Coverage
Mitchell’s WWE Raw Results & Report! (5/16/22)
It’s a truly COLOSSAL Raw!
Will the All Mighty and Nigerian Giant tear down the house?
Monday Night Raw looks to settle the score between Bobby Lashley and MVP’s new client, Omos, and it’ll be inside a 15 FOOT TALL STEEL CAGE!!
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Steel Cage: Bobby Lashley VS Omos w/ MVP; Lashley wins.
- (Austin) Theory VS Mustafa Ali; changed to…
- Mustafa Ali VS Veer Mahaan, Special Guest Referee: The Miz; Veer wins.
- Matt Riddle VS Jimmy Uso w/ Jey Uso; Riddle wins.
- AJ Styles & Finn Balor w/ Liv Morgan VS Los Lotharios; Styles & Balor win.
- Alexa Bliss VS Sonya Deville; Bliss wins.
- Chad Gable w/ Otis VS Ezekiel; Ezekiel wins.
- Raw Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s Six Pack Challenge: Sasha Banks VS Naomi VS Asuka VS Becky Lynch VS Nikki A.S.H. VS “Doudrop” Piper Nivens; changed to…
- Raw Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s Match: Becky Lynch VS Asuka; Asuka wins and will challenge Bianca Belair for the title.
PLAY BY PLAY
Steel Cage: Bobby Lashley VS Omos w/ MVP!
The Rocky Mountain Machine won at WrestleMania 38, but then lost at WrestleMania Backlash because of the betrayal by Montel Vontavius Porter! But now the score will be settled inside the steel! Will Lashley topple the Nigerian Giant once again? Or will Omos leave Lashley for dead inside this 15 foot high structure?
Before the match, MVP gets the mic to welcome the fans to the show. “Tonight, you will witness a spectacle of destruction. One of the competitors stepping into this 15 foot high steel cage is a man who got a little too big for his boots. A man who wanted to claim the spotlight of WrestleMania all to himself without me. You know that I’m talking about the former WWE Champion, the so-called All Mighty, Bobby Lashley. The other competitor is the future of the WWE! A man bigger, stronger, meaner than Bobby Lashley could ever be! I present to you the 7-foot-3-ince, 403 pound Nigerian Giant, Omos!”
MVP expects Lashley to put up a hell of a fight because that’s the man he is, but let’s be real. This match is a foregone conclusion. Omos can win inside the cage by pinning Lashley, 1-2-3, or he could crush Lashley until he screams out in painful submission. Or Omos could just leave Lashley’s broken body behind and leave the cage. But considering this is a steel cage match with no disqualifications, Omos will brutalize Lashley even worse than he did at Backlash! “Let’s be clear, The All Mighty Era ends tonight. You all are blessed and fortunate to be living in the Age of the Nigerian Giant, Omos!”
But now Lashley makes his entrance! He has the fireworks go off and makes his way down the ramp, but Cedric Alexander attacks from behind! Lashley and Cedric brawl, Omos goes out after Lashley to throw hands! Lashley gets mugged but keeps on fighting! Referees rush out but fans are fired up for Lashley! Adam Pearce shouts at them both to stop, and Lashley goes right into the cage! Lashley wants this fight now, so Omos will give it to him! We see who makes it back out of the cage, after the break!
Raw returns and the bell rings! Omos rushes in but Lashley dodges to then try for a tackle. Omos stays up, CLUBS Lashley and KNEES him down! Omos runs to KICK Lashley down, and MVP shouts for Omos to hurt Lashley. Fans rally for Lashley and he gets to ropes but Omos just stands on Lashley’s back! Omos lets off but MVP JABS Lashley with his cane! Omos clamps on both hands but Lashley fights free! Lashley CLUBS and jumps on for a SLEEPER! Omos stays up and pries free, only for Lashley to RAM him into a corner! Lashley fires off hands, then runs corner to corner, into Omos’ choke grip! Omos CLUBS Lashley down!
Omos roars and he stalks Lashley to a corner. Lashley stands up but Omos back body blocks! Fans rally but Omos hits another back body block! Lashley flounders, MVP aims the cane and JABS Lashley in the neck! Lashley writhes, but Omos drags him up to scoop him and SNAKE EYES! Lashley staggers while Omos runs and Omos BOOTS Lashley down! Fans boo but MVP says for Omos to keep on Lashley. Omos bumps Lashley, runs corner to corner and SPLASHES! Omos then CLUBS away on Lashley while MVP gets on the apron to taunt Lashley. MVP even reaches through the gap to SLAP Lashley!
But Lashley grabs that arm and YANKS MVP into the corner! Lashley then dodges Omos to SPEAR! Cover, TWO!! Omos survives and no one can believe it! Lashley gets up, he grabs Omos’ arms and CLUBS away with hammer ‘n’ anvil elbows! Lashley runs to BLINDSIDE LARIAT! Omos falls over but Lashley isn’t done! Fans fire up as Lashley waits on Omos. Omos gets up, half nelson! Lashley wants the full, HURT LOCK IS ON!! But Omos powers back! Lashley throws Omos into the corner! Omos comes back but Lashley BOOTS him! Lashley hurries up the corner, but not to escape the cage. Omos grabs Lashley, but Lashley has a STANDING ARMBAR!
Lashley stomps Omos over and over, Omos staggers! But Cedric returns! Cedric climbs the cage to stop Lashley from escaping! Fans boo but Cedric gets inside with Lashley to kick at him! Lashley grabs Cedric to SLAM him down! Lashley LEAPS, but into Omos’ arms! Omos brings Lashley around to a fireman’s carry, to TOSS him into the steel! Lashley tumbles down against the side of the cage, and Omos drags him to center. Omos roars, MVP tells Omos to finish this! Omos drags Lashley up, palms his head, but Lashley fires off haymakers! Lashley roars and keeps on Omos, then runs, into another BOOT!
Omos clamps onto Lashley again, IRON CLAW! Omos then fireman’s carries, to RAM Lashley into the side! The cage wall gives way! Lashley is on the outside, and just stands up!! Lashley wins!
Winner: Bobby Lashley, by escape
MVP can’t believe it! Lashley wins because Omos was too strong for his own good! Will Lashley move on from Omos to even bigger and better? Or will this only make Omos and MVP want another fight with the All Mighty?
(Austin) Theory VS Mustafa Ali!
The youngest WWE United States Champion in history has strung The Beacon along for long enough, now he’s finally facing him 1v1! But will Vince McMahon’s golden boy have another way to stack the deck? Or will this actually be a fair fight for once?
Raw returns as Ali makes his entrance. But then Theory gets a mic to tell Ali, “I’m sorry, I almost forgot. I can’t from a good faith place figure out with you what makes you think this is gonna happen. I mean, seriously. This match, I can’t go through with it unless somebody that I can trust that’s going to call this straight down the middle, somebody that I can trust 100%. I guess we’re gonna have to have a special guest referee for this match: THE MIZ!” And as Ali frowns, The Miz makes his entrance! The Most Must-See Referee struts his way out and replaces the ref we already had, and Miz asks if they’re both ready.
Theory says he isn’t sure. He’s Mr. McMahon’s protégé, the youngest US Champion ever, but it just doesn’t seem fair that Ali fails his way into a match with the champ. Y’know what? Theory will help Ali out, to take us back tot he first lesson Vince taught Theory: expect the unexpected. Theory has arranged a match for Ali to prove he is championship material. His opponent isn’t Theory, it’s VEER MAHAAN! And just as Theory said, here comes the Ravenous Lion! Does Ali stand a chance of winning, let alone surviving?
Mustafa Ali VS Veer Mahaan!
The bell rings and Ali dropkicks Veer! Veer stays up but Ali dropkicks him again! Ali runs but Veer runs to THESZ PRESS! Theory likes the look of that! Ali staggers up, Veer TOSSES him to a corner, then runs in. Ali goes up and over, Veer hits buckles and Ali CHOPS and fires off hands! Miz calls the ropebreka and backs Ali down. Ali jukes Miz to fire off on Veer again! Veer shoves Ali away to BOOT him down! Theory applauds but he’s the only one. Veer glares at Ali, drags him up and whips him to ropes. FLAPJACK! Veer stomps Ali then drops a BIG elbow! Theory likes that, too, and Veer looms over Ali.
Veer hauls Ali up to trophy lift him! Ali slips off to SUOPERKICK! Veer wobbles but stays up, so Ali SUPERKICKS again! Ali runs but Theory trips him! And Miz acts like he didn’t see it. Veer runs in, but Ali dumps Veer out! Veer gets up but Ali WRECKS him with a dropkick! Ali keeps moving and he dropkicks Veer gain! Veer stays on his feet somehow, but Ali builds speed, only for Miz to stand in his way! Miz starts the ring count and pretends like he had no idea what happened. Ali and Miz argue, then Miz pie faces Ali! Veer gets in, MILLION DOLLAR LARIAT!! Veer snarls, Theory is loving this, and Veer HIP DROPS Ali down! CERVICAL CLUTCH!! Ali taps, Veer wins!
Winner: Veer Mahaan, by submission
Veer’s undefeated streak continues, but he had a lot of help from Theory and Miz. Theory then convinces Veer to put on the Cervical Clutch again! They get a selfie! Miz complains, where is his part of this? Theory says Miz can get in on it, and they all get to be part of this. Veer lets Ali go, but then looks to the table. Fans boo but Miz and Theory support this idea. Veer makes his way over, commentary backs off, but here comes Rey and Dominik Mysterio! They get in and CLOBBER Veer! Then dropkick him down! Then Dom PLANCHAS! Veer catches him, but Rey SEATED SENTONS!
The Mysterios get back in the ring, and Veer is furious but he can’t fight those numbers! Will the Mysterios and Ali get their payback on Theory, Miz and Veer together?
Becky Lynch finds Adam Pearce backstage.
Big Time Becks is out of breath, she apologizes but says she’s been talking to a lot of people. That Six Pack Challenge can’t happen! She knows they advertised it but it’s not fair! Will Becky convince Pearce to change his mind? We find out, after the break.
Raw returns and Becky keeps saying it can’t happen. is he listening? Becky saw Sasha and Naomi leave! They left the building! It’s a gross injustice that now it’s just a Fatal 4, and so it shouldn’t happen at all. But Becky hasn’t had her rematch after being the greatest Raw Women’s Champion to ever live. She should just be the #1 contender, so let’s do that so she can have the night off. Pearce says he’s aware of what’s going on, but no, it will happen because we need a main event. So breaking news, Becky goes 1v1 with Asuka, the winner takes on Bianca Belair. It’s official. Pearce leaves Becky speechless, will she also end up on the losing end tonight?
Matt Riddle VS Jimmy Uso w/ Jey Uso!
The Raw Tag Team Champions got The Bloodline to accept the challenge, and this Friday, we will get the WWE Tag Team Championship Unification match! But with the Viper away, will the Stallion stay on the right track? Or will Jimmy put Riddle in the Uso Penitentiary on behalf of SmackDown?
Raw returns and the Usos make their entrance. The bell rings, Jimmy and Riddle circle but Jey slides in. Riddle is distracted and Jimmy CLOBBERS Riddle! Jimmy stomps a mudhole on Riddle in the corner, then he stands Riddle up to ROCK him with an uppercut. Jimmy whips corner to corner, Riddle goes up and over and ROUNDHOUSES Jimmy down! Riddle gut wrenches for the suplex! Cover, ONE! Riddle keeps cool, he brings Jimmy up but Jimmy DECKS Riddle with an uppercut! Jey applauds and Jimmy CHOKES Riddle on the ropes! The ref backs Jimmy down but Jey sucker punches Riddle!
Fans boo but the Usos raise the fingers, #WeTheOnes. Jimmy brings Riddle up, bumps Riddle off buckles, then uppercuts, but into a HANGING TRIANGLE HOLD! Riddle drags Jimmy up and out and to the floor! Then Riddle aims, but Jey pushes Jimmy aside, APRON PENALTY KICK! Riddle goes up but Jimmy DECKS Riddle out of the springboard! Jimmy then builds speed to DIVE! Direct hit and Riddle goes down at the ramp! Jimmy then gets Riddle up to whip him hard into the steel steps! Jey snatches up Riddle’s Raw Tag Team title and holds it up as foreshadowing for Friday! The fans boo but the Usos soak it up as Raw goes to break.
Raw returns again and Riddle fires off hands on Jimmy! Jimmy shoves him back, kicks, but Riddle blocks. Riddle spins Jimmy, but gets the DRAGON WHIP for it! Riddle goes to a corner, Jimmy hushes the fans so they can hear the “UCE! OH!” Jimmy runs in to HIP ATTACK! Cover, TWO! Riddle survives and the Usos can’t believe it. Jimmy clamps onto Riddle with a chinlock and thrashes him about. Riddle endures and fights up as the fans rally, and Riddle throws body shots. Riddle fires off palm strikes, a BOOT, then spins Jimmy for the PELE! Jimmy wobbles around and Riddle handsprings, to forearm smash!
Riddle runs side to side, another forearm smash! Jimmy fights the Brosploder, swings, but into the clinch! BROSPLODER! Riddle runs, BROTON onto knees! Both men are down but fans rally up. Jimmy and Riddle crawl over to each other, and Jimmy headbutts! Riddle CHOPS, Jimmy headbutts again! They start throwing forearms, Riddle gets the edge and he whips. Jimmy reverses and pops Riddle up into the SAMOAN DROP! Cover, TWO!! Riddle survives and Jey is losing his cool! Fans rally and chant, “BRO! BRO! BRO!” Jimmy and Riddle slowly stir, and Jimmy drags himself to a corner.
Jimmy goes outside, climbs up the corner, and Jey nods as he raises the finger. But Riddle springs up to get Jimmy, fans fire up, but Jimmy fights the RKO! Jimmy HEADBUTTS Riddle down! USO SPLASH onto knees! Jimmy and Riddle are down again and Jey is freaking out! Riddle gets up, gets to a corner, and Jimmy runs in, into a back elbow! Riddle goes up but Jey trips him up while the ref is checking Jimmy! Jimmy rolls him, Jey gives the assist! The ref sees that one, though! Fans fire up as the ref EJECTS Jey!! Jey has no choice but to leave, even as Jimmy protests. Riddle gets a cradle, Riddle wins!!
Winner: Matt Riddle, by pinfall
The Bro snatches victory from the jaws of the Usos! Riddle & Orton have the bromentum going the title unification match, but will they be able to capitalize? Or will Jimmy & Jey still be the ones with all the gold?
Backstage interview with Liv Morgan.
Kevin Patrick asks how she feels about Rhea Ripley beating her down for The Judgement Day. Well, whether Rhea joined a motorcycle gang, a women’s rugby club or The Judgement Day, Rhea will never get away with this. No matter the odds, Liv never gives up. So Rhea can say and do whatever she wants, Liv- But in come Los Lotharios, and they shoo Kevin Patrick away. Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo say they saw what happened, so they’re here to comfort her. They’re gentlemen, and they know what cheers a young woman up. A kiss. Uh, no thanks. What? Why not?
But in walk AJ Styles & Finn Balor! They tell the “creepy McGees” to beat feet. Hasta luego, muchachos. They’ll see them in a tag match later tonight. Styles then tells Liv that they won’t offer a kiss cam or anything like that, but they do have an opportunity. They all have problems with Judgement Day, so why not team up? They can work together. Otherwise, Judgement Day will just pick them apart one at a time. So how about it, sis? Wanna be ringside with them? She isn’t so sure. She’ll think about it. Well alright. Finn & Styles head out, and Liv has quite a few offers on the table. Will she look to join the club against their common enemies?
Judgement Day speaks.
Damian Priest asks if we’ve been listening. Do we get it yet? Seems we haven’t been. Because otherwise we should all rise and show respect! Judgment Day does not take orders. they do what they want to whoever they want. And if any of our heroes step to them, they will face nothing but punishment. Rhea Ripley says she has embraced the movement and enjoyed every single second of it. They are done being everything the fans wanted them to be. Rhea will not be the figure of her mistakes. There is nothing holding her back. And now, it’s time for complete and utter eradication.
Edge says he’d listen to his Saints of Fate. They don’t take names, they don’t speak lies. The Judgement Day is at the forefront of evolution, far above the low hanging fruit that is the rest of us. But there are some among us that are tired of pretending. Edge travels the world and sees it in our faces. We’re angry, and who can blame us? So stop being sheep and join Judgement Day. Grab this bolt of lightning and throw some meaning into your life. Judgement Day is power, so accept their gift, or continue to live in purgatory. We’ve seen what Judgement Day has done to the favorites like Finn, Styles & Liv.
And Edge has seen how this all plays out. More will join them for his arms are outstretched to any superstar who wants to join and take their career to the next level. It could even be you, Styles. Think about it: after everything Styles has been through, he should know this feeling better than anyone. And Judgement Day could use someone of his athleticism, leadership and tenacity. Styles’ problem is, he tries to please everyone and Edge did that, too. Edge would leap off 20 foot ladders thinking the adulation of the fans would fulfill him. It didn’t. It left him with a body full of broken bones and a career that ended before it should have.
And where were the fans? Gone. Edge wants Styles to join the movement. They can put the past behind them and Styles can climb onward and upward. It is beautiful atop their mountain of omnipotence. The choice is Styles’, Finn’s and Liv’s. They can stand beside Judgement Day, or down at their feet again and again and again. Edge tips the scales, but will Judgement Day turn their enemies into allies?
Liv Morgan heads to the ring!
She wasn’t sure earlier, but perhaps after hearing Judgement Day speak, she made up her mind! She leads the way for The Prince and the Phenomenal One, will things be #JustTooSweet?
AJ Styles & Finn Balor w/ Liv Morgan VS Los Lotharios!
Raw returns and the Lethal Lovers make their entrance. And of course, Angel & Humberto prepare the kiss cam. As usually, they find a lovely lady in the front row and give her a kiss on each cheek. The teams sort out and Humberto starts against Styles. They circle, tie up, and Carrillo puts Styles in a corner. The ref counts, Carrillo lets off, but Styles dodges the sucker punch to CHOP and CHOP and CHOP! Styles CLUBS Carrillo, tags Finn, and they double whip. Styles dropkicks the legs out, Finn basement dropkicks! Cover, ONE! Finn clamps onto the arm and wrenches, then he tags Styles back in.
Styles kicks the arm, then bumps Carrillo off buckles. Styles grabs at Carrillo but Carrillo YANKS him into buckles! Fans boo as Carrillo stomps a mudhole into Styles. The ref counts, Carrillo lets off and then drags Styles up. Tag to Garza, they mug and CLUB Styles, then bring Styles up for a cobra twist. Garza CLUBS Styles in the ribs, tags Carrillo and they mug Styles more. Carrillo taunts Finn but the ref keeps Finn back. Carrillo CHOPS Styles, tags Garza back in, and the mugging continues. Then they double back suplex, but Styles lands on his feet! Styles BOOTS Gaza, TOSSES Carrillo, then tags Finn! Finn & Styles clothesline Garza out!
Carrillo returns but Finn feeds him to Styles to TOSS him out! Then Styles & Finn DOUBLE PLANCHA! Direct hit on both Los Lotharios and fans are fired up as Raw goes to break!
Raw returns and Carrillo has Styles in a HALF CRAB! Styles endures, reaches out but Carrillo drags him away from Finn! Garza taunts the fans and Carrillo tags him in. Garza runs to basement dropkick Styles down! Then Los Lotharios put on a DOUBLE HALF CRAB! The ref counts, Carrillo lets off and Garza bends Styles way back with a modified take on the full Boston Crab! Fans rally, Styles fights to get one free, and he kicks Garza down! Tag to Carrillo, Styles kicks at each of them! Styles gets away, ducks a roundhouse to ENZIGURI Carrillo down! Fans fire up, hot tags to Garza and Finn!
Finn rallies, whips but Garza reverses, only for Finn to CLOBBER him! Carrillo gets in but Finn trips him to DOUBLE STMOP! CHOP to Garza in a corner! Finn whips, Garza reverses but Finn reverses back, tilt-o-whirl RUSSIAN LEG SWEEP! Finn KICKS Carrillo out, gets around, but Garza cradles! TWO!! Finn kicks but Garza blocks to KNEE back! SHOTGUN for Styles! Garza hauls up Finn but Finn slips out of the Wing Clipper to SLINGBLADE! Liv and the fans fire up for Finn, but he runs into a SUPERKICK! Tag to Carrillo and he hurries up top! MOONSAULT into boots!
Finn aims from a corner, runs in, dodges Garza and SHOTGUNS Carrillo! Carrillo is down, Styles gives Garza a PHENOMENAL FOREARM! Finn gives Carrillo the COUP DE GRACE!! Cover, Finn & Styles win!
Winners: AJ Styles & Finn Balor, by pinfall
Now that was Too Sweet! Liv celebrates with this phenomenal duo, and the boys throw up the Too Sweet. Liv joins in! Fans fire up, will this club shoot down Judgement Day?
Kevin Owens is anxious backstage.
Finally, Chad Gable arrives with the DNA results for Ezekiel! They got the sample from the red Solo cup and an old hair of Elias’. Inside this folder are the answers! finally they can expose that fraud! Hurry up! Kevin snatches the envelope, brings out the paper, and says the results… were contaminated by barbecue sauce. OTIS! Uh, no, Elias must’ve had pulled pork and ribs before the show! Oh really? Give Otis the lie detector test because Kevin remembers Otis eating ribs in catering like there was no tomorrow! Gable has them calm down and says there was a problem in the chain of custody.
But don’t worry! They can use ancestry! NO! No more tests! they never work! Gable’s supposed to be the smartest man in the world or something, right? He is! Well Elias has been making him look like an idiot! SHOOSH! Gable vows to expose Ezekiel by beating it out of him in the ring. No, you’ve said that before! But fine, whatever! “A Thank Yew!” “You’re welcome.” Will “Master” Chad be able to get to the bottom of this? Or must they just accept the truth?
Alexa Bliss VS Sonya Deville!
The Goddess made her return to add insult to injury on “Cruella” Deville losing her role as a WWE Official. Alexa won handedly, but Sonya of course cites being emotionally distraught as the reason why she lost. Will Sonya regain some of her composure in this rematch? Or will Alexa go 2-0 rather quickly?
Raw returns and Sonya makes her entrance. The bell rings, Sonya rushes in and the two tie up. They go around, Sonya puts Alexa in a corner but lets off at 4. Sonya pie faces Alexa around then has her against ropes. Sonya lets off to argue with the ref, but Alexa SLAPS her! Sonya swings on Alexa but Alexa dodges to run her over! Alexa SHOTGUNS Sonya down, then spins her to reel her in, STO! And then INSULT2INJURY! Sonya dodges the second knee drop to SHINING WIZARD! Cover, TWO! Sonya smirks and she drags Alexa up. Sonya dribbles Alexa off the mat, then again!
Sonya tells the ref to leave her alone and then she drags Alexa up. Sonya taunts the fans, brings Alexa up and boots her down! Sonya toys with Alexa, whips her to ropes, and CLOBBERS her! Cover, TWO! Alexa grits her teeth and Sonya seethes, but Sonya wraps on a chinlock. Sonya thrashes Alexa around, grinds Alexa down, but Alexa endures. Fans rally as Sonya thrashes Alexa more. Sonya taunts “Lexi,” but Alexa fights up to her feet. Alexa throws body shots, then hits a JAWBREAKER! Sonya stagers but she knees Alexa low. Sonya snapmares, runs and SHINING WIZARDS again! Cover, TWO!
Sonya is fuming, and she bumps Alexa off buckles. Sonya then bumps Alexa off another corner, then pushes her down. Sonya undoes the crossbar’s pad, and even goes to untie the buckle! The ref stops that but then Sonya rushes Alexa for a SPINEBUSTER! Cover, but the ref is busy! He gest to the count, TWO! Sonya’s own cheating bites her in the ass! Sonya brings Alexa up but Alexa ROCKS Sonya! DDT!! Cover, Alexa wins again!
Winner: Alexa Bliss, by pinfall
That’s two in a row for Alexa and Sonya literally has no one to blame but herself! Will Alexa use this momentum to get back up the ranks? Sonya argues with the ref, gets in his face, but the ref tells him it was the buckle pad. Fans chant, “You Deserve It!” but then Sonya SLAPS the ref! Sonya is not management, she is going to be in big trouble for this! What will Pearce choose as punishment for Sonya losing her cool?
Cody Rhodes is here!
The American Nightmare is in Norfolk, even after what Seth Freakin’ Rollins did to him last week. Cody has the pyro and goes to the ring, but how will he respond to the Visionary? We find out, after the break.
Raw returns and Cody gets the mic while fans fire up and chant his name. “I have been told that Seth Rollins is not here. And although I am surrounded by lovers here in Virginia, and millions watching at home, I hope at that Seth is listening. Last week, I tried to move forward. I tried to extinguish this chapter in our career. And Seth, he went ahead and dumped gasoline on the flames. He stomped my head on that desk right there, and he said the most peculiar thing. He said that I would never take away anything from him ever again. So inquiring minds, I have to know, what is it that I took away form you? What did he lose? Two matches? A winning bonus? A momentary spotlight?”
Cody didn’t cross a line or delude a legacy. If anything, the biggest threat to Rollins isn’t Cody, it’s Rollins himself. Rollins is trapped in pandemonium and hellbent on pulling Cody in with him. Let’s take a stroll down memory lane. 2012: Rollins shows up in the WWE, all Shielded up. Cody was one of those bitter boys in the back, because within a few months, Rollins won tag title gold. Within a few years, Rollins had climbed the metaphorical yet very real ladder and won the WWE World Championship and shattered the ceiling. For skeptics like Cody, Rollins proved there even was a ceiling, and still won his way to the top.
Cody says his story is a bit different. He didn’t win that much until recently. Cody scratched, clawed, and even painted his face with a smile but felt dead inside. The thing is, Cody endured. Fans cheer that sentiment. “You learn so much from loss. You learn how to live, how to love, how to adapt, how to reinvent yourself. The difference between a revolutionary interview and actual revolutionary actions, and the number one thing that I learned… I’m never gonna be the American Dream. So why not embrace the Nightmare?” Fans also cheer that sentiment.
Cody says he did lose his way to the top, but what it all comes down to, truly, is that Rollins’ embarrassment over losing twice outweighs Cody’s quest for vindication. If that sounds like an exaggeration, here’s another way to put it: Cody’s second chance! And you don’t take those for granted. If Rollins wants to deny Cody that second chance, well you’ll just have to kill him. And Cody will give Rollins that chance. Cody says we run it back! Cody says we lock all that angst in and leave it on the mat, playing for keeps! Rhodes VS Rollins III, and this time… INSIDE HELL IN A CELL!!! Fans really like the sound of that!
Rollins’ laugh echoes out from the tron as the Visionary lurks in a bright green suit. Oh, there’s Mr. Nightmare! Countdown to Cody and there he is! So Rollins wants to get this straight: trying to steal Rollins’ spotlight at WrestleMania wasn’t enough; cheating at Backlash wasn’t enough; one little stomp on the desk and now Cody is begging with Seth Freakin’ Rollins for one more round, and inside Hell in a Cell. Cody must be dumber than he looks! That is the biggest mistake Cody’s ever made in his life! Anyone who enters the cell with Rollins is changed forever!
Rollins says Cody knows the answer. Rollins will exploit every one of Cody’s insecurities and expose Cody for the fraud that he is! Rhodes VS Rollins III, HIAC, “I accept!” Well then, there’s nothing left to say other than, “See you in Hell.” The American Nightmare, the Architect, and that sinister steel structure! Will either of them survive what’s coming?
Backstage interview with Asuka.
Sarah notes that Asuka and Becky are now going 1v1 for a chance at the Raw Women’s Championship. What are her thoughts? Asuka pretends to cry as she taunts Becky for crying to Pearce like a baby. Asuka then laughs, and says tonight, she will give Becky a reason to cry! Because! Asuka is ready for the title! And Becky is NOT ready for Asuka! Will the Empress of Tomorrow make sure The Man’s comeback plans end tonight?
Chad Gable w/ Otis VS Ezekiel!
The Alpha Academy heads out, but they’re joined by the Prizefighter. Will they all finally reveal the truth behind Ezekiel’s identity? Or will Elias’ younger brother do their family proud?
Raw returns and Kevin is on commentary to insist Ezekiel is Elias because the papers are wrong. But even the ring announcer says it’s Ezekiel, so Kevin is even more upset. There’s nothing but liars in the WWE! He also doesn’t believe that picture of Elias and Ezekiel together, that has to be doctored. Ezekiel makes his entrance, the bell rings and Ezekiel ties up with Gable. They go to a corner, Gable has the ref back Ezekiel off, and the two reset. Gable and Ezekiel feel out a grapple, Gable fakes Ezekiel out then gets around to a waistlock. Ezekiel throws a back elbow but Gable ducks it to whip.
Ezekiel ducks, dodges and FLYING SHOULDERS Gable down! Ezekiel brings Gable up to CHOP! And forearm! And whip to ropes, only for Gable to tilt-o-whirl to a takedown! Ezekiel gets up out of the armlock to headlock and hit a takeover! Gable keeps his shoulder up, moves around, and fights up. Gable powers out, things speed up and Gable arm-drags, but Ezekiel slips out to headlock! Kevin says Elias is still athletic. And he points out that such a move could only be pulled off by a veteran wrestler, Ezekiel can’t possibly have that experience and is therefore Elias. Gable powers up for a BIG back suplex!
Gable says, “A THANK YEW~!” but fans boo. Gable gets Ezekiel up, whips him to ropes then hits a kitchen sink knee! Cover, ONE! Kevin says that was three but that’s not close at all. Gable rains down fists and then tells fans to SHOOSH! Gable brings Ezekiel up, whips him to ropes, but Ezekiel blocks hip toss into a Gory Especial! Gable endures the stretch, powers up, and he sunset flips! Ezekiel rolls through to get the foot! Gable scrambles around to the ROPEBREAK! Then he pulls Ezekiel’s hair and throws him out! Ezekiel has Gable on the apron to SLAM him on the edge! Then Ezekiel HOTSHOTS Gable!
Gable sputters, the ref checks on him, a nd Otis CLOBBERS Ezekiel while the ref isn’t looking! Kevin likes that one but fans boo as Raw goes to break.
Raw returns again and Gable has a motorcycle stretch. Ezekiel fights up, Kevin applauds for Gable, but Ezekiel turns the hold around on Gable! Kevin says to stop clapping, but Gable arm-drags to get the SNAP LOCK on the arm! And another! And then he SLAMS the arm on the mat! Gable hits a NORTHERN LIGHTS! Bridging cover, TWO! Kevin wants to edit the graphic to say “Gable VS Elias.” Gable clamps onto Ezekiel with a keylock and he grinds the arm down. Ezekiel endures again, fans rally, and Ezekiel fights up. Gable hammerlocks to RAM Ezekiel into the corner! And then GERMAN SUPLEX! Bridging cover, TWO!
Otis grows frustrated but Gable climbs up top. MOONSAULT, but Ezekiel moves! Gable lands on his feet, dodges Ezekiel, but Ezekiel comes back to rally with clotheslines! Ezekiel whips, Gable kicks, but Ezekiel hits a SPIONEBUSTER! High stack, TWO! Kevin says that was one but whatever. Ezekiel CHOPS Gable, hoists Gable up top, and fans chant for “ZEKE! ZEKE!” Ezekiel CHOPS Gable, climbs up, but Gable throws body shots! Gable headbutts Ezekiel away, then leaps, into a JUMP KNEE!! Cover, TWO!! Gable survives and Kevin says that was one of Elias’ moves! And he won’t believe this is a tribute to his brother, either.
Ezekiel suplexes, Gable slips off but Ezekiel bucks the roll-up. Gable CLOBBERS Ezekiel, goes up top, MOONSAULT! Direct hit this time and cover, TWO!! Kevin rallies behind Gable as he drags Ezekiel back up. Gable fires forearms over and over, but Ezekiel hits back! Ezekiel CHOPS, haymakers, repeat! Ezekiel whips, Gable reverses but Ezekiel goes up to mule kick! Another Elias move! Ezekiel powers up, runs corner to corner, and he SPLASHES! Fans fire up but Otis rushes to the apron! Ezekiel KNEES Otis down, Gable rolls Ezekiel! Ezekiel slips out, Gable tries a cradle, but Ezekiel rocks it back to a cover of his own! EZEKIEL WINS!
Winner: Ezekiel, by pinfall
Kevin and Otis rush the ring but Ezekiel gets away! Is there no denying it now? Is Ezekiel who he says he is? Or is there still something Kevin can do to prove he’s been right all along?
R-Truth and Tamina lurk backstage.
She asks him what they’re doing and he has the divorce papers. He still didn’t give them to Akira Tozawa!? Shh, Truth knows where Tozawa is hiding. Trust him? How? To catch Tozawa, think like Tozawa. So Truth throws the papers in the trash? Now hold on. One. Two. Three. Tozawa pops out! He’s been served! Tozawa begs Tamina to take him back but then Dana Brooke walks in. She thanks Truth for serving Reggie the papers. IT was his pleasure. And y’know, starting and ending a marriage, chef’s kiss. Now we need to talk compensation. He wants the 24/7 Championship back! He has to have it back! Give it over, Dana!
NO! Dana shoves Truth down! But then Dana bumps into Carmella! Dana apologizes and Mella says Dana almost smashed her face. She said she’s sorry! Yes, she is sorry. A sorry excuse for a competitor and a wife. Not Mella, though, she’s perfect. Because her hubby can’t get enough of her. And she is relevant. Well here’s a reality check, honey. The last time Mella was relevant,. was when that chinless guy was here. Big game from Dana. Oh, Mella should know. Graves talks a big game. But he couldn’t cut it, and neither can Mella. But then Truth rushes in and Dana takes off. OH no! Mella’s back! Where she been? Truth, no.
Oh, it’s like that, huh? Well, help him get his baby back! She will, when the time is right. She wants Dana. Alright, that’s fair. Truth takes off, will he be able to arrange a showdown between the Most Beautiful Woman in the WWE and 24/7 Champion?
Please welcome mother, wife, daughter, sister, United States Marine and WWE Superstar, Lacey Evans!
The Model Soldier makes her way out, now moved over from SmackDown to Raw. We heard her story, but what will her plans be now that she’s back? We find out, after the break.
Raw returns and Lacey has a mic to say how much she admires and respects the men and women of our US Armed Forces, and how much they keep volunteering their time and their life to protect us. She wants us all to give them a standing ovation with her. And the fans do get up to applaud! “U S A! U S A!” Lacey says, “HELL YEAH!” And she also wants to thank the fans for that warm welcome back, and how honored she is to be here in front of some service men and women. Where you all at? She knows what you’ve been through, what their families go through, so thank you for your service.
“Finding the courage to fight is hard. Finding the courage to try to change your circumstances in life to be successful is hard. But we’ve got what it takes to do so.” Lacey is thankful to be back on Raw to not only show the WWE Universe that you all have what it takes to beat the cycle, but also to show her two beautiful baby girls that anyone can do it! We all have what it takes to make it, that we all have what it takes to wake up, work and win! Lacey may not be better than the other WWE Superstars in that locker room, but they damn sure ain’t better than her! Fans cheer Lacey and she thanks them. Will Lacey #WakeUpWorkandWin her way to the Raw Women’s Championship?
Matt Riddle speaks backstage.
In a very Uso style, Riddle calls out Jimmy & Jey and says nothing is going to stop him and Orton this Friday and unifying the tag titles. Oh, and one more thing, RKBRO 4:20 says we just smoked your ass, bro.
But the Usos respond!
Jimmy says Riddle got lucky. That luck runs out on Friday. Jey says RKBRO came to the Bloodline’s house, sat at the Bloodline’s table, and disrespected The Tribal Chief! On SmackDown, it’s one ‘n’ done! The Bloodline will be dripping in gold. The Usos will be undisputed tag team champions, the Usos will be the best tag team in the WWE, because the Usos represent the Bloodline because #WeTheOnes! It finally happens, but who comes out with four belts when it’s all said and done?
Bianca Belair is here!
The RawEST Women’s Champion makes her way to the ring, because she wants to see for herself who she’s up against next!
Raw Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s Match: Becky Lynch VS Asuka!
It was meant to be a Six Pack, but for whatever reason, the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, Sasha Banks & Naomi, just up and left! That made Pearce cut out Nikki A.S.H. and “Doudrop” Piper Niven, and now it’s just between The Man and the Empress. Who meets Bianca at Hell in a Cell for the title?
Raw returns and Asuka makes her entrance, followed by Becky’s. The bell rings and Asuka circles with Becky. Fans fire up as they approach, Becky ducks a backhand but the CODE BREAKER hits! Asuka runs in at the corner but is put on the apron. Becky hits Asuka then JUMP KICKS her down! Becky then builds speed to baseball slide, but Asuka blocks, spins Becky around and HIP ATTACKS! Becky flounders, Asuka gets in, but Becky bails out. Asuka pursues, but Becky dodges and Asuka kicks steps. Asuka mule kicks Becky on the return, but then Becky blocks a clothesline and BECKSPLODERS Asuka into barriers! Asuka is down as Raw goes to break!
Raw returns once again and Becky stomps and slaps Asuka around. Becky pokes Asuka in the head, so Asuka pushes Becky! Asuka gets Becky in a backslide, TWO! Roll-up, TWO! BUZZSAW! Both women are down and even Bianca is shocked to see that! Both Becky and Asuka are down and fans rally up. Becky manages to get up first and she goes after Asuka with haymakers. Asuka gives back forearms, they brawl, Asuka ducks, fires off shots, then BACK HANDS! And again! And a sobat! Asuka runs in at the corner, HIP ATTACK! Becky fights the waistlock, but runs into a pop-up KNEE! GERMAN SUPLEX!
Asuka roars and runs, SLIDING KICK! Cover, TWO!! Becky survives but Asuka is right on her. Asuka chicken wings an arm but Becky fights the Asuka Lock! Victory roll, TWO! Becky reels Asuka in, MANHANDLE- NO! Arm-drag! Asuka runs but misses at ropes, Becky BOOTS her! Becky has Asuka in the ropes to fire off forearms and uppercuts! Becky goes to the corner, goes up, GUILLOTINE LEG DROP! Cover, TWO! Becky is losing her cool and Bianca wags her finger. Fans rally as Becky waits on Asuka to get up. Asuka grits her teeth and glares at Becky, and she fights the takedown! Becky ducks a kick, but Asuka rolls Becky up, TWO!
Becky hurries to waistlock to O’Conner Roll, TWO! INTO THE ASUKA LOCK!! Becky endures, reaches out, fights to get up and back to a cover, but Asuka keeps a shoulder up! Becky forces it back down, TWO!! Becky kicks low, whips but Asuka reverses to send Becky out. Becky KICKS and ROUNDHOUSES and climbs up! Becky leaps but Asuka gets under! Asuka runs in, FLYING ARMBAR!! Becky is caught again, reaches out, fights to get around, ROPEBREAK! Asuka lets go and even Bianca is feeling the stress. Asuka vows to get the title, and she drags Becky up the ropes! But Becky HOTSHOTS her down!
Becky hobbles around the corner, she sees Bianca sitting there and taunts her. Bianca tells Becky to just get back to the ring. Asuka comes out after Becky and CLUBS her! Bianca says that’s what happens. Asuka brings Becky over but Becky bumps her off the apron! And then Becky throws Asuka into Bianca! Becky stomps Asuka, drags her up and puts her in, then scuffs Bianca. Bianca is pissed now! Becky hurries away, Bianca is on the apron! The ref stops Bianca, Asuka gets Asuka’s umbrella! But Asuka USES THE MIST!! ROUNDHOUSE!! Cover, Asuka wins!!
Winner: Asuka, by pinfall (NEW #1 Contender to the Raw Women’s Championship)
Bianca shrugs, and tells Becky that is also what she gets. Will Bianca soon add one of the biggest names to her list of victories? Or will not even the EST be ready for Asuka?
My Thoughts:
Pretty good stuff for Raw, but still a lot of odd stuff going on, too. We literally had a countdown to when Cody Rhodes would get his segment to start the third hour. Is that in his contract or something? Cody had a very good promo, Rollins had a good response, and of course we’re getting their third match at Hell in a Cell in Hell in a Cell. That is going to be great stuff, and could go either way. We also opened with the Steel Cage, which ended up going about how most WWE cage matches go. Even though cages are supposed to stop interference, it really just encourages it, so MVP and Cedric had parts to play.
And just as I remembered Lashley had that great cage spot where he broke off a panel with his whole body, that’s exactly how they finished it here! Lashley wins but in a way that isn’t definitive, so we’ll clearly get one more match out of Lashley and Omos, maybe also at HIAC. Lacey Evans officially shows up on Raw, doing the promo she probably would’ve done on SmackDown, and it was a great Face promo. Sadly, there’s still concern that she isn’t going to be a Face, but she’ll turn Heel by going overboard and be overbearing about patriotism and principles. She even has “The Three W’s” to parallel Kurt Angle’s Three I’s, so we’re doomed to see WWE go through with this, DESPITE USING HER LEGITIMATELY TRAGIC LIFE STORY TO START THIS OFF.
Alexa VS Sonya having a rematch made sense, but a little surprised Alexa won again. Sonya’s cheating backfiring again was a pretty good detail of the match, as was her losing her cool and slapping that ref. This could escalate to where Sonya has to fight to keep her job as a superstar since her behavior is getting worse. We got pretty good stuff out of the 24/7 Division, and it sounds like Mella is back in that now that she’s not in a team with Zelina Vega. Mella VS Dana might actually make for some good matches for this title, and they really should consider getting a bit more cinematic with this title again since it’s meant to go anywhere.
Great stuff from Kevin Owens and this Elias/Ezekiel story again. I had a feeling the DNA test wasn’t going to work out but I like that Otis was to blame. Kevin was great on commentary during Gable VS Ezekiel, and a great win for Ezekiel here. Maybe there’s a blow-off set for Hell in a Cell, maybe there’s another twist. Theory changing the plans was a fairly clever Heel move, and them tying together Veer’s undefeated streak with Ali’s story of getting screwed over was also pretty clever. The Mysterios making the save was a bit of a surprise. Again, I had expected Rey to show up sooner to get payback for what Veer did to Dom, but I suppose a Six Man of Ali & Mysterios VS Theory, Miz & Veer will be a good enough match.
The Judgement Day had a good promo, with Edge backing off of his rather generic insults to get back to being high ‘n’ mighty with his vocabulary. Edge making an appeal to Styles, but also to all their targets, was rather surprising. I hope it doesn’t set up some kind of betrayal. I mostly hope that because Finn and Styles had a great tag match with Los Lotharios. Finn & Styles could get in on the Tag Division once those titles are unified. Liv getting to join in the Too Sweet was clearly exciting for her as she had a big smile. And maybe we get a Six Person Tag instead of separate singles matches? Would save room on the card.
And speaking of unified titles, Matt Riddle VS Jimmy Uso was a great match, and Riddle had a great promo to copy the Usos’ style. Riddle winning kinda means Usos win the tag match, but WWE could surprise us and let RKBRO get the gold so that the Usos have to chase through the Summer. So, no, Usos are winning because that’s not surprising.
Now of course the surprising stuff is what was planned for the main event. They didn’t advertise that Six Pack Challenge for nothing, they really did want Sasha, Naomi, Piper and Nikki in it. However, what appears to be shoot events and not kayfabe happened. From what PWInsider has, there was a discussion about that match with Vince McMahon, Sasha disagreed with the decision, and then she and Naomi stormed out. The irony is that the decision was Naomi was going to win, and this could start a Two Woman Power Trip story, but with undertones of Naomi joining the Bloodline more directly.
Now, they still could’ve cut the match down to a Fatal 4 so that Piper and Nikki got to have time, but they chose to just give us who the match was going to come down to anyway in Asuka VS Becky. Probably should’ve just been Asuka VS Becky flat out, and maybe that was part of the disagreement, but we’ll probably never hear those details. In the end, the main event still only got under 10 minutes, but it was still pretty good stuff. Becky’s own cheating backfiring on her was also a good move, and now we’ll see Asuka VS Bianca play out in full and for the title. Unless of course Becky finds a way to give us a Triple Threat after all, since Asuka did use mist.
My Score: 8/10
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London calling to the champion crowns!
SmackDown brings gold to London as LA Knight defends his WWE US Championship and The Street Profits defend their tag team titles! Will the landscape change this close to WrestleMania?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- WWE Tag Team Championships: The Street Profits VS Pretty Deadly; The Profits win and retain the titles.
- Kayden Carter & Katana Chance VS The Secret Her-vice w/ Chelsea Green; The Secret Her-vice wins.
- WWE United States Championship: LA Knight VS Braun Strowman; Braun wins, by disqualification, and Knight retains the title.
- Charlotte Flair VS Mia Yim w/ B-Fab; Charlotte wins.
- Randy Orton VS Drew McIntyre; McIntyre wins.
- Jimmy Uso VS The Miz; Jimmy wins.
PLAY BY PLAY
Cody Rhodes is here!
We follow The American Nightmare as walks to gorilla, then through the curtain, and London sings along with the song, “WHOA~ OH~!” Cody gets his pyro, says hello to fans along the ramp, and then we get the second “WHOA~ OH~!” and pyro. Cody goes to the ring, grabs a mic, then kneels down to kiss the WWE logo on the mat. The fans continue to sing along all the way to the end, “I AM MY KINGDOM!” The fans then cheer, and Cody holds up the belt to fire them up even more! The fans now sing for “CODY! CODY RHODES~!” and he soaks it in. The fans cheer again as Cody smiles, and he finally says, “So, London~! Whaddya wanna talk about?”
The fans chant “Let’s Go, Cena!” “CENA SUCKS!” Cody hears that dueling, and he smiles again. The song of “CODY! CODY RHODES~!” returns, then they cheer. Cody says, “At WrestleMania 41, I will be facing John Cena…” The fans boo, but Cody says, “I will be facing John Cena as he goes to break the record and win 17. But that is WrestleMania 41. In just a few nights, I will be standing face to face with John Cena in this very same city, in this very same arena.” The fans cheer that, but then here comes Randy Orton! Now the fans sing along with Voices as The Viper heads to the ring. Orton also high-fives fans before he joins Cody.
Orton grabs a mic, paces while the fans keep singing on their own, and then the fans cheer. Orton says he’s not really the sentimental type, but for Cody and for London, screw it. The fans chant “R K O! R K O!” and Orton tells Cody, “Look at you. Look at who you are now, the man you are now. Look at where he came from.” The fans cheer and sing “CODY! CODY RHODES~!” and Orton says he remembers a Cody in his early 20s, just breaking into the business. Cody was busting his ass harder than anyone else. He wasn’t exactly happy, and in fact, he was frustrated. But Cody was man enough, smart enough, to know he needed to grow, and that he couldn’t grow in the WWE.
Cody wasn’t exactly treated fairly in the WWE, so Cody left the WWE! That took some big ass balls to do what he did! Cody changed the business singlehandedly, and everyone in the back knows it. And Orton appreciates Cody for it. But then Cody came back, as they all knew one day he would. And the industry has been changed forever since the day Cody came back to the WWE. Cody is a bit teary eyed as Orton says Cody’s still the same guy, he just did what he set out to do, and he grew. Orton teases he would sing along with the fans, but the fans might leave. The fans again sing “CODY! CODY RHODES~!”
Orton asks if they remember when Cody Rhodes faced Seth Rollins in Hell in a Cell. The fans cheer because they do. Orton says that was impressive, and even impossible, as he started with a partially torn pec and then ended with a fully torn pec! His body changed all kinds of shades of purple that Orton’s never seen on a human body. The pain he must have been in. Cody persevered not just for himself. Maybe not even at all for Cody. It was not even for his family legacy; it was for each and every single fan out there! Then Cody went on to WrestleMania, beat Roman Reigns and finished the story!
But there’s always another story, isn’t there? And Cody’s right in the middle of one. Cody is in charge of his legacy, and it is a privilege for Orton to watch Cody take control of it. Ticket sales have been up, there’s more intrigue around the world, and listen to the people! It is 99.9% all because of Cody! The fans cheer that, and of course they sing. Orton says what he’s trying to say is a long-winded version of he respects Cody, loves him, and is very, very proud of him. The fans cheer that! Orton then says, “But… But now it is time for WrestleMania.” They both look to the sign, and Orton says he can guarantee Cody that Orton will kick Kevin Owens so hard in the head…!
Orton can just feel it already! He forgets how many days are left, but he can’t wait to remove Kevin’s head from his shoulders. And Orton knows Cody will enter champion, exit champion, but not before he beats the holy hell outta Cena all up and down the Vegas strip! But after all the smoke clears and the dust settles, just like Orton wants Number 17, there will come a time when Orton will want Number 15. But Orton won’t kick Cody in the balls like a coward. Orton will look Cody in the eye because he respects Cody, is proud of Cody, and sees him as an equal. Orton will look Cody in the eye and tell him that he’s coming for the title.
The fans cheer but wait! Drew McIntyre is here! The fans cheer the Scottish Terminator as he steps out on stage, mic in hand, and has a wry smile on his face as he looks at the ring. Drew waves as the fans now sing, “OH~ Drew McIntyre~!” Drew says, “Isn’t this wonderful? A couple of nepo babies having a love fest in the middle of the ring> It makes me absolutely sick. What’d you just say, Randy? if Cody gets through Cena at WrestleMania, you’re coming for that title? What exactly have you done since that big comeback to justify that title match? Aside be Randy Orton. The only big moment I can remember is you being on the shelf for months and months and months.
“People like to make jokes about it, but more people talk about my five-minute-45-second title reign than your entire comeback so far! So get to the back of the line, sunshine! As for you, Cody, you should’ve listened to me. But you shunned me. You attacked me. Everybody should’ve listened to me about John Cena, but they didn’t. And the next night, he kicked you right in the twig ‘n’ berries, proving me right as usual. And the main event of WrestleMania should be Cody Rhodes VS The UK’s only ever world champion, Drew McIntyre!” Fans do like that idea. But sadly, it’s not, because of that guyliner wearing Temu Undertaker, Damian Priest!
Drew wants to talk about what is happening. And what’s gonna happen! Drew steps up to the ring while fans sing for him again. Drew says it will not be Randy that takes the title from Cody, should he get through Cena; it’ll be McIntyre. The fans cheer, but Orton says they were trying to have a moment. Can Drew just cut the crap already? Drew says okay, sure. He’ll tell the truth, because that’s all he ever does. The truth is, Kevin might have a point! If those Voices are talking to Orton again, then they know Drew very, very well. And he’s thinking, “My God, Randy looks great! Absolutely jacked! On the outside.”
On the inside, that back is hanging by a thread. And if Orton provokes McIntyre, McIntyre will break him. And as for Cody- Cody kicks Drew and UPPERCUTS him! The fans fire up, and Orton R- NO, Drew gets away! The fans boo, but the battlelines are drawn! Even if Cody makes it out of the frying pan that is Las Vegas, it’ll be into the fire that is these contenders waiting in line! Will the American Nightmare be ready for whoever comes for the crown?
WWE Tag Team Championships: The Street Profits VS Pretty Deadly!
Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins are finally golden again, but it’s time to put the titles on the line already! And while they’re ready for the grind, they’re up against the hometown heroes! Will the Profits still be up in the O2? Or will Kit Wilson & Elton Prince say #YESBOY to a new reign of their own?
The introductions are made, the belts are raised, and we see who really wants the smoke!
The teams sort out and Kit starts with Dawkins. They tie up, Dawkins headlocks, but Kit powers up and out. Dawkins runs Kit over, the fans fire up, and Dawkins fires hands on Kit in the corner! The fans rally for Pretty Deadly, Dawkins whips Kit to a corner, but Elton takes that bump! Kit CLOBBERS Dawkins, then tags Elton! Atomic drop into DROPKICK! Ford runs up, but into a DOUBLE HIP TOSS! Dawkins whips, Elton reverses, and then Elton hurdles so Kit can DDT! The fans fire up with Pretty Deadly while the Profits bail out. Pretty Deadly has control while SmackDown goes picture in picture.
Elton is right on Dawkins as he gets in, and UPPERCUTS him to the corner. Elton clinches Dawkins for another UPPERCUT! Tag to Kit, and Elton RAMS into Dawkins so Kit can UPPERCUT! Dawkins flops over, Kit drags him up to wrench the arm. Kit whips, Dawkins reverses, but Kit grabs ropes. Kit ELBOWS Dawkins, DECKS Ford, but Dawkins CLOBBERS Kit! The ref reprimands but Dawkins RAMS Kit into the corner again and again! The ref counts, Dawkins fires fast hands, then he tags in Ford. Ford says, “SUCK IT!” then he KICKS Kit! Ford scuffs Kit, then drags him to a cover, TWO!
Ford keeps Kit down with a facelock, but Kit endures the grind. Kit fights up, fires body shots, but Ford whips him away. Kit sunset flips! Ford rolls through, and PENALTY KICKS! Ford mocks Elton with the Scott Hall fingers, and the ref has to keep Elton back. Ford drags Kit up, tags Dawkins, and the Profits mug Kit. Dawkins CLUBS Kit down, then stalks him. Dawkins stays between Kit and Elton, then whips Kit into the Profits’ corner. CYCLONE- NO, Kit dodges! Ford tags in, he keeps Kit from Elton now, but Kit slips out of the suplex! Kit fakes high to go low, hot tag to Elton! Elton rallies with LARIAT after LARIAT!
Elton kicks and whips Ford to a corner, then UPPERCUTS! Elton whips the other way, UPPERCUTS again, and then does it again! Elton adds to the hattrick with a lift, Ford says a quick prayer before the SUPLEX! Ford flounders, gets to his feet, but Elton dodges to springboard and FLYING UPPERCUT! Cover, TWO! Ford stays in this, but Elton stays on him. SmackDown returns to single picture and fans rally for Pretty Deadly as Elton gives Ford a back suplex. Ford lands out, waistlocks, but Elton switches and shoves Ford. Ford CLOBBERS Elton in return! Ford is also dazed but he covers, ONE!
Kit reaches out, Elton and Ford both crawl, hot tags to Kit and Dawkins! The fans fire up as Dawkins wrenches Kit, underhooks and SILENCER! Dawkins Electric Chair Lifts Kit, Ford climbs, but Kit slips free! Kit shoves Dawkins into Ford! Ford falls to the floor, but Dawkins ENZIGIRIS Kit! Elton tags in, and Kit LARIATS Dawkins! Pretty Deadly combine for DRY MARTI-KNEES! Cover, TWO!! Dawkins survives and the Profits are a bit unsure of what to do next. Dawkins crawls to a corner, Elton runs up, but Dawkins dodges! Elton hits buckles and Dawkins TOSSES Kit, then Dawkins hits a SKY HIGH on Elton!
Dawkins hurries to tag Ford and Ford climbs up! But Kit pushes Elton out of the way! Kit takes FROM THE HEAVESN, and Elton ghost pins Ford! TWO!! Ford escapes, and he ROCKS Elton! Elton UPPERCUTS Ford! Dawkins sneaks a tag, Ford SUPERKICKS! POUNCE SAIDO COMBO!! Cover, KIT BREAKS IT! The fans fire up while all four men are down! The teams go to opposite ends, then they all stand up in the corners. They all roar, all run in, and Kit SPEARS Ford while Elton FLYING UPPERCUTS Dawkins!! London is thunderous, and Kit hurries to tag in! Pretty Deadly gets Dawkins up, for SPILT MILK!! Cover, FORD BREAKS IT!
The fans are shocked, as is Elton, but Ford saves this for his team! “This is Awesome!” as Ford runs up and Elton TOSSES him out! Now DRY MARTI- NO! Dawkins doesn’t accept the second serving, and he DUMPS Kit out! Kit skins the cat while Dawkins DECKS Elton! Dawkins catches Kit to an Electric Chair! Ford rises, DOOMSDAY BLOCKBUSTER!! Cover, Profits win!
Winners: The Street Profits, by pinfall (still WWE Tag Team Champions)
Pretty Deadly put up a heroic fight, but the hometown heroes could not capture the gold. Dawkins & Ford hold onto the gold, will this be the strongest the Profits have ever been?
Kayden & Katana talk with Zelina Vega.
Carter & Chance know La Muneca got screwed over by The Green Administration. Chelsea thinks she’s untouchable, but someone’s gonna stop them eventually. Well, speaking of, Alba Fyre leads the way in as she & Piper Niven “scope the perimeter.” There’s one small threat. They frisk the “miniscule” threat, but nothing they haven’t dealt with before. Chelsea struts in and says, “The Eagle has landed~!” Zelina says she is so glad the “Bootleg Men in Black” have crashed the party. Now, yeah, they all know she’s small. But clearly this small “threat” is a big threat to Chelsea’s title reign. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have taken all three of them to beat her.
KC Squared agree with that. How about tonight, we see what happens when the odds are even? Chelsea says that’s fine, because Agents P & A are ready. The Secret Her-vice has been given their next mission, but will they be able to crash the party? Or will the party crash them?
Kayden Carter & Katana Chance VS The Secret Her-vice!
SmackDown returns and The Green Administration makes their entrance. The teams sort out, Alba starts against Katana, and the two tie up. Alba KNEES low, CLUBS Katana down, then fireman’s carries. Katana fights free, tags Kayden, and they KICK, double whip, and then trip Alba up for the basement DROPKICK! Katana adds a slingshot SENTON, Kayden covers, TWO! Kayden tags Katana, they double whip Alba to a corner, then Kayden runs in. Alba DUMPS Kayden out, ROCKS Katana, and she tags Piper! Katana arm-drags Alba out, then goes out to run up. Kayden gives her a boost, Katana CROSSBODIES Alba down!
The fans fire up, but Piper goes up and out?! CANNONBALL and down goes KC Squared! Piper salutes Chelsea and SmackDown goes to break.
SmackDown returns, Kayden rallies on Alba while the fans rally up. Kayden fires up, runs in and whips, but Alba reverses. Kayden wheelbarrows, victory rolls, then SUPERKICKS! Kayden fires up again but the fans are torn. Kayden runs in at Alba to BOOT WASH her against the ropes! Chelsea protests, Kayden kicks at her, then Kayden springboards for a LEG DROP! Cover, TWO! Alba survives, Kayden whips, but Alba KICKS back! Tag to Piper, but Kayden jackknife bridges Alba! The ref explains bout the tag, Piper runs up, but Kayden moves! The SENTON hits Alba! Piper panics, Kayden tags Katana!
Katana goes up onto Kayden’s shoulders, VICTORY ROLL LAUNCHER, but Piper catches Katana! Katana fires hands, BOOTS, and then hurries to go up again. Kayden ROCKS Piper, and fireman’s carries?! SAMOAN DROP! Kayden then gives Katana the boost, for the KEG STAND SPLASH!! Cover, ALBA BREAKS IT! Kayden runs up on Alba to BOOT her out! Katana gives Kayden the boost now, SUPER CROSSBODY onto Alba! Kayden hurries to tag back in, and she brings Piper up. Piper swings, Kayden dodges and SUPERKICKS! Katana goes up, Piper staggers over that way, but Chelsea distracts the ref!
The fans are torn as Alba grabs Katana. Katana kicks Alba down, chases Chelsea off, but Piper sends Kayden into her! Piper scoops to PIPER DRIVER!! Cover, Secret Her-vice wins!
Winner: The Secret Her-vice, by pinfall
The Women’s US Champion helps her team, and now they all mug Kayden & Katana! But here comes Zelina! Vega runs down the ramp, CLOBBERS Alba, and then she gets in the ring! Zelina tilt-o-whirl DDTS Piper! And she KNEES Alba off the apron! But Chelsea CLOBBERS Zelina! Chelsea fires up, the UK is oddly with her, and she chicken wings Zeina. But Zelina fights free to fire forearms and body shots! And a BACK ELBOW! Zelina reels Chelsea in, CODE- SUPERKICK from Alba! SENTON from Piper! The Green Administration is just too much for Zelina to fight against alone! But can she, Kayden & Katana find a way to turn things around?
WWE United States Championship: LA Knight VS Braun Strowman!
Did the Mega Star just get this title back from Shinsuke Nakamura? YEAH! Did he help the Monster of All Monsters fight off Solo Sikoa’s rouge bloodline? YEAH! And now, does he have to defend this title against the monster he just helped? YEAH!! But will Knight still reign this close to WrestleMania? Or will Braun #GetTheseHands back on a championship?
The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and it’s time for Knight’s biggest challenge, YEAH!
The bell rings and the fans rally up as the two circle. The two tie up, and Braun SHOVES Knight away. Knight comes back, Braun SHOVES him down again! Knight gets up, gets around, and he headlocks. Braun powers up to back suplex, but Knight lands out! Knight tries but Braun’s too big to suplex! Braun ELBOWS Knight, storms up on him, but Knight fires haymakers! Knight whips, Braun reverses, but Knight KICKS back! Knight runs, but Braun HIP TOSSES! Cover, TWO! Knight stays in this, but Braun brings him up. Braun puts Knight in a corner, CHOPS, then runs, for a SPLASH! Knight sputters along ropes, Braun keeps moving, but Knight DUMPS him out!
The fans fire up as Knight then WRECKS Braun with a dropkick! Knight keeps moving, and he WRECKS Braun again! The fans fire up with Knight, but then Braun BOOTS Knight down! The fans are torn but Braun stands tall as SmackDown goes to break.
SmackDown returns and Braun puts Knight back in the ring. The fans cheer as Knight KICKS Braun! Knight tries again, but Braun’s still too big to back suplex! Braun CLUBS Knight, then runs in at the corner. Knight BOOTS Braun, goes up, and FLYING BULLDOGS! Both men are down and the fans fire up! Knight and Braun rise back up, and Knight dodges a shot to JAB! Then he dodges to JAB! JAB! JAB! “YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!” But Braun KNEES low! Braun scoops, Knight slips free, and Knight RAMS Braun into buckles! Then the BACK SUPLEX! The fans fire up and Knight rises again! Knight spells it out, “L! A! KNIGHT! YEAH!” ELBOW DROP! Cover, TWO!
Braun has plenty left in the tank but the fans rally for Knight. Knight stands Braun up to kick low, but Braun THROWS Knight away! Knight rises, and Braun LARIATS Knight up and out! The fans fire up as Braun rips the shirt! Braun gets on the track, and he runs in, STROWMAN EXPRESS MEETS JACOB FATU!! The Samoan Werewolf strikes Braun down!
Winner: Braun Strowman, by disqualification; LA Knight retains the title
The fans boo as Jacob now goes after Knight! He just ruined what was becoming a great match, but Jacob fires HEADBUTT after HEADBUTT on Braun! SAMOAN DROP onto the desk!! The desk doesn’t budge, but Braun might’ve been broken in half! The UK fires up for Fatu as he puts Braun in the ring! Jacob fires more HEADBUTTS, then HEADBUTTS away on Braun in the corner! The fans sing “OLE~ OLE OLE OLE, FATU~, FATU~!” Jacob runs corner to corner, but Knight kicks him first! Knight fires haymakers, “YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!” Jacob denies the BFT to POP-UP SAMOAN DROP! And then HIP ATTACK for Braun anyway!
Jacob keeps going, HIP ATTACK for Braun again! Jacob throws off his jacket, glares at Braun, and he runs in for a third HIP ATTACK! Braun flounders into the drop zone, so Jacob goes up, up, BEST MOONSAULT EVER! Direct hit on Braun, but the fans want that “ONE MORE TIME!” Jacob obliges, BEST MOONSAULT EVER! The Samoan Werewolf just tore up #OneBigSOB and LA Knight, will there be no stopping him from taking the United States Championship?
Backstage interview with Jimmy Uso.
Jackie Redmond is with #BigJim, and she says that while she knew WWE was going global this month, she did not know they’d get the slap heard ’round the world! Jimmy says he’d do it again, and he’ll slap Gunther as many times as he needs! Jimmy knows Jey is up in his own head, doubt is creeping on him. But just because Jey’s 0-3 against Gunther doesn’t mean Gunther’s unbeatable! The Ring General CAN be got! Jimmy’s going to Raw this Monday, he will bust Gunther’s ass, Jey will go to Mania and bust Gunther’s ass to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. And then they leave Las Vegas just like this: YEET!
Jimmy heads out, but then The Miz & Carmelo Hayes walk by. Miz is mocking Jimmy’s words, and he asks excuse me. Miz says it’s just funny that suddenly, Jimmy is a tough guy, even though for most of his career, he’s been “The Other Uso.” Doesn’t Jimmy get it? Jimmy and Jey are career sidekicks while Gunther is a main character. Gunther is the lead, neither Jimmy nor Jey can beat him. And here’s another thing: The Usos are just blips on the trailer that was Roman Reigns’ Bloodline. Melo says Jimmy & Jey are stuck outside the club, they can’t even get in.
Miz says as a former WWE Champion, a former WrestleMania main eventer, Jimmy will never know what it is to carry this industry. And after this year’s WrestleMania, neither will Jey. Oh, and by the way, if Jimmy ever slapped Miz like that, Jimmy would still be on the ground. Jimmy feints the slap and Miz freaks out. Jimmy says it may be him and Gunther on Monday, but he’ll holler at Aldis real quick so it can be Jimmy VS Miz here tonight. Yeah, YEET! Jimmy heads out, Melo says he thought Miz was gonna do something about the slap. Will Miz have to do something about running his mouth before he gets his teeth kicked in?
Solo Sikoa & Tama Tonga find Jacob Fatu backstage.
Solo asks Jacob what the Hell he was doing out there. Jacob goes out there alone without saying a thing to them? Jacob says he ain’t gotta say nothing to nobody! Matter fact, didn’t Solo not tap in with him last week? Tama says, “But Jacob,” only for Jacob to say, “But nothing, Tama!” Solo wants Jacob to lower his tone, but Jacob says okay. Let him be very clear with them. When it comes to Braun Strowman, Jacob WILL be the last man standing. Y’all better get in where you fit in, cuz that US title? Oh, Jacob’s bringing it home to the family. And he will do it with them, or without them! Yadada mean? Fatu heads out, is the Samoan Werewolf no longer following Solo?
Naomi speaks.
“I mean… How did we even get here? I don’t know. One thing that I do know is that I’ve always been the woman to do the right thing. I’ve always been the woman to do the right thing. So Bianca, what makes you think that my attack on Jade was anything different from me doing the right thing? When I sit here and I think about all that I’ve sacrificed, all that I’ve given, and that’s what really breaks my heart. Because through all of that, I’m made to be the bad one in this situation. I just don’t understand, how does Jade come in outta nowhere and take my place with you? I want you to ask yourself this, Bianca. Who inspired you? Hmm?
“Who’s inspired women over the last decade? Who’s always had your back from day one of you being here? Me. Not Jade. Hmm. But you know what? What I’ve learned through all of this: You teach people how to treat you. And I’m done with being treated as a third wheel. I’m done being pushed to the side, I’m done with being too nice, I’m done with being undervalued, underutilized, underappreciated! So moving forward, hmm… Moving forward, here’s my message to you, Jade. If you continue to be in my way, I strongly advise you to proceed with caution.” The Glow shows her dark side, but will the storm be moved?
Nick Aldis meets with Jade Cargill.
Speaking of, the SmackDown General Manager understands things have been rather difficult for her as of late. Jade says she’s been trying to get her hands on Naomi for the past few weeks, now where is she? No one has seen her all day, so as far as anyone knows, Naomi’s not here. Well, when Jade catches Naomi, it’s on sight. Jade leaves, B-Fab & Michin are there. They let her know that what Naomi did to her was straight trash, totally uncalled for behavior. And after Jade gets her hands on Naomi, she’ll handle that business. Jade agrees. Mia says they’ve all got business to handle. Jade’s got Naomi, and Mia’s gonna get Charlotte for messing with her girl, B.
B-Fab says Naomi’s got what’s coming to her: no sympathy, no regrets. Jade, just do what you gotta do. Oh, she will. Jade also wishes Mia luck tonight. Mia & B-Fab head out, will the Head Baddie in Charge make the Queen bow down in London?
The darkness approaches.
“You are as I was. As I am, you will be.” The shadows are starting to take shape, but is SmackDown about to fade to black?
Charlotte Flair VS Mia Yim w/ B-Fab!
The Queen looks down on everyone, so it’s no surprise that everyone else wants to take her down. Charlotte may have checked off B-Fab, but will the HBIC be a much different story? Or will Charlotte only sharpen her edge before facing Tiffany Stratton at WrestleMania?
WAIT! NAOMI ATTACKS B-FAB & MICHIN! Naomi drags Mia up for a FACEBUSTER! Naomi rains down fists, the ref reprimands and the fans boo, but Naomi tells the ref to back off. Naomi then BOOTS B-Fab off the apron! Naomi goes out after B-Fab to THRWO her into barriers! Naomi SLAPS B-Fab, tells her to stay down, but B-Fab gets up. Naomi fires hands, then she SMACKS B-Fab off the desk! Naomi rains down fists, but here comes Jade! Jade hurries down the ramp, she runs around the way, but Naomi runs away! Jade makes sure B-Fab is okay, but refs have to help her to the back. And what of Mia? Will she even be able to compete?
Charlotte makes her entrance, not really caring about what Naomi just did to Mia. But that means she also crosses paths with Jade. The fans like the look of this stare down, but Jade and Charlotte both let the other slide. Charlotte gets her pyro, and it seems she’ll still get her match. Will Mia be little more than an appetizer now?
The bell rings, and Charlotte BOOTS Mia down! Cover, TWO! Mia stays in this and the fans rally up. Charlotte just struts around while SmackDown goes to break.
SmackDown returns, Charlotte has Mia down with a chinlock, but the fans rally up. Mia fights up, fires body shots, and she then blocks a shot to ROCK Charlotte! Mia ROCKS Charlotte again and again, then reels her in for a TORNADO DDT! The fans fire up as Mia hurries to cover, TWO! Mia drags Charlotte up, wrenches, but Charlotte says no to Da Feet! BIG back suplex! Mia stagger sup, Charlotte whips her, but Mia reverses! Charlotte goes up and out, BOOTS her away, then slingshots in and rolls Mia! Mia rolls through and BUZZSAWS! Mia runs corner to corner, but Charlotte avoids the cannonball!
Charlotte YAKUZA KICKS Mia down, then fires herself up! The fans “WOO~!” as Charlotte has Mia in the drop zone,. Charlotte steps on her, goes up the corner, but Mia gets underneath her! SIT-OUT POWERBOMB! Cover, TWO! Charlotte survives and Mia is shocked! Mia nods as the fans rally back up, and she brings Charlotte up. But Charlotte ROCKS Mia! Mia SOBATS, PELES, and then runs to PENALTY KICK! Cover, TWO! Charlotte stays in this, Mia grows frustrated, but the fans continue to rally. Mia uses that energy to stay focused, and she stalks Charlotte to waistlock. But Charlotte ELBOWS her away!
Charlotte CHOPS, and CHOPS, and CHOSP! Charlotte winds up, and she CHOPS again! Mia sputters, but then she dodges the boot! Charlotte is caught, and Mia hits a SAIDO! Charlotte flounders to a corner, the fans rally behind Mia, and Mia runs up, CANNONBALL! Mia hurries to wrench and EAT- NO, Charlotte shoves Mia away! Charlotte gets under, back suplexes, but Mia lands out! EAT DA FEET!! Cover, ROPEBREAK!! Charlotte’s long legs help her survive by a literal foot! Mia is beside herself while Charlotte bails out. Mia storms after Charlotte, runs up, but Charlotte dodges! Mia’s kick hits steel steps!
Mia hobbles away, goes to the apron, but Charlotte CHOP BLOCKS the bad leg out! Charlotte grabs Mia’s leg, drops a KNEE on the knee, but fans chant, “We Want Tiffy!” Charlotte just steps through, FIGURE FOUR, into FIGURE EIGHT!! Mia taps, Charlotte wins!
Winner: Charlotte Flair, by submission
Charlotte got more of a fight out of Mia than expected, but she still won. Will The Queen be more than ready to reign again after WrestleMania?
Backstage interview with Tiffany Stratton.
Jackie Redmond is with the WWE Women’s Champion and says Charlotte certainly looks confident. Let’s be real, Charlotte came at Tiff pretty hard. It got a lot of people talking. Tiff says yes, people talk. And Charlotte sure loves to hear herself talk. Ten years into the business and Charlotte is still so insecure that she can’t let a “rookie” get a word out. But last week, Tiff did learn something: She learned that walking into WrestleMania, she isn’t the one with something to lose. Truth is, if Tiff loses, then she lost to the great Charlotte Flair, as just a 25-year-old rookie with one year into SmackDown.
But if Charlotte loses… Well, then she lost to an “undeserving, delusional, unoriginal, backflip doing, blonde-hair-having, little girl.” Did she get it all? And Tiff can’t wait to hear the look on Charlotte’s face when they hear the words, “And STILL!” Then maybe Charlotte will finally shut up for the sake of literally everyone! They say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, and Tiff will make damn sure what stays is Charlotte’s massive ego. Tiff is walking into and out of Mania as the WWE Women’s Champion. Tootles! Tiff heads out, will it still be #TiffyTime after WrestleMania?
Randy Orton VS Drew McIntyre!
The Viper told Cody how proud he was, but also how he wants the next shot after John Cena. The Scottish Terminator took offense to that, and basically said he is taking that shot instead. Will this match be an unofficial #1 contender’s match between these two former world champions?
SmackDown returns and McIntyre makes his entrance. The bell rings and the fans sing, “OH~, Drew McIntyre~!” and chant “R K O! R K O!” Drew and Orton circle, tie up, and they go around in a deadlock. Drew powers Orton to a corner, but Orton headlocks back. Drew powers up and out, then he runs Orton over! Orton hurries to ropes and Drew mockingly asks, “How’s the back feel, Randy?” Orton stands, he and Drew reset, and the fans duel some more. Drew calls for a knuckle lock, Orton accepts, but then Drew kicks low! Drew bumps Orton off buckles, then climbs up, but he panders for too long and Orton YANKS him down!
The fans fire up as Orton climbs now! Orton rains down fists, and the fans count to nine. Orton hops down, brings Drew around, and POSTS him for ten! Drew tumbles out of the ring, Orton goes out after him, and they’re by the desk! But Drew kicks Orton first and SMACKS him off the desk! Drew clears the desk, and he brings Orton up for the DESK- NO, Orton fights free! Orton turns things around, DESK BACK SUPLEX for Drew! The fans fire up while Orton leaves Drew behind, and SmackDown goes picture in picture.
Drew writhes on the floor, but Orton goes out to fetch him! Orton brings Drew around, UPPERCUTS him, then says one more time! DESK BACK SUPLEX! Drew writhes as that desk stays standing! Orton grins, refreshes the ring count, and then he storms up on Drew. Drew pokes Orton in the eye! Drew POSTS Orton now, then brings him around to RUSSIAN LEG SWEEP into barriers! Orton slumps down, and Drew also grits his teeth from that double-edged attack, but Drew fires up as he stands tall. Drew drags Orton up, puts him in the ring, then stalks Orton. Drew looms over Orton, and HIP DROPS him!
Orton sputters, Drew says one more time, and he winds up for the HIP DROP! Drew paces around Orton, says maybe one more time, and he pretends he can’t hear the fans. Drew winds up again, but Orton flips over! Hip drop meets kneecaps! And then Orton pokes Drew in the eyes! The ref reprimands but Orton rises up. Drew sputters and flounders, Orton ROCKS him with a right! Drew ROCKS Orton back! Drew storms up, Orton kicks low, but Drew fires another haymaker! The haymakers go back and forth, Orton gets the edge, but Drew GLASGOW KISS HEADBUTTS! Cover, TWO! Drew clamps onto Orton with an armlock!
SmackDown returns to single picture and the fans rally up. Orton fights up, pries at the chinbar, and then throws right hands! Drew CHOPS Orton in return! The fans “WOO~” and Drew winds up. Drew ROCKS Orton again, eggs him on, then CHOPS again! Drew shoves Orton to a corner, CHOPS again, then dares Orton to fight! Drew whips corner to corner, but Orton comes back to LARIAT! And LARIAT! Drew swings, Orton dodges, SNAP POWERSLAM! The fans fire up as Orton stalks Drew to the apron. Drew HOTSHOTS Orton first! Drew then runs in, but Orton puts him through the ropes!
The fans fire up as Orton has Drew for the DRAPING DDT! The fans fire up for Orton, and Orton hears those voices! Drew rises, but then Orton spots KEVIN OWENS! The Prizefighter is on the ramp, Orton glares at him, but then he turns around into a CLAYMORE!! Cover, DREW WINS!
Winner: Drew McIntyre, by pinfall
Kevin’s mere presence costs Orton, and now Drew has a huge win propelling him down the Road to WrestleMania! As for Orton, Kevin drags him out of the ring, SMACKS him off the desk, and then climbs up to join him! The fans boo but Kevin and his hot pink sneakers have Orton in position, but Orton slips free and TRIPS Kevin up! Kevin hits the desk then the floor! Orton staggers around, the fans rally behind him, and Orton stalks Kevin to the corner of the barriers. Orton lines up the shot! Orton runs in, but Kevin jumps over barriers! Security is there to stop Orton from pursuing, so Kevin runs away into the night!
The fans boo, but The Viper was that close! Will Orton be able to strike Kevin down and completely take him out?
Fire, thunder, smoke…
The force of nature is drawing ever closer. And he’s ready to fly! REY FENIX arrives next Friday Night SmackDown!
Jimmy Uso VS The Miz!
#BigJim gave Gunther a piece of his mind and a mark on his cheek, but it seems not everyone got the message. Will the Hollywood A-lister soon star in the Uso Penitentiary? Or will he prove Jimmy is NOT ready for a world champion level opponent?
The bell rings and the two tie up. Jimmy powers Miz to a corner, Miz turns things around, and the ref counts. Miz takes a swing, Jimmy ducks it to CHOP! And CHOP! Miz shoves Jimmy back, then runs up, but Jimmy TACKLES Miz! Jimmy rains down fists, Miz shoves him away to go to ropes, but Jimmy storms back up. Miz ELBOWS Jimmy away, then runs back up, only for Jimmy to LARIAT him down! The fans fire up while Jimmy storms up on Miz. Jimmy CHOPS Miz, has him in a corner, then whips corner to corner. Miz reverses, Jimmy goes up and over, then UPPERCUTS! Miz staggers back to ropes, but Jimmy is right on him.
Jimmy whips, Miz reverses and kitchen sink knees! Then basement BOOTS! The fans fire up, Miz scowls, and Miz KNEES Jimmy in the back again and again. Miz stalks Jimmy to the ropes now, and he CHOKES Jimmy! The ref counts, Miz runs, and Miz STRADDLE ATTACKS! The fans boo, but Miz runs again. Jimmy ducks the boot, then dodges a lariat! Jimmy runs up to LARIAT Miz up and out! The fans fire up and Jimmy builds speed, but Miz runs away! Jimmy smirks as he goes out the side, and UPPERCUTS Miz over the barriers! Jimmy makes sure Gunther knows he’s coming to get him, but SmackDown goes to break.
SmackDown returns and both men are down. Miz and Jimmy crawl, and Jimmy pounds the mat. The fans rally, Jimmy rises and runs up to LARIAT! And LARIAT! And mule kick! Jimmy then UPPERCUTS Miz, dodges a lariat, then SAMOAN DROPS! The fans fire up, Jimmy goes to the corner, “UCE! OH!” Jimmy runs in, but Miz puts him on the apron! Jimmy UPPERCUTS again! Jimmy climbs, leaps, but Miz gets under! Miz then waistlocks, ripcords, and MOVIE MAKER! Fans boo that blatant parody, but Miz full nelsons! Jimmy drops, victory rolls, TWO! Miz has the cover, TWO! Miz hurries to BASEMENT DDT! Cover, TWO!
The fans rally up as Jimmy survives! Miz stalks Jimmy, the fans rally up more, and Miz fires a KICK! And then another KICK! The fans say “YES! YES! YES!” to the It Kicks, but then Miz winds up. Jimmy ducks the buzzsaw, Miz blocks the superkick, but the DRAGON WHIP connects! Miz rebounds to B-MOVIE KNEE!! Cover, TWO!! The parodies don’t get it done, but Miz still has his original work to fall back on. The fans rally for “UCE! OH! UCE! OH!” Miz runs in, A-LIST LARIAT! Miz shoves Jimmy down, then springboards, but into a SUPERKICK! Jimmy hurries up top, for the USO SPLASH!! Cover, Jimmy wins!
Winner: Jimmy Uso, by pinfall
Miz may be a movie star, but Big Jim’s the one winning this main event! Jimmy then borrows Joe Tessitore’s headset to call out Gunther! He’s coming after dat ass on Monday! Gunther won’t be the ring general, he will be “Private Gunther,” and he will salute Big Jim! Uh, uh, YEET! Will Jimmy be the one making examples out of the World Heavyweight Champion? Or will everything come crashing down when Gunther gets his turn?
Drew McIntyre returns backstage.
And he says hey to Lewis Capaldi, the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, and also a big fan of Drew’s. They’re ready to have a good night in the pub, but Jackie Redmond walks over to congratulate him on the win tonight. She was hoping to get some thoughts on that victory and what happened with Orton and Kevin. Drew says it’s alright, this is what happens. He doesn’t care about anybody else’s business, but no one gets away with screwing him over. And when no one meddles in his business, he wins! Drew called out Priest, where is he? Priest doesn’t have the balls! So time to get mad in the pubs, everyone’s invited!
Drew turns the corner, but PRIEST IS THERE! Priest ROCKS Drew, SMACKS him off the door, then throws him into road cases! Priest ROCKS Drew, SMACKS him off the trunk of a car, and then again! Or since it’s London, “the boot.” The driver complains, but Priest BODY SLAMS that guy through a table! Drew comes back to KNEE Priest low, SMACK him off the trunk, and then off the side! They go to the hood, or bonnet for UK. Drew drags Priest up, but Priest CLAWS Drew’s eyes! Priest then sends Drew SOUTH OF HEAVEN through the windshield! Priest tells security that he’s done for now. Any more jokes, Drew? Didn’t think so! RIP, jackass!
Priest leaves, the producers hurry to help Drew, and Drew’s got glass in his eye! Will that glass help Drew see why he shouldn’t piss off the Punisher?
CM Punk heads to gorilla.
He has a security detail with him, and he passes by Drew writhing in pain. Punk chuckles, then continues on. Will his contract signing with Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins be just as brutal? We find out, after the break.
Nick Aldis is in the ring.
The SmackDown General Manager welcomes us back, and says it is his honor and privilege to be here in the O2 in London. Now, we all know why he and this table is here, and why additional security is here tonight. Tonight, we are here to sign a contract for a Triple Threat. Perhaps the biggest Triple Threat in the history of WrestleMania: Seth Rollins VS CM Punk VS Roman Reigns! The fans cheer all those names, and here comes the OTC! London puts the ones up, and Paul Heyman accompanies THE Tribal Chief out on stage. Roman raises his finger to the sky for the pyro, then security follows him to the ring.
SmackDown goes picture in picture as Roman’s entrance continues, and he raises his finger to the sky for the second round of pyro. Roman steps into the ring, SmackDown returns to single picture, and Heyman hands him a mic. The fans sing, “ROMAN! ROMAN REIGNS~!” Roman nods, the fans cheer, and now they chant, “O T C! O T C!” Roman tells London, “ACKNOWLEDGE ME!” The fans cheer again, and again chant, “O T C! O T C!” Roman smiles, but he sees the chairs are not to his liking. Heyman makes sure to put one at the head of the table. Heyman also dusts the chair off while Roman enjoys the singing of, “ROMAN! ROMAN REIGNS~!”
Roman takes a seat and says that was beautiful. The way they sing to their Tribal Chief, it’s just beautiful. The singing continues, and Heyman even joins in! Roman smiles, and he says that is what he’s talking about. That’s the OTC for you, baby! The biggest star on the planet! The OTC came here for two reasons. One: to be acknowledged; check! And two: to sign this contract. Roman does just that, and he says he’s checked both boxes. That means- “BURN IT DOWN!” Seth Rollins interrupts! The fans now sing, “WHOA~ OH~ OHH~!” Rollins struts out in his red wine paisley suit and conducts the O2 Choir all the way into the ring.
The fans cheer while Roman frowns, but Rollins takes the seat to Roman’s left. Rollins offers Heyman a chance to sing to this song, but Heyman frowns. Rollins chuckles, and he says the fans do have beautiful singing voices. He doesn’t know why Roman is in such a hurry to leave, though! This is their building! There’s a lot of history here! 12 years ago, they landed on the roof of this place in a helicopter! They came down those stairs over there, “ready to burn down the old guard!” They put the Undertaker down through the desk, and they were going to remake this company in their image!
Now don’t get him wrong, Rollins knows a lot has happened since then. They fought against each other, with each other, a little bit of love and a whole lot of hate. But Rollins dare says, as the fans continue to sing “WHOA~ OH~ OHH~,” that Rollins and Roman accomplished their mission. The fans start to chant for CM Punk, but Rollins tunes them out. Roman says, “We? We? You keep saying we. Our mission? We died a long time ago. It’s only been ME. You been here, but I done all the work! I’ve made this place what it is today! I took us to the level that we are here today! I made this place better than we found it!
“I’m the one that made us desirable to Netflix! I’m the one that took us into billion-dollar deals! Tell me, what have you done?” Rollins shouts, “I’ll tell you what I’ve done! YOU, YOU, YOU, it’s that mindset that keeps me having to screw you! You understand that? And your biggest mistake is not understanding the danger that’s right in front of us! The danger that’s right in front of you! You let the biggest snake in the world, CM Punk, into the garden! And you could’ve cut his head off at WarGames! But instead, you shook his hand. You could’ve let me finish him inside the cage at The Garden, but you didn’t. And now, I am left to do what I always do: Clean up your mess, again.”
Rollins drops his mic, picks up the pen, and signs his part. And now, here comes CM PUNK! The fans fire up and sing along with Cult of Personality, then join in on saying, “IT’S CLOBBERIN’ TIME~!” Punk goes to the ring, but as he grabs a mic, he goes up a corner, just like he did last Friday. “I have come here to chew bubblegum and sign a contract. And I’m all outta bubblegum.” The fans cheer the Rowdy Roddy Piper reference, and Punk hops down to take his seat on Roman’s right. Punk looks over said contract, but Roman asks if Punk needs a highlighter or something. What’s he doing? Just go to page four, clause five.
Punk does as Roman says, but Roman says Punk needs to hurry, this is precious TV time. Punk reads the segment, Roman tells Heyman to just smarten Punk up. Heyman tells Punk he knows what Punk is looking for. It is in there. They’re closing the show at WrestleMania. The fans go wild hearing that! Heyman tells Punk that he gets to live his dream of dreams. CM Punk will be a WrestleMania main eventer! The fans cheer and while Roman smiles, Rollins is furious. Roman says, “One man’s dream is another man’s favor! CHECK!” Wait, this was the favor? Rollins says no! This is not something to laugh at, and Punk does not get to tear up!
Punk is NOT deserving! He does NOT deserve this! The fans boo but Rollins continues to throw a fit! Main eventing WrestleMania is SACRED, the most important thing in the world to Rollins! More than anything! Except the fact that Punk NEVER gets to main event! This is all Roman’s fault! This is all Heyman’s fault! Rollins THROWS his mic down, paces angrily, but Punk picks up the mic. The fans cheer Punk on again, and Punk stands to thank London, to thank Chicago, to thank Louisville, Kentucky, and to thank ALL the fans. As corny as it sounds, he thanks the WWE Universe who stood by him and chanted his name for TEN LONG YEARS!
Roman says hold on, hold on. Punk shouldn’t be thanking the fans! He should be thanking the Tribal Chief! It is because of Roman that Punk gets this honor! So please, take this moment, close the show with that acknowledgement! Do this the right way. The credits are already rolling as Punk kneels before Roman!? Punk smiles, and he thanks “My Tribal Chief, the holder of the ula fala, the Head of the Table, the… Big Dog? Thank you for allowing a kid from Chicago to be graced by your presence. Thank you, My Tribal Chief, for allowing me to stand in your ring. And thank you so much. Thank you, Roman Reigns, so very much.
“But because of you, I will see you in the main event of WrestleMania.” And again, Rollins is agonizing over this. Punk finishes putting his signature on the contract, and London tells him, “You Deserve It!” Punk thanks Roman again, and then says, “But that’s not the favor that I’m owed.” WHAT?! Roman looks at Heyman and Heyman can’t look him in the eye! If getting this Triple Threat made into the main event isn’t the gift of the Wise Man, then what is?!
My Thoughts:
A good SmackDown, but they pulled off quite the paradox. They made it feel like they were struggling to fill three hours, yet they also filled the show to the point where that contract signing segment was almost bleeding over the three hour mark. Ironically, part of the problem was just how excited the London crowd was for this. The superstars still wanted to enjoy the chants and songs, but that’s time SmackDown doesn’t have to spare. It made the opening promo from Cody, Orton and Drew take longer, and it kinda did the same to the contract signing at the end. Even so, we still got a very good promo, and good stuff to set up Orton VS McIntyre.
Orton VS McIntyre was a great match, but of course Kevin costs Orton. McIntyre gets his win, Kevin and Orton have a bit of a brawl, but of course Kevin ends up on the losing end and runs off. McIntyre’s trash talk also comes back to bite him as Priest gets the better of him in their brawl. Here’s hoping Drew didn’t actually get glass in his eye, but that being the thing in kayfabe can be some good stuff. I can imagine McIntyre with an eyepatch, and he takes it off at the opportune time to get the better of Priest in their match. Also what a fitting choice for Punk to be passing by Drew suffering because of real glass.
Very good title matches tonight, but of course the status quo was kept. Pretty Deadly gets to look great here in London, but the Profits only just got the belts, they’re not going to be transitional champions like that. And Knight VS Braun was really good stuff, but honestly, Jacob Fatu going after them both should’ve been a given. Jacob also had a great promo with Solo & Tama to start adding to that divide between Jacob and Solo. I would hope Solo doesn’t screw Jacob out of the US Championship, but it feels like he will as Solo won’t stand for Jacob defying his authority, even though Solo’s been trying to make Jacob the champion all along.
Very good stuff from Jimmy Uso tonight, from his promo with #MeloDon’tMiz and then a great match with Miz. Their match ended up the de facto main event match, so that’s also great for both guys. Great win for Jimmy, but that’s likely because Jimmy is losing big time to Gunther on Monday. And it might just be me, but it feels like only now is the Jey VS Gunther build really moving, largely in part because Jimmy got involved. Jimmy’s promo after his match is something along the lines of what Jey should be saying. But I suppose as brothers, Jimmy is the one who knows Jey best and knows what Jey needs to be motivated again. And seeing Jimmy get beat up by Gunther will definitely motivate Jey…
Good final vignettes for Rey Fenix and Aleister Black. I’m a little surprised they confirmed Rey Fenix is showing up next week, and that they confirmed who Rey Fenix even is. I believe commentary confirmed Rey Fenix is Penta’s real brother, even namedropped “Lucha Brothers,” but all that is still surprising considering Fenix is going to start on SmackDown. Aleister’s vignette (at least I am fairly confident it’s his) was giving us glimpses of his silhouette, but I think there was usage of AI in the snake imagery. It was fine they did it for El Grande Americano because that is all trolling, but they really should try and do things the old fashioned way of photoshop and stock imagery.
Very good stuff in the Women’s Division tonight, though the WWE Women’s Championship portion was the weaker. Naomi’s got a great Heel persona going, her promo was great, and her going after B-Fab & Michin over them supporting Jade was a great detail. Jade runs Naomi off, helps B-Fab, but there was no helping Michin in being fed to Charlotte. Tiffany had a decent promo, and it does fit how Charlotte kept her from speaking so she finally gets things out here. It didn’t really add that much, though, but they already gave us a great brawl so not sure what more they can give.
KC Squared VS The Secret Her-vice was a very good match, but of course Chelsea made sure her team won. A Six Woman Tag of Zelina & KC Squared VS The Green Administration is certainly coming, to help give us Zelina VS Chelsea for the Women’s US Championship.
My Score: 8.7/10
About Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)
TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends
Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5
Classic POD is WAR
Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
Coverage
Andrew’s TNA iMPACT! Results & Match Ratings: 3.27.2025
Bad news out of the TNA management side, but this is a taped episode from El Paso! So we won’t see any of the fallout just yet!
Now we all heard the news about the TNA change in hierarchy, and I…have no positive outlook on that. Delirious sucked at booking and creative in the dying days of ROH before it got bought as a B show. Dreamer having even more control is concerning because his ideas the last two years haven’t been much better.
Gail leaving makes more sense to me. Be it firing or a “you can’t quit, you’re fired” kind of situation, the Knockouts division is the worst it’s been in a long time and Gail was close with Scott D’Amore. So I don’t think Gail parting ways is as big of a problem since TNA has slowly been bleeding out with the Scott faithful.
Granted, I think the next few shows were already taped before the firing so things shouldn’t be completely unwatchable for at least a week or two. So let’s see where we’re going.
.@WeAreRosemary sends @XiaBrookside a CHILLING message!
WATCH #TNAiMPACT on TNA+: https://t.co/LaVxF6l2yc pic.twitter.com/srciTTbel0
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) March 28, 2025
Ratings:
- Gigi Dolin & Tatum Paxley vs Elegance Clique w/Personal Concierge: Ash wins via Rarefied Air – ** 1/4
- Fir$t Cla$$ & Frankie Kazarian vs Laredo Kid, Octagon Jr & Chavo Guerrero Jr: Chavo wins via Gory Bomb into Frog Splash – *** 1/4
- Jacy Jayne vs Masha Slamovich: Masha wins via Russian Death Device – ***
- Eric Young w/two losers vs Ace Austin: Eric wins via Piledriver – ** 1/2
- Seto & Mokuba – I mean – Nic Nemeth w/Ryan Nemeth vs Leon Slater: Nic wins via Danger Zone – *** 1/4
Results:
Gigi Dolin & Tatum Paxley vs Elegance Clique w/Personal Concierge
Ash and Gigi start off, Gigi with a little Rascalz after her first takedown. So both her and Wentz are making it obvious something’s going on between them, and I’m not mad at it. Good for my man Wentz.
Tatum and Gigi get some quick tandem offense in, Ash does manage to scurry off to a tag and Heather gets bent into a Pretzel. Some kind of Inverted Tarantula from Tatum, Gigi tags in, Bronco Buster on Heather followed by Kawada Kicks. Heather sells against the ropes, Gigi goes for a Hesitation Dropkick, but Concierge pulls her away so Gigi crashes and burns. Ref is distracted, Ash gets in some cheap shots and then the Elegant duo starts working over Gigi. A few quick tags, but once Heather comes in, Gigi fights out of the corner, gets the hot tag to Tatum. Tatum stacks up both Elegance members, Corner Stacked Crossbody, Butterfly Suplex and an Elbow Drop with some some flare. Tatum goes to the top rope, Heather pulls Gigi off the apron, Concierge shoves Tatum off the turnbuckle and Ash hits Rarefied Air for the win.
Post match the Elegance Clique wants to make their wish with the cake, they light the candles and Tatum and Gigi recover enough to do what we all expected last week, the cake in the face spot. Some…suggestive licking from both of our Hot Topic Hotties, so…no complaints here.
.@Ashamae_Sebera, @Heathereckless and @IamGeorgeIceman are having a meltdown!
WATCH #TNAiMPACT on TNA+: https://t.co/LaVxF6l2yc pic.twitter.com/FnKwPqm2ff
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) March 28, 2025
Fir$t Cla$$ & Frankie Kazarian vs Laredo Kid, Octagon Jr & Chavo Guerrero Jr
Chavo and Kaz start since he’s King Petty, a quick rope run turns into a Headscissor from Chavo. Kaz recovers, they lock up, Kaz hits the Knee Lift during the lock up to tag out to KC. KC pulls off some athletic dodges, gloats a bit so Chavo waits, measures and nails a gorgeous Dropkick. Laredo comes in on fire, quick high spots that send KC bouncing around like HBK against Hulk. KC powders after sells the Satellite Takedown, AJ checks on him and we go to commercial.
Back from commercial, Octagon is lighting up KC’s chest with overhand chops, he perches, Sunset Headscissor Flip from corner to corner, KC tries to Back Drop him but Octagon does a headstand, kicks KC away and lays him out with a high spot. AJ gets on the apron to stop Octagon from running the ropes, the referee has a stroke or something because he stops paying attention and AJ pulls Octagon out of the ring and chucks him. KC with the Tope con Hilo and tag (tag ropes haven’t mattered since the 80s we all know this). So AJ is getting taunted by the crowd in Spanish, but he’s manhandling Octagon since it looks like a Child fighting their parent. AJ knocks off Chavo and Laredo, Laredo pops up and tries to get involved but he’s caught on the shoulders, Octagon goes for the Crossbody but gets caught and AJ pulls off “World’s Strongest Wasteland” but Chavo breaks up the pinfall. AJ throws Octagon into the corner, Tennessee Whiskey, and tag out to KC. KC hits a few moves, but starts to lose the momentum until he connects with a Super Kick. Simultaneous rope run into the Dueling Crossbodies, so we get the timely tag outs from both sides. Kaz and Laredo come in, Laredo lands like two moves before Kaz hits a Sole Butt, Lariat and eats his lunch. KC and Kaz try to double team Laredo but he fights out and the crowd is chanting for Chavo.
Chavo tags in, and he’s rocking KC, Saito Suplex, Low Bridge to AJ, Reverse the Whip so Chavo goes to the corner and perches, KC feeds, Chavo Backflips to safety, rolls through and lays out KC. Chavo is feeling himself, 3 Amigos start on KC but only 2, Kaz comes in and Chavo switches to Kaz for the Amigos, only 2 again before AJ breaks it up. AJ goes for the disrespect, but Chavo counters and hits the 3 Amigos on the biggest Culero. Aztec Warriors dive to stop AJ and Kaz, KC tries a Dirty Victory Roll but Chavo kicks out. GORY BOMB into FROG SPLASH!
Chavo looked fantastic and he’s the one in the best shape in the ring. I wouldn’t be mad at more Chavito.
Jacy Jayne vs Masha Slamovich
I expect very little from this match.
Collar and Elbow, gator rolling for the first 30 seconds or so, then Jacy goes to some Hair Pull takedowns and does a little taunt before Masha pops back up and hits a Lariat into a Dive. Jacy sells it like she’s really hurt, even the ref tries to hold Masha back a little before Masha gets annoyed and just grabs her, Masha throws her in, looks for a Dive and Jacy sees it and powders. Masha tries to go back to the well for the Dive again but Jacy hits the Uppercut and then an Apron Run PK to drop Masha. Forearms rain down into a Foot Choke as Jacy continues to arrogantly play to the crowd. Another Foot Choke into a Cannonball, and near fall.
Masha gets space with a Sole Butt, tries to snap off Requiem but Jacy fights off, fights through a Sunset Flip another effective PK keeps Masha on her ass. Jacy looks for a kinda half-assed Camel Clutch as Masha is fighting up, but Jacy runs her into the corner, gets distracted mouthing off to the crowd, so Masha recovers, 5 Hole Up Kick sends Jacy into the corner, Yakuza Kick into Capo Kick for two. Requiem attempt again, but Jacy pushes off, a little back and forth, Masha tries a Backslide but Jacy gets away and hits a V-Trigger but only a 2 count. Jacy looks for the Discus Punch but Masha ducks it, they strike back and forth, but some dodges from both leave the exchange more even. Jacy with the Front Kick to the face sends Masha to the outside. Jacy wants another PK, but Masha blocks, Electric Chair Apron Snake Eyes. Masha throws her in, a PK into a near all. Requiem attempt 3, and thwarted from Jacy with a Superkick into a Neckbreaker. Senton misses from Jacy, Buzzsaw Kick, into Spinning Back Kick and Russian Death Device for the win.
Better than I expected, and Tessa attacks as soon as the bell rings. Xia Brookside and Lei Ying Li make the save after Tessa grabs the belt.
Eric Young w/two losers vs Ace Austin
Ace and Eric tie up, World of Sport start but as soon as Ace starts to get away EY punches him in the face. Eric looks at the camera and says “This is what trust looks like”, turns his back on Ace, when Ace looks to attack, the loser duo cut him off. EY takes advantage of the weird situation, but Ace with some Up and Over quick spots, into an Inside Cradle and La Magistral. EY kicks out of the quick flash attempts, but eats a Dropkick, and Ace goes all Speed Kils on him with fast strikes and then a face buster for another near fall. Strike spot very early in the match, Ace gets the best of it, goes for a Tear Drop Suplex but EY sits on it to block, Headlocks to keep him close and then a snap Lariat into beatdown bully tactics. EY takes the referee’s attention and one of the nerds punch Ace in the face.
Eric tries to lean on Ace, but Ace fires, a few strikes, Click Click Boom, the Miz Seated Lariats in the corner, Mochizuki Triangle Kick connects! Only a 2 count, but Ace seems to be in control. Ace puts EY on the ropes, a few strikes to keep him rocked, wants a Superplex, but EY blocks, bites the face and Macho Elbow gets a very close two count. EY tries the Piledriver but Ace turns it into a Jacknife Cradle,Spinning Heel Kick, calls for The Fold, but the losers hop on the apron to distract, Ace attacks them. Ace tries to time out the Triangle Kick again, but Eric dodges, throws Ace head first through the buckles. As Ace stumbles out of the corner, Piledriver, and it’s over.
Oh look it’s the “we’ll hear from Joe Hendry” segment. Again, I’ve loved this gimmick since Day 1, even didn’t hate his What Culture Pro stuff, but there is such a thing as milking a cow too much.
Elijah interrupts the whole “Who’s next” speech. When Elijah comes out he says he’s not the challenger and he believes in Joe. The crowd wants Elijah to turn on Hendry. Elijah pauses for a moment, and starts proving his friendship with stating his favorite color and a little “You Got a Friend in Me”. The crowd is into singing along and waving their cameras like Lighters to a 30 year old song. THANKFULLY Kaz breaks up the hug fest. Now he gets the “Culero” chant.
Kaz pulls out a Bass…what the hell is this Jam Session. Kaz has to warm up so he plays “La Cucaracha” on the bass. Kaz…is a national treasure. Hendry kicks Kaz out of the ring after his Heelish and playfully racially charged song choices. Kaz tries to sow dissension, but Joe and Elijah pinball Kaz between them. Kaz slips a power move and tries to shove Elijah into Joe but Elijah puts the brakes on, a small tense moment. But then Joe and Elijah play “Nah Nah Nah Nah, Hey Hey, Goodbye”…and that goes right into a commercial. Oddly…perfect.
Nic Nemeth w/Ryan Nemeth vs Leon Slater
Nic shoots the half immediately for a flash pinfall but Leon kicks out at one. Nic continues to keep things grounded with his amateur wrestling skills, and then does a little Dolph Ziggler show off. So Nic isn’t really taking this seriously, and Leon starts getting the best of things with an Arm Wringer, into drag, Shoulder Tackle and rope run as Nic tries to Leap Frog and Leon puts on the brakes and just shoves Nic on his ass. Nic gets annoyed, a few strikes, grinds his face along the ropes, but Leon keeps stringing some offense together, Back Handspring Elbow into his Corner con Hilo.
Ahh the classic formula of the commercial gives the heel the advantage, Twisting Suplex from Leon stops Nic’s offense momentum, right hand, Leon lifts Nic up for something, Nic slips it, kicks him in the gut, looks for the FameAsser, but Leon catches him into a Blue Thunder Bomb variation. Slater wants the Swanton 450, but Nic powders. Leon tries to adjust into a Dive, but Nic cuts him off, counter for counter and a FameAsser out of the counters for a two count. Nic starts the big brother tactics, bootwashes and arrogance, Slater fires, punches into a Yakuza Kick. Leon wants another Lethal Injection variant, but Nic catches him into a Rear Naked Choke. Slater tries to turn it into a pin so Nic breaks it. Leon wants a Leg Lariat but misses and gets unceremoniously dropped by Nic. Nic puts Leon up on the buckles, Superplex possibly but Slater counters, tries to collect himself for a move, but Nic falls into the ropes to crotch Leon, and finally hits the Superplex.
Twist of Slate from Leon, Swanton 450 but knees get up. Locomotion Cradles from both but they kick out, Ryan picks the ankle to trip up Leon just a touch and then Danger Zone ends the match.
Ryan starts the post match beatdown, but the Hardy’s music hits and they come down to the ring for the save. Matt challenges the Nemeths for Rebellion because they’re not medically cleared yet.
Overall Score: 6.5/10
Decent story motion, no match was offensive, and there was actually some solid match action for television standards. I don’t have a ton to complain about aside from the Knockouts Division is in a weird spot, and giving Hendry a lot of just talking and hollow payoff segments feels stupid. If we need to hear from him every week, give him a talk segment like Highlight Reel or something. Yes I know First Class just got The Penthouse, but if Hendry is going to talk more than wrestle, give him a talk segment for us to sink our teeth into.
There was the announcement that Xia, Lei Ying and Masha will face Tessa, Jacy and a mystery partner. So you gotta wonder if there’s going to be another NXT mercenary, a surprise return or if it’ll just be Rosemary since she’s got her issues with Xia. Also I just realized that Unbreakable is going to be on a Thursday, seemingly after iMPACT? I’m gonna have to see how they do it, because if there’s an Impact episode and 2-3 hour PLE…I do not want to be awake until 1am. People need to work, and I will be Unwakeable if things go that long.
About Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)
TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends
Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5
Classic POD is WAR
Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
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