Coverage
Mitchell’s WWE Raw Results & Report! (6/28/21)
Who cashes in on a last chance?
Only one spot left on the Raw side of Money in the Bank!
Randy Orton, Drew McIntyre and AJ Styles all get one last chance to go to Money in the Bank on behalf of Monday Night Raw, but who makes the most of it?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- WWE 24/7 Championship Matchception: Drew Gulak wins and becomes the new WWE 24/7 Champion.
- WWE 24/7 Championship Matchception 2, We Must Go Deeper: R-Truth wins and becomes the new WWE 24/7 Champion.
- WWE 24/7 Championship Matchception 3, The Top Keeps Spinning: Akira-Tozawa wins and becomes the new WWE 24/7 Champion.
- Money in the Bank Last Chance Battle Royal: Matt Riddle wins and takes Randy Orton’s spot in the Triple Threat.
- Shayna Baszler w/ Nia Jax & Reginald VS Nikki Cross; Cross wins.
- Asuka & Naomi VS Eva Marie & “Doudrop” Piper Niven; Eva & Piper win.
- Ricochet VS John Morrison w/ The Miz; Double Count-out Draw.
- Six Woman Tag: Rhea Ripley, Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke VS Charlotte Flair, Natalya & Tamina; Charlotte, Natalya & Tamina win.
- Strap Match: Elias VS Jaxson Ryker; Ryker wins.
- Last Chance Money in the Bank Qualifier Triple Threat: Drew McIntyre VS VS AJ Styles VS Matt Riddle; McIntyre wins and qualifies for the Men’s MITB Ladder Match.
PLAY BY PLAY
Superstars already fill the ring!
But first, Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville speak to us backstage. “Randy Orton was scheduled compete tonight as part of a Last Chance Triple Threat Match to determine Raw’s final entrant into the Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match. However, due to circumstances beyond our control, Randy can’t compete tonight.” As such, we will open with an over-the-top-rope battle royal! The winner enters the Triple Threat in Orton’s place and is one step closer to being Mr. MITB. But Riddle rolls up on his scooter and has a note from Orton that they need to read. They open it up and read the message supposedly from Randy.
“Aloha. I, the Viper, Randy Orton, of sound body and mind, hereby declare that my best friend, Riddle, hither for take my place in the Last Chance Triple Threat match. Riddle is the coolest, most bodacious bro I could ask for, and I would be honored if he were to fight on my behalf. Aloha, the Legend Killer.” Okay, Riddle, first off, half of those weren’t even real words. And also, it makes no sense. Uh, “aloha” means both hello and good-bye. Well this was clearly written by Riddle, just look at the viper doodle! N-NO…! But it isn’t fair to take Orton’s opportunity! What if Orton was just playing games all night, couldn’t wake up even though his alarm went off, and just missed a flight! It’s just not fair to Randy.
Well, sorry, Riddle, Orton isn’t here. Then what if Riddle competed on his behalf? Riddle’s been feeling really bad for what happened. He can even enter the battle royal! Riddle can win it then the Triple Threat so that Orton can be in the match! RKBRO climbing a ladder together! That’d be money for Money in the Bank. Sonya says it’s unconventional, but she’s inclined to say, “yes.” Really? Riddle is anxious, so Pearce says yes! Riddle scoots his way down the ramp and is ready to represent! Can he win one for the Viper?
Money in the Bank Last Chance Battle Royal!
The Bro jump sin the ring with the Viking Raiders, Angel Garza, Mustafa Ali, Drew Gulak, Akira Tozawa, Mansoor, Humberto Carrillo, Shelton Benjamin, Cedric Alexander, Damian Priest, Jeff Hardy, Jinder Mahal, and even his good bro, R-Truth! But while Riddle is already in the MITB match, can he get his tag partner in to join him at the PPV?
The bell rings and brawls erupt everywhere! Tozawa ducks to avoid haymakers while Gulak and Ali try to throw Riddle out already! Riddle slides back in and everyone goes after everyone lese! Riddle is after Ali, Truth is after Garza, Mansoor CLUBS Tozawa, and Benjamin almost has Gulak out! Priest tries to throw Ivar over but Ivar hits him away! Gulak loses grip, Benjamin ELIMINATES him! Mahal goes after Benjamin but Benjamin knock shim away to go after Alexander! Alexander clings to ropes, Priest brawls with Carrillo, Mahal throws Benjamin out to ELIMINATE him! Mahal brawls with Garza, Hardy is after Alexander, and Tozawa clings to ropes.
Manzoor dodges Garza, throws him out and over, but Garza keeps his one foot up! Garza hops his way around the ring, gets back in and goes after Mansoor! Mansoor is on the apron but Ali dumps and ELIMINATES Garza! Ali tells Mansoor to be more careful and never turn your back on anyone! But then Ali throws Mansoor out and ELIMINATES him! “What did I just say?!” Meanwhile, Hardy fights off Ivar, Mahal is after Riddle, and Tozawa is digging hits boots into Truth. Ali and Alexander are after Carrillo together while Mahal gets Riddle over the ropes! Riddle clings to the middle rope then traps Mahal’s arm! Mahal gets away to save himself but Riddle is after him.
Hardy fights off Ivar and Ali but Riddle is after him right after! Truth fires off on Mahal, but Mahal dumps Truth up and out to ELIMINATE him! Tozawa runs at Mahal but Mahal TOSSES and ELIMINATES him! Wait, Gulak comes back and rolls Tozawa up! Gulak wins the 24/7 Championship!!
Winner (of the 24/7 Championship): Drew Gulak, by pinfall (NEW WWE 24/7 Champion)
But Truth sees this and gets his own ref over! LIE DETECTOR! Cover, Truth wins the title!
Winner (of the 24/7 Championship): R-Truth, by pinfall (NEW WWE 24/7 Champion)
He’s got his baby back for the 53rd time!! But then Tozawa CANNONBALLS! Cover, Tozawa wins the title back!
Winner (of the 24/7 Championship): Akira Tozawa, by pinfall (NEW WWE 24/7 Champion)
Tozawa finishes the hot potato by hurrying out of the ThunderDome! Gulak and Truth pursue, but things continue in the ring. Ali throws hands on Riddle, but here comes OMOS?! Omos drags Ivar up and over, Erik rushes over, but Omos has him, too! Mahal helps out, they ELIMINATE the Viking Raiders!! The Phenomenal One’s Colossus TOSSES Erik into barriers! And then TOSSES Ivar into the LED apron! Omos roars, having taught the challengers to the Raw Tag Team Championships a lesson! And the rest of the battling continues as Raw goes to break!
Raw returns and Priest fires hands on Alexander while Mahal still tries to throw Riddle out, and Jeff Hardy is down in an open corner. These are our final five, it seems, and Priest stomps Alexander while Mahal CLUBS and stomps Riddle. Mahal digs his knee into Riddle while Alexander kicks Priest. Priest stomps Alexander again, but then Mahal and Priest stare down as the two tallest left. They talk about how each is going to be Mr. MITB, and then the haymakers start flying! Mahal knees low, throws forearms, but Priest gives them all back! Priest throws Mahal up and over but Mahal holds on! Priest runs in but Mahal ROCKS him! But then Priest SPIN KICKS and ELIMINATES Mahal!
Priest swings on Hardy but Hardy counter punches! Hardy whips, Priest reverses but Hardy knocks Priest down! Riddle runs up but into Hardy’s spin back kick! Hardy atomic drops and leg splitting leg drops Alexander, then adds the basement dropkick! And an elbow drop! Hardy kicks Priest, TWIST OF FATE! Riddle runs back in, but into a TWIST OF FATE! Alexander is up, but he denies the hat trick to throw and ELIMINATE Hardy!! Alexander laughs at Hardy, “I told you I’m better than you at every level, and I just proved it! Go home, to the retirement home!” But then Alexander turns around into a leg sweep and HIT THE LIGHTS!!
Priest drags Alexander up, throws him out, and ELIMINATES him! Now we have just the Archer of infamy and the Bro! They both nod, knowing the strike game the other brings. Priest rushes in, Riddle side steps but can’t shove him out! Priest dodges Riddle now but Riddle keeps from tumbling! They fire off hands, but Priest kicks, kicks and ROLLING ELBOWS! Riddle ducks the haymaker to GERMAN SUPLEX! Priest flounders and Riddle fires up! Riddle runs in and rocks Priest with a forearm! Riddle goes side to side to forearm again! Riddle keeps going, but runs into a WHEEL KICK! Both men are down but the ThunderDome fires up as they rise!
Priest runs in and back elbows! Priest brings Riddle around for a suplex, but Riddle slips to a SLEEPER! Priest flails, reaches, throws Riddle over the ropes, but Riddle holds on! Riddle gets the sleeper again! Priest is being bent against ropes but he has Riddle’s fingers! Riddle climbs up but Priest shifts that to a lawn dart, only for Riddle to slip out! Priest rebounds to LARIAT Riddle down! Riddle is dazed, Priest snarls and gets up! LARIAT into a HANGING TRIANGLE! Riddle drags Priest up and over to join him on the apron! Riddle lets go to get in, and BOOTS Priest! Riddle wants to do this like Orton but Priest avoids the Draping DDT! And the forearm to BELL CLAP!
Priest spins but Riddle blocks the kick! Priest choke grips but Riddle CHOPS! And FINAL FLASH!! Priest falls, Riddle wins!!
Winner: Matt Riddle (will join the Last Chance Triple Threat)
The Bro says his win is Orton’s win, so plays Orton’s music! Orton’s music does play and Riddle does his best Orton pose! The pyro goes off like Orton, will Riddle win again to keep The Viper in the game?
Nia Jax finds Shayna Baszler backstage.
The Queen of Spades is shuffling cards, so Nia asks if she’s getting ready for a game or a match? It keeps her head clear, okay? Otherwise, she’s gonna put her fist through a wall. Or someone’s face. Reginald is a bit worried she looked at him with that line. Nia says it’s fine. Just make sure they’re all on the same page for Shayna’s match with Nikki Cross. Reggie defends he didn’t do anything last week. It’s just that- Shut up, Reggie! Yeah, it’s Alexa Bliss. It’s her fault they’re not in the MITB match. But it’ll be Shayna’s fault if they don’t do something about it. So maybe if Shayna can give Nikki a hard dose of reality, Nikki and Alexa will end up with that stupid doll on a permanent time out.
But as Shayna, Nia and Reggie head out, ALEXA BLISS is seen in the back! Surely she heard all that, but what will she do about it?
What’s that smacking sound?
It’s Jaxson Ryker, practicing his strap strikes on a road case! The “unhinged” Ryker is working himself up to be ready to do that and more to Elias! Will there be no running and no hiding as the Drifter is strapped in and strapped to his former follower?
Backstage interview with AJ Styles & Omos.
Kevin Patrick asks how Styles is preparing for this Triple Threat now that Orton is out and Riddle is in? Well, usually, when you’re supposed to be somewhere and you’re not *cough* Orton */cough*, you automatically lose your opportunity. Tonight’s main event should’ve just turned into McIntyre VS Styles, 1v1! But it’s still a Triple Threat, his chances of winning have “drastically went down.” On top of that, Omos is working overtime to watch his back tonight. Speaking of, Omos went out of his way to affect that battle royal’s outcome by eliminating the Viking Raiders. Styles can tell where Kevin is going with this and doesn’t appreciate it.
Omos says he was simply scouting out the competition for his partner, Styles. Yeah! But since Kevin is so quick to jump on a barbarian bandwagon, tell us all about what happened to Styles last wee! They do have the tape queued up. They play it, and shows that the Raiders went after Omos while Styles VS Ricochet was happening. Omos was sent into the timekeeper’s area, and Ricochet turned a Phenomenal Forearm into a phenomenal Recoil. Ricochet is in the MITB ladder match, hence Styles’ spot tonight in the Triple Threat. So what does Kevin have to say about that? A series of unfortunate events? NO! Styles wants an apology for people being hypocrites!
Don’t give Omos grief over doing the exact same thing the Viking Raiders did last week! But fortunately for Styles, Riddle was in tonight’s battle royal and he’s all banged up. McIntyre’s still not 100% from the battle with Bobby Lashley, and so that means Styles has the advantage. When Styles has the advantage, he wins. That’s why he’s Phenomenal! And when he wins the briefcase, he’ll have a full year to plan out his cash-in and become WWE Champion for a third time. All the while, he and Omos will defend the Raw Tag Team Championships against any and all teams, including those “stinky” Viking Raiders. The tag champs head out, but will it be so easy for them?
Lucha House Party check in with Nikki Cross.
They like her mask. And they wish her good luck in her match. Thanks! Sarah comes by to talk about her new superhero persona, and Nikki is happy to inspire! She’s almost a superhero, and she found something that was always deep down. She just has the courage now to show it. She isn’t the only one, because everyone out there has this feeling deep down inside, in their hearts, that they can do and be better. That’s what this outfit represents! Wonder Woman spin! So bring out that feeling, and go for it! Just look at what she’s done! Nikki is now in the Women’s MITB match! Imagine Nikki, Ms. MITB! An inspiration to kids everywhere! She could even become Raw Women’s Champion!
Nikki slows herself down and takes a breath. One goal at a time. First, her match with Shayna and becoming “almost” a superhero. WAIT! Nikki #AASH! Almost A Super Hero! But will she definitely come away with a win?
Shayna Baszler w/ Nia Jax & Reginald VS Nikki Cross!
Raw returns as Shayna and team make their entrance. The bell rings and the two circle. They tie up, Nikki waistlocks but Shayna switches to SLAM Nikki! Shayna floats around, gets a chicken wing to cradle, TWO! Shayna has an arm, Nikki gets up, rolls, handsprings and headlocks. Shayna powers out and runs Nikki over! Shayna runs, things speed up and Nikki CROSSBODIES! Cover, ONE! Nikki headlocks again, Shayna powers up to back suplex Nikki down! Shayna rains down rights, then gets Nikki up to scoop and SLAM! Nikki writhes and gets up, but Shayna NORTHERN LIGHTS! Nikki flounders away, Shayna drags her to a cover, TWO!
Shayna gets frustrated and she shoves Nikki down. Nikki gets to ropes but Shayna KICKS her down! Shayna mocks the almost superhero, and then whips her hard into buckles! Nikki flounders, Shayna wants the ref to ask if Nikki gives up. Nikki doesn’t, so Shayna puts her in a corner for stomps! Shayna fireman’s carries but Nikki scrambles around to a sunset flip! Shayna gets Nikki up, puts her in a corner and runs in, but Nikki dodges! Knee hits buckle, Nikki dropkicks Shayna out! Reggie & Nia check on her, but then Alexa Bliss makes her presence known! Alexa smirks as she walks out on stage and Reggie shields his eyes from her hypnosis!
But then Nikki SUPER CROSSBODIES!! Direct hit on all three and Nikki fires up! Nikki gets in the ring and strike a heroic pose as the ring count climbs! Raw goes to break as Nikki keeps that energy high!
Raw returns again and Shayna throws knees on Nikki in the ring. Alexa is watching from the ramp as Shayna mocks the almost superhero more. Shayna CLUBS Nikki, kicks her, but Nikki fires forearms back! Nikki backs Shayna down, whips her to a corner, but Shayna reverses. Nikki goes up and over but Shayna kicks Nikki’s leg out! Then a KNEE! Cover, TWO! Shayna gut wrenches for a SLAM! Nikki flounders to a corner, Shayna runs in and KNEES Nikki again! Shayna gets Nikki up but stares at Alexa. Shayna hoists Nikki up top while asking why Alexa is even here. Nikki throws hands on Shayna then hits a TORNADO DDT!
Both women are down and writhing as the ThunderDome fires up! Alexa strolls around the way, but Nia is there to meet her. Is Nia resisting the hypnosis? No, she’s a puppet again! Reggie snaps Nia free by turning Alexa around! But then he has to be careful of his own mind! Alexa kicks Nia’s leg out then MULE KICK LOW BLOWS Reggie down, all in one swift motion! Alexa smirks as she leaves, and Shayna is in shock! But Nikki rolls Shayna up, TWO!! Shayna CLOBBERS Nikki for it! Shayna drags Nikki up, gut wrenches but Nikki slips out and waistlocks. Shayna bucks free but Nikki dodges to come back, tilt-o-whirl takedown to a LA MAGISTROL! NIKKI WINS!
Winner: Nikki Cross, by pinfall
Almost A Super Hero definitely got the win! Shayna is at a loss for words! Will this keep happening until Shayna can take care of Alexa? Or will that take nothing short of an exorcism?
Kofi Kingston heads to the ring!
After Xavier Woods got hurt by the Chief Hurt Officer, the New Day’s high-flyer is here to confront Montel Vontavius Porter on why they went that far! Will things stay civil this close to Money in the Bank? We’ll see, after the break.
Raw returns and Kofi has the mic. “There are certain moments in our lives that occur and they change us for the better, or for worse. And I’m not sure how last week has affected me yet. Hearing my brother, my tag team partner, my best friend, Xavier, screaming and writhing in pain, locked inside that cell with Bobby and MVP on the inside, me locked on the outside, unable to do anything for him…” Woods had Kofi’s back like always. But when Woods needed him, Kofi couldn’t do anything for him. A lot of people have disrespected Woods for a long time. A lot of people have thought as Woods as “not up to snuff.”
But after last week, Woods showing the world that he could take it to Lashley inside the cell, we saw what kind of competitor he is. Put some respect on ya boi’s name! Now Lashley won the match fair and square, yeah. But what happened after was not okay. MVP locked the door to the cell, dangled the key in Kofi’s face, as Lashley put Woods in the Hurt Lock and grated his face against steel. That image of Woods’ face, his screaming, his pain, Kofi can’t get it out of his head. It’s like a nightmare. But Kofi knows that he will make Lashley pay, when Kofi takes everything from Lashley, when he beats him at MITB, and becomes the NEW WWE World Champion! “It’s gonna be something.”
But now MVP makes his entrance for the promised face-to-face. MVP, and Lashley’s Ladies. MVP apologizes. He thought he heard Kofi say he was going to beat the All Mighty Lashley at the PPV and become champion? Is that what he heard? That is one of the most ridiculous things he’s ever heard Kofi say! And with Booty O’s and pancakes and unicorns, the New Day says some ridiculous things. But the Hurt Business is looking forward to MITB because they’ll be in front of live fans! As for Kofi, they’re looking past him. Kofi’s a feel good, all that good David VS Goliath stuff, but in reality, he’s no threat.
Now, Lashley is enjoying a well-deserved vacation, but he has a message for Kofi: Lashley enjoyed every second with Woods in the cage, and looks forward to embarrassing Kofi. And afterwards, what Lesnar did to Kofi will look like child’s play! Oh, child’s play? All Mighty Lashley, Big Bad Bobby. Kofi isn’t sure Lashley’s that guy anymore. Lashley might be getting a little soft. And that’s coming from a unicorn horn wearing, pancake throwing, hip swiveling guy like Kofi. But let’s look at Lashley’s track record as of late! Hell in a Cell PPV, McIntyre beat Lashley within an inch of his life, and if not for MVP grabbing McIntyre’s leg, Lashley would’ve lost.
Xavier Woods fought with all of his heart, put Lashley through tables and came this close to beating the WWE Champion. And Kofi already beat Lashley once, and knows damn well he can do it again! Lashley is looking more beatable than ever! Each week, a layer of that might is stripped away. Every single week, another layer, to where at MITB, Lashley might be a shell of his former self. He might end up… like MVP! Running around in overpriced suits, hobbling around, desperately grabbing onto some semblance of success. MVP says he does what he does for Lashley because just over a year ago, they started a journey together.
Lashley put in the work, made the sacrifices, and rose to the top, and MVP does the things he does for Lashley because Lashley deserves it! All the respects and accolades! Kofi didn’t deserve it?! He didn’t work hard for his success?! When Kofi was champion for almost six months, he never took a day off! In between shows, Kofi went around the world to show anything is possible! Ghana, West Africa, showing the kids that anything is possible if you believe in yourselves. Then he went back to work to defend the title! MVP has Lashley taking vacations in the middle of his reign? Lashley’s all distracted, he’s got all these ladies, he’s taking his eye off the prize.
And when you do that, you lose and someone else has the prize. And in Fort Worth, that somebody is gonna be Kofi. So to get this right, when Kofi went home as WWE World Champion and basked in the glory of being a hero, feeding his ego, that was hard work? No. MVP makes this clear to Kofi. He respects the optimism. And Kofi’s “court jester” was very optimistic about beating Lashley, too. Not only did that not happen, the extend of Woods’ injuries kept him away from work this week. And the odds of coming back next week are as likely as Kofi leaving MITB as champion. Well, MVP might want to check his odds. Spoilers: Woods WILL be back next week! Woods has heart, is a fighter, unlike MVP, who has been milking a knee injury!
MVP says his knee is legitimately hurt, he is not cleared for combat. If he was, he’d whoop Kofi’s ass! But fortunately for Kofi, MVP isn’t cleared. Kofi rushes out to test that! MVP takes a swing with his cane, but takes the TROUBLE IN PARADISE! Kofi says this is what MVP gets! MVP wasn’t hurt last week, was he? When he went after Woods, he didn’t seem hurt. But NOW, he’s hurt! MVP finally sits up in a daze, but the message has been sent. Is KofiMania 2 returning at MITB? Or will he regret putting the hurt in Hurt Business?
Backstage interview with Eva Marie and “Doudrop” Piper Niven.
Kevin asks Eva about the “disagreement” that happened last week. Great question, Kirwan. See, Doudrop made a rookie mistake last week and clearly was overwhelmed by being at the forefront of the #EvaLution. Poor thing. But we all make mistakes, so Eva requested a rematch so that Doudrop could learn a lesson. Eva will win, and the EvaLution will continue. Eva still doesn’t care about anyone but herself, but will she be the one to learn something?
Asuka & Naomi VS Eva Marie & “Doudrop” Piper Niven!
The Empresses of Glowmorrow were more than ready for Eva, but they did have some trouble with Pip- er, “Doudrop.” But will things be different for Eva now that she’s ready?
Raw returns and Naomi makes her entrance as she joins Asuka. Then Eva and Piper make their entrance, the teams sort out and Piper starts with Naomi. They tie up, Piper powers Naomi to a corner, but she lets off as the ref counts, Naomi boots but Piper catches it to throw it. Naomi rebounds with a k ick! Naomi headlocks, Piper powers out but Naomi sunset flips! Piper stays up to sit down on Naomi! Piper keeps moving, but Naomi avoids the senton! Tag to Asuka and she hurries up top! Asuka leaps to missile dropkick Piper down! Asuka fires up, runs in and HIP ATTACKS Piper! And then reels Piper in for a waistlock! Piper bucks her off, but Asuka ROUNDHOUSES!
Asuka runs and lariats but Piper stays up! Piper shoves Asuka, runs in and SPLASHES in the corner! Piper gets Asuka up with a scoop but Asuka slips out for an ASUKA LOCK?! Piper reaches out while staying on her feet, but she powers free to throw Asuka down! Piper crawls over but now Eva leaves Piper! Asuka rolls Piper but Piper rolls through to SENTON! Piper hurries up as Naomi runs in but Piper runs her over! Piper runs to BASEMENT SPLASH Asuka! Cover, PIPER wins!!!
Winners: Piper Niven & Eva Marie, by pinfall
Piper just beat two former women’s champions by herself!! Eva is clearly shocked and upset that her plan to return the favor backfired! Eva gets a mic to say, “The winner of this match is Eva Mariiiie~!” Still taking all the credit… When is Piper going to learn the real lesson and ditch the #EvaLution?
The Miz and John Morrison cruise around backstage.
Sarah asks what it would mean to Johnny Drip Drip to become Mr. MITB. The Flood Stud is getting moist just thinking about it! Miz promises that Morrison won’t just win the briefcase, he will successfully cash it in. Miz is a two-time Mr. MITB and has successfully cashed in twice. Miz may not be the fastest, the biggest or the strongest. But…? But he is the smartest tactician! Morrison was going to say that! Miz sees beyond just a few moves. Whenever the situation is right, Miz knows when to strike! But Ricochet asks if they’re sure about that. When did he switch with Sarah?! Oh he was on the way to the ring for his match with Morrison. Is Miz surprised that he got one over on a master like him?
Y-Yes, he saw him! Another aspect of the strategy is to lure others in with a false sense of security> So he let Ricochet take a Drip Stick? Wait, when did he…? SQUIRT! Miz goes for his but Ricochet holds him at… drips tick point? SQUIRT SQUIRT! Will the Guru of Greatness be all wet after this MITB sampler?
Ricochet VS John Morrison w/ The Miz!
Raw returns as the Greatest Tag Team of the 21st Century make their entrance. The bell rings and Miz parks by commentary as the two circle. Ricochet and Morrison approach, test things with kicks, and Ricochet blocks one to get a half nelson. Morrison backs Ricochet into a corner to fire off elbows, but Ricochet slips free. Morrison boots, Ricochet jumps and ducks and throws body shots! Ricochet ROCKS Morrison, reels him in and SLAMS him for an elbow drop! Cover, TWO! Miz is mad and wants Morrison to make Ricochet pay! Morrison RAMS Ricochet into a corner, fires off the elbows again and trips Ricochet up to then double mule kick!
Miz puts Morrison’s ability over as he kicks Ricochet down and covers, TWO! Ricochet sits up but Morrison has a half nelson and shifts to top wristlock. Morrison drags Ricochet from ropes but Ricochet fights up. Morrison knees low, swaggers about, then DECKS Ricochet! Morrison gets Ricochet up but no Moonlight Drive! Ricochet dropkicks Morrison out of the ring! Miz tells Morrison to get up as Ricochet builds speed, and Ricochet slides to WRECK Morrison with the dropkick! Miz says Ricochet needs to leave Morrison alone, and he blocks Ricochet with his wheelchair! Ricochet JUMPS OVER Miz to RANA Morrison! Miz is shocked and goes for the drip stick!
Ricochet snatches it! SQUIRT SQUIRTH! Miz takes more water damage and then ricochet throws the stick away! Miz shouts that Ricochet is lucky he’s in this wheelchair! Ricochet leaves Miz behind and Raw goes to break!
Raw returns again and Morrison kicks Ricochet around. Morrison throws knees, body shots and clubbing forearms in a corner. The ref counts, Morrison stops at 4, but Ricochet fires hands back! Ricochet ROCKS Morrison with an uppercut, but Morrison fakes Ricochet with the screw high kick to sweep low! Miz likes what he sees as Morrison scuffs Ricochet, then scuffs him again! Morrison is feeling good but Ricochet shoves the scuff away, to get a mule kick! Ricochet gets up in a rage and fires off hands! And CHOPS! Ricochet runs, Morrison goes the other way, but Ricochet dodges the Flying Chuck to CROSSBODY!
Ricochet glares at Miz as he fires up. Miz says Morrison will hurt him, but Ricochet fires hands on Morrison first! Morrison knees low, whips Ricochet but Ricochet rallies with forearms! Ricochet blocks a punch, gives body shots then a KNEE! Morrison wobbles into a fireman’s carry and ROLLING DEATH VALLEY! Ricochet keeps moving to SLIDING LARIAT! Cover, TWO!! Morrison is still tough, but Ricochet gets him back up. Ricochet clinches to throw knees but Morrison gets around to Alabama Lift! ROLLING ALABAMA SLAM! SHINING WIZARD! Cover, TWO!! Ricochet is showing he’s tough, too! And Miz is shocked by it all!
Morrison drags Ricochet to a drop zone, but Ricochet inside cradles! TWO, and Morrison springboards, FLYING CHUCK! Morrison has Ricochet in a drop zone again, STARSHIP PAIN FLOPS!! Ricochet avoids disaster and gets to a corner. Ricochet gets up as Morrison is on the apron. Morrison goes to Eddy Gordo but Ricochet blocks to TRIANGLE JUMP DROPKICK! Ricochet builds speed but Morrison runs away! Morrison avoids the tope but Ricochet SPIRNGOBARDS?! CROSSBODY OVER THE BARRIERS!!!! NO one can believe what they’ve just seen and Miz panics for Morrison! The ring count is 5 of 10 as Ricochet drags himself up! Then we’re up to 8 as Ricochet flops over! It hits 10!!
Double Count-out Draw
Ricochet got closer, but close only works in horseshoes and hand grenades! After that insane crash landing, what will these two do with ladders involved?
Charlotte Flair talks with Natalya & Tamina backstage.
The Queen knows these two haven’t been the most welcoming, but they all have respect. Only these three understand how exhausting it is to uphold family legacies. Only they understand what it takes to lead a division, unlike Rhea, Mandy & Dana. It’s charming that Rhea wants to be just like Charlotte, and Charlotte did try to mentor Dana. And honestly, no one is sure what anyone sees in Mandy. Natty’s already tapped Mandy out once. There’s nothing to be concerned about. Tamina is still upset about the cheap shots last week, so tonight is the receipt. Good! They’re all on the same page! Let’s show that respect isn’t given, it’s earned! Will these three second-generation superstars coexist long enough to take on their rivals?
Six Woman Tag: Rhea Ripley, Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke VS Charlotte Flair, Natalya & Tamina!
Raw returns the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions make their entrance to join Charlotte. Then the #SexyMuscleFriends make their entrance, followed by the Raw Women’s Champion. But the teams don’t sort out, they just brawl! Rhea and Charlotte, Natty and Mandy, and Tamina and Dana, they’re all over the place! Rhea and Charlotte fight on the announce desk! They get back in the ring, keep going, and Rhea tackles Charlotte down for ground ‘n’ pound! Charlotte hits back, Natty gets in to help Charlotte but Mandy gets in to help Rhea! Tamina and Dana join in, they’re brawling all over the ring!
Mandy stomps Charlotte, Rhea throws Natty and Dana shoves Tamina out! The second gen superstars regroup as Raw goes to break!
Raw returns yet again, and the match is happening as Natty has Mandy in a cobra twist. Mandy fights free, arm-drags Natty away, then KNEE- NO! Natty blocks the knee, trips Mandy up and goes for the sharpshooter! Mandy kicks free and hot tags Dana! Dana dodges Natty to handspring and merry-go-round headscissor! Natty staggers up, Dana handspring back elbows in the corner! Dana fires off forearms, then reels Natty in for a clothesline! Cover, TWO! Charlotte tells Natty to get up and Natty ROCKS Dana with rights! Natty whips, Dana reverses but Natty holds ropes and elbows Dana! Tag to Tamina but Dana dropkicks her down! But Charlotte tags in just before!
Dana goes out, dodges Natty and blocks Tamina’s superkick, but Charlotte BLINDSIDES Dana! Charlotte puts Dana in to cover, TWO! Charlotte mocks Dana to go tag her partners but then dribbles her off the mat! Charlotte swipes at Rhea but then drags Dana away. The ref is busy with Rhea as Charlotte throws Dana down and Tamina gets a cheap shot in! Charlotte kicks Dana, tags Tamina in, and stands on Dana so that Tamina can stomp away! Tag to Natty and the tag champs mug Dana. Natty gets Dana up to snap suplex! Cover, TWO! Natty is annoyed but she tags Tamina back in. They mug Dana more, shove her into the buckles, then tag Charlotte in.
Charlotte takes her time bringing Dana up and around to CHOP her! And CHOP her! And CHOP her! Charlotte puts Dana’s leg on ropes but Dana avoids the knee drop! Dana ROCKS Charlotte, BOOTS her, but Charlotte KNEES Dana back! Charlotte gets Dana up but Dana escapes the scoop to O’Conner Roll! TWO, hot tag to Rhea! The Nightmare rallies on Charlotte with short arm clotheslines! Rhea ripcords and HEADBUTTS to a NORTHERN LIGHTS! Bridging cover, TWO! Rhea gets Charlotte up again but Charlotte escapes the suplex and rakes eyes! Tag to Natty, Rhea wants after Charlotte but Natty rolls Rhea up! ONE, and Rhea KICKS Natty down!
Tag to Dana, and Dana tags Mandy. They double snapmare and cartwheel to double BOOT! Cover, but Tamina breaks it! Rhea dropkicks Tamina but Charlotte chop blocks Rhea! Dana gives Charlotte a ROLLING NECKBRAEKER! Natty DISCUS LARIATS Dana! Mandy rolls Natty, ONE!! Natty rushes Mandy and lifts her, but Mandy sunset flips! TWO, and Mandy gets around to O’Conner Roll! TWO and Natty has the legs! Natty steps through, Mandy boots her, and Charlotte tags in! Mandy dodges Natty, KNEE FROM A ROSE! BOOT from Charlotte!! Cover, Charlotte and team win!!
Winners: Charlotte Flair, Natalya & Tamina, by pinfall
But Rhea CHOP BLOCKS Charlotte! And then bails out! The Nightmare gets the last laugh because she got even with The Queen! Will things only get chippier come Money in the Bank?
Akira Tozawa’s on the run!
The WWE 24/7 Champion comes across Ryker, who is back to smacking himself with the strap. Ryker doesn’t even care, he lets Tozawa continue on. Truth comes by, sees Ryker, and asks him why he’s doing that. Is Ryker unhappy with himself? Can he… see Truth? Ryker stops and Truth asks if Ryker wants to talk about it. Ryker is preparing for battle. Tonight, he and Elia swill be tied together with this strap. They will be bound together, and there will be nowhere for Elias to retreat. What is Ryker doing, you ask? He is purging himself of weakness and exploring ways to inflict the most pain. Well thanks for sharing, man.
Hey, when Ryker is done, can Truth borrow it? He wants to lassoey Tozawa and get his baby back! Ryker doesn’t respond, so Truth takes it as a “Maybe.” Well look at the time! That’s all for this week! Good talk. Truth heads off, and Ryker continues to test himself with the strap. Is Ryker ready to quite literally whip Elias’ ass?
Strap Match: Elias VS Jaxson Ryker!
The Drifter goes to the ring, and there will be no running away this time. Will he even be able to walk after Ryker gets his hands, and that strap, on him?
Raw returns and Ryker makes his entrance. The strap is fastened around each man’s left hand and the bell rings. Elias jumps right at Ryker! Elias fires off haymakers and body shots but Ryker gives them back! Elias knees Ryker down in the corner, stomps him down, then gets him up to put him through the bottom rope. Elias goes out after and CHOPS Ryker! Elias sees the steel steps, uses the straps to reel Ryker in and send him into the steel! Ryker hobbles up but Elias has the strap wrapped around the post! Ryker is held up and Elias fires off hands! Elias gathers up some slack to SMACK Ryker in the ribs! And again! Elias runs in but Ryker BOOTS him!
Ryker uses the strap to yank Elias into POST! Ryker gets Elias in the ring, then on the apron, to SMACK him with the strap! Ryker gets in, keeps Elias from going too far, and kicks him low so he can SMACK Elias on the back! And again! Ryker whips Elias up and over, then yanks Elias back in, to CLOBBER him! Ryker has a leather fist and he drops it on Elias’ head! Ryker goes to a corner, climbs up, and uses the strap to stand Elias up. Ryker knees, into a SYMPHO-KNEE! Cover, TWO!! Elias almost had Ryker there! Elias snarls as he paces around, and he gathers up some slack. Elias says there was a time he respected Ryker, but Ryker disrespected Elias!
Elias SMACKS Ryker and mocks his pain! Elias SMACKS Ryker again! Elias sits Ryker up to tell him this is what he gets, but Ryker dodges the next smack to kick low and SMACK Elias back! And again! And he whips Elias to a corner, reels him in to whip to the other corner, and then in for a SCRAPBUSTER! Cover, RYKER WINS!
Winner: Jaxson Ryker, by pinfall
Brutal, direct, and quick, Ryker finally gets his vindication! Will he finally be able to walk away from Elias and chart his own path?
Matt Riddle prepares backstage.
Damian Priest walks over and tells Riddle, “Just wanna say, congratulations on your victory tonight in the battle royal. And good luck, Riddle.” Riddle says he’s not Riddle, he’s Randy Orton. And what does Priest want? Uh… Okay, “Randy.” Well if you see Riddle, let Riddle know Priest is looking for him. Priest saw that Burger King has those new Ch’King sandwiches, and figured they could grab a couple. But if Riddle’s not here… Riddle puts his hand out. Priest doesn’t get it, so he turns to leave. Riddle says to wait, and says he is Riddle. This was his lock ‘n’ key game with Randy. Riddle just doesn’t want to let Riddle down.
Riddle, relax, Priest knew it was you. But to be fair, Priest thinks what Riddle is doing for Randy is cool. Just to be clear, Orton is the one lucky enough to have Riddle as a friend. Aw… Riddle goes back to getting in the mindset of Orton, but will pretending to be The Viper make him as good as The Viper against Drew McIntyre and AJ Styles?
Backstage interview with Drew McIntyre!
Kevin asks if McIntyre can beat Styles and Riddle tonight. A valid question, so here is a valid answer. The Battle of Edinburgh, the Scots VS the English VS the Irish. English were first, outnumbering Scotland 2 to 1, but the Scots won easily. A few knuckle sandwiches and Glasgow kisses, boom, the Brits went back to Queenie. But then the Irish showed up, full on fisticuffs, and one ginger lad was throwing Scots left ‘n’ right, coming face to face with McIntyre. McIntyre kicked Sheamus right in his lucky charms, sent him flying, things were nut! And the grand finale of it all… McIntyre saved Christmas! He did? NO! That question was ridiculous, this whole thing is ridiculous!
McIntyre won’t show his hand. But he will slap Riddle around, kick Styles’ head off his shoulders, then go on to win Money in the Bank! The Scottish Warrior’s last last chance is right here, right now, can he do it?!
Last Chance Money in the Bank Qualifier Triple Threat: Drew McIntyre VS VS AJ Styles w/ Omos VS Matt Riddle!
McIntyre makes his entrance first, with the claymore sword and the pyro, because for him, this is business as usual! But will going about things the same way get him the same result of a crushing defeat? Or can he overcome the Phenomenal One and the Bro roleplaying as The Viper to be one step closer to the briefcase?
Raw returns and the bell rings! Styles hits Riddle, McIntyre hits Styles! McIntyre stomps away on Styles but Riddle fires forearms on McIntyre! McIntyre DECKS Riddle but Styles CHOPS McIntyre! McIntyre gets mad and CHOPS Styles off his feet! McIntyre turns around to whip Riddle in, then runs to ROCK him with forearms! McIntyre stomps Riddle, brings him up to headbutt, then whips him into Styles’ boot! Styles rushes McIntyre but McIntyre clobbers him! McIntyre dead lift suplexes Riddle! Cover, TWO! Styles runs in but McIntyre kicks him and RAMS him into buckles! Styles goes down but Riddle fires off hands on McIntyre! And kicks!
Riddle has McIntyre in a corner, he runs side to side to forearm Styles, then McIntyre! Riddle runs side to side again, but into McIntyre’s clinch! OVERHEAD Belly2Belly for Riddle! OVERHEAD Belly2Belly for Styles! McIntyre scowls even though he has control. Styles slowly gets up but McIntyre is on him with haymakers. McIntyre whips Styles to ropes and TOSSES him with the back drop! Cover, TWO! McIntyre keeps eyes on Styles, aims from the ropes, but Styles avoid the Claymore and throws Styles out! Omos is nearby, but he stays back while McIntyre gets up. Styles aims, slingshots, but has to bail out of the plancha as McIntyre moves! McIntyre sweeps the legs!
McIntyre goes to the announce desk and clears it off! McIntyre even stares Omos down a moment before going back for Styles. McIntyre reels Styles in, gets him up, but Styles gets free of the crucifix to KICK the leg! Riddle flies in to forearm McIntyre down! The Bro sees Styles nearby, and sees the desk! What would Randy Orton do? Riddle gets McIntyre up but Styles throws hands! Riddle CHOPS McIntyre and Styles, but McIntyre throws forearms. McIntyre bounces Riddle off steps but Styles kicks McIntyre’s knee! And then POSTS him! Styles goes back to Riddle and kick shim low to bring him to the desk. Riddle blocks the suplex to throw body shots!
Riddle turns things around, Styles blocks the suplex, but Riddle throws more body shots. Styles powers up but still can’t get Riddle up! Riddle turns things around to suplex Styles up and over to the floor! McIntyre gets Riddle, another dead lift suplex, and to the floor! McIntyre gets up but Styles ENZIGURIS him down! Styles gets McIntyre up, scoops, but Riddle has to help out. McIntyre is a big man, but they both SLAM him through the table!! Everyone is down as Raw goes to break!
Raw returns and Riddle fires off kicks on Styles in a corner! Styles blocks one, puts the leg on the rope then kicks the leg! Riddle hobbles, Styles hurries over, Riddle KICKS him down! Riddle runs, Styles avoids the Penalty Kick to roll up, ONE! Styles blocks another kick to DRAGON SCREW! Riddle roars and writhes but Styles gets the leg for a foot DDT! And then drops an elbow on the knee! Styles has a toehold but Riddle fights with a chinbar. Styles wrenches Riddle’s toes! Styles then gets up to stomp the leg, and stalks Riddle to a corner. Styles throws hands, gets the leg again, but Riddle KNEES free with the other! Styles wobbles and the ref checks on him.
Riddle gets up, Styles is still in this, and Styles dodges Riddle to PELE! Cover, TWO! Omos is annoyed but Styles goes out to KICK and stomp McIntyre back down! McIntyre sits up but Styles kicks him, then throws him down on the wreckage of the table! The ref checks on McIntyre, Styles goes back to the ring and fist-bumps Omos. But Riddle is back up and fires off hands on Styles! Riddle has Styles in the corner, but Styles hits a SPINEBUSTER! Styles gets the leg for a toehold again, then shifts Riddle over for a modified ankle lock! Riddle endures, moves around, and gets the ropebreak! Styles doesn’t have to let go but the tap-out won’t count, so Styles changes position!
Styles has a Half Crab now! Riddle kicks with his free leg but Styles stomps him down! Styles paces, gets Riddle up, and snap BRAIN BUSTER! Cover, TWO!! Riddle survives and Styles is growing frustrated. Styles goes out as McIntyre stirs again and Styles stomps McIntyre down! Styles goes back to the ring but a KNEE catches him in the ropes! Riddle shouts out to Orton, DRAPING DDT! Riddle hears the voices in his head, or maybe just Orton’s voice in his head, as Styles gets up! Styles ducks the RKO to fireman’s carry, and DEATH VALLEY DRIVER!! Cover, TWO!! Riddle still lives and Styles can’t believe it!
Styles gets Riddle up, reels him in, but Riddle fights the Clash! McIntyre is back and he drags Styles out! McIntyre RAMS Styles into barriers, then into apron, then back into barriers! McIntyre goes after Riddle, but Riddle spins him, PELE- NO! McIntyre blocks, gets Riddle up and puts him in the corner! McIntyre fires off windmill haymakers! McIntyre whips Riddle corner to corner then runs in to back elbow! McIntyre gets the legs, brings Riddle out, INVERTED ALABAMA SLAM! McIntyre watches Riddle slowly stir, and McIntyre aims from the ropes again. Riddle stands, but he avoids the Claymore to send McIntyre out!
Riddle catches his breath in the ring, and Styles aims at McIntyre for a SLIDING FOREARM! Styles goes to the ring, Riddle goes TRIANGLE JUMP FINAL FLASH! Styles flops back down, Riddle goes to the apron and he APRON PENALTY KICKS! McIntyre swipes but Riddle jumps it to PENALTY KCIK! SPRINGBOARD FLOATING BRO!! Riddle takes out both Styles and McIntyre and fires up! Riddle has his choice, but he KICKS McIntyre against the post! And again! And again! Styles is up and he gets KICKS, too! Riddle goes back to McIntyre, PENALTY KICK! Riddle runs at Styles, but Styles moves and Riddle kicks steel steps!
The ref checks on him but Riddle says he doesn’t want to stop now! But surely a toe or foot could be broken, the ref has medics rush out. They check on Riddle, help him get up slowly and hop towards the back. Riddle feels awful, he can’t let Randy Orton down! Riddle is still taken away as Raw goes to break.
Raw returns once more and McIntyre throws body shots to fight out of Styles’ chinlock. Styles kicks low, runs and kicks McIntyre, but McIntyre CLOBBERS him! McIntyre rallies, whips, and OVERHEAD Belly2Belly suplexes again! Styles hobbles up into ANOTHER OVERHEAD Belly2Belly! McIntyre aims at Styles, runs in but Styles boots him away! Styles runs, McIntyre dodges the clothesline and hits a NECKBREAKER! McIntyre kips up but his bad leg jams a bit. McIntyre gets Styles up, underhooks but Styles fights free to kick. McIntyre blocks that kick to SPINEBUSTER! Jackknife cover, TWO!
McIntyre is frustrated but he keeps his focus as he and Styles slowly rise. McIntyre gets Styles up, bumps him off buckles, then hoists him up top. McIntyre ROCKS Styles with a right, climbs up and gets Styles up, but Styles slips out to trip McIntyre up! Styles fireman’s carries for an USSHIGOROSHI! Cover, TWO!! McIntyre survives but Styles is too tired to be upset! Styles gets back up, he brings McIntyre up and reels him in, but McIntyre powers out of the Clash! Styles fires off the Phenomenal Blitz, but swings into a scoop, MICHINOKU DRIVER! Cover, TWO!! Styles survives and McIntyre is beside himself!
Both men go to opposite corners, and McIntyre runs in, but into a chop block! Styles hurries to get a leg, McIntyre fights to his feet but Styles rolls him! CALF CRUSHER!! McIntyre endures as Styles pulls back as hard as he can! But wait, is that Riddle hobbling back out? His foot is heavily wrapped but he’s somehow making it here! McIntyre dribbles Styles, Riddle gets him for a BROMISSION! Styles fights free, going after the bad thighs! Riddle still kicks, rolls Styles, BROMISSION! McIntyre stomps the hold apart, gets Riddle up nd throws hands. Riddle spins McIntyre to PELE! McIntyre tumbles out, Riddle is up but Styles springboards, PHENOMNEAL- FINAL FLASH!
RIDDLE HITS AN RKO!?!? Cover, Omos drags Styles out! Omos saves Styles from taking the loss! Riddle turns around into a CLAYMORE OUTTA NOWHERE!! Cover, McIntyre wins!!
Winner: Drew McIntyre, by pinfall (qualifies for the Men’s MITB Ladder Match)
Styles survives thanks to his massive insurance policy, but he and the Bro still lose as the Scottish Warrior snatches victory from the jaws of defeat! Will McIntyre add that briefcase to his list of accolades?
My Thoughts:
Wow, Raw was surprisingly great again this week. There were still more recaps than needed, but we got a lot of good stuff even with that. For one, a great promo segment with Kofi and MVP, though I will note Kofi might’ve been too hyped because he had stammered a little here and there. But Kofi pointing out things like Lashley taking it easy, having MVP help him, all good points. Kofi knocking MVP down with the Trouble in Paradise was great, too. Things are really ramping up, but it feels like Lashley is still winning at MITB, even if KofiMania 2 happening would be a great way to get fans to react.
Speaking of MITB, everything going into tonight’s Triple Threat was interesting but all around exciting stuff. Whatever reason Orton couldn’t actually be here, using it to further things on various fronts was great. The battle royal got a lot of action and story going at once, such as Mansoor being tricked by Mustafa Ali, all the 24/7 Championship chaos on the outside, and Omos screwing over the Viking Raiders. Riddle being in that match and then winning it for Orton was great stuff. Riddle made the Triple Threat an awesome match, though it was going to be that with Orton, too.
But Riddle taking the loss makes sense. Styles had Omos so he wasn’t going to lose, but he also wasn’t going to win because of the coming Raw Tag Team Championship match. The story of RKBRO is going to circle back to the tag titles, too. Priest’s promo with Riddle backstage was good, and I hope this cues Orton to try and appreciate what Riddle was doing for him. Orton was going to lose his opportunity by default without him, Riddle at least tried to get it, there’s no shame in losing here. And I suppose by default, McIntyre was going to win, but also because why wouldn’t Raw choose McIntyre? I don’t think McIntyre wins the MITB match because of all the other great choices, but him trying is also a great bit of the story.
Ricochet, Morrison and Miz had a great promo segment together, and then Ricochet VS Morrison was an awesome match. And the way they got to Double Count-out was awesome, I’ve never seen a move like that to the outside. Those guys are going to be the highlights of the ladder match because of what they can do. Elias VS Ryker as a strap match was so quick, it was like filler. Ryker was of course going to win and get past Elias, but it just doesn’t feel like a blow-off if it happens so fast. Also, Ryker wearing yellow and red, I hope this isn’t a sign Vince is going to try and make Ryker the new “I’m a real American~” Hogan. Not that I’m not patriotic, it’s just that it doesn’t need to be done with an Easter Egg to Hulkamania.
We got pretty good stuff out of Shayna, Nia, Nikki and Alexa. Nikki coming up with her nickname and catchphrase was great, she had a good match with Shayna, but of course Alexa gets involved with the puppetry. Her taking out two with one leg was great, though. Nikki wins to build momentum towards the MITB match, but no idea who is winning this with SmackDown still determining their spots. The limited roster didn’t really do Asuka or Naomi any favors. I get Eva is to get Heel Heat while fans rally behind “Doudrop” Piper Niven, but Piper ditched her last week. Why are they teaming again? Why isn’t Piper getting in Eva’s face about her name? This is bad pacing along with exposing WWE not caring for their RawDown Women’s Division like NXT does for theirs.
The Six Woman Tag was a much better segment with the promos and the brawling before the match, as well as the match itself. Charlotte, Natty & Tamina win to get momentum, but it is interesting that Rhea gets the cheap shot on Charlotte. I feel like Rhea, Dana & Mandy might win their matches, because who else is there to defend the titles against for Natty & Tamina? SmackDown has almost no one, but Asuka and Naomi can stick together to challenge whoever after MITB. Of course, the WWE Draft is coming, there’s at least two women’s tag teams going from NXT to RawDown to salvage the main roster tag division, which is sad because these belts should’ve been on all the shows outside of when Bayley & Sasha Banks had them.
My Score: 8.4/10
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One step away from the Cup!
David Finlay awaits in the New Japan Cup finals, and will either face Shota Umino or Shingo Takagi! Can the Roughneck slay the Rampaging Dragon?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Hiroshi Tanahashi & Katsuya Murashima VS Satoshi Kojima & Yuji Nagata; Kojima & Nagata win.
- 10 Man Tag: The United Empire VS El Phantasmo, Jado, Toru Yano, Boltin Oleg & Daiki Nagai; The United Empire wins.
- Six Man Tag: Hontai VS TMDK; TMDK wins.
- Six Man Tag: Just4Guys VS Bullet Club War Dogs; War Dogs win.
- Six Man Tag: Bullet Club War Dogs VS House of Torture; Double Count-Out Draw.
- Six Man Tag: Los Ingobernables de Japon VS House of Torture; House of Torture wins.
- 2025 New Japan Cup Semifinal: Shota Umino VS Shingo Takagi; Shota wins and advances to the finals.
PLAY BY PLAY
Six Man Tag: Los Ingobernables de Japon VS House of Torture!
Yota Tsuji was cheated out of the New Japan Cup by the King of Darkness, but that’s no surprise. However, that means Evil has a golden ticket to the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship. Will Dick Togo & Yujiro Takahashi help Darkness Fall? Or can Testuya Naito & Bushi help Yota keep everything tranquilo?
Even now, Naito takes his time with his elaborate entrance attire. Eventually, the pants are put aside, and Naito is wearing the new Tendedero merch shirt. LIJ fist bumps, but The House attacks! The fans boo but the bell rings so this is on record. Evil has Yota on the outside and he CLAWS Yota’s eyes! Yujiro CHOKES Naito, Dick bumps Bushi off buckles, and then Yujiro TOSSES Naito! Dick CHOKES Bushi now, then he and Yujiro double whip. Dick runs corner to corner but Bushi dodges! Bushi BOOTS Yujiro, then headlocks Dick! BULLDOG DROPKICK COMBO! The fans fire up and Bushi hurries to tag Naito.
Naito stomps Yujiro, Bushi joins in, and Evil protests. Evil runs in, but into an atomic drop! Evil staggers away to a corner, Naito & Bushi whip Yujiro into him! Evil falls, Naito kicks Yujiro, and holds him in place, for the NECKBREAKER! Naito poses and the fans cheer. Naito then covers, TWO! Tokyo Pimp is tougher than that, but Naito drags Yujiro up to cravat. Yujiro endures the neck wrench, Naito CLUBS him then whips. Yujiro reverses and Dick gets a cheap shot in! Yujiro runs, but Bushi gets as cheap shot in! Naito runs but Evil trips him up! Dick BLASTS Bushi, Yujiro BLASTS Yota, and Evil drags Naito out.
Evil RAMS Naito into the timekeeper! Abe-san again suffers at the hands of Evil! The fans boo and the ref reprimands but Evil drags Naito up. Evil pushes Naito into the ring, then he and Dick loosen the blue buckle pad. Yujiro covers Naito, TWO! Yujiro drags Naito up while the fans rally, but Yujiro snapmares to drop a leg! And he drops another leg! And another leg! Cover, TWO! The fans cheer, but Yujiro taunts LIJ. Yujiro drags Naito up, bumps him off Evil’s boot, and then he tags Evil in. Evil CLAWS Naito’s eyes then stomps away on the legs! The ref reprimands, Evil drags Naito out, and then Evil stomps the leg more!
Evil drops an ELBOW on the knee! Evil pulls on the leg in a toehold, then traps the leg in a leg scissors! Yota runs in and stomps Evil, but Dick TOSSES Yota back out! Evil pulls on the leg, almost has an ankle lock, but Naito has the ROPEBREAK! The ref counts, Evil lets go, and he tags in Dick. They split the wishbone on Naito! The fans rally for Naito but Dick throws down fists. Cover, TWO! Naito is tougher than that and the fans continue to rally. Dick is annoyed, but Naito fires body shots on him! Dick CLAWS Naito’s eyes! The ref reprimands but Dick whips. Naito reverses and ELBOWS Dick, to then arm-drag him!
Naito dropkicks Dick’s legs out! The fans rally, Dick and Naito crawl, hot tag to Yota! The fans fire up as Yota CLOBBERS Dick, then BLASTS the House! But Dick CLAWS Yota’s eyes! Yota runs, but into a scoop and BACKBREAKER! The fans fire up and Yota runs corner to corner, to SPLASH! Yota scoops and SLAMS to then run and BODY PRESS! Cover, TWO! The fans fire up with Yota as he paces around. Yota drags Dick up, suplexes, but Dick fights that! Dick wrenches, hammerlocks, headlocks, then punches Yota! Tag to Evil and they mug Yota! The ref reprimands, the fans boo, but Dick & Evil stand Yota up.
Dick & Evil double whip to DOUBLE SHOULDER TACKLE Yota down! Cover, TWO! Yota is tougher than that and the fans rally up, but Evil tells them to shut up. Evil drags Yota to his feet, talks more trash on the fans, but the fans give that back. Evil “puts one out” on Yota, then fireman’s carries! Yota slips free to ROCK Evil! The fans fire up with Yota, he runs, but Evil goes the other way! But Yota catches the pounce into a clinch! BACKBREAKER, FLATLINER, and STOMP! The Gene Combination hits and the fans fire up! Evil sputters, Yota rolls and tags in Bushi. Bushi runs up to dropkick Evil’s legs out! Then Bushi BLASTS Dick!
Yujiro kicks Bushi, whips him to ropes, but Bushi reverses to dropkick the legs out! Evil is back but Bushi DECKS him! Bushi then builds speed and DIVES! Direct hit and Evil is sent into railing! The fans fire up, Bushi puts Evil back in, and Bushi aims from a corner. Bushi runs corner to corner to ELBOW Evil, then he puts a leg in the ropes to DROPKICK it! Bushi brings Evil out and has the leg, but Evil pulls on the mask! Bushi breaks free, kicks, but Evil blocks, hands it to the ref, and mule kicks Bushi down! Dick & Yujiro BLAST Naito & Yota off the apron! They then double whip Bushi to a corner! Dick ELBOWS Bushi! Yujiro BOOTS! Evil LARIATS!
Dick goes up, Evil & Yujiro hold Bushi open, and the ref reprimands! No one to distract him this time! But then Evil just grabs the ref and turns him around! The ref can’t get free, Bushi suffers the DICK CHOP! Cover, TWO!! Bushi survives and the fans fire up! Evil is stunned but he brushes that off. Evil paces around Bushi, slashes his throat, and vows to end this! Evil drags Bushi up, spins him, EVERY- NO, Naito gets in to kick Evil down! Yujiro is in, Evil distracts the ref, and Yujiro blocks a kick to LOW BLOW Naito!! The fans boo, but Yota runs up! Yujiro blocks his kick, and trips him up, to FALLING HEADBUTT LOW BLOW!!
The fans boo but Evil still holds onto the ref. Bushi stands, Evil shoves the ref at him! Bushi pushes the ref aside, and he blocks the low blow! But Dick LOW BLOWS from the other side! Evil & Dick get Bushi up, for MAGIC KILLER!! Cover, the House of Torture wins!!
Winners: House of Torture, by pinfall
But they’re not done, as they beat up on Yota now! They snatch the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship from him, and Evil holds it up. The fans boo, but Evil takes aim at Yota! But Yota LOW BLOWS Dick! And he dodges Evil’s attack to then pop-up LOW BLOW! Yujiro has his pimp cane! Yota blocks that, takes the cane, and LOW BLOWS Yujiro with it! The fans fire up behind Yota as he takes his belt back. Yota holds it up to show that not everything is Evil! Will the Gene Blast stop the House of Torture from having more gold?
2025 New Japan Cup Semifinal: Shota Umino VS Shingo Takagi!
The Paradigm Shift has certainly taken a turn after The Roughneck gave up his fiery red locks. Shota has changed up his style in the ring to match his new look, but will this Second Chapter lead to the Cup? Or will this young hero fail to slay the Rampaging Dragon?
The bell rings and the fans rally up. They’re strongly behind “TA-KA-GI! TA-KA-GI!” but Shota doesn’t let that bother him. Shota and Takagi slowly step forward, feel things out, then clinch. Takagi waistlocks but Shota turns around to facelock. Takagi wrenches out and has a wristlock, but Shota rolls, wrenches back, and then hammerlocks. Takagi reaches back to headlock and he hits the takeover, but Shota headscissors. Takagi kips free and the fans cheer the standoff. The two reset and feel things out again. They knuckle lock, then go shoulder to shoulder in a Test of Strength! Shota has the leverage but Takagi powers up.
Takagi breaks a grip, wrenches, headlocks, and he grinds the hold. The fans rally up while Shota endures. Shota pries at the headlock but Takagi keeps it on tight. Shota powers up and out the back, then headlocks in return. Takagi endures the grind now, and he powers up and out! They RAM shoulders, Shota keeps going to RAM Takagi! Takagi rebounds to RAM Shota, but Shota stands his ground! Shota fires a forearm, Takagi fires a DOUBLE CHOP! Takagi whips, but Shota reverses to scoop, HOTSHOT, and then he RUNS Takagi over! The fans fire up while Takagi bails out. Shota waits on Takagi, and the fans rally up again.
Takagi takes his time stepping back inside, and he resets with Shota. They knuckle lock, but then Shota shoots in and trips Takagi up. Shota stomps that leg, then he SMASHES the knee off the mat! Shota stalks Takagi to a corner, then puts the leg around ropes. The fans rally, Red Shoes reprimands, but Shota pulls on the leg. Shota then brings Takagi out to trip him, and Shota stomps away on the leg. Shota drops an ELBOW on the knee, and pulls on the toehold! Takagi endures, works his way back, and has the ROPEBREAK! Shota lets go, but then he drops a knee on the knee! Red Shoes reprimands but Shota stomps Takagi’s leg again.
Shota drags Takagi up, facelocks and turns him, but Takagi elbows free! Takagi runs in at the corner but Shota BOOTS him! Shota runs, but Takagi ELBOWS! JABS! YUKON feint and DDT! Shota staggers around while the fans fire up, and Takagi LARIATS Shota up and out! Shota staggers into railing then slumps down. The fans rally behind Takagi while he shakes out the bad leg. Takagi goes out to fetch Shota, and he drags Shota back up. Takagi RAMS Shota into the apron, then RAMS him in again! Takagi whips Shota hard into railing and Shota slumps down! Red Shoes wants Takagi to get this back in the ring, so Takagi rolls in.
The fans applaud and the ring count begins. Shota is still down at 5 of 20, sits up at 8, and he rises up at 10. Shota stands at 13 and hobbles his way over. Shota rolls in at 15, but Takagi stands on him! Red Shoes reprimands but Takagi marches in place before he steps off. Takagi KICKS Shota in the back, then drags him up to whip. Takagi KNEES Shota at the ropes, then runs to CLOBBER Shota! The fans fire up and Takagi flexes. Takagi drags Shota up, reels him in and suplexes high and hard! Cover, TWO! Shota is tougher than that, but Takagi looks to the camera. Then he wags his finger, it’s not time yet.
Takagi clamps onto Shota with a chinlock and squeezes tight. Shota endures, so Takagi sits him up and shifts around to also trap an arm. Shota endures being twisted and turned, and he kicks his way forward to the ROPEBREAK! The fans applaud, and Takagi lets go, only to BELL CLAP! Red Shoes reprimands but Takagi brings Shota around to SENTON! The fans cheer more and Takagi stands back up. Takagi looms over Shota, kicks him around, but Shota just gets mad. Shota glares at Takagi so Takagi eggs him on. Shota stands to fire a forearm! Takagi shakes his head, so Shota fires another forearm! And another!
Takagi wobbles a bit and Shota fires a flurry! But then Takagi blocks one to wrench and knuckle lock! Takagi goes up the ropes!? The fans fire up, but Shota breaks free! Takagi gives thumbs down, and the fans boo, but Takagi HIP ATTACKS Shota down! Takagi rallies the fans behind him, then reels Shota in. But Shota BACKDROPS free! Takagi gets up fast, but Shota dropkicks the legs! Shota turns Takagi for a NECKBREAKER! Shota snarls, goes to a corner, and the fans rally again. Takagi stands, Shota runs corner to corner and UPPERCUTS! Then FISHERMAN SUPLEX! Bridging cover, TWO! Not quite perfect, but Shota stays clam.
Shota drags Takagi up and reels him in, but Takagi fights the lift! Shota CLUBS Takagi, whips him to a corner, then runs up, but he blocks a boot! KNEE JAMMER, and then a SHIN BREAKER! Shota turns Takagi over for the STF! The fans rally as Takagi endures and Shota pulls on the hold! Takagi reaches out, crawls his way over, and fights his way to the ROPEBREAK! The fans cheer and Shota lets go in frustration. Shota stands Takagi back up to reel him back in, but again Takagi fights the lift! Shota KNEES Takagi again and again, then tries again. Takagi still fights that lift! Takagi CLUBS at the legs, but Shota CLUBS away on Takagi’s back!
Shota UPPERCUTS into a spin! Takagi suplexes, Shota fights it, so Takagi hits a TWIST ‘N’ SHOUT! Both men are down and the fans rally back up. Shota crawls away to a corner while Takagi slaps his leg into working. Takagi watches Shota stand, then he runs in. Takagi blocks a boot, CLUBS the leg, and he LARIATS Shota down! The fans fire up and Takagi gets them even more fired up. Takagi stands Shota up, but Shota fires forearms! Takagi SHOVES Shota down, but Shota is right up to fire more forearms! Takagi THROWS Shota down, but Shota’s right up to fire forearms! Takagi YUKON LARIATS outta nowhere!
The fans fire up while both men are down! Takagi rises and grabs at Shota but Shota shakes him off. Takagi still tries to stand Shota up but Shota kicks him now! So Takagi short arm LARIATS Shota down! And he short arm LARIATS again! Then a scoop for a SLAM, and Takagi goes up! YUKON ELBOW DROP! Takagi hauls Shota up, and hits a POWERBOMB! High stack, TWO!! Into an STF! Takagi gives Shota a taste of his own medicine! Shota endures, the fans rally, and then Takagi shifts to Just Facelock! Shota still endures, then fights around and reaches out. Takagi shifts to a FUJIWARA ARMBAR! Shota still endures!
Shota reaches out but Takagi pulls on that arm! The fans rally, Takagi puts as much as he can into the Fujiwara, but Shota fights and reaches out, ROPEBREAK! The fans applaud while Takagi lets off, and he throws some elbows down for good measure. Takagi then brings Shota up, puts him on the top rope, and he fires ridge hand chops! Takagi climbs up, goes to the very top, and hits a SUPER DUPER PLEX! The fans fire up and Shota writhes! Takagi covers, TWO!! Shota survives and the fans fire up again. Takagi finally says, “TOKI GA KITA!” The fans fire up as the time has finally come! They then join in with “OI! OI! OI!”
Takagi stalks Shota, brings him up, and pump handles, only for Shota to fight the lift! Shota slips free, half nelsons, but Takagi elbows free! Shota UPPERCUTS, then UPPERCUTS! And UPPERCUTS! And UPPERCUTS! Shota winds up and runs, but Takagi follows to LARIAT at the ropes! Takagi keeps moving, Shota gets around to SNAP HALF ‘N’ HALF! But Takagi’s right up to SNAP GERMAN! Shota’s right up, ducks a lariat, and he SNAP GERMANS! Shota roars, runs up, but into a PUMPING BOMBER!! Both men are down and the fans fire up again! Takagi and Shota go to opposite ends, and the fans rally up.
Takagi goes to a corner, drags himself up, and Shota is in the other corner. The fans rally harder, and they both run in! DOUBLE LARIATS collide, but neither man falls! So they DOUBLE LARIAT again! Both stay up, Takagi SWATS a lariat to BLINDSIDE LARIAT! Then he whips Shota, but Shota reverses to TORNADO DDT! Takagi’s right up!? But Shota LARIATS him back down!! Shota also falls and the fans rally back up! Takagi and Shota stir, and Shota crawls his way over to Takagi. The “SHOTA! SHOTA!” fans are showing up now, and he reels Takagi in, for a POWERBOMB!! High stack cover, TWO!!
The fans fire up again and Shota fires himself up. Takagi slowly rises up, Shota runs, but Takagi swats the lariat! ELBOW! JAB! YUKON- SHOTGUN! But Takagi’s up to PUMPING BOMBER again!! Both men are down again as we hit 20 minutes! Takagi pounds the mat, the fans rally up, and Takagi crawls over to Shota. The dueling is starting to sound even, and Takagi brings Shota up. Shota fires boxing elbows, then a ROLLING- NO, Takagi catches him! Pump handle, MADE IN JAPAN! Cover, TWO!! Takagi shouts out Milano Collection AT with how he tucks Shota’s arms! TAKAGI DRIVER 98!! Cover, TWO!!
Shota survives but Takagi keeps moving, SLIDING FOREARM! The fans fire up as Takagi gets going again, and he PUMPING BOMBERS!!! Cover, TWO?!?! Shota survives and shocks everyone! Takagi thinks on what he must do now, and he brings Shota back up. The fans rally, Takagi pump handles and torture racks! But Shota kicks and flails to get free! Shota LARIATS, but Takagi stays up while Shota drops to his knees! Takagi shakes his head, brings Shota up again, but Shota ENZIGIRIS! Takagi goes to a corner, Shota fires forearms and an elbow, then a ROLLING ELBOW! Takagi stays up to ELBOW! JAB! And whip!
Shota reverses, and DROPKICKS! The fans fire up, Shota brings Takagi to his feet for the fisherman and SECOND- NO, Takagi fights that to scoop Shota! LANDSLIDE DRIVER!! The fans rally up again and Takagi watches Shota rise. Takagi runs, Shota dodges, but then Takagi dodges! DOUBLE LARIATS!! Shota falls on the cover, ONE?!?! Shota gest going again, SHOTA BOMBER!! Cover, TWO!!! Takagi will not be beat at his own game and the fans fire up! Shota goes to a corner as the fans are dueling, and Shota BUSAIKU KNEES! Then he hooks the leg, SECOND CHAPTER!!! Cover, SHOTA WINS!!
Winner: Shota Umino, by pinfall (advances to the finals)
The Rampaging Dragon has been slain! Perhaps if this was the Shota from before New Beginning, the story would be different, but the Second Chapter writes Takagi out of the tournament. Will Takagi battle his way to the top from a different path?
As for Shota, he decides not to say anything, and exits the ring. But wait! David Finlay & Gedo make their way out here! Gedo grabs the mic to ask, “Oi, kid, where’d you go? Get back out yere, you punk! Get back here, kid!” Shota responds to that taunting and makes his way back out. Gedo tells Shota, “I don’t know what’s going on in your head, but do you realize who you’re facing in the finals? The Savage King, David Finlay! He’s crazy strong, kid! Tougher than you can imagine! Whatever it took for you tog et here, in an instant, it’ll be destroyed! Get over here, ya punk! Get over here! I wanna know how much you want this!”
“You want to come in here, say your piece? Just try!” Gedo drops the mic for Shota, and then Shota stares Finlay down. Shota picks the mic up, and he tells Finlay, “I promise I will beat you.” Finlay likes the sound of that. These two stare down, and we are just days away from them battling for it all! Who will be the 2025 New Japan Cup Champion, and the man aimed squarely at the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship?
My Thoughts:
Another great night for New Japan Cup, but with as much filler as yesterday’s event. The War Dogs sure have their hands in many things, as does the House of Torture with how Evil is building to a title match with Yota Tsuji. The War Dogs and House of Torture going to Double Count-Out Draw again was a good move, it keeps both sides equal as we wait for them to do whatever huge faction warfare match they’re planning. As for Yota VS Evil, hard to say at this point as House of Torture won the match but then Yota stood tall after that scrap. It’d be really weird if Evil gets that title off Yota just to be a transitional champion to Finlay so that Finlay can get “his” title back.
Shota VS Shingo was a great match, but the crowd really took a second to get into it. There still seems to be a number of fans who are uncertain on Shota so they didn’t feel like cheering right away, but Shota got them on his side as things heated up. Shota winning makes sense, he’s got this new attitude and so that’s part of the push. I hope he changes his aesthetic enough once we get to the finals on March 20th. Take those all white paints, airbrush something on them that helps represent what “Second Chapter” Shota is about, or even just go with a solid color like red or blue to indicate the change visually. As for who wins, that is anyone’s guess, as Finlay will have to circle back to the Bullet Club Civil War at some point.
My Score: 8.8/10
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Adrenaline in Brussels, every thought out of control!
Cody Rhodes has called him out and now it’s the moment of truth: Will John Cena return to Monday Night Raw live from Brussels, Belgium?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- No Holds Barred: PENTA VS Ludwig Kaiser; Penta wins.
- Dakota Kai VS Ivy Nile; Dakota wins.
- Jey Uso VS Austin Theory w/ Grayson Waller; Jey wins.
- The Creed Brothers VS Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee; Rey & Lee win.
- WWE Intercontinental Championship: Bron Breakker VS Finn Balor; Bron wins and retains the title.
PLAY BY PLAY
JOHN CENA IS HERE!
Brussels erupts with booing as the traitorous GOAT makes his way out. He’s wearing the custom Belgium merchandise, but not even that is enough to appease the fans, and they still sing, “John Cena SUCKS~!” Cena grabs the mic and paces around while the fans boo and give thumbs down. The dueling does begin, “Let’s Go, Cena!” “CENA SUCKS!” and Cena just stands there to let it play out. Then he drops the mic and turns to leave, but that makes everyone boo! Cena picks up the mic, fans chant, “You Sold Out!” so Cena drops the mic again. The fans boo, so Cena picks the mic back up.
Cena finally speaks, “When someone is properly grounded in life… They shouldn’t have to look outside themselves for approval.” Fans chant and sing at Cena some more, but Cena says they are making this so easy for him. “For 25 years, I’ve been the victim, okay? I have been the victim of an abusive relationship. No, no, no, you have lost your time to talk!” The fans say, “You Sold Out!” Cena says fine, take the floor. But what do they do with it? They just abuse and bully him into being their damn puppet, and expect him to do it with a smile on his face! NO MORE! The fans tell Cena off, and he lets them say it. “So very classy. Thank you.”
“Look, I am not a ‘baby face,’ I am not a ‘heel.’ I’m a human being. And each and every one of you has been AWFUL to me! Go ahead, go ahead! You’ve been awful!” The fans boo more, but Cena says it has been the same damn noise for 25 YEARS! When he first got here, the fans let him know really loud that they hated him. Moments of embarrassment and shame, they let him know he wasn’t worthy of them. So he changed himself, and it worked for a second, but then it wasn’t enough! So what’d he do? He worked hard like always, he started to win and win and win and win, and win and win and win and win!
But oh, he won a lot, and fans hated it! It wasn’t enough! So what’d Cena do? He spent 10 YEARS giving away everything he possibly could, and it still wasn’t enough! The fans tell Cena to STFU, but he just smirks and shakes his head. In his final moments, what’s the only thing he can do? He can walk away. Wow, and now you cheer. But he announced his retirement in a move no one has done before. He really is walking away at the end of this year. He tried one last time to get along with the fans. He tried one last time to do something nice, but they ruined it! Just like they ruin everything!
Because just like right here tonight, it was great for two seconds, and then it wasn’t enough! The fans sing “Hey Hey Hey~, Goodbye~!” Cena says, “Each one of these idiots is proving my point with every breath. My point is, no matter what I do, it is never enough, and you should all be ashamed of yourselves. All you ever do is take. You take, you take, and you take! And you only care about yourselves! I put my values on the line to make a very important choice in my life, and all you could think is, ‘What do we get?’ My story changed! ‘What do we get? John Cena’s coming to my town! What do we get? This is trending! What do we get?’
“Not one of you SOBs asked me how I feel. No one! It’s just ‘What do we get? What do we get?’ YOU GET NOTHING! You get what you have earned, and what you have earned is NOTHING! You don’t get a new look, because you dress like me, I don’t dress like you idiots! You don’t get new music! That is MY voice on that song, and your time is finally up! And my time is finally now! The only thing you get is to take a long look in the mirror to see how awful each and every one of you has been for 25 years to me!” The fans still boo, and even shift to, “We Want Cody!” Oh, they want Cody? OH~, of course! The brand new, shiny toy! Because they’re about to put this one out to pasture.
Like he said, they’re just proving his point that they’re awful people. And that’s every single person here! No one is safe, no one can hide, especially those he can pick out in the crowd. This guy, that guy in the front row, and that other guy. Yes, he sees them. The “Let’s Go Cena” people. They’re the ones who support Cena. The dueling begins again, and Cena says, “You hear that, world? The Cena Sucks Jagoffs, they have already proved themselves awful people. I’m about ot tell you why the Let’s Go Cena people are just as awful. You claim to support me? What have you ever done? What have you, you, you, what have you ever done to support me, huh?!
“What have you ever done for me? All you ever do is steal from me! You steal! You steal my personal moments! You steal my time! You have made me your freakin’ toy! I am an object to you! You have made me the butt to a stupid ‘invisible’ joke for 15 years, and you still think it’s funny! It is NOT funny! It is pathetic! You are pathetic.” Fans tell Cena off again, but Cena says they don’t wanna hear this, huh? Not ready to hear this? Not ready to lean into the uncomfortable conversation. The truth is, the fans don’t wear his merch to support him. They wear it to feel good. They wear words like Hustle, Loyalty, Respect, but Cena LIVES them.
The fans think they can buy the words “Never Give Up?” Cena is the definition of perseverance, and everyone here knows it! “You do not support me. What you do is you use me as an excuse for your pathetic failure of a life. Because all you’ve ever done there for 25 years is sit on your ass and watch me be great! NO MORE! This, everybody, including that one kid right there, is a toxic, dysfunctional relationship! Oh, you don’t wanna hear it, huh? It’s too tough for ya? Well listen to this. I’m breaking up with you. I’m done. I’m breaking up with every single person. Whether you like me or you don’t, you’re dumped.
“I don’t need you anymore. I don’t care about you. And you don’t matter to me. And here’s the thing. There’s no noise you can make, there is nothing you can do, because you know I’m right and you know you are wrong!” WAIT! Here comes Cody! Brussels erupts with cheers this time, and they sing along with the song, “WHOA~ OH~!” Cody gets his pyro, continues down the ramp and high-fives fans, and Cena just waits on Cody. We get the second “WHOA~ OH~!” and more pyro as Cody throws off his jacket and steps into the ring with Cena. Cody raises the Undisputed WWE Championship, the fans cheer, and then Cody gets himself a mic.
The fans cheer as the song dies down and Cena scowls. The fans sing, “CODY! CODY RHOOODES~! CODY, CODY RHOOODES~!” Cody lifts the belt again and the fans cheer more. Cody then finally says, “I think everybody was willing to hear you out, even myself. If I understood correctly from what you just said, they’ve given you their worst. Sure, they might’ve given you their worst. But they’ve also given you their best for 25 years, and they did that because you were special. They did that because you were special. They did that because you could take it. They did that because you could carry it!” The fans cheer that.
Cena says, “Look, kid,” but Cody tells him, “ENOUGH! And it’s certainly not ‘kid.’ It’s champion!” The fans cheer that, too! And Cody wants to ask Cena something. “Who the hell are you? Where’s the guy on this shirt? Right here! Even after what you did, I was excited at the prospect of going week to week, face to face, with John Cena. And instead, I got this. Well this better not show up at WrestleMania. Because if it does, I run it over, I run it out, because I already took its best shot and it wasn’t good enough, I retire it early! So go find John Cena, because I wanna wrestle him at WrestleMania 41, not this whiny b*tch!”
Cody drops his mic and leaves the ring, the fans all fired up! Cody gives Cena one last look before he makes his way back up the ramp. The fans sing for “CODY! CODY RHOOODES~!” again, and he again lifts the belt. Cena is still in the ring, so the fans boo. Cena drops his mic, exits the ring, and the fans again sing “Hey Hey Hey, Goodbye~!” Cena gives them one last look before he goes backstage. Will this Cena be all we get from now until the end of 2025?
No Holds Barred: PENTA VS Ludwig Kaiser!
After going back and forth, and even adding Pete Dunne to the mix, the Man with No Fear and the Impeccable German have it out with nothing holding them back! Will Penta show Kaiser what #CeroMiedo looks like when it is fully unleashed? Or will Kaiser say NEIN to another loss?
Raw returns and Penta makes his entrance. The fans fire up with the pyro, and “CERO! MIEDO!” The fans even sing, “OLE~, OLE OLE OLE~! CEROOO~, MIEDOOO~!” The bell rings and Penta eggs Kaiser on. Kaiser is annoyed with the fans, but then he and Penta start throwing hands! Kaiser gets the edge, but Penta avoids the lariat to CHOP Kaiser down! Kaiser staggers, Penta runs up, and Penta LARIATS Kaiser up and out! Then Penta slides out, runs up, but Kaiser THROWS him into the timekeeper’s area! The fans boo, but Penta gets up on the barriers! Penta tightrope walks his way to FLYING RANA Kaiser into the apron!
The fans fire up with Penta and he pursues, but Kaiser bails out. Kaiser grabs chairs, puts them in the ring, but Penta runs up to DROPKICK Kaiser down! Penta then builds speed and he FLIES! Direct hit, the fans fire up, but then the fans cheer as Penta clears the commentary desk! Penta puts Kaiser up there, CHOPS him, but Kaiser CHOPS back! They CHOPS go back and forth, the fans cheer and boo. Penta fires off a flurry, but Kaiser CLAWS Penta’s face! Then KAISER ROLL on the desk! The fans lose their minds while Kaiser stands tall, and Raw goes to break.
Raw returns, Kaiser has Penta up top, and he CLAWS at the mask! But Penta fights Kaiser off! The fans fire up as Kaiser staggers, and Penta CROSSBODIES! Kaiser staggers up, Penta dodges and KICKS Kaiser in the leg! Then SLING-DOG! Kaiser flounders to a corner, Penta whips, but Kaiser reverses. Penta goes up and over to BACKSTABBER! Cover, TWO! The fans rally up and Penta rises. Penta aims from a corner, calls his shot, and runs up, but into a GAMANGIRI! Kaiser fireman’s carries, KAISER ROLL again, then cover! TWO! Penta survives, but Kaiser kicks him out of the ring. Kaiser UPPERCUTS Penta, then RAMS him into steel steps!
The fans boo, Kaiser leaves Penta behind, but only to go out the side. Kaiser gets running, wanting his favorite shot! But Penta BACKDROPS Kaiser onto the desk! The fans are thunderous as Kaiser writhes! Penta has the fans singing again, and he brings Kaiser off the desk to put in the ring. Penta stalks Kaiser, but Kaiser SMACKS Penta! The fans chant, “We Want Tables!” but Penta CHOPS! Kaiser fires a haymaker, Penta fires back, and the two stand. Kaiser ROCKS Penta, but Penta ROCKS Kaiser! The haymakers keep going, then Penta trades CHOPS with Kaiser’s haymakers! Penta fires a flurry of forearms, then says “CERO! MIEDO!”
Penta runs, tilt-o-whirls, but Kaiser SLAMS him down! BLINDSIDE SLIDING FOREARM! Cover, TWO! Penta survives but Kaiser stalks him to ropes. Kaiser tells Penta to listen to him! Penta will fear KAISER! Kaiser will teach Penta what it means to fear! Kaiser CLUBS Penta down, the fans sing for Penta, but Kaiser grabs a chair. Kaiser dares Penta to get up, and then he SMACKS Penta on the back! Penta scrambles to a corner but Kaiser grins as he storms up. Kaiser CHOKES Penta with the chair and shouts, “Are you scared? Say it!” Kaiser wants Penta to admit he’s afraid, but Penta just powers up! The fans fire up as Penta pushes Kaiser back! “CERO! MIEDO!”
Kaiser drags Penta up, clinches, but Penta WRINGS that arm, then has the other! THE SACRIFICE!! Kaiser writhes, clutches that elbow, but now Penta has the chair! Penta winds up but Kaiser wants mercy! Penta shakes his head but Kaiser says he gives up?! Kaiser says Penta wins? Penta isn’t sure about that, but then Kaiser CLAWS Penta’s eyes! Kaiser has th echair, but Penta SUPERKICKS the chair into Kaiser! Then he SMACKS Kaiser! Then he gives the chair back to SUPERKICK it into Kaiser again! Penta goes up, Kaiser staggers around, and Penta reels him in, FLYING MEXICAN DESTROYER on the chair!!
The fans are losing their minds, but Penta then hits a PENTA DRIVER!! Cover, Penta wins!
Winner: Penta, by pinfall
Brussels gives this brutal opener a standing ovation! Will Penta now leave Kaiser in the past to go for bigger and better prizes? Cathy Kelley interviews Penta on the ramp and congratulates him on the win. That was a definitive end to that match, and we’re on the Road to WrestleMania. What is next for Penta? Penta says first off all, THANK YOU, BRUSSELS! They are amazing, he loves ’em! But the Penta New Era is here! It is alive in Europe, but also in every continent in the world! What is next for Penta? Listen: THE INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP!
Penta wants to tell everyone that he doesn’t care what he has to do, he WILL be champion! Because he is Penta, and he has CERO MIEDO! That very title is on the line later tonight, will Penta be aimed at Bron Breakker or Finn Balor for WrestleMania?
Dakota Kai heads to gorilla.
Iyo Sky gives her a pep talk before her match, but uh, is that Dominik Mysterio talking with Karrion Kross? Is Dom still trying to recruit new members? Or is Mr. Doomsday giving Dom some special advice of his own?
The Judgment Day is in the clubhouse.
Carlito is adding to the great graffiti backstage, Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez talk about how Dominik should’ve taken the match with Bron Breakker instead of- Finn walks in! Liv & Raquel say hey, and they wish him luck tonight. Finn thanks them for that, and he wishes them the best of luck in their matches. Jade Cargill is gonna be another stop on the Liv Morgan Revenge Tour! And Raquel, by this time next week, they’ll both be Intercontinental- Oh, Dom walks in! Hey, bud! The man of the moment! Finn knows Dom knows, but Finn wants to say from the bottom of his heart, thanks for getting him the title match.
Dom says of course! Whatever it takes to get Judgment Day back on top. But here’s the thing… Dom was talking with some people, and he has an idea. Oh, an idea? Is Dom sure he should say this? Dom says it’ll be okay. Ever since JD McDonagh went down, they kinda lost some muscle around here. So Dom found the perfect person to add to the Judgment Day! Finn is annoyed and asks who. Penta! Finn wants to get something straight. After all this time, and after all they’ve been through, Dom goes behind Finn’s back, has all these conversations with all these people, and the one he lands on… is offering a spot to Penta, the guy who just declared HE wants Finn’s Intercontinental title?!
Finn seethes, and tells Dom he’s just a snake! Finn storms out, the mood ruined. Dom didn’t know Penta was gonna go for the title. Carlito says Dom doesn’t watch the product, huh? Well, Dom stepped in it this time. Is there some way he can he make it up to Finn? Or should he just give up on adding members?
Dakota Kai VS Ivy Nile w/ Team American Made!
Speaking of the Women’s Intercontinental Championship, both #CobraKai and the Diamond Pitbull have fought for and failed to take that title from Lyra Valkyria. With Raquel Rodriguez facing Lyra next, who will prove they’re worthy of the shot after that?
What a surprise to see Chad Gable showing up. He apologizes for being late, and then he joins The Creed Brothers in Ivy’s corner. The bell rings, and Dakota fires off fast hands on Ivy! The ref reprimands as they’re in the corner, but Dakota backs off. Dakota runs up, but Ivy stops the flying-mare! Ivy throws Dakota away, Dakota keeps moving, but Ivy LARIATS! Ivy is already frustrated and she rains down fists! The fans boo, Ivy tells them to shut up, and Maggle taunts Gable about his lucha mask that he may or may not have. Ivy stands Dakota up, whips her to a corner, and Dakota bounces off buckles into Ivy’s GERMAN SUPLEX! Cover, TWO!
Ivy is annoyed but Gable coaches her on. Ivy drags Dakota up, reels her in, and she suplexes. Dakota cradle counters! TWO, and Dakota goes to a corner. Ivy runs up, Dakota ELBOWS her away, then Dakota BOOTS her! Dakota runs to DISCUS LARIAT! And then LARIAT again! And DROPKICK! The fans fire up with Dakota while Ivy ends up in a corner. Dakota runs in to BOOT WASH! Dakota then puts Ivy through ropes, and JUMP- NO, Ivy avoids the stomp! But Dakota GAMANGIRIS! The fans fire up again and Dakota builds speed, but Gable is on the apron! The fans boo, Ivy storms in, and Ivy scoops Dakota for a SWINGING SIDE SLAM! Cover, TWO!
Dakota survives, and here comes the LWO! They go after The Creeds for what Gable or not Gable did! Gable runs but gets flanked, so he goes into the crowd! The fans fire up as Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee chase after Gable! Ivy is shocked, but that lets Dakota run Around the World! BOOT! And then a fireman’s carry, GO TO KICK!! Cover, Dakota wins!
Winner: Dakota Kai, by pinfall
American Made falls apart in Brussels, and now #CapKota is in pole position for the title chase! Will she get one more shot on goal with Lyra? Or will she and her old rival, Raquel, meet again?
Iyo Sky heads to the ring!
The fans fire up as the Evil Genius, the NEW Women’s World Champion, is ready to sign on the dotted line! She and Bianca Belair are going to put pen to paper, but will that be all that happens? We find out after the break.
Raw returns as Bianca is in the ring, and Adam Pearce has joined them. Pearce welcomes everyone in French, and says it is now time to make this world title match official between challenger Bianca Belair, and champion Iyo Sky! The fans cheer that! Pearce says they know how this works. Two signatures makes this official, so the floor is theirs. Iyo and Bianca both take their seats, and Iyo picks up her mic first. “Bianca, you will not disrespect me again. Rhea will not disrespect me again. No one will disrespect me again. Because I am the Women’s World Champion!” The fans cheer that! “And after WrestleMania, I will still be the Women’s World Champion!” The fans cheer even more for that!
Iyo signs her part, the fans cheer again, and even chant, “You Deserve It!” Iyo bows in thanks for that. Now Bianca has her turn to speak. “Iyo, I have all the respect in the world for you. I really do. But last week, I gave you a pass because it was lowkey my fault, so I’ma tell you exactly what I told Rhea. If you put your hands on me and think you can get away with it, you don’t know me at all. So WrestleMania, you gonna find out exactly who I am. I am Bianca Belair, The EST of WWE, and I will be your NEW Women’s World Champion.” Fans are a bit more torn here, but Bianca signs her part. Pearce says it is now official!
The fans cheer and Pearce thanks them for being so professional. But then RHEA RIPLEY shows up! The fans fire up but Pearce, Bianca and Iyo are all shocked and upset about this. Mami has a mic as she storms down the ramp, but Pearce already calls in refs! Pearce asks what Rhea is doing out here, but Rhea asks them what they’re all doing out here. Because last she checked, Iyo slapped her in the face and she won’t do nothing about it, like Bianca over here. How the hell is Bianca acting like nothing happened? Well, for one, Bianca had to sign the contract for WrestleMania. That’s what she’s doing out here.
Rhea says real funny, coming from Bianca. Because Bianca had no business being out here for Rhea’s title match, but there she was. So time to take a page out of Bianca’s book, and she’s just out here to watch. Oh, then Rhea will be just watching WrestleMania! Bianca and Rhea argue, Iyo gets riled up, and she storms up like last time. But Bianca pie faces her first! Bianca says she ain’t getting smacked today! Well she gets a HEADBUTT from Rhea! Bianca ends up on the table, and then Rhea kicks Iyo! Rhea reels Iyo in, and hauls her up, to POEWRBOMB onto Bianca! The table doesn’t break, but Pearce has had enough of Rhea!
Rhea sees the contract on the floor, then picks it up. And she SIGNS IT, TOO!? Can she do that?! We have the two signatures, but is she making this into a Triple Threat?! Pearce argues with Rhea all the way to the back as she plays keep-away, but is Mami about to be on top one way or another?
Jey Uso walks ‘n’ talks.
“Yeah! Yeah! Main Event Jey Uso is now in your citaaay~! YEAH! I ain’t been myself lately. Been doubtin’ myself. Mind playin’ tricks on me. So I flew halfway around the world to whoop somebody’s ass! And that person tonight is Austin Theory. But at WrestleMania, it’s me and you, Gunther, when I shock the world and become World Heavyweight Champ! So Uce! Hey, Uce! Please hit my music-” GUNTHER IS AT GORILLA! Jey and Gunther get to shouting but Pearce and security barge in! Pearce says not tonight! Not after everything Rhea just did! Gunther says he talked to Jimmy on Friday, and he’s just as dumb as Jey!
Jey shoves Gunther, security ushers Gunther out, and Jey says he’ll see “G” out there! UH UH, YEET!! Jey makes his entrance, will he be even more fired up to fight #AllDay Austin Theory?
Jey Uso VS Austin Theory w/ Grayson Waller!
Raw returns and A-Town Down Under makes their entrance. The bell rings, Waller distracts Jey already, and Theory fires off haymakers! They end up in the corner, the ref reprimands and counts, but Theory talks trash on the Yeet! Theory drags Jey up, whips him corner to corner, but Jey goes up and over. Jey keeps moving, he ducks ‘n’ dodges then SPEARS!! Cover, Jey wins!!
Winner: Jey Uso, by pinfall
That was fast! Jey really IS fired up to fight Gunther for Mania! Waller storms in, but Jey SUPERKICKS him down! Jey then watches ATDU regroup, and Jey FLIES! Jey clips the ropes just a bit but he still takes ATDU down! Jey gets back up, but GUNTHER GETS HIM IN A SLEEPER!! Gunther squeezes tight, but Jey RAMS Gunther into a corner! Jey is free to fire haymakers! “YEET! YEET! YEET!” Jey pops, locks, but Gunther blocks the shot! Jey ROCKS Gunther with his off hand, and then he YANKS the title from Gunther!! The fans fire up, Gunther runs up in a rage, but Jey DUMPS him out! The fans fire up as Jey holds up the belt!
Gunther is furious, the fans cheer, but then Jey tosses the belt back. Der Ring General tried to punk out Jey, but Jey turned the tables! Will nothing stop Jey from proving he IS a main event player?
Pearce argues with Rhea.
Pearce will not allow Rhea to get away with what she’s doing! You can’t just write your name on a contract! Rhea says yes she can, she literally just did it! This is like talking to a child. Give him the contract! No! Yes! No! YES! NO! Rhea Ripley, give her the contract! Rhea says then he should put her in the match, her name’s on the contract! She shoves the contract into Pearce’s chest, he thanks her and takes his leave. But here comes Bianca! She and Rhea brawl! Bianca HAMMERS away, but now Iyo gets in, to go after Rhea! Bianca shoves Iyo aside and says Rhea is hers! Iyo DECKS Bianca, tells Bianca not to screw with her, but then Rhea SHOVES Iyo into a door!
Rhea goes after Bianca, and throws her into road cases! Pearce returns to have refs usher Rhea out of here! Rhea demands to be in that title match! Will Mami get what she wants? Or will she throw things out of whack until she does?
The Creed Brothers VS Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee!
After that wild encounter earlier tonight, this was a natural choice for all parties involved! Will Julius & Brutus get payback for Master Gable being run out of the building? Or will American Made learn not to mess with the L W O?
The teams sort out and Julius starts against Dragon. The bell rings, and Julius JUMP KNEES Lee down! The fans boo but Julius drags Lee up for a fireman’s carry. But Lee pops up to RANA Julius away! Brutus runs up but Lee dodges to SUPERKICK! Brutus tumbles out, Lee DIVES onto Brutus! Lee goes up a corner, then CROSSBODIES Julius! Cover, TWO! The fans fire up and Lee clamps onto Julius. Lee reaches out but Brutus YANKS Rey down! Julius turns things around and hits Lee with a ROLLING SPINEBUSTER! Then a SLIDING LARIAT! Julius scowls, the fans boo, but Raw goes to break.
Raw returns and the fans rally as Lee wipes out the Creeds! Lee crawls for his corner, hot tags to Julius and Rey! The fans fire up as Rey BLASTS Brutus, BOOTS Julius, then ELBOWS Brutus to dodge Julius! Tilt-o-whirl DEJA VU RANA! Julius flounders around, the fans fire up, and Rey climbs up on Julius. Rey rains down fists, and the fans count all the way to “Sept” (seven in French) before Julius carries him off the corner! Brutus is there and Julius hands Rey off! But Rey fights back, elbowing Julius away and raining fists down on Brutus! But Brutus THROWS Rey at Julius, and Julius catches Rey!
Julius powers up and brings Rey around, but Rey swings to DDT! Lee is back, FLYING RANA for Brutus to the floor!! The fans are thunderous and Rey goes up top! But Julius springs up after him! Only for Rey to HEADBUTT him away! Rey leaps, FLYING RANA and Julius is on the ropes! Rey dials it up and the fans cheer the 619! DROP THE DIME! Cover, LWO WINS!
Winners: Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee, by pinfall
The King of Lucha and his Boy Wonder took down the Creeds, but WAIT! That American Made luchador is back! He CLOBBERS Rey, dodges Lee, and then FLYING HEADBUTTS! El Americano rains down fists on Lee, then GERMAN SUPLEXES! Rey storms up to fire forearms! The fans fire up, but Gable- er, uh, Americano waistlocks again! GERMAN SUPLEX and Rey lands on Lee! The fans boo “whoever this is,” but now he goes up top! The fans chant “You Suck! You Suck!” a la Angle, but Americano says SHOOOOSH! DIVING HEADBUTT on Lee!! “UH GRACIAS~!” Americano runs away as security rushes out here!
Gable was ran off from the building, yet this luchador returns. What is going on with this masked man mystery?
Seth Rollins is here!
Brussels sings his song, “WHOA~ OH~ OHH~!” as The Visionary is in a comparatively normal outfit. Rollins high-fives fans and makes his way to the ring in his dark green suit and boots highlighted with gold chain and wristwatch. What will Rollins have to say about the shocking way Roman Reigns returned? We find out, after the break.
Raw returns as the fans continue to sing, “WHOA~ OH~ OHH~!” Rollins revels in it while he has the mic in hand. The fans applaud as the singing just keeps going. Another round of applause, and then Rollins tells Brussels, “Welcome to Monday Night Rollins!” The fans cheer again, and Rollins says that by the sound of this, they already know it. In case you don’t, this is a Visionary, this is a Revolutionary, this is SETH! FREAKIN’! ROLLINS! The fans cheer more, the singing returns, and Rollins again smiles. The fans applaud, and Rollins says alright. He was coming out here mad as Hell, but it is hard to be mad with those beautiful voices serenading him.
Rollins takes a moment as fans start to chant “C M PUNK! C M PUNK!” Well, we’ll get to him, but Rollins wants to talk Roman Reigns first. “O T C! O T C!” Yes, you saw the footage last week. Is Rollins mad as Hell that Roman came for revenge? Absolutely not, cuz he’d have done the same damn thing! HAHAHA! “The problem is, even after all these years, and a Wise Man in his ear, Roman Reigns still can’t come up with a plan. He needs his Architect to do it for him.” Roman had the time, the place, the moment, but he left one detail out: That detail is the man the fans were all chanting for just a few moments ago.
The “C M PUNK!” chant returns and Rollins says yes, “The luckiest loser on the face of the planet.” Because of Rollins had just a few more seconds in that cage, he would’ve ended what he promised the world. He would’ve stomped Punk through the mat, ended the Mania dream, and put Punk’s career on ice! Rollins would’ve taken care of the Punk Problem for everyone, including Roman. But like the good ol’ days, Rollins is left to clean up Roman’s mess. The “O T C!” chants return, and Rollins says don’t worry, he’ll put OTC in his place along the way. And it just so happens that Rollins’ two favorite people are going to be in the same place at the same time this Friday Night SmackDown.
Oh, trust him, Brussels, Rollins wishes those two were here, too. But… Rollins was just thinking… Why let them boys have all the fun? Maybe Rollins makes a trip down to Italy, makes a trip to SmackDown, and he puts himself right in between Roman and Punk? What do the fans think about that? The fans cheer, and Rollins says yeah, that sounds like a nice way to solve a problem and clean up a mess. But that is Friday, this is Monday, this ain’t about SmackDown, this is about the fans! This has been one hell of a crowd all night long! They’ve been singing with their beautiful voices, there’s just one match left and that is the main event for the Intercontinental Championship!
So Brussels, sing Rollins’ beautiful song as he makes his way to SmackDown and we make our way to the main event! Give it to ’em, Brussels! “WHOA~ OH~ OHH~!” Rollins revels in it again, and he says, “It’s on. See you boys on Friday, HAHAHA!”
Backstage interview with AJ Styles.
Cathy is with the Phenomenal One and says he had a lot to say on the Raw Recap show about Logan Paul. Could he give us a bit of that here? Styles says he stands behind everything he said. Styles hears the fans sing for him, then says Logan Paul just doesn’t belong. But then Karrion Kross & Scarlett Bordeaux walk over. Kross asks if that’s really how Styles feels. Styles says he doesn’t need this. Kross says he is just offering a different perspective, but if Styles doesn’t want it… Kross turns to go but Styles says fine, let’s hear it. Maybe Styles isn’t mad about Logan Paul. Maybe Styles is mad at himself. That’s enough of that.
No, hey, hold on! Kross just wants Styles to think: How long did it take for Styles to get to the WWE and find validation? 16? Styles says it was 17. Okay, okay. But it didn’t take Logan that long, did it? Is Styles not able to respect a guy who just waltzed into the business and did everything Styles has ever wanted to in record time? Styles sees where Kross is going with this, and it’s not gonna work. Styles leaves, but Kross says it’s working. He and Scarlett do the Scott Hall fingers, will their mind games make Styles and Logan bitter enemies?
Bron Breakker heads to gorilla.
And Penta is there! Penta looks at the title, and Bron smirks. Will this be the match-up for the title? Or will this Road to WrestleMania take a detour thanks to The Judgment Day?
WWE Intercontinental Championship: Bron Breakker VS Finn Balor!
The Big Bad Booty Nephew has been chewing up this roster ever since he got here, but The Prince claims he chews up “rookies” like Bron his whole career. But until these two fight it out, it’s all just talk. Whose bark is worse than their bite when the bell rings?
Raw returns and Bron makes his entrance. The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and it’s time to see who’s the real badass around here!
The bell rings and the fans rally up. In fact, they’re even dueling, “Let’s Go, Balor!” and then barking for Bron. Finn and Bron feel things out, knuckle lock, but then Finn backs away to ropes. The ref has Bron stay back, Finn leaves the ropes, and the two reset. They tie up, Finn headlocks, but Bron powers up and out. Bron RUNS Finn over, the fans bark, and Bron snarls as he storms up on Finn. Finn kicks low, CLUBS Bron on the neck, then headlocks. Bron blocks the takeover with pure brawn, then he hoists Finn up! The fans fire up, but Finn uses that to flying headlock takeover! The fans cheer while Finn grinds Bron down.
Bron endures as Finn thrashes him around. Bron rolls Finn to a cover, TWO, and Finn holds onto the headlock. The fans rally, Bron powers out and headlocks. Finn powers out, drops down, then bypasses Bron to TOSS him out! Bron lands on his feet! The fans fire up, Bron storms in, and he RAMS Finn into a corner! Bron RAMS Finn again and again, then snarls again. Finn staggers to another corner, but Bron runs up to LARIAT! Bron whips Finn to TOSS him out, and Finn tumbles! Bron goes out the side, and he builds up speed! The fans fire up, but Finn SLINGBLADES Bron down! Finn has control while Raw goes to break.
Raw returns and Finn has Bron in a corner. Finn CHOPS and the fans “WOO~!” Finn paces, then he goes back to Bron for a haymaker. Bron counter punches! And counter punches! Bron fires hands, whips, then scoops, but Finn tilt-o-whirls through to RUSSIAN LEG SWEEP! Cover, TWO! Finn ELBOWS Bron in the neck, the fans rally up, and Finn stalks Bron. Finn scuffs Bron, SLAPS him, and talks trash. “You know who I am? I’m Finn Balor!” Finn keeps scuffing and slapping, and the fans tell Finn he done messed up! Finn fires hands, but Bron just snarls! Bron ROCKS Finn again and again, then whips. Finn reverses, but Bron LEAPING ELBOWS!
Bron storms up again, clinches, and EXPLODERS! Finn flounders, Bron whips again, but Finn KICKS the backdrop away. Finn runs, Bron dodges and then catches Finn for a POWERSLAM! The fans fire up and bark, and then Bron drags Finn up. But wait, here come Dom & Carlito! It was only a matter of time before Judgment Day pulled this move! They distract Bron and Finn rolls Bron up! TWO, and Finn runs up, but Bron catches him by the neck! Military press, but Finn slips free, EYE OF THE HURRICANE! Cover, TWO! Bron survives and Finn is frustrated, but Dom & Carlito cheer Finn on.
Bron crawls to ropes, Finn spins him around, and Finn JUMP STOMPS! The fans tell Dom he sucks, Carlito tells Dom to tune that out, and Finn gives more stomps! Finn asks Dom what he’s doing out here, so apparently this was another of Dom’s ideas. Finn CHOPS Bron, then whips, but Bron ducks ‘n’ dodges and builds up speed to CLOBBER Finn! The fans fire up and bark again while Finn bails out. Bron storms out after Finn and the ref tells Dom & Carlito to back off. Bron LEAPS from the apron and onto the desk! Both men go tumbling over and the fans lose their minds! Bron sputters, Corey Graves lost a shoe, and “This is Awesome!”
Bron and Finn slowly stir, and Bron is on his feet! Finn crawls, wants mercy, but Bron stomps him! Bron puts Finn in the ring, and he dares Dom & Carlito to pull something. Bron slides in and builds speed again! SLINGBLADE! Finn hits first, and then he hurries to go again! SHOTGUN and Bron hits buckles! Bron slumps down into the drop zone so Finn climbs up! The fans fire up as Finn reaches the top! COUP DE- NO, Bron dodges, runs up, but Finn hurdles over the Spear! Roll up, TWO!! Bron grabs Finn again, military press, BREAKKER SLAM! Cover, TWO! Finn survives, both men are down, and the fans are fired up!
Dom & Carlito coach Finn but Bron is up first. Bron has blood in his mouth, perhaps from a busted lip, but he doesn’t care. Bron runs in, but Finn KICKS him first! And ENZIGIRIS! Bron is down again so Finn goes back up! But Bron hurries to trip Finn! Finn CLAWS at Bron’s head, then throws hands! The fans rally, Finn stands, but Bron ROCKS him first! Bron climbs up and brings Finn to the top! But Carlito distracts the ref! Dom YANKS Bron into a HOTSHOT, but that trips Finn up, too! Finn lands on his prince and he’s pissed at Dom! Dom apologizes, but Bron is just as mad! Bron BLASTS Dom, BLASTS Carlito, then springs up after Finn! SUPER STEINER!!
The fans are thunderously barking, Bron hits the SPEAR!!! Cover, Bron wins!
Winner: Bron Breakker, by pinfall (still WWE Intercontinental Champion)
Bron is so badass, not even Judgment Day could cost him! But now Judgment Day attacks him! The fans boo but Dom goes to grab the belt. Carlito bumps Bron off buckles, but here comes Penta! The fans fire up as Penta slides in, and he dodges Dom to then SUPERKICK Dom down! Carlito runs up, into a SUPERKICK! Bron gives Carlito a SPEAR! But now Penta holds onto the title as he stares down Bron. The fans sing “OLE~, OLE OLE OLE~! CERO~ MIEDO~!” Penta hands the belt to Bron, and Bron holds it up. Will these two put it all on the line in Las Vegas?
My Thoughts:
A great episode for Raw in Brussels, and the Brussels crowd was just as fun as the Barcelona crowd on Friday. Cena and Cody opening with their big promo segment was the right move to give it time to breathe. Cena did a perfect job of using the fans as part of his promo because he took the trope of “I blame the fans!” to the ultimate level. He didn’t just use recent stuff, he used his entire 25 years and all the phases he went through as part of it, and he really dug into some personal feelings for both him and the fans. Cody therefore had the perfect counter to show Cena was only focusing on the negative, and how that’s not who Cena has presented to us. I think we’re getting another appearance of Cena next week, can’t wait to see how Glasgow treats him.
Iyo and Bianca had a good contract signing but I expected a touch more from both promos. Rhea joining in was the main element, and this is clearly heading for a Triple Threat. That quick brawl backstage was good, and I feel like we’re going to get Rhea VS Bianca to see if Rhea earns her spot in the match. Good stuff from Jey and Gunther again, but I kinda wish we’d just gotten only brawl. Jey squashing Theory was pretty wild, and he still gets the better of Gunther here, but it should’ve just been all Jey and Gunther. Gunther promised a living Hell for Jey, but I’m not sure we’re quite there yet. All the more reason Gunther should’ve beat up Jimmy on Friday as a way to stick it to Jey.
Good promo from Styles and Kross to add to this Styles VS Logan Paul build. Kross continues to be a great instigator, but when is he going to get back in the ring for his own desires? Or is he just waiting for the right opening to mess with the right champion? Honestly, as it feels like Jey is going to win the world title, Jey is the perfect target for Kross. Jey admitted to himself that there is insecurity right now, and the belt can help give him confidence again, but Kross can certainly find ways to tear that back down on the way to Backlash and beyond.
Very good stuff from American Made. Gable being run off by the LWO of course set up “El Americano” for that tag match segment, but it was also a good part of Dakota being Ivy. I feel like it’d be a bit much of Dakota gets a third match with Lyra, but I don’t know if that means Judgment Day screws Lyra out of the title. Cheating Lyra could be a way to keep her strong in the loss, and we could get some good stuff as Dakota takes on Raquel. Plus, DMG CTRL currently having the world title makes them an eventual target of Judgment Day, and the tag titles could also be in the mix for some serious Two Woman Power Trip teasing.
Judgment Day also had great stuff tonight. Dom thinking Penta would want to join Judgment Day is interesting, I wonder if that was Kross’s idea. Penta VS Kaiser was a great opener, but I feel they could’ve done more for a No Holds Barred match. Still good stuff to give Penta the win and move on from Kaiser to call out the Intercontinental Championship. Bron VS Finn was a great match, even with Dom & Carlito showing up. Dom accidentally messing Finn up was pretty clever, and that just adds to the Judgment Day tension. While Bron VS Penta will be awesome stuff, I was kinda hoping we’d get Finn VS Penta to add even more intrigue to the Judgment Day story, but I guess that’s something that doesn’t need a title.
My Score: 8.9/10
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Mitchell’s NJPW New Japan Cup Results & Report! (3/17/25)
Semifinal Number Two!
Mitchell’s WWE Raw Results & Report! (3/17/25)
Brussels is Raw!
Mitchell’s NJPW New Japan Cup Results & Report! (3/16/25)
Semifinal Number One!
Mindless Wrestling Podcast: The JayPal Episode!
With Deejay on assignment, Rob and Jason bring i one of our oldest wrestling pals, Jay from Boston, to talk...
Mitchell’s NJPW New Japan Cup Results & Report! (3/15/25)
The quarterfinals are here!
Mitchell’s AEW Collision Results & Report! (3/15/25)
It's a Sin City Collision!
Andrew’s TNA Sacrifice Results & Match Ratings: 3.14.2025
Do the Elegance Clique finally win the damn Knockouts Tags?!
Mitchell’s WWE SmackDown Results & Report! (3/14/25)
SmackDown en Espana!
Mitchell’s NJPW New Japan Cup Results & Report! (3/14/25)
The second round continues!
