Coverage

Mitchell’s NJPW WTL x BOSJ Results & Report! (12/9/21)

World Tag League, Round 10!

Published

2 years ago

December 9, 2021

Steven Mitchell

Who survives one more round in the round robin?

World Tag League hits Round 10, six teams still stand but two are on the bubble! Will we see a bubble burst as a team’s run ends?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

World Tag League 2021: TAKA Michinoku & Minoru Suzuki VS Yujiro Takahashi & EVIL w/ Dick Togo; Yujiro & Evil win.
World Tag League 2021: Tiger Mask & Yuji Nagata VS SANADA & Tetsuya Naito; LIJ wins.
World Tag League 2021: Tomoaki Honma & Togi Makabe VS Dangerous Tekkers; Tekkers win.
World Tag League 2021: The Guerrillas of Destiny VS Chase Owens & Bad Luck Fale; Guerrillas win.
World Tag League 2021: Toru Yano & Hiroshi Tanahashi VS Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan; Yano & Tanahashi win.
World Tag League 2021: Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI VS The United Empire; Goto & Hashi win.

PLAY BY PLAY

Here are the current World Tag League Standings!

Dangerous Tekkers: 7-2, 14 points
SANADA & Tetsuya Naito: 7-2, 14 points
The United Empire: 7-2, 14 points
Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI: 7-2, 14 points
Chase Owens & Bad Luck Fale: 6-3, 12 points
EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi: 6-3, 12 points
Guerrillas of Destiny: 5-4, 10 points [ELIMINATED]
Toru Yano & Hiroshi Tanahashi: 5-4, 10 points [ELIMINATED]
Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan: 2-7, 4 points [ELIMINATED]
Yuji Nagata & Tiger Mask: 1-8, 2 points [ELIMINATED]
Tomoaki Honma & Togi Makabe: 1-8, 2 points [ELIMINATED]
Minoru Suzuki & TAKA Michinoku: 0-9, 0 points [ELIMINATED]

World Tag League 2021: TAKA Michinoku & Minoru Suzuki VS Yujiro Takahashi & EVIL w/ Dick Togo!

The Blue Playmaker & Meanest Man in the World are still not on the board! But can they be a huge spoiler for the House of Torture? Or will not even Suzuki-Gun survive when Everything is Evil?

House of Torture attack at “KAZE NI NARE~” but Suzuki-Gun is ready for them! Suzuki kicks Evil and Taka kicks Yujiro, then they all brawl and spill out of the ring. Taka CLUBS Yujiro, Suzuki KNEES Evil, and Suzuki-Gun both whip the House of Torture into railing! The bell rings to get this on record as Suzuki has Evil’s arm in a double wristlock. Taka whips Yujiro but Yujiro reverses to send Taka into railing! Evil RAMS Suzuki into the timekeeper’s table! Abe-san goes down again! Evil finds a chair and he chokes Suzuki with it! The ref notices, he counts, and Evil lets off at 4. Yujiro puts Taka in the ring, stomps him down, then knees him low.

Suzuki gets up in a huff, Yujiro snapmares Taka and throws haymakers. The ref reprimands Suzuki and tells him to go to the corner. Yujiro sits Taka up for a basement BOOT! Cover, TWO! Yujiro tags Evil, and Evil wrenches Taka to whip him into the bare buckles! Yes, the Bullet Club special comes into play! Suzuki storms in but the ref keeps him back. Evil stands on Taka’s head, tags in Yujiro, then Yujiro whips Taka into the bare buckles! Suzuki is livid but the ref keeps him out. Yujiro gets Taka up for a BIG back suplex! Cover, Suzuki breaks it up! Suzuki drags Yujiro up but Yujiro rakes his eyes and throws him out! The ref reprimands Yujiro but Evil gets in to rake Taka’s eyes!

Evil gets away with it and Yujiro tags him in. Evil brings Taka up but Taka throws body shots. Evil just rakes his eyes again! The ref reprimands, Evil points to Suzuki, and the ref keeps Suzuki out. Evil puts Taka in a cobra twist, and the House of Torture form a chain to the railing for leverage! Evil lets Taka go before the ref sees, and Evil covers. TWO, Evil tries again. TWO, so Evil tries again, TWO!! Evil is frustrated but fans fire up. Evil kicks at Taka, Taka throws body shots! Evil rakes eyes again! The ref reprimands, Evil stops and runs, but Taka goes the other way to BOOT Evil down! Hot tag to Suzuki! Suzuki BOOTS Yujiro, stomps Evil to a corner then whips him corner to corner.

Suzuki runs in to BOOT Evil, then he fires off forearms! Fans rally as he ROCKS Evil then stomps away! Suzuki drags Evil up, snapmares and runs to PENALTY KICK! Cover, TWO! Suzuki drags Evil up, wrenches and drags Evil down to a FUJIWARA ARMBAR! Dick gets on the apron but Suzuki springs on him for a HANGING ARMBAR! Dick taps but it doesn’t matter, Suzuki makes him suffer until 4! Suzuki PENALTY KICKS Evil back down! Fans fire up as Suzuki drags Evil up, but Evil rakes eyes! FISHER- NO! Suzuki fights out to get a GUILLOTINE! But Evil shoves him into the bare buckles! Suzuki comes back, Evil blocks the kick and hands the foot to the ref, to then mule kick Suzuki down!

Evil and Suzuki crawl, hot tags to Taka and Yujiro! Yujiro dodges to mule kick and whip Taka to a corner. Yujiro runs in to BOOT Taka, then FISHER- NO! Taka fights that, but Yujiro blocks Taka’s kick to throw him down and basement boot! Fans fire up and rally as Yujiro stalks Taka to ropes. Yujiro puts Taka’s arms in the ropes then BOOTS him down! Yujiro drags Taka up, whips but Taka reverses to drag Yujiro down! JUST FACELOCK! Yujiro crawls to the ROPEBREAK! Taka pulls back but lets off at 4. Suzuki gets in, Suzuki-Gun double whips Yujiro to clothesline, BOOT, then ROCK with a forearm! Suzuki runs, BOOT SUPERKICK COMBO! Cover, Evil breaks it!

Suzuki tackles Evil and throws him out! Taka scoops Yujiro but Yujiro slips out to ROCK Taka with a forearm! Taka kicks Yujiro’s shin and hooks an arm, La Magistrol! TWO, SHINING WIZARD! Cover, TWO!! Yujiro survives, but Taka gets JUST FACELOCK back! Then he turns Yujiro over for the FIGURE FOUR NECKLOCK! Taka also gets an arm and ties up the leg, HEAVY KILLER MK 3!! Evil gets in, Suzuki intercepts, Evil wants the STO but Suzuki slips out to SLEEPER HOLD! Fans fire up but Dick SMACKS Suzuki with a chair! Evil grabs at the ref, Dick gets in to SPOILER CHOKER Taka!! Dick drags Taka off Yujiro, Suzuki has a chair! Taka JAWBREAKERS Dick away!

But Yujiro has his pimp cane! CANE SHOT!! The ref is busy with the chair, he misses all of this! Evil DECKS Suzuki, Yujiro gets Taka up, BIG JUICE!! Cover, House of Torture wins!

Winners: Yujiro Takahashi & Evil, by pinfall (gain 2 points; Suzuki-Gun earns 0)

Another loss, and Suzuki-Gun is 0-10!! Will they go down as a completely winless team in World Tag League? As for The Tokyo Pimp & The King of Darkness, will they be able to be devious dark horses that take the trophies?

Wait, Suzuki and Evil are still fighting on the outside, choking each other! Dick gets Suzuki with the SPOILER CHOKER! Suzuki goes down, and ends up bringing a Young Lion with him! Will Suzuki’s wrath ever be satiated?

World Tag League 2021: Tiger Mask & Yuji Nagata VS SANADA & Tetsuya Naito!

Team Blue Justice are out of the running, but they could be a huge spoiler! Will they bring down Los Ingobernables de Japon? Or will World Tag League stay tranquilo?

Naito of course takes his time with his suit. He might even be taking longer than usual just to test the pair of legends. LIJ fist bump, Nagata starts against Cold Skull. Fans rally as the two circle, they tie up, and Nagata waistlocks. Sanada switches, Nagata wrenches out but Sanada spins then wrenches back to a wristlock. Nagata steps through, wrenches back, hammerlocks, then headlocks for a takeover. Sanada headscissors, Nagata kips free, and fans cheer the exchange. Nagata and Sanada knuckle lock now, and have a test of strength! They’re shoulder to shoulder, Nagata powers Sanada to ropes but Sanada turns it around. Sanada lets off, but then kicks low!

Sanada whips, Nagata rolls, fakes Sanada out and dropkicks the leg! Sanada rolls away to the LIJ corner, Nagata waits to see what happens. Naito tags in, so Nagata tags Tiger Mask. Tiger and Naito circle, Naito keeps half stepping to tease Tiger on the tie-up. They approach and Tiger sobats! Tiger KICKS and KICKS and KNEES, then runs to run Naito over! Tiger runs in at the corner but Naito boots him away. Naito ducks the roundhouse and DECKS Nagata while Sanada runs in to back elbow Tiger! Sanada snapmares Tiger, LIJ basement dropkick sandwiches him! Naito drags Tiger up and pulls as the mask! The ref reprimands the disrespect, but Naito just does it again!

Naito then takes the ref’s mask off! Naito goes after Tiger’s mask again, then he just settles for a chinlock. Naito grinds Tiger down, then brings Tiger up to tag Sanada in. Sanada CLAWS Tiger’s back, Naito taunts Tiger but Tiger gets in Naito’s face! Tiger throws forearms, CHOPS, but Sanada CLAWS him again. Naito holds Tiger in place, Sanada rakes eyes! Sanada lets off as the ref counts, and he whips Tiger to ropes. Sanada elbows Tiger down, covers, TWO! Fans rally up but Sanada tags in Naito. Naito drags Tiger up, turns him and hits a NECKBREAKER! Cover, TWO! Naito tags Sanada, Sanada drags Tiger up to atomic drop!

Tiger falls, Sanada gets the legs and ties him up in Paradise! Fans cheer and Sanada encourages them to get louder. Sanada aims from the corner and he’s satisfied with the volume, so he dropkicks Tiger out of Paradise! Sanada drags Tiger to a cover, TWO! Sanada drags Tiger over, tags in Naito, and Naito CULBS Tiger down. Naito bumps Tiger off buckles, whips him corner to corner, then runs in to JUMP KICK! Leg sweep! COMBINACION CABRON! Naito poses, mocks Nagata’s salute, then he brings Tiger up in a waistlock. Tiger resists the lift, elbows free then waistlocks back. Naito resists the lift, Tiger full nelsons but Naito fights free of that.

Naito arm-drags, kicks low and whips, but Tiger reverses. Naito reverses back but Tiger spins him around to double underhook! TIGER DRIVER! Both men are down and fans fire up! Tiger crawls, hot tag to Nagata! Nagata KICKS Naito in the chest again and again! Naito goes to a corner, Nagata whips Naito corner to corner then runs in to BOOT! Naito fights the exploder but Nagata ROCKS him! BUTTERFLY SUPLEX! Cover, TWO! Fans rally up, Nagata drags Naito up, but Naito resists the suplex. Naito throws body shots, but Nagata knees low! Nagata whips, Naito comes back with FLYING FOREARMS! Both men are down and fans fire up! Naito crawls, hot tag to Sanada!

Sanada drags Nagata up but Nagata throws forearms! Sanada gives them back and they go back and forth. Fans rally up as they go faster and faster, forearm for forearm! Nagata gets the edge and ROCKS Sanada! Nagata brings Sanada around but Sanada fires off more forearms! ROLLING ELBOW and a DROPKICK! Nagata is down but he gets to a corner as fans fire up. Sanada runs in, Nagata dodges to SHINING WIZARD! Nagata then hoists Sanada up top and climbs up after him. Fans rally up, Sanada fights the clinch, but Nagata stays on the ropes! Sanada fires forearms, but Nagata still stays up! Sanada throws more forearms, Nagata grits his teeth and is still on the ropes!

But then Sanada DECKS Nagata with one big forearm! Tiger Mask gets in and goes right up after Sanada, SUPER ARM-DRAG! Tiger dropkicks Naito down, then Nagata gets back in. Team Blue Justice double whip, double KICK and DOUBLE GIRI Sanada! Sanada staggers, Nagata hits a BRAINBUSTER! Cover, Naito gets in to break it! Tiger throws Naito back out, Nagata waits on Sanada to rise. Sanada sits up, he ducks the buzzsaw and O’Conner Rolls, but Nagata turns the bridge into the NAGATA LOCK II! Sanada endures, moves around, Tiger keeps Naito anchored at the apron! Naito fights Tiger Nagata pulls Sanada way back! Sanada crawls and reaches out, ROPEBREAK with a foot!

Nagata lets go and Tiger CLUBS Naito down. Nagata gets Sanada up but Snada blocks the saido! Nagata ENZIGURIS Sanada to waistlock and GERMAN SUPLEX! But Sanada lands on his feet! Sanada dropkicks Nagata’s leg out! Tiger gets in, Sanada ducks his roundhouse but not the KANGAROO KICK! Naito gets in to CLOBBER Tiger! Naito runs to basement dropkick Tiger out! Nagata gives Naito an EXPLODER! Nagata and Sanada slowly stand, and Sanada fireman’s carries Nagata for a TKO! Cover, TWO! Fans fire up and Sanada drags Nagata up to a dragon sleeper! Nagata endures and powers through to throw knees! Nagata suplexes, Sanada slips out and has the SKULL END!

Naito gets in to kick Tiger down to PLUMA BLANCA! Nagata is fading! Fans rally up, Sanada lets Nagata free to go up the corner! ROUNDING BODY PRESS!! Cover, LIJ wins!

Winners: Sanada & Tetsuya Naito, by pinfall (gain 2 points; Tiger & Nagata earn 0)

Naito still holds onto Tiger Mask in the Pluma Blanca because he wants Tiger to say he quits. The ref tells him to stop, the match is over. But Naito’s antics aside, are he and Sanada still set to take those World Tag League trophies?

World Tag League 2021: Tomoaki Honma & Togi Makabe VS Dangerous Tekkers!

The Great Bash Heels have nothing to lose but so much to gain against THE IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions! Will Everyone’s Kokeshi & the Rampaging King Kong bring down the Holy Emperor & Submission Master? Or will they #JustTapOut?

Taichi shows off his dancing pecs right to GBH, then ZSJ taunts them with his belt. Makabe DECKS ZSJ, Honma is after Taichi, and the bell rings to get this on record! Makabe has ZSJ in a corner and forearms him! Honma kicks Taichi out, GBH double whip to run ZSJ over! Taichi gets in but Honma intercepts with a kick. GBH double whip Taichi to run him over! Honma runs but Taichi avoids Kokeshi! ZSJ gets Honma’s head for a NECK TWIST! ZSJ then throws Makabe out to guillotine and EuroUpper on the ramp! Taichi throws Honma out now, ZSJ stomps Makabe, Taichi whips Honma into railing! Taichi brings Honma around to choke him with the mic cable!

The ref counts, Taichi lets off and complains about GBH’s attacks. Taichi then gets the mic cable again to choke Honma more! The ref counts, Taichi lets off and kicks Honma down. Taichi drags Honma up and puts him in the ring to then knee on Honma’s neck. The ref reprimands, Taichi lets off and bumps Honma off buckles. ZSJ digs his boot in, Taichi chokes Honma on ropes, but the ref reprimands. The Tekkers let off, and Taichi taunts Makabe while ZSJ has Honma in a sleeper hold! ZSJ lets off as Taichi walks over. ZSJ tags in, he cravats and wrenches Honma’s neck. ZSJ snapmares Honma to then have the cravat on the mat. Honma fights but ZSJ keeps hold.

Honma fights to his feet, throws body shots to get free, but ZSJ CHOPS back. Honma kicks low, kicks again, then kicks again. Honma CLUBS ZSJ on the back again and again, but ZSJ EuroUppers Honma off his feet! ZSJ drags Honma over, tags in Taichi, and ZSJ has the toehold while Taichi stands on Honma’s neck. Honma has a foot on the ropes, the ref counts, Taichi snapmares and KICKS Honma in the back. Taichi chokes Honma, the ref sees it and reprimands. Taichi chokes again, claiming it’s a cover. The ref doesn’t buy that, so Taichi chokes Honma with both hands! The ref reprimands and counts, Taichi lets off at 4.

Taichi drags Honma over, tags in ZSJ, and ZSJ digs his elbows and knuckles into Honma’s spine. ZSJ pulls Honma’s ears, then pulls Honma’s nose. Honma breaks free to fire off forearms. Honma runs, into a cobra twist, only for Honma to turn it around on ZSJ! Fans cheer but ZSJ pries free and pulls on fingers. ZSJ jumps on for a GUILLOTINE! But Honma powers out to suplex, only for ZSJ to fight and get the guillotine again. Honma throws body shots and he gets the suplex after all! Fans rally up, hot tag to Makabe! Makabe rallies on the Tekkers, clotheslines ZSJ in the corner and climbs up to rain down fists! Makabe laughs and hops down, then reels ZSJ in.

ZSJ fights the Northern Lights to headbutt low. ZSJ runs, but Makabe CLOBBERS him! Cover, TWO! Makabe runs, ZSJ catches his arm but Makabe throws him off. ZSJ throws EuroUpper after EuroUpper, then runs, but has to boot Makabe’s clothesline away! ZSJ wrenches an arm to PELE it! Makabe still LARIATS ZSJ with his right arm! Fans fire up as both men are down! Makabe and ZSJ crawl, hot tags to Honma and Taichi! Honma runs into Taichi’s BOOT, but then he blocks the next boot to fire forearms. Taichi KICKS, Honma forearms, repeat! Fans rally up as they pick up speed! Taichi gets the edge, runs, but Honma dodges to run Taichi over!

Fans fire up as Honma drags Taichi up to CHOP! And CHOP! And CHOP Taichi in the corner. Honma whips corner to corner, runs in and back elbows! Taichi staggers into the BULLDOG! Honma fires up, KOKESHI! Fans fire up and Honma brings Taichi around to suplex. Taichi blocks, wrenches out and DANGEROUS HOOK KICKS! Both men are down and fans rally up. Taichi and Honma rise, Taichi kicks but Honma ducks to get a SLEEPER! Taichi endures but Honma hits the SLEEPER SLAM! Honma DECKS ZSJ, coordinates with Makabe, and Taichi rises into the LARIAT SANDWICH! Taichi staggers, Makabe CLUBS him and Honma CLOBBERS him! Cover, TWO!

Honma drags Taichi up to scoop and SLAM, thenhe goes up top. Makabe whips ZSJ but ZSJ reverses to send Makabe into railing! ZSJ gets in to intercept Honma with haymakers, then he climbs up for a top rope guillotine! But Makabe Electric Chair lifts ZSJ! Taichi GAMANGIRIS Honma, ZSJ slips down to have Makabe in a cobra twist! Makabe powers out with a hip toss! Taichi kicks and CLUBS Makabe, then he and ZSJ double whip. Makabe DOUBLE LARIATS the Tekkers down! Makabe clotheslines Taichi in a corner, then feeds him to the RUNNING KOKESHI! Honma sets Taichi up, BASEMENT KOKESHI! Cover, ZSJ breaks it!

Makabe fires off forearms and CLOBBERS ZSJ out of the ring! Honma scoops but Taichi slips out and gets around, but Honma fights the saido! Taichi choke grips, Honma breaks free and HEAEDBUTTS! Taichi comes back, AX BOMBER! Honma stays up to LARIAT Taichi back! Fans rally up again as Honma and Taichi are both down! Taichi crawls to a corner, Honma runs in, but Taichi dodges! ZSJ EuroUppers Honma in the corner, fires off another then snapmares for the NECK TWIST! Taichi fires up and he BUZZSAWS Honma down! Cover, TWO! Makabe and ZSJ fight on the outside again, ZSJ BOOTS Makabe down. OFF COME THE PANTS for Taichi!

ZSJ gets Honma up, Honma fights the suplex, but Taichi choke grips! CHOKE SLAM BACK SUPLEX! Cover, Makabe breaks it! Makabe fires forearms on ZSJ but ZSJ catches him to a FUJIWARA! Taichi has the fans power up and he takes aim at Honma. Honma stands, to block the superkick! Honma forearms, Taichi GAMANGIRIS! Honma stays up!? But Taichi catches him for SEITEIJYUJIRYOU!! Honma endures but Taichi cranks it as hard as he can! Honma tags, Tekkers win!

Winners: Dangerous Tekkers, by submission (gain 2 points; Great Bash Heels earn 0)

The champions stay at the front of the pack! Will they be shoe-ins for the finals at this rate?

World Tag League 2021: The Guerrillas of Destiny VS Chase Owens & Bad Luck Fale!

One last Bullet Club VS Bullet Club as the Good Bad Guy & Silverback take on the Crown Jewel & Rogue General! What happens when Firing Squad trades shots?

Though they’re all Bullet Club, GoD and Jado Low Sweet with each other, leaving Chase & Fale to Low Sweet on their own. Chase starts against Loa, they circle, and then they tie up. Chase waistlocks, headlocks, but Loa pries free to have a top wristlock. Chase slips through, Loa wrenches again, but Chase spins, wrenches and wristlocks. Loa powers through to wrench Chase, but Chase spins and headlocks. Loa slips out to hammerlock but Chase gets the headlock back. Loa powers out then runs Chase over! Loa wrenches Chase’s arm, tags Tama, then Tama takes the hand-off to wrench Chase more. Tag back to Loa, he takes the hand-off to wrench Chase again.

Tag back to Tama, he takes the hand-off to wrench and YANK on the arm. Tag to Loa, another hand-off and wrench to a wirstlock. Tag back to Tama, he goes up top to drop ax handles on the arm! Fans cheer and Tama wrenches again. Tag to Loa, he hops up and also drops ax handles on the arm! Chase knees low and fires off clubbing forearms! Chase whips, Tama tags in, Loa reverses, body shot, uppercut and double dropkicks from GoD! Fans fire up, and Tama takes the vest off. Tama throws hands, whips but Chase reverses. Tama holds ropes, BOOTS Chase back then ducks Fale’s cheap shot! Tama runs, into a back drop from Chase! Fans fire up as Tama bails out.

Chase has the ref watch Loa, Fale goes out after Tama to RAM him into railing! Fale goes back to his corner as Jado protests. Chase tags Fale, he steps in and lets the ring count start. Tama sits up at 3 of 20, but gets up slowly. Tama stands at 12 of 20, fans fire up and he gets in at 14, only for Fale to stomp him down. Fale throws heavy body shots on Tama, then he DECKS Loa! Fale sees Loa get in but the ref stops him. Fale chokes Tama on the ropes! Fale lets off, Chase chokes Tama while the ref is busy with Jado! Chase lets off, Fale covers, TWO! Fale tags Chase in, they bring Tama up and double whip to body shot, knee lift and LARIAT! Chase covers, TWO!

Chase keeps Tama from Loa with a chinlock. Chase pulls back then brings Tama up to scoop and SLAM! Tag to Fale, and they both stand on Tama at the ropes! The ref reprimands while Fale & Chase salute. They step off at 4, Fale drags Tama up and wraps on a bearhug! Tama endures the squeeze and fans rally up. Tama BELL CLAPS Fale and is free! But Fale stomps Tama down! Tag to Chase, he ad Fale mug Tama, then Chase has a cravat for the neck wrench. Tama throws body shots, Chase kicks him but Tama hits back. Chase toys with Tama but Tama throws more body shots. Chase slaps Tama so Tama throws haymakers!

Chase fires off a strike fest, then runs, but Tama hurdles, hurdles and HAKU CHOPS! Fans fire up, Tama and chase crawl, Tama kicks Chase away, hot tag to Loa! Loa rallies on Chase, DECKS Fale, then CLOBBERS Chase! Loa keeps going, Chase dodges but runs into a back drop! Fans fire up with Loa as he runs and hits a 619! Then a slingshot senton! Cover, TWO!! Loa gets the OJK! Operation Jado Killer! Chase scoots back, ROPEBREAK! Loa lets off, drags Chase back up to scoop, but Chase slips out! Chase kicks back, runs in but Loa BOOTS! Chase rebounds and LARIATS, but Loa stays up! Chase tries again, DOUBLE LARIATS collide but still Loa stays up!

Loa knees and ENZIGURIS Chase! Chase rebounds to SHI TRIGGER! Chase goes in again but Loa gets around to lift. Chase slips out, wrench to hammerlock to JEWEL HEIST! Tag to Fale and he stomps Loa. Fale throws body shots and forearms to put Loa in a corner. Fale whips Loa corner to corner, runs in but Loa dodges the splash! Hot tag to Tama! Tama fires up and he fires off haymakers! Fale staggers but stays up. Fale fires up but Tama dropkicks! And dropkicks! Fale rebounds, Tama ducks and dodges and leapos, into Fale’s arms! POWERESLAM! Cover, Loa breaks it! Chase whips Loa but Loa reverses to throw Chase out. Loa turns around and Fale CLOBBERS him!

Fans rally up, Fale whips Tama to a corner and SPLASHES! Tama flops down, Fale drops a BIG elbow! Cover, TWO! Tama survives and fans fire up! Fale drags Tama up, fireman’s carries, but Tama fights to a sunset flip! Fale stays up, Loa dropkicks him over! Cover, GOD WIN!!

Winners: Guerrillas of Destiny, by pinfall (gain 2 points; Chase & Fale earn 0)

Tama & Loa get outta there before Fale gets back up, because the Rogue General’s gonna be mad! Chase & Fale are OUT of the running! Will Bullet Club still be fine after this one?

World Tag League 2021: Toru Yano & Hiroshi Tanahashi VS Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan!

The Joker & The Ace may no longer be in the running, but can they salvage their run into something slightly more respectable? Or will TenCozy only add to how bad they feel?

Yano insists the ref be thorough when checking TenCozy but not when checking him, even though we all know Yano is the troublemaker. The ref doesn’t even need to check Tanahashi that much, we can trust him. Tanahashi shoves off the muscles and Yano says, “SUGOI~!” The teams sort out, but of course Yano and Tanahashi squat. TenCozy just attacks! The bell rings, Kojima kicks Tanahashi out, then Yano gets pinballed between forearms and Mongolian Chops! Tanahashi gets back in but he gets double kicks, double whip and double kicks again, to a double throw-down by his hair! TenCozy goes back to Yano, they coordinate for the ELBOW HEADBUTT DROP COMBO! Cover, TWO!

Tenzan stomps Yano, Kojima gets in to give Yano another shot, then Kojima goes to the corner. Tenzan runs, into an atomic drop! Yano pulls Tenzan’s hair to throw him down! Yano DECKS Kojima, then unties the buckle pad! Yano brings Tenzan up, whips him in and Tenzan hits bare buckles! Yano stomps Tenzan, drags him up and bumps him off buckles. Tag to Tanahashi, Tanahashi brings Tenzan around and trips him to stomp the leg. Tanahashi drops an elbow on the leg and has a toehold. Tenzan endures, moves around but Tanahashi ties the legs up in a BUTTERFLY DEATHLOCK! Tenzan endures, throws haymakers and CHOPS, but Tanahashi holds on to MONGOLIAN CHOP!

Tanahashi lets off the deathlock to stomp the leg, then he tags in Yano. Yano has the ref watch Kojima, and then they split the wishbone on Tenzan! Fans fire up and Yano taunts Kojima. The ref against holds Kojima back, Yano stomps Tenzan. Yano brings Tenzan up to whip him into bare buckles! Yano stomps away on Tenzan in the corner, then digs his boots in! The ref counts, Yano lets off and tells the ref to shut up. Yano bumps Tenzan off buckles, tags Tanahashi, and fans fire up again. Tanahashi brings Tenzan up to kick low. Tenzan hits back with CHOP after CHOP, only for Tanahashi to use the Mongolian Chops! Tanahashi runs, into a WHEEL KICK!

Hot tag to Kojima! Kojima fires off on Tanahashi, puts him in the corner and fires off MACHINE GUN CHOPS! Yano gets in but gets added to the MACHINE GUN CHOPS! Kojima takes a moment to catch his breath, Yano switches places with Tanahashi, Kojima fires off more MACHINE GUN CHOPS! Fans fire up as Kojima tops it off, and both Yano and Tanahashi stagger. Kojima whips Tanahashi corner to corner, runs in to forearm smash, then he shoves Tanahashi down! Kojima climbs up top and MACHO ELBOW DROP! Cover, TWO! Fans fire up, Kojima drags Tanahashi up and throws forearms! ROLLING ELBOW! Kojima whips, Tanahashi FLYING FOREARMS!

Both men are down and fans rally up! Kojima and Tanahashi slowly rise, hot tag to Yano! Yano brings Kojima around to whip but Kojima reverses! Yano avoids the bare buckles then baits Kojima into them! Yano SLAPS Kojima’s head, then unties the other corner! The ref confiscates the buckle pad, Kojima SLAPS Yano on the head! COZY CUTTER!! Fans fire up while both men are down, hot tag to Tenzan! Tenzan rallies on Yano and Tanahashi, then fires off Mongolian Chops on Yano! Tenzan stomps Yano into the corner, whips him corner to corner, and Yano hits bare buckles! Tenzan clotheslines, then hits the TENZAN BRAINBUSTER! Cover, TWO!

Fans rally up and Kojima gets in to DECK Tanahashi! Tenzan stomps Yano, TenCozy whips but Yano holds ropes. Yano shoves Tenzan into Kojima, but they block his low blows! Yano apologizes but gets mugged! TenCozy whips, TENCOZY CUTTER!! Tenzan covers, Tanahashi breaks it! Kojima stomps Tanahashi and throws him out, Tenzan gets Yano for the ANACONDA VICE!! Yano endures, Kojima keeps Tanahashi down, Yano rolls to a cover! TWO!! Fans fire up and Tenzan gets Yano with a headbutt! Tenzan calls his shot, but Tanahashi gets in to save Yano from TTD! Kojima gets in to club and whip Tanahashi, only for Tanahashi to reverse and send Kojima out!

Tenzan headbutts and Mongolian Chops on Tanahashi, but Tanahashi blocks to SHOTEI! Yano shoves the ref then LOW BLOWS Tenzan! Roll up, Yano & Tanahashi win!!

Winners: Toru Yano & Hiroshi Tanahashi, by pinfall (gain 2 points; TenCozy earns 0)

The Joker & The Ace sneak another one! It may not have meant much in the long run, but will this win help Yano & Tanahashi finish strong in the final round?

World Tag League 2021: Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI VS The United Empire!

Two teams near the top battle it out, a spot in the finals still within sight! Will the Fierce Warrior & Head Hunter keep going towards the goal? Or will the Dominator & Ultimate Weapon conquer Chaos and climb towards the trophies?

The teams sort out, Goto wants Khan but Henare starts instead. Fans rally as Goto and Henare circle. They feel things out, Henare tests the waters with lengthy kicks, but Goto stays away. They tie up, Henare headlocks, but Goto powers out to get the headlock in return. Henare powers up, Goto holds tight, but Henare pries at the hold. Goto holds on tighter, even as Henare tries to power out. Henare throws body shots, powers out, and the two ram shoulders. Neither falls, so Henare runs the ropes. They collide again, but still neither falls. Goto runs now, he ducks and rams shoulders, but Henare rebounds to run Goto over!

Fans rally up, Henare drags Goto up and throws body shots. Henare then ROCKS Goto with a forearm, whips, but Goto reverses. Hashi gets in so that they run Henare over! Hip toss senton! Khan gets him but he gets hammered! Fans fire up and Goto stomps Henare. Goto drags Henare up to CLUB him but Henare throws body shots. Goto CLUBS Henare, Henare throws more body shots. Goto KNEES low, CLUBS Henare again, then brings him up to suplex. Henare fights that off, Khan gets in and has the IRON CLAW SLEEPR! Red Shoes reprimands but Henare DECKS Hashi then the Empire mugs Goto. Mongolian Chops to a BUZZSAW and KNEE DROP!

Fans fire up, Henare covers, ONE! Henare drags Goto up, has a facelock then suplexes Goto high and hard! Cover, TWO! Henare drags Goto up, tags Khan in, and Khan Mongolian Chops Goto on the back! And again in the corner! Khan digs his boot into Goto’s head, Red Shoes counts, and Khan lets off at 4. Khan brings Goto out to scoop and SLAM! Cocky cover, TWO! Khan taunts Goto, steps on his foot and tries to make Goto kiss his foot! Goto resists, fires forearms, but Khan knees low and CLUBS him. Khan runs, Goto follows and LARIATS Khan down! Hot tag to Hashi! Hashi fires off fast hands and a CHOP! Khan goes to the corner, Hashi runs in to CHOP!

Hashi whips and CHOPS then mule kicks to a NECKBREAKER! Cover, TWO! Hashi has Khan for a seated cobra twist, but Henare gets in to CLUB Hashi down! Red Shoes reprimands but Henare stomps Hashi. The Empire stomp Hashi together, then Khan drags Hashi up to HITSUJIGOROSHI! Henare plays defense against Goto but Goto DECKS him! Khan scoops Hashi to use him against Goto! Then he hits a BACKBREAKER, Henare AX KICKS! Cover, TWO! Khan clamps the IRON CLAW onto Hashi and digs his head into the mat! Hashi endures, Khan STOMPS him down! Khan drags Hashi up, brings him around and bumps him off buckles.

Khan CLUBS Hashi on the back, then climbs up to sit on Hashi’s head! Fans cheer and Khan pulls Hashi’s arms back. Red Shoes counts, Khan hops off at 4. Tag to Henare, he drags Hashi up but Hashi throws body shots. Khan goes after Goto on the outside to whip him into railing while Henare throws body shots. Henare snapmares and KICKS! Cover, TWO! Henare rains down forearms on Hashi, then floats to get a HEEL HOOK! Hashi endures, fans rally up, and Hashi reaches out. Khan moves the bottom rope, Red Shoes reprimands, but Hashi still gets to the ROPEBREAK! Henare lets go, drags Hashi up and headbutts him! And again!

Hashi fires up and fires forearms back, then CHOPS! Henare DECKS Hashi with a forearm! Henare whips, Hashi dropkicks the legs out! Fans fire up as both men are down! Hashi crawls, hot tag to Goto! Goto rallies on Henare, DECKS Khan, then runs at Henare in the corner, MURAMASA! And BULLDOG! Cover, TWO! Goto drags Henare up, fireman’s carries, but Henare fights free! Goto throws forearms, Henare fires them back. Fans rally up as they pick up speed! Henare gets the edge and he ROCKS Goto to a corner. Henare whips corner to corner, Goto reverses then runs in, but Henare dodges to come back and clothesline, back elbow and SAMOAN DROP!

Both men are down again and fans fire back up! Khan coaches Henare as fans rally, and Henare drags Goto over. Tag to Khan, Henare drags Goto up and the Empire CHOP Goto to a corner. They double whip corner to corner, Khan runs in to clothesline! Henare runs in to SHINING WIZARD! But Goto dodges, Khan’s BOOT hits Henare! Goto DISCUS LARIATS Khan down! All three men are down but fans rally up for Goto. Goto runs in to clothesline Khan, then goes to clothesline Henare! Khan BOOTS Goto down, but he’s right back up to CLOBBER Khan! But Khan’s right back up for a BIG back suplex! But Goto’s right back up to back suplex back!

Khan is up, DOUBLE LARITS collide! Khan roars, but Goto deflects the boot to DISCUS LARIAT again! Fans are thunderous as these two are down! Khan sits up, flounders over, but Goto crawls, hot tags to Henare and Hashi! Hashi and Henare RAM shoulders! Henare forearms, Hashi returns it, and they go back and forth! Fans fire up as Henare gets the edge! Henare runs, Hashi ducks and dodges to HEADHUNTER! Fans fire up, Henare flounders and Hashi runs in to CHOP! Hashi hangs Henare out to dry, runs side to side, and dropkicks Henare down! Hashi runs to basement dropkick! Cover, TWO! Henare is still in this but fans rally behind Hashi!

Hashi waits on Henare to stand, then he runs, but Henare swats the lariat! Hashi CHOPS, Henare body shots and HEEL KICKS! Both men are down again! Henare rises as fans rally back up. Khan gets in, he drags Hashi up. The Empire double whips Hashi to a corner, Henare whips Khan in to clothesline! Henare SHINING WIZARDS! Feed to the BOOT ROUNDHOUSE COMBO! Khan wags his finger, they’re not done yet! Back suplex TOSS to a POWERBOMB! Cover, Goto breaks it! Fans fire up as Khan CLUBS Goto. Goto fires forearms off on the Empire back and forth! Goto fires off more on Khan, but Henare body shots, and Khan clamps on the IRON CLAW!

Khan holds Goto in place for Henare’s SCREW HIGH KICK! Khan shoves Goto down, then the Empire focuses on Hashi. Khan clamps on the iron claw again, and he drags Hashi up. Fans rally up, Khan wraps on HITSUJIGOROSHI! Henare gets the heel hooks, FUBUKI! Hashi endures the double submission, so the Empire hits him with MARINE! Cover, TWO!! Hashi survives and fans fire up again! Khan is furious but he and Henare refocus. They drag Hashi up and Henare fireman’s carries. Khan runs, but Hashi slips out to shove Henare at him! Hashi SUPERKICKS Khan, dodges Henare and Goto blocks the boot.

Henare elbows and runs, Goto follows but Henare dodges. Goto spins Henare around, suplex, but Henare slips out! Goto deflects the boot but Henare ducks the discus, only to get Hashi’s SUPERKICK! Goto drags Henare back up, dragon sleeper and leg lift! But Khan Mongolian Chops Hashi down! Khan grabs Goto in the IRON CLAW SLEEPER! Goto fights free with elbows, but Khan full nelsons! Goto breaks free, ducks down, Hashi SUPERKICKS Khan! Goto clotheslines Khan out of the ring! Goto-Hashi focuses on Henare, dragon sleeper and leg lift, but Henare fights free! Goto fights the suplex, they and Hashi coordinate, G Y R!! Hashi gives Henare MEETOERA!

Goto gets Henare back up, dragon sleeper and leg lift, SHOTO!! Cover, Goto blocks Khan, Chaos wins!!

Winners: Hirooki Goto & Yoshi-Hashi, by pinfall (gain 2 points; The United Empire earns 0)

The Fierce Warrior & Headhunter topple the Empire! Khan & Henare are on the bubble, will it pop in the final round? And after catching his breath, Hashi gets a mic. “This was a big win for us in this World Tag League.” Hashi knows that he and Goto are just one win away from the finals, and their last round is against the champions! The Tekkers have beaten them time and again, “but this time, it’ll be different!” In Hiroshima, Hashi promises Zack and Taichi that they’ll “cut the lights and put you to sleep, in just a moment!” Mic drop from the Head Hunter, but will he and the Fierce Warrior finally get a win over the IWGP Tag Team Champions in order to get to the finals?

Here are the NEW World Tag League Standings!

Dangerous Tekkers: 8-2, 16 points
SANADA & Tetsuya Naito: 8-2, 16 points
Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI: 8-2, 16 points
The United Empire: 7-3, 14 points
EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi: 7-3, 14 points
Chase Owens & Bad Luck Fale: 6-4, 12 points [ELIMINATED]
Guerrillas of Destiny: 6-4, 12 points [ELIMINATED]
Toru Yano & Hiroshi Tanahashi: 6-4, 12 points [ELIMINATED]
Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan: 2-8, 4 points [ELIMINATED]
Yuji Nagata & Tiger Mask: 1-9, 2 points [ELIMINATED]
Tomoaki Honma & Togi Makabe: 1-9, 2 points [ELIMINATED]
Minoru Suzuki & TAKA Michinoku: 0-10, 0 points [ELIMINATED]

My Thoughts:

Another great round for World Tag League, though I do have to say they definitely saved the drama for the final round. It was sad that the bottom teams (Suzuki-Gun, Great Bash Heels and Team Blue Justice) didn’t get to really affect anything here. Yano & Tanahashi VS TenCozy was all just for fun, I’m surprised they didn’t open with that one. The Guerrillas eliminating Chase & Fale adds just a little something to the Bullet Club Civil War. Goto-Hashi winning over the Empire ups the drama. Goto-Hashi VS Tekkers is “win and you’re in,” while LIJ VS House of Torture also relies on Empire VS Guerrillas. If LIJ wins, it’s done. If HOT wins, they need Guerrillas to win to eliminate the Empire. If Empire wins, they only get in if LIJ loses. This is going to be some great stuff this weekend.

My Score: 8.9/10

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

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Mitchell’s WWE SmackDown Results & Report! (12/10/21)

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Mitchell’s WWE NXT UK Results & Report! (12/9/21)

AEW Coverage

Mitchell’s AEW Collision Results & Report! (4/27/24)

It’s a slam dunk!

Published

54 mins ago

April 27, 2024

Steven Mitchell

Guns up for all the Jacksonville Gold Members!

Another three hour block of All Elite Wrestling starts with a Collision! But will the Bang Bang Gang still be the best three man unit ever? Or will Top Flight go from the coldest to the goldest trio in the game?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

The Acclaimed VS Grizzled Young Veterans; win.
Toni Storm w/ Mariah May & Luther VS Anna Jay; wins.
Unified AEW & ROH World Trios Championships: Bullet Club Gold VS Top Flight; wins and
AEW World Championship: Swerve Strickland w/ Prince Nana VS Claudio Castagnoli; wins and

PLAY BY PLAY

Swerve Strickland is here!

Prince Nana again leads the way as the NEW AEW World Champion makes his way out here. The Realest opened Dynamite with a win, but he walks back out to Daily’s Place to stand in the ring to finally acknowledge his victory at Dynasty. Nana says, “Ladies and gentlemen, the man standing in front of you today is the Boss of Bosses! The man standing in front of you today is the Anointed One in Professional Wrestling! The man standing in front of you is one hell of a wrestler. And he’s none other than the AEW World Heavyweight Champion, Swerve Strickland!” The fans cheer and chant, “Thank You, Swerve!”

Swerve says what a week we’ve had here in AEW! Let’s run it down: a NEW TBS Champion in Willow Nightingale; by the grace of God, Adam Cole can walk; Adam Copeland got misted in the face by The House of Black; Will Ospreay and Bryan Danielson tore the house down; and then… Jack Perry returned. The fans boo but Swerve says Jack’s back in AEW, and he struck Tony Khan, the founder of AEW, who put his faith in Swerve. On top of that, The EVPs, the Young Bucks are again the AEW World Tag Team Champions, and they hit Tony Khan with the whatever it is driver, and now TK is in a neck brace and who knows when we’ll see him in healthy condition.

Now, Swerve will be the first to tell everyone, he’s done some horrible things. Once, twice, three, four times. But something about four elite athletes beating down a non-fighter in TK, that sounds like a b*tch move to him. The fans echo “B*TCH MOVE!” but Swerve wants to get to business. The most important thing that happened this week is Swerve went into Dynasty and he made history by dethroning Samoa Joe and becoming the NEW AEW World Champion! Now, a pet peeve of his is those going around calling themselves “Best in the World.” But make no mistake, the Best in the World is the one holding this title right here!

Last week, it was Samoa Joe. This week, it’s Swerve, baby. And Swerve got here by fighting, but also by making sacrifices. Swerve says the night he won this title, he went to his daughter. She said, “Dad, I love you, I’m so proud of you. But I feel like I just don’t know you.” That hit Swerve to his core. His relationship with his children is everything. But he’s missed birthdays, holidays, basketball games, dance recitals, Father-Daughter dances, and he can’t make up for lost time. But what he can do is set the example and blaze a trail, to make sure this was all worth it. The fans cheer that!

Swerve continues by saying AEW has set people in front of him and he’s knocked them all down! Kyle Fletcher was just one. Now, how about an Open Challenge for the AEW World Championship? But only to someone who really wants to fight! So how about it, Jacksonville? We’re entering a new era in AEW, the Dynasty Era! And the elite of that era is whose house? “SWERVE’S HOUSE!” But then here comes Claudio Castagnoli! The Swiss Superman is in a suit, not his gear, but he does get in the ring. Claudio circles Swerve, then takes the mic and holds up a finger. The fans still chant, but Claudio says, “You’re on.”

Swerve says see you later tonight then, in whose house? But then Claudio snatches the mic again! “It’s gonna be mine.” The fans are intrigued but Claudio is looking to end Swerve’s Dynasty the same week it started! Will the Swiss Superman bring even more gold to the Blackpool Combat Club?

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

Coverage

Mitchell’s WWE SmackDown Results & Report! (4/26/24)

It’s Draft Day!

Published

1 day ago

April 26, 2024

Steven Mitchell

And with the first overall pick of the 2024 WWE Draft, SmackDown selects…

The WWE Draft returns for 2024, the first four rounds being right here on Friday Night SmackDown! With champions protected, who ends up where to challenge them?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee w/ Zelina Vega & Carlito VS Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo; Rey & Dragon win.
Bron Breakker VS Cedric Alexander; Bron wins.
WWE Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s Match: Naomi VS Tiffany Stratton; No Contest.
Cody Rhodes VS Carmelo Hayes; Cody wins.

PLAY BY PLAY

Backstage interview with Paul Heyman.

Kayla Braxton is with the Wise Man and says that here on night one of the Draft, there are already rumors circulating, including those about The Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns. Heyman will clarify these are not rumors regarding The Tribal Chief, Roman… Reigns. These are facts! Ladies and gentlemen, Your Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns, has voluntarily withdrawn from eligibility for this year’s Draft. That is not a negative but a positive. Who built SmackDown since the Pandemic? Roman Reigns. Who is the biggest star in the entire industry? Roman Reigns. Why would Roman Reigns hog the number one draft pick spotlight when he won’t be returning in the immediate future?

Read into his words, Kayla, that is not what a real Tribal Chief would do. Instead now, the pressure is on Nick Aldis. Because if Roman Reigns isn’t the first draft pick, then who is? The first two picks make history in a brand new era. And Heyman doesn’t know about you, but he is intrigued. No Tribal Chief up for grabs, who gets their opportunity to shine in the spotlight?

SmackDown throws it to the NXT Performance Center.

Jackie Redmond says the emotion down here is palpable! There is excitement, hope, and a little bit of nerves. But for these NXT Superstars, tonight is the culmination of a lifetime of hard work, dedication, a little bit of luck and a whole lot of self-belief. It was just last year that the NEW WWE Tag Team Champion, Grayson Waller, was hoping his name would be called. And it is funny this is NXT, but time to buy a vowel, throw in an E! Who is next? We find out tonight! The draft pool is deep, who rises to the top of the list?

Corey Graves is in the ring.

Corey welcomes Cincinnati and all of us at home to night one of the 2024 WWE Draft. Understandably, the GMs have their hands full, so Corey will be moderating the contract signing for the WWE Championship match that takes place next Saturday for Backlash: France. Without further ado, it’s the #1 contender, The Phenomenal AJ Styles! Styles makes his entrance, taking a seat at the table on camera right. And now, the Undisputed WWE Champion, the American Nightmare, Cody Rhodes! Cincy fires up and sings along, “WHOA~ OH~!” as Cody makes his entrance and gets his pyro before joining everyone in the ring.

Styles looks over the contract, absolutely tuning out the fans going wild for “CODY! CODY!” Styles then gets the mic to say before he signs, he doesn’t know if we realize that we’ve got two Georgia boys about to mix it up for the first time, and for the biggest prize in the game. Styles understands why they boo, but they gotta know that he doesn’t respect LA Knight, LA Knight got under his skin. He accepts that. But that’s why Styles lost at Mania. But what happened? Styles got his composure back and realized that he is Phenomenal. Styles BEAT Knight to earn the right to face Cody Rhodes at Backlash.

Now unlike Knight, Styles does respect Cody. They hadn’t crossed paths yet, but they’ve been down the same roads. They had to prove themselves outside of the WWE. And Styles is willing to believe that the same man who gave him advice a long time ago gave Cody the same advice, on how to stand on their own two feet and be the men they are today. That man was The American Dream, Dusty Rhodes. The fans cheer for “DUSTY! DUSTY!” Styles learned a lot from Dusty. Styles gets a little emotional thinking about Dusty, he was a good man. Dusty taught Styles how to carry himself, and to carry the weight of a championship.

And Styles looks at this WWE Championship here. The weight of this isn’t just the leather and gold. And at Backlash, we see if Cody can carry it. Styles goes back to his table, signs the contract, and then hands it off to Corey. Corey brings that to Cody, and Cody picks up his mic. “So… Cincinnati…! Whadda we wanna talk about? Certainly, we can talk about respect. There is not a locker room on Earth that you’ll find where everyone in it, every single person, they all respect AJ Styles. Last week, I went on to say you are the modern day Excellence of Execution. I respect the roads that you have traveled down to get here, the parallel paths that perhaps you and I have.

“Mutual respect, much respect. But that respect goes by the wayside at Backlash. I can feel it in your words to a degree. You’ve been here before. And it seems you’re implying that I cannot carry the weight of that championship. Well, good thing the man who trained me not far from where I sit now used to tell me all the time, it’s not about winning the title, it’s about keeping it.” The fans cheer that. Cody says boy does he respect Styles’ familiarity with Cody’s last name. But when you put C O D Y in front of it on this paper, that means they’ve never touched before. That means Backlash is a level playing field.

That means no matter how Phenomenal Styles is, this isn’t a dream match for Cody. It’s a must-win! Cody signs while the fans cheer, and it is official! Cody even throws the pen to the crowd as a free souvenir. Cody then offers a handshake, and Styles says y’know what? It was a beautiful thing to see Cody #FInishTheStory and win the title. But it’s a shame that Cody’s title reign will end at Backlash. Styles still shakes Cody’s hand, and then walks away. Cody picks up the belt and holds it high, will he get to hold it high again in Lyon, France?

Triple H is here!

Just as Cody was on his way to the back, The Game makes his way out here! HHH raises Cody’s hand, then invites him over to the podium. HHH welcomes us to the first round of the 2024 WWE Draft. It is a night that changes the landscape of the WWE going into the future, and things are a bit different this year. As the GMs ponder their next steps, they have to understand it is about protecting the roster they have as it is making the roster they want. Meaning that when they use their picks, they have just as much of a chance gaining a superstar as they do losing one they already have.

HHH just felt that since champs are protected and Cody will be staying here on SmackDown, maybe Cody could help read the SmackDown picks and HHH can read the Raw picks. And since SmackDown goes first, Cody reads first. Cody takes the card to say that with the first pick of the 2024 WWE Draft, SmackDown selects… The E S T, Bianca Belair! The stongEST, fastEST, roughEST, toughEST stays on Friday nights! HHH reads that for the second pick of the 2024 WWE Draft, Raw selects… YEET! JEY USO! Monday nights will still have Main Event Jey Uso! And the fans “YEET!” Cody says for the third pick, SmackDown selects… NXT’s Carmelo Hayes!

The fans fire up as SmackDown manages to snag… HIM! The former NXT Champion makes history again by being the first NXT superstar to be chosen this high in the Draft! HHH says that’s a hell of a pick. But then the fourth and final pick of this first round, Raw selects… SETH! FREAKIN’! ROLLINS! It is still going to be Monday Night Rollins as the Visionary stays on the red brand! Cody and HHH shake hands, and then Melo makes his way out! Melo has the mic to say when they talk about who’s next up, about who’s the hottest out, they don’t call them “the hottest out,” they just call him “Carmelo Hayes.”

The fans chant “WHOOP DAT TRICK!” to remind Melo how he’s leaving NXT. Melo says okay, okay. But then to Cody Rhodes, ever since Cody won the title, he’s been talking about “If you aim for the king, you best not miss.” Well, funny how that works. Because when Melo shoots, Melo don’t miss. And as a first round draft pick, what better way to shoot his shot on SmackDown than to shoot it right at Cody? Melo leaves the mic with Cody but Cody picks it up to say, “Fortune certainly favors the bold, but I dunno. You folks don’t wanna see me in action tonight, do ya?” The fans go wild! Oh, but what if Cody forgot his gear?

Oh that’s right! He didn’t forget his gear! And this title right here, for Cody, means absolutely 100%, Melo’s on! They shake on it, and we’re about to see a huge first-time-ever showdown! But will this bold first move work out for… HIM?

Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee w/ Zelina Vega & Carlito VS Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo!

The LWO is still not convinced Legado Del Fantasma had nothing to do with the beating that took the Boy Wonder out ahead of WrestleMania. Will the King of Lucha help get to the bottom of things? Or will Angel & “Berto” make it as easy as ABC, 1-2-3?

The teams sort out, Dragon runs up on Humberto but Humberto LARIATS him down! Humberto drags Dragon up, tears the shirt away and CHOPS! Humberto whips, Dragon ducks ‘n’ dodges to RANA! Humberto tumbles out, Dragon builds speed and FLIES! Direct hit and down goes Humberto! The fans fire up as Dragon pushes Humberto into the ring, goes up a corner, and then CROSSBODIES! Cover, TWO! Dragon facelocks to drag Humberto up, but Humberto wrenches out to CLUB Dragon down. Humberto waistlocks but Dragon throws elbows. Angel tags in as Humberto shoves Dragon. Dragon ducks but Angel holds ropes open, and Dragon tumbles to the floor!

The fans boo and LWO hurries to check on Dragon! Angel & Humberto just soak up the heat as SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns and both Dragon and Humberto are down! They crawl, hot tags to Angel and Rey! The fans fire up as Rey ducks ‘n’ dodges and tilt-o-whirl RANAS! Angel ends up in a corner, he puts Rey on the apron, but Rey ROCKS Angel! Rey goes up to SEATED SENTON! Rey keeps moving, wrenches and kicks, then hops on! CODE RED! Cover, Humberto breaks it! The fans boo but Humberto hauls Rey up. Rey fights and RANAS Humberto up and out! But Angelo kicks, scoops, but Rey slips free! Angelo kicks low, reels REy in, and underhooks, but Rey fights those to RANA Angel onto ropes! Rey dials it up to 619!

Tag to Dragon and he takes aim! Angel stands, into the tilt-o-whirl, PROJECT DRAGON!! Cover, LWO wins!

Winners: Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee, by pinfall

Carlito and Zelina hug it out with the team, but then Santos Escobar & Elektra Lopez walk out here. Santos says whoa, whoa, whoa, hold that celebration. Because Santos is many things, but a liar is not one of them. And when Santos said he did NOT attack Dragon that night before Mania, he meant it. Elektra has been working for weeks to track down the security footage from that night. And Rey… Oh, Rey. What you’re about to see, you will find very, very interesting. The footage plays, and it was CARLITO!! Carlito throw Dragon around backstage! No one can believe it, because of how well Carlito fooled even Dragno.

Speaking of, Carlito RAMS Dragon into Rey, then hits a BACKSTABBER! Never has that move’s name been more fitting! Carlito runs away in a panic, and Rey stands back up in a rage! Santos says he told Rey that he was right all along. They were supposed to be family, and yet look how that turned out. How will the LWO recover from this shocking development?

Bron Breakker VS Cedric Alexander!

The Big Bad Booty Nephew has been making a case for himself ever since showing up on SmackDown, and he’s already bringing the straps down! Is he going to break PRIMED Alexander while also breaking match time records? Or will Cedric prove he’s too fly for Bron?

The bell rings and Cedric dodges Bron to CHOP and ROCK! Cedric whips, Bron reverses and Cedric handsprings, into a SPEAR!! Cover, Bron wins!

Winner: Bron Breakker, by pinfall

Well, hard to say if that’s an all-time fast match, but that was a fast match! QR Code stuff going on, but will we all see Bron take the world by storm?

Nick Aldis heads out.

And waiting is Tiffany Stratton. She asks if he saw what she did last week. Wait, of course he did. Because she is the Center of the Universe. She dropped Naomi and Bayley, where is her title match? Aldis tells Tiff to look at his watch. It is NOT set to #TiffyTime. And he was this close to sending her to the back of the line. But then someone convinced him otherwise, good for her. Tonight, she goes 1v1 with Naomi again, and the winner faces Bayley for the title at Backlash. Whose stupid idea was that?! Bayley says DING DONG, it was hers. It is a win-win situation here. If Naomi wins, she gets the match she got cheated out of.

And if Tiff wins, then she’ll find out when she attacks the Role Model. Tiff gasps as she has a #TiffanyEpiphany. Bayley should be ringside for that match so she can see Tiff do what Bayley couldn’t, and that’s beat Naomi. Tootles. Tiff leaves, but will the only thing she gets is to #FeelTheGlow?

Michelle McCool and Torrie Wilson are here!

One is a former WWE Women’s Champion, the other is a WWE Hall of Famer, but they’re both here to present Draft picks! Michelle says with the first pick of the second round, SmackDown selects… The Viper, Randy Orton! SmackDown will still have to watch out for an RKO outta nowhere! Torrie says that with the second pick of the second round, Raw selects… BRON BREAKKER! We just saw Bron make quick work of opponents here on SmackDown, but now he’s gonna be rampaging on Raw!

Michelle says that with the third pick of the second round, SmackDown selects… NIA JAX! The Irresistible Force may have to change targets from the Women’s World to the Undisputed Women’s title, but will she be unstoppable all the same? And with the fourth and final pick of this round, Raw selects… LIV MORGAN! The Revenge Tour will still be part of Monday nights, will we watch Liv rise to the top?

The Bloodline arrives backstage.

Paul Heyman is there to greet them and open the door to the SUV. He apologizes for not being faster about that, but Solo Sikoa asks The Bloodline if they’ve been drafted. Not yet. Then give Solo the details. Okay, well, Roman Reigns withdrew right before the show began, and then Solo keeps adding members, so no one really knows what they’re getting if they draft The Bloodline! Solo sighs, and here comes Tama Tonga. Heyman asks they be patient but Solo wants Heyman to repeat that for him. Heyman gets scared, but then KEVIN OWENS jumps in! Kevin fires off on Tama, security and refs rush in to stop it!

The Prizefighter wants Solo’s “MFT” to bring the fight like he did last week! Security still drags Kevin away, but will he get that fight he wants?

Kayla Braxton is on stage.

SmackDown returns and Kayla welcomes us back to the show. And please welcome out the first overall pick, Bianca Belair! The fans fire up as The EST walks out on stage, and Kayla congratulates her on being the first overall pick. But let’s talk Backlash. Breaking news, Bianca and Jade Cargill are going to challenge for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships, against the Kabuki Warriors. How satisfying would it be to dethrone them on the stage of this magnitude? Bianca says so satisfying. She really hopes Jade gets drafted to SmackDown because given all this history with Damage CTRL, all the partners by her side, Bianca has never been the one to finally end it with them.

For everything they’ve done to her and this division, Bianca feels Jade is the perfect woman to help her end this. Now, DMG CTRL is falling apart piece by piece, and that final piece is the tag titles. So once Bianca & Jade take the gold at Backlash, the Kabuki Warriors won’t even have a reason to come back to SmackDown. But wait, they’re here now! Asuka & Kairi walk out here and Kayla moves aside. The Empress of Tomorrow and the Pirate Princess taunt the EST, but here comes The Storm! Jade makes her way to stand right by Bianca’s side. The four shout and argue, but this will be settled on May 4th!

WHOA! Tama and Kevin are brawling their way out here! The ladies move aside so the gentlemen can brawl all the way down to ringside! Tama hits low, gets in the ring, but Kevin pursues! Kevin TACKLES Tama, but Solo CLOBBERS Kevin! The fans boo as The Bloodline beats Kevin down! The refs hurry out here but clearly Solo’s Bloodline won’t listen! Tama DECKS producers, DECKS guards, HEADBUTTS them, throws hands and even THROWS the guards! Tama and Solo beat Kevin down again, but here comes Randy Orton! The Viper is still on SmackDown and he’s still pals with Kevin, so here he comes!

Orton DECKS Tama, fires hands on Solo, then RK- NO, Solo gets free and gets away! Orton wants to pursue, almost runs Jamie Noble and refs over to do it, but the Bloodline has gotten away! The fans cheer Randy on, and KAevin even hugs him! But then Kevin and Randy try to give chase! Security stops this, when and where will we see #RKKO strike down Solo and Tama?

The Dudley Boyz are here!

The fans fire up as Bubba Ray & D-Von are both here for the next round of picks! Cincy chants for “E C DUB! E C DUB!” Bubba and D-Von look at the cards, it’s hard to read. So out come the glasses! Bubba says with the first pick of the third round of the 2024 WWE Draft, SmackDown selects… L A KNIGHT! YEAH!! The Mega Star stays on Fridays! D-Von says with the second pick of the third round, Raw selects… RICOCHET! Mondays still has the One and Only, is Ricochet going to bring that WWE Speed Championship home to Raw, too?

Bubba says with the third pick of the third round, SmackDown selects… THE BLOODLINE! That means Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga and Paul Heyman are staying right here on Friday nights. And D-Von says with the final pick of this round, Raw selects… SHEAMUS! The Celtic Warrior just got back, but he won’t have to worry about going anywhere else but Monday nights.

WWE Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s Match: Naomi VS Tiffany Stratton!

It’s time to run it back once again! The Glow got robbed by the Spoiled Rich Girl, but supposedly, it’s #TiffyTime. Will Naomi prove there’s no such time on the clock? Or will Bayley be the one feeling the Backlash over giving Tiffany one more chance?

The bell rings and Naomi hits a THESZ PRESS! Naomi rains down fists, Tiffy shoves her away and goes to ropes, but Naomi gets up in Tiff’s face. Naomi whips, Tiff holds ropes to bail out and fans boo. Naomi scowls, runs in and WRECKS Tiff with a dropkick! Naomi then gets Tiff up, SMACKS her off the apron, and then SMACKS her off it again! And again! Naomi puts Tiff in, goes up a corner, but Tiff gets under the jump! Naomi runs back up but Tiff YANKS her into ropes! Tiff runs to HIP ATTACK! Naomi sputters, Tiff scowls and drags Naomi up, to then put through ropes. But Naomi RAMS into Tiff!

Naomi reels Tiff in, for a HEATSEEKER! Tiff flops to the floor, and then Naomi SPLIT LEG DROPS! Naomi says it’s #NaomiTime, but SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns and Naomi runs, but into a SPINEBUSTER! High stack, TWO! Naomi survives and Tiff is frustrated but the fans rally up. Tiff drags Naomi up, whips her to a corner, but Naomi goes up and sunset flips! TWO! Tiff escapes, knees Naomi low, then whips. Naomi slides under the lariat to then mule kick! Then she headscissor SPIKES Tiff down! Cover, TWO! Tiff survives but barely, and Naomi keeps her cool. Naomi headlocks, but Tiff shoves her into buckles! Tiff runs, but Naomi follows, DOUBLE RUNNING FACEBUSTERS take them both down! The fans fire up as the two rise!

Naomi KICKS, ROCKS and ROCKS Tiff again! Naomi fires shots again and again but Tiff knees low! Tiff reels Naomi in, but Naomi wrenches out to ENZIGIRI! And then BUCKLE BULLDOG! But then NIA JAX attacks Bayley!? Nia SMACKS Bayley off buckles, rains down fists, and this momentarily distracts Naomi. Naomi refocuses, but by now, Tiff’s slipped away! Nia KICKS Bayley in the side, so Naomi goes out to ROCK her! Nia POSTS Naomi and that throws the match out!

No Contest

The fans boo as Nia ruins the fun, then runs Bayley over! Nia smiles as she blows kisses to Cincy. Tiff smiles, she drags Naomi up and puts her in the ring. Then she drags Bayley in! Tiff wants a repeat of last week as she puts them side by side in the drop zone! Tiff then goes up and up for the PRETTIEST MOONSAULT EVER!! Tiff says it’s her time, but the #1 contendership is still in question. Who gets their shot at the Role Model at Backlash?

B-Fab and the Street Profits meet up backstage.

Angelo Dawkins has a “WHO-DEY” sign, but Montez Ford is wondering where Bobby Lashley is right now. B-Fab says calm down, he’ll be here. Byron Saxton walks over and apologizes for interrupting. He doesn’t know what the Draft destination for this group will be until Monday Night Raw, but we do know that The Profits will challenge A-Town Down Under for the WWE Tag Team Championships. YESSIIIIIIR~! B-Fab says it doesn’t matter where they get drafted. The Profits are going to take down A-Town Down Under and take those titles. Then they’ll have their first class tickets right back to SmackDown.

SmackDown? Did someone say SmackDown~? In walk Austin Theory & Grayson Waller, showing off the titles. And Theory says you can’t have SmackDown without the GREATEST undefeated tag team of all time. And sorry, Dawkins, but these are championships, something the Bengals know nothing about! B-Fab keeps Dawkins back, but then in steps Bobby Lashley! The All Mighty scares Theory & Waller right off, and Dawkins says see y’all next Friday! Will there be nothing keeping these Profits down the night before Backlash?

The Final Testament speaks.

Karrion Kross says good evening. What’s going on here? You guessed it! More random acts of violence! Just follow him. Kross & Scarlett lead the way to show The Authors of Pain beating down New Catch Republic! Rezar beats down Pete Dunne while Akam victimizes Tyler Bate! Paul Ellering says they will know about sacrifice! Kross says whether they get drafted to Raw or stay on SmackDown, the violence will continue until they get what they want! So sayeth The Final Testament!!

Teddy Long and JBL are here!

The Hall of Famer General Manager and the Hall of Famer WWE Champion are both here, ready to give us the fourth and final round of picks tonight! Teddy gets right to it! The first pick of the fourth round, SmackDown selects… AJ STYLES! The Phenomenal One is really an obvious choice, because one way or another, the WWE Championship stays with SmackDown! JBL says the second pick of the fourth round, Raw selects… THE ALPHA ACADEMY! Raw keeps Chad Gable, Otis, Maxxine Dupri & Akira Tozawa, A THANK YEW~!

Teddy says with the third pick of this round, SmackDown selects… ANDRADE! A big move as now El Idolo will be part of Friday nights. And with the final pick of this fourth round, Raw selects… NXT’S Kiana James! The Calculator, the former NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion, has the Raw hat to put on, and after a quick hype package, Jackie Redmond is there to interview her. Kiana, congratulations! You are heading to Monday Night Raw! How much does this mean to her? This means the world to her. She is filled with gratitude, but also knows every decision she has made up to this point has been by design to get her here.

Kiana is so proud of her time in NXT, but she’s ready to show Raw why she is the One Percent. Was she surprised? Of course she was! HBK is here to wish her luck and congratulations. Is Kiana going to start the hostile takeover of the Raw Women’s Division?

Backstage interview with Nick Aldis.

Kayla is with the SmackDown GM and says that with night one in the books, how does he feel about SmackDown’s selections? He feels really good about them. SmackDown’s future is bright, he can’t wait for the new recruits to show up and show out for the blue brand. But he also wants to turn attentions to Backlash, because he’s got some new matches to announce! The first PLE in France, this is exciting stuff, Kayla. Aldis says that the WWE Women’s Championship will now be on the line in a Triple Threat! Bayley VS Naomi VS Tiffany Stratton! Will the odds make it that much harder for the Role Model to succeed?

There’s one more match to announce, but Aldis will let the GM GOAT take it from here. Teddy Long steps in, and don’t forget. We’ll talk about this tag team match. The Bloodline VS Kevin Owens & Randy Orton! Holla, players. Solo & Tama will have to face The Viper and the Prizefighter, will #RKKO strike fast and strike hard?

Cody Rhodes VS Carmelo Hayes!

The American Nightmare just put pen to paper for his match with the Phenomenal One, but he isn’t one to shy away from a challenge. The former NXT Champion is shooting his shot, but will this be nothing but net? Or will it be a frustrating airball?

The bell rings and the two circle. They tie up, the fans rally for Cody as he puts Melo in a corner then arm-drags him away. Melo runs up, Cody headlocks, Melo powers out then drops. Melo hurdles, but Cody kicks low to RHODES UPPERCUT! Melo staggers to ropes, the fans fire up, but then melo throat chops and springboard FLYING LARIATS! Melo says that’s why he’s a first round pick! But then Cody CLOBBERS him! Cody asks if Melo’s ready for this, and SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns once again and Cody has a headlock. Cody hits a takeover, Melo flails and kicks around, but Cody grinds him down. Melo pushes with his forearm, then headscissors, but Cody kips free. Melo CHOPS, the fans “WOO~!” but Cody brushes himself off. Melo pie faces Cody! Cody fires forearms on Melo, then whips, but Melo reverses. Melo ELBOWS Cody, then runs up to KICK him in the side! Melo fires forearms and CHOPS in a corner, then throws body shots. Melo digs his boot in, the ref counts, and Cody goes to another corner. Cody eggs Melo on, Melo storms up, but Cody puts him in the corner to CHOP!

Cody swings, Melo dodges and CHOPS! Cody turns things around to CHOP! The fans rally, Cody whips corner to corner, then he back drops Melo away! Melo staggers up, Cody runs, and he rallies on Melo with forearms! Cody goes up and over in a corner but Melo tilt-o-whirls, LA MYSTICA! Melo springboards, FADE AWAY! Cover, TWO! Cody survives that flying DDT, but we see the NXT roster all fired up watching Melo take it to the champ. Melo sits Cody up, drags him into a facelock, but the fans rally for Cody. Cody fireman’s carries but Melo slips free to dragon sleeper! Melo grins, but Cody cradles! TWO!!

Melo swings, Cody boots, then Cody springboards to BEAUTIFUL DISASTER! Melo flips inside-out, Cody covers, TWO! Melo is still in this and he snarls up at Cody. Melo gives a forearm, Cody gives it back, and the fans rally up. Cody scoops Melo, storms around, and then hits a RUNNING POWERSLAM! Cover, TWO! Melo survives and Cody grows frustrated. Cody pounds the mat, the fans rally up, and then Cody goes to ropes. Cody springboards again, CODY CUTTER! Cover, TWO!! Melo survives yet again, proving why he’s a former NXT Champion, on top of NXT North American Champion! But then Cody drags him up!

Cody back suplexes, Melo lands out of it, then FIRST 48! Doe goes Cody and Melo goes up! Melo is setting up for the game winner! NOTHING BUT- NO, Cody avoids the flying leg drop! Melo rolls through, Cody dodges to SUPERKICK! Cody brings Melo around, but Melo gets free! They both run, both springboard, but completely miss each other, and Cody takes a rough landing! Melo drags Cody up, reels him in, but Cody wrenches out to dragon sleeper! CROSS RHODES!! Cody shakes out the bad arm but still makes the cover, and Cody wins!

Winner: Cody Rhodes, by pinfall

Melo took his shot but it was blocked! Even so, Cody sits Melo up to show him respect and tell him he’s still the future. But did this match end up more of a trap game for Cody after that crash landing? Or will he be alright in time for Backlash and his phenomenal opponent?

Speaking of, Styles sneaks right into the ring! Cody sees him in time and Styles stays back. Cody and Styles stare down, but Styles says it was that close. Styles offers a handshake, and Cody takes it. There’s still respect here, for now. But will nothing stop Styles from turning Cody’s story into a tragedy after all?

My Thoughts:

A great SmackDown to open the WWE Draft but to also set up Backlash. To recap, SmackDown took Bianca, Melo, Orton, Nia, LA Knight, The Bloodline, Styles and Andrade while Raw took Jey, Rollins, Bron, Liv, Ricochet, Sheamus, The Alpha Academy, and Kiana. Many of those choices made sense, as picks won’t be wasted on keeping champions on brands, and just need to be used to keep most stories alive and change up a few others. Kiana is perhaps one of the more surprising moves, but well-deserved. She has been a solid character and solid in-ring performer almost from the start, she’s a solid addition to Raw.

Bron of course demolished his opponent tonight, it’s just a shame it was Cedric and not local enhancement talent. But Bron will also be a good addition to Raw, but maybe he can move past his squash match phase and get right to story. Melo being a first round pick was great stuff, and he had a great promo with Cody to give us tonight’s main event. That double springboard whiff was definitely a timing problem, but at the same time, a Fade Away countered into a Cody Cutter would’ve been way too epic just for TV. Cody with a great win, and we got a really good contract signing segment, but you can bet Cody retains.

Really good tag match from LWO VS Legado but naturally Rey & Dragon won. I knew it was only a matter of time before Carlito was outed, and how he handled being exposed was pretty good. And with Andrade being drafted to SmackDown, you just know that means Andrade joins the LWO. The Final Testament attacking New Catch Republic was a wild moment, I almost thought Ellering was going to use the pliers in his hands to grab at fingers. Maybe we get that next week for SmackDown in France. Good promos from A-Town Down Under and the still technically unnamed faction of Bobby Lashley’s. As great as The Profits are, it feels like Theory & Waller will cheat to retain.

Really good promo with Tiff and Bayley to set up Naomi VS Tiff round 3, but I did not think Nia Jax would disrupt all that. A Triple Threat at Backlash is good stuff, it will protect Bayley if she loses, but can also protect Naomi and Tiff if Bayley uses them against each other to win. Good promo from Bianca that then turned into the shouting match of Bianca & Jade with Kabuki Warriors. Their tag title match is official, and I’m pretty sure Bianca & Jade win. I also liked that this segment ended up having Kevin and Tama brawl right through it. Orton saving Kevin was a great move, RKKO VS Solo & Tama is going to be awesome stuff, I can’t wait to see it.