Coverage
Mitchell’s WWE Raw Results & Report! (5/18/20)
Drew McIntyre “welcomes” King Corbin!
Raw extends the Brand to Brand Invitation!
The King of the Ring, Baron Corbin, returns to Raw to take on WWE World Champion, Drew McIntyre! Will his warm welcome be in the form of a Claymore?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Humberto Carrillo VS Buddy Murphy w/ Seth Rollins; Murphy wins.
- Charlotte Flair VS Ruby Riott; Flair wins.
- Bobby Lashley VS R-Truth; Lashley wins.
- WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships: Bliss-Cross VS The IIconics; Bliss-Cross win by disqualification, and retain the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships.
- Submission Match: Shayna Baszler VS Natalya; Baszler wins.
- Kevin Owens & Apollo Crews VS Andrade Almas & Angel Garza w/ Zelina Vega & Austin Theory; Owens & Crews win.
- Aleister Black VS Buddy Murphy w/ Seth Rollins; Aleister wins, by disqualification.
- Ax Throwing: The Street Profits VS The Viking Raiders; The Viking Raiders win.
- Brand to Brand Invitational: Drew McIntyre VS Baron Corbin; McIntyre wins.
PLAY BY PLAY
Charly Caruso introduces Randy Orton.
The Viper made the challenge to the Rated R Superstar: Prove you’re back by having a wrestling match. No gimmicks, no extra stipulations. A default singles match between Randy Orton and Edge is set for Backlash, if Edge accepts. Orton grabs a mic as Charly asks him to explain this challenge. “Is the phrase ‘straight up wrestling match’ really that hard for people to comprehend?” WWE means World Wrestling Entertainment. Wrestling is the basis of everything they do in pro-wrestling. They get into the ring with the dream of being at WrestleMania. At WrestleMania, Orton and Edge tore each other and the Performance Center apart in a Last Man Standing match. Now while it paints Orton to admit he lost that match because Edge was the better man, Orton knows in his heart that Orton is the superior wrestler. He doesn’t need tables, ladders, chairs or to be the last man standing. He just needs a ref, and a ring.
Athletes come and go, but no normal athlete can do what superstars do. Just like no one in the WWE can do what Orton does the way he does, and that includes Edge. Orton directs this next part to Edge personally. “I know why you didn’t accept my challenge last Monday night on Raw. I saw it written all over your face.” It was in Edge’s eyes. Orton saw doubt. Edge’s grit and passion have faded away. What once was grit and passion is now doubt and fear. “You think you know me.” Edge is HERE! He joins Orton in the ring, with a mic, to give his response! “Randy, last week, you spoke a lot of truths. You gave me a lot to contemplate, to chew on, to internalize.” Orton is playing chess, so Edge couldn’t just rush into his next move. But that’s all this is to Orton. It’s a game. Orton smirks because this is just a paycheck. But Edge gets it. Orton is quite possibly the most talented person in a wrestling ring. But this isn’t the life Orton wanted. This is the life he was handed, as a back-up plan! Orton is different from everyone else, because he doesn’t care.
Orton didn’t go to bed dreaming of being champion like Edge. He didn’t save up his allowance to go to the monthly show like Edge. And Orton didn’t cry the night he won the WWE Intercontinental Championship like Edge did, because that title meant Edge was on the track to be one of the best workhorses in the history of this business! And Edge has done just that. In fact, Edge beat Orton for that title in 2004. One of Edge’s favorite matches, that’s for show. And they’ve both grown since then. Orton is getting annoyed by all this, but Edge tells him to shut up! Because most importantly, Orton has never had a career ending injury. Orton didn’t have to fight for NINE YEARS just to get back! Orton doesn’t love this sport like Edge and the rest of the roster does. So yeah, Orton can say the better wrestler didn’t win at WrestleMania. Orton wants Edge to shut up and answer the challenge. Edge’s answer is YES! Orton nods and leaves, having gotten what he wants. But will Edge expose Orton as the best wrestler with the least motivation?
Buddy Murphy finds Seth Rollins backstage.
Murphy is worried Rollins isn’t all there, but The Monday Night Messiah assures his disciple that he has had “a revelation.” And now, Rollins will tell the world. Rollins and Murphy head to gorilla, but what will this new message be?
Raw returns to Rollins and Murphy making their entrance.
Rollins and Murphy go to the ring and Rollins gets a mic. “Sometimes in life, you have to lose who you are to truly find yourself.” When Rollins lost to Drew McIntyre at Money in the Bank, part of Rollins felt he had lost everything. Rollins fell into a dark place. A place so dark, he wasn’t sure he would ever escape. But without darkness, there can be no light. Rollins has seen that light, and it is brighter than ever before! That is all thanks to one man: Rey Mysterio. What happened to Mysterio has been described as “heinous and disgusting and unforgivable.” It has been described by others as “an act of penance” paid to Rollins in Mysterio’s disbelief. Rollins doesn’t see it as either of those ways. What Rollins sees it as simply unfortunate but necessary. That was the cathartic moment Rollins needed for the clarity he needed to be the leader he was always meant to be.
Rollins speaks to Mysterio directly here. “I know you’re at home with your family right now, and you’re healing. And I know that you can’t see it right now, but soon you will come to understand that what happened to you was a blessing in disguise.” So from the bottom of Rollins’ heart, Mysterio, you’re welcome. But here comes Humberto Carrillo! Ultimo Ninja is furious. Does Rollins think anyone believes this? That Rollins cares about Mysterio? Mysterio is a hero to millions, and he is Carrillo’s idol! All that Rollins is, is a coward! Carrillo rushes the ring but Murphy stands in his way. Rollins tells Humberto that while he appreciates and respects this act of defending Mysterio’s honor, if he’s here to fight, Rollins is not dressed for the occasion. However, while Murphy has a match later on with Aleister Black, he will gladly oblige. Will the disciple pull double duty to defend his leader?
Humberto Carrillo VS Buddy Murphy w/ Seth Rollins!
Raw returns, and indeed, Murphy will take on Ultimo Ninja before taking on Aleister Black later tonight! Will Carrillo defeat the disciple to avenge Mysterio?
The match is already underway as Carrillo whips but Murphy runs him over. Things speed up and Carrillo hurdles but Murphy leaps. Carrillo springboards for a flying arm-drag, and then huricanranas! Murphy ends up in a corner but puts Carrillo on a corner. Carrillo shoulders and slingshots over to keep moving, and ducks and dodges only to be sent back to the apron. Carrillo enziguris Murphy back, then goes up top, only for Murphy goes up! The two brawl and Murphy staggers back, and Carrillo BOOTS! But Murphy YANKS Carrillo down to the mat! Rollins smiles as Murphy stomps and KICKS Carrillo while he’s down. Cover, TWO! Murphy keeps his focus and drags Carrillo up to CLUB on the back. Murphy clamps on a chinlock but Carrillo endures. Carrillo fights up, spins around, and jawbreakers free! Murphy blocks the punch to fire off a strike fest! But Carrillo dodges the knee, swings a kick but hits the second!
Murphy flops to the apron, springboard enziguri sends him down! Carrillo FLIES and takes Murphy out, right in front of Rollins! Rollins no longer smiles as Carrillo puts Murphy in the ring. Carrillo hurries up top but Rollins is lurking. The ref reprimands Rollins as Carrillo springboards, into a KNEE! MURPHY’S LAW!! Cover, Murphy wins!
Winner: Buddy Murphy, by pinfall
The distraction allows the disciple to win, and Rollins joins him in the ring. But they’re not done with Carrillo, and Murphy KNEES Carrillo out of the ring! Murphy does his leader’s bidding as he throws Carrillo into steps, but here comes Aleister! These two brawl again, and Aleister puts Murphy in the ring! Aleister dodges Murphy’s haymakers to fire off his own strike fest! Rollins bails and Murphy hurries after. Aleister wants this fight now, but he will have to wait. Will Aleister avenge Mysterio for Carrillo?
Baron Corbin complains backstage.
The King of the Ring doesn’t get why he, the very special guest, doesn’t have his own locker room. He tells the staffer to go find him an individual dressing room. A referee walks over, and Corbin complains to him about how he was welcomed to Raw. There were fingerprint smudges on the crown, no one bowed to him, no one opened doors or brought him food. Does no one get how important the Wolf King is?! What is going on with Raw? That was rhetorical, so don’t answer. Corbin tells the ref what is going to happen in the match with Drew McIntyre later tonight, but Raw goes to break. Will this be the last time Raw lets Corbin answer the Brand to Brand Invitation?
Raw hears from Liv Morgan.
“What you may not know about me, is my mom is my hero. She didn’t have a job, or much of a savings account or a resume.” But what her mother had was determination. Liv’s mother never quit, and Liv is her mother’s daughter. A couple weeks ago, Liv had a match with 12-time champion, Charlotte Flair. THE Charlotte Flair, pride and joy of the WWE. Did Liv win? No. But did she learn? Yes. And what she learned is that she’s just like her mother. She is determined, and one day, she will become a champion. But when and where will that day come?
Charlotte Flair heads to the ring!
Speaking of the Queen, she brings her NXT Women’s Championship to the ring. Charlotte says that everyone at home is surely in awe. She won’t bore us with how she’s the hardest worker on all three brands as the face of Raw, the champion of NXT, and the very special guest of SmackDown. Instead, she will tell us about Bayley and her lackey- er, sidekick, Sasha Banks, challenging her to a Champion VS Champion match. Charlotte accepted, and is excited! She gets to show Bayley that there are levels to being a champion. As for Raw’s Ruby Riott, she must be dying to say something to Charlotte. Everyone has an opinion about Charlotte, so why not let Ruby share hers in person? Ruby appears, goes to the ring, and stares Charlotte down. The “opinion” Ruby has will be shared through action, because they have a match after the break!
Charlotte Flair VS Ruby Riott!
Raw returns and Charlotte CHOPS away on Ruby! She throws Ruby out of the ring then follows, to CHOP Ruby again! Ruby dodges and Charlotte chops post! Ruby goes after the hand and pulls on fingers. Ruby throws forearms while trapping the other arm. Charlotte reverses to POST Ruby in return! Charlotte puts Ruby in the ring at 7 and stalks her to ropes. Charlotte chokes Ruby on the ropes but lets up at 4. “Hey, Liv! You watching this?” Charlotte puts Ruby in a corner and pulls on her arms against the ropes. She CHOPS again, but Ruby elbows back! Ruby goes up and hits DEADLY NIGHTSHADE! Ruby scrapes Charlotte down then climbs up, for the stage dive senton! Cover, TWO! Charlotte toughs it out but clutches the bad hand. Ruby is after that hand with stomps! Ruby wrenches but Charlotte ROCKS her with a right! Ruby runs and spins Charlotte around into a COMPLETE SHOT! Ghost pin, into a Rings of Saturn!
Charlotte endures, powers up, and blocks any Iron Octopus with a grip. Ruby sunset flips but Charlotte fights off the grip. She STOMPS away on Ruby, the pain becoming anger. But Ruby just eggs Charlotte on! Ruby dodges the boot and rolls Charlotte up, TWO! Ruby wrenches the bad hand, but Riott Kick is blocked to a BOOT! Charlotte has the legs, Figure Four to Figure EIGHT! Ruby taps, Charlotte wins!
Winner: Charlotte Flair, by submission
The Queen keeps on winning, but she’s got a busy week ahead of her. On NXT, Rhea Ripley and Io Shirai do battle, which one rises up to challenge Charlotte for the title? And on SmackDown, will Charlotte prove she’s the better champion against bad and bold Bayley?
Backstage interview with Bobby Lashley.
The Rocky Mountain Machine is joined by MVP. They’ve been talking man to man, and they will not be doing business together because Lashley is too focused on clowns like R-Truth while his wife Lana runs the show. Lashley asks Charly to give him and MVP space. MVP doesn’t want trouble, and doesn’t want to feel the power of that full nelson. But MVP wonders what would happen if the full nelson was put on the WWE Champion. Lashley doesn’t know that because he hasn’t had a world title opportunity in 13 YEARS. But Lashley seems okay with that. Who needs the big beautiful title belt on his shoulder when there’s already a trophy wife on your arm? MVP isn’t trying to cause trouble, or wants anything in return. He just wants Lashley to think on when Lashley will finally be Lashley. MVP takes his leave, but what will Lashley’s response be?
The Street Profits go outdoors.
Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins still feel good about ballin’ on the Viking Raiders last week. But what about today? Ax throwing can’t be that hard, can it? But then a “viking” on a horse comes in. There are many other Viking enthusiasts with Erik and Ivar today. The Profits are their guests. The quest for smoke leads you here, to a bonfire! “Smoke! Smoke! Smoke!” No, they don’t mean literal smoke. Ford doesn’t want Dawkins to reject the gift from armed vikings. Right… And so, Ivar starts off, with an ax bull’s eye! Ford wants to forfeit but Dawkins says they can do this. The official ax throwing match will go down later tonight!
Raw goes to Kairi Sane is in the ring.
“Ladies and gentlemen!” The Pirate Princess says that tonight, we celebrate ASUKA~! Ms. Money in the Bank, Kairi’s partner and friend, and NEW Raw Women’s Champion! The Empress of Tomorrow heads to the ring where there are balloons all over for this special celebration! Kairi even presents Asuka with a bouquet of flowers! Asuka is so happy and thankful, and the Kabuki Warriors hug. Asuka thought winning MITB was great, but then last week’s Raw with Becky becoming a mother, Asuka is so happy. She really is, because now she’s Raw Women’s Champion! “I can’t believe it!” Kairi is so happy for Asuka-nee-sama, because now the show is all about her. Asuka has been NXT Women’s Champion, SmackDown Women’s Champion, WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion, and now RAW Women’s Champion! That makes Asuka the Grand Slam Empress! GRAND SLAM!! Asuka dances for joy, and Kairi plays her theme song on a flute.
But here comes Nia Jax! The Irresistible Force goes to the ring and grabs a mic. “Seriously? Seriously?” There’s nothing to celebrate. Asuka was handed the title from Becky because Becky can’t fight anymore. Nia breaks it down for Asuka: Becky is on maternity leave. Asuka lucked her way into the greatest temp job ever. And soon, she will be replaced by someone far more worthy: Nia. Look at Nia compared to Asuka. There’s only one way this goes down in the ring. And when Nia becomes Raw Women’s Champion, she’ll have a real party. Asuka goes after Nia with furious kicks! And a hip attack! Nia is set from the ring, and Asuka dares her to get back in! Kairi has Asuka’s back, too! Will Nia really steamroll over a woman who beat her way back in NXT?
Backstage interview with Baron Corbin.
The Wolf King begins the Brand to Brand Invitational against McIntyre, but is Corbin having any doubts after seeing how dominant McIntyre has been? Doubts? Oh please. McIntyre may be champion, but he is no king. And Corbin is not going into this blindly. He chose McIntyre, because of how he carried McIntyre last year. Corbin knows what gets under McIntyre’s skin. But yes, McIntyre is dangerous. McIntyre beat Brock Lesnar for the title. But he still has the ability to make mistakes. Corbin will take advantage of those mistakes and defeat him. Then the next time they meet, it will be the main event of WrestleMania and Corbin will take the WWE World Championship! McIntyre was watching this interview. Will McIntyre take advantage of Corbin’s mistakes first?
Bobby Lashley VS R-Truth!
WWE Universe, what’s up?! Well Truth will tell you. Pretty Ricky told Truth that Lashley has been “a bad, bad, bad man.” Let’s look back at the tape. MVP has been recruiting Lashley, getting him to think on Lashley letting loose. Lashley did just that when he gave Truth a SPEAR after his match with MVP. And then the full nelson, as MVP alluded to. Truth says he does not want that nelson again. But his childhood hero, John Cena, would never give up when it comes to facing a mean man. So neither will Truth. Just like Truth isn’t giving up on his “baby.” Tom Brady better be watching so he’ll see what Truth does to Lashley. Then Truth will find and SACK Brady to take back the WWE 24/7, 487, 7/11, I-95 SOUTH, 401k Championship! Yeah, he said it. But is Truth about to get hit so hard, he’ll actually remember it’s Gronk who has the title?
The bell rings and Truth stays back in a corner. Truth needs a minute. “You gonna Debo me?” Truth bails out, then becomes PRETTY RICKY! Ricky dares Bobby to fight him! Lashley goes out, chases Ricky, and they start brawling! Truth kicks but misses, and Lashley RAMS him into barriers! Then scoops and fireman’s carries, to bring Truth over and RAM into a post! Truth writhes and clutches his forehead but Lashley drags him up into the ring. Lashley sweeps Truth’s legs and feints, to slap him around. Truth gets up and throws more haymakers, then forearms and elbows. Truth runs, into a LARIAT! Lashley brings Truth up to throw knee after knee into the ribs and stomach, then puts on the FULL NELSON! He thrashes and SLAMS Truth down! But Lashley isn’t done, he puts the full nelson back on until Truth is a ragdoll! Truth taps, Lashley wins!
Winner: Bobby Lashley, by submission
The All Mighty decimates Truth, and again impresses MVP. MVP applauds Lashley, but has he successfully recruited him?
Lana watches this backstage.
She is furious! She throws whatever she can get her hands on. But is this rage, or fear that she has lost her Bobby to another manager?
Asuka and Kairi still celebrate backstage.
But Nia is lurking. She may have gotten lit up by Asuka, but her eyes seem to be on Kairi Sane. We’ve already seen Nia A-Nia-Late Kairi before, but will she sink the Pirate Princess once and for all?
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships: Bliss-Cross VS The IIconics!
The two-time champions, Alexa and Nikki, welcomed Billie Kay & Peyton Royce back last week, but the Aussie mean girls didn’t reciprocate the sentiment. Billie & Peyton have mics as they head to the ring to say, “Well, well, look who’s back.” Did the champions not learn their lesson from last week? That is to say, the match the IIconics essentially cheated to win this opportunity. But Billie & Peyton are glad Bliss-Cross is here to drop off the titles and just be gone. “We appreciate you. PFFF.” But the future of these titles is here, and that future is IICONIC! Will that all be true after this rematch?
The title are raised, the teams sort out, and we begin with Billie and Alexa.
Billie and Alexa tie up, go around, and Billie brings Alexa to the corner. Tag to Peyton, but Alexa avoids the double team to throw forearms! Alexa throws Billie out, spins Peyton around for an STO! Knee drops and tag to Nikki for a basement dropkick! Cover, TWO! Nikki keeps on Peyton with an armlock, but Peyton pulls hair. Peyton whips, Nikki reverses, but Billie tags in. Nikki dodges Peyton to hit Billie! Nikki tackles and thrashes Peyton but Billie knees Nikki low! Billie brings Nikki up for a suplex slam! Cover, TWO! Billie argues the count but Nikki flounders to ropes. Nikki dodges Billie’s boot and tags in Alexa! The Five Foot Fury rallies on Billie, SLAPS and ROCKS her with a right, then dropkicks her down! Another knee drop, and Insult2Injury! Cover, but Peyton breaks it! Peyton goes after Nikki but Nikki DECKS her first! Nikki baits Peyton into throwing her out, but Billie BOOTS Nikki down! Billie turns around into Alexa’s RIGHT!
Alexa drags Billie into a drop zone, climbs up top, and leaps for TWISTED BLISS! Cover, but Peyton breaks in just in time! Peyton POSTS Alexa, and AGAIN! The ref reprimands but Peyton POSTS Alexa a third time! The ref disqualifies the match!!
Winners: Bliss-Cross, by disqualification; (still WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions)
Such fury from the Venus Flytrap! But in the end, it costs her and Billie, and Nikki and Alexa keep their titles! Will Peyton and Billie shriek their way into a second chance? Or are Bliss-Cross headed back to SmackDown to find new competition?
Kairi plays flute all alone backstage.
And that leaves her vulnerable to Nia! Nia SLAMS Kairi into road cases! Nia leaves Kairi down and out, but perhaps Kairi is fortunate that’s all she did. Will Asuka hear about this and come looking for revenge?
Raw returns to the IIconics arguing backstage.
Billie is upset with Peyton, and Peyton is upset with herself. This was their one chance to get those tag titles back! And Peyton blew it! Billie SLAPS Peyton!? Even Billie regrets doing that. The IIconics cry and hug it out. Will the future still be standing after this apparently devastating loss?
Raw shares highlights of Undertaker: The Last Ride, Chapter 2.
Just hours before WrestleMania 34, Taker and wife, Michelle McCool, rode into town to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. It was the hush-hush mission of getting Taker in to surprise John Cena and the WWE Universe. It was some Spec-Ops stuff for Mark Callaway. What tonight was about was performing at the level the world expects him to be at. He wants to leave us thinking, “This guy’s got a lot left in the tank.” That alone was enough for him.
Asuka finds Kairi backstage!
Medics are already attending to Kairi and assure Asuka that Kairi will be okay. Asuka asks what happened, and Kairi just whispers, “Nia.” Now Asuka is pissed! Is Asuka about to shred Nia to pieces?
Raw returns and Asuka finds Nia!
Asuka demands to know why Nia went after Kairi and not her. Nia just goes to leave, but Asuka grabs the ponytails! And ROUNDHOUSES Nia down! Asuka says that’s what Nia gets! But is this going to only escalate things?
Submission Match: Shayna Baszler VS Natalya!
The Queen of Spades trumped the Queen of Harts not with a grapple but a stiff knee to the head! But now, there might be a chance Shayna gets Natty to #TapNapOrSnap! Will Shayna add on to all the insults and injuries so far?
The bell rings and the two circle and tie up. Natty headlocks, Shayna reverses to her own headlock, and throws Natty down. Shayna taunts Natty but Natty fights up. Natty powers out but Shayna runs her over! Shayna wants Natty to get used to looking up from the mat, then runs. Natty stays low but Shayna drops on her for the Kirafuda! Natty slips out the back, has the legs, and goes to lace the legs up. Shayna trips Natty to an ankle lock! Natty claws and crawls as the two talk trash. Shayna cranks but Natty turns around and boots her away! The two back off, checking ankles and teeth, respectively. Shayna comes back to knee low! She twists Natty’s arm all around but Natty refuses to quit. Natty rolls, handsprings, but Shayna throws her down by her hair! Shayna talks trash then stomps Natty over and over! Shayna goes to STEAL the Sharpshooter, but Natty blocks! Natty uses that to put the Sharpshooter on herself!!
Shayna endures as Natty sits deep! She claws her way to ropes but Natty drags her away! Natty wants Shayna to give up but Shayna powers up to crawl again. Shayna gets to the apron but there are no ropebreaks, so she pulls Natty into the ropes herself. Natty can’t hold on any longer so Shayna gets away, only for Natty to wreck her with a dropkick! “Was that better for you?!” Natty drags Shayna up and into the ring and wants after her! Shayna covers up as Natty grounds ‘n’ pounds! Then she shifts to a KNEEBAR!! Shayna endures, shifts position, and hammers Natty to get the KIRAFUDA!! Natty endures, but she’s caught! She reaches for ropes, but Shayna traps it with a leg! Natty fades, but taps! Shayna wins!
Winner: Shayna Baszler
The Queen of Harts checks off one of Shayna’s boxes, and Shayna has another win. Is Natalya ever going to figure out how she can make Shayna eat her words? She throws a bit of a tantrum while the crew sets up for the next segment. She goes after the Kevin Owens Show stands and throws them out of the ring! And then throws an armchair out! And another! Is this the last straw for the last Hart in the WWE?
Zelina Vega’s stable is arguing again!
Andrade Almas, Angel Garza and Austin Theory are at it again, and again she comes in to shut it all down. She has had enough of this in-fighting! They are going to go on The KO Show, on the same page. It is her business that they are a cohesive unit. Does Almas understand? Yes, because he is the champion. Does Angel understand? Of course. Does Theory understand? Yes. “Yes, what?” “Yes, ma’am.” Well, the situation has been defused for now, but will it explode once they’re in the ring?
The KO Show returns to Raw!
Kevin Owens finally returns after his victory at WrestleMania, but it isn’t quite the return he hoped. The set is still a wreck after what Natalya did to it, so he just goes to an empty ring and smooths out the carpet. “Well, first of all, thank you, Natty, for getting all the junk out of the way.” How nice of her…? Well, Kevin knows he’s been gone for a bit and people are asking why. Kevin got what he was looking for with that WrestleMania Moment, but it came at a price because as he defeated Seth Rollins, he got pretty banged up. But the good news is, Kevin is okay and is back! And tonight, with a reduced set, this is a major edition of the KO Show because of his special guests! Come on out, Zelina Vega, Almas, Angel and Austin! El Idolo and La Muneca lead the way to the ring, and they’re careful to step over the wreckage of Kevin’s set.
Kevin applauds the four as they enter the ring, and apologizes for that mess. But he wanted them to be on the show- Vega knows why. He was hoping for some Jerry Springer going on. Vega is so sick of people like Kevin and Drew and the entire WWE Universe. They see one single argument and assume there’s dysfunction, that Vega’s empire is crumbling. They’re all wrong. Now, let’s talk about a real champion in Almas. He is a god among insects! Then there’s the Lethal Lothario that breaks men’s faces and women’s hearts. And of course, Austin Theory, the 22-year-old prodigy! And tying it all together is Vega, the best this business has seen in a long time. Talk about a come-up, they all came from the streets and now they’re here. But the street isn’t for everyone. That’s why they invented sidewalks. Sidewalks are for people like Kevin. What is he even doing on the apron? Show respect to your guests by being in the ring.
Well, one could argue that Kevin is showing respect by letting them have the ring. But also, the last few months have taught Kevin that things go off the rails when he’s in a ring with multiple people. But the real reason Kevin is on the apron is because he doesn’t want the ring to be crowded. He has another guest that they’re all very familiar. Here’s Apollo Crews! Crews returns and TACKLES Almas! They fight but it takes a moment before Theory and Garza even try to help. Things spill out of the ring and even Kevin tries to help separate Crews from Almas. Raw goes to break, but are we going to return to a rematch from a few weeks ago?
Kevin Owens & Apollo Crews VS Andrade Almas & Angel Garza w/ Zelina Vega & Austin Theory!
Holla holla, it’s even more than that, playa! Kevin’s return to Raw is now in the ring, alongside the furious Crews! Will they take the fight to El Idolo y El Latino esta noche? Or will Vega’s stable hold it together to be victorious?
The bell rings and Crews chases Almas back to the corner. Garza tags in and Crews has to back off. Almas doesn’t want anything to do with Crews right now so Garza circles with Crews. Crews rushes Garza but Garza backs away to an open corner. The ref backs Crews off again, and Garza throws off the pants! They tie up, Crews clubs Garza then drags him down for more. Crews facelocks and brings Garza up to suplex! And hold him! Crews drops Garza after 10, then stares Almas down. Almas stays back and Crews brings Garza over. Tag to Kevin and he fires off on Garza! Kevin stomps and drops a senton! Kevin taunts “tough guy” Almas before he CHOPS Garza. He scoops but Garza slips out and tags Almas! Almas forearms and hotshots Kevin, then runs to basement dropkick! Almas stomps Kevin to a corner then throws hands. Kevin CHOPS back! Almas knees and forearms back then whips corner to corner. Kevin comes back to clothesline!
Vega grows worried as Kevin flounders up to throw haymakers and CHOPS! Kevin whips, Almas reverse but Kevin kicks back! Crews tags in and Almas runs away to tag in Garza! Garza gets in but gets clobbered by Crews! Crews rallies on Garza then BOOTS Almas down! SPINE BUSTER for Garza and Crews is fired up! Crews drags Garza up, fireman’s carries, but Vega distracts. Garza escapes and shoves Crews to ropes. Theory is there, but Crews gets away, the forearm shot DECKS Garza! Crews reels Garza in, for the CREWS MISSILE!! Cover, Crews and Kevin win!!
Winners: Kevin Owens & Apollo Crews, by pinfall
Vega is freaking out! Her team’s teamwork fell apart and now Crews has another win on her stable! Will Crews get that 1v1 with El Idolo soon enough? As for Vega and her stable, Theory does his best to explain but they don’t believe him. Almas CLOBBERS Theory and stomps him down! Vega wants #AllDay out of the team, and Garza helps out! They beat down Theory then throw him into barriers! And again! Garza and Almas continue to mug Theory, and Garza CHOPS him down! Vega says Theory is useless, and should have never believed in him. She SLAPS Theory before Garza throws Theory into chairs! Will Theory be sent crawling back to NXT? Or will he be wanting payback of his own?
Backstage interview with Drew McIntyre.
The WWE World Champion is feeling fantastic, but how does he remain focused with new challenges constantly arising? McIntyre isn’t sure if he is finding the fight or the fight is finding him. But either way, he’s having fun because every Monday night is a good time for a Claymore party. But regarding tonight’s match with Corbin, the Brand to Brand Invitational allows for dream matches. And that number one dream match has fallen into his lap. It’ll be him and Baron- Er, sorry, he’ll do this right. McIntyre VS King Corbin. They’ve been around, from airports to hotels to the general public. Corbin is genuinely a terrible, terrible person. But he also does terrible things to his opponents, and do whatever it takes to win. But King Corbin chose McIntyre, thinking he can go from SmackDown to Raw and beat McIntyre in McIntyre’s yard. Is he out of his damn mind?! McIntyre already said he has a Claymore fit for a king, and he’s going to get it tonight. Will the first ever Brand to Brand Invitational go the home team’s way?
The ax throwing continues!
Erik and Ivar are showing off with side throws and double axes! Even a backwards throw! But now, Ford steps up to show what he can do. “Vikings. Can we have golf rules and have some silence while we throw?” Time to go Tiger Woods on this. Tigers in the woods?! No, Ivar, relax. But Erik understands this is Ford’s first time. He’s having performance anxiety. Performance anxiety?! No, sir! Watch this. Ford swivels the hips and throws the ax… Way out of the field. The vikings all have a good laugh, but this doesn’t bode well for the actual showdown.
Raw returns and now Dawkins tries his hand at the ax. Ford claims he was aiming for the trees, but Dawkins can aim for the target. Ivar asks what’s wrong. Is there too much smoke? That means they built too big a fire. Guys, cool it down. The other vikings do as asked. Dawkins can’t relax with all the vikings clowning him, and even that horse teasing him! Dawkins sees you, horse! But it’s okay, Dawkins. Dawkins has got this! The vikings boom-boom-clap at Dawkins as he winds up, and… He hits the barrel of ale! Now the vikings are upset. Erik and Ivar calm the crew down, and Ford says they can share his. Fam, this ain’t Thor. How are Dawkins and Ford going to get them out of this hairy situation?
Aleister Black VS Buddy Murphy w/ Seth Rollins!
The Embodiment of the End wanted after his rival earlier tonight but could not keep Murphy in the ring. But now, Murphy cannot run away from this. Will Aleister make that bright light of revelation #FadeToBlack in one fell swoop?
The bell rings, Aleister throws his jacket at Murphy and then fires off haymakers! He backs Murphy down but the ref backs him off. Aleister comes back but gets a BOOT! Murphy clubs away on Aleister in the other corner and now the ref backs Murphy off. Aleister rushes Murphy and the brawling continues! Murphy knees low, but Aleister throws body shots and kicks. Aleister whips but Murphy blocks and kicks back, only to run into a KICK! Murphy bails out, Aleister builds speed but Murphy gets away. Aleister bails out to KICK Murphy against barriers! Aleister stalks Murphy around the way and KICKS him again. Aleister puts Murphy back in the ring, but Rollins finds Theory still down and out? Theory was still in the timekeeper’s area, but Aleister focuses on Murphy with more kicks! Murphy ducks and Aleister kicks the POST! Murphy slams the leg into barriers then puts Aleister in the ring! Rollins stays with Theory as Murphy goes after Aleister.
Aleister kicks Murphy off his legs, but Murphy BOOTS back! Murphy hops up, leaps, but into a BOOT of Aleister’s! Both men are down, and Rollins reaches out to Theory. Theory takes Rollins’ hand and Rollins helps him up. Murphy goes after Aleister but gets a boot and a KNEE! Aleister grits his teeth, lifts Murphy with a foot, but Theory springs into action! Theory CLOBBERS Aleister!!
Winner: Aleister Black, by disqualification
Rollins has a second disciple?! Theory stomps and punches Aleister then backs away for Rollins to have an opening. But Aleister tackles Theory first! Murphy goes after Aleister and both disciples clobber him. Rollins has them bring Aleister up, and Murphy hits AUSSIE-GOYE!! Now Theory gets his turn, with the A T L!! Rollins hugs Theory, and he is now accepted into the flock. Is Rollins’ vision for Raw’s future only going to become clearer as his stable grows stronger?
Raw checks in on the Profits and Vikings.
It seems things have calmed down at the camp, but now it is game time. One throw at a time, 10 axes per team, and only bull’s eyes count. “Let the games begin!” The horns are sounded, and Ivar is first. Bull’s eye! Bull’s eye! And even more bull’s eyes! Ivar chugs some ale out of Ford’s spare Solo cup, but now it’s the Profits’ turn! “Make the smoke be rich!” Dawkins misses. And misses. And misses. That’s 5-0 in the first half, and now Erik tags in. Erik throws and hits the bull’s eye. And again, and again, and again. That’s another 5 for 5 for a perfect 10! Dawkins hypes Ford up, “All we see is bull’s eyes.” Ford throws, and misses. And misses. And misses. Ford is on his last ax, so the Vikings even help him out. They chant, “Smoke! Smoke! Smoke!” for him, and Ford takes his final throw. BULL’S EYE! Huzzah! But um, the cops come? An ax somehow hit their car?! But with everyone blaming everyone else, the only way to prove who was throwing axes is to see who can actually hit the target.
Erik takes the ax, gives it to Dawkins, and lets him have the first throw. Backwards, BULL’S EYE! Told you, horse! This a bad, bad man! Wait, were the Profits hustling the Vikings back? And, doesn’t that mean they’re in trouble now?
Backstage interview with Apollo Crews.
Crews is back and victorious, but does he feel he has more to prove after missing out on MITB? Of course. But to be honest, Crews isn’t sure what hurt more: The actual injury, or missing out on MITB. After spinning his wheels for so long, it felt like things were finally clicking. These last few weeks have been the longest in his life with all the wondering of what could have been. But he looked deep inside himself and realized he can’t waste time on the what if. All it took was stepping in the ring and he made something happen. Now he knows that final piece falls into place. Crews again challenges Almas for the WWE United States Championship! “Man, that feels good to say out loud.”
But Vega comes along, having heard this. She tells Crews he has a choice here. He could cut his losses and walk away on one good knee. Or he could go against Almas again and never walk again. What does he say? “Andrade better be ready next week.” Speaking of which, where is he? Is he scared Crews was going to slap his face off again? But to finish this interview, Crews will have the final piece to the puzzle, when he becomes the NEW United States Champion.
Raw once again checks on the Profits and Vikings.
The police are eyeing the line-up. Did none of them realize how dangerous this ax throwing stuff is? Someone could’ve gotten seriously hurt. They will let everyone go with a warning, only because the female officer thinks Ivar’s cute. Oooh~! Erik, not so much. Ouch. “She hearts Ivar~!” Ivar can only shrug at his buddy, but at least no one’s arrested. Will the Profits and Viking find something safer to settle the score?
Brand to Brand Invitational: Drew McIntyre VS Baron Corbin!
A new phase in the WWE Brand Split begins! Wild Card this is not, but McIntyre is ready to be the man to trump the Wolf King! Who wins this first-time-ever match-up in the first-ever Brand to Brand Invitational showdown?
But wait, Bobby Lashley is making an entrance? He and MVP are on stage, and MVP has a mic. “Gentlemen, if you’ll pardon my intrusion for just a moment.” They have a personal interest in this match. Corbin is a very capable adversary who retired Kurt Angle. MVP could spend 10 minutes going on about all the great things Corbin’s done. And then McIntyre, he is the WWE World Champion, and that’s all that needs to be said. But as MVP said, they have a vested interest. Lashley speaks for himself and says McIntyre is on notice. Lashley is coming after McIntyre and that title. If he needs to pry it from McIntyre’s cold, dead hands, then that’s exactly what he’ll do. “Make it good, gentlemen. We’ll be watching.” The stakes might have just been raised on this first-time-ever match! And we’ll see who comes out the better, after the break!
Raw returns once again with the bell, and McIntyre circles with Corbin. They tie up, go around, and McIntyre gets Corbin on the ropes. They go along the ropes and around again, and end up in a corner. The ref calls for the break and McIntyre honors it cleanly. Corbin shoves but McIntyre shoves back. The two circle again and tie up. Corbin and McIntyre are in a dead lock so Corbin knees low. McIntyre CHOPS Corbin, then ducks to CHOP again! Corbin kicks the legs then throws haymakers! Corbin has McIntyre in a corner for body shots, but the ref counts. Corbin lets up at 4 only to ROCK McIntyre. Corbin runs and runs McIntyre over, then stalks him to a corner. He whips McIntyre but McIntyre goes up and over and runs to run Corbin over! McIntyre clotheslines Corbin out of the ring! He pursues Corbin to clothesline him over the barriers!
McIntyre hurries to go after Corbin and MVP is applauding. McIntyre clotheslines Corbin back over to ringside! He CHOPS Corbin into the ring, then aims from a corner. Corbin bails out but McIntyre goes out the side. McIntyre goes around the way but Corbin gets back in. Corbin boots and blasts McIntyre off the apron into barriers! Corbin hurries out after McIntyre to bring him up. MVP likes Corbin’s aggression as he POSTS McIntyre! Corbin gets in the ring to applaud himself, but McIntyre gets in before the ring count begins. Corbin taunts McIntyre, but McIntyre throws body shots! Corbin clubs McIntyre on the back, then has him against ropes for forearms to the back! Corbin stomps and punches McIntyre but McIntyre kicks and CHOPS back! McIntyre whips, Corbin reverses, but McIntyre dodges. Corbin slides out, in and LARIATS! Cover, ONE!! Corbin grows frustrated but McIntyre grits his teeth.
McIntyre kicks and CHOPS Corbin back again. Corbin pushes but McIntyre boots! McIntyre is put on the apron and Corbin hotshots him! Corbin grins now as McIntyre sputters. Corbin stalks McIntyre to a corner and bumps him off the post! The ref reprimands but Corbin drags McIntyre up. MVP whispers things to Lashley as Corbin gets McIntyre up top. McIntyre and Corbin brawl as Corbin climbs. Corbin reaches the top rope, brings McIntyre up, and hits the SUPERPLEX! Corbin crawls to the cover, ONE?!? McIntyre is driving Corbin insane with his toughness! Corbin says he led McIntyre to this, because McIntyre is just a follower. But McIntyre catches Corbin to an OVERHEAD SUPLEX! And then a BOOT! Corbin flops to his knees and McIntyre goes up top. McIntyre leaps to hit a flying ax handle! And then he kips up! “Follower?!” McIntyre dares Corbin to stand. He hauls Corbin up, but Corbin fights free of the fireman’s carry.
Corbin elbows McIntyre but runs into a SPINE BUSTER! Jackknife cover, TWO! McIntyre keeps his cool and keeps looking at Lashley and MVP. MVP applauds again while McIntyre tells Corbin that he wanted the champ. Corbin wanted to prove himself, so get up! Corbin rams McIntyre into the buckles, then POSTS Him the other way! Corbin scoops for a BIG sidewalk slam! Cover, ONE!?! McIntyre continues to shock Corbin, but Corbin throws body shots. McIntyre kicks back, CHOPS again, and runs into the corner. Corbin boots back then hops up, and leaps, into a kick! Underhooks, FUTURE SHOCK! But McIntyre isn’t done here, he goes to a corner to start the countdown! Corbin gets up, to get the- DEEP SIX!! Cover, TWO!! McIntyre survives again and Corbin is furious! Corbin drags McIntyre and reels him in, but McIntyre slips out to GLASGOW KISS! Corbin slides out, in, but gets a CLAYMORE!! Cover, McIntyre wins!
Winner: Drew McIntyre, by pinfall
Raw’s Scottish Stud stuns the Wolf King of SmackDown, but that seems to be exactly what MVP was hoping for. McIntyre says the WWE Universe has been waiting for Lashley to step up and be “the killer” he is. When and where will McIntyre face that Lashley for THE WWE Championship?
My Thoughts:
A pretty good episode for Raw, with a lot of interesting moves. Opening with what was basically part two of last week’s ending segment was weird. It all felt like they didn’t meter out the right amount of time for last week and needed to use the opening segment to finish it up. But either way, we got the obvious in a normal singles match of Orton VS Edge for Backlash. I’m sure that match will be really good, but the response Edge had tonight was strong. Bold claims to say Orton didn’t want to be a wrestler, after he’s accomplished so much. Then there’s a lot of great story weaving between the growing factions on Raw. Kevin bringing Crews back to take on Almas and Garza, Theory getting kicked out of Vega’s stable only to join Rollins’, and how Humberto and Aleister are fighting on Mysterio’s behalf, I’m really intrigued to see where this all goes. I hope it isn’t just for Backlash. A story this complex should go into Extreme Rules and SummerSlam, in whatever form we’re going to get those PPV’s.
There were great moves in the Women’s Division tonight. The Tag Team Championship match didn’t go quite how I expected, and in a good way. Bliss-Cross retains because Peyton loses her cool, and then Billie loses her cool on Peyton for a moment. That crying hug bit was a good touch, too. I don’t see the IIconics breaking up, and they shouldn’t ever do that, but them getting a bit of edge and drama to balance out their usual sarcasm and sassy attitudes is a good move for them to keep going. Charlotte beating Ruby at the same time as she was mocking Liv shows there is promise for that story on Raw, but I’m wondering if there comes a point when being on as many brands as possible comes around to bite her. And Asuka’s celebration was admittedly subpar, but it makes sense given the current circumstances. The back and forth of Asuka, Kairi and Nia with the attacks is good stuff, but I’m sure hoping Asuka still looks strong against Nia. Even Kairi helping out is fine. I don’t want the Kabuki Warriors losing their own edge just because they’re Faces by default.
Shayna beating Natty seems to be working out for both of them, actually. Natty’s frustration is a good development in her story. It hearkens back to Natty taking on Charlotte in NXT to see if Natty’s “still got it.” The Street Profits and Viking Raiders were a bit better in the ax throwing segments tonight. I think the only thing that really hurt last week’s basketball shtick was Erik & Ivar revealing a hustle, because the way it was done was just ridiculous. This was a bit better in that there was no outright hustle, but perhaps just some luck on Dawkins’ side. Plus, the bit with the lady police officer thinking Ivar is cute was a funny little twist. I just hope the tiebreaker is the title match and then that’s the end of it. MVP and Lashley were also a great part of the show, and Lana’s rage this week was justified by the context. Last week, she was doing it just because and it came off awful. This week, it’s appropriate because MVP bumped her out of the way as manager. McIntyre VS Corbin was a good match, but I’m going to love seeing McIntyre VS Lashley.
My Score: 8.2/10
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Could this be the biggEST and strongEST SmackDown of the year?
SmackDown in Knoxville sees the returns of Bianca Belair, Cody Rhodes and John Cena, along with some final Money in the Bank qualifiers!
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match Qualifier Triple Threat: Jade Cargill VS Naomi VS Nia Jax; Naomi wins and advances to Money in the Bank.
- R-Truth VS JC Mateo w/ Solo Sikoa; Mateo wins.
- Rey Fenix & Je’Von Evans VS Los Garza w/ Santos Escobar; Los Garza win.
- Zelina Vega VS Alba Fyre w/ The Green Administration; Zelina wins.
- Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match Qualifier Triple Threat: Carmelo Hayes VS Andrade VS Jacob Fatu; Andrade wins and advances to Money in the Bank.
PLAY BY PLAY
Bianca Belair is here!
Knoxville fires up for their strongEST, fastEST, quickEST, toughEST, roughEST, and greatEST hometown hero as she struts out to the ring. Bianca high-fives and hugs fans along the ramp, as well as mom and dad at ringside. Bianca then grabs a mic to say, “Man, it feels good to be in Knoxville!” The fans cheer and chant for “EST! EST!” Bianca says she loves them so much. And she couldn’t come out here without singing Rocky Top! Y’all ready? The fans cheer, and the music plays! Bianca conducts the fans as they sing for the University of Tennessee. In fact, the Lady Vols softball team is playing in the Super Regionals right now!
Bianca smiles and says this city is so special to her. Not just because it is her hometown, but because it is her safe space. She has her love and support from mom ‘n’ dad, and has all the fans who show up and show out for her. With everything Bianca’s been going through, losing at Mania, getting injured, losing tag titles and friends along the way, she just wanted to come back home to her safe space. The fans cheer, and Bianca says she came home to heal. While she’s not 100%, she is doing everything she can to get back to the ring and continue to show us why she is the EST of Tennessee and of WWE! The fans cheer that!
Bianca says with all that said, Knoxville, welcome to Friday Night SmackDown! But wait, she’s interrupted by Naomi! The fans boo but Naomi says, “Oh my gosh~! Finally! B, I am so glad you finally here on SmackDown!” Bianca says now is not the time, Naomi. Naomi asks Bianca to please hear her out. It has been way too long. Not a day has gone by when Naomi doesn’t think about what happened to them. What is there to talk about? What could Naomi say? What could she want from Bianca? The fans chant “YOU SUCK!” at Naomi, and Naomi says she just wants forgiveness. She is begging for it!
Naomi knows things go toff the rails, but she is here because she wants to fix it, she is trying to fix it, but she alone can’t fix it. Months have gone by, and Naomi has tried to communicate, to say the past can be the past and that they can move forward. Bianca has not responded back to Naomi once. Naomi even visited Bianca’s parent’s house! But no one would answer! WHAT?! Mom ‘n’ Dad don’t know about that, but Naomi says no one was home, so she let herself in! Naomi looked through the photo albums, the one right on the front coffee table. And in those photos, Bianca looked so happy. It reminded Naomi of how they were as tag team champions.
Bianca stops Naomi there. Naomi, Bianca will make this perfectly clear. They were best friends, but Naomi betrayed Bianca’s trust. Naomi took their friend, Jade, and threw her onto a car, then lied about it for months! Bianca said she was done with Naomi, she meant that, and if Naomi ever comes near her family again, what Naomi did to Jade will be nothing compared to what Bianca does to Naomi. The fans fire up for that! Naomi gets emotional, but then she gets mad. “Y’know, Bianca, it wouldn’t be good for you and your mama to be in a wheelchair.” The fans boo as Naomi laughs maniacally. Naomi says she’d hate if something happened to Bianca here and now!
Naomi storms up on Bianca, but then JADE makes her way out here! Naomi is even angrier now, but this Storm starts throwing hands! The fans fire up as Jade BOOTS Naomi down! Bianca and Jade look to each other, neither really saying or doing anything. Naomi runs up but Jade TOSSES her out! Jade and Bianca look to each other again, but then here comes NIA! The Irresistible Force won’t be left out of this, especially when this is the Women’s Triple Threat Qualifier for the night! This match now opens the night, who earns SmackDown’s final golden ticket to the Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match?
Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match Qualifier Triple Threat: Jade Cargill VS Naomi VS Nia Jax!
SmackDown returns, this match is already going, and Naomi POSTS Nia! Naomi stalks Jade, rains down forearms, and the fans boo. Naomi stomps to BITE Jade’s hand! Jade still fights back, so Naomi has the arms to STOMP Jade down! Naomi flexes, the fans boo, and Naomi puts Jade in a corer. Naomi runs to DROPKICK Jade in the corner! Naomi SLAPS Jade, drags her into the drop zone, then goes up, up, and twerks! HIP DROP! Naomi covers, ROPEBREAK! Naomi is annoyed but she sits Jade up to stomp a mudhole in. But Nia runs up! Naomi dodges, the HIP ATTACK hits Jade! Naomi goes to the apron to ROUNDHOUES Nia!
Naomi reels Nia in for a HEATSEEKER! Nia flops to the floor, the fans rally for Jade, but Naomi kicks her around. Naomi goes up the corner, leaps, but Jade catches her! Jade FALL AWAY SLAMS Naomi, then kips up! Knoxville fires up with Jade and she runs up to LARIAT! And ELBOW! And SCRAPBUSTER! Cover, Nia breaks it! The fans boo but Nai huffs ‘n’ puffs and drags Naomi up. Nia whips Naomi, pops her up and HEADBUTTS her down! Then she SAMOAN DROPS Naomi! Nia soaks up heat, then lines the two up. Naomi grabs at Nia’s leg but Nia CLUBS her down! Nia stomps Jade for good measure, then drops a leg, brother!
Nia TOSSES Jade out, then goes up the corner. Nia SUPER LEG DROPS on Naomi!! Cover, TWO!!! Naomi survives and Nia is shocked! The fans rally while Nia stalks Naomi. Naomi clings to ropes as Nia pulls at her arm. Nia CLUBS Naomi, whips her to ropes, then SAMOAN DROP- NO, Naomi makes it a CRUCIFIX DRIVER! Ghost pin, TWO!! Nia survives the sudden turnaround, Naomi sees Jade crawling in, and Naomi goes after her as SmackDown goes picture in picture.
Naomi KICKS Nia while she’s down, then kicks her more. Naomi puts Nia in a corner, CHOKES her on the ropes, then clamps on with a SLEEPER! Nia THROWS Naomi away, then TOSSES her out. Nia soaks up heat, but Jade runs in and rolls Nia up! TWO! Nia stands, and she HEADBUTTS Jade down! Nia looms over Jade, drags her up, but Jade fires forearms! Jade backs Nia down, then runs, and she CLOBBERS Nia outta the ring! Jade fires up and has the fans with her. Jade drags Naomi up from the apron but Naomi fires hands. Nia is back to HIP ATTACK Jade against the POST! Nia soaks up more heat, then taunts Naomi.
Naomi stands on the apron, argues with Nia, but they apparently agree to mug Jade for both their benefit. They put Jade in the corner, Naomi digs her boot in, and then Nia sends Naomi in for a SPALSH! Nia adds a SPLASH of her own! Naomi snapmares Jade, runs, and SLIDING LARIATS! Jade sputters and Nia taunts her. Nia and Naomi soak up the heat together, but Jade fights back! Nia HEADBUTTS Jade down! Nia drags Jade up, and Naomi KICKS Jade low! They soak up more heat, talk trash on Jade, and SmackDown returns to single picture. Nia scoops and SIDEWALK SLAMS! Naomi runs to SPLIT LEG DROP! Cover, but Nia drags Naomi away!
Nia and Naomi argue again, and then Naomi rolls Nia up! ONE, and Nia grabs Naomi to shove her to a corner! Nia SPLASHES, then pushes Naomi down. Nia runs to SENTON! Nia grins while Naomi sputters and the fans rally up. Jade rises to fire forearms on Nia! Then she ELBOWS Naomi in a corner! She ELBOWS Nia, but then Nia follows Jade! Jade dodges so Nia SPLASHES Naomi! Jade then SUPERKICKS! Nia wobbles, Jade SUPERKICKS again! And SPINEBUSTERS! But Naomi METEORAS! Cover, TWO! Jade survives and the fans rally up. Naomi goes up, SPLIT- LEG MOONSAULT on Nia! But Jade has Naomi in the chicken wings!
Jade brings Naomi around, JADED!! Cover, Nia CLOBBERS them both! The fans rally while all three women are down! Nia climbs a corner, Jade is after her with forearms! Naomi joins in, drags Jade back, but now they trade shots! Nia DOUBLE CROSSBODIES! Cover on Jade, TWO! Cover on Naomi, TWO! Nia grows frustrated but the fans rally up again. Nia drag Naomi up, fireman’s carries, and she climbs the corner! The fans already anticipate what’s coming, SUPER SAMOAN DROP!! Cover, JADE FROG SPLASHES IN!! Cover, TWO!!! The fans fire up while all three women are down again! “This is Awesome!”
Jade rises, she clamps onto Nia, but Nia HEADBUTTs her! And HEADBUTTS Naomi! Jade BOOTS Nia down! Cover, TWO! Jade runs up on Naomi but Naomi BOOTS her! Naoim goes up top but Jade is right on her! They fight for control, but then Nia joins in! TOWER OF DOOM!! Nia double stacks her opponents, for a A-NIA-LATOR!! Naomi avoids it, Jade takes it all! Naomi ghost pins Nia, AND WINS!!
Winner: Naomi, by pinfall (advances to Money in the Bank)
Nia did a lot of the damage, but it is Naomi who wins out! Will everyone in the Women’s MITB Ladder Match now have to #ProceedWithCaution?
Solo Sikoa’s crew arrives.
Solo says they will win Money in the Bank together! Jacob Fatu, Solo Sikoa, whichever one wins MITB wins it fof the family! But then they hear R-Truth talking to… Lil’ Jimmy? Solo says Truth’s childhood hero beats him, and now he’s talking to ghosts. Truth taps Solo on the shoulder and asks if there’s something Solo wants to say. Solo says Truth is crazy touching him. JC Mateo steps up but Solo has him stand down. Truth says he wants to be honest. He’s never seen JC a day before in his life. Is this Solo’s son? He’s husky! Truth asks if he can teach Solo’s husky son a lesson in the ring. Solo says that sounds good to him.
Truth says he’ll go talk to Nick Aldis. “Boy, y’all big boneded!” Truth heads off, and Solo says don’t worry, they’ll take care of him. Let’s have fun. Fatu says keep it 100. They can have their fun, he’s got his own business to take care of. Yadada mean? The Imperial Unit against Truth, Samoan Werewolf in a qualifier, will everything go the family’s way?
Chelsea Green confronts Nick Aldis.
The Hot Mess hides behind a cardboard cutout of herself as she tells the SmackDown General Manager, “What happened on Saturday night was a deliberate-” Piper Niven has to direct Chelsea to point at Aldis, and Aldis says he can’t quite understand her from behind the cardboard mask. Piper holds the mask between Chelsea and camera, though we do get a glimpse of her fancy headgear. Chelsea repeats herself, but Aldis says she needs to be looking at him when they talk. Chelsea hides her face in shame, but she says it is still a deliberate hitjob put on by vicious Zelina Vega! Even her Secret Her-vice could not stop it!
Chelsea demands that Zelina be suspended, stripped of her title, and that Chelsea be reinstated as the champion! Chelsea, no need to be so ugly about this. Gasp! Aldis says what he means is, no suspensions, and we can talk a rematch down the road once Chelsea is medically cleared. Then he is doing nothing for what Zelina did to Chelsea?! Alba says if he won’t, then they will! Yeah, Zelina VS Alba! Tonight! Alba is a bit surprised, but Aldis says, “Chelsea knows best. Alba VS Zelina, I actually like the sound of that. I will make that official right now, if you do one thing for me. Please leave me alone.”
The Green Administration hurries away, but will Alba make sure Chelsea brand justice is served? Or will La Muneca just keep racking up the wins?
Backstage interview with Tiffany Stratton.
Byron Saxton is with the WWE Women’s Champion, and says that MITB is around the corner. Tiff successfully cashed in her own contract to become champion, but how is she handling the pressure of knowing the same thing could happen to her? Tiff says she can’t wait to see who wins MITB. Then she can handle the pressure by being prepared. Having this title makes her the top threat to the division, but let’s be fair. She’s always been the girl everyone has been obsessed with. So whoever wins, targeting her will be a big mistake. But then in steps Naomi.
Naomi says if Tiff thought Nia was a problem, then she ain’t seen nothing yet. Naomi vows to win MITB and cash in for Tiff’s title, wherever and whenever she wants. And in case Lil’ Miss Tiffy forgot, when Naomi was fighting for a championship, Tiff stayed in Naomi’s way. Wanna know what happens when people play with Naomi? Just ask Jade. Naomi heads out, and Alexa Bliss steps in. Alexa says she wouldn’t be so worried about Naomi. Be worried about Alexa. Alexa heads out now, Tiff clutches to the title a little bit tighter, who will be trying to run the clock out on Tiffy Time?
R-Truth VS JC Mateo w/ Solo Sikoa!
To Solo’s point, #RonCena could not make John Cena see the light at Saturday Night’s Main Event, and Truth might be relapsing if he’s talking to Lil’ Jimmy again. But will Truth relapse so far that we get the R-Truth that was once United States Champion? Or will a Tour of the Islands send Truth off the deep end?
SmackDown returns and JC makes his entrance, Solo backing him up. The bell rings and Truth runs up, only for JC to RAM him into a corner! JC RAMS Truth again and again, then lets off. JC whips corner to corner hard and Truth falls in a heap! JC whips corner to corner again just as hard, and Truth falls in a heap again. Solo talks trash but the fans rally behind Truth. JC runs up but Truth dodges! Truth SHOULDER TACKLES! JC stays up, so Truth runs and SHOULDER TACKLES! “What’s Up?” Truth runs, ducks ‘n’ dodges, and SHOULDER TACKLES! Then he hits the SPIN OUT- CROSSBODY! JC then gets up to GACHIMUCHI MOONSAULT!
JC smirks as he looms over Truth, and Solo says to finish this off now. JC runs to SENTON but Truth moves! Truth calls for it! “YOU CAN’T SEE ME!” FIVE KNUCKLE SHUFFLE! Truth fireman’s carries JC, but JC is too much! Truth falls over again! Solo laughs, JC whips, TOUR OF THE ISLANDS!! Cover, JC wins!
Winner: JC Mateo, by pinfall
Truth tried to be like John Cena of old, but it just wasn’t meant to be. JC beats up on Truth more, then stands him up for Solo! But here comes BIG Jim! Jimmy has a chair, he runs JC off, but Solo stands his ground. Solo says his brother wouldn’t hit him with that chair, would he? Jimmy steps to Solo so Solo steps out, but that lets JC CLOBBER Jimmy! But then Solo has JC stand down! They’re family! Solo and JC leave, leaving Jimmy wondering what this is about. Will Jimmy make it clear to Solo that Jimmy’s not the one who has to come to his senses?
The Street Profits are here!
The WWE Tag Team Champions walk through the smoke to be on stage and the fans cheer. Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford hold up the titles, walk to the ring, then step inside. The fans cheer as they hold up the belts again, then the Profits grab the mics. Ford says, “Knoxville, Tennessee, oh I love everything about you, and what I have, too. But lemme rap to y’all real fast. This tag team division that we’re a part of, the greatest tag team division on any brand, any promotion… It’s on fire right now.” Dawkins says, “Talk to ’em.” Ford says, “But just like how the gorilla fears us, make no mistake about it, let’s not forget who’s leading the charge right now: The Street Profits.”
The fans cheer, and Dawkins says hey, they got all the teams coming at ’em! DIY, Motor City Machine Guns, Fraxiom, and now… The Wyatts?! The fans cheer that, and Ford says that’s sick. But what big bro is saying, it don’t matter who it is, the Profits will defend against anybody. Well hold on, here comes Fraxiom! Nathan Frazer & Axiom go to the ring to stand with the Profits, and they have mics. Frazer says alright, since the Profits are talking about defending the titles, well, Frazer & Axiom didn’t exactly get a fair shake. Ford says, “Fraxiom, is it?” He congratulates them for being on a roll, but up until the Wyatt Sick6 got in the Profits’ business…
Yeah, the Profits had them beat. Wow, oh, okay. Sure, maybe… But maybe not. Thanks to the Wyatts, we’ll never know. And now that those shenanigans are behind us, it is fair to say that Fraxiom and the Profits need to run it back! The fans like the sound of that! But wait, here come the Machine Guns! Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin have mics, and Shelley says okay, hold on, sorry to interrupt. Fraxiom’s entire basis for a rematch is that the Profits never beat them. Well, last time Shelley checked, the Profits never beat MCMG! So if they’re handing out title matches, MCMG will take one. But naturally, here comes DIY!
Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, and Candice LeRae have their own mics, and the Poison Pixie says no no no no. She is pretty sure “you losers” have had a million chances, and “the nerds” just got here. Whoa, hold on? Just got here? Sounds like Candice just got back, so she should do us a favor and shut up. Gargano says you shut up, idiot! The reason DIY brought in Gargano’s beautiful wife is to even the odds against all of what this is! Everyone can see there is a conspiracy in the tag team division to hold down the BTTITW! And now with the Wyatts showing up- Ciampa has Gargano ixnay on the amily-fay.
Do not talk about you know who, scratch that, let’s get to business. All these teams have all KILLED the tag division that DIY built! Matter of fact, let us hold a moment of silence for the death of the SmackDown Tag Division. Everyone, stand up, bow your heads, and give a moment of silence… now. OH NO! The lights go out! All the teams panic, because when the lights turn on, UNCLE HOWDY is on the corner! Howdy laughs, because the rest of the Wyatts flank the ring! Erick Rowan drags MCMG out to DOUBLE LARIAT! Dexter Lumis is up top to CANNONBALL onto the Profits and Gargano! Joe Gacy is in, and he handsprings to bring Fraxiom to the UPSIDE-DOWN!!
Lumis then runs, POWERBOMB SENTON COMBO on Axiom! Ciampa freaks out, turns around, and Nikki Cross is there! CROSSBODY onto Candice! The fans fire up, and Howdy has Frazer for SISTER ABIGAIL! “We’re here!!” It is just as the Profits said, and now it is clear. Will some killer combination of the Wyatts go right after the gold?
Rey Fenix & Je’Von Evans VS Los Garza w/ Santos Escobar!
Worlds Collide is just over a week away, and all four of these men will be involved. The Immortal Firebird and the Young OG are going after the NXT North American Championship in a Fatal 4 Way while Legado Del Fantasma will be taking on AAA’s Pagano, Psycho Clown y El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. Who will be heading for Los Angeles with all the momentum behind them?
Speaking of that North American Championship, the champion is here! Ethan Page joins commentary and says what a year for him, to be honest. Wade says that title has never looked better than on Ethan’s shoulder. Fenix makes his entrance now, followed by Je’Von’s. The teams sort out and Fenix starts against Angel. Angel and Fenix circle, the fans rally up, and the two tie up. Angel fires a forearm, Fenix fires back, repeat! Fenix gets the edge but Angel shoves then drops down. Fenix cartwheels over the dropdown, then comes back, ducks ‘n’ dodges, and RANAS! Angel tumbles, the fans fire up, and Fenix somersaults, but into a fireman’s carry!
Fenix slips free, ripcords to ROUNDHOUSE, but Angel HEADBUTTS! Both men stagger back, tags to Berto and Je’Von! Je’Von dodges and springboards to BOUNCY~ roll-up! TWO, and Berto mule kicks! Berto CLUBS Je’Von, whips, but Je’Von reverses and slips around. Berto bucks the O’Conner, springboards and CROSSBODIES! Cover, TWO! Berto drags Je’Von up, but Je’Von kicks! Berto blocks, but the ENZIGIRI hits! Je’Von runs up, and BOUNCY~ RANAS! The fans fire up and Je’Von DROPKICKS! Berto bails out, Angel runs in, but Je’Von goes Matrix to dodge! Je’Von kips up, and STUNNERS! Angel flops back and the fans fire up!
Los Garza regroups, Je’Von tags Fenix, and they build speed, but have to dodge Angel first. Fenix SOBATS, Je’Von KICKS, and both men ENZIGIRI! Berto is up top, he leaps, but into DOUBLE SUPERKICKS! Cover, TWO! Fenix runs to basement CALF KICK! Cover, TWO! Berto stays in this for Los Garza while SmackDown goes picture in picture.
Fenix drags Berto up to RAM him into the corner. Tag to Je’Von and they mug Berto. Berto fires hands back on Je’Von, but Je’Von headlocks. Berto powers up and out and Angel tags in. Berto drop toeholds Je’Von into Angel’s KNEE at the ropes! Angel TEARS OFF HIS PANTS! Angel drapes those over Je’Von before he KICKS Je’Von in the side! Angel stalks Je’Von to the corner, tags Berto, and they shove Je’Von for a double hip toss, TU LO SABE! Then DOUBLE SUPERKICK! Berto covers, TWO! Berto argues the count but the ref defends it. Berto shoves Je’Von to ELBOW him down! Berto then DUMPS Je’Von down to be under the ropes.
Tag to Angel and Berto sits Je’Von up on the apron. Angel runs to KNEE Je’Von down! Santos joins in with Los Garza as they soak up the heat, and Angel drags Je’Von back in. Angel stands Je’Von up, hoists him to the top rope, then climbs up behind him. Angel CLUBS away on Je’Von, mocks the clapping, and he THROWS Je’Von down. Angel KICKS Je’Von in the arm and Je’Von clutches his hand. Angel drags Je’Von to the ropes, CHOKES him, and the ref reprimands. The ref counts, Angel steps off at 4, and Berto BOOTS Je’Von down. ANgel clamps onto Je’Von with an armlock and chinbar but Je’Von reaches for Fenix.
Angel keeps hold of Je’Von but Je’Von fires hands! SmackDown returns to single picture as Je’Von dodges the lariat, leaps, but Angel catches him! Angel puts Je’Von in a corner and through ropes. Angel pulls an arm and leg against the ropes, but stops as the ref counts. Angel runs to KNEE Je’Von in the ribs! Je’Von slumps to the apron, and Angel sucker punches Fenix! Angel goes back for Je’Von but Je’Von fires body shots! Angel blocks a kick, slips around and Gory Especials! Angel walks over, tags Berto, and Berto slingshots, GARZA ESPECIAL! Cover, TWO! The fans rally up for Je’Von but Berto clamps onto him with a chinlock.
Je’Von endures, even as Berto traps an arm. Je’Von fights up, pries the hold open, and he arm-drags Berto! Je’Von leaps but Berto grabs a leg! Ethan laughs from commentary, but Je’Von kicks free to SUPERKICK! Both men are down, Je’Von and Berto crawl, hot tags to Angel and Fenix! The fans fire up as Fenix rallies on Angel with forearms! Fenix then dodges a shot to springboard and FLYING ARM-DRAG, to a DOUBLE STOMP! Fenix fires off KICKS on Berto, then fires up with Knoxville! Fenix uses Berto to jump up and RANA Angel! Fenix then goes corner to corner to JUMP SOBAT! Fenix fires hands, shoves Angel aside, then goes up.
Fenix springboards to QUEBRADA! Cover, Berto breaks it! Berto whips Fenix, Fenix goes Spider-Man, and Je’Von tags in! Fenix says HASTA LA VISTA, BABY! Angel is up, he pops Fenix up to KICK him! But Je’Von springboards to FLYING LARIAT! The fans fire up, Berto springboards to FLYING CHUCK! All four men are down and the fans fire up again! “This is Awesome!” as Angel and Je’Von crawl. Angel CHOPS Je’Von, Je’Von CHOPS back, and the fans “WOO~!” Angel CHOPS again, so Je’Von CHOPS again! Angel fires a forearm, Je’Von fires back, and they go around with forearm after forearm! The fans fire up, Angel CHOPS, a
nd Je’Von SUPER PUNCHES!
Je’Von runs, BOUNCY- NO, Angel makes it a SIT OUT POWERBOMB!! Cover, TWO!! Ethan is surprised and the fans rally up. Angel hoists Je’Von up top, tags Berto in, and they hoist Je’Von up even higher! But Fenix SHORYUKENS Angel down! Je’Von fires hands on Berto and SHOVES him down! Fenix climbs up to join Je’Von now, and ADIOS AMIGO DOUBLE STOMPS for Angel! Je’Von adjusts, to SUPER DUPER SWANTON onto Los Garza! Ethan says don’t get closer, keep this in the ring! He taunts both his challengers, Fenix and Je’Von stand down to put Los Garza in the ring. The fans rally up, but then Ethan CLOBBERS Fenix & Je’Von!
Ethan TOSSES Fenix over the desk! But Je’Von SUPERKICKS Ethan down! The fans fire up, Je’Von hurries in, and he dodges Angel! But Berto rolls Je’Von up, TWO!! Je’Von dodges Berto, rebound and RED DOT!! Berto is down, Angel gets up, but Je’Von DECKS him! Je’Von goes up, up, but Santos distracts the ref! Ethan SHOVES Je’Von down! The fans boo but Berto tags Angel! Los Garza hoists Je’Von up for M T Y!! Cover, Los Garza win!
Winners: Los Garza, by pinfall
All Ego grins as he screws over two of his three challengers, and now Legado is rolling towards Worlds Collide. But will these rudos get everything they deserve in LA?
The Wyatts speak.
“We won’t stop. Not until we get what’s owed.” A simple yet ominous threat, are the tag titles only the beginning?
Zelina Vega VS Alba Fyre w/ The Green Administration!
La Muneca held onto the WWE Women’s US Championship by smacking The Hot Mess in the face with a foot, and obviously Chelsea is not happy with it. But will Alba get payback on behalf of her fearless leader? Or will things only get uglier for the Green Regime?
The bell rings and Piper distracts Zelina so Alba can CLOBBER her! Alba fires off hands, then bumps Zelina off buckles. Alba bumps Zelina off more buckles, then more buckles! And then the fourth corner! Chelsea says Zelina should’ve never messed with her! Alba fireman’s carries but Zelina fights free. Zelina KICKS Alba, KICKS again, then KICKS, but Alba CLUBS Zelina. Alba whips, scoops, and- NO, Zelina swings through to RANA! Cover, ONE! Zelina headlocks but Alba fights up and lifts Zelina. Zelina holds on but Alba powers up and out to RUN Zelina over! The fans boo but Chelsea cheers as Alba stalks Zelina.
Alba ROCKS Zelina, whips her to ropes, but Zelina wheelbarrows and arm-drags! Zelina then runs up on Alba in the corner and rains down fists! Alba shoves Zelina away at three, but Zelina comes right back to rain down more shots! Alba stops Zelina at four now, but Zelina wants another go! Alba stops Zelina at four again, and RAMS her into the corner! The fans boo but Alba grins. Zelina BOOTS Alba, goes up, and FLYING RANAS! Alba tumbles out, Piper helps her up, and Zelina goes to the apron. Alba trips Zelina up, spins and ROCKS Zelina, then gets her up. Gory Especial, but Zelina flips through to arm-drag Alba onto ropes!
The fans fire up as Zelina dials up, but Chelsea is on the apron! The ref argues with Chelsea while Zelina redials, but Piper trips her up! The fans boo but Alba SUPERKICKS Zelina! Alba salutes to Chelsea, and SmackDown goes to break.
SmackDown returns and Alba stands on Zelina’s hair while pulling Zelina’s arms! The ref reprimands, Alba steps off, and she drags Zelina up to suplex for the GOURD BUSTER! Cover, TWO! Zelina stays in this and Chelsea argues with the ref. The ref says the count is fair, so Alba clamps onto Zelina with a COBRA CLUTCH! Zelina endures, the fans rally, and Zelina fights up. Zelina fires body shots, Alba ripcords and wrenches to SUPERKICK! Zelina rebounds to SHINING WIZARD! Both women fall and the fans fire up! Piper coaches Zelina, the fans rally up, and both women rise up. Alba is on Zelina and brings her to a corner, but Zelina buckle bumps Alba first!
The fans rally as Alba stalks Zelina, but Zelina bumps her off buckles again! Alba tries again, but Zelina ELBOWS Alba away. Then BOOTS her away! Zelina fires forearms on Alba, backs her down, then whips. Alba reverses but Zelina dodges to LARIAT! The fans fire up as Zelina LARIATS again! Zelina blocks a kick, ELBOWS Alba, but Alba blocks the saido. But Zelina keeps Alba from running, SNAP SAIDO! The fans rally for Zelina as she runs corner to corner, METEORA! Zelina pushes Alba out and goes up top! The fans cheer for some Latina Heat, and METEORA! Cover, TWO! Alba survives and Chelsea is relieved.
Zelina grows frustrated, but she goes back for Alba. Zelina reels Alba in, suplexes, but Alba blocks! Alba knees low, suplexes, but Zelina hits STUN DOG MILLIONAIRE! Alba is down, Zelina goes up, MOONSAULT FLOPS! Alba goes up now, and she SWANTON BOMBS! Cover, TWO!?! Zelina survives and shocks Alba! Chelsea is upset again but Alba hurries to bring Zelina up. Alba KICKS Zelina out, and now Chelsea takes off her face mask?! She tells Piper to stand Zelina up! Piper does as told, and Chelsea takes a swing, but Zelina ducks! The face mask SMACKS Piper!! Chelsea is shocked, then furious, and then she chases after Zelina!
Zelina slips into the ring, Chelsea gets on the apron, but Zelina sends Alba at her! They almost collide, and then Zelina rolls Alba up! Zelina hops on, CODE RED!! Cover, Zelina wins!!
Winner: Zelina Vega, by pinfall
Chelsea tried so hard to screw Zelina over that she just screwed up her own team! Zelina survives again, will no one take down the Vega Administration?
The Miz pep talks Carmelo Hayes.
Melo looks good, and he just has to follow the plan. If Melo follows that plan, with no mistakes, they will win. Melo says he knows what he’s doing. Miz asks if he really does. Because Miz has taken Black Mass after Black Mass, sacrificing himself for Melo. Does Melo understand? Miz gave up this chance at MITB for Melo! Miz has already done it twice! If Melo wins this match tonight, Miz will guide Melo to make sure “we are Mr. MITB.” Wait, we? Miz says, “Who do you think got you in this position?” Melo says Melo did. Melo appreciates everything Miz has done for him, from sacrificing to taking hits for him, and helping him win the Andre the Giant Battle Royal.
But nobody told Miz to do that. Melo will run the play exactly as Miz designed it, but what brought Melo to the dance is Melo’s talent. Melo goes out there and does it better than anybody else. Melo puts up 40 points on a bad day, because he is H1M. And Miz just needs to let Melo be H1M. They good? Miz nods, and Melo says okay, let’s do the thing. They are Melo Don’t Miz and they are Awes-H1M. Miz still nods, but he doesn’t seem genuinely happy. Will Miz let Melo be Melo? Even if that means letting H1M fail?
Giulia speaks.
“Throughout my entire career, even back when I started in Japan, I had one goal… It’s not to be ‘the best.’ Everyone says that. It’s hollow and empty. My goal is to be indisputable. You can love me or hate me, admiration or disgust, it means nothing. But I’m impossible to deny. My opponent doesn’t matter, because I only view them as an opportunity to build my legacy. Evidence you cannot refute. SmackDown, you will see. I will hit harder, move faster, think sharper, and conquer everything, just like I’ve always done. The question isn’t, ‘Who’s going to let me?” It’s, ‘Who’s going to stop me?'” She adds in Japanese, “If you can stop it, stop it.”
Will SmackDown and all of the WWE soon succumb to The Beautiful Madness?
Zelina returns backstage.
She refreshes for a second, but Giulia is there! And Giulia says she sees Zelina, but she also sees that title more. Zelina scoffs and leaves. Could Giulia be aiming for everything once she becomes Ms. Money in the Bank?
Damian Priest is here!
Knoxville cheers as The Archer of Infamy heads to the ring, victorious from Saturday Night’s Main Event and that brutal Steel Cage match. Priest grabs a mic to tell Tennessee, “Ever since I beat Drew on Saturday, it’s like I’m breathing in fresh air. Y’know, there was a time when I lived on the street, if we were beefing with another street, that war could go for years. But in WWE, you have a beef with somebody, you have a match and it’s over. But with Drew and I, we went well over a year, and that’s not normal. But we took that beef into a cage. Now, I can feel it, you can se it on my face, we went to war.
“At the end of this war, at Saturday Night’s Main Event, I gave him a Con-Chair-To, I walked out the door, and I put his ass in the past.” The fans cheer that. Priest says now he knows Drew is somewhere recovering from his scrambled brains, but he knows Drew is watching, so this is for Drew. “I still can’t stand yo ass. But the Drew McIntyre that stepped in that cage wasn’t the guy that hides behind his phone on social media. That was the old Drew, the warrior, and I appreciate that.” The fans applaud, and Priest says he won’t ask what is next for himself, he’ll just tell us all. And it is the same thing he wanted when he came to SmackDown: Championships!
The fans cheer, and Priest says this war with Drew cost him an opportunity at being in MITB. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have his eyes on a certain champion. Somebody who he has unfinished business with, and a champion he considers the most badass. The fans know that means Fatu, and he knows they know! Priest calls out Jacob Fatu! Priest respects Fatu. Priest knows where Fatu came from, what Fatu had to live through, how it feels to stand in this ring as a champion. Real talk, Priest is proud of Fatu, he congratulates Fatu, that’s real. But what Priest doesn’t respect is the crew that follows him around.
Wait, check that. What Priest doesn’t respect is the crew Fatu follows around. Priest knows at some point, they will get in this ring, handle business, but that’s for them. As for Fatu’s so-called family, if they wanna get involved, they can catch a fresh one, too. Priest won’t make it just a nickname or moniker, he wants this to be fact! Priest is and forever will be EL CAMPEON! The fans cheer that! But will the Archer soon take aim at the Samoan Werewolf? Well, speaking of, Fatu makes his way out here for tonight’s other Triple Threat Qualifier! Fatu nods to Priest, but if Fatu wins his way into the ladder match, will this showdown have to wait a little longer?
Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match Qualifier Triple Threat: Carmelo Hayes VS Andrade VS Jacob Fatu!
SmackDown returns and El Idolo makes his entrance, followed by H1M. The bell rings and Miz distracts Fatu and Melo attacks! Fatu ELBOWS Melo away, Andrade is on Melo with forearms, and then Fatu adds a LARIAT! Fatu looms mover Melo but then turns to stare down Andrade. The fans rally as these two step up. Andrade fires forearms but Fatu SHOVES him to a corner. Fatu runs up, Andrade dodges then whips. Fatu reverses, Andrade goes up and out to then ROCK Fatu! Andrade goes up, up, and CROSSBODIES! Cover, ONE! Melo CLUBS Andrade, TOSSES him out, and then CLUBS away on Fatu!
Miz says that’s the way! Melo HAMMERS and CHOPS, then whips, but Fatu blocks! Fatu whips Melo, Melo springboards, but into an UPPERCUT! The fans fire up and Fatu sees Melo go outside. Fatu builds speed, but Miz trips him up! The fans boo, the ref reprimands, but Fatu drags Miz into the ring! Melo goes to roll Fatu up but Fatu stays up! Fatu YANKS Melo up, scoops, but Melo slips free! Melo SUPERKICKS and Miz DUMPS Fatu out! The fans boo but Melo builds speed, only for Andrade to LARIAT! The fans cheer, and now Miz sees he is in trouble. Fatu snarls, but Andrade DIVES, into a HAYMAKER!
Fatu then SUPERKICKS Miz! Fatu THROWS Miz into barriers! The fans fire up and Fatu grins. Fatu runs in, HIP ATTACK against the barriers! The Samoan Werewolf has dominated three men at once and the fans fire up while SmackDown goes picture in picture.
Miz sputters and Fatu leaves him behind to go around the way. Melo is there to kick Fatu, RAM Fatu, but Fatu blocks another whip! Fatu ROCKS Melo and Melo staggers away. Fatu stalks Melo, Melo checks on Miz, but Fatu ROCKS Melo! Andrade goes after Fatu now, but Fatu THROWS Andrade into barriers! The fans cheer as Fatu lets Andrade go to the ring. Fatu brings Melo up, SMACKS him off the desk, then pushes him down. Fatu clears the desk off, but Melo CLUBS Fatu against the desk! Melo storms into the ring, brings Andrade up, but Andrade RAMS Melo into the corner! Andrade RAMS Melo, CHOPS Melo, then stalks Melo.
Andrade whips Melo, Melo reverses and Andrade hits buckles hard! Melo CHOPS Andrade down! Melo brings Andrade up, soaks up some heat, then makes it Latino Heat. But Andrade blocks the suplex to suplex Melo! Andrade hangs Melo out to dry, and Melo flops to the apron. Fatu is back but Andrade fires forearms first! Andrade whips, Fatu reverses, and Fatu BODY CHECKS Andrade! Fatu geeks out and the fans are with him while he stalks Andrade. Fatu drags Andrade up to HEADBUTT him into the corner. Fatu shoves Melo off the apron, then he HEADBUTTS Andrade again. Andrade sputters but Fatu is all fired up.
Fatu CHOPS Andrade, UPPERCUTS, and HEADBUTTS him again! Andrade CHOPS in return! SmackDown returns to single picture and Andrade CHOPS, CHOPS, CHOPS! Fatu UPPERCUTS and Andrade falls back! Melo stomps Andrade in the corner, then tells Fatu to come on in. Fatu runs up, but Andrade gets away! Hip attack hits buckles! Melo ENZIGIRIS Fatu, Andrade runs to dodge Melo and FLYING FOREARM! The fans fire up as Andrade kips up! Andrade has targets in the corners, and he rallies the fans with “SI! SI! SI!” CIEN KNEES for Fatu! CIEN- NO, Melo tilt-o-whirls and LA MYSTICA! Cover, TWO!
The fans rally, Melo runs to stomp away on Fatu, then he brings Andrade up. Fatu stands to CLOBBER Melo! Andrade SUPERKICKS Fatu! The fans rally, Melo brings Andrade up and springboards, but Andrade stops him at the ropes! SECOND ROPE SPANISH FLY! But Fatu SENTONS Andrade! The fans fire up as Fatu SENTONS Melo! Fatu drags Melo to a drop zone, then goes to the corner! The fans rally for Fatu as he goes up, up, but Andrade YANKS him down! Andrade goes up top, MOONSAULT DOUBLE!! Cover, Melo breaks it! The fans rally while all three are down! “This is Awesome!” as the three stir.
Melo brings Fatu and Andrade around, and he fires forearms on each of them. Andrade fires back on Melo, then Fatu UPPERCUTS! Andrade ROCKS Fatu, but Fatu UPPERCUTS Andrade! The fans rally as the three rise, and Melo springboards! DOUBLE FADE AWAY DDT!! Cover on Andrade, Fatu breaks it! Melo and Fatu stare down, and they run up! Melo dodges to hit the FIRST 48! Andrade adds a POISON-RANA! Melo slips around Andrade to KNEE and suplex, CUTTER! Cover, TWO!! Andrade survives and Melo grows frustrated. The fans rally for Fatu while Melo shakes his hands out. Andrade is on the apron but Melo rises.
Melo brings Andrade up but Andrade trips Melo! They go out to brawl, and Melo SUPERKICKS Andrade down! But Fatu SUPERKICKS Melo! The fans fire up for Fatu as he lines up a shot. Fatu gets the fans even more fired up, then he geeks out! Fatu runs in the full length, but Andrade & Melo move! HIP ATTACK through barriers!! The fans go nuts as Fatu crashes into the timekeeper’s area! Fatu sputters as SmackDown goes back to picture in picture.
Fatu stirs while Andrade and Melo go to the ring. They roll in, Melo grabs at Andrade and vice-versa. Melo fires a forearm, then goes back outside. Andrade goes to the opposite end while Melo looks under the ring. Melo makes Knoxville happy by bringing out a table! But then Melo makes them mad by dropping it! Melo goes after Andrade but Andrade ROCKS him first! Andrade brings out a chair! Andrade aims, but Melo dropkicks the legs out! Andrade crawls, Melo shakes his head, and he grabs the chair now. Melo aims, but Andrade kicks Melo low! Andrade and Melo go into the ring, and Andrade puts Melo in a drop zone.
Andrade goes up the corner, but Melo trips him up! Andrade is stuck up top and Melo hits the SLINGSHOT PLEX! Melo flexes, then decides to step through on the legs! Andrade cradles that, TWO! Melo and Andrade stand, DOUBLE LARIATS collide! Both men fall and the fans look for Fatu. SmackDown returns to single picture as the fans rally, Melo and Andrade sit up, and Melo CHOPS! Andrade ROCKS Melo, then rolls away. Melo hurries to clamp onto Andrade with a facelock, but Andrade RAMS him into a corner! Andrade puts Melo up top but Melo fires forearms. Andrade drops back, Melo aims, but Andrade GAMANGIRIS!
The fans still want tables but Andrade climbs up to get Melo. They’re on the very top, but Fatu is back! Fatu makes the SUPER SPANISH FLY part ROCKER LAUNCHER!! The fans are thunderous as Fatu goes up now! SWANTON BOMB onto Melo! Cover, Andrade breaks it!! The fans rally up again and still want tables. Fatu runs at Andrade to SPLASH! Then Fatu runs at Melo, but Melo BOOTS him! Melo runs up, but into a pop-up! Melo fights the Samoan Drop, and Andrade adds the SHADOW ELBOW! But Melo makes it a ghost pin! Andrade adds a stack, TWO!!! Fatu survives the double cover, but here come Solo & JC!
The fans boo as Solo is here to coach Fatu up. Melo and Andrade trade forearms, then Melo dodges to springboard, FLYING LARIAT! Cover, Fatu breaks it! Fatu snarls, drags Melo up, and he HEADBUTTS Melo! Fatu finally notices Solo & JC, but Fatu puts Melo up top. Fatu CHOPS Melo, then he fireman’s carries Andrade. Fatu adds Melo to this, but Melo slips free. SAMOAN DROP for Andrade, and then Fatu goes to the corner. Solo says Fatu’s got this now! BEST MOONSAULT EVER FLOPS and Melo hits NOTHING BUT NET!! Cover, ANDRADE BREAKS IT! Andrade underhooks Melo, THE MESS- NO, Melo RANAS through! Cover, TWO!!
Andrade has a cover, TWO! Melo has a cover, TWO! Andrade has it, TWO! Both men stand, SHADOW ELBOW! FIRST 48!! SHADOW ELBOW AGAIN!! All three men are down and the fans are thunderous! Fatu crawls, Melo rolls to a corner, and Andrade stirs. Fatu rises, he brings Andrade up, IMPALER DDT! Then Fatu has Melo to RAM him into a corner. Fatu runs and HIP ATTACKS Melo! Andrade is up, Fatu hits him with another IMPALER DDT! Fatu puts Andrade in the drop zone, and he hits the BEST MOONSAULT EVER!! Solo says yeah, do that again! The fans boo but Fatu glares at Solo. JC says do what Solo is saying, Fatu!
But wait! Jimmy YANKS JC down, and SUPERKICKS him! The fans fire up, and then Melo RAMS Fatu into Solo! Then FIRST 48! But Andrade rolls Melo into THE MESSAGE!! Cover, ANDRADE WINS!!
Winner: Andrade, by pinfall (advances to Money in the Bank)
Solo just screwed things up for Fatu! Solo does his best to keep the peace between Fatu and JC, but the point is: Andrade is headed to Los Angeles! Will he make this El Idolo in the Bank?
Backstage interview with LA Knight.
Byron Saxton segues from congratulating Andrade for qualifying to welcoming in someone who already has qualified, but The Mega Star says, “My gawd. What is it with punching tickets around here? Everybody talks about punching tickets. WWE Instagram, punched tickets. Commentary, punched tickets. You’re talking about punched tickets. I guess I punched my ticket to MITB, it’s only eight days away. A few other guys who punched tickets, who are they? You got Andrade, you got Penta, you got what’s his name, Seth Rollins. You got Solo Sikoa! They’re all in it! They all punched their tickets!
“And everybody’s gonna be climbing that ladder, trying to get up, put everything on the line that they can. Now, if this was a one-on-one match, I’d go ahead and call my shot, and I’d say I’m gonna run up there, grab the case, and cash it in. But you gotta understand, this is my third year in a row, so I understand what this is. You can call me the vet in this match. Some people say maybe that Seth is the vet in this, but they would be wrong. For three years in a row now, you’re talking about the most robust and the most recent experience, YEAH. And what that means is now it’s anybody’s game. Anybody can come out with it, and I understand that.
“But with or without the case, what you need to understand is that the WWE title, the world title, they’re all in my future. With the way I’ve been running, at this point, they should be in my past, maybe even my present. Why don’tcha go ahead and punch that ticket? While we’re talking about-” Knight stops himself when he spots someone walking in. It’s Aleister Black! And Aleister says that win was supposed to be his. But he tells Knight, “You’re welcome, though.” The Dark Father lets the Mega Star shine, if only for now. Will LA win big in LA when we finally reach MITB?
Fatu and Solo regroup backstage.
Solo wants Fatu to listen. He was just trying to help. Fatu tells Solo to listen. For the last time, Fatu does not need his help! Fatu storms off, JC steps in, but Solo has nothing else to say. Is the Samoan Werewolf going to break away from this dysfunctional “family?”
Cody Rhodes is here!
Knoxville fires up and sings along, “WHOA~ OH~!” Cody gets his pyro, high-fives fans along the ramp and the front row, and even signs autographs. Cody goes to the ring, grabs a mic, and he hears the fans chant his name. Cody fires the fans up more, then hears them sing, “Cody! Cody Rhooodes~! Cody! Cody Rhooodes~!” Cody says, “So, Knoxville! Whaddya wanna talk about?” The fans cheer, and Cody says, “I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that we could talk about the record crowd here this evening!” The fans cheer that, too! Cody says he loves them, too, thank you very much.
Cody says they could also talk about WrestleMania 41. The fans boo, but Cody says after WrestleMania 41, he went home, he drowned his sorrows, might’ve touched the “Tennessee Cough Syrup” a little bit, and he had a moment of doubt. He reached out to a friend. A friend who helps him prepare to wonderful audiences like this one here, or speaking to everyone at home. Cody asked him, “Was I a good champion?” The fans cheer for that, but Cody says the friend told him wasn’t quite as simple as yes or no.
The friend told him, “With everything that you faced here in the ring in front of all the fans, and with everything that you faced behind the scenes, being pulled in different directions, the waters that you had to navigate that no champion has ever had to navigate, yes, I feel that you were a good champion.” Cody says he felt good hearing that, it turned into a hopeful moment, the silver lining on a dark cloud. Cody looked back on his whole year. He thought about AJ Styles faking retirement to get the drop on him. Cody thought about his friend, Kevin Owens, sucker punching him against his bus while Cody’s family slept inside.
Cody thought about his boss, Triple H, who pushed Cody to the limit, and sees something in Cody that Cody doesn’t even see in himself. Cody even thought about The Final Boss, how he asked Cody for his soul, and the entire world wondering what that meant. As preposterous as that sounded, The Rock was 100% serious. No matter how many times Cody said no, the offer still stands. And Cody also thought about John Cena. The fans initially boo, but the “Let’s Go, Cena!” “CENA SUCKS!” starts up. Cody takes a moment, and then he says, “I thought about John Cena doing exactly what he said he was going to do. He forced me to make a choice, and I hesitated.
“I don’t know if John Cena is going to ‘ruin’ professional wrestling. But if he does, then I’m partially to blame. Now, I know, I’d love to say this to John Cena’s face. Not sure if he’s going to come out here right now, but if you are listening, if you are listening, Champ, I need you to know that I will never hesitate with you again!” The fans cheer that, and Cody says no matter how much Cena will tout the amount of days he has left, how much Cena will talk about what remains before he absconds with the WWE Championship and leaves all of us forever, that is NOT Cena’s expiration date! That is on the other side of Cody’s corneas, and it will burn Cena’s ass up!
The fans fire up for that, and Cody calms it down. Cody apologizes for that. This is his first night back on SmackDown, he is getting worked up. He thought so much about what he could do, what he could do for the fans. Hell, how about a surprise? The fans already “YEET! YEET! YEET!” so Cody says they’re hungry for it. Let’s yeet. Well, hold on, that’d be a very big surprise. That’d be the biggest surprise. That’d be Cody’s partner riding into battle for MITB, and hell YES he is here! Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for the World Heavyweight Champion, MAIN EVENT JEY USO! The fans go wild as Jey makes his way in from the pavilion!
The fans sing along with Day One Ish and bounce for that YEET! Jey makes his way down through the crowd to ringside, one verse at a time, and SmackDown goes to break.
SmackDown returns and Jey joins Cody in the ring now, mic in hand. Cody and Jey hear the fans want an encore, so we get even more YEET! But then John Cena makes his entrance to ruin the fun! The fans sing “JOHN CENA SUUUCKS~!” even though he wears that University of Tennessee orange and white. Cena goes to the ring, towel draped over his head, then grabs a mic before he joins Cody and Jey in the ring. Cena hears the fans boo, and he says, “I’m upset, too. If it isn’t professional wrestling’s biggest wannabes!” Cena tells Cody he is nothing more than a Cena Wannabe, and that Jey is nothing more than a Cena Wannabe.
The fans boo but Cena says they both wanna be Cena so bad, it makes him sick! Cody wants Cena’s fame, Jey wants Cena’s money, but they will get neither because Cody is too desperate and Jey is too lazy! There is only ONE other human being in the WWE who embodies hustle, loyalty and respect, and he’s got the fortune, fame and followers to back that up! Surprise, losers! Cena’s partner is here, too! The fans boo already, because “EY YO~!” Logan Paul IS here! The Maverick swaggers his way out, and Cena gives him a proper introduction. “Oh, you mad? You’re mad because Logan Paul does WWE better than any professional wrestler?”
Cena says Logan doesn’t need to pay his dues, because he is paying Jey’s mortgage! Everybody in this building did NOT come to see Jey! They came to see John Cena and Logan Paul! Logan asks, “What the hell you crying about, Knoxville? Look! I could walk on water, and y’all would still find a way to tell me it’s because I can’t swim! John Cena speaks the language of Logan Paul, and that is the truth! The truth! It is right in front of you! You deny it all you want, but look around, you stupid, stupid, simple Tennessee people! This is a moment in history! All of you get to witness the moment that John Cena stood side-by-side in the ring with Logan Paul.
“And look, all of you will live long, pathetic, miserable lives. But at least you will get to say that you saw that.” The fans tell Logan to STFU, and Cena tells Logan to ignore it. Logan says yeah, yeah, they’re so ungrateful. They don’t know what’s good for them. There is one problem, though. This does seem too perfect. The problem is… Logan should be standing next to THE WWE Champion as THE World Heavyweight Champion! Logan should’ve been the one to leave Saturday Night’s Main Event with that title around his waist. But look at him, Jey. Jey got lucky. Jey got lucky! He knows it, Logan knows, it, the fans know it, CODY knows it!
Jey needed Cody to save him! When Cody interfered with the match cuz these two cheaters can’t do a single thing in this business without it being handed to them! “These two nepo babies were born on third, thinking they hit a triple.” Logan points to himself and says, “Self-made man!” He points to Cena and says, “Self-made man!” Five years ago, nobody every would’ve believed Logan Paul would be a WWE superstar. And they certainly never ever would’ve believed that he’d be teaming with the Greatest Of All Time! But look at Logan now. He’s not just a superstar, he is THE superstar! His time is now! Cena told us that his time is almost up!
Cena is the Last Real Champion, Logan is the inevitable face of the WWE! So Jey, Cody, at MITB, if you want some, come get some. Jey tells Logan they don’t gotta wait! They can handle this right now! UH UH, YEET!! The mics drop, Cena and Logan talk this out, and Logan wants to throw hands while Cena wants to leave. Cody asks what they’re arguing about. They gonna go to the back so Logan can polish Cena’s Peacemaker? Now it’s a fight! The fans fire up as the hands are flying! Logan TOSSES Jey, Cena picks Cody up! Cody slips free, Jey is back to SUPERKICK! Cody hits the DISASTER KICK! Cena bails out, Jey PLANCHAS out onto him!
Logan goes to the apron, slingshot and- NO, Cody dodges the “Snapshot” Lariat and Jey SUPERKICKS Logan! Then Jey sets Logan up for the CODE D!! The fans fire up as Cody picks up the WWE Championship! Will Cody and Jey make it through Logan and Cena to then clear a path for the American Nightmare’s redemption? Or will Cena & Logan ruin wrestling together?
My Thoughts:
A very good SmackDown, but maybe with some wheel-spinning. As fun as Chelsea Green continues to be, can’t we move on from her and Zelina? Or are we about to do that with tonight’s win over Alba and then Giulia confronting her? Ironically, that seems to give away Giulia isn’t winning MITB. Giulia had a good promo video right before but they undercut it by giving us that confrontation. That said, Giulia deserves to be all the champions, but I suppose starting with the Women’s US Championship would be a good route. Very good promo from Bianca and Naomi to not just have Bianca’s homecoming, but to keep the feud between them alive.
The Women’s Triple Threat had a slow start but it turned out to be a very good match. Great win for Naomi, and good promo from her, Tiffany and Alexa to tease potential MITB winners. Great stuff in the tag match to build Worlds Collide just a touch. We only got one moment of Berto being passive aggressive towards Santos, and then Ethan Page screwing the Faces over, but that was still enough for the North American Championship. Of course, it depends on how many fans watch not just Raw and SmackDown but also NXT so that the fans already understand the story. But as someone who does, I do appreciate they’re bringing NXT story onto SmackDown.
Good promo from Priest to give some shoot respect to Drew and Fatu, but Priest wanting after the US title kinda gave away what was happening with the Men’s Triple Threat. It was a great Triple Threat, but of course Solo & JC cost Fatu. That team is just one moment away from breaking up, and it might be at MITB when Solo just expects Fatu to help him win the briefcase and Fatu refuses. And Fatu VS Priest will still be awesome whenever it happens. Good promo from Knight, and a good bit from Aleister with him, which I suppose means that’s the next feud for them. Was kinda hoping for Aleister VS Nakamura but that really depends if Nakamura is sticking with WWE or going home to Japan via Pro-Wrestling NOAH as rumored.
R-Truth relapsing to talking to Lil’ Jimmy is certainly a choice. I kinda wish he’d keep up the “Ron Cena” stuff, or they’d let Jeff Cobb do his own John Cena bit from NJPW, but I guess some things in WWE still won’t change. And closing with a big promo segment was also certainly a choice. Cody still did a good job, and nice surprise to have Jey show up. Not sure they needed to take a commercial break for Jey’s entrance, especially when they were obviously going to let Jey do his YEET encore. And Cena really must be brainwashed to put Logan over as if Logan’s on par with peak Cena. But naturally a brawl happened and the Faces stood tall.
Don’t count this as go-home math yet, they could easily revisit this on Raw and even next week on SmackDown. Even then, I still feel like Jey and Cody should win at MITB to properly set up Cody VS Cena 2 at SummerSlam. Raw on June 9th is still the move for the World Heavyweight Championship, but there’s also Saturday Night’s Main Event in July, who knows if Jey makes it to SummerSlam as champion.
My Score: 8.7/10
About Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)
TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends
Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5
Classic POD is WAR
Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!
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Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
Coverage
Andrew’s TNA iMPACT! Results & Match Ratings: 5.29.25
Stuff happens, maybe it doesn’t, Dreamer and Delirious can’t book.
Well Trick Willie is the new TNA champ and this is the first iMPACT since his win…so let’s just hear him talk about it.
"TNA turned into TRICK-NA. Lets talk about it"@_trickwilliams #WWENXT
WATCH #TNAiMPACT on TNA+: https://t.co/GrBQpdX5g5 pic.twitter.com/StU4pmi3oy
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) May 30, 2025
Ratings:
- The Rascalz vs Fir$t Cla$$ vs Laredo vs The System: Rascalz win via Meteora – ***
- Raj Singh vs Mustafa Ali: Ali wins via…No Shit – Squash Garbage
- ASH by Elegance vs Lei Ying Lee: Lei wins via Spinning TKO – ** 3/4
- Mance Warner w/SDL vs Jobber: Mance wins via Hit the Pay Winda – Squash
- Santino Marella & Arianna Grace vs Robert Stone & Victoria Crawford w/Tessa: Team Robbie wins via shenanigans – **
- International Championship: Steve Maclin (c) vs Matt Cardona: Maclin retains via KIA – ***
Results:
The Rascalz vs Fir$t Cla$$ vs Laredo vs The System
Octagon got jumped by The System earlier so Laredo is fighting alone. Another backstage jumping is getting a little dumb.
Laredo and Trey start. Typical Indie start with Simultaneous awful Dropkick spot and bad counters, AJ blind tag runs the smaller guys over, tags out to KC and the Rascalz instantly get the moment. KC is rocked, tags in Laredo and Laredo takes out the System before Lish gets on the apron and grabs Laredo. The referee kicks out Lish and Rehwoldt on commentary points out it’s a No DQ match so that’s dumb.
KC gets tossed at AJ, he catches him, Rascalz Dive and do their taunt as we go to commercial. We come back, Tennessee Whiskey into a KC tag in for the near fall on Laredo. Corner combo, Snapmare into Flip Forward Neck Breaker, KC is on a roll. AJ tags Laredo and starts talking crap to KC, they swerve and go Finger Poke of Doom, but it’s not a legal pin. Suddenly tornado attacks, System and Rascalz go for broke, AJ hits the Senton to break the eventual pin, Laredo counters AJ’s Chokeslam attempt. Trey clears out The System, Wentz sends himself and KC over and out, Laredo with a Corkscrew Moonsault, which looked cool but it’s the pile of morons waiting to get hit spot.
AJ hits the Down Payment on Laredo, but Trey blind tagged AJ. Meteora on AJ, Trey pins Laredo and Rascalz win.
Raj Singh vs Mustafa Ali
Raj looks like shit in the gear he came down in…and he wrestles equivalently. I would rather anyone else comeback…give me Anarquia.
Ali murders Raj, Instant Dropkick, Rolling Neckbreaker, Corkscrew Standing Moonsault, it’s not close. Raj tries to counter things but Ali Bellclap, a little Duck the left, connect the right. Raj even does a terrible looking Punch Combo, he’s in bad shape, a bad looking Ushigoroshi, Raj with a sloppy looking something, 450 ends it.
Fire Raj as quickly as you brought him back. You don’t need a comedically pathetic job guy when the roster is like 4 guys getting pushed and everyone else sucks. Stop being stupid. Ali still hates women too.
This Injury Report is the dumbest segment in the history of wrestling. Stop treating fake shit as “serious business”.
ASH by Elegance vs Lei Ying Lee
ASH mocks karate stuff, Lei throws a few Rising Crane kicks as ASH bails and then things slow down a little. But a Pump Kick, Sliding Kick and Low Dropkick cause ASH to cower and claim her tooth broke. It’s a bait to pull Lei into the turnbuckles and them get in a few stomps. Ash keeps Lei in the corner, Suplexes her ankles into the buckles and then Ash throws a few Booty Shots/Hit Attacks then starts a grounded stretch, Lei Headscissors her down, still sells the hips and ankles, but dodges and fires, combination strikes into the 10 Count Down Strikes. T-bone Suplex, into the pinfall, for only two.
Cheapshot into Running Meteora from ASH for two. Ash goes for the Miz Yes Kicks and Lei No Sells and asks for more. Gorgeous Capture Suplex into Thunder Struck and TKO with flair. My baby has a better finish now! Yay!
Mance Warner w/SDL vs Jobber
Hannifan cursing and being pissed at Trick for not even showing but is more entertaining than a squash match. Not that Mance’s offense is bad, but 2 out of 3 job matches is stupid.
.@milanmiracle and @AriannaGraceWWE make history as the first father/daughter tag team in TNA!
WATCH #TNAiMPACT on TNA+: https://t.co/GrBQpdX5g5 pic.twitter.com/3s8OhtYFPv
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) May 30, 2025
Santino Marella & Arianna Grace vs Robert Stone & Victoria Crawford w/Tessa
Marella tries to tie up with Robbie, but he bails and tags out to Victoria so Arianna comes in and aside from Alicia Fox’s silliness, the tie up was decent with Arianna and Victoria. Tessa interferes and the Referee throws her out. Victoria comes back in and aside from a slight miscommunication with how Arianna does her punches, Alicia Fox is making her look…pretty good. Transition moves, okay brawling and Arianna looks amazing in her outfit.
Rob and Santino distract the referee and Victoria hits a Figure Four into her Northern Lights Suplex, only for 2. Arianna finally Back Body Drop to find the tag, Santino and Rob, Santino does his split dodge into the Standing Headbutt, Arianna Cross Body onto Victoria. Rob pulls out the ref, then shoves the ref into Santino, Santino into the steps and Arianna attack but Alicia and Lish, the fix is in, Arianna eats the pin.
International Championship: Steve Maclin (c) vs Matt Cardona
A few quick brawl moves, Shoulder Tackles, Strikes, Back Breakers, Cardona does get dumped out and eats a SCUD. Maclin bounces Cardona’s face off the apron and hits an Elbow off the apron to keep Cardona reeling, but a dodged tackle sends Maclin into the steps. Cardona tries to Piledriver Maclin on the ramp, but Back Drop counter, into commercial.
Formulaic commercial etiquette of Cardona still in control, throws Maclin into the ropes, Diving Shoulder Tackle lays both dudes out and they get up by 8. Fighting Spirit spot, Cardona hits ropes and gets hit by Maclin twice, Thesz Press, Ground and Pound, Back Elbow and Olympic Slam has Maclin rolling. Splash into Lariat for two. Maclin has been all gas no brakes. Cardona tries to take a few shortcuts that turns into a Straight Jacket Takedown. Cardona to the top, Maclin cuts him off, Superplex spot. 1-2-kick out!
Maclin goes topside for a Jar Headbutt, Cardona hits the ropes so Maclin crashes into the corner, 2 Reboots connect, the third gets caught, counter into Busaiku Knee, Jar Headbutt. In and out, Cardona uses the middle rope for the Low Blow, Killswitch from Cardona but Maclin kicks out. Cardona dodges and shoves Maclin towards the ref, he puts the brakes on, Radio Silence! 1-2-Kick out! Maclin catches a top rope move, Power Bomb, Corner Splash, Tree of Woe, Caught in the Crosshairs, KIA and Maclin retains!
Overall Score: 4.5/10
Boring paint by numbers show, no Trick, System has one move, Robert Stone is a scumbag, too long to introduce new girls, lots of throw away segments and Rosemary sets up YET ANOTHER Monster’s Ball match. These aren’t interesting when there’s one every 3 months. So we can have terrible Monster’s Ball matches quarterly, Barbed Wire Massacre and Clockwork Orange House of Fun…BUT NO LOCKDOWN!?
Go home TNA, you’re drunk.
About Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)
TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends
Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5
Classic POD is WAR
Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
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Dave and Tunney break down the Conference Finals in the NHL and NBA, discuss the NFL going to the Olympics,...
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What's with all the glowing?
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The greatEST SmackDown!
Andrew’s TNA iMPACT! Results & Match Ratings: 5.29.25
Stuff happens, maybe it doesn't, Dreamer and Delirious can't book.
Mitchell’s NJPW Best of the Super Juniors Results & Report! (5/29/25)
B Block, FINAL ROUND!
Mitchell’s ROH Results & Report! (5/29/25)
Is ROH ready for the GORE?
Mitchell’s WWE Evolve Results & Report! (5/28/25)
THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE!
Mitchell’s AEW Dynamite Results & Report! (5/28/25)
Dynamite in the desert!
Mitchell’s NJPW Best of the Super Juniors Results & Report! (5/27/25)
A Block, FINAL ROUND!
Mitchell’s WWE NXT Results & Report! (5/27/25)
Will NXT still be Absolute?
Mitchell’s NJPW Best of the Super Juniors Results & Report! (5/25/25)
Round 8, all together!
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