Coverage

Mitchell’s WWE NXT Results & Report! (6/10/20)

What happened to the Undisputed Era?!

Published

4 years ago

June 10, 2020

Steven Mitchell

The NXT after In Your House!

Adam Cole is still NXT Champion, but Roderick Strong and Bobby Fish were taken! They’re fine now, but will Cole avenge them against Dexter Lumis?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Keith Lee & Mia Yim VS Johnny Gargano & Candice LeRae; Gargano & LeRae win.
Indus Sher w/ Malcolm Bivens VS Mikey Delbrey & Mike Reed; Indus Sher wins.
Finn Balor VS Cameron Grimes; Balor wins.
Kacy Catanzaro VS Dakota Kai w/ Raquel Gonzalez; Kai wins.
Adam Cole VS Dexter Lumis; Cole wins.

PLAY BY PLAY

The Undisputed Era heads to the ring!

The “tortured artist,” Dexter Lumis, abducted Roderick Strong and Bobby Fish, but he let them go free in the end. Adam Cole still reigns as THE NXT Champion and has shut The Velveteen Dream out. The era continues, and will continue as everyone thought it would. NO one in their right mind believed Dream was going to beat Cole for the title. And that’s not a knock. Dream proved he is one of the very best. The problem is, he’s not Adam Cole Baybay. No one is! And as long as this title is on Cole, Dream cannot challenge for it. SO that begs the question: What is next for Adam Cole? The answer is simple: “It doesn’t freakin’ matter.” Cole has run roughshod on the brand as the MOST DOMINANT champion in history! No one has held the NXT Championship the way he has, no one in NXT or even all of WWE can beat him for this title!

So now that Dream is in the rear view, the Era shifts focus to Lumis. Lumis is crazy, psychotic, and a freak that always gets in their business. Is he obsessed with Cole? Is he obsessed with the title? Either way, what he did to Roddy and Bobby is despicable! Fish says “that creep” is obsessed with all of them. He shoved Fish and Strong into a car trunk! Strong hates being stuffed in car trunks! Has it happened before? Well uh… Anyway, Fish is convinced Lumis is scared of them, too! They got out of there and that goof was nowhere to be found. Strong points to Lumis in the crowd! But when the others turn around, he’s gone!? Cole wants Strong to take a breath. Cole tells Lumis, wherever he is, listen very closely. He’s there again!! But then he’s gone again.

Guys, just stop! Pump the brakes! Adam Cole speaking right now is not Adam Cole the greatest NXT Champion. This is Adam Cole, the man who has his best friends’ back. Cole says Strong and Fish are two of the greatest men he’s ever known. You mess with one of them, you mess with all of them. Cole and Lumis have a match, and everyone and their mom knows Cole went through war and is not 100%. But that’s just a day in the life of a champion. Cole and Lumis will fight, and Cole will beat Lumis. He will not only beat Lumis, Cole will send Lumis back to the drawing board where he belongs. And that is Undisputed. Strong is still a bit worried but both Cole and Fish calm him down as they make their exit. Will Cole learn Strong’s fears are justified when he faces Lumis head on? But wait! Lumis is in the crowd and staring at them! Strong runs away, but is there no escaping Lumis’ gaze?

The Undisputed Era talks backstage.

Cole and Fish calm Strong again. He takes deep breaths and Cole says that Strong being this anxious makes Cole anxious. Cole needs Strong to stay calm. But here comes Keith Lee and Mia Yim. “Sup, champ.” Keith Lee has been wondering what’s next for himself, and has an idea looking at the NXT Championship. Strong gets defensive but Cole tells him that now isn’t the time. The Era heads out and Cole tells Keith, “In your dreams, big man!” Will Keith’s dreams become a reality alongside Strong’s nightmares of Lumis?

Keith Lee & Mia Yim VS Johnny Gargano & Candice LeRae!

#Yimitless may have lost last week’s Mixed Tag Match, but they prevented #TheJohnnyGarganoWay from taking over at TakeOver. With things far from over, who wins to take the lead in the war for NXT?

The teams sort out but the couples argue with each other. The ref tries to keep the peace but Mia gets at Gargano and Candice gets at Keith? Keith carefully picks up little Poison Pixie, but Gargano blindsides him! Candice goes after Mia and it’s a brawl both ways! Candice and Gargano have the edge but Keith and Mia each turn it around. Mia throws hands on Candice while Keith CHOPS Gargano! But that’s his bad hand again. Mia and Keith run into boots, the Garganos leap, but their double huricanranas are blocked with strength! Mr. & Mrs. Wrestling reach out for each other, but Mia and Keith keep them apart, to hit a SUPER COLLIDER! Kith LARIATS Gargano, Mia clobbers Candice!

Mia keeps on Candice at the ropes as the crowd rallies up. The bell finally rings and Mia dodges Candice’s clothesline to fire off forearms! Mia tosses Candice to a corner while Gargano clubs Gargano down on the outside. Mia pulls hair to SLAP Candice, then whips her to the ropes. Gargano saves Candice but Keith keeps them close. Mia builds speed to DIVE, but the Garganos get clear! Keith catches the Head Baddie and holds her close. They smile at each other, and are still ready to elbow Johnny and Candice away! Keith trophy lifts Johnny and Mia scoops Candice. They double SNAKE EYES the Garganos off the apron! #Yimitless is standing tall as NXT goes to break.

NXT returns and Candice has Mia down with a straitjacket stretch. Mia endures as the crowd rallies up, but Candice digs the knee in deeper. Mia works her way up and she arm-drags Candice off, but Candice clobbers her back down! Candice throws forearms and CHOPS and has Mia in the Gargano corner. She fires off hands all over but the ref counts. Candice lets up at 4 and Johnny talks trash. Mia dodges, Candice stops short of running into Johnny, and Candice quickly stops Mia from getting to Keith. But Candice eats SOLE FOOD! Both women are down and the crowd rallies up as they crawl. Hot tags to Keith and Gargano! Keith runs and runs Johnny over! Keith has Johnny in the corner for a splash, then a GRIZZLY MAGNUM!

Gargano flounders all the way around but Keith is on him again. Keith brings Gargano up to TOSS him back the other way! Keith keeps Gargano away from Candice and brings him up for a scoop. Candice reaches out and makes the tag! Candice goes after Keith but gets added to the scoop! Keith carries both Garganos around, but Candice claws his eyes! Johnny gets loose, give Candice a push start, but Keith blocks the tornado DDT! Keith powers Candice back up but Gargano enziguris! Candice hits the DDT! Mia returns to shotgun dropkick Candice down! And then rallies with clotheslines, a BOOT, and a dropkick! Mia CHOPS and CHOPS and CHOPS Candice, bu Candice pushes back. Candice swings, into a DRAGON SUPLEX! Bridging cover, but Gargano breaks it up!

The ref reprimands Johnny but Mia fires off strikes on Gargano! This is technically against the rules, but Mia suplexes. Candice saves Johnny but gets a forearm for it. Mia ROUNDHOUSES Johnny and GERMAN SUPLEXES Candice! And then GERMANS Johnny! Mia drags Candice up, but Candice spins around to SOLE FOOD back! LIONSAULT!! Cover, TWO!! Mia survives and Candice can’t believe it! Candice tags to Johnny and he goes right after Keith on the apron. Keith wobbles and Johnny runs, but Mia dumps him out! Candice goes after Mia but Mia throws forearms. Mia has Candice between the ropes and she kicks away on her! Mia drags Candice back up and around, but Candice resists the dragon suplex!

Keith runs in and POUNCES Johnny into Candice and Mia! Mia goes down to the ground and Keith realizes what happened! He checks on Mia but Johnny SUPERKICKS him down! Johnny slingshots, and hits the #OneFinalBeat DDT, but Keith lands on Candice!! Did Johnny and Keith just crush Candice?! Keith tries to sort out what happened and he checks on Candice. He holds her up, but Gargano rolls Keith up!! The Garganos win!!

Winners: Johnny Gargano & Candice LeRae, by pinfall

#TJGW wins, but does Johnny not understand what happened to his own wife?! If this is what #TheJohnnyGarganoWay is, will Candice start to reconsider?

NXT shares the exclusive post TakeOver interview with Damian Priest.

The Archer of Infamy took aim at the Prince but just missed the mark. However, he didn’t miss the steel steps when he fell off the apron. Does Priest feel he should’ve approached things different? Hell no. We all know Priest wanted this match because Finn Balor is one of the best. There are no excuses here. But this match wasn’t about a win or a loss, but about the next step in Priest’s name living on. Priest accomplished that, and he will definitely #LiveForever. What does Priest mean by that?

Backstage interview with Cameron Grimes.

The Technical Savage is still riding high because he’s having a rematch with Finn Balor, who he already has a win over. Cameron Grimes has already beaten Balor, but how confident is he this week? Does no one know his full name? It’s Cameron Confident Grimes! Do you think he’s going to lose? All because last time, he had Priest’s help? No, because last Grimes checked, he’s looking great. Grimes isn’t sure why William Regal booked this match, other than Grimes going up 2-0. It’s so nice, he’ll just do it twice! Look at these eyes. There’s one thing you don’t see in the eyes of Grimes, and that’s fear.

Priest walks over and Grimes says hey. What’s going on? They were just talking about how good Priest did at TakeOver. Priest was so close to beating Balor. So close, really. Priest DECKS Grimes, and then tells him to continue those thoughts. Will Grimes learn not to run his mouth so much? Or can he back up all those words when he faces The Prince again?

The world celebrates with Io Shirai!

Fans from all over, but especially the Full Sail Faithful, were watching TakeOver and the NXT Women’s Championship Triple Threat. The Evil Genius dethroned the Queen and denied the Nightmare, and both Shinsuke Nakamura and Asuka sends their own messages of congratulations! Shirai vows to take the title to new heights, because this is her division. Who will be the first to challenge the #DescentIntoDarkness?

Indus Sher w/ Malcolm Bivens VS Mikey Delbrey & Mike Reed!

Rinku & Saurav want to dominate the NXT Tag Team Division on behalf of Bivens Enterprises, but it is Breezango getting first crack at Imperium. Will these tigers of war make light of the… Grand Marshall of the Spandex Parade… and the #HotShot?

Teams sort out and Delbrey starts against Saurav, the taller of the two behemoths. And right at the bell, Saurav BOOTS Delbrey down! Saurav looms over Delbrey and brings him up to throw at the corner! Delbrey writhes from hitting the buckles, and before Reed can react, Saurav BOOTS him off the apron! Reed crashes into barriers while Saurav drags Delbrey over. Tag to Rinku and he runs corner to corner to SPLASH Delbrey! Then he runs side to side for another! Tag to Saurav, and Delbrey is fed to a scoop. Indus Sher combines, FLYING ELBOW SIDEWALK SLAM!! Cover, Indus Sher wins!

Winners: Indus Sher, by pinfall

Imperium may be efficient and Breezango may be fashionable, but these two are proficient in destroying their targets! Will it even matter who has the NXT Tag Team Championships when Rinku & Saurav come for them?

What is the status for Balor VS Grimes II?

Because Priest hit him so hard in the jaw, Grimes will not be able to compete tonight. At least, Grimes thinks so anyway. In a talk with GM William Regal, Drake Younger explains the situation. Grimes is convinced he has a broken jaw. Regal says to get Grimes on the line, and we’ll get to the bottom of this. Will the Prince have to wait for his chance at payback? Or did Priest just do Grimes a favor with that forearm shot?

NXT returns and finds Grimes talking it up with some female superstars. Grimes tries to brush Drake off and he says he’s totally fine. But Regal is on the line, so… Grimes plays up being hurt but he isn’t even holding the right side. Regal is pretty sure Grimes was talking real easy to the ladies. Go get ready for your match! Grimes reluctantly obeys and then gets upset at Drake for being a “stooge.” He tells the girls to get gone, there’s no going downtown tonight. Grimes is upset that he still has to put up or shut up, but will Balor make sure he does them both?

NXT takes a look at Breezango.

Fandango and Tyler Breeze admit, they dressed up as a lot of different things. Fighter pilots straight out of Top Gun! But they both insist they’re Maverick and the other is Goose. Then they were construction workers building stuff, and then they were doctors saving lives. Fans seem to love it, because fans love to be entertained. It’s why they were the Fashion Police in the first place. They like making people laugh, but realize they got too caught up in it. They handed out fashion violations as punchlines. It’s not that Fandango can’t get it done in the ring. His debut was at WrestleMania, and he WON! And you forget that this 32-year-old kid- Wait, he’s 32? Wow. Fandango thought he was 27. But the point being is that Breeze built NXT! TakeOver matches with Balor, Apollo Crews, THE Jushin Thunder Liger!

Prince Pretty and the Lord of the Dance admit they lost focus while on SmackDown. But back in NXT, the caliber of the tag division is so high, if you don’t kick it up a notch, you’re not going to be here long. It’s been fun, such as coming out as astronauts, but they need to leave the comedy at the ropes. They can bring it, and did so last week in that Triple Threat Tag. Fandango and Breeze won, have changed the game forever, and are the NEW #1 Contenders! They’re going up against Emporium. No, it’s Imperium. Fabio and Marsupial? Nevermind, it doesn’t matter. There are two guarantees: they will entertain the fans right up until that first bell, then bring it so hard that when that second bell rings, you’ll be looking at NEW NXT Tag Team Champions. That match happens next week! Will Breezango finally add gold to their wardrobe? Or will the mat stay forever sacred?

NXT shares the exclusive post TakeOver interview with Tommaso Ciampa.

After a rough loss to Karrion Kross, Ciampa lingered at the arena. What’s going through his mind right now? Ciampa doesn’t say a word as he goes to his car. Was Kross tougher than expected. Was Ciampa ready for him? Ciampa still refuses to say a word as he gets in the driver’s seat. Ciampa drives away, but is he coming back?

Backstage interview with Rhea Ripley.

The Nightmare lost the same as Charlotte Flair at TakeOver, but Rhea was the one to take the pinfall. How does she plan to bounce back for another chance? Rhea left it all in the ring, but Shirai saw an opportunity and took it. Rhea respects that. But what is Robert Stone doing walking over? He has business with Rhea. The Robert Stone Brand takes off his glasses but puts them back on to ask if Rhea can “feel it.” Can she feel this client-manager chemistry? Last Sunday, they were both losers. In 2020, Rhea has been a huge loser! But he asks she listen before getting physical. Stone is the biggest loser. Where was he going with that? Oh, right! Together, they could be a phoenix rising from the ashes! He’ll do everything for Rhea, and he means everything. Together, they can make the Robert Stone Brand bigger than ever!

Rhea says the chances of her joining his brand are 1 in a million. So there’s still a chance? That’s good enough for him! Rhea leaves, he follows, and wants a handshake. Instead, she hits him low, scoops him, and slams him into the trash! Will Stone move on to someone as desperate as he is with his sales pitch? Will he at least change his clothes and clean himself up?

Finn Balor VS Cameron Grimes!

The Carolina Caveman came away with a win on The Prince thanks to the Archer of Infamy’s assist. But now he’ll have to face facts and see if he can actually get it done 1v1. Will Grimes go 2-0 or be hit with reality instead?

The bell rings and Grimes circles with Balor. Grimes backs up to a corner and Balor has to wait. They circle again and Grimes again backs off to a corner. Balor swipes at Grimes but Grimes tells him to get back. The ref has Balor back up and then tells Grimes to come out of the corner. Grimes and Balor tie up, Balor wrenches to a hammerlock but Grimes headlocks back. Balor puts Grimes in a corner and wants a leg but Grimes pushes him away. Grimes then CHOPS low and clubs Balor down. Grimes says he’s not afraid and he throws European Uppercuts. Balor ends up on the ropes, Grimes runs, but into a back elbow! Balor trips Grimes up then boots him while he’s down! Grimes flounders to a corner but puts Balor in the corner with shoulders. Grimes backs off and grimaces as Balor goes to another corner.

Grimes goes after Balor with his shoulder but the ref backs him off. Balor knees low then snapmares and Penalty Kicks! Cover, TWO! Balor keeps on Grimes with a chinlock and he cranks on the neck. Grimes complains that Balor is pulling his hair but he’s clearly not. Balor shifts position but Grimes fights his way up. Grimes pushes Balor back to the corner and lets up, to CHOP! But Balor just CHOPS back! Balor CHOPS Grimes again, then whips him corner to corner for another CHOP! And then back the other way, CHOP! Balor whips again, CHOPS again and Grimes falls to the mat! Balor kicks but Grimes catches it for a SLAM! Grimes KNEES Balor while he’s down then goes to a corner. He stomps Balor down then drags him up for a CHOP! Balor falls back and gasps for air but Grimes stands on Balor’s hand. The ref counts and Grimes lets off, still bragging.

Grimes whips, Balor reverses, Grimes sunset flips but Balor slips out to basement dropkick! The crowd rallies as Grimes bails out of the ring. Balor pursues and CHOPS him against the barriers! Balor brings Grimes up to CHOP again! And then throw him into more railing! The count passes 6 so Balor puts Grimes in. Grimes rebounds to LARIAT Balor down! Both men are on the mat as the crowd duels. Grimes clamps on with a chinlock and grinds Balor down. The crowd rallies up, Balor fights to his feet, but Grimes wrangles him back down. Grimes grabs an arm to add onto the hold, but Balor fights his way back up. Balor elbows free and throws forearms. Grimes whips HARD and Balor bounces off buckles! Grimes might make this 2-0 as NXT goes to break.

NXT returns and Grimes has Balor in a chinbar and armlock. The crowd rallies up as Balor endures. Balor fights up, fights back, but Grimes whips to kitchen sink knee! Balor is down and gasping for air as Grimes brags he’s one step ahead. “You honestly thought that Cameron Grimes would be scared of you? You lost your mind!” Grimes runs into BOOTS! Balor rallies with forearms, a takedown and DOUBLE STOMP! Grimes staggers to his feet, to get the SLINGBLADE! Balor takes aim from the corner, to shotgun dropkick! Grimes is in the drop zone and Balor goes up top. The crowd gets rowdy as Balor aims, for the COUP DE- NO! Grimes moves, Oklahoma Rolls Balor up, TWO!! SUPER FOREARM! Balor flounders into a ROUNDHOUSE! Grimes dead lifts Balor to a lift, but Balor spins around to get the facelock! Grimes cradle counters, TWO!

Grimes wings, into the dragon sleeper, elbow drop DDT! The crowd is loud again as Balor looms over Grimes. Balor drags Grimes up but Grimes reverses to a GUNN SLINGER SLAM! Cover, TWO!! Balor survives and Grimes is losing his mind! Grimes talks to himself that this is his chance. Grimes runs but Balor gets under the Cave-In! Dragon sleeper, BLOODY SUNDAY!! Cover, TWO!?! Grimes survives but Balor heads to the corner. “This is Awesome!” as Balor aims again. COUP DE GRACE HITS! But Balor isn’t done, he drags Grimes up again for the 1 9 1 6!! Cover, Balor wins!

Winner: Finn Balor, by pinfall

The series is 1-1 now, but Balor’s one is stronger than Grimes’. Will Grimes even want the tiebreaker after this one?

But wait! Balor speaks to the camera about his plans. “I’ve won a lot of titles. But the North American Championship? Never. Keith Lee, when you’re done playing house, come see me.” The Prince has just called out the Limitless One! Will Balor look to add to his legacy?

Kacy Catanzaro VS Dakota Kai w/ Raquel Gonzalez!

#CobraKai and the Daughter of the Desperado were on the losing side alongside Candice LeRae on Sunday, but things keep moving forward. With a NEW NXT Women’s Champion, can Dakota get back on track against the American Ninja Warrior?

The bell rings and KC steps to Dakota. Dakota pie faces KC away, but KC shoves back! Dakota powers KC to a corner but the ref counts. Dakota lets up at 4 to pie face KC again. KC slips out and pie faces Dakota back to then sweep the legs and slingshot senton! Dakota bails out, trips KC up and spins her around. KC avoids the boot to then huricanrana Dakota down! KC puts Dakota back in and handspring ax kicks her down! Cover, TWO! Dakota gets to a corner but KC is right on her, only to get a buckle shot! Dakota stomps KC down then brings her up for more stomps. Dakota goes side to side, for the BOOT! She dumps KC down, covers, TWO! KC survives and Dakota grows frustrated.

Dakota throws KC to a corner then taunts her. Dakota runs in, KC goes up and sunset flips, TWO! KC almost had Dakota but she gets back to a corner. Dakota runs in, KC dodges her, and fires forearms over and over! She fires off on Dakota with fury but the ref backs her off. KC comes back with an A-List Lariat! But she walks into the scorpion kick! Dakota fireman’s carries for the GTK, Go To Kick! Cover, Dakota wins!

Winner: Dakota Kai, by pinfall

The Captain wins and all without Raquel interfering! But she’s not done with KC as she stomps away on her! Dakota puts KCY in the corner then lets Raquel have a turn. But the other KC, Kayden Carter, runs out to trip Dakota up! Raquel notices Kayden and chases her around the ring. Kayden BOOTS Dakota then spins around to use Dakota to tornado off Raquel. Raquel stops the DDT and grabs Kayden for the fisherman POWERBOMB! Dakota seethes but standing tall with Raquel does make her feel better. Will Dakota take the title from Shirai? Will Raquel make sure no one gets in her way?

NXT hears from Timothy Thatcher.

He addresses some prospects in the ring. He congratulates them on attending “orientation” for #ThatchAsThatchCan Wrestling School. This is his style of wrestling. Grab the liability waivers, have your lawyers look it over, and bring them back signed and notarized. But leave the tears at home. This training is not for the faint at heart. It will be brutal, barbaric and begin next week. Who will survive and graduate Thatcher’s school of hard locks?

El Hijo del Fantasma heads to the ring!

The second generation lucha libre icon is the NEW NXT Cruiserweight Champion after he won the round robin tournament finals! Drake Maverick gave him quite the fight, but the gold masked luchadors did play a factor. Fantasma takes up the mic and starts to speak, but Maverick interrupts! Maverick applauds Fantasma while heading down to the ring. Maverick grabs a mic of his own and says that he finally wants to congratulate Fantasma. Fantasma is a phenomenal competitor, and their match last week was incredible. Thank you for that match. And Maverick can’t help but hear people talk about his situation. Everyone should’ve been talking about Fantasma’s journey. The fact he made his WWE debut in this tournament, and then went all the way to win the title, Fantasma deserves it. The crowd agrees as they chant, “You Deserve It!”

Maverick says he’s had a lot on his mind, and can’t help but think what would happen if he had a clear head. So now that Maverick is a full-time, contracted member of NXT, he wanted to come out here, man to man, and say that he knows he can beat Fantasma. If Fantasma will accept a rematch, that is. Fantasma says if that’s what Maverick wants, he’ll get it. But before they can shake on it, the golden luchadors show up again! They flank the ring, but Fantasma turns around to stare at Maverick?! Maverick feels it, and turns around into a HEADBUTT! The luchadors mug Maverick 3v1! Fantasma has the luchadors back off, and reveal themselves. It’s RAUL MENDOZA AND JOAQUIN WILDE?! They weren’t kidnapped at all, but were cohorts in Fantasma’s long game! And Fantasma drags Maverick up for a PHANTOM DRIVER!

Mendoza and Wilde climb up on either side, and Fantasma takes off his own mask! “I am Santos Escobar! I am the NXT Cruiserweight Champion. And no one can touch me.” Wilde and Mendoza DOUBLE FROG SPLASH Maverick!! Fantasma sheds his persona to become his true self, and has shown his true colors! Will he, Mendoza and Wilde stand atop the Cruiserweight Division with iron fists?

The Undisputed Era finishes preparations backstage.

Adam Cole says, “Time to set an example.” Dexter Lumis is a freak, but this will be a message to anyone that wants to get in the Era’s way. Wait, Strong finds a piece of paper. It has a drawing on it! Lumis was here! He signed the paper! It’s a drawing of the Era down and out, all beat up and bloody! It’s a warning! Cole and Fish say it’s just a doodle. But the last time Lumis drew something, he put Strong and Fish in the trunk! Cole tells Strong to just calm down and breathe. Because right now, Cole is going to go out there and beat the crap out of Lumis. Fish says it’s what they do every time. Don’t forget they are the Undisputed Era. Strong puts the paper down, but then he sees Lumis staring at him through a door window! Lumis looks to paint a masterpiece of pain and torment, will he do it using Cole’s blood, sweat and tears?

NXT has a HUGE announcement for next week!

With Backlash holding a WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Triple Threat, the titles could be going to either Bliss-Cross, The IIconics, or staying with Sasha Banks & Bayley. But either way, the winners of that match will have little time to rest! NXT puts up Tegan Nox & Shotzi Blackheart as contenders to the tag titles! Who will the Shiniest Wizard & Wild Child “welcome back” to Full Sail next Wednesday?

Adam Cole w/ The Undisputed Era VS Dexter Lumis!

The longest reigning NXT Champion ever crossed off The Velveteen Dream from his list of contenders for good! But now, he might be the one crossed out if he isn’t careful. Will Lumis stare into Cole’s soul and expose that it is anything but Undisputed?

The bell rings and the crowd is loud for Lumis. Lumis stares at Cole and Cole rushes him. They tie up, Lumis powers Cole back to the corner, but lets up. Cole pie faces the “freak,” then dodges the counter attack to stomp and forearm away. Cole stomps the legs, backs off, but comes back to get tossed! Lumis fires off body shots of his own! Lumis stalks Cole along the ropes and whips him across the way to elbow him down! Cole bails out fast and regroups with Fish and Strong. Lumis pursues but Cole gets around the way. Cole goes back into the ring and Lumis follows, so Cole stomps him down. Cole warps on a chinlock but Lumis doesn’t even seem bothered. Lumis powers up and lifts Cole for a TOSS! Cole flounders onto ropes and Lumis runs to slide, slither and UPPERCUT!

Lumis just stares as Cole crawls away. Lumis slithers back in, blocks the boot, and DECKS Cole with a right! Cole gets to the apron but Lumis pursues. Lumis brings Cole up but Cole BOOTS back! Lumis falls and Strong taunts him from way far away. Cole catches his breath in the ring while NXT goes to break.

NXT returns and Cole grind Lumis down with a chinlock. The crowd rallies and Lumis fights his way up. Lumis punches free but swings into a BACKSTABBER! Cole covers, TWO! Cole argues with the ref about the count, but he goes back to Lumis to rain down right hands. He walks off in a huff but only the Era cheers. Lumis sits up and stares at Cole but Cole pie faces him. “You’re nothing more than a freak! You’re a weirdo!” Lumis just smiles?! Cole throws forearms on Lumis to try and wipe that smile away, then he hits a neckbreaker! Lumis sits up while the Era talks trash again. Cole drags Lumis to the ropes to choke him! The ref counts, Cole stops to stomp, then backs off at the ref’s count of 4.

Cole drags Lumis up for another neckbreaker! Fish says to finish it off but Lumis sits up again. Cole says Lumis is not in the same league, but Lumis just stares wide eyed. He smiles as Cole keeps punching him! Lumis eggs Cole on, then gets up to give haymakers back! Lumis rallies and uppercuts! Cole flounders, Lumis runs in to corner clothesline and bulldog! The crowd fires up and Lumis drags Cole up. Lumis suplexes, rebounds and finishes the suplex! Cover, TWO!! Cole survives but Lumis keeps on him. Lumis fireman’s carries but Cole fights out. Cole goes to superkick but is caught and turned around for a GERMAN SUPLEX! Cover, TWO!! Lumis is still ice cold as he brings Cole back up. Cole breaks free to mule kick the legs out! He brings the knee pad down and runs, but Lumis catches Cole!

Cole fights off the Anaconda Vice and SUPERKICKS Lumis down! Cover, TWO!! Cole can’t believe it but Lumis lives! The crowd rallies behind Lumis but Cole brings him up. Cole takes aim, runs, but the Last Shot misses! Lumis SPINE BUSTERS Cole down, then rains down rights of his own! Lumis lets up and tightens his gloves. He heads after Cole but Cole sends him out of the ring. Cole tells Fish and Strong to go after Lumis, but he’s disappeared again! Lumis reappears around the other side, having slithered underneath the ring! Cole turns around into another SPINE BUSTER! And then a cover, TWO!! Lumis grows mildly frustrated but the crowd is fired up as ever. Lumis drags Cole to a drop zone and climbs up top. Fish and Strong shout for Cole to get up, but Lumis SWANTONS onto knees!

Cole hurries to the corner, hops up top, and leaps, but into the arm triangle!! Lumis can’t bring Cole down, Cole tries to use the corner, but that only helps Lumis with a swinging takedown! Fish distracts the ref on the apron and Cole gets to his feet, Strong enziguris Lumis off the hold! LAST SHOT!! Cover, Cole wins!!

Winner: Adam Cole, by pinfall

The longest reigning NXT Champion shuts out another contender thanks to his best friends. They start to leave, but Cole wants to add insult to injury. He tells Lumis he will never be champion, and that he is a joke. But LUmis revives and gets the vice! Strong and Fish go after Lumis but Dream appears! Dream throws Strong into steel steps and ROCKS Fish! Dream throws Fish into Plexiglas! Lumis stalks Strong and Strong runs away! Cole flounders and grabs his title belt, but he finds he’s all alone. Cole smiles, because he is still champion.

But wait! The lights drop and… Scarlett appears! The heartthrob harbinger of doom walks to the ring as the crowd chant, “Fall and Pray!” Cole looks around for Kross but doesn’t see him anyway. Scarlett presents Cole with an hourglass, and turns it for him. Ticktock, Cole’s reign is on the clock. Is it only a matter of when, not if, it will finally end?

My Thoughts:

A great episode to follow TakeOver: In Your House! For one, I am very excited to hear next week is tag team championship night. Breezango had a good promo to finally give us motivation behind their serious in-ring style. This is a story that was surely meant to be set up by that match with the Singh Brothers months ago before all the pandemic panic, and they’re getting to give us that now against the perfect foils in Imperium. Then, off the heels of WWE Backstage talking about the Women’s Tag Division needing to be taken seriously, we’re getting a Women’s Tag Title match! Given Shotzi & Tegan are Faces, this is even more reason to say Bayley & Banks are retaining at Backlash. They’ll finally give us the promise of coming back to NXT to defend the titles, and it’ll be a great match.

Indus Sher had a great return to action, and it seems jobbers can go anywhere they like. Mike Reed was getting squashed for AEW Dark, now he got squashed for NXT live. Thatcher is apparently moving into a leadership role, giving us his version of Drew Gulak’s Catchpoint in Evolve wrestling. That might be an interesting angle for him going forward. #Yimitless VS #TJGW was great, especially the co-ed spots like Keith Lee squishing Candice! The Garganos win to apparently leave Keith and Mia behind for the moment. Keith teases wanting the top title but he’s got Finn Balor aiming for him and that is a twist I didn’t see coming. But that will be a great match one way or another, just like Balor VS Grimes was tonight. Grimes was hilarious throughout the night but obviously he was going to lose the rematch. He can bide his time and maybe come back around should Balor become champion.

Dakota wins and wants after the title, but it looks like she and Raquel will have a small program with Kacy and Kayden at the same time. I don’t see KC and KC winning but they’ll have a good showing. Rhea dumping Robert Stone in the trash was great. I’m pretty sure this means Stone has no choice but to go with Aliyah the next time she comes around. Fantasma turning tonight was executed perfectly, but the real twist was that Mendoza and Wilde were in on it from the beginning. Fantasma dropping his mask and becoming Escobar was also a great move, as it gives the impression that the Fantasma persona is still the Face but Escobar is the Heel.

Then we get a lot of great little moments between Lumis and the Undisputed Era. Cole VS Lumis was great and it makes a lot of sense for Dream to show up and help him out. I did not expect Kross to come after Cole, but with as big as they’ve already made Kross, where else was he going to go? I suppose this makes Kross the Face since Cole is still strongly Heel. No offense to Kross, but I hope he doesn’t become champion right away. It should be a trilogy of matches at least, like Cole and Gargano had. Maybe Dream and Lumis become Kross’ allies in a roundabout way to counteract Fish, Strong and eventually O’Reilly being around Cole. That’s quite the eccentric trio but I feel like that’s why it’d work, even for just a Six Man Tag match.

My Score: 9/10

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

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Mitchell’s WWE SmackDown Results & Report! (4/26/24)

It’s Draft Day!

Published

17 hours ago

April 26, 2024

Steven Mitchell

And with the first overall pick of the 2024 WWE Draft, SmackDown selects…

The WWE Draft returns for 2024, the first four rounds being right here on Friday Night SmackDown! With champions protected, who ends up where to challenge them?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee w/ Zelina Vega & Carlito VS Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo; Rey & Dragon win.
Bron Breakker VS Cedric Alexander; Bron wins.
WWE Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s Match: Naomi VS Tiffany Stratton; No Contest.
Cody Rhodes VS Carmelo Hayes; Cody wins.

PLAY BY PLAY

Backstage interview with Paul Heyman.

Kayla Braxton is with the Wise Man and says that here on night one of the Draft, there are already rumors circulating, including those about The Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns. Heyman will clarify these are not rumors regarding The Tribal Chief, Roman… Reigns. These are facts! Ladies and gentlemen, Your Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns, has voluntarily withdrawn from eligibility for this year’s Draft. That is not a negative but a positive. Who built SmackDown since the Pandemic? Roman Reigns. Who is the biggest star in the entire industry? Roman Reigns. Why would Roman Reigns hog the number one draft pick spotlight when he won’t be returning in the immediate future?

Read into his words, Kayla, that is not what a real Tribal Chief would do. Instead now, the pressure is on Nick Aldis. Because if Roman Reigns isn’t the first draft pick, then who is? The first two picks make history in a brand new era. And Heyman doesn’t know about you, but he is intrigued. No Tribal Chief up for grabs, who gets their opportunity to shine in the spotlight?

SmackDown throws it to the NXT Performance Center.

Jackie Redmond says the emotion down here is palpable! There is excitement, hope, and a little bit of nerves. But for these NXT Superstars, tonight is the culmination of a lifetime of hard work, dedication, a little bit of luck and a whole lot of self-belief. It was just last year that the NEW WWE Tag Team Champion, Grayson Waller, was hoping his name would be called. And it is funny this is NXT, but time to buy a vowel, throw in an E! Who is next? We find out tonight! The draft pool is deep, who rises to the top of the list?

Corey Graves is in the ring.

Corey welcomes Cincinnati and all of us at home to night one of the 2024 WWE Draft. Understandably, the GMs have their hands full, so Corey will be moderating the contract signing for the WWE Championship match that takes place next Saturday for Backlash: France. Without further ado, it’s the #1 contender, The Phenomenal AJ Styles! Styles makes his entrance, taking a seat at the table on camera right. And now, the Undisputed WWE Champion, the American Nightmare, Cody Rhodes! Cincy fires up and sings along, “WHOA~ OH~!” as Cody makes his entrance and gets his pyro before joining everyone in the ring.

Styles looks over the contract, absolutely tuning out the fans going wild for “CODY! CODY!” Styles then gets the mic to say before he signs, he doesn’t know if we realize that we’ve got two Georgia boys about to mix it up for the first time, and for the biggest prize in the game. Styles understands why they boo, but they gotta know that he doesn’t respect LA Knight, LA Knight got under his skin. He accepts that. But that’s why Styles lost at Mania. But what happened? Styles got his composure back and realized that he is Phenomenal. Styles BEAT Knight to earn the right to face Cody Rhodes at Backlash.

Now unlike Knight, Styles does respect Cody. They hadn’t crossed paths yet, but they’ve been down the same roads. They had to prove themselves outside of the WWE. And Styles is willing to believe that the same man who gave him advice a long time ago gave Cody the same advice, on how to stand on their own two feet and be the men they are today. That man was The American Dream, Dusty Rhodes. The fans cheer for “DUSTY! DUSTY!” Styles learned a lot from Dusty. Styles gets a little emotional thinking about Dusty, he was a good man. Dusty taught Styles how to carry himself, and to carry the weight of a championship.

And Styles looks at this WWE Championship here. The weight of this isn’t just the leather and gold. And at Backlash, we see if Cody can carry it. Styles goes back to his table, signs the contract, and then hands it off to Corey. Corey brings that to Cody, and Cody picks up his mic. “So… Cincinnati…! Whadda we wanna talk about? Certainly, we can talk about respect. There is not a locker room on Earth that you’ll find where everyone in it, every single person, they all respect AJ Styles. Last week, I went on to say you are the modern day Excellence of Execution. I respect the roads that you have traveled down to get here, the parallel paths that perhaps you and I have.

“Mutual respect, much respect. But that respect goes by the wayside at Backlash. I can feel it in your words to a degree. You’ve been here before. And it seems you’re implying that I cannot carry the weight of that championship. Well, good thing the man who trained me not far from where I sit now used to tell me all the time, it’s not about winning the title, it’s about keeping it.” The fans cheer that. Cody says boy does he respect Styles’ familiarity with Cody’s last name. But when you put C O D Y in front of it on this paper, that means they’ve never touched before. That means Backlash is a level playing field.

That means no matter how Phenomenal Styles is, this isn’t a dream match for Cody. It’s a must-win! Cody signs while the fans cheer, and it is official! Cody even throws the pen to the crowd as a free souvenir. Cody then offers a handshake, and Styles says y’know what? It was a beautiful thing to see Cody #FInishTheStory and win the title. But it’s a shame that Cody’s title reign will end at Backlash. Styles still shakes Cody’s hand, and then walks away. Cody picks up the belt and holds it high, will he get to hold it high again in Lyon, France?

Triple H is here!

Just as Cody was on his way to the back, The Game makes his way out here! HHH raises Cody’s hand, then invites him over to the podium. HHH welcomes us to the first round of the 2024 WWE Draft. It is a night that changes the landscape of the WWE going into the future, and things are a bit different this year. As the GMs ponder their next steps, they have to understand it is about protecting the roster they have as it is making the roster they want. Meaning that when they use their picks, they have just as much of a chance gaining a superstar as they do losing one they already have.

HHH just felt that since champs are protected and Cody will be staying here on SmackDown, maybe Cody could help read the SmackDown picks and HHH can read the Raw picks. And since SmackDown goes first, Cody reads first. Cody takes the card to say that with the first pick of the 2024 WWE Draft, SmackDown selects… The E S T, Bianca Belair! The stongEST, fastEST, roughEST, toughEST stays on Friday nights! HHH reads that for the second pick of the 2024 WWE Draft, Raw selects… YEET! JEY USO! Monday nights will still have Main Event Jey Uso! And the fans “YEET!” Cody says for the third pick, SmackDown selects… NXT’s Carmelo Hayes!

The fans fire up as SmackDown manages to snag… HIM! The former NXT Champion makes history again by being the first NXT superstar to be chosen this high in the Draft! HHH says that’s a hell of a pick. But then the fourth and final pick of this first round, Raw selects… SETH! FREAKIN’! ROLLINS! It is still going to be Monday Night Rollins as the Visionary stays on the red brand! Cody and HHH shake hands, and then Melo makes his way out! Melo has the mic to say when they talk about who’s next up, about who’s the hottest out, they don’t call them “the hottest out,” they just call him “Carmelo Hayes.”

The fans chant “WHOOP DAT TRICK!” to remind Melo how he’s leaving NXT. Melo says okay, okay. But then to Cody Rhodes, ever since Cody won the title, he’s been talking about “If you aim for the king, you best not miss.” Well, funny how that works. Because when Melo shoots, Melo don’t miss. And as a first round draft pick, what better way to shoot his shot on SmackDown than to shoot it right at Cody? Melo leaves the mic with Cody but Cody picks it up to say, “Fortune certainly favors the bold, but I dunno. You folks don’t wanna see me in action tonight, do ya?” The fans go wild! Oh, but what if Cody forgot his gear?

Oh that’s right! He didn’t forget his gear! And this title right here, for Cody, means absolutely 100%, Melo’s on! They shake on it, and we’re about to see a huge first-time-ever showdown! But will this bold first move work out for… HIM?

Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee w/ Zelina Vega & Carlito VS Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo!

The LWO is still not convinced Legado Del Fantasma had nothing to do with the beating that took the Boy Wonder out ahead of WrestleMania. Will the King of Lucha help get to the bottom of things? Or will Angel & “Berto” make it as easy as ABC, 1-2-3?

The teams sort out, Dragon runs up on Humberto but Humberto LARIATS him down! Humberto drags Dragon up, tears the shirt away and CHOPS! Humberto whips, Dragon ducks ‘n’ dodges to RANA! Humberto tumbles out, Dragon builds speed and FLIES! Direct hit and down goes Humberto! The fans fire up as Dragon pushes Humberto into the ring, goes up a corner, and then CROSSBODIES! Cover, TWO! Dragon facelocks to drag Humberto up, but Humberto wrenches out to CLUB Dragon down. Humberto waistlocks but Dragon throws elbows. Angel tags in as Humberto shoves Dragon. Dragon ducks but Angel holds ropes open, and Dragon tumbles to the floor!

The fans boo and LWO hurries to check on Dragon! Angel & Humberto just soak up the heat as SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns and both Dragon and Humberto are down! They crawl, hot tags to Angel and Rey! The fans fire up as Rey ducks ‘n’ dodges and tilt-o-whirl RANAS! Angel ends up in a corner, he puts Rey on the apron, but Rey ROCKS Angel! Rey goes up to SEATED SENTON! Rey keeps moving, wrenches and kicks, then hops on! CODE RED! Cover, Humberto breaks it! The fans boo but Humberto hauls Rey up. Rey fights and RANAS Humberto up and out! But Angelo kicks, scoops, but Rey slips free! Angelo kicks low, reels REy in, and underhooks, but Rey fights those to RANA Angel onto ropes! Rey dials it up to 619!

Tag to Dragon and he takes aim! Angel stands, into the tilt-o-whirl, PROJECT DRAGON!! Cover, LWO wins!

Winners: Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee, by pinfall

Carlito and Zelina hug it out with the team, but then Santos Escobar & Elektra Lopez walk out here. Santos says whoa, whoa, whoa, hold that celebration. Because Santos is many things, but a liar is not one of them. And when Santos said he did NOT attack Dragon that night before Mania, he meant it. Elektra has been working for weeks to track down the security footage from that night. And Rey… Oh, Rey. What you’re about to see, you will find very, very interesting. The footage plays, and it was CARLITO!! Carlito throw Dragon around backstage! No one can believe it, because of how well Carlito fooled even Dragno.

Speaking of, Carlito RAMS Dragon into Rey, then hits a BACKSTABBER! Never has that move’s name been more fitting! Carlito runs away in a panic, and Rey stands back up in a rage! Santos says he told Rey that he was right all along. They were supposed to be family, and yet look how that turned out. How will the LWO recover from this shocking development?

Bron Breakker VS Cedric Alexander!

The Big Bad Booty Nephew has been making a case for himself ever since showing up on SmackDown, and he’s already bringing the straps down! Is he going to break PRIMED Alexander while also breaking match time records? Or will Cedric prove he’s too fly for Bron?

The bell rings and Cedric dodges Bron to CHOP and ROCK! Cedric whips, Bron reverses and Cedric handsprings, into a SPEAR!! Cover, Bron wins!

Winner: Bron Breakker, by pinfall

Well, hard to say if that’s an all-time fast match, but that was a fast match! QR Code stuff going on, but will we all see Bron take the world by storm?

Nick Aldis heads out.

And waiting is Tiffany Stratton. She asks if he saw what she did last week. Wait, of course he did. Because she is the Center of the Universe. She dropped Naomi and Bayley, where is her title match? Aldis tells Tiff to look at his watch. It is NOT set to #TiffyTime. And he was this close to sending her to the back of the line. But then someone convinced him otherwise, good for her. Tonight, she goes 1v1 with Naomi again, and the winner faces Bayley for the title at Backlash. Whose stupid idea was that?! Bayley says DING DONG, it was hers. It is a win-win situation here. If Naomi wins, she gets the match she got cheated out of.

And if Tiff wins, then she’ll find out when she attacks the Role Model. Tiff gasps as she has a #TiffanyEpiphany. Bayley should be ringside for that match so she can see Tiff do what Bayley couldn’t, and that’s beat Naomi. Tootles. Tiff leaves, but will the only thing she gets is to #FeelTheGlow?

Michelle McCool and Torrie Wilson are here!

One is a former WWE Women’s Champion, the other is a WWE Hall of Famer, but they’re both here to present Draft picks! Michelle says with the first pick of the second round, SmackDown selects… The Viper, Randy Orton! SmackDown will still have to watch out for an RKO outta nowhere! Torrie says that with the second pick of the second round, Raw selects… BRON BREAKKER! We just saw Bron make quick work of opponents here on SmackDown, but now he’s gonna be rampaging on Raw!

Michelle says that with the third pick of the second round, SmackDown selects… NIA JAX! The Irresistible Force may have to change targets from the Women’s World to the Undisputed Women’s title, but will she be unstoppable all the same? And with the fourth and final pick of this round, Raw selects… LIV MORGAN! The Revenge Tour will still be part of Monday nights, will we watch Liv rise to the top?

The Bloodline arrives backstage.

Paul Heyman is there to greet them and open the door to the SUV. He apologizes for not being faster about that, but Solo Sikoa asks The Bloodline if they’ve been drafted. Not yet. Then give Solo the details. Okay, well, Roman Reigns withdrew right before the show began, and then Solo keeps adding members, so no one really knows what they’re getting if they draft The Bloodline! Solo sighs, and here comes Tama Tonga. Heyman asks they be patient but Solo wants Heyman to repeat that for him. Heyman gets scared, but then KEVIN OWENS jumps in! Kevin fires off on Tama, security and refs rush in to stop it!

The Prizefighter wants Solo’s “MFT” to bring the fight like he did last week! Security still drags Kevin away, but will he get that fight he wants?

Kayla Braxton is on stage.

SmackDown returns and Kayla welcomes us back to the show. And please welcome out the first overall pick, Bianca Belair! The fans fire up as The EST walks out on stage, and Kayla congratulates her on being the first overall pick. But let’s talk Backlash. Breaking news, Bianca and Jade Cargill are going to challenge for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships, against the Kabuki Warriors. How satisfying would it be to dethrone them on the stage of this magnitude? Bianca says so satisfying. She really hopes Jade gets drafted to SmackDown because given all this history with Damage CTRL, all the partners by her side, Bianca has never been the one to finally end it with them.

For everything they’ve done to her and this division, Bianca feels Jade is the perfect woman to help her end this. Now, DMG CTRL is falling apart piece by piece, and that final piece is the tag titles. So once Bianca & Jade take the gold at Backlash, the Kabuki Warriors won’t even have a reason to come back to SmackDown. But wait, they’re here now! Asuka & Kairi walk out here and Kayla moves aside. The Empress of Tomorrow and the Pirate Princess taunt the EST, but here comes The Storm! Jade makes her way to stand right by Bianca’s side. The four shout and argue, but this will be settled on May 4th!

WHOA! Tama and Kevin are brawling their way out here! The ladies move aside so the gentlemen can brawl all the way down to ringside! Tama hits low, gets in the ring, but Kevin pursues! Kevin TACKLES Tama, but Solo CLOBBERS Kevin! The fans boo as The Bloodline beats Kevin down! The refs hurry out here but clearly Solo’s Bloodline won’t listen! Tama DECKS producers, DECKS guards, HEADBUTTS them, throws hands and even THROWS the guards! Tama and Solo beat Kevin down again, but here comes Randy Orton! The Viper is still on SmackDown and he’s still pals with Kevin, so here he comes!

Orton DECKS Tama, fires hands on Solo, then RK- NO, Solo gets free and gets away! Orton wants to pursue, almost runs Jamie Noble and refs over to do it, but the Bloodline has gotten away! The fans cheer Randy on, and KAevin even hugs him! But then Kevin and Randy try to give chase! Security stops this, when and where will we see #RKKO strike down Solo and Tama?

The Dudley Boyz are here!

The fans fire up as Bubba Ray & D-Von are both here for the next round of picks! Cincy chants for “E C DUB! E C DUB!” Bubba and D-Von look at the cards, it’s hard to read. So out come the glasses! Bubba says with the first pick of the third round of the 2024 WWE Draft, SmackDown selects… L A KNIGHT! YEAH!! The Mega Star stays on Fridays! D-Von says with the second pick of the third round, Raw selects… RICOCHET! Mondays still has the One and Only, is Ricochet going to bring that WWE Speed Championship home to Raw, too?

Bubba says with the third pick of the third round, SmackDown selects… THE BLOODLINE! That means Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga and Paul Heyman are staying right here on Friday nights. And D-Von says with the final pick of this round, Raw selects… SHEAMUS! The Celtic Warrior just got back, but he won’t have to worry about going anywhere else but Monday nights.

WWE Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s Match: Naomi VS Tiffany Stratton!

It’s time to run it back once again! The Glow got robbed by the Spoiled Rich Girl, but supposedly, it’s #TiffyTime. Will Naomi prove there’s no such time on the clock? Or will Bayley be the one feeling the Backlash over giving Tiffany one more chance?

The bell rings and Naomi hits a THESZ PRESS! Naomi rains down fists, Tiffy shoves her away and goes to ropes, but Naomi gets up in Tiff’s face. Naomi whips, Tiff holds ropes to bail out and fans boo. Naomi scowls, runs in and WRECKS Tiff with a dropkick! Naomi then gets Tiff up, SMACKS her off the apron, and then SMACKS her off it again! And again! Naomi puts Tiff in, goes up a corner, but Tiff gets under the jump! Naomi runs back up but Tiff YANKS her into ropes! Tiff runs to HIP ATTACK! Naomi sputters, Tiff scowls and drags Naomi up, to then put through ropes. But Naomi RAMS into Tiff!

Naomi reels Tiff in, for a HEATSEEKER! Tiff flops to the floor, and then Naomi SPLIT LEG DROPS! Naomi says it’s #NaomiTime, but SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns and Naomi runs, but into a SPINEBUSTER! High stack, TWO! Naomi survives and Tiff is frustrated but the fans rally up. Tiff drags Naomi up, whips her to a corner, but Naomi goes up and sunset flips! TWO! Tiff escapes, knees Naomi low, then whips. Naomi slides under the lariat to then mule kick! Then she headscissor SPIKES Tiff down! Cover, TWO! Tiff survives but barely, and Naomi keeps her cool. Naomi headlocks, but Tiff shoves her into buckles! Tiff runs, but Naomi follows, DOUBLE RUNNING FACEBUSTERS take them both down! The fans fire up as the two rise!

Naomi KICKS, ROCKS and ROCKS Tiff again! Naomi fires shots again and again but Tiff knees low! Tiff reels Naomi in, but Naomi wrenches out to ENZIGIRI! And then BUCKLE BULLDOG! But then NIA JAX attacks Bayley!? Nia SMACKS Bayley off buckles, rains down fists, and this momentarily distracts Naomi. Naomi refocuses, but by now, Tiff’s slipped away! Nia KICKS Bayley in the side, so Naomi goes out to ROCK her! Nia POSTS Naomi and that throws the match out!

No Contest

The fans boo as Nia ruins the fun, then runs Bayley over! Nia smiles as she blows kisses to Cincy. Tiff smiles, she drags Naomi up and puts her in the ring. Then she drags Bayley in! Tiff wants a repeat of last week as she puts them side by side in the drop zone! Tiff then goes up and up for the PRETTIEST MOONSAULT EVER!! Tiff says it’s her time, but the #1 contendership is still in question. Who gets their shot at the Role Model at Backlash?

B-Fab and the Street Profits meet up backstage.

Angelo Dawkins has a “WHO-DEY” sign, but Montez Ford is wondering where Bobby Lashley is right now. B-Fab says calm down, he’ll be here. Byron Saxton walks over and apologizes for interrupting. He doesn’t know what the Draft destination for this group will be until Monday Night Raw, but we do know that The Profits will challenge A-Town Down Under for the WWE Tag Team Championships. YESSIIIIIIR~! B-Fab says it doesn’t matter where they get drafted. The Profits are going to take down A-Town Down Under and take those titles. Then they’ll have their first class tickets right back to SmackDown.

SmackDown? Did someone say SmackDown~? In walk Austin Theory & Grayson Waller, showing off the titles. And Theory says you can’t have SmackDown without the GREATEST undefeated tag team of all time. And sorry, Dawkins, but these are championships, something the Bengals know nothing about! B-Fab keeps Dawkins back, but then in steps Bobby Lashley! The All Mighty scares Theory & Waller right off, and Dawkins says see y’all next Friday! Will there be nothing keeping these Profits down the night before Backlash?

The Final Testament speaks.

Karrion Kross says good evening. What’s going on here? You guessed it! More random acts of violence! Just follow him. Kross & Scarlett lead the way to show The Authors of Pain beating down New Catch Republic! Rezar beats down Pete Dunne while Akam victimizes Tyler Bate! Paul Ellering says they will know about sacrifice! Kross says whether they get drafted to Raw or stay on SmackDown, the violence will continue until they get what they want! So sayeth The Final Testament!!

Teddy Long and JBL are here!

The Hall of Famer General Manager and the Hall of Famer WWE Champion are both here, ready to give us the fourth and final round of picks tonight! Teddy gets right to it! The first pick of the fourth round, SmackDown selects… AJ STYLES! The Phenomenal One is really an obvious choice, because one way or another, the WWE Championship stays with SmackDown! JBL says the second pick of the fourth round, Raw selects… THE ALPHA ACADEMY! Raw keeps Chad Gable, Otis, Maxxine Dupri & Akira Tozawa, A THANK YEW~!

Teddy says with the third pick of this round, SmackDown selects… ANDRADE! A big move as now El Idolo will be part of Friday nights. And with the final pick of this fourth round, Raw selects… NXT’S Kiana James! The Calculator, the former NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion, has the Raw hat to put on, and after a quick hype package, Jackie Redmond is there to interview her. Kiana, congratulations! You are heading to Monday Night Raw! How much does this mean to her? This means the world to her. She is filled with gratitude, but also knows every decision she has made up to this point has been by design to get her here.

Kiana is so proud of her time in NXT, but she’s ready to show Raw why she is the One Percent. Was she surprised? Of course she was! HBK is here to wish her luck and congratulations. Is Kiana going to start the hostile takeover of the Raw Women’s Division?

Backstage interview with Nick Aldis.

Kayla is with the SmackDown GM and says that with night one in the books, how does he feel about SmackDown’s selections? He feels really good about them. SmackDown’s future is bright, he can’t wait for the new recruits to show up and show out for the blue brand. But he also wants to turn attentions to Backlash, because he’s got some new matches to announce! The first PLE in France, this is exciting stuff, Kayla. Aldis says that the WWE Women’s Championship will now be on the line in a Triple Threat! Bayley VS Naomi VS Tiffany Stratton! Will the odds make it that much harder for the Role Model to succeed?

There’s one more match to announce, but Aldis will let the GM GOAT take it from here. Teddy Long steps in, and don’t forget. We’ll talk about this tag team match. The Bloodline VS Kevin Owens & Randy Orton! Holla, players. Solo & Tama will have to face The Viper and the Prizefighter, will #RKKO strike fast and strike hard?

Cody Rhodes VS Carmelo Hayes!

The American Nightmare just put pen to paper for his match with the Phenomenal One, but he isn’t one to shy away from a challenge. The former NXT Champion is shooting his shot, but will this be nothing but net? Or will it be a frustrating airball?

The bell rings and the two circle. They tie up, the fans rally for Cody as he puts Melo in a corner then arm-drags him away. Melo runs up, Cody headlocks, Melo powers out then drops. Melo hurdles, but Cody kicks low to RHODES UPPERCUT! Melo staggers to ropes, the fans fire up, but then melo throat chops and springboard FLYING LARIATS! Melo says that’s why he’s a first round pick! But then Cody CLOBBERS him! Cody asks if Melo’s ready for this, and SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns once again and Cody has a headlock. Cody hits a takeover, Melo flails and kicks around, but Cody grinds him down. Melo pushes with his forearm, then headscissors, but Cody kips free. Melo CHOPS, the fans “WOO~!” but Cody brushes himself off. Melo pie faces Cody! Cody fires forearms on Melo, then whips, but Melo reverses. Melo ELBOWS Cody, then runs up to KICK him in the side! Melo fires forearms and CHOPS in a corner, then throws body shots. Melo digs his boot in, the ref counts, and Cody goes to another corner. Cody eggs Melo on, Melo storms up, but Cody puts him in the corner to CHOP!

Cody swings, Melo dodges and CHOPS! Cody turns things around to CHOP! The fans rally, Cody whips corner to corner, then he back drops Melo away! Melo staggers up, Cody runs, and he rallies on Melo with forearms! Cody goes up and over in a corner but Melo tilt-o-whirls, LA MYSTICA! Melo springboards, FADE AWAY! Cover, TWO! Cody survives that flying DDT, but we see the NXT roster all fired up watching Melo take it to the champ. Melo sits Cody up, drags him into a facelock, but the fans rally for Cody. Cody fireman’s carries but Melo slips free to dragon sleeper! Melo grins, but Cody cradles! TWO!!

Melo swings, Cody boots, then Cody springboards to BEAUTIFUL DISASTER! Melo flips inside-out, Cody covers, TWO! Melo is still in this and he snarls up at Cody. Melo gives a forearm, Cody gives it back, and the fans rally up. Cody scoops Melo, storms around, and then hits a RUNNING POWERSLAM! Cover, TWO! Melo survives and Cody grows frustrated. Cody pounds the mat, the fans rally up, and then Cody goes to ropes. Cody springboards again, CODY CUTTER! Cover, TWO!! Melo survives yet again, proving why he’s a former NXT Champion, on top of NXT North American Champion! But then Cody drags him up!

Cody back suplexes, Melo lands out of it, then FIRST 48! Doe goes Cody and Melo goes up! Melo is setting up for the game winner! NOTHING BUT- NO, Cody avoids the flying leg drop! Melo rolls through, Cody dodges to SUPERKICK! Cody brings Melo around, but Melo gets free! They both run, both springboard, but completely miss each other, and Cody takes a rough landing! Melo drags Cody up, reels him in, but Cody wrenches out to dragon sleeper! CROSS RHODES!! Cody shakes out the bad arm but still makes the cover, and Cody wins!

Winner: Cody Rhodes, by pinfall

Melo took his shot but it was blocked! Even so, Cody sits Melo up to show him respect and tell him he’s still the future. But did this match end up more of a trap game for Cody after that crash landing? Or will he be alright in time for Backlash and his phenomenal opponent?

Speaking of, Styles sneaks right into the ring! Cody sees him in time and Styles stays back. Cody and Styles stare down, but Styles says it was that close. Styles offers a handshake, and Cody takes it. There’s still respect here, for now. But will nothing stop Styles from turning Cody’s story into a tragedy after all?

My Thoughts:

A great SmackDown to open the WWE Draft but to also set up Backlash. To recap, SmackDown took Bianca, Melo, Orton, Nia, LA Knight, The Bloodline, Styles and Andrade while Raw took Jey, Rollins, Bron, Liv, Ricochet, Sheamus, The Alpha Academy, and Kiana. Many of those choices made sense, as picks won’t be wasted on keeping champions on brands, and just need to be used to keep most stories alive and change up a few others. Kiana is perhaps one of the more surprising moves, but well-deserved. She has been a solid character and solid in-ring performer almost from the start, she’s a solid addition to Raw.

Bron of course demolished his opponent tonight, it’s just a shame it was Cedric and not local enhancement talent. But Bron will also be a good addition to Raw, but maybe he can move past his squash match phase and get right to story. Melo being a first round pick was great stuff, and he had a great promo with Cody to give us tonight’s main event. That double springboard whiff was definitely a timing problem, but at the same time, a Fade Away countered into a Cody Cutter would’ve been way too epic just for TV. Cody with a great win, and we got a really good contract signing segment, but you can bet Cody retains.

Really good tag match from LWO VS Legado but naturally Rey & Dragon won. I knew it was only a matter of time before Carlito was outed, and how he handled being exposed was pretty good. And with Andrade being drafted to SmackDown, you just know that means Andrade joins the LWO. The Final Testament attacking New Catch Republic was a wild moment, I almost thought Ellering was going to use the pliers in his hands to grab at fingers. Maybe we get that next week for SmackDown in France. Good promos from A-Town Down Under and the still technically unnamed faction of Bobby Lashley’s. As great as The Profits are, it feels like Theory & Waller will cheat to retain.

Really good promo with Tiff and Bayley to set up Naomi VS Tiff round 3, but I did not think Nia Jax would disrupt all that. A Triple Threat at Backlash is good stuff, it will protect Bayley if she loses, but can also protect Naomi and Tiff if Bayley uses them against each other to win. Good promo from Bianca that then turned into the shouting match of Bianca & Jade with Kabuki Warriors. Their tag title match is official, and I’m pretty sure Bianca & Jade win. I also liked that this segment ended up having Kevin and Tama brawl right through it. Orton saving Kevin was a great move, RKKO VS Solo & Tama is going to be awesome stuff, I can’t wait to see it.

My Score: 8.8/10

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: 4.25.2024

We just got done with Rebellion, and Under Siege is two weeks away! Gotta see how these dots connect!

Published

2 days ago

April 25, 2024

Andrew Balaz

Rebellion had quite a few returns, Mike Santana, Sami Callihan and Broken Matt Hardy. All three of these guys could easily be main event players, and its nice to mix up and expand what felt like a rather small pool of potential challengers.

Under Siege is only like 2 weeks out, so we’ll see how the dots connect in such a short period of time.

.@AJFrancis410, Rich Swann, and rap legend @BunBTrillOG are IN THE HOUSE Meanwhile, @joehendry announces he will deliver an apology to Fir$t Cla$$ NEXT WEEK on #TNAiMPACT! pic.twitter.com/4GNe2xWfyU

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

Ratings:

Mike Santana vs Myron Reed w/Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz: Santana wins via Spin the Block – ** 1/2
#1 Contender: Frankie Kazarian vs Josh Alexander: Josh wins via Grapevine Ankle Lock – ***
ASH by Elegance vs Xia Brookside: Xia wins via School Girl Roll-Up – ** 3/4
Sami Callihan vs The Good Hands: Sami Callihan wins via Cactus Driver ’97 – SQUASH
Eddie Edwards w/Alisha Edwards & Brian Myers vs Nic Nemeth: Eddie wins via Boston Knee Party – *** 1/4

Results:

Did @NicTNemeth say BROKEN? @MATTHARDYBRAND has arrived in the iMPACT Zone! #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/HbkUangt6e

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

A weird opening that is just framed to put Nemeth and Hardy together against The System. Feels a little awkward, but who knows how it will play out.

.@JordynneGrace vs @miyu_tjp NEXT WEEK on #TNAiMPACT will now be for the Knockouts World Championship! pic.twitter.com/YnKZjb9yjx

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

Mike Santana vs Myron Reed w/Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz

Ahh I didn’t really pay attention to Santana’s theme at Rebellion, but its pretty damn cool. Good stuff.

Rascalz blindside Santana early, but the heel advantage doesn’t last more than a few moves. Santana whips Myron from corner to corner, hits a few Hip Attacks before Myron finally dodges one and starts using his unique offense and agility to his advantage. Matrix dodge, into an Leaping Outside Back in Slingshot Codebreaker. Some more offense and Santana powders to the ramp, Myron jumps over the rope and tries a Flying Cutter, but Santana blocks it, turns things around, gets pushed forward and hits the Rolling Cutter. Santana takes out the Rascalz, heads back into the ring, Myron tries to catch him unawares but eats the Spin the Block off the rope run! Santana wins fairly quickly.

Maclin’s music hits, he tries to employ the help of The Rascalz to attack Santana, but as soon as Maclin positions himself to get in, The Rascalz bail and flip off Maclin. Maclin makes it out of the confrontation relatively unscathed, but at least we know where he’s going for Under Siege probably.

OH FUCK ME WITH RUSTY KNIVES. Because Cardona is hurt Kon is paired with SDL, and she just challenges Jordynne and PCO to a tag match. WHY!? STOP IT. This is hot garbage.

Josh Alexander comes out…I wonder who’s Super Finisher he’s gonna conveniently kick out this time? Brian Myers? Frankie Kazarian? Rich Swann? Because yes, I’m still annoyed that Hammerstone has been in TNA for half a sandwich, he already connects with a Super version of his finish on tacks, and that’s not a finish. Oh Kaz’s music hits. Okay, so time for Josh to kick out of Fade to Black or Flux Capacitor. Kaz talks smack, says he won his match too so he should have a say in who’s number one contender. Josh challenges him, Kaz says not right now, but a referee runs out and says the match is official.

#1 Contender: Frankie Kazarian vs Josh Alexander

Kaz throws his jacket on Josh’s head, and attacks him with some strikes before Josh fights back and throws Kaz out. Commercial break, we see Kaz misses his Apron Guillotine, Josh goes for the Low Crossbody but Kaz dodges and Josh goes flying. Kaz starts throwing some chops and claws at the cauliflowered ears of Josh. Russian Leg Sweep from Kaz for a near fall. Josh swings wildly and Kaz ducks the strike and levels Josh with a Lariat.

Josh blocks a Vertical Suplex attempt, but Frankie pulls off a Fisherman’s Suplex after a few overhead strikes for a near fall. Josh stands up and connects with a straight right, rocks Kaz, Back Body Drop, into a Charging Forearm, Rolling Senton, 2 count! C4 Spike attempt countered into a Back Stabber and then Chicken Wing, but Josh fights it off, rolls through and into an Ankle Lock, Kaz kicks off and into a Head and Arm Cradle for a near fall and then the Guillotine Leg Drop into Slingshot DDT spot from Kaz for another 2 count!

Fade to Black, but its fought off, Big Boot but then Kaz counters the next move with a Power Slam into the Springboard Guillotine Leg Drop, but Josh grabs the Ankle Lock! Locomotion German Suplex time from Josh, Halfhatch Suplex after the Germans, floats over for a 2 count! C4 Spike attempt again, but Kaz fights it off, dumps him over the top rope, slingshots him in and into the Cutter for a near fall for Kaz! After the 2 Kaz grabs a chair and chain, the referee stops the chair of course, so he tries the chain, EY runs down and grabs the chain so Kaz pulls the Eddie Guerrero and the referee admonishes EY, but doesn’t DQ Josh. So as Kaz is busy laughing at EY, Josh picks the ankle, Ankle Lock with the Grapevine, Kaz taps.

Tensions are sky-high between @alexhammerstone and @JakeSomething_! #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/LLCUJOCy7H

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

ASH by Elegance vs Xia Brookside

Both are jawing at each other and then throw hands before Xia gets the upper hand with a Headscissors from the Top Turnbuckle, Charging Knees, a Flurry of Kicks, but when the ref forces some space in the corner, ASH is finally able to dodge and work over Xia with her Twisting Body Splash, a few choking moves, a corner Stomp into a Snap Suplex for 2. ASH is in charge elegantly, but the referee keeps forcing space on both of them when they go for corner attacks. Xia manages to take advantage a little, but ASH regains control, kicks Xia up the ramp and then lands her Cartwheel Back Elbow up the ramp. It actually looks pretty cool executed like that.

Headlocks and Hair Pulling to keep Xia down and using energy to kick out. ASH is getting frustrated but Xia is remaining persistent. ASH goes back to the Headlock, but Xia fights up, Jawbreaker, Back Elbow, Kick to the gut and Drop Toe Hold sends ASH face first into the middle buckle. Xia rips off 4 Double Knee Smashes to the back of ASH’s head into her Flying Crossbody for a close 2! Xia pulls her up, but ASH spins out, then Xia slips it, but ASH kicks her in the chest and deposits her to the outside and demands a count from the referee. Iceman puts Jeweled Knuckles/Rings on ASH’s hand, the referee catches her, removes the stuff from her fingers and Xia hits the School Girl Roll-Up for the flash win.

Fraud has thrown the Ballot Box Battle into chaos, but also paved the way for an explosive showdown between @TheTreyMiguel and @The_Ace_Austin NEXT WEEK to determine the #1 Contender for the X Division Championship! #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/lYHrtgNrc3

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

Sami Callihan vs The Good Hands

So the Good Hand Jobs are about to do their job to Sami. I’m just gonna assume Sami beats the hell out of both and wins with a Cactus Driver ’97. If anything interesting happens I might actually cover it, but come on now.

.@SteveMaclin has a proposition for @FrankieKazarian #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/XY6lMdmSWo

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

Kaz makes a Metallica reference with the “Wash Your Back So You Won’t Stab Mine”…and Sweet Amber is the only good song on St. Anger. So…I ain’t mad.

Eddie Edwards w/Alisha Edwards & Brian Myers vs Nic Nemeth

A little early ground wrestling and headlocks for control from both men. Nothing super flashy to start until we get to the rope run and Nemeth goes for the Flying Body Press to drop Eddie. Before Nemeth can follow up, Lish grabs his foot. Nic does have his brother Ryan in the crowd, trying to get chants going and do the old school ‘power up the babyface’ thing, but Eddie has been in control since Lish got involved. Simple offense, chokes, strikes, Snap Suplexes, Knee Drops, simple yet effective. But then Eddie ducks his head too early, Nemeth kicks him in the face, bounces his head off the buckles a few times, Dropkick sends Eddie reeling to the corner, Nemeth starts the 10 Count Punches but Myers hits the apron to distract and Eddie manages to slip the situation and push Nemeth to the floor.

Commercial break happens, Nemeth is trying to fight back with Chops, but a Kitchen Sink from Eddie puts Nemeth on the floor again! Clubbing blow from Eddie, but Eddie then misses the Hip Attack in the corner and Nemeth counters with the Rude Awakening into the 10 Count Rain of Elbows. Fame Ass-er miss, Eddie tries something but Nemeth turns it into that hesitation DDT for 2! Tuning up the band starts to build and Eddie powders to avoid it. Nemeth throws Eddie back in, goes to the top, but Eddie crotches him, rises up and hits the Superplex into Tiger Driver for 2! Eddie starts mocking with Tuning Up the band but Nemeth hits his own Superkick into an Olympic Slam for 2!

Both men just trade strikes Fighting Spirit style, Eddie says “Always Trust the System” and Nemeth shuts him up with a Headbutt. Danger Zone is blocked, Boston Knee Party gets ducked, they level each other with Lariats! Myers and Ryan Nemeth start fighting to distract the referee, Moose hits the ring and hits Nemeth with the belt. Eddie lands Boston Knee Party and The System wins again!

Overall Score: 6/10

A lame opening segment, a squash match, ASH by Elegance getting her first loss, and a weird way of just pulling the number one contender out of mid air makes for an awkward show. Also Kon still be involved in, literally anything, is negative. However, I can say there was a ton of stuff thrown at the wall this episode, so there’s a chance that some things landed better with other people than myself. The ballot segments were amusing, they overused the “I need to talk to you Santino” gimmick a bit much and personally I feel like having Jake versus Hammerstone is booking yourself into a weird corner.

But hey, the main event was fun, Nemeth getting laid out to the point that there could be a story reason to take him out of the Under Siege match. Kaz with the Metallica reference was pop worthy and I guess its a lot of ‘let’s see where it goes’ kind of angle creation. So it wasn’t complete trash, but its definitely a wait and see episode.

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!