up the band but Nemeth hits his own Superkick into an Olympic Slam for 2!
Both men just trade strikes Fighting Spirit style, Eddie says “Always Trust the System” and Nemeth shuts him up with a Headbutt. Danger Zone is blocked, Boston Knee Party gets ducked, they level each other with Lariats! Myers and Ryan Nemeth start fighting to distract the referee, Moose hits the ring and hits Nemeth with the belt. Eddie lands Boston Knee Party and The System wins again!
Overall Score: 6/10
A lame opening segment, a squash match, ASH by Elegance getting her first loss, and a weird way of just pulling the number one contender out of mid air makes for an awkward show. Also Kon still be involved in, literally anything, is negative. However, I can say there was a ton of stuff thrown at the wall this episode, so there’s a chance that some things landed better with other people than myself. The ballot segments were amusing, they overused the “I need to talk to you Santino” gimmick a bit much and personally I feel like having Jake versus Hammerstone is booking yourself into a weird corner.
But hey, the main event was fun, Nemeth getting laid out to the point that there could be a story reason to take him out of the Under Siege match. Kaz with the Metallica reference was pop worthy and I guess its a lot of ‘let’s see where it goes’ kind of angle creation. So it wasn’t complete trash, but its definitely a wait and see episode.
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