Coverage
Mitchell’s WWE SmackDown Results & Report! (8/5/22)
We’re on the road to Cardiff!

The Tribal Chief will address the Scottish Warrior!
Roman Reigns is STILL Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, but he knows SmackDown’s Drew McIntyre is coming after him at Clash at the Castle! What will the Head of the Table have to say about his new challenger?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Happy Corbin VS Ricochet; Ricochet wins.
- WWE Intercontinental Championship Contender’s Match: Shinsuke Nakamura VS Ludwig Kaiser w/ GUNTHER; Nakamura wins and will challenge Gunther for the title next week.
- The Viking Raiders VS Jim Mulkey & Tommy Gibson; The Viking Raiders win.
- Kofi Kingston VS Erik w/ Ivar; Kofi wins.
- SmackDown Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s Gauntlet: Shayna Baszler wins and will challenge Liv Morgan for the title at Clash at the Castle.
PLAY BY PLAY
Pat McAfee gives us telestration of his match with Happy Corbin.
He pauses when Corbin bumps into the referee, and uses the yellow pen to circle the ref going down. Then he circles Corbin and himself to show the spacing. McAfee kicks Corbin’s balls through the upright, then says “SUCK IT!” before going up top. McAfee has that moment replay a couple times, actually. McAfee circles his right foot that has made millions (AND MILLIONS) of dollars, and then he has an arrow point from his eyes to “the tiny prize,” and that was all she wrote! The foot starts swinging, the balls start ringing! And look at that big dumb face! McAfee writes “OUCH, MAH BALLS!” for Corbin in a speech bubble. A storybook moment, McAfee has never been prouder.
Corbin is watching this, too.
As are a lot of the other superstars of SmackDown. And of course, everyone is laughing at Corbin. It’s not funny! Ricochet says karma is a beautiful thing. Well how about Corbin wipe Ricochet’s smile off his mouth! Sure, as soon as Corbin’s done pouting back here, they can “kickoff” SmackDown. Ricochet will head to the ring, and both he and his smile will wait for Corbin. Will Sad Corbin be able to redeem himself from what happened to him at SummerSlam?
Happy Corbin VS Ricochet!
The bell rings and Ricochet circles with Corbin. They tie up, go around, and Corbin TOSSES Ricochet to a corner. Corbin rushes in, Ricochet slips out and ROUNDHOUSES Corbin away! Ricochet then springboards up and over, but Corbin gets under! END OF- NO, Ricochet slips out, tiger wall kick and ENZIGURI! Corbin bails out, Ricochet builds speed and FLIES! Direct hit at the ramp and Greensville fires up! Corbin hurries back into the ring but Ricochet climbs up top. Ricochet leaps, but Corbin gets under, slides out and slides in to LARIAT! McAfee applauds because he does appreciate Corbin’s ability. Just needs to be a better person.
Corbin fires hands but fans mock “BUM ASS CORBIN!” Ricochet fires body shots and haymakers, then runs, but into a big elbow! Corbin tells the fans off and they boo him back. Corbin drags Ricochet up, puts him in a corner and whips corner to corner hard! Ricochet bounces off buckles and Corbin drags him back up. Corbin tosses Ricochet to the apron but Ricochet shoulders back in. Ricochet slingshots, into a HAYMAKER! Corbin drags Ricochet in, drags him up, but fans chant for “MCAFEE! MCAFEE!” Corbin knees Ricochet low, shushes the crowd then runs in, but Ricochet goes up! Corbin slides out, in but into stomps!
Ricochet goes out to BOOT Corbin from the apron! And SUPERKICK! Ricochet then MOIONSAULTS, but Corbin moves! Ricochet lands on his feet, comes back in, but Corbin alley-oops Ricochet INTO THE POST! The One and Only is down as SmackDown goes to break.
SmackDown returns and Corbin has Ricochet in the ring with a half nelson chinbar. Ricochet endures and the fans rally up. Ricochet fights but Corbin thrashes him around. Fans taunt Corbin, Ricochet gets up and throws body shots. Ricochet ROCKS Corbin, runs, but Corbin hits a back drop! As if Ricochet doesn’t get air on his own! Cover, TWO! Corbin argues with the ref but the count was fair! Corbin goes back to Ricochet, taunts him to laugh now, but fans chant “You Suck! You Suck!” Corbin whips, Ricochet rolls off his back and fires off fast hands! Corbin shoves but Ricochet knees back. Ricochet then dodges, handsprings, and back elbows!
Corbin end sup in a corner, Ricochet runs in to RAM Corbin, and springboard FLYING LARIAT! STANDING SHOOTING STAR! Cover, TWO! Fans fire up while Ricochet keeps his focus. Ricochet aims from a corner as Corbin rises, then runs in, but no Recoil as Corbin catches him! Ricochet fights free, BOOTS back, then runs and handsprings again, into a torture rack! Corbin swings around for the NECKBREAKER! Cover, TWO!! Ricochet survives, Corbin is furious, but the fans are loving it! “BUM ASS CORBIN!” drags Ricochet up again, choke grips and CHOEK- NO, RANA! Ricochet covers, TWO!!
Ricochet hurries to a corner, goes up and around to sunset flip, TWO!! Corbin is up, but into a SOBAT! Ricochet KICKS and runs, but Corbin hits a DEEP SIX! Cover, TWO!! Corbin is shocked that Ricochet escapes! Corbin drags Ricochet to a corner and up to the top rope. Fans chant “CORBIN SUCKS!” as he climbs up, and Ricochet fires hands! Ricochet CLUBS Corbin, goes up and SUPER SUNSET- NO, Corbin holds onto the ropes! Corbin drags Ricochet back up, only for Ricochet to fire off hands! Ricochet CLUBS Corbin, throws hands, but Corbin choke grips! Corbin SHOVES Ricochet off to HOTSHOT off ropes!
McAfee and Corbin stare down and Corbin talks trash, McAfee says he’ll do another round with him if he wants! But Ricochet trips Corbin up! Corbin lands on his happy boys! RECOIL!! Corbin is in the drop zone, Ricochet hurries up top! McAfee says Ricochet is gonna do something McAfee could never do! It’s the SHOOTING STAR PRESS! Cover, Ricochet wins!!
Winner: Ricochet, by pinfall
So much for wiping the smile off someone’s face! Ricochet’s smile is only bigger, as is McAfee’s and Greensville’s! McAfee passes the ball to Ricochet, and Ricochet passes it back! Touchdown! And then McAfee kicks the ball to the fans! And it’s good! Will Corbin’s frown continue to grow, too? Or will he come back after McAfee soon enough?
Sami Zayn walks the halls.
And of course, he goes to the dressing room of the Tribal Chief. He politely knocks, but what will he have to say to the Undisputed Universal Champion?
SmackDown returns, and Sami is still knocking. The Usos answer and the Honorary Uce is excited. Jey isn’t, though, but Sami wants to say, what they did at SummerSlam, mad respect. Speaking of… How is Paul Heyman? He’s fine, just needs some days off at home to rest. Okay, good. But that kinda makes sense, Sami was calling Heyman but didn’t get a response. Sami was hoping to talk to Roman, congratulate him on how great SummerSlam was. Jey says now’s not a good time. Dawg, what? It’s okay, Sami, they’ll shoot you a text when it’s okay. Well, alright, cool. Peace. But will Sami be told when it’s okay to talk to the Head of the Table?
Ronda Rousey has been fined and suspended!
After losing in admittedly controversial fashion, the Baddest Woman on the Planet perhaps lived up to that name, going after Liv Morgan and then the referee after the decision was final. Ronda will be gone just for this week, what mood will she be in when she returns?
WWE Intercontinental Championship Contender’s Match: Shinsuke Nakamura VS Ludwig Kaiser w/ GUNTHER!
The King of Strong Style has gone 1-1 with the Impeccable German of Imperium, and yet the Ring General hasn’t been happy with either result. Will he be even less happy when Nakamura wins again and gets a shot at the Intercontinental Championship? Or will Gunther have a say in how things go once again?
SmackDown returns and Imperium makes their entrance. The bell rings and Nakamura circles with Ludwig. They tie up, go around, and Ludwig chinbars then wrenches to a top wristlock. Ludwig wrangles Nakamura down, has a hammerlock and leans on the hold. Ludwig clamps on a chinlock but fans rally as Nakamura fights up. Gunther coaches Ludwig and he CLUBS Nakamura down. Ludwig sits Nakamura up to JAM an elbow into his face! Nakamura gets to a corner, Ludwig bumps him off buckles. Ludwig throws hands stomps Nakamura, then throws elbows. Ludwig lets off at the ref’s count of 4 to shout “NEIN!”
Ludwig stomps a mudhole in, but lets off at 4 again. Gunther coaches Ludwig to keep on Nakamura, and Ludwig bumps him off buckles again. Ludwig throws haymakers then stomps, but Nakamura grabs the leg! Nakamura CLUBS the leg, throws forearms and body shots and KICKS in the corner! And then he gives Ludwig BAD VIBRATIONS~! Gunther is upset but fans fire up as Nakamura says, “C’MON!” Ludwig runs in but into a knee! And a KICK! And more kicks! Ludwig blocks one but the ENZIGURI hits! Nakamura drops a knee on Ludwig’s head! Cover, TWO! Nakamura drags Ludwig up to waistlock but Ludwig wrenches out to ROCK Nakamura!
Ludwig climbs up the corner but Nakamura trips him up! TOP SHELF KNEE! Ludwig tumbles out and Gunther is furious! Nakamura runs, Ludwig gets in, things speed up, but Nakamura stops to KICK! Nakamura runs in, but into a tilt-o-whirl SLAM! Gunther is finally happy with what he sees while SmackDown goes to break.
SmackDown returns as Nakamura CLOBBERS Ludwig! Fans fire up as both men get up, and Nakamura fires of knees! Nakamura suplexes Ludwig up, hangs him out to dry and AX KICKS him down! Nakamura runs to SLIDING KNEE! Ludwig scrambles to a corner, Nakamura runs in but he blocks the boots! He puts Ludwig in the ropes, CHOP and SLIDING GERMAN! Nakamura dares Gunther to do something but Gunther tells him to focus on Ludwig. Ludwig WRECKS Nakamura with a dropkick! Gunther says he told Nakamura so. Ludwig goes out but Nakamura ELBOWS him, puts him on the apron and KNEES him into the ring!
Nakamura hurries to aim from a corner, “YAO~!” KIN- NO! UPPERCUT! Ludwig covers, TWO! Nakamura survives and Ludwig is shocked while Gunther is furious! Ludwig drags Nakamura up, Nakamura fires a forearm but Ludwig kicks away. But Nakamura boots him, only to swing into a PUMP HANDLE SUPLEX! Cover, TWO!! Nakamura survives again and Gunther is furious! Gunther tells Ludwig not to mess this up again, and Ludwig drags Nakamura up. Ludwig hooks Nakamura up, but Nakamura gets an ARMBAR! Ludwig stays up to STOMP, and then he covers! TWO!! Nakamura kicks, Ludwig ducks, but the WHEEL KICK hits!
Nakamura goes to the corner, runs back in, KINSHASA!! Cover, Nakamura wins!
Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura, by pinfall (NEW #1 Contender to the WWE Intercontinental Championship)
Fans fire up with the King of Strong Style, because he’s got that title match with Gunther! Gunther gets in the ring to get in Nakamura’s face, and Nakamura tells him, “C’MON!” Gunther snarls but he has no choice but to defend the title now. Will the King of Strong Style become a three-time Intercontinental Champion next week?
Backstage interview with Kofi Kingston.
A video recap plays of the Viking Raiders showing that new viciousness when they broke Xavier Woods’ ankle. Megan asks Kofi how Woods is doing. Woods is in high spirits, resting, recovering and recuperating, and he will be back soon enough. And that’s the thing: no matter how many times these “nasty, disgusting, gross, grotesque, crusty ass Vikings wanna put us down, we’re always gonna get back up. Because to us, it’s not just a gimmick when we say every day is a NEW~ Day~!” Kofi says it feels weird saying that alone without Woods or Big E. It’s been a long time since it’s just been him.
But speaking of time, it is almost time for Kofi to make the Vikings pay! And do you know why, Megan? BECAUSE~! NEW! DAY ROCKS! NEW! DAY ROCKS! Kofi is ready for revenge, but can he do it all on his own?
Sami Zayn knocks on Roman’s door again?
The Usos answer the door again and Sami apologizes. It’s just that he gets bad reception in this arena, he isn’t sure if the text was coming through or not. Jimmy says good timing, he was just about to text Sami. Oh, well, then can he go in there? Well, they need a favor first. See, usually with Heyman here, he’s handling stuff backstage. He’s usually talking with the production truck to make sure the graphics are good, the music is good, and the pyro is good so that Roman’s entrance is perfect. Okay, okay. Can Sami do that for them? Really? Well, that’s not really his job. He’s the Honorary Uce! Jimmy says it would mean a lot to Roman.
Well… Okay. Tell Roman that Sami is taking care of this. He’ll get all the pyro. Sami heads off, but is this really for Roman? Or just so that Sami leaves the Bloodline alone tonight?
Liv Morgan is here!
Kayla Braxton is in the ring to introduce the SmackDown Women’s Champion, as well as interview her. SummerSlam, Liv was in the ring with a very vengeful Ronda. Ronda thought she won, but then snapped when she found out she lost. And Liv’s arm is in a brace while Ronda is suspended. What has Liv been feeling since Saturday? Liv says she is feeling so many different things. But when she looks at her title… She hears fans chant “YOU TAPPED OUT!” and she says this is why she wanted to come out here. She needs to address the elephant in the room. Fans keep chanting it but Liv says she appreciates being called out on her ish.
But what Liv wants to say about that, is that this championship means everything to her. its’ why shew as able to withstand armbar after armbar. She survived three of Ronda Rousey’s armbars, and yes she did tap, after she thought it was three. So she knows that when Ronda comes back- Wait! Here comes Sonya Deville! Sonya tells Liv that this is sad to see. Maybe we need a hard dose of reality. Liv can be all noble in front of the people, and some will buy it because they’re dumb. But they both know that Liv shouldn’t be champ right now. C’mon! This is pathetic, honestly. But what made Sonya happy: watching Ronda get her hands on Liv after Liv screwed Ronda.
But Sonya says it is also a testament to how bad Adam Pearce sucks at his job. But standing here, face to face, looking Liv in the eyes, Sonya really loves seeing Liv all hurt. So here’s what happens: Sonya wins tonight’s gauntlet match, and then she bets Liv at Clash at the Castle and break her heart because she takes away what Liv loves most. But wait! Here comes another of the gauntlet competitors, Aliyah! Because she and Sonya are first up! Will “Cruella” survive to the end? Or will #Aliyah317 take Sonya out real quick?
SmackDown Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s Gauntlet!
Liv watches ringside as the bell rings and the two tie up. Aliyah headlocks, Sonya powers out, but Aliyah runs her over! Aliyah blows a kiss, runs, but into a big back elbow! Sonya then runs to KNEE Aliyah down! Sonya drags Aliyah up, puts her in the ropes and CHOKES her! The ref counts, Sonya lets off at 4, but Aliyah rolls Sonya up! TWO, and Sonya kicks low. Sonya fireman’s carries but Aliyah slips off and shoves Sonya to ropes. Sonya ducks, then comes back to hit a SPINEBUSTER! Cover, TWO! Sonya drags Aliyah up to thrash her around in a SLEEPER! Fans duel, Aliyah endures, and Aliyah fights up to hit a JAWBREAKER!
Sonya staggers away, runs back in but Aliyah dodges to hit a BULLDOG! And then a THESZ PRESS! Aliyah dodges again to SPRINGBOARD CROSSBODY! Cover, TWO! Aliyah watches Sonya go to ropes, runs in but Sonya YANKS her into the ropes! Aliyah sputters while the ref reprimands, and fans cheer for “RONDA ROUSEY!” Sonya scoops Aliyah to dragon sleeper and ELBOW DROP DDT! Cover, and Sonya ELIMINATES Aliyah! The #DevillesAdvocate scores, but here comes Big Mami Cool!
Sonya Deville VS Raquel Rodriguez!
Raquel rushes right into the ring, she picks Sonya up and RAMS her into the corner! And again and again! Raquel then picks Sonya up to TOSS her! Sonya lands on her feet but Raquel CLOBBERS her! Cover, TWO! Sonya kicks back, runs, but into a scoop! Sonya slips off to CHOP BLOCK! Fans boo as Sonya runs, and she BULLDOGS Raquel down! Cover, TWO! Sonya is frustrated but she clamps on a chinlock. Fans rally, Raquel grits her teeth and fights up, but Sonya throws Raquel by her hair! Sonya wraps on a chinlock, grinds Raquel down, but Raquel fights up. Fans chant for “LIV MORGAN!” but Raquel hits a SIDEWALK SLAM!
Sonya staggers, runs in at Raquel but Raquel elbows her away! Raquel then FLAPJACKS Sonya off buckles and BOOTS her down! Raquel goes up, VADER ELBOW! And then the TEXANA BOMB!! Cover, Raquel ELIMINATES Sonya! So much for Sonya’s promise. But here comes the wild child, SHOTZI! Will Shotzi keep Raquel from taking another opportunity she feels she deserves? We’ll find out, after the break.
Raquel Rodriguez VS Shotzi Blackheart!
SmackDown returns, Shotzi has Raquel in an IRON OCTOPUS! Raquel endures while fans rally, and Raquel powers up, only for Shotzi to elbow away on the ribs! Shotzi keeps on the octopus but Raquel still endures. Raquel powers up again, swings Shotzi around, and hits a FALL AWAY SLAM! Fans fire up as Raquel runs in at the corner, goes right up and VADER ELBOWS again! Raquel gets Shotzi up, TEXANA BOMB!! Cover, Raquel ELIMINATES Shotzi! But no time to rest, here comes the Protector turned Terminator, Xia Li!
Raquel Rodriguez VS Xia Li!
Xia storms into the ring, she dodges Raquel and fires off KICKS! And KICKS, and KICKS! Xia kicks out a leg, runs the ropes and dropkicks Raquel down! Raquel flounders to a corner but Xia stomps a mudhole into her. Raquel shoves Xia away, but Xia gets the leg to CLUB away on it! Xia puts the leg on ropes to drop a knee on the knee! Raquel writhes and flounders away, but a SLIDING KNEE takes her down! Cover, TWO! Xia snarls as Raquel is still in this. But Xia uses a body scissor takedown to a cover, TWO! Xia has the leg, HALF CRAB! Fans rally as Raquel endures and fights up! But Xia hip drops her down! And sits deep on the leg!
Xia STOMPS the leg into the mat! Raquel crawls to ropes but Xia pie faces her around. Xia talks trash but Raquel snarls. Raquel stands up and Xia CHOPS! It doesn’t matter to Raquel! Raquel blocks the punch, then the next, then HEADBUTTS Xia! Xia SOBATS back, runs in, but into Raquel’s FALL AWAY SLAM! Fans fire up as Raquel goes to the corner again, VADER ELBOW! And then, she drags Xia back up, TEXANA BOMB!! Cover, Raquel ELIMINATES Xia! That’s three in a row!! But here comes the Queen of Harts!
Raquel Rodriguez VS Natalya!
Natty slides in, kicks the bad leg then ROCKS Raquel with a right! Natty trips Raquel but Raquel kicks her away. Natty gets around, waistlocks but Raquel bucks that. So Natty CHOP BLOCKS the leg! Natty drags Raquel around, stomps the bad leg again and again, then DRAGON SCREWS it! Natty steps through for a KNEE JAMMER, then she ties the legs up in a BUTTERFLY DEATHLOCK! Raquel endures and Natty CHOPS her in the gut! Raquel keeps her shoulders up but Natty DECKS her! Raquel is down again, ONE! Natty taunts Raquel but Raquel SLAPS her! And then facelocks to roll and deadlift suplex!! Cover, TWO!!
Natty stomps the bad leg, drags Raquel around and ties her up. Natty SLAPS Raquel, before putting on the SHARPSHOOTER!! Raquel endures as Natty sits deep! Raquel reaches out, crawls forward, ROPEBREAK!! Fans fire up as Natty lets Raquel go. Natty stomps the legs again, stands Raquel up and fires off haymakers! The ref counts, Natty backs off but then climbs up to rain down fists! Raquel just uses that for the TEXANA BOMB!! Cover, Raquel ELIMINATES Natty!! But that just leaves the Queen of Spades! Will Raquel #TapNaporSnap after the break?
Raquel Rodriguez VS Shayna Baszler!
SmackDown returns and Raquel endures Shayna’s HEEL HOOK! Fans rally as Raquel kicks with her free leg! Shayna grabs that leg, turns Raquel over and STOMPS the ankle! Raquel writhes with both legs in a bad way! Raquel drags herself to a corner but Shayna stalks her. Shayna drags Raquel but Raquel holds ropes. Shayna KICKS the arms from the ropes then RAMS Raquel into buckles. Shayna digs her boot into Raquel, then gets the arm for a double wristlock takedown! Shayna grins as she looks at Liv and tortures Raquel’s arm! But Raquel fights up, scoops Shayna, and FALL AWAY SLAMS! Fans fire up as Raquel runs in, but Shayna dodges the splash!
Shayna cradles, TWO!! Shayna KNEES Raquel right down! Cover, TWO!! Shayna is furious that Raquel is still in this! Shayna drags Raquel up, Raquel throws body shots and haymakers! But Shayna shoots around to get a SLEEPER! Raquel throws her right off, runs in and SPLASHES! Fans fire up as Shayna is down! Raquel wants another, VADER ELBOW INTO THE KIRAFUDA KLUTCH!!! Shayna has Raquel caught!! Fans fire up as Raquel stands up, reaches out, but Shayna drags her away from ropes! Raquel is fading, but she uses her last gasp to get the ROPEBREAK Shayna holds on, so Raquel pushes back to roll and cover! TWO!!
Shayna lets go of the sleeper to waistlock and roll Raquel to a bridging cover, SHAYNA WINS!!
Winner: Shayna Baszler, by pinfall (NEW #1 Contender to the SmackDown Women’s Championship)
Raquel couldn’t catch her breath and Shayna is coming for Liv! Liv has a bad arm from fighting Ronda, will she not be able to survive Shayna?
Sami Zayn knocks on Roman’s door again.
The Usos answer again, and Sami promises he took care of all of it. The graphics, the music, the pyro, everything! He did get into a fight with the production guy, it was a whole thing, but he has to talk with Roman right now. Uce, it ain’t gonna happen tonight. Really? C’mon, man! This is just them giving him the runaround. Is he part of the group or not? Is he not the Honorary Uce or not? Jey has had it! Sami wants the truth? The truth is, The Bloodline leveled up at SummerSlam! Roman has two belts! The Usos have four! If Sami doesn’t pull his weight around here, he’ll be taking that Bloodline shirt off real soon. Jey heads out, and Jimmy just shakes his head. Will Sami be able to do something about that ultimatum?
The Viking Raiders VS Jim Mulkey & Tommy Gibson!
Erik & Ivar sidelined Xavier Woods, and they look ready to do the same to more opponents on their warpath to the top. Will the local boys here be lucky to walk out of here under their own power?
The teams sort out, Erik CLOBBERS Gibson! Then he DRAGS Mulkey into the ring, before he RAMS Gibson into the corner! Ivar tags in, Ivar BRONCO BUSTERS Mulkey, before Erik feeds him Gibson to scoop SLAM! Erik then scoop SLAMS Ivar onto Gibson! Fans are going nuts as Ivar drags Gibson into a corner to fire off back elbow after back elbow! Gibson flounders, Ivar tags Erik in, and Erik SPLASHES Mulkey to then scoop and SLAM him! Tag back to Ivar, Erik gets Gibson up as Ivar climbs. Erik hands Gibson off to Ivar for a SUPER POWERSLAM! Ivar tags Erik back in, then Ivar fetches Mulkey.
Erik and Ivar DOUBLE POEWRBOMB Mulkey onto Gibson! Stacked cover, The Viking Raiders win!
Winners: The Viking Raiders, by pinfall
And then they toss the Carolina boys out of the ring! The viciousness knows no bounds, but wait! Kofi rushes out and ambushes them! Kofi fires off with a kendo stick! Erik bails out, Kofi SMACKS away on Ivar! Ivar bails out as the kendo stick breaks apart! Fans are thunderous for Kofi, but Erik says Kofi is a dead man! Will Kofi regret trying to become a Viking slayer?
Kofi Kingston VS Erik w/ Ivar!
SmackDown returns and here’s Kofi’s chance! The bell rings, Kofi fires off on Erik but Erik shoves him away. Erik gets to a corner but Kofi fires off on him again! Erik shoves Kofi, Kofi ROCKS him, then runs corner to corner! Erik catches Kofi to throw him down, ACE TEN MAO! Kofi is down after that hard knee, and Erik rains down fists! Erik roars and looms over Kofi. Fans rally for Kofi but Erik kicks him to ropes. Erik drags Kofi up but Kofi fires body shots. Erik snapmares Kofi down for a chinlock! Erik grinds Kofi down with a chinbar, but Kofi fights up to throw body shots! Kofi fires uppercuts and forearms, then runs, but Erik CLOBBERS him! Cover, ONE!!
Erik crossface forearms Kofi again and again, then clamps the chinbar back on. Fans rally, Kofi fights up, and JAWBREAKERS! Erik shoves Kofi to a corner, but Kofi slips out and swing kicks! Kofi goes up and CROSSBODIES! Cover, TWO! Erik is still in this but fans rally behind Kofi. Erik shoves Kofi, but swings into SO- NO, Erik powers out and runs, to SPINEBUSTER! Cover, TWO!! Kofi survives that almost urenage style slam, but Erik keeps his focus. Erik drags Kofi up, brings him around, but Kofi wrenches out and swings, but into a FULL NELSON KNEE SMASH! Cover, TWO! Erik looms over Kofi, drags him up, and whips Kofi to a corner.
Kofi goes up to FLYING DROPKICK! Fans fire up, Kofi sends Erik out, and then builds speed to FLY! Direct hit and Kofi is all fired up! Ivar swings with his own kendo stick, but misses! GAMANGIRI for Ivar, but Erik ROCK Kofi! Erik puts Kofi in, full nelsons, and lifts but Kofi slips out! Roll up, KOFI WINS!
Winner: Kofi Kingston, by pinfall
Snatching victory from the jaws of defeat! The Power of Positivity holds it down for Kofi going solo, but will he be able to hold onto this momentum until Woods returns?
WWE has an announcement on the Women’s Tag Team Championships!
After being vacated roughly a month ago, this Monday Night Raw in Cleveland begins a tournament to crown NEW Women’s Tag Team Champions! Who will fight through the bracket to change their legacies with these titles?
The Bloodline heads to the ring!
And Sami Zayn got them a new graphic! The three heads are on one massive tree! Roman Reigns is still Undisputed WWE Universal Champion and the Usos are still Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions after a HUGE night on SummerSlam last Saturday. But even without Paul Heyman, the belts are still raised for the pyro, and then again when the Tribal Chief and the Usos get in the ring. Jimmy takes care of handing Roman the mic while fans cheer him on. Roman takes a moment to hear the crowd before saying, “Greensville, South Carolina… ACKNOWLEDGE ME!” Fans cheer, happy to raise up the fingers for #WeTheOnes.
“Well you know the deal. We defend these titles, we win the big one, and then we come back to SmackDown to brag about what we accomplished. But there’s a few things that need to be addressed before we get into all that. Number one: Let’s talk about Brock Lesnar.” Fans boo and Roman says he gets it. He HATES Brock Lesnar. But, Roman respects Brock Lesnar. But he still HATES Brock Lesnar! Lesnar tried to kill the Wise Man, which is why they’re without their Special Counsel tonight. They don’t know when he’ll be back, but this is what happens. When you get an F5 through a table, you end up in the hospital. So Roman wishes Heyman to get well soon.
But wait!! Drew McIntyre is here! The Scottish Warrior storms out on stage and has a mic of his own! McIntyre tells Roman the “Tribal Queef” that he knew Roman would talk until we’re off the air. The fans have heard enough, and McIntyre just wants to get his hands on Roman! McIntyre can’t wait for Clash at the Castle. If you want McIntyre to tear up the Bloodline right now, let him hear you scream! Fans scream, but wait, what’s this? This music… It can’t be! But there’s Scarlett Bordeaux on stage! So where’s- KARRION KROSS ATTACKS MCINTYRE FROM BEHIND! Kross came through the crowd to surprise McIntyre!
Fans are losing their minds over the return of Mr. Doomsday! Kross rains down fists, then RAMS McIntyre into the steel steps! And dribbles his head off them! Kross roars as he watches McIntyre flounders away! Kross takes aim, DOOMSDAY FOREARM!! Kross has just destroyed the #1 Contender! Not that the Bloodline seems to care. But then Scarlett puts an hourglass in the ring, and turns it over. As the sands run down, she and Kross are telling Roman that tick tock, his time is running out! Will the Tribal Chief take this threat seriously? Or will he refuse to #FallAndPray?
My Thoughts:
What a great SmackDown to follow the great Raw after an awesome SummerSlam! Great opening bit with McAfee using a telestrator to go John Madden on his match with Corbin, and it was clever to use that to give us a match with Corbin and Ricochet. And of course Corbin loses from focusing too much on McAfee and not on Ricochet. Ricochet gets a very good win here, and it could lead to Ricochet being right behind Nakamura in the Intercontinental Championship race. Nakamura VS Ludwig Part 3 was very good, and of course Nakamura got the win. The title match is next week for a great ratings grab, but I just don’t know if Nakamura wins that. Nakamura would definitely be a big feather in Gunther’s cap for this reign of his.
An interesting play for the Viking Raiders to squash enhancement talent then have Erik take Kofi on 1v1 in the same night. I would’ve thought Kofi firing off on the Vikings with the kendo stick was enough, but I suppose the Vikings weren’t going to leave it at just the sneak attack. But Kofi winning by a roll-up is fine, it shows he “survived” Erik, and maybe we’ll get Kofi VS Ivar next week to see if he can survive again. And great segments out of Sami and the Usos. I knew from the very first one that Jey just wanted to tell Sami off, so him snapping in the final one makes sense. Sami “pulling his weight” either means he goes back for the Intercontinental Championship, or he helps Roman screw McIntyre over at Clash at the Castle.
Liv delivered well on her promo responding to the controversy of her win, but the fan reaction was a little curious to me personally. I suppose most fans do still like Ronda, so they’re upset Liv won that way, but I don’t expect Greensville to change WWE’s mind on Liv being Face. Especially after seeing the gauntlet match. That was a great match, with a great performance from Raquel taking out the majority of the field. But in the end, with Liv being Face, it makes sense a Heel wins out, and it makes even more sense that it is Shayna. Shayna is a training partner and friend of Ronda’s, with a very similar moveset, so Liv will basically have to worry about surviving the same menacing submission attacks.
Great to hear we’re finally getting the women’s tag title tournament as they promised a month ago, I can’t wait to see how that goes. And we got a great closing segment from The Bloodline, McIntyre, and the surprising return of Karrion Kross! Kross was let go after being used more like a joke than a menacing wrestler under Vince, so it’s great that HHH or someone on his team got Kross to return. Kross finally has Scarlett with him on the main roster, as well as all the other parts of his NXT 1.0 packaging, so he’ll finally feel how he should to the RawDown audience. Now, I don’t see him taking McIntyre’s spot at Clash, but Kross could always be in the background of the title scene, perhaps getting his shot at Extreme Rules.
My Score: 8.8/10
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

Will tonight be Very Nice, Very Evil or whatever?
Greetings humans! Danhausen is back in AEW, and to celebrate, he teams with Orange Cassidy, Trent Beretta & Hook in a Very Nice, Very BIG 8 Man Tag!
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- 8 Man Tag: Orange Cassidy, Hook, Danhausen & Trent Beretta VS Matthew Menard, Angelo Parker & The Dark Order; OrangeHookHausen & Trent win.
- Six Man Tag: The Don Callis Family VS ???; The Don Callis Family wins.
- Six Woman Tag: Anna Jay & The Outcasts VS Hikaru Shida, Skye Blue & Kris Statlander; Shida, Skye & Statlander win.
- Six Man Tag: Penta El Zero Miedo, El Hijo Del Vikingo & Komander w/ Alex Abrahantes VS Brian Cage & The Workhorsemen w/ Prince Nana; Penta, Vikingo & Komander win.
PLAY BY PLAY
8 Man Tag: Orange Cassidy, Hook, Danhausen & Trent Beretta VS Matthew Menard, Angelo Parker & The Dark Order w/ Jake Hager!
OrangeHausen, HookHausen, OrangeHook, all of the above, and #JustTrent take on Daddy Magic, Cool Hang Ange, Alex Reynolds & Evil Uno in a big, super team-up type deal! But will the Very Nice, Very Evil Best Friends be victorious together? Or will the rogues gallery standing against them earn themselves quite a lot of golden opportunities all at once?
But wait, as Big Hurt Hager gets the VNVEBFs to turn their backs, the rogues attack! Fans boo, the bell rings, and all but Danhausen is tossed out of the ring as he tosses Reynolds instead. Uno CLUBS Danhausen, Cassidy is sent into railing, and Uno puts Danhausen in a corner. Uno CHOPS him, soaks up the heat, and then storms up. Danhausen kicks low, throws hands, but Uno kicks back. Uno whips corner to corner, runs in but into a BOOT! Danhausen runs up to RANA! Uno tumbles, fans fire up and Danhausen catches Reynolds as he runs in, wrench and NORTHERN LIGHTS! Fans fire up as Danhausen kicks low and tags Hook.
HookHausen double whip Uno, Uno holds ropes and Menard tags in. Menard, Parker and Reynolds all get in, but then so do Trent and Cassidy! The eight men are stare down, and the brawl is back on! The ref reprimands but the Dark Order & X-JAS get the edge. They all have someone in a corner, then they all coordinate to quadruple whip! But the Best Friends all reverse that, X-JAS and Dark Order crash into each other! And then Best Friends set up in the corners… and Hook needs to be coaxed a little bit, for the GROUP- NO, they all get kicked low! Fans boo as X-JAS & Dark Order reel them in, but the Best Friends QUADRUPLE SUPLEX!
Fans fire up because now we get the GROUP HUG! You GOT to give the people what they want! Hook then goes after Parker with body shots, but Menard storms up. Menard hits low, scoops Hook, BACKBREAKER and Parker KNEES Hook down! But Trent JUMP KNEES Parker down! Menard kicks low and POWERBOMBS Trent! Cassidy dodges Menard to tilt-o-whirl and DDT! Uno CHOPS Cassidy down! Danhausen baits Uno in for a GERMAN SUPLEX! Reynolds runs in, spins Danhausen and ROLLING ELBOWS!
Hook is back up, T-BONE for Reynolds! T-BONE for Parker! Uno is up, he kicks low and whips. Hook reverses that to clinch and T-BONE! Extra large serving for Uno there! But wait, here comes Wheeler Yuta! The ROH Pure Champion wants to taunt Hook like he has been for weeks now, and then Menard CLOBBERS Hook in the distraction! Yuta joins commentary while Menard bumps Hook off buckles, and reels him in for a big suplex! Tag to Parker and he stomps Hook down. Parker stomps more, then pushes Hook around. Parker tags Uno, they mug Hook. Uno then bumps Hook off the boots of Menard and Reynolds.
Reynolds tags in, he runs side to side to ELBOW Hook! Uno SPLASHES, short arm LARIATS, and Reynolds covers, TWO! Reynolds stands on Hook’s head, fans boo but the Dark Order and X-JAS soak up the heat. But Hook clinches! Reynolds fights with forearms, then he bumps Hook off buckles. Tag to Menard, he stomps Hook then lets off to distract the ref, Uno and Parker CHOKE Hook while Rampage goes picture in picture!
Menard stomps Hook, drags him up, and ROCKS him with a right. Menard pushes Hook around, soaks up the heat, but turns around into a CHOP! Menard trips Hook, drags him back, and tags Parker in. Parker CLUBS Hook down, then stomps him. Parker taunts the Best Friends, flicks his hair gel at them, then goes back to Hook. Parker CLUBS Hook, tags Uno, and they mug Hook some more. Uno scrapes his laces on Hook’s face then tags Parker back in. Parker stomps Hook, but Hook powers Parker back! They end up on ropes, Parker KNEES Hook back! Parker then BLASTS Cassidy off the corner!
Rampage returns to singe picture as Parker goes after Hook, and Hook gets around to NORTHERN LIGHTS! Parker tags Menard but Hook LARIATS Menard down! The fans fire up as Hook and Menard crawl, hot tags to Trent and Uno! Trent rallies on Uno, then on Reynolds! GERMAN SUPLEX! And then another GERMAN SUPLEX! Trent still has Reynolds but Reynolds fights the nelson. Uno runs in but Trent ducks, the BOOT hits Reynolds! Trent HALF ‘N’ HALF SUPLEXES Uno away! Trent runs in at Reynolds but into a BOOT! Reynolds goes up but Trent YANKS him down for a SAIDO! Fans fire up with Trent!
Trent tags Cassidy, and Cassidy storms up to “unleash.” But then he really does fire off BOOT after BOOT on Dark Order! Yuta sighs as this is typical Cassidy. Cassidy dodges the Dark Order’s double lariat to DOUBLE SHOTGUN! Cassidy kips up and the fans fire up! Cassidy ducks ‘n’ dodges and tilt-o-whirls, but Uno stops the DDT to suplex! Only to get STUN DOG MILLIONAIRE! Cassidy keeps moving but Uno BOOTS him! Uno hooks Cassidy up, for SOMETHING EVIL! Cover, Trent KNEES it apart! Fans fire up, Reynolds BOOTS Trent! Reynolds runs in to BOOT Cassidy in a corner! Reynolds puts Cassidy up top!
Reynolds ROCKS Cassidy, climbs up, but Trent runs up to get Reynolds! SUPER GERMAN SUPLEX! Fans fire up as Cassidy adjusts, and Danhausen tags in! But so does Menard! Menard says do NOT do what he thinks he’s gonna do! But then Danhausen CURSES him! And yes, the PURPLE HAT! Hager is pissed, Parker tries to calm him down, but then Hager runs in! Danhausen dodges, Trent & Cassidy dump Hager out! Menard grabs Danhausen, Parker runs in to get the hat back! But Hook gets Parker in the REDRUM!! Menard lets Danhausen go, but Danhausen rolls him up! BEST FRIENDS WIN!
Winners: Orange Cassidy, Hook, Danhausen & Trent Beretta, by pinfall
Not only is X-JAS furious, but Yuta says this is unbelievable. But will the Decoder have to worry about the much more Cold-Hearted Handsome Devil?
Backstage interview with The Outcasts & Anna Jay.
Renee Paquette is with Saraya, Ruby Soho & The Star of the Show to say they are teaming up for the first time in Six Woman Tag action. Saraya says yes they are, and sorry for cutting Renee off, Renee knows Saraya loves her, but… Isn’t Anna just the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen? Ruby sighs and Saraya says “Liza Minnelli” is in a time out so shush. Anyway, Saraya thanks Anna for teaming with them, Lord knows they’ve needed some extra help around here. And also, they do have something in common that is giant, greasy, irritating, and needs to be handled. Oh, speaking of, here it comes.
Parker walks in, apologizes for not being here sooner, and then says hi to Ruby. But uh, yeah, the guys are ready to go, they’ll be out there for her, team effort! Um, no, Anna doesn’t want the boys out there. Especially Parker. What? But Saraya says this is why she loves Anna! She’s great. Yeah, she is. Hey, no, stop looking at Ruby. Saraya drags Ruby along, leaving Parker alone. Will the X-JAS still even be the X-JAS anymore with all this drama?
Tony Schiavone is in the ring.
Schiavone says that 28 years ago, in this town, at the Mall of America, two men were in the main event for the very first wrestling match ever on TNT. It was Sting VS Ric Flair. And Schiavone wants to also say that the final match on TNT back then was Sting VS Ric Flair. So it gives Schiavone a sense of pride to welcome one of Minnesota’s favorite sons, as well as STIIIING~! The Icon makes his way out to the ring and fans howl for him. Schiavone then introduces the Nature Boy, the Minnesota native, Ric Flair! Fans “WOO~!” as Flair makes his way out now, and hugs Sting in the ring.
Schiavone has them bring it in. Wednesday night, they announced the location of Sting’s final match at AEW Revolution, March 3rd, 2024. It will be Greensboro, North Carolina, where these two set the standard for a great televised wrestling event. Sting stands at 24-0, the longest undefeated streak standing, and we’re just two weeks away from tickets going on sale. Sting asks to take the mic, and he howls for the fans! The fans howl back and Sting says Minneapolis, lots of great memories here! Not only did he and Ric do the first and last WCW shows on TNT here, but they did the very big, gigantic- Oh, can’t really say that on TV, sorry. Copyright and stuff.
But the massive match at Mall of America, everyone knows about it. Sting’s had great matches here against and with Lex Luger, Bam Bam Bigelow, and lots of other great memories. So good to be back. Thank you for those memories. Thank you, Tony Khan, Tony Schiavone and the Nature Boy! WOO~! Ric takes the mic now, and he says, “Wow. From 1972 ’til today. And believe it or not, I’m still alive. And that’s saying a lot, heh. Because I’ve covered a lot of ground and had a lot of fun. But there are three or four people that are always gonna be special in my life, and you’ll love these names.
“Dusty Rhodes, Ricky The Dragon, and a guy that I think I’ve wrestled at least 15 hundred times over our career, the great–and the word ‘Icon’ does not even enough to begin to say what a man he is. I’m so serious, to be back in my hometown in this moment, and this ride. This is an incredible ride. Think about the history of our business. I’ve been there with him since ’88, and I’m gonna be there with him in the end. And man, that doesn’t happen in real-life, guys. And y’know what? We’ve stayed as respectful and honest with each other as the day we met, and that’s really unusual. You’re the man, brother.”
Fans cheer, and Ric says, “We’re gonna dance all night and dance a little longer. We’re gonna stay up all night and stay a little longer. I cannot tell you where we’ll be at like the old days, but you know we’ll be going AEW strong! WOO~!” Fans echo “WOO~!” with Ric and Schiavone says Ric will be there for Sting at AEW Revolution, tickets on sale soon! The Icon and Nature Boy are riding off into the night, and we have the when and where. Now all we need is, who faces Sting in his final match?
Backstage interview with Hikaru Shida, Kris Statlander & Skye Blue.
Renee is now with the Shining Samurai, the Galaxy’s Greatest and Chicago Skye as she says a lot has changed in the AEW Women’s Division after Full Gear. Shida lost the AEW Women’s World Championship to Toni Storm, and Statlander lost the AEW TBS Championship to Julia Hart, the same match Skye Blue was in. Does tonight feel like a way to get momentum back? Kris says it has been a hard pill to swallow. “You work so hard for something, and you come back from multiple injuries, you come back and change yourself so many times, and you obtain something so precious, and it’s just taken away in a matter of seconds.”
And worse yet, Kris wasn’t the one who got pinned. Oh, okay, blame Skye when Kris had plenty of chances to win the Triple Threat, and didn’t. Shida tells them to stop. She also lost a title, she also feels angry, but not towards them. Not towards her partners. They can take their anger out on their opponents tonight! Kris agrees with that, and so does Skye. Will this trio of stars be able to bring down The Outcasts and Star of the Show?
The Don Callis Family VS JAH-C
So what if they lost the Like A Dragon Street Fight? “Powerhouse” Will Hobbs did damage to Paul “The Giant” Wight like no man has ever done before, and there’s still a lot left in the tank for Kyle Fletcher & Konosuke Takeshita. Will they only be made stronger from that loss?
The teams sort out, Hobbs starts and Jah throws hands! Hobbs doesn’t even flinch! Jah runs, but Hobbs CLOBBERS him! In runs ??? but Hobbs picks him up to SPINEBUSTER! D runs in but Hobbs SPINEBUSTERS him, too! Fletcher & Konosuke step in, they all get a man up, and in synchronized formation, we get the WORLD’S STRONGEST SLAM, GRIMSTONE and BASTARD DRIVER!! Cover, The Don Callis Family wins!
Winners: The Don Callis Family, by pinfall
Fans boo but Callis celebrates with his “family.” Then Callis gets a mic to talk. “Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega! The Golden Jets! You put two of the greatest of all time into a tag team and what do you got? You got a team that could be the most dominant of all time. And I know that wins and losses matter here in All Elite Wrestling. But in the Don Callis Family, the only thing that matters is winning! And whether it’s singles, tag, or trios, the Don Callis Family will continue dominating until there’s nowhere for the Golden Jets to hide in AEW!” The ultimatum has been issued, will it only be a matter of time before AEW belongs to the DCF?
Prince Nana & Brian Cage talk with The Workhorsemen.
Nana says it is an unbelievable time for the Mogul Embassy. Cage says it’s always a great time. Nana says the Gates of Agony are in NJPW World Tag League, killing it and bringing home that money. But tonight, Nana needs to hire some help, and that brings in JD Drake & Anthony Henry. Nana has been watching them, he likes their style. That is why tonight, he needs their services. And this could be a huge opportunity for you both to step up to the plate and to prove a point. To impress Swerve Strickland, too. So tonight, Nana’s paid them, get the job done, and we’ll see if they can join the team. But he believes in them!
Nana & Cage head out, will Scrap metal & The Saint of Augusta help The Machine bring down the luchador trio in tonight’s main event?
Six Woman Tag: Anna Jay & The Outcasts VS Hikaru Shida, Skye Blue & Kris Statlander!
Both sides have said what’s on their mind, but it’s the emotions in their hearts that could make or break these team-ups. Will Saraya be able to keep things together between Anna and Ruby? Or will it be Shida who struggles to keep Skye and Kris on the same page?
The teams sort out and Kris starts against Anna. The fans rally as the two circle, then tie up. Kris waistlocks, SLAMS Anna, then drags her up to tag Shida. The former champs double whip, sweep and ELBOW Anna down. Then they shake hands to DOUBLE ELBOW DROP! Shida covers, TWO! Tag to Skye and she wrenches Anna to a JAWBREAKER! Anna blocks the superkick but not the BASEMENT ROUNDHOUSE! Skye pushes Anna around, but Kris tags herself in. Skye lets that go, to then tag herself back in! But Kris tags back in again! They argue, but then Shida tags herself in to get them both to stop.
But then Anna hot tags Saraya! Saraya gets around Shida, Shida gets around Saraya, but Saraya mule kicks Shida! Saraya runs, but Shida ENZIGURIS first! Shida fires up, the fans are with her, and Shida torture racks! Saraya endures, but Ruby says put her down! So Shida DROPS Saraya! Ruby storms in but Shdia kicks her low, and snap suplexes her onto Saraya! Fans fire up as Shida covers Saraya, TWO! Shida tags Skye in and Skye keeps Saraya from her corner. Skye whips, runs up and SHINING WIZARD on the ropes! But Anna distracts the ref so Saraya can keep Skye stuck, and Ruby ROUNDHOUSES Skye down!
Fans boo but Saraya howls to the moon. Saraya stomps Skye, insults her, and whips her to the corner as Rampage goes picture in picture.
Saraya bumps Skye off buckles, lets off to distract the ref, and Ruby digs her boot in! Anna pulls Skye’s hair to help out, then Saraya storms up to bump Skye off buckles. Tag to Ruby, she stomps away on Skye, but lets off as the ref counts. Saraya tells fans to shut up while Ruby drags Skye around. Skye throws body shots, then JAWBREAKERS! Ruby staggers back, Saraya tags in, and the Outcasts mug Skye! Saraya has Skye in the ropes to throw knee after knee! The ref counts, Saraya lets off, and she pushes Skye back in. Saraya keeps Skye from her corner, taunting Shida and Kris, then she stomps Skye.
Saraya bumps Skye off buckles, tags Anna and Anna CHOKES Skye! The ref counts, Anna lets off, and then Anna CHOKES Skye on ropes! The ref counts again, Anna lets off and distracts the ref so Saraya can SLAP Skye. Anna bumps Skye off buckles, Ruby tags in, and Anna ROCKS Skye. Ruby CHOPS Skye, stalks her to a corner, and stands her up, but Skye avoids the chop to CHOP! And CHOP! And CHOP! Skye and Ruby sputter and drop to their knees while Rampage goes to break.
Rampage returns and hot tag to Kris! She BLASTS Ruby, drags Saraya up and FISHERMAN BUSTERS! Cover, but Anna kicks it apart! Anna drags Saraya back and tags herself in. Anna stands Kris up, wrenches and HOOK KICKS! Then Saraya KNEES Kris down! Cover, TWO! Anna drags Kris up, QUEENSLAYER SLEEPER! But Kris powers up to back suplex free! Ruby runs in, STO! Skye SUPERKICKS Ruby! Saraya YAKUZA KICKS Skye! Shida ROCKS Saraya, whips her but Saraya reverses, only for Shida to JUMP KNEE! Anna BOOTS Shida! Kris runs up, but into a COMPLETE SHOT! Anna tags Ruby and they get Kris up.
Anna HOOK KICKS, then Ruby SUPERKICKS but Kris pulls Anna into it! Ruby panics, Kris tags Skye and Electric Chair Lifts Ruby! SLAM and CODE BLUE!! Cover, Skye’s team wins!
Winners: Hikaru Shida, Skye Blue & Kris Statlander, by pinfall
The dysfunction wasn’t enough to bring down Skye and Kris, they made it work and now celebrate together! As for Anna, she is furious with Ruby, and Saraya pulls Ruby along like an angry mother with her daughter. Are the Outcasts going to be on the outs sooner rather than later?
BREAKING NEWS for Dynamite!
Firstly, the Continental Classic continues, and the Gold League’s third round has been set: Jon Moxley VS Rush; Jay White VS Jay Lethal; and Swerve Strickland VS Mark Briscoe! Will El Toro Blanco be the one to serve The Maniac that first L in the tournament? Will Lethal and Briscoe finally get on the board?
And after being the one to score the pinfall in tonight’s Six Woman Tag, Skye Blue gets her shot at “Timeless” Toni Storm and the AEW Women’s World Championship! Will Skye finally make it through the Storm to grab the gold on the other side?
Six Man Tag: Penta El Zero Miedo, El Hijo Del Vikingo & Komander w/ Alex Abrahantes VS Brian Cage & The Workhorsemen w/ Prince Nana!
While the AEW World Trios Champions, Billy Gunn & The Acclaimed, are down and out, trios are forming and fighting their way up. Alex Abrahantes’ league of luchadores want their shot, but will they make it through a Rampage? Or will The Mogul Embassy learn that having #CeroMiedo is priceless?
The trios sort out, and Cage starts against Komander. Cage kicks Komander low right at the bell, then whips him to ropes. Komander handsprings, Cage dodges but Komander dodges back, then RAN- NO, Cage blocks that to pop Komander up! But Komander sunset flips! Cage drags Kmoander up to OVERHEAD SUPLEX! Penta tags in, then GAMANGIRIS Cage! Penta goes up to CROSSBODY! And then he dodges to SUPERKICK! Henry tags in, bobs ‘n’ weaves and fires off hands. Henry gets around to make Penta kneel, and he DROPKICKS Penta away! Henry soaks up the jeers, but Penta tags Vikingo!
Viking springboards to MISSILE DROPKICK Henry! Fans fire up as Vikingo then whips Henry corner to corner. Henry reverses, but Vikingo reverses back to HEEL KICK! Vikingo forearm smashes int he corner, goes up and fans rally, for the IMPLODER DRAGON-RANA! And then the DREAMCAST KICK! JD tags in and fans rally up. JD says “SUCK IT!” and then dares Vikingo to chop him. Vikingo winds up as fans chant “SI! SI! SI!” CHOP! JD nods, but he wants another. Vikingo CHOPS again, and JD huffs and puffs. JD swings, Vikingo ducks ‘n’ dodges but JD CHOPS Vikingo down after all!
JD then powers Vikingo to ropes to BIEL him across the way! JD taunts Penta, whips Vikingo, but Vikingo ducks ‘n’ dodges again to CORKCCREW RANA! JD flounders out, Cage and Henry run in, but Penta & Komander SUPERKICK them first! Henry bails out, Penta gives Komander a boost, saluting MISSILE DROPKICK! Cage tumbles out, fans rally as the luchadores coordinate, and “CERO! MIEDO!” TRIPLE DIVES!! Some cleaner than others, and JD pops Vikingo back up to CLOBBER him off the ropes! Komander stomps Cage, and puts him in the ring as Rampage goes picture in picture.
Komander hurries in, Penta BOOTS JD to join Komander. But Henry trips Komander! Penta runs up, SUPERKICKS Henry, then makes sure he knows, “CERO! MIEDO!” Penta runs but into a SPIN POWERSLAM! Cage drags Komander up for a deadlift SUPERPLEX!! Cage flexes, Henry & JD join in, and then JD stalks Komander. JD drags Komander up, DECKS him, then stalks him to ropes. JD puts Komander in the corner, CHOPS, and then tags Henry. The Workhorsemen mug Komander, Henry throws body shots, then he runs in to forearm smash! JD tags, LARIAT, NECK TWIST and SLINGSHOT SENTON!
Nana likes what he sees as Komander writhes. JD drags Komander up, keeps him from the lucha corner, and he CLUBS Komander back down. JD drags Komander up to scoop and SLAM! JD goes up a corner, to then VADER FLOP as Komander moves! Henry tags in, he drags Komander from the corner, then ducks the enziguri! But Komander rolls free and hot tags Vikingo! Vikingo springboards to CROSSBODY! Vikingo SOBATS Henry, runs but into a cheap shot from Cage! The ref reprimands but Henry throws Vikingo down by his hair! NECK TWIST! And a headscissor squeeze, even!
Henry lets off to then stand Vikingo up, for another NECK TWIST! Tag to Cage and he RAMS Vikingo into a corner! And again! And then he CHOPS! Cage wrenches Vikingo, scoops him, and does bicep curls before he FALL AWAY SLAMS Vikingo! Cage flexes, taunts Cero Miedo, and he drags Vikingo up to GERMAN SUPLEX! Vikingo lands on his feet! Vikingo waistlocks, Cage elbows free then whips Vikingo to ropes. But Vikingo slides under, only to get caught! But Vikingo then PELES! Hot tag to Penta as Rampage returns to single picture! Penta dodges Cage to then SLINGBLADE Cage down! SLINGEBLADE again!
The Workhorsemen attack, double whip, but Penta KICKS JD and SUPERKICKS Henry! Penta runs in to wheelbarrow Cage, victory roll and DOUBLE DDT on the Workhorsemen! Fans fire up and Penta SUPERKICKS Cage! Tag to Komander and he goes up top to MISSILE DROPKICK JD! Penta hauls Henry up, ALLEY-OOP into a MISSILE DROPKICK from Vikingo!! Fans lose their minds over that one, and then Penta sets up so Komander can use him as a step, HANGTIME DROPKICK on JD in a corner! Cage staggers up, Penta has his target, SUPERKICK! Komander springboards, FLYIGN CODE BREAKER! And he holds on for Vikingo to DOUBLE STOMP Cage!
Penta goes up, “CERO! MIEDO!” DIVING DOUBLE STOMPS of his own! Cover, TWO!! Cage survives because he’s a Machine! But Abrahantes rallies the fans for his team. Penta hauls Cage up, reels him in, “CERO! MIEDO!” But Cage wrenches out to JUMP KNEE! Penta falls into the tag with Komander, and Komander springboards, but Cage SWATS him! Cage whips Komander to the corner, tags Henry, and Cage runs up to MONKEY FLIP Komander into JD’s POWERBOMB!! Then JD CATAPULTS Kmoander into Henry’s SUPERKICK! Henry goes up, DIVING DOUBLE STOMP BACKBREAKER of their own! Cover, Vikingo breaks it!!
JD TOSSES Vikingo, Penta SUPERKICKS JD! Cage fireman’s carries Penta for F10! Vikingo returns with a springboard, FLYING TORNADO DDT!! Henry is back, he steps over and reels Vikingo in, PILEDRIVER! But Penta catches Henry now, half nelson, pump handle, MADE IN JAPAN!! JD is up, Penta kicks but JD blocks it! JD has Penta for the underhooks, the SILENCER! Komander returns, JD ducks his roundhouse but not the HEEL KICK! But Cage waistlocks Komander! Komander fights with elbows, but Henry runs up! Komander ducks, the ENZIGURI hits Cage! Nana is furious, and Cage CLOBBERS Henry!!
Nana says no more, they’re done. JD asks what the hell, but Cage shoves JD. Vikingo DREAMCAST KICKS JD! The Embassy is leaving, they don’t want to hire Workhorsemen anymore? Well Penta says “CERO! MIEDO!” and FEAR FACTOR!! Komander is up top, he tags Vikingo before giving Henry CIELITO LINDO! Komander DIVES onto JD! Vikingo adds on the 630 SENTON!! Cover, the luchadores win!
Winners: Penta El Zero Miedo, Komander & El Hijo Del Vikingo, by pinfall
The implosion of Nana’s team all over a misunderstanding gives Penta’s team their first victory together! Will Penta, Komander y Vikingo take this momentum to next beat Action Andretti & Top Flight?
My Thoughts:
A really good Rampage here with a lot of tag team action. There must be something in Cassidy’s contract about opening shows, though, because that 8 Man Tag certainly felt main event worthy. But then it made sense in story that it had to go first so that the X-JAS could be in action before Anna, and Anna would tell Parker to stay in the back during her match because of how Ruby would be involved. Great win for Cassidy’s team, and great win for the Faces in the Women’s Trios match. Rather surprised Skye is getting her shot at Storm so soon. Yes, she interrupted Storm’s acceptance speech moment, and won here, but why not give us a promo segment between them first, then the match on Winter is Coming. But at the same time, debut in Montreal, they want it to be important.
Of course Don Callis Family squashes jobbers, but I like that we got to see Hobbs, Konosuke and Fletcher all in red ring gear. And seeing Don Callis’ Last Supper parody, it makes me think he wants a total of 11 faction members. I say 11 because “Judas” is already accounted for in Jericho. So far, he has five, Callis really is gonna have to recruit tag teams and/or trios if he wants an easier time of filling out the group. Really good main event from Penta’s team going against Cage & Workhorsemen. Of course the Faces win, but also it was clear the Workhorsemen were going to take the loss for the Heels. Kinda wished Cage would beat down the Workhorsemen after the loss, not because of the “misunderstanding” trope, but that’d probably take away from the Faces celebrating.
And given Rampage is prerecorded, turns out that was for the best this week. I’d only just heard today about how… controversial Ric Flair got in his part of the promo segment. Flair also tweeted about it, both apologizing and not apologizing for what he said. This is gonna be a long three months if everyone has to worry about Flair spouting off the stuff he got away with in the 1980s when he was much, MUCH younger. That aside, the entire segment was redundant anyway, we heard them talk on Dynamite, this is the same crowd that heard it all, it’s just a waste of time.
My Score: 8.5/10
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

The Viper is here for The Bloodline!
He returned at WarGames, he returned to Monday Night Raw, and now, The Apex Predator, Randy Orton, returns to Friday Night SmackDown! Will he be able to strike at The Bloodline tonight?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Pete Dunne VS Bobby Lashley w/ The Street Profits; Lashley wins.
- Santos Escobar VS Joaquin Wilde; Santos wins.
- Kevin Owens VS Grayson Waller w/ Austin Theory; Kevin wins.
- Bianca Belair w/ Charlotte Flair & Shotzi Blackheart VS Kairi Sane w/ DMG CTRL; Bianca wins.
PLAY BY PLAY
Bianca Belair is here!
Brooklyn cheers The EST as she skips to the ring, her team victorious against Damage Control in WarGames! After a recap package, fans chant for Bianca and she gets the mic to say, “Man, it is so cool to be in one of the best boroughs in one of the greatEST cities in the world, Brooklyn!” The fans cheer that! Bianca says DMG CTRL really tried to take them out, but her team did what needed to be done. So shout out to Becky Lynch for coming through, showing up and showing out. Shout out to Shotzi for her guts and passion. And shoutout to Charlotte Flair for being a bigger person and making that call to Becky.
“Now while it feels great to be standing in this ring and celebrating that W from WarGames, my war with DMG CTRL, it ain’t over~! Cuz Iyo Sky, I’m still coming for you, cuz I want my title back!” Fans also cheer that. But speaking of Iyo, here she comes! The Evil Genius leads DMG CTRL out, though where’s Bayley? That aside, Dakota Kai is the one to tell Bianca, “It’s really great how uh, you can get all of these people to cheer for you.” The fans boo her but Dakota tells them to shut up! Dakota says just earlier, Iyo was saying how gross it is here in Brooklyn! It smells! Who would want to live here?!
DMG CTRL slide into the ring, and Dakota says Iyo was also saying that Bianca is in way over her head, dude. Iyo already beat Bianca twice. So… if Bianca wants to get yet another shot, she’ll have to go through all of DMG CTRL. Well that ain’t nothing new. So who wants it first, huh? But wait! Here come Charlotte & Shotzi to back Bianca up! Fans cheer as Charlotte says “Ladies~…! Bianca isn’t the only one coming for you. And I’d love to go through all of DMG CTRL.” Shotzi says it seems to her that there’s enough DMG CTRL to go around. They rush in, and the brawl is on! Fans fire up but Iyo TOSSES Bianca and helps Asuka against Charlotte!
Shotzi and Kairi brawl in a corner, Bianca returns, Charlotte BOOTS Asuka way while Bianca RAMS Iyo into a corner! Bianca stomps Iyo down, Charlotte helps Shotzi with Kairi, and Charlotte sets Kairi up for Shotzi’s BOOT! Iyo ends up isolated, and Bianca hits a SPINEBUSTER! Iyo scrambles out, DMG CTRL regroups, are their days on top numbered?
DMG CTRL regroups backstage.
And Bayley is confused as to what’s going on. Iyo angrily asks where Bayley was but Bayley says no one told her they were going out there! Maybe if she knew, things would’ve been different! The joshi talk in Japanese, Dakota cools it off. What matters is that Kairi is facing Bianca tonight. No one knows Bianca better than Bayley so Kairi would appreciate the help. Kairi says yes, they’re “tomodachi <friends>,” that’d be appreciated. Bayley says okay, but are they really Bayley’s friends?
Pete Dunne VS Bobby Lashley w/ The Street Profits!
With Sheamus recovering from injury and Ridge Holland just ditching him last week, The Bruiserweight is all alone against The All Mighty! Will Dunne stand a chance against the overwhelming strength of Bobby Lashley?
SmackDown returns and Lashley makes his entrance, Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins by his side. But before the bell, Lashley gets a mic to say “Hey, listen, kid. When I told you to make a name for yourself…” The fans chant “BOBBY! BOBBY!” and Lashley says that’s a name. Does Dunne know what Lashley can do to him? Lashley will break Dunne into pieces! Is Dunne ready for that? Dunne SLAPS Lashley! Fans fire up, Lashley grins, and the bell rings. Dunne then BOOTS Lashley! And BOOTS! And fires off furious fists! Lashley carries Dunne to then TOSS him! Dunne flounders but also snarls. Dunne swipes at the Profits, but Lashley run sin to CLOBBER him!
Lashley whips Dunne hard into buckles, then storms around. The Profits high-five Lashley and Brooklyn is behind him as he stands Dunne up for haymakers! Lashley smothers Dunne in the corner, lets off to whip corner to corner, then storms up on Dunne. Lashley digs hands into Dunne’s face, the ref counts and Lashley lets off. Lashley runs in but Dunne BOOTS again! Dunne runs up to DROPKICK Lashley out of the ring! Fans are torn as Dunne goes out to FLYING KNEE! Lashley staggers back, Dunne sets up to MOONSAULT! Down goes Lashley and Dunne hurries back up! Dunne ARIHARA MOONSAULTS! Down goes Lashley and fans fire up as SmackDown goes to break!
SmackDown returns and Lashley clotheslines Dunne in a corner! Lashley then brings Dunne around to snap suplex! Dunne writhes, Lashley paces around him and the fans cheer. Lashley drags Dunne up, suplexes again, and this time he holds Dunne up! Dunne throws knees, gets free, and he runs, ducks ‘n’ dodges, but Lashley hits a MILE HIGH SPINEBUSTER! Fans fire up again and Lashley drags Dunne up. Lashley TOSSES Dunne out, storms out after him, and then drags Dunne up again. Fans cheer as Lashley fireman’s carries Dunne, to then POST Dunne! The Profits say this is an extended Black Friday!
Lashley puts Dunne in, Dunne crawls away but Lashley aims. Lashley runs in, but Dunne sends the Spear into the POST! Lashley staggers back, the Profits coach him up, but Dunne GAMANGIRIS! Dunne runs up to ENZIGURI! Lashley ends up in a corner, Dunne GAMANGIRIS again! And again! Dunne KICKS and KICKS and KICKS, then pushes Lashley out so he can go up. Dunne DOUBLE STOMPS an arm! Dunne bends the fingers, isolates the arm, and STOMPS the arm! Lashley grits his teeth but Dunne reels him in. ASAI DDT! Cover, TWO! Lashley is tougher than that but Dunne keep son him with HAMMER ‘N’ ANVIL ELBOWS!
But Lashley fights up! Fireman’s carry, then an adjustment, for the OKLAHOMA STAMPEDE! Cover, TWO!! Dunne survives and Lashley is annoyed. Ford says yeah, Dunne’s got heart, but that’s about it. Lashley hauls Dunne up but Dunne SLAPS him! Lashley LARIATS Dunne inside out! Lashley then drags Dunne up, MILE HIGH- ENZIGURI! Dunne gets up, Lashley SPEARS him back down!! Cover, Lashley wins!
Winner: Bobby Lashley, by pinfall
The Bruiserweight put up a fight, but Lashley is still Lashley. Will The All Mighty soon head for a title as we head for the New Year?
Paul Heyman walks into Nick Aldis’ office.
The Wise Man seems rather indignant looking at the SmackDown General Manager. Heyman then dusts off the New York Jets NFL Legacy belt before speaking. “Did you invite Randy Orton to SmackDown tonight?” Aldis says yes, he did. And Aldis intends to sign Randy to a SmackDown exclusive superstar contract tonight. Heyman looks around and asks if the Tribal Chief knows about this. Aldis says Heyman has forgotten that there are countless memos: All communication to Roman Reigns must go through Paul Heyman. So consider this a communication to Roman: Aldis WILL sign Randy to SmackDown.
And if Aldis has to offer up the entire Bloodline as leverage, so be it. So the question to Heyman is… “What’re you gonna do about it?” Heyman says, “Anything it takes.” Heyman gets on his phone to call Roman Reigns. But is there nothing that can stop The Viper from finally being within striking distance of The Tribal Chief?
Backstage interview with Pete Dunne.
Kayla Braxton says he lost to Lashley, but she wants to talk about last week. Why did Ridge walk out on him? Dunne says he doesn’t know. And he doesn’t care. Because right now isn’t about the Brutes, it’s about Dunne! He is going to focus on himself. He is here to fight, and he will fight anyone! But in walk Pretty Deadly. They say this is so tough. But don’t be sad, use this as a learning opportunity. Sometimes, being abandoned can help you find your own path. Even if that path, like Dunne’s career, hits a dead end. Dunne HITS them! Dunne fires off but that’s 2v1 and Pretty Deadly turns it around! They TOSS Dunne into a road case!
How’s that, Butch?! HUH!? You’re alone! ALONE! And always will be! Elton Prince & Kit Wilson have numbers on their side, but will Dunne still get revenge?
Backstage interview with Santos Escobar.
Cathy Kelley says given his recent history with the LWO, what can we expect in his match with Joaquin Wilde here? Santos says he’s only trying to finish what Rey started. Rey turned his back on the LWO when he chose Carlito over Santos. And now Santos’ own brothers in arms are blinded by their hero, not seeing that Rey will do the same to them. Cruz is still recovering from the last time he tried standing up to Santos. And if Wilde can’t see the truth, Santos will put him on the shelf, too. The Emperor of Lucha is becoming a tyrant, but will he be unstoppable in destroying what he helped create?
Santos Escobar VS Joaquin Wilde!
SmackDown returns and Wilde makes his entrance. The bell rings and Wilde DROPKICKS Santos! And DROPKICKS again! Then kips up and ROCKS Santos with haymakers! Fans fire up, Wilde whips and ELBOWS Santos down! Then drops an elbow! Santos bails out but Wilde PLANCHAS out onto him! Fans fire up again and Wilde CLUBS Santos. Wilde puts Santos in the ring, then aims again, but Santos bails out! Fans boo but Wilde just goes to the corner! Springboard CANNONBALL! Direct hit and the fans fire up all over again! Wilde snarls and he puts Santos back in. Cover, TWO! Wilde keeps on Santos with a shove.
Wilde then goes up a corner, but Santos sweeps the legs! Wilde tumbles down, Santos stomps away and RAMS Wilde into a corner. Santos puts Wilde in the Tree of Woe, goes to the far side and runs in, DROPKICK! Wilde falls out of the Tree, Santos snapmares to cover, TWO! Santos is annoyed but he CLUBS away on Wilde’s chest! Santos rips up the LWO shirt! Fans boo but Santos throws the shirt away. Santos drags Wilde up, CLUBS him, then clamps onto an arm with a cording hold. Wilde endures, Santos talks trash that HE is the LWO, but the fans rally up. Wilde fights up to his feet, throws knees, but Santos whips Wilde away.
Santos storms up, Wilde ELBOWS him, then bumps Santos off buckles. Wilde fires haymakers again, then whips. Santos reverses but Wilde ducks ‘n ‘dodges to dropkick a leg out! Fans rally up behind Wilde and he runs up to KNEE Santos down! Wilde roars and fans are with him! Wilde runs back in, SOMERSAULT SATELLITE DDT!! Cover, TWO!! Santos survives and Wilde grows frustrated. Wilde hurries back to a corner to aim again. Wilde runs in, into a SUPERKICK! Santos says this is what happens when you cross him! Fireman’s carry, and “This is for YOU, Rey!” PHANTOM DRIVER!! Cover, Santos wins!
Winner: Santos Escobar, by pinfall
But Santos isn’t done sending his message! He beats down Wilde with fists, the ref tells him to stop, but Santos refuses! So here comes Dragon Lee! The Boy Wonder may have lost at Survivor Series but he won’t let Santos just do what he wants! Santos bails out, he did what he wanted. Wait, he slithers back in! But Dragon is ready and fires haymakers on him! Dragon whips, Santos reverses but Dragon RANAS! Santos ends up in a corner, Dragon JUMP KICKS, leg sweeps, and SWINGING DROPKICK! Combinacion Dragon hits, and fans fire up! Dragon aims again, BULL’S HORNS!! Santos flounders away, is his fight with Dragon far from over?
Nick Aldis greets Logan Paul backstage.
The Maverick is her with his United States Championship, ready to make his first appearance on SmackDown. What will the ImPAULsive Influencer have to say about being United States Champion? We find out, after the break.
Adam Pearce visits Nick Aldis in his office.
And the Raw GM asks the SmackDown GM to tell him the rumor isn’t true. Is Aldis trying to get a Raw Legend out from under Pearce’s nose? Aldis tells Pearce that Randy is a free agent now. But yes, Aldis does intend to sign Orton right here tonight in that ring. Is that so? Yeah, Pearce had his chance on Monday. Don’t worry about what happened on Monday. If Aldis is going to the ring with a contract, Pearce will join him. Pearce also has a contract folder! Nice office, by the way. Pearce heads out, who wins the signature of the Legend Killer?
Logan Paul heads to the ring!
Brooklyn is a little torn on seeing the Maverick in person, though probably because he needed brass knuckles to load his already titanium reinforced hand to beat Rey Mysterio. But Logan gets the mic to say, “To every friend who stabbed me in the back, to every hater who preyed on my downfall, I’ve got a question: WHERE ARE YOU NOW?!” He doesn’t understand. Don’t they get it by n ow? The more they hope he fails, the harder he works. And the harder he works, the more he wins. And the more he wins, the more he gets to stand up here and bark back!
And to all the jealous superstars backstage mad at him because they’ve been doing this their whole life while he’s the fastest rising superstar in history, you want the US Championship? Of course you do! It has been on his junk, just like y’all have since he got here! But a champ is only as good as his challengers, and since Rey is hurt, Logan can’t give him the rematch he was so excited for. So good news! Logan spoke with Aldis, and they have created a tournament to determine his next challenger. It starts next week, featuring eight superstars!
Santos Escobar, Dragon Lee, Karrion Kross, an NXT superstar to still be determined, Bobby Lashley, Grayson Waller, Austin Theory, and of course Kevin Owens. And Logan guarantees whoever wins this will have a nightmare trying to take this title from him. But wait, speaking of! Here comes Kevin Owens! Brooklyn fires up for The Prizefighter as he heads right for the ring. Kevin gets himself a mic and he says if Logan wants to talk about a nightmare, this, Logan Paul in the ring, is a nightmare. The first time Kevin ever saw Logan was 10 years ago on that app, Vine. And back then, it only took Kevin those six seconds to realize Logan is an unbearable jackass.
Fans cheer in agreement, and Kevin says if we’re talking about “junk,” the only junk is that crap drink Logan peddles. And now, guess what? Kevin is here to tell us that if he’s in the tournament, the nightmare will end. Logan’s days as champion will be numbered. That’s funny. Kevin calls himself a prizefighter, but Logan’s been in the ring with the greatest boxers in the world. If these two were to fight, six seconds is five more than Logan needs to KO KO. Kevin will never take this away from Logan: he’s very clever. But the thing is, that’s another world. This ring, the WWE Universe, it’s Kevin’s world, understand?
Logan says we’ll see about that. But then here comes Grayson Waller & Austin Theory! Logan smiles because it’s like looking in a mirror as these two walk down here. And Waller tells Logan he is better than this. He doesn’t need to talk with Kevin, Kevin is a troll looking for attention. He isn’t a forward thinking disruptor like the three of them. They have a lot in common, really. A-Town Down Under get in the ring, and Kevin says he loves punching people in the face. Look who he is in the ring with: Logan Paul is a man who knocks people out. So after Logan is done knocking Kevin out, maybe Kevin’s days of punching people- KEVIN DECKS THEORY!
Fans fire up as Theory tumbles out, and Waller goes to check on his buddy. Logan and Kevin drop their mics, stare down, and fans fire up as Kevin dares Logan to make the first move. Logan says worry about Waller first. Will Kevin give us a preview of the US Championship Contender’s Tournament? We find out after the break!
Kevin Owens VS Grayson Waller w/ Austin Theory!
SmackDown returns and Logan is sticking around to be on commentary for this one. Logan says he is like a proud father watching his sons on the playground. The bell rings, Waller bails out and regroups with Theory. Kevin goes out to ROCK Waller! And CHOP him! And then SMACK Waller off the desk! The ring count climbs, Kevin throws hands and he puts Waller in the ring. The ref makes sure Theory stays back, but then Waller stomps away on Kevin. Waller talks trash, UPPERCUTS Kevin, but Kevin CHOPS back! Waller kicks low, CLUBS Kevin on the neck, then cravats him into the ropes! The ref counts, Waller lets off.
Waller whips, Kevin reverses and CLOBBERS Waller! Then SENTONS! Fans rally, Kevin runs in at the corner and he clotheslines! Kevin then goes corner to corner, but Waller gets up to BOOT him! Waller LEG LARIATS! Waller rains down fists, then talks trash. Logan isn’t sure how well Kevin is built for this. Waller throws hands again, Logan denies knowing anything about brass knuckles, and Waller goes along the ropes. BALLER ELBOW! Cover, TWO! Kevin SLAPS Waller! And SLAPS him again! Waller BOOTS Kevin down! Waller snarls, drags Kevin up, but Kevin fights the suplex! The fans rally, Kevin suplexes Waller up and over!
Kevin glares at Logan, then CHOPS Waller! And CHOPS again! Kevin fakes the chop to then poke Waller in the eye! Kevin goes corner to corner, but then Waller bails out! No cannonball here and fans boo. Kevin goes out after Waller but Waller ROCKS him first! And SMACKS Kevin off the desk! Logan holds onto his Prime to make sure it doesn’t spill. Waller gets in the ring, builds speed and slides, but Kevin avoids the lariat to DECK Waller! Kevin gets on the apron, to FROG SPLASH to the floor! Fans fire up with Kevin while the ring count climbs. Kevin goes out after Waller again, but Waller RAMS him into steel steps!
Waller gets in to distract the ref, Theory STOMPS Kevin’s hand on the steps! Theory signals that to Waller and Waller stomps that arm! Waller slides out to then SLAM the arm into the post! Fans boo as A-Town Down Under high-five, and SmackDown goes to break.
SmackDown returns again and Kevin hits a FROG SPLASH in the ring! Fans fire up again while both men are down. Kevin shakes the bad hand out while Waller goes to the corner. Kevin storms up but Waller hits the bad hand! Then ARMBAR DDT! Waller hammerlocks that arm, then hits a ROLLING SNAP on the arm! Waller traps that arm in a double wristlock but Kevin endures. The fans rally, Kevin fights up, and he throws body shots with the good hand. Fans cheer, Kevin throws Waller out, but Waller grabs at Kevin’s bad hand. HOTSHOT on that arm! SOMERSAULT STUN- NO, atomic drop first! And then a DDT!
Fans fire up as Kevin evens things out. Kevin goes to ropes, drags himself up, but Waller runs up. Kevin blocks to HEADBUTT, CHOP and CHOP! Then a forearm! But that’s the bad arm! Waller runs in, Kevin dodges and SUPERKICKS! Waller is in the corner, Kevin runs in to CANNONBALL! Kevin goes up the corner again, SWANTON BOMB! Cover, TWO!! Waller survives and Theory rubs it in that it was just a two. Kevin keeps his focus, kicks low, but Waller grabs the bad arm to stop the stunner! Waller STOMPS the fingers! FUJIWARA ARMBAR! Kevin endures, fights around, but Waller twists the wrist!
Kevin keeps fighting, reaches out, and ROPEBREAK! The ref counts, Waller lets go at 4. Waller has Kevin in the corner, puts the bad hand inside a buckle pad, and then runs up to PUNT only buckle! Kevin rolls Waller up, KEVIN WINS!
Winner: Kevin Owens, by pinfall
Logan can’t even! Kevinn pulled off a minor miracle, can he do that all over again in the opening round of this coming tournament?
BREAKING NEWS for next week!
CM Punk will show up on Friday Night SmackDown in Providence, Rhode Island! What more will the returning Best in the World have to say about “coming home” to the WWE?
Bianca Belair w/ Charlotte Flair & Shotzi Blackheart VS Kairi Sane w/ DMG CTRL!
The Evil Genius said The EST will have to not just earn her rematch for the title, she’ll have to get through everyone in DMG CTRL first! Bianca said bet, but will she be able to sink the Pirate Princess? Or will Bayley’s tips help Kairi end the series before it begins?
SmackDown returns and DMG CTRL has a pep talk backstage. Dakota asks if Bayley is okay. Yeah, yeah, she’s good. Go, Kairi. Dakota says Bayley doesn’t seem like herself, and then Iyo says Bayley will stay backstage tonight. Bayley ends up the odd one out as the others make their entrance, what is that about? But that aside, the bell rings and the fans rally up for Bianca. Bianca and Kairi circle, approach, but Kairi dodges. They tie up, Bianca puts Kairi in a corner but Kairi dodges to KICK a leg! Kairi goes to roll up but Bianca stays up! Then Bianca handsprings free, and she runs Kairi over! Bianca dusts off her hands, then keeps moving.
Kairi drops, Bianca handsprings over her, and then runs her over again! Bianca wags her fingers, then drags Kairi up. Kairi throws body shots, but Bianca blocks the whip! Bianca reverses, Kairi uses ropes to go up and RANA, but Bianca handsprings through to DROPKICK! Fans fire up while Bianca eggs Kairi on. Bianca stands Kairi up, scoops her, but Kairi fights free! Kairi grabs the braid, but Bianca uses that to reel Kairi in and DECK her! Bianca runs, but Asuka trips her up while the ref is checking Kairi! Kairi fires off on Bianca while fans boo, and Kairi SLAPS Bianca! DMG CTRL taunts Bianca, Kairi runs, but Charlotte trips her!
Btu the ref SAW Charlotte do it! So the ref EJECTS Charlotte and Shotzi! Fans boo but then Asuka is caught slithering in! So the ref EJECTS DMG CTRL! Now all things are equal and that doesn’t sit well with DMG CTRL! Asuka protests but Bianca DROPKICKS her down! Kairi goes after Bianca, shoves her to a corner, but Bianca shoves Kairi! The EST and Pirate Princess stare down as SmackDown goes to break.
SmackDown returns again and Kairi has Bianca down with the ANCHOR HOLD! Bianca endures as Kairi bridges back, but then Bianca powers Kairi away! Bianca runs in, but gets POST! Kairi AX KICKS Bianca down, covers, TWO! Kairi stays on Bianca with a chinlock, then gets the arms for a straitjacket stretch. Bianca endures, fans rally up, and Bianca fights to her feet. Kairi ends up a backpack , but Bianca powers up to arm-drag Kairi away! Bianca eggs Kairi on, then scoops her to SLAM her! Fans fire up as Bianca scoops and SLAMS again! Bianca huffs and puffs and whips Kairi to a corner! Bianca storms up to then climb up, and she rains down fists!
The fans cheer and count along, Bianca goes all the way to TEN! Then she backflips away, Kairi runs in into a SPINEBUSTER! Bianca runs, handspring MOONSAULT! Cover, TWO!! Kairi escapes and Bianca can’t believe it. But Bianca then drags Kairi up to a fireman’s carry. Kairi fights free, waistlocks, and they go to ropes. Bianca bucks the O’Conner, scoops Kairi again, and SLAMS her! Cover, TWO! Bianca stands Kairi up but Kairi URAKENS! Bianca goes to the corner, Kairi screams and marches to the far side. Fans boo as she runs back in, SLIDING D! Kairi pushes Bianca out, goes to the top, FLYING KABUKI ELBOW! Cover, TWO!
Bianca is reminding us she’s the toughEST and that makes Kairi mad. Kairi storms up to URA- NO, Bianca blocks and chicken wings! But Kairi victory rolls to send Bianca right out! Kairi then goes to the apron, runs in, but Bianca avoids the elbow to chicken wing! GlamEST Slam on the barriers! Fans fire up as Bianca puts Kairi in, but wait! Bayley sneaks out here! She grabs the braid and YANKS Bianca down! The ref notices Bayley now and is confused, but he did eject the others, not her. Kairi and Bayley high five and then Kairi climbs. Kairi prepares that elbow, but Bianca ROCKS her first!
Bianca drags Kairi off the corner into the torture rack! Bayley freaks out for the KISS OF DEATH!! Cover, Bianca wins!!
Winner: Bianca Belair, by pinfall
Bayley has no words as her help had no effect! Bianca can check Kairi off the list and she continues on, who will she look to take down next?
BREAKING NEWS for the United States Championship Contender’s Tournament!
Our first two opening round matches are set! Dragon Lee and Santos Escobar get to run it back from Survivor Series while Bobby Lashley and Karrion Kross clash for the first time in the WWE! The special Tribute to the Troops edition of SmackDown is the perfect place to start this tournament, but who will move on to the second round?
Nick Aldis and Adam Pearce are both in the ring.
The General Managers are both here, and Aldis says “Ladies and gentlemen, as your General Manager, it is my distinct honor and privilege to welcome back to SmackDown, the Viper, Randy…! Orton…!” The fans fire up as Randy indeed makes his way to the ring, and he looks just as happy to be back! Orton joins Aldis and Pearce in the ring, strikes his pose on the corner, then revels in the fans chanting his name. Randy gets so fired up, he throws his vest off! Pearce says this is electric, but Aldis says, “How dare you interrupt me on MY show!” Pearce says Aldis better calm down. Randy is a Raw legend, that is where he belongs.
But Aldis can give Randy the one thing he wants, right here on SmackDown. Pearce knows what Aldis is getting at, and counter offers with a World Heavyweight Championship opportunity. Randy is rather taken aback, but Aldis says he can give Randy the guys who took him out. But “Ladies and gentlemen, things that live in Brooklyn,” here comes Paul Heyman. And he serves as the Wise Man to Your REIGNING! DEFENDING! UNDISPUTED! WWE UNIVERSAL HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION…! Roman… Reigns. And look who’s back. “After 18 months on the shelf, thanks to Roman Reigns and The Bloodline, Randy Orton comes home looking for revenge.”
But there will be no RKOs this evening, and there will be no decision made by Randy Orton, because The Bloodline is going to make his decision for him. Fans boo but then here comes Solo Sikoa! Jimmy Uso is also with the Enforcer, and the GMs get outta there. Jimmy slides in but Randy stomps away! Solo run sin but Randy fires off hands! Randy fights them both 2v1 but that gets the better of him! But here comes L A KNIGHT! Fans go wild again as the Mega Star runs in and kicks Jimmy! Then he fires off on Solo! Fans chant “YEAH! YEAH!” with every shot! Knight dumps Solo out but Solo drags him out! So Knight fires hands then throws Solo into barriers!
Knight and Solo head up the ramp, but Orton gets Jimmy! He puts Jimmy in the ropes, to DRAPING DDT! And despite what Heyman said, fans want to see it! Orton grins and he hears those voices! Jimmy gets up, for an R K O!!! Heyman is furious, but Orton has the GMs hand over the contracts. Orton looks them both over, Heyman says to stay safe by going with Raw. But Orton looks at Jimmy, who is still out cold. So yeah, Orton signs with SmackDown! Then Orton gets on the mic to say, “Hey, Paul… You can call Roman Reigns. And you can tell him… Daddy’s back.” The fans fire up for that! Aldis raises Randy’s hand in celebration, only to get an RKO!!
The fans are even more fired up as Randy is going to do whatever he wants to whoever he wants! Will the Apex Predator soon make himself the Head of the Table?
My Thoughts:
A great SmackDown here to follow up Survivor Series while turning the corner. A brilliant story beat for how to get Orton on SmackDown so he can go after The Bloodline, and great move to have LA Knight help out. With Kevin now shifting his attention to Logan Paul and the US Championship, Knight and Orton are going to be a good duo going after the Bloodline together, probably have a tag match with Jimmy & Solo, and maybe a few singles matches, before Randy takes on Roman at the Royal Rumble. I don’t expect Randy to win the Universal Championship because it just doesn’t seem like Roman’s losing before Mania, maybe not even at Mania, but this is going to be good stuff for Randy in his return.
And speaking of the US Championship Contender’s Tournament, awesome field right there, because for one, Karrion Kross gets to do stuff again. And second, it has the classic “settling feuds here” matches you see in WWE tournaments. And also, it gives an NXT superstar an opportunity, possibly even a call-up, so can’t wait to see who HHHBK agree should jump in here. Really good promos from Logan, Kevin and A-Town Down Under to help set this in motion, and Kevin VS Waller was great stuff as a preview. Kevin snatching the win feels like an indicator that he’ll make it to the end, maybe even win the whole thing, only to sadly lose to Logan in the title match.
Lashley being in the field is great, too, he had an awesome opening match with Dunne. Dunne is having to find himself again as his current trio falls apart and then gets beat down by Pretty Deadly. I hope there’s a two birds, one Big Strong Boi opportunity taken here: put Tyler Bate in the contender’s tournament, give him a great showing, but then have him be Dunne’s old-new tag partner so that the mainstream WWE fandom can see the greatness of British Strong Style. And then of course Santos beats Wilde, and Dragon makes a great save to get some heat going into their rematch. I would like to think Dragon wins the rematch to move towards the title, and Santos can screw him over in the later rounds.
And we continue to get awesome stuff out of the DMG CTRL story. Bianca of course wants her title rematch and that means having her go against DMG CTRL again, but Iyo purposefully keeping Bayley at arm’s length is a nice detail. Bayley taking the pin in WarGames despite all her efforts, and then Bayley costing Kairi against Bianca despite her good intentions, the last straw is more than likely gonna be if/when Bayley loses to Bianca, and then maybe, just maybe, the same way Becky and Charlotte made amends, Bayley will try to make amends with Charlotte. There are a lot of stories in WWE right now about forgiveness and grudges, it’d be fitting if Bayley went on a soul searching journey a la Jey Uso and Sami Zayn.
My Score: 8.8/10
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!