Coverage
Mitchell’s WWE NXT Results & Report! (7/26/22)
It’s a family feud!
Will The Don crack under the pressure?
The Diamond Mine got got by Tony D’Angelo and his crew, and now we’ll see an 8 Man Tag to prove which is the strongest family in NXT today!
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Wes Lee VS Grayson Waller; Waller wins.
- Apollo Crews VS Xyon Quinn; Apollo wins.
- Zoey Stark VS Gigi Dolin w/ Toxic Attraction; Stark wins.
- Andre Chase w/ Chase U & Nathan Frazer VS Giovanni Vinci; Vinci wins.
- Indi Hartwell VS Arianna Grace; Hartwell wins.
- 8 Man Tag: Diamond Mine VS Tony D’Angelo, Channing Lorenzo & Legado del Fantasma; D’Angelo, Lorenzo & Legado win.
PLAY BY PLAY
Zoey Stark is here!
The NEW #1 Contender to the NXT Women’s Championship has the fans all fired up already, and she gets a mic as the fans chant “Welcome Back! Welcome Back!” Zoey says it feels SO good to be back inside the ring! And the fans have no idea how good. “Look, I wasn’t really ever sure if I would ever get to feel this moment ever again. At Halloween Havoc, I tore my ACL and MCL straight off the bone. Doctors told me that I would be out for well over a year. That was a hard day for me. Really, that was a really hard pill for me to swallow. But I knew deep down inside that I could beat that time table.”
So the day after surgery, Zoey got up, started physical therapy and got to work! There were a lot of hard times physically and mentally, the securities that go through your head. Everything was going great, why did this have to happen? Would the fans even remember her? Or care? Fans chant for “ZOEY! ZOEY!” so of course they care. But she didn’t know. But she knows that while fans can’t see past those curtains, what’s past those curtains is the trainer’s room, and Zoey practically lived there as she busted her ass to get back four MONTHS ahead of schedule! And then the night of the battle royal came, and the noise that all the fans made for her, that made all the pain worth it!
Zoey thanks the fans from the bottom of her heart. And look at her now! She’s the #1 contender to THE NXT Women’s Championship! But look who stands in her way: Toxic… Attraction… Fans boo that name, and Zoey says those are the same women who took her out! The same women who nearly ended her career! They almost took this away from Zoey. But guess what? Zoey is going to take that title from Mandy Rose! But wait, here comes Cora Jade. Except, she’s up in the perch! Cora says “Zoey Stark, I’m so happy that you’re back. Said no one ever!” Fans boo but Cora mocks Zoey’s speech.
Zoey cuts Cora off there to ask how Cora is feeling. The last time we saw Cora, Zoey was throwing her screaming, scrawny little ass over the top rope! Cora says Zoey has been back a week and she’s already sick of this. NINETEEN others ganged up on her, and if not for them, Cora would be #1 contender and taking that title off Mandy. But here Zoey is and she had to steal Cora’s moment! Just like Roxanne Perez did! Oh, Cora, we all saw your moment. And it disgusted Zoey! Zoey held that tag title proudly, and for Cora to throw it in the trash… That title isn’t trash, CORA is trash! Oh, Zoey, let’s be honest. You’re just jealous that Cora did more in one week with that belt than Zoey did her-
Wait! Here comes Toxic Attraction! Mandy Rose smirks and the others laughs. “You two ladies talk a big game. I can win. No, I can win! Hate to break it to you, but when it comes to this title, I only win. And tomorrow, I become the fourth longest reigning women’s champion in NXT history! Thank you, thank you.” So good-bye Bayley, Charlotte, Rhea Ripley, Raquel Rodriguez, and even tomorrow, thanks Paige but bye to you, too! So put some respect on Mandy’s name! Zoey has the perfect way to put some respect on that name: put that title on the line tonight!
Gigi Dolin tells Zoey that while she’s been out with her leg, Toxic Attraction has run the show! Zoey can’t just come back and run the show, that position is already filled. So this is how it’ll go: Gigi will face Zoey tonight, put her back on the shelf for even longer, and Zoey’s dream of becoming a champion will stay just that. Will Zoey take care of the pawn to get at the Queen of Toxic?
Grayson Waller gets a camera’s attention.
“Hey, idiot! Yeah, you at home. Stop staring at your phone waiting for that ho to follow you back. She doesn’t like you, lad! Why would she bother following your fat ass when she’s already following the most captivating superstar not just in NXT, but all the WWE, Grayson Waller?” What we all should do is watch the Grayson Waller Effect in action as he embarrasses Wes Lee almost as badly as we fans do every time we look in the mirror. The 21st Century Success Story always runs his mouth, but will the Must-See Kid run him over on his road to redemption?
Tony D’Angelo talks with his “family.”
The Don says tonight, they impose their will. Stacks knows what Tony means. Remember that time they shook down that stunad, Carmine Jr, for those washers ‘n’ dryers? They bleached his eyes, and after that, he was seeing clean. Good times. And Elektra Lopez has proven herself. Wilde and Cruz have stepped up, learning Tony’s ways. He has a good feeling about their direction. But remember: loyalty isn’t a one way thing. They’re always proving their worth. So tonight, they roll into the 8 Man Tag and crack some skulls! Tony tells the Diamond Mine can yell and scream and think this is personal, but it isn’t. It’s just business. Tony D business. See you out there.
Wes Lee VS Grayson Waller!
The Must-See Kid has been baring his soul and giving his all, but he still isn’t where he feels he should be, both in and out of the ring. But will he find balance and inner peace by taking the fight to Grayson Waller? Or will Waller use Lee to go viral?
The bell rings and the two circle. They tie up, fans duel, Waller shoves Lee away. Waller says Lee isn’t on his level, but Lee keeps cool. They tie up, Waller throws Lee away, and Waller says he is a heavyweight, Lee is a lightweight. That might be literally the case, but Lee still arm-drags Waller back! They tie up, Waller headlocks, but Lee pries at the hold. Lee shoves Waller to a corner, Waller goes up and over, then jumps the leg sweep the FLYING ARM-DRAG to a cover, TWO! Waller drop steps and shimmies to show off, but Lee keeps cool. Lee and Waller circle, tie up, Waller waistlocks and back suplexes, but Lee lands on his feet!
Lee shoves, wheelbarrows and arm-drags, but Waller scoops back! Waller fireman’s carries but Lee sunset flips, TWO! Lee then hurries to go up, victory roll, TWO! Waller rushes in but into a leg sweep and DOUBLE STOMP! Lee copies the drop steps and Waller is furious! Waller and Lee go again, Lee arm-drags Waller around and around, then has the armlock. Waller flounders and flails but Lee holds on tight! Waller fights up, throws forearms, but then he runs away from the superkick! Lee taunts Waller, Waller rushes in but Lee trips him up. Cover, ONE, things speed up, and Waller hurdles to follow and BOOT Lee down!
Waller hears the boos, but he whips Lee to ropes. Lee ducks the leg lariat and the regular lariat to tilt-o-whirl RANA! Waller staggers up into a dropkick! Waller bails out, Lee taunts Waller again, then takes aim. PLANCHA, but Waller moves! Waller ROCKS Lee with that right hand and grins as fans boo. But Lee SUPERKICKS! It hits this time and Lee looms over Waller while NXT goes picture in picture.
Lee grins and brings Waller up to bump off the apron. Lee puts Waller in the ring, throws haymakers, then whips him to ropes. Waller reverses, Lee ducks ‘n’ dodges to tilt-o-whirl, but Waller blocks this time to hit a BACKBREAKER! Lee writhes and Waller shakes out the cobwebs. Waller drags Lee up, tosses Lee up and out, then dusts off his hands. Waller does drop steps while the ring count climbs. Waller wants it faster, but Lee stands at the barriers. Lee gets back up at 5 of 10 but Waller trips him up! Waller then slides out to ROCK Lee with a haymaker! Waller puts Lee in then drags him up to a fireman’s carry.
Lee slips off to sunset flip! Waller stays up, drags him around and drops an elbow on the back! The ref reprimands about the hair pulling but Waller drops a knee on Lee. Lee gets to ropes and Waller digs his knee into him! The ref counts, Waller lets off and CLUBS Lee down. Waller drops another knee and Lee ends up on the apron. Waller drags Lee back up and in, suplexes, but Lee turns it into a cradle! TWO! Waller CLOBBERS Lee with a back elbow! Cover, TWO! Waller is frustrated but the count was fair. Waller looms over Lee, drags him up, and ROCKS him with a right. Lee staggers to a corner, Waller throws body shots on him.
Lee elbows Waller away, but runs into a BACKBREAKER! Waller bends Lee backwards against his knee, but Lee endures as NXT returns to single picture. Fans rally up and Lee stands up to throw body shots. Waller CLUBS Lee, brings Lee around and whips, but Lee reverses. Waller goes up and over to kick out the leg! Waller cravats to throw knee after knee, then he fireman’s carries to the WIDOWMAKER! Cover, TWO! Waller is furious but the fans fire up! Waller stalks Lee, slaps him around with elbow pads, then pie faces Lee. Waller scuffs Lee with his boot then pushes him into the mat. Waller pulls on the hair and mocks Lee’s hand signs.
Waller dribbles Lee off the mat and tells him to go home, he no longer belongs. Lee snarls and SLAPS Waller! Waller staggers, Lee fires off forearms and CHOPS over and over! Lee has Waller in the corner, forearm and CHOP then a GAMANGIRI! Lee talks trash on Waller, BIG BULLDOG! Lee rains down fists, Waller gest to the apron, and Waller HOTSHOTS Lee! But Lee comes back to DIVE! Direct hit at the ramp and the fans are fired up! Lee puts Waller in, he climbs up top, but Waller SHOVES Lee off! Lee hits the floor, but the ref keeps Waller from fetching him. And then someone in a hoody BOPS Lee in the back! IT’S TRICK WILLIAMS!!
Trick screwed Lee over with the rubbing alcohol in his eyes last time, and now he just got him here! Waller mocks Lee that he can get in, and Lee gets in at 9.99!! Waller is fired up, he wants to take Lee out. Waller slides, somersaults, and STUNNERS!! Cover, Waller wins!
Winner: Grayson Waller, by pinfall
Fans boo because Waller had a Trick up his sleeve. Trick stands over Lee to taunt him, will Lee have to find redemption through revenge?
Backstage interview with The Schism.
McKenzie is with Joe Gacy and The Dyad, but Gacy says to please use their names, “Jagger Reed” and “Rip Fowler.” Well then, Gacy, Rip and Jagger, can you tell us about your recent “revelation” of sorts? Jagger (James Drake) says the past has cast a shadow on their souls, but they have stepped into the light. They can see and they can reach a potential they never knew existed. Rip (Zack Gibson) says they have crossed over into a world of acceptance and inclusion in a community where they can be truly recognized. Then it seems Gacy has somehow changed their lives for the better? But what is their interest in Cameron Grimes?
Gacy says he can see the pain on Cameron’s face, and it isn’t just about the loss of titles. It is about the cold loneliness of a lost father figure. Gacy can be that in Cameron’s life, so long as he opens his heart and joins them under the Schism’s tree. Their message to Cameron and all of NXT will continue next week. Thank you for your time, they appreciate it. The Schism heads out, but will Grimes, or anyone else for that matter, really want to join them?
The Women’s Division watches back last week’s battle royal.
Arianna Grace says that when the fans started chanting her name, she just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge them and make their day. And then Indi Hartwell goes and takes advantage of that! Indi booted Grace down and mocked her! Grace doesn’t mean to be rude, but that gear is atrocious! But then Indi walks in to tell Grace that there are no timeouts. This isn’t basketball. And if the roles were reversed, Grace would’ve done the exact same thing. Grace says she would never! She is a former beauty pageant queen! She doesn’t stoop to those lows. How could Indi ever say that? Uh, this is NXT. This isn’t ballet. Or in Grace’s case, a pageant.
Indi waves Grace good-bye, and Grace vents to the others that she is so sorry they had to be around such negative energy. Will Grace prove she can be Miss Congeniality? Or will she learn a thing or two from #IndiWrestling?
Apollo Crews VS Xyon Quinn!
The returning star has been getting a lot of flack from the “Perfect Superstar” since coming back, but just because Apollo came back doesn’t mean he failed. Will Apollo show Xyon there’s more to success than where you are? Or will Xyon prove he IS The X Factor in NXT?
NXT returns and Xyon makes his entrance. The bell rings, Apollo DROPKCIKS Xyon down! Xyon gets up but Apollo fires off haymakers. Apollo whips, CLOBBERS Xyon, and he stalks Xyon to ropes. Xyon kick slow, scoops, but Apollo slips off to scoop back! Xyon flails but Apollo still SLAMS him down! Apollo goes out, slingshot sentons back in, and covers, TWO! Fans fire up as Apollo brings Xyon around. Xyon shoves Apollo and CLOBBERS him on the rebound! Xyon stomps Apollo, drags him up and turns him into a NECKBREAKER! Xyon kips up and growls but fans boo. Xyon stalks Apollo to ropes and he CHOKES him!
The ref counts, Xyon lets off at 4, and he YANKS the rope to throw Apollo down. Cover, TWO! Apollo sputters but Xyon clamps onto him again. Xyon suplexes high and hard but fans still rally for Apollo. Xyon clamps onto an arm to get a cobra clutch. Fans rally as Apollo endures, and Apollo fights up, only for Xyon to wrangle him down! Xyon leans on the hold, Apollo endures, and fans rally again. Apollo stands up but Xyon ripcords, only for Apollo to ROCK him first! Apollo ducks ‘n’ dodges, but Xyon becomes a wall! Apollo goes down and Xyon drags him back up. Xyon whips Apollo hard into buckles and Apollo bounces off.
Xyon taunts Apollo but fans boo. Xyon runs corner to corner but into boots! Apollo elbows Xyon away, gets to another corner, then dodges! Xyon hits buckles, Apollo hits a GAMANGIRI! Apollo rallies with big clotheslines, then he whips Xyon to ropes, LEAPING LARIAT! Apollo kips up and fans fire up! Apollo runs corner to corner to SPLASH! And then short arm LARIAT! Cover, TWO! Fans rally and Apollo nods. Apollo goes to a corner, climbs up top, but Xyon stands. CROSSBODY! Down goes Xyon, but Apollo bounces off the cover! Apollo sees Xyon get to a corner, he hurries over, but Xyon kicks low!
Xyon reels Apollo in, fireman’s carries, SWINGING SAMOAN DROP! Cover, TWO!! Xyon is snarling as he aims at Apollo from a corner. Xyon powers up, fans rally up, and Apollo stands. RUN IT- ENZIGURI!! Apollo clinches but Xyon fights free. Apollo spins Xyon around to hit a BACKSTABBER! And a SKY HIGH SPINEBUSTER! Cover, Apollo wins!
Winner: Apollo Crews, by pinfall
Apollo is back on top! His new chapter is still being written, will Apollo be able to give it a triumphant ending?
Backstage interview with Toxic Attraction.
McKenzie says Mandy will face Zoey Stark for the NXT Women’s Championship in three weeks at the inaugural NXT Heat Wave. Mandy says that match is going to be cancelled, because Gigi will eliminate Zoey Stark. Zoey will go back to the hospital, back to the surgery table, and- Sarray interrupts. As if this day couldn’t get any worse for them. Mandy asks if Sarray is late to history class. Sarray says she was not in the battle royal, she was in the UK. She wants a title opportunity. Jacy asks why everyone around here thinks they deserve things! How do you say, “No shot,” in Japanese? Sarray will get her ass beat, too!
Mandy says Sarray can go back and forth across the pond, but don’t think for one second Mandy forgot what happened between then. Sarray tried to rearrange Mandy’s face and ruin everything before it all began. So next week, it doesn’t matter which version shows up, Sarray will get beat! Toxic Attraction’s music hits and they head out. While the Warrior of the Sun has an NXT UK Women’s Championship match coming up, will she also get her shot at THE NXT Women’s Champion?
Solo Sikoa speaks.
“Von Wagner. I give you your props. You can scrap. You can go. But you wasn’t straight up. I changed my mind about you.” Von Wagner attacked as Solo was at SmackDown like a punk. So now Solo knows Von wants to throw the rules out the window. Good! Let’s see where the fight goes! The ring, the streets, Von’s city, Solo’s city, it won’t matter! It’ll be FALLS COUNT ANYWHERE! Let’s get it!
Zoey Stark VS Gigi Dolin w/ Toxic Attraction!
With a date now set, that means there’s a goal in mind! Zoey already showed she can defy expectations, will she defy the Toxic Goddess’ wishes and keep the Heat Wave coming? Or will Mandy’s pawn play her part to perfection and put Zoey back on the sidelines?
NXT returns as Zoey makes her entrance. The bell rings and Gigi rushes in., Zoey dodges her, ROCKS her, then ROCKS her again. Gigi swings but into more haymakers! Zoey blocks a boot, elbows Gigi, then runs in to uppercut! Zoey snapmares, runs, but Mandy is there! The ref reprimands but Gigi HOTSHOTS Zoey! Gigi stomps and kicks away while Jacy and Mandy taunt Zoey. Gigi drags Zoey up but Zoey fires off hands! Gigi knees low, whips Zoey to ropes then ROCKS her. Gigi grins and whips but Zoey blocks! Zoey ROCKS Gigi, ROCKS her again, but Gigi BOOTS back! Gigi back suplexes then covers, TWO!
Fans rally and duel, Gigi CLUBS Zoey down at the corner. Gigi drags Zoey to center, turns her over and ties the legs up for the BOW ‘N’ ARROW! Mandy mocks Zoey’s pain as she endures, but Zoey pops free to cover! TWO, Gigi hurries to her feet but Zoey rolls her up! TWO, and Zoey gets around again to LARIAT! And again! Zoey fires up, fires forearms, back elbows, and a mule kicks! Zoey fires up, runs, SLIDING KNEE! Cover, TWO! Fans rally, Gigi kicks the bad leg out! Gigi then SWITCHBLADE KICKS! Gigi grits her teeth and runs, but Zoey gets around to HEEL KICK! Gigi wobbles, Zoey makes Mandy watch! GO TO STARK!! Cover, Zoey wins!
Winner: Zoey Stark, by pinfall
One pawn down, but here comes Jacy! SUPERKICK!! Zoey TOSSES Jacy out, but Mandy is in! Zoey sees her coming, though, and she chases Mandy off! Mandy can run while she can, but the Heat Wave is coming! Is Zoey going to be the one to finally burn Mandy’s reign down?
But then CORA SMACKS ZOEY with a kendo stick! Cora fires off, but here comes ROXANNE PEREZ! Roxie runs Cora off now! Cora cowards out but Roxie is coming for her! Will there be hell to pay when these former friends face off?
JD McDonagh arrives.
The Irish Ace rides in style, heads inside, and says he’s just here as a fan. What is JD playing at?
Wendy Choo has a bad dream.
She tosses and turns as she remembers Tiffany Stratton throwing her all around backstage and then finishing her off in the ring. Tiffany says she overcomes the odds and is so over Wendy. But then Wendy remembers when she survived in the battle royal with the help of her pillow. That’s a good moment and she smiles. Only to frown again when she remembers Tiffany using Wendy’s own thermos to clobber her and eliminate her! The alarm goes off and Wendy wakes up. Wendy pouts, stubs her toe on the bed frame, and her thermos is empty. Wendy’s in a bad mood now. Wendy woke up on the wrong side of the bed, all because of Tiffany.
Tiffany thinks this is over, but it isn’t. Next time Tiffany sees her, it won’t be a pretty picture. It’ll be lights out! Will we see Wendy get wicked when Daddy’s Little Rich Girl least expects it?
JD McDonagh sits in the crowd with a mic.
“Welcome back to NXT 2.0. My name is JD McDonagh, and I am the Irish Ace. And I came out here this week because I feel like I gotta apologize to you guys. I never had a chance to formally introduce myself to you guys at The Great American Bash. I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself last week after I decimated Cameron Grimes. So I thought I’d come out and introduce myself to a few members of the NXT Universe.” They enjoying their popcorn? Do they know how many people die from eating popcorn? More than you might imagine. One wrong breath when you’re scarfing that down and it gets caught in your trachea, and it’s all over. Chew carefully, okay?
JD moves on to talk to the timekeeper. One of the most important jobs in the whole company. Nice to meet you. This man here sounds the bell “to end whatever kind of torture is going on.” Is this the bell hammer? Yes… It’s very nice. Do you know what a hammer like this can do to a human hand? JD does. It doesn’t even take that much pressure. Hit just the right angle, the finger will pop right out. Swing carefully. And of course, Alicia Taylor, our ring announcer. Alicia has a fabulous voice. Fans cheer for that, but JD then turns his attention to Wade Barrett. Oh, Wade doesn’t have to introduce himself to JD, JD is a huge fan.
But JD does have to say: all those years of bare knuckle boxing sure took its toll. Not on his face, no no! But on his hands. JD felt the calcium deposits. Watch those. The older you get, those will eat into the joints and make it easier to manipulate. Very nice to meet you, though. JD moves on to say hey to Vic Joseph. No, don’t stand up. JD heard what Vic said about his family, and he didn’t appreciate it. But he sized Vic up the moment he saw him. Vic’s tall and slim, probably a soft bone structure. Maybe broke a lot of bones growing up as a kid. Nah, you don’t have to tell him. JD knows he can break Vic’s collarbone with just his hand. But he won’t. Keep u the good work, guys.
And there’s one more person JD should introduce himself to. He mentioned last week that he and JD hadn’t had a chance to meet. So Bron Breakker, come on out! Bron obliges and stares him down from the ramp. Bron gets in the ring, gets himself a mic, and he circles with JD as the fans chant. “In three weeks, it’s NXT Heat Wave, and you’re gonna get real acclimated with Bron Breakker. And you’re not gonna like it!” Bron tells JD that next week, they make it official with a contract signing. So JD HEAEDBUTTS Bron! And reels him in, only for Bron to HEADBUTT JD! JD falls over, Bron tears off his shirt and says he’s gonna break JD!
JD tastes blood in his mouth, and smiles! The Irish Ace is cold and calculating, will he have the perfect plan to break Bron?
Chase U talks backstage.
Andre Chase tells Bodhi Hayward and Thea Hail that he’s about to get in the ring with Giovanni Vinci. “What’s the deal with this guy? Fill me in.” Bodhi tells Mr. Chase that Vinci is just a jerk! They arrived in their bus, all fired up for the night, and he got all snippy! Thea loved the car so much, she touched it, and Vinci got so mad! Thea wants at him! Chase says no, he’s got this! Nobody speaks to the good students of Chase U like that! And then Nathan Frazer comes in, he high fives with Bodhi. Frazer is all healed up, and he wonders… Could he be the honorary flag bearer? That’s a fantastic idea! HELL YEAH! Chase says Vinci’s getting a Chase U sized ass kicking!
Backstage interview with Roxanne Perez.
McKenzie knows Roxie is dealing with a whirlwind of emotions, but it seems things are far from over. Roxie says if Cora wants to throw away their friendship, that’s fine. She can twist Roxie’s words and actions are fine, too. But throwing away the title into the trash? That is something Roxie won’t stand for. These titles should be shown respect. nd someone else agrees! ALUNDRA BLAYZE is here! And she says if Roxie wants the honors, she can. Roxie brings the other belt out of the trash, and says these should be held by two women proud to wear them and to defend them.
Blayze says over 25 years ago, she dumped a women’s title in the trash. it took a long time to crown a new champion. This time, it won’t take long at all. Next week, we have a FATAL 4 WAY TAG TEAM ELIMINATION MATCH! The winners will become the NEW NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions! And the four teams are already set: Diamond Mind’s Ivy Nile & Tatum Paxley; Yulisa Leon & Valentina Feroz; KC Squared, Kayden Carter & Katana Chance; and of course, the former champions, Toxic Attraction’s Gigi & Jacy. Roxie and Blayze hug it out, but who will rise to the occasion and take hold of the future?
Andre Chase w/ Chase U & Nathan Frazer VS Giovanni Vinci!
The Professor wants to give Vinci a #TeachableMoment, but he might end up learning something else. Will everyone in Chase U see that it’s #VeniVidiVinci from here on out?
The bell rings, the two tie up, go around, and end up on ropes. Fans rally for Chase U but Vinci arm-drags him away. Chase shrugs that off and circles with Vinci again. They tie up, Vinci wrenches to a hammerlock, then wristlock. Chase slips through, arm-drags, and he has the armlock! Fans rally but Vinci fights up. Vinci kips and shows off to then wrench and arm-drag! But Chase hits a headlock takeover! Vinci turns that right around to get a headlock of his own, but Chase fight sup. Chase throws body shots, powers out, but Vinci blocks a hip toss. Chase blocks one, too, then backslides! TWO, and Chase hits another headlock takeover!
Vinci tries to roll it but Chase holds on! Vinci pulls hair as he power sup and out, then he RAMS into Chase! Vinci stomps Chase down, drags him up, and EuroUppers! Chase staggers, Vinci CLUBS him on the ropes, but Chase throws back. Vinci whips, Chase sunset flips! TWO, but Chase hurries to La Magistrol! TWO! Chase gets around, crucifix pin, TWO! Vinci kicks low! Vinci whips Chase to a corner, Chase goes up and over and hip tosses! Fans fire up and Chase arm-drags again! Chase has another armlock but Vinci endures. Vinci fights up, pulls more hair and then whips again. Things speed up and Vinci dropkicks Chase!
Vinci soaks up the heat, grinning as he looms over Chase. Vinci drags Chase up, EuroUppers, but fans rally up. Vinci whips Chase, Chase reverses and dropkicks back! Fans fire up as Chase dares Vinci to get up. Vinci grabs Bodhi’s Chase U banner, and BREAKS the flagpole! Fans boo, but Vinci ROCKS Chase! Bodhi has to keep Thea back from going after Vinci! Vinci whips but Chase POSTS Vinci! Fans fire up as Vinci flops out of the ring and NXT goes to break.
NXT returns and Vinci has a bearhug on Chase. Chase elbows away on Vinci, then BELL CLAPS! Vinci lets Chase go to CLUB him and shove him to a corner. Vinci blocks a boot but not the KNEE! Chase goes up to FLYING SUNSET FLIP! TWO, and Chase hurries to run at Vinci. Vinci TOSSES Chase up and out! Thea and Bodhi coach Chase up but Vinci WRECKS Chase with a dropkick! Vinci looms over Chase, kicks him around, and he puts Chase in. Vinci then shoves Bodhi! Thea is rabid but Chase kicks and CHOPS and ROCKS Vinci! Chase whips, Vinci reverse and wraps on a SLEEPER! But Chase hits a BIG back suplex!
Fans are thunderous for Chase as he is still in this! Both men rise, Chase throws counter punches on Vinci! And JAB after JAB! Chase wrenches to CHOP and whip, then atomic drop! Chase whips again, Vinci reverses but gets caught into a RUSSIAN LEG SWEEP! Chase kicks low and hits a NECKBREAKER! Fans fire up and Chase has them spell out Chase U as he stomps Vinci! Chase catches Vinci to a SIDE EFFECT! Cover, TWO! “This is Awesome!” Chase gets Vinci up, reels him in and underhooks the arms, but Vinci blocks the “Final Exam!” Chase CLUBS away on Vinci, then whips but Vinci reverses. Vinci blocks the boot but the KNEE hits again!
Chase goes back up, leaps, but into Vinci’s SUPLEX! Vinci covers, TWO! Vinci can’t believe it but the fans are loving this! Vinci drags Chase back up, reels him in, and he grins. Vinci gets Chase up but Chase trips him to jackknife, TWO!! Vinci bridges, turns Chase, but Chase swings around. Vinci dodges to springboard, into a kick! FINAL EXAM!! Cover, TWO!! Vinci survives the tiger bomb and no one can believe it! Chase hurries to get Vinci but Vinci BOOTS him from below! Chase throws hands, Vinci throws uppercuts! Chase spins but into a CHOP! Vinci runs, but into a BOOT! Chase kicks but Vinci blocks to LARIAT!
Vinci hoists Chase up, SIT-OUT BOMB!! Cover, Vinci wins!
Winner: Giovanni Vinci, by pinfall
Vittoria for Vinci, but NXT just learned how much Andre Chase can bring to the ring! Will Chase U still benefit in the recruiting class for 2022? But wait, Vinci stomps away on Chase! Frazer rushes in from the student section to shove Vinci away! The British Prodigy won’t let Vinci be a bully, will Frazer defend Chase U’s honor himself?
Diamond Mine warms up in the dojo.
The chops are strong and Ivy Nile loves that they’re united. Her chop to Damon’s a bit hard, but they’re going to show the world what they’re working on. Tony D isn’t ready, that’s for sure. Roderick Strong says that oddly enough, this Tony D beef is actually helping them. They’re all collectively focused and ready to dominate. They eat when they compete, and right now, they’re starving! If you get hurt, push through it. You dig deeper for the man next to you. Tony’s crew knocked them down, but Diamond Mine gets back up. They’re gonna drop those bitch asses! Pressure makes diamonds, and it breaks bones! Bring it in! “Who are we?” “Diamond Mine!” Diamond Mine forever!!
Yulisa Leon and Valentina Feroz Facetime.
Leon says she and Feroz are in the Women’s Tag Team title Fatal 4! This is so exciting! Feroz says she’ll be back tomorrow, and they can prepare. How about it? Are they ready? Sanga says yes! Ladies, he is so happy for them. He has seen their hard work, their friendship, it is all amazing. But next week, don’t just become champions, become inspirations to other superstars! Whatever standard they set, the world will follow. And Sanga says we will hear, “And NEW NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions!” “SI SE PUEDE!”
Backstage interview with KC Squared.
McKenzie notes they’re also in the Women’s Tag title Fatal 4, and Kayden says the blatant disrespect. Do you know how pissed they were to see the title they worked so hard to get after be thrown in the trash? Cora Jade doesn’t deserve to be a champion. And yes, those titles belong on a true friendship. That’s what you’re looking at. But then Tatum Paxley and Ivy Nile walk in. Tatum says they can finally settle what’s been going on here. Oh shut up, Tatum! You and Ivy aren’t even a team! Oh, they’re not? Well they’re gonna be when they take care of business. Just like Diamond Mine does tonight!
But Elektra Lopez walks in and says those are big words coming from such a small girl. Diamond Mine isn’t taking anything, they’re losing tonight, just like you will! Tatum hits Lopez! The brawl is on 3v2! Refs and officials rush in to stop this, but nothing is stopping that Fatal 4 from firing up! Who will rise above the rest to claim the gold?
Indi Hartwell VS Arianna Grace!
#IndiWrestling may have lost her Way, her love and her friends, but she hasn’t lost her will to fight! Will she continue to remind everyone here why she’s #IMPRESSIVE? Or will she end up just a runner-up to the Beauty Queen?
NXT returns as Grace makes her entrance. The bell rings and the two circle. They tie up, go around, and Indi waistlocks. Grace wrenches out but Indi rolls and slips under to trip Grace up. Indi floats to a headlock, fans duel, but Indi snapmares. Grace rolls through and waves to the fans. They tie up again, Indi wrenches the arm and wristlocks, but Grace rolls to get free. Grace waves to the fans but Indi runs her over! Indi wrenches Grace’s arm, has a cording hold, but Grace moves around. Grace reaches out, Indi keeps her from ropes so Grace pulls Indi’s hair! Grace whips but Indi runs her over! Then scoops for a SIDEWALK SLAM!
Grace goes to a corner and Indi run sin, but Grace dodges! Grace SLAMS Indi down then stomps her! Grace drags Indi up to ROCK her with forearms and bump her off buckles! And again! Grace throws Indi down again, covers, TWO! Grace clamps onto a chinlock and bends Indi back. Fans rally as Indi endures, fights up, but Grace CLUBS her on the back! Grace hip drops then knee drops! Grace clamps the chinlock stretch back on but Indi endures again. Fans rally, Indi fights up and Indi backs Grace down. Grace throws Indi into the buckles, CLUBS her, then whips her corner to corner hard!
Indi bounce off the buckles, Grace fires off forearms! Grace whips corner to corner hard again, but Indi snarls! Indi LARIATS Grace down! Indi and Grace rise as fans rally, and Indi counter punches Grace! Indi runs Grace over, CLOBBERS her, then SPINEBUSTERS! Cover, TWO! Indi grows frustrated but she run sin. Grace dodges the boot to roll Indi up, with feet on the ropes! The ref sees that and stops the count! Grace apologizes but Indi BOOTS her down! Indi wins!
Winner: Indi Hartwell, by pinfall
What was that about not stooping to lows? Grace got caught and Indi got the win, will Indi be the one shining in the spotlight now?
The Robert Stone Brand speak.
Robert Stone himself says they heard Solo Sikoa’s challenge. “Do you really know what you’re asking for? A Falls Count Anywhere match with Von Wagner? This man has no remorse. In high school, he knocked out his football coach for trying to take him out of the game. We’re doing you a favor. Von already took you out on the streets, we owe you nothing, so we politely decline your offer.” Von says what the hell? They’re not declining anything. But Stone says Von has to work with him here. Think of the big picture! Von already ran off Soph- Hey! If she wants to go be a model, good for her. Von don’t give a sh*t!
But as for Solo, VON’s the Street Champion now. If Solo wants his crown back, he has to come get it next week! Von and Solo are going to go all over NXT Arena to settle this, but where will it end?
Kiana James holds a special presentation.
The Calculator, with her Bachelor’s Degrees in both Business Management and Business Administration, is here to break down “What is wrong with the NXT Women’s Division?” She thanks us for joining us and says she has done in-depth and extensive research on the Women’s Division. She wants to update us on the progress, as one woman stands out for all the wrong reasons. That woman is Nikkita Lyons. What do we really know about Ms. Lyons? Her wellspring (aka parents) are far from suitable role models. Her father was a rock star and her mother was a groupie. Lyons’ education was not formed in a classroom, but on a tour bus.
That explains the level of vocabular Lyons possesses. Example one: Lyons calling out everyone last week. And this also explains the behavior she conducts and the clothing she wears. Gaudy and skimpy. Lyons isn’t what a professional woman should be in this world, she is a troubled young woman. Kiana will continue to unpack and peel back the layers of Lyons and report back with more findings next week. But how will Lyons herself respond to such criticism?
Lash Legend speaks.
Just as an Alba Fyre video starts, Lash wonders why we’re still talking about her. She already knows she can’t hang with the one and only Lash. But Fyre says Lash has done her worst. Fyre will hit back harder. Do not underestimate the firekeeper! But when you step to Lash, you ain’t hitting a home run. It’ll be three strike and you’re out. Lash was gonna win the battle royal, but Fyre got in her way. Well if Fyre’s going down in flames, she’ll just drag Lash down with her. Lash says she’ll put out the Fyre permanently, but Fyre says Lash will be the one gasping for air. Who will survive when the smoke clears?
8 Man Tag: Diamond Mine VS Tony D’Angelo, Channing Lorenzo & Legado del Fantasma!
Roderick Strong was at odds with The Creed Brothers, and he wasn’t really treating Damon Kemp the best, but a common enemy has re-forged their bond! Will the Savior of the Backbreaker, the Diamond Gopher and the NXT Tag Team Champions put The Don in his place? Or will Tony, Stacks, Wilde and Cruz make them #FOGEDABOUTIT?
NXT returns and Diamond Mine makes their entrance. All eight men are in the ring talking trash, throwing shirts, but they all stand down to sort out. Strong and Tony start, they tie up, and go around the ropes. Strong headlocks, wrenches an arm, wristlocks, but Tony wrenches back. Strong slips around, wristlocks again, but Tony manages to stay up and steer Strong to the corner. Strong gets free as Stacks tags in, and Strong arm-drags Stacks! Strong has the armlock but Stacks stands up. Stacks puts Strong on ropes, Strong whips him away, and Strong DROPKICKS Stacks down! Tag to Julius and Diamond Mine mugs Stacks.
Julius strips Stacks’ shirt off to CHOP him, then suplex him across the ring! Julius runs in but Wilde saves Stacks! Stacks rushes Julius but Julius blocks the kick to CLOBBER Stacks back! Stacks throws hands, clinches and forearms, then he CHOPS Julius. Julius fires hands but he’s still in enemy territory. Tony tags in, fires hands then tackles Julius to rain down forearms! Tony facelocks, whips Julius to a corner, but Julius comes back to CLBOBER Tony! Julius whips Tony to a corner, clotheslines him, then whips him to ropes. Tony holds ropes and bails out, but Julius pursues! Tony slips back in, Legado and Stacks back Tony up, but all of Diamond Mine meets them!
Fans fire up as the eight men talk trash again but the ref tells them to stand down. Julius says stuff that, and he LEAPS at Tony! The brawl is on and the fans are thunderous! Strong, Kemp and Brutus throw out Stacks, Wilde and Cruz, and Julius fires off on Tony. Tony kicks back but Julius gets the leg for a takedown! Tony scrambles but Julius pursues! Julius gets the foot again but Tony keeps kicking! The family drags Tony from the ring, but Brutus get sto the apron! BRUTUS BALL! Direct hit and fans are thunderous as NXT goes picture in picture.
Julius dares Tony to come back now, and the Don clutches his foot. Julius goes out to fetch Tony into the ring, but Tony tags Cruz and bails out. Julius just suplexes Cruz across the ring! Tag to Strong, he and Cruz fire off forearms. Cruz CHOPS, Strong CHOPS, then Strong HALF NELNSON BACKBREAKERS! Cover, TWO! Strong tags Brutus in, they whip Cruz to then CLOBBER him! Brutus bear crawls after Cruz, keeps him from the corner, and GERMAN SUPLEXES! Cruz lands on his feet but Brutus CLOBBERS him again! Cruz goes t a corner, Brutus runs in but Cruz dodges to GAMANGIRI! Tag to Wilde, they double whip and double elbow!
Wilde runs, Cruz helps out, hip toss SPLASH! Cover, TWO! Wilde clamps onto Brutus with a chinlock and he throws down elbows! Wilde then stomps Brutus on the face and clamps on a chinlock. Brutus endures, fights up, and throws body shots. Wilde knees low, snapmares Brutus down and clamps on a headlock with armlock. Brutus endures, fights the hold and NXT returns to single picture. Brutus throws some knees from below but Wilde clamps onto the headlock tighter. Fans rally, and Brutus bridges up! Brutus pushes Wilde away to FLAPJACK! Fans fire up and Kemp tags in to CLOBBER Wilde! And again, and again!
Kemp hits a BIG shoulder tackle, then a fireman’s carry throw! Kemp whips, scoops and SPINNING SLAMS, to an ELBOW DROP! Wilde flounders but Kemp clotheslines him out! Cruz rushes in, Kemp dodges and ROCKS Cruz! Kemp scoops but Wilde CHOP BLOCKS Kemp’s leg! Wilde stomps the leg, YANKS it, then stays between Kemp and the Diamond Mine. Wilde soaks up the cheers and jeers, stomps Kemp more, then drags him to the corner. Tag to Tony and they mug Kemp. Tony gets a leg to SHIN BREAKER! Tony then hoists Kemp onto the top rope, puts him in a Tree of Woe, and he stomps away!
Tag to Stacks, he stomps away and goes after the leg. Tag to Wilde, he stomps away, then tag to Cruz for even more stomps! Tag back to Tony, he stomps, then soaks up cheers and jeers. Tony sucker punches Brutus, the crew get their shots in on Kemp, but the ref restores order. Tony drags Kemp up, throws haymakers, then puts him in the corner. Stacks tags in, he snapmares Kemp and drops a leg! Cover, TWO! Stacks stalks Kemp, YANKS and stomps the bad leg, then clamps on for a HALF CRAB! Kemp endures, the Diamond Mine coach him up, and Kemp turns back over. Kemp kicks Stacks away, and avoids the elbow drop!
Kemp gets to the apron, Stacks rushes over but Kemp HOTSHOTS then SLINGSHOT SPEARS! Fans fire up as both men crawl for their corners! Hot tag to Cruz and he stomps Kemp back down. Cruz gets Kemp up to ROCK him in the back! Cruz taunts the Diamond Mine, and he dropkicks Brutus down! But Kemp TOSSES Cruz out! Kemp crawls, but Cruz tags Stacks! Kemp still tags in Julius! Julius rallies on the family, pops Stacks up and hits the ROLLING SPINEBUSTER! The straps come down but Cruz flies in! Julius catches him to TOSS him! Wilde is up top, but Julius springs up to get him! SUPERPLEX!!
Fans are thunderous and Tony is furious! Tony tags and runs in, to get a GERMAN SUPLEX! Bridging cover, TWO! Julius holds on, Tony swings but into a clinch! BELLY2BELLY! Fans fire up, “This is Awesome!” but Tony kicks Julius’ leg out! Tony hobbles up, gets Julius in a gut wrench, but Julius gets the leg! ANKLE LOCK!! Tony kicks and flails but Julius has that leg! Stacks CLOBBERS Julius! Brutus POUNCES Stacks! Brutus ROCKS Wilde, Wilde BOOTS Brutus! Cruz slingshots in and Wilde hooks Brutus up, LEGADO SLICER! But Kemp CLOBBERS Wilde! Cruz missile dropkicks Kemp! Strong KNEES Wilde! SLIDING LARIAT from Julius!
Strong KNEES Wilde, SLIDING LARIAT! Fans fire up as Tony runs in, Julius gets around to waistlock. Strong runs in, but Tony gets away, the KNEE hits Julius! Stacks DECKS Strong, Tony drags Julius up! FOGEDABOUTIT! Cover, Tony’s team wins!!
Winner: Tony D’Angelo, Channing Lorenzo & Legado del Fantasma, by pinfall
The Diamond Mine was running so well, but one little mistake made it all fall apart! Tony’s family gets lucky, but does this mean they’re still the number one family in NXT?
NXT Media catches up with Alundra Blayze.
They ask her who she thinks will win the vacated Women’s Tag Team titles? Blayze says they’re all excellent teams, she has no idea who will win. But she can tell us this: “The last team standing will earn the right to be called champions.” And that’s Toxic Attraction! Gigi & Jacy praise Blayze as the living legend in this business, but here’s the deal. There are no other tag teams. There’s Toxic Attraction, and then everyone else. So just hand the belts over right now. Three-time champs, baby! Oh, they want the titles? Well next week, they’ll have to fight for them!
Blayze leaves with the belts, Gigi & Jacy whine and complain, but will Toxic Attraction just have to earn making history? Or will they be denied what they think they deserve?
My Thoughts:
A great episode for NXT, and it turns out we’re getting another special themed episode in NXT Heat Wave (or is it Heatwave?) that we’re not building towards. For one, great promo segment from Zoey Stark, Toxic Attraction and Cora Jade. Stark VS Mandy for the title is set, and I would think Cora VS Roxie is just a matter of saying it next week or the week after. Hell, next week is huge with that NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship match. Great promos from Roxie with Alundra Blayze showing up, as well as from all the teams that’ll be in the match. Of the teams in that match, I just hope it isn’t Toxic Attraction. We can’t go back to the status quo with this match. Though I definitely expect Gigi & Jacy to challenge the winners for a match at Heat Wave.
Good match from Zoey VS Gigi, too, as Zoey’s first singles match back. I also like that Sarray got involved in the Toxic Attraction interview to say she wasn’t around for the battle royal. Sarray VS Mandy next week will be really good, but I fully expect Toxic Attraction to screw her over. For one, Sarray still has her match with Meiko Satomura coming up, Sarray could end up still getting a title in NXT UK. Good promo from Lash and Fyre to hype up their grudge match. Kiana James getting this business presentation gag as her promo style is fitting, and it seems rather interesting she’s after Lyons, but I suppose Lyons needs someone to feud with.
Great pre-match promo from Waller, and a great match from Waller VS Lee. Of course Trick interferes so that Lee loses, putting more heat into Trick VS Lee II, probably for Heat Wave now. Good promo from The Schism, but I’m a little disappointed that another Gacy feud becomes about the other person’s father. This feud can still go either way, but I would hope there’s a Six Man on the way, such as Schism VS Grimes, Edris & Malik. Great match out of Apollo VS Xyon, and Apollo switching up his finisher is a nice surprise. It does represent the next chapter of his career, and Apollo can hit that spinebuster outta nowhere compared to his “Crews Missile” spin-out powerbomb.
Real good vignette from Wendy Choo, and I almost thought she was going to bring back some of that Tian Sha stuff. Her rematch with Tiffany really needs a stipulation to play off of what they did in that backstage brawl. Good promos from Solo and what’s left of the latest Robert Stone Brand formation. I’ve been saying it’d be Falls Count Anywhere, it’s great that we’re getting that, and with that stipulation, it could go any which way they want. Personally, hoping Solo wins so he can finally get at the North American Championship. And great stuff out of Chase U, Frazer and Vinci. The match itself was awesome, and everyone seems to love Andre Chase. If this match was awesome, then Frazer VS Vinci is going to be an instant classic.
Good interactions out of Indi Hartwell and Arianna Grace and a good match from them, too. Indi wins to get back up, she could also be waiting in the wings for a title match after Heat Wave. JD McDonagh’s new character stuff is interesting, with him essentially being a sociopath who knows human anatomy inside and out. But he delivered it well, and had a good interaction with Bron Breakker. A contract signing comes with the expectations of a brawl by default, but I almost expect JD to not go for that because he’s “smart enough to know” he needs to be 100% to face Bron. As for the match itself, I’m torn again on the basis that Bron could just get that belt back and become a three-time champion far too soon.
We got very good promos from the Diamond Mine and the extended D’Angelo family, and we got an awesome 8 Man Tag out of it. I actually like how that finish went. Strong and Julius were united hitting combos like that, until Tony slipped away at the last second. Expect Strong and Julius to argue about this next week, as Diamond Mine is still likely to kick Strong out. But at the same time, when is Escobar going to come back and take Legado under his wing again? Or will they end up turning on Escobar since we don’t have the numbers for another Six Man Tag?
My Score: 8.8/10
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)Â
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 PodcastÂ
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!
SmackDown’s on the road to Riyadh!
John Cena dared CM Punk to challenge him at Night of Champions, and Miss Money in the Bank, Naomi, wants all champions to Proceed With Caution!
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- King of the Ring Tournament Fatal 4 Way: Randy Orton VS LA Knight VS Aleister Black VS Carmelo Hayes; Orton wins and advances to the next round.
- Queen of the Ring Tournament Fatal 4 Way: Jade Cargill VS Nia Jax VS Piper Niven VS Mia Yim; Jade wins and advances to the next round.
- Motor City Machine Guns VS Joe Gacy & Dexter Lumis w/ The Wyatt Sick6; Gacy & Lumis win.
- Queen of the Ring Tournament Fatal 4 Way: Charlotte Flair VS Alexa Bliss VS Candice LeRae VS
Chelsea GreenAlba Fyre; Alexa wins and advances to the next round. - King of the Ring Tournament Fatal 4 Way: Cody Rhodes VS Damian Priest VS Andrade VS Shinsuke Nakamura; Cody wins and advances to the next round.
PLAY BY PLAY
John Cena is here!
Lexington, Kentucky sings, “JOHN CENA SUCKS~!” as he makes his way out in the University of Kentucky white ‘n’ blue. Cena goes to the ring, and while the fans duel, “Let’s Go, Cena!” “CENA SUCKS!” Cena signals to Mark Nash to give the proper introductions: Please welcome the Greatest of All Time, the Never Seen Seventeen, gracing Lexington with his presence one last time, he is the Last Real Champion, JOHN CENA! The fans boo as Cena holds up the belt. Cena then grabs a mic and says, “Wrestling’s Mount Rushmore… is John Cena, John Cena, John Cena, and John Cena.” The fans boo but Cena says, there have been great wrestlers and great talkers.
But no one in the past, and certainly no one in the present nor the future, is comparable to him. And the very reason Cena will always outmaneuver the fans is not because he never gives up. It is because he is smarter than us. “You Can’t See Me, but you all wanna be me.” And whether watching at home or being mesmerized in this very arena, Cena is always 1000 steps ahead because everyone is worried about here and now, when he had already “won” this title over a year ago. Cena announced his retirement early so that he could have an extra six months to scout his potential opponents.
Cena knew anyone could enter the Rumble, so he did. And he knew that if he lost in the Rumble, he could use his seniority to enter the Elimination Chamber. And he knew that in the Chamber, Rollins and Punk would melt down to give Cena an easy win. Plus, Cody Rhodes was so focused on The Final Boss, Cena just had to seize the moment, shock the world, and become unpredictable. Then all he did was use Cody’s obsession with everyone’s love to guarantee the WrestleMania win. Cena used the fanfare and love of the 25 year rivalry to get a match in Randy Orton’s hometown, all to lull Randy into a false sense of security.
Cena put R-Truth in the Saturday Night’s Main Event so that all the fans would care, and the fans took the bait! While the fans tried to save Truth, Cena made friends with Logan Paul, just to eliminate him as a threat, and all to size up his next opponent in CM Punk. The fans boo but Cena says he used Punk’s rebellious nature and sociopathic self-confidence to back him into a corner. The fans cheer for Punk, but Cena says if Punk wants to take the title, he has to admit that he is a hypocrite! And Cena doesn’t even have to worry about Mr. Money in the Bank, Rollins will never cash in on Cena while he holds this!
Cena knows Rollins wants Cena to leave with the Undisputed title, Rollins becomes your only champion! Cena is the greatest for a reason! The fans boo but Cena says while they’ve been busy using their pathetic brains to come up with fake stories like if Cena “sold his soul,” all Cena has to do is put the math in his favor. He wins before the matches even start! In 25 years, he crunched every number, solved every puzzle and cracked every code. And thank God Cena doesn’t need the fans’ appreciation, because they won’t realize how good he is until three years after he’s gone! This is the greatest moment of their lives, but to Cena, they are just a mathematical equation.
And the math says that there is no one ever worthy enough to earn the right to hold the Undisputed title ever again. But wait, here comes Cody Rhodes! Lexington sings along with Cody’s song, “WHOA~ OH~!” as the American Nightmare makes his way to the ring. Cody gets his pyro, high-fives fans in the front row, then steps up onto the corner for the second “WHOA~ OH~!” and pyro. Cody throws his track jacket to the crowd as a free souvenir, then he grabs himself a mic. The fans cheer as Cody and Cena are face to face again, and then Cody gets the fans to fire up a bit more. Cody takes a moment, then asks Cena to go over what he just said.
Cena claims to be 1000 steps ahead because he’s so smart? No, no, he isn’t just smart! Cena’s a genius! It is unfortunate that everything Cena’s said has come true: Rollins and Punk melted down, Cody was distracted, and they all took their eyes off the prize. The homefield advantage was used against Randy, and the Mount Rushmore being all Cena, sure. But here we are, some sort of 25 year master plan, and there’s this variable that he didn’t account for, and it is simple. Cena laid out his whole story since his return, but why didn’t he include the simple fact that this past Saturday, he was looking up at the lights when Cody pinned him in the middle of this ring?!
The fans cheer, and Cody says he isn’t part of Cena’s plan, Cena is part of Cody’s. So “John Rushmore,” where does that leave the two of them? Well it isn’t just the two of them, because here comes Randy Orton! The fans fire up as The Viper goes right to the ring, gets right in Cena’s face, then pushes past him to grab himself a mic. Randy is back a month after Backlash, and he tells anyone and everyone that had a pulse and was watching Backlash knows Orton had Cena BEAT! Down and out, dead to rights, and about to remove Cena’s head from his shoulders! Until somebody out there decided to come and save John Cena.
Orton realizes now that he has to do whatever it takes. It doesn’t matter what or who it is he has to go through to get his fifteenth. Even being in the King of the Ring Tournament. Cody, Orton loves you like a brother, you know that… But if Orton has to put Cody’s ass down to get to Cena, he won’t hesitate to do it! But wait! Here comes LA Knight! Lexington fires up for The Mega Star as he already has a mic to say, “LEMME TALK TO YA!” “YEAH!” LA Knight says all week long, he’s heard the whole world saying #WeWantLAKnight! “YEAH!” Knight knows what they want, and he knows for damn sure what none of the other guys in the ring want, and that’s Knight walking down there.
So, why don’t we take a walk? Knight understands what this is as he defiantly walks down there. He is looking at the WEW Establishment! “YEAH!” Knight is the sore thumb sticking out here, and that’s how he likes it, YEAH! “YEAH!” But you gotta understand something. Cena, you have this great little master plan, BAH GAWD, it is genius. But Knight knows damn sure that the plans didn’t include Knight, YEAH! So let’s go ahead and throw the plan on it’s head. KOTR is around the corner, which means Knight has a shot at Cody, Orton, and Cena, all on the way to taking what is his! “YEAH!”
So unbreakable as Knight is walking in here, he’s gotta drop a viper, a nightmare, and if he has to drop “a genius balding b*tch John Cena,” he’ll do it to be WWE Champion, with everybody saying, “L! A! KNIGHT! YEAH!!” Cena chuckles and steps out. The fans boo as Cena goes back up the ramp, but then R-TRUTH GETS HIM! Or, well, Ron Killings gets him! And he rains down furious fists on Cena right at the ramp! Security rushes out there, as do producers, and the fans boo. Cena kicks free as it takes everybody to hold Killings back! Will Cena even make it to Night of Champions with the walls closing in?
King of the Ring Tournament Fatal 4 Way: Randy Orton VS LA Knight VS Aleister Black VS Carmelo Hayes!
SmackDown returns as Melo joins Orton and Knight out here, followed by The Dark Father. The King of the Ring has a new format this year, which one of these four survives to head into the semifinals?
The bell rings and the four watch each other. Melo locks eyes with Knight, but then he goes after Aleister! They brawl with forearms and haymakers, then Melo throat chops! Melo whips, Aleister grabs ropes and BOOTS H1M back! Aleister TOSSES Melo, Knight and Orton tie up and they end up in a corner. Aleister whips but Melo reverses to send Aleister into barriers! Orton fires hands on Knight, then a KNEE! Knight turns thing around, only for Melo to roll him up! TWO, and Orton kicks Melo! Orton UPPERCUTS Melo, Aleister UPPERCUTS Melo, then Knight DECKS him! And LARIATS him up and out!
Aleister goes up, out, and TRIANGLE MOONSAULTS! Down goes Melo and Knight has Orton! Orton denies the BFT, but then Knight denies the RKO! Aleister runs up, Knight ducks the Black Mass! The fans fire up the huge standoff, and SmackDown goes to break.
SmackDown returns again and Melo has Knight in a corner. Melo rains down fists, but Knight stops him quick! Atomic drop and a LARIAT! Knight storms up on Melo to stomp him into a corner, “YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!” Knight then goes to Orton in the other corner and stomps away! “YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!” Knight goes back to Melo, but Melo SUPERKICKS! Aleister is back, Melo ducks ‘n’ dodges, LA MYSTICA! But then Knight runs up, only to be put on the apron. Knight slingshots but into a CUTTER! Melo has Knight in the ropes, FADE AWAY LEG DROP! DROPKICK for Orton, but Aleister ROCKS Melo!
Aleister whips, Melo springboards, FLYING LARIAT! Melo shoots his free throw, then FLIES to take out Aleister! The fans fire up and Melo goes back to the ring, but Knight WRECKS him with a dropkick! “YEAH!” Knight huffs ‘n’ puffs and drags Melo up to SMACK him off the desk! Knight dribbles Melo, “YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!” Orton has Knight for a back suplex, but Knight lands out! Orton blocks Aleister’s boot, spins him around, DESK BACK SUPLEX! Knight then RAMS Orton into the apron! The fans rally, Knight fetches Melo, and Knight puts Melo in the ring. Knight storms up, “This is Awesome!” as Knight hoists Melo up top.
Knight climbs but Melo throws hands! Knight CHOPS, they brawl some more, and Knight fires a flurry! “YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!” Knight steadies himself, brings Melo up, but Melo fights the lift! Melo fires body shots then he shoves Knight down! But Orton runs up to ROCK Melo! Orton gets Melo up but Melo CLWWS the eyes! Aleister STEP-UP KICKS Melo! Melo wobbles, Aleister TOSSES Orton, but Orton drags Aleister out! Orton whips, Aleister reverses and he POSTS Orton! Knight springs up to get Melo! Melo shoves Knight away, aims, FROG SPLASH!! Cover, Aleister breaks it! The fans fire up as this one continues, and SmackDown goes to break!
SmackDown returns once again and Aleister KNEES Melo, then ENZIGIRIS! Knight runs u;, Aleister goe sup and over, then he spins Knight to ELBOW him! Orton stumbles up but Aleister stops the RKO! Orton avoids Black Mass, Aleister grabs Knight but Knight rolls him up! ONE, and Aleister aims, but Knight dodges so the BOOT hits Orton! Knight has Aleister but Aleister denies BFT to KNEE Knight down! Melo headlocks but Aleister handsprings out of the bulldog! Aleister fires off a strike fest and a BOOT! Cover on Melo, TWO! Aleister grows frustrated but he has all three opponents down! The fans fire up as Aleister aims, runs up, but Orton LARIATS!
Orton LARIATS again, then dodges to SNAP POWERSLAM! But Knight runs up, he gets a SNAP POWERSLAM! Melo ROCKS Orton, runs, but into a SNAP POWERSLAM! The fans fire up for Orton as he drags Melo up. Orton puts Melo in the ropes, but then Aleister runs up. Orton kicks Aleister, has him in the ropes, but then Knight adds on! JUMPING NECKBREAKER DOUBLE DRAPING DDT COMBO!! Cover on Orton, TWO!! Orton stays in this for everyone’s sake and Knight is a bit stunned. The fans rally up, “This is Awesome!” Knight watches Melo rise, kick and B- NO, Melo powers out! Knight swings on Orton but Orton ducks!
Orton aims, but Knight denies the RKO, and he sends Orton into Melo’s FIRST 48! Aleister BOOTS Melo! Knight has Aleister, B F T!! Cover, MELO BREAKS IT!! Melo denies Knight that game winner, and now they rise up. Melo vows to end this, but Knight wrenches and kicks, to then whip and POP-UP and POWERSLAM! Knight huffs ‘n’ puffs and goes to the corner. The fans rally as Knight climbs, “L! A! KNIGHT!” BUT BRONSON REED YANKS KNIGHT DOWN! The Colossal Aussie gets revenge for Monday, but speaking of! BRON BREAKKER SPEARS KNIGHT!! They cost Knight at MITB, he cost them in KOTR, so now they get him out of KOTR!
Melo grins and takes aim, NOTHING BUT RKO!! Cover, Orton wins!!
Winner: Randy Orton, by pinfall (advances to the semifinals)
Just when Melo thought he was taking advantage of an opening, he left himself open to The Viper! Will Orton be meeting Cody Rhodes at the end of this tournament? Or will Sami Zayn make sure he isn’t just someone’s stepping stone?
Jacob Fatu walks ‘n’ talks backstage.
“Lexington, Kentucky. The United States Champion is here. Hell, the United States Champion is America’s Most Wanted, and I’m coming live and direct inside The Rupp Arena! YADADADADADADA mean?!” The Samoan Werewolf is all fired up, but what more will he say on how Saturday was the night he broke free from Solo Sikoa? We find out, after the break.
SmackDown returns and…
Fatu heads to the ring! Lexington cheers the Samoan Werewolf, and he grabs the mic to say, “Lexington, Kentucky! Let’s keep it 100! Just because you’re family don’t mean that you can go behind their back and try to snake ’em. Just because we both come from the same bloodline don’t mean that they can take all the credit for your hard work! So Solo says I wouldn’t be nothing if it wasn’t for him. Solo says Jacob Fatu would be nothing if it wasn’t for him!” The fans boo that, and Fatu says this is why he had to remind Solo at MITB what happens when you don’t get in where you fit in! The fans cheer that!
So now, it is Fatu against the world! Cuz Fatu is all gas, no brakes with it! YADADA MEAN~?! But wait, Solo Sikoa is on the tron, sarcastically applauding. Solo says that’s it, Jacob, tell ’em how you feel. Solo leans in close and asks Fatu if he’s done getting it all off his chest. At MITB, Fatu could’ve made the biggest mistake of his life. And Solo can forgive him for that. One year ago, when Solo visited Fatu in Sacramento, Fatu was doing nothing. NOTHING. No one wanted Fatu around until Solo brought him here to the WWE. Solo made Fatu into a WWE Superstar, put money in his pocket, put him in the position for success, and even made him a champion!
This is all because of SOLO, you stupid…! Solo holds back, and he says next week, Solo will be in the ring with open arms, willing to take Fatu back. But there is something Solo needs from Fatu. He needs those four words from him: I Love You, Solo. And just remember… Solo brought Fatu into the WWE, and he can take him out of it. Yadada mean? Solo leaves Fatu to think on this ultimatum, but is it already obvious what Fatu will say to Solo next week?
Nick Aldis meets with The Secret Her-vice.
“Special Slaygent” Piper informs the SmackDown General Manager that Chelsea Green needs to speak with him. But Chelsea isn’t here in the room…? She’s on the phone. And Chelsea apologizes, she had an impossible time finding a flight to get her to Lexington, so can they postpone her Fatal 4 Way until next week? Aldis says no, they’re not postponing anything for little ol’ Chelsea. But if her Secret Her-vice is here… Alba is ready for competition, right? So then Alba will take Chelsea’s place! Perfect! Chelsea says no, she will filibuster and- Oh, sorry, no, Aldis authorized it, he doesn’t care what Chelsea has to say, so Alba has to go get ready now.
Alba grumbles that she has to change from her security suit to her wrestling suit. Chelsea complains and complains, but then Zelina Vega steps in. Zelina takes the phone and hangs up on Chelsea so she can talk with Aldis. She wants Giulia now! Well, she’s not here tonight. Oh, that’s convenient. Aldis says he understands that Zelina wants after Giulia after last week. Zelina says first of all, she’s been snatched unawares much harder by much better. Second, don’t worry about the girl that does the sneak attacks, worry about the girl that gets up after every beating. One sneak attack isn’t gonna scare her, she is THE Women’s US Champion!
So next week, Zelina will confront Giulia, because she doesn’t need to pretend or hide. The smallest girl with the biggest mouth is gonna make Giulia look stupid! Zelina storms off, will the Beautiful Madness learn not to get on La Muneca’s bad side?
Queen of the Ring Tournament Fatal 4 Way: Jade Cargill VS Nia Jax VS Piper Niven VS Mia Yim!
A storm has come to Lexington, and she wants to make her way to Riyadh! Will the Irresistible Force, the Special Slaygent and even the Head Baddie in Charge be unable to slow her down? Or will someone else grab that spot in the semifinals?
SmackDown returns as Michin makes her entrance, joining Jade and Piper, leaving Nia for last. Nia says she won the crown last year, she’ll just do it again. The bell rings and Piper fires off on Mia while Nia RAMS Jade! The fans boo but Jade elbows Nia and bumps her off buckles! Jade RAMS into Nia but Piper has Mia on the outside. Piper whips Mia into barriers! And then puts her up against the post. Nia and Jade have moved their brawl outside while Piper runs up on Mia. Mia dodges so Piper POSTS herself! Nia whips, Jade reverse, Nia hits steel steps! The fans fire up as Jade and Mia meet in the ring.
Mia and Jade run up, Mia slips around to waistlock, but Jade switches to SLAM Mia down! Mia fights up while Jade holds on, but Jade whips. Jade hurdles, then scoops for a BACKBREAKER! Cover, TWO! Mia stays in this but Jade stays on her. Jade suplexes, holds Mia up, but Mia slips free! Mia goes to a corner, dodges Jade, but Jade keeps moving! Mia ducks ‘n’ dodges ‘n’ redirects to RANA! Mia runs and SHOTGUNS Jade down! The fans rally, Mia covers, TWO! Jade is tougher than that but Mia stomps her. Mia runs but Piper trips her up! Piper drags Mia out and scoops to SLAM her on the floor!
Nia drops an ELBOW on Jade! Piper SENTONS Mia! Nia soaks up the heat, drags Jade up, and Nia bumps Jade off buckles. Nia CHOPS Piper, then shakes her hand. Nia whips corner to corner, Jade bounces off buckles, and Nia signals for that crown. Jade fires forearms but Nia HEADBUTTS her down! Nia fireman’s carries and SAMOAN DROPS! Piper adds a SENTON! Piper and Nia stare down, but they decide to work together on Jade. Nia & Piper mug Jade in a corner, then whip corner to corner. Jade ELBOWS Piper away, dodges Nia, and Nia POSTS herself! Jade runs to PUMP KICK Piper outta the ring!
But Nia drags Jade out of the ring! The mugging continues, but Mia goes up and up to ASAI MOOONSAULT! Direct hit and all four are down! The fans fire up while SmackDown goes to break.
SmackDown returns again and Jade SPLASHES Piper in one corner, then SPLASHES Nia in the other! And repeat! But then Nia follows, only for Jade to dodge! Nia SPLASHES Piper, then Jade ROCKS her! But Piper CLOBBERS Jade! Nia DRIBBLES Jade off the mat, the fans boo, and Nia salutes with Piper. They drag Jade up, whip her to a corner, then Nia runs to SPLASH! Piper adds a SPLASH of her own! Jade sits down, Nia HIP ATTACKS! Piper CANNONBALLS! Cover, but Nia won’t let Piper get it! Piper says okay, okay, she was just kidding around. But Nia shoves Piper! Piper shoves Nia! Mia RANAS Nia, then JAWBREAKERS Piper!
Mia has Piper for a TORNADO BULLDOG! Cover, TWO! Piper stays in this but Mia drags her up. Jade CLUBS Mia, whips her, but Mia RAN- NO, Jade blocks it! SIT OUT POWERBOMB! Cover, TWO!! Mia survives, and Piper SPLASHES Jade! Piper drags Mia up, reels her in, but Mia slips out of the scoop! SLICED BREAD! Mia hurries to cover, but Nia breaks it! Nia SENTONS onto Mia! Cover, TWO! Mia toughs it out and Nia grows frustrated. Nia & Piper go after Jade on the outside but Jade fights them off! SUPERKICK for Piper! HAYMAKER for Nia! Piper HEADBUTTS Jade, Nia ROCKS Jade, and then they two TOSS Jade over the desk!
Wade Barrett gets wiped out by The Storm and Nia just flips them both off! But Mia WRECKS Nia with a dropkick! Piper is up, Mia dodges and tilt-o-whirls to DDT! Cover, Nia breaks it! Mia drags Nia up to fire hands, then she fires hands on Piper! The fans rally, Mia runs, but into double guzels! DOUBLE CHOKE SLAM!! Nia applauds, the fans boo, and Wade is apparently okay, but then Nia DECKS Piper! Nia dumps Piper out, drags Mia to a drop zone, then she goes up! The fans boo the A-NIA-LATOR!! Cover, PIPER BREAKS IT! Piper and Nia go outside, and Piper POSTS Nia! Piper then runs to SPEAR Nia through the barriers!!
The fans go nuts as Piper proves she’s the more destructive powerhouse! Piper then storms over to Mia, she goes up the corner, VADER BOMB! But Jade is up!! Chicken wings on Piper, JADED for Piper!!! Cover, JADE WINS!
Winner: Jade Cargill, by pinfall (advances to the semifinals)
Just as it looked like she was done for, Jade snatches this win away for her own! The Storm is in the semifinals, will she make quick work of The Prodigy, Roxanne Perez?
Naomi watches this backstage.
She’s not exactly pleased that Jade is advancing, but she’s also the one holding the Money in the Bank briefcase. Naomi heads for gorilla, what will she have to say about her huge victory? We find out, after the break.
SmackDown returns and…
Lexington fires up as Naomi heads to the ring! “Yes, I see some o’ y’all looking real surprised! Real shocked! Real stupid! I dunno why, because I told y’all I was done accepting scraps. I took what I deserve, and look at me now. Miss Money in the Bank! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” The fans are torn, but Naomi says what’s really funny is the entire time, when she was trying to beat Nia Jax for the WWE Women’s Championship, y’know who was there with a briefcase to stop it? Y’know who distracted her? Who bashed her in the head?! It was Tiffany Stratton. “Too Nice Naomi” just let it happen. But the Naomi now aini’t lettin’ nothing sliding! She’s here for payback!
And when Naomi CLOCKS Tiffy Time in the head with this briefcase, it’ll feel so good when Naomi becomes the NEW WWE- Well, here comes Tiffany herself! The fans cheer as Tiff goes to the ring, and she grabs a mic to say, “You talk a big game, Naomi. So why don’t you just do it? Just cash in and take my title… right now.” The fans chant “DO IT! DO IT!” Tiffy says see, she’s still the same ol’ Naomi: all talk and no action. That is why Naomi never beat Nia. But please, prove us all wrong! The fans cheer, Naomi snarls, and she says, “Do I look stupid to you?! Do I look like Booboo the Fool? I ain’t gonna cash in on you now. I’ma cash in when you least expect it.”
Fans go, “What?” and Naomi shouts, “B*tch, you heard me!” Naoim says in the meantime, she will enjoy making Tiffy’s life HELL! Naomi says tick-tock, Tiffy, time is almost up! So Naomi strongly advises to #ProceedWithCaution. The fans are torn, but while Naomi holds up the briefcase, Tiffy holds up the belt. When and where will we see- WAIT! NIA is here! Nia and Tiff brawl, the fans fire up, and Nia shoves Tiff. Tiff DROPKICKS Nia’s legs, then DROPKICKS Nia in the face! Naomi runs up, Tiff DECKS her, but Nia CLOBBERS Tiff! Nia may not be going to Riyadh, but she wants to get hers now! A-NIA-LATOR on Tiff!!
Naomi hurries back up, but Nia steps in the way! Nia tells Naomi to back off, so Naomi backs off. Will Nia get payback on the Wrestling Barbie before Naomi can? Or will Tiffy still have time on the clock?
Nick Aldis meets with the SmackDown Tag Division.
He thanks the Street Profits, Motor City Machine Guns, Fraxiom & DIY for coming to discuss the Wyatt situation. Johnny Gargano interrupts, saying this is a big decision. DIY feels this is a huge opportunity… for Fraxiom. Everyone else says they knew DIY would pull that. Fraxiom says they’re not afraid, but Tommaso Ciampa says if nothing else, the Street Profits should step up as the champions. Angelo Dawkins says bet, they’re already ready. Aldis suggests they all let him finish his explanation. Taking all this into account, MCMG are the veterans, so they will set the tone. They get the Wyatts tonight.
The others applaud and Dawkins says yes, set that tone. Will Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin be able to have an impact on the Wyatt Sick6? Or will the Motor City Machine Guns have no effect on what goes bump in the night?
Motor City Machine Guns VS Joe Gacy & Dexter Lumis!
SmackDown returns as the lights go down and the fireflies come out. The chair and the lantern wait on stage as the Wyatts make their entrance. Uncle Howdy sits in the chair, Nikki Cross & Erik Rowan stay close, and Gacy & Lumis rush the ring! The fans cheer as the brawl is on! The bell rings, Gacy has Shelley while Lumis has Sabin! The ref reprimands, Gacy whips Shelley to a corner then CLOBBERS him! Lumis & Gacy whip Sabin, DOUBLE ELBOW, then Lumis drops an AX HANDLE! Gacy drops a SENTON! Cover, ONE!! Gacy drags Sabin up, bumps him off buckles, and tags in Lumis.
Lumis brings Sabin around but Sabin swings. Lumis duck sot hit a BIG back suplex! Lumis kips up and LEG DROPS! Cover, TWO! Sabin is tougher than that, but Lumis drags him up. Gacy tags in, they mug Sabin, and then Gacy whips. Scoop and BACKBREAKER! Gacy goes up the ropes to LIONSAULT! Cover, TWO! Gacy BLASTS Shelley off the apron and he tags Lumis in. They get Sabin up, UPPERCUT and then a kick down low. Lumis wrenches Sabin, tags Gacy back in, and the mugging continues. They double whip, but Sabin breaks the double lariat! Gacy runs up but Sabin DUMPS him out! And then he TOSSES Lumis!
Tag to Shelley and MCMG set up! The fans fire up as the Machine Guns DOUBLE DORPKICK! Then they DOUBLE PLANCHA! Down go Lumis & Gacy and the fans fire up! MCMG stare down with Rowan while SmackDown goes to break.
SmackDown returns again and both Shelley and Gacy are down. The fans rally, Shelley crawls, hot tag to Sabin! Sabin goes up to MSSILE DROPKICK! Gacy flounders, Lumis tags in, but Sabin dodges to CHOP, CHOP, and CHOP! Sabin whips, Lumis reverses but Sabin BULLDOGS! The fans fire up and Lumis staggers up. Sabin runs and GAMANGIRIS! Sabin drags Lumis to a cover, TWO! Howdy is antsy as Sabin tags Shelley. Shlley goes to the apron, Sabin follows, and MCMG DOUBLE SUPERKICK Lumis! Lumis sputters, MCMG drags him inside, and Shelley whips Lumis to the corner. LARIAT, then he tags Sabin!
Shelley clinches but Lumis ELBOWS free! Lumis trips Sabin up, then hurries to tag Gacy! Gacy runs in to handspring, and DOUBLE UPSIDE-DOWN!! Tag back to Lumis and they have Sabin! Whip and POP-UP POWERBOMB onto Sabin! The fans fire up as Lumis covers, TWO!! Sabin survives but Lumis snarls. Lumis watches Sabin stir, drags him up and wrenches to then whip him to the corner. But Sabin DROPKICKS Gacy! Lumis runs in, Sabin BOOTS him away, then Sabin runs up, DDT! Hot tag to Shelley! Lumis staggers up, Shelley whips, BIG atomic drop! Then the DREAM SEQUENCE!
The fans fire up with MCMG and Howdy doesn’t like that. Sabin tags back in, he drags Lumis up while Shelley climbs. Sabin turns Lumis but Gacy trips Shelley! Gacy HEADBUTTS Sabin, he and Lumis aim, HIGH LOW!! Cover off the superkick and leg sweep combo, but they ask Howdy for permission. “YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH~!” Lumis goes up, Gacy CLOBBERS Shelley, and Lumis hits a SUPER LEG DROP!! Cover, The Wyatts win!
Winners: Joe Gacy & Dexter Lumis, by pinfall
The chaos is back and it is on top as Lumis & Gacy break the Machine Guns. Will they tear through the rest of the division until they’re the champions?
John Cena encounters Jimmy Uso backstage.
Cena and #BigJim stare down, and Cena asks if Jimmy has seen R-Truth. No, he hasn’t. Then has he seen Ron Killings? Listen, man… Jimmy ain’t seen either one of ’em. Cena says he knows Jimmy and Truth are close. So let Killings know that Cena’s going back to the ring, and he wants Killings to meet him there. Cena heads out, will Ron get the message? Will Cena get the Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth?
SmackDown returns and…
“JOHN CENA SUCKS~!” as he goes right back to the ring, just as he promised. And he tells everyone to shut up! Cena paces and says, “There is a level of disrespect that I can tolerate. R-Truth, you just crossed the line!” The fans chant, “We Want Truth!” and Cena frowns. Cena says for once, he agrees. There is a time to talk and there is a time to fight, so Truth, get out here so they can fight! BUT WAIT! CM PUNK is here instead! Cena is stunned and maybe even a little scared to see Punk here on SmackDown. Punk goes right to the ring as the fans cheer, and he grabs himself a mic before sitting on the top rope.
The fans cheer Punk on even more and Punk asks, “Is it great to be alive on a Friday night in Lexington, Kentucky or what?” The fans cheer that! And Punk asks Cena if he said something about disrespect. Cena is tired of being disrespected? “John, these people are tired of being disrespected! But now, CM Punk has a microphone, and I think you can trust when I say that we have yet to begin the reach the levels of disrespect that we are capable of.” Punk says for old time’s sake, he’ll give Cena a chance, the benefit of a doubt. Maybe Punk’s empathy is too much, too Obi-Wan talking to Darth Vader, hoping to see Anakin still in there.
So Punk will give Cena a chance in front of this legendary wrestling town. “Stop what you’re doing, let these people celebrate who and what you are, let them put you on a pedestal on your way out. Let them celebrate the sacrifices you have made for them and this business. Give them a happy ending!” Punk steps back and Cena steps up. Cena asks, “Why? Why would I waste my time?” The fans boo, but Cena says the people don’t matter, this place doesn’t matter, basketball doesn’t matter, horse racing doesn’t matter! THIS Undisputed Championship is the only thing that matters! So Cena is to eat crow to the same idiots wearing his shirt but singing Punk’s song? Fat chance!
Punk says okay, okay, let the record show that Punk and Lexington gave Cena an out. But now, let’s do it Cena’s way. Let the disrespect being. Ironically that is the Punk way! When the static hits and Cult of Personality plays through sold-out arenas, everyone knows it is about to get real. And ladies and gentlemen, watching and working at USA Network, it’s about to get real. Here’s the truth Cena wants so badly. The saying goes, “You tell a strong man a lie to offend him.” That’s why it pisses Punk off when Cena calls him the hypocrite. Conversely, you tell a weak man the truth and that offends him.
Fans chant, “We Want Truth!” Punk says the truth here is… Cena can’t beat Punk. When Punk is at his best, Cena never could. And now Cena wants to ruin wrestling? Well, Punk is going to take it upon himself to save it. Bare with Punk, because as always, he has a lot to get off his chest. That other thing about sociopathic confidence? Punk takes that as a compliment. Because it is that confidence that brought Punk to the mountaintop time and time again. Especially when people like Cena say they wanna see it but claim Punk didn’t have it. But Punk is not as confident as Cena, because Punk would never dress like a toddler who looks like he struck out at T-Ball.
The fans laugh, Punk says he wants that stricken from the record, because y’know who that sounds like? That sounds like the PG John Cena. Which is ironic, because right now, y’know who Cena sounds like, saying he’s gonna ruin wrestling, take the strap and go home… That sounds like C M PUNK! And yes, that is ironic. Cena is stealing Punk’s best material. Punk won that title, he left with the title, and Cena is trying to follow in those footsteps. Punk did it! He said he would and he did, and Cena couldn’t stop him. Cena thinks challenging Punk at Night of Champions is going to stop him? “John Boy, just like old times, here’s CM Punk to make your title run interesting.”
Here comes CM Punk to make John Cena’s retirement tour interesting! Watchable! Get the rocket fuel to fuel that private jet! Punk would go to MARS to beat Cena’s ass! Punk will follow Cena to Hell to prove he is better than Cena! But here’s more truth, it isn’t all bad. Cena IS a GOAT, but so is Punk. Punk beat Cena in Chicago, he beat Cena in Boston, and he will beat Cena at Night of Champions. Cena is the “Goat” that Punk will spit-roast and sacrifice to the gods of wrestling! Legends who actually belong on the Mount Rushmore! Terry Funk, Harley Race, Bret Hart, Eddie Guerrero! The AUDACITY of Cena to put himself on that mountain once, let alone all four times. What a joke.
The fans cheer but Cena smirks. Punk says here’s more truth: You can’t see me? No, Punk sees through him, and always has, and that’s the truth. Punk leaves Cena with that, and then KILLINGS STRIKES AGAIN!! And he puts Cena in the STF!! Punk mockingly says, “I’m sorry~! But the Truth hurts!” Cena suffers his own signature submission but security rushes out here! The fans boo as they drag Killings off Cena and Cena scrambles away! Cena hops and hobbles on one good leg, are the bridges he burned going to take them down with him?
Backstage interview with Alexa Bliss.
Byron Saxton is with Lil’ Miss Bliss at gorilla, and notes that she took a tough loss at MITB. What is the mindset going into the future? Alexa says she’s won MITB, cashed in, made history, so she isn’t rattled. Tonight, she reminds everyone of who she is, and will be one step closer to becoming Queen of the Ring. But then in steps Charlotte Flair. And she says, “Sweetie, did you say, ‘Queen?’ There’s only room for one queen in this division. WOO~!” Charlotte makes her entrance first, but both she and Alexa will have to fight their way into the next round. Will it be either of them that moves forward? Or are they overlooking the Poison Pixie and the Firestarter?
Nick Aldis finds R-Truth/Ron Killings backstage.
Aldis asks Truth what the hell he’s doing, he can’t just keep jumping Cena like that! What’s Aldis supposed to do? Truth says he wants a match with Cena next week. Next week? Yeah. Done. Killings says he’s driving now! Will he run Cena right off the road?
Queen of the Ring Tournament Fatal 4 Way: Charlotte Flair VS Alexa Bliss VS Candice LeRae VS Alba Fyre!
SmackDown returns and Candice makes her entrance to join Charlotte, Alexa, and Alba. The bell rings and the fans rally up. The four watch each other, but Alexa and Charlotte stare down as they step up. Alba and Candice jump on them! Candice is after Alexa, Alba is after Charlotte, and they put the two in corners. Alba RAMS into Charlotte again and again while Candice stomps a mudhole into Alexa. Alba digs her boots in, Candice SPLASHES Alexa, and then Candice fires elbows. Charlotte CHOPS Alba, storms up to RAM Alexa into Candice, then Charlotte POSTS Alexa! Alexa tumbles out and the fans are torn for Charlotte.
Charlotte dusts herself off, then THROWS Candice into Alba! Charlotte drags Alba to a cover, ONE!! Cover on Candice, ONE!! Charlotte CHOPS Alba, CHOPS Candice, and repeat! The fans “WOO~” with every CHOP! But then Candice grabs a leg, Alba BOOTS Charlotte down, and they mug Charlotte! Alba smothers Charlotte using her tie! Alba CLUBS Charlotte down, then she and Candice mug her, returning the CHOPS! Alba kicks Charlotte, she and Candice have Charlotte on the ropes, and they CHOP again! They double whip Charlotte, but Charlotte grabs ropes. Charlotte KICKS Candice, ROCKS Alba, then LARIATS Candice!
Alexa is back and she CROSSBODIES onto Charlotte! Cover, ONE! Alexa clinches, but Candice & Alba mug Alexa! Charlotte gets away while Candice bumps Alexa off buckles. Alba stomps Alexa, Charlotte DECKS Candice, and she DECKS Alba! Cover on Alba, TWO! Charlotte scowls as she stands back up. The fans rally while SmackDown goes picture in picture.
Charlotte storms up on Candice, reels her in, but Candice fights the suplex. Alba joins in, they DOUBLE SUPLEX Charlotte! Cover, but Alba stops Candice. A parallel to Piper and Nia, we know how that turned out… But Alba & Candice still mug Charlotte together for now. Charlotte JAWBREAKERS Alba, dodges Candice, but Candice tilt-o-whirls to RANA! And then ENZIGIRI! Cover, TWO! Charlotte is tougher than that and that annoys Candice. Alba BLASTS Alexa off the apron, Charlotte RAMS Candice into a corner, but Alba CLUBS Charlotte down. Candice climbs the corner while Alba stands Charlotte up, but Charlotte ELBOWS free!
Charlotte BOOTS Candice off the corner, but Alba rolls Charlotte to BOOT her down! Cover, WTO! Alba seethes and throws her suit jacket at Charlotte. Alba stomps a mudhole into Charlotte, then stands on her hair! Alba salutes while Candice SMACKS Alexa off the apron. Alba pulls Charlotte’s arms and Candice SMACKS Alexa off the desk! Alba & Candice work together to DOUBLE SUPLEX Charlotte, but Alba has Candice stay back. They drag Charlotte up again, but she ROCKS Alba and ROCKS Candice! Then repeat! Alba kicks low, Candice comes back, and they double whip Charlotte to a corner.
SmackDown returns to single picture as Charlotte goes up and out! She BOOTS Alba, RAMS Candice, then goes up the corner! The fans fire up but Candice SMACKS Charlotte first! And SMACKS her again! Alba climbs up to join them, but Alexa sneaks in underneath! TOWER OF DOOM! The fans fire up and Alexa crawls to cover Charlotte, TWO! Alexa is frustrated but the fans fire up. Alexa and Candice stand, Alexa RUNS her over! She even RUNS Alba over! Alexa SLAPS Candice, DECKS her, then blocks Alba’s kick to DRAGON SCREW! Charlotte runs up, Alexa clinches to S T O! And then INSULT2- NO, Candice makes it a CODE BREAKER SENTON!
Alba has Candice, wrenches and reels her in, GOURD BUSTER! But Alexa hits a BLOCKBUSTER! Candice hits NATURAL SELECTION!! Charlotte drags Alexa around, steps through, FIGURE FOUR! And the push-up into the FIGURE EIGHT! But Candice LIONSAULTS it all apart!! Alba SUPERKICKS Candice! Charlotte is up, Alba spins her around, Gory Especial, GORY BOMB! Cover, ALEXA BREAKS IT! The fans fire up and Alba drags Alexa up. Alexa mule kicks, DDTS, and then hurries for a corner! Lexington cheers on Alexa, TWISTED BLISS!! Cover, CHARLOTTE BREAKS IT! The fans boo but Charlotte TOSSES Alexa!
Alexa is on the apron, Charlotte BOOTS her down! But Candice rolls Charlotte! TWO!! Charlotte escapes, Candice ducks ‘n’ dodges, but Charlotte SPEARS her down! Cover, TWO!! Candice shows that toughness and Charlotte is frustrated. Charlotte has the legs, steps through, but Alba SUPERKICKS Charlotte! Alba roars, turns her, but Charlotte powers out of the Unpretty-Her! BOOT!! FIGURE FOUR!! Then FIGURE EIGHT!!! Alba endures, but Alexa catches Candice!! TWISTED SISTER ABIGAIL!! Cover, ALEXA WINS!!
Winner: Alexa Bliss, by pinfall (advances to the semifinals)
Charlotte lets go of Alba and is in disbelief! But Alexa smiles as she snatches this win right out from under Charlotte’s nose! Charlotte may call herself the queen, but will Alexa be the one to wear the crown?
Cody heads to gorilla.
And he crosses paths with Punk. Cody says they can’t run away from each other forever. Punk says he knows. But good luck tonight. After Night of Champions, we’ll see who’s chasing who. Cody moves on, but will he move on in the tournament? Or will the American Nightmare’s nightmare of losing that Undisputed Championship only get worse?
King of the Ring Tournament Fatal 4 Way: Cody Rhodes VS Damian Priest VS Andrade VS Shinsuke Nakamura!
SmackDown returns as the King of Strong Style makes his entrance, followed by El Idolo, leaving the Archer of Infamy for last. The bell rings and the fans rally. All four men are wary of each other, but Nakamura winds up, only to not say his signature “C’mon” to just bail out. But then Cody DIVES onto him! Priest swings on Andrade, Andrade dodges to WRECK Cody! Priest KICKS, KICKS, and ROLLING ELBOWS Andrade! Priest winds up, Andrade dodges, FLYING FOREARMS! Andrade kips up, the fans fire up, and Andrade rallies the fans with ‘SI! SI! SI!” But Cody stops Cien Knees to take an elbow!
Priest mule kicks Andrade, then suplexes for the BROKEN ARROW! Cover, TWO! Cody JABS, JABS, JABS, then flip, flop- BELL CLAP from Priest! But Cody rebounds to LARIAT Priest up and out! Priest drags Cody out, they brawl, and Cody SMACKS Priest off the apron! Nakamura FLYING KNEES Priest! Nakamura kicks Cody, ROCKS Priest, they all brawl outside, but Andrade goes up! ARIHARA MOONSAULT! Direct hit and everyone is down while the fans fire up, and SmackDown goes picture in picture!
All four men stir and Andrade is first up. Andrade puts Nakamura in the ring, covers, TWO! Andrade whips Nakamura to a corner, runs in, but Nakamura dodges! Andrade’s knee hits buckles and he tumbles out! Nakamura goes after Andrade to put him on the apron, and then runs to KNEE Andrade down! Priest and Cody brawl in the ring, and Priest ROCKS Cody to a corner. Priest whips, Cody reverses to kick and RHODES UPPERCUT! Cody whips, Priest reverses, and Priest runs up, only for Cody to go up and over. Priest feints running up so Cody’s snap powerslam gets nothing! Priest then KICKS Cody down!
Cody sputters but Priest is on him. Priest ROCKS Cody again, Nakamura stomps Andrade, then Nakamura KICKS Priest! Nakamura fires off fists and kicks in the corner, so Andrade rolls Cody! TWO, and Cody powers Andrade to a corner. Cody climbs up to rain down fists, only for Andrade to slip out at nine and YANK Cody down! Nakamura brings Priest around but Priest DECKS him! Priest stomps away on Nakamura, then he goes over to Andrade, Priest stands Andrade up to DECK him! Cody SMACKS Nakamura off the desk! Priest drags Andrade up while Nakamura SMACKS Cody off the desk! Priest ROCKS Andrade, then he has Cody in another corner.
Nakamura fires off on Andrade, Priest digs his boots into Cody, and then Nakamura bumps Andrade off buckles. Cody turns things around on Priest to CHOP, but that just pisses Priest off. Priest DECKS Cody! Cody sputters, Priest puts him in the corner, but Nakamura fires off strikes on Priest! Nakamura has Andrade on the top rope, and SmackDown returns to single picture as Nakamura runs in for a TOP SHELF KNEE! Andrade falls to the floor, but then Priest runs up! Nakamura dodges, runs back in, and he blocks boots to ROUNDHOUSE Priest! Nakamura puts Priest in the ropes to SLIDING GERMAN!
Nakamura hurries back in while fans fire up. Cody swings, misses, but then Cody ducks a roundhouse, only for the WHEEL KICK to hit! The fans fire up as Nakamura gives Cody some BAD VIBRATIONS! Nakamura goes corner to corner and the fans rally. Cody dodges, Nakamura hits buckles, and Cody grabs a leg! Cody trips Nakamura, steps through, FIGURE FOUR! Nakamura endures, fights the main leg, but Andrade is up top! FROG SPLASH onto Cody! Nakamura is free, but then Priest JUMP KICKS Andrade! Priest drags Cody up, ROCKS him, and then runs to ELBOW Andrade! ELBOW for Cody! SHOULDER TACKLE for Andrade!
The fans fire up for Priest and he goes to the outside, to leap off the steel steps and AX HANDLE Nakamura! Priest puts Nakamura back in the ring, drags him up at the ropes, and he knuckle locks so he can climb! The fans cheer as Priest goes Old School, only for Cody to jump up after him! But Priest then grabs Cody in a guzel! Nakamura trips them both up! Nakamura CLOBBERS Priest, Andrade rolls Nakamura, TWO! Andrade swings, but into an ARMBAR TAKEDOWN!! The fans fire up as Cody DIVING SPLASHES! Cody TOSSES Nakamura, covers Andrade, TWO! Cover again, TWO! Cody is frustrated but he goes outside.
The fans fire up as they sense what’s coming! Cody brings out a TABLE! Cody sets “Slim Jim” up at ringside, goes back to the ring for Andrade, and he lines up the shot. But Andrade hooks the ropes to block! Andrade suplexes but Cody blocks! They fight for control, but Priest CLUBS Andrade. Priest and Cody stare down, but they decide to work together! The fans fire up as they hoist Andrade up, but Nakamura makes the save! Only to INVERTED EXPLODER Andrade! DYNAMIC DROPKICK and Cody falls through the table! Cody snaps into a Slim Jim and the fans go nuts! Nakamura goes outside while SmackDown goes picture in picture.
Nakamura fetches Priest, brings him over, but Priest blocks the desk smack to ROCK Nakamura! Priest SMACKS Nakamura off the desk now! And again! Priest brings Nakamura around to DECK him, but then Andrade CLUBS Priest! Andrade SMACKS Priest off the desk, then he and Nakamura actually work together to BOOT Priest onto the desk! But they’re not done as they TOSS Priest over the desk! Wade got outta there this time! Andrade then clears off the desk! Nakamura & Andrade bring Priest around to TOSS him over barriers! Then Nakamura CLOBBERS Andrade! Nakamura applauds his trickery before putting Andrade in the ring. Nakamura covers, TWO!
Nakamura is annoyed and he KICKS Andrade in the side. Andrade sputters but Nakamura paces. Andrade rises to CHOP! Nakamura dusts himself off to KICK Andrade down! Andrade stands but into KNEES and KICKS! Andrade blocks one, but not the ENZIGIRI! Andrade ends up in a corner, Nakamura whips corner to corner, but Andrade reverses. Andrade runs up, Nakamura puts him on the apron, but Andrade ROCKS him! Andrade climbs, but Nakamura ROCKS him! Nakamura climbs now but Andrade fires back! They brawl up top, and Andrade HEADBUTTS Nakamura down! Nakamura GAMANGIRIS in return!
SmackDown returns to single picture again as Nakamura climbs back up. Priest returns to CLUB Nakamura! He has Nakamura in the crucifix, but Nakamura fights free! Priest drags Nakamura down, Nakamura fires a strike fest! Priest clinches to FLATLINER! Andrade MOONSAULT DOUBLES! Cover, TWO!! Nakamura LARIATS! Andrade BOOTS! Nakamura PELES! These three are down, and Cody rises from the wreckage! The fans fire up for Cody as he drags himself into the ring. Cody runs up to LARIAT Andrade! And LARIAT Nakamura! Cody whips Priest, Priest reverses, but Cody goes up and over, and this time, SNAP POWERSLAM!
The fans fire up and Cody blocks Andrade’s kick to then run and BEAUTIFUL DISASTER! Cody catches Nakamura, Nakamura drops down to UP KICK! Snapmare and SLIDING KNEE! Cover, ANDRADE BREAKS IT!! Priest has Andrade, Andrade schoolboys him into buckles! The fans fire up, “SI! SI! SI!” Andrade runs corner to corner, CIEN KNEES for Nakamura! Then Andrade goes again, CIEN- NO, Priest has Andrade by the neck! Andrade breaks free to CHOP, but Priest ROCKS Andrade! Andrade comes back, SHADOW ELBOW! THE MESSAGE!! Cover, NAKAMURA AX KICKS IT APART! Nakamura drags Andrade up, but Andrade ROCKS him first!
Nakamura snarls and ROCKS Andrade back! The fans rally as the forearms go back and forth! Andrade CHOSP! Nakamura KICKS! Nakamura CLUBS Andrade, KNEES him low, but Cody is back! Cody dodges Nakamura, to DOUBLE CODY CUTTER!! Not the cleanest but it didn’t need to be! Priest kicks Cody low, reels him in, Canadian Rack, but Cody slips free! Cody goes up, up, and SUPER CODY CUTTERS!! Priest tumbles out of the ring and Cody roars! He catches Andrade, CROSS RHODES!! And then he drags Andrade up again, only for Nakamura to clamp on a SLEEPER!! Cody flails, claws at the grip, but Nakamura dragon sleepers!
Nakamura vows to end this, but Cody flips that around on him! CROSS RHODES!! Cover, CODY WINS!!
Winner: Cody Rhodes, by pinfall (advances to the semifinals)
Lexington cheers and sings with Cody’s song as he comes out on top! We know Sami Zayn and Randy Orton are one semifinal match, but Raw will determine the other! Sheamus, Rusev, Bronson Reed, or MAIN EVENT JEY USO, who survives to then meet Cody in the next round?
My Thoughts:
A great SmackDown with a lot of action from doing all the SmackDown Fatal 4 Ways in the King & Queen of the Ring tournaments. And each Fatal 4 Way was great, because Fatal 4 Ways always lend themselves to fast, chaotic action. Great opening promo from Cena with Cody, Orton and Knight to help segue into the first match, but also great stuff with R-Truth going after Cena. Orton winning was a bit of a surprise, and makes for a very interesting match with Sami Zayn. I suppose Sami going hard against Orton and finding a sneakier way to win could go with how Karrion Kross has been working to bring that side out of Sami.
Jade winning her match made sense, as Piper is still just Chelsea’s sidekick and Mia isn’t quite at that QOTR top title level. It also puts her in line with Naomi’s story of being Miss MITB, because Naomi can mess Jade over in a title match just as much as she can Tiffany. Very good promo from Naomi with Tiffany to tease a cash in, but also set up Tiffy VS Nia one more time. Chelsea also had a hilarious video call promo, and good on Aldis to stand up to her by putting Alba in the match instead. Alexa winning was only a little surprising, as she’s on that return push. And it makes for a fresh match-up no matter who from Raw wins the final Fatal 4.
Awesome main event Fatal 4 but I figured Cody would win, as it makes for a unique match-up of Cody VS Jey. Jey being put in was a bit of a surprise, but perhaps the wrestlers we’re waiting to return (Roman Reigns, but maybe even Ilja Dragunov) just aren’t ready yet. And given Bronson & Bron screwed Knight over, Knight will surely show up on Raw again to keep that feud going. Sheamus and Rusev have their own story, so Jey is the default choice. I almost feel like they should’ve flipped the brackets so that it would give us Orton VS Cody and Sami VS Jey in the semifinals, but those combos probably serve for stronger finals matches.
Very good stuff with the tag division, but MCMG VS Gacy & Lumis could’ve been a bit better. Part of the problem that comes with the Wyatts being gone away so long is that there might be some ring rust. Lumis & Gacy were on point, but they needed time to coordinate some things first and that slowed the overall pace down. The Wyatts won, of course, and will likely deal with Fraxiom next, what with DIY volunteering Fraxiom and Profits ahead of them. Then, Cena and Punk had a great promo, with it mostly being Punk tearing into Cena. Surprisingly, no allusions to Punk’s incendiary comments from years ago, but that’s very Punk of Punk.
And Killings going after Cena again was great stuff. Cena VS Killings will be a great match next week, and Cena probably rubs it in that he’s using one of his precious final appearances was used to beat Truth again. Though, to build Killings up, I would think they find a way for him to win that “isn’t definitive,” like a count out victory or some kind of disqualification. I was hoping for an R-Truth celebration at Saturday Night’s Main Event akin to Lex Luger over Yokozuna, but maybe that happens next week.
My Score: 9/10
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)Â
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 PodcastÂ
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: 6.12.2025
DO SOMETHING WITH JASON HOTCH AND KC NAVARRO – that is all.
So Against All Odds…was barely passable and that’s only with Xanax. The Knockouts title match was awful, the 4 Man “Home Town Man” was stupid and the only good part was remixing the old Jerry Lynn & AJ Styles “Born in the USA” theme for Home Town Man. Maclin needs to stop having brawls, they’re boring, give him a bump guy. Kaibas and Rascalz was underwhelming. Santino vs Robert Stone was funny, Elias vs Trick was too chalk and lame. IInspiration (IIconics) returning was big news at least. Hendry losing to Kaz was also obvious since Kaz hasn’t won a match in forever.
The show dragged, and as much as I usually like Masha’s wrestling ability…her last 3 title matches have sucked and its not her opponents fault. Killer Kelly returning is sexy though…I mean, good. Yes, good. Saving the best for last, Mustafa Ali vs Jason Hotch was the best match of the show, and really damn good in general. Workrate was great, Tasha and Skyler being conflicted and popping for Hotch when he was doing well was great character work. Hotch looked amazing in the loss, if they don’t capitalize on it, that would be a huge screw up from TNA.
Not really sure what kind of shows we’ll be getting, and I’m not excited.
.@MATTHARDYBRAND and @JEFFHARDYBRAND have a message for FIR$T CLA$$ ahead of TONIGHT's MAIN EVENT!
WATCH on TNA+: https://t.co/F3YYaTmexl pic.twitter.com/mTnNBEFBcb
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) June 13, 2025
Ratings:
- The IInspiration vs Missa Kate & Brittani Brookes: IInspiration wins via Idolizer – ** 1/2
- Jason Hotch w/Jon Skyler vs Leon Slater: Leon wins via Swanton 450 – ** 3/4
- 8-4-1 Knockouts Match: Tessa Blanchard, Xia Brookside, Dani Luna & Rosemary vs Killer Kelly, Indi Hartwell, Jody Threat & Tasha Steelz: Indi wins via Hurts Don’t It – ** 3/4
- Indi Hartwell vs Killer Kelly vs Jody Threat vs Tasha Steelz: Kelly wins via Hurts Don’t It – ***
- Fir$t Cla$$ vs The Hardy Boyz: Hardyz win via DQ – ***
Results:
Santino opens the show informing Santana of a suspension, kicking Robert Stone out and recapping his victory party before introducing the IInspiration for their first match back.Â
The IInspiration vs Missa Kate & Brittani Brookes
A bit of talking and pandering from IInspiration, they’re dominating the jobbers and there’s not much to discuss here. They do the IIconics Pose and actually keep the control. Cassie pulls off some kind of Butterfly Facebuster which looks cool, Jess comes in and the Jobbers cheat a little to take over. Jess tags in Cassie and Scorpion Kick, decent comeback, corner Hip Attacks, Neckbreaker, Jumping Kick to the Head into Fisherman’s Suplex Hold for 2. Idolizer (Magic Killer variant) is hit and IInspiration win, and didn’t look bad. Cassie (Peyton) is still the better wrestler of the two, but neither looked bad.
Jason Hotch w/Jon Skyler vs Leon Slater
I don’t hide the fact I heavily dislike Slater. He has no personality, he’s all flips, no ability to talk…he’s boring. He’s ROH Will Ospreay or Flip Gordon, does flippy crap to pop morons but he’s a worthless character. Since he wants to become the Youngest X Division champion, and they’ve talked about for like the last 7 months…sadly it’s probably going to happen.Â
Chain wrestling start and Hotch already looks like the better wrestler. Hotch is on his SANADA in LIJ arch where he looked great losing to the leader, falls back in line but then he hits a Spinning Overhead Kick for a near fall, so I’m not allowed to finish my thought because Hotch is fun to watch. Leon is such a bad wrestler…he held the rope and looked back to take a forearm shiver, the nerd had to watch it to sell it. Man’s not talent.
Hotch has Leon in an Arm Iso Cravat, Leon tries to fire and then Hotch keeps him down. Leon counters a Slingshot Suplex into his own Final Cut to get space to breathe. Double sell, Leon leap frogs, then rope runs, Lariats and Lethal Injection from Leon for 2. Hotch is so fluid, dodges the corner attack, rope assisted side kick, Outside In Neckbreaker for a near fall! Hotch will probably lose, but he looks like the better wrestler by miles. Heavy Irish Whip counter from Leon, into Blue Thunder Bomb. Leon goes to the top, Hotch cuts off, Leon dodges, hits the Knife Edge Chop and they wrestle on the apron, Front Kick from Hotch sends Leon into the post, Double Stomp onto the apron, Hotch wants a finish but counter, Cradle trades and then Hotch gets caught by a Leg Lariat, Swanton 450, selling from Leon was spotty and bad during this whole match.
Fun moments but the wrong kid died…
.@MeanGiaMiller gets Tessa Blanchard's thoughts ahead of TONIGHT's 8-4-1 Match!
WATCH #TNAiMPACT on TNA+: https://t.co/F3YYaTmexl pic.twitter.com/kurcKH2vtH
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) June 13, 2025
8-4-1 Knockouts Match: Tessa Blanchard, Xia Brookside, Dani Luna & Rosemary vs Killer Kelly, Indi Hartwell, Jody Threat & Tasha Steelz
Dani and Jody start, so at least there’s a measure of story telling, but I still detest Jody. Sloppy counter wrestling start, Jody stops herself from punching Dani and tags in Tasha. Tasha pauses and jaws to her team and gets Back Body Dropped by Dani, Dani tags in Xia and Tasha pokes her eyes immediately and lights up Xia. Xia fights back, Rope Assisted Headscissors, Crossbody and near fall. Xia tags in Rosemary and Rosemary looks at her like death, then Rosemary goes after Xia, but a Codebreaker from Tasha gives space to tag in Kelly. Kelly kisses Rosemary and then they brawl in full mount. I’m not sure if I clicked the orange website or TNA…oh there’s a Lariat…it’s wrestling again.
Jody doofus tags in, the crowd wants Indi, no one wants Jody and Rosemary Upkick, Drop Toe Hold, Tessa tags in, works over Jody, Jody tries to go to the top, Victoria Crawford fka Alicia Fox trips her, Tessa gets the momentum back, a bunch of distraction and Tessa tags in Dani. Then Dani tags out to Rosemary. Whip, Rosemary misses the Spear, Tessa tags herself in and they’re keeping Indi out of the ring. Tessa crashes and burns as Jody dodges and fights back. Rosemary tags in, Indi gets the tag. Bunch combo, Spinebuster, Dani breaks the pin and now signature spam spot.
Indi is the last on to hit her moves, Hurts Don’t It takes out Rosemary after Tessa just walks out.
Indi Hartwell vs Jody Threat vs Killer Kelly vs Tasha Steelz
Commercial happened and we’re back and it’s Indi vs Jody. Jody takes her down with a Shoulder Tackle, Jody hits the Exploder, and Indi finally stalls some of the offense, Indi throws Jody into the ropes and Jody takes it bad. Jody Drop Toe Hold, looking for her Knees into German spot, but Kelly pulls her out, Tasha tries to pick the bones but Kelly comes in and attacks Indi. Tasha and Kelly have a heel agreement to gang up on Indi. Kelly goes for the pin, so hells are arguing, throw forearms, Kelly with the Double Overhooks, Headbutts, Angel’s Wings gets hit from Kelly but Tasha kicks out. Jody Crossbody takes out both heels.
Jody and Indi team up and 10 Count Lariats on the Heels, pop spot for the crowd since Indi is in the driver’s seat, Simultaneous Lariats each other and everybody down. Mickie James Bulldog from Tasha but Jody pushes her off, Indi tries the Cradle for two. Indi misses the Boot, eats a German. Tasha hits the Mickie Bulldog, but Jody kicks out. Indi grabs Tasha, Hurts-nope. Tasha wanted Blackout, Indi says no, Hurts Don’t It, but Kelly takes out Indi and steals the pinfall. Kelly wins.
.@TheEricYoung will see @TheSamiCallihan NEXT WEEK on #TNAiMPACT!
WATCH on TNA+: https://t.co/F3YYaTmMmT pic.twitter.com/NtKjpYIIRa
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) June 13, 2025
Fir$t Cla$$ vs The Hardy Boyz
AJ charges before the bell, Hardyz dodge and Lariat AJ to the floor and work over KC with their usual Arm Bar Extreme Elbow, Delete Arm Breakers and Back Elbow Hardyz combo. AJ tries to get back in and the Hardyz attack, Poetry in Motion, AJ is back to the outside. Commercial break time, I wonder if the heels will be winning coming back…OH no, Jeff is still isolating KC. Pleasantly surprised I suppose.
Arm Wringer, simple offense, Jeff tags in Matt, Stalling Tandem Suplex and Matt covers, only 2. Matt with Short Arm Shoulder Tackles, close quarters forearms and the Rocket Launcher into the middle rope followed by a Leg Drop onto the apron, KC keeps kicking out but he’s getting dog walked. Stomps into Splash, KC needs to tag out, but Jeff stays on him, AJ finally pulls out Jeff, KC flies into Jeff and tags out. Finally AJ gives KC a break and bends Jeff back in a Bow and Arrow Stretch. Jeff tries the comeback, AJ pulls the hair to throw him down, stomps his face and AJ is manhandling Jeff as KC is sucking wind. Little Bro deserves a big break.
Tennessee Whiskey from AJ, connects and “Money, Money, Money”. AJ gets a little distracted trying to one up Matt, Jeff hits two Twists, and tags in Matt, so Delete Face Smashes and AJ is getting rocked. AJ reverses the Irish Whip, but Back Elbow from Matt into a Middle Rope Side Effect. Trick Williams comes out to attack the Hardyz. Hardyz win via DQ, but then Hendry and Elijah come out for the save. System is out…old school TNA donnybrook.
Overall Score: 5.5/10
The ring work was mediocre at best, but nothing miserable. Cassie and Jess look like they never missed a beat, take that for what you will if you loved or hated the IIconics. Trick solidifying his alliance with First Class makes for interesting cross promotion. If Fir$t Cla$$ ends up with the NXT Tags while Trick is the TNA Champ…that’s…a pretty neat visual I ain’t mad at. Yes I’m bias because KC is awesome, but AJ has done good work in TNA, so he deserves some flowers. Tessa keeping Victoria Crawford in the Robert Stone ejection is wonderful. I’ve always loved Alicia Fox and teaming her with Tessa is very interesting for the obvious reasons I don’t need to mention again, just search Twitter, you’ll understand.
Sami looks like a doofus getting sideswiped, Jay-SANADA Hotch is the best thing TNA has right now for home grown talent. Slater is still useless but oooo he can flip…I hate no personality flip-tards. Indi getting screwed sets things up nicely to not push her too quick to the top of the card, but she’s very over. The lack of Lei Ying Lee is annoying since I really don’t think the poor match was her fault. Also, putting her in a throwaway tag match against the Elegance girls next week? TNA really doesn’t know what to do with Lei, do they? She’s been mishandled the entire time since debut.
So even with my nitpicks, there were a lot of building blocks in the show. Hell Tessa insulting Gia is also probably something brewing…but I’m glad we didn’t lose Gia when we lost Ace. Gia is the best backstage interviewer since Lauren Brooke. So very middle of the road show, either things will get slightly better going to Slammiversary, or it’s the calm before the storm. We…shall see.
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)Â
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 PodcastÂ
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: Serving Up A Classic
Patrick returns as he and Dave discuss the Stanley Cup Finals, the NBA Finals, Coco Gauff's epic triumph, and a...
4 Corners Podcast: The Rematch & The Rebuild
Dave and PC Tunney preview the NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Finals as the NBA and NHL reach the conclusion...
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.
Bandwagon Nerds #292: Where’s Michael’s Guitar?
The first ever Movie Year Draft highlight's this week's Episode. Plus, the Trailer Park rolls on, as does the search...
Attitude Of Aggression #310- Unidentified History: The Battle of Los Angeles
Unidentified History returns as Dave recaps his visit to Contact in the Desert and the guys do a deep dive...
Bandwagon Nerds #291: Its Pronounced Tuh-Doom
The Nerds cover all the best trailers from Tudum, discuss DC- Marvel crossovers, and get concerned for the future of...
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?
POD is WAR: Now Without Baby Oil
Andrew Balaz, Rey Cash and PC Tunney invite you to come along on a trip inside the minds of Los...
Mindless Wrestling Podcast: World’s Collide And That’s The Truth
Join DJ, Rob and Jason every week as they give their "Mindless" takes on Pro Wrestling and much, much more!
Mitchell’s WWE SmackDown Results & Report! (6/13/25)
It's only a matter of time...
DWI Podcast #478: The Whole Truth
Don't drink and drive, drink and podcast! Join AJ, DP and PC weekly for their thoughts on RAW, SmackDown and...
Andrew’s TNA iMPACT! Results & Match Ratings: 6.12.2025
DO SOMETHING WITH JASON HOTCH AND KC NAVARRO - that is all.
Mitchell’s ROH Results & Report! (6/12/25)
Prove you are worthy!
Mitchell’s WWE Evolve Results & Report! (6/11/25)
Winning is just the beginning!
Classic POD is WAR: The Dollar Man (6/10/2021)
Tune in for another CLASSIC episode of POD is WAR!!!
Mitchell’s AEW Dynamite Results & Report! (6/11/25)
Lights, Camera, Action!
RETRO Babyface Heel Podcast: WWE Money In The Bank and More! (2021)
On the heels of WWE Money In The Bank, we go retro with the OG Babyface Heels reacting to the...
