Coverage
Mitchell’s WWE Raw Results & Report! (4/4/22)
The Raw AFTER Mania!
The Most STUPENDOUS WrestleMania hangover, anyone?
Raw has a new Women’s Champion, and we all have a NEW Undisputed WWE Champion, but perhaps biggest of all tonight, VEER MAHAAN RETURNS!
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Championship Contenders Match: Sasha Banks & Naomi VS Rhea Ripley & Liv Morgan; Sasha & Naomi win and deny Rhea & Liv a title match.
- Dominik Mysterio w/ Rey Mysterio VS The Miz; Miz wins.
- NXT Championship: Dolph Ziggler w/ Robert Roode VS Bron Breakker; Breakker wins and becomes the new NXT Champion.
- Carmella & Queen Zelina Vega VS Shayna Baszler & Natalya; No Contest.
- Six Man Tag: Finn Balor & RKBRO VS Austin Theory & The Usos; Theory & The Usos win.
- The Street Profits VS The Alpha Academy; changed to…
- Texas Tornado Tag: The Street Profits VS The Alpha Academy; The Street Profits win.
PLAY BY PLAY
The lights go down.
Fans are already chanting, because yes! “Wrestling has more than one… Royal family.” CODY RHODES opens Monday Night Raw! The American Nightmare returned to the WWE, took on Seth Rollins and won! Fans fire up with Cody as he walks down the ramp and to the ring. And then pyro goes off. Cody gets the mic as fans chant his name, and then fans chant, “Welcome Back!” Cody smiles, soaks in the moment, and then gets fired up! “So, what do you guys wanna talk about?” It has been 47 days from the abrupt news of his free agency, and other than that, he remained silent.
Cody heard stories, whispers and theories that were nonsense. Everyone thinks the decision to return to the WWE was difficult. It was not. It was simple, really. “The star that left them in the dust. The man standing here now having signed a multi-year agreement with World Wrestling Entertainment, and if there was…” Fans chant, “You Deserve It!” and Cody says, “If there was a glimmer of doubt, a shred of trepidation, the moment I rose up in front of 70 something THOUSAND fans, the moment I made the walk at a WrestleMania and defeated one of the best superstar wrestlers in any era, that being Seth Rollins, that doubt was eradicated!”
Cody is an avid reader and he stumbled across a quote. “A man often finds his destiny the path he takes to avoid it.” So if you’ll humor Cody, let’s look at the tron, if you will. Dusty Rhodes holds up the world title in Madison Square Garden on 9/26/77. “Right there is my father, the American Dream, Dusty Rhodes. It’s so simple to say, ‘That’s my father.’ But in reality, yeah, he’s a legend. Yeah, he’s a Son of a Plumber, a common man, he’s all those things. To me, he was my hero.” Cody gets a bit choked up and fans cheer for “Dusty! Dusty!” That photo was taken in 1977, MSG, and Dusty is holding what would eventually go to Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker, and HBK. Oh, and HHH, too.
Cody has a quick story that makes it all very simple to him. This very photo of his father was on the mantle in his parents’ bedroom until his father’s last day. And as Cody got “hip” to the industry, he worked up the courage to ask, but fumbled the words. “I didn’t know you were a champion like Hulk Hogan.” Dusty looked at him with the same eyes that liberty has, and he said very sternly yet patiently, the champion’s advantage. Dusty had won the match, but because it was by count-out, he did not take home the title. So 8 year old Cody wasn’t sure what to do. Right then and there, at 8 years old, Cody knew not what he wanted but NEEDED to do!
Cody needed to win that title right there! Cody was going to bestow it into the hands of Dusty Rhodes and tell him, no one can take it from Dusty now! Many have followed the journey, but those new to it, that dream died. Right in front of Cody. That opportunity passed. Or did it? Yes, Cody cannot physically put the belt into Dusty’s hands, but he certainly will put it on the waist of the American Nightmare! Fans cheer that on and then chant, “You Can Do It!” Cody says with that in mind, the silence is broken and his intentions are clear. Cody stands before us ready, finally ready, and he will do it. HE will give the distinction that his family has long since been denied!
Cody will do it for us, for himself, for the Rhodes family! He will do it for the American Dream, Dusty Rhodes! But then SETH ROLLINS makes his entrance! The Architect lost but he doesn’t seem in a bad mood at all in his light pink suit with purple and silver sequins. Rollins joins Cody in the ring, swaggers a bit as fans sing his theme, and then he looks Cody in the eye. Cody tosses the mic aside, and Rollins smiles. Cody offers a handshake, fans chant “YES! YES! YES!” and Rollins takes it! There is respect here, but will Seth Freakin’ Rollins have something planned to stop Cody’s dream from coming true?
Championship Contenders Match: Sasha Banks & Naomi VS Rhea Ripley & Liv Morgan!
The NEW WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions made everyone #FeelTheBossGlow in that Fatal 4 Way, but now they take on #Liv4Brutality with a title opportunity on the line! Will Sasha & Naomi prove they’re LEGIT? Or will Rhea & Liv turn this dream come true into a living nightmare?
Raw returns as Liv & Rhea make their entrance. The teams sort out, Rhea starts against Naomi. They stare down as fans rally up, then tie up. Naomi gets around, but Rhea wrenches out to HEADBUTT! Rhea suplexes, carries Naomi around, and Liv counts it out for her. Rhea goes all the way to 10, then 15, then 20! SLAM on 21! Cover, TWO! Rhea still smiles, and she brings Naomi up to whip her to ropes. Naomi ducks with a slide, then elbows back! Naomi mule kicks, tags Sasha, and they DOUBLE BUCKLE BULLDOG! Sasha tags Naomi back in before the VADER BOMB! Naomi SPLIT LEG MOONSAULTS! Cover, Liv breaks it!
Sasha gets in to throw Liv out, then Sasha goes to the apron for a METEORA! Direct hit and down goes Liv! But Rhea goes out to CANNONBALL Sasha down! Naomi PLANCHAS to take out Rhea! Fans fire up, Naomi gets fired up, too, and she checks on Sasha. Naomi hurries back to the ring and gets Rhea in. Fans rally up, Naomi drops a leg! Cover, TWO! Rhea is still in this but Team BAD still has control as Raw goes to break.
Raw returns again and Rhea has Naomi down in a body scissors squeeze. Rhea thrashes Naomi around but Naomi pushes back to a cover, TWO! Naomi is free, but Rhea mule kicks her first. Rhea whips, Naomi goes up to springboard FLYING CHUCK! Both women are down and fans fire up! Naomi and Rhea crawl for their corners, going past each other, hot tags to Liv and Sasha! Sasha KNEES Liv, then steps in to RANA her down! Liv ends up in a corner, Sasha runs in, DOUBLE KNEES! She goes again, METEORA! Then side to side, BOOT WASH! Sasha fires up, climbs up, and leaps, METEORA! Cover, TWO!
Sasha is shocked that Liv still lives! Fans fire up while Sasha shakes her head. Sasha brings Liv up, spins her around, but Liv victory rolls, TWO! Sasha swings but Liv goes Matrix to roll Sasha, TWO! Liv ENZIGURIS and down goes Sasha! Fans fire up as Liv hurries to her corner. Tag to Rhea, and Rhea gets Sasha up for Liv to POWERBOMB! Cover, TWO! Sasha survives and now Rhea is shocked! Tag back to Liv, assisted FLOP as Sasha moves! Naomi ROUNDHOUSES Rhea and tosses her out hard! Tag to Naomi, she and Sasha get Liv up. Wheelbarrow CODE BREAKER! Cover, the champs win!
Winners: Sasha Banks & Naomi, by pinfall
Rhea & Liv have been denied their title shot! Naomi & Sasha head out, who will be coming for them next? Rhea gets back in the ring to check on Liv, and Liv apologizes. But then Rhea walks off? Is Rhea ditching another tag partner?
Kevin Owens heads to the ring!
The Prizefighter barely waits for Rhea and Liv to leave before he makes his way out. How is feeling after his surprise match with Stone Cold? We’ll hear about it after the break.
Raw returns and Kevin has the mic to say, “Alright. I may have made a mistake. On Saturday night, in the main event of WrestleMania, when I had Stone Cold Steve Austin as my guest on the KO Show, I unveiled my plan to trick him into having one last match, and uh… I think I underestimated Steve a little bit.” Kevin will admit it: The Texas Rattlesnake is still great. You have to in order to beat one of the best in the WWE ever in Kevin Owens! Fans have to admit to that part! And when Kevin tricked Steve into having a match, he might’ve tricked himself. Kevin went into it with a pretty bad back, okay?
No, no! He’s not lying! Watch how he walked down the ramp. You couldn’t see it in his face cuz he’s so tough, but he was limping. He was lifting weight, a lot of weight, and hurt himself! He should’ve just gone home. But he knew the WWE Universe needed Kevin to give them a great WrestleMania moment! He sacrificed his health for us! SO as great as that was for Steve, the win should come with a clarification that it was over someone nowhere near 100%! IT should just be stricken from the records all together! Wait, who is this? Ezekiel? Is that ELIAS?! And he’s interrupting Kevin?!
“Ezekiel” gets a mic and Kevin isn’t even sure but… Elias? Is that him? What the hell is he doing here? Where has he been? And who does he think he is interrupting Kevin’s time?! Elias says he’s not Elias. Fans chant, “Yes You Are! Yes You Are!” But Elias says he is Elias’ brother. Fans call BS! “The name is Ezekiel.” “What?!” Elias is not Elias? No, he knows those eyes! That’s Elias! No, he’s Elias’ brother, Ezekiel! Okay, Kevin may have gotten beer in his eyes, but maybe there’s some in his ears. Because he keeps hearing Elias say he’s not Elias. But he is! So stop the BS! Stop lying! Kevin hates liars!
Oh, well, Kevin must hate himself then. Cuz on Saturday, Kevin lied to Stone Cold, and got stunned. Okay, y’know what? Kevin doesn’t like Elias. Fans chant, “You Got Stunned!” but Kevin ignores this. Kevin used to like Elias- No, that’s a lie. He never liked him! And he likes him even less now! So Elias, Eric, Enrique, whatever you say your name is, the only thing that matter sis that Kevin is telling the truth here and now when he says Elias has 10 seconds to get out of the ring or else! Kevin even counts it down! Fans say “WHAT?” with each number. Kevin gets to one, then Kevin leaves. So that was a lie, too? As for Elias/Ezekiel, what is the truth of this return/debut?
Dominik Mysterio w/ Rey Mysterio VS The Miz!
The father-son lucha tag duo may not have defeated the Most Must-See Tag Team, but Logan Paul didn’t feel like much of a winner, either. The Hollywood A-Lister gave Rey and Logan a Skull Crushing Finale on the most STUPENDOUS WrestleMania ever, will he do the same to Dom here tonight?
Raw returns as Miz makes his entrance, still wearing the Pikachu color scheme gear. The bell rings, and Miz rushes at Dom! Dom dodges and fires off shouts, then knuckle locks to go up and up and FLYING ARM-DRAG! Miz staggers, Dom runs to RNA Miz onto ropes! Dom dials it up fast, but Miz hurries to pop Dom up and HOTSHOT him on the ropes! Full nelson, SKULL-CRUSHING FINALE!! Cover, Miz wins!!
Winner: The Miz, by pinfall
Did Miz use Agility before getting out here? Because that was super fast! But wait! Is that…? YES! VEER MAHAAN has finally returned! The Lion of India has been unleashed and he storms right down to the ring! Miz bails out, he doesn’t want to suffer at the hands of that Million Dollar Arm! Veer therefore locks onto Dom and BOOTS him down! Rey goes after Veer, runs, but into the MILLION DOLLAR LARIAT! Veer roars, drags Rey up and scoops him for a SIDEWALK SLAM! Veer then looks at Dom again, and drags him back into a BIG hip drop! Veer then has the TWISTING CAMEL CLUTCH! Dom endures, taps, but it doesn’t matter because this isn’t a match!
Veer thrashes Dom as he keeps tapping, and Rey tries to get up to save Dom, but it’s no good! Veer lets Dom go, and stands over both Mysterios. This was only the beginning, who will be next for Veer’s ravenous warpath?
Bianca Belair is here!
The newEST Raw Women’s Champion heads to the ring as fans cheer her on. She’ll speak on finally getting even with Big Time Becks, after the break.
Raw returns and fans chant “EST! EST!” as Bianca holds up the belt. Bianca wants to thank everyone for never giving up on her and believing she’d finally be holding this title as her own. Fans cheer “You Deserve It!” and Bianca takes off the glasses to show she has quite the shiner. Bianca says she stands here with one good eye tonight, but she thanks Becky for that. Even back at SummerSlam, without that humiliating moment, a loss in under 30 seconds, Bianca would never have known how much better she could be. Fans cheer that on, too, and Bianca says she will never take for granted where she is. She learned that just like that, it could all be taken away. “And that hurt.”
But y’know what? Bianca didn’t cheat, she didn’t injure someone. She just went through hell and back, from SummerSlam to last Saturday. Becky says Bianca was trying to take everything from her, but Mania proved Becky was the one trying to take from Bianca. Becky came for Bianca’s throat, her hair, and her eye. And yet Bianca caught everything Becky threw at her, fought to the end, and is in front of us here tonight. And Bianca overcame all that because the fans deserved better, so Bianca became better! Bianca will be the best champion she can be! Because not only does she know what it’s like to be at the top, but how hard to stay there.
Bianca knows what it is like to have the title, to have it snatched away and to get it back. She is willing and ready to fight every single woman in the back! No woman is prepared to do what it takes to take this from her! After last Saturday, Bianca is different! She is better. So now that Becky doesn’t have the title, maybe she can take the downtime to figure out who she is without it. Bianca knows who she is! The strongEST, fastEST, the toughEST, the roughEST, the quickEST and the BEST in the WWE, your NEW Raw Women’s Champion! Bianca has been reinvigorated, will she take this title to new heights?
NXT Championship: Dolph Ziggler w/ Robert Roode VS Bron Breakker!
At Stand & Deliver, the Show-Off managed to survive the son of Rick Steiner, but those GLORIOUS controversies seemed to convince WWE that Bron deserves better. Will Bron finally break Ziggler and get that title back? Or will being on Raw give Ziggler homefield advantage?
Raw returns as Bron makes his entrance. The introductions are made, the NXT title is raised, and someone will Stand & Deliver here on Monday night!
Ziggler SLAPS Bron! And then SLAPS him again! He dares Bron to do something but he has to wait for the bell! The bell rings now, and Bron TACKLES Ziggler to a corner! Bron rams his shoulder in, then DECKS Ziggler! Bron whips Ziggler back into the corner, then OVERHEAD Belly2Belly suplexes! Ziggler bails out, Bron dares the champ to get in. Bron goes out to pursue, but Ziggler gets back in. Bron slides in and Ziggler fires off on Bron! Ziggler rains down elbows, drags Bron back up, and hits a NECKBREAKER! Then he drops an elbow! Cover, TWO! Roode coaches Ziggler, Ziggler scrapes laces on Bron’s face.
“This is the big leagues, idiot! You see this?” But then Ziggler claws Bron’s eyes! Ziggler whips, Bron reverses but Ziggler kicks him back! But Bron doesn’t budge! Things speed up as Ziggler dodges, but Bron catches the hurdle for a SPINEBUSTER! Bron seethes, he drags Ziggler up but Ziggler is in the ropes. The ref reprimands, Ziggler cheap shots Bron! Ziggler leaps, but dropkick gets caught for a CATAPULT! Ziggler HOTSHOTS off ropes! Bron then hauls Ziggler back up, RAMS him into the corner, then puts Ziggler up top. Bron climbs up after Ziggler, fans fire up but Ziggler trips Bron!
Bron lands rough on the corner, then Ziggler DROPKICKS Bron to the floor! Roode is talking trash the whole time Bron writhes on the floor, and Raw goes to break.
Raw returns again and Ziggler has Bron in an inverted Bow ‘n’ Arrow. Bron endures, fights up, and throws body shots. Ziggler headlocks but Bron powers out. Ziggler ducks and dodges to DROPKICK again! Cover, TWO!! Bron survives and Ziggler grows frustrated. Fans sing Seven Nation Army and Bron turns Famouser into POWERBOMB! Both men are down again and Roode is frustrated for Ziggler. Roode tries to rally Ziggler up and Ziggler gets Bron with a haymaker. Bron haymakers back, but Ziggler HEADBUTS! Bron denies ZigZag to CLOBBER Ziggler! And again! Bron kicks and catches Ziggler, OVERHEAD Belly2Belly!
Bron drags Ziggler up, fans bark it up, and Bron whips to LARIAT Ziggler! The straps come down and Bron aims from the corner. But Roode gets on the apron! Bron scares him off, Ziggler rolls Bron up! TWO, Bron LARAITS Ziggler, and FLIES out onto Roode! Bron hurries back in the ring but Ziggler has removed a buckle pad! Just like Saturday! RUNNING KICK, and then a FAMOUSER! Cover, TWO!! Bron survives and Ziggler can’t believe it! Ziggler aims from a corner and he starts tuning up the band. But Bron blocks superkick and powers Ziggler around. But Ziggler rakes eyes to get away! Ziggler shoves Bron, but he avoids the bare buckle!
Bron turns around, SUPERKICK! Cover, TWO!! Bron won’t let Ziggler get him with that this time! Ziggler is desperately arguing with the ref but the count is the count. Ziggler demands Bron get up, and he retunes the band! Bron stands, and he SPEARS Ziggler inside-out! Bron drags Ziggler up to trophy lift! Fans fire up for the BREAKKER SLAM! Cover, Bron wins!
Winner: Bron Breakker, by pinfall (NEW NXT Champion)
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again! And Bron not only did that, but he succeeded! He used his second chance to become a TWO-TIME NXT Champion! Has Bron finally proved he not only belongs, but that he is THE guy in NXT?
Raw returns with MVP in the ring.
Montel Vontavius Porter has the mic to say, “They say that actions speak louder than words. And it is my privilege to introduce to you tonight a man whose actions spoke volumes at WrestleMania! A man who single-handedly, without an ounce of help, triumphed over the goliath that has been absolutely terrorizing Raw over the last year, and he didn’t even need me! Ladies and gentlemen, this man breaks the unbreakable, crushes the colossal. Without further ado, I give to you the ALL Mighty, BOBBY LASHLEY!” Lashley makes his way out and fans cheer while the pyro goes off. Lashley goes to the ring, and he’s dressed to compete!
MVP hands Lashley the mic as fans chant “BOBBY! BOBBY!” Lashley says when Omos issued the WrestleMania challenge, he couldn’t resist! Lashley had to see how strong, how powerful, how scary that man really was. And then getting in the ring with him, Lashley thought, “Are you really sure you want to do this?” But when Lashley knocked Omos on his ass, Lashley knew that it could be done. And then at WrestleMania, Lashley can honestly say Omos beat the hell out of him, threw him around, and was the strongest man he’s been in the ring with. It felt almost hopeless.
Lashley knew was his one way to win was if Omos made a mistake. And if he did, it’d be 1-2-3, and that’s what happened! But wait, here comes Omos! He stares Lashley down the entire way from stage to ring, but Lashley isn’t budging. Omos says he wants a freakin’ rematch! Lashley got a fluke! MVP lets people know that Omos wants a rematch! Lashley isn’t leaving the ring, is he going to give Omos that rematch now? Wait, MVP hits Lashley from behind?! And Omos CLUBS Lashley down! MVP has turned on Lashley! MVP rains down furious forearms as he shouts, “You didn’t need me?!” Omos drags Lashley up and MVP SLAPS Lashley!
MVP tells Omos to crush Lashley, so Omos puts Lashley in a corner to CLOBBER him! And again! Fans boo but MVP tells Omos to keep going! Omos hauls Lashley up, runs in and back elbows him again! Fans chant “YOU SUCK!” but MVP says Lashley bet he wishes he was still out. MVP then runs in to BOOT Lashley down! Omos then finishes this with a MOUNTAIN TOP SLAM! MVP raises Omos’ massive hand in victory, has the already dominant Omos just become invincible?
Liv finds Rhea backstage.
Where’s she been? What was that out there after their loss? Rhea says she was talking with Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville, and she convinced management to still give them a title shot. Well, that’s great! Liv thanks Rhea for that. Rhea says it’s fine, they can just go win those belts next week. Well, Liv4Brutality still has a shot, will they be able to redeem themselves on the road to Backlash?
Carmella & Queen Zelina Vega VS Shayna Baszler & Natalya!
Byron Saxton gives Corey Graves a hard time on commentary about Mella & Vega being former Women’s Tag Team Champions, but can the Most Beautiful Woman in the WWE and the Queen of the Ring redeem themselves here? Or will someone #TapNapOrSnap to the Queen of Spades and Queen of Harts?
Raw returns but Vega snatches the mic. Before any introductions for the opponents, she wants to get one thing straight. “Carmella. You’re the one who cost us our tag team titles at WrestleMania. You’re so preoccupied with yourself and being the most beautiful woman~, and a man who is an absolute fool for marrying you…” However, Graves is a very handsome man. Mella says how dare she! Mella is the most beautiful woman in the WORLD! Yeah, yeah, Vega won the Queen’s Crown. But when Mella first announced this engagement, she thought Vega would be a bridesmaid, but not anymore. Now she can be the flower girl.
Vega DECKS Mella! Mella scrambles away to Graves but Vega wants after her again! Vega throws Mella down and Graves hurries to check on her. Graves has Mella take his seat to catch her breath and calm her down. Mella gives Graves one hell of a kiss, and Byron is ready to barf. But it seems the tag match is off. Will the Queen of the Ring shine brighter all by herself?
The Usos find Austin Theory backstage.
They say Theory lookin’ mad, red in the face. Like he lost his dog. But is Jey sad? Nope! Why’s that? Cuz unlike some people they know, the Usos got the W! These tag titles ain’t going nowhere. The Usos gonna show RKBRO why #WeTheOnes, and why The Bloodline runs this whole damn company! Didn’t Vince McMahon say Theory was the newest chosen one? Jimmy’s pretty sure he did. They almost believed the hype. But they’d be embarrassed, too, if they lost to Stone Cold Steve Austin and an EX-NFL punter. Theory says he had McAfee beat! That fool got lucky! And he won’t even talk about Stone Cold!
Theory says Vince never makes a mistake, and Theory is the best investment he ever made. As far as Finn Balor goes tonight, he might as well be McAfee. He’s gonna catch a round, #ATownDown. Usos got Theory all fired up, will they be the ones to take down the Viper, the Stallion and the Prince?
Six Man Tag: Finn Balor & RKBRO VS Austin Theory & The Usos!
The WWE United States and Raw Tag Team Champions team up for the first time ever, but will this killer combo be able to take down Vince’s golden boy, and the boys who still have gold as the longest reigning SmackDown Tag Team Champions ever?
Raw returns and Finn makes his entrance. Then Theory makes his entrance, followed by the Usos. The trios sort out, and Balor starts against Jimmy. They circle, tie up, and Jimmy headlocks., Balor powers out, runs Jimmy over, then he DECKS Theory! Balor headlocks Jimmy but Jimmy powers out. Balor runs Jimmy over again, stomps away on Jimmy, then runs Theory off. Jimmy ROCKS Balor with an elbow, whips, but Balor reverses. Jimmy sunset flips but Balor rolls through to basement dropkick! Cover, ONE! Balor wrenches Jimmy’s arm, tags Riddle in, and Riddle KICKS that arm! Riddle waistlocks and SLAMS Jimmy, then facelocks.
Jimmy fights up, powers Riddle to the corner, Jey tags in. Jey run sin to forearm smash! Jey fires off, Theory tags in, and then Theory stomps away. Fans boo while Theory fires up and talks trash. Fans sing Seven Nation Army to remind Theory of McAfee, but Theory snapmares and stomps Riddle down! Cover, ONE! Theory brings Riddle up but Riddle fires off forearms! Theory knees low, CLUBS Riddle, then whips Riddle to the corner. Riddle DECKS the Usos, TOSSES Theory, and goes up and out to PENALTY KICK from the apron! Then Riddle springboards, only for Theory to trip Riddle up! Riddle crashes down and clutches a leg while Raw goes to break.
Raw returns again and Jey taunts Riddle before he clamps on a chinlock. Riddle endures, fights up, but Jey keeps him from the corner. Riddle ROCKS Jey, and again, but Jey brings him in, back suplex NECKBREAKER! Cover, TWO! Jey is annoyed but he holds up the finger. He then DECKS Balor, swings on Orton, but Orton dodges and is furious! The ref keeps Orton back, but Jey turns around into Riddle’s KNEE! Fans fire up as Riddle crawls over, hot tags to Jimmy and Orton! Fans fire up as The Viper rallies on the Usos, DECKS Theory, and POWRESLAMS Jimmy! Fans are thunderous as Orton has Jimmy in the ropes!
Jey runs in but Orton elbows him down! Theory tags in when Orton isn’t looking! Jimmy gets the DRAPING DDT! Fans fire up and Orton hears the voices, but Theory somersault SHOTGUNS Orton down! Theory gloats, but Balor tags in! GAMANGIRI! Theory is down, Balor goes up, OCUP DE- NO! Theory dodges, fireman’s carries, but Balor slips out to ELBOW DDT! Cover, Jimmy breaks it! Orton RKOS Jimmy!! Jey SUPERKICKS Orton, but Riddle flies in, SUPERKICK for Riddle! SLINGBLADE for Jey! Theory fireman’s carries, ATL!! Cover, Theory and Usos win!
Winners: Austin Theory & The Usos, by pinfall
And of course, Theory has to take a selfie to commemorate the moment. Will Vince McMahon gift wrap a US Championship opportunity for his golden boy? And if so, will Balor make sure to crush that gift with his own hands?
Edge heads to the ring!
The Iconoclast and the Phenomenal One went beyond their limits in their first-ever showdown, but there was a certain someone who helped Edge get the edge in the end. What will Edge have to say from atop his “mountain of omniscience?” We find out, after the break.
Raw returns and Edge stands in his blue spotlight with the mic. “I am an honest man. I said that AJ Styles would face his judgment day at WrestleMania and he did. What I didn’t expect was for Damian Priest to appear. But it makes sense when you stop and think about it.” For most of us fans, or rather all of us, thinking is hard. But for too long, Priest fought his inner self, just like Edge. For too long, Priest tried to be a fine, upstanding role model for all the sheep, just like Edge. Fans chant, “We Are Sheep!” Very funny, idiots. But without further ado, he demands the fans all rise for the man who respects Edge’s message! The man who will be the punisher of the guilty, Damian Priest!
Priest makes his entrance, in a suit! The Archer of Infamy joins Edge in the ring, they shake hands and smile, and Priest gets himself a mic. Edge asks Priest, what was it about his “pearls of genius” that caused Priest to take things back into his own hands? “It goes without saying how much you have meant to me for a very long time. Weeks leading into WrestleMania, I was lost.” Fans chant, “We Don’t Care!” See, there was a time when that would’ve bothered Priest. Not anymore, losers! Priest tried to please the fans, to please everyone, except himself. But then he heard Edge’s words.
Fans chant, “We Are Losers!” and Priest says, “Thanks for letting us know.” But Priest says that Edge may have been speaking to Styles, but the message felt like it was directly to Priest! That is why it was so easy to make the decision to pledge loyalty to Edge. Edge says it was the best decision of Priest’s life. It was funny, though. The night Edge had his epiphany was also the same night Priest took his power back. What a coincidence! They judged Styles and will judge those who challenges Edge’s message! Their message! Edge knows Styles will keep coming for him. He wanted the Pitbull and got the Pitbull. But Pitbulls only know fight, no flight.
But Styles has to know his best option is flight. He has to think of his family, his children. They need their father. But now Styles makes his way out! Priest hurries to intercept, but Styles dodges to ROCK Priest, and RAM him into barriers! And then TOSS him over! Styles gets in the ring to TACKLE Edge! Styles rains down fists, then POSTS Edge! And then POST him again! Styles goes out to get a chair! Fans fire up as Styles gets another chair, and brings both to the ring! Styles puts Edge’s head on one, and gets the other! But Priest CLOBBERS Styles! Priest fires off, fans boo, but Priest stomps Styles down!
Priest keeps on Styles until Edge calls to him. Priest pushes Styles out of the corner and holds him up, LEG SWEEP SPEAR COMBO! Fans boo but Edge and Priest put Styles’ head on the chair now. And just like weeks ago, Edge gets the other chair. But referees and officials rush out to stop this! Fans chant for Jamie Noble as he checks on Styles, and Edge leaves with Priest. Will this dark message spread its influence through all of Raw?
The Street Profits VS The Alpha Academy!
RKBRO beat both these teams in that STUPENDOUS Triple Threat, but the chase for gold never stops! Will Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford get back up? Or will Chad Gable & Otis SHOOSH everyone #ForTheAcademy?
Raw returns and the Academy make their entrance. Then they attack the Profits! Otis throws Dawkins out, Gable waistlocks Ford, and hits a GERMAN SUPLEX! Otis POSTS Dawkins, then SMACKS him off the apron before he RAMS him into barriers! Gable CLOBBERS Ford, then says, “A thank yew~!” Adam Pearce hurries out and says if they wanted to do it like this, they could’ve just told him. So there don’t need to be tags, there are no disqualifications and no count outs, this is now a TEXAS TORNADO TAG! And it’s right now! Referee, ring the bell! The bell does ring, who stands tall when anything goes?
Texas Tornado Tag: The Street Profits VS The Alpha Academy!
The Profits fire back with haymakers! Dawkins sends Otis out then goes after him with forearms! Gable whips Ford to a corner, runs in but is TOSSED from the ring! Ford builds speed and FLIES over the corner to take everyone out! Fans fire up and Ford finds Gable. Ford and Dawkins get Gable into the ring, fans chant, “We Want Tables!” The Profits double suplex Gable high and hard, then Dawkins covers, ONE! Otis returns and fires off on Ford. Dawkins goes after Otis, they end up in a corner, Dawkins fires off fast hands and ROCKS Otis! Gable goes after Ford, Dawkins stomps a mudhole, Gable GERMANS but Ford land son his feet!
Gable comes back, FISHERMAN BUSTER! Cover, TWO!! Otis has Dawkins and Gable CHOP BLOCKS him! The Academy stomps the Profits now, Otis CLUBS Ford in a corner. Gable fires off on Dawkins and Otis chokes Ford on the ropes! Otis lets off to stand on Ford now, Gable whips Dawkins but Dawkins reverses to TACKLE Gable! Dawkins fires off forearms but Otis CLOBBERS Dawkins! Otis then runs to SPLASH Dawkins! Gable covers, Ford breaks it! Otis drags Ford back up to go after him, and Raw goes to break.
Raw returns again and the Profits whip Otis to a corner. Otis rebounds, he CLOBBERS Ford, Dawkins dodges but Gable CROSSBODIES Dawkins down! The Academy DOUBLE EXPLODER the Profits! Gable goes up top and Otis also goes to a corner, MOONSAULT for Ford! VADER BOMB for Dawkins! Cover on Ford, TWO! Cover on Dawkins, TWO!! Gable tells Otis to get a TABLE! Gable rains down hands on Dawkins and fans fire up as Otis puts the table in the ring! Gable and Otis set the table up, Otis goes up and Gable puts Dawkins on the table! Gable CROSSBODIES Ford and himself out! But Dawkins shoves Otis down!
Dawkins goes outside to POUNCE Otis into steel steps! Ford then goes up the corner, but Gable trips him up! Gable moves the table back a bit before going up after Ford. Ford fights the superplex, Gable throws forearms, but Ford BACK HANDS Gable! Ford shoves Gable, but Gable flips to land on his feet! Dawkins ROCKS Gable, Gable ends up on the table! Ford flies in FROM THE HEAVENS and through the table!! Cover, the Profits win!!
Winners: The Street Profits, by pinfall
Dawkins & Ford use Gable’s plan against him! Will the Profits get back up and get back to those Raw Tag Team Championships?
“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the NEW Undisputed WWE Universal Champion… RRROMAN! REEEIGNS!”
Many of the fans here raise their hands to the sky, because who’s the one? ROMAN is the one who stands alone as the now unified world and universal champion! The Head of the Table, the Tribal Chief, #GODMODE, has Paul Heyman carrying both belts for him while the Usos are following right behind. Heyman hands over the belts so that Roman can lift them both up and set off the pyro! Then the Bloodline goes down to the ring, Roman takes a moment to take it all in, and then he holds up both belts again for more pyro. Roman even does a 360 degree so everyone can see that he has both belts.
Heyman has the mic as he admires Roman and Roman hears the fans torn between cheering and jeering. Heyman then hands the mic over for Roman to say, “I know what you want. We all know why you’re here. But we gonna switch things up just a bit. Wise Man.” “Yes, my Tribal Chief.” Why don’t you go ahead and explain The Bloodline’s success? The single longest reigning Tag Team Champions in the history of SmackDown, the Usos! The largest box office receipts in the history of SummerSlam, who was the main event? Roman Reigns! The largest box office receipts in the history of Survivor Series, who was the main event? Roman Reigns!
The FIRST BILLION DOLLAR GROSSING YEAR in the history of sports entertainment and who was on top all 365 days of it? Roman Reigns! The single biggest, largest grossing box office in the history of the Royal Rumble, and who was on top? Roman Reigns! The largest crowds in the history of WrestleMania weekend, 58% increase on Peacock from last year, and the largest grossing facilitator in the history of WrestleMania. Who was on top? ROMAN REIGNS! “Ladies and gentlemen, I give to you your Tribal Chief, the Head of the Table, the single biggest star in sports entertainment, undisputed, Roman… Reigns.”
Roman gets the mic back and fans start to chant his name. Roman knows Heyman always says this, “What’s good for Roman Reigns is good for WWE.” And it’s no secret that with Roman at the head of this table, those billion dollar deals are coming easy! And that’s because Roman is the last true needle mover, and that is because he is constantly operating in GOD MODE! But see, the Tribal Chief is so much more than that. He’s a man of his word. Roman called his shot, and he delivered! Roman said he was gonna smash Lesnar, and what did he do? “SMASHED ‘EM!” But that’s the past now. Other men would hang their hat on this weekend, but that’s not who Roman is.
Roman is a progressive chief. He is constantly moving forward. So this Friday on SmackDown, he’ll let you all know what the next step is. “But until then… Dallas, Texas. ACKNOWLEDGE ME!” The Bloodline raises their fingers because they’re the ones leading the charge. But just what will the next phase be? We’ll just have to wait four more days.
My Thoughts:
Just like with WrestleMania, I don’t know if this was the most STUPENDOUS Raw After Mania, but it was a really good one. Firstly, a great, powerful return-to-WWE promo from Cody. It was a great way to frame Cody’s reasons for returning, and his journey to the title will be great. Hopefully it happens even though Roman still reigns. Then we got a bit of a quick match from Miz and Dom, and a quick return for Veer. I’m probably reading too far into this but Veer’s gear matches Miz’s right now, black ‘n’ yellow, that would imply a team-up. Veer VS Rey is happening, that’s pretty big for Veer’s return, and after WrestleMania Backlash, Veer can move on to the US title.
Sasha & Naomi VS Rhea & Liv was a pretty good match for one of these “championship contenders” matches, but then what is the point of Rhea & Liv still getting the title match even though they lost? As I said the last couple nights, Vince just can’t pace this stuff correctly anymore. Take a week, Liv and Rhea have the exact same segment sometime next week, then they get another opportunity the next week, title match for WM Backlash. Sadly, it seems like they’re teasing Rhea and Liv are breaking up already, I wish they would let some teams stick together. Though on the flipside, I’m glad Vega and Mella finally broke up, that was coming from miles away. Just not sure why Mella and Graves had to make out in front of the whole world…
Another misuse of pacing is Ziggler VS Bron II right here tonight! Bron winning the NXT title back on Raw is purely for ratings, nothing else. Bron could’ve just won at Stand & Deliver to cap that event off the right way, but no. That is crap Vince is just crapping on NXT now that he took it from HHH. But at least it was followed up by a great set-up from MVP to turn on Lashley. Omos has the manager now, they will be a good combo, and clearly we’re getting Omos VS Lashley II at WM Backlash.
We got a good promo out of Usos and Theory, and while the Six Man Tag out of Finn & RKBRO VS Theory & Usos was fun, it was too short for me. Of course Theory gets another win pinning Balor, so of course we’ll get Balor VS Theory for the US Championship, but I really hope Balor retains. It may have been put out there that Vince has given up on Balor, and Vince really only gave Balor the belt to try and prove us wrong, but he’s not fooling us with how things are going in the story. The only way Vince can keep it on the right track is for Balor to win and for kayfabe Vince to question if Theory was the right guy to back.
Bianca had a great promo for her Raw Women’s Championship win, and wow that was quite the black eye. I like that Bianca isn’t just saying she’s the EST, but that she’s still got room to improve. It’s a great idea that while she knows she’s the top of the list, she hasn’t maxed her stats out. She will continue to grow in this new reign, and that’s a great layer to all the stories she’ll be in next. A little surprised we didn’t already get a challenger for her, like Alexa Bliss, or even just someone she’s faced before like Doudrop. But there’s the rest of the build to WM Backlash, Bianca will make the best out of just about anything, and fans are still behind her.
Edge and Priest had a very good moment together, and I found it oddly amusing that the fans were willing to chant self-deprecating things, and then it was great for Styles to rush out there. Edge and Priest end up standing tall, but Styles will take on Priest and perhaps get some momentum back. Styles VS Edge II can be WM Backlash, and we’ll have to see how things go there. And then we got a great Texas Tornado Tag out of Profits VS Academy. Profits get a great win with that table splash spot, and one way or another, it seems like Profits are going to get another title shot.
And then of course, the NEW Undisputed WWE Champion closes us out, with both Roman and Heyman giving us great promos. I know people out there were expecting “IF YA SMELL~” and The Rock showing up, but I don’t know why. Well, okay, I know why: Roman VS Rock for WrestleMania Hollywood is too big of a moment for Vince or anyone to pass up, but we’re an entire year away from that. I’m sure Roman will tease it on SmackDown this week, but there is so much time. Sometimes fans have as bad of a pacing problem as Vince does.
I’d make it where The Rock waits to “ACKNOWLEDGE” Roman even wants this match, then he starts to put pressure on Roman so that SummerSlam feels intense, Survivor Series feels intense, and the Royal Rumble feels intense. And as I’d think Roman retains through all of that, have The Rock return on that night, and he recreates the moment from years ago where Rock held Roman’s hand up and fans booed. That will bring Roman full circle even more than finally beating Brock, and they can spend January to March 2023 building up Roman VS Rock, for the right to be truly called the greatest in WWE and in their family.
My Score: 8.5/10
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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.
My Score: 8.8/10
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Coverage
Andrew’s TNA iMPACT! Results & Match Ratings: 4.25.2024
We just got done with Rebellion, and Under Siege is two weeks away! Gotta see how these dots connect!
Rebellion had quite a few returns, Mike Santana, Sami Callihan and Broken Matt Hardy. All three of these guys could easily be main event players, and its nice to mix up and expand what felt like a rather small pool of potential challengers.
Under Siege is only like 2 weeks out, so we’ll see how the dots connect in such a short period of time.
.@AJFrancis410, Rich Swann, and rap legend @BunBTrillOG are IN THE HOUSE Meanwhile, @joehendry announces he will deliver an apology to Fir$t Cla$$ NEXT WEEK on #TNAiMPACT! pic.twitter.com/4GNe2xWfyU
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024
Ratings:
- Mike Santana vs Myron Reed w/Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz: Santana wins via Spin the Block – ** 1/2
- #1 Contender: Frankie Kazarian vs Josh Alexander: Josh wins via Grapevine Ankle Lock – ***
- ASH by Elegance vs Xia Brookside: Xia wins via School Girl Roll-Up – ** 3/4
- Sami Callihan vs The Good Hands: Sami Callihan wins via Cactus Driver ’97 – SQUASH
- Eddie Edwards w/Alisha Edwards & Brian Myers vs Nic Nemeth: Eddie wins via Boston Knee Party – *** 1/4
Results:
Did @NicTNemeth say BROKEN? @MATTHARDYBRAND has arrived in the iMPACT Zone! #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/HbkUangt6e
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024
A weird opening that is just framed to put Nemeth and Hardy together against The System. Feels a little awkward, but who knows how it will play out.Â
.@JordynneGrace vs @miyu_tjp NEXT WEEK on #TNAiMPACT will now be for the Knockouts World Championship! pic.twitter.com/YnKZjb9yjx
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024
Mike Santana vs Myron Reed w/Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz
Ahh I didn’t really pay attention to Santana’s theme at Rebellion, but its pretty damn cool. Good stuff.Â
Rascalz blindside Santana early, but the heel advantage doesn’t last more than a few moves. Santana whips Myron from corner to corner, hits a few Hip Attacks before Myron finally dodges one and starts using his unique offense and agility to his advantage. Matrix dodge, into an Leaping Outside Back in Slingshot Codebreaker. Some more offense and Santana powders to the ramp, Myron jumps over the rope and tries a Flying Cutter, but Santana blocks it, turns things around, gets pushed forward and hits the Rolling Cutter. Santana takes out the Rascalz, heads back into the ring, Myron tries to catch him unawares but eats the Spin the Block off the rope run! Santana wins fairly quickly.
Maclin’s music hits, he tries to employ the help of The Rascalz to attack Santana, but as soon as Maclin positions himself to get in, The Rascalz bail and flip off Maclin. Maclin makes it out of the confrontation relatively unscathed, but at least we know where he’s going for Under Siege probably.
OH FUCK ME WITH RUSTY KNIVES. Because Cardona is hurt Kon is paired with SDL, and she just challenges Jordynne and PCO to a tag match. WHY!? STOP IT. This is hot garbage.Â
Josh Alexander comes out…I wonder who’s Super Finisher he’s gonna conveniently kick out this time? Brian Myers? Frankie Kazarian? Rich Swann? Because yes, I’m still annoyed that Hammerstone has been in TNA for half a sandwich, he already connects with a Super version of his finish on tacks, and that’s not a finish. Oh Kaz’s music hits. Okay, so time for Josh to kick out of Fade to Black or Flux Capacitor. Kaz talks smack, says he won his match too so he should have a say in who’s number one contender. Josh challenges him, Kaz says not right now, but a referee runs out and says the match is official.Â
#1 Contender: Frankie Kazarian vs Josh Alexander
Kaz throws his jacket on Josh’s head, and attacks him with some strikes before Josh fights back and throws Kaz out. Commercial break, we see Kaz misses his Apron Guillotine, Josh goes for the Low Crossbody but Kaz dodges and Josh goes flying. Kaz starts throwing some chops and claws at the cauliflowered ears of Josh. Russian Leg Sweep from Kaz for a near fall. Josh swings wildly and Kaz ducks the strike and levels Josh with a Lariat.
Josh blocks a Vertical Suplex attempt, but Frankie pulls off a Fisherman’s Suplex after a few overhead strikes for a near fall. Josh stands up and connects with a straight right, rocks Kaz, Back Body Drop, into a Charging Forearm, Rolling Senton, 2 count! C4 Spike attempt countered into a Back Stabber and then Chicken Wing, but Josh fights it off, rolls through and into an Ankle Lock, Kaz kicks off and into a Head and Arm Cradle for a near fall and then the Guillotine Leg Drop into Slingshot DDT spot from Kaz for another 2 count!
Fade to Black, but its fought off, Big Boot but then Kaz counters the next move with a Power Slam into the Springboard Guillotine Leg Drop, but Josh grabs the Ankle Lock! Locomotion German Suplex time from Josh, Halfhatch Suplex after the Germans, floats over for a 2 count! C4 Spike attempt again, but Kaz fights it off, dumps him over the top rope, slingshots him in and into the Cutter for a near fall for Kaz! After the 2 Kaz grabs a chair and chain, the referee stops the chair of course, so he tries the chain, EY runs down and grabs the chain so Kaz pulls the Eddie Guerrero and the referee admonishes EY, but doesn’t DQ Josh. So as Kaz is busy laughing at EY, Josh picks the ankle, Ankle Lock with the Grapevine, Kaz taps.
Tensions are sky-high between @alexhammerstone and @JakeSomething_! #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/LLCUJOCy7H
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024
ASH by Elegance vs Xia Brookside
Both are jawing at each other and then throw hands before Xia gets the upper hand with a Headscissors from the Top Turnbuckle, Charging Knees, a Flurry of Kicks, but when the ref forces some space in the corner, ASH is finally able to dodge and work over Xia with her Twisting Body Splash, a few choking moves, a corner Stomp into a Snap Suplex for 2. ASH is in charge elegantly, but the referee keeps forcing space on both of them when they go for corner attacks. Xia manages to take advantage a little, but ASH regains control, kicks Xia up the ramp and then lands her Cartwheel Back Elbow up the ramp. It actually looks pretty cool executed like that.
Headlocks and Hair Pulling to keep Xia down and using energy to kick out. ASH is getting frustrated but Xia is remaining persistent. ASH goes back to the Headlock, but Xia fights up, Jawbreaker, Back Elbow, Kick to the gut and Drop Toe Hold sends ASH face first into the middle buckle. Xia rips off 4 Double Knee Smashes to the back of ASH’s head into her Flying Crossbody for a close 2! Xia pulls her up, but ASH spins out, then Xia slips it, but ASH kicks her in the chest and deposits her to the outside and demands a count from the referee. Iceman puts Jeweled Knuckles/Rings on ASH’s hand, the referee catches her, removes the stuff from her fingers and Xia hits the School Girl Roll-Up for the flash win.
Fraud has thrown the Ballot Box Battle into chaos, but also paved the way for an explosive showdown between @TheTreyMiguel and @The_Ace_Austin NEXT WEEK to determine the #1 Contender for the X Division Championship! #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/lYHrtgNrc3
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024
Sami Callihan vs The Good Hands
So the Good Hand Jobs are about to do their job to Sami. I’m just gonna assume Sami beats the hell out of both and wins with a Cactus Driver ’97. If anything interesting happens I might actually cover it, but come on now.
.@SteveMaclin has a proposition for @FrankieKazarian#TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/XY6lMdmSWo
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024
Kaz makes a Metallica reference with the “Wash Your Back So You Won’t Stab Mine”…and Sweet Amber is the only good song on St. Anger. So…I ain’t mad.
Eddie Edwards w/Alisha Edwards & Brian Myers vs Nic Nemeth
A little early ground wrestling and headlocks for control from both men. Nothing super flashy to start until we get to the rope run and Nemeth goes for the Flying Body Press to drop Eddie. Before Nemeth can follow up, Lish grabs his foot. Nic does have his brother Ryan in the crowd, trying to get chants going and do the old school ‘power up the babyface’ thing, but Eddie has been in control since Lish got involved. Simple offense, chokes, strikes, Snap Suplexes, Knee Drops, simple yet effective. But then Eddie ducks his head too early, Nemeth kicks him in the face, bounces his head off the buckles a few times, Dropkick sends Eddie reeling to the corner, Nemeth starts the 10 Count Punches but Myers hits the apron to distract and Eddie manages to slip the situation and push Nemeth to the floor.
Commercial break happens, Nemeth is trying to fight back with Chops, but a Kitchen Sink from Eddie puts Nemeth on the floor again! Clubbing blow from Eddie, but Eddie then misses the Hip Attack in the corner and Nemeth counters with the Rude Awakening into the 10 Count Rain of Elbows. Fame Ass-er miss, Eddie tries something but Nemeth turns it into that hesitation DDT for 2! Tuning up the band starts to build and Eddie powders to avoid it. Nemeth throws Eddie back in, goes to the top, but Eddie crotches him, rises up and hits the Superplex into Tiger Driver for 2! Eddie starts mocking with Tuning Up the band but Nemeth hits his own Superkick into an Olympic Slam for 2!
Both men just trade strikes Fighting Spirit style, Eddie says “Always Trust the System” and Nemeth shuts him up with a Headbutt. Danger Zone is blocked, Boston Knee Party gets ducked, they level each other with Lariats! Myers and Ryan Nemeth start fighting to distract the referee, Moose hits the ring and hits Nemeth with the belt. Eddie lands Boston Knee Party and The System wins again!
Overall Score: 6/10
A lame opening segment, a squash match, ASH by Elegance getting her first loss, and a weird way of just pulling the number one contender out of mid air makes for an awkward show. Also Kon still be involved in, literally anything, is negative. However, I can say there was a ton of stuff thrown at the wall this episode, so there’s a chance that some things landed better with other people than myself. The ballot segments were amusing, they overused the “I need to talk to you Santino” gimmick a bit much and personally I feel like having Jake versus Hammerstone is booking yourself into a weird corner.
But hey, the main event was fun, Nemeth getting laid out to the point that there could be a story reason to take him out of the Under Siege match. Kaz with the Metallica reference was pop worthy and I guess its a lot of ‘let’s see where it goes’ kind of angle creation. So it wasn’t complete trash, but its definitely a wait and see episode.
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