Coverage

Mitchell’s WWE NXT UK Results & Report! (8/4/22)

The Czar speaks!

Published

2 years ago

August 4, 2022

Steven Mitchell

The NXT UK Champion addresses the WWE Universe.

After another hard fought instant classic, Ilja Dragunov is STILL NXT UK Champion! However, he now wishes to address the world in that match’s aftermath.

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Oliver Carter VS Rohan Raja w/ Die Familie; Carter wins.
Bodhi Hayward w/ Chase U VS Sha Samuels; Sha wins.
NXT UK Women’s Championship: Meiko Satomura VS Sarray; cancelled.
NXT UK Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s match: Blair Davenport VS Isla Dawn; No Contest.

PLAY BY PLAY

Ilja Dragunov heads to the ring!

The NXT UK Champion is still UNBESIEGBAR! But he comes out here now to address the fans, with a boot on one leg and crutches helping him get in the ring. Dragunov hobbles as he gets the mic while fans cheer him on. “Last week, against Wolfgang, I suffered an injury. I suffered a severe ankle injury, really early in the match.” Highlights show one leg clipped the other as he fell into the corner. Dragunov says he fought until the very end. He fought until the very end because this, the NXT UK Championship, is not a privilege. Being NXT UK Champion means to fight to be the very best in this brand, and this brand has only had fighting champions! Fans cheer that!

And as much as Dragunov would love to continue to be a fighting champion… He can’t. Fans chant “NO! NO!” but unfortunately, this injury means that the medical team will not clear him. And no one knows how long Dragunov needs to recover, the team feels it is in his best interest to relinquish the championship today. Fans chant “NO! NO!” again but he isn’t sure what to say then. Should he talk about how hard he worked for this? Because he won’t. Every single superstar backstage is working extremely hard.

Should he bring up his hard past? Like how he came from Russia to German and being poor and underestimated? NO. We all have to fight our own battles, and he is nothing special in that case. Fans still chant for him as he says maybe he should talk about how that if he would’ve been more careful while fighting, the injury would not have happened? NO, because he doesn’t regret anything! That is who Dragunov is! He sacrifices his entire existence! He sees bits of his soul in this ring! All he ever wanted was to show his true soul, his honest face, and encourage people that with will, they can endure every pain, so long as there is a reason, and then win!

Dragunov has fought with his soul as our NXT UK Champion. But as sad as he is to relinquish this title, as sad as he is knowing someone will take his place, he knows one thing: “No one beats me except myself!” Dragunov vows to return and as a better man than we see here today. “And if you think I was strong holding this championship. you will be surprised how strong I will become to get it back!” Fans cheer again, and Dragunov says, “LONG LIVE THE CZAR!” Fans are thunderous for “UNBESIEGBAR!” as Dragunov reluctantly takes off the belt and sets it down on the mat. Fans now chant “UNDEFEATED” for the champion that never lost his title.

Dragunov then rolls out of the ring, uses his crutches to walk back out, and fans cheer him with a standing ovation. When will we see the return of The Czar in NXT UK? And who will be the next NXT UK Champion to lead the way forward?

Chase U arrives!

Andre Chase, Bodhi Hayward and Thea Hail saw the sights, enjoyed the culture, and Bodhi wonders if they can rent a room in the palace. Not likely, Bodhi. They waved to the statues of Queen Elizabeth and King George, but wow, what happened to George? What’d that bird eat? They also visit Oxford, one of the greatest universities in the world. Still behind Chase U, of course. But there’s still one more lesson left. Time to show the UK what Chase U is all about! They arrive at the WWE’s UK Performance Center, and find Sha Samuels shoeless and sleeping out front…

Now this is a Teachable Moment! Sha is down on his luck, and Chase U doesn’t keep people down. They raise people up. Bodhi gives it a shot. Bodhi tells Sha that when adversity hits, you persevere And if he perseveres, Sha could get into Chase U, just like Bodhi! Ugh, more Yanks. Chase U, eh? Sha graduated from streets! He may not have shoes, or his hat, or even his wife, but he has his trunks and boots and his job! Sha will talk to Johnny Saint about this! YA MUG! Well, will the East End Butcher get back up by butchering Bodhi?

NXT UK Media catches up with Johnny Saint & Sid Scala.

They ask them about Dragunov giving up the UK Championship. Well, it is bad news, but they have the situation sorted. Dragunov has been one of the greatest champions this brand has ever seen, but this unfortunate situation creates great opportunity. Eight superstars will participate in a tournament, and the winner will be the NEW NXT UK Champion. The competitors and rounds will be announced later on tonight, but for now, they have to put on the finishing touches. Who will be given a spot in this incredible opportunity?

Oliver Carter VS Rohan Raja w/ Die Familie!

The Hottest Superstar Under the Sun got one up on Die Familie by invading their space and eating their foot like Goldilocks and the Three Bears! But will the British Born, Australian Raised and Canadian Trained Prince of Die Familie make Carter pay for his pranks? Or will everything be just right for the Predator Killer?

The bell rings and Carter ROCKS Raja and CHOPS right away! Fans fire up as Carter CLUBS away on Raja, CHOPS him again, but Raja ROCKS Carter again. Carter ROCKS and CHOPS and CLUBS Raja and fans are fired up for “Always Forward!” Carter uppercuts Raja, then dodges Raja to DECK him! Raja gets up but Carter CHOPS again! Carter whips, Raja reverses but Carter slides to a stop to dropkick back! Raja staggers back up but Carter clotheslines him right out! Fans fire up but Dempsey distracts Carter from the apron. The ref reprimands Dempsey but Carter’s wary, he swipes at Teoman as Teoman gets on the other apron! But Raja drags Carter out!

Teoman puts Carter in the apron skirt for Raja to fire off on! The ref is late to seeing that and reprimands, Raja lets off to drag Carter out from the skirt and into the ring. Raja stomps Carter around, but Carter throws body shots! Raja stomps Carter again, drags him up, and RAMS him into a corner. Raja whips out to throw back into the corner! Raja wrenches an arm, whips and WRINGS Carter out and Carter hits buckles! Cover, TWO! Raja is annoyed but he looms over Carter. Raja drags Carter up and wraps on a cobra twist! Carter endures, even as Raja digs into the ribs. Raja CLUBS the ribs, but Carter fights through the hold!

Carter gets one arm free and switches the cobra twist onto Raja! Now Raja endures the stretch! Fans rally but Raja throws palm strikes! Raja gets around to BACKSTABBER! Cover, TWO! Raja is frustrated but he drags Carter up to dribble him off the mat! Raja storms around and then stomps Carter. Raja hauls Carter up, Carter throws body shots, but Raja kicks low. Raja whips, Carter goes up and over but gets caught! Carter fights, and turns body slam into CROSSBODY! Fans fire up as Carter rallies on Raja with big forearm smashes! Raja kicks but Carter blocks, to then LARIAT Raja down! Carter grits his teeth and fans fire up more!

Fans “WOOP!” on behalf of Ashton Smith, Carter whips but Raja reverses, only for Carter to QUEBRADA! Carter aims at Raja, runs in, but Raja elbows him away! Carter comes back, Raja TOSSES Carter out, but Carter uses that to CROSSBODY Dempsey and Teoman! Fans fire up while Raja realizes what happened. Raja runs and slides, but Carter uses the apron skirt! SUPERKICK! Carter puts Raja in, aims from a corner and runs corner to corner, WHEEL KICK! Cover, Carter wins!!

Winner: Oliver Carter, by pinfall

But now Teoman rushes in! Carter DECKS him, but Dempsey CHOP BLOCKS Carter! Die Familie stomp away on Carter, and then Dempsey puts on the BOSTON CRAB! Referees rush out to tell Dempsey to stop, and the fans chant “YOU SUCK!” but Dempsey makes Carter suffer! Dempsey finally lets go, clearly wanting his turn next. Will Carter sweep Die Familia 3-0? Or will Dempsey prove he’s the true muscle of the family?

Thea Hail speaks.

She could’ve gone to Cambridge or Yale or Harvard or Oxford, but Chase U was the perfect fit for her! But then Eliza Alexander barges in, asking what Thea’s going on about. Like, actually? Eliza when to the school of hard knocks, and she is sick and tired of the Americans coming over here and taking opportunities from superstars like her. Let’s be realistic, Eliza should be facing Meiko for the NXT UK Women’s Championship. And it seems beating people up is how you get noticed around here. So Eliza will make a statement out of Thea, and prove that Chase U-

OH NO! You do not go there, okay? Chase U is the most amazing university in the world! Thea can’t even. She storms off, but will she teach Eliza a thing or two about respect?

Die Familie celebrates backstage.

They’re proud of giving Carter what he deserved, but NXT UK Media is there to ask them why they are happy after the loss. Teoman has Raja and Dempsey move on, he’ll handle this. They didn’t lose. Did you not see what they did? That was a win! The Eye always has a plan. But then Sam Gradwell walks over to say his eye sees a little man only getting his way around here when he has his little mates around to do the dirty work. But if Teoman were to come for Gradwell, he doesn’t have a plan for him. Sure, sure. We’ll talk later. Teoman leaves, but will the Thunderstorm come for Die Familie soon enough?

Bodhi Hayward w/ Chase U VS Sha Samuels!

Well, we know why this match was made, but now we’ll see how it goes! Will Chase U’s star pupil put up an A+ fight? Or will the East End Butcher turn him into waste of that full ride scholarship?

Wow, Sha is really in bad shape. His tank top is a mess, he has mismatched kneepads, and he has the rest of his belongings in a bundle on the end of a stick! Sha even has to dig around through some old food to get to the one hat he has left… Sha uses said hat to beg for spare change, but the fans aren’t willing to spare any. Sha huffs and puffs and gets in the ring. The bell rings and Sha circles with Bodhi. They tie up, Bodhi SLAMS Sha down, but then he backs up from the smell left on him. Has Sha… not been able to bathe since Noam Dar lost the Heritage Cup? Sha frowns as fans sing, “Sha smells like gar~bage~, Sha smells like gar~bage!”

Sha and Bodhi tie up again, Bodhi puts Sha in a corner, but those pits back him up! Sha shoves Bodhi, so Bodhi shoves Sha! Then arm-drags him! “CHASE U! CHASE U!” Sha huffs and puffs while fans rally for Bodhi. Sha circles with Bodhi, calls for a test of strength, and Bodhi says he knows this one! But then Sha kicks him low! Sha bumps Bodhi off the buckles, then throws back elbows. The ref counts, Sha backs up and even the ref has to hold his nose. Sha brings Bodhi around, fans chant “Take a Shower!” Sha takes advantage, instead, and rubs his pits on Bodhi’s head! Bodhi sputters, Sha whips Bodhi to a corner, but Bodhi goes up and over!

Bodhi hurdles over Sha, then arm-drags him down! Fans fire up with Bodhi as he rallies with clotheslines! Sha bails out, and Thea is there to shout, “YOU STINK!” Sha grumbles as the ring count climbs. Bodhi drags Sha up the apron but Sha HOTSHOTS him! And then LARIATS! Bodhi scrambles to a corner, Sha runs in to SPLASH! Sha whips and CLOBBERS Bodhi, then taunts Chase. Sha drags Bodhi around, CLUBS him down, then stands on him. “ON THE MONEY!” But Bodhi avoids the Penalty Kick! Sha is furious, he drags Bodhi up but Bodhi throws haymakers! Sha knees low, scoops Bodhi and SLAMS him!

Sha paces, then he PENALTY KICKS Bodhi down! Fans rally, Sha drops an elbow, and then Sha drops another! Sha then goes to a corner and makes sure Chase is watching. Sha goes up but Bodhi anchors a foot! Sha CLUBS Bodhi, leaps, but into a POWERSLAM! Fans fire up as Bodhi turns things around! Sha staggers around, Bodhi runs in to CHOP BLOCK! And then another CHOP BLOCK! Bodhi runs Sha over with a shoulder tackle! And a STANDING SPLASH! Cover, TWO! Sha survives but fans stay fired up for Bodhi. Bodhi says he’s got the answer, and he whips Sha for a back drop! Sha staggers to a corner, Bodhi RAMS into him!

Fans fire up as Bodhi says he can go again! But then Sha dodges and Bodhi hits buckles! SPINEBUSTER! Cover, Sha wins!!

Winner: Sha Samuels, by pinfall

Bodhi got too confident there, and he fails on the last question! But will Sha use this momentum to turn his luck around? And also take a shower?

NXT UK Media catches up with Oliver Carter.

Carter just visited with the trainers and they ask if he’s okay. His neck is in rough shape but he’ll be good. Sid Scala finds him and says there is good news now: Carter’s win puts him in the NXT UK Championship Tournament! Yes! Thank you, that is great news! Yes, and the first round matches are next week. What? Next week? Uh… Well, okay. It is for the title, and Carter has been a champion before, he will do it. No injury is gonna stop him this time! He’ll be good to go. But will he really be okay? And who will he be facing for this big opportunity?

NXT UK has the rest of that title tournament bracket!

As Saint and Scala announced, this tournament will star eight of the best in NXT UK today! For the first of the first round match-ups, Trent Seven will face Wolfgang, and Oliver Carter will be facing Charlie Dempsey to also round out Die Familie! And then in two weeks, the second half of the first round features Mark Andrews VS Joe Coffey, and Kenny Williams VS Tyler Bate! Who will make it through into the semifinals?

NXT UK Women’s Championship: Meiko Satomura VS Sarray!

The Final Boss dethroned the Forever Champion, Alba Fyre (Kay Lee Ray), and has been a dominant champion in her own right ever since! But now, she faces a fellow Joshi Strong Style superstar in the Warrior of the Sun. Meiko has overcome KLR, the Fierce Fashionista, the French Hope, the Gothic Heiress, and even the Wicked Witch in her World of Darkness! But will she finally fall as Sarray rises?

But wait, Blair Davenport makes her way out here first! “I am so, so sorry. You see, there’s been a little bit of a… break with your previously scheduled program. Because earlier today, Satomura and Sarray, they experienced something quite unexpected: me!” What does she mean by that? And Sid Scala rushes out to ask her to go backstage. Hold on, just give her one minute. See, ever since she returned from her injury, Meiko keeps ignoring her! Fans chant to “GET HER OUT!” and Sid gets in the ring, but Blair shouts that if it wasn’t for her breaking her ankle, Blair would be the NXT UK Women’s Champion!

Blair tells Sid that he knows this, and everyone in the crowd knows this. And since she did not get what is rightfully hers, she will continue to cause chaos in NXT! But then out comes Amale! She has Blair hold on. This is not how things work here. Blair cannot just insist she has whatever match she wants. Everyone here wants to be the next challenger, and is willing to work for it! But then Eliza Alexander storms out, saying “Nah, nah, nah, nah! Absolutely not!” Blair may have a point! And the louder you are, the more people pay attention. But neither Blair or Amale deserves to be next while Eliza is here!

Blair tells Amale and Eliza to shut up! They can say whatever the hell they want, but NO ONE takes action like Blair! She has beaten everyone on this roster, she is next in line! Eliza says Blair’s never beaten her, and fans are rowdy as Isla Dawn appears from nowhere! “Hi there~! See, I don’t think I recall you ever beating me. AHAHA!” Blair and Dawn get in each other’s faces, Sid tells everyone to just please, hold on! We still need a main event, and Dawn and Blair are here, so… We’ll get Dawn VS Blair, and the winner here will be the #1 contender! Amale and Eliza aren’t happy, but that match starts NOW!

NXT UK Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s match: Blair Davenport VS Isla Dawn!

Whatever Blair did to take out Meiko and Sarray, it has only backfired! Will she be able to defeat the darkness of Isla Dawn? Or will even the Wicked Witch learn to #BewareTheHeir?

The bell rings and Dawn circles with Blair. Fans duel, the two tie up, and go around, until Dawn puts Blair on ropes. Dawn whips Blair but Blair gets around to waistlock. Dawn bucks the O’Conner but Blair ducks the Penalty Kick to roll Dawn up! TWO, Dawn kicks Blair’s bad leg! Dawn stomps Blair, drags her around and has a standing toehold. Blair endures, Dawn SLAMS the leg down, then stalks Blair to a corner. Blair kicks with the good leg but Dawn stomps her more. Dawn has the bad leg, stomps the thigh, then SLAMS it again! Blair crawls away to a corner but Dawn stomps her down. The ref counts and Dawn lets off at 4.

Dawn drags Blair up, has the bad leg, but Blair ENZIGURIS! Dawn staggers, Blair CLUBS her, then Blair bumps Dawn off buckles. Blair climbs up to dig her boot into Dawn’s face. The ref counts, Blair lets off at 4 to CLUB Dawn down. Blair whips, ELBOWS Dawn down, then soaks up the heat. Blair drags Dawn up, puts her in the corner and stomps a mudhole in. Blair wrenches, whips corner to corner, but Dawn reverses. Dawn runs in at the corner but Blair tosses her out! Blair rushes in but Dawn dodges the shoulder to KNEE Blair in the ropes! Dawn grins while Blair falls and Dawn hurries to cover, TWO!

Dawn grins as she hears the voices, or spirits. Blair kicks Dawn from below but Dawn drops an elbow! Dawn digs her knee into Blair’s head, then KNEES her in the back! Fans rally and duel, then stands on Blair’s head. The ref counts, Dawn stomps Blair down. Blair crawls to a corner, throws body shots back, but Dawn CLUBS Blair. Blair gets up to throw body shots but Dawn KNEES low! Dawn snapmares, uppercuts, and runs to PENALTY KICK! Cover, TWO! Fans rally up and Dawn stalks Blair. Dawn stomps Blair, drags her up and reels her in, but Blair blocks the suplex! Blair CLUBS away then throws Dawn down by her hair!

Blair hobbles, but she drags Dawn up. Dawn JAWBREAKERS! Cover, TWO, but Dawn clamps onto Blair’s hair! Dawn gets a half nelson, almost a standing armbar, and even adds a chinbar! Blair endures, throws clubbing hands, and fights up to her feet. But Dawn uses the hold to hit a GUTBUSTER, then she pulls even harder on her modified half nelson! Blair fights back up, fans duel even harder, and Blair throws body shots! Dawn knees low, drags Blair up and suplexes, but Blair makes it a cradle! TWO!! Dawn RAMS Blair, covers, TWO! Fans still rally as Dawn slaps sense into herself. Dawn stomps Blair around, then ROCKS her with a forearm.

Blair comes back to ROCK Dawn! And again! Then she dodges Dawn to headbutt, uppercut, and fire off knees! Blair whips to LARIAT Dawn! Fans are torn as Dawn goes to a corner. Blair fires off forearms, snapmares Dawn then basement dropkicks! Cover, TWO! Dawn is still in this, but Blair drags her up. Dawn wrenches out to ROUNDHOUSE! Then SAIDO!! Cover, TWO!?! Blair survives and frustrates Dawn! Dawn has a scary look on her face as she drags Blair up. Fireman’s carry, but Blair sunset flips! TWO, Blair gets up but Dawn BOOTS her! Dawn whips Blair to a corner, Blair BOOTS back!

Blair goes up, but Dawn YANKS her down! Blair hits buckles on the way! Dawn goes up the corner, Blair stands up, METEORA! Fans fire up and Dawn drags Blair to a cover, Eliza drags Dawn out of the ring!! Dawn DECKS her, but the ref’s already ringing the bell!

No Contest

Eliza screwed everything up, there’s no winner now! But then Blair gets up and Amale BOOTS her down! The French Hope is fired up but Dawn lurks behind her! ROUNDHOUSE! But then Eliza KNEES Dawn down! Blair SPEARS Eliza! Refs rush out to stop this chaos! Fans want to “Let Them Fight!” but the four women are each put in a corner. Only for Eliza to get loose and CLOBBER Amale! They fight, Blair gets loose to BOOT Dawn! The fighting continues and the fans are loving it! But what does this mean for the NXT UK Women’s Championship picture?!

My Thoughts:

A good episode of NXT UK, but a rather disappointing change of plans in many regards. Meiko VS Sarray not happening tonight, and apparently not ever happening, is crap. But I suppose this is the problem with superstars going back and forth between the UK and the US, and with NXT UK being secondary to NXT 2.0. I am rather disappointed and upset by this, as Meiko VS Sarray was going to be an instant classic. And why would they not follow through? Because Sarray had to go back to NXT 2.0 to job to Mandy freaking Rose? That’s crap and everyone knows it, Sarray had the potential to return to the States with the NXT UK Women’s Championship.

NXT UK did a decent job of improvising a new plan, but even that was halfhearted. Blair says she attacked Meiko and Sarray, but we don’t even get a shot backstage of Meiko down on the ground with Millie McKenzie checking on her. And while we got a good 10 minutes out of Blair VS Dawn, the finish wasn’t good. Eliza just dragging Dawn out shouldn’t have been enough to throw the match out. Eliza getting all the way in and clobbering both Dawn and Blair would have. The brawl of the four next contenders was good, but not enough to salvage things. But you can bet there will be a Fatal 4 Way now, winner faces Meiko for the title because WWE keeps screwing over Sarray.

In a similar fashion, it is unfortunate that Dragunov is injured and has to give up the title, but that tournament to crown a new champion looks amazing. All the opening round matches are great, but I can already tell what the finals will be. Trent Seven is going to get through his side, Tyler Bate is going to get through his, and they will meet to settle their grudge while crowning a new champion, and I would love it if Seven won the title. British Strong Style will have all held that belt, from Bate to Dunne to Seven, and it’d be a great way to add to Seven’s story of how he IS British wrestling. The only thing that could make this better: It’s part of Clash at the Castle in September.

Oliver Carter had a great opener with Raja, but of course Die Familie interferes and of course it backfires. Carter is two up, but I wonder if he really will win the third now that it’s part of the title tournament. I also like that Gradwell has brushed off his loss to Trent Seven to go after Die Familie. I wonder if this somehow brings Gradwell and Carter together as unlikely allies against Die Familie while Ashton Smith is still hurt. And then, if this feud continues, Smith can return and we can get 3v3 to settle things once and for all.

And then, because NXT UK is tape delayed without NXT 2.0 taking things into consideration, Chase U is here now rather than weeks ago, and we get a pretty good start to their visit with Bodhi taking on Sha. Sha does an even better Bum Ass Corbin than Corbin did, and he manages to get a win here. Maybe Sha will have his own rags to riches story that is a bit more complex and compelling than “Corbin goes to Vegas and wins big.” Of course, Sha being a bookie, he also has an easy way back by making the right bet somewhere. Maybe as the UK Championship tournament gets going?

My Score: 8/10

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

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Coverage

Mitchell’s WWE SmackDown Results & Report! (4/26/24)

It’s Draft Day!

Published

16 hours ago

April 26, 2024

Steven Mitchell

And with the first overall pick of the 2024 WWE Draft, SmackDown selects…

The WWE Draft returns for 2024, the first four rounds being right here on Friday Night SmackDown! With champions protected, who ends up where to challenge them?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee w/ Zelina Vega & Carlito VS Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo; Rey & Dragon win.
Bron Breakker VS Cedric Alexander; Bron wins.
WWE Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s Match: Naomi VS Tiffany Stratton; No Contest.
Cody Rhodes VS Carmelo Hayes; Cody wins.

PLAY BY PLAY

Backstage interview with Paul Heyman.

Kayla Braxton is with the Wise Man and says that here on night one of the Draft, there are already rumors circulating, including those about The Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns. Heyman will clarify these are not rumors regarding The Tribal Chief, Roman… Reigns. These are facts! Ladies and gentlemen, Your Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns, has voluntarily withdrawn from eligibility for this year’s Draft. That is not a negative but a positive. Who built SmackDown since the Pandemic? Roman Reigns. Who is the biggest star in the entire industry? Roman Reigns. Why would Roman Reigns hog the number one draft pick spotlight when he won’t be returning in the immediate future?

Read into his words, Kayla, that is not what a real Tribal Chief would do. Instead now, the pressure is on Nick Aldis. Because if Roman Reigns isn’t the first draft pick, then who is? The first two picks make history in a brand new era. And Heyman doesn’t know about you, but he is intrigued. No Tribal Chief up for grabs, who gets their opportunity to shine in the spotlight?

SmackDown throws it to the NXT Performance Center.

Jackie Redmond says the emotion down here is palpable! There is excitement, hope, and a little bit of nerves. But for these NXT Superstars, tonight is the culmination of a lifetime of hard work, dedication, a little bit of luck and a whole lot of self-belief. It was just last year that the NEW WWE Tag Team Champion, Grayson Waller, was hoping his name would be called. And it is funny this is NXT, but time to buy a vowel, throw in an E! Who is next? We find out tonight! The draft pool is deep, who rises to the top of the list?

Corey Graves is in the ring.

Corey welcomes Cincinnati and all of us at home to night one of the 2024 WWE Draft. Understandably, the GMs have their hands full, so Corey will be moderating the contract signing for the WWE Championship match that takes place next Saturday for Backlash: France. Without further ado, it’s the #1 contender, The Phenomenal AJ Styles! Styles makes his entrance, taking a seat at the table on camera right. And now, the Undisputed WWE Champion, the American Nightmare, Cody Rhodes! Cincy fires up and sings along, “WHOA~ OH~!” as Cody makes his entrance and gets his pyro before joining everyone in the ring.

Styles looks over the contract, absolutely tuning out the fans going wild for “CODY! CODY!” Styles then gets the mic to say before he signs, he doesn’t know if we realize that we’ve got two Georgia boys about to mix it up for the first time, and for the biggest prize in the game. Styles understands why they boo, but they gotta know that he doesn’t respect LA Knight, LA Knight got under his skin. He accepts that. But that’s why Styles lost at Mania. But what happened? Styles got his composure back and realized that he is Phenomenal. Styles BEAT Knight to earn the right to face Cody Rhodes at Backlash.

Now unlike Knight, Styles does respect Cody. They hadn’t crossed paths yet, but they’ve been down the same roads. They had to prove themselves outside of the WWE. And Styles is willing to believe that the same man who gave him advice a long time ago gave Cody the same advice, on how to stand on their own two feet and be the men they are today. That man was The American Dream, Dusty Rhodes. The fans cheer for “DUSTY! DUSTY!” Styles learned a lot from Dusty. Styles gets a little emotional thinking about Dusty, he was a good man. Dusty taught Styles how to carry himself, and to carry the weight of a championship.

And Styles looks at this WWE Championship here. The weight of this isn’t just the leather and gold. And at Backlash, we see if Cody can carry it. Styles goes back to his table, signs the contract, and then hands it off to Corey. Corey brings that to Cody, and Cody picks up his mic. “So… Cincinnati…! Whadda we wanna talk about? Certainly, we can talk about respect. There is not a locker room on Earth that you’ll find where everyone in it, every single person, they all respect AJ Styles. Last week, I went on to say you are the modern day Excellence of Execution. I respect the roads that you have traveled down to get here, the parallel paths that perhaps you and I have.

“Mutual respect, much respect. But that respect goes by the wayside at Backlash. I can feel it in your words to a degree. You’ve been here before. And it seems you’re implying that I cannot carry the weight of that championship. Well, good thing the man who trained me not far from where I sit now used to tell me all the time, it’s not about winning the title, it’s about keeping it.” The fans cheer that. Cody says boy does he respect Styles’ familiarity with Cody’s last name. But when you put C O D Y in front of it on this paper, that means they’ve never touched before. That means Backlash is a level playing field.

That means no matter how Phenomenal Styles is, this isn’t a dream match for Cody. It’s a must-win! Cody signs while the fans cheer, and it is official! Cody even throws the pen to the crowd as a free souvenir. Cody then offers a handshake, and Styles says y’know what? It was a beautiful thing to see Cody #FInishTheStory and win the title. But it’s a shame that Cody’s title reign will end at Backlash. Styles still shakes Cody’s hand, and then walks away. Cody picks up the belt and holds it high, will he get to hold it high again in Lyon, France?

Triple H is here!

Just as Cody was on his way to the back, The Game makes his way out here! HHH raises Cody’s hand, then invites him over to the podium. HHH welcomes us to the first round of the 2024 WWE Draft. It is a night that changes the landscape of the WWE going into the future, and things are a bit different this year. As the GMs ponder their next steps, they have to understand it is about protecting the roster they have as it is making the roster they want. Meaning that when they use their picks, they have just as much of a chance gaining a superstar as they do losing one they already have.

HHH just felt that since champs are protected and Cody will be staying here on SmackDown, maybe Cody could help read the SmackDown picks and HHH can read the Raw picks. And since SmackDown goes first, Cody reads first. Cody takes the card to say that with the first pick of the 2024 WWE Draft, SmackDown selects… The E S T, Bianca Belair! The stongEST, fastEST, roughEST, toughEST stays on Friday nights! HHH reads that for the second pick of the 2024 WWE Draft, Raw selects… YEET! JEY USO! Monday nights will still have Main Event Jey Uso! And the fans “YEET!” Cody says for the third pick, SmackDown selects… NXT’s Carmelo Hayes!

The fans fire up as SmackDown manages to snag… HIM! The former NXT Champion makes history again by being the first NXT superstar to be chosen this high in the Draft! HHH says that’s a hell of a pick. But then the fourth and final pick of this first round, Raw selects… SETH! FREAKIN’! ROLLINS! It is still going to be Monday Night Rollins as the Visionary stays on the red brand! Cody and HHH shake hands, and then Melo makes his way out! Melo has the mic to say when they talk about who’s next up, about who’s the hottest out, they don’t call them “the hottest out,” they just call him “Carmelo Hayes.”

The fans chant “WHOOP DAT TRICK!” to remind Melo how he’s leaving NXT. Melo says okay, okay. But then to Cody Rhodes, ever since Cody won the title, he’s been talking about “If you aim for the king, you best not miss.” Well, funny how that works. Because when Melo shoots, Melo don’t miss. And as a first round draft pick, what better way to shoot his shot on SmackDown than to shoot it right at Cody? Melo leaves the mic with Cody but Cody picks it up to say, “Fortune certainly favors the bold, but I dunno. You folks don’t wanna see me in action tonight, do ya?” The fans go wild! Oh, but what if Cody forgot his gear?

Oh that’s right! He didn’t forget his gear! And this title right here, for Cody, means absolutely 100%, Melo’s on! They shake on it, and we’re about to see a huge first-time-ever showdown! But will this bold first move work out for… HIM?

Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee w/ Zelina Vega & Carlito VS Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo!

The LWO is still not convinced Legado Del Fantasma had nothing to do with the beating that took the Boy Wonder out ahead of WrestleMania. Will the King of Lucha help get to the bottom of things? Or will Angel & “Berto” make it as easy as ABC, 1-2-3?

The teams sort out, Dragon runs up on Humberto but Humberto LARIATS him down! Humberto drags Dragon up, tears the shirt away and CHOPS! Humberto whips, Dragon ducks ‘n’ dodges to RANA! Humberto tumbles out, Dragon builds speed and FLIES! Direct hit and down goes Humberto! The fans fire up as Dragon pushes Humberto into the ring, goes up a corner, and then CROSSBODIES! Cover, TWO! Dragon facelocks to drag Humberto up, but Humberto wrenches out to CLUB Dragon down. Humberto waistlocks but Dragon throws elbows. Angel tags in as Humberto shoves Dragon. Dragon ducks but Angel holds ropes open, and Dragon tumbles to the floor!

The fans boo and LWO hurries to check on Dragon! Angel & Humberto just soak up the heat as SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns and both Dragon and Humberto are down! They crawl, hot tags to Angel and Rey! The fans fire up as Rey ducks ‘n’ dodges and tilt-o-whirl RANAS! Angel ends up in a corner, he puts Rey on the apron, but Rey ROCKS Angel! Rey goes up to SEATED SENTON! Rey keeps moving, wrenches and kicks, then hops on! CODE RED! Cover, Humberto breaks it! The fans boo but Humberto hauls Rey up. Rey fights and RANAS Humberto up and out! But Angelo kicks, scoops, but Rey slips free! Angelo kicks low, reels REy in, and underhooks, but Rey fights those to RANA Angel onto ropes! Rey dials it up to 619!

Tag to Dragon and he takes aim! Angel stands, into the tilt-o-whirl, PROJECT DRAGON!! Cover, LWO wins!

Winners: Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee, by pinfall

Carlito and Zelina hug it out with the team, but then Santos Escobar & Elektra Lopez walk out here. Santos says whoa, whoa, whoa, hold that celebration. Because Santos is many things, but a liar is not one of them. And when Santos said he did NOT attack Dragon that night before Mania, he meant it. Elektra has been working for weeks to track down the security footage from that night. And Rey… Oh, Rey. What you’re about to see, you will find very, very interesting. The footage plays, and it was CARLITO!! Carlito throw Dragon around backstage! No one can believe it, because of how well Carlito fooled even Dragno.

Speaking of, Carlito RAMS Dragon into Rey, then hits a BACKSTABBER! Never has that move’s name been more fitting! Carlito runs away in a panic, and Rey stands back up in a rage! Santos says he told Rey that he was right all along. They were supposed to be family, and yet look how that turned out. How will the LWO recover from this shocking development?

Bron Breakker VS Cedric Alexander!

The Big Bad Booty Nephew has been making a case for himself ever since showing up on SmackDown, and he’s already bringing the straps down! Is he going to break PRIMED Alexander while also breaking match time records? Or will Cedric prove he’s too fly for Bron?

The bell rings and Cedric dodges Bron to CHOP and ROCK! Cedric whips, Bron reverses and Cedric handsprings, into a SPEAR!! Cover, Bron wins!

Winner: Bron Breakker, by pinfall

Well, hard to say if that’s an all-time fast match, but that was a fast match! QR Code stuff going on, but will we all see Bron take the world by storm?

Nick Aldis heads out.

And waiting is Tiffany Stratton. She asks if he saw what she did last week. Wait, of course he did. Because she is the Center of the Universe. She dropped Naomi and Bayley, where is her title match? Aldis tells Tiff to look at his watch. It is NOT set to #TiffyTime. And he was this close to sending her to the back of the line. But then someone convinced him otherwise, good for her. Tonight, she goes 1v1 with Naomi again, and the winner faces Bayley for the title at Backlash. Whose stupid idea was that?! Bayley says DING DONG, it was hers. It is a win-win situation here. If Naomi wins, she gets the match she got cheated out of.

And if Tiff wins, then she’ll find out when she attacks the Role Model. Tiff gasps as she has a #TiffanyEpiphany. Bayley should be ringside for that match so she can see Tiff do what Bayley couldn’t, and that’s beat Naomi. Tootles. Tiff leaves, but will the only thing she gets is to #FeelTheGlow?

Michelle McCool and Torrie Wilson are here!

One is a former WWE Women’s Champion, the other is a WWE Hall of Famer, but they’re both here to present Draft picks! Michelle says with the first pick of the second round, SmackDown selects… The Viper, Randy Orton! SmackDown will still have to watch out for an RKO outta nowhere! Torrie says that with the second pick of the second round, Raw selects… BRON BREAKKER! We just saw Bron make quick work of opponents here on SmackDown, but now he’s gonna be rampaging on Raw!

Michelle says that with the third pick of the second round, SmackDown selects… NIA JAX! The Irresistible Force may have to change targets from the Women’s World to the Undisputed Women’s title, but will she be unstoppable all the same? And with the fourth and final pick of this round, Raw selects… LIV MORGAN! The Revenge Tour will still be part of Monday nights, will we watch Liv rise to the top?

The Bloodline arrives backstage.

Paul Heyman is there to greet them and open the door to the SUV. He apologizes for not being faster about that, but Solo Sikoa asks The Bloodline if they’ve been drafted. Not yet. Then give Solo the details. Okay, well, Roman Reigns withdrew right before the show began, and then Solo keeps adding members, so no one really knows what they’re getting if they draft The Bloodline! Solo sighs, and here comes Tama Tonga. Heyman asks they be patient but Solo wants Heyman to repeat that for him. Heyman gets scared, but then KEVIN OWENS jumps in! Kevin fires off on Tama, security and refs rush in to stop it!

The Prizefighter wants Solo’s “MFT” to bring the fight like he did last week! Security still drags Kevin away, but will he get that fight he wants?

Kayla Braxton is on stage.

SmackDown returns and Kayla welcomes us back to the show. And please welcome out the first overall pick, Bianca Belair! The fans fire up as The EST walks out on stage, and Kayla congratulates her on being the first overall pick. But let’s talk Backlash. Breaking news, Bianca and Jade Cargill are going to challenge for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships, against the Kabuki Warriors. How satisfying would it be to dethrone them on the stage of this magnitude? Bianca says so satisfying. She really hopes Jade gets drafted to SmackDown because given all this history with Damage CTRL, all the partners by her side, Bianca has never been the one to finally end it with them.

For everything they’ve done to her and this division, Bianca feels Jade is the perfect woman to help her end this. Now, DMG CTRL is falling apart piece by piece, and that final piece is the tag titles. So once Bianca & Jade take the gold at Backlash, the Kabuki Warriors won’t even have a reason to come back to SmackDown. But wait, they’re here now! Asuka & Kairi walk out here and Kayla moves aside. The Empress of Tomorrow and the Pirate Princess taunt the EST, but here comes The Storm! Jade makes her way to stand right by Bianca’s side. The four shout and argue, but this will be settled on May 4th!

WHOA! Tama and Kevin are brawling their way out here! The ladies move aside so the gentlemen can brawl all the way down to ringside! Tama hits low, gets in the ring, but Kevin pursues! Kevin TACKLES Tama, but Solo CLOBBERS Kevin! The fans boo as The Bloodline beats Kevin down! The refs hurry out here but clearly Solo’s Bloodline won’t listen! Tama DECKS producers, DECKS guards, HEADBUTTS them, throws hands and even THROWS the guards! Tama and Solo beat Kevin down again, but here comes Randy Orton! The Viper is still on SmackDown and he’s still pals with Kevin, so here he comes!

Orton DECKS Tama, fires hands on Solo, then RK- NO, Solo gets free and gets away! Orton wants to pursue, almost runs Jamie Noble and refs over to do it, but the Bloodline has gotten away! The fans cheer Randy on, and KAevin even hugs him! But then Kevin and Randy try to give chase! Security stops this, when and where will we see #RKKO strike down Solo and Tama?

The Dudley Boyz are here!

The fans fire up as Bubba Ray & D-Von are both here for the next round of picks! Cincy chants for “E C DUB! E C DUB!” Bubba and D-Von look at the cards, it’s hard to read. So out come the glasses! Bubba says with the first pick of the third round of the 2024 WWE Draft, SmackDown selects… L A KNIGHT! YEAH!! The Mega Star stays on Fridays! D-Von says with the second pick of the third round, Raw selects… RICOCHET! Mondays still has the One and Only, is Ricochet going to bring that WWE Speed Championship home to Raw, too?

Bubba says with the third pick of the third round, SmackDown selects… THE BLOODLINE! That means Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga and Paul Heyman are staying right here on Friday nights. And D-Von says with the final pick of this round, Raw selects… SHEAMUS! The Celtic Warrior just got back, but he won’t have to worry about going anywhere else but Monday nights.

WWE Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s Match: Naomi VS Tiffany Stratton!

It’s time to run it back once again! The Glow got robbed by the Spoiled Rich Girl, but supposedly, it’s #TiffyTime. Will Naomi prove there’s no such time on the clock? Or will Bayley be the one feeling the Backlash over giving Tiffany one more chance?

The bell rings and Naomi hits a THESZ PRESS! Naomi rains down fists, Tiffy shoves her away and goes to ropes, but Naomi gets up in Tiff’s face. Naomi whips, Tiff holds ropes to bail out and fans boo. Naomi scowls, runs in and WRECKS Tiff with a dropkick! Naomi then gets Tiff up, SMACKS her off the apron, and then SMACKS her off it again! And again! Naomi puts Tiff in, goes up a corner, but Tiff gets under the jump! Naomi runs back up but Tiff YANKS her into ropes! Tiff runs to HIP ATTACK! Naomi sputters, Tiff scowls and drags Naomi up, to then put through ropes. But Naomi RAMS into Tiff!

Naomi reels Tiff in, for a HEATSEEKER! Tiff flops to the floor, and then Naomi SPLIT LEG DROPS! Naomi says it’s #NaomiTime, but SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns and Naomi runs, but into a SPINEBUSTER! High stack, TWO! Naomi survives and Tiff is frustrated but the fans rally up. Tiff drags Naomi up, whips her to a corner, but Naomi goes up and sunset flips! TWO! Tiff escapes, knees Naomi low, then whips. Naomi slides under the lariat to then mule kick! Then she headscissor SPIKES Tiff down! Cover, TWO! Tiff survives but barely, and Naomi keeps her cool. Naomi headlocks, but Tiff shoves her into buckles! Tiff runs, but Naomi follows, DOUBLE RUNNING FACEBUSTERS take them both down! The fans fire up as the two rise!

Naomi KICKS, ROCKS and ROCKS Tiff again! Naomi fires shots again and again but Tiff knees low! Tiff reels Naomi in, but Naomi wrenches out to ENZIGIRI! And then BUCKLE BULLDOG! But then NIA JAX attacks Bayley!? Nia SMACKS Bayley off buckles, rains down fists, and this momentarily distracts Naomi. Naomi refocuses, but by now, Tiff’s slipped away! Nia KICKS Bayley in the side, so Naomi goes out to ROCK her! Nia POSTS Naomi and that throws the match out!

No Contest

The fans boo as Nia ruins the fun, then runs Bayley over! Nia smiles as she blows kisses to Cincy. Tiff smiles, she drags Naomi up and puts her in the ring. Then she drags Bayley in! Tiff wants a repeat of last week as she puts them side by side in the drop zone! Tiff then goes up and up for the PRETTIEST MOONSAULT EVER!! Tiff says it’s her time, but the #1 contendership is still in question. Who gets their shot at the Role Model at Backlash?

B-Fab and the Street Profits meet up backstage.

Angelo Dawkins has a “WHO-DEY” sign, but Montez Ford is wondering where Bobby Lashley is right now. B-Fab says calm down, he’ll be here. Byron Saxton walks over and apologizes for interrupting. He doesn’t know what the Draft destination for this group will be until Monday Night Raw, but we do know that The Profits will challenge A-Town Down Under for the WWE Tag Team Championships. YESSIIIIIIR~! B-Fab says it doesn’t matter where they get drafted. The Profits are going to take down A-Town Down Under and take those titles. Then they’ll have their first class tickets right back to SmackDown.

SmackDown? Did someone say SmackDown~? In walk Austin Theory & Grayson Waller, showing off the titles. And Theory says you can’t have SmackDown without the GREATEST undefeated tag team of all time. And sorry, Dawkins, but these are championships, something the Bengals know nothing about! B-Fab keeps Dawkins back, but then in steps Bobby Lashley! The All Mighty scares Theory & Waller right off, and Dawkins says see y’all next Friday! Will there be nothing keeping these Profits down the night before Backlash?

The Final Testament speaks.

Karrion Kross says good evening. What’s going on here? You guessed it! More random acts of violence! Just follow him. Kross & Scarlett lead the way to show The Authors of Pain beating down New Catch Republic! Rezar beats down Pete Dunne while Akam victimizes Tyler Bate! Paul Ellering says they will know about sacrifice! Kross says whether they get drafted to Raw or stay on SmackDown, the violence will continue until they get what they want! So sayeth The Final Testament!!

Teddy Long and JBL are here!

The Hall of Famer General Manager and the Hall of Famer WWE Champion are both here, ready to give us the fourth and final round of picks tonight! Teddy gets right to it! The first pick of the fourth round, SmackDown selects… AJ STYLES! The Phenomenal One is really an obvious choice, because one way or another, the WWE Championship stays with SmackDown! JBL says the second pick of the fourth round, Raw selects… THE ALPHA ACADEMY! Raw keeps Chad Gable, Otis, Maxxine Dupri & Akira Tozawa, A THANK YEW~!

Teddy says with the third pick of this round, SmackDown selects… ANDRADE! A big move as now El Idolo will be part of Friday nights. And with the final pick of this fourth round, Raw selects… NXT’S Kiana James! The Calculator, the former NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion, has the Raw hat to put on, and after a quick hype package, Jackie Redmond is there to interview her. Kiana, congratulations! You are heading to Monday Night Raw! How much does this mean to her? This means the world to her. She is filled with gratitude, but also knows every decision she has made up to this point has been by design to get her here.

Kiana is so proud of her time in NXT, but she’s ready to show Raw why she is the One Percent. Was she surprised? Of course she was! HBK is here to wish her luck and congratulations. Is Kiana going to start the hostile takeover of the Raw Women’s Division?

Backstage interview with Nick Aldis.

Kayla is with the SmackDown GM and says that with night one in the books, how does he feel about SmackDown’s selections? He feels really good about them. SmackDown’s future is bright, he can’t wait for the new recruits to show up and show out for the blue brand. But he also wants to turn attentions to Backlash, because he’s got some new matches to announce! The first PLE in France, this is exciting stuff, Kayla. Aldis says that the WWE Women’s Championship will now be on the line in a Triple Threat! Bayley VS Naomi VS Tiffany Stratton! Will the odds make it that much harder for the Role Model to succeed?

There’s one more match to announce, but Aldis will let the GM GOAT take it from here. Teddy Long steps in, and don’t forget. We’ll talk about this tag team match. The Bloodline VS Kevin Owens & Randy Orton! Holla, players. Solo & Tama will have to face The Viper and the Prizefighter, will #RKKO strike fast and strike hard?

Cody Rhodes VS Carmelo Hayes!

The American Nightmare just put pen to paper for his match with the Phenomenal One, but he isn’t one to shy away from a challenge. The former NXT Champion is shooting his shot, but will this be nothing but net? Or will it be a frustrating airball?

The bell rings and the two circle. They tie up, the fans rally for Cody as he puts Melo in a corner then arm-drags him away. Melo runs up, Cody headlocks, Melo powers out then drops. Melo hurdles, but Cody kicks low to RHODES UPPERCUT! Melo staggers to ropes, the fans fire up, but then melo throat chops and springboard FLYING LARIATS! Melo says that’s why he’s a first round pick! But then Cody CLOBBERS him! Cody asks if Melo’s ready for this, and SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns once again and Cody has a headlock. Cody hits a takeover, Melo flails and kicks around, but Cody grinds him down. Melo pushes with his forearm, then headscissors, but Cody kips free. Melo CHOPS, the fans “WOO~!” but Cody brushes himself off. Melo pie faces Cody! Cody fires forearms on Melo, then whips, but Melo reverses. Melo ELBOWS Cody, then runs up to KICK him in the side! Melo fires forearms and CHOPS in a corner, then throws body shots. Melo digs his boot in, the ref counts, and Cody goes to another corner. Cody eggs Melo on, Melo storms up, but Cody puts him in the corner to CHOP!

Cody swings, Melo dodges and CHOPS! Cody turns things around to CHOP! The fans rally, Cody whips corner to corner, then he back drops Melo away! Melo staggers up, Cody runs, and he rallies on Melo with forearms! Cody goes up and over in a corner but Melo tilt-o-whirls, LA MYSTICA! Melo springboards, FADE AWAY! Cover, TWO! Cody survives that flying DDT, but we see the NXT roster all fired up watching Melo take it to the champ. Melo sits Cody up, drags him into a facelock, but the fans rally for Cody. Cody fireman’s carries but Melo slips free to dragon sleeper! Melo grins, but Cody cradles! TWO!!

Melo swings, Cody boots, then Cody springboards to BEAUTIFUL DISASTER! Melo flips inside-out, Cody covers, TWO! Melo is still in this and he snarls up at Cody. Melo gives a forearm, Cody gives it back, and the fans rally up. Cody scoops Melo, storms around, and then hits a RUNNING POWERSLAM! Cover, TWO! Melo survives and Cody grows frustrated. Cody pounds the mat, the fans rally up, and then Cody goes to ropes. Cody springboards again, CODY CUTTER! Cover, TWO!! Melo survives yet again, proving why he’s a former NXT Champion, on top of NXT North American Champion! But then Cody drags him up!

Cody back suplexes, Melo lands out of it, then FIRST 48! Doe goes Cody and Melo goes up! Melo is setting up for the game winner! NOTHING BUT- NO, Cody avoids the flying leg drop! Melo rolls through, Cody dodges to SUPERKICK! Cody brings Melo around, but Melo gets free! They both run, both springboard, but completely miss each other, and Cody takes a rough landing! Melo drags Cody up, reels him in, but Cody wrenches out to dragon sleeper! CROSS RHODES!! Cody shakes out the bad arm but still makes the cover, and Cody wins!

Winner: Cody Rhodes, by pinfall

Melo took his shot but it was blocked! Even so, Cody sits Melo up to show him respect and tell him he’s still the future. But did this match end up more of a trap game for Cody after that crash landing? Or will he be alright in time for Backlash and his phenomenal opponent?

Speaking of, Styles sneaks right into the ring! Cody sees him in time and Styles stays back. Cody and Styles stare down, but Styles says it was that close. Styles offers a handshake, and Cody takes it. There’s still respect here, for now. But will nothing stop Styles from turning Cody’s story into a tragedy after all?

My Thoughts:

A great SmackDown to open the WWE Draft but to also set up Backlash. To recap, SmackDown took Bianca, Melo, Orton, Nia, LA Knight, The Bloodline, Styles and Andrade while Raw took Jey, Rollins, Bron, Liv, Ricochet, Sheamus, The Alpha Academy, and Kiana. Many of those choices made sense, as picks won’t be wasted on keeping champions on brands, and just need to be used to keep most stories alive and change up a few others. Kiana is perhaps one of the more surprising moves, but well-deserved. She has been a solid character and solid in-ring performer almost from the start, she’s a solid addition to Raw.

Bron of course demolished his opponent tonight, it’s just a shame it was Cedric and not local enhancement talent. But Bron will also be a good addition to Raw, but maybe he can move past his squash match phase and get right to story. Melo being a first round pick was great stuff, and he had a great promo with Cody to give us tonight’s main event. That double springboard whiff was definitely a timing problem, but at the same time, a Fade Away countered into a Cody Cutter would’ve been way too epic just for TV. Cody with a great win, and we got a really good contract signing segment, but you can bet Cody retains.

Really good tag match from LWO VS Legado but naturally Rey & Dragon won. I knew it was only a matter of time before Carlito was outed, and how he handled being exposed was pretty good. And with Andrade being drafted to SmackDown, you just know that means Andrade joins the LWO. The Final Testament attacking New Catch Republic was a wild moment, I almost thought Ellering was going to use the pliers in his hands to grab at fingers. Maybe we get that next week for SmackDown in France. Good promos from A-Town Down Under and the still technically unnamed faction of Bobby Lashley’s. As great as The Profits are, it feels like Theory & Waller will cheat to retain.

Really good promo with Tiff and Bayley to set up Naomi VS Tiff round 3, but I did not think Nia Jax would disrupt all that. A Triple Threat at Backlash is good stuff, it will protect Bayley if she loses, but can also protect Naomi and Tiff if Bayley uses them against each other to win. Good promo from Bianca that then turned into the shouting match of Bianca & Jade with Kabuki Warriors. Their tag title match is official, and I’m pretty sure Bianca & Jade win. I also liked that this segment ended up having Kevin and Tama brawl right through it. Orton saving Kevin was a great move, RKKO VS Solo & Tama is going to be awesome stuff, I can’t wait to see it.

My Score: 8.8/10

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: 4.25.2024

We just got done with Rebellion, and Under Siege is two weeks away! Gotta see how these dots connect!

Published

2 days ago

April 25, 2024

Andrew Balaz

Rebellion had quite a few returns, Mike Santana, Sami Callihan and Broken Matt Hardy. All three of these guys could easily be main event players, and its nice to mix up and expand what felt like a rather small pool of potential challengers.

Under Siege is only like 2 weeks out, so we’ll see how the dots connect in such a short period of time.

.@AJFrancis410, Rich Swann, and rap legend @BunBTrillOG are IN THE HOUSE Meanwhile, @joehendry announces he will deliver an apology to Fir$t Cla$$ NEXT WEEK on #TNAiMPACT! pic.twitter.com/4GNe2xWfyU

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

Ratings:

Mike Santana vs Myron Reed w/Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz: Santana wins via Spin the Block – ** 1/2
#1 Contender: Frankie Kazarian vs Josh Alexander: Josh wins via Grapevine Ankle Lock – ***
ASH by Elegance vs Xia Brookside: Xia wins via School Girl Roll-Up – ** 3/4
Sami Callihan vs The Good Hands: Sami Callihan wins via Cactus Driver ’97 – SQUASH
Eddie Edwards w/Alisha Edwards & Brian Myers vs Nic Nemeth: Eddie wins via Boston Knee Party – *** 1/4

Results:

Did @NicTNemeth say BROKEN? @MATTHARDYBRAND has arrived in the iMPACT Zone! #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/HbkUangt6e

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

A weird opening that is just framed to put Nemeth and Hardy together against The System. Feels a little awkward, but who knows how it will play out.

.@JordynneGrace vs @miyu_tjp NEXT WEEK on #TNAiMPACT will now be for the Knockouts World Championship! pic.twitter.com/YnKZjb9yjx

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

Mike Santana vs Myron Reed w/Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz

Ahh I didn’t really pay attention to Santana’s theme at Rebellion, but its pretty damn cool. Good stuff.

Rascalz blindside Santana early, but the heel advantage doesn’t last more than a few moves. Santana whips Myron from corner to corner, hits a few Hip Attacks before Myron finally dodges one and starts using his unique offense and agility to his advantage. Matrix dodge, into an Leaping Outside Back in Slingshot Codebreaker. Some more offense and Santana powders to the ramp, Myron jumps over the rope and tries a Flying Cutter, but Santana blocks it, turns things around, gets pushed forward and hits the Rolling Cutter. Santana takes out the Rascalz, heads back into the ring, Myron tries to catch him unawares but eats the Spin the Block off the rope run! Santana wins fairly quickly.

Maclin’s music hits, he tries to employ the help of The Rascalz to attack Santana, but as soon as Maclin positions himself to get in, The Rascalz bail and flip off Maclin. Maclin makes it out of the confrontation relatively unscathed, but at least we know where he’s going for Under Siege probably.

OH FUCK ME WITH RUSTY KNIVES. Because Cardona is hurt Kon is paired with SDL, and she just challenges Jordynne and PCO to a tag match. WHY!? STOP IT. This is hot garbage.

Josh Alexander comes out…I wonder who’s Super Finisher he’s gonna conveniently kick out this time? Brian Myers? Frankie Kazarian? Rich Swann? Because yes, I’m still annoyed that Hammerstone has been in TNA for half a sandwich, he already connects with a Super version of his finish on tacks, and that’s not a finish. Oh Kaz’s music hits. Okay, so time for Josh to kick out of Fade to Black or Flux Capacitor. Kaz talks smack, says he won his match too so he should have a say in who’s number one contender. Josh challenges him, Kaz says not right now, but a referee runs out and says the match is official.

#1 Contender: Frankie Kazarian vs Josh Alexander

Kaz throws his jacket on Josh’s head, and attacks him with some strikes before Josh fights back and throws Kaz out. Commercial break, we see Kaz misses his Apron Guillotine, Josh goes for the Low Crossbody but Kaz dodges and Josh goes flying. Kaz starts throwing some chops and claws at the cauliflowered ears of Josh. Russian Leg Sweep from Kaz for a near fall. Josh swings wildly and Kaz ducks the strike and levels Josh with a Lariat.

Josh blocks a Vertical Suplex attempt, but Frankie pulls off a Fisherman’s Suplex after a few overhead strikes for a near fall. Josh stands up and connects with a straight right, rocks Kaz, Back Body Drop, into a Charging Forearm, Rolling Senton, 2 count! C4 Spike attempt countered into a Back Stabber and then Chicken Wing, but Josh fights it off, rolls through and into an Ankle Lock, Kaz kicks off and into a Head and Arm Cradle for a near fall and then the Guillotine Leg Drop into Slingshot DDT spot from Kaz for another 2 count!

Fade to Black, but its fought off, Big Boot but then Kaz counters the next move with a Power Slam into the Springboard Guillotine Leg Drop, but Josh grabs the Ankle Lock! Locomotion German Suplex time from Josh, Halfhatch Suplex after the Germans, floats over for a 2 count! C4 Spike attempt again, but Kaz fights it off, dumps him over the top rope, slingshots him in and into the Cutter for a near fall for Kaz! After the 2 Kaz grabs a chair and chain, the referee stops the chair of course, so he tries the chain, EY runs down and grabs the chain so Kaz pulls the Eddie Guerrero and the referee admonishes EY, but doesn’t DQ Josh. So as Kaz is busy laughing at EY, Josh picks the ankle, Ankle Lock with the Grapevine, Kaz taps.

Tensions are sky-high between @alexhammerstone and @JakeSomething_! #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/LLCUJOCy7H

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

ASH by Elegance vs Xia Brookside

Both are jawing at each other and then throw hands before Xia gets the upper hand with a Headscissors from the Top Turnbuckle, Charging Knees, a Flurry of Kicks, but when the ref forces some space in the corner, ASH is finally able to dodge and work over Xia with her Twisting Body Splash, a few choking moves, a corner Stomp into a Snap Suplex for 2. ASH is in charge elegantly, but the referee keeps forcing space on both of them when they go for corner attacks. Xia manages to take advantage a little, but ASH regains control, kicks Xia up the ramp and then lands her Cartwheel Back Elbow up the ramp. It actually looks pretty cool executed like that.

Headlocks and Hair Pulling to keep Xia down and using energy to kick out. ASH is getting frustrated but Xia is remaining persistent. ASH goes back to the Headlock, but Xia fights up, Jawbreaker, Back Elbow, Kick to the gut and Drop Toe Hold sends ASH face first into the middle buckle. Xia rips off 4 Double Knee Smashes to the back of ASH’s head into her Flying Crossbody for a close 2! Xia pulls her up, but ASH spins out, then Xia slips it, but ASH kicks her in the chest and deposits her to the outside and demands a count from the referee. Iceman puts Jeweled Knuckles/Rings on ASH’s hand, the referee catches her, removes the stuff from her fingers and Xia hits the School Girl Roll-Up for the flash win.

Fraud has thrown the Ballot Box Battle into chaos, but also paved the way for an explosive showdown between @TheTreyMiguel and @The_Ace_Austin NEXT WEEK to determine the #1 Contender for the X Division Championship! #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/lYHrtgNrc3

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

Sami Callihan vs The Good Hands

So the Good Hand Jobs are about to do their job to Sami. I’m just gonna assume Sami beats the hell out of both and wins with a Cactus Driver ’97. If anything interesting happens I might actually cover it, but come on now.

.@SteveMaclin has a proposition for @FrankieKazarian #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/XY6lMdmSWo

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

Kaz makes a Metallica reference with the “Wash Your Back So You Won’t Stab Mine”…and Sweet Amber is the only good song on St. Anger. So…I ain’t mad.

Eddie Edwards w/Alisha Edwards & Brian Myers vs Nic Nemeth

A little early ground wrestling and headlocks for control from both men. Nothing super flashy to start until we get to the rope run and Nemeth goes for the Flying Body Press to drop Eddie. Before Nemeth can follow up, Lish grabs his foot. Nic does have his brother Ryan in the crowd, trying to get chants going and do the old school ‘power up the babyface’ thing, but Eddie has been in control since Lish got involved. Simple offense, chokes, strikes, Snap Suplexes, Knee Drops, simple yet effective. But then Eddie ducks his head too early, Nemeth kicks him in the face, bounces his head off the buckles a few times, Dropkick sends Eddie reeling to the corner, Nemeth starts the 10 Count Punches but Myers hits the apron to distract and Eddie manages to slip the situation and push Nemeth to the floor.

Commercial break happens, Nemeth is trying to fight back with Chops, but a Kitchen Sink from Eddie puts Nemeth on the floor again! Clubbing blow from Eddie, but Eddie then misses the Hip Attack in the corner and Nemeth counters with the Rude Awakening into the 10 Count Rain of Elbows. Fame Ass-er miss, Eddie tries something but Nemeth turns it into that hesitation DDT for 2! Tuning up the band starts to build and Eddie powders to avoid it. Nemeth throws Eddie back in, goes to the top, but Eddie crotches him, rises up and hits the Superplex into Tiger Driver for 2! Eddie starts mocking with Tuning Up the band but Nemeth hits his own Superkick into an Olympic Slam for 2!

Both men just trade strikes Fighting Spirit style, Eddie says “Always Trust the System” and Nemeth shuts him up with a Headbutt. Danger Zone is blocked, Boston Knee Party gets ducked, they level each other with Lariats! Myers and Ryan Nemeth start fighting to distract the referee, Moose hits the ring and hits Nemeth with the belt. Eddie lands Boston Knee Party and The System wins again!

Overall Score: 6/10

A lame opening segment, a squash match, ASH by Elegance getting her first loss, and a weird way of just pulling the number one contender out of mid air makes for an awkward show. Also Kon still be involved in, literally anything, is negative. However, I can say there was a ton of stuff thrown at the wall this episode, so there’s a chance that some things landed better with other people than myself. The ballot segments were amusing, they overused the “I need to talk to you Santino” gimmick a bit much and personally I feel like having Jake versus Hammerstone is booking yourself into a weird corner.

But hey, the main event was fun, Nemeth getting laid out to the point that there could be a story reason to take him out of the Under Siege match. Kaz with the Metallica reference was pop worthy and I guess its a lot of ‘let’s see where it goes’ kind of angle creation. So it wasn’t complete trash, but its definitely a wait and see episode.

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!