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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Could this be the biggEST and strongEST SmackDown of the year?
SmackDown in Knoxville sees the returns of Bianca Belair, Cody Rhodes and John Cena, along with some final Money in the Bank qualifiers!
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match Qualifier Triple Threat: Jade Cargill VS Naomi VS Nia Jax; Naomi wins and advances to Money in the Bank.
- R-Truth VS JC Mateo w/ Solo Sikoa; Mateo wins.
- Rey Fenix & Je’Von Evans VS Los Garza w/ Santos Escobar; Los Garza win.
- Zelina Vega VS Alba Fyre w/ The Green Administration; Zelina wins.
- Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match Qualifier Triple Threat: Carmelo Hayes VS Andrade VS Jacob Fatu; Andrade wins and advances to Money in the Bank.
PLAY BY PLAY
Bianca Belair is here!
Knoxville fires up for their strongEST, fastEST, quickEST, toughEST, roughEST, and greatEST hometown hero as she struts out to the ring. Bianca high-fives and hugs fans along the ramp, as well as mom and dad at ringside. Bianca then grabs a mic to say, “Man, it feels good to be in Knoxville!” The fans cheer and chant for “EST! EST!” Bianca says she loves them so much. And she couldn’t come out here without singing Rocky Top! Y’all ready? The fans cheer, and the music plays! Bianca conducts the fans as they sing for the University of Tennessee. In fact, the Lady Vols softball team is playing in the Super Regionals right now!
Bianca smiles and says this city is so special to her. Not just because it is her hometown, but because it is her safe space. She has her love and support from mom ‘n’ dad, and has all the fans who show up and show out for her. With everything Bianca’s been going through, losing at Mania, getting injured, losing tag titles and friends along the way, she just wanted to come back home to her safe space. The fans cheer, and Bianca says she came home to heal. While she’s not 100%, she is doing everything she can to get back to the ring and continue to show us why she is the EST of Tennessee and of WWE! The fans cheer that!
Bianca says with all that said, Knoxville, welcome to Friday Night SmackDown! But wait, she’s interrupted by Naomi! The fans boo but Naomi says, “Oh my gosh~! Finally! B, I am so glad you finally here on SmackDown!” Bianca says now is not the time, Naomi. Naomi asks Bianca to please hear her out. It has been way too long. Not a day has gone by when Naomi doesn’t think about what happened to them. What is there to talk about? What could Naomi say? What could she want from Bianca? The fans chant “YOU SUCK!” at Naomi, and Naomi says she just wants forgiveness. She is begging for it!
Naomi knows things go toff the rails, but she is here because she wants to fix it, she is trying to fix it, but she alone can’t fix it. Months have gone by, and Naomi has tried to communicate, to say the past can be the past and that they can move forward. Bianca has not responded back to Naomi once. Naomi even visited Bianca’s parent’s house! But no one would answer! WHAT?! Mom ‘n’ Dad don’t know about that, but Naomi says no one was home, so she let herself in! Naomi looked through the photo albums, the one right on the front coffee table. And in those photos, Bianca looked so happy. It reminded Naomi of how they were as tag team champions.
Bianca stops Naomi there. Naomi, Bianca will make this perfectly clear. They were best friends, but Naomi betrayed Bianca’s trust. Naomi took their friend, Jade, and threw her onto a car, then lied about it for months! Bianca said she was done with Naomi, she meant that, and if Naomi ever comes near her family again, what Naomi did to Jade will be nothing compared to what Bianca does to Naomi. The fans fire up for that! Naomi gets emotional, but then she gets mad. “Y’know, Bianca, it wouldn’t be good for you and your mama to be in a wheelchair.” The fans boo as Naomi laughs maniacally. Naomi says she’d hate if something happened to Bianca here and now!
Naomi storms up on Bianca, but then JADE makes her way out here! Naomi is even angrier now, but this Storm starts throwing hands! The fans fire up as Jade BOOTS Naomi down! Bianca and Jade look to each other, neither really saying or doing anything. Naomi runs up but Jade TOSSES her out! Jade and Bianca look to each other again, but then here comes NIA! The Irresistible Force won’t be left out of this, especially when this is the Women’s Triple Threat Qualifier for the night! This match now opens the night, who earns SmackDown’s final golden ticket to the Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match?
Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match Qualifier Triple Threat: Jade Cargill VS Naomi VS Nia Jax!
SmackDown returns, this match is already going, and Naomi POSTS Nia! Naomi stalks Jade, rains down forearms, and the fans boo. Naomi stomps to BITE Jade’s hand! Jade still fights back, so Naomi has the arms to STOMP Jade down! Naomi flexes, the fans boo, and Naomi puts Jade in a corer. Naomi runs to DROPKICK Jade in the corner! Naomi SLAPS Jade, drags her into the drop zone, then goes up, up, and twerks! HIP DROP! Naomi covers, ROPEBREAK! Naomi is annoyed but she sits Jade up to stomp a mudhole in. But Nia runs up! Naomi dodges, the HIP ATTACK hits Jade! Naomi goes to the apron to ROUNDHOUES Nia!
Naomi reels Nia in for a HEATSEEKER! Nia flops to the floor, the fans rally for Jade, but Naomi kicks her around. Naomi goes up the corner, leaps, but Jade catches her! Jade FALL AWAY SLAMS Naomi, then kips up! Knoxville fires up with Jade and she runs up to LARIAT! And ELBOW! And SCRAPBUSTER! Cover, Nia breaks it! The fans boo but Nai huffs ‘n’ puffs and drags Naomi up. Nia whips Naomi, pops her up and HEADBUTTS her down! Then she SAMOAN DROPS Naomi! Nia soaks up heat, then lines the two up. Naomi grabs at Nia’s leg but Nia CLUBS her down! Nia stomps Jade for good measure, then drops a leg, brother!
Nia TOSSES Jade out, then goes up the corner. Nia SUPER LEG DROPS on Naomi!! Cover, TWO!!! Naomi survives and Nia is shocked! The fans rally while Nia stalks Naomi. Naomi clings to ropes as Nia pulls at her arm. Nia CLUBS Naomi, whips her to ropes, then SAMOAN DROP- NO, Naomi makes it a CRUCIFIX DRIVER! Ghost pin, TWO!! Nia survives the sudden turnaround, Naomi sees Jade crawling in, and Naomi goes after her as SmackDown goes picture in picture.
Naomi KICKS Nia while she’s down, then kicks her more. Naomi puts Nia in a corner, CHOKES her on the ropes, then clamps on with a SLEEPER! Nia THROWS Naomi away, then TOSSES her out. Nia soaks up heat, but Jade runs in and rolls Nia up! TWO! Nia stands, and she HEADBUTTS Jade down! Nia looms over Jade, drags her up, but Jade fires forearms! Jade backs Nia down, then runs, and she CLOBBERS Nia outta the ring! Jade fires up and has the fans with her. Jade drags Naomi up from the apron but Naomi fires hands. Nia is back to HIP ATTACK Jade against the POST! Nia soaks up more heat, then taunts Naomi.
Naomi stands on the apron, argues with Nia, but they apparently agree to mug Jade for both their benefit. They put Jade in the corner, Naomi digs her boot in, and then Nia sends Naomi in for a SPALSH! Nia adds a SPLASH of her own! Naomi snapmares Jade, runs, and SLIDING LARIATS! Jade sputters and Nia taunts her. Nia and Naomi soak up the heat together, but Jade fights back! Nia HEADBUTTS Jade down! Nia drags Jade up, and Naomi KICKS Jade low! They soak up more heat, talk trash on Jade, and SmackDown returns to single picture. Nia scoops and SIDEWALK SLAMS! Naomi runs to SPLIT LEG DROP! Cover, but Nia drags Naomi away!
Nia and Naomi argue again, and then Naomi rolls Nia up! ONE, and Nia grabs Naomi to shove her to a corner! Nia SPLASHES, then pushes Naomi down. Nia runs to SENTON! Nia grins while Naomi sputters and the fans rally up. Jade rises to fire forearms on Nia! Then she ELBOWS Naomi in a corner! She ELBOWS Nia, but then Nia follows Jade! Jade dodges so Nia SPLASHES Naomi! Jade then SUPERKICKS! Nia wobbles, Jade SUPERKICKS again! And SPINEBUSTERS! But Naomi METEORAS! Cover, TWO! Jade survives and the fans rally up. Naomi goes up, SPLIT- LEG MOONSAULT on Nia! But Jade has Naomi in the chicken wings!
Jade brings Naomi around, JADED!! Cover, Nia CLOBBERS them both! The fans rally while all three women are down! Nia climbs a corner, Jade is after her with forearms! Naomi joins in, drags Jade back, but now they trade shots! Nia DOUBLE CROSSBODIES! Cover on Jade, TWO! Cover on Naomi, TWO! Nia grows frustrated but the fans rally up again. Nia drag Naomi up, fireman’s carries, and she climbs the corner! The fans already anticipate what’s coming, SUPER SAMOAN DROP!! Cover, JADE FROG SPLASHES IN!! Cover, TWO!!! The fans fire up while all three women are down again! “This is Awesome!”
Jade rises, she clamps onto Nia, but Nia HEADBUTTs her! And HEADBUTTS Naomi! Jade BOOTS Nia down! Cover, TWO! Jade runs up on Naomi but Naomi BOOTS her! Naoim goes up top but Jade is right on her! They fight for control, but then Nia joins in! TOWER OF DOOM!! Nia double stacks her opponents, for a A-NIA-LATOR!! Naomi avoids it, Jade takes it all! Naomi ghost pins Nia, AND WINS!!
Winner: Naomi, by pinfall (advances to Money in the Bank)
Nia did a lot of the damage, but it is Naomi who wins out! Will everyone in the Women’s MITB Ladder Match now have to #ProceedWithCaution?
Solo Sikoa’s crew arrives.
Solo says they will win Money in the Bank together! Jacob Fatu, Solo Sikoa, whichever one wins MITB wins it fof the family! But then they hear R-Truth talking to… Lil’ Jimmy? Solo says Truth’s childhood hero beats him, and now he’s talking to ghosts. Truth taps Solo on the shoulder and asks if there’s something Solo wants to say. Solo says Truth is crazy touching him. JC Mateo steps up but Solo has him stand down. Truth says he wants to be honest. He’s never seen JC a day before in his life. Is this Solo’s son? He’s husky! Truth asks if he can teach Solo’s husky son a lesson in the ring. Solo says that sounds good to him.
Truth says he’ll go talk to Nick Aldis. “Boy, y’all big boneded!” Truth heads off, and Solo says don’t worry, they’ll take care of him. Let’s have fun. Fatu says keep it 100. They can have their fun, he’s got his own business to take care of. Yadada mean? The Imperial Unit against Truth, Samoan Werewolf in a qualifier, will everything go the family’s way?
Chelsea Green confronts Nick Aldis.
The Hot Mess hides behind a cardboard cutout of herself as she tells the SmackDown General Manager, “What happened on Saturday night was a deliberate-” Piper Niven has to direct Chelsea to point at Aldis, and Aldis says he can’t quite understand her from behind the cardboard mask. Piper holds the mask between Chelsea and camera, though we do get a glimpse of her fancy headgear. Chelsea repeats herself, but Aldis says she needs to be looking at him when they talk. Chelsea hides her face in shame, but she says it is still a deliberate hitjob put on by vicious Zelina Vega! Even her Secret Her-vice could not stop it!
Chelsea demands that Zelina be suspended, stripped of her title, and that Chelsea be reinstated as the champion! Chelsea, no need to be so ugly about this. Gasp! Aldis says what he means is, no suspensions, and we can talk a rematch down the road once Chelsea is medically cleared. Then he is doing nothing for what Zelina did to Chelsea?! Alba says if he won’t, then they will! Yeah, Zelina VS Alba! Tonight! Alba is a bit surprised, but Aldis says, “Chelsea knows best. Alba VS Zelina, I actually like the sound of that. I will make that official right now, if you do one thing for me. Please leave me alone.”
The Green Administration hurries away, but will Alba make sure Chelsea brand justice is served? Or will La Muneca just keep racking up the wins?
Backstage interview with Tiffany Stratton.
Byron Saxton is with the WWE Women’s Champion, and says that MITB is around the corner. Tiff successfully cashed in her own contract to become champion, but how is she handling the pressure of knowing the same thing could happen to her? Tiff says she can’t wait to see who wins MITB. Then she can handle the pressure by being prepared. Having this title makes her the top threat to the division, but let’s be fair. She’s always been the girl everyone has been obsessed with. So whoever wins, targeting her will be a big mistake. But then in steps Naomi.
Naomi says if Tiff thought Nia was a problem, then she ain’t seen nothing yet. Naomi vows to win MITB and cash in for Tiff’s title, wherever and whenever she wants. And in case Lil’ Miss Tiffy forgot, when Naomi was fighting for a championship, Tiff stayed in Naomi’s way. Wanna know what happens when people play with Naomi? Just ask Jade. Naomi heads out, and Alexa Bliss steps in. Alexa says she wouldn’t be so worried about Naomi. Be worried about Alexa. Alexa heads out now, Tiff clutches to the title a little bit tighter, who will be trying to run the clock out on Tiffy Time?
R-Truth VS JC Mateo w/ Solo Sikoa!
To Solo’s point, #RonCena could not make John Cena see the light at Saturday Night’s Main Event, and Truth might be relapsing if he’s talking to Lil’ Jimmy again. But will Truth relapse so far that we get the R-Truth that was once United States Champion? Or will a Tour of the Islands send Truth off the deep end?
SmackDown returns and JC makes his entrance, Solo backing him up. The bell rings and Truth runs up, only for JC to RAM him into a corner! JC RAMS Truth again and again, then lets off. JC whips corner to corner hard and Truth falls in a heap! JC whips corner to corner again just as hard, and Truth falls in a heap again. Solo talks trash but the fans rally behind Truth. JC runs up but Truth dodges! Truth SHOULDER TACKLES! JC stays up, so Truth runs and SHOULDER TACKLES! “What’s Up?” Truth runs, ducks ‘n’ dodges, and SHOULDER TACKLES! Then he hits the SPIN OUT- CROSSBODY! JC then gets up to GACHIMUCHI MOONSAULT!
JC smirks as he looms over Truth, and Solo says to finish this off now. JC runs to SENTON but Truth moves! Truth calls for it! “YOU CAN’T SEE ME!” FIVE KNUCKLE SHUFFLE! Truth fireman’s carries JC, but JC is too much! Truth falls over again! Solo laughs, JC whips, TOUR OF THE ISLANDS!! Cover, JC wins!
Winner: JC Mateo, by pinfall
Truth tried to be like John Cena of old, but it just wasn’t meant to be. JC beats up on Truth more, then stands him up for Solo! But here comes BIG Jim! Jimmy has a chair, he runs JC off, but Solo stands his ground. Solo says his brother wouldn’t hit him with that chair, would he? Jimmy steps to Solo so Solo steps out, but that lets JC CLOBBER Jimmy! But then Solo has JC stand down! They’re family! Solo and JC leave, leaving Jimmy wondering what this is about. Will Jimmy make it clear to Solo that Jimmy’s not the one who has to come to his senses?
The Street Profits are here!
The WWE Tag Team Champions walk through the smoke to be on stage and the fans cheer. Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford hold up the titles, walk to the ring, then step inside. The fans cheer as they hold up the belts again, then the Profits grab the mics. Ford says, “Knoxville, Tennessee, oh I love everything about you, and what I have, too. But lemme rap to y’all real fast. This tag team division that we’re a part of, the greatest tag team division on any brand, any promotion… It’s on fire right now.” Dawkins says, “Talk to ’em.” Ford says, “But just like how the gorilla fears us, make no mistake about it, let’s not forget who’s leading the charge right now: The Street Profits.”
The fans cheer, and Dawkins says hey, they got all the teams coming at ’em! DIY, Motor City Machine Guns, Fraxiom, and now… The Wyatts?! The fans cheer that, and Ford says that’s sick. But what big bro is saying, it don’t matter who it is, the Profits will defend against anybody. Well hold on, here comes Fraxiom! Nathan Frazer & Axiom go to the ring to stand with the Profits, and they have mics. Frazer says alright, since the Profits are talking about defending the titles, well, Frazer & Axiom didn’t exactly get a fair shake. Ford says, “Fraxiom, is it?” He congratulates them for being on a roll, but up until the Wyatt Sick6 got in the Profits’ business…
Yeah, the Profits had them beat. Wow, oh, okay. Sure, maybe… But maybe not. Thanks to the Wyatts, we’ll never know. And now that those shenanigans are behind us, it is fair to say that Fraxiom and the Profits need to run it back! The fans like the sound of that! But wait, here come the Machine Guns! Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin have mics, and Shelley says okay, hold on, sorry to interrupt. Fraxiom’s entire basis for a rematch is that the Profits never beat them. Well, last time Shelley checked, the Profits never beat MCMG! So if they’re handing out title matches, MCMG will take one. But naturally, here comes DIY!
Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, and Candice LeRae have their own mics, and the Poison Pixie says no no no no. She is pretty sure “you losers” have had a million chances, and “the nerds” just got here. Whoa, hold on? Just got here? Sounds like Candice just got back, so she should do us a favor and shut up. Gargano says you shut up, idiot! The reason DIY brought in Gargano’s beautiful wife is to even the odds against all of what this is! Everyone can see there is a conspiracy in the tag team division to hold down the BTTITW! And now with the Wyatts showing up- Ciampa has Gargano ixnay on the amily-fay.
Do not talk about you know who, scratch that, let’s get to business. All these teams have all KILLED the tag division that DIY built! Matter of fact, let us hold a moment of silence for the death of the SmackDown Tag Division. Everyone, stand up, bow your heads, and give a moment of silence… now. OH NO! The lights go out! All the teams panic, because when the lights turn on, UNCLE HOWDY is on the corner! Howdy laughs, because the rest of the Wyatts flank the ring! Erick Rowan drags MCMG out to DOUBLE LARIAT! Dexter Lumis is up top to CANNONBALL onto the Profits and Gargano! Joe Gacy is in, and he handsprings to bring Fraxiom to the UPSIDE-DOWN!!
Lumis then runs, POWERBOMB SENTON COMBO on Axiom! Ciampa freaks out, turns around, and Nikki Cross is there! CROSSBODY onto Candice! The fans fire up, and Howdy has Frazer for SISTER ABIGAIL! “We’re here!!” It is just as the Profits said, and now it is clear. Will some killer combination of the Wyatts go right after the gold?
Rey Fenix & Je’Von Evans VS Los Garza w/ Santos Escobar!
Worlds Collide is just over a week away, and all four of these men will be involved. The Immortal Firebird and the Young OG are going after the NXT North American Championship in a Fatal 4 Way while Legado Del Fantasma will be taking on AAA’s Pagano, Psycho Clown y El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. Who will be heading for Los Angeles with all the momentum behind them?
Speaking of that North American Championship, the champion is here! Ethan Page joins commentary and says what a year for him, to be honest. Wade says that title has never looked better than on Ethan’s shoulder. Fenix makes his entrance now, followed by Je’Von’s. The teams sort out and Fenix starts against Angel. Angel and Fenix circle, the fans rally up, and the two tie up. Angel fires a forearm, Fenix fires back, repeat! Fenix gets the edge but Angel shoves then drops down. Fenix cartwheels over the dropdown, then comes back, ducks ‘n’ dodges, and RANAS! Angel tumbles, the fans fire up, and Fenix somersaults, but into a fireman’s carry!
Fenix slips free, ripcords to ROUNDHOUSE, but Angel HEADBUTTS! Both men stagger back, tags to Berto and Je’Von! Je’Von dodges and springboards to BOUNCY~ roll-up! TWO, and Berto mule kicks! Berto CLUBS Je’Von, whips, but Je’Von reverses and slips around. Berto bucks the O’Conner, springboards and CROSSBODIES! Cover, TWO! Berto drags Je’Von up, but Je’Von kicks! Berto blocks, but the ENZIGIRI hits! Je’Von runs up, and BOUNCY~ RANAS! The fans fire up and Je’Von DROPKICKS! Berto bails out, Angel runs in, but Je’Von goes Matrix to dodge! Je’Von kips up, and STUNNERS! Angel flops back and the fans fire up!
Los Garza regroups, Je’Von tags Fenix, and they build speed, but have to dodge Angel first. Fenix SOBATS, Je’Von KICKS, and both men ENZIGIRI! Berto is up top, he leaps, but into DOUBLE SUPERKICKS! Cover, TWO! Fenix runs to basement CALF KICK! Cover, TWO! Berto stays in this for Los Garza while SmackDown goes picture in picture.
Fenix drags Berto up to RAM him into the corner. Tag to Je’Von and they mug Berto. Berto fires hands back on Je’Von, but Je’Von headlocks. Berto powers up and out and Angel tags in. Berto drop toeholds Je’Von into Angel’s KNEE at the ropes! Angel TEARS OFF HIS PANTS! Angel drapes those over Je’Von before he KICKS Je’Von in the side! Angel stalks Je’Von to the corner, tags Berto, and they shove Je’Von for a double hip toss, TU LO SABE! Then DOUBLE SUPERKICK! Berto covers, TWO! Berto argues the count but the ref defends it. Berto shoves Je’Von to ELBOW him down! Berto then DUMPS Je’Von down to be under the ropes.
Tag to Angel and Berto sits Je’Von up on the apron. Angel runs to KNEE Je’Von down! Santos joins in with Los Garza as they soak up the heat, and Angel drags Je’Von back in. Angel stands Je’Von up, hoists him to the top rope, then climbs up behind him. Angel CLUBS away on Je’Von, mocks the clapping, and he THROWS Je’Von down. Angel KICKS Je’Von in the arm and Je’Von clutches his hand. Angel drags Je’Von to the ropes, CHOKES him, and the ref reprimands. The ref counts, Angel steps off at 4, and Berto BOOTS Je’Von down. ANgel clamps onto Je’Von with an armlock and chinbar but Je’Von reaches for Fenix.
Angel keeps hold of Je’Von but Je’Von fires hands! SmackDown returns to single picture as Je’Von dodges the lariat, leaps, but Angel catches him! Angel puts Je’Von in a corner and through ropes. Angel pulls an arm and leg against the ropes, but stops as the ref counts. Angel runs to KNEE Je’Von in the ribs! Je’Von slumps to the apron, and Angel sucker punches Fenix! Angel goes back for Je’Von but Je’Von fires body shots! Angel blocks a kick, slips around and Gory Especials! Angel walks over, tags Berto, and Berto slingshots, GARZA ESPECIAL! Cover, TWO! The fans rally up for Je’Von but Berto clamps onto him with a chinlock.
Je’Von endures, even as Berto traps an arm. Je’Von fights up, pries the hold open, and he arm-drags Berto! Je’Von leaps but Berto grabs a leg! Ethan laughs from commentary, but Je’Von kicks free to SUPERKICK! Both men are down, Je’Von and Berto crawl, hot tags to Angel and Fenix! The fans fire up as Fenix rallies on Angel with forearms! Fenix then dodges a shot to springboard and FLYING ARM-DRAG, to a DOUBLE STOMP! Fenix fires off KICKS on Berto, then fires up with Knoxville! Fenix uses Berto to jump up and RANA Angel! Fenix then goes corner to corner to JUMP SOBAT! Fenix fires hands, shoves Angel aside, then goes up.
Fenix springboards to QUEBRADA! Cover, Berto breaks it! Berto whips Fenix, Fenix goes Spider-Man, and Je’Von tags in! Fenix says HASTA LA VISTA, BABY! Angel is up, he pops Fenix up to KICK him! But Je’Von springboards to FLYING LARIAT! The fans fire up, Berto springboards to FLYING CHUCK! All four men are down and the fans fire up again! “This is Awesome!” as Angel and Je’Von crawl. Angel CHOPS Je’Von, Je’Von CHOPS back, and the fans “WOO~!” Angel CHOPS again, so Je’Von CHOPS again! Angel fires a forearm, Je’Von fires back, and they go around with forearm after forearm! The fans fire up, Angel CHOPS, a
nd Je’Von SUPER PUNCHES!
Je’Von runs, BOUNCY- NO, Angel makes it a SIT OUT POWERBOMB!! Cover, TWO!! Ethan is surprised and the fans rally up. Angel hoists Je’Von up top, tags Berto in, and they hoist Je’Von up even higher! But Fenix SHORYUKENS Angel down! Je’Von fires hands on Berto and SHOVES him down! Fenix climbs up to join Je’Von now, and ADIOS AMIGO DOUBLE STOMPS for Angel! Je’Von adjusts, to SUPER DUPER SWANTON onto Los Garza! Ethan says don’t get closer, keep this in the ring! He taunts both his challengers, Fenix and Je’Von stand down to put Los Garza in the ring. The fans rally up, but then Ethan CLOBBERS Fenix & Je’Von!
Ethan TOSSES Fenix over the desk! But Je’Von SUPERKICKS Ethan down! The fans fire up, Je’Von hurries in, and he dodges Angel! But Berto rolls Je’Von up, TWO!! Je’Von dodges Berto, rebound and RED DOT!! Berto is down, Angel gets up, but Je’Von DECKS him! Je’Von goes up, up, but Santos distracts the ref! Ethan SHOVES Je’Von down! The fans boo but Berto tags Angel! Los Garza hoists Je’Von up for M T Y!! Cover, Los Garza win!
Winners: Los Garza, by pinfall
All Ego grins as he screws over two of his three challengers, and now Legado is rolling towards Worlds Collide. But will these rudos get everything they deserve in LA?
The Wyatts speak.
“We won’t stop. Not until we get what’s owed.” A simple yet ominous threat, are the tag titles only the beginning?
Zelina Vega VS Alba Fyre w/ The Green Administration!
La Muneca held onto the WWE Women’s US Championship by smacking The Hot Mess in the face with a foot, and obviously Chelsea is not happy with it. But will Alba get payback on behalf of her fearless leader? Or will things only get uglier for the Green Regime?
The bell rings and Piper distracts Zelina so Alba can CLOBBER her! Alba fires off hands, then bumps Zelina off buckles. Alba bumps Zelina off more buckles, then more buckles! And then the fourth corner! Chelsea says Zelina should’ve never messed with her! Alba fireman’s carries but Zelina fights free. Zelina KICKS Alba, KICKS again, then KICKS, but Alba CLUBS Zelina. Alba whips, scoops, and- NO, Zelina swings through to RANA! Cover, ONE! Zelina headlocks but Alba fights up and lifts Zelina. Zelina holds on but Alba powers up and out to RUN Zelina over! The fans boo but Chelsea cheers as Alba stalks Zelina.
Alba ROCKS Zelina, whips her to ropes, but Zelina wheelbarrows and arm-drags! Zelina then runs up on Alba in the corner and rains down fists! Alba shoves Zelina away at three, but Zelina comes right back to rain down more shots! Alba stops Zelina at four now, but Zelina wants another go! Alba stops Zelina at four again, and RAMS her into the corner! The fans boo but Alba grins. Zelina BOOTS Alba, goes up, and FLYING RANAS! Alba tumbles out, Piper helps her up, and Zelina goes to the apron. Alba trips Zelina up, spins and ROCKS Zelina, then gets her up. Gory Especial, but Zelina flips through to arm-drag Alba onto ropes!
The fans fire up as Zelina dials up, but Chelsea is on the apron! The ref argues with Chelsea while Zelina redials, but Piper trips her up! The fans boo but Alba SUPERKICKS Zelina! Alba salutes to Chelsea, and SmackDown goes to break.
SmackDown returns and Alba stands on Zelina’s hair while pulling Zelina’s arms! The ref reprimands, Alba steps off, and she drags Zelina up to suplex for the GOURD BUSTER! Cover, TWO! Zelina stays in this and Chelsea argues with the ref. The ref says the count is fair, so Alba clamps onto Zelina with a COBRA CLUTCH! Zelina endures, the fans rally, and Zelina fights up. Zelina fires body shots, Alba ripcords and wrenches to SUPERKICK! Zelina rebounds to SHINING WIZARD! Both women fall and the fans fire up! Piper coaches Zelina, the fans rally up, and both women rise up. Alba is on Zelina and brings her to a corner, but Zelina buckle bumps Alba first!
The fans rally as Alba stalks Zelina, but Zelina bumps her off buckles again! Alba tries again, but Zelina ELBOWS Alba away. Then BOOTS her away! Zelina fires forearms on Alba, backs her down, then whips. Alba reverses but Zelina dodges to LARIAT! The fans fire up as Zelina LARIATS again! Zelina blocks a kick, ELBOWS Alba, but Alba blocks the saido. But Zelina keeps Alba from running, SNAP SAIDO! The fans rally for Zelina as she runs corner to corner, METEORA! Zelina pushes Alba out and goes up top! The fans cheer for some Latina Heat, and METEORA! Cover, TWO! Alba survives and Chelsea is relieved.
Zelina grows frustrated, but she goes back for Alba. Zelina reels Alba in, suplexes, but Alba blocks! Alba knees low, suplexes, but Zelina hits STUN DOG MILLIONAIRE! Alba is down, Zelina goes up, MOONSAULT FLOPS! Alba goes up now, and she SWANTON BOMBS! Cover, TWO!?! Zelina survives and shocks Alba! Chelsea is upset again but Alba hurries to bring Zelina up. Alba KICKS Zelina out, and now Chelsea takes off her face mask?! She tells Piper to stand Zelina up! Piper does as told, and Chelsea takes a swing, but Zelina ducks! The face mask SMACKS Piper!! Chelsea is shocked, then furious, and then she chases after Zelina!
Zelina slips into the ring, Chelsea gets on the apron, but Zelina sends Alba at her! They almost collide, and then Zelina rolls Alba up! Zelina hops on, CODE RED!! Cover, Zelina wins!!
Winner: Zelina Vega, by pinfall
Chelsea tried so hard to screw Zelina over that she just screwed up her own team! Zelina survives again, will no one take down the Vega Administration?
The Miz pep talks Carmelo Hayes.
Melo looks good, and he just has to follow the plan. If Melo follows that plan, with no mistakes, they will win. Melo says he knows what he’s doing. Miz asks if he really does. Because Miz has taken Black Mass after Black Mass, sacrificing himself for Melo. Does Melo understand? Miz gave up this chance at MITB for Melo! Miz has already done it twice! If Melo wins this match tonight, Miz will guide Melo to make sure “we are Mr. MITB.” Wait, we? Miz says, “Who do you think got you in this position?” Melo says Melo did. Melo appreciates everything Miz has done for him, from sacrificing to taking hits for him, and helping him win the Andre the Giant Battle Royal.
But nobody told Miz to do that. Melo will run the play exactly as Miz designed it, but what brought Melo to the dance is Melo’s talent. Melo goes out there and does it better than anybody else. Melo puts up 40 points on a bad day, because he is H1M. And Miz just needs to let Melo be H1M. They good? Miz nods, and Melo says okay, let’s do the thing. They are Melo Don’t Miz and they are Awes-H1M. Miz still nods, but he doesn’t seem genuinely happy. Will Miz let Melo be Melo? Even if that means letting H1M fail?
Giulia speaks.
“Throughout my entire career, even back when I started in Japan, I had one goal… It’s not to be ‘the best.’ Everyone says that. It’s hollow and empty. My goal is to be indisputable. You can love me or hate me, admiration or disgust, it means nothing. But I’m impossible to deny. My opponent doesn’t matter, because I only view them as an opportunity to build my legacy. Evidence you cannot refute. SmackDown, you will see. I will hit harder, move faster, think sharper, and conquer everything, just like I’ve always done. The question isn’t, ‘Who’s going to let me?” It’s, ‘Who’s going to stop me?'” She adds in Japanese, “If you can stop it, stop it.”
Will SmackDown and all of the WWE soon succumb to The Beautiful Madness?
Zelina returns backstage.
She refreshes for a second, but Giulia is there! And Giulia says she sees Zelina, but she also sees that title more. Zelina scoffs and leaves. Could Giulia be aiming for everything once she becomes Ms. Money in the Bank?
Damian Priest is here!
Knoxville cheers as The Archer of Infamy heads to the ring, victorious from Saturday Night’s Main Event and that brutal Steel Cage match. Priest grabs a mic to tell Tennessee, “Ever since I beat Drew on Saturday, it’s like I’m breathing in fresh air. Y’know, there was a time when I lived on the street, if we were beefing with another street, that war could go for years. But in WWE, you have a beef with somebody, you have a match and it’s over. But with Drew and I, we went well over a year, and that’s not normal. But we took that beef into a cage. Now, I can feel it, you can se it on my face, we went to war.
“At the end of this war, at Saturday Night’s Main Event, I gave him a Con-Chair-To, I walked out the door, and I put his ass in the past.” The fans cheer that. Priest says now he knows Drew is somewhere recovering from his scrambled brains, but he knows Drew is watching, so this is for Drew. “I still can’t stand yo ass. But the Drew McIntyre that stepped in that cage wasn’t the guy that hides behind his phone on social media. That was the old Drew, the warrior, and I appreciate that.” The fans applaud, and Priest says he won’t ask what is next for himself, he’ll just tell us all. And it is the same thing he wanted when he came to SmackDown: Championships!
The fans cheer, and Priest says this war with Drew cost him an opportunity at being in MITB. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have his eyes on a certain champion. Somebody who he has unfinished business with, and a champion he considers the most badass. The fans know that means Fatu, and he knows they know! Priest calls out Jacob Fatu! Priest respects Fatu. Priest knows where Fatu came from, what Fatu had to live through, how it feels to stand in this ring as a champion. Real talk, Priest is proud of Fatu, he congratulates Fatu, that’s real. But what Priest doesn’t respect is the crew that follows him around.
Wait, check that. What Priest doesn’t respect is the crew Fatu follows around. Priest knows at some point, they will get in this ring, handle business, but that’s for them. As for Fatu’s so-called family, if they wanna get involved, they can catch a fresh one, too. Priest won’t make it just a nickname or moniker, he wants this to be fact! Priest is and forever will be EL CAMPEON! The fans cheer that! But will the Archer soon take aim at the Samoan Werewolf? Well, speaking of, Fatu makes his way out here for tonight’s other Triple Threat Qualifier! Fatu nods to Priest, but if Fatu wins his way into the ladder match, will this showdown have to wait a little longer?
Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match Qualifier Triple Threat: Carmelo Hayes VS Andrade VS Jacob Fatu!
SmackDown returns and El Idolo makes his entrance, followed by H1M. The bell rings and Miz distracts Fatu and Melo attacks! Fatu ELBOWS Melo away, Andrade is on Melo with forearms, and then Fatu adds a LARIAT! Fatu looms mover Melo but then turns to stare down Andrade. The fans rally as these two step up. Andrade fires forearms but Fatu SHOVES him to a corner. Fatu runs up, Andrade dodges then whips. Fatu reverses, Andrade goes up and out to then ROCK Fatu! Andrade goes up, up, and CROSSBODIES! Cover, ONE! Melo CLUBS Andrade, TOSSES him out, and then CLUBS away on Fatu!
Miz says that’s the way! Melo HAMMERS and CHOPS, then whips, but Fatu blocks! Fatu whips Melo, Melo springboards, but into an UPPERCUT! The fans fire up and Fatu sees Melo go outside. Fatu builds speed, but Miz trips him up! The fans boo, the ref reprimands, but Fatu drags Miz into the ring! Melo goes to roll Fatu up but Fatu stays up! Fatu YANKS Melo up, scoops, but Melo slips free! Melo SUPERKICKS and Miz DUMPS Fatu out! The fans boo but Melo builds speed, only for Andrade to LARIAT! The fans cheer, and now Miz sees he is in trouble. Fatu snarls, but Andrade DIVES, into a HAYMAKER!
Fatu then SUPERKICKS Miz! Fatu THROWS Miz into barriers! The fans fire up and Fatu grins. Fatu runs in, HIP ATTACK against the barriers! The Samoan Werewolf has dominated three men at once and the fans fire up while SmackDown goes picture in picture.
Miz sputters and Fatu leaves him behind to go around the way. Melo is there to kick Fatu, RAM Fatu, but Fatu blocks another whip! Fatu ROCKS Melo and Melo staggers away. Fatu stalks Melo, Melo checks on Miz, but Fatu ROCKS Melo! Andrade goes after Fatu now, but Fatu THROWS Andrade into barriers! The fans cheer as Fatu lets Andrade go to the ring. Fatu brings Melo up, SMACKS him off the desk, then pushes him down. Fatu clears the desk off, but Melo CLUBS Fatu against the desk! Melo storms into the ring, brings Andrade up, but Andrade RAMS Melo into the corner! Andrade RAMS Melo, CHOPS Melo, then stalks Melo.
Andrade whips Melo, Melo reverses and Andrade hits buckles hard! Melo CHOPS Andrade down! Melo brings Andrade up, soaks up some heat, then makes it Latino Heat. But Andrade blocks the suplex to suplex Melo! Andrade hangs Melo out to dry, and Melo flops to the apron. Fatu is back but Andrade fires forearms first! Andrade whips, Fatu reverses, and Fatu BODY CHECKS Andrade! Fatu geeks out and the fans are with him while he stalks Andrade. Fatu drags Andrade up to HEADBUTT him into the corner. Fatu shoves Melo off the apron, then he HEADBUTTS Andrade again. Andrade sputters but Fatu is all fired up.
Fatu CHOPS Andrade, UPPERCUTS, and HEADBUTTS him again! Andrade CHOPS in return! SmackDown returns to single picture and Andrade CHOPS, CHOPS, CHOPS! Fatu UPPERCUTS and Andrade falls back! Melo stomps Andrade in the corner, then tells Fatu to come on in. Fatu runs up, but Andrade gets away! Hip attack hits buckles! Melo ENZIGIRIS Fatu, Andrade runs to dodge Melo and FLYING FOREARM! The fans fire up as Andrade kips up! Andrade has targets in the corners, and he rallies the fans with “SI! SI! SI!” CIEN KNEES for Fatu! CIEN- NO, Melo tilt-o-whirls and LA MYSTICA! Cover, TWO!
The fans rally, Melo runs to stomp away on Fatu, then he brings Andrade up. Fatu stands to CLOBBER Melo! Andrade SUPERKICKS Fatu! The fans rally, Melo brings Andrade up and springboards, but Andrade stops him at the ropes! SECOND ROPE SPANISH FLY! But Fatu SENTONS Andrade! The fans fire up as Fatu SENTONS Melo! Fatu drags Melo to a drop zone, then goes to the corner! The fans rally for Fatu as he goes up, up, but Andrade YANKS him down! Andrade goes up top, MOONSAULT DOUBLE!! Cover, Melo breaks it! The fans rally while all three are down! “This is Awesome!” as the three stir.
Melo brings Fatu and Andrade around, and he fires forearms on each of them. Andrade fires back on Melo, then Fatu UPPERCUTS! Andrade ROCKS Fatu, but Fatu UPPERCUTS Andrade! The fans rally as the three rise, and Melo springboards! DOUBLE FADE AWAY DDT!! Cover on Andrade, Fatu breaks it! Melo and Fatu stare down, and they run up! Melo dodges to hit the FIRST 48! Andrade adds a POISON-RANA! Melo slips around Andrade to KNEE and suplex, CUTTER! Cover, TWO!! Andrade survives and Melo grows frustrated. The fans rally for Fatu while Melo shakes his hands out. Andrade is on the apron but Melo rises.
Melo brings Andrade up but Andrade trips Melo! They go out to brawl, and Melo SUPERKICKS Andrade down! But Fatu SUPERKICKS Melo! The fans fire up for Fatu as he lines up a shot. Fatu gets the fans even more fired up, then he geeks out! Fatu runs in the full length, but Andrade & Melo move! HIP ATTACK through barriers!! The fans go nuts as Fatu crashes into the timekeeper’s area! Fatu sputters as SmackDown goes back to picture in picture.
Fatu stirs while Andrade and Melo go to the ring. They roll in, Melo grabs at Andrade and vice-versa. Melo fires a forearm, then goes back outside. Andrade goes to the opposite end while Melo looks under the ring. Melo makes Knoxville happy by bringing out a table! But then Melo makes them mad by dropping it! Melo goes after Andrade but Andrade ROCKS him first! Andrade brings out a chair! Andrade aims, but Melo dropkicks the legs out! Andrade crawls, Melo shakes his head, and he grabs the chair now. Melo aims, but Andrade kicks Melo low! Andrade and Melo go into the ring, and Andrade puts Melo in a drop zone.
Andrade goes up the corner, but Melo trips him up! Andrade is stuck up top and Melo hits the SLINGSHOT PLEX! Melo flexes, then decides to step through on the legs! Andrade cradles that, TWO! Melo and Andrade stand, DOUBLE LARIATS collide! Both men fall and the fans look for Fatu. SmackDown returns to single picture as the fans rally, Melo and Andrade sit up, and Melo CHOPS! Andrade ROCKS Melo, then rolls away. Melo hurries to clamp onto Andrade with a facelock, but Andrade RAMS him into a corner! Andrade puts Melo up top but Melo fires forearms. Andrade drops back, Melo aims, but Andrade GAMANGIRIS!
The fans still want tables but Andrade climbs up to get Melo. They’re on the very top, but Fatu is back! Fatu makes the SUPER SPANISH FLY part ROCKER LAUNCHER!! The fans are thunderous as Fatu goes up now! SWANTON BOMB onto Melo! Cover, Andrade breaks it!! The fans rally up again and still want tables. Fatu runs at Andrade to SPLASH! Then Fatu runs at Melo, but Melo BOOTS him! Melo runs up, but into a pop-up! Melo fights the Samoan Drop, and Andrade adds the SHADOW ELBOW! But Melo makes it a ghost pin! Andrade adds a stack, TWO!!! Fatu survives the double cover, but here come Solo & JC!
The fans boo as Solo is here to coach Fatu up. Melo and Andrade trade forearms, then Melo dodges to springboard, FLYING LARIAT! Cover, Fatu breaks it! Fatu snarls, drags Melo up, and he HEADBUTTS Melo! Fatu finally notices Solo & JC, but Fatu puts Melo up top. Fatu CHOPS Melo, then he fireman’s carries Andrade. Fatu adds Melo to this, but Melo slips free. SAMOAN DROP for Andrade, and then Fatu goes to the corner. Solo says Fatu’s got this now! BEST MOONSAULT EVER FLOPS and Melo hits NOTHING BUT NET!! Cover, ANDRADE BREAKS IT! Andrade underhooks Melo, THE MESS- NO, Melo RANAS through! Cover, TWO!!
Andrade has a cover, TWO! Melo has a cover, TWO! Andrade has it, TWO! Both men stand, SHADOW ELBOW! FIRST 48!! SHADOW ELBOW AGAIN!! All three men are down and the fans are thunderous! Fatu crawls, Melo rolls to a corner, and Andrade stirs. Fatu rises, he brings Andrade up, IMPALER DDT! Then Fatu has Melo to RAM him into a corner. Fatu runs and HIP ATTACKS Melo! Andrade is up, Fatu hits him with another IMPALER DDT! Fatu puts Andrade in the drop zone, and he hits the BEST MOONSAULT EVER!! Solo says yeah, do that again! The fans boo but Fatu glares at Solo. JC says do what Solo is saying, Fatu!
But wait! Jimmy YANKS JC down, and SUPERKICKS him! The fans fire up, and then Melo RAMS Fatu into Solo! Then FIRST 48! But Andrade rolls Melo into THE MESSAGE!! Cover, ANDRADE WINS!!
Winner: Andrade, by pinfall (advances to Money in the Bank)
Solo just screwed things up for Fatu! Solo does his best to keep the peace between Fatu and JC, but the point is: Andrade is headed to Los Angeles! Will he make this El Idolo in the Bank?
Backstage interview with LA Knight.
Byron Saxton segues from congratulating Andrade for qualifying to welcoming in someone who already has qualified, but The Mega Star says, “My gawd. What is it with punching tickets around here? Everybody talks about punching tickets. WWE Instagram, punched tickets. Commentary, punched tickets. You’re talking about punched tickets. I guess I punched my ticket to MITB, it’s only eight days away. A few other guys who punched tickets, who are they? You got Andrade, you got Penta, you got what’s his name, Seth Rollins. You got Solo Sikoa! They’re all in it! They all punched their tickets!
“And everybody’s gonna be climbing that ladder, trying to get up, put everything on the line that they can. Now, if this was a one-on-one match, I’d go ahead and call my shot, and I’d say I’m gonna run up there, grab the case, and cash it in. But you gotta understand, this is my third year in a row, so I understand what this is. You can call me the vet in this match. Some people say maybe that Seth is the vet in this, but they would be wrong. For three years in a row now, you’re talking about the most robust and the most recent experience, YEAH. And what that means is now it’s anybody’s game. Anybody can come out with it, and I understand that.
“But with or without the case, what you need to understand is that the WWE title, the world title, they’re all in my future. With the way I’ve been running, at this point, they should be in my past, maybe even my present. Why don’tcha go ahead and punch that ticket? While we’re talking about-” Knight stops himself when he spots someone walking in. It’s Aleister Black! And Aleister says that win was supposed to be his. But he tells Knight, “You’re welcome, though.” The Dark Father lets the Mega Star shine, if only for now. Will LA win big in LA when we finally reach MITB?
Fatu and Solo regroup backstage.
Solo wants Fatu to listen. He was just trying to help. Fatu tells Solo to listen. For the last time, Fatu does not need his help! Fatu storms off, JC steps in, but Solo has nothing else to say. Is the Samoan Werewolf going to break away from this dysfunctional “family?”
Cody Rhodes is here!
Knoxville fires up and sings along, “WHOA~ OH~!” Cody gets his pyro, high-fives fans along the ramp and the front row, and even signs autographs. Cody goes to the ring, grabs a mic, and he hears the fans chant his name. Cody fires the fans up more, then hears them sing, “Cody! Cody Rhooodes~! Cody! Cody Rhooodes~!” Cody says, “So, Knoxville! Whaddya wanna talk about?” The fans cheer, and Cody says, “I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that we could talk about the record crowd here this evening!” The fans cheer that, too! Cody says he loves them, too, thank you very much.
Cody says they could also talk about WrestleMania 41. The fans boo, but Cody says after WrestleMania 41, he went home, he drowned his sorrows, might’ve touched the “Tennessee Cough Syrup” a little bit, and he had a moment of doubt. He reached out to a friend. A friend who helps him prepare to wonderful audiences like this one here, or speaking to everyone at home. Cody asked him, “Was I a good champion?” The fans cheer for that, but Cody says the friend told him wasn’t quite as simple as yes or no.
The friend told him, “With everything that you faced here in the ring in front of all the fans, and with everything that you faced behind the scenes, being pulled in different directions, the waters that you had to navigate that no champion has ever had to navigate, yes, I feel that you were a good champion.” Cody says he felt good hearing that, it turned into a hopeful moment, the silver lining on a dark cloud. Cody looked back on his whole year. He thought about AJ Styles faking retirement to get the drop on him. Cody thought about his friend, Kevin Owens, sucker punching him against his bus while Cody’s family slept inside.
Cody thought about his boss, Triple H, who pushed Cody to the limit, and sees something in Cody that Cody doesn’t even see in himself. Cody even thought about The Final Boss, how he asked Cody for his soul, and the entire world wondering what that meant. As preposterous as that sounded, The Rock was 100% serious. No matter how many times Cody said no, the offer still stands. And Cody also thought about John Cena. The fans initially boo, but the “Let’s Go, Cena!” “CENA SUCKS!” starts up. Cody takes a moment, and then he says, “I thought about John Cena doing exactly what he said he was going to do. He forced me to make a choice, and I hesitated.
“I don’t know if John Cena is going to ‘ruin’ professional wrestling. But if he does, then I’m partially to blame. Now, I know, I’d love to say this to John Cena’s face. Not sure if he’s going to come out here right now, but if you are listening, if you are listening, Champ, I need you to know that I will never hesitate with you again!” The fans cheer that, and Cody says no matter how much Cena will tout the amount of days he has left, how much Cena will talk about what remains before he absconds with the WWE Championship and leaves all of us forever, that is NOT Cena’s expiration date! That is on the other side of Cody’s corneas, and it will burn Cena’s ass up!
The fans fire up for that, and Cody calms it down. Cody apologizes for that. This is his first night back on SmackDown, he is getting worked up. He thought so much about what he could do, what he could do for the fans. Hell, how about a surprise? The fans already “YEET! YEET! YEET!” so Cody says they’re hungry for it. Let’s yeet. Well, hold on, that’d be a very big surprise. That’d be the biggest surprise. That’d be Cody’s partner riding into battle for MITB, and hell YES he is here! Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for the World Heavyweight Champion, MAIN EVENT JEY USO! The fans go wild as Jey makes his way in from the pavilion!
The fans sing along with Day One Ish and bounce for that YEET! Jey makes his way down through the crowd to ringside, one verse at a time, and SmackDown goes to break.
SmackDown returns and Jey joins Cody in the ring now, mic in hand. Cody and Jey hear the fans want an encore, so we get even more YEET! But then John Cena makes his entrance to ruin the fun! The fans sing “JOHN CENA SUUUCKS~!” even though he wears that University of Tennessee orange and white. Cena goes to the ring, towel draped over his head, then grabs a mic before he joins Cody and Jey in the ring. Cena hears the fans boo, and he says, “I’m upset, too. If it isn’t professional wrestling’s biggest wannabes!” Cena tells Cody he is nothing more than a Cena Wannabe, and that Jey is nothing more than a Cena Wannabe.
The fans boo but Cena says they both wanna be Cena so bad, it makes him sick! Cody wants Cena’s fame, Jey wants Cena’s money, but they will get neither because Cody is too desperate and Jey is too lazy! There is only ONE other human being in the WWE who embodies hustle, loyalty and respect, and he’s got the fortune, fame and followers to back that up! Surprise, losers! Cena’s partner is here, too! The fans boo already, because “EY YO~!” Logan Paul IS here! The Maverick swaggers his way out, and Cena gives him a proper introduction. “Oh, you mad? You’re mad because Logan Paul does WWE better than any professional wrestler?”
Cena says Logan doesn’t need to pay his dues, because he is paying Jey’s mortgage! Everybody in this building did NOT come to see Jey! They came to see John Cena and Logan Paul! Logan asks, “What the hell you crying about, Knoxville? Look! I could walk on water, and y’all would still find a way to tell me it’s because I can’t swim! John Cena speaks the language of Logan Paul, and that is the truth! The truth! It is right in front of you! You deny it all you want, but look around, you stupid, stupid, simple Tennessee people! This is a moment in history! All of you get to witness the moment that John Cena stood side-by-side in the ring with Logan Paul.
“And look, all of you will live long, pathetic, miserable lives. But at least you will get to say that you saw that.” The fans tell Logan to STFU, and Cena tells Logan to ignore it. Logan says yeah, yeah, they’re so ungrateful. They don’t know what’s good for them. There is one problem, though. This does seem too perfect. The problem is… Logan should be standing next to THE WWE Champion as THE World Heavyweight Champion! Logan should’ve been the one to leave Saturday Night’s Main Event with that title around his waist. But look at him, Jey. Jey got lucky. Jey got lucky! He knows it, Logan knows, it, the fans know it, CODY knows it!
Jey needed Cody to save him! When Cody interfered with the match cuz these two cheaters can’t do a single thing in this business without it being handed to them! “These two nepo babies were born on third, thinking they hit a triple.” Logan points to himself and says, “Self-made man!” He points to Cena and says, “Self-made man!” Five years ago, nobody every would’ve believed Logan Paul would be a WWE superstar. And they certainly never ever would’ve believed that he’d be teaming with the Greatest Of All Time! But look at Logan now. He’s not just a superstar, he is THE superstar! His time is now! Cena told us that his time is almost up!
Cena is the Last Real Champion, Logan is the inevitable face of the WWE! So Jey, Cody, at MITB, if you want some, come get some. Jey tells Logan they don’t gotta wait! They can handle this right now! UH UH, YEET!! The mics drop, Cena and Logan talk this out, and Logan wants to throw hands while Cena wants to leave. Cody asks what they’re arguing about. They gonna go to the back so Logan can polish Cena’s Peacemaker? Now it’s a fight! The fans fire up as the hands are flying! Logan TOSSES Jey, Cena picks Cody up! Cody slips free, Jey is back to SUPERKICK! Cody hits the DISASTER KICK! Cena bails out, Jey PLANCHAS out onto him!
Logan goes to the apron, slingshot and- NO, Cody dodges the “Snapshot” Lariat and Jey SUPERKICKS Logan! Then Jey sets Logan up for the CODE D!! The fans fire up as Cody picks up the WWE Championship! Will Cody and Jey make it through Logan and Cena to then clear a path for the American Nightmare’s redemption? Or will Cena & Logan ruin wrestling together?
My Thoughts:
A very good SmackDown, but maybe with some wheel-spinning. As fun as Chelsea Green continues to be, can’t we move on from her and Zelina? Or are we about to do that with tonight’s win over Alba and then Giulia confronting her? Ironically, that seems to give away Giulia isn’t winning MITB. Giulia had a good promo video right before but they undercut it by giving us that confrontation. That said, Giulia deserves to be all the champions, but I suppose starting with the Women’s US Championship would be a good route. Very good promo from Bianca and Naomi to not just have Bianca’s homecoming, but to keep the feud between them alive.
The Women’s Triple Threat had a slow start but it turned out to be a very good match. Great win for Naomi, and good promo from her, Tiffany and Alexa to tease potential MITB winners. Great stuff in the tag match to build Worlds Collide just a touch. We only got one moment of Berto being passive aggressive towards Santos, and then Ethan Page screwing the Faces over, but that was still enough for the North American Championship. Of course, it depends on how many fans watch not just Raw and SmackDown but also NXT so that the fans already understand the story. But as someone who does, I do appreciate they’re bringing NXT story onto SmackDown.
Good promo from Priest to give some shoot respect to Drew and Fatu, but Priest wanting after the US title kinda gave away what was happening with the Men’s Triple Threat. It was a great Triple Threat, but of course Solo & JC cost Fatu. That team is just one moment away from breaking up, and it might be at MITB when Solo just expects Fatu to help him win the briefcase and Fatu refuses. And Fatu VS Priest will still be awesome whenever it happens. Good promo from Knight, and a good bit from Aleister with him, which I suppose means that’s the next feud for them. Was kinda hoping for Aleister VS Nakamura but that really depends if Nakamura is sticking with WWE or going home to Japan via Pro-Wrestling NOAH as rumored.
R-Truth relapsing to talking to Lil’ Jimmy is certainly a choice. I kinda wish he’d keep up the “Ron Cena” stuff, or they’d let Jeff Cobb do his own John Cena bit from NJPW, but I guess some things in WWE still won’t change. And closing with a big promo segment was also certainly a choice. Cody still did a good job, and nice surprise to have Jey show up. Not sure they needed to take a commercial break for Jey’s entrance, especially when they were obviously going to let Jey do his YEET encore. And Cena really must be brainwashed to put Logan over as if Logan’s on par with peak Cena. But naturally a brawl happened and the Faces stood tall.
Don’t count this as go-home math yet, they could easily revisit this on Raw and even next week on SmackDown. Even then, I still feel like Jey and Cody should win at MITB to properly set up Cody VS Cena 2 at SummerSlam. Raw on June 9th is still the move for the World Heavyweight Championship, but there’s also Saturday Night’s Main Event in July, who knows if Jey makes it to SummerSlam as champion.
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: 5.29.25
Stuff happens, maybe it doesn’t, Dreamer and Delirious can’t book.
Well Trick Willie is the new TNA champ and this is the first iMPACT since his win…so let’s just hear him talk about it.
"TNA turned into TRICK-NA. Lets talk about it"@_trickwilliams #WWENXT
WATCH #TNAiMPACT on TNA+: https://t.co/GrBQpdX5g5 pic.twitter.com/StU4pmi3oy
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) May 30, 2025
Ratings:
- The Rascalz vs Fir$t Cla$$ vs Laredo vs The System: Rascalz win via Meteora – ***
- Raj Singh vs Mustafa Ali: Ali wins via…No Shit – Squash Garbage
- ASH by Elegance vs Lei Ying Lee: Lei wins via Spinning TKO – ** 3/4
- Mance Warner w/SDL vs Jobber: Mance wins via Hit the Pay Winda – Squash
- Santino Marella & Arianna Grace vs Robert Stone & Victoria Crawford w/Tessa: Team Robbie wins via shenanigans – **
- International Championship: Steve Maclin (c) vs Matt Cardona: Maclin retains via KIA – ***
Results:
The Rascalz vs Fir$t Cla$$ vs Laredo vs The System
Octagon got jumped by The System earlier so Laredo is fighting alone. Another backstage jumping is getting a little dumb.
Laredo and Trey start. Typical Indie start with Simultaneous awful Dropkick spot and bad counters, AJ blind tag runs the smaller guys over, tags out to KC and the Rascalz instantly get the moment. KC is rocked, tags in Laredo and Laredo takes out the System before Lish gets on the apron and grabs Laredo. The referee kicks out Lish and Rehwoldt on commentary points out it’s a No DQ match so that’s dumb.
KC gets tossed at AJ, he catches him, Rascalz Dive and do their taunt as we go to commercial. We come back, Tennessee Whiskey into a KC tag in for the near fall on Laredo. Corner combo, Snapmare into Flip Forward Neck Breaker, KC is on a roll. AJ tags Laredo and starts talking crap to KC, they swerve and go Finger Poke of Doom, but it’s not a legal pin. Suddenly tornado attacks, System and Rascalz go for broke, AJ hits the Senton to break the eventual pin, Laredo counters AJ’s Chokeslam attempt. Trey clears out The System, Wentz sends himself and KC over and out, Laredo with a Corkscrew Moonsault, which looked cool but it’s the pile of morons waiting to get hit spot.
AJ hits the Down Payment on Laredo, but Trey blind tagged AJ. Meteora on AJ, Trey pins Laredo and Rascalz win.
Raj Singh vs Mustafa Ali
Raj looks like shit in the gear he came down in…and he wrestles equivalently. I would rather anyone else comeback…give me Anarquia.
Ali murders Raj, Instant Dropkick, Rolling Neckbreaker, Corkscrew Standing Moonsault, it’s not close. Raj tries to counter things but Ali Bellclap, a little Duck the left, connect the right. Raj even does a terrible looking Punch Combo, he’s in bad shape, a bad looking Ushigoroshi, Raj with a sloppy looking something, 450 ends it.
Fire Raj as quickly as you brought him back. You don’t need a comedically pathetic job guy when the roster is like 4 guys getting pushed and everyone else sucks. Stop being stupid. Ali still hates women too.
This Injury Report is the dumbest segment in the history of wrestling. Stop treating fake shit as “serious business”.
ASH by Elegance vs Lei Ying Lee
ASH mocks karate stuff, Lei throws a few Rising Crane kicks as ASH bails and then things slow down a little. But a Pump Kick, Sliding Kick and Low Dropkick cause ASH to cower and claim her tooth broke. It’s a bait to pull Lei into the turnbuckles and them get in a few stomps. Ash keeps Lei in the corner, Suplexes her ankles into the buckles and then Ash throws a few Booty Shots/Hit Attacks then starts a grounded stretch, Lei Headscissors her down, still sells the hips and ankles, but dodges and fires, combination strikes into the 10 Count Down Strikes. T-bone Suplex, into the pinfall, for only two.
Cheapshot into Running Meteora from ASH for two. Ash goes for the Miz Yes Kicks and Lei No Sells and asks for more. Gorgeous Capture Suplex into Thunder Struck and TKO with flair. My baby has a better finish now! Yay!
Mance Warner w/SDL vs Jobber
Hannifan cursing and being pissed at Trick for not even showing but is more entertaining than a squash match. Not that Mance’s offense is bad, but 2 out of 3 job matches is stupid.
.@milanmiracle and @AriannaGraceWWE make history as the first father/daughter tag team in TNA!
WATCH #TNAiMPACT on TNA+: https://t.co/GrBQpdX5g5 pic.twitter.com/3s8OhtYFPv
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) May 30, 2025
Santino Marella & Arianna Grace vs Robert Stone & Victoria Crawford w/Tessa
Marella tries to tie up with Robbie, but he bails and tags out to Victoria so Arianna comes in and aside from Alicia Fox’s silliness, the tie up was decent with Arianna and Victoria. Tessa interferes and the Referee throws her out. Victoria comes back in and aside from a slight miscommunication with how Arianna does her punches, Alicia Fox is making her look…pretty good. Transition moves, okay brawling and Arianna looks amazing in her outfit.
Rob and Santino distract the referee and Victoria hits a Figure Four into her Northern Lights Suplex, only for 2. Arianna finally Back Body Drop to find the tag, Santino and Rob, Santino does his split dodge into the Standing Headbutt, Arianna Cross Body onto Victoria. Rob pulls out the ref, then shoves the ref into Santino, Santino into the steps and Arianna attack but Alicia and Lish, the fix is in, Arianna eats the pin.
International Championship: Steve Maclin (c) vs Matt Cardona
A few quick brawl moves, Shoulder Tackles, Strikes, Back Breakers, Cardona does get dumped out and eats a SCUD. Maclin bounces Cardona’s face off the apron and hits an Elbow off the apron to keep Cardona reeling, but a dodged tackle sends Maclin into the steps. Cardona tries to Piledriver Maclin on the ramp, but Back Drop counter, into commercial.
Formulaic commercial etiquette of Cardona still in control, throws Maclin into the ropes, Diving Shoulder Tackle lays both dudes out and they get up by 8. Fighting Spirit spot, Cardona hits ropes and gets hit by Maclin twice, Thesz Press, Ground and Pound, Back Elbow and Olympic Slam has Maclin rolling. Splash into Lariat for two. Maclin has been all gas no brakes. Cardona tries to take a few shortcuts that turns into a Straight Jacket Takedown. Cardona to the top, Maclin cuts him off, Superplex spot. 1-2-kick out!
Maclin goes topside for a Jar Headbutt, Cardona hits the ropes so Maclin crashes into the corner, 2 Reboots connect, the third gets caught, counter into Busaiku Knee, Jar Headbutt. In and out, Cardona uses the middle rope for the Low Blow, Killswitch from Cardona but Maclin kicks out. Cardona dodges and shoves Maclin towards the ref, he puts the brakes on, Radio Silence! 1-2-Kick out! Maclin catches a top rope move, Power Bomb, Corner Splash, Tree of Woe, Caught in the Crosshairs, KIA and Maclin retains!
Overall Score: 4.5/10
Boring paint by numbers show, no Trick, System has one move, Robert Stone is a scumbag, too long to introduce new girls, lots of throw away segments and Rosemary sets up YET ANOTHER Monster’s Ball match. These aren’t interesting when there’s one every 3 months. So we can have terrible Monster’s Ball matches quarterly, Barbed Wire Massacre and Clockwork Orange House of Fun…BUT NO LOCKDOWN!?
Go home TNA, you’re drunk.
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!
4 Corners Podcast: Blown Off Course
Dave and Tunney break down the Conference Finals in the NHL and NBA, discuss the NFL going to the Olympics,...
4 Corners Podcast: Bettor Late Than Never?
Dave, Patrick, and Tunney break down the NHL and NBA Playoffs and a pretty stunning decision from the MLB Commissioner's...
4 Corners Podcast: Never Over Until Its Over
Dave and Patrick break down the latest developments, scores, and stories from the NBA and NHL Playoffs.
4 Corners Podcast: Playoffpalooza
Dave and Tunney discuss all the awesome action that has been going on in the NHL and NBA Playoffs!
4 Corners Podcast: Is It Drafty In Here?
Patrick and Dave discuss the NFL Draft, Shedeur Sanders, and the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs!
Bandwagon Nerds #290: Norm!
The Nerds recap trailers for Jurassic Park: Rebirth and Welcome to Derry, discuss delays to Avengers movies, and pay their...
Mitchell’s Hyrule Puro-Resu News Report! (5/23/25)
What's with all the glowing?
Bandwagon Nerds #289: The Rest of Us
The Nerds discuss trailers for Ironheart and Superman, talk about the greatness that was Andor Season 2, break down casting...
Bandwagon Nerds #288: Disney In The Desert
Disney makes a controversial decision about where it is building its 7th theme park. Plus, loads of trailers, Thunderbolts* news,...
Mitchell’s Hyrule Puro-Resu News Report! (5/9/25)
June will be electric!
Mitchell’s WWE SmackDown Results & Report! (5/30/25)
The greatEST SmackDown!
Andrew’s TNA iMPACT! Results & Match Ratings: 5.29.25
Stuff happens, maybe it doesn't, Dreamer and Delirious can't book.
Mitchell’s NJPW Best of the Super Juniors Results & Report! (5/29/25)
B Block, FINAL ROUND!
Mitchell’s ROH Results & Report! (5/29/25)
Is ROH ready for the GORE?
Mitchell’s WWE Evolve Results & Report! (5/28/25)
THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE!
Mitchell’s AEW Dynamite Results & Report! (5/28/25)
Dynamite in the desert!
Mitchell’s NJPW Best of the Super Juniors Results & Report! (5/27/25)
A Block, FINAL ROUND!
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Will NXT still be Absolute?
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Round 8, all together!
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New Day Rocks? Or New Day Sucks?
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Coverage5 days agoMitchell’s WWE Battleground Results & Report! (5/25/25)
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AEW Coverage5 days agoMitchell’s AEW Double or Nothing Results & Report! (5/25/25)
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Coverage6 days agoMitchell’s WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event Results & Report! (5/24/25)
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Coverage4 days ago
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