Coverage
Mitchell’s NJPW New Japan Cup Results & Report! (3/10/22)
Round two, part two!

Will The Ace run into some Bad Luck?
As the New Japan Cup rolls on, Hiroshi Tanahashi runs into a familiar roadblock! Will the Rogue General blow up Tanahashi’s tournament run?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Six Man Tag: Ryusuke Taguchi, Master Wato & Tomoaki Honma VS Suzuki-Gun; Suzuki-Gun wins.
- Six Man Tag: Chaos VS House of Torture; Chaos wins.
- Six Man Tag: Los Ingobernables de Japon VS The United Empire; The United Empire wins.
- 2022 New Japan Cup Second Round: YOSHI-HASHI VS Kosei Fujita; Hashi wins and advances.
- 2022 New Japan Cup Second Round: Tetusya Naito VS Gedo; Naito wins and advances.
- 2022 New Japan Cup Second Round: Satoshi Kojima VS Jeff Cobb; Cobb wins and advances.
- 2022 New Japan Cup Second Round: Hiroshi Tanahashi VS Bad Luck Fale; Tanahashi wins and advances.
PLAY BY PLAY
2022 New Japan Cup Second Round: YOSHI-HASHI VS Kosei Fujita!
The Head Hunter had a very good win in the first round, but he can’t let up just yet! Will he make sure to take the Young Lion serious?
The bell rings and Fujita rushes Hashi with forearms! Hashi DECKS Fujita in return! Fans cheer and Hashi gets Fujita up to CLUB him down. Hashi whips, Fujita comes back and ROCKS Hashi with a forearm! Fujita keeps on Hashi in the corner with more forearms, and more forearms, and more forearms! Then he switches to stomping a mudhole into Hashi! Fujita lets off and fans fire up before he drags Hashi back up. Fujita throws more forearms, then whips Hashi corner to corner. Fujita runs in but Hashi runs him over! Hashi then stomps Fujita before bringing him back up for a CHOP!
Fujita gets up but Hashi CHOPS him down! Fujita is right back up and he CHOPS! And CHOPS! Hashi eggs him on, then CHOPS him down again! Hashi stands Fujita up to snapmare, and then he clamps on a chinlock. Fujita endures as Hashi stretches him back against his knee! Fujita reaches out and his foot gets the ROPEBREAK! Hashi lets off, then brings Fujita back up. Hashi CLUBS Fujita on the neck, then brings him up. Fujita CHOPS, and CHOPS, but Hashi gets in Fujita’s face! Hashi CHOPS, but Fujita grits his teeth. Fujita CHOPS but Hashi CHOPS him off his feet! Cover, TWO! Fans rally as Fujita rises.
Hashi stands Fujita up, wrenches the arm, and ROCKS him with a forearm! Then wrenches and CHOPS! Hashi then wrenches and ROCKS Fujita again, to wrench and CHOP again! Hashi wrenches but now Fujita throws forearms! Hashi ROCKS Fujita, wrenches and CHOPS! Fujita falls over but Hashi gets him back up. Hashi suplexes high and hard! Cover, TWO! Another try, TWO! A third cover, TWO! Fujita is still in this and fans rally up. Hashi drags Fujita by a leg and turns him, but Fujira reaches out! Hashi drags Fujita from the ropes, but Fujita kicks with his free leg! Fujita gets free but Hashi stomps him back down!
Hashi drags Fujita back up as fans rally. Fujita dropkicks Hashi down! Fans cheer as both men are on the mat. Fujita fires up and storms over to Hashi. Fujita throws forearms, whips Hashi to ropes, and dropkicks him down again! Cover, TWO! Fujita keeps focus and he stands Hashi back up. Fujita throws more forearms, then SLAPS Hashi with a palm strike! Then BELLY2BELLY! Cover, TWO! Fujita gets the legs, BOSTON CRAB! Hashi endures as Fujita sits deep! Hashi powers up, crawls forward, but Fujita pulls back more! Hashi still reaches out, ROPEBREAK! The ref counts, Fujita lets go at 4!
Fujita stomps Hashi then brings him back up. Fujita throws more forearms, but Hashi blocks the scoop! Fujita throws even more forearms and runs, but into a back drop! Hashi drags Fujita up, scoops him, and SLAMS him down! Hashi then gets the leg, HALF CRAB! Fujita endures as Hashi sits deep! Fujita powers up, he crawls forward and reaches out, but Hashi drags him away! Hashi gets the other leg to use the FULL BOSTON CRAB! Fujita is caught, but he powers up! Only for Hashi to pull back even more! Fans rally as Fujita fights, ROPEBREAK! Fans fire up as Fujita shows that fighting spirit!
Hashi drags Fujita up, suplexes, but Fujita turns it into a cradle! TWO!! Fujita comes so close, but Hashi CHOPS him! And mule kicks, to then suplex, into the HEAD BUSTER! Cover, TWO!! Fujita survives and fans fire up! Hashi drags Fujita into the BUTTERFLY LOCK! Fujita endures and crawls with just his legs, but Hashi cranks the hold! Fujita taps, Hashi wins!
Winner: Yoshi-Hashi, by submission (advances to the next round)
The Young Lion showed heart, and the Head Hunter shows him some respect. But as he moves on, will Hashi make sure to always #GetBackUp?
2022 New Japan Cup Second Round: Tetusya Naito VS Gedo!
Los Ingobernables de Japon was on the losing end of a tag match as Bullet Club swept the night! But now it’s 1v1 between the Uncontrollable Charisma and the Blacksmith! Will Naito keep the tournament tranquilo? Or will Gedo make things Too Sweet?
Naito takes his time with the entrance attire as usual, and Gedo gets impatient. Naito tells him to cut it out with the fake watch and he gets to the pants. If anything, Naito takes a little longer just to mess with Gedo. The bell rings, and then Gedo bails out. Gedo uses the same tactic he taught Jay White, so Naito decides to let the ring count start. Gedo is fine with that, he has plenty of time. The count reaches 7 of 20, Gedo does some calisthenics, but then Naito rushes over! Gedo runs away but Naito just rolls and tranquilos! Fans cheer and Naito sprawls out on the, but then rolls out as Gedo rushes in!
Gedo is annoyed but Naito comes back, only to roll right back out. Naito knows how to play the game the way Gedo and White do. Chase Owens is with English commentary and tells Naito to get in the ring, but Shingo Takagi is on Japanese commentary and tells Chase to watch himself. Gedo mocks Naito with the tranquilo, but Naito gets in to basement dropkick him! Naito then drags Gedo up by his beard! The ref reprimands, but Naito lets off, to grab the beard with his other hand! Naito then lets go, to grab the beard with both hands! Naito mocks Gedo’s pain, then winds back. Gedo wants mercy, so Naito doesn’t punch.
Naito YANKS the beard instead! Naito then stands Gedo up for more pulling of the beard. He asks if Gedo gives up but Gedo says no, so Naito TOSSES Gedo! Gedo bails out of the ring, Naito goes out after him, but Gedo RAMS Naito into railing! Gedo and Naito clinch at the railing, Naito pulls the beard! The ring count is climbing, Naito YANKS the beard. Gedo keeps Naito from getting in the ring and we’re at 10 of 20! Naito clubs away, the count reaches 15 of 20. Naito grabs at Gedo’s things, and he brings out the brass knuckles! Naito clangs them off the post so Gedo knows, and Gedo lets go!
The count is 17 of 20, Naito threatens Gedo. They both get in at 18 of 20, but the ref tries to confiscate the brass knuckles. Naito won’t let the ref take them, but the ref keeps trying. Naito finally lets the ref have the knuckles, and he blocks Gedo’s cheap shot! Naito then grabs and YANKS the beard again! Naito asks if Gedo gives up, Gedo tells him to shut up. Naito whips corner to corner but Gedo avoids the jump kick. Gedo blocks boots to hit a KNEE BREAKER! Gedo then drags Naito out by the leg and SLAMS the leg on the apron edge! Naito writhes but Gedo drags him to a corner. Gedo SLAMS the leg into the post!
Gedo paces while Naito clutches his leg. Gedo gets the leg again, then SLAMS the leg into the post again! This is payback for pulling on the beard! Gedo then grabs the bell hammer while the ref is busy helping Naito. Gedo HAMMERS the leg! The ref sees that and takes the hammer back. Naito flops to the floor but Gedo gets the hammer again. Gedo HAMMERS the leg more and more! The ring count starts so Gedo lets off. Gedo goes in before 9 of 20 and Naito writhes. Naito manages to get up at 14, shakes out the bad leg, and gets in at 18. Gedo is after the bad leg with a FIGURE FOUR LEGLOCK!
Naito endures, but he grabs for the beard. Gedo keeps his chin out of reach and he puts more pressure on the leglock. Fans rally, Naito drags himself and Gedo, but Gedo drags Naito back! Gedo puts more pressure, but Naito turns things around! Gedo turns it back to keep the pressure on Naito, but Naito gets the ROPEBREAK! The ref undoes the leglock but that’s pretty tricky. Naito is freed, but Gedo stands over him. Gedo stomps the bad leg, but Naito still grabs at the beard. Gedo toys with Naito and digs his heels into the knee at the same time. Naito grabs the ropes again so Gedo steps off.
Gedo puts the bad leg on ropes to HIP DROP it! Gedo gloats and jumps up again, but hip drops into a knee! Fans cheer while both men are down, and Naito grins even as he works on his bad leg. Naito hobbles over, and fires off forearms and kicks! Naito whips to arm-drag Gedo, then elbow him down! Basement dropkick! Naito drags Gedo up, turns him, NECKBREAKER! Cover, and pulling on the beard, TWO! Naito pulls the beard more, gets Gedo up, and then snapmares. Naito wraps Gedo up in the leg-hook full nelson! Gedo endures, Naito puts as much pressure as he can, but Gedo moves around to the ROPEBREAK!
Naito says he needs help, but he’s also pulling beard! The ref counts, Naito stops pulling beard, and he gets the legs unhooked. Naito stomps Gedo, whips him corner to corner, then runs in to JUMP KICK! Leg sweep and COMBINACION… Gedo has his guard up so Naito waits… CABRON! Fans cheer and Naito strikes his pose. Again, Naito asks if Gedo gives up but Gedo says no. Naito puts Gedo up top, climbs up, but Gedo slips out to trip Naito up! Naito hits buckles, Gedo rolls him up, TWO! Naito gets up, kicks back and reels Gedo in, but Gedo turns DDT into cradle! TWO, and Gedo pokes Naito’s eyes!
Gedo runs and sunset flips, TWO and Naito has a prawn hold, TWO! Gedo sunsets, TWO! Naito rolling jackknifes, TWO!! Gedo escapes and fans cheer that exchange. Gedo swings, into a backslide, TWO! Naito reels Gedo in, scoops, but Gedo cradles again! TWO, and Gedo mule kicks the leg! GEDO CLU- NO! Naito stands up and turns it around, NAITO CLUTCH! TWO, and Gedo gets the GEDO CLUTCH! TWO!?! Naito escapes but barely, only to swing into a COMPLETE SHOT! Now GEDO CLUTCH!, TWO!?!? Naito escapes again and fans fire up! Gedo and Naito stand up, Gedo JAWBREAKERS!
But Naito blocks the superkick! Naito CLUBS the leg, but Gedo blocks a kick to send it into the ref! Ref’s down, Gedo SUCKER PUNCHES Naito! Gedo goes to his corner and brings another pair of brass knuckles! Gedo waits for Naito to stand, Naito uses the ref as a shield! And then ENZIGURIS Gedo! Gedo stays up but swings, into a hammerlock, for a roll-up! Naito wins!!
Winner: Tetsuya Naito, by pinfall (advances to the next round)
Gedo thought it was Gloria but he got tricked! Naito is moving on, will he be able to keep this going in the Sweet Sixteen? Chase gets off commentary to talk with Gedo about what happened, but then Naito comes back to grab the beard! Chase tells Naito to back off and a Young Lion escorts Naito away, but will the Crown Jewel be itching to get payback down the line?
2022 New Japan Cup Second Round: Satoshi Kojima VS Jeff Cobb!
Back on the 50th Anniversary Show, the United Empire conquered Kojima, Nagata and the Young Lions, but now things are 1v1! Will Bread Style withstand the Hawaiian Hulk? Or will Cobb take Kojima on a Tour of the Islands?
The bell rings and the two stare down as fans cheer. Fans rally as the two circle, and they tie up. Cobb pushes Kojima away, but Kojima keeps cool as he circles with Cobb. They tie up again and Cobb gets under Kojima to put him right up top! The ref calls for the ropebreak and Cobb lets off. Cobb just backs away, and Kojima hops down. They circle again, tie up, and Kojima headlocks. Cobb powers out, they RAM shoulders, but neither falls! Kojima runs, he RAMS Cobb again but Cobb stays up. Kojima dares Cobb to try, and Cobb runs, to run Kojima over! Cobb shows he has dancing pecs while Kojima gets to a corner.
Cobb throws haymakers, then brings Kojima out to CLUB him down. Cobb ROCKS Kojima with a forearm, then whips him corner to corner. Kojima comes back to run Cobb over! Fans fire up as Kojima shows off his dancing pecs! Cobb bails out and cools off, but Kojima aims at the ropes! Cobb drags Kojima out first, then throws body shots! Cobb CLUBS Kojima down, whips but Kojima reverses and Cobb hits railing! Kojima leans against the apron to catch his breath but he fires off on Cobb, then POSTS him! Kojima stomps Cobb, brings him up and puts him in the ring, then stomps him more.
Kojima clamps on a chinlock and digs his knee in, but Cobb gets the ROPEBREAK. Kojima lets off, but ELBOWS Cobb in the head! Kojima stomps, tries to suplex, but Cobb is too big and strong! Cobb suplexes, but Kojima slips off! Cobb elbows free, then DROPKICKS! Cobb catches his breath, he stomps Kojima, then brings Kojima up. Fans rally but Cobb snapmares Kojima near the ropes. Cobb stands on Kojima’s chest! The ref reprimands as Cobb uses Kojima as a surfboard! Cobb hops off, stomps Kojima more, but Kojima gets up to throw body shots! Cobb headbutts Kojima in the ribs!
Cobb then JAMS his knee and throws an uppercut into Kojima’s back! Cocky cover, TWO! Cobb is annoyed but he keeps his focus. Cobb throws body shots in the corner, then CHOPS! And CHOPS! And MACHINE GUN CHOPS! Cobb smiles but Kojima turns it around to MACHINE GUN CHOP Cobb! Kojima whips corner to corner, runs in and forearm smashes! Kojima throws Cobb down and fans fire up with Kojima! Kojima climbs up, MACHO ELBOW! Cover, TWO! Kojima waits on Cobb to get up and fans rally. Kojima throws forearm after forearm, then a ROLLING ELBOW, but Cobb ROCKS him with one!
Cobb pump handles for a FALL AWAY SLAM! And GACHIMUCHI MOONSAULT! Cover, TWO!! Kojima survives but Cobb snarls as he gets up. Fans rally, Cobb waistlocks and deadlifts Kojima, but Kojima elbows free! Kojima DDTs Cobb down! Kojima and Cobb get back up, Kojima kicks low for the COZY CUTTER! Fans rally up for “KO-JI-MA!” while Cobb goes to the ropes. Kojima hobbles over, he drags Cobb up on the apron, but the ref counts. Kojima lets off and Cobb goes to the railing. Kojima goes out but Cobb kicks him and reels him in! APRON POWERBOMB! Both men are down but the ref checks on Kojima.
Kojima is okay to continue, so Cobb gets up and storms over. Cobb hauls Kojima up to fireman’s carry him into the ring! Kojima fights free and kicks back! APRON DDT! Both men fall back down and fans fire up again! Now the ref checks Cobb, but he’s somehow okay to continue. A ring count starts as the two stir. The count reaches 10 of 20, fans rally up, and Kojima gets up quick! He’s in at 14, but Cobb is still dragging himself up. Cobb gets in at 18! But he’s really only in enough to break the count, and fans rally up. Kojima gets up, throws haymakers, but Cobb gives them back! They go back and forth and fans rally up!
Kojima CHOPS, Cobb fires off many forearms. Kojima gives those forearms all back, then runs, but into an ATHLETIC PLEX! Kojima and Cobb are down again as fans rally up. Cobb and Kojima go to opposite corners, and Cobb runs in, to back elbow! Cobb CHOPS, and CHOPS, and starts up the MACHINE GUN CHOPS again! Cobb then whips corner to corner, but he redirects Kojima to forearm smash! Then he snapmares, and shouts, “CHEESY BURRITO!” Cobb is mocking Kojima, but Kojima gets up to ROCK him with forearms first! Kojima climbs up, throws down forearms, and fans fire up!
Kojima cravats, SUPER COZY CUTTER!! Both men are down and fans fire up even more! Kojima gets up and he throws off the elbow pad! Fans fire up as he runs, but Cobb dodges to come back and LARIAT! Kojima stays up but barely! Cobb pretends to take off an elbow pad, but he runs into a COZY LARIAT! Cobb falls over and fans are thunderous for Kojima! Kojima suplexes, COZY BRAINBUSTER!! Cover, TWO!!! Cobb survives and fans rally up again! Kojima slowly gets up while Cobb goes to ropes. Kojima hobbles over, drags Cobb up, and Kojima whips. Cobb blocks the lariat! And again! But the THIRD COZY LARIAT hits!!
But Kojima can’t cover! His own momentum takes him away! And his arm is really hurting him, too! Kojima fights through the pain, gets to his feet again, and fans are thunderous as he runs! Into a TOUR OF THE ISLANDS!!! Cover, Cobb wins!!
Winner: Jeff Cobb, by pinfall (advances to the next round)
Cobb snatches victory from the jaws of defeat! It was a close call against Kojima, but will Cobb be able to do much of the same to Yoshi-Hashi in the next round?
2022 New Japan Cup Second Round: Hiroshi Tanahashi VS Bad Luck Fale!
The Ace and the Rogue General are no strangers, having run into each other in many tournaments before. Will the Once in a Century Talent be able to continue on with love and energy? Or will a Grenade blow up his run in the tournament?
Tanahashi shows off the muscles and fans cheer. The bell rings and fans rally up, “Let’s Go, Ace!” as Tanahashi and Fale circle. They tie up, Fale powers Tanahashi to ropes, but Tanahashi slips free. Tanahashi and Fale circle again, and Tanahashi wants a test of strength? Fans rally up for that, so Fale accepts. But he also shows off his height advantage as he holds his hand way up high. Tanahashi reaches up, they knuckle lock, and Fale uses just one hand to push Tanahashi down! Tanahashi fights up as fans rally, but Fale pushes Tanahashi down again! Fale twists the wrist but Tanahashi fights up again!
Tanahashi kicks low and breaks the knuckle lock. Tanahashi runs, but gets run over! Fale paces while Tanahashi bails out. Fans still rally, “Let’s Go, Ace!” while Tanahashi dares Fale to come out after him. Fale storms over but Tanahashi gets back in! Tanahashi runs to WRECK Fale with a dropkick! Fans cheer Tanahashi’s savvy and he stomps away at the railing. Chase Owens is back as the cornerman but Tanahashi tells him to stay back. Tanahashi puts Fale in the ring and waits on him to get up. Tanahashi kicks, and tries to scoop!? Fale is too big, though! Fale CLUBS Tanahashi down hard!
Fale brings Tanahashi up, and he scoops Tanahashi, but Tanahashi slips off! Tanahashi kicks low, tries again, and manages to scoop, but falls over with Fale’s weight! Cover, TWO! Tanahashi survives his mistake but Fale drags him back up. Fale puts him onto the apron, then goes out to grab a chair! This is all to distract Red Shoes as Chase attacks Tanahashi! Fale throws the chair down and Chase lets off, and Fale gets back in the ring. Chase wants the ring count already, so Red Shoes starts the count. Tanahashi drags himself up at 3 of 20, fans rally up, and Tanahashi stands at 7. Tanahashi hobbles in at 8 but Fale stomps him down!
Fale gets Tanahashi’s leg and stomps it! Then he puts the leg on the ropes, for a HIP DROP! Chase applauds but no one else does. Fale stalks Tanahashi while fans rally, and Fale SLAMS Tanahashi’s leg down, then drops an elbow on it! Fale has a toehold and he pulls back. Tanahashi fights back with a chinlock but Fale keeps on the leg. Tanahashi powers his way over to the ROPEBREAK! Red Shoes counts, Fale lets off quickly. Fale looms over Tanahashi, brings him up, but Tanahashi fires forearms! Fale throws a body shot, then he whips Tanahashi to ropes. Tanahashi sunset flips! But Fale stays up, to then SIT on Tanahashi! Cover, TWO!!
Fans cheer as Tanahashi survives being squashed! Fale drags Tanahashi back up, puts him in a corner, and RAMS him into the corner! And again, and again! Fale puts Tanahashi’s leg on the ropes, digs his boot into it, but Red Shoes counts. Fale lets off at 4, and fans rally up. Tanahashi throws body shots but Fale hits back. Fale trips Tanahashi then drags him around to SLAM the leg into the post! Fale and Chase Too Sweet, then Fale LARIATS the leg into the post! Tanahashi clutches the knee while Chase applauds, but fans rally up for Tanahashi. Fale gets back in the ring, drags Tanahashi up, but Tanahashi throws more body shots!
Tanahashi backs Fale down but Fale CLUBS and CLUBS Tanahashi down! Fale drags Tanahashi back up to whip him to ropes. Tanahashi dropkicks Fale’s leg! Tanahashi keeps going, FLYING FOREARM! Fale staggers to a corner, and Tanahashi hurries over, and blocks a boot! He puts the leg in the ropes to dropkick it! Then DRAGON SCREW! Both men are down and fans fire up! Tanahashi gets up and fires up and the fans are with him! Tanahashi goes up the corner for the second rope SUNSET SENTON! Cover, TWO! Fale gets up but Tanahashi runs, but Chase trips him! Chase drags Tanahashi out, but Tanahashi DECKS him!
Fans fire up and Tanahashi gets back on the apron. Tanahashi baits Fale, but Fale catches the shoulder for a facelock! Fale drags Tanahashi into the ring for a GUILLOTINE! Tanahashi endures, Fale puts Tanahashi in a corner and fires off big, clubbing forearms! Red Shoes counts, Fale lets off, and Fale catches his breath before he drags Tanahashi back up. Fale CLUBS away on Tanahashi more! Tanahashi sits down and Fale paces. Fans rally up and Tanahashi stands, Fale runs in to SPLASH! Tanahashi staggers into a fireman’s carry, SAMOAN DROP! Cover, TWO! Tanahashi survives again and fans rally up!
Fale waits on Tanahashi to stand, and he gets Tanahashi for a choke grip! GRE- NO! Tanahashi breaks free to choke grip Fale! But Fale breaks free, only for Tanahashi to SHOTEI! Tanahashi scoops and SLAMS Fale!! Fans fire up and Tanahashi fires up as he runs! SLINGBLADE! Cover, TWO! Fale gets his arm up but Tanahashi goes to the corner! Tanahashi goes up top, Fale stands but he traps Red Shoes in a corner! Chase goes after Tanahashi and shoves him down! Fale lets Red Shoes free to run and SPLASH DOWN! Cover, TWO!! Tanahashi somehow gets a shoulder up and Fale can’t believe it!
Fans rally up as Fale drags Tanahashi up. Fale reels Tanahashi in and vows to end it! He gut wrenches and crucifix carries Tanahashi, but Tanahashi slips around to SLINGBLADE! Fans are thunderous for Tanahashi as he goes back up! But Chase rushes over again! Tanahashi DECKS him! Tanahashi goes to the top, HIGH FLY FLOP as Fale moves! Fale gets on his feet as fans fire up again! Fale grabs Tanahashi in a choke grip, but Tanahashi drags Fale down with a victory roll! Tanahashi wins!!
Winner: Hiroshi Tanahashi, by pinfall (advances to the next round)
The Ace pulls off another big win over the Rogue General! Fale can’t believe it, either! Are more members of the Bullet Club going to drop out of the Cup?
As for Tanahashi, he gets the mic to say, “NJPW has returned to Yamanashi! Thank you all for having us here. And thank you so much to all of you for coming today. Even if you can’t cheer, your eyes and faces give us the strength to fight. So let’s all remain steadfast. And one day, everyone here, from the hearts of our bottoms- I flubbed that. We’ll enjoy wrestling from the bottom of our hearts! Thank you so much for today!” Fans applaud that sentiment, but they of course want The Ace to give them a little more. Tanahashi goes in and out of the ropes, considering their appeal. He gets back in and gets the mic again. “Sorry for always wanting more, but thank you for the applause.”
Tanahashi checks if everyone has time to spare. Does anyone have it? Check under the ring. A Young Lion checks, and he finds the air guitar! He throws it to Tanahashi and he catches it. Tanahashi says, “Boy, it’s been awhile. Yamanashi, let’s rock!” Fans applaud and clap along as Tanahashi gives them the air guitar concert! But that jump at the end kinda hurts his leg. But fans clap for “EN-CO-RU!” and Tanahashi accepts! Tanahashi continues to rock the air guitar! Tanahashi throws the air guitar to the crowd! But the fans still clap, “EN-CO-RU!” Tanahashi looks, and another fan in the crowd throws him another air guitar!
Tanahashi makes the catch and Tanahashi says here’s the last encore for the night! Tanahashi rocks out and the fans clap along! Tanahashi then thanks the fan and sends the guitar back. Tanahashi gets the mic back and apologizes, he knows they’re short on time. “But like I said earlier, no matter the situation, we have to find enjoyment in our lives. Everyone, I wish you a good day tomorrow. But finally, people of Yamanashi, I LOVE YOU~!” The Ace has plenty of love and energy, will it carry him through against Naito in the next round?
My Thoughts:
Another very good night for NJPW, but again I skipped the non tournament matches. All good momentum builders, Suzuki-Gun winning is because Taichi will lose to Okada, and in a twist, it keeps Zack Sabre Jr. and Douki even. They’re facing off, I’m very sure ZSJ wins. Chaos wins because Dick Togo was there and took the loss. United Empire wins so that all three guys get momentum, but while Ospreay is a lock against El Phantasmo and Great-O-Khan is certainly going to win against Taiji Ishimori, Henare is more than likely losing to Sanada. Then we can get Sanada VS Ospreay and that’ll be a great match.
Hashi of course wins against Fujita to open tonight’s tournament matches, but Fujita had a great match. As I said with those other Young Lion New Japan Cup matches, this is probably to make up for no excursion, and Fujita definitely got to show his stuff here. Naito VS Gedo was pretty good stuff, Naito having an obsession with Gedo’s beard was interesting. Cobb VS Kojima was great stuff, Kojima got to shine but that was a great outta nowhere victory from Cobb. Cobb VS Hashi should be great stuff, too, and as tough as Hashi will fight, I’m thinking Cobb wins.
Tanahashi VS Fale was great stuff, too, and while Fale loses, it was by a quick pin, not a finisher, so he still stays strong overall. Fale has not held many titles in NJPW, but it’s still a pretty great honor that he’s being treated as such a powerhouse and a threat that even someone as established as Tanahashi can’t take him out with a finisher. I remember their G1 Climax matches usually ending with count-outs or disqualifications. Tanahashi VS Naito is next, that one is going to be very good and could go either way.
My Score: 8.5/10
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Quien es el mejor del mundo? Who is the best in the world?
WWE and AAA are now united, and to celebrate, they put together on an incredible card for Worlds Collide 2025 in Los Angeles, California!
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Six Man Tag: Dragon Lee, Cruz Del Toro & Lince Dorado VS Aerostar, Octagon Jr. & Mr. Iguana; win.
- Six Man Tag: Legado Del Fantasma VS Pagano, Psycho Clown & El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr; win(s).
- Stephanie Vaquer & Lola Vice VS Dalys & Chik Tormenta; win.
- NXT North American Championship Fatal 4 Way: Ethan Page VS Je’Von Evans VS Rey Fenix VS Laredo Kid; wins and
- AAA Mega Championship: El Hijo del Vikingo VS Chad Gable; wins and
PLAY BY PLAY
Rey Mysterio narrates.
“There are moments in time… Moments that split the earth in two. Moments that split the timeline. From what came before, to what comes after. But that space in between? That’s where history is made. Where destiny is found. Where legends are born. Today, you can feel it. It’s in the air. In your chest. Flowing through your blood. This is your turn to carry the torch, to honor the past, the ones who came before. To take this legacy to new heights. But remember: Lucha Libre is more than just tradition. It is a revolution! It is a rebellion! It is about defying the odds. Today is the moment you’ve been waiting for. Your time to stand on the world’s stage., with the eyes of the planet locked on you.
“RISE! Show them the impossible. Take this day and burn it into forever. Write your name in history. This is your chance, your moment. Tell the world that this…! Is…! LUCHA LIBRE! Moments that split the timeline. From what came before, to what comes after.”
Konnan is on commentary!
One of the men to main event the original Worlds Collide in 1995 is honored to call this event for the English commentary. 30 years ago, the world was introduced to Rey Mysterio and a whole generation of lucha libre, and now it happens again!
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SmackDown is going big in Bakersfield!
John Cena, Logan Paul, Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso, and ALL TWELVE Money in the Bank contenders, all here on the same night! Is SmackDown about to blow the roof off this place?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- JC Mateo w/ Solo Sikoa & Jacob Fatu VS Jimmy Uso; Jimmy wins.
- Bakersfield Brawl: Zelina Vega VS Piper Niven w/ The Green Administration; Zelina wins.
- LA Knight VS Aleister Black; Knight wins, by disqualification.
- Six Woman Tag: Rhea Ripley, Alexa Bliss & Stephanie Vaquer VS Naomi, Roxanne Perez & Giulia; Rhea, Alexa & Vaquer win.
- Andrade & PENTA VS The Creed Brothers w/ Chad Gable; Andrade & Penta win.
PLAY BY PLAY
Seth Rollins heads to the ring!
The Visionary is just one of the six men in this year’s Money in the Bank Ladder match, and he of course has Paul Heyman, Bron Breakker & “Big” Bronson Reed with him. The fans sing along, “WHOA~ OH~ OHH~!” and Rollins revels in it as he stands in the ring in his all indigo suit with gold necklace. The fans also bark for Bron, and others get an “O T C!” chant and a “C M PUNK!” chant going. Rollins is handed the mic by The Wise Man to say, “Bakersfield… I am a Visionary. I am a Revolutionary. I am… SETH! FREAKIN’! ROLLINS!” The fans do cheer, and Rollins vows that tomorrow night, HE TAKES EVERYTHING!
Rollins points to the briefcases up above and the fans are torn. Rollins says when he wins the MITB contract, he will have ABSOLUTE POWER, and he will have TOTAL CONTROL over this entire industry! Rollins paces while the fans chant for “O T C! O T C!” Rollins says yeah, no, he can’t hear you. That guy is off on the Island of Irrelevancy where Rollins put him after WrestleMania! But that total control Rollins will have doesn’t just mean Raw. It will include SmackDown, as well! So they are here to deliver a message! Anyone who stands in their way will suffer the same fate as anyone who has already stood in their way.
“Sami Zayn stood in our way. He’s in the dirt. CM Punk stood in our way. POOF! Gone! Roman Reigns stood in our way, and he is Missing In Action. Roman Reigns is not coming to save you. Roman Reigns doesn’t care about you! Roman Reigns has never cared about you! But y’know who has?! You know who has?! SETH FREAKIN’ ROLLINS!” The fans are again torn, but Rollins says he will drag all of you, kicking and screaming if he has to, into the future because that is what Rollins does. Not just for himself, not just for his group, but for the entire industry! And there is NOBODY who can stop him!
Wait! Here comes Solo Sikoa and his “family.” The fans actually cheer as Solo, JC Mateo & Jacob Fatu head to the ring. Rollins and his faction stand their ground as Solo grabs a mic and leads the way for his rogues into the ring. The fans cheer on “FATU! FATU!” and Solo says, “You said that, uh, if anybody gets in your way, that you’re gonna lay ’em out?” Rollins says, “That’s right.” And that there is nobody here to stop him? That’s also right. Well, uh, Solo’s team is standing here right now. Oh, is that so? Solo says by the looks of it, Rollins has his own little “Bloodline” going on. Which one is Bron supposed to be? The Right Hand Man, Jey Uso? “YEET!”
Then does that make Bronson the “Honorary Uce?” After everything they’ve been through… Bronson was on Solo’s side for WarGames! And now, he no calls, then shows up and teams up with this guy? But Rollins even has The Wise Man. Speaking of, long time no see, Heyman. Rollins tells Solo to choose his next words very carefully. Solo laughs that off, and says let’s cut to the chase. All we know is, tomorrow night, Solo climbs the ladder, grabs the contract, and then all that power and control Rollins talked about will all be Solo’s. Rollins laughs that off and says he sees. This is Solo’s turf, he is pushing back.
Is Solo threatened because Bron Breakker is the future of this industry and Solo is not? Is he threatened that Bronson Reed could squash Solo like a bug at the snap of Rollins’ fingers? Well, Solo should be worried. But he should really be worried about the fact that Solo’s own family would rather stab him in the back than have his back. Rollins looks at The Samoan Werewolf, and says, “What’s up, Jacob? You look like you wanna say something. C’mon, take the mic from Solo. You gonna let Solo talk for you?” Solo tells Rollins to shut up. Rollins says Fatu is the werewolf, but there could be a new nickname for him, like “Solo’s B*tch.”
The fans fire up and Rollins says hey, in all seriousness, it took a lot of guts for Solo to come out here and talk to him. Solo is threatened by Rollins, while Rollins is threatened by one Fatu in here, and it ain’t Solo. Rollins smiles, the fans cheer Fatu on, but Solo takes off his jacket. Rollins takes off his jacket, but Bron steps up. So Fatu steps up! The sunglasses come off, but Rollins has Bron stand down. Rollins has his faction leave first, but will all these heavy hitters throw down soon enough?
Wait! Jimmy Uso CLOBBERS JC Mateo into Fatu! #BigJim snuck in from the crowd side! Solo bails but JC takes the SUPERKICK! The fans fire up and Rollins chuckles. Solo has Fatu calm down, Jimmy is the issue, not JC! Will JC take Jimmy on a Tour of the Islands? Or will that be a #NoYeet?
JC Mateo w/ Solo Sikoa & Jacob Fatu VS Jimmy Uso!
SmackDown returns and this match is underway as JC TOSSES Jimmy to a corner! JC mocks the No Yeet before he runs in, but Jimmy dodges! Jimmy UPPERCUTS, CHOPS, and CHOPS again! Jimmy climbs up, the fans fire up, and Jimmy rains down fists! The fans count along, but JC stops Jimmy at 7! JC DUMPS Jimmy to the apron, but Jimmy RAMS and GAMANGIRIS JC! Jimmy goes up, up, and CROSSBODIES! Cover, ONE!! JC is tougher than that but Jimmy clamps on with a chinlock. JC endures, fights up, and the fans rally. JC slips around, shoves Jimmy, and clinches for an EXPLODER!
The fans rally while both Jimmy and JC catch their breath. JC stands on Jimmy’s hand, then drags him up with a fishhook! JC makes Jimmy look at Solo, Solo says it is not too late. Jimmy can just come back home, unless he wants to get his ass kicked. Jimmy refuses, so JC hits a BIG back suplex! Solo eggs Jimmy on, JC stomps Jimmy, then JC clamps on a chinlock. The fans rally up and Jimmy fights to his feet. Jimmy fires body shots, JC shoves him away, and then JC ELBOWS Jimmy down! JC stalks Jimmy, CHOPS him against the ropes, then CHOPS him again! JC whips, Jimmy grabs ropes, and then Jimmy dodges to TOSS JC!
JC gets up but Jimmy UPPERCUTS him down! The fans fire up, Jimmy builds speed, and Jimmy DIVES! Direct hit into JC and the fans fire up again! Jimmy hurries to get JC up and into the ring. Solo asks Jimmy what’s going on here. They can still be family! Jimmy GAMANGIRIS JC instead! Jimmy goes up but Solo barks at him. The ref reprimands Solo, but JC DROPKICKS Jimmy to the floor! Solo says this is what he’s trying to tell Jimmy, and SmackDown goes picture in picture.
Jimmy sputters, the ring count climbs, but JC rolls out to fetch Jimmy. JC THROWS Jimmy into barriers! Solo talks trash, JC drags Jimmy up and SMACKS him off the apron. JC pushes Jimmy into the ring, stomps him around, then talks trash on the fans cheering Jimmy on. JC puts Jimmy on the ropes to CHOKE him! Fatu frowns, Solo talks trash, and JC stomps Jimmy again. JC HEADBUTTS Jimmy in the corner, then gets space. JC runs and HIP ATTACKS! Jimmy sputters and flops over, Solo tells him that this can stop, but Jimmy refuses to give up. JC clamps on a chinlock and grinds Jimmy down!
Jimmy endures, fights up, but JC wrangles him back down! JC grinds Jimmy down more, but Jimmy still endures. Jimmy fights up, only for JC to squeeze tighter. Solo talks trash the whole time as Jimmy endures, and SmackDown returns to single picture. The fans rally harder and harder as Jimmy stands! Jimmy JAWBREAKERS free! But JC ELBOWS, JABS, and YUKON LARIATS! Then GACHIMUCHI MOONSAULT! Jimmy sputters and scrambles away, but JC smirks as he stalks Jimmy to the ropes. JC CHOKES Jimmy, lets off as the ref counts, and Solo asks again. Jimmy says no, so Solo says Jimmy isn’t done, so JC needs to kick his ass more.
JC puts Jimmy in a corner, UPPERCUTS, and then brings him around to whip corner to corner. Jimmy goes up, over, and then SAMOAN DROPS! The fans fire up as Solo is upset and confused as to how Jimmy has more to give. The fans rally again, and both men stand. Jimmy counter punches! Then HEADBUTTS! Then mule kicks, pops ‘n’ locks and UPPERCUTS! Jimmy dodges a lariat, fireman’s carries again, but JC slips free! JC JABS while Jimmy kicks low! Jimmy rebounds, JC blocks the kick and spins him, but Jimmy DRAGON WHIPS! JC staggers to a corner and Jimmy CHOPS! Jimmy whips corner to corner, JC reverses, but Jimmy ELBOWS JC1
Jimmy goes up, up, and USO IN THE WIND! Cover, TWO!! JC stays in this and Jimmy is stunned! The fans rally more as Jimmy and JC go to corners. Jimmy says, “UCE! OH!” Jimmy runs in, but JC catches him to a waistlock! Jimmy fires elbows, whips, but JC reverses and reels Jimmy in, ATHLETIC PLEX! Cover, TWO! Jimmy survives and Solo says it’s alright. JC whips Jimmy to the corner, runs in, but Jimmy BOOTS JC! And then SUPERKICKS! And then SUPERKICKS again! JC still comes back, but Jimmy dodges to SPEAR! The fans fire up as Jimmy hurries up a corner! Solo distracts from the apron! The fans boo, and now Fatu is up!
Jimmy hops down before Jacob can do anything. They glare at each other, but Jimmy dodges JC! JC CLOBBERS Fatu! Roll-up, JIMMY WINS!!
Winner: Jimmy Uso, by pinfall
#BigJim uses the numbers game against Solo’s side, and now he’s got a win over a former Olympian and multi-time champion from NJPW! JC blames Fatu for this, Fatu doesn’t wanna hear it, and Solo does his best to smooth things over. But will Solo’s team lose all control before he ever becomes a champion?
Zelina Vega crosses paths with Giulia.
The Women’s United States Champion tells the Beautiful Madness that she made her intentions very clear last week. Now allow Zelina to make her intentions very clear: Zelina has worked her ass off to have the title. If Giulia wants her shot, then pry it from her lifeless body. Zelina is not giving this up for anything. Giulia says no, she likes Zelina. Zelina has confidence. Yes, well… La Muneca heads out to handle business with the Green Administration. Will Zelina survive now that Chelsea has gotten rid of the rules? Or will Piper Niven help Madam President Green make SmackDown a hot mess again?
Jacob Fatu returns backstage.
He is in no mood, but Damian Priest walks over anyway. The Archer of Infamy says it’s tough working with family. What Fatu is going through, he’s been there, and he doesn’t envy it. But regardless of the situation, man to man, face to face, Priest wants Fatu to know that at some point, Priest is coming for the US Championship. Fatu says Priest can line it up. Because if Priest doesn’t handle business with Fatu, he’s send to the back of the line with it. YADADA mean? Fatu heads out, when and where will these monstrous men battle it out?
Bakersfield Brawl: Zelina Vega VS Piper Niven w/ The Green Administration!
SmackDown returns as the WWE Women’s US Champion makes her entrance. The bell rings and the fans rally up. The two tie up, Piper SHOVES Zelina down, and then grins as she flexes. Zelina brushes that off, resets with Piper, and they tie up again. Piper SHOVES Zelina away and Zelina goes to the outside. Piper salutes but Zelina brings something out from under the ring! Piper storms her way over, and SMACK! Kendo stick! Zelina uses Chelsea’s tricks against her, SMACK and SMACK for Piper! Piper grabs the stick to HEADBUTT Zelina! Piper snarls and storms up to bring Zelina around. Piper scoops, but Zelina slips free!
Zelina has the stick again! SMACK! Zelina then adds a CODE BREAKER! Cover, TWO! Piper is tougher than that but she bails out of the ring. The fans rally for Zelina and call for tables. Chelsea says no they don’t! Zelina WRECKS Piper with a dropkick, then DOUBLE STOMPS her down! Zelina hurries to go up the steps, then she FLYING- NO! Piper stops the rana to swing Zelina up and around. ELECTRIC CHAIR SLAM on the apron! Zelina sputters, Piper goes up the ramp, and then Piper runs downhill! SPLASH against the LED! The Green Administration is standing tall while SmackDown goes to break.
SmackDown returns and both women are down. Chelsea shouts for Piper to get up so Piper rises. Piper goes to a corner, and she brings a chain over! The fans rally but Piper uses the chain to CHOKE- NO, Zelina blocks the chain, but Piper makes it a GAG! Piper still chokes Zelina, brings her to a corner, and BOOTS her into the buckles! Zelina is in a daze, and Piper teases fans by taking off her suit jacket. Piper throws the jacket aside, grabs a chair, and she sits it up at center. Piper drags Zelina up and over, coops her, and salutes for the FULL METAL- DDT COUNTER!! Zelina turns things around, hurries to cover, but Piper flops right out of the ring!
Chelsea stresses out but Zelina now goes to the apron. Then she climbs up the corner, and she ARIHARA MOONSAULTS! Down goes The Green Administration! Zelina hurries back up, but Piper SLAPS her first! Piper has Zelina stuck up top and climbs up to get her. The fans rally, Piper brings Zelina to the top rope, but Zelina fires body shots! Zelina HEADBUTTS again and again, then SMACKS Piper off buckles! Zelina climbs up, and she hops on for the SUPER CODE RED!!! Cover, ALBA BREAKS IT! Then Chelsea drags Zelina out! There’s nothing to stop them from mugging Zelina! The fans boo but this is why Chelsea had this match made to start with!
Piper shouts to Alba, “GET THE TABLES!” Alba fetches exactly that and the fans fire up! The table is put in the ring, Piper scoops Zelina, PIPER DRIVER on the floor! Zelina sputters but The Green Administration isn’t done with her! The table is set up near a corner, Piper pushes Zelina in, and Chelsea says the people get what they want! Piper puts Zelina on the table, waves goodbye, then goes up the corner. But wait! GIULIA is here?! She DOUBLE LARIATS Alba & Chelsea! And Zelina gets under Piper! Piper holds on, but Giulia uses a kendo stick to SMACK Piper’s hands! Piper loses her grip, Zelina POWERBOMBS Piper down through the table!! Cover, ZELINA WINS!!
Winner: Zelina Vega, by pinfall
Giulia grins as she helps Zelina survive. But was this less about helping Zelina so much as helping herself? YEP! She HEADBUTTS Zelina and reels her in! NORTHERN LIGHTS BOMB!! Giulia is no fool, it is easier to beat a champion who is all alone than one with minions hanging around. Will Giulia soon take all the gold for herself once she becomes Miss Money in the Bank?
Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes meet backstage.
The American Nightmare asks how Main Event Jey is doing. A bit banged up from Monday but he’ll be fine. How about Cody? He looks good. And then Jimmy joins in. They shake hands and Jimmy asks if Jey is okay. Jey says of course! What does everyone keep asking? Jimmy says he has a match tomorrow and a big title match on Monday! They just want to make sure The YEET Man is ready to YEET. Jey says yeah, that’s what champs do. But the only thing they need to worry about tonight is what John Cena & Logan Paul are gonna say. After that, they handle tomorrow. YEET? YEET! Jey heads out, but will he and Cody handle business? Or will they get handled instead?
Aleister Black speaks.
“No. I can’t let it go. Initially, I had convinced myself that someone of your standing, someone that’s so loved by the WWE Universe, using the Black Mass was almost respectful. And in a weird way I almost respect it, but the longer I think about it, the more I think that you stole something from me. And that does not sit well with me. It’s funny what the human mind can do. But now, I wanna take away all this security that you had in that match. No Shinsuke Nakamura, no relaxed rules. Just you, and me. And all the shadows that are there. And I will drag you into the light, and see what’s left of you.
“But if you beat me, LA Knight, I will look you in the eyes, I will shake your hand, and I will accept defeat.” The Dark Father wants the Mega Star to earn his respect, can he do it?
LA Knight VS Aleister Black!
SmackDown returns as Knight makes his entrance, and he grabs a mic. “LEMME TALK TO YA! It’s that time of the year again. Yeah.” “YEAH!” “It’s MITB season!” “YEAH!” “And I think about it, and you do a little bit o’ math here, yeah.” “YEAH!” “This is my third year in a row being in MITB.” “YEAH!” “What’s that, sir? You said third time’s the charm?” “YEAH!” “Whatcha think, third time’s the charm?” “YEAH!” Knight ain’t satisfied with that. He looks at five guys running out here, like Penta. We like Penta, right? He’ll do everything under the sun to try and reach up and grab that case. “YEAH!”
There’s Andrade. They like him a bit, right? Another guy who’s gonna do every possible thing he can to get up there. Well, everyone’s gonna do everything they can, but those guys take it to another level. But those guys, we respect them a little bit, but then we get to the “Goons.” Then we get to… El Grande Americano Chad Gable. The fans are torn and Knight asks him which is it? Do we like him or not? The fans are still conflicted, but Knight says dummy number two is Solo Sikoa. Everyone hates him! Knight feels the same! And Solo, they’ve done this a million times, and Knight can drop him on his head one more time to climb up the ladder and take the briefcase.
But then there’s dummy number three. Knight thinks about a men he hasn’t really had interactions with, a man who has gotten crewed up and that is Seth Rollins. The fans are torn again, but Knight says Rollins has been here, done that, had the case and cashed in. He wants to #BurnItDown! But Rollins has to understand that there is nothing hotter than a night in LA with LA Knight, YEAH! And what that means Rollins won’t be burning anything done, ROLLINS gets burned down by this man, YEAH! Before that, we have tonight, Aleister Black. Aleister had a shot, and Knight understands. This is a big deal! MITB is a big deal!
MITB can make or break careers, so Knight gets why Aleister’s feelings got hurt when Knight “stole” the win. But it was a Triple Threat, Knight had to do what he had to do and got the job done. If that hurt Aleister’s feeling, sorry. But now he’s set himself up to get those feelings hurt one more time, YEAH! And you know that coming into California, Bakersfield, Aleister will be home on Saturday watching whose game this is, with everybody saying L! A! KNIGHT! YEAH!! But then Aleister makes his entrance. Will the Mega Star still shine? Or is he about to #FadeToBlack? We find out, after the break.
SmackDown returns and the bell rings. The two circle, the fans rally, and the two tie up. Knight headlocks, Aleister powers up and out, then Aleister drops down and hurdles over. Knight stops and waistlocks, Aleister switches, and they go to ropes. Knight bucks the O’Conner, but runs up into a victory roll! TWO, the two stand, and Knight avoids a boot to flip and sunset! TWO, and Knight blocks a shot, only for Aleister to stop the BFT! Knight comes back, but narrowly avoids the Black Mass! The fans cheer the standoff as the two reset. The two circle again, tie up, and they go around. They end up on the ropes, in a corner, then the ropes again.
The fans cheer as they go around and around and make a full lap! And then they keep going! They finally stay in a corner, the ref counts, and Knight slowly lets off. Aleister shoves, Knight shoves, and Aleister hits a headlock takeover. Aleister grinds Knight down but Knight fights up. The fans rally, Knight stands up and fires body shots. Knight powers up and out, then he CLOBBERS Aleister! The fans rally, Knight stomps Aleister, and then stalks him. Knight brings Aleister up, snap suplexes, then covers, ONE!! Aleister is tougher than that but the fans rally. Knight brings Aleister up, bumps him off buckles, and RAMS into Aleister!
The ref counts as Knight RAMS Aleister again and again. Knight whips corner to corner, Aleister KICKS him in return! Aleister waistlocks, Knight elbows free, kicks, but Aleister denies the DDET! Knight UP KICKS, but then Aleister ROUND KICKS! Aleister runs, but into a LARIAT! Cover, TWO! The fans rally while both men catch their breath. Knight storms up on Aleister, drags him up, but Aleister JAWBREAKERS! Knight scoops, Aleister lands out, they throw hands, and Aleister shoves Knight to a corner. Knight kicks but Aleister blocks to JUMP KNEE! Cover, TWO! Knight stays in this but he might be seeing stars.
Aleister stalks Knight, brings him around, and KICKS him against ropes! Knight goes to a corner, Aleister BOOTS him, and Aleister fires forearms. Aleister brings Knight in for a snap suplex! Cover, TWO! Knight stays in this but Aleister stays on him. Knight fires hands, Aleister fires a strike fest! LEG SWEEP! Aleister runs to SLIDING KNEE! Aleister handsprings, goes up, but Knight LRAIATS Aleister and himself up and out! The fans fire up while both men are down, and SmackDown goes to break.
SmackDown returns again and Aleister FLYING SUNSET FLIPS, but Knight rolls through! Aleister avoids the boot, kips up and BOOTS back! Then QUEBRADA! Cover, TWO! Knight stays in this and Aleister is stunned! Aleister waits on Knight while the fans declare, “This is Awesome!” Aleister aims, Knght ducks the Black Mass, but Aleister denies the BFT! Knight dodges Aleister to hit the JUMPING NECKBREAKER! POP-UP POWERSLAM! The fans fire up and Knight climbs, then spells it out! “L! A! KNIGHT! YEAH!!” BOX JUMP ELBOW DROP, but Knight blocks the boot! Knight rolls Aleister to his feet, spins him around, and tortuer racks!
The fans fire up for Knights’ BURNING- NO, Aleister lands out! Knight narrowly deflects the boot to roll Aleister up! TWO, and both men hurry to their feet! Knight shoves, Aleister fires a haymaker, Knight fires back, and they go back and forth with fists! Aleister BOOTS Knight’s lariat, fires more strikes, but Knight shoves him away again. The BOOT hits on the return, then Aleister goes up again! But Knight turns it into a torture rack! BURNING HAMMER!! But Aleister flops out of the ring! The fans fire up, but wait! SETH ROLLINS CURB STOMPS KNIGHT!!
Winner: LA Knight, by disqualification
The Visionary must’ve heard Knight mention him, and so “dummy number three” just gave Knight his first interaction! The fans chant for Punk, but Aleister steps in Rollins’ way instead! The fans fire up for that stare down, but then here comes Bron Breakker!! SPEAR on Aleister!! Rollins TOSSES Aleister out, and then a SENTON from Bronson Reed onto Knight! The fans boo but Bron builds up speed to SPEAR Knight!! Rollins tells Knight this is what he was talking about! You stand in Rollins’ way, you don’t stay standing! Will Rollins bring his behemoths with him to absolutely bulldoze the ladder match?
Nick Aldis & Adam Pearce speak.
The SmackDown General Manager says, “In the WWE, things tend to move fast. This week, we’re climbing the ladder at Money in the Bank, and next week, we’re kicking off the King and Queen of the Ring Tournaments.” The Raw General Manager says, “This year, it’s bigger than ever. The tournament begins with four Fatal 4 Way matches in the men’s and women’s divisions, and the winners advance.” Aldis says from there, it is a co-branded single elimination tournament with the semifinals and finals. Those finals take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for Night of Champions. And the stakes could not be higher!
The King and Queen of the Rings get title matches on their respective brands for the biggest show of the summer, SummerSlam! Aldis & Pearce wish everyone luck, and may the best man and woman win. With so many spots open, who gets in, and who makes it to the Night of Champions?
Backstage interview with Jade Cargill.
Byron Saxton is with The Storm, and knows that while she would’ve loved to been in MITB, how good does it feel to know she is in the Queen of Ring? Jade says it feels great. She understands she won’t have the chance to climb the ladder and grab the briefcase, but she’ll keep climbing the ranks. She is The Storm, she is in that tournament, and when the dust settles, she will be Queen of the Ring. Then at SummerSlam, she won’t ask for a belt, she’ll take it. On a different note, we saw Bianca Belair refuse to forgive Naomi, but where do things stand between Biansa and Jade? Well, Charlotte Flair walks in and tells Jade as a reminder: Salt and sugar look the same.
That is to say, choose your friends wisely, or don’t have any at all. And as for QOTR, Jade will need a prayer to win. There is only ONE Queen in the WWE. But then Tiffany Stratton walks by and tells them both good luck with that. The WWE Women’s Champion heads to gorilla, what will she have to say the night before a new Miss MITB is crowned?
Legado Del Fantasma meets.
Santos Escobar is in a good mood, but Berto asks him why he brought them here. Santos says, “Family.” After the meeting they had, they agreed they were going to compete at Worlds Collide. And now, Santos has a plan. It is very simple: Worlds Collide, they will prove once and for all, they will establish, before their people, before their country, and before the world, just who owns lucha libre. Want a scoop? It’s Legado taking on Psycho Clown, Pagano and “the one who will always live in the shadow of his father,” El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr, aka Dr. Wagner the Third. They will remove the heart and soul of AAA!
So pay close attention to Santos, because he knows they have the tools to win. That is how it is. They will establish themselves as the ones who own lucha libre. And it only takes two words: Legado y Familia! But will Santos, Angel y Berto truly make themselves the three kings of lucha libre? Or will they be the ones to fall when Worlds Collide?
Backstage interview with American Made.
Byron is now with the Creed Brothers & Chad Gable, and Byron says it is a big day tomorrow for Chad as he challenges El Hijo Del Vikingo for THE AAA Mega Championship. How confident is he going into that match? Oh, confidence is high. He is a bit disappointed he didn’t qualify for MITB, but the WWE found a “suitable replacement” for him in the greatest luchador of all time, El Grande Americano! As for Gable, he will put himself in the history books when he beats Vikingo and win the most prestigious title in all of lucha libre! But then in walks Andrade. El Idolo says in Espanol that Gable wants to beat Vikingo. Gable says, “Si.”
Andrade points out something about Vikingo and Gable keeps saying, “Si,” but Andrade asks, “Si to what?” But then in steps Penta! Penta and Andrade both talk in Espanol that Gable is crazy. Gable says enough! It’s not funny to use Espanol on him! And it won’t be funny when El Grande Americano puts them both through ladders tomorrow! The Creeds agree, but then Aldis steps in. Aldis has everyone stand down. There’s enough going on tonight, so settle this in the ring, tonight. Andrade y Penta are up for that. Will the luchadores put Julius & Brutus in their place? Or will the SmackDown before MITB be American Made?
Tiffany Stratton heads to the ring.
The fans cheer as the WWE Women’s Champion struts out here, then grabs a mic before stepping in the ring. The fans cheer more, Tiff soaks it up, and she says, “Let’s call it for what it is, shall we? Last year, I didn’t just become the youngest Miss MITB. I became the It Girl of WWE, which is why I can see it now. Every single lady in that match is gonna try and pull a Tiffy and pull someone off a ladder, and then reach for the stars. I mean, we can all agree that every single lady in that match is championship material, right?” The fans do cheer that. Tiff says it doesn’t matter, because whoever wins MITB, their world will revolve around Tiff.
“So, ladies, you can win the match, you can trend for one night, but I fear no one can outdo the doer. Because, Bakersfield, what time is it?” “TIFFY TIME!” But then RHEA RIPLEY makes her way out here and the fans fire up for Mami! Rhea joins Tiff in the ring, grabs herself a mic, and the fans cheer on “MAMI! MAMI!” Rhea smiles and says, “Y’know, Tiffy, I’ve never actually been a part of the MITB ladder match before, because the fact is, I never had to.” The fans cheer that. Rhea says she doesn’t know what it feels like to win the contract like Tiff does, but Rhea knows what it feels like to be a champion. And Rhea misses that feeling.
But wait! Here comes La Primera, Stephanie Vaquer! The fans fire up as another of the Miss MITB contenders makes her entrance, followed by Alexa Bliss! And with that signals tonight’s Six Woman Tag! Will the dark, twisted, brutal trio of Vaquer, Bliss & Ripley stand tall just 24 hours before they make the climb? Or will Naomi, Roxie & Giulia make them #ProceedWithCaution?
Six Woman Tag: Rhea Ripley, Alexa Bliss & Stephanie Vaquer VS Naomi, Roxanne Perez & Giulia!
SmackDown returns and Naomi makes her entrance, followed by Roxie’s entrance, then Giulia’s. The teams sort out and Vaquer starts against Giulia. The fans fire up for this NXT rivalry revisited. They feel things out, knuckle lock, and Vaquer stands on Giulia’s hand to then turn her around. Giulia endures the standing motorcycle stretch, then turns it around so she can KNEE Giulia low. Giulia swings, Vaquer ducks and whips, then blows past to slip around and arm-drag! Giulia is up, Vaquer wheelbarrows and sunsets, but Giulia rebounds off ropes to sunset back! ONE, Vaquer has it! ONE and Giulia has it back! They go back and forth, then break!
Vaquer slips around, drags Giulia down, turns her over, JAPANESE LEG ROLL CLUTCH! ONE, and Giulia runs up, but into a SOBAT! Vaquer snapmares Giulia, then smiles. The fans fire up as Vaquer wraps on the headscissors, but Giulia pops out the back! Giulia ties up the legs, pulls on the arms, ANGELITO STOMP! Cover, TWO! Giulia tags Naomi and she SLIDING LARIATS! Naomi says she’s gonna do it now, and she wraps Vaquer up in headscissors! The fans are torn but Vaquer turns it around to push back for a cover, TWO! Vaquer goes up and over, and now she has the headscissors! But then Roxie & Giulia run in!
Alexa & Rhea intercept, STO for Roxie and an atomic FACEBUSTER for Giulia! The fans fire up as Alexa has Roxie at the ropes and Rhea rear mounts Giulia! Vaquer turns Naomi over, and together, “AH! AH! AH! AH! AH! AH! AH! AH! AH! AH!” Vaquer gives Naomi DEVIL’S KISSES, Alexa’s SKATEBOARD STOMPS Roxie, and Rhea just ground ‘n’ pounds Giulia! The fans cheer as Vaquer, Rhea & Alexa stand tall while the others regroup. Vaquer chases after Naomi, puts her in the ring, but then Naomi YANKS her into ropes! The fans boo but Naomi bumps Vaquer off buckles. Naomi stomps a mudhole in but the ref counts.
Naomi steps off, but this lets Roxie & Giulia CHOKE Vaquer! The fans boo, Naomi storms over and tags in Roxie. They mug Vaquer, then Roxie digs her boots in. The ref counts, Roxie steps off and DOUBLE STOMPS! Roxie shoves Vaquer to a cover, TWO! Roxie whips Vaquer to the corner, UPPERCUTS, then tags Giulia. They mug Vaquer, then Giulia snap suplexes! Cover, TWO! Tag back to Naomi and she keeps Vaquer from her corner. The fans chant, “We Want Mami!” but Naomi CLUBS and KNEES Vaquer down! Naomi swings on Rhea, misses, then goes back to Vaquer. Naomi back suplexes, Vaquer lands out! Hot tag to Alexa!
The fans fire up for Alexa as she rallies on Naomi, BLASTS Giulia & Roxie, then CLOBBERS Naomi! BASEMENT DDT! Alexa drags Naomi up, but Naomi headlocks. Alexa slips out so the corner bulldog just sends Naomi into buckles! Alexa storms up, Naomi ELBOWS her away, tag to Roxie! Alexa DECKS Roxie, SLAMS Naomi, then Alexa runs to basement DROPKICK! The fans fire up and Alexa goes out to the apron, CANNONBALL onto Giulia & Naomi! But Roxie RAMS Alexa into the steel steps! Roxie says that is why SHE is the Prodigy! The fans boo, but SmackDown goes picture in picture.
Roxie drags Alexa up and into the ring, then storms up on her. Roxie SMACKS Alexa off the mat, then taunts Rhea by holding out Alexa’s hand. Roxie wrenches Alexa to RUSSIAN LEG SWEEP! Cover, TWO! Roxie is annoyed but she keeps Alexa down. Roxie drags Alexa over, tags Giulia, and they mug Alexa with a CHOP! Giulia drags Alexa around, bumps her off buckles, then whips corner to corner. Alexa hobbles, Giulia runs up and SHOTGUNS her down! Cover, TWO! Giulia goes up the corner, aims, and MISSILE DROPKICKS! Cover, TWO! Giulia tags Naomi and she runs to METEORA! Cover, TWO! Alexa stays in this but Naomi stays on Alexa with a facelock.
Alexa fights back with body shots, but Naomi suplexes. Alexa fights that to a cradle, TWO! Naomi PENALTY KICKS Alexa down! Naomi soaks up the heat, stalks Alexa to the ropes, then CHOKES her! The ref counts, Giulia adds on, but they both stop at 4. Naomi puts Alexa in the corner, fires body shots, then tags Roxie. The mugging continues as they stomp a mudhole into Alexa! The ref reprimands and counts, the stomping stops, and Roxie brings Alexa up. Snap suplex! Cover, TWO! Roxie drags Alexa away from her corner, tags Naomi, and SmackDown returns to single picture. Naomi bumps Alexa off buckles, then stomps and KICKS her!
Naomi digs her boot in, the ref counts, but Naomi steps off at 4. The fans rally, “We Want Mami!” but Naomi runs up. Alexa drop toeholds Naomi into buckles! Alexa crawls, but Naomi hurries to ROUNDHOUSE Vaquer! Naomi picks Alexa up, but Alexa fights and DDTS! The fans fire up while both women are down! Hot tags to Roxie and Rhea! The fans are thunderous as Rhea rallies with LARIAT after LARIAT! Giulia runs up, Rhea dodges to BOOT! Roxie runs up, but Rhea scoops her! FALL AWAY SLAM! Roxie tumbles away, Rhea DROPKICKS Naomi off the apron for good measure! Rhea then drags Roxie up but Roxie JAWBREAKERS!
Roxie runs, tilt-o-whirls, and RUSSIAN- NO, Rhea blocks that, and grins as she ripcords and HOOK KICKS! Then a gut wrench for the Canadian Rack! RAZOR’S EDGE!! Roxie flounders, Rhea basement DROPKICKS! Cover, Naomi breaks it! Vaquer DROPKICKS Naomi! Giulia KNEES Vaquer! Alexa clinches Giulia, TWISTED SISTER ABIGAIL! Roxie ENZIGIRIS Alexa! Rhea HEADBUTTS Roxie! Rhea pump handles, RIP- DDT from Roxie!! All six women are down and the fans fire up! “This is Awesome!” as Rhea and Roxie stir while their teams regroup. Roxie reaches out to Naomi, but then Naomi leaves her hanging!
The fans boo but Naomi knows MITB is what matters, and that is every woman for herself. Giulia has also disappeared, so Roxie is all alone! Alexa ROCKS Roxie with a right! Vaquer wrenches Roxie for SOLE FOOD! Rhea pump handles for the RIPTIDE!! Cover, Rhea’s team wins!
Winners: Rhea Ripley, Alexa Bliss & Stephanie Vaquer, by pinfall
The spookier team sticks together, and now they’re all rolling into MITB with momentum! But will it be one of these three that takes the briefcase home? Or did Naomi make the smart play?
Solo talks with JC Mateo backstage.
Solo is confident that he’ll win MITB, so long as he has JC and Fatu. JC asks if Solo really trusts Fatu after tonight. Solo says yeah, it’s okay! So long as Fatu follows Solo’s lead, it will all be okay. But will Fatu really follow Solo? Solo tells JC, “My man, you worry too much.” Solo brought Fatu in, Fatu loves Solo, and the thing about Fatu is… He’s not all that smart, y’know? All that man does is think about himself. He is all gas, no brains. Solo laughs at his own joke, and says they just gotta handle business. They leave, but Fatu was around the corner! The Samoan Werewolf heard all of that. Is Solo the one with no brains? Will he also be the one with no contract?
The Wyatt Sick6 speak.
Bo Dallas’ video interrupts Sign of the Night time so he can say, “Grief is not linear. It is not healed by time. It is a festering wound that is continually being ripped open by an echo of a presence that is no more. You don’t forget. You can only accept that which cannot be changed.” The video fuses images of Bo and Bray, and Bo says that he has watched the SmackDown Tag Division. “The loyalty. The trust. The brotherhood. But is that bond unbreakable? From our loss, we have become a family. A ship unshaken by the storm. And yet again, they wanted to forget about us. Like we were never even here. Ignoring the sacrifices.
“Dying to the flesh to become one, we return. Not for nostalgia. Not for closure. But to rip open the wound of apathy and take what we are owed. Your brotherhood will be tested. The time for repentance has passed. Accept your condemnation. We will not be forgotten.”
The SmackDown Tag Division finishes watching this.
And from DIY to MCMG to Fraxiom to the Street Profits, and even GM Aldis, everyone is worried. Gargano says that’s not good. Ciampa says as “the two guys who built this division,” which makes everyone groan, Ciampa says there is no reason for DIY to take the fall! So come clean! Who provoked the Wyatts? Gargano immediately accuses Angelo Dawkins! Montez Ford says hey, look, they’re obviously all afraid. Fraxiom, you’re not fine! Motor City, bring the guns! And DIY, you can’t do this yourselves! But let’s forget about the tag titles for just one second. They have a bigger problem on their hands and that is Wyatt Sick6.
Dawkins says they didn’t get where they are by being scared. If the Wyatts want the smoke, they can get it. Unless y’all forgot that the Profits are the real Bogeymen around here. Ooga booga! The Profits head out, Frazer says there’s no forgetting about the tag titles. But admittedly, the Wyatts do mean business. But they cost Fraxiom, so if Frazer sees Uncle Howdy…! Axiom has Frazer calm down. But yes, Frazer is right. Fraxiom is undefeated, so they will teach the Wyatts what’s what! DIY loves that idea! Go get ’em! MCMG says of course DIY second someone else handling this. MCMG says DIY will get what’s coming to them.
But for now, MCMG will put that on the backburner to get after the Wyatts. Let’s not forget who the veterans are around here, and that’s MCMG. They set the standard, so they’ll bring the fight to the Wyatts. Gargano says another brilliant idea! DIY says they can do that. Aldis, make it so those three teams fight the Wyatts. Aldis says yes, thank you for the input. DIY heads out, and Aldis certainly has a mess to sort out. Who will survive the Wyatts coming for it all? And will the tag titles go along with that?
Andrade & PENTA VS The Creed Brothers w/ Chad Gable!
El Idolo and the Man with No Fear know that whether or not El Grande Americano is really Chad Gable under that mask, Chad Gable definitely doesn’t stand a chance against El Hijo Del Vikingo. But can Andrade y Penta build momentum going into the ladder match together? Or will Julius & Brutus do Chad’s- Er, El Grande’s dirty work for him?
SmackDown returns as Andrade makes his entrance. Then American Made makes their entrance, and the fans chant “You Suck! You Suck!” Andrade y Penta DOUBLE FLY out onto the Creeds! The fans fire up, Andrade fires off on Brutus with forearms while Penta POSTS Julius! Penta THROWS Julius into barriers, Andrade puts Brutus in the ring, and the fans cheer for “Cero Miedo!” Penta revels in that, and Andrade starts against Brutus. The bell rings, Brutus runs up, and Andrade drop toeholds Brutus into buckles! Juius rushes in but Andrade dodges to CLOBBER him with forearms! Andrade kips up, the fans fire up, and Andrade rallies them with “SI! SI! SI!”
Andrade CHOPS Brutus, then runs at Julius, CIEN KNEES! Then CIEN KNEES for Brutus! The fans join in for a “CERO! MIEDO!” Andrade tags Penta, he runs up to headstand and DROPKICK on Julius! Then a headstand and DROPKICK for Brutus! Penta swaggers, but Julius waistlocks! Penta fires off hands, then a CHOP! And another CHOP! And another CHOP! Penta CLUBS Julius, Brutus CLUBS Penta! Brutus snarls, ROCKS Penta, then he tags Julius. The Creeds drag Penta up, but Penta CHOPS and CHOPS and CHOPS again! Penta CHOPS away on Brutus, then has him on the ropes for a CHOP!
The ref reprimands, Penta whips, but Brutus reverses. Penta KICKS Brutus, then he catches Julius as he runs in! Penta waistlocks Julius and tags Andrade, Andrade GAMANGIRIS! Julius falls, Andrade climbs, but Brutus rushes up! Andrade ROCKS Brutus, Brutus drops down, but he’s a step for Julius to FLYING KNEE! Andrade flops on the top rope, and Julius GUT WRENCH PLEXES him away! The straps come down, the fans boo, but Julius clinches for an OVERHEAD BELLY2BELLY! Julius kips up, tags Brutus, and Brutus STANDING MOONSAULTS! Cover, ONE, but Gable is still pleased as SmackDown goes picture in picture.
Brutus stalks Andrade to the apron, drags him up and bends him against the ropes! The ref counts, Brutus lets go at 4, and Andrade flops over. Brutus stomps Andrade, digs his boot into Andrade’s neck, then steps off at 4. Tag to Julius and he drags Andrade around. The Creeds KNEE Andrade back and forth, then Julius sucker punches Penta! The ref reprimands but Julius goes back to Andrade. Andrade JAWBREAKERS free! Andrade CHOPS, CHOPS and CHOPS! Julius trips Andrade onto the ropes! Julius CHOKES Andrade, steps off at 4, then paces around. Julius drags Andrade up to RAM him into the corner!
Tag to Brutus and he runs up to BRUTUS BALL in the corner! Snapmare and a tag to Julius for the SLIDING LARIAT! Cover, TWO! Julius drags Andrade into a chinlock, tags Brutus, and the Creeds mug Andrade. Brutus drags Andrade up to ROCK him with a forearm! And another! And then Brutus TACKLES Andrade so he can SMASH! Brutus stalks Andrade to a corner, eggs him on, and then drags him away from the corner to HAMMER him down! Brutus soaks up the heat, then eggs Andrade on. Andrade sits up, and Brutus clamps on a chinlock. Brutus grinds Andrade back down, thrashes him around, but Andrade fights up.
Brutus smothers Andrade as SmackDown returns to single picture. Andrade fights up again as the fans rally, but Brutus back suplexes, only for Andrade to CROSSBODY! Both men are down, Julius tags in and jumps on a leg! Andrade ENZIGIRIS free! Hot tag to Penta! Penta goes up and CROSSBODIES Julius! Penta keeps moving, ducks ‘n’ dodges then RANAS! Julius tumbles around, Penta KICKS him in the leg! Penta whips, Julius reverses, but Penta goes up and over to BACKSTABBER! Cover, Brutus breaks it! Brutus whips, Penta reverses and out goes Brutus! SUPERKICK for Julius! The fans fire up, but Gable drags Julius to safety!
Andrade protests but the ref keeps Andrade back. Penta storms upon Gable, but Gable grabs at the mask! The fans boo, but EL HIJO DE VIKINGO jumps the railing! Vikingo YANKS Gable down and throws hands! The fans fire up, but Gable knees Vikingo low! Gable whips, Vikingo reverses and he TOSSES Gable over barriers! Vikingo pursues, they brawl more, but Julius rolls Penta up! TWO, and Penta SUPERKICKS! Brutus is in, Andrade SHADOW ELBOWS him! Penta goes up, the ref is busy with Brutus, so Andrade SHADOW ELBOWS Julius! Penta adds a FLYING DESTROYER!! Cover, Penta y Andrade win!
Winners: Andrade & Penta, by pinfall
El Idolo and Penta celebrate together, but wait! Here comes Seth Rollins! He attacked LA Knight just for being in MITB, now he looks to do the same to these two. Penta & Andrade don’t back down, even as Bron & Bronson flank the ring. The fans boo this 3v2 scenario, but the fight is on! Rollins & Bron mug Andrade while Bronson CLOBBERS Penta! The fans chant for Punk, but Rollins sets Andrade up for Bron’s SPEAR!! Bronson scoops Penta to SLAM him, then SENTON him! CURB STOMP for Andrade!! CURB STOMP for Penta!! The fans boo as Rollins has his behemoths drag Penta to a drop zone!
Rollins TOSSES Andrade, Bronson goes up, TSUNAMI!! The producers and refs can’t get in the ring with Bron barking at them, and whatever fines Rollins faces don’t matter with how close he is to having all the power in WWE! Can no one stop the Visionary from taking over the future of the industry?
SmackDown returns and…
Rollins’ crew is still in the ring. Heyman now has the mic to say, “Yea, though we walk through the sold-out hellhole of Bakers b*tches, we fear not the future! Because ladies and gentlemen, like it or not, we ARE the future!” The fans boo but Heyman says he doesn’t understand why they would! Seth Rollins told you even before WrestleMania what this industry was becoming. He told you all what would happen at Mania, and it happened! Rollins told you all they would get Roman Reigns out of the way, and they did! Rollins told you all they would put CM Punk out of Heyman’s misery, and they did!
Don’t they get that whatever Rollins tells them becomes true? Don’t they understand that Rollins is the vanguard of the future of this industry? That this group is the vanguard of the destiny of the WWE!? The fans still boo, and Heyman says they can sit there and boo all they want. “Tomorrow night, Seth Freakin’ Rollins becomes, once again, Mr. Money in the Bank!” The fans boo even more, but Heyman says then, once Rollins does that, at his leisure, at his discretion, when he damn well feels like it, it will be who, what, where, and when! We all know the why! The why is to solidify the POWER that comes with the title!
“And Seth Freakin’ Rollins will then propel this entire industry into a future that is a vision all of his own!” As for Heyman, the greatest honor of his professional and personal life is when he gets to stand here, in this ring, and says, “Ladies and gentlemen, the REIGNING! DEFENDING! UNDI-” Wait! Cody Rhodes makes his way out here! The fans fire up and sing along with the American Nightmare’s song, and he still gets the “WHOA~ OH~!” and pyro. Cody high-fives fans as he goes down the ramp and to the ring. Rollins has Bron & Bronson calm down, even as Cody steps inside. Cody looks at the four, then stares Rollins down.
But now we’re joined by Jey Uso! The fans fire up as Jey makes his way out from the concourse and down through the stands! Jey even gets a little girl to join in on the YEET! Rollins has his faction follow him away again, letting Cody and the World Heavyweight Champion have the ring. Cody & Jey will have one last face-to-face with John Cena & Logan Paul, but can they keep it civil? Or will it pop off 24 hours before MITB? We find out, after the break.
SmackDown returns once more…
Cody & Jey revel in the cheers, and Cody has the mic to say, “So, Bakersfield… Whaddya wanna talk about? Talk about MITB?” “YEET!” “Talk about the Intuit Dome?” “YEET!” “Talk about Main Event Jey Uso!” “YEET!” “Talk about our opponents, John Cena…” The fans boo that name. “And his tag team partner, Logan Paul…!” The fans definitely boo that name. Cody says okay, well, what’d they say last week? Cena was rather aggressive, saying Cody tries too hard. The fans already duel, “Let’s Go, Cena!” “CENA SUCKS!” Cody says Cena called Cody desperate, which was bold coming from Cena. Cena danced his way onto a livestream all, “How do you do, fellow kids?”
We saw Cena kick some man in a nuts, then begging for forgiveness online. Seeing Cena in the ring with Logan in 2025, that was like if Michael PS Hayes was in the ring with the Hardy Boys. Let’s talk about desperate! Desperate is WrestleMania 41, throwing away 20 YEARS of good will so that he could have a record-setting title reign. Tomorrow isn’t about the World Heavyweight Championship, it isn’t about the Undisputed WWE Championship, it is a showdown. What would Jey call that? Jey calls that a YEET DOWN! One time for the one time: Four letters, one word! UH UH, YEET!! But wait! Here comes John Cena!
The fans erupt with “JOHN CENA SUCKS~! JOHN CENA SUCKS~!” as Cena makes his entrance in his Lakers inspired merch for Los Angeles. Cena steps into the ring, has them cut his music, and he looks at the crowd as they duel, “Let’s Go, Cena!” “CENA SUCKS!” Cena of course makes the announcer give him the proper introduction: The Greatest of All Time, the Never-Seen Seventeen, gracing Bakersfield with his presence one last time, he is the Last Real Champion, JOOOOOHN~! CENAAA~! And then LOGAN PAUL slides in! ONE LUCKY PUNCH on Jey!! Then he tries it on Cody, but Cody grabs him for a dragon sleeper!
But Cena BELT SHOTS Cody before he can hit Cross Rhodes! The fans boo but Cena drags Jey up for an ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT!! Cena lets Logan get Cody with the PAULVERIZER! Cena then sets Cody up in the drop zone for Logan as he climbs. Logan hits the FIVE STAR FROG SPLASH! Cena now sets Jey up and Logan goes back up, FIVE STAR FROG SPLASH!! The fans boo as Cena kicks Cody & Jey out of the ring, and then gets himself a mic. Logan picks up the World Heavyweight Championship while Cena says, “Take a good look. NO ONE is coming to save you. I’ve been telling you this for a half of a year! YOUR DREAM of what the WWE is… will be RUINED!
“THIS is your future! I take this home! He takes that to the top!” They raise their belts up, and Cena says he is the Last Real Champion while Logan is the Moment Maker, the One of One, the Inevitable Future Face of the WWE! “Bakersfield, humble yourselves for the humblest! The future World Heavyweight Champion, Logan Paul!” The fans boo as they both hold up the belts again, then set them down. The fans chant “Logan Sucks! Logan Sucks!” Cena and Logan go outside to grab Cody and Jey and put them back in the ring! ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT for Cody! Logan lines up a shot, ONE LUCKY PUNCH for Jey!!
The fans boo, chant “We Want Truth!” but Cena says, “You Can’t Handle the Truth!!” Cena says if you want their truth, their truth is right here, staring them in the face! And there is not a damn thing the fans or anyone that fights for the fans can do about it! “You hypocrites chant for Truth. You are all pathetic LIARS!” The fans still chant “We Want Truth!” but Cena says, “This is why you’re losers. Take a good look, because it’s my last time here in Bakersfield. And remember these words: Winners write the history books! Ladies and gentlemen, your future champion, and the Last Real Champion!”
The two raise the belts up again as the fans boo, but is this really going to be the future of the WWE? Or can someone, anyone, stop it all from happening?
My Thoughts:
A great SmackDown as the go-home to both MITB and Worlds Collide. Though, the most Legado could do for their Six Man Tag was have a promo that didn’t really add much, and Santos kinda repeated himself a bit. There’s also the Six Man Tag of Aerostar, Octagon Jr. & Mr. Iguana VS Dragon Lee, Cruz Del Toro and apparently now Lince Dorado to sub in for Joaquin Wilde. One Six Man Tag surely goes to WWE and the other to AAA, I’m just not sure which one. We did get a bit more Gable VS Vikingo with Vikingo help Penta & Andrade in the main event, but I don’t know how that math works. As wild as it would be, I really don’t think Gable should win the AAA Mega Champion.
Especially if El Grande Americano has the potential to win MITB. While we all know Gable and Grande are one in the same, Grande didn’t show up tonight, so he was safe from the go-home math that happened tonight. Seth Rollins and his faction of course ran roughshod over SmackDown tonight, but I liked the opening promo of Rollins’ faction being confronted by Solo’s. Great bit bringing Jimmy Uso out, but it’s kinda funny Fatu and JC each fell for the “He bumped into me!” misunderstanding. Great win for Jimmy from this, and Solo’s promo later definitely puts the final nail in the coffin for him, Fatu is going to screw Solo over at MITB.
Aleister and LA Knight each had good promos before their match, which was a little rough in the middle but still really good. Rollins of course ruins that match to weaken Knight, but what a great stare down of Aleister and Rollins. As it stands, that won’t be a feud, unless the WWE Draft still happens and moves Aleister (and Zelina) over to Raw. And back to that main event match, of course Rollins and his crew blew that great match up, too. All this math is adding up to Rollins losing, because chances are, CM Punk does show up to screw him over. And so, if it isn’t Grande, I feel like Knight benefits from that since he was the first to take a stomp from Rollins.
Great stuff in the Women’s MITB build, with Tiffany’s promo calling out all six contenders cuing up the six contenders making their entrances for the Six Woman Tag. Awesome match, and great win for the Faces with Naomi (and Giulia more quietly) leaving Roxie alone. Good promo from Zelina with Giulia, and great Bakersfield Brawl. I like that Giulia suckered Zelina in with the assist, because it really is as I said: Better to challenge a champion with no obvious allies than the one with sidekicks. Plus, Chelsea Green can finally move up to the top title with someone else challenging Zelina for the Women’s US Championship. Chelsea and Tiffany interacting while Tiff worries about Miss MITB will be some really fun stuff.
Giulia going right for Zelina takes her out of the running, the Faces did that tonight with their win, and even without the math, Naomi is perhaps the perfect choice for Miss MITB. She has her beef with Tiffany, but also with Jade and Bianca, meaning one or both won’t let Naomi get a clean cash-in. Good promo from Jade and Charlotte to help add to the hype of the King & Queen of the Ring news. Four Fatal 4 Ways makes things happen much faster, but it adds up to the same: eight people from each brand fighting to be in the semifinals and so on, can’t wait to see who else gets in.
Great promo from Bo Dallas, and great response from the teams of SmackDown. DIY play the perfect Heels in this letting the Faces handle the spooky, scary tweeners the Wyatts are, and we will definitely get great stuff out of the different tag matches. And of course, great final faceoff from Cody, Jey, Cena & Logan. In fact, it was very clever for Cena to take all that attention so Logan could get the drop on Jey & Cody. Cena had a very good promo, and he very cleverly touched upon the #WeWantTruth campaign with it. But this obviously has to mean Cena & Logan lose, helping set up Cena VS Cody the rematch for SummerSlam, even with the big Atlanta weekend coming up.
My Score: 8.9/10
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