Coverage
Mitchell’s WWE NXT Results & Report! (9/30/20)
One last stop before the TakeOver!
The NXT North American and Women’s Champions team up against their challengers!
Before TakeOver 31 and their respective title matches, the Evil Genius and Archer of Infamy take on Mr. & Mrs. Wrestling in a Mixed Tag Match! Will Io Shirai and Damian Priest make sure Johnny and Candice don’t get their way?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Dakota Kai VS Shotzi Blackheart; Shotzi wins.
- The Cameron Grimes Invitational Stepping Stones to the Moon: Cameron Grimes VS Ariel Dominguez; Grimes wins.
- Cameron Grimes VS Ridge Holland; Grimes wins, by disqualification.
- KUSHIDA VS Tony Nese; Kushida wins.
- Adam Cole VS Austin Theory; Cole wins.
- Kayden Carter w/ Kacy Catanzaro VS Xia Li; Carter wins.
- Mixed Tag: Io Shirai & Damian Priest VS Candice LeRae & Johnny Gargano; LeRae & Gargano win.
PLAY BY PLAY
Dakota Kai w/ Raquel Gonzalez VS Shotzi Blackheart!
#CobraKai and the wild child were in the NXT Women’s Championship Contender Battle Royal, but neither won it all. Dakota wants payback on Shotzi for eliminating her, but will Shotzi just welcome her to the ball pit?
The bell rings, Dakota says Shotzi doesn’t need to worry about Raquel at ringside, and then she pie faces her! Shotzi trips Dakota, has the legs, but Dakota pushes her away. Dakota dodges a boot, Shotzi whips but Dakota reverses. Shotzi blocks the monkey flips but runs into a waistlock. Shotzi pries free, waistlocks back but Dakota ducks down to trip Shotzi up. Dakota runs, Shotzi ducks the kick to roll Dakota, TWO! Dakota trips and jackknifes, TWO! Shotzi Oklahoma rolls Dakota, TWO! Dakota gets up, Shotzi atomic drops her, trips her, and has both legs for a Jeff Hardy leg splitting leg drop! Shotzi drags Dakota up, wrenches and arm-drags Dakota around. Shotzi spins Dakota for an armbreaker!
Shotzi holds onto the wrists to kick Dakota from below, then spins to victory roll her! TWO, but Shotzi whips Dakota! Dakota reverses. Shotzi holds ropes and side steps to snap Dakota back and get a takedown! Shotzi laces up the legs for a drop into a modified Muda Lock! Dakota endures this Cattle Muda-lation, and Shotzi bridges up to drop down her weight! Shotzi drops again and keeps the arms hooked, but Dakota rocks and gets free to a Fujiwara! Shotzi endures, clasps hands, fights her way up and she arm-drags Dakota again. Dakota is in the corner, Shotzi storms over to throw forearms, but Dakota counter punches to rock Shotzi! Dakota bumps Shotzi off buckles and digs her boot in. The ref counts, Dakota stops at 4, but Shotzi hits back!
Dakota forearms Shotzi, sweeps the legs and digs her boot in again. The ref counts, Dakota lets up but scrapes Shotzi’s face. Shotzi gets up but Dakota reels her in for a snap suplex! Cover, TWO! Dakota grows frustrated and Raquel argues the count, too. Dakota throws forearms in the corner, puts Shotzi on ropes and digs her knees in! The ref counts, Dakota stops at 4 to run, but into Shotzi’s drop toehold! Dakota ends up on ropes now, but Raquel saves her from the cannonball! Raquel glares at Shotzi, Shotzi turns around into Dakota’s URENAGE BACKBREAKER! Cover, TWO!! Shotzi survives and Dakota is furious as NXT goes picture in picture.
Dakota cools off, stalks Shotzi and mocks her. Dakota chokes Shotzi against ropes, bumps her off buckles, then runs side to side to BOOT her! And then again! Dakota snapmares Shotzi to a cover, TWO! Dakota stands on Shotzi but lets off at the ref’s count. Shotzi staggers away, Dakota clinches but Shotzi throws body shots. Dakota grabs hair but so does Shotzi. Dakota throws Shotzi down, covers, TWO! Dakota drags Shotzi around, turns her over and laces up the legs. Dakota chinbars Shotzi and brings her into the Bow ‘n’ Arrow! Shotzi endures being bent back, pops out to cover, TWO! Dakota escapes and gets up to clobber Shotzi!
Dakota throws forearms on Shotzi in the corner, then runs back in, only for Shotzi to boot her! Shotzi hops up, FLYING SUNSET! Cover, TWO!! Dakota BOOTS Shotzi down! Cover, TWO! Shotzi clings to the ropes while Dakota seethes. Dakota drags Shotzi from the ropes, drags her up into a seated cobra twist and stretches her! Shotzi endures as Dakota cranks on the crossface. Shotzi gets her arm free and arm-drags Dakota away! NXT returns to single picture as Shotzi dodges Dakota to bait her into a corner. Shotzi goes up and over Dakota, rolls and comes back to shotgun dropkick Dakota into buckles! Shotzi hits a corner splash, snapmares Dakota and runs for the SLING DOG!
Shotzi fires up but Raquel coaches Dakota. Dakota walks into a KNEE, and a ROLLING ELBOW! ENZIGURI! Dakota is back on the ropes, the ref keeps Raquel back, CANNONBALL! Shotzi brings Dakota up, chicken wing to TIGER SUPLEX! Bridging cover, TWO!! Dakota survives and Shotzi grows frustrated. Raquel coaches Dakota but Shotzi runs in, only to get BOOTS! Dakota staggers, hip tosses Shotzi into a trapped-leg cover, TWO!! Shotzi escapes and Dakota talks things through with Raquel. Dakota drags Shotzi up, fireman’s carries, but Shotzi fights out. Shotzi baits Dakota into another corner to put her on the apron. Shotzi forearms, but her shoulder gets a KICK!
Shotzi ends up on the apron, Dakota goes out to follow, but Shotzi kicks Dakota’s legs out! Dakota even lands on Shotzi’s knees in the process! Shotzi stands up, throws forearms on Dakota, but Dakota counter punches! Shotzi kicks Dakota’s legs, Dakota SCORPION KICKS! Dakota boots but Shotzi blocks to spin and QUESTION MARK KICK! Shotzi has Dakota for SLICED BREAD to the apron!! Shotzi takes herself out, practically! The ref checks on them both, somehow they’re both okay to continue! Shotzi gets in the ring first, builds speed, but Raquel trips her up! So Rhea TACKLES Raquel into steel steps! Referees rush out to get Rhea to leave, but Raquel wants to give chase! Dakota runs Around the World, Shotzi dodges the boot to roll her up! Shotzi wins!!
Winner: Shotzi Blackheart, by pinfall
A nasty spill could not stop NXT’s Tank Girl, and Shotzi was able to #TCB! Will Shotzi barrel through the rest of the NXT Women’s Division to challenge whoever is champion after Sunday?
NXT holds a dual video interview with Santos Escobar and Isaiah “Swerve” Scott.
The NXT Cruiserweight Champion and the only man to pin him twice, let alone once, are set to battle for that title at TakeOver: 31. To start, Tom Phillips asks Swerve about how he has Escobar’s number yet falls short in the matches. That’s true. Swerve has had his shots but it’s hard to believe there was fairness to those matches. Swerve is the better competitor, is still the only man to pin Escobar in NXT and all of WWE. So frankly, when they have their rematch, Swerve will come out on top.
Phillips asks Escobar if Swerve is right about things being fair this time around. Escobar laughs but tells Swerve he is a parasite that Escobar just can’t get rid of. It doesn’t matter, Swerve just lingers. And there’s nothing Escobar hates more in life than things that linger. Escobar vows Swerve will lose again and tie up loose ends. Swerve complains about what’s fair and what’s not. But Escobar promises this will be fair. Will it? Swerve can’t believe that. Every time they face off for the title, there’s always something or someone. El Legado del Fantasma interfering, a loaded lucha mask waiting under the ring, there’s always a bag of tricks. Escobar says those are excuses. When it counts, Swerve just can’t deliver.
What Escobar calls excuses are actually reality. And the reality here is that Swerve has adapted to everything in this business, and in life. Swerve is ready for whatever Escobar will throw at him. Good, Escobar is glad Swerve has prepared himself. Swerve isn’t just prepared. He is ready to show us all what he’s truly capable of. And he’ll show how the champion is just a fraud. But that’s the difference between them. Swerve makes things about himself. That is why he will fail. Escobar has built the division back up in his image, and infused it with respect for lucha libre, from which Cruiserweight wrestling was born, a culture that Swerve has no respect for. All that “showcasing” will not be enough. What Swerve claims are a “bag of tricks” is actually a century of tradition. Escobar vows to bury Swerve with it, but Swerve says he can try.
NXT hears from the anonymous alumni.
“I’ve heard them say you can never go back home. Too many roads in life to take. But sometimes, you have to stop and look around you to see that home may not be the same place it was when you left it. And you realize, doing something about it will be your best moment.” Just who or what is returning to NXT at TakeOver?
NXT presents Prime Target: Kyle O’Reilly!
“When I first stepped into a wrestling ring, a small kickboxing gym in British Columbia,” he took to it like a fish takes to water. He felt at home. This is something he has put every once of himself into for his entire adult life. Even if he never made it to NXT, just wrestling for a few dollars every other weekend, he would still be doing it with his everything. “This is my love, my passion.” The Undisputed Era is the best thing that ever happened to him professionally and personally, because these are three guys who are legitimately his best friends.
Adam Cole is so proud of Kyle. They’ve known each other for 12 years, travelled the world together, and Cole has known for a long time that Kyle is one of the best. “Blood on our lips and smiles on our face,” Kyle, Cole, Roderick Strong and Bobby Fish have all gone to war against each other and alongside each other. That’s what’s special about the Undisputed Era, “It is real.” More than anything, Kyle wants to be the NXT Champion. There is nothing more important to him right now. It is cliché, but Kyle has had his sights set on Finn Balor for a long time. As Kyle came to America, Balor was already big in Japan. When Kyle went to japan, Balor was in NXT. When Kyle got to NXT, Balor was on Raw.
“Needless to say, the fact that this match is finally happening is one thing. But to put in the main event of TakeOver and it’s for the NXT Championship, that’s what the last 15 years has been building up for.” Every moment, match, opportunity, country and company, it has all led to this Sunday. Kyle thrives under pressure, and if he wins, the Undisputed Era will be the same as when Cole won. This is just the second wave of the Golden Prophecy. And that is Undisputed.
NXT has an update on Tegan Nox.
As they tweeted out earlier today, NXT informs us that after the attack from Candice LeRae backstage, Tegan has suffered another torn ACL. The Shiniest Wizard again must recover and repair, will she ever get past being the comeback kid?
Backstage interview with Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae.
They “feel awful” for Tegan, but this was karma. Tegan broke their TV, Candice tears Tegan’s ACL. Even Stevens now. But moving on from that, their mixed tag match with Io Shirai and Damian Priest- Johnny scoffs at that. He knows Sarah is nervous, but just breathe. NXT’s Power Couple is teaming up tonight, but what are they hoping to accomplish before TakeOver and their respective title matches? Sunday is destiny for them. Gargano said they are destined to be the first married couple to be champions in NXT, and that is already here. It starts tonight, and finishes at TakeOver. The Garganos compliment Sarah, but they don’t really mean it. But will this twisted fairy tale of theirs really have a happily ever after?
Cameron Grimes VS ???
The Technical Savage didn’t win the gauntlet like he wanted, but there’s still time for it to be Grime Time in NXT. Before his match, Grimes gets the mic to say, “To tell you the truth, I’m not in the best mood right now.” Last week, he had all the opportunities, but it was all taken away to a match called the Gauntlet Eliminator! Whose idea was that? Not Regal’s, he’d make something way better! But Grimes can cheer up! Grimes is gonna make a match right now! How about this? The Cameron Grimes Invitational Stepping Stones to the Moon match! What you think of that?
To make it better, Grimes has handpicked each of his opponents tonight. Here comes the first opponent: Joey Pistachio! Actually the jacket says Ariel Dominguez but Grimes is right about him being the NCAA Champion in the 85 pound weight class. Ariel is here, all the way from San Diego, California, and he’s here to go to the moon! “Pistachio” gets in the ring and the match begins!
The Cameron Grimes Invitational Stepping Stones to the Moon: Cameron Grimes VS Ariel Dominguez!
CAVE-IN!! Cocky cover, Grimes wins!
Winner: Cameron Grimes, by pinfall
The fastest win of Grimes’ career, is against a man quite literally half his size. Grimes feels great about it, but admits that was a little rough. But he wouldn’t be the man he is if he didn’t have more competition lined up. The second opponent is: “Joey Strong.” But whether that’s his real name or not, it doesn’t matter, because RIDGE HOLLAND tosses the guy out to the stage! Holland HEADBUTTS Joey over and over and then throws him off the stage! Also, judging from Joey’s singlet, his real last name is “Lockhart.” Grimes introduces himself to Holland and says that he’s a big fan. Holland is great, really. But he’s not part of this invitational! If Holland is here to shake his hand, that’s fine. But this isn’t a match. Holland HEADBUTTS Grimes instead! This IS a match, and here’s the bell!
Cameron Grimes VS Ridge Holland!
Holland grabs Grimes for more headbutts, and then an OVERHEAD SUPLEX! Grimes to a corner and Holland storms over to club away on him! Holland CLUBS and CLUBS and crossface forearms over and over! Grimes scrambles away but Holland stomps him at the ropes! The ref counts, but Holland won’t stop!! The ref rings the bell!
Winner: Cameron Grimes, by disqualification
Holland doesn’t care, he just wants to turn Grimes into Carolina tar! Grimes flops out of the ring, probably thinking he’s on the moon. Will Holland bring him back down to earth next time they meet?
Backstage interview with Austin Theory.
Theory requested this interview time, is it about his recent struggles? Struggles? “Theory” and “Struggles’ do not belong in the same sentence. As for Damian Priest, that should’ve never happened. Theory should’ve been in the gauntlet match Kyle O’Reilly won. Theory saw the Prime Target video, and it is very touching and inspirational to learn it took Kyle 15 years to finally get an NXT Championship match. But that’s a long time. More than half Theory’s life. Theory was already part of WrestleMania at 22, but Kyle is the future? Kyle should try to be catching up to Theory. Will Theory prove he is the one everyone should be putting stock into?
NXT hears from Kushida.
“The migration to this new environment, the United States, has been truly the biggest event that has happened to me and my family. It was a struggle to juggle my work and private life. It was hard to concentrate. But now it’s time! The setup is complete. I can concentrate on the ring.” Now Kushida will show the real him. He hasn’t had many opportunities at titles, injuries set him back, and now he is impatient. He’s changing gears, ramping it up a notch, and will go “ballistic.” Everything has its meaning, and TakeOver will see an explosion. Velveteen Dream will learn HE is the stepping stone, and Kushida will become the core of NXT. “The new Kushida is VICIOUS! Here I come, TakeOver!” But first, we’ll see the Timesplitter tune-up, after the break!
KUSHIDA VS Tony Nese!
Before taking on The Experience, the Super Junior wants to give us all a sample of the new aggression he is about to unleash! Will the Premier Athlete wish he could go Back to the Future to avoid this?
The bell rings, Nese and Kushida circle, approach, but Nese flexes on Kushida. Kushida enziguris! And Kowata Kicks, and Penalty Kicks the arm out! Kushida whips, Nese holds ropes to throat chop back! Nese hotshot bulldogs Kushida down! And drags him out to whip him, but Kushida reverses to POST Nese! The crowd goes wild as Kushida puts Nese in and kicks the arm again! And again! Kushida whips, Nese slides under to pump handle, but Kushida gets the arm! Kushida wrenches Nese for a bulldog to the arm! Nese gets to a corner, Kushida is after his arm again! The ref counts as they’re in the ropes, but he just gives Nese another arm bulldog! Kushida gives Nese DANIELSON STOMPS! Kushida doesn’t stop the stomps, then he wraps the arm into the Hoverboard! Nese taps, Kushida wins
Winner: Kushida, by submission
Kushida shows us he wasn’t kidding! This was a faster, meaner and more precise Kushida here tonight. But the lights change purple, and Dream speaks from the titantron. “Will the real Kushida please stand up?” Because it doesn’t matter who shows up, the spotlight will be too bright for Kushida. Dream always puts on his best performances under the brightest lights. See you Sunday. A simple message for simple game plans: win. Who will see that plan through to success at TakeOver?
NXT Media finds Grimes backstage, nursing his eye.
Grimes tells cameras to get out of his face or direct him to William Regal! But then Grimes walks into Dexter Lumis! Lumis is back?! Grimes walks past the “freak,” and storms off down the hall. Between Northern Grit and the Tortured Artist, will the Carolina Caveman have to be much more careful walking around Full Sail these days?
NXT returns to Adam Cole in the ring.
The former champion makes a surprise appearance as he says, “Three years. For three years, the Undisputed Era has been part of NXT. And for three years, we have dominated. We’ve done what we want, when we want, and nobody has been able to stop us.” The prophecy came true! They said they’d win every title and they did! But even more important than that, people in the locker room knew that if you crossed them, you would pay. Then the prophecy ended and they lost their titles. And somewhere along their way, people felt the Era changed. People felt like they could say whatever and there’d be no repercussions.
Cole is telling us here and now, “Nothing has changed! We are the same Undisputed Era that won the first-ever WarGames match in WWE history! We are the same Undisputed Era that has DOMINATED this brand unlike anybody has or anybody will!” So then, Austin Theory, if you want to run your mouth about Kyle, fine. Do Cole a favor and bring your ass down to this ring to say that to Cole’s face! Theory does make his way out to the ring and he wants Cole to calm down. Why is he so mad? Cole dares Theory to get in the ring since he’s so big and bad.
But if not, fine. Cole keeps this simple so even Theory can understand. Two options: bring your stupid face in and fight like a man; stay right there, so that the rest of the Era can beat him where he stands and make him BEG to go back to option one. Theory decides to take option one and heads for the ring. The ref gets in, too, and this is a match!
Adam Cole VS Austin Theory!
Cole dodges Theory to CHOP and forearm and CHOP! Theory staggers, Cole follows to fire off forearms! Cole stomps away on Theory in another corner, lets off as the ref counts, then goes after Theory at the ropes. Cole KICKS Theory, BOOTS him down, then dares him to get up. Theory stands, Cole gives him a neckbreaker! Theory pushes Cole away but Cole stomps him down. Cole drags Theory up, wrenches and whips but Theory grabs ropes to bail out! Theory mocks the UE sign, but Cole goes out to BOOT him down! Theory sits up in a daze, Cole tells him he’s nothing. Cole bumps Theory off the apron, the ring count climbs to 5 but Cole refreshes it. Cole whips Theory into steel steps!
Cole says Theory mocked the wrong people, then he drags Theory up into the ring. Theory gets Cole at the ropes but Cole PELES first! Theory checks his face but Cole is on him with another neckbreaker! Cover, TWO! Theory survives that Rude Awakening, but then he talks trash about going #AllDay. Cole stomps Theory, drags him back up and snap suplexes him down. “Wrong guy, Austin. Wrong guy.” Cole drags Theory up to club him back down! Theory gets to a corner, Cole laces his leg in the ropes to dropkick him in the stomach! Theory falls with the leg twisted up, and Cole wraps on a chinlock to grind him down. Cole tells Theory to quit but he refuses. Theory tells Cole they’re “Undisputed Crap” but Cole just wrenches harder.
Cole and Theory stand up, Theory fights out but runs into a back elbow! Cole storms back after Theory to knee him down and put him in the corner. Theory hits the buckles hard, Cole throws more forearms then wrenches for a corner to corner whip. Theory reverses, runs in but is put on the apron. Theory shoulders into Cole, slingshot somersaults to shotgun dropkick! “THAT is undisputed!” Cover, TWO!! Theory grows frustrated but the crowd fires up as NXT goes to break.
NXT returns and Theory is stomping a mudhole into Cole! Theory talks smack but fans rally up as he drags Cole up to snapmare and stomp! Theory slaps Cole around before clamping on a chinbar armlock combo. Cole endures, Theory digs his elbow into Cole’s face, but Cole fights up. Cole fights back, Theory knees low and hits a backbreaker! Theory hits a standing moonsault! Cover, TWO! Theory has his arrogance back as Cole gets to a corner. Cole elbows him away, then boots him away! Cole rallies with clotheslines now, and another BOOT! Theory sits up in another daze, but Cole stalks him to ropes. Cole brings Theory into a waistlock, Theory standing switches but Cole PELES and BACKSTABBERS! Cover, TWO!
Cole grows frustrated but he has control again. He gets up while Theory stirs. Cole brings Theory to a fireman’s carry but Theory fights off. Theory whips, Cole reverses and BOOTS again! And then the fireman’s carry, USHIGOROSHI! Cover, TWO!! Theory survives but Cole smirks. Cole might actually respect Theory now, but he’s not going to take it easy on him. Cole goes to a corner, Theory anchors a foot but Cole stomps him. Cole hops up, takes aim, and leaps, PANAMA-NO! Back drop, and no sunset flip, MULE KICK to the back! Theory drags Cole up, torture rack, for the TOWER HACKER BOMB! Cover, TWO!! Cole is a Triple Crown winner for a reason!
Theory talks trash on Cole and throws forearms. Cole gives them back. They brawl from mat to their feet, Cole gives as good as he gets, then runs, into Theory’s elbow! Theory runs, into a SUPERKICK!! Theory ends up on the apron from that one! Cole sees him floundering, drags him up, but Theory hotshots! Theory slingshots, into another SUPERKICK! Suplex, UNDISPUTED BRAIN BUSTER! LAST SHOT SHINING WIZARD! Cover, Cole wins!
Winner: Adam Cole, by pinfall
And THAT is Undisputed! “Kyle O’Reilly was born ready! Nobody wants this more, nobody has earned an NXT title shot more.” Cole promises Kyle will #ShockTheSystem, but it won’t be a shock to the UE. Will this new Undisputed Prophecy come true this Sunday?
NXT returns with a backstage interview with Io Shirai and Damian Priest.
The champions are teaming for the first time ever against their respective challengers. How confident are they against the Power Couple? Hah, that’s cute. They can keep that nickname, because these two are keeping the titles. Tonight is a preview of TakeOver as the Women’s Champion and North American Champion, “the rockstars of NXT,” take care of business. Shirai says she is on another level than Candice, and Priest is literally on a different level than Gargano. In the end, that is why Johnny and Candice have no chance at becoming champions. She’s ready to rock, and Priest likes that. Will the champs stay golden all the way through Sunday?
Kayden Carter w/ Kacy Catanzaro VS Xia Li!
NXT’s Ninja Warriors are a great tag team, did very well in the Women’s Battle Royal, but things are about to get spicy! Will Xia Li divide and conquer KC Squared?
The bell rings and Xia circles with Kayden. They tie up, Xia rolls Kayden, ONE! Kayden sits on the cover, ONE! Xia sunset flips, ONE, Kayden is up but Xia sweeps the legs! Cover, ONE, Kayden reverses the roles to sweep and cover, ONE! The crowd cheers the fast and furious technical exchange, and both women fist bump out of respect. A bit different compared to the scowling Xia did last time these two faced off in that tag match. But they go again, Kayden waistlocks, Xia standing switches, but Kayden drops down, slides under and waistlocks back. Xia uses ropes but Kayden still O’Conner rolls. TWO, Kayden springboard missile dropkicks! Cover, TWO!
Xia bails out but comes back to trip Kayden up! Xia spins Kayden to ROCK her with that right! And then drags her out more to DUMP her on the ground! Kacy coaches Kayden but Xia gets back in the ring. Xia waits for Kayden to return, Kacy coaches Kayden on but Xia stomps away! Cover, ONE! Kayden gets to a corner, Xia is after her with a CHOP! Xia fires up and fires off knees! And a back kick! Cover, ONE! Xia tries again, ONE! Again, ONE! Xia gets spicy with the ref, Kayden staggers about and into a corner. Xia is after her, Kayden elbows her away. Kayden kicks but Xia blocks and trips. Kayden kicks Xia to a corner, Kacy coaches her up but Xia is after her. Kayden CHOPS, forearms, knees and repeat!
Kayden whips, Xia reverses, Kayden wheelbarrows, victory rolls and MULE KICKS! Cover, TWO!! Kayden is frustrated, Xia shoves her but then sunset flips up and over, TWO! Kayden sits up, brings Xia up, Xia bucks her to a prawn hold but Kayden rolls through to sunset Xia! Kayden wins!!
Winner: Kayden Carter, by pinfall
Xia can’t believe she got caught like that! Kayden still shows respect with her hand held out, but Xia shoves her down! Kacy asks what her problem is, but Xia shakes her off, too. Xia is going from spicy to burning with anger, will she explode soon enough?
NXT returns to Shawn Michaels in the ring.
The NXT Championship sits on a table as HBK says, “This Sunday, on the WWE Network, Finn Balor will be defending his NXT Championship against the #1 contender, Kyle O’Reilly. Gentlemen.” Balor and Kyle step in and we have our face-to-face. There isn’t animosity here, but please shake hands before you sit down. They shake hands and take their seats at the table. Balor wishes Kyle a congrats for winning the gauntlet match. Balor has the utmost respect for Kyle and what he’s done, and looks forward to their match. The feeling is mutual for Kyle, there’s nothing but respect. HBK appreciates all that, but let’s get to the heart of the matter.
Balor has told us all, and HBK agrees, this is the best Balor yet. But Balor is facing someone who HBK has said for a long time, the best kept secret in wrestling today. How does Balor prepare for a guy like Kyle? Balor doesn’t think this is a secret. Maybe a fringe, casual fan doesn’t know Kyle, but the business watches Balor because Balor watches the business. Balor has known how great Kyle is. Kyle has proven himself in the NXT Tag Team Division, but more importantly, Kyle has proven himself around the world as a singles competitor. Balor knows how hard that is.
Kyle likes Balor. He is a fan of Balor. Sitting here and seeing Balor expertly stroke his own ego, thinking he can beat Kyle. Balor is a fighting champion, and this is what a fighting champion does: defends the title, even when defeat is certain. And that’s what this is, Balor. “Absolute certain defeat.” Oh? Well there’s one thing Balor isn’t so sure about. Is Kyle going to show up with Undisputed Era, or be a man? He’ll be a man. But he appreciates the question. See this? One hand, and then the other, watching each other. That is how UE has operated since the beginning. That is the foundation to their success. But this Sunday isn’t about the UE. It is about Kyle’s moment.
HBK says that in regards to that, the elephant in the room is the “apparent conflict” that Kyle could be champion and that could upset Cole. Anything to that? Kyle says this “nonexistent power struggle amongst the Era boys, quite frankly, is laughable.” Yes, ol’ Grimey had a point with his, “You ain’t nothin’ like Adam Cole, hurr hurr,” and that’s true. They’re nothing alike because Cole is a beautiful man! Kyle has mismatched ears, freckles all over, and- Balor vows to slap the freckles off Kyle’s face. Now there’s the Prince! “A good Irish boy, this one.” Kyle welcomes that. Balor can’t say Kyle got lucky or making other excuses. Balor agrees, there’ll be no room for excuse from Kyle. And no room for jokes. Balor has proved himself for 20 years.
Big whoop! Kyle’s been here 15, so what’s another 5 years? Every month since walking in here, it’s been “the biggest match of my career.” This week, next week, and this Sunday. This isn’t the biggest match of Kyle’s career, but of Kyle’s life. Balor explains what “the big whoop” is. It’s understanding the difference between the main event of one night, versus the main event that alters your life. Not just for Kyle, but for everyone watching. Kyle gets it. Balor’s first big title defense. No one ever loses their first defense, right~?
But the truth is, Kyle being considered the underdog is BS! Kyle is not the underdog here, because Balor has never faced Kyle, or anyone like Kyle. Kyle will change Balor’s mind. “There’s something about the sound of a man’s knee caps exploding, tends to say a certain opinion.” And this Sunday, the so-called tag team specialist will do it again.
HBK says Balor is champion, so he gets one final word. “Kyle. You’re witty, you have charisma. You are really, really good in the ring. I believe you have everything it takes to be NXT Champion. And you will be, if this title was on anybody else except for Finn Balor.” HBK thanks them for their time. But who triumphs when it’s time to back up all these words at TakeOver 31?
Mixed Tag: Io Shirai & Damian Priest VS Candice LeRae & Johnny Gargano!
The Evil Genius and the Archer of Infamy face their TakeOver contenders together in this special sampler main event! Will the Pint-Sized Poison Pixie and her Wednesday Knight take the first steps toward a historic power couple reign?
The “rockstar” champions fire up and rush the ring to brawl with Johnny and Candice! Things are furious under the strobe lights, but the challengers bail out! The referee hurries in to cool everyone off, Mr. & Mrs. Wrestling complain as they take their corner. Priest starts for his team so Gargano gets in. The bell rings, Gargano fires off a haymaker but Priest kicks. Gargano gets under and uppercuts, but Priest grabs him to throw him to a corner! Gargano dodges to CHOP and forearm but Priest shoves, kicks and swings. Gargano dodges those but not the BOOT! Priest fires off fast hands in the ocrner, Cnadice protests but Priest stops at the ref’s count.
Priest whips Gargano corner to corner, scoops him for a BIG sidewalk slam! Gargano rolls away, Candice tells Priest to back off, and Candice checks on her husband. Priest tags Shirai in so Candice has to come in! The crowd is thunderous as these two step to each other. Candice fires off but Shirai gives it back! Candice knees low, whips Shirai to a corner then runs corner to corner, but Shirai dodge and kicks back! Shirai goes up, leaps, but Candice gets under. Candice comes back, Shirai waistlocks but Candice blocks the German to standing switch and roll up! TWO, SHirai FLAPJACKS Candice! Then basement dropkicks!
Candice gets to a corner as the crowd fires up. Gargano gets in the way of the bullet train, but Priest backs Shirai up. And ROUNDHOUSES Gargano into the corner! Candice gets a bit of hubby’s buns as Priest leaps in to hit the back elbow! Then Shirai runs in, Gargano bails out so that Candice takes the SHINKANSEN alone! Some husband he is. Candice bails out, Priest gives Shirai a boost for an INFAMOUS CROSSBODY! Direct hit on Mr. & Mrs. Wrestling at the ramp, and NXT goes picture in picture!
Shirai drags Candice up and puts her in the ring. Shirai stomps Candice around, and in the corner! The ref counts, Shirai lets off, but then digs her boots in! Shirai swings to meteora! Candice flounders around, Shirai drags her up and throws her! Shirai runs but Gargano redeems himself by taking the tiger feint kick for Candice! Candice hits Shirai with a DRAPING NECKBREAKER! Cover, ROPEBREAK! Candice is furious as she clubs away on Shirai! Shirai gets to a corner, Candice slaps her around, then hauls her into another corner to ram her into buckles! Candice snapmares Shirai into a chinlock and grinds her down. Shirai endures, fights back and fights up, but Candice throws her down. Candice talks trash to Priest but he tells the little lady to calm down.
Shirai knees Candice back! Candice rolls Shirai away to dropkick her down! Cover, TWO! Shirai flounders but Candice drags her away from Priest. Candice has a neck wrench as NXT returns to single picture. Shirai endures, the crowd rallies up but Gargano talks smack. Candice knees Shirai, clubs her, and paces. Gargano is the only one applauding as Candice kicks Shirai. Candice toys with Shirai, tells her the belt will be Candice’s, but Shirai gets up to SHOTEI! Candice wobbles, Shirai counter punches her and waistlocks her for a GERMAN! Both women are down, hot tag to Priest! Gargano gets in but gets clobbered over and over! Priest ROUNDHOUSES Gargano, and LRAIATS him in the rebound!
The crowd fires up as Priest aims and fires the flying back elbow in the corner! And then BROKEN ARROW! Cover off the toss, TWO! Gargano crawls to a corner but Priest brings him back up. Priest reels him in, Canadian racks to a crucifix, but Gargano slips off! Gargano boots Priest back, hops up, TORNADO COMPLETE SHOT! Gargano grits his teeth, fires himself up and kicks, but Priest ducks to kick away! Gargano enziguris, Priest staggers and Shirai tags in! Candice is now legal, but Shirai missile dropkicks Gargano! Shirai rallies on Candice with shoulders, then underhooks, but Candice fights out of the Tiger Driver! Shirai ducks the enziguri and drops down on Candice for the crossface!
Candice flails, reaches, endures, Gargano drags Shirai out of the ring! Priest comes around to choke grip and lift, but Gargano lands on his feet to mule kick from the apron! Shirai SHOTEIS Gargano! Candice cradles Shirai, TWO! Shirai wheelbarrows but Candice turns it into a FACEBUSTER! Step-up senton! Candice grins as she springboards, LIONSAULT flops! Shirai underhooks, TIGER BACKBREAKER! Shirai has Candice in the drop zone and climbs up top, but Gargano gets Candice out of the ring! Shirai shouts at Gargano, but Priest BELL CLAPS and ROUNDHOUSES Gargano! Gargano is down, Shirai still gives him the MOONSAULT!
Tag to Priest, Priest grabs Gargano for the dragon sleeper! The ref is busy telling Shirai to go back to the corner, he doesn’t see Candice LOW BLOW Priest!! Shirai goes after Candice but the damage is done! Shirai stomps Candice down, Gargano slingshots, ONE FINAL BEAT!! Cover, the Gargano Way wins!!
Winners: Johnny Gargano & Candice LeRae, by pinfall
Mr. Wrestling secures the victory only because Mrs. Wrestling kicked the Archer of Infamy in his arrow! Shirai shouts at Gargano but Candice hits her with a BACKSTABBER! And in a bit of premature celebration, Gargano grabs the belts and hands the Women’s title to Candice. They raise the belts up as if they’ve already won. But if #TheJohnnyGarganoWay only succeeds when they’re both together, do either of them stand a chance on their own?
My Thoughts:
An incredible go-home for NXT! Not much was advertised match-wise, but they were all solid to say the least. A lot of great stuff has also been added to TakeOver 31 given circumstances are clearly keeping the NXT Tag Team Championships off the card. The Cruiserweight Championship getting to be on TakeOver is exactly what I was hoping for, and while the video call interview segment was just a tad awkward, Escobar VS Swerve is going to be great once again. Kushida put a hurting on Nese, Dream had a good promo for keeping it simple, and their match is going to be a lot of fun, too. It is truly a shame Tegan is out of action again, her story with Candice had so much going for it. We can only hope Tegan can recover and still wrestle at all.
Dakota VS Shotzi was really good, and I like that Rhea and Shotzi are basically being teamed together again. I felt like these two meshed very well when going against Aliyah and Mercedes Martinez, they’ll do the same here against Dakota and Raquel, and maybe, just maybe, NXT starts getting properly involved in the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship scene. Though, if WWE is keeping their stupid Draft as just Raw and SmackDown, it seems not at all likely. Grimes was hilarious, thinking he could do the same scrub gauntlet Ariya Daivari did on 205 Live, and just hilarious in general as Holland not only mauled that jobber but then mauled Grimes. Lumis returns, too, so maybe what was meant to be Lumis & Dream becomes Lumis & Holland to put some literal heavy hitters in the tag division.
I like that this mysterious return is being kept so secret, it’s not even clear if it’s a male or female superstar. The robot voices are more male and female, the person picked up a TakeOver flyer that had both the men’s and women’s title matches on it, and in the current era, the only difference between the male and female title belts is color, which gets washed away in the night vision green. It cold be Bo Dallas, it could be Ember Moon, it could be… Paige? Maybe not, that’s something that might’ve leaked by now. And while Paige was literally born into wrestling, I feel like she’s fine with where she is in both WWE and in life right now. Though the robot-cyborg gimmick could work for her as much as it does Ember with injuries being the only thing in her way, and the idea of her repairing herself to retake NXT.
I like that the story of Xia Li, and by proxy KC Squared, is getting airtime. They’ve all been around for a good amount of time, really working hard to be notable parts of NXT, and this is it paying off. Xia continues to be a sore loser of sorts, and a full Heel turn would be something interesting to see. The Mixed Tag match was a great main event, and it was a bit out of nowhere to see Priest and Shirai work so well together, but I suppose you credit the fact they have a common enemy in Johnny and Candice. But the math indicates that the #NXTPowerCouple standing tall tonight, touching the belts no less, means they’re not both winning. Maybe Gargano gets the better of Priest, being that Gargano is the Triple Crown winner, I’m not sure about Candice. If Tegan wasn’t actually out with the torn ACL, I could see her interfering with the women’s title, but now it’ll just have to be a clean win for Shirai.
Adam Cole basically being the big brother to Kyle against Theory was unexpected, but that match Cole and Theory had was incredible. It felt on par with a midcard title match, in which case the reputation of Cole being an NXT Triple Crown was itself the prize. The Prime Target for Kyle was incredibly well made, but if he doesn’t win… In the face-to-face, Kyle sure came in with a bit of ego, but he did make some good points. They’re both much more experience than the average fan probably realized, so this isn’t an underdog story but two peers who finally meet to see who is really the better man. It’d be so wild if Kyle won, but this also feels like it’s meant to puff Kyle up so much that he falls that much harder when he loses.
My Score: 9.3/10
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
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
Powered by RedCircle
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!
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.
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
Hockey Talk- 2024 NHL Playoff Preview [042224]
Hockey Talk previews the 2024 NHL Playoffs and discuss the stunning news that the Arizona Coyotes are moving to Salt...
Hockey Talk- Metro Mayhem [040924]
Hockey Talk looks at an absolutely wild playoff situation taking shape in the Eastern Conference while, out West, the battle...
The Pick N Roll: Sweet Sixteen
Join Patrick O'Dowd and PC Tunney as they breakdown the sweet sixteen of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.
Hockey Talk- Reverse Psychology [032624]
Hockey Talk looks at the resurgent St. Louis Blues & Washington Capitals. Plus, the Rangers stay hot, and can anyone...
Down the Wire: Filling Out Our Brackets and Drafting Draft Busts
Join the Brothers Wortz as they cover professional sports in unprofessional ways!
Bandwagon Nerds #232: Superhero Madness- A Top Seed Falls
Superhero Madness continues and sees the first #1 seed fall!. Plus, a trailer for a new Transformers movie, and a...
Mitchell’s Hyrule Puro-Resu News Report! (4/20/24)
HPW looks to the horizon.
Bandwagon Nerds #231: Disney News & Superhero Madness
Round two of Superhero Madness begins this week. Cinema Con gives us plenty of Disney news and a trip to...
Bandwagon Nerds #230: Superhero Madness- Resident Aliens
Superhero Madness continues with first round battles in the Aliens bracket, plus Invincible Season 2 comes to an excellent conclusion.
Mitchell’s Hyrule Puro-Resu Results & Report! (4/1/24)
We got five on it!
Mindless Wrestling Podcast: What Happened Last Week?
After a two-week hiatus, DJ gets to the bottom of why there was no podcast last week. Then, we skewer...
Mitchell’s WWE SmackDown Results & Report! (4/26/24)
It's Draft Day!
DWI Podcast #427: Get Off My Back…lash
It's time to shake things up again!
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!
Mitchell’s ROH Results & Report! (4/25/24)
Champions need challengers!
Classic POD is WAR: @PattonOswalt
Tune in for another vintage episode of POD is WAR!!!
Mitchell’s AEW Dynamite Results & Report! (4/24/24)
Anybody can get it!
Mitchell’s Road to Wrestling Dontaku Results & Report! (4/23/24)
GO ACE! GO ACE!
Mitchell’s WWE NXT Results & Report! (4/23/24)
It's Trick Williams' last shot!
Mitchell’s WWE Raw Results & Report! (4/22/24)
It's a golden Raw!
