Coverage
Mitchell’s WWE NXT Results & Report! (6/29/21)
Who’s on their way to the Bash?
Three teams battle for an opportunity at the NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions!
The Great American Bash is coming, and NXT is paving the way with gold! Who will challenge Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell for their women’s tag titles?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships #1 Contenders Triple Threat: Raquel Gonzalez & Dakota Kai VS Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon VS Io Shirai & Zoey Stark; Shirai & Stark win and will challenge Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell at The Great American Bash.
- Roderick Strong w/ The Diamond Mine VS Asher Hale; Strong wins.
- Cameron Grimes VS Ari Sterling; Grimes wins.
- Mixed Tag: Mercedes Martinez & Jake Atlas VS Tian Sha; Tian Sha wins.
- NXT North American Championship: Bronson Reed VS Isaiah “Swerve” Scott w/ Hit Row; Swerve wins and becomes the new NXT North American Champion.
PLAY BY PLAY
NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships #1 Contenders Triple Threat: Raquel Gonzalez & Dakota Kai VS Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon VS Io Shirai & Zoey Stark!
What a way to open tonight! The NXT Women’s Champion and #CobraKai want those tag titles back, but so do the wild ones in the Shenom and the Pizza Cat! As for the Evil Genius and the Rising Star(k), they just want payback on Candice & Indi, with the titles as cherries on top! But who comes out of this with the golden tickets to the Great American Bash?
The teams sort out and in this kind of Triple Threat, it’s one person apiece! Ember and Shirai rush Raquel but she knocks them both down! Raquel RAMS Ember to a corner, but Shirai runs in and jumps on Raquel’s back! Raquel throws Shirai off, hauls her up, but Ember runs in to sunset flip them both! Shirai rolls through, dropkick and splash! Cover, TWO! Basement Complete Shot for Raquel! Shirai counter punches Ember, the two stand off, but then they decide to double dropkick Raquel! Raquel rebounds to DOUBLE LARIAT! Fans fire up as Raquel hauls Shirai up and LAWN DARTS her into the one open corner!
Ember tilt-o-whirls Raquel to the corner! Ember sweeps Shirai’s legs, avoids Dakota, and uses Shirai to handspring and LARIAT Raquel! Ember stomps Shirai down, Raquel dodges but Shotzi tags in! FLYING CODE BREAKER! Springboard sunset flip! Dakota gets in to kick the cover apart! Dakota shoves Shirai out, Stark ROCKS Dakota! Stark DECKS Ember but Dakota tackles her! Stark and Dakota brawl on the outside, Raquel runs over to go after Stark, but Shirai aims to MOONSAULT! Direct hit on Raquel and Dakota! Fans fire up, but here comes Shotzi! Ember holds the ropes open for Shotzi to DIVE and take them all out! Ember is up top now, and she SUPER CANNONBALLS!
The CWC fires up but Stark has her target now! SUPER CROSSBODY!! All six women are down on the outside, Shirai and Stark stand up and fire up as NXT goes picture in picture!
Stark and Shirai sort out the pile and put Raquel in the ring. Shirai stomps Raquel, covers, TWO! Shirai tags Stark and Stark stomps Raquel. Stark clubs Raquel, Shotzi gets in to fire forearms on Stark! Shotzi goes after Raquel, too, but Stark hits Shotzi. Raquel hits Stark, fires off hands on Shotzi, and Dakota tags in. Dakota throws Stark out hard, then stomps away on Shotzi. Cover, TOW! Stark kicks Dakota, snapmares her and KICKS her again! Cover, TWO! Stark gets Dakota up but Dakota throws forearms. They brawl, Stark ROCKS Dakota and suplexes! Cover, Shotzi breaks it! Shotzi gets Stark up, snap suplexes, but Raquel tags in to snipe the cover!
Shotzi breaks it but Raquel scoops and SLAMS! Cover, Stark breaks it! Stark clubs Raquel, kicks her, and tags in Shirai. Shirai rolls Raquel up, ONE! Shirai stomps Raquel down, clamps on a chinlock and digs a knee into Raquel’s back. Shirai adds a body scissor squeeze but Raquel endures. Raquel pushes back to a cover, TWO! Shirai still has the body scissors, but Raquel pries at the hold. Raquel turns, Shotzi gets back in and gets Shirai in a half nelson sleeper! Shirai reaches for ropes but Shotzi keeps her from them. Shirai gets a foot on the ropes, but it isn’t a ropebreak, so Shirai has to push around to a cover. TWO, and Shotzi keeps hold!
NXT returns to single picture as Raquel stomps the sleeper apart! Raquel whips Shotzi to a corner, runs in and RAMS a shoulder! Raquel digs that shoulder in, lets off to run in and SPLASH !Fans rally up as Raquel RAMS into Shotzi again! Raquel fireman’s carries Shotzi, BOOTS Shirai down, then SLAMS Shotzi! Raquel dead lifts Shirai in a waistlock but Shirai flails! Shirai victory rolls to STOMP 182! Fans fire up as all three women are down! They head for their corners, hot tag to Stark, Dakota and Ember! Stark DECKS Dakota first, then CLOBBERS Ember! Dakota runs into a LARIAT! HEEL KICK for Ember! Stark handsprings to dodge Dakota and she KICKS Raquel!
Dakota kicks into a GERMAN SUPLEX! Cover, but Ember breaks it! Stark just fires up, two for one on the SLIDING KNEE! Cover, TWO! Ember was also there, but Dakota survives on her own. Stark gets up, drags Dakota up and whips her to the corner hard! Back elbow, then a tag to Shirai, Stark whips Dakota the other way to SPLASH! Shirai adds a back body block, Stark adds a SHINING WIZARD! They put Dakota on the ropes, for Shirai’s 619! Shirai springboards to missile dropkick! Shotzi tags back in and breaks the cover with a senton! Shotzi gets Shirai up but Shirai shoves her away, Shotzi ENZIGURIS! KICK and ROLLING ELBOW! SWITCHBLADE KICK!
Shotzi runs, SLING-DOG! Shotzi keeps going, tagging in Ember. They get Shirai for a double whip, trip and elbow drop! Basement dropkick! Cover, TWO!! Shirai survives, Dakota comes in but Ember fires off kicks and knees! Ember roars as she ROLLING ELBOWS Dakota down! Ember puts Dakota in position alongside Shirai, tag to Shotzi! WELCOME TO THE FIREPIT COMBO! Shotzi has Dakota for a TIGER SUPLEX! Bridging cover, TWO!! Dakota survives but Shotzi keeps the arms, CATTLE MUTILATION! Raquel breaks the submission! Shotzi and Shirai go after Raquel together but she fights them off. Ember and Stark add on, they kick Raquel out!
But Dakota gets Shirai! Stark DECKS Ember, DECKS Shotzi, and helps Shirai get Dakota up top! Ember and Shotzi come back to shove Shirai and Stark aside. They take over and go after Dakota, but Stark adds back on! Shirai helps out, but Raquel breaks it all up by throwing Stark, throwing Shirai, and popping Ember into a POWERSLAM! Dakota knocks Shotzi down, Raquel BOOTS Stark! Raquel gets Shotzi up for a POWERBOMB! Shirai dropkicks Raquel’s leg out, Stark hits a SLIDING KNEE! Dakota adjusts to aim at Shotzi, DOUBLE STOMPS!! But Shirai METEORAS Dakota! Shirai gets Dakota up, and catches her to a CROSSFACE!!
Dakota endures, moves around, rolls free to SUPERKICK Shirai down! Dakota is furious as she gets Shirai back up. Shirai gets Dakota for underhooks! TIGER BACKBREAKER! Shirai hurries to a corner and fans are thunderous as she climbs! OVER THE MOONSAULT onto Raquel!? Raquel takes the shot for Dakota! Shirai is furious with Raquel but Ember cuts in! Ember throws Shirai out but Shirai drags Ember out with her! Ember DECKS Shirai, Shotzi is up top! SUPER SENTON! But Stark breaks the cover! Stark gets Shotzi up, ZK360! But she turns into an ECLISPE! Dakota gets Ember for a GO TO KICK! Shirai rushes in, Dakota switches to roll up, TWO!?!?
Dakota is furious but she turns into a SHOTEI from Shirai! Shirai is back up, fans are going nuts as she hits OVER THE MOONSAULT!! Direct hit this time! Cover, Shirai & Stark win!!
Winners: Io Shirai & Zoey Stark, by pinfall (NEW #1 Contenders to the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships)
Raquel is practically pulling her hair out! Will she have to sit back and watch
Karrion Kross and Scarlett Bordeaux arrive at the CWC.
But just as they get in the door, Johnny Gargano tackles Kross into the wall! Gargano fires off on Kross, security rushes in, and Kross shouts, “That’s how it’s gonna be?!” Gargano pissed Kross off, and now Kross vows Gargano’s a dead man! Will Johnny Wrestling get his way and take the fight to Mr. Apocalypse?
The Breakout Tournament is back!
“In 2019, the NXT Breakout Tournament introduced the world to a new generation of superstars.” Cameron Grimes, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Dexter Lumis, Joaquin Wilde, Angel Garza and Bronson Reed are just some of the names that got their first opportunity, and have made names for themselves ever since. This tournament returns in two weeks! Who will we see become future stars before our very eyes?
Backstage interview with Bronson Reed.
The NXT North American Champion is very excited to see these fresh faces in the Breakout Tournament. Without that tournament, Reed might not be champion. Oh, deja vu! Hit Row is here, and Swerve remembers someone else in that tournament. Oh yeah, himself. Now, how did Reed come out as the one to become champion? Reed says it’s obvious how: hard work and dedication. Hit Row laughs that off and Top Dolla wants Reed to “kill all that jibber jabber.” Reed should put that title on the line and we’ll hear his heart pitter patter. Reed tells “Dolla King” that he’s all talk. Swerve says if Reed is the champion he says he is, he’d put the title on the line tonight, against Swerve.
If Swerve wants his shot, he’s got it! Swerve tells Reed to say less. Will Reeds’ actions speak for him should William Regal make it official?
Kross and Scarlett go to the ring!
Kross gets a mic and says, “Mr. Gargano! Touché, touché. Last week, I got you. This week, you got me.” It’s all cute, but unfortunately for Gargano, Kross is willing to die by the sword he lives by. Is Gargano willing to do the same? Kross dares Gargano to walk out here and see how well he fares when Kross sees the shot coming! “Don’t make me wait, little man?” Kross dares Gargano? Because Gargano’s right here! Kross thinks Gargano is afraid of him? Do you know who the hell he is?! Last week, the big bad NXT Champion had to jump Gargano from behind like a coward! This time, Gargano beats Kross at his own game.
And now Kross wants Gargano to get in the ring? “Buddy, that’s MY world you’re standing in!” Gargano doesn’t have a sword, but he does have actual talent. Kross is bigger, but Gargano is smarter. And Austin Theory attacks! The Way mugs Kross! They have Kross in a corner, stomp mudholes, but Kross hits them away! BOOT for Theory, EXPLODER for Gargano! Gargano gets out of the ring, Kross pursues but Gargano hits him back! Kross choke grips and DRIBBLES Gargano off barriers! Kross pulls the steel steps apart, but security stops him before he attacks! Samoa Joe shows up to enforce order, but Gargano SUPERKICKS Kross down!
Gargano and Theory make their way out of ringside, and Kross tells Joe he’s doing “a hell of a job.” Joe just stares Kross down, and then Kross storms off. Scarlett promises they’ll pay, but will it be up to Mr. Regal how?
The battery continues to charge.
It is now at 60%. How soon will it hit 100?
Gargano and Theory are fired up.
They’re heading out, Theory says Gargano did the best superkick ever! They get out of here, but will they have reason to make their way back to the CWC?
BREAKING NEWS!
After Swerve called Reed out and Reed extended the challenge, IT IS HAPPENING! Reed VS Swerve, for the NXT North American Championship! Will Hit Row get their first gold this close to the Great American Bash?
Roderick Strong w/ The Diamond Mine VS Asher Hale!
The Savior of the Backbreaker and his new crew jumped Kushida after his stellar match with Kyle O’Reilly, and it seems Strong wasn’t as resigned from NXT as he led us to believe! With Hideki Suzuki, Tyler Rust & Malcolm Bivens in his corner, will Strong grind 205 Live’s Saint into dust?
The bell rings and Strong circles with Hale. They feel things out, Strong blocks a kick to shove Hale down. Hale gets up and Strong pie faces him! Hale rushes in but into a headlock takeover! Hale gets up and headlocks but Strong throws him off! Strong goes for a headlock and grinds Hale, but Hale fights to a cover. ONE, Strong holds the headlock, but they end up on ropes. Things turn around, Strong gets up and under for a fireman’s carry but Hale slips off. Hale ducks an elbow, kicks Strong, but then Strong blocks. Hale rolls to get an ankle but Strong rolls around. Hale goes for a sleeper, but Strong fights up and RAMS Hale into buckles!
Hale hobbles, Strong gets him for an urenage BACKBREAKER! Bivens likes that, as does the CWC. Strong puts Hale in a corner to CHOP,CLUB and ROCK Hale! And CHOP again! Strong brings Hale around but Hale throws body shots. Strong CLUBS Hale more, Hale forearms back, but Strong DECKS him! Strong digs boots into Hale’s face, then lets off as the ref counts. Strong gets Hale up to CHOP again! Bivens smiles as Strong brings Hale around to a butterfly suplex! Cover, TWO! Strong wraps Hale up in a bearhug but Hale fights up. Fans rally as Hale fights free but Strong ELBOWS him down hard! Hale gets up, he and Strong start brawling, Strong KNEES Hale!
Strong gets a BUTTERFLY GUILLOTINE! Hale taps, Strong wins!
Winner: Roderick Strong, by submission
Strong keeps the hold on until he’s satisfied! Strong lets go, celebrates with the Diamond Mine, and certainly has the fans impressed. Bivens says, “Diamond Mine is open for business, and this is just the beginning, baby!” Will Strong help another faction grab up all the gold in NXT?
Cameron Grimes VS Ari Sterling!
The Carolina Cash Money Caveman didn’t take kindly to The Sauce getting snippy about Ted DeBiase. Will Grimes cause a Cave-In in his return to action? Or will Sterling be too spicy for him to handle?
The bell rings, Grimes corners Sterling but he slips away. Fans chant “To The Moon!” as Grimes gets Sterling’s foot. Sterling has the ropes, turns things around to a headlock, but Grimes powers out. Sterling leaps over Grimes, hurdles over then runs to rana, but Grimes handsprings and says, “Kiss mah grits!” Then Grimes ROCKS Sterling, CHOPS him, and whips him to ropes. Sterling holds ropes, kicks Grimes back, but Grimes RANAS in return! Sterling bails out, Grimes goes to the apron and kicks, but Sterling blocks to trip Grimes up! Grimes bounces off the apron, then gets the MOON-SAUCE! Sterling puts Grimes in, gets in, but Grimes gets him for a whip.
Sterling sees Grimes’ dropdown coming and he springboards to knee drop! Sterling STANDING CORKSCREW SENTONS! Cover, TWO! Sterling kicks and clubs Grimes around, has him in a corner for a mudhole stomp, but lets off as the ref counts. Sterling pushes Grimes around, throws forearms, then CHOPS him against ropes! Sterling whips Grimes, Grimes reverses and kitchen sink knees! Fans fire up as Grimes rallies with big forearms! Sterling staggers up, Grimes scoops, but Sterling slips off and dodges to ENZIGURI! Grimes wobbles to a corner, Sterling runs in and back body blocks! Sterling goes to the apron to ENZIGURI!
Sterling climbs, aims, and SHOOTING STARS but has to bail out a Grimes moves! CAVE-IN!! Cover, Grimes wins!
Winner: Cameron Grimes, by pinfall
Grimes is back on track! But to ruin the celebration, LA Knight makes his way out! “YAY~ Cameron Grimes wins~! And nobody gave a damn!” Knight looks at Grimes and sees a natural born loser. Grimes proved it at Knight’s coronation! Grimes says he’s gonna follow the fans, “You Suck!” If Knight wants to talk about DeBiase, get in the ring and talk with Grimes, dummy! Grimes wanted that Million Dollar Championship to carry the legacy. Knight just wanted some bling! Grimes dares Knight to put the title up, and he’ll take that bling from him! Fans are fired up for that idea!
Knight says, “Yeah? Yeah? Yeah! You want this title? You wanna fight me for it?” YEAH! Then next week, why not? Great American Bash, this title, NUH-UH! Grimes doesn’t deserve it! Fans boo, but Knight says there is something for Grimes. This title wields a lot of power, but there is a piece missing to this puzzle. So in the transformation into the NEW Million Dollar Man, and further beyond as the Million Dollar Mega Star, LA Knight says if Grimes is hot to get him, well Knight couldn’t find his stuff. Knight’s cars didn’t get detailed on time, either. So Great American Bash, Knight VS Grimes, the Million Dollar Championship IS on the line, but when Grimes loses, he becomes Knight’s butler!
Grimes has his offer, so what does he say? Grimes has no problem being a butler, because he knows at the Great American Bash, he’ll get the title and go TO~ THE~ MOON~! Will this Million Dollar Bet blow up in Knight’s face? Or will Grimes have to get down and dirty as Knight’s manservant?
Backstage interview with Shirai & Stark.
But before they can speak on their big win tonight, The Way make their way over! Indi congratulates Shirai & Stark, “but hate to rain on your parade,” next week will be against them, the NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions. They’re a real team! A family! These two aren’t even friends. Stark is pretty sure that they don’t need to be any of that, they just need mutual respect for each other. And all that other stuff won’t stop them from winning the titles around The Way’s waists. Oh, is that so? That’s cute. But Candice gives Stark some advice. After The Way wins at The Bash, watch your back. Shirai tends to be a sore loser.
Shirai tells Candice that Candice has never beaten Shirai. Next week, Shirai & Stark become champions. The Way storms off, Stark is confident she and Shirai have this. But will the Evil Genius still have the Poison Pixie’s number when it’s a tag match and not 1v1?
Kyle O’Reilly heads to the ring!
Just a week away from his grudge rematch with Adam Cole, #CoolKyle is here and says, “This whole journey for me has been about testing myself against the best competition this industry has.” He wants to fight dudes that make him a better fighter. That is what last week was about, and what next week is about. Next week, Cole VS O’Reilly II. Last time they fought, it was gritty, violent and unsanctioned. After Kyle got his hand raised, he proved to the world that not only does he belong in the main event, but that he could one day be NXT Champion. But Cole refuses to see it. It is one excuse after the next.
So why not come out here and enlighten us, Cole? Give us the excuse he has prepared after Kyle whoops your ass at the Bash! Cole does walk out to the stage, then the ramp. But Samoa Joe shows up, too! Joe tells these two gentlemen, “Please excuse my poorly timed interruption. But with respect to both of your personal safety,” Joe felt he should come out and make sure none of the nastiness from last week happens tonight. So please, don’t let Joe delay anything, “have at it.” Cole says that before he was interrupted, he was going to tell Kyle that Kyle made it crystal clear he wants to be in Cole’s shoes. Honestly, Kyle probably hopes and prays he’ll have half the career Cole’s had.
But guess what? Ain’t gonna happen. Cole was thinking, and he figured Kyle out. Kyle is obsessed with Cole! It creeps Cole out. Uh, what? Obsessed? Let’s unpack that. Kyle beat Cole, put him in the hospital, Cole disappears for six weeks, and when he returns, he picks a fight with Kyle at every turn! Then Cole “forgets” to say Kyle’s name at a press conference. Yeah, Kyle’s the one obsessed. Cole says Kyle is so delusional! What Kyle needs is a dose of reality, the truth, and some cold, hard facts! The fact is, Kyle is NOTHING without Cole! This goes so much deeper than just NXT! No one would even be talking about Kyle without Cole!
Just look at the Undisputed Era, all those moments, all those championships, and all the WarGames matches. Who do you see with Kyle? Adam Cole! “The guy solely responsible for every ounce of respect you have ever had in this industry.” Cole was the STAR of the UE, who carried Kyle on his back for almost four YEARS! And Cole is STILL the star! The entire world knows it, the NXT locker room knows it, and whether he wants to admit it or not, Samoa Joe knows it. “Hell, even your wife knows it!” Kyle paces but Joe keeps between them. Kyle tells Cole to never mention his wife! Yeah, they were in the UE together, but Kyle looks back and is ashamed to have ever associated with Cole!
Kyle is ashamed to have taken this long to realize Cole is such a pathetic human piece of- Cole slaps the mic down but Joe keeps these two apart! Fans want to “Let Them Fight!” but the two stand down. But then Cole swings on Kyle! Kyle trips Cole and gets a HEEL HOOK! Joe just watches as Cole suffers the pain! Kyle wrenches Cole’s leg and Joe walks out of the ring to then tell security to pull them apart. Kyle lets off, having done the damage. “What now, Cole?!” Cole might’ve just tasted his comeuppance, but will there be plenty more of it at the Great American Bash?
Tian Sha speaks.
Xia Li says, “You cannot violate Tian Sha’s order. Anyone who offends Tian Sha will eventually be punished. No matter who they are!” Boa warns Jake Atlas that he made a BIG mistake. “There is no way out. You will pay for this.” Xia tells Mercedes Martinez, “there’s no road of return.” It is time to destroy them both! Will Mean Ms. Mercedes and the Muscle of El Monte be mangled by the menacing minions of Mei Ying?
The battery continues to charge.
We are now at 71%.
Hit Row hypes up Swerve.
It’s money time! Swerve deserves this more than anyone. This is what they’ve been talking about! Time to show Swerve is a different breed! He looks good, feels good, and Swerve warns Reed that tonight, you’ll see why Swerve is #JustDifferent. If that’s true, will nothing ever be the same again after tonight’s main event?
Mixed Tag: Mercedes Martinez & Jake Atlas VS Tian Sha!
NXT returns and Atlas is already in the ring as Mercedes makes her entrance. Then Tian Sha makes their entrance, and Xia uses a Bo staff in her newest demonstration. The teams sort out but it’s just a brawl! Boa and Atlas, Xia and Mercedes! The ref sorts things out and the men stay in! Atlas ROCKS Boa with a EuroUpper then BOOTS him! Atlas whips but Boa blocks! Boa kicks back, puts Atlas in the corner but Atlas elbows him away! Atlas KICKS, Boa shoves but Atlas BOOTS! Atlas runs, springboards and flying-mares! Then calf kicks! Cover, TWO! Boa gets away and Xia tags in! Mercedes gets in, Xia dodges to THRUST KICK Mercedes down!
Xia gets Mercedes up, whips her to a corner, and then fires up to run and forearm Mercedes down! Xia stomps a mudhole, then springboard stomp! Mercedes crawls, Xia looms over her, but Mercedes hits back. Xia CLUBS Mercedes down, then brings her up for a suplex. Mercedes blocks, and blocks again, to then throw body shots. Mercedes rolls Xia up, TWO! Xia is in a corner, she runs back, but into a back drop! Mercedes and fans fire up as Xia bails out. Mercedes dares Xia to do something, and then shouts to Mei Ying, “You see that?!” Mei Ying stays put on her throne while Xia writhes, and NXT goes to break.
NXT returns and Boa has Atlas down in a chinlock. Atlas endures, reaches around, and fights up. Atlas pries at the hold, throws body shots and is free to whip. Boa reverses but Atlas holds ropes. Atlas throws Boa up and out! Hot tag to Mercedes, and she rallies on Xia! Mercedes KNEES Xia down and fans fire up! Xia flounders to a corner, Mercedes runs in but Xia dodges! Xia runs back in but Mercedes puts her up top to ROCK her! And again! Mercedes positions Xia, climbs up to join her, and clubs away on her back before the SUPER BUTTERFLY SUPLEX! Fans fire up as Mercedes covers but Boa breaks it!
The ref reprimands but Mercedes gets up and eggs him on. Boa swings, Mercedes dodges, Atlas FAST BALLS! Atlas gets Boa up, Mercedes leaps from the top rope, FLYING BULLDOG BACK SUPLEX COMBO! Xia returns but Mercedes DECKS her! Mercedes looms over Xia, but Mei Ying rises?! Mercedes notices that and grins. Mercedes goes out to the ramp and dares Mei Ying to do what she did at TakeOver. But Xia CLOBBERS Mercedes from behind! Xia hurries to get Mercedes in the ring, throws haymakers, then scoops for a PUMP HANDLE EXPLODER! SPINNING HEEL KICK! Cover, TWO!?!? Mercedes barely gets a hand up, but she’s in bad shape!
The ref checks on Mercedes, Xia nods as she senses it, the ref stops the match!!
Winners: Tian Sha, by referee stoppage
Xia’s dangerous heel kick strikes again, in more ways than one! Will Mercedes try and fight the wrath of Tian Sha again? Or has this proven their power to everyone on the roster?
Timothy Thatcher & Tommaso Ciampa head to the ring!
Toothless Timmy & Old Man Ciampa are here to have their face-to-face with the NXT Tag Team Champions before having it out for the titles at the Great American Bash! Ciampa & Thatcher each have a chair and pace around in the ring as MSK make their entrance. Turns out, MSK have their own chairs! The four stand together in the ring, and then sit together. Ciampa speaks first, “You wanna know what the difference between y’all and us is? We make this look good.” But that’s okay, you boys can sit in the chairs with your NXT tag titles. Because next week at the Bash, does MSK understand? “The champs are indeed the underdogs.”
Ol’ Double T has yet to hold gold, while the old man is hungry! Ciampa knows Thatcher is not a man of many words, but just look at him. Like, really look at him. “This man is motivated. And me? Hell, the entire world already knows that there ain’t a man alive who elevates a title the way Tommaso Ciampa elevates a title!” Nash Carter wants to say something but Thatcher shouts him down! “Show the man respect! Let him finish!” Wes Lee says NO! They need to listen! The four men stand up, and Lee says MSK respect both men. They applaud them, even! And MSK hears everyone talking, and they get it. Fans sing, “Ciampa’s gonna kill~ you~!”
Carter says it is time for everyone to put respect on MSK’s names! They get it as the young guns, the underdogs, but they’re here to remind everyone that Ciampa & Thatcher are the challengers! And next week, the challengers will find out why MSK are the NXT Tag Team Champions! Carter tells Lee that it doesn’t seem like they’re hearing them. So Carter SLAPS Ciampa! Thatcher DECKS Lee then goes after Carter! Ciampa pulls Thatcher back and keeps this from getting any worse. Ciampa tells MSK that next week, he wants these boys to bring their pride, the titles, because Ciampa & thatcher are taking them both. Tonight was a free one. Next week, they won’t be so lucky. MSK hold up the belts, but will this be for the last time?
Backstage interview with William Regal.
McKenzie notes to the NXT General Manager that tensions are rising between MSK & Ciampa-Thatcher, but that’s just one of the title matches next week. Yes, and there’s also the Women’s Tag Team Championships. Grimes just signed his contract for the match with LA Knight, and so the Million Dollar Championship is on the line. And then there’s Cole VS O’Reilly II, something everyone is looking forward. But what does he have to say about the 2021 Breakout Tournament? Regal is very excited for that as eight hungry competitors will compete, and the winner gets a match at a title of their choosing.
Sarray walks in and says she wants a match for The Bash. Maybe against someone like Toni Storm? Regal thanks her for the initiative and will take it into consideration. Will the Warrior of the Sun get her opportunity to shine? Or will the Lightning From Down Under rain on Sarray’s parade?
The battery is charging.
It is now at 81%. Will it be fully charged come the Great American Bash?
Kross and Scarlett are heading out.
Any comments on what happened tonight? Kross’ sneer is answer enough. But then Theory tries to ambush him at the car! Kross uses the door to hit Theory low, then DECKs him! But Gargano hits Kross from behind! Gargano SLAMS the door on Kross! And again! And again! Gargano shouts, “Any time, any place, anywhere, Kross is not on my level!” But then Kross gets up!? Kross wraps Gargano in the KROSSJACKET! “You wanna be a smartass, huh, Johnny!?” Kross thrashes Gargano around as he says he promised to get him! Say something funny now, Johnny! Johnny is fading out instead! Kross lets Gargano go and says, “That’s what I thought.”
Theory gets up, Kross aims and DOOMSDAY FOREARMS him into the garage door! Scarlett and Kross get to their car and back up. They drive forward, but Joe has already gotten Gargano out of harm’s way! Joe tells Gargano, “Perhaps tonight you pushed him a little bit too far. Now get up.” Joe gets Gargano into the CWC, what is going to happen next between Johnny and the apocalypse?
NXT North American Championship: Bronson Reed VS Isaiah “Swerve” Scott w/ Hit Row!
Two prospects from the 2019 Breakout Tournament have come a long way from those early days. The Colossal holds the gold but Hit Row looks to bring that title back to Swerve’s House. Will Swerve hit the top of the charts as he knocks Reed off the mountaintop? Or will a Tsunami wash him away?
The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and we have a colossal ending to tonight!
Reed and Swerve circle as the CWC fires up. They tie up, Reed shoves Swerve down then roars. Swerve gets up and walks that off as he circles with Reed again. They tie up, Reed puts Swerve in a corner but Swerve turns it around to slap Reed on the back of his head! Reed shrugs that off, circles with Swerve, but Swerve gets an arm and wrenches to a cording hold. Reed CHOPS Swerve, Swerve CHOPS back, and even gives a short headbutt. Reed scoops, Swerve slips out and waistlocks, but Reed pries free! Reed scowls, headlocks, but Swerve fights it. Swerve throws body shots, fans rally behind “BRON~SON~!”
Swerve drops, Reed drags him back up and holds on tight. Swerve powers out but Reed runs him over! Reed looms over Swerve, but Swerve tries a drop toehold. Reed stays up to stomp Swerve, but as Reed reaches down, Swerve goes for a Triangle! Reed dead lifts, Swerve lets him free and things speed up! Swerve jumps but Reed SWATS him! Swerve is shocked but Reed dares Swerve to come back. Swerve runs into a gorilla press! Reed carries Swerve around to then DROP him! Swerve flounders to ropes, Reed stalks him and drags him back up, then Reed bumps Swerve off buckles! Reed CHOPS Swerve and Swerve goes rolling! Swerve CHOPS back but Reed headbutts him down!
Hit Row coaches Swerve up but Reed headbutts him again. Reed whips corner to corner hard, and Swerve bounces off the buckles! Hit Row coaches Swerve more but Reed stalks him. Fans rally as Reed gets the legs. Swerve kicks Reed away, Reed tries again and yanks Swerve up for a FALLING SPLASH! Reed smiles as Swerve goes to the apron. Reed goes out to join Swerve, but Swerve CHOPS! Reed CHOPS back! Even Ashante Adonis felt that! Swerve BOOTS Reed, but Reed headbutts back! Swerve staggers, Reed eggs him on, Swerve CHOPS a leg! Reed staggers, but he still tosses Swerve into the ring! Swerve lands on his feet and kicks away on the leg!
Sunset, but no bomb as Reed holds on! Reed SITS on Swerve on the apron! The ref counts as Reed smothers Swerve, and Reed gets up at 4, and NXT goes picture in picture.
Swerve gasps and sputters while Reed watches from the ring. Reed goes out, shoves Swerve into the announce desk, then whips him into barriers! Hit Row tells the ref this shouldn’t be allowed, but Reed puts Swerve in to then stare Top Dolla down. Swerve BOOTS back from the apron! And then BOOTS again! Reed stays up, Swerve runs to LEAP and missile dropkick Reed into barriers! Reed is down and Swerve finally catches his breath. Hit Row fires up as Swerve gets Reed up, but Reed shoves Swerve away. Reed gets in the ring, Swerve goes up top., elbow drop to the back of the shoulders! Cover, TWO! Swerve SLAPS Reed and stomps him down, but Reed gets up.
Swerve brings Reed to a corner, fires off haymakers and sweeps the leg! Swerve throws knees in, pulls on Reed’s hair and talks some trash before letting up. Reed stands but Swerve CHOPS him on the back! Swerve brings Reed around, turns him, and hits a NECKBREAKER! Cover, TWO!! Reed still has power, but Swerve wraps on a chinlock as NXT goes single picture. Fans rally as Swerve traps an arm and chinbars Reed. Reed endures, fights up, but Swerve rakes his eyes! Reed powers up to fireman’s carry but Swerve gets to the apron. Swerve SLAPS Reed, but Reed CHOPS Swerve! Reed CHOPS again and Swerve wobbles.
Swerve ducks the next chop to get in and waistlock, but Reed is too big! Swerve KICKS a leg, uses the ropes for help and GERMAN SUPLEXES! Cover, TWO!! Reed survives and Swerve snarls. Fans rally and duel as Swerve goes after Reed’s arms. Swerve has a half nelson and gets Reed up, but Reed pries free with the free arm! Fireman’s carry, but Swerve elbows free to a SLEEPER! Swerve CHOPS away on Reed’s neck and shoulders, but Reed blocks one to THROW Swerve off! Swerve gets up and runs in but Reed shoves him away! Swerve comes back, somersault COMPLETE SHOT! Cover, TWO!! Hit Row is beside themselves but the fans are loving this!
Fans continue to duel as Swerve eggs Reed on. Reed sits up, and blocks the House Call! Reed puts the foot down but Swerve SLAPS Reed again! Swerve ducks Reed, back hands, but Reed spins to LARIAT! Swerve basement dropkicks right back! Reed flounders, Reed somersaults but into the DEATH VALLEY DRIVER!! Both men are down and the CWC is loving “NXT! NXT!” Reed and Swerve slowly rise, stare down, and Reed JABS and CHOPS on repeat! Swerve staggers about, Reed keeps on him, and Reed winds up to BIONIC ELBOW, if you will! Swerve gets to a corner, Reed runs in and SPLASHES! Reed whips and BODY CHECKS Swerve! And BACK SENTONS!
Reed climbs but B-Fab and Top Dolla distract! Adonis drags Reed off the top!! The ref suspects something but Adonis plays innocent. While the ref is distracted with this, Dolla runs at Reed, but Reed TOSSES him through barriers!! Adonis checks on TD but then Reed TOSSES him out onto Top Dolla! Fans fire up with Reed but he gets in for a HOUSE CALL! Swerve goes up top, 450 SPLASH!! Cover, Swerve wins!!!
Winner: Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, by pinfall (NEW NXT North American Champion)
It took literally everyone to do it, but Hit Row just got gold! Swerve isn’t #JustDifferent, he’s now on top of the world! And if you didn’t know, now you know!
My Thoughts:
What an awesome episode, and especially as the semi-go-home to next week’s Great American Bash. Opening with the Women’s Triple Threat Tag was quite a surprise, and it was an awesome match. I figured Dakota & Raquel weren’t winning since Raquel is still NXT Women’s Champion, but I should’ve figured that Ember & Shotzi weren’t winning as they already had their chances. Candice & Indi VS Shirai & Stark is going to be great, but I don’t see The Way losing just yet. Especially if the other half of The Way is going to keep getting pummeled by Kross. It was great that Gargano took the fight to Kross, but it seemed to all happen too fast to where Kross stands tall at the end. Great American Bash is already stuffed, so I’m pretty sure Kross VS Gargano is some other special July episode.
Roderick Strong of course gets a win on his return, but Asher Hale looked a lot better than I thought he would. I’m a little surprised Kushida had no response to last week’s attack, but I’m sure that’s coming soon. A shame that cuts to the NXT roster got rid of two planned members for the Diamond Mine faction in Artoru Ruas and Marina Shafir, but I suppose what we won’t know in kayfabe won’t hurt us. Strong is going to be great, Tyler Rust is going to be great, maybe they change plans and add someone else they hadn’t considered, we’ll have to wait and see. Maybe even Asher Hale, since he’s so good as a technical, MMA style wrestler.
I knew last week when Sterling mouthed off to Grimes that they’d have this match tonight. Sterling looked good but of course Grimes wins. And I like that we are getting the Million Dollar rematch next week at the Great American Bash. I can’t be sure Knight loses the belt so soon, but I can’t see Grimes ending up Knight’s butler. Maybe Grimes does lose and we get comedy of him purposefully messing up stuff until Knight gives Grimes another rematch. I like that the Breakout Tournament is back, I’m sure they would’ve done one last year if things didn’t go to crap in 2020. Not sure who’ll be in this year’s, but I would love if some newer 205 Live guys like Hale, Sterling or Ikemen Jiro were in it so we get eight competitors.
The Mixed Tag was pretty good tonight, but I am pretty sure it wasn’t meant to end like that. Xia Li being this legit with martial arts, I feel like these knockout wins she’s had on her record are legit, too. I feel like Tian Sha was going to win either way, but that’s a bit rough for Mercedes herself to go down like that. We got a pretty good promo out of MSK, Ciampa & Thatcher, but I don’t know if I’ve ever heard Ciampa say “y’all” that much before. It almost feels like he was forcing it. But MSK made a good point that it’s time for them to be respected as champions, they have great in-ring skills. At the same time, it’d be quite the surprise if Ciampa & Thatcher win to solidify that they’re not turning on each other, that they’re in it for the long haul.
Cole, Kyle and Joe had a great segment together. Kyle started to recycle some promo material from the build to Stand & Deliver’s Unsanctioned Match, but there’s not much else he has to say about Cole. Joe letting Kyle get Cole in the Heel Hook was great, though. It was the comeuppance Cole deserved, but the math would say Cole wins at Great American Bash. I feel like there’s been backwards booking on this story as Kyle won the Unsanctioned match. You can’t really build higher than that other than Last Man Standing or I Quit, coupled with Loser Leaves NXT. I could see this happening, though, and Kyle wins to send Cole off to RawDown in time for the WWE Draft.
Sarray politely asking for a match was really cute, really shows how she can be both fierce and sweet. Sarray VS Storm is going to be awesome stuff, but I think Sarray finds a way to win so she can get back on track towards the women’s title. The battery vignettes continue so I’m thinking it hits 100% sometime during the Great American Bash. Then we will see who this has been for, and they will surely do something to someone and make a big impact. The question is: debut or return? Then we got an awesome main event with that North American title match. It was perfect Heel work for Hit Row to help Swerve win, and it makes sense given recent developments.
Bronson Reed, along with Karrion Kross, were on a recently filmed episode of WWE Main Event (y’know, the thing that’s on Hulu first then everywhere else months later) so that’s a sign of call-ups. Kross could conceivably lose to Gargano, but I still bet it is Kyle later in July or August. Reed losing here starts to push things in the direction of his call-up, but it was still a great twist in the story. I really thought we were getting Reed VS Escobar 1v1, but Escobar going after Swerve still has great story behind it, and we could get a Six Man Tag of Hit Row VS Legado del Fantasma, too.
My Score: 9.2/10
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The Last Time is Now on SmackDown!
LA Knight is in the Last Time is Now Tournament, determined to meet John Cena at Saturday Night’s Main Event, but who is his opponent?! Time to find out, YEAH!
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- The Last Time is Now Tournament Opening Round: Jey Uso VS The Miz; Jey wins and advances.
- WWE Untied States Open Challenge: Ilja Dragunov VS Axiom; Ilja wins and retains the title.
- The Last Time is Now Tournament Opening Round: LA Knight VS Zack Ryder; Knight wins and advances.
- Jade Cargill VS B-Fab; Jade wins.
- Undisputed WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes VS Bronson Reed w/ Paul Heyman; Cody wins, by disqualifications, and retains the title.
PLAY BY PLAY
Rhea Ripley AND Iyo Sky are here!
Albany, New York fires up as Mami & The Genius are both here on SmackDown following the chaos on Raw. Because at Survivor Series, Rhea said it herself: WARGAMES! Rhea & Iyo each get a mic and the fans cheer them both on. Rhea says, “Since I’ve been out with a broken nose, the Kabuki Warriors, they’ve been causing a little bit of chaos. And now that they’ve managed to get their hands on the Tag Team Championships, they think they’re pretty much untouchable.” The fans boo, but then Rhea says throw Nia Jax & Lash Legend into the mix, which the fans boo also… “And now they think they are untouchable again because they have the ‘numbers advantage.'”
But the funny thing about numbers is you just end up with more enemies. Iyo says, “A lot of enemies. But they always catch up to you. And now, there is nowhere to hide! WARGAAAMES~!” The fans cheer as Iyo & Rhea go wild for that. Rhea says, “And y’know what? We’re not going in alone. So I would like to introduce two of our teammates: Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss!” The fans cheer as the former tag team champions make their way out to the ring, Charlotte in a modern art suit with her pyro, and then followed by Alexa in her goth preppy fusion. #Charlexa stands with Rhea & Iyo in the ring, mics also in hand.
The four hug it out and the fans “WOO~!” Alexa says if the Kabukis wanna play dirty, fine. If Nia & Lash wanna jump in, too, great! And they can get all four at once, it is so on! Those four started this fight, these four will end it! The very second Rhea said, “WarGames,” Alexa knew they were in. Right, Charlotte? The fans “WOO~!” and Charlotte says, “Lexi, I can’t do this. I can’t pretend anymore.” What? “Look, Rhea. I don’t like you.” The fans boo and Iyo is shocked. Charlotte says she doesn’t trust Rhea, and she thinks Rhea is a snake. But Rhea doesn’t like or trust Charlotte and probably thinks she’s the snake, and Charlotte doesn’t blame her.
There is too much history here, too much bad blood. Just because they have the same enemies doesn’t change that. Charlotte cannot look past it. Alexa is Charlotte’s friend, she trusts Alexa. So if Alexa wants to do this, that’s fine. But count Charlotte out. What!? The fans boo as The Queen steps away, but Alexa calls after her. Charlotte goes up the ramp, Alexa apologizes to the others and tries to figure out why Charlotte did this. Can Alexa get Charlotte to change her mind before it’s time to go to war?
Jey Uso is in the concourse!
And he asks them to please, please, play his music! UH UH, YEET!! The fans fire up and bounces along as Main Event Jey Uso makes his entrance, ready for The Last Time Is Now! But will it be Albany, New YEET? Or will the Hollywood A-Lister put all that fire from last week to good use?
The Last Time is Now Tournament Opening Round: Jey Uso VS The Miz!
SmackDown returns and the fans continue to YEET, and then they want the encore! But instead, The Miz makes his entrance. The bell rings and the fans rally up as the two circle. They tie up, are in a deadlock, but Miz KNEES low! Miz CLUBS Jey, then talks some trash. The fans rally for Jey but Miz brings Jey around. Jey blocks the buckle bump to fire off haymakers, “YEET! YEET! YEET!” Jey whips, Miz reverses, and Miz hits a kitchen sink KNEE! The fans boo but Miz soaks up the heat. Jey goes to ropes, Miz storms up on him, and Miz fires haymakers of his own! Miz soaks up more heat as he backs p, then he runs in, but Jey turns lariat into backslide! TWO!
The fans fire up as Jey stands, but Miz blocks a kick! Miz spins Jey, the DRAGON WHIP hits! Miz ends up on the apron, but he slides under Jey to sunset flip! TWO, and Miz catches Jey now! Jey fights the Finale with ama r-drag, but Miz avoids the superkick! So Jey LARIATS Miz up and out! The fans fire up and “YEET!” Jey builds speed and DIVDSE! Miz is send into the desk! Albany fires up while Jey snarls and SmackDown goes to break.
SmackDown returns again and Miz stalks Jey. The tide has turned and Miz storms up, but Jey ELBOWS him away! Jey goes up, but Miz kicks the legs out! DRAPING CODE BREAKER! Then a DDT! Jey gets spiked! Miz covers, TWO! Jey survives and Miz is stunned! Miz snarls as Jey sits up, and then Miz KICKS! And KICKS! And KICKS! The fans say “YES! YES! YES!” to the It Kicks, and Miz winds up, only for Jey to duck the buzzsaw! POP-UP NECKBREAKER! Cover, TWO! Miz survives and crawls to a corner while Jey shakes his head. The fans rally as Jey goes to the other corner. “UCE! OH! UCE! OH!” Jey runs up, but Miz dodges!
Miz runs up and SHOULDER TAKCKLES! And SHOULDER TACKLES! Miz parodies John Cena with the SPIN-OUT BOMB! The fans fire up as Miz says when his hand goes up, your mouths go shut. “You Can’t See Me!” FIVE KNUCKLE SHUFFLE! The fans are torn as Miz now fireman’s carries Jey! But Jey fights free, shoves Miz, SUPERKICK! Then a fireman’s carry in return! Miz slips free, SKULL CRUSHING FINALE!! Cover, TWO!?! Jey survives and everyone is shocked, especially Miz! Jey flounders, stands, and goes to a corner. Albany is thunderous for Jey but Miz storms right up on him.
Miz puts Jey up top, then climbs up after him! Miz full nelsons again! But Jey fires elbows! Then he fireman’s carries Miz! The fans are thunderous as Jey hits a TOP ROPE RACK DROP! Then he gest moving, SPEAR!! Jey doesn’t stop there, he goes up the corner again! USO SPLASH!! Cover, JEY WINS!
Winner: Jey Uso, by pinfall (advances to the next round)
Albany YEETS again as Jey stays alive in the tournament! But who else will join him, Sheamus, and Rusev on the road to Washington, DC?
Ilja Dragunov talks with Nick Aldis.
The Mad Russian Dragon is glad he gets to have another Open Challenge, but then in walks Tommaso Ciampa. The Sicilian Psycho hopes Aldis is explaining to “our so-called fighting champion” how to respect the rules of an Open Challenge. Aldis says the champion has every right to dictate the rules how he sees fit, but Johnny Gargano asks if Ilja has the right to call his best friend a jackass. Candice LeRae asks if Ciampa looks like a jackass! Enough with calling him a jackass! The only jackass here is Ilja denying the one man answering the challenges! Make it make sense! Well, they were just discussing this, so listen very carefully!
When Ilja took on the legacy of the United States Open Challenge, Ilja promised to do things the right way. And the right way mean sto not give opportunities to… jackasses! But to fight warriors who are willing to fight with respect and honor. And there is nothing honorable about Ciampa. So tonight, Ilja will give this opportunity to a man who fights with honor, and someone Ilja respects. Oh no, seriously?! AXIOM steps in! Ciampa accuses Ilja of cowardice, but Axiom thanks Ilja for this opportunity. Aldis wishes them both the best of luck, then moves on, only for Paul Heyman and Bronson Reed to be waiting outside his office.
Heyman smiles, a big contract folder in hand, and he asks Aldis, “How’re you doing? We need to talk to you for a minute.” Aldis says please, step inside. These three go into the office to talk, but what exactly about?
SmackDown returns and…
Aldis calls in extra security for his office. He tells Heyman that before The Vision is escorted from the building, what can he do for them? Heyman says that’s awfully dramatic, Aldis. But this is the WarGames agreement, which allows Heyman to “take any talent that is under WWE contract across all brands. Tha tincludes SmackDown, your brand. My heads-up to you, you’re welcome.” Any talent across all brands? Yes, thank you for coming all the way to Albany to confirm what was already in the paperwork. This could’ve been an email, Heyman. So unless there’s anything else to discuss, he would like to ask them kindly to leave. Because The Vision will NOT be disrupting Aldis’ show.
And security steps in on cue. Heyman says oh goodness, look who it is! Cody Rhodes steps in, and Heyman says, “It’s the golden goose who’s being afforded all this protection.” Cody asks, “Mr. Heyman, what do you wanna talk about?” Heyman wants to talk about Cody getting involved with Vision business on Raw. Cody doesn’t know about this golden goose stuff, but he saw on Raw that they were putting his friends in the fire, which means he was next through the flames, but Heyman already knew that. But this is Friday Night SmackDown, and the business of today… is right here. “And if you’re not here to fight, then you should leave.”
Bronson says he’ll fight. Cody asks Aldis to make the match: Bronson Reed VS Cody Rhodes… TONIGHT! Aldis says that works, but Heyman asks why they’d give this away and not make it a title match? Cody says fine, book it. Aldis gets worried now, but Cody says, “BOOK IT!” Then it is official. Cody VS Bronson for the Undisputed Championship. Heyman smiles and thanks both Mr. Aldis and “Champ” Cody. Did Cody just get goaded into losing the gold? Or will the American Nightmare find a way to slay the Colossal Aussie?
WWE Untied States Open Challenge: Ilja Dragunov VS Axiom!
Speaking of titles, The Czar didn’t appreciate the Sicilian Psycho getting salty all over again, so he again passed on Ciampa to face Axiom. But will Ilja be able to deny the Undeniable Truth? Or will Axiom finally have singles gold on SmackDown?
The bell rings and the fans rally as the two circle. They feel things out, Axiom rolls to wrench and wrangle Ilja. Axiom has the armlock but Ilja fights up. Ilja wrenches in return, then cording holds for a HIP TOSS! Cover, ONE, but Ilja holds onto the arm. Axiom kips up, slips around, and spins Ilja to snapmare and headlock. Ilja slips out to armlock in return and the fans cheer the technical exchange. Ilja knuckle locks to straight arm lever and SLAM Axiom! Axiom fights up but Ilja wrenches him again. Ilja whips Axiom to a corner, but Axiom dodges the lariat! Axiom waits on Ilja and he says it was that close. Ilja and Axiom reset, knuckle lock, and Axioim headlocks.
Axiom hits the takeover but Ilja keeps his shoulders up. Ilja CLUBS at Axiom from below, then fights up. Ilja powers up and out, Axiom RAMS him, but Ilja RUNS Axiom over! Cover, ONE, and Ijoa gets moving! Axiom trips Ilja up, but Ilja blocks the hip toss! Ilja slips through but Axiom fights the backslide! The fans rally as the two fight for control, and then they spin around. Ilja ROCKS Axiom with a forearm! Axiom ROCKS Ilja! Ilja BOOTS Axiom down! The fans rally, but Axiom catches the hammer into the ARMBAR! Ilja fights to stack, and he deadlifts Axiom! Axiom lets go, but Ilja ducks the enzigiri to SLAP Axiom down!
The fans rally and Axiom dodges to then DROPKICK back! Ilja staggers, Axiom GAMANGIRIS him up and out! The fans fire up while Ilja sputters, and Axiom takes aim. Axiom runs, GOLDEN- NO! Ilja stops the triangle moonsault as he CLUBS Axiom on the back! Axiom is stuck up top, Ilja CHOPS him! Axiom kicks at Ilja, Ilja CHOPS, and repeat! The fans rally as these two brawl on the apron. Ilja HEADBUTTS Axiom right back into the ring! Then Ilja climbs, aims, and SUPER SENTONS! Cover, TWO! Axiom survives, Ilja is a bit surprised, and SmackDown goes picture in picture.
Ilja snarls as he rises up, and he paces around Axiom. Axiom slowly sits up, Ilja fires up, but he turns around into a CHOP from Axiom! So Ilja CHOPS Axiom right off his feet! Cover, TWO! Ilja keeps close and brings Axiom up to CHOP again! And again! And then HEADBUTT! And CHOP! HEADBUTT! CHOP! Ilja then reels Axiomi in for a BIG suplex! Cover, TWO! Ilja still keeps axiom down with a facelock. Axiom endures, fights around, and he wrenches out to headlock back. Axiom waistlocks, Ilja bucks the O’Conner, but axiom kips up, into a CHOP! Cover, TWO! Axiom survives again but Ilja stays focused.
Ilja puts Axiom in a corenr, CHOPS him, and Axiom flops against the ropes. Ilja drags Axiom back up, whips corner to corner, and Axiom hits hard! Ilja runs up to KNEE low, then he runs side to side to BOOT WASH Axiom right outta the ring! Ilja roars and the fans cheer. Ilja goes out to BOOT Axiom, then follows him around the way. They go back into the ring, Ilja brings Axiom around, and Ilja waistlocks, only for Axiom to fight the lift. Axiom switches, Ilja fights the lift, and Ilja wrenches out to HEADBUTT! And HEADBUTT! And then Gotch lift POWERSLAM! Cover, TWO! Axiom is toughing it out bu tIlja is not deterred.
Ilja clamps on with a rear bearhug and he squeezes tight, Axiom endures so Ilja ELBOWS him down! And ELBOWS again and again and again! Ilja just HAMMERS away on Axiom, then clamps back on with another bearhug. Axiom still endures, fights back to his feet, but Ilja GERMAN SUPLEXES! Ilja holds on, drags Axiom back up, and SmackDown returns to single picture. Fans chant for “One More Time!” and Ilja GERMAN SUPLEXES! Ilja still holds on, Albany wants another, so Ilja drags Axiom up. Axiom switches, but Ilja again bucks the O’Conner! Axiom kips up, but he ducks the chop to NORTHERN LIGHTS!
The fans cheer while both men are down! The fans rally as Ilja stands, and he swings, but Axiom CROSS COUNTERS! Ilja falls back, Axiom goes to a corner, but Ilja storms up. Axiom BOOTS Ilja down, hops up the corner, and MISSILE DROPKICKS! Cover, TWO! Ilja survives and Axiom grows frustrated but the fans rally up. Axiom rises, Ilja roars to give him more, so Axiom KICKS! And KICKS! Ilja wants more so Axiom KICKS, KICKS, and KICKS! Ilja blocks to SLAP, ROCK, boxing elbows, and BOOT! Axiom falls and the fans fire up again! Ilja powers up, runs, CONSTANTINE- NO, Axiom catches him to an ARMBAR!
Ilja fights, ends up in a TRIANGLE HOLD, but he works to stack Axiom! Axiom fights that off, but Ilja deadlifts Axiom again! POWERBOMB! Axiom flounders, Ilja snarls, and Ilja aims from the corner. Ilja powers up, the fans rally, H-BOMB FOR- NO, Axiom uses that to spring up and MOONSAULT DDT!!! Cover, TWO!?! No one can believe what they saw, nor that Ilja survived! “This is Awesome!” as Axiom has Ilja in a corner. Axiom ROCKS and CHOPS and hoists Ilja up. Ilja fights back with SLAPS and Axiom staggers. But then Axiom GAMANGIRIS! Axiom goes up after Ilja, but Ilja fires RIDGE HAND CHOPS!
Ilja and Axiom go to the very top, but Axiom hits the SUPER DUPER SPANISH FLY!! And then GOLDEN RATI- NO!! TORPEDO MOSCOW!! AND H-BOMB FOREARM!! Cover, Ilja wins!!
Winner: Ilja Dragunov, by pinfall (still WWE United States Championship)
It was all in a blink of an eye, but Ilja snatches victory from the jaws of defeat! Another instant classic is under Ilja’s belt, and he shows respect to Axiom for giving him this fight. The fans cheer that, but who will be next to challenge The Mad Russian’s reign?
R-Truth meets with Nick Aldis.
Truth knows last week that it was a heavy load, and Truth’s load was lost in the shuffle, but he is imploring to Aldis as employee to boss, please put Truth in the John Cena tournament. Aldis tries to tell Truth again, but Truth says don’t worry, he shined up his (lottery) balls so they’ll look real nice on TV. All he asks is Aldis handles them with care. Aldis again tries to get it through to Truth but Truth says just take his balls. FINE! Aldis takes them, and then Chelsea Green walks in. She asks if she heard John Cena’s name dropped. She did. Then speaking of legends, she has no idea why SHE didn’t get pyro when she won the Women’s US Championship.
But putting a pin in that, when is her championship celebration happening tonight? Aldis goes to say it’s not but she says that’s right, he CANCELLED it! She’d all of it prepared and ready to go! But all will be forgiven if this “injustice system” that is WWE would just give her a celebration next week, with pyro. Yes, he can make that work. Just for right now, hold onto these for him. Aldis hands Chelsea the Truth balls, and Alba says they do look nice. But will The Hot Mess really get everything she demand- er, wants?
SmackDown shares footage from the break.
As Axiom was on his way back up the ramp, Tommaso Ciampa attacked him! The Psycho Killer took out all his anger out on Axiom, only for Frazer to chase him off! Ciampa is only showing everyone Ilja is right about him, but will Ciampa not stop until he gets his opportunity?
Sami Zayn is here!
The fans cheer and sing along with the song as #BigMatchSami heads to the ring. Sami gets a mic and asks, “How we doing tonight, Albany? We good?” The fans cheer, and they chant for “Sami! Sami!” Sami takes a moment before he says, “I gotta tell ya. Since I’ve come to SmackDown, there have been some extremely high highs, and some extremely low lows. As soon as I came over to SmackDown, the first thing I said I would do is I said I would beat Solo Sikoa for the United States Championship.” The fans cheer that, and Sami says he did do that! He got to do amazing things with that title, like wrestle John Cena in his last match on SmackDown!
Sami got to go toe-to-toe with the best talent SmackDown has to offer week in and week out. The fans cheer again, and Sami says that was all great. But he won’t lie, the last four weeks have been extremely challenging. he has had to watch from the sidelines, hurt and not medically cleared, as Solo & MFT run roughshod every single week! The fans boo, and Sami says he’s had to sit and watch, unable to do anything, while MFT attacked Sami’s friends, those Sami liked and respected. And Sami gets it, Aldis told him not to get involved, don’t get hurt, and so Sami did. He sat back week after week. But he is here to tell us that that ends TONIGHT!
The fans cheer and Sami continues by calling out Solo! He knows Solo has a problem with him, and he sure has a problem with Solo, so let’s deal with it face to face! Solo & MFT make their way out here, and Solo has a mic in hand. Solo tells Sami, “You really think you knwio who you are, huh? You think you know, but you don’t. I know the real Sami, I know the real you. Yeah. He’s pathetic, a liar, desperate, and when you’re desperate, you do desperate things, which makes you so damn selfish!” The fans boo, but Solo says Sami only cares about Sami! Sami doesn’t care about the guys in the back, or even the fans here in Albany.
The fans boo, but Solo says for himself, what he cares about is his family. Solo cares about the men standing behind him and their loyalties to him. Unlike Sami! Sami knows nothing about loyalty when it comes to family. In fact, watch who you’re talkinga bout before he gets in there and kicks Sami’s ass! Don’t forget, Sami, you’re still wounded. The fans boo as MFT now flanks the ring, and Solo says this can end very badly for Sami. Solo could drop Sami right here and now, but he won’t. He will wait until Sami is 100% and medically cleared. Then once that happens, understand this: Solo is coming after you!
The fans boo, but Sami says, “Well, the good news for you, Solo, is you’re not gonna have to wait very long. Because as of tonight, I am officially 100% medically cleared! So if you wanna do something about it, go ahead and do something about it right now!” Sami calls Solo’s bluff, so Solo takes off the jacket But then Sami says before that, Solo needs to know this: Sami didn’t come here alone. And just as he says that, Rey Fenix, Shinsuke Nakamura & Motor City Machine Guns all YANK MFT off the apron! The brawl is on and the fans fire up! Solo panics, Sami shrugs, and Solo takes a swing! Sami fires counter punches!
The fans fire up as Sami fires off on Solo in a corner! Sami stomps a mudhole, then he goes to the far corner! The fans fire up, but Talla gets Solo outta the ring! The fans boo but then JC Mateo CLOBBERS Sami! JC, Tama & Loa all mug Sami, but Sami’s friends get them! They TOSS the Guerrillas and even LARIAT Loa up and out! The fans fire up as now Fenix goes up, up, and TORNILLO CROSSBODIES MFT! Fenix regroups with Sami and friends! Will Sami and his team soon cut down Solo’s “Family Tree?”
Cody Rhodes prepares backstage.
Jey Uso says hey and Cody congratulates him on the win in the tournament. Jey says he just heard about Bronson’s title shot at Cody tonight. It might get a little slimy, so Jey’s got his back. Of course! Cody and Jey shake hands on that again, and then Jimmy Uso steps in. #BigJim says hey, Uce. Any time you can get your hands on The Vision sounds like a party to Jimmy, so count him in, too. They shake on that, and Jimmy says he spoke with Punk earlier. Count him in for WarGames, too! The three shake hands, The Usos head out, but will Cody be able to fire the first shot in that war? Or will a Tsunami end the reign of the American Nightmare?
Solo Sikoa argues with Nick Aldis backstage.
Solo demands that with Sami 100% healthy, he wants a match with him tonight! Aldis says first, there’s no more time on the card, that can’t happen. And second, Solo clearly has more enemies than just Sami. So how about this? In two weeks, SmackDown before WarGames, it’ll be MFT VS Sami, Fenix, Nakamura & MCMG in a 5v5 Survivor Series style Elimination Tag! Now if you’ll excuse him. Aldis leaves, and there’s a Wyatt Sick6 glitch on screen. And in fact, Uncle Howdy is lurking in the shadows. Will the Wyatts be watching that 10 Man Tag very, very closely?
The Last Time is Now Tournament Opening Round: LA Knight VS ???
The Mega Star knows what this tournament is all about, and he knows everyone wants to be John Cena’s final opponent, but what he doesn’t know is who will be his first round opponent! We’re all about to learn that in the matter of moments, but will it not matter when this is LA Knight’s game? Or will what you don’t know actually hurt you?
Everyone waits and watches the stage. “WOO! WOO! WOO! YOU KNOW IT!” It’s Matt Car- well, no, he’s ZACK RYDER again!? Long Island Iced Z returns to the WWE, but will he prove he’s #AlwayZReady? The bell rings, the fans cheer and “WOO WOO WOO!” Knight and Ryder circle, Ryder gets the “WOO WOO WOO!” going hotter, and the two tie up. Ryder rolls Knight, TWO! Ryder says it was that close, and Knight says yeah, okay. They go again, tie up, and now Knight wrenches Ryder to YANK, YANK, YANK the arm! “YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!” Knight wrenches, Ryder ducks, but then Knight switches.
Ryder bucks the O’Conner, but Knight avoids the Rough Ryder! Knight returns, but Ryder tosses him out! The fans cheer as Ryder smiles, and SmackDown goes to break.
SmackDown returns and Ryder whips corner to corner. Knight hits buckles hard, then drops to his knees. The fans cheer Ryder as he pushes Knight to the corner, then whips him again. Knight reverses and BACKDROPS! The fans fire up while Ryder flounders, then he goes to the apron. Knight storms over, Ryder ROCKS Knight first, and then Ryder goes to supelx! Knight supelxes but Ryder slips free! Knight dodges to JAB, JAB, and JAB! “YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!” Then ROLLING ELBOW! Knight clinches to RUSSIAN LEG SWEEP! Knight whips, Ryder hits buckles hard, and Knight hits the JUMP NECKBREAKER! Cover, TWO!
Ryder survives but Knight nods. Knight brings Ryder up, kicks low, then fires hands. Knight bumps Ryder off buckles, then whips him to ropes. Knight scoops, Ryder slips free, and Ryder ROCKS Knight! And CHOPS! And ROCKS! And then whips, but Knight reverses. Ryder turns backdrop into FACEBUSTER! Big forearm in the corner, and Knight sits down! The fans pump their fists with Ryder, “WOO WOO WOO! YOU KNOW IT!” BROSKI BOOT! Cover, TWO! Knight survives but the fans rally up as Ryder aims from a corner. Ryder hooks Knight’s arms, turns him, but Knight RAMS Ryder into buckles! Dragon sleeper, REVERSE DDT!
The fans fire up while both men are down! Knight then rolls back to his feet and the fans cheer. Knight goes up the corner, and he spells it out, “L! A! KNGIHT! YEAH!” BOX JUMP ELBOW- NO, Ryder moves, runs up, ROUGH RYDER!! Cover, TWO!! Knight survives and the fans are shocked! Ryder is also surprised, but he hurries to watch Knight. “This is Awesome!” and Ryder reels Knight in, Knight wrenches out and kicks, B F- NO! Ryder rolls Knight up, TWO! Knight runs up, but into KNEES! Ryder goes up, up, RADIO SILENCE into a POWERBOMB!! Then Knight hauls Ryder up, B F T!! Cover, KNIGHT WINS!
Winner: LA Knight, by pinfall (advances to the next round)
YEAH! Knight didn’t care who it was gonna be, he fought and won his spot in the second round! Knight, Jey, Sheamus, Rusev, who else will advance in this historic tournament?
Alexa Bliss, Rhea Ripley & Iyo Sky talk backstage.
They still can’t get their heads around why Charlotte just walked out on them. Charlotte also isn’t texting back or anything. Rhea knew they had beef, but she thought Charlotte would put it all aside like she did. Tonight just shows they gotta now find two more people for the team. Alexa says she has someone to call, Iyo says Charlotte was their best bet, though. But then Asuka, Kairi, Nia & Lash all attack! The brawl is on, Rhea HEADBUTTS Kairi down, but Lash DECKS Rhea! Then Nia sends Iyo into Lash’s KNEE! Lash then sends Iyo into a road case! And then same for Rhea! Security rushes in, Asuka says okay, okay, they’re good.
Nia says bye, losers~! The Irresistible Four just did a lot of damage. Will they even need a fifth woman to finish off what’s left of Rhea, Iyo and Alexa?
Jade Cargill VS B-Fab!
The Storm finally reigns on the mountaintop of WWE, and she is not playing nice with anyone. Will she strike down someone who was once a friend? Or will B-Fab truly be fab when she gets a win on the champ?
SmackDown returns, B-Fab makes her entrance, Michin staying backstage to let her handle things on her own. The bell rings and Jade dares Fab to try something. They tie up, Fab goes for a leg, but Jade spins her around. CHOKE- NO, Fab slips free and DROPKICKS! And DROPKICKS! Jade is in a corner, Fab runs up, HEEL KICK! Fab fires ELBOW after ELBOW, then fires up! The fans rally, Fab runs up, but Jade blocks the boot! Jade DECKS Fab with a forearm, then drags her right back up. Jade scoops Fab to FALL AWAY SLAM! Jade kips up, fires up, and the fans are with Jade on this one.
Jade waits on Fab, brings her around with the guzel, CHOKE SLAM! Jade tells Fab to stand down, but then she brings Fab up anyway. Jade revels in the cheers, then lifts Fab to POWERBOMB! Jade paces while she tells Fab to stay down, but Fab manages to sit up. Jade says fine, and she brings Fab up again. Fab fights, Jade lifts, POWERBOMB! Jade stands over Fab as she tells her to stay down, but the fans want to see that “One More Time!” Jade drags Fab up, has the chicken wings, and then JADED! Cover, Jade wins!
Winner: Jade Cargill, by pinfall
Jade mockingly checks her imaginary watch, and she says this is who she is! Michin is here now to make sure B-Fab is okay, but then Jade tells them both to get outta here. Mia is upset Jade would be like this just because she’s champion now. Jade tells Mia to know her place, then SHOVES her down! The fans boo but Mia wants after Jade! The ref keeps them apart, Jade steps out, and she smirks as she leaves. Jade says she is #ThatB*tch then, now, and forever, so just keep ’em coming.
Nick Aldis announces the final four first-round entrants.
“Last week on SmackDown, four superstars were selected at random to compete for the most prized career-altering opportunity: To face the Greatest of All Time, John Cena, in his final match at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Tonight, fate will once again decide the superstars that will compete in The Last Time Is Now Tournament. First up, it’s a former first-round draft pick, Carmelo Hayes, taking on The Vision’s own Bronson Reed. And finally, the high-flying luchador, Penta, will go one-on-one with The Prince, Finn Balor. The only thig I have left to say, gentlemen, is good luck.” No Truth, but will the vision be clear as we approach December 13th?
Backstage interview with Carmelo Hayes.
Cathy Kelley is with H1M and brings up him going on record as to how he idolized John Cena growing up and would love this opportunity to go 1v1. What would a win in the opening round mean for him? Melo says first, he has to address this Miz situation. “Mike, you might’ve won the battle, but the war’s just begun. I will see you when I see you. And John Cena… The GOAT, the Last Time Is Now Tournament, you got a long line full of heavy hitters, killers, all wanting to be the one that’s gonna put you down, all wanting to be the one that’s gonna hang your jersey from the rafters. And respectfully, John, I’m one of ’em.
“50% of people might overlook me, 50% of people might think I can get the job done, but 100% of me knows that if I get that shot, I won’t miss.” But then in steps Bronson Reed. He tells Melo that he’s gonna end Cody Rhodes, then he will end John Cena after he ends H1M next week. Bronson heads out, Heyman nods towards Melo, and then The Oracle follows. Will Auszilla be taking it all on the road to the end?
Aleister Black speaks.
“Fear, Damian? That’s so silly that even you don’t believe that. No, no no no. You threw me on top of a table. You tried to throw me through things. And then you took the bottom part of the steel steps, and you tried to crush my head. The only person that fears anything is you. Fear of what we have made you become.” Zelina Vega says, “We said that we would force you to break your code. We said we would corrupt you. And I think we did exactly that.” But enough about him. They have their eyes set on greater things. That brings them to the entire locker room. Namely, those who hold world titles.
Aleister left fear behind the day he stepped foot back into the WWE, and he has become the one thing no one wanted him to become: everyone’s enemy! Does that mean the Dark Father is watching tonight’s main event very, very closely?
Undisputed WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes VS Bronson Reed w/ Paul Heyman!
The American Nightmare and The Colossal Aussie are both preparing for WarGames, and while it is Cody, Punk & The Usos at four against Bronson, Bron Breakker & Logan Paul at three, this could still tip the scales back in The Vision’s favor. Will a Tsunami wash away the reign? Or can Cody escape from New York with the gold?
The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and we see who can carry that weight!
The bell rings and the fans rally as the two circle. They tie up, Bronson shoves Cody to a corner, but Cody dodges! Bronson hits buckles, Cody fires hands, then kicks to RHODES UPPERCUT! Cody runs to ROCK Bronson, but then Bronson responds with a BODY CHECK! And ELBOW DROP! The fans boo but Bronson covers, ONE! Cody shows toughness and goes to the outside, but Bronson runs in around the way! BODY CHECK! The fans boo, Bronson snarls, and SmackDown goes picture in picture.
Bronson drags Cody up, HEADBUTTS him, then stalks him around the way again. Bronson storms in after Cody, but Cody BODY BLOWS! Cody fires a forearm, but Bronson HEADBUTTS him down! Bronson raises the one but the fans don’t acknowledge their Tribal Thief. Bronson whips and CLOBBERS Cody! Cover, TWO! Bronson drags Cody into a chinlock and leans on the hold, but Cody fights around. Cody reaches out, fights to his feet, and fires body shots. The fans rally as Cody ROCKS Bronson, but Bronson scoops to SLAM Cody! Bronson snarls again, but Cody avoids the elbow drop! Cody rises up, goes to a corner, but Bronson SPLASHES!
Cody sputters against the ropes but Bronson CHOKES him! The ref counts, Bronson steps off at 4, and Cody sputters again. Bronson storms up and ROCKS Cody! Bronson puts Cody in another corner, BODY BLOWS, then whips corner to corner hard! Cody staggers, falls over, and Bronson drags Cody back up. Bronson has a chinbar, and he stretches Cody with the chinlock. Cody endures, fights back up, and SmackDown returns to single picture. The fans rally but Bronson CLUBS Cody, then back suplexes! Cody lands out, ducks a haymaker, and springboards! BEAUTIFUL DISASTER KICK!
The fans fire up and Cody rises, but so does Bronson. Cody JABS, JABS, JABS, then flip, flop, and fly! BIONIC- NO! Fireman’s carry, JAGGED EDGE! Cover, TWO! Cody survives but Bronson goes up! The fans freak out for the TSUNAMI, but it FLOPS as Cody moves! Cody hurries to springboards again, SUPER CODY CUTTER!! Cover, TWO! Cody fires up and the fans are with him! Bronson is outside, Cody runs and DIVES, but into a forearm! Cody stumbles and staggers o the outside, Bronson runs up, but Cody TOSSES him into the timekeeper’s area! The fans fire up again and Cody refreshes the ring count.
Cody clears off the desk! HE even topples the belt pedestal! But BRON BREAKKER FLYING SHOULDER TACKLES!!
Winner: Cody Rhodes, by disqualification (still Undisputed WWE Champion)
Logan Paul is here, too! They mug Cody, SMACK him off the desk, then put him back in the ring! Was this the real plan all along? The fans boo as Bron rains down fists, then Logan gets his turn! Bron rips his shirt away and wants Logan to set Cody up. Logan does as told, but THE USOS hurry out here! Jey & Jimmy said they’d have Cody’s back, so they get in the ring to brawl with Logan and Bron! The fans fire up, but Bron shoves Jimmy! Jimmy SUPERKICKS Bron! Jey joins in, DOUBLE SUPERKICKS! Bron falls, Logan runs up, DOUBLE SUPERKICKS! Then the ONE D!! That’s one and done for The Maverick!
The fans fire up as now Jimmy decides to GET THE TABLE! The fans are thunderous as Jimmy puts that in for Jey, Jey sets it up, and the fans are all fired up! Logan is put on the table, the Usos go to the corners, but DREW MCINTYRE SHOVES JIMMY! Isn’t he suspended!? Jey runs up, but he gets a GLASGOW KISS HEADBUTT!! The fans boo as Drew saves Logan’s bacon! Aldis storms out here, asks what the hell Drew is doing here, and Heyman claims this is per the WarGames contract! Heyman could recruit anybody under WWE contract, even suspended superstars! Drew sets the table up in a corner, and he drags Jey Uso!
But Jey breaks free to SUPERKICK! The fans cheer as Jey now lines up a shot, but Drew KICKS first! Bron returns to SPEAR Jey through the table!! Jimmy is back to throw hands, but Logan uses ONE LUCKY RIGHT to knock Jimmy out! The fans boo, but now Cody is back! He throws hands on Drew and Logan, but a CLAYMORE takes Cody out! Drew throws off his shirt, he stares down with Bronson, and then Drew puts Cody in the drop zone! Drew step on Cody before the TSUNAMI hits!! The fans are either booing or desperately calling for CM Punk, but it is clear The Vision was thinking ahead.
Drew takes the contract from Heyman and they shake hands on the deal. The numbers are even, but will the odds be in The Vision’s favor now that they have a Scottish Terminator on their side?
My Thoughts:
A great SmackDown here, with quite a lot of surprises and big moves as perhaps a response to the sinking ratings and sinking interest. Charlotte not automatically being onboard with the team-up was certainly surprising, but given that 4v3 ambush backstage, that will surely compel Charlotte to join up. She’ll see it’s not about her and Rhea getting along so much as as it is them getting to beat up on their enemies, as we knew going into this. Then I would think they still bring in Stephanie Vaquer and Nikki Bella as the fifth members for each side, to help build the title story on top of everything else, jus as I said on Monday.
Obviously Cody wasn’t going to lose the Undisputed Championship tonight, but that was a great move to bolster the show’s card and give an excuse for all the Men’s WarGames build tonight. Logan & Bron being here to help Bronson was a given, and Heyman using a unique WarGames contract to bring Drew McIntyre onboard was certainly a clever move. As I figured on Monday, Jimmy Uso was a natural addition to Team Cody, or maybe it’s Team Punk. And I would certainly think Roman Reigns will also be a natural addition to this match, but I’m curious as to the fifth man for The Vision. Would Lesnar really want to be in WarGames? Well, granted, he’d be the last person to enter the match and “clear house,” but he’d still have to get in there.
Great stuff with the US Championship, such as Ilja continuing to troll Ciampa. Ilja VS Axiom was awesome, through I swear I heard one drunken idiot slurring the word, “BORING~!” That person is the kind of American fan Gunther (and therefore Zack Sabre Jr.) was talking about, IYKYK. But in the end, I figured we’d get more DIY VS Fraxiom, and maybe after that, Ciampa finally gets his match with Ilja. Great promo from Sami with Solo, and great ambush from Team Sami on MFT to set up their own 5v5. I figured that if they weren’t doing the WarGames, they’d get to do the traditional Survivor Series match, and the go-home SmackDown continues to be a substitute for the kickoff show, but in the best way possible.
Another hilarious promo with Truth and Aldis, and Chelsea joining in so we can hype up a celebration certainly teases someone interrupting. Either Giulia is going to crash the party to demand a US Championship rematch, or they plug NXT Gold Rush by having Thea Hail & Joe Hendry get the better of them ahead of the AAA Mixed Tag Team Championship match. I’m leaning more towards the former, they’ll build the tag match plenty on NXT. And speaking of Truth, a shame he doesn’t get in on the final part of the bracket, but Melo VS Bronson and Penta VS Finn will be great matches. With Bronson busy with The Vision’s story, I would hope Melo wins, and it’d be great if they teased a Boston VS Boston showdown.
Jade of course beat B-Fab tonight but that was pretty good for what was basically a squash match. Michin probably gets a match with Jade next, and likely loses that. Jade’s first title defense could be Survivor Series to basically be a buffer between the WarGames matches but also to just get one on the books. There’s a lot on hold for right now with the WarGames matches having a lot of great contenders involved, but I would think we get some Charlotte VS Jade build on the other side of Survivor Series.
And of course, great matches for the Last Time is Now tournament. Jey VS Miz was a great match, and Miz hitting Cena’s moves was an appreciated reference. But I figured Jey would win, they wanna tease a rematch of the Royal Rumble finalists from earlier this year. Matt Cardona was a great surprise, though him being Zack Ryder was perhaps even more surprising. People have been talking about Knight being punished and that he was being set up to lose, but if commentary is talking about that concept, then you know that is not the case. Great win for Knight, great showing for Cardona/Ryder, and here’s hoping Ryder gets to do more in WWE from here on.
My Score: 8.9/10
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Coverage
Andrew’s TNA Live! iMPACT! Results & Match Ratings: 11.13.2025
With a month off, does TNA come back hot or with 87% talking and a show that should’ve been an email?
So last week was the definition of a filler episode with nothing really to speak of except for validating the Dani Luna versus Indi Hartwell match tonight. This is the first real iMPACT! episode since Bound For Glory and…it’s probably opening with Mike Santana talking. TNA needs to stop following the cookie patterns of WWE and you know…start with something interesting after nearly a month off. But let’s listen to talking…
Rascalz vs. The System at #TNATurningPoint!?@TheMooseNation @Myers_Wrestling @TheEddieEdwards @MrsAIPAlisha @DirtyDangoCurty @TheBadReed @ZacharyWentz
WATCH #TNAiMPACT LIVE on TNA+: https://t.co/OPjzyXNgY5 pic.twitter.com/cwwHo3IbwL
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) November 14, 2025
Ratings:
- Dani Luna vs Indi Hartwell: Dani wins via DQ – ** 1/2
- Jason Hotch w/Order 4 vs Cedric Alexander: Cedric wins via Lumbar Check – ** 1/4
- TNA Knockouts Championship: Heather by Elegance w/ M & Personal Concierge vs Kelani Jordan (c): Kelani retains via One of a Kind – (-*) – yes that’s Negative 1
- TNA World Championship: Mike Santana (c) vs Ryan Nemeth: No Contest – NXT Attacks
- TNA World Championship: Mike Santana (c) vs Kaz: Kazarian wins via Roll-Up – * – TITLE CHANGE!!!
Results:
Oh look, it does open with Mike and the crowd gives him the “You Deserve It” and it’s a sparse few minutes and Mike starts his promo in Spanish, so that’s a good way to make people ignore the show in three minutes. I understand Spanish, but let’s be honest, the bulk of people who watch are whiter than copy paper, so the whole “Champ is here in Orlando, for Puerto Ricans, and others…blah blah” is not a smart way to open after a month with no real content. So after Santana says nothing in two languages, Ryan Nemeth comes out to Nic’s music because Nic isn’t there. Ryan tries to talk some shit and go for a cheap shot, Santana catches his hand, emasculates him and then tells Ryan he’s going to tell Santino to make a match between the two of them tonight, and he’s going to drop Ryan. So we’ve got a squash match to look forward too and maybe Nic showing up at the end for a beat down.
Kelani is going to have to go through Heather tonight and M tomorrow at Turning Point. So we get another crappy promo from heel Kelani, giving her free title defenses. Yikes…this is bad, I do kinda like the gimmick of Xia translating for Lei since Xia, Lei and Mara crash the interview. But it just makes me angry that one of those three don’t have the belt. Kelani ain’t worth a damn.
After the commercial we get Santino, Ava and Arianna to promote Gold Rush. And then they showed a video package of it, so a complete waste of 4 minutes aside from noting that Arianna got a chant from the crowd. She’s gotten herself over decently to the TNA crowd.
Dani Luna vs Indi Hartwell
It has been 30 minutes and we get the first match…sheesh.
Indi with back to back Double Legs, Dani is getting worked over, Dani tries a Sunset Flip but Indi stops it and drops an elbow. Dani eats Chops, tries to Whip Indi to the corner, Up and Over and Indi takes Dani down and goes back to the chops. Dani finally blocks a Scoop Slam, but Indi blocks the attempted German Suplex so Dani drives her into the corner and finally gets some offense in. A bit of a botchy looking rope straddle where Indi had to lift herself back up to eat the Lariat. Big Power Whip bouncing Indi out of the corner, sliding Lariat for a near fall.
Jaw Jacker by Indi but she misses the Yakuza Kick, gets hung up, Dani tries to turn it into a Powerbomb but a Frankensteiner Counter and a few strikes forces Dani to powder. Indi tries to throw her into the steps, Dani stops herself and turns back into the Spinebuster. Indi to the top as Dani crawls into the ring and eats a Diving Elbow to the back for a near fall. Dani counters Hurts Donut, Shotgun Kick levels Indi. Dani is on the outside looking for a weapon, throws out the Time Keeper, grabs the chair, Indi catches Dani in the Small Package for 2. Indi grabs the chair and lays into Dani.
Indi…has no facial expressions to make sense of this. This is stupid, poorly acted by Indi but the crowd is eating it up like morons. That was the most boring “take out your aggression” I’ve ever seen. Indi cuts some mid ahh promo in the back about an NoDQ match or something at Turning Point and now The System comes out to guess what? If you said TALK, you’d be correct! Assuming this isn’t a rib, the most interesting thing to come from this is Dango announcing he’s retiring after Genesis, but then The Rascalz music hits.
They say they should give the people what they want, and Dezmond Xavier returns to The Rascalz for a 4 on 4 match. They never mentioned Dez by name, but that is the implication. So with JDC retiring and Dez potentially returning, at least that’s interesting.
Jason Hotch w/Order 4 vs Cedric Alexander
Shoulder tackles and a quick Cruiser style start, Hotch powders mid running to pose and act smart so Cedric Dives to wipe out Jason and hits the Flatliner in the middle of the ring for a near fall. Cedric tries to continue and Hotch pulls the tights to send Cedric through the ropes, Skyler takes a cheap shot. Hotch with the Irish Whip, Cedric puts the brakes on, so Hotch hops the ropes and trips up Cedric, but Cedric comes back when Hotch continues, Dropkick to the back of the head, Lumbar Check attempt, but nope, back and forth, Hotch tries the Chaos Theory but Cedric blocks the Suplex, they throw into the corner, Hotch hops the rope, wants the Gamengiri, but Cedric blocks it and backs up, Rolling Neckbreaker from Hotch gets countered into a Lumbar Check! Cedric wins!
Order 4 attempted beat down, but Hardy Boyz make the save, Swanton on Ali is teased but they pull Ali out for foreshadowing.
TNA Knockouts Championship: Heather by Elegance w/ M & Personal Concierge vs Kelani Jordan (c)
Well talk about mental gymnastics to try and make this match make sense, and list this under “who asked for this” – because I’d rather drink bleach in traffic than watch this match.
Color by numbers powder moment, commercial break immediately and I can feel the coma sinking in. Kelani with a bad kick, Heather with a bad Hip Toss right off the commercial…Christ, end this. Lei, Xia and Mara are watching from the back and they look as bored as I do Heather with a clunky Drop Toe Hold into a Hesitation Dropkick for two. Jaw Jacker from Kelani…I wonder how the Patriots and Jets game is going. Hmm, 14-7 for the Pats, closer than expected.
Heather and Lani do a dumb strike exchange since there’s no hatred, heat or fire in this match, Kelani with a Cartwheel move, Facebuster, all near falls, locomotion Cradles into a bad Super Kick. Heather botches a Satellite DDT, this is one of the worst matches I’ve seen all year. Sloppy, slow, clunky and botchy. One of Kind is hit, no one is surprised. This was a waste of 10 minutes.
Great, now we sit through an Elijah concert for prolly about 10-15 minutes since the Ryan vs Santana match isn’t gonna be a real match. I like Elijah, he’s actually a pretty good singer and the gimmick is fine. But this episode has been complete garbage, so more non-wrestling on the wrestling variety show is too much.
Ali comes out to interrupt and challenge Cedric and Hardyz, Elijah wants to pick the fight, but Ali cracks him in the face with the mic and then guitar shot on the injured triceps. Meh.
TNA World Championship: Mike Santana (c) vs Ryan Nemeth
Ryan grabs a mic and yells at the crowd because they won’t cheer for him, and Santana lets happen because Santana isn’t taking the seriously. Ryan even tries to ask the referee to make them cheer. Eventually the bell rings and Ryan attacks immediately, punches into an Irish Whip and Dropkick. Ryan tries the Whip again, but Up and Over, Santana catches the foot, Ryan shakes his head when Santana berates him and drops him, throws him to the other corner, Cannonball! Ryan wants to Spin the Block, but Nic’s Music Hits, he’s carrying the trophy but someone attacks Nic.
Then a bunch of NXT people spill out of the crowd and attack. Charlie Dempsey, Lexis King…and others. I think Robert Stone is directing traffic for NXT. But this…this is what the show was hinging on, an Invasion/Overrun angle? Bad booking is bad, ya know?
TNA World Champuonship: Mike Santana (c) vs Kaz
Kaz’s music hits, he calls his shot, Fade to Black, but Santana Kicks out. Frankie tries the Chicken Wing, Santana slams him into the corner, wants Spin the Block, but the beatdown stops him from being able to execute the move, Roll-Up, and Santana…loses. Frankie Kazarian is the new World Champion.
Overall Score: 3/10
There was something interesting with Dango being on the retirement tour, The Rascalz bringing Dez home and Lei Ying and Xia’s gimmick is endearing. Plus like I said in the rundown, I enjoy Elijah’s musicianship, but I don’t appreciate a Wrestling Show basically no wrestling. Is it variety? Sure, but it’s a wrestling show first. So a show that has 3 squash matches and a 5 minute X Division match that could’ve been much better with time…the wrestling was forgotten tonight. A month off and they lost the plot on the rebound. Ugh…I’ve had diarrhea more enjoyable than this.
The Invasion/Attack is corny but Kaz managing to pull off the Cash In, is…okay I didn’t see it coming, but it doesn’t save the show being awful.
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