The Viper is here for The Bloodline!

He returned at WarGames, he returned to Monday Night Raw, and now, The Apex Predator, Randy Orton, returns to Friday Night SmackDown! Will he be able to strike at The Bloodline tonight?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Pete Dunne VS Bobby Lashley w/ The Street Profits; Lashley wins.
• Santos Escobar VS Joaquin Wilde; wins.
• Kevin Owens VS Grayson Waller; wins.
• Bianca Belair w/ Charlotte Flair & Shotzi VS Kairi Sane w/ DMG CTRL; wins.

PLAY BY PLAY

Bianca Belair is here!

Brooklyn cheers The EST as she skips to the ring, her team victorious against Damage Control in WarGames! After a recap package, fans chant for Bianca and she gets the mic to say, “Man, it is so cool to be in one of the best boroughs in one of the greatEST cities in the world, Brooklyn!” The fans cheer that! Bianca says DMG CTRL really tried to take them out, but her team did what needed to be done. So shout out to Becky Lynch for coming through, showing up and showing out. Shout out to Shotzi for her guts and passion. And shoutout to Charlotte Flair for being a bigger person and making that call to Becky.

“Now while it feels great to be standing in this ring and celebrating that W from WarGames, my war with DMG CTRL, it ain’t over~! Cuz Iyo Sky, I’m still coming for you, cuz I want my title back!” Fans also cheer that. But speaking of Iyo, here she comes! The Evil Genius leads DMG CTRL out, though where’s Bayley? That aside, Dakota Kai is the one to tell Bianca, “It’s really great how uh, you can get all of these people to cheer for you.” The fans boo her but Dakota tells them to shut up! Dakota says just earlier, Iyo was saying how gross it is here in Brooklyn! It smells! Who would want to live here?!

DMG CTRL slide into the ring, and Dakota says Iyo was also saying that Bianca is in way over her head, dude. Iyo already beat Bianca twice. So… if Bianca wants to get yet another shot, she’ll have to go through all of DMG CTRL. Well that ain’t nothing new. So who wants it first, huh? But wait! Here come Charlotte & Shotzi to back Bianca up! Fans cheer as Charlotte says “Ladies~…! Bianca isn’t the only one coming for you. And I’d love to go through all of DMG CTRL.” Shotzi says it seems to her that there’s enough DMG CTRL to go around. They rush in, and the brawl is on! Fans fire up but Iyo TOSSES Bianca and helps Asuka against Charlotte!

Shotzi and Kairi brawl in a corner, Bianca returns, Charlotte BOOTS Asuka way while Bianca RAMS Iyo into a corner! Bianca stomps Iyo down, Charlotte helps Shotzi with Kairi, and Charlotte sets Kairi up for Shotzi’s BOOT! Iyo ends up isolated, and Bianca hits a SPINEBUSTER! Iyo scrambles out, DMG CTRL regroups, are their days on top numbered?

DMG CTRL regroups backstage.

And Bayley is confused as to what’s going on. Iyo angrily asks where Bayley was but Bayley says no one told her they were going out there! Maybe if she knew, things would’ve been different! The joshi talk in Japanese, Dakota cools it off. What matters is that Kairi is facing Bianca tonight. No one knows Bianca better than Bayley so Kairi would appreciate the help. Kairi says yes, they’re “tomodachi <friends>,” that’d be appreciated. Bayley says okay, but are they really Bayley’s friends?

Pete Dunne VS Bobby Lashley w/ The Street Profits!

With Sheamus recovering from injury and Ridge Holland just ditching him last week, The Bruiserweight is all alone against The All Mighty! Will Dunne stand a chance against the overwhelming strength of Bobby Lashley?

SmackDown returns and Lashley makes his entrance, Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins by his side. But before the bell, Lashley gets a mic to say “Hey, listen, kid. When I told you to make a name for yourself…” The fans chant “BOBBY! BOBBY!” and Lashley says that’s a name. Does Dunne know what Lashley can do to him? Lashley will break Dunne into pieces! Is Dunne ready for that? Dunne SLAPS Lashley! Fans fire up, Lashley grins, and the bell rings. Dunne then BOOTS Lashley! And BOOTS! And fires off furious fists! Lashley carries Dunne to then TOSS him! Dunne flounders but also snarls. Dunne swipes at the Profits, but Lashley run sin to CLOBBER him!

Lashley whips Dunne hard into buckles, then storms around. The Profits high-five Lashley and Brooklyn is behind him as he stands Dunne up for haymakers! Lashley smothers Dunne in the corner, lets off to whip corner to corner, then storms up on Dunne. Lashley digs hands into Dunne’s face, the ref counts and Lashley lets off. Lashley runs in but Dunne BOOTS again! Dunne runs up to DROPKICK Lashley out of the ring! Fans are torn as Dunne goes out to FLYING KNEE! Lashley staggers back, Dunne sets up to MOONSAULT! Down goes Lashley and Dunne hurries back up! Dunne ARIHARA MOONSAULTS! Down goes Lashley and fans fire up as SmackDown goes to break!

SmackDown returns and Lashley clotheslines Dunne in a corner! Lashley then brings Dunne around to snap suplex! Dunne writhes, Lashley paces around him and the fans cheer. Lashley drags Dunne up, suplexes again, and this time he holds Dunne up! Dunne throws knees, gets free, and he runs, ducks ‘n’ dodges, but Lashley hits a MILE HIGH SPINEBUSTER! Fans fire up again and Lashley drags Dunne up. Lashley TOSSES Dunne out, storms out after him, and then drags Dunne up again. Fans cheer as Lashley fireman’s carries Dunne, to then POST Dunne! The Profits say this is an extended Black Friday!

Lashley puts Dunne in, Dunne crawls away but Lashley aims. Lashley runs in, but Dunne sends the Spear into the POST! Lashley staggers back, the Profits coach him up, but Dunne GAMANGIRIS! Dunne runs up to ENZIGURI! Lashley ends up in a corner, Dunne GAMANGIRIS again! And again! Dunne KICKS and KICKS and KICKS, then pushes Lashley out so he can go up. Dunne DOUBLE STOMPS an arm! Dunne bends the fingers, isolates the arm, and STOMPS the arm! Lashley grits his teeth but Dunne reels him in. ASAI DDT! Cover, TWO! Lashley is tougher than that but Dunne keep son him with HAMMER ‘N’ ANVIL ELBOWS!

But Lashley fights up! Fireman’s carry, then an adjustment, for the OKLAHOMA STAMPEDE! Cover, TWO!! Dunne survives and Lashley is annoyed. Ford says yeah, Dunne’s got heart, but that’s about it. Lashley hauls Dunne up but Dunne SLAPS him! Lashley LARIATS Dunne inside out! Lashley then drags Dunne up, MILE HIGH- ENZIGURI! Dunne gets up, Lashley SPEARS him back down!! Cover, Lashley wins!

Winner: Bobby Lashley, by pinfall

The Bruiserweight put up a fight, but Lashley is still Lashley. Will The All Mighty soon head for a title as we head for the New Year?

Paul Heyman walks into Nick Aldis’ office.

The Wise Man seems rather indignant looking at the SmackDown General Manager. Heyman then dusts off the New York Jets NFL Legacy belt before speaking. “Did you invite Randy Orton to SmackDown tonight?” Aldis says yes, he did. And Aldis intends to sign Randy to a SmackDown exclusive superstar contract tonight. Heyman looks around and asks if the Tribal Chief knows about this. Aldis says Heyman has forgotten that there are countless memos: All communication to Roman Reigns must go through Paul Heyman. So consider this a communication to Roman: Aldis WILL sign Randy to SmackDown.

And if Aldis has to offer up the entire Bloodline as leverage, so be it. So the question to Heyman is… “What’re you gonna do about it?” Heyman says, “Anything it takes.” Heyman gets on his phone to call Roman Reigns. But is there nothing that can stop The Viper from finally being within striking distance of The Tribal Chief?

Backstage interview with Pete Dunne.

Kayla Braxton says he lost to Lashley, but she wants to talk about last week. Why did Ridge walk out on him? Dunne says he doesn’t know. And he doesn’t care. Because right now isn’t about the Brutes, it’s about Dunne! He is going to focus on himself. He is here to fight, and he will fight anyone! But in walk Pretty Deadly. They say this is so tough. But don’t be sad, use this as a learning opportunity. Sometimes, being abandoned can help you find your own path. Even if that path, like Dunne’s career, hits a dead end. Dunne HITS them! Dunne fires off but that’s 2v1 and Pretty Deadly turns it around! They TOSS Dunne into a road case!

How’s that, Butch?! HUH!? You’re alone! ALONE! And always will be! Elton Prince & Kit Wilson have numbers on their side, but will Dunne still get revenge?

Backstage interview with Santos Escobar.

Cathy Kelley says given his recent history with the LWO, what can we expect in his match with Joaquin Wilde here? Santos says he’s only trying to finish what Rey started. Rey turned his back on the LWO when he chose Carlito over Santos. And now Santos’ own brothers in arms are blinded by their hero, not seeing that Rey will do the same to them. Cruz is still recovering from the last time he tried standing up to Santos. And if Wilde can’t see the truth, Santos will put him on the shelf, too. The Emperor of Lucha is becoming a tyrant, but will he be unstoppable in destroying what he helped create?

Santos Escobar VS Joaquin Wilde!

Will it be Chaos for the Reiwa Musketeers?

Shota Umino & Ren Narita are just outside the top spot in A Block, can they take over and truly lead NJPW’s future in World Tag League?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Six Man Tag: El Phantasmo, Hikuleo & Jado VS Bullet Club; Bullet Club wins.
• Six Man Tag: Just5Guys VS Tiger Mask, Atlantis Jr. & Soberano Jr; Just5Guys win.
• Six Man Tag: Master Wato, Yuji Nagata & Minoru Suzuki VS Ryusuke Taguchi, Lance Archer & Alex Zayne;  Wato, Nagata & Suzuki win.
• 8 Man Tag: Yoh, Bishamon & Boltin Oleg VS Los Ingobernables de Japon; Yoh, Bishamon & Oleg win.
• 2023 World Tag League, Block A: The Gates of Agony VS EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi; Evil & Yujiro win.
• 2023 World Tag League, Block A: TMDK VS Kaito Kiyomiya & Ryohei Oiwa; TMDK wins.
• 2023 World Tag League, Block A: Great-O-Khan & Henare VS Gabe Kidd & Alex Coughlin; Kidd & Coughlin win.
• 2023 World Tag League, Block A: Shota Umino & Ren Narita VS Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii; Yano & Ishii win.

PLAY BY PLAY

Here are the current A Block standings.

TMDK: 3-1, 6 points
Shota Umino & Ren Narita: 3-1, 6 points
Kaito Kiyomiya & Ryohei Oiwa: 2-2, 4 points
War Dogs: 2-2, 4 points
The United Empire: 2-2, 4 points
Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii: 2-2, 4 points
The House of Torture: 1-3, 2 points
The Gates of Agony: 1-3, 2 points

2023 World Tag League, Block A: The Gates of Agony VS EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi w/ The House of Torture!

Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona finally got on the board, beating the War Dogs. Meanwhile, the House of Torture is falling apart as they just keep losing! Will the Gates slam shut on them, too? Or will the King of Darkness & Tokyo Pimp find a way to lie, cheat and steal a win once again?

Wait, the Gates are coming out wearing House of Torture shirts? And then they wait for the House to make their entrance? Is this a sign that they’ve become allies? Dick Togo, Sho, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, and of course Evil & Yujiro all come out together and they seem pretty chummy with the Gates. All seven go to the ring now, and this is a rather interesting development. Did Prince Nana approve this deal? Everyone shakes hands and “put one out” so clearly there’s something to this. They even pose for photos! But then Kaun & Liona quickly and quietly TOSS Sho & Kanemaru, then they TOSS Dick! Yujiro & Evil don’t understand!

Kaun & Liona throw forearms, the bell rings and the Gates whip Evil & Yujiro. Yujiro & Evil hold ropes to then BOOT in return! But they run into double scoop SLAMS! The Gates tear off the House of Torture shirts, and Liona even wipes his butt with it! Evil & Yujiro are in opposite corners, Kaun runs in to ELBOW Yujiro and Liona SPLASHES Evil! Then the Gates trade, ELBOW for Evil and SPLASH for Yujiro! And back the other way! Fans fire up as the Gates tricked the tricksters! They fire each other up, and Kaun sends Liona into SPLASH Evil! The fans rally up, the Gates run in to SPLASH SANDWICH Evil!

Liona stands Evil back up, he and Kaun OPEN- NO, Yujiro saves Evil and they bail out. The House falls back, daring the Gates to come out after them. The Gates storm out after them, but going all the way to the entrance is suspicious. Sho & Kanemaru attack from behind with chairs! Fans boo as Dick distracts the ref so that the House can mug the Gates! Sho CHOKES Liona with his chair, but Liona bench presses it away! Yujiro helps Sho while Evil drags Kaun around, to RAM into the timekeeper’s area! Poor Abe-san! The fans boo but Evil gets on the mic to basically say this is what they get for messing with the House!

Yujiro SMACKS Liona off the timekeeper’s table, but Liona roars! So Yujiro POSTS Liona to knock him down! Evil drags Kaun up, puts him in the ring, and fans rally up. Evil CLUBS Kaun, CLUBS him again, and calls to the ref. Marty Asami returns and Evil stomps Kaun. Evil drags Kaun up, wrenches the arm and tags in Yujiro. Yujiro CLUBS Kaun’s arm, then reels him in to snapmare and ROCK with a haymaker. Yujiro looms over Kaun to rain down more fists but the ref reprimands. No closed fists! So Yujiro fishhooks Kaun’s nose! Yujiro sits Kaun up to run and basement BOOT! Cover, ONE!!

Yujiro is annoyed but he drags Kaun back up. Yujiro wrenches, wristlocks, and he CLUBS the arm. And stomps it! Kaun clutches the arm, it is taped up from that fight with the War Dogs. Yujiro wraps the arm around ropes! The ref counts, Yujiro lets off at 4 but the House all complains. Tag to Evil and he throws his shirt at Liona. Now the ref has to keep Liona out, and Evil throws Kaun out for the boys to stomp away on! Fans boo these vultures, but then Sho puts Kaun back in for Evil. Cover, TWO! Evil argues with the ref but the fans rally up. Evil tags Yujiro then runs to BLAST Liona! Liona stays up and roars, so Evil pokes him in the eyes!

Evil and Yujiro drag Kaun up, whip him to a corner, and Yujiro runs in but into Kaun’s BOOT! Kaun catches Evil for an URENAGE! Then Kaun uses Evil as a step to SHOTGUN Yujiro! Fans fire up while they’re all done, and Kaun crawls over. Hot tag to Liona! Liona rallies on Yujiro, BOOTS him, then catches Evil for a spin and LARIAT! Fans fire up more and Liona has targets in opposite corners. Liona roars, then SPLASHES Evil! SPLASH for Yujiro! SPLASH for Evil! SPLASH for Yujiro! Liona just keeps going, then he whips Evil into Yujiro! Fans fire up with Liona, and he runs back in, but both Yujiro and Evil dodge!

Yujiro & Evil kick low, double whip to ropes, but Liona breaks the line to DOUBLE SHOULDER TACKLE! Fans fire up again and Liona roars for Kaun! Kaun rises and tags in, and the Gates get Yujiro up! But Yujiro moves, the double lariats collide! Kaun hurries to grab a leg but Yujiro BOOTS Kaun into Liona! Evil tags in and he storms up to CLUB Kaun! Evil stomps Kaun, Yujiro joins in, and the ref reprimands. Yujiro drags Kaun to a corner, he and Evil double whip Kaun corner to corner. Yujiro runs in to BOOT! Evil runs in to clothesline! Snapmare and then they set Kaun up while Sho distracts! Dick hops up, DICK CHOP!!

Fans boo as Evil covers, TWO!! Kaun survives and the fans fire up again! Evil slashes his throat, drags Kaun up, and spins him around, but Liona is back! HELL STAB! Then a HEADBUTT for Yujiro! Liona & Kaun BLAST Dick & Sho off the apron! The fans fire up as now Evil is alone! Kaun & Liona high five and LARIAT SANDWICH! They roar again and they get Evil up. HEAVEN’S GATES!! Cover, but Dick YANKS the ref out!! Fans boo, but Yujiro slips back in to CLUB the Gates! Kaun ROCKS Yujiro in return! Kaun & Liona set Evil & Yujiro up, but they block double low blows! Kanemaru and Sho get in, they DOUBLE LOW BLOW!!

Fans boo as the House stomps away on the Gates! Yujiro has his cane, Dick has the Spoiler Choker. Liona shoves Sho aside but gets the CANE SHOT! Dick CHOKES Kaun, Kanemaru gives him WHISKEY MIST! And then Sho CLOBBERS Kaun with his wrench! Dick gets the ref back in as Evil hits EVERYTHING IS EVIL on Kaun!! Cover, The House wins!

Winners: Evil & Yujiro Takahashi, by pinfall (gain 2 points; The Gates of Agony earn 0)

Kaun & Liona lured the House in, but one good trick wasn’t enough to beat the numbers game. The House even mugs the Young Lions trying to help The Gates! Will this be the beginning of the most unwanted comeback in World Tag League history?

2023 World Tag League, Block A: TMDK w/ Kosei Fujita VS Kaito Kiyomiya & Ryohei Oiwa!

The Mighty Don’t Kneel, but Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls did fall for the trickery of Toru Yano. Will TMDK be able to rebound and stay at the top of the block? Or will the Green Supernova and his protege still #CreateTheFuture?

The teams sort out and Mad Mikey starts against Oiwa. They tie up, fans rally up, and Oiwa pushes Mikey back, only for Mikey to put him on ropes. Mikey lets off but shoves Oiwa. Oiwa shoves back! They go forehead to forehead, then forearm for forearm! Mikey claws eyes, headlocks, and brings Oiwa over. Shane tags in, Oiwa gets away, and then Oiwa arm-drags Mikey! Shane runs in, but into an arm-drag! Oiwa wrenches and whips Shane to ropes, Kaito joins in so they can DOUBLE ARM-DRAG! And then DOUBLE DROPKICK! The fans fire and Oiwa has Shane in a corner. Shane throws a chop, but Oiwa stomps and ROCKS Shane in return.

Oiwa drags Shane up to wrench and wristlock, then he scoops to POWERSLAM! Oiwa runs, but Shane gets up to DROPKICK back! Shane puts Oiwa on ropes, stomps away, and then BLASTS Kaito! Mikey smothers Oiwa on the apron, lets off before he gets caught, and then Shane slides to SHOVE Oiwa to the floor! The ref has to keep Kaito back, so that lets Mikey stomp Oiwa. Mikey puts Oiwa in, Shane covers, TWO! Shane drags Oiwa up, brings him around and bumps him off buckles. Tag to Mikey and he CHOPS! Fans rally, Mikey eggs Oiwa on then CHOPS him again! Mikey ROCKS Oiwa, Oiwa ROCKS Mikey!

Oiwa fires off on Mikey but Mikey ROCKS him right back! And CHOPS him right down! Cover, TWO! Fans rally but Mikey sits Oiwa up and runs. Oiwa avoids the sliding lariat! Mikey hobbles up, throws a forearm but Oiwa throws back a flurry! Mikey fires a flurry of his own! Mikey runs, into an UPPERCUT! Oiwa runs and ROLLING ELBOWS Mikey down! Fans fire up as both men crawl, hot tag to Kaito! Kaito rallies on TMDK, whips Mikey and DROPKICKS him down! Shane kicks and runs, into a DROPKICK! Fans fire up again and Kaito whips corner to corner. Mikey reverses but Kaito comes back to NECKBREAKER DROP! Cover, TWO!

Fans rally up again as Kaito drags Mikey up and reels him in. Mikey fights the suplex, but Kaito fires forearms! Kaito reels Mikey in but Mikey suplexes! Kaito slips free, ducks Mikey’s elbow, but Mikey DDTS! Fans fire up while both men are down, Mikey crawls to hot tag Shane! Shane UPPERCUTS again and again on Kaito, whips him to a corner then BLASTS Oiwa before he UPPERCUTS Kaito! Shane keeps moving, CANNONBALL! Fans fire up with Hysterical Haste and he drags Kaito up, FALCON ARROW! Cover, TWO! Kaito survives and fans rally up. Shane calls his shot and he drags Kaito back up to reel him in.

Shane underhooks the arms, lifts, but Kaito fights free to chicken wing! Shane fights that to ROCK Kaito! Shane eggs Kaito on then UPPERCUTS him! Kaito comes back to UPPERCUT Shane! Shane UPPERCUTS Kaito! Kaito grits his teeth and shakes his head. Kaito UPPERCUTS, Shane UPPERCUTS, repeat! Fans rally, Shane gets the edge with UPPERCUT after UPPERCUT, but Kaito rebounds to RUNNING UPPERCUT! Both men are down again, and the fans fire up! Shane crawls to an open corner, Kaito crawls to hot tag Oiwa! Oiwa runs in to forearm smash, then he whips Shane corner to corner. Oiwa runs in to DROPKICK!

Fans rally up again as Oiwa clamps on a gut wrench, for a GUT WRENCH SUPLEX! Oiwa drags Shane up again, GUT WRENCH SUPLEX! Oiwa isn’t done, he drags Shane up for a GUT WRENCH BRIDGE! Cover, TWO! Oiwa BLASTS Mikey and Kaito slides in. They double whip Shane, then Kaito sends Oiwa in to ELBOW! Kaito runs in to forearm! Feed to the SPIN POWERSLAM! Cover, Mikey breaks it! Kaito TOSSES Mikey and Oiwa fires up! Oiwa drags Shane up in a waistlock but Mikey makes the save! Mikey CHOPS and Shane LARIATS! They coordinate, fireman’s carry, HIGHWAY TO HELL! Cover, Kaito breaks it!

The fans fire up again but Mikey tosses Kaito out. Shane kicks Oiwa around, eggs him on, but Oiwa sits up. Kaito gives more kicks, and a boot! Shane aims from a corner, runs in, but Oiwa dodges the Shane-ing Wizard to single leg, ANACONDA SUPLEX! Shane staggers back up, Oiwa gets around to GERMAN SUPLEX! Bridging cover, but Mikey sweeps Oiwa’s legs! Mikey whips, Oiwa reverses and DROPKICKS! Oiwa calls to Kaito and he returns. They get Shane up and fans fire up with them. Oiwa Electric Chair Lifts while Kaito climbs. But Shane victory rolls under the crossbody! TWO!! Mikey catches Kaito for a MIKEY BOMB!

Oiwa fires off on Mikey and DOUBLE CHOPS! But Shane SUPERKICKS! Mikey scoops, TANK BUSTER!! Cover, TMDK wins!!

Winner: TMDK, by pinfall (gains 2 points; Kaito & Oiwa earn 0)

A powerful battle from both teams, but only one team was mighty! Will Shane & Mikey still be the A Block finalists

2023 World Tag League, Block A: Great-O-Khan & Henare w/ Callum Newman VS Gabe Kidd & Alex Coughlin!

The Dominator & Face of Fury are holding on at 2-2, but so are #WarReady and the Dreadnought! Will the United Empire conquer these War Dogs and stay strong? Or will Kidd & Coughlin win won for the Rebel?

But of course the War Dogs attack at the ramp! But the Empire is ready, and Khan JAMS Kidd with his banner’s staff! Henare fires hands on Coughlin, HEADBUTTS him, and Khan CHOKES Kidd with the staff! Khan throws Kidd down, Henare CLUBS away on Coughlin, and the Empire gets the Dogs set up for Callum! Callum FLIES! Direct hit and he even lands on his feet! Fans fire up with the Empire and they throw the crowns up. Khan CLUBS Kidd, Henare LASHES Coughlin with his vest, and then Khan whips Kidd hard into railing! Red Shoes says fine then, and the bell rings to get this on record.

Fans cheer while Henare puts Coughlin in and throws forearms. Henare runs to then run Coughlin over! Fans cheer more, and Henare aims. Henare KICKS Coughlin in the back! And KICKS him again! Henare snapmares Coughlin to KICK him again! Then he SENTONS onto knees! Coughlin deadlifts and GERMAN SUPLEXES! Coughlin stomps Henare while Kidd whips Khan hard into railing, sending him up and out! Kidd then drags Khan to the back area of the stands, and whips him all the way into a wall! Coughlin digs his boots into Henare in a corner, then his knee. Red Shoes reprimands and Coughlin lets off.

Kidd and Khan keep brawling in the back as Coughlin CHOPS Henare! Coughlin whips Henare corner to corner then clotheslines! Coughlin then scoops Henare, and hits a FALL AWAY SLAM! Henare tumbles and writhes while fans applaud the show of strength. Coughlin covers, TWO! Tag to Kidd, and the War Dogs get Henare up. Coughlin holds the arms back so Kidd can CHOP Henare! And CHOP again! Kidd then stands on Henare’s head but Red Shoes reprimands. Kidd steps off to storm around. Kidd mockingly asks where Will Ospreay went. Kidd says he’s beating up Ospreay’s boys like they’re his b*tches!

Kidd DECKS Henare, then digs his knee in again. Tag to Coughlin, he drags Henare up, and says “Knock knock” as he taps Henare on the head. Henare snarls but Coughlin SLAPS him down! Coughlin says Henare’s supposed to respond, “Who’s there.” Coughlin kneels on Henare but Khan knocks him over! The War Dogs mug Khan, Kidd drags him out of the ring, then whips him hard into railing! Kidd even DECKS Callum for the hell of it! Fans boo but Kidd says he’s a madman! Coughlin stomps Henare, drags him up, and RAMS him into the corner. Tag to Kidd and Kidd RAMS into Henare. Kidd then snapmares Henare to drop an elbow! Cover, TWO!

Khan runs back in but Kidd DECKS him! Kidd drags Khan up to throw him out, and Coughlin hauls him up to whip hard into more railing! Kidd storms around, kicks Henare, but Henare grits his teeth. Kidd eggs Henare on, kicks again, but Henare blocks! Henare steps over to WHEEL KICK! Both men are down and fans fire up! Henare crawls, Khan drags himself up! But Coughlin runs in to BLAST Khan off the apron! Coughlin then goes out to stomp on Khan, and Kidd CLUBS Henare. Coughlin sends Khan into railing again! Kidd drags Henare up, ROCKS him, then bumps him off buckles. But Henare just growls!

Kidd bumps Henare off more buckles, but Henare just headbutts the buckles! Kidd eggs Henare on, CHOPS him, then whips him. But Henare reverses to SAMOAN DROP! Fans fire up as Henare crawls for his corner. Hot tag- NO, Coughlin YANKS Khan down! Red Shoes reprimands, Coughlin whips, but Khan reverses to send him into railing! And then Khan BOOTS Coughlin down! The fans fire up, hot tag to Khan! Khan runs Kidd over, whips him to a corner and clotheslines! Then torture rack and swing, NECKBREAKER! Cover, TWO! Kidd is still in this but the fans rally behind Khan. Khan sits Kidd up, into the IRON CLAW SLEEPER!

Kidd BITES the fingers! And SNAPS them! Kidd runs, rebounds, but Khan gets under! Henare runs in, ASSISTED SITOUT POWERBOMB!! Cover, TWO!! Kidd survives but Henare and Khan coordinate. Shoutout to Aussie Open, RUNNING KICK SANDWICH! Scoop, HEEL KICK T T D!! Cover, Coughlin breaks it! Coughlin and Henare trade big forearms! Fans fire up as they go back and forth! Coughlin gets the edge, but Henare BODY BLOWS! And ULTIMA- NO, Coughlin fights the full nelson! So Henare shoves him to a corner for a SHINING WIZARD! Then snapmare and RUGBY KICK! And then the Monster Rage boils over!

Henare drags Kidd up, fireman’s carries, and Khan runs. But Kidd slips free to shove Henare into Khan! Kidd BITES Henare, TOSSES him out, talks trash, but turns around into the HELL STAB! IRON CLAW, but Kidd grabs at Red Shoes! RIGHT HAND!! Kidd and Khan fall over after that closed fist shot! Fans rally up as hard as they can but Kidd snarls as he drags Khan up. Kidd runs, springboards, OSCUTTER?!? Kidd sends a message to Ospreay, and Coughlin is back in! Gut wrench, Coughlin goes up, HIJACK TOMBSTONE!! Cover, War Dogs win!!

Winners: Gabe Kidd & Alex Coughlin, by pinfall (gain 2 points; Khan & Henare earn 0)

That madman tells Ospreay that he’s dead when they finally face off 1v1! December 16th is still two weeks away, is Kidd going to overlook the rest of the WTL all because he wants after the Kingpin?

2023 World Tag League, Block A: Shota Umino & Ren Narita VS Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii!

The Reiwa Musketeers are coming off a big main event win last round, and are near the top of the block! But the Clown Prince & Stone Pitbull just took down the top of the block last round against TMDK! Will Yano & Ishii pull off another shocker to get to the front of the line? Or will the Roughneck & Son of Strong Style make it through the Chaos?

The teams sort out and Ishii starts against Narita. The fans rally, the two tie up, and they’re in a deadlock. Every step Narita pushes Ishii back, Ishii pushes Narita back. Ishii uses his stockier frame to keep pushing Narita, and they end up on ropes. Red Shoes calls the break, Ishii lets off, but Narita intercepts the forearm with a forearm! Narita fires off more shots, but Ishii eggs him on! Ishii and Narita trade forearms back and forth, fans fire up as they pick up speed! Narita ROCKS Ishii, runs, but Ishii avoids the boot. Narita avoids the lariat to BOOT Ishii down after all! Fans fire up and Narita stomps Ishii. Narita then stands Ishii up to bump off buckles.

But then Ishii hits Shota! Shota hits back, Ishii fights both Musketeers at once! That doesn’t go well and they mug him 2v1. Tag to Shota and he digs his boots in while Narita BLASTS Yano! Red Shoes counts, Shota & Narita double whip Ishii to ropes, then DOUBLE ELBOW! SENTON! SOMERSAULT SENTON! Then they shake hands to DOUBLE ELBOW DROP! Cover, TWO! Shota kicks Ishii around, eggs him on, but Ishii stands. The two stare down, and Shota throws a forearm. Ishii eggs Shota on now, so Shota throws more forearms. Ishii leans into the shots and backs Shota down like that! Shota keeps throwing shots, but Ishii DECKS him!

Fans fire up and Ishii rains down more shots on Shota! Red Shoes counts, Ishii lets off, and then Ishii eggs Narita on. Red Shoes keeps Narita back and Yano tags in. Yano fires up, and he unties a buckle pad! Then he throws it to Shota and tattles on him to Red Shoes! Shota gives the buckle pad over, and Yano SLAPS Shota in the head! Fans cheer but Shota scowls. Yano claws the eyes! Yano runs, Shota ELBOWS him then runs to basement dropkick! Tag to Narita, and Narita whips Yano to ropes, for a NECKBREAKER DROP! Cover, TWO! Yano is still in this and fans rally up. Narita brings Yano up but Yano pulls hair!

Narita kicks and whips but Yano reverses to throw Narita down by his hair! Yano drags Narita up and whips him into the bare buckles! Narita writhes, Yano BLASTS Shota, and Ishii rushes over to go after him! Yano throws Narita out and then goes out after him. Yano whips Narita hard into railing! Ishii whips Shota hard into railing, too! Yano drags Narita back up, puts him in the ring, and he stomps Narita around. Yano drags Narita up, tells haters to shut up, then tags in Ishii. Ishii CHOPS Narita, stalks him, and CHOPS him against the ropes! Ishii eggs Narita on and CHOPS him again. Ishii continues to egg Narita on, so Narita throws a forearm!

Ishii slaps Narita around, Narita throws more shots, but Ishii CHOPS him back down! Fans applaud, and Ishii taunts Shota. Shota coaches Narita but Ishii gives Narita toying kicks. Ishii HEADBUTTS Narita, CHOPS him, then CHOPS and CHOPS again! Narita roars but Ishii CHOPS him back down! Ishii whips Narita corner to corner, runs in, but into a BOOT! Narita runs up, Ishii ROCKS him! Ishii swings, but into a HALF HATCH! Both men are down and the fans fire up! Hot tag to Shota! Shota fires off on Ishii, whips him to ropes, but Ishii reverses. Shota CLOBBERS Ishii, then BLASTS Yano! Fans fire up behind Shota and he sends Ishii to a corner.

Shota runs in to UPPERCUT, then FISHERMAN SUPLEX! Bridging cover, TWO! Shota keeps going, and he turns Ishii over into an STF! Yano stomps Shota, so Shota kicks Yano and tosses him out. Shota goes back to Ishii, stands him up, and clinches. Ishii fights the lift with elbows! Shota ROCKS Ishii, gives him taunting kicks, but Ishii ROCKS Shota back! Shota and Ishii stare down, and Shota fires off forearm after forearm! Shota has Ishii in the corner for more shots! Red Shoes reprimands but Ishii roars and turns things around to CHOP and ROCK Shota on repeat! The fans rally up as Shota sits down, only for Ishii to stand him back up for more!

Ishii CHOPS and ROCKS Shota into sitting down again, and the fans fire up! Ishii eggs Shota on, kicks him around, slaps him even, and Shota scowls. Shota storms up on Ishii, Ishii throws a forearm. Shota eggs Ishii on, and leans into the shots a la Ishii. Shota then ROCKS Ishii and he staggers away! Ishii comes back, Shota clinches but Ishii slips around. Shota elbows Ishii, whips, but Ishii reverses to SAIDO! Fans fire up while both men are down! Shota and Ishii crawl, hot tag to Yano! Yano fires up and whips Shota, but Shota reverses. Yano avoids the bare buckles, to then bait Shota into them! Roll up, TWO!

Yano runs, but Shota DROPKICKS him down! Fans fire up again, and Shota crawls to hot tag Narita! Narita runs up on Yano, BACK ELBOW! Then HALF HATCH BRIDGE! Cover, TWO! Yano escapes, but Narita BLASTS Ishii to cut off the tag. Narita clinches but Yano fights the lift! So Narita trips Yano, and rolls him, CROSS ANKLE CLOVERLEAF! Yano endures, the fans rally up, but Narita drags Yano from ropes! Yano keeps fighting around, he reaches out, ROPEBREAK! Narita lets off in frustration but the fans rally up again. Narita stands Yano up, reels him in, COBRA TWIST! But Yano powers free with a hip toss!

Narita runs in but Yano trips him! CATAPULT into the bare buckles!! Ishii clotheslines Narita, too! Then he BLASTS Shota! Yano fires up and he hauls Narita up. ONI- NO, Narita fights free! Narita gets around, SLEEPER! Yano is fading fast, but Narita goes to the COBRA TWIST now! Yano endures, fans rally up, and Yano fights his way around. Shota keeps Ishii out, and Narita brings Yano away with the SLEEPER! Then back to COBRA TWIST! Yano is turning red like his favorite chair! But Ishii sends Shota into railing, to then TACKLE Narita! Fans fire up while Narita tosses Ishii back out. Narita roars and goes back for Yano.

Narita drags Yano up but Yano fights the suplex. Narita knees low, runs, but Yano avoids the boot to clinch and BELLY2BELLY! Fans fire up while both men are down! Yano and Narita crawl, hot tag to Ishii, and he BLASTS Shota! Ishii drags Narita up, throws him into Shota, then runs, but Narita BOOTS! GERMAN SUPLEX! Bridging cover, TWO!! Ishii escapes and the fans fire up again. Narita crawls, hot tag to Shota! Shota aims at Ishii, BANG and V-TRIGGER! Shota then slingshots to APRON DDT Ishii!! Fans are thunderous and Shota stands tall as Ishii flops over. Red Shoes checks but Ishii is somehow still in this.

Shota drags Ishii up as the ring count begins. Shota puts Ishii in, climbs up a corner, and he MISSILE DROPKICKS Ishii down! Then Shota resets, to slingshot CUTTER! Cover, TWO!! Ishii survives and the fans fire up again! Shota drags Ishii up, dragon sleepers, but Ishii fights free. Ishii runs, into a snap cradle, that then shifts into a BONE LOCK!! Ishii endures the over-the-shoulder crossface, but Narita keeps Yano out! Shota pulls on the hold, but Ishii still fights around! Ishii reaches out, but Shota pulls back more! Ishii flails and kicks around, to have the ROPEBREAK! Shota lets go and the fans fire up again.

Narita slides in, he and Shota coordinate. Shota wrenches Ishii, dragon sleepers, and then gets Ishii up. Narita runs, BOOT into SAVING GRACE! Cover, TWO!! Ishii survives and the fans are thunderous again! The Musketeers stay focused, though, and they haul Ishii up. They double whip him to a corner, Shota runs in to ELBOW! Narita runs in to JUMP KICK! Feed to Shota’s forearm! Narita’s BOOT! Shota’s ROLLING ELBOW! Another BOOT! And then the lift, for the HART ATTACK! Cover, YANO BREAKS IT! Fans fire up but Narita fires off on Yano! Yano gets around, fireman’s carry takeover! Yano kicks and whips Shota, but Shota reverses!

But Yano denies the tornado DDT! Yano atomic drops Shota, then pops him up. Shota fights the Onigoroshi, underhooks Yano, but Yano RAMS Shota into bare buckles! Ishii reels Shota in, hoists him up, POWERBOMB! High stack, TWO!! Shota survives and the fans fire up again! Ishii roars, the fans duel, and Shota flounders up. Ishii runs, Shota BOOTS him, blocks the lariat, and ENZIGURIS! Narita is back to WHEEL KICK! Narita hurries to get Ishii up and NORTHERN LIGHTS! Then a clinch, but Ishii HEADBUTTS free! Narita ENZIGURIS, Shota full nelsons! Narita runs, but Ishii gets free, the BOOT hits Shota!

Ishii shoves Shota into Narita, Yano drags Narita out! LARIAT!! Cover, TWO!?! Shota survives and fans are thunderous again! Ishii grits his teeth and he stands back up. Ishii roars and looks to finish this off. We’re at 20 minutes, Ishii suplexes, but Shota slips free! HALF ‘N’ HALF! But Ishii gets right up to CLOBBER Shota! But Shota’s right up to SHOTGUN Ishii! Ishii’s back, but Shota pop-up KNEES, and LARIATS! Fans fire up again and Shota drags Ishii up. HALF ‘N’ HALF BRIDGE! Cover, TWO!! The fans are thunderous and Shota just fires up again! Shota aims from a corner, vowing to end it here!

Ishii slowly rises, Shota runs in, BLAZE BLADE!! But Shota isn’t done! Underhooks and- NO, Ishii wrenches out to PELE!! Both men are down and the fans are electric! Ishii goes to the corner while the fans duel, and he SLIDING LARIATS!! Cover, NARITA BREAKS IT! Yano runs in to toss Narita out! Ishii roars and he drags Shota back up. Ishii suplexes, but Shota fights free! Shota wrenches, ROCKS and ROLLING- NO, Ishii ROCKS Shota! But Shota catches Ishii, only for Ishii to wrench out! Shota POP-UP UPPERCUTS! And then V- NO, Ishii blocks to HEADBUTT! And then Ishii spins Shota to a BRAINBUSTER!!! Cover, CHAOS WINS!

Winners: Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii, by pinfall (gain 2 points; Shota & Narita earn 0)

There weren’t any tricks needed here, Ishii & Yano beat the Musketeers straight up! Is it still too soon for Shota & Narita to say the Paradigm Shift is coming?

And because it’s Ishii who won this, he’s a true strong silent type, so he and Yano just get outta here! No closing address tonight, but will actions speak louder than words for the Stone Pitbull in this tournament’s second half?

Here are the NEW A Block standings!

TMDK: 4-1, 8 points
Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii: 3-2, 6 points
Shota Umino & Ren Narita: 3-2, 6 points
War Dogs: 3-2, 6 points
Kaito Kiyomiya & Ryohei Oiwa: 2-3, 4 points
The United Empire: 2-3, 4 points
The House of Torture: 2-3, 4 points
The Gates of Agony: 1-4, 2 points

My Thoughts:

Another great round for World Tag League and this block, with some rather shocking moves. I really thought The Gates were going to get going after their win last round, but I guess the House of Torture couldn’t just drop off that badly so they had to win this here. And as we saw in that main event, Yano & Ishii are making a go of it in this block. They beat Shota & Narita, who are certainly still frontrunners, but that was great stuff to make a point that Shota & Narita aren’t ready to beat the real “old guard” they’re talking about replacing here. War Dogs beating the Empire seems fine, they’re mostly just keeping pace so they could cost somebody later.

And great match from TMDK VS the Noah duo, and a great win for TMDK to again be the clear first place team. 4-1 at the halfway point, this block is on Shane & Mikey to win or lose, and as I’ve been saying, TMDK as both a group and as just these two, the OG members, have been solid a long time. It’d be great if they got to the tournament finals here, maybe even get that title shot at WrestleKingdom.

My Score: 8.9/10