Coverage
Mitchell’s WWE NXT Results & Report! (2/17/21)
Fallout from Vengeance Day!
There was triumph and heartbreak felt at TakeOver!
NXT is still trying to calm down from the history made by Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez as well as the shock of Adam Cole SUPERKICKING Kyle O’Reilly!!
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon VS The Way’s Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell; Blackheart & Moon win.
- Isaiah “Swerve” Scott VS Leon Ruff; Ruff wins.
- Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter VS Jessi Kamea & Aliyah w/ Robert Stone; Catanzaro & Carter win.
- Tyler Rust w/ Malcolm Bivens VS KUSHIDA; Kushida wins.
- Zoey Stark VS Valentina Feroz; Stark wins.
- Six Man Tag: Finn Balor, Roderick Strong & Kyle O’Reilly VS The Kings of NXT; The Kings of NXT win.
PLAY BY PLAY
Kyle O’Reilly goes to the ring!
No music, no introductions, he just wants a mic. “You all saw what happened Sunday at TakeOver. I keep replaying the moment over and over in my head in my head, trying to make sense of it, but I can’t.” Kyle is shocked, confused, pissed off and disappointed. The Undisputed Era was supposed to be unlike every other group that ever came and went in the business. They were special and you ruined that for all of us, Adam Cole. Cole kicked Kyle in the face but stabbed him in the back. The thing is, Cole is still Kyle’s brother, and so that is why he’s giving Cole the benefit of the doubt. Kyle needs Cole to come out and explain himself. And when it’s done, Kyle might punch Cole in the face, but he’s willing to hear Cole out.
Kyle waits, and the UE music plays for Cole’s entrance. Wait, no, it’s Roderick Strong coming out! The UE IS special! But Kyle, they both know Adam. Strong is speaking for himself, he says Cole did that out of emotion. But right now, in this moment, Strong knows Cole regrets it. Kyle doesn’t need Strong to say it! He needs Cole to say it! Stop wasting everyone’s time! Strong and Kyle argue but Kyle tells Strong to stay out of the ring. Not that Kyle doesn’t trust Strong, but maybe it is! Kyle doesn’t know who to trust! Kyle says it one more time: He doesn’t need to hear Strong’s BS, he needs COLE to be here! “Adam Cole, get your ass out here!!”
But instead, it’s Finn Balor who makes his way out! Kyle is angry because he’s not here for Finn, but Finn is angry because he IS here for Kyle. If Kyle wants Cole, he has to get in line behind Finn! Finn and Kyle have business to address. On Sunday, Kyle offered Finn a hand in friendship. Finn shouldn’t have accepted but he did, and then we saw what happened! Strong defends Kyle to Finn, Kyle had nothing to do with what Cole did. But then wait! The Kings of NXT attack! They throw Finn and Strong around, then Kyle goes out to get mugged by them, too! The brawl is all over ringside but the referees hurry out to stop it! But they can’t, The Kings of NXT just blow past them to go after Finn, Kyle and Strong!
Fans boo as Dunne, Oney and Burch finally let off, only for Dunne to go after Finn again! Dunne finally stops stomping the NXT Champion to leave with the NXT Tag Team Champions. Will they all be back for more soon enough? And what about Adam Cole’s explanation?
William Regal has an update on tonight’s match card.
He received a message from Santos Escobar: Escobar was to be in a match with Kross, and Kross made threats to Escobar, but no one threatens Escobar. Escobar says he will… GO HOME! The NXT Cruiserweight Champion won’t do this on Regal’s time but his own! Regal says the match won’t happen this week, but it will happen next week. And though the title is not on the line, if Escobar stays away again, he will be suspended AND stripped of the championship! As for tonight’s new main event, it will be a Six Man Tag! Finn Balor, Roderick Strong & Kyle O’Reilly will take on the Kings of NXT to settle the scrap we just saw!
Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon VS The Way’s Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell!
Johnny Gargano accompanies Mrs. Wrestling & Indi to the ring, and they all have missing person posters for Austin Theory, because no one has seen or heard from him since TakeOver! Is there no way for The Way to focus with a part of their family missing?
Gargano also joins commentary to say there is an ATAPB, Austin Theory All Points Bulletin. The teams sort out, Shotzi and Candice start, and Shotzi dodges Candice to shotgun dropkick her down! Shotzi runs in to corner clothesline, tags in Ember, and Ember runs in to back body block! Tag back to Shotzi, Ember runs side to side to dropkick Candice! Shotzi runs side to side to WRECK Candice with a dropkick! The Way is reeling as NXT goes picture in picture.
Ember throws Candice back in for Shotzi, cover, TWO! Shotzi keeps on Candice with clubbing forearms, then brings her around to tag in Ember. They mug Candice, Ember drags Candice up and snap suplexes, una amiga! Ember snap suplexes again for dos amigas, then covers, TWO! Ember keeps on Candice with another facelock but Candice shoves her away. Candice runs back to her corner to tag in Indi, so Shotzi tags back in. They tie up, Shotzi wants a leg but Indi holds her off with a gut wrench. Shotzi rolls Indi to a cover, TWO! Shotzi keeps Indi down with a facelock, clubbing forearms, and then brings her over to tag in Ember. Ember rolls Indi, TWO!
Indi crawls away and tags in Candice. Ember dares Candice to bring it, and then dodges her to waistlock and throw her around. Tag to Shotzi, Ember whips Candice for Shotzi’s sweep, then Ember adds a basement dropkick! Shotzi runs to drop an elbow and cover, TWO! Gargano gets worried on commentary as Shotzi puts on a headlock. Candice pulls hair and powers Shotzi to a corner, but lets off as the ref counts. Candice RAMS into Shotzi, and again, and again! Candice digs her shoulder in, lets off as the ref counts, then snapmares Shotzi to neck snap! Cover, TWO! Candice keeps on Shotzi, tags in Indi, and The Way stomps her at the ropes.
Indi drags Shotzi from the ropes to stomp the legs, then covers, TWO! Indi keeps her eyes on Ember, has Shotzi at the ropes, but Shotzi hits back with body shots. Indi clubs Shotzi, tags Candice, and Candice runs in to back elbow Shotzi in the corner. Tag back to Indi as NXT returns to single picture, and Indi scoops. Shotzi slips off and shoves Indi to ropes. Candice runs in but Shotzi shoves her to ropes, too! Shotzi tags Ember and the two coordinate, BALL PIT ENZIGURI COMBO! Then a KNEE for Indi! Ember slingshot SPLASHES, covers, TWO! Ember drags Indi up, tags in Shotzi, and they mug “Indi Freakin’ Wrestling.” Gargano claims there was a semifinal screwjob as Shotzi covers, TWO!
Shotzi tags Ember back in, they coordinate again, and Ember wrenches Indi to feed to Shotzi’s HANGING HEADSCISSOR! Candice CLOBBERS Shotzi on the outside, Indi BOOTS Ember down! Tag to Candice and she hurries to cover Ember, TWO! Candice facelocks Ember and grinds her down, but Ember endures as fans rally up. But wait, there’s a van pulling in outside? A familiar white van… Candice and The Way see it on screen, and Ember back drops but Candice sunset flips! TWO, Candice CLOBBERS Ember! Cover, TWO! Candice kicks Ember, Ember shoves back. Candice DECKS Ember, stomps away on her at the ropes, then tags in Indi.
Indi drags Ember up, brings Ember around to whip and CLOBBER her! Cover, TWO! Indi grows frustrated, she drags Ember up but Ember hits back. Indi bumps Ember off buckles, RAMS shoulders into her over and over, then hoists her up to a fireman’s carry. Ember slips off, shoves Indi to the corner, but Indi catches up to Ember for a SIDEWALK SLAM! Cover, TWO! Indi drags Ember away, tags Candice, and Candice stomps Ember down! Candice drops down on Ember, then stands on Ember’s back. Candice grabs the arms and pulls Ember back into a half surfboard. Fans taunt The Way with “Where is Theory?” but Gargano tells Indi to ignore them.
Ember endures and fights her way up but Candice throws her down by her arms! Candice whips Ember into the corner, tags to Indi, but Ember fights back! Indi kicks and ROCKS and CLUBS Ember, then stomps her to the corner. Ember fights back again with big forearms, but Indi smothers Ember to whip her to the apron. Indi EuroUppers Ember in the ropes, tags Candice and then BOOTS Ember to the floor! Candice goes out to springboard CROSSBODY Ember down! But back to that van, Gargano is getting annoyed that it’s just idling outside. Gargano leaves commentary to go investigate, and NXT goes to break.
NXT returns and Ember enziguris Candice away! Hot tags to Indi and Shotzi! Shotzi enziguris Indi to a corner! Shotzi runs in, blocks the boot and elbows Indi down! Shotzi rolls and comes back, SHINING WIZARD! Shotzi snapmares Indi to hit a SLING-DOG! Cover, TWO! Shotzi is after Indi’s arms, and gets CATTLE MUTILATION! Indi endures, Candice gives Shotzi a step-up senton! Ember gets in, blocks Candice’s kick to get her with a half hatch suplex! Indi hits a SPINEBUSTER on Ember! Shotzi hits a ROLLING ELBOW, but Indi comes back with a LARIAT! All four women are down, and Gargano has found the van!
Gargano shouts for Theory but is anyone even in this van? There isn’t a driver so who brought it here?! Back to the match, Shotzi and Indi rise, and Indi brings Shotzi over. Tag to Candice, Indi chicken wings Shotzi for a GLAM SLAM! Not the prettiest, but Candice adds on with a SUPERKICK! Cover, TWO!! Shotzi survives and fans fire up! Candice brings Shotzi up, Shotzi jawbreakers free! Tag to Ember, Shotzi fireman’s carries Candice, but Indi runs in! Shotzi uses Candice’s boots against Indi, then hits the swinging STUNNER, and Ember gut wrenches for the AK CODE BREAKER! Cover, TWO!! Candice survives and fans fire up again!
Shotzi and Ember coordinate and go to opposite corners. They climb up, but The Way trip them each up! Tag to Indi and Candice hurries up top. Indi sets Ember up, but Gargano has FOUND Theory! What is he wearing? Ember gets Indi with a roll up and bridge! Ember and Shotzi win!!
Winners: Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon, by pinfall
The Way is 0-2 against the wild child and Shenom, but they don’t even seem to care because at least they have Theory back! Will Shotzi and Ember move on towards bigger and better things? Will The Way make sure Dexter Lumis does not get away with what he did to Theory?
NXT hears from Pat McAfee.
“Hello, Internet Wrestling Community. It’s your favorite wrestler of all time,” on his plane to travel to warmer climates. But he says we finally saw what he’s known all along: We were bamboozled that Adam Cole “protecting wrestling” form McAfee was a scumbag all along! And McAfee knows fans are way too dumb to know that so he is here to tell us all. #PatWasRight, and Cole will be a bum while McAfee will always be the greatest thing to happen to wrestling. He’s going to go get some sun and some Mai Thais while all the fans stay stuck inside like a bunch of bums.
Backstage interview with Kushida.
The Time Splitter is in the trainer’s room after the epic match with Johnny Gargano. What are his thoughts about his NXT North American Championship match at TakeOver? Kushida says it was an honor to compete at TakeOver, but he’s not done with Gargano or the North American title. Bronson Reed walks over and asks if Kushida is alright. He is. Good, because Kushida had one hell of a match at TakeOver. And while Bronson knows Kushida isn’t done with Gargano, Bronson isn’t, either. Bronson wants another shot at the North American title, and if it comes down to him and Kushida, Bronson will cross that bridge when they get there. For now, heal up and get better. They fist bump, and Bronson takes his leave.
But also in the trainer’s room, as if waiting for this moment, is Malcolm Bivens! He wonders what Kushida is doing here. Bivens is a big fan, Kushida was very impressive going 25 minutes with Gargano. But do you know what would be even more impressive? Competing here tonight! And Bivens has the perfect opponent in mind! Bivens asks the trainer if Kushida is medically cleared for tonight. He is. Then Bivens is very excited to talk with Mr. Regal about his match idea. Is Bivens trying to serve up a banged up Kushida to his client for an easy win?
Isaiah “Swerve” Scott VS Leon Ruff!
The Capital Wrestling Center again becomes Swerve’s House as the contender’s race continues! But will Swerve have a rough go of handling Ruff, who is just as hungry for another shot of gold?
The bell rings and the two circle. Ruff and Swerve tie up, Swerve puts Ruff in a corner but lets off as the ref counts. Swerve fakes Ruff out and then laughs at him. Swerve puts up his dukes and dares Ruff to take a shot. Ruff starts swinging but Swerve starts weaving, then he gets Ruff in a elbow ‘n’ collar. Ruff uses that to arm-drag Swerve, then arm-drag again! Ruff runs in but Swerve dodges, only for Ruff to land on ropes and go up and over! Swerve avoids the arm-drag to have another little laugh. Swerve rolls, brings Ruff up and whips him to a corner, but Ruff goes up and out and ROCKS Swerve! Ruff goes up, around, under and dropkicks Swerve to the corner, then arm-drags again!
Ruff clamps onto the arm as fans fire up, and he cranks on the shoulder. Swerve scuffs Ruff and gets to his feet. Ruff forearms and whips but Swerve reverses. Ruff dodges but runs into a JUMPING KNEE! Swerve drags Ruff up, POWER BREAKER! Ruff writhes and Swerve swaggers about. Swerve runs around the world to dropkick Ruff out of the ring! Ruff flounders around, Swerve aims from the apron, and Swerve BOOTS Ruff back down! Swerve smirks as he drags Ruff up and puts him in the ring. Cover, TWO! Swerve slaps Ruff around, sits him up and reels him in for a body scissors! Swerve hooks Ruff’s face but the ref reprimands.
Swerve squeezes tight, Ruff elbows at the leg, then CHOPS Swerve! And CHOPS again! Swerve shoves Ruff away and taunts Ruff. Ruff throws body shots, some chops, but Swerve CHOPS Ruff back! Swerve full nelsons, Ruff breaks it and elbows back hard! Ruff kicks low, throws forearms, then starts rallying! Ruff whips, Swerve reverses but Ruff twists to rebound and LARIAT! Ruff headlocks, Swerve powers out of the bulldog but Ruff goes up for a FLYING CUTTER! Cover, ROPEBREAK! Ruff goes to the corner again, climbs up, but Swerve yanks him back. Ruff throws forearms, Swerve throws body shots! Swerve is seething but Ruff throws more forearms!
Swerve shoves Ruff, fakes him out to kick out the legs, but Ruff avoids the House Call to DOUBLE STOMP Swerve down! Fans fire up but Swerve grits his teeth as he CLOBBERS Ruff! Swerve whips, reels Ruff in, but Ruff rolls up and around to a crucifix takedown! Cover, RUFF WINS!!
Winner: Leon Ruff, by pinfall
Swerve is shocked that he got caught! Swerve manages to smile and laugh it off, perhaps impressed that Ruff got the better of him. They shake hands, but then Swerve DECKS Ruff! Swerve rains down fists and stomps away on Ruff, and fans boo how sore of a loser he’s being! Swerve drags Ruff up because he’s not done with him. Swerve drags Ruff up by his face to a fireman’s carry, and gives him a CORNER DEATH VALLEY! “I’m tired of you getting handed everything, while I’ve gotta scratch and claw for everything!” Swerve says this isn’t just his house, this is his time! What will Swerve do to get what he wants?
Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter VS Jessi Kamea & Aliyah w/ Robert Stone!
KC Squared are back to not just rebound from their loss in the Women’s Dusty Rhodes Classic, but the loss of their friend, Xia Li, to the dark side that is Tian Sha. Will they be able to break through against the Robert Stone Brand and worry about Xia later?
The teams sort out and Kacy starts with Jessi. They circle, approach, and Kacy gets around to waistlock. Jessi throws Kacy off and then taunts little Kacy. Kacy tries a toehold but Jessi stays standing. Jessi drags Kacy up to reel her in, but Kacy slips out of the bomb lift to arm-drag Jessi to the corner! Kacy storms over, tags in Kayden, and KC Squared whip Jessi into the ropes! KC Squared to the apron to DOUBLE BOOT Jessi back in! Kayden covers, TWO! Kayden brings Jessi up but Jessi knees low and whips Kayden away. Kayden holds ropes, boots Jessi, then tags in Kacy. Kacy shoulders into Jessi, then uses her gymnastics to slingshot headscissor! Cover, TWO!
Kacy tags Kayden back in, but wait! Boa is lurking in the shadows! Jessi sucker punches Kayden, drags her away and tags in Aliyah. The Brand mug Kayden, then Aliyah fires off in the corner. Tag back to Jessi. they coordinate to wheelbarrow CUTTER! Cover, TWO! Jessi drags Kayden into a chinlock but Kayden rolls her off. Kayden hits a jawbreaker, then ROCKS Jessi with a right! Hot tags to Aliyah and Kacy! Kacy trips Aliyah, fires off in the corner, but Aliyah shoves her away. Kacy comes back to A-List Lariat! Then handspring AX KICK! Cover, TWO! Kacy tags Kayden in and they coordinate, NECKBREAKER SPLASH! Cover, KC Squared win!
Winners: Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter, by pinfall
But now Xia Li is on stage! She and Boa storm down to the ring, and Kayden is ready to fight! Kacy keeps Kayden calm and wants to talk to Xia. This doesn’t have to be this way! They’re just friends worried about her! But Xia grabs Kacy’s arm, to mark it with black ink! The same warning Xia and Boa were given! “Next week, I will hurt you!” Xia has given her former friends an ultimatum, what is going to happen to Kacy on behalf of Tian Sha?
Malcolm Bivens speaks.
“It has already been established that at TakeOver, Kushida was impressive. But do you know who is even more impressive? Tyler Rust.” Kushida is great but Rust is a superstar that only comes once in a generation. Kushida doesn’t have Rust’s determination or ambition. And Kushida may not be 100% but he’s cleared. Bivens says Rust will take good care of Kushida. Rust isn’t a rookie, he’s a #DiamondintheRust. But will Bivens’ client be able to take advantage of a sore Super Junior as easy as he thinks?
NXT returns and Beth Phoenix is in the ring!
She stands with THE Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic trophy as she quotes Dusty, “When you’re a walk-behinder, the view never changes.” What that means is that to be great, you have to take risks, step up, and lead. And we can all agree every single team in the Men’s and Women’s Dusty Cup tournaments did just that. Phoenix cues up the highlight reel of both tournaments from this year. Raquel Gonzalez was dominant and Dakota Kai was savvy, while MSK were surely #MustSeeKids. And in the end, in epic battles with equally impressive teams, history was made both ways! Kai & Gonzalez win the first-ever while Carter & Lee go 4-0 from debut to winners!
“Two tag teams stood head and shoulders above the rest,” so now we welcome out the winner of the 2021 Men’s Dusty Cup, MSK! Nash Carter & Wes Lee apologize to Beth but they need a moment. They run around and Carter says this is the best feeling ever! The trophy is so beautiful! They hug Beth, admire the boots and the plaque, and say they are THE 2021 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic CHAMPIONS! That feels good to say and great to hear! And what makes it even better is the opportunity they have. Carter tells Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan that on March 3rd, they will step in the ring with MSK with the NXT Tag Team Championships on the line!
Lee says that does feel good. But it’ll be even better when we hear… “AND NEW~ NXT Tag Team Champions…! M S K!!” Okay, back to you, Beth. Beth says that does sound great, but let’s all welcome two women who have etched their names in history for ever: The inaugural Women’s Dusty Cup winners, Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez! #CapKota and #BigMamiCool make their entrance and MSK are gentlemen enough to hold the ropes for them and hand over their mics. Beth welcomes them here and the fans chant, “You Deserve It!”
Beth asks how they’re feeling, and Dakota says they feel awesome! Crushing the competition always takes our breath away, but a moment like this is why they do this! And they were clearly the best tag team in the tournament by far! So it is no surprise that- Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax are here?! Well, as WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, they are allowed to be on any show they want. The Queen of Spades says, “Look! It’s Dakota Kai and Raquel. They just won the first-ever Women’s Dusty Cup. On that night, they were on the right side of history.” So now they get to face the women’s tag champs for the titles!
MSK again hold ropes as gentlemen as Nia and Shayna enter the ring. Nia and Shayna say on that night, Kai and Gonzalez will be on the wrong side of history. Dakota knows Raquel wasn’t here when these two were, here are introductions. Nia is big, and beats people up. And Shayna… Well she still has fans, apparently. Shayna ran away after Rhea beat her ass! Oh, the same Rhea that Raquel beat in a Last Woman Standing? Yep, one in the same! MSK has some popcorn to watch this one, and are sharing with Beth. Shayna says this is the same ol’ Dakota that cried and whined, scared of Shayna after she broke her arm.
Dakota smirks and says she’s not the same person she was then. But if Shayna wants to find out, Dakota will happily kick her head off! Raquel says it’s been a long time since Shayna left, and she doesn’t run this anymore! It’s Raquel and Dakota. And in two weeks, when they face off for those titles, they will make sure Nia & Shayna know that! Nia says they should all take it down a notch. This is really feisty right now. Nia just came here to honor the late, great Dusty Rhodes. Nia worked with Dusty while she was in NXT, and when she closes her eyes, she’ll never forget how he’d say, “Babay, you are one big, beautiful badass bitch.”
And Dusty was right: Nia is the biggest, baddest bitch. And Shayna and Nia are the most dominant force in all of the WWE. Raquel tells Nia that Dusty, God rest his soul, never got to meet Raquel! Oh? Well yeah, duh. Shayna says either way, in two weeks, March 3rd, the tag champs come to the challengers’ home turf to humiliate them! Double mic drop and the champs head out! But Raquel tells “hermana” Nia, “Be careful what you say.” Raquel is gonna take that silver boot and shove it up Nia’s hole! MSK is dead from that line! Will Ricky Desperado and Cobra Kai end the most dominant reign in the Women’s Tag Division? And what of MSK going after the One Two of Lorcan & Burch?
NXT Media spots Strong and Kyle arguing in the parking lot.
Clearly there’s a lot for the UE to sort out with Adam Cole and the main event tonight, but is this just going to add to the team falling apart?
NXT encores the Cameron Grimes Wrestle & Flow music video.
It’s still just as ridiculous as the first time. Will Grimes take them GameStonks #ToTheMoon? Oops! Grimes went and done wrecked his lambo! But that’s okay, he can just buy another!
NXT shares photos from after TakeOver.
Specifically, it was the post match photoshoot with Io Shirai, as she is still NXT Women’s Champion! But one of her challengers came back for revenge and it was Toni Storm! Toni BOOTS Shirai down, goes after her more, and referees hurry to pull her away! Is the Lightning From Down Under doing to strike twice and go after the Evil Genius again?
Tyler Rust w/ Malcolm Bivens VS KUSHIDA!
Bivens Enterprise’s best (and only) client is going to take on one of the best in the world, but while he’s not at his best! Will the damage done by Johnny Freakin’ TakeOver be too much for even Kushida to overcome?
The bell rings and fans are fired up already. Rust and Kushida circle, feel out the grapple, and tie up with knuckle locks. Rust rolls, gets a leg, and shifts. Kushida slips away and resets with Rust. They tie up again, Kushida gets an arm but Rust gets the ropebreak. Rust gives a swipe as the two break and go again. Kushida wants a leg but Rust backs away to a corner. Rust and Kushida circle, tie up, and Rust wrenches to a wristlock. Kushida rolls, wrenches back, but Rust spins and spins and rolls to wrench back. Kushida rolls with the momentum and he holds that elbow. Rust and Kushida go again and Kushida starts throwing big kicks!
Kushida leap son, body scissors and knuckle locks to then wrench Rust. Rust spins and slips around to get an arm-drag takedown. Kushida endures, fights up, works against the hold and hammerlocks Rust. Rust gets around to hammerlock back, but Kushida gets to the ropes. Kushida then waves Rust into the ropes and kicks the ropes to jam the arm! Bivens protests but Kushida and Rust tie up again. Rust headlocks, Kushida shifts to his own headlock, Rust powers out but Kushida handspring back elbows Rust down! Kushida hurries up to arm-drag Rust around but Rust headscissors. Kushida kips free, drops under the boot and double pump handles to the EuroClutch, TWO!
Kushida argues how close that was but Rust ROKCS him with that sucker punch! Rust throws EuroUppers, Bivens coaches him up, and Rust whips Kushida to ropes. Kushida holds ropes, boots Rust back and goes to the apron to enziguri back! Kushida has the arm, wrenches, and hotshots it! Rust clutches that elbow, Kushida climbs up top, but Rust trips him up! Kushida tumbles hard against buckles, Rust is right on him with an omoplata and armbar! Kushida endures, fights but Rust rolls him to body scissors. Rust has the sleeper, but Kushida has the ropebreak! The ref counts, Rust lets go and Kushida gets out, clutching his shoulders while NXT goes to break.
NXT returns and Rust grinds Kushida with a cravat. Fans rally up and Kushida fights out with body shots. Kushida arm-drags Rust, then hits an atomic drop to a whip. Hip toss and cartwheel to basement dropkick! FAST BALL! PENALTY- No, Rust dodges the kick but Kushida wrenches the arm to the ARMBAR BULLDOG! Bivens is panicking as Kushida drags Rust up. Kushida gives Rust Kowata Kicks, then reels him into underhooks. Rust resists but Kushida adds a hammerlock. Rust back drops free, Kushida staggers over into Rust’s BOOT! Rust reels Kushida into a sleeper, then shifts around to a guillotine, SNAP SUPLEX!
Rust AX KICKS the neck, covers, TWO! Kushida has the ghost pin, TWO! Rust switchblade kicks and BUZZSAWS Kushida down! Cover, TWO!! Kushida is still in this and Bivens is fuming! Rust grits his teeth as Bivens coaches him and fans rally for Kushida. Rust drags Kushida up to a waistlock dead lift, but Kushida elbows free! Kushida switches to lift but Rust resists. Kushida full nelsons, Rust breaks it, rolls, EuroClutch but Kushida switches it to his own! Rust makes it a REAR NAKED CHOKE! Kushida grabs at Rust’s hands but Rust clubs away with crossface forearms! GROUNDED BOW ‘N’ ARROW!? Kushida endures Rust’s innovation, and he shifts to a cover! TWO!!
Kushida dropkicks the arm! Rust swings but misses, PENALTY KICK! Kushida fires up, runs in, but Rust gets around to waistlock. The bad arm is no good, Kushida swings, but Rust fireman’s carries! Kushida wants the bad arm, Rust has to drop Kushida and Kushida drags Rust down to a mounted double wristlock! HOVERBOARD!! Bivens starts waving at the ref but Rust taps, Kushida wins!
Winner: Kushida, by submission
The Time Splitter wins but Bivens claims he was protecting his investment in Rust. Either way, Kushida wins, so how much better will he be back at 100%?
NXT Media catches up to LA Knight.
He asks what the hell they want, but then says while the cameras are here, he wants to speak. It was only a few days ago that Knight showed up at TakeOver to put NXT on its ear. With the signing of Knight, people are already wondering if he’s the greatest NXT star of all time. If you knock on his door again, he’ll knock your damn head off. But everyone who comes in as “the hottest free agent,” if they’re not Knight, they aren’t it. Knight is going to claim his perch, and who is gonna stop him? NOBODY! NXT already belongs to Knight. No one can take it from him, not because they’re not good, but because he won’t let you! It’s the Knight’s Game now!
Zoey Stark VS Valentina Feroz!
Though she didn’t get out of the first round of the Women’s Dusty Cup, the newest addition to the Women’s Division did impress. Now she has her 1v1 debut, will she impress even more with a win? Or will Feroz’s own debut overshadow Stark’s?
The bell rings, the two circle and tie up, and Stark waistlocks to a slam! Starks stays on Feroz with a facelock and hard snap suplex! Stark picks Feroz up to RAM her into the corner, stomps her then reels her in to CLOBBER her! Fans rally, Stark wrenches an arm but Feroz throws a forearm! Feroz uses ropes to flip through then she gets a headlock. Stark powers out but Feroz comes back to sunset flip! Stark stays up but Feroz avoids the stomp to kick Stark to the corner! Feroz fires up to judo throw Stark down and cover, ONE!! Feroz is furious, Stark throws big knees and clubs away on her as she fires up in return!
Stark drags Feroz up, suplexes, but Feroz slips off to shove her away. Feroz runs but into Stark’s arms for a SNAKE EYES! Stark SUPERKICKS Feroz and then reaches a boiling point. HALF ‘N’ HALF!! Feroz writhes, Stark runs and SLIDING KNEES Feroz back down! Stark grins as she looms over Feroz. Stark says this is done, and she hoists Feroz up for a flip and a knee, GO TO STARK! Cover, Stark wins!
Winner: Zoey Stark, by pinfall
Ferocious and without slowing down, Stark dominates in her singles debut! Will Stark storm up the ranks sooner rather than later?
Karrion Kross and Scarlett Bordeaux speak.
“You like to play games, Santos?” Playing with time is not Escobar’s forte. Escobar doesn’t have that power. “There is no pause button on this nightmare.” Kross tells Mr. Santos that his destiny has already been decided and there’s no going back. Escobar has a big decision. A) Escobar shows up next week, stands in the ring like he was supposed to, and Kross takes his arm to drive it through Escobar’s head. B) Escobar doesn’t show up, he loses his title, and then Kross still finds him to leave him wherever he finds him. There is on easy way out, just the hard way. Tick-tock. What happens when Escobar’s time is up?
Six Man Tag: Finn Balor, Roderick Strong & Kyle O’Reilly VS The Kings of NXT!
While the Prince and the Undisputed Era tried to sort things out, Pat McAfee’s boys pounced! But will the Bruiserweight and the BritAm Bruisers come to regret that move?
NXT returns once more, the teams sort out, and Kyle starts with Oney. They tie up, fans fire up already, and Oney puts Kyle in a corner. Kyle dodges Oney’s chops to fire off forearms! The ref counts, Oney turns things around but Kyle turns them right back around to fire off more! Oney headlocks, Kyle powers out but Oney runs him over! Things speed up and Kyle kitchen sink knees Oney down! Strong wants the tag but Kyle tags Finn! Finn and Kyle mug Oney, Finn wrenches Oney’s arm then tags Kyle back in. Kyle hops up and drops ax handles on Oney’s arm! Kyle wrenches the arm to elbow breaker, then he tags Finn back in. Finn hops up, he drops an ax handle now!
Finn wrenches Oney’s arm to drag him down as fans rally up. Oney fights up, Burch tags in, but Balor fights back! Finn snapmares Burch to the armlock and fans fire up. Burch fights up, Strong tags in and he goes after Burch. Strong wrenches to hit an elbow breaker! Burch endures, fights up, and pulls on Strong’s ear to put him on ropes. The ref counts, Burch lets off but Strong has to worry about Oney. Burch ROCKS Strong, tags in Dunne and Dunne wrenches Strong’s arm to twist the wrist and elbow! Dunne grinds the elbow into Strong’s shoulder, Strong gets up but Dunne wrangles him back down. Strong whips Dunne away to dropkick him down! Cover, TWO!
Strong keeps on Dunne, Dunne resists the lift to get the ropebreak. The ref counts, Strong lets go, Dunne DECKS him! Dunne drags Strong up but Strong CHOPS and CHOPS! Dunne throws Strong out, sucker punches Kyle, and then the tag champs pull steel steps apart! They throw the top half away and then go after Strong. Strong fights them off, the ref reprimands but Strong gets up to hotshot Dunne! Strong runs but into Dunn’s kick! Dunn brings Strong in but Strong slips out of the suplex to HALF NELSON BACKBRAEKER! Hot tag to Kyle and Oney! Kyle BOOTS Kyle, rallies with kicks, but Oney blocks to ROCK Kyle!
Tag to Burch, but Kyle dodges to fires off strikes! Leg sweep and Burch goes rolling away! Dunne tags in but Kyle gets the leg for a DRAPING DRAGON SCREW! Then DRAPING DRAGON SCREW to Oney! Kyle is on the apron, he leaps but Burch dodges and Dunne BLASTS Kyle with a forearm! The ref goes out to check on Kyle while NXT goes picture in picture.
Dunne stomps Kyle, the ref reprimands, and Dunne drags Kyle up and into the ring. Dunne has Kyle on the apron, wrenches the arm and pulls, but the ref counts. Dunne stops at 4, goes back in the ring and he wrenches Kyle’s arm around to pull on it from finger to elbow. Kyle endures, Dunne stomps him on the back! Dunne wrenches, tag sin Burch, and wrenches again to hand off to Burch. Burch hits the elbow breaker, then wrenches again to chinbar and wrangle Kyle down. Burch stomps the arm! Burch drags Kyle back up, tags in Oney, and they double wrench to double CHOP Kyle! Oney snap suplexes Kyle and covers, TWO! Oney gets in Strong’s face before going back to Kyle.
Oney drags Kyle up to CHOP him to the Kings’ corner. Tag to Burch, Burch brings Kyle around to throw EuroUppers, but Kyle hits back! Burch drop toeholds Kyle down and clamps onto the arm! Dunne tags in, he gets the legs and hooks those up to then go after Kyle’s arms. Kyle endures, Dunne digs knuckles into his ribs and shoulders to then STOMP both legs! Dunne clamps onto Kyle with a chinbar and cranks hard on the neck as NXT returns to single picture.
Fans are fired up as Kyle endures and Dunne pulls harder. Kyle fights up, throws body shots, but Dunne ROCKS him! Dunne sucker punches Finn and Strong, but Kyle gets Dunne with a DRAGON SCREW! Hot tag to Burch and he drags Kyle away to throw EuroUppers! Kyle counters to a backslide, TWO! Burch gets Kyle’s leg and drags him down to a HALF CRAB! Tag to Dunne, Dunne stomps Kyle back down! Dunne goes after Kyle’s legs again, ties them up then tags in Burch. Burch stomps Kyle, brings Kyle up and whips him corner to corner. Kyle boots back and throws an elbow, but DOUBLE CLOTHESLINES take both men down!
Fans fire up as Burch and Kyle slowly crawl. Hot tag to Dunne, and Dunne DECKS Strong! Dunne drags Kyle back by a foot for an ANKLE LOCK! Kyle flails, reaches, rolls and kicks Dunne away! Kyle kicks Dunn’s leg, Dunne ROCKS Kyle with a forearm! But Kyle yo-yos, dodges Dunne and tags in Finn! Finn rallies, Dunne reveres but Finn dropkicks the legs out! Finn CHOPS Dunne in the corner, Oney runs in but Finn trips and DOUBL ESTMOPS him! Finn goes after Burch, then he trips Dunne up! Dunne counters to a cradle, TWO! Dunne runs, Finn gets around, elbow drop DDT! Cover, Lorcan breaks it!
Strong throws Oney into Burch then WREWCKS them with a dropkick! Burch DECKS Strong, fans are thunderous and Finn drags Dunne up by his leg. But Dunne is after Finn’s fingers! Finn gets free but gets an ENZIGURI for it! Dunne pump handles, but no Bitter End as Finn facelocks. Dunne rams Finn into a corner but Finn BOOTS back, then SLINGBLADES! Finn takes aim from the corner, but Burch gets in with a title belt! The ref is busy going after Burch, Finn shotgun dropkicks Dunne into the ref! Finn DECKS Burch, climbs up top and aims at Dunne, but Adam Cole is here!! He SHOVES Finn into the ref! Fans boo but then Cole BOOTS Kyle down!
Cole drags Kyle over to the steel steps that the Kings set up, to BRAINBUSTER Kyle onto them!! Cole snarls as he storms off, but we still get no answers as to why! Oney crawls into the ring but Strong hurries after him! Oney has the belt but gets a STRONG KNEE! Strong has the belt, he goes over to Finn but Finn PELES out of instinct! Finn had no idea who it was, of course, but the damage is done! Dunne gets Finn with a BITTER END!! Cover, The Kings of NXT win!!
Winners: The Kings of NXT, by pinfall
The Bruiserweight finally pins the NXT Champion! But it was far from fair with everything going on! Is this still grounds for another battle between Finn and Dunne? And what does this mean for Cole’s friendship with Kyle and Strong? Wait, Cole returns to SUPERKICK Finn!! The Prince just got blindsided, and Cole stands over him and Kyle! Cole picks up the NXT Championship, because he clearly wants it back. Is Cole moving on from being undisputed to being the only one at the top?
My Thoughts:
This was a very intense episode and a great follow-up to TakeOver. I’m a little disappointed we didn’t get more out of Lumis abducting Theory, and that the white van pulling up overlapped with the tag match. I guess it was a way to keep The Way strong while losing to Shotzi & Ember, and it did save time on the episode, but I feel like we would’ve gotten a lot more fun if the tag match was allowed to end cleanly, and if we got messages from Lumis about where he put Theory and what he was doing to him. Lumis’ art skills should’ve been used to create illustrated ransom letters, where Lumis will return Theory only once Gargano gives him a North American Championship match.
The Dusty Cup Trophy Presentation being a segment tonight was interesting. The winning teams got to see the trophy during the entire tournament and at TakeOver, but I suppose pointing out the names on the plaque was kayfabe reason enough to have this happen. The real reason was to formally announce when the tag title matches would be happening, and to give us a great promo segment. It seems NXT is already planning counter programming for March 3rd, aka AEW’s go-home to Revolution. Two tag title matches in one night as just the beginning of the card is a great move either way, and the timing makes it clear why it’s happening.
Dakota and Raquel did great being Faces with Attitude, as they’d be the Faces by comparison against Nia & Shayna anyway. MSK also did a good job playing support to the women’s tag teams, Wes Lee’s reaction to the line about Nia’s hole was a great detail. KC Squared VS Robert Stone Brand was pretty good, and KC Squared wins to have momentum going into what I’m sure will be a series of matches with Xia Li. I still say this ends up with a tag match where “Tian Sha” has her in-ring debut, meaning Karen Q and Xia Li are going to be a tag team. Surely this all stems from the match we saw of Xia Li VS Karen Q back in the second Mae Young Classic, and I think they’re going to be a great addition to the Women’s Tag Division.
Swerve VS Ruff was good, and Ruff winning and Swerve being a sore loser, this is just the start of what already feels like a really good feud. Escobar basically chickening out of his match with Kross tonight is a bit lame but Kross has a good response promo. The one disappointment is that, at least to me, it feels like the only reason Escobar still has the belt right now is to use it against him in this story. And I noticed Curt Stallion’s feelings after losing were just a video on social media when they should’ve been aired somewhere on programming. I still say the title should’ve been handed off to Stallion while we have this Kross VS Escobar non-title story.
Bivens trying to take advantage of a less than 100% Kushida was very clever, and we got a great match between Kushida and Rust. I was a little confused at the end there but it seems Bivens threw in the towel without having a towel, but it also felt like he was trying to distract the ref so Rust’s tap-out wasn’t noticed and the match could continue. I’m thinking the Bivens-Rust story goes until Bivens gets fed up with Rust always falling short, he gets a new client, and Rust beats the new client to prove he didn’t really need Bivens, or something similar. Zoey Stark had a good singles match with Feroz, but it seemed pretty clear Stark was going to win with how they hyped her up tonight.
The main story with the Undisputed Era and NXT Champion was very good stuff. Kyle wants answers, Finn wants answers, Strong defends Cole only to be proven wrong, and all the while McAfee’s guys take advantage because they don’t like any of them. The Six Man was a lot of fun, Cole’s interference was pretty logical since he hates Kyle and Finn equally now. The only downside is that after everything was said and done, Kyle suffered a seizure and had to be rushed out of there. I had a feeling something was wrong with that steel step spot, but that’s very scary stuff. On behalf of The Chairshot, I hope Kyle makes a speedy recovery.
My Score: 9.4/10
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
Pick and choose, sit and lose, all you different crews…
Night two of the WWE Draft continues here on Monday Night Raw, even as The Judgment Day take on Jey Uso, Ricochet & Andrade! Will Main Event Jey’s team put a YEET Down on Damian, Finn & JD?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Gunther w/ Ludwig Kaiser VS Xavier Woods w/ Kofi Kingston; Gunther wins.
- WWE Intercontinental Championship: Sami Zayn VS Bronson Reed; Sami wins, by disqualification, and retains the title.
- Maxxine Dupri VS Candice LeRae w/ Indi Hartwell; Candice wins.
- Liv Morgan VS Nia Jax; Liv wins.
- WWE World Tag Team Championships: The Awesome Truth VS The Alpha Academy; The Awesome Truth wins and retains the title.
- Six Man Tag: The Judgment Day VS Jey Uso, Ricochet & Andrade; Jey, Ricochet & Andrade win.
PLAY BY PLAY
Logan Paul arrives!
The Maverick United States Champion rolls up, also with IShowSpeed, and they’re greeted by Patrick Mahomes! And Judgment Day, too! Damian Priest says hey to Logan, congratulates Mahomes on his success, and from champion to champion, Priest wants to say that Logan looks good with the title. Logan appreciates that. Nick Aldis invited Logan to Raw to help with the WWE Draft, make some picks, and hang out with the greatest QB in the NFL. But hey, Judgment Day’s been crushing it. They run Raw! Logan’s guess is that at Backlash, they’re gonna destroy the “ugly Uso,” Jey. Let’s get it! This clique rolls in, will things all go well for them this close to the big night?
Becky Lynch is here!
The fans fire up for the NEW Women’s World Champion as she makes her way to the ring, gold back in her hands! Becky gets a mic in her hand now, and she says, “The Man has come around to Kansas City!” The fans cheer that! And man, we’ve got history here, right? Yeah, yeah! Lots of people say KC is where The Man was born. Nearly six years ago, right up on those steps, face bloodied, and she let everyone know that this is HER show now! And here she stands, your new Women’s World Champion, and she’s still saying the same damn thing! The fans cheer on “BECKY! BECKY!” Becky says we are on night two of the Draft, and the times, they are a changing!
There’s a whole new division waiting in the wings. It has taken Becky two YEARS to work back to holding a world championship. And the fans chant, “You Deserve It!” She thanks them for that and loves them for it. But now that Becky is holding this title, her instinct is to hold it tight, never let it go, but titles aren’t meant for just holding. They are meant for defending! Fans like the sound of that, too! So Kansas City, let’s find ourselves a new #1 contender! And Becky wants to fight the best, because you only get better fighting the best. And with that, here comes Liv Morgan! Liv has a smile and a mic as she goes to the ring to tell Becky if she’s looking for a contender, here she is!
The fans are torn but the “MAMI! MAMI!” chants come out. Liv says now, the very last thing she wanted was for Becky to just hand her a title match. But for some reason, Liv can’t help but feel like Becky owes her one. The fans boo but Liv says hold on, hold on. The truth here is, the only reason Becky has the World Championship is because Liv did what Becky couldn’t, and that was take out Rhea Ripley. The fans boo because Liv hurt Rhea. Liv continues to say that this is still the Liv Morgan Revenge Tour, after all. And she thinks they both know that the endgame here was always going to be Liv. So Liv won’t stop until she has everything that she wants.
Becky tells Liv she’s right. Becky would not be holding this title if not for what Liv did to Rhea. But the interesting thing is, Liv would be holding this title if not for what Becky did to Liv. Funny how that works, huh? But then here comes Nia Jax! The Irresistible Force was drafted to SmackDown, but rosters don’t lock in until after Backlash! And Nia says this is all just them being rude. She doesn’t know about any of the fans here, but Nia says Kansas City is very rude for not welcoming her. They are lucky she even showed up tonight. Liv can’t hear Nia over the boos! Nia says she dominated them both last week! SHE should be champion right now!
And the only reason she’s not is because Liv and Becky teamed up to make sure she wouldn’t be. But lucky for her, she’s now on the superior show, SmackDown! It’s why she’s wearing blue, if you can’t tell, you idiots. But like Bayley, Naomi & Tiffany saw, Nia will soon be champion. So tonight is her last night on Raw. Fans cheer that! Well, if Nia is leaving, she’s taking one of them with her. So- LIV SHOTGUNS NIA! The fans fire up and Liv says if Nia’s gonna make a challenge, SHE accepts! Will Liv survive a battle with Nia to then go after Becky and the title?
Stephanie McMahon is here!
The fans fire up as the Billion Dollar Queen walk out on stage! She goes to the podium because she has the first round of picks! And she says it feels great to be back here in Kansas City! She welcomes us to night two of the 2024 WWE Draft, and says with the first pick, Raw selects… DER RING GENERAL, Gunther, and Ludwig Kaiser, Imperium! And yes, it’s just them after they expelled Giovanni Vinci from the group. With the second pick, SmackDown selects… JADE CARGILL! The Storm is staying on Friday nights, much to Damage CTRL’s chagrin. And with the third pick, Raw selects… DAMAGE CTRL! Well, never mind!
The fans are torn as Iyo Sky, Dakota Kai, Asuka & Kairi Sane now move to the red brand! And with the final pick of this opening round, SmackDown selects… KEVIN OWENS! The Prizefighter stays on Fridays, which is fitting as he wants after The Bloodline! Who else will be chosen? We’ve still got FIVE rounds to go tonight!
Gunther w/ Ludwig Kaiser VS Xavier Woods VS Kofi Kingston!
Speaking of Imperium, they’re ready to commemorate staying on Raw and dumping Giovanni Vinci by sanctifying the ring. However, will the reigning, defending, W, W, E, King, of, the RING~ prove to Der Ring General that he isn’t ready to wear the crown?
The bell rings, Gunther and Woods slowly circle. The fans rally up for “NEW! DAY ROCKS!” The two approach, Gunther kicks low, then CLUBS Woods. Woods goes to a corner, Gunther clinches and grinds forearms, but the ref counts. Gunther lets off, Woods dodges the chop to CHOP! Woods dodges another chop to headlock! Gunther powers up but Woods holds on tight, Gunther powers out on the second try, but Woods ducks ‘n’ dodges ‘n’ slides under to ROLLING ELBOW! Gunther fumes, runs up, but Woods dumps him out! Woods runs, but Gunther avoids the wrecking ball dropkick to CHOP Woods down!
Woods writhes, Gunther hauls him up and hits an APRON BACK SUPLEX, and then Raw goes to break!
Raw returns and Woods is down in the ring. Gunther paces, Kaiser tries to get fans to cheer him but they boo instead. Gunther brings Woods up to UPPERCUTS! Woods goes to a corner, kicks low, then UPPERCUTS back! Woods fires more UPPERCUTS, but Gunther scoops to SLAM him down! Gunther paces while Woods writhes and fans boo. Gunther goes back to Woods, eggs him on, then stands him back up. Gunther HIP DROPS, then he talks trash. Gunther scuffs Woods, but the fans rally with “NEW! DAY ROCKS!” Secret glitch happens, but Woods fires CHOPS on Gunther! Gunther CHOPS Woods down!
Woods still gets up! Woods CHOPS and CHOPS, but Gunther pushes him to a corner, to CHOP again! And CHOP again! And then short arm LARIAT! Fans boo but Gunther grins while talking smack on Kofi. Kofi coaches Woods, Woods rises, and Kofi tells Gunther not to worry about him. Woods stands and ROCKS Gunther, JAWBREAKERS, then CHOPS! And CHOPS! And CHOPS! Gunther CHOPS Woods again! Then reels him in, hoists him up, but Woods slips free! Woods mule kicks and the fans fire up! Woods runs corner to corner, but is put on the apron! Gunther CHOPS, Woods wobbles, and Gunther climbs!
Gunther drags Woods up, but Woods fires body shots! Woods throws hands and he CHOPS Gunther! And CHOPS him off the ropes! The fans fire up as Woods climbs, to MISSILE DROPKICK! Cover, TWO! Gunther is still in this but even Kaiser looks a little worried. Gunther sits up, Woods is on him and brings him in. Woods goes to suplex but Gunther fights out! Gunther CHOPS Woods down again! Woods goes to the apron, Gunther runs in but Woods RAMs him! Only for Gunther to SHOVE Woods down! Woods’ leg gets caught in the ropes! The ref hurries to help Woods but Gunther stomps away! The fans boo but the ref backs Gunther off.
Gunther goes outside, to CHOP the leg! The ref frees Woods, Woods flops to the floor, and the ref reprimands. Gunther grins as he still has control, and Raw goes to break.
Raw returns again and Gunther drops a knee on Woods’ bad leg! And then another knee drop! Woods flounders to a corner, drags himself up, and Gunther again talks trash to Kofi. Gunther goes back to Woods, but Woods throws body shots and chops! Gunther kicks the bad leg! Woods CHOPS, but Gunther scoops him to SLAM him into ropes! Woods grits his teeth, clutches the leg, but the fans boo as Gunther mocks Woods. Gunther drags Woods up, puts him on the top rope, and CHOPS him on the back! Woods falls back into the Tree of Woe, and Gunther CHOPS the knee! And CHOPS! And CHOPS it again! The fans boo but Gunther BOOTS the knee!
The ref backs Gunther off, gets Woods out of the Tree, but Gunther grins as he watches Woods writhe. Kofi coaches Woods, the fans rally up, but Gunther eggs Woods on. Woods crawls after Gunther, rises up, only for Gunther to CHOP him down! Gunther goes out to the apron, taunts Kofi some more, then goes up the corner! GUNTHER SPLASH onto knees!! A double-edged tactic but it still saves him! Woods slaps the leg, gets it moving, and the fans rally up harder! Woods rises, to kick, but Gunther blocks! Gunther CHOPS Woods down, then has the leg for a HALF CRAB! Woods endures, flails, reaches out, and Kofi coaches him, only for Gunther to drag Woods back!
Gunther sits deep on the leg, and Kofi thinks about the towel! Kofi grabs the towel, but Woods tells him no! Woods doesn’t wanna lose like that! He knows he can do it! Kofi hears Woods out, and throws the towel away! The fans fire up as Woods powers up! Woods crawls forward, reaches out, but Gunther turns him over! Woods kicks with his free leg, but Gunther drags him way back! STF, with HAMMERING ELBOWS on top! INVERTED GRIP!! Woods endures, but he just can’t! He taps, Gunther wins!
Winner: Gunther, by submission
A gutsy move by Woods, but Gunther has no mercy for anyone. Der Ring General stands tall over the king and “takes his crown” for his own. Will this also happen during the King of the Ring tournament as we enter the money of May?
Backstage interview with Jey Uso.
Cathy Kelley is with Main Event Jey, Raw’s first pick from Night One. A great honor for Jey, but is there any pressure being Raw’s first pick while also heading into Backlash’s World Heavyweight Championship match? Jey appreciates the praise, but says there’s no pressure. Put that on his back, watch him work, and Priest is about to catch this YEET down! Then one more question: Logan Paul- Jey stops her there. Jey is glad WWE signed a Paul brother. He just wishes it was the one with a winning record. YEET. Jey heads out, will he and his team get a big win over Judgment Day?
Wait in the background, is that Liv? And is… is that Dom following her?! What’s going on with Mami’s Latino Heat while she’s away?
Logan Paul & IShowSpeed head to the ring.
The fans boo as The Maverick and his pal walk out to the podium. Logan says what’s up, Kansas City? It’s so beautiful. But real quick before they get started, you all know there’s a special guest in the house. Samantha Irvin, do an introduction for Mahomes! The fans cheer as Samantha introduces the TWO-TIME NFL MVP, the THREE-TIME Super Bowl Champion, and the starting quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes! The fans cheer again, and Speed snipes the first pick of the second round. Raw selects… The Voice of the Voiceless, C! M! PUNK! The fans fire up for that one, and even chant his name!
Logan takes the pick for SmackDown, and they select… THE PRIDE! Bobby Lashley, Montez Ford, Angelo Dawkins & B-Fab are all sticking together, and they’re all staying right on Friday nights to go after A-Town Down Under. Speed says for the third pick, Raw selects… THE MONSTER OF ALL MONSTERS, Braun Strowman!! Raw is keeping the 6’8″, 385 pound superheavyweight right here on Mondays! And SmackDown wraps up this round, they select… Tiffany Stratton! The Center of the Universe is still on Fridays, will it be #TiffyTime for the Summer?
Logan continues to the ring to say it’s time to get real. He came to KC to help picks, celebrate with Mahomes, but then what happened? Jey is running his mouth just because he pointed out the truth? The truth is, stupid, Damian Priest will beat Jey Uso! And here’s why: Because Jey made a mistake leaving The Bloodline. Jey Uso is incapable of becoming a champion on his own! Something Logan has become a master of. So look, KC, let him give you a play by play of what happens this Saturday at Backlash. But wait! Here comes Jey! The fans fire up as Jey goes right to the ring, the fans bouncing along with the beat!
Jey stares Logan down, and even looks at the US Championship. The “YEET!” echoes out as Jey gets a mic. Jey says Logan’s got predictions. But Kansas City, what you got to say? You thnik Jey can beat Priest? “YEET!” You think Jey can be world champ? “YEET!” You think Jey needs to knock the YEET outta Logan for running his mouth? “YEET!” Logan asks if Jey thinks he can out YEET him. For all his little gangstas, Logan’s been yeetin’ since 2017! Lil’ Jey trying to roast Logan? Jey ain’t good when he’s alone. It’s why he got kicked outta the Bloodline. The difference between Jey and Logan, is Logan and his bloodline nis tight.
And here come JD McDonagh & Finn Balor! Logan says well, well, well. Jey’s all alone again. Can’t fend for himself then, can’t fend for himself now, and always behind with those two braincells in his head. Jey’s vocabulary consists of two words: YEET, and UCE. But Jey says YEET and he fires haymakers on JD & Finn! Only to get mugged 2v1! Logan says well, well, well. Logan leaves it to Judgment Day as he says KC has something they might like. Logan goes to Mahomes, and Mahomes gives Logan all his Super Bowl rings to be brass knuckles!! The Judgment Day gets Jey on his feet, Logan swings, but Jey ducks! The Irish Ace takes all three rings to the face!!
Jey then walks back up and even he’s like, DAMN! JD got the knocked the YEET out! Finn swings, Jey TACKLES him! Logan drags Jey off Finn and throws down those rings! But BRAUN is here?!? Logan didn’t realize the Monster Among Men was actually going to be in KC! Braun storms in, Finn goes after him, but Braun SHOVES him down! And then grabs him for a MONSTER CHOKE SLAM!! Braun glares right at Logan, and Logan goes running! Braun pursues right into the crowd but Logan’s too fast. Braun tells him he better run! Braun then looks at Mahomes, who gave Logan the ammo in the first place.
The fans fire up as Mahomes has his linemen step up. Jey has Braun calm down, those guys are WWE’s guests. Braun leaves it at that, and KC fires up as Braun roars! Will nothing stop this Monster Among Men from making Mondays his night?
R-Truth finishes talking with Chad Gable backstage.
Gable says Truth drives a hard bargain, but he won’t regret it. On behalf of The Alpha Academy, it has been a pleasure doing business with him. The Miz walks in and says they just negotiated a title match tonight. Yeah, with Gable. Good businessman here. Gable said they get one now, and two later! W-What? Y’know, like Now & Laters, the candies. But dog, it’s the Draft! And the WWE World Tag Team Champions could be drafted into the NFL and be players for the Chiefs! Miz asks if Truth knows that this is the WWE Draft, not the NFL Draft. Truth knows now. Who does he talk to? Patrick Mahomes is here. The insurance guy?
Truth is ready to bundle his home and auto! It’s two-for-ones all day! Let’s roll! Truth heads out, Gable says that’s quite the negotiator. Miz just replies with, “Really? Really?” Miz heads out, and Sami BOOTS Gable down!! The fans cheer as Sami gets some revenge before heading out for his own title match! Will everything start falling apart for The Alpha Academy this close to Backlash?
Backstage interview with Booker T.
Cathy says Booker is lending his knowledge to Raw as a draft analyst, so what does he think of it so far? Jade Cargill for SmackDown is a game changer. And while Priest is locked in for Raw, what about the rest of Judgment Day? But then CM Punk, what a big break for Raw. That’s huge. But then in walks Drew McIntyre. Book says hey, what’s up? McIntyre says, “Tell me you didn’t just say that. You think this is 2010, Book?” Punk gets hurt after one match, and then he still gets drafted ahead of the guy who took him out, and who literally won the world title?! The title you don’t have right now?
Drew seethes and tells Booker to not be like the others. Booker saw what happened just like everyone else did. Booker asks Drew if he saw what happened like everyone else did. McIntyre asks if this is backwards world or something! He was with Booker back in the day! He knows how Book really felt about Punk! But Booker’s changed. McIntyre storms off, but just what is going on with McIntyre?
WWE Intercontinental Championship: Sami Zayn VS Bronson Reed!
The Great Liberator just got a semblance of payback on Chad Gable, and now he’s looking to take a BIG bite out of Auszilla! Will Sami avenge himself of all the cheap shots and blindside attacks? Or will there be a tectonic shift in the championship landscape tonight?
The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and this is a massive moment for both men!
The bell rings, the two circle, and they feel things out. The fans rally for Sami as the two circle and tie up. Sami waistlocks, Bronson backs him down but Sami puts him in a corner! Sami CHOPS and CHOPS and CHOPS! Bronson shoves Sami away, then CLOBBERS him! Bronson snarls, drags Sami up, and HEADBUTTS him! Sami flops against ropes but Bronson storms up on him. Bronson stands Sami up against ropes, to CHOP! Bronson HEADBUTTS Sami, HEADBUTTS him again, then eggs him on. Bronson CLUBS Sami, CLUBS him again, but the fans still rally for Sami. Bronson drags Sami up, whips him to ropes, but Sami holds ropes!
Sami dodges Bronson to send him outta the ring, then goes to the apron! Sami mule kicks, then ARABIAN PRESS SAULTS! Direct hit and down goes Bronson! The fans fire up with Sami as he stands tall! Sami puts Bronson in the ring, goes to a corner and climbs, to CROSSBODY, but Bronson catches him! And RAMS him into the corner! And then RUNNING POWERSLAMS! Cover, TWO! So Bronson SENTONS! Sami sputters and flounders while Raw goes to break.
Raw returns and Bronson stands tall over Sami. Bronson brings Sami up, HEADBUTTS him, then fires forearms. The fans rally behind Sami as Bronson whips, but Sami goes up and over! Sami LARIATS Bronson down! The fans fire up and Sami goes to a corner. Bronson stands, storms over, but Sami ELBOWS him away. Sami goes up and AX HANDLES, but into an URENAGE! Cover, TWO! Sami survives that slam but Bronson snarls. Bronson drags Sami back up, reels him in, and hoist shim up, to BUCKLE BOMB! Then he gets Sami back up, SITOUT POWERBOMB!! Cover, TWO!! Sami survives and the fans fire up again!
Bronson is frustrated but he stalks Sami to the ropes. Bronson kicks Sami out of the ring, goes to the apron, and FLYING SHOULDER TACKLES! Sami goes down in a heap and Bronson looks to the title belt. Bronson puts Sami in the ring, then aims from a corner. But Sami HELLUVA KICKS outta nowhere!!! Cover, BUT GABLE GETS IN!? GERMAN SUPLEX!!
Winner: Sami Zayn, by disqualification (still WWE Intercontinental Champion)
Gable ruins Bronson’s match just to get back at Sami! Gable rains down fists on Sami, then CLUBS away on him with crossface forearms! Gable rolls up his sleeves to put on the ANKLE LOCK!! Sami endures, flails, but ends up int he GRAPEVINE! Refs rush out here to stop Gable and he lets Sami go. But then TSUNAMI!! Bronson gets his in, but perhaps on the wrong target! Gable grabs the gold, he holds it over Sami as he says Sami never deserved it in the first place! But then Bronson fireman’s carries Gable! DEATH VALLER DRIVER!! Bronson grabs the gold and stands over both men! Is Auszilla going to destroy anyone and everyone until he’s the alpha?
Ron Simmons & John “Bradshaw” Layfield are here!
The fans fire up as The APA is here to give the next round of picks! JBL starts by saying Raw’s first pick of the third round is… THE LATINO WORLD ORDER! Rey Mysterio, Dragon Lee, Zelina Vega, Cruz Del Toro, Joaquin Wilde, and… Carlito, are all on Raw! But what about the falling out from Friday? Ron says SmackDown selects… LEGADO DEL FANTASMA! Santos Escobar, Elektra Lopez, Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo are staying on Fridays, them exposing Carlito’s dark secret their final act in the feud. JBL says Raw selects… THE SCOTTISH WARRIOR, DREW MCINTYRE! McIntyre might still have a way to complain about this…
And with the final pick of this third round, SmackDown selects… THE KING OF STRONG STYLE, SHINSUKE NAKAMURA! Shinsuke is moving over to Fridays, will he look to take aim at Cody Rhodes once again?
But speaking of McIntyre, he now makes his way out here, mic in hand! “Am I the only sane and logical person left around here? In what world does Drew McIntyre get drafted in Round Three?” If someone were to walk up to him and explain how it makes sense, he’d call that person a liar! McIntyre says the APA must’ve been doing a lot of drinking since Friday, that’s how stupid this is! But the fans chant for “C M PUNK! C M PUNK!” Oh, yes, so anti-establishment to say his name. McIntyre says Punk is the furthest thing from that! Punk is now a corporate ass-kisser! Punk, congrats, you finally did something since returning: you hurt McIntyre!
McIntyre shows off his arm bandaged up, because Punk’s attack fractured McIntyre’s elbow! But unlike Punk, McIntyre is still here, working through the pain instead of staying home collecting paychecks! McIntyre just tapes it up, gets on with it, because he’s a real man! WAIT! Punk’s music hits! Is he here tonight!? McIntyre is storming around, waiting and looking, thinking this is a game. But then Punk says cut his music. Is it good to be alive in Kansas City or what? He’s up in a skybox! Punk is showing he’s not sitting at home, he’s right here, “Ya little b*tch!” Punk waves, McIntyre storms off, and the fans chant for Punk!
Ron looks to JBL, then looks around and says… “DAMN!!” The fans cheer the iconic line, but is McIntyre going to find his way up to Punk’s skybox to settle this once and for all?
The Alpha Academy prepares backstage.
Maxxine is so ready! But then Gable storms in and asks what’s going on. Maxxine says Otis & Tozawa are just firing her up for her match tonight! Didn’t you see her last week? Two eliminations in that battle royal! Finally, some momentum! Gable sarcastically says yeah, two eliminations, that’s great. But uh, can he see the title she won? She didn’t win… No, she didn’t, did she? So what? He’s to celebrate mediocrity? She wants a participation ribbon? It’s PATHETIC! And as for Otis & Tozawa, they better get it together. Tozawa, Gable swears to God, if he sees that stupid dance… Now go out there and win him those championships!!
Gable storms off, Maxxine is shook, but Ivy walks in to calm her down and help her prepare. Otis and Tozawa look to each other, are they going to win just so Gable isn’t disappointed? Or will they do this for themselves tonight?
Backstage interview with Bron Breakker.
Raw returns as Cathy is with the Big Bad Booty Nephew, and notes him being a top draft pick. What are his feelings being brought to Monday Night Raw? Bron says that Adam Pearce knows Bron is the best possible pick. He is here to take this place over. But then Sheamus apologizes for the interruption. What? Why’s he interrupting? Sheamus just wants Bron to save his breath to cool his porridge. Sheamus just wants to say he’s impressed by Bron. And this isn’t just Sheamus trying to figure out who the BAMF is, it’s just that Bron reminds Sheamus of a young and hungry Sheamus. Bron’s had banger after banger after banger.
But then McIntyre storms past them both, and Sheamus stops himself. Bron says sure, bangers. Bron heads out, is he going to break through sooner rather than later? As for Sheamus and McIntyre, can Celtic Warrior get through to Scottish Warrior before he does something he’ll regret?
Maxxine Dupri w/ Ivy Nile VS Candice LeRae w/ Indi Hartwell!
With the lingering grudge between these two, we’re bound to see fireworks go off tonight! Will Maxxine accomplish greatness by finally conquering her bully? Or will the Poison Pixie continue to be absolutely toxic?
The bell rings and Candice is already pushing Maxxine around! Maxxine TACKLES Candice for it! Maxxine dribbles Candice off the mat, then lets off to LEG LARIAT! The fans fire up as Maxxine brings Candice up to FISHERMAN SUPLEX! And a kip up! Maxxine runs, and BULLDOGS Candice down! Straps come down, and Maxine handsprings into the CATERPILLAR ELBOW! The fans fire up as Candice flounders and Maxxine says ‘A THANK YEW~!” Candice kicks, Maxxine blocks, and has an ANKLE LOCK!! Right outta Gable’s playbook! Indi coaches Candice, she crawls over, but Maxxine drags Candice back!
Candice keeps fighting around, but Maxxine keeps hold of that leg! Candice tries to go the other way, Ivy tells Maxxine to keep on the pressure! Indi POSTS Ivy!! Maxxine’s stunned, Candice rolls to send Maxxine into ropes! Maxxinen sputters, sits up, and Candice SUPERKICKS her down! Candice gets the arms, stretches Maxxine out, to WICKED STEPMOTHER!! Cover off the vicious stomp, Candice wins!
Winner: Candice LeRae, by pinfall
If Candice is a wicked stepmother, than is Indi her evil stepdaughter or something? They might be winners, but have they completely lost their way?
Backstage interview with The LWO.
Cathy is with Zelina, Rey, Dragon, Cruz & Joaquin, the newest additions to Raw. But Carlito is still coming along with them, so how are they feeling after his apparent betrayal? Rey says there are a lot of mixed emotions, but they are very happy to be here on Raw. As for Carlito… No idea why he did what he did, which means they still have unfinished business. But then Dom walks over to say hey to the “old geezer.” Dom tells LWO that Judgment Day runs Raw. So welcome back, Lollipop Guild. Rey tells Dom Judgment Day can’t run Raw if they haven’t even been drafted here. And wait… What is that on your lip, Dirty Sanchez?
Dom says Rey’s just lucky he’s not cleared! Dom runs off, Zelina says Dommy misses his Mami. But is this a sign that things are going to reignite in this father-son rivalry soon enough?
McIntyre finds the upperdeck.
He asks the fans which skybox is Punk’s but no one knows. McIntyre finds it, but Punk’s gone. Punk did leave a signed picture, though. McIntyre crumples that up, and then Punk’s making his way to the ring! Punk gets the better of McIntyre again, and says it’s CLOBBERIN’ TIME~! McIntyre now watches Punk from the skybox as Punk gets a mic. The fans chant for Punk while he looks up at McIntyre. “I love Kansas City and the people that inhabit it, so I don’t wanna waste your time like Drew McIntyre. So I’m gonna try and do this in less time than the last time you were World Champion, which means I’ve got five minutes and 46 seconds. Pat, time me!”
The fans cheer, and Punk says this would normally be where Punk asks if he has your attention now. But he can see clear as day just like everyone else, Punk’s had McIntyre’s attention for quite some time. He’s like an ex-girlfriend Punk can’t get rid of! And McIntyre says Punk hurt his elbow? GOOD! McIntyre prayed for Punk’s injury, but Punk did that to McIntyre. Punk thought McIntyre hurt his arm sitting around and tweeting. That is why Punk was drafted before McIntyre! Punk isn’t mad, isn’t out for revenge, McIntyre has given him purpose. The fans chant for Punk again, and Punk lets them.
Punk then says the reason Punk went ahead of McIntyre in the draft is simply economics! He is the Best int he World! In the ring, on the mic, even on commentary! No offense to Pat & Michael. Pat lets us know we’re 90 seconds in. Punk tells McIntyre that losers hope things happen. Losers pray for things to happen, but winners make it happen! And when Punk is cleared at 100%, he promises to make McIntyre’s life a living hell! Mic drop, and that’s just under two minutes! Will those other three minutes be used by McIntyre stewing over Punk?
Teddy Long and Alundra Blayze are here!
The Hall of Famers are here, Punk gets a hug from the former SmackDown GM, and even gives Alundra a polite hug and kiss on the cheek. Teddy starts off by saying Raw’s first pick of this fourth round, they select… JUDGMENT DAY! Finn Balor, JD McDonagh & Dom Mysterio are all staying put behind Damian Priest! Alundra says SmackDown selects… THE GLOW, NAOMI! Naomi’s challenging for the WWE Women’s Championship, so naturally SmackDown wants to keep it all on the blue brand. Teddy says Raw’s next pick, they select… NXT’s Mad Dragon, ILJA DRAGUNOV!! The Performance Center erupts as Raw is now UNBESIEGBAR!
Dragunov stands up, a standing ovation as he walks down to hug it out with HBK. Dragunov gets to put on the hat, will Mondays soon belong to The Czar? And then SmackDown closes this round with… CHELSEA GREEN & PIPER NIVEN! The Hot Mess & “Miss P” started liking Aldis better anyway, so hopefully they’ll be happy for once.
Liv Morgan VS Nia Jax!
As we saw earlier tonight, Liv wants her shot at the Women’s World Championship but is willing to earn her way to it. Will a huge win over the Irresistible Force be just the thing? Or will a crushing defeat be Nia’s parting gift before moving to SmackDown?
The bell rings and the two tie up! Nia THROWS Liv away, then eggs her on. Liv runs up, but Nia THROWS her again! Nia eggs Liv on more, then runs her over! Nia smiles, grabs a leg and SMASHES the knee! Liv flounders and hobbles away, but Nia SPLASHES her in the corner! Nia mocks Liv, “Look at that face.” Then she TOSSES Liv again! Nia soaks up the heat, but Liv JAWBREAKERS back! Liv KICKS, KICKS and KICKS! But Nia blocks one and spins Liv around, only for Liv to ENZIGIRI! Liv runs to SHOTGUN but Nia just drops to her knee! Liv SHOTGUNS Nia again, and Nia ends up on ropes! Liv DROPKICKS Nia in the back!
The fans rally up and Liv runs into the corner to back body block! Liv rolls, returns, and back body blocks again! Liv runs but Nia LARIATS her down! Nia drags Liv to a drop zone, stands on her, and Liv sputters as Nia lets off. Nia goes up and up, but Liv grabs a leg! Nia kicks Liv, but Liv sweeps the legs! Nia is stuck in ropes, Liv WOE STOMPS her down! Nia bails out, Liv builds speed, and Liv slides, but into Nia’s hands! Nia wheelbarrows Liv to SMACK her off the desk! Liv flops over and Nia soaks up the heat, but wait, Tiffany Stratton is here. Tiffy taunts Nia from the crowd, and Raw goes to break.
Raw returns and Nia has Liv down with a cobra clutch! Liv endures, the fans rally up, but Tiffy doesn’t look that impressed. Liv fights up, but Nia thrashes her back down! Raw goes picture in picture to plug The Fall Guy, then comes back as Liv fights back up. Liv throws body shots, but Nia whips her to a corner. Nia runs in, but Liv dropkicks a leg out! Nia stumbles and POSTS herself! Liv runs to SHOTGUN Nia into the post! And then Liv DRIBBLES Nia off the post!! The fans fire up as Liv kicks Nia away and climbs up the corner. But Nia YANKS Liv off the corner, and hits a SAMOAN DROP! Cover, TWO!! Liv survives and Nia is fuming!
Nia takes a moment to calm down, then she slaps Liv around. Nia drags Liv up, the fans rally behind Liv, but Nia whips her to a corner. Liv goes up and up, and wheelbarrows to victory roll Nia into buckles! Nia sputters, Liv runs up, goes up and up to DOUBLE STOMP Nia down! Liv pushes Nia to a cover, TWO! Nia is still in this but Tiff is still not impressed. Liv fires herself up, CLUBS away on Nia, then pushes her around. Liv runs, but Nia SPINEBUSTERS! Nia shrieks, the fans boo, and Nia drags Liv to a drop zone. Nia goes up and up, determined to end this! Nia grins as the fans boo, but Liv gets up and under Nia!
Liv YANKS Nia into the buckles again and again and again, then manages a POWERBOMB!! High stack, TWO!! Lia almost had Nia and that actually had Tiff on the edge of her seat! But then NAOMI ATTACKS TIFF! The fans fire up as Naomi throws Tiff all around, then DUMPS her over barriers! Naomi goes after Tiff but Tiff turns things around! NIa has Liv int he ropes, CLUBS her down, and Naomi sends Tiff into the desk! Then BULLDOGS her off the apron! And then PENALTY KICKS her down! Nia BLASTS Naomi for distracting her! Liv runs up, FLYING CODE BREAKER! Nia wobbles, into OBLIVION!! Cover, LIV WINS!!
Winner: Liv Morgan, by pinfall
Nia took her eyes off the ball and Liv takes this one to the house! Liv is ready to go after Big Time Becks, will we #WatchHer become the new world champion?
Backstage interview with Booker T.
Cathy again joins draft analyst Booker, and says he’s had front row seats to many a new superstar’s beginnings. What does he think of this year’s prospects? Booker says it’s about who’s next in NXT! Trick Williams, Roxanne Perez, but congrats to Dragunov. He’ll do a hell of a job on Raw. Adam Pearce walks by, Cathy hopes to get a word on how this is all panning out. Pearce feels great about Raw, good foundation and some new wrinkles added in. But sometimes, it’s the picks you don’t make that can stick in your mind. His favorite so far is actually that he didn’t take Chelsea & Piper! He hopes Aldis prays a lot, because HALLELUJAH, Pearce is free of Chelsea!
And on that note, time to make some more picks in person! Pearce heads for gorilla, who did Raw and SmackDown take in the penultimate round?
The Dudley Boyz are here!
Bully Ray & D-Von Dudley are back again, and they set up their own table! They’re also here to give us the picks! Fans chant for “E C DUB! E C DUB!” and Bully says, “Kansas Citaaaay~! You guys wanna have some fun with the Dudley Boyz tonight? WASSAP~!?” But to business, D-Von! One, two, three, “GET THE TABLES!” “OH mah brotha, testify!” The fans cheer, and Bubba says with the first pick of the fifth round, Raw selects… THE NEW~ DAY~! Kofi & Woods are staying right here on Raw, which will let them settle things with Imperium. D-Von says SmackDown selects… PRETTY DEADLY! Elton Prince & Kit Wilson will stay on SmackDown, #YESBOY!
Bubba says Raw’s next pick is… NXT’s LYRA VALKYRIA! The Morrigan, the former NXT Women’s Champion, is joining her hero, Becky Lynch, on Monday nights! Lyra herself is surprised and even emotional as she gets the red hat and gets to hug HBK. And with the final pick of this round, SmackDown selects… THE WAY, Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell! Will they start to poison the waters of the blue brand now?
WWE World Tag Team Championships: The Awesome Truth VS The Alpha Academy!
R-Truth may not really know “WHAT’S UP,” but he and Miz are still fired up to defend their titles tonight. Will they make good on the “deal” Truth made with Gable and hold onto their gold? Or will Otis & Tozawa finally make Gable proud?
Raw returns and the match is already underway! Truth fights up from a chinlock to hit a BIG back suplex on Tozawa! Both men are down, the fans fire up and so does The Miz! Truth and Tozawa crawl, hot tags to Otis and Miz! The fans fire up as Miz dodges Otis to KICK, KICK and KICK! Miz KICKS away in the corner, lets off as the ref counts, and then goes corner to corner for the A-LIST LARIAT! Miz sends Otis away, Tozawa runs up but Miz BOOTS him down! Miz RAMS into Otis, ROUNDHOUSES and HOTSHOTS him, then hurries back up! Miz springboards, into Otis’ arms! WORLD’S STRONGEST SLAM!
Otis rips up the shirt, gets those hips moving, and he revs up for the CATERPILLAR… ELBOW! Tag to Tozawa and he goes up! Otis says for the Academy! SUPER SENTON onto knees! Miz powers up, reels Tozawa in, but Tozawa arm-drags free from the nelson! Truth sneaks a tag, Miz ELBOWS Tozawa and reels him in! Truth joins in, THE TRUTH CRUSHIGN FINALE!! Miz SHOTGUNS Otis while Truth covers, Awesome Truth wins!
Winners: The Awesome Truth, by pinfall (still WWE World Tag Team Champions)
Well, Gable’s not gonna like this. How badly will he tear into poor Otis & Tozawa over this one?
The Judgment Day regroups in the clubhouse.
JD & Finn are still sore from Strowman steamrolling them, but Dom says it’s shocking they fell to the fourth round of night two! What is this? Priest asks Dom if he’s really surprised. Week after week, they’ve gotten involved in Priest’s business, then failed miserably, all because they didn’t talk to him about it. When it comes to Jey Uso, he appreciate sit, but he doesn’t need the help. Cool? Yeah… JD, you got it? JD takes the icepack away and WHOA, that swelled up something bad! This is what Priest is talking about! But tonight, just stick to the plan and get this done. Got it? Priest heads out, JD asks if it’s always been so bright in here. Dom thinks Finn needs a towel.
Judgment Day is definitely struggling without Mami to help them, but will they pull it together? Or will they all end up looking like JD’s lumpy head?
Liv returns backstage.
And Becky finds her to congratulate her on the win tonight. And also congrats, because Liv also gets her title shot. Liv smiles and moves on, but then in step Damage CTRL. Dakota Kai says hi to Becky, they’re all on Mondays now. Dakota leads Iyo Sky, Kairi Sane & Asuka away, Kairi tapping the title. Becky says don’t touch her belt! Is The Man going to get past Liv’s Revenge Tour just to have #CobraKai, The Evil Genius and the Kabuki Warriors coming after her?
Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis are on stage!
The Raw and SmackDown GMs finish the Draft in person, and Pearce says it’s been fun playing chess with him. Time to take it home! Pearce says that with the first pick of this final round in the 2024 WWE Draft, he and Raw select… THE FINAL TESTAMENT! Karrion Kross, Scarlett, Paul Ellering & The Authors of Pain are all coming to make Mondays into Doomsday! Aldis says with the second pick, he and SmackDown select… DIY! Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano are now making their way to Fridays! Pearce says the third pick from him and Raw, it’s… BIG BRONSON REED! The Colossal Aussie still wants that Intercontinental Championship, will he take it?
And Aldis says with THE final pick of THE final round, SmackDown takes NXT’s BLAIR DAVENPORT! The Performance Center goes wild as now the Ichiban Gaijin is moving on to the next level! She hugs it out with HBK and gets the blue hat, will all of Fridays now beware of Blair?
Six Man Tag: The Judgment Day VS Jey Uso, Ricochet & Andrade!
Raw made sure Priest, Finn, JD & Dom are sticking together through the Draft, but their dominance over Raw is seriously in question. Jey just turned their attempt at a beatdown into a YEET down, and we’ve seen both the King of Flight and El Idolo get the better of them time and again. Will they and Main Event Jey embarrass Judgment Day all over again? Or will they fall as #ALLRISE for the Judgment Day?
Raw returns as Ricochet makes his entrance, followed by Andrade’s. Then Judgment Day makes their entrance, JD still struggling with that welt on his head. The teams sort out and Andrade starts against Finn. They tie up, Finn fires body shots and backs Andrade into a corner. Finn RAMS into Andrade again and again, then CHOPS, throws more hands, then headlocks for a takeover. Andrade keeps his shoulders up, moves around, and he fights up to his feet. The fans rally, Andrade throws body shots and powers out. Andrade drops, hurdles, but Finn whips him away! Andrade goes Spider-Man in the ropes!
The fans cheer, Finn runs in but Andrade drops down to send him out! JD runs in, but Andrade dumps him out onto Finn! Tag to Ricochet, he and Andrade double clothseline Priest out! Then they DOUBLE DIVE onto Finn and JD! The fans fire up as Jey DIVES onto Priest, and Priest goes up and over the desk! The fans fire up with Team YEET as Raw goes to break!
Raw returns once again and Priest grinds Ricochet down with a motorcycle stretch. The fans rally as Ricochet endures, and Ricochet fights up to his feet. Ricochet breaks free but Priest BELL CLAPS him! Then Priest suplexes for a BROKEN ARROW! Cover, TWO! Priest is frustrated but he eggs Ricochet on. Ricochet slowly rises, Priest winds up and KICKS! And KICKS! And KICKS, then ROLLIGN ELBOWS! Ricochet falls back, Priest soaks up the heat, then he ROUNDHOUSES Jey down! The fans boo the cheap shot, and the ref has to keep Andrade back, but that lets JD & Finn mug Ricochet! Priest then runs in to back elbow!
Tag to Finn, Priest snapmares Ricochet so Finn can slingshot STOMP! Tag to JD, he slingshots to ARABIAN PRESS SAULT! Tag back to Finn, he tags Priest. They get Ricochet up for the BACKBREAKER LEG DROP! Cover, Andrade breaks it! The fans cheer, Priest grabs Andrade to POST him! Priest storms back to his corner to tag JD, and JD flexes. The fans “YEET! YEET!” but JD has Ricochet. Ricochet hits a RECOIL! Both men are down and the fans fire up! Ricochet crawls, reaches out, and JD goes to the neutral corner, he’s that dazed! Hot tags to Jey and Finn! Jey dodges Finn, ROCKS Priest, then ROCKS Finn!
Jey fires off on Finn again and again, “YEET! YEET! YEET!” Pop, lock ‘n’ YEET! Finn flounders up, into a mule kick! Jey UPPERCUTS, kicks again but Finn blocks! But the DRAGON WHIP still hits! Finn ends up in a corner, Jey gets the fans joining in on “UCE! OH! UCE! OH!” Jey runs but Priest swings! Jey dodges to DECK Priest! Jey runs at Finn but Finn puts him on the apron. So Jey GAMANGIRIS back! Jey goes up to CROSSBODY! Cover, JD breaks it! But Andrade runs up, boot feint to BACK ELBOW! Priest gets up to ROUNDHOUSE Andrade! Ricochet leaps in, but into a FLATLINER! Priest drags Finn over and then tags himself in!
Priest aims at Jey and LARIATS him down! Priest brings down the straps while the fans boo, and he drags Jey up. Priest reels Jey in, lifts, Canadian Rack but Jey slips free to SAMOAN DROP! Both men are down but Jey rolls to a corner! Jey climbs, but Dom gets on the apron! The fans boo but Priest grabs Jey! JD hurries over to SHOVE Jey down! Priest asks what JD’s even doing! Priest had Jey himself! JD says it looked like he was gonna get hit! Priset runs up on Jey, Jey dodges and SUPERKICKS! Priest ends up knocking Finn off the apron! Jey dodges JD to SUPERKICK JD out! Finn is back, Jey dodges and SPEARS!!
The fans fire up and Jey goes back up! Finn is legal again as Jey hits the USO SPLASH!! Cover, Jey’s team wins!
Winner: Jey Uso, Ricochet & Andrade, by pinfall
And with that, Main Event Jey wins in the main event! Judgment Day is falling apart at the seams, but can Priest hold it together on his own? Or is Jey about to finally have his moment?
My Thoughts:
A mostly great Raw, but I feel like this year’s WWE Draft was the first real speedbump the HHH Era has hit. HHH himself explained on SmackDown that the brands would be using their picks to keep who they already have and that certainly happened. So many picks were just Raw and SmackDown “securing” many of the people they’ve had this whole time. I did like Pearce’s sense of relief that Chelsea Green & Piper Niven are no longer his problem, they’re Aldis’. But LWO leaving SmackDown right as things were getting interesting again in the feud with Legado seems disappointing. And the fact Carlito is going with them just seems like a messy handling of moving their story over to Raw just so they can also have more Rey VS Dom in the future.
DMG CTRL moving over probably gives away that Jade & Bianca are winning the women’s tag titles for Backlash. Yes, the women’s tag titles are meant to be “roaming” titles, but it feels so long since they’ve really done that. And with the entire The Way family moving to SmackDown, this makes me think Candice & Indi will try (and fail) to take the belts from Jade & Bianca. Final Testament moving to Raw seems rather surprising, but I suppose there’s something to it with them also being on NXT. Raw and NXT are still on USA Network together for now, it’d maybe help continuity for them to be back to back on Mondays and Tuesdays. Also, how strange that this is where they finally say “The Pride” for the team of Lashley, Profits & B-Fab after them being together for months…
I will say that we got great moments for the NXT call-ups. Dragunov going to Raw made sense with Imperium still being here, but I’m surprised Lyra is Raw rather than SmackDown. Maybe she’s meant to back Becky up against DMG CTRL? And Blair being called up period clearly caught her by surprise, that was a rather sweet moment for her villainous self, but she’ll make a solid part of the division on SmackDown. We also got good story crossover as Naomi and Tiffany were here tonight to brawl and cost Nia so Liv could get a great win. Becky VS Liv for some time after Backlash will be good stuff, but I’m thinking Becky retains. What’s more curious is Liv quite literally leading Dom along. Liv’s Revenge Tour really does seem to be about taking everything from Rhea…
Disappointing Draft aside, great action to build towards both Backlash and King of the Ring. Woods VS Gunther was an awesome match, but I figured Gunther would win. Hard to say if Gunther will be the new King of the Ring, but this was a good case for it. Great stuff in the Intercontinental Championship story as Sami gets that boot on Gable, was about to win against Bronson until Gable attacked, and then Bronson stands tall. So far, all three guys are staying on Raw, I sense a huge Triple Threat for this title, and that could really go either way to me. Sami can use Gable and Bronson against each other, one of them could be opportunistic, it’s going to be an awesome match.
Great story intertwining with the Academy, too, as Gable takes his anger out on his team, and that more or less affects all of their performances tonight. Maxxine tried to finally get even with Candice but Indi’s Heel turn is continuing so The Way wins on the way out from Raw. Otis & Tozawa have a fun match with Awesome Truth but end up losing, so Gable’s just gonna lose his mind with them. Good story intertwining for Judgment Day and Logan Paul. Great seeing Braun back, he looks better than ever right now. Now, while the champions are all staying put, I feel like Braun should’ve gone to SmackDown so he can continue to scare the Prime outta Logan over the US Championship. And they did a great cosmetics job with JD’s huge welt, that looked nasty!
The deterioration of Judgment Day continues in wild fashion. They get JD punched in the head, almost get Logan mauled by Strowman, and then they aren’t on the same page in the main event. They could end up messing Priest over at Backlash because of it, giving Jey the win, but it feels like Priest finds a way to win despite them messing up. Then perhaps in a twist, Priest doesn’t get kicked out of Judgment Day, he quits them and leaves them to flounder on their own.
Segment of the night goes to CM Punk making McIntyre look like a fool. He goads McIntyre into storming up to the VIP section only to circle around him and go to the ring. And I feel like Punk was even trying to fill for time since he said he had 5 minutes and 46 seconds, but he still cooked McIntyre in half that. McIntyre VS Punk is going to blow the roof off the place, wherever it takes place.
My Score: 8.7/10
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
Who truly run the Junior Heavyweight Division?
With Best of the Super Juniors on the horizon, the IWGP Junior Heavyweight AND Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions must defend their gold! Will Sho and the War Dogs keep Bullet Club’s gold?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Boltin Oleg VS Katsuya Murashima; Oleg wins.
- Six Man Tag: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Togi Makabe & Tiger Mask VS Just5Guys; Just5Guys win.
- 8 Man Tag: TMDK VS The United Empire; TMDK wins.
- 10 Man Tag: The House of Torture VS Shota Umino, El Desperado, El Phantasmo, Hikuleo & Jado; The House of Torture wins.
- Six Man Tag: Hirooki Goto, Yoshi-Hashi & Tomoaki Honma VS Bullet Club; Bullet Club wins.
- Six Man Tag: Los Ingobernables de Japon VS Bullet Club War Dogs; LIJ wins.
- IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships: Clark Connors & “Drilla” Dan Moloney VS Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI; Connors & Moloney win and retain the titles.
- IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion: SHO VS DOUKI; Sho wins and retains the title.
PLAY BY PLAY
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships: Clark Connors & “Drilla” Dan Moloney VS Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI!
The War Dogs took these titles back on the Road to New Beginning, and then kept them through Sakura Genesis. But the Timebomb and Black Mask are ready to take their shot ahead of the Best of the Super Juniors! Will Hiromu & Bushi be bringing these titles into the tournament? Or will 100 Proof & 44 Caliber empty the Full Clip to keep their gold?
The introductions are made, the belts are raised, and we see who wins this shootout!
The teams sort out and Hiromu starts against Connors. They both run in and DOUBLE LARIAT! They stay up and DOUBLE LARIAT again! They still stay up, Hiromu dodges Connors and headlocks. Connors powers up and out and runs Hiromu over! Bu then Hiromu runs Connors over! They get in each other’s face, Hiromu shoves Connors, and then both Drilla and Bushi jump in. Hiromu kicks Drilla first, and Bushi kicks Connors! Hiromu CHOPS Drilla, he and Bushi whip the Dogs at each other, but the Dogs dosido to redirect themselves. Hiromu TOSSES Drilla while Bushi dodges Connors, then Hiromu runs in to clothesline Connors!
Hiromu snapmares Connors, he and Bushi DOUBLE BASEMENT DROPKICK! Cover, TWO! Hiromu keeps on Connors with a facelock and tags Bushi in. They mug Connors, then Bushi snapmares to stomp Connors. Bushi brings Connors up but Connors knees low. Connors barks and runs, but into a kick! Then Hiromu dropkicks the legs out and Bushi basement dropkicks Connors down! Hiromu barks at Drilla, Bushi covers Connors, TWO! The fans rally for Bushi, he brings Connors up and CLUBS him to the LIJ corner. Tag to Hiromu, he barks at Drilla while Bushi stomps Connors. Hiromu turns around, Connors UPPERCUTS him!
Connors hot tags Drilla, but LIJ mugs him first! They double whip, but Drilla ducks the clothesline to shove Bushi into Hiromu! Drilla then ripcords Bushi but Bushi ducks the chop to run and RANA! Drilla is right up, but Bushi DROPKICKS him back down! Drilla bails out, the fans fire up as Bushi builds speed, but Connors gets in to SNAP POWERSLAM! Connors runs at Hiromu but is put on the apron! Hiromu runs to FLYING SUNSET FLIP- NO, Connors holds ropes to deny the bomb! And then Drilla gets under to drag Hiromu out, for an APRON POWERBOMB! Hiromu slumps down while Connors growls!
Connors and Drilla go around the corners, coordinate, and run in to SPEAR GORE COMBO Hiromu on the outside!! Drilla roars, Connors throws up the Too Sweet and fans are torn. The ref checks on Hiromu, he’s somehow okay to continue, so the ring count starts. Connors goes out to fetch Hiromu, even as the fans rally up. Connors drags Hiromu through the gate to TOSS him into the crowd! The count passes 15 as Hiromu stirs! Hiromu crawls but we’re already at 18! Hiromu sprints and slides in, SAFE! Drilla chuckles, then he looms over Hiromu to rain down fists! The fans rally for Hiromu, even as Drilla hits him over and over!
The ref reprimands about closed fists so Drilla lets off. The ref checks Hiromu, he’s still conscious so Drilla drags him up by his hair. Connors barks at Hiromu, the fans rally, but the ref still wants to check Hiromu. Hiromu reaches out, shakes his head, and the fans rally as hard as they can. Drilla drags Hiromu back up, bumps him off Connors’ boot, then tags him in. They double whip, double ELBOW, then Connors DROPKICKS Bushi for good measure. Connors taunts the fans cheering on Hiromu, barks at him, then eggs Hiromu on. Hiromu sits up, flounders over, and he drags himself up using Connors’ pants.
Hiromu CHOPS, but Connors doesn’t flinch. Hiromu staggers, CHOPS and CHOPS, but Connors UPPERCUTS! Connors whips, ELBOWS Hiromu down, then covers, TWO! Hiromu stays in this but Connors is annoyed. Connors scrapes his sole off Hiromu’s face! Tag to Drilla and he stomps Hiromu back down. Hiromu growls but Drilla stands him up. Drilla CHOPS, but Hiromu shakes his head. The fans rally up as Drilla eggs Hiromu on. Hiromu CHOPS, but Drilla CHOPS! Hiromu CHOPS, Drilla CHOPS Hiromu down! Cover, TWO! The fans fire up as Hiromu stays in this, but Drilla sits him up for a chinlock.
Hiromu endures, even as Drilla digs his knee into Hiromu’s neck. The fans rally, Hiromu fights around, fights to his feet, and throws elbows. Hiromu is free but Drilla RAMS him into the corner! Tag to Connors, then Drilla JABS Hiromu! Connors taunts Hiromu, stays out of range, then kicks Hiromu down. Connors reels Hiromu in to snap suplex, then he runs to drop a JUMPING ELBOW! Cover, TWO! The fans cheer but Connors CLUBS Hiromu. Connors sits Hiromu up for a NECK TWIST! Then he clamps on for a neck wrench! The fans rally as Hiromu endures again. Hiromu fights to his feet, throws elbows and CHOPS!
Hiromu CHOPS and CHOPS but Connors HEADBUTTS! Connors runs, but Hiromu dropkicks the legs out! Both men are down, the fans fire up, and Hiromu crawls. But Connors grabs hair and pulls Hiromu back! Hiromu blocks a kick, and a punch, to DRAGON SCREW! Both men are down again and the fans fire back up! Hot tag to Bushi! Bushi fires off on Connors, whips, but Connors reverses, only for Bushi to RANA! Drilla gets in to throw hands, but the ref reprimands. Drilla whips Bushi to a corner, runs in, but is sent into the corner! Bushi BOOTS Connors, brings Drilla in, BULLDOG DROPKICK COMBO!
The fans fire up with Bushi, and he blocks a haymaker to spin and DDT Connors down! Cover, TWO! Bushi hurries to SMASH Connors’ knee! Bushi then ties the legs up, CLOVERLEAF KNEEBAR! Connors endures, scrambles, and grabs the ROPEBREAK! Bushi lets go at 4, the fans rally, and Bushi stomps Connors around. Bushi kicks at the leg, then blocks Connors’ leg to kick Connors. Bushi runs, Connors redirects to POUNCE! Both men are down but the fans rally up again. Bushi and Connors crawl, hot tags to Drilla and Hiromu! Hiromu dodges Drilla to fire off forearms! Hiromu whips, ROCKS, and puts Drilla on ropes to KICK it!
Hiromu runs, Drilla dodges, but then Hiromu ELBOWS him! Hiromu whips Drilla to a corner, clotheslines him, snapmares and basement dropkicks! The fans fire up with Hiromu, “MOTO! MOTO!” Hiromu drags Drilla up to fireman’s carry, but Drilla slips free. Drilla shoves Hiromu to a corner, runs in but into a BOOT! Hiromu runs but fakes Drilla out to then wrench and facelock. But Drilla suplexes first! Cover, TWO! The fans rally up again while Drilla frowns. Drilla drags Hiromu up and reels him in, but Hiromu fights the lift! Drilla ENZIGIRIS Hiromu, then reels him back in! Canadian Rack, but Hiromu slips free!
Hiromu shoves, wheelbarrows, but Drilla fights it! Hiromu powers through to COMPLETE SHOT after all! The fans fire up while both men are down! Hiromu staggers up, tag to Bushi! Bushi and Hiromu drag Drilla up, double whip and TU LO- NO, Drilla lands on his feet! Drilla gets around Bushi to waistlock, and RAMS Bushi into Hiromu and then them both into a corner! Schoolboy and DROPKICK for Bushi! All three are down and the fans rally again. Drilla crawls over, hot tag to Connors! Connors storms in and aims at Bushi. Bushi rises, into a LARIAT! Connors fires up, brings Bushi around and suplexes.
Bushi fights the lift, to dropkick the bad leg! Bushi dropkicks that leg again! Connors writhes, Bushi gets the legs, CLOVERLEAF KNEEBAR!! Connors flails, endures, reaches out, Hiromu intercepts Drilla into TRIANGLE D!! Connors continues to fight around, reaches for ropes, but Bushi steers him in the other direction! Drilla deadlifts Hiromu to POWERBOMB him onto Bushi!! All four men are down and the fans fire up again! Connors shakes out his bad leg while Bushi stirs. They rise up, and Bushi fires a forearm! And another! Connors fires back, but Bushi fires again! And again! And again! But Connors HEADBUTTS!
Connors wobbles, powers up, and runs, but Hiromu SUPERKICKS! The fans fire up as Hiromu then blocks Drilla’s superkick! Hiromu hands that to Bushi, but then Drilla blocks Hiromu’s superkick! Connors SUPERKICKS Hiromu! Drilla gets free to SUPERKICK Bushi! Connors and Drilla aim, SPEAR GORE COMBO on Bushi!! Connors runs in at Hiromu, into a CORNER BELLY2BELLY! Drilla and Hiromu fire forearms, Hriomu gets the edge but Drilla RLOCKS him! And ripcord CHOPS! Hiromu ROLLING ELBOWS, SUPERKICKS, then fireman’s carries! TIMEBOMB 1.5! Drilla tumbles out and the fans are thunderous!
Hiromu & Bushi get Connors up, double fireman’s carry, but Connors fights free! Connors ROCKS Bushi, Hiromu waistlocks and Bushi returns, SUNSET FLIP GERMAN SUPLEX COMBO! Cover, TWO!! Connors survives but Hiromu DROPKICKS Drilla! Bushi roars and goes up a corner! The fans fire up again as Bushi aims! Connors rises, into M- SPEAR!! Connors takes Bushi outta the sky! Drilla anchors Hiromu on the apron, for Connors to POUNCE!! Connors then drags Bushi back up, reels him in, and gives him NO- NO! Bushi turns the No Chaser into BUSHI ROLL!! Drilla drags Bushi right up!! And flips him into DRILLA KILLA!! Connors covers, HIROMU BREAKS IT!!!
The fans are thunderous but Drilla ENZIGIRIS Hiromu into NO CHASER!! The Dogs get Bushi up, and then Connors climbs! Drilla suplexes, for the FULL CLIP!! Cover, the Dogs win!
Winners: Clark Connors & “Drilla” Moloney, by pinfall (still IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions)
The War Dogs redeem themselves for failing on the Road to Wrestling Dontaku and are now rolling right into the round robin! Will nothing stop Connors & Moloney from proving they’re the Best of the Super Juniors?
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion: SHO VS DOUKI!
When it comes to the House of Torture, shenanigans and underhanded tactics are their bread and butter. And nobody’s been doing it better than the Murder Machine. He literally stole this belt from El Desperado before snatching a win by count-out, and then got really lucky against Yoh. However, he’s finally tasting some of his own medicine! Japones Del Mal took the belt, then suckered him into accepting a title match! With the gold finally on the line, who will prove to be the sneakiest of all?
The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and wait, Sho takes the mic to say something first. He doesn’t trust what’s going on with Taichi on commentary?! Saying that it’s an unfair advantage!? Sho says Douki should try and win this title fair and square! He’s one to talk! Douki wags his finger, and he brings out the contract he had Sho sign. Douki makes it clear to Sho that this is all by the book. Sho still tries to deny it, thinking this is just an exhibition or something. Then he snatches the contract and EATS it?! Sho, that’s not gonna stop anything! Douki then DECKS Sho, stomps away, and the bell rings!
Douki bumps Sho off buckles, stomps him more, then digs his boot in. The fans rally while Sho suffers, and then Red Shoes counts. Douki lets off, drags Sho up, but Sho claws Douki’s eyes! Red Shoes reprimands and fans boo but Sho whips. Douki reverses and does the splits to get under. Then he rolls back to RANA Sho, and then arm-drag! Sho staggers up, into another arm-drag! Douki dodges Sho, arm-drags to then get a leg, and he SMASHES the knee! The fans fire up while Sho bails out. Douki pursues but Sho kicks him first. Sho whips but Douki reverses to send Sho into railing! The fans cheer and Douki storms up on Sho.
Douki stalks Sho around the way, RAMS him into more railing, then puts the bad leg around railing! Sho wants mercy but Douki BOOST the railing! Sho falls over and the fans rally up. Douki storms up on Sho, drags him up, and puts him in the ring. The fans cheer and Douki stomps Sho at the ropes. Douki stomps the bad leg, then puts the leg on ropes to stand on it! HIP DROP! Sho writhes, the fans cheer, and Douki brings Sho around. Douki drops an elbow on the knee! Douki pulls on a toehold, Sho pulls on Douki’s mask! Red Shoes reprimands, Sho lets go, and then Sho has the ROPEBREAK! Sho shouts about it and Douki lets go.
The fans rally up while Douki stalks Sho. Douki stomps Sho’s legs, drags him back up and whips, but Sho holds ropes to block. Douki tries again, Sho still holds on, so Douki kicks the bad leg! Douki whips, Sho reverses, but Douki holds ropes! Sho runs in but Douki does the splits again, and Sho is sent tumbling out! Douki then goes to the apron, mule kicks Sho, but Sho sends a Young Lion into Douki! Douki falls and the fans boo! Red Shoes reprimands Sho, then checks Douki. Douki clutches his leg, but Sho drags him up and whips him into railing! Sho brings Douki out into the crowd now! And to the very back, to SLAM his leg into the wall!
Douki hobbles right in front of Section H while Sho grabs a chair. Sho digs that chair into the leg! Red Shoes reprimands and fans boo, but Sho lets off. Sho then stomps Douki’s bad leg, talks trash and leaves Douki behind. The fans rally for Douki while Sho gets in the ring. Sho smirks as he waits on the ring count. Douki sits up, shakes out the bad leg, and the fans rally up. The count reaches 10 of 20 before Douki stands. Douki hobbles his way to the aisle and hurries towards ringside. The count passes 15, then passes 17! Douki slides in safe at 19! Sho is upset with Red Shoes’ count, but then he grabs Douki’s bad leg to SMASH the knee!
Douki writhes, Sho wants Red Shoes to call this, but Red Shoes says no, Douki’s still okay. So Sho DDTs the leg! And DDTs it again! And again! Cover, TWO! Douki is still in this and the fans rally up again. Sho drags Douki up, wrenches, and kicks, KICKS and then stomps the leg! Then he kicks, KICKS and stomps the leg again! And again! Sho drags Douki up but Douki fires a forearm! Sho eggs Douki on, Douki throws more forearms, so Sho kicks the leg out! Sho drops into a KNEEBAR! Douki endures now, fights around, reaches out, but Sho uses his shirt for leverage on the leglock! The fans rally, Douki claws at the mat and drags Sho along to the ROPEBREAK!
The fans cheer while Sho lets go in frustration. But then Sho smirks as he looms over Douki, and he stomps the bad leg again. Douki shoves Sho away, fires up and fires off more forearms! Sho kicks the leg! Sho reels Douki in, but Douki fights the lift! Sho kicks the leg, reels Douki back in and hoists him up, but Douki slips free! Only for the bad leg to jam! Sho runs, but Douki dropkicks Sho’s bad leg! Both men are down while the fans rally back up. Sho makes his way to a corner, runs up, but Douki blocks to fire forearms again! Douki whips, Sho reverses, but Douki dropkicks the bad let! Sho scrambles to a corner!
Douki runs in to forearm smash! Douki then brings Sho up, ties up the legs, DOUBLE KNEE BREAKER! Douki runs to SHOTGUN Sho down! Cover, TWO! Sho stays in this but the fans rally behind Douki again. Douki slaps his bad leg into working, then he drags Sho up. Douki turns Sho, but Sho fights the Gory Especial! Douki still tries, but Sho wrenches an arm and bends fingers! Sho kicks and kicks, then he bends fingers again! Douki HELL STABS! Douki runs, Sho gets around to waistlock, but Douki fires elbows! Sho keeps Douki from getting away, but Douki kicks free. Sho blocks a kick, but so does Douki! Sho goes for the eyes!
Douki pulls Sho’s arm away, tucks it under the leg, and drops into a modified FIGURE FOUR LEGLOCK! Sho endures and fans rally, but wait! Yoshinobu Kanemaru shows up! The Heel Master distracts for just a moment, then he gets in Taichi’s face! Taichi stands up, only for DICK TOGO’S SPOILER CHOKER!! The House of Torture is going after the Holy Emperor! The fans boo as Dick chokes Taichi out! Douki still keeps on Sho but Sho drags Red Shoes down! Yoshinobu storms in to stomp away on Douki! The fans boo but Douki lets Sho go and Yoshinobu drags him up. But Douki suplexes first! Sho sees this and freaks out!
Wait Dick gets on commentary in Taichi’s place!? Sho THROWS Douki into Red shoes! Then LOW BLOWS!! Then he THROWS Douki back into Red Shoes!! Sho hurries away from Douki, and Dick jumps in the ring! Dick stomps away on Douki while fans boo! Sho laughs but here come the other guys! Taka Michinoku & Yuya Uemura run Dick off, but here comes the rest of the House! Evil & Yujiro attack Yuya & Taka! The fans boo and tell them to go home, but they don’t care. Evil & Dick open Yuya’s legs for Yujiro’s FALLING HEADBUTT! Then they get Taka up as Dick climbs, for the DICK CHOP!
The fans boo as Yuya and Taka are down, and then the House drags Douki up. They double whip Douki to a corner, then Dick runs in to elbow! Yujiro BOOTS! Evil clotheslines! They snapmare Douki down, then Dick climbs up! The fans boo, but Douki suffers a DICK CHOP! Sho laughs and waves to Red Shoes. Evil gets Red Shoes in to count the cover, TWO!!! Douki survives and the fans are thunderous! Sho vows to end it now, and he drags Douki back up. Sho reels Douki in, lifts, for the POWER BREAKER!! Cover, TWO?!?! Douki survives again and Sho is furious! Sho drags Douki back up while the fans rally as hard as they can!
Sho brings Douki in, tucks the arms, but Douki fights the lift! And he drops down for the ITALIAN STRETCH #32!! But Sho powers through, tucks the arms again, and STRAITJACKET PILEDRIVERS! Cover, TWO!?!? Douki survives again and the entire House is beside itself! Taichi rises, but he’s cuffed to railing! Sho drags Douki up, says he’s done now, and then pump handles! SHOCK- NO! ITALIAN STRETCH #32!!! Douki has Sho, but Sho fights for ropes! Douki pulls on the hold, Dick gets on the apron! But Taka is back and YANKS Dick down! Douki rolls Sho from ropes for ITALIAN STRETCH!!
Yujiro and Evil get up but Yuya anchors them both! Sho is fading! Sho is turning red!! Who rang the bell!?! Not this crap again!! It was all DICK!! Douki realizes he hasn’t won, and then Evil SHOVES Douki into Red Shoes!! Red Shoes takes a tumble right out of the ring, and the House stomps away on Douki again! The House taunt Douki, but Douki fights back! Evil CLAWS Douki’s eyes! But Taichi has a Young Lion free him! And he hurries to ringside! Evil & Yujiro double whip Douki, Douki grabs ropes, and Taichi runs in to DOUBLE AX BOMBER!! The fans are thunderous as Taichi tells his old friend to keep fighting!
Just5Guys turn the tides on the House by stomping away on Dick! They double whip Dick to a corner, then Taka clotheslines! Yuya DOUBLE CHOPS! Taichi runs up to clothesline! Then Taka goes up! They get Dick in place for a HAWK CHOP! Dick flounders out, Taka & Yuya PLANCHA out onto Yujiro & Evil! The fans are thunderous as J5G drags the House to the back! Now it’s just Douki and Sho all alone as we hit 20 minutes! Sho crawls for his corner, he wants his Torture Tool! But Douki goes to his corner, and he brings out his PIPE! And Douki’s is bigger! Sho freaks out, wanting to tell Red Shoes about this!
Douki tells Sho to bring it, so Sho swings! Douki dodges, swings, but Sho dodges! Sho swings but Douki blocks, and Sho loses grip on his wrench! Douki JAMS Sho with the pipe, then CHOKES him, into a STEEL DODON NO JUTSU!! Douki gets the pipe outta there, and a spare ref hurries out here! The fans fire up as Douki roars, and he brings Sho back up! Douki reels Sho in, for the SAHARAWI SUPLEX!! Cover, TWO?!? Sho survives but the fans are electric for Douki! Douki pounds the mat, powers up, and he wheelbarrows Sho! Full nelson, SUPLEX DE LA LUNA!!! Bridging cover, YOSHINOBU YANKS THE REF!!
Kanemaru stomps away on Douki as fans boo! Kanemaru goes out, grabs his whiskey and takes a big swig! Kanemaru aims, but Douki HELL STABS! The whiskey mist flies into the air, then Douki DECKS Kanemaru! But wait! Ren Narita shows up! He was staying back just for this moment! Narita has the push-up bar and he slides into the ring! Narita SNATCHES the mask!! And as Douki covers up, Narita JAMS him with the bar!! Then he reels Douki in for DOUBLECROSSER!! The fans boo, but Narita at least puts Douki’s mask back on before he helps Sho cover. Narita gets the second ref, Kenta, into the ring, and tells him to count! The ref sees Sho, counts, and Sho wins!!
Winner: Sho, by pinfall (still IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion)
The most powerful fight Douki’s ever put up is completely besmirched by the most disgusting game the House has ever rigged! Sho is in no shape to get the mic so Narita brings it over. Sho laughs and says he’s just too strong, it’s becoming a problem. The fans boo as Sho this is what Douki gets for making this more than just sparring. Sho leaves the ring with The House but he keeps on talking, saying he’s happy to be leaving Kagoshima anyway. And as for BOSJ up next, Sho’s confident it’ll be a piece of cake at this rate! Narita raises Sho’s hand in victory and the streamers fly! But will Sho really be able to stack the deck each and every round?
My Thoughts:
A really good Satsuma, even if it’s kinda wedged in right before Dontaku. The Junior Heavyweight title matches were both great stuff, made to feel very close, but in the end, I figured Bullet Club was retaining the gold going into the Best of the Super Juniors. Connors & Moloney are a tough team, they even won a big Triple Threat, so them winning here isn’t really a knock on Hiromu & Bushi. Plus, there could be a chance Hiromu gets a strong showing in BOSJ to go after the singles title again.
And boy, they really overbooked the main event there. I was hoping Douki was gonna find a way, but they did a great job making Narita the final card to play. He stayed back and I didn’t even think about him until he showed up, but of course he’s the deciding factor. Sho retains, and he’ll go into the tournament with the title, but I really hope someone gets their golden ticket off beating him in the round robin just to stick it to him.
My Score: 8.7/10
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
Hockey Talk- Power Players [043024]
Hockey Talk reviews the action from the first round of the 2024 NHL Playoffs and looks forward to some intriguing...
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...
Bandwagon Nerds #233: Superhero Madness- The Sweet 16
Superhero Madness continues with Sweet 16 matchups sure to spark a debate among all nerds. All that plus Deadpool, Wolverine,...
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 WWE Raw Results & Report! (4/29/24)
The Draft wraps it up!
Mitchell’s Wrestling Satsuma no Kuni Results & Report! (4/29/24)
Kagoshima is fired up!
Mitchell’s Road to Wrestling Dontaku Results & Report! (4/27/24)
Rural Revitalization continues!
Mitchell’s AEW Rampage Results & Report! (4/27/24)
Trent Beretta's on a Rampage!
Mitchell’s AEW Collision Results & Report! (4/27/24)
It's a slam dunk!
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!
