Coverage
Mitchell’s WWE Raw Results & Report! (1/16/23)
Raw is All Mighty!
The Rocky Mountain Machine is ready to wreck it!
Bobby Lashley is back on Raw, ready for the Royal Rumble! Who else will declare for that match and become another of Lashley’s targets?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Mustafa Ali VS Solo Sikoa; Solo wins.
- The Street Profits VS Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin; The Profits win.
- Elias VS
MVPOmos; Omos wins. - The Judgment Day VS The Alpha Academy; The Judgment Day wins.
- Iyo Sky w/ Dakota Kai VS “Michin” Mia Yim w/ Candice LeRae; Mia wins.
- Akira Tozawa VS Bronson Reed; Reed wins.
- WWE United States Championship #1 Contender’s Six Pack Elimination Match: Seth Rollins VS Bobby Lashley VS Finn Balor VS Baron Corbin VS Dolph Ziggler VS The Miz; Lashley wins and will challenge Austin Theory for the title next week.
PLAY BY PLAY
The Usos are here!
Jimmy & Jey are here, and so is Solo Sikoa! The Enforcer is going to be facing Mustafa Ali tonight, but The Bloodline always rolls deep. They head to the ring together, they get the mics, and Jey says, “Cincinnati, Ohio~…! The Bloodline is now in your city!” They raise the fingers because they the ones. Jimmy then says, “You see it. You see what The Ones are doing every single week. We running SmackDown and we running Monday Night Raw, every single week! But y’know what? Before Solo puts a beaten on Ali tonight, we need to address what happened on Friday.” Jey hopes KO got the message. He can’t cross the Tribal Chief and get away with it!
And at the Royal Rumble, Kevin learns one last, hard lesson from Roman Reigns. Speaking of the Tribal Chief, the Usos have something really big planned for Raw 30 next week. HUGE plans! Every generation of the Bloodline will be gathered together for an Acknowledgement Ceremony for Your Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns. And they’re going to defend the Raw Tag Team Championships against The Judgment Day, and they will BEAT The Judgment Day! Because they the twos, and #WeTheOnes! But as the Usos raise their fingers, the Judgment Day makes their presence known! They all have big matches tonight, but they go to the ring to confront the Usos.
Rhea Ripley tells the Usos to stop right there. “The only thing that The Bloodline needs to acknowledge is that The Judgment Day runs Monday Night Raw.” Finn says that’s right! Not only do they run this show, they ran the gauntlet, ran through the division, and now they’re running straight for The Bloodline. YEET! Finn leads the group into the ring, and Finn wants to take this moment to thank “Ex-Con Dom.” He stepped up and filled in for his fallen brother, and he helped the Judgment Day become #1 contenders to those Raw Tag Team Championships! Finn clutches his rib and curses Otis, and Priest has him calm down.
Priest says Finn will handle business in tonight’s huge main event, and Priest & Dom will handle the Alphas. As for those nice red tag titles, they’re coming back permanently to Monday nights! But Priest has a question. The Usos say the Bloodline runs Raw, they take out everybody and stuff, but have you ever seen them step to the Judgment Day? Not even once. That is odd. Not even a knock on the door? Why is that? Dom sniffs and he says he knows why. You smell that, Mami? Oh, she smells it, Dom-Dom. They smell fear! Because the Usos are scared! Jimmy, are you scared? Jey, are you scared?
Scared? Of who? Of little Machismo vato locos? Hey, Uce, check the track record. This right here is 546 DAYS! Every team that’s stepped up got sat down! The New Day: LOCKDOWN. RKBRO: LOCKDOWN! Street Profits: LOCKDOWN! The OC: LOCKDOWN! Brawling Brutes: LOCKDOWN! Los Lotharios: LOCKDOWN! This historic run started beating Dominik and his daddy! LOCKDOWN! And now at Raw 30, the Judgment Day will be welcomed to the Uso Penitentiary! Fans fire up but Dom says while he hears all this talk, the reality is that the Usos wouldn’t last a minute in the cell with the guys Dom was in with.
The Usos roll their eyes but Dom says “In the pen, y’know what we called the Usos? We called them wannabe eses.” The biggest wannabe was the Street Champion, standing around doing nothing. Solo steps up and fans fire up even more. But Rhea steps in and fans like the idea of Mami VS Enforcer! Solo steps back with his brothers, but then steps right back up to Rhea! Rhea grins, but Dom sucker punches Solo! Solo HEADBUTTS Dom down! The brawl is own! The Usos go after Priest and Finn! Finn and Priest throw the Usos out, Rhea turns Solo around! Rhea eggs Solo on, he looks to his thumb, and he roars!
But ALI flies in!! Mustafa Ali goes after Solo, wanting after him before their match! Solo shoves Ali away, and the brawl continues! Their match will happen now, after the break!
Mustafa Ali VS Solo Sikoa!
Raw returns and this match is underway! Solo TOSSES Ali to a corner, runs in, but Ali goes up and over! Ali CHOPS, CHOPS and whips corner to corner. Solo reverses, Ali staggers into a SAMOAN DROP! Solo snarls and he storms up on Ali in the corner. Solo rains down fists, the ref counts, and Solo lets off at 4. Solo backs up to the opposite corner, fans rally up, and Solo runs in, HIP ATTACK! Solo snarls, he covers, TWO! Ali is reminding everyone of his toughness but Solo clamps on a chinlock. Ali endures, fights up, and he throws body shots. But Solo HEADBUTTS Ali back down! Solo then whips Ali to ropes, but Ali holds ropes.
Solo runs in, Ali dodges, and Ali comes back to dropkick Solo! Ali runs again to dropkick again! Ali keeps moving, he ducks ‘n’ dodges, to SUPERKICK! Solo flops out of the ring! Fans rally, Ali builds speed, but Solo UPPERCUTS Ali down! Solo then runs in to LARIAT Ali upside-down! Fans fire up and Solo roars! Cover, TWO! Solo is annoyed but he stalks up behind Ali. “Get yo ass up!” Solo won’t be called out like that! Solo rains down fists on Ali, then backs off again. Fans fire up and Solo runs in corner to corner, but Ali dodges! The hips hit buckles! Ali then shoulders back in, slingshots, but into both hands! Solo POSTS Ali!
Ali crashes down and Solo soaks up the cheers and jeers. The ring count climbs, and the Usos sneak back out! The Usos cheer Solo, but here comes KEVIN OWENS! It seems the weekend was just enough time for the Prizefighter to recover what happened on SmackDown! He dodges Jimmy and fires off hands! But here comes Jey! Kevin knees Jey low, RAMS him into barriers, but Jimmy UPPERCUTS and sends Kevin into barriers !Jimmy whips but Kevin reverses, Jimmy hits the steps! Solo is distracted, and Ali TORNADO DDTS Solo!! Cover, TWO!!! Ali can’t believe it! But he hurries up top! 450- NO, he has to bail out!
Solo grabs Ali, SAMOAN SPIKE!! Cover, Solo wins!
Winner: Solo Sikoa, by pinfall
But Kevin gets in! STUNNER for Solo!! And then Kevin stomps a mudhole into Solo! And then fires off on Solo at the desk And then RAMS him into steel steps! Cincy fires up as Kevin clears the announce desk! Kevin SMACKS Solo off the desk, rains down more fists, then he goes up onto the barriers! But the Usos return to go after Kevin! Fans boo but Kevin deals with them! Kevin DECKS Jimmy, ROCKS Jey, but he’s still fighting 2v1! Kevin CHUCKS a chair into Jimmy’s face! And then one into Jey’s! Security, officials, refs, they all rush to stop Kevin but Kevin wants to #JustKeepFighting!! The Bloodline retreats, will nothing stop Kevin from taking down Roman Reigns?!
Bobby Lashley speaks.
“Put as many former champions in the ring as you want tonight. That doesn’t change a damn thing. There’s only one All Mighty. Making it elimination style? That just means five superstars are tapping out to the Hurt Lock. See, these aren’t hoops that you’re making me jump through, Theory. These are just extra victims. Your title reign has an expiration date, and that’s Raw 30. I’m coming for my United States title. And Theory, this time, I’m gonna put you away for good.” The All Mighty has spoken, will there be five other men broken at the end of the night?
Cody Rhodes’ comeback continues.
Victorious at Hell in a Cell, but in a bittersweet moment. The surgery was a success, but it also meant there was a long road ahead. The American Nightmare does not heal any faster than anyone else. Two months in, it already felt like six years to Cody. Nine months is the timeline, and he wants to respect that, but only four months in, he was hitting the gym. “This is the place where I can make myself bulletproof.” Brandi confirms Cody has put in the work, and that he looks and feels better than ever. Now it isn’t a question of if, but when can Cody return? Cody has made it clear what he wants, so at the Royal Rumble, HE’S BACK!!
Byron Saxton is backstage.
Byron waits outside Adam Pearce’s office, hoping to get a word. He notes that it has been “a revolving door of superstars” all day, all making their case for the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania. And one of those stars is… Elias! Byron asks The Drifter’s intentions in the Rumble. Well, 2022 was a roller coaster year. He saw his brother’s career explode then fizzle out. Elias came back, lost a best friend, lost to the Bloodline, and it’s been rough to say the least. But it is time to right some wrongs! When Elias gets in the Men’s Rumble match, the vengeance tour begins. But out comes MVP! Watch the suit, barn owl. In fact, Elias, MVP will save him some trouble.
MVP knows things haven’t been going well for Elias, so if he ever wants those fingers to strum a guitar again, do NOT go in there to bother Pearce about the Rumble. The winner is a done deal. Oh, MVP? Seriously? He hasn’t been relevant in the ring in YEARS, let alone in a Rumble match. Talking like that, MVP will get Elias a match with the Rumble winner match here tonight. Oh, MVP wants to Walk With Elias? Then consider that a done deal! Elias will love this chance to showcasing himself. This is what the music industry calls a tune-up.
In that case, MVP will talk to Pearce right now. MVP calls this easy money, and goes back inside the office. Will MVP prove he’s still relevant?
The Street Profits VS Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin!
Two teams that didn’t win the gauntlet last week now face off here tonight! Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins came oh so close if not for the Judgment Day, will they get the win here? Or will PRIME Alexander and the Gold Standard ruin the homecoming for Cincinnati’s own?
The teams sort out and Shelton starts with Dawkins. They circle, but then Shelton KNEES Ford down! Dawkins fires off, whips, but Shelton gest around to waistlock. Dawkins elbows free, runs, but blocks a kick! Dawkins spins Shelton, Shelton hits the DRAGON WHIP! And then a GERMAN SUPLEX! Cover, TWO! Shelton drags Dawkins over, tags in Cedric, and the former Hurt Business mugs Dawkins. They double whip, but Dawkins sees the back drops coming so he stands Shelton up to DECK him! Dawkins dodges Ceric, hot tag to Ford! Ford GAMANGIRIS Cedric, goes up top, and CROSSBODIES!
Fans fire up as Ford dodges Cedric, follows, then LARIATS him inside out! Fans fire up more as Ford flexes and roars! Ford stands Cedric up, baits him in and dumps him out. Cedric ducks, drags Ford out to join him, but Ford holds ropes! The ref tells them to get in, and Ford stands up to elbow Cedric away! But Cedric catches Ford for an APRON SIDE EFFECT! The ref checks Ford but here comes MVP. Cedric and Shelton seem curious about it, too, but Raw goes to break.
Raw returns and Ford powers out of a waistlock, only for Cedric to BELL CLAP him! Tag to Shelton, they double whip Ford into the corner. Shelton whips Cedric in, but Ford goes up and over! Cedric POSTS himself, Ford gets around Shelton, hot tag to Dawkins! Fans fire up as Dawkins rallies on Shelton! Then he DECKS Cedric for good measure! Shelton kicks low, whips, but Dawkins hurdles to FLYING ELBOW! Fans fire up and MVP looks upset at ringside. Dawkins runs in to CYCLONE SPLASH and ENZIGURI! Tag to Ford, Dawkins gives Shelton the ANOINTING! Ford FROM THE HEAVENS!! Cover, Cedric breaks it!
Cedric wags his finger, but Ford throws him back out. Ford tags Dawkins back in, and then Dawkins tags Ford. Ford goes up again, Dawkins Electric Chair Lifts Shelton! But Cedric CHOP BLOCKS Dawkins! Shelton goes up top, SUPER OVERHEAD SUPLEX! Cover, Dawkins breaks it!! All four men are down and fans fire up more! “This is Awesome!” and MVP admits they’re right. Ford and Shelton stand, Shelton clinches but Ford breaks free to ENZIGURI! Hot tags to Cedric and Dawkins! Shelton runs back in but Ford dumps him out! Then Ford PLANCHAS to take out Shelton! Cedric runs in, Dawkins hurdles, but Cedric just DIVES onto Ford!
Dawkins shrugs, and fans fire up as he builds speed! Dawkins FLIES and takes out everyone! Dawkins brings Cedric up and puts him back in, to then run corner to corner. CYCLONE SPLASH! But then MVP drags Cedric away! The ref reprimands, fans boo, but Shelton stands Dawkins up! Shelton and Cedric coordinate, ATOMIC KNEE!! Cover, TWO!! Dawkins has the ghost pin, PROFITS WIN!!
Winners: The Street Profits, by pinfall
Montel Vontavius Porter tried to help his former associates, but it only made things worse! Cedric & Shelton are upset with MVP, but is this the sign that the Profits are getting back up?
Cathy Kelley interviews the Judgment Day.
Well, she’s trying to, but they’re busy talking among themselves. She asks if they have a second. How is Finn feeling going into tonight’s Six Way? Oh, she means the Six Pack Challenge? Hey, if anyone’s ready, it’s Finn. Then looking forward to next week, Dominik & Damian have the Raw Tag Team Championship match- “SHOOOOOSH~!” Chad Gable cannot believe his cauliflower ears when he heard Judgment Day say they ran through the Raw Tag Division. No, no, quite the contrary. The Judgment Day barely snuck by The Alphas. In fact, they should’ve been medically disqualified.
But no matter. The Alphas get redemption tonight against the thugs that cheated them. Rhea tells Gable to get lost. Before she does something she won’t regret. Dom tells Gable to listen to Mami. He spent all day and all night pumping iron in the yard, and yet not even he will be able to hold her back. Gable laughs at Dom. No wonder Dom ended up on the wrong side of the system. With a strong body must come a strong mind. But from the looks of it, Dom needs to work on both. Next time Dom’s in prison, sign up for the Alpha Academy’s online courses. Maybe he can make something of himself.
Dom tells Gable not to make fun of prison life like that. Gable doesn’t even wanna know what’d happen to guys like him. Priest says he’s done with the fun and games. Take a walk, Gable, or else you won’t even make it to the ring. Gable says that’s a good idea, Otis hasn’t gotten his steps in today. The Alphas head out, but will they be able to handle the Punishment and the Prisoner?
Becky Lynch is here!
Cincy is fired up to see The Man has come around! But not from the stage, she’s coming in from the bleachers! Becky high-fives as she goes down the steps and makes her way to ringside. “How ’bout that Bengals win yesterday?” Fans cheer that, and Becky says she even dyed her hair orange for it. But as much as she wants to stand around and talk, she has business to take care of! “So Bayley, get out here, ya dope.” Becky tells the “dopey coward looking fool” to get out here already. Is Karen too busy yelling at a manager or something? But here comes The Role Model, as well as the rest of Damage CTRL!
Bayley laughs at Becky, and fans boo seeing her 49ers jersey. Bayley says, “This is embarrassing. Guys, I think I beat Becky so bad the other week, that she forgot what my name was.” Fans boo and Bayley tells them to shoosh, please. She’s Bayley, not Karen. No, she’s a Karen, idiot. Or maybe just “BOOO!” Bayley is a person, and her name is Bayley. Becky is Becky, this is Iyo, this is Dakota, etc. Wow, can someone explain to Bayley what “a Karen” is? A moody, entitled idiot with a bad haircut. Bayley storms up into the ring and says that’s real mature.
Fans chant “BECKY! BECKY!” but Bayley tells her that she’s standing there, calling Bayley names, but this seems like Becky is just upset and bitter that she lost, still here with no friends. HA! Fans boo but Becky says she has plenty of friends. She has an arena full of friends here in Cincy! Fans cheer and Becky says Bayley is “a sour faced cheating dope that peaked in 2015.” Wow, 2015? The year that Bayley ran NXT while Becky ran off with the other Horsewomen to take Bayley’s spot?! Oh, okay, now Becky sees it clearly. Is this why Bayley found two random “friends” and are claiming to be a faction? Is she trying to recreate something?
No, she’s not recreating something. She was ROBBED by Becky! Becky took Bayley’s spot on Raw, on SmackDown, at WrestleMania, and everything Becky has should be hers! Becky says the point Bayley is missing is, they didn’t call Becky up because they saw more in her than they did in Bayley. No, no, Bayley was kept in NXT because Bayley wanted to be a leader. She wanted to be a champion! She wanted to help the future! At least, that’s what she said. Or, perhaps, maybe she’s always been full of crap like Becky said she was. That one shuts Bayley up.
Becky continues and says Bayley was supposed to have her own spotlight while Becky was seen as just another body. Becky wasn’t supposed to be The Man, she wasn’t supposed to change the game or be the first woman to win the main event of WrestleMania. But she did, because she loves this, works for this, and works harder than anyone else! And she will keep doing that until she can’t do it anymore! Fans fire up for that one! Becky knows Bayley loves this, too, but the difference between them is, when it’s not Bayley’s going, when it’s not her being the focal point, she just whines and moans and blames everyone else! “It’s the fans’ fault! It’s Bianca’s fault! It’s Becky’s fault!” No, it’s YOUR fault!
Fans chant for Becky more but Bayley says not to even bother with that! They know NOTHING! They don’t know Becky! The only reason Becky became “The Man” was because she was punched in the face by another woman! Oh, how original. But maybe Becky will punch Bayley in the face so Bayley can get out of the rut she’s stuck in! Fans like the sound of that! Or will Bayley keep hiding behind Kai & Sky like she has been? Speaking of, they do step up. Bayley says she doesn’t need them. She didn’t need them to beat Becky before, and she doesn’t need them now! Well, alright, Bayley will have no problem facing Becky next week?
Bayley says she won’t have a problem. Okay, so Bayley won’t have a problem going 1v1 against Becky? Nope! So she won’t have a problem facing Becky in a Steel Cage match? Uh… N-No problem… That sounded like hesitation. No, there’s no hesitation. No problem, you idiot! Then it’s official. See you next week. Becky heads off, getting the rematch she wants. Is The Man going to prove who is the real Role Model on Raw?
Mustafa Ali finds Dolph Ziggler backstage.
Ali wishes Ziggler good luck in the main event. But oh, don’t pay attention to him. Y’know, the guy you screwed over for the US title. The guy you refused to team with in the Tag Team Turmoil. It must be so good to be Ziggler, a guy who gets opportunity after opportunity literally handed to him. Ziggler says Ali knows better than anyone that no one gets anything handed to them here. So from one professional to another, Ziggler doesn’t have time to pay attention to Ali today, he’s got to get into the zone. Ali knocks Ziggler over! Does he have Ziggler’s attention now? Ali storms off, will Ziggler be able to focus on the five other big names in the main event?
Elias VS MVP!
The Drifter wants into the Rumble, but he’s taking on the man who Montel Vontavius Porter claims is the future Royal Rumble winner. But MVP isn’t dressed to compete? He has a mic to say, “You seem confused, Elias. Did you think you were gonna face me tonight? Oh, well I’m sorry, Mr. Rock ‘n’ Roll man. It seems we had a communication breakdown. That’s what happens when you don’t have any pull around here. You get left out of the loop. And I know that lately, things have not been going well for you, but they’re about to get a lot worse. Because you are facing the 2023 Royal Rumble winner, but it’s not me. It’s this man.”
IT’S OMOS!! Elias realizes what he’s gotten himself into. The Nigerian Giant is back, and he’s ready to make his return a devastating one! Will Elias even be able to walk away after this?
The bell rings and Elias rushes in! He fires off on Omos, the fans fire up, but Omos TOSSES Elisa to the corner! Omos runs in, Elias dodges, then he fires off again! Omos shoves Elias away, then BOOTS him down! Omos looms over Elias and taunts him. Elias rolls out of the ring, the ref wants Omos to stay in the ring. Omos backs off, but then goes out the side! Only for Elias to RAM him into the apron! Elias fires off hands all over! Elias goes up the steps and hops on for a SLEEPER! But Omos TOSSES Elias away! Elias gets up, Omos runs in, but Elias dodges! Omos POSTS himself! Elias then runs in, but MVP stands in the way!
Fans boo, Elias pushes MVP aside, but MVP threatens Elias with his cane. Elias backs off, to get his guitar! Fans fire up but Omos grabs the guitar! And then HEADBUTTS Elias! MVP tells Omos to do something about the guitar, so Omos SMASHES it on the grounds! Omos chases Elias back into the ring, but he gets a GAMANGIRI! Omos staggers, into a SYMPHO-KNEE! And then another! Elias runs, to SYMPHO-KNEE again! Omos falls to his knees!? MVP freaks out as Elias climbs, only for Omos to grab him with both hands! MOUNTAINTOP SLAM!! Cover, Omos wins!
Winner: Omos, by pinfall
The giant is back, and he’s continuing where he left off. Will Omos follow through on MVP’s promise and win the 2023 Men’s Royal Rumble match?
Backstage interview with Adam Pearce.
Byron Saxton finally gets his chance to talk with Pearce, and he asks us for a taste of what’s in store for Raw 30 next week. Pearce had a feeling Byron would ask that. Pearce can promise us that Raw 30 will be unforgettable, perhaps even the greatest Raw of them all. Tonight’s Six Way main event and it only gets bigger! Six of Raw’s top superstars, all fighting for a chance at the US Championship on Raw 30. That’s big. But in comes Akira Tozawa! He has something that’s bigger: The Royal Rumble! And he wants in! Pearce appreciates that, but they can’t just throw opportunities around. Tozawa has to earn a spot.
Then Tozawa wants a match tonight. Tozawa will show Pearce that he deserves to be in the Rumble. Well, Pearce can’t promise anything, but he will give Tozawa a match. No promises, but if Tozawa wins, it can go a long way in considering him for the Rumble. That’s good by Tozawa. LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE! The Stamina Monster pumps himself up, but just who will he face in order to prove himself?
The Judgment Day VS The Alpha Academy!
Whether or not Dominik actually served hard time in a dangerous prison, he at least stepped up for the team when they needed him most. Dom and Damian are taking on the Usos next week, will Chad Gable & Otis be the perfect tune-up? Or will “Master Gable” and his number one guy create another situation of medical disqualification?
The teams sort out and Dom starts against Gable. They circle, Dom eggs Gable on, and then Dom calls for a test of strength. Gable fakes Dom out with a step and gets him to fall on his face! Fans laugh at Dom but Rhea coaches Dom. Gable and Dom reset, circle, and Dom avoids Gable to tag Priest. Priest and Gable circle, approach, and Gable avoids Priest’s grapple. Gable comes back to go for a leg but Priest gut wrenches him up! Priest throws Gable away, they go again. Gable waistlocks, avoids the elbow, and holds onto the hold. Priest reaches around but can’t find Gable. Priest pries the waistlock open and he throws Gable out!
Gable finds himself in enemy territory, he hurries back in, and he ties up with Priest. Priest wrenches an arm, Gable rolls and bridges to roll and handspring and wrench back. Gable headlocks, spins and drop toeholds, but Priest stays up! Priest stomps but Gable avoids it! The two stand off and fans rally up. Gable bobs ‘n’ weaves to avoid the hands, and then he blocks a kick to get an ANKLE LOCK! Priest hops his way to a corner, the ref calls the ropebreak, and Priest kicks Gable away. Gable runs in but Priest BOOTS him down! Priest stares Otis down, goes back to Gable, and Priest fires off hands. Priest whips corner to corner, runs in, but only gets buckles!
Gable gest the leg, DRAGON SCREW! Tag to Otis and Cincy fires up! Gable cravats Priest and Otis runs, to BELLY BUMP him! Fans fire up and Otis storms up to wrench Priest. Otis wristlocks Priest, tags Gable, and Gable goes up to AX HANDLE the arm! Gable BLASTS Dom, too, but Priest headlocks. Gable powers out, Priest whips Gable and Dom holds the ropes! Gable tumbles out to the floor hard, and Rhea mocks Gable while Raw goes to break.
Raw returns and Gable has Dom in a HANGING ARMBAR! The ref counts, Gable lets off and Dom scrambles away to tag Priest. Priest chases Gable and POUNCES him before he reaches Otis! Priest glares at Otis, taunts Gable, and then he KICKS Gable! And KICKS! And KICKS! Fans rally for Otis but Priest hits a ROLLING ELBOW on Gable Priest runs in to back elbow! Then suplex for the BROKEN ARROW! Cover, TWO! Gable is showing his toughness, but Priest sucker punches Otis! Fans boo but Priest puts Gable up top. Gable fires forearms but Priest ROCKS Gable with one! Tag to Dom and Dom climbs up after Gable.
Dom CLUBS Gable, brings him up to the top, and gives some Latino Heat. Fans boo but Gable throws body shots! Gable shoves Dom down! Rhea freaks out, Gable adjusts, and Gable DIVING HEADBUTTS!! Even Finn and Rhea are shocked! Both men are down, and fans fire up as Otis is back! Gable and Dom crawl, hot tags to Priest and Otis! Cincy fires up as the tree trunk rallies on the Punisher! And on Dom! Otis gives Dom a BELLY BUMP! Otis scoops Priest, Priest slips off to BELL CLAP! Priest choke grips, but Otis breaks free to HEADBUTT! Priest rebounds, to SUPERKICK! Otis rebounds, to scoop and WORLD’S STRONGEST SLAM!! Cover, TWO!!!
Priest survives being compacted and he gets up. Priest BOOTS Otis away, Dom tags in, but Otis SPALSHES them both! Otis whips Priest to a corner, to SPLASH again! Priest wobbles, then falls into the drop zone! Fans fire up again as Gable says it’s time! Otis activates the CATERPILLAR SPLASH! Tag to Gable, and Otis goes up, only for Dom to trip Gable! Gable hits an EXPLODER on Dom! But Priest CLUBS Otis, climbs up and choke grips! SUPER SOUTH OF HEAVEN!!! But Gable hits the CHAOS THEORY!! But Dom is legal, he rolls Gable up! TWO!!! Gable has the leg! ANKLE LOCK!!! Dom flails, Rhea and Finn freak out, they push the ropes!
The ref reprimands, Gable drags Dom away, but now Rhea and Finn distract the ref! Priest BELL CLAPS Gable! And SOUTH OF HEAVEN!! Dom crawls to cover, Judgment Day wins!
Winners: The Judgment Day, by pinfall
Gable and his 4.0 GPA should’ve known, four is greater than two! Dom survives thanks to Mami, but will he and Priest be able to do the same to The Usos? Or will Dom be back in lockdown for Raw 30?
The WWE honors Martin Luther King Jr.
A man had a dream for a better world. A dream that his children would one day live in a nation where they are not judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. That the greatness of America is the right to protest for rights. That though we are not satisfied, we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness flows like a mighty stream. He knew he would not make it there with us, but that as a people, we would one day reach the promised land. And his dream lives on that one day, all of God’s children, Black men and White men, will join hands and sing, “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, free at last.”
Iyo Sky w/ Dakota Kai VS “Michin” Mia Yim!
While the Role Model has a cage match with Becky to worry about next week, the Evil Genius is going to fight to prove the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions are still razor sharp. But will Iyo be able to cut down #MICHIN? Or will Mia prove she is still the Head Baddie In Charge?
But what’s this? Mia knows not to trust #CobraKai at ringside, so she’s bringing the Poison Pixie! Mrs. Wrestling, Candice LeRae, is familiar with DMG CTRL even before they came to Raw, so will she be able to watch Mia’s back in this one? The bell rings and Mia circles with Iyo. They tie up, are in a deadlock, but Iyo pulls hair! Mia throws Iyo down by her hair in return! The ref reprimands them both and they reset. Iyo kicks low, whips Mia but Mia reverses then follows. Mia redirects and DROPKICKS Iyo down! Iyo goes to a corner but Mia runs in to forearm smash! Mia whip scorner to corner, Iyo slips out and then taunts Mia.
Mia swings but Iyo goes Matrix to dodge the haymaker! Iyo goes to buckle bump but Mia blocks to elbow her away. Mia drags Iyo up but Iyo HOTSHOTS Mia! Iyo steps up but she has to hop back down as Mia rushes in. Iyo avoids the shoulder to KICK Mia back! Iyo then goes up top, and MISSILE DROPKICKS! Fans fire up as Mia flounders away and Iyo kips up. Iyo runs corner to corner, SHINKANSEN! Cover, TWO! Iyo is annoyed and she CLUBS away on Mia. Iyo bumps Mia off buckles, pulls Mia’s hair, and grinds her against the ropes! The ref reprimands, Iyo talks trash on Mia in Japanese, but Mia pushes her away. Then BOOTS her!
Mia runs to fire off forearms on Iyo, but Iyo catches one to a takedown! CROSSFACE! Mia endures, pries free, but then Iyo hooks the arm again into a LEBELL LOCK! Mia endures, rolls Iyo, TWO!! Iyo lets Mia go, and she DOUBLE CHOPS Mia down! Iyo drags Mia around, underhooks the arms, but Mia drops down and Alabama Lifts to back drop! But Iyo lands on her feet?! SHOTEI! Mia wobbles, Iyo fires up, but Mia reels her in for a lift! Iyo fights the suplex with elbows! Iyo runs, but Mia blocks the rana! Mia powers Iyo back up, Iyo fights the bomb, but Mia hits a NECKBREAKER! Fans fire up and Candice coaches Mia.
Mia stands up but Iyo follows. Mia blocks, ROCKS and repeat! Mia BOOTS Iyo, then ROUNDHOUSES her down! Iyo gets up, into another KICK! Iyo staggers into a FLAPJACK! Mia runs to basement dropkick! Mia doesn’t stop, she whips Io, only for Iyo to hold ropes. Iyo breaks free, Mia ducks the kick and waistlocks, but Iyo resists. Mia shifts to a wheelbarrow GERMAN SUPLEX! Mia then wrenches Iyo’s arm, but Dakota distracts her from the apron! Iyo trips Mia, jackknife bridges, TWO! Candice YANKS Dakota down! Fans fire up but Iyo WRECKS Candice with a dropkick! So Mia wrenches Iyo for EAT DA FEET! Cover, Mia wins!
Winner: Mia Yim, by pinfall
But Dakota goes after Mia! Fans boo but Candice gets in to BOOT Dakota down! And then CODE BREAKER! Dakota flops out of the ring, and Cincy cheers as Candice and Mia stand tall! Will these two go after those tag titles now that numbers are even?
Bianca Belair is here!
The RawEST Women’s Champion returns after the damage done by Alexa Bliss. Bianca gets a mic and the fans cheer for the “EST! EST!” Bianca says, “Now, I know it’s only been a couple of weeks, but I have missed y’all so so so so much. You best believe, if it was up to me, I would never miss a Monday Night Raw. But with this job, this job that I have, this job that I absolutely love, it’s just not possible without risk. Just like the risk of me getting my face busted right there on those steel steps. But y’know what? Even if I end up with this scar on my face after what Alexa did to me, I would still face her. Again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again!”
Fans cheer Bianca’s resolve, and she says that with every risk comes the reward of remaining your Raw Women’s Champion! Fans cheer that, too! “EST! EST!” Bianca tells Alexa, “I might not have been here last week, but you best believe that I heard everything you had to say, so now, I wanna know if you got the guts to come out here and actually say it to my face.” And here comes Alexa! Twisted Miss Bliss has a new take on her theme song, and she has a mic to tell Bianca that she will gladly repeat herself for Bianca and anyone else that needs to hear it. “You fear me because you don’t know what to expect from me. No one does.
“But let me let you in on a little something going on in my mind right now. The Royal Rumble is in two weeks-” Bianca says, “Girl, uh-uh. I’m just gonna stop you right there. I mean, do you really wanna try to beat 29 other women to try and get a title opportunity at WrestleMania? Or, do you wanna face me for the Raw Women’s Championship at Royal Rumble?” Fans like the sound of that, too! Alexa says, “What’s the catch?” Bianca steps outside the ring to say that Alexa is the one who wants to be in control. So the choice is hers. Alexa says, “I’ll see you at Rumble.” The match is made, but Bianca says Alexa can see her tonight.
The belts and jackets are put aside, the jewelry comes off, and the forearms fly! Bianca then POSTS Alexa! And RAMS her into barriers! And into the apron! And then the apron again, and again, and again! Bianca aims, whips, but Alexa reverses! Bianca stops from hitting the steps, and she elbows Alexa back! Bianca shoves Alexa into more barriers, then runs in, only for Alexa to toss her up and over! Alexa checks her chin, stands up, but so does Bianca! Bianca turns Alexa around and drags her over! They brawl in front of fans! Bianca tosses Alexa, then BOOTS her into the wall! And then fires away with clubbing forearms!
Bianca shoves Alexa into a trash can! And then she sits some chairs up, kicks Alexa around, and then brings Alexa to the chairs! Bianca torture racks Alexa! But the light! UNCLE HOWDY IS HERE?!? He’s creeping up and Alexa slips free! DDT to the floor!! Howdy waves hi to Alexa, and Alexa realizes she may not really be in control. One way or another, will Twisted Lil’ Bliss take the title from Bianca now that she revels in what she is?
Akira Tozawa VS ???
The Stamina Monster wants to prove himself worthy of a spot in the Men’s Royal Rumble, but that meant taking on whoever Adam Pearce could find. So who did Pearce fine? THE COLOSSAL BRONSON REED! Will Tozawa not survive the Tsunami coming for him?
The bell rings and the two circle. Reed corners, Tozawa, clinches him, and hits a SNAP Belly2Belly! Cover, TWO! Tozawa fights up but Bronson has a rear bearhug! Tozawa grabs the ropes, the ref counts and Reed lets off at 4. Tozawa DROPKICKS Reed, but Reed stays up! Tozawa fires off a strike fest, SOBATS, and runs into a BODY PRESS!! Fans feel that one, and Reed stands Tozawa up to HEADBUTT! Reed CHOPS Tozawa and Tozawa staggers away, chest stinging! Reed CLUBS away on Tozawa, stomps a mudhole in, but he lets off as the ref counts. Reed drags Tozawa up, whips him corner to corner, then SPLASHES!
Tozawa sputters, falls over, and Reed says Tozawa’s got nothing. Reed drags Tozawa up, scoops him, and SLAMS him! Then Reed runs to ROLLING SENTON! Reed grins and dusts off his hands. Reed then drops onto Tozawa to clamp on another rear bearhug. Tozawa endures, fans rally up, and Tozawa fights up. Tozawa throws elbows, but Reed CLUBS him down! Reed back suplexes, but Tozawa lands on his feet! SOBAT, spin, slide under, and SPIN KICK! Reed wobbles, Tozawa runs, and RANAS! Reed tumbles out of the ring and Tozawa runs to dropkick Reed away! Tozawa keeps going, and DIVES! Direct hit and Reed hits barriers!
Fans fire up with Tozawa but Reed is still standing. Tozawa goes to the apron, CANNONBALLS, but he gets caught! BARRIER BOMB!! Reed leaves Tozawa behind to refresh the ring. And then from the apron, FLYING SHOULDER!! Tozawa gets plastered to the floor! Reed drags Tozawa up, puts him in the ring, and then climbs up the corner. Fans freak out but here comes the TSUNAMI!! Cover, Reed wins!
Winner: Bronson Reed, by pinfall
Not even all the stamina in the world could withstand that! Will Bronson Reed prove to everyone that he is the Top Dog around here?
Backstage interview with Seth Rollins.
The Visionary is fired up and he says, “Just when I think I’m out, the United States title pulls me back in, Saxton.” Rollins had his eyes set, his mind made up, he was going to the Royal Rumble to then go on to WrestleMania. But then the WWE officials called, they said, “Sethy, it’s Monday night, it’s the main event, we need you! We need you! Are you in?” Rollins said, “hey, hey, hey! We are in Cincinnati, baby~! The town that loves to party~! The town that loves to sing. So of course I’m in! Old plan out, new plan in.
“Are you ready? Are you ready? Tonight, I win the Six Pack Challenge. Next week on Raw 30, I take back my United States Championship. I go on to San Antonio, win the Royal Rumble, and then take it all the way to the main event of WrestleMania, where I kick Roman Reigns’ ass like only I can! In the immortal words of the great Freddy Mercury, I want it all, and I want it now! HAHAHAHA!” The Visionary has seen his new path forward, but will he be able to make it a reality against the five other top stars he’s going up against?”
WWE United States Championship #1 Contender’s Six Pack Elimination Match: Seth Rollins VS Bobby Lashley VS Finn Balor VS Baron Corbin VS Dolph Ziggler VS The Miz!
From the Visionary to the All Mighty to the Prince to the Modern Day Wrestling God to the Show-Off to the Hollywood A-Lister, they are ALL former United States Champions. Austin Theory is The Now, but who will be his next challenger?
But of course, Austin Theory himself makes his way out to ringside. Rollins dares “the kid” to come closer, but the bell rings and brawls are on! Corbin goes after Lashley, Miz goes after Ziggler, and Finn goes after Rollins! Miz stomps Ziggler at the ropes, Corbin fires off in a corner, but Rollins DECKS Finn first! Lashley goes out after Corbin, Rollins goes after Finn, and Cincy fires up as Raw goes to break.
Raw returns and Rollins is back in the ring with Finn, but they’re still throwing haymakers! Fans fire up while Ziggler still has Miz, just by commentary, and Lashley still brawls with Corbin at the ramp. Ziggler SMACKS Miz off the desk! Finn and Rollins hockey scrum, but then Finn blocks a kick! Finn spins Rollins but Rollins ROLLING ELBOWS! Finn CHOPS! Rollins PELES! Finn PELES! Both those men go down while Theory is on commentary, saying it is so great seeing all six men fight for his title. Lashley aims at Corbin, but JBL CLUBS him!? Fans boo JBL but he realizes he messed up as Lashley storms up on him.
But then Corbin KNEES Lashley down and into the barriers! Ziggler has Miz against barriers, eh runs in, but Miz tosses him into the timekeeper’s area! Miz grins while Theory talks trash on all six men being “the past.” Miz drags Ziggler back up, but Ziggler HEADBUTTS him! Ziggler then hops onto the barrier, to SATELLITE DDT Miz to the floor! Meanwhile, Rollins has Finn in a fireman’s carry, for a GUTBUSTER! Finn clutches his ribs while he’s down, and Rollins climbs up top. Fans fire up but Corbin trips Rollins! Fans boo, Theory says that is what Rollins deserves, and Corbin climbs up after Rollins.
Rollins resists the superplex and throws body shots! Finn hops up, he CHOPS Rollins, then helps Corbin out. But then Lashley joins in on that! Cincy fires up for the TOWER OF DOOM!! Lashley stands tall after that Superplex Double Powerbomb and Cincy loses their minds! Lashley then aims at Rollins, runs in, but Rollins sends the Spear into the POST! Miz LARIATS Rollins! Ziggler jumps at Lashley but Lashley shrugs him off! Miz full nelsons, Lashley throws him off! Ziggler comes back, FAMOUSER for Lashley! And then Miz hits the SKULL CRUSHING FINALE! Cover, TWO!! Lashley survives Miz’s best shot and Miz can’t believe it!
Miz stands, Ziggler jumps in, but Miz stops the satellite DDT this time! Miz puts Ziggler in the corner to fire off KICK after KICK after KICK! Miz runs corner to corner, to A-LIST LARIAT! Miz pushes Ziggler down, he BOOTS Corbin away, then slides to sunset flip Ziggler! TWO, but Miz BOOTS Ziggler back down! Fans boo but Miz waits on Ziggler. Miz KICKS Ziggler, but then Finn rolls Miz up! TWO!! Miz kicks the bad ribs, then fires off KICK after KICK and KICK! Miz BUZZSAWS Finn down, then he runs in at Ziggler. Ziggler ducks the Buzzsaw but Miz blocks the Superkick! Miz trips Ziggler, and steps through for the FIGURE FOUR!
Fans “WOO~!” as Ziggler endures! Miz puts on as much pressure as he can but Ziggler fights to turn things! Miz tries to stop that but Ziggler pushes it through! Miz endures the leglock! CURB STOMP!! Cover on Miz, Rollins ELIMINATES him! We’re finally down to five and Raw goes to break!
Raw returns again and Ziggler is in one corner while Rollins is in another, as Finn and Corbin seem to be working together again. They mug Rollins in one corner, then Finn goes after Ziggler. Finn throws body shots to keep him down, then he whips Corbin in. Corbin SPLASHES Ziggler and Ziggler falls down! Finn whips Corbin the other way, but Rollins dodges! Corbin slides out, but Lashley is there to CLOBBER him! Finn CLOBBERS Rollins but realizes what happened to Corbin. Lashley fireman’s carries Corbin, but Finn makes the save! And then he and Corbin POST Lashley! Finn gets in the ring, but Rollins rallies on him!
Rollins SUPERKICKS, front kicks, then DISCUS LARIATS! Finn flops out of the ring but Rollins goes to the apron. Rollins hits a FLYING KNEE and down goes Finn! Rollins sees Theory on commentary, grabs the water, takes a big sip, and then SPITS it at Theory! Theory gets all flustered but Rollins puts Finn in the ring. But Finn dragon sleepers! Rollins drops down, kicks him away, but Corbin scoops Rollins! Ziggler saves Rollins to fire hands on Corbin! Rollins joins in, they pinball Corbin with haymakers! They fake Corbin out, to stomp his foot and DROPKICK Corbin down! Rollins and Ziggler stare down, but they understand it worked for Finn and Corbin, so…
They run to forearm smash and splash Corbin and Finn! Then they run the other way to hit another! Then Lashley drags Corbin out of the ring to RAM him into steel steps! Ziggler rolls Rollins up! TWO, Rollins rolls Ziggler up! TWO, and Rollins runs, but he dodges the Superkick to DIVE onto Lashley and Corbin! Finn bumps Ziggler off buckles, then he runs to FLY! Finn takes out everyone else! But then Ziggler climbs up top! The Show-Off SUPER CROSSBODIES! Direct hit on all four other men! Cincy fires up as all five are down, and JBL is beside himself. Ziggler stands up, he drags Corbin up and puts him in the ring.
Ziggler goes to the apron but Corbin KICKS the ropes! Ziggler gets jammed up, Corbin reels him in to POPWER- NO, Ziggler slips off! SUPERKICK!! Ziggler has to fight off Finn, and then Lashley runs in! Ziggler KNEES Lashley, then hits the ZIGZAG! Finn goes up top, leaps, but into a SUPERKICK! Rollins returns, kicks and underhooks, PEDIGREE on Ziggler!! Cover, Rollins ELIMINATES Ziggler! The Visionary has taken out the first two, and Theory is still fuming, as Raw goes to break!
Raw returns once again, Corbin and Finn are still working together. Corbin whips Finn in to RAM Rollins, then he whips Finn in to RAM Lashley! Corbin helps Finn up and whips him the other way, to RAM Rollins again! Finn wants Corbin to hold on, the ribs are still bugging him. Corbin whips Finn back in, but then reverses direction to hit a DEEP SIX!! Cover, TWO!! Corbin rains down fists, the alliance now over! But Rollins goes after Corbin. Corbin ROCKS Rollins with haymaker after haymaker, showing off those Golden Gloves! Corbin eggs Rollins on, so Rollins ROCKS Corbin back! Rollins fires off fast hands and fans fire up!
Corbin shoves Rollins away, puts him on the apron, but Rollins elbows Corbin away. Rollins slingshots, but Corbin DECKS him outta the air! Rollins falls to the floor but Lashley storms up behind Corbin. JBL tries to warn Corbin but Lashley fires a haymaker! Corbin hits back, they brawl, and Lashley gets the edge! Lashley whips corner to corner, runs in and clotheslines! Lashley keeps moving, he RAMS into Corbin! And again! And again! Lashley drags Corbin out to hit a NECKBREAKER! Fans fire up as Lashley clotheslines Corbin out of the ring! Finn returns but gets run over! Lashley drags Finn up, but Rollins runs in! Lashley catches Rollins, too! COMPLETE SHOT DDT COMBO!
Lashley kicks Rollins, hoists him up, and hits the DOMINATOR! Cover, TWO!! Rollins survives and Lashley focuses on Finn. Finn is on the apron, but Lashley blocks his gamangiri! Lashley drags Finn up to suplex him! Lashley holds Finn up, and then SLAMS him down! Fans fire up and Lashley soaks it all up. Finn slowly rises, Lashley is ready, but wait, here comes OMOS! MVP is behind the Nigerian Giant as he walks to the ring, and Lashley remembers going a couple rounds with him. Corbin returns, runs, and he LARIATS Lashley down! Corbin clotheslines Finn in the corner,. then runs again. Finn dodges to SLINGBLADE!
Corbin gest up at the ropes, but Rollins clotheslines him and himself out of the ring! Finn focuses on Lashley, runs in and SHOTGUNS! Lashley hits buckles and is down in the drop zone! Finn goes up, COUP DE GRACE!! But CURB STOMP OUTTA NOWHERE!! Rollins covers, Rollins ELIMINATES Finn!! Rollins has taken out HALF the field! Rollins aims at Corbin, but Corbin avoids the stomp! Corbin throws Rollins into barriers, then whips him at the steps. Rollins hops up and over, Corbin rushes in, into a SUPERKICK! Theory scowls at Rollins but Rollins hurries to the apron. Omos grabs Rollins?! Omos TOSSES Rollins over the announce desk!
Fans boo and Omos glares at Corbin. Corbin stands, even he looks small compared to Omos. Corbin gets in the ring, SPEAER from Lashley!! Lashley covers and ELIMINATES Corbin! Rollins and Lashley are the last two standing, Theory now knows he’s having a rematch either way. Lashley tells MVP and Omos to stay out of his business, but Theory BELT SHOTS Lashley!! Theory wants to high-five Omos, but Omos choke grips him! Omos lifts Theory up near the desk, but Theory fights the grip! Theory drags Omos out along the desk, and Rollins CURB STOMPS Omos down!! The Nigerian Giant isn’t in the match but count that as being eliminated!
Rollins then LEAPS at Theory, CLOBBERS him, then clotheslines him over the barriers! Rollins runs into the ring, he wants after Lashley, but MVP is on the apron! SUPERKICK for MVP! Rollins runs, into a SPEAR!!! Cover, Lashley wins!!!
Winner: Bobby Lashley, by pinfall (NEW #1 Contender to the WWE United States Championship)
Theory gets back up, and he sees the All Mighty is the last man standing! Will Lashley have his vengeance on The Now to become THE NEW US Champion for Raw’s 30th anniversary?
My Thoughts:
A great Raw here, especially as a go-home to the special “RAW IS XXX” 30th anniversary episode. For one, great linking of stories again as the Bloodline shows up to talk trash on Kevin Owens, but they’re confronted by the Judgment Day first. The quality comedy in that promo comes from the subtext that Dom is acting hard to guys who have actually been arrested for more than just being an uninvited guest. But there was also a great stare down from Solo and Rhea and then the brawl that Ali got in on. Solo VS Ali was a great match but of course Solo wins. And of course Kevin comes out to go after Solo & The Usos to give us a great brawl.
We also got good promos from Judgment Day and Alpha Academy backstage ahead of their tag match, and the match was great stuff. Fans are back to liking Otis, so maybe the Alphas can turn Face soon. Judgment Day should stay Heel since Dom is being fake hard. And as such, they win the Heel way and have momentum going into the Raw Tag title match. That’s going to be a great match, and I feel like of the two choices, Usos could drop the Raw titles and still go strong with the SmackDown titles as the story with Sami and Kevin continues. And good promo from Ali to get in Ziggler’s face, that is definitely a feud that can happen for the Rumble match and beyond.
Good new video for Cody Rhodes, and of course he’s back in time for the Royal Rumble. Cody is a frontrunner for winning that so that he can get at the world title. And it was good story for the roster to be talking with Pearce about getting a spot in the Men’s Rumble. Tozawa VS Reed coming about because of that was a good move, and of course Reed wins. Reed should definitely have a strong showing in the Rumble to better establish himself. And of course MVP was tricking Elias. Omos is back as MVP’s client, and Omos squashes Elias to reestablish himself just in time for the Rumble. Omos meeting Reed in that match will be awesome stuff, too.
Great match from Profits VS Cedric & Shelton, but MVP seems to be serious about reestablishing the Hurt Business. It didn’t really work out for Cedric & Shelton here, but I’m sure MVP will keep trying to convince them to join him again. However, MVP and Omos getting involved ultimately did help Lashley, so maybe Lashley will be more open to the idea of reforming the group. Lashley VS Theory is going to be a really good match, but even with next week being the 30th anniversary episode, I just don’t see Theory dropping the title yet. If the Hurt Business does reform, Lashley will be their world title guy and Omos can move into being the midcard guy.
And great stuff from the Women’s Division here. Great promos from Bianca and Alexa to establish a title match for the Rumble, and great brawl where Uncle Howdy again makes his presence known on Raw. As I said before, this is probably going to turn more into Alexa VS Howdy’s control over her rather than Alexa VS Bianca, and that will help Bianca retain. Becky gives another great promo with Bayley that just shuts Bayley down, then tricks her into a cage match. Bayley says she’ll do this without Kai & Sky but you can’t trust that. But even if Kai & Sky get involved, I think Becky should and will come out on top. Plus, Kai & Sky have Mia & Candice to worry about. We got a good match out of Mia VS Iyo, but that was all mostly to set up Mia and Candice as a team so Kai & Sky can defend the tag titles again.
My Score: 8.4/10
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Have a Holly Jolly Rampage!
The Continental Classic rolls on, and Brody King takes on Komander in hopes of grabbing three more points towards the top of Gold League!
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Konosuke Takeshita & Brian Cage w/ Don Callis VS “Powerhouse” Will Hobbs & Mark Davis; Konosuke & Cage win.
- Lio Rush & Action Andretti VS Myles Hawkins & Goldy; Lio & Action win.
- Willow Nightingale VS Harley Cameron; Willow wins.
- AEW Continental Classic, Gold League: Brody King VS Komander; Brody wins.
PLAY BY PLAY
Tony Schiavone is in the ring!
Schiavone welcomes out the Blue League’s current points leader, Kyle Fletcher, and of course… Don Callis. But they’re not alone as the rest of the Don Callis Family makes their way out to the ring. Wait, shouldn’t Brian Cage be in New York for Final Battle…? Well anyway, Schiavone says there’s a lot of gold and- Callis takes the mic, and he says, “I have something important to say.” The fans boo and Schiavone excuses himself as Callis says the Don Callis Family are the TRUE One Percenters of professional wrestling! They prove it each and every day!
Murder Machines: The most feared tag team in the world! “Don Callis’ favorite wrestler,” Kyle Fletcher, shows every day why he is THE One Percent! He beat Will Ospreay! He beat Kazuchika Okada! And now, he’s gonna beat Daniel Garcia and win the Continental Classic! Callis hands the mic over to Kyle and Kyle says it might be true that last Saturday wasn’t the best day for Kyle, but anyone watching that match saw the clear bias from the officials in this company! The fans boo as Kyle claims there is an agenda in AEW to see the Don Callis Family NOT succeed. But it doesn’t matter, it changes nothing!
Kyle WILL be the winner of the 2024 Continental Classic. That brings Kyle to Daniel Garcia. “You wanna talk about restoring the feeling, Daniel? I couldn’t care less about your feelings! All I speak are facts! And the fact is, I am the hottest young prospect in this industry, and I will be the future of this whole place!” The fans boo more but Callis says one last thing he wants to say, is when you’re the One Percent, you’re not like the other 99! They are not like all of these fans! They are not like “the boys in the back,” like Mark Davis & Will Hobbs, “a couple of scab workers!” They’re not even in the same business, Hobbs!
And Callis has waited to get Hobbs on a PPV so that the world could watch why they call Konosuke Takeshita “The Alpha.” And Hobbs, YOU are not in the same business as Konosuke, and you find that out at Worlds End! But speaking of, here comes the Powerhouse! Will he and Dunkzilla finish things with the Don Callis Family? Or will the AEW International and ROH World TV Champions get even for last week?
Konosuke Takeshita & Brian Cage w/ Don Callis VS “Powerhouse” Will Hobbs & Mark Davis!
The teams sort out and Konosuke starts against Hobbs to give the DC fans a preview of Worlds End. Hobbs and Konosuke step up, talk trash, and then the forearms go back and forth! The fans cheer for “MEAT! MEAT! MEAT!” and Hobbs ROCKS Konosuke! Hobbs even shouts “MEAT!” before he whips Konosuke. Konosuke ducks ‘n’ dodges but then so does Hobbs! Hobbs SPINE- NO, Konosuke flails free and Hobbs says it was that close. Konosuke says to cool off while he paces on the outside. Konosuke steps back into the ring, but he tags to Cage. The fans stay fired up for “MEAT! MEAT! MEAT!” as Cage and Hobbs circle.
Hobbs and Cage DOUBLE LARIAT! Neither man falls, so they DOUBLE LARIAT again! And again! And again! Cage kicks low, shouts, “Who Betta Than Cage?” But then Hobbs CLOBBERS him! Hobbs even gets Konosuke to back down with a glare. Hobbs brings Cage up to fire forearms, then he tags Davis. Davis & Hobbs double whip and DOUBLE SHOULDER TACKLE! The fans fire up as Davis stalks Cage to a corner. Davis CHOPS Cage, and CHOPS again! And CHOPS again! Cage sputters but Davis scoops to SLAM Cage down! Then ELBOW DROP! Cover, ONE! Cage stays in this but Davis bumps him off buckles.
Tag to Hobbs and he brings Cage out. Hobbs and Davis reel Cage in, fans chant “AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE! MEAT MEAT MEAT!” but Konosuke makes the save! Konosuke swings, Hobbs dodges, so the elbow DECKS Davis! Hobbs ROCKS Konosuke, Cage ROCKS Hobbs! Cage clinches, Konosuke returns, KNEE RUSSIAN LEG SWEEP COMBO! Cage covers, TWO! Cage rains down fists, the ref reprimands, but Cage steps off. Cage drags Hobbs up, bumps him off buckles, and tags Konosuke. The Callis Family stomps a mudhole into Hobbs, but then Hobbs CHOPS Konosuke! Konosuke snarls, and he CHOPS in return!
Konosuke ROCKS Hobbs, climbs up, and he rains down fists! The fans count but then Konosuke BITES Hobbs on the forehead! The ref counts, Konosuke lets off, and Hobbs sputters on the ropes. Konosuke tags to Cage and the Family gets Hobbs up. They DOUBLE SUPLEX Hobbs! Cage covers, TWO! Cage drags Hobbs up but Hobbs fires body shots. Hobbs UPPERCUTS but Cage ROCKS Hobbs! Cage ROCKS Hobbs again, Hobbs fires back, repeat! The fans rally for “MEAT! MEAT! MEAT!” Cage gets the edge, then whips, but Hobbs KICKS him away! Cage swings, Hobbs bobs ‘n’ weaves, to then hit an EXPLODER!
The fans fire up while Hobbs crawls, hot tag to Davis! Davis fires hands on Cage, “MEAT! MEAT!” Davis DECKS Cage, then whips him to ropes. Cage reveres but Davis picks him up, BACKDROP! Davis SENTONS but onto knees! Davis writhes, Cage tags Konosuke! POWER- NO, Davis stops the knee! Davis takes a swing but Konosuke ducks that, to BLUE THUNDER BOMB!! High stack, TWO!! Davis survives and Konosuke snarls, but Rampage goes picture in picture.
Konosuke rains down fists on Davis, but lets off as the ref reprimands. Konosuke tags Cage and Cage drags Davis up. Cage ROCKS Davis, whips him into a corner, and Davis hits buckles chest first! Cage RAMS into Davis, and RAMS in again, then CHOPS! Davis staggers but Cage whips him to ropes. Davis reverses, to dosido with Cage, only for Cage to CLOBBER Davis! Cage BOOTS Davis down, covers, but Hobbs breaks it! Cage gets mad and the ref reprimands Hobbs, then Cage soaks up heat from DC. Cage stalks Davis to a corner and fires haymakers! The ref reprimands but Cage DECKS Davis! Cage soaks up more heat while he flexes.
Holiday Bash returns to single picture while Davis crawls. Cage storms over but Davis fires hands! Davis CHOPS, CHOPS, but Cage JUMP KNEES! Cage whips Davis, Davis cartwheels and swings on Cage! Cage blocks, waistlocks, but Davis switches! BIG back suplex! The fans fire up as Davis rises and reaches out! Davis crawls, as does Cage, hot tags to Hobbs and Konosuke! Hobbs LARIATS Konosuke, LARIATS again, then runs up to LARIAT in a corner! Cage runs up but he’s send into Konosuke! Hobbs SANDWEICHES the Family! Hobbs whips, Cage reverses, but Hobbs comes back to CLOBBER him! Hobbs scoops Cage for a POWERSLAM!
The fans fire up but Konosuke runs up! Hobbs scoops him, too! POWERSLAM! Hobbs pumps up and the fans are with him! Hobbs stomps and shakes the ropes, then he goes back for Konosuke. Konosuke rises, Hobbs pops him up, but Konosuke ELBOWS him! Konosuke fires hands, then ROLLING ELBOWS! Hobbs staggers, Konosuke whips him, but Hobbs reverses! SPINEBUSTER! Cover, Davis blocks Cage, but Cage SHOVES Davis onto the cover! Cage then TOSSES Davis out, and he goes back for Hobbs. Hobbs TOSSES Cage! Hobbs grins as he has Konosuke alone. The straps come down, and Hobbs runs up, only for Konosuke to dodge!
Konosuke runs, Cage tags in, and Konosuke BOOTS Hobbs in the corner! Cage runs up to UPPERCUT, GAMANGIRI, and then GERMAN SUPLEX! Hobbs flounders, Cage hauls him up, PUMP HANDLE FACEBUSTER!! Cover, TWO!! Hobbs survives and Cage is furious! Cage tags Konosuke, the Family gets Hobbs up, and they double wrench to double whip. But Hobbs breaks the double lariat and Davis tags in! Hobbs DOUBLE LARIATS Cage & Konosuke! Davis runs up, they STEREO LARIAT! Konosuke BOOTS Davis and Cage waistlocks Hobbs. Konosuke runs but Davis GAMANGIRIS! Cage SUPERKICKS Davis!
Hobbs SNAP POWERSLAMS Cage! ALPHA ELBOW from Konosuke! Davis GERMAN SUPLEXES Konosuke! Cage fireman’s carries Davis, F5!! Cage runs up on Hobbs but Hobbs dodges! Hobbs LARIATS Cage and himself out of the ring! The fans fire up while Davis rises again! Konosuke also stands, and they run up! DOUBLE LARIATS! Davis GAMANGIRIS, Konosuke ends up in the corner! Davis goes side to side, SLIDING FOREARM! The fans roar as Davis hauls Konosuke up! Konosuke fights the lift, dodges Davis, and comes back, DOUBLE LARIATS finally take both men down! But not for long as they both roar to their feet!
Konosuke swings, and he SWATS Davis’ enzigiri! Konosuke then POWER DRIVE KNEES!! And then, RAGING FIRE!! Cover, Callis Family wins!
Winners: Konosuke Takeshita & Brian Cage, by pinfall
The Alpha slam dunks on Dunkzilla, and now he has 8 days to prepare for the Powerhouse! Will Konosuke hold onto his International Championship against Hobbs? Or will taking that title be the perfect payback?
Backstage interview with Willow Nightingale.
Renee Paquette is with the Babe with the Power who is in action later tonight. But first, Renee wants to congratulate Willow to making it to the finals of the inaugural International Women’s Cup. She heads off to Tokyo very soon, how is she feeling about it? Willow is very excited. Inaugural WrestleDynasty, one step closer to the inaugural International Women’s Cup winner, and so it is mind boggling after how- Kris Statlander steps in. Kris tells Willow that there is a lot she should say, but for now, she’ll say good luck at the Tokyo Dome. #BornAgainKristen takes Willow by surprise, will Willow win tonight and have momentum going to the New Year?
Lio Rush & Action Andretti VS Myles Hawkins & Goldy!
The dysfunction in Top Flight Airlines led to The Bad Child & The Sight to See winning over Darius & Dante Martin, meaning they’re next up to face Private Party. Will this be little more than a tune-up for Lio & Action?
The teams sort out, Lio starts against Myles, but then Lio handspring kicks Goldy off the apron! Myles back suplexes but Lio lands out and then dodges! Myles falls out of the ring, Action handspring kicks him down! Lio DIVES onto Goldy! Action DIVES onto Myles! The fans fire up as Action puts Myles in fast. Lio joins Action and they mug Myles. Myles fights back with forearms and CHOPS! Myle runs, but Lio & Action split the difference. Lio spins Myles for Action to mule kick, knee lift and ROLLING ELBOW! Lio fires fast hands, then DECKS Myles! Goldy springboards but Lio & Action dodge! Lio eggs Goldy on, then he and Action split the difference again!
Action runs up, Goldy dodges, but Lio LARIATS Goldy on the other side! Myles whips Lio but Lio hits RUSH HOUR! Action torture racks Myles for a NECKBREAKER! Lio covers, Lio & Action win!
Winners: Lio Rush & Action Andretti, by pinfall
Fast win for this furious duo, but “Oh my gosh, is that Private Party?” Marq Quen & Isiah Kassidy make their way out here and DC fires up! The AEW World Tag Team Champions call for “SHOTS! SHOTS! SHOTS!” Lio & Action get their shot in the near future, but wait! Dante & Darius make their way out here? Private Party looks to the tunnels, but Lio & Action CLOBBER them from behind! Dante, Darius & Leila don’t worry about the champs, they stare Lio & Action down. Lio & Action hold up the belts, then throw them at the Martins. The refs keep this from getting any more physical, but will Lio & Action take those belts from Quen & Zay soon enough?
Backstage interview with Harley Cameron.
Renee is now with the “multifaceted” Harley and notes she’s in action against Willow Nightingale tonight. Harley says yes, she IS multifaceted. She wants us to appreciate ALL her facets! Renee says yes, but she has yet to earn a singles win in AEW. Fine, ruin her fun. But then Harley asks if some person off camera is gonna say anything or just stand there. In steps Penelope Ford, and Mrs. Superbad says yes, she was simply observing. But Ford couldn’t help but notice that she and Harley share a lot of similar… facets. Harley asks how much Ford’s cost. Uh, no, not those…
Ford meant that she hasn’t had such a good 2024, either. So from The Bad Girl to the… Harley doesn’t have a good nickname yet. Well, don’t worry about it. Ford will watch Harley’s back and Harley will watch Ford’s. Wait, is something on Harley’s back? No, Harley… Just good luck. FEEL THE WRATH OF HARLEY CAMERON! No, she was being nice to you, Harley. Right, don’t feel the wrath of Harley Cameron. There is nothing on your back, Harley, stop scratching. Wait! W-What? Nothing, sorry. But will Harley be feeling Willow’s wrath instead?
Willow Nightingale VS Harley Cameron!
The bell rings and the fans rally as the two tie up. Harley pushes but Willow digs in her heels to SHOVE Harley down. Harley comes back, she and Willow reset and tie up again. Willow puts Harley in a corner, the ref counts, and Willow lets off. DC duels between Willow and Harley, and Harley wants a Test of Strength. Willow accepts the knuckle locks, but then Harley kicks low! Harley runs, wheelbarrows, but Willow turns that into a BIG back suplex! The fans cheer as Willow runs, DIVING BODY PRESS! Cover, TWO! Willow bumps Harley off buckles, then fires LARIAT after LARIAT! The fans count al the way to TEN!
Willow brings Harley out with a smile, and scoop SLAMS her! Harley flounders, Willow storms up on her for another scoop and SLAM, right as Rampage goes picture in picture.
Willow storms around while Harley staggers up. Willow scoops Harley again, then carries her around to put her in the Tree of Woe! Willow stomps a mudhole in, then lets off to run up! But Harley BOOTS her while upside-down! Harley gets free, ELBOWS Willow, then runs to knee her low! Harley runs with Willow to HOTSHOT BULLDOG! Willow is stuck in ropes, and Harley AX KICKS her! Harley then headscissors Willow to CHOKE her in the ropes! The ref counts, Harley lets go at 4, and Harley soaks up cheers and jeers from DC. Harley stomps Willow, then drags her to the outside. Harley SMACKS Willow off the apron!
Harley paces while Willow flounders, and Harley has her against railing. Harley CHOPS Willow, then brings her around. Willow blocks the bump to SMACK Harley off the apron! Harley turns things around to SMACK Willow off the apron! Harley shoves Willow in, storms up on her, and stands her up for buckle bumps. Harley stomps Willow, digs her boots in, and she thrashes around! The ref counts, Harley lets off at 4, but Willow elbows her in return! Harley RAMS into Willow again and again, but Willow CLUBS Harley! Harley ROCKS Willow, whips her to ropes, and ELBOWS Willow down! Harley soaks up more cheers and jeers while Rampage goes to break.
Holiday Bash returns and Willow CANNONBALLS, but Harley dodges! Willow hits only buckles and she hobbles after Harley. Harley kicks, KNEES, and ENZIGIRIS! Harley roars, runs, and SHINING WIZARDS! Cover, TWO! The fans fire up but Harley grows frustrated. The fans rally while Harley waistlocks, but Willow switches! Harley kicks free to switch back, but Willow ELBOWS Harley back! Willow fireman’s carries, storms around, but Harley pops up! Harley fires down elbows, then victory rolls, TWO! Willow escapes and ROCKS Harley! Fireman’s carry, DEATH VALLEY DRIVER! Cover, TWO!
Harley survives but Willow roars! The fans fire up as the straps come down! Willow gut wrenches for the BABE WITH THE POWER BOMB!! Cover, Willow wins!
Winner: Willow Nightingale, by pinfall
Willow faced the wrath of Harley Cameron and she prevailed! But then PENELOPE FORD goes after Willow! The fans boo but Ford did say she’d back Harley up. They both beat up on Willow, but here comes Kris! Kris Statlander storms the ring, Harley & Ford run away! Willow is again surprised, but the fans want these two to “Hug It Out! Hug It Out!” Kris says no, she doesn’t feel like it’s the right time. Kris lets Willow have the ring, is this proof that the #BornAgainKristen isn’t just a nickname?
Team Triple J speaks backstage.
Standing alongside Jay Lethal, Satnam Singh, as well as Jeff & Karen Jarrett, Sonjay Dutt says, “They’ve asked us to look back and reflect on 2024, and Jeff, guys, what an incredible series of moments we’ve had in 2024.” The group agrees. From Wembley Stadium to Double J being in the Owen Hart Cup, some true career highlights that he will cherish forever. But Jarrett doesn’t like looking in the rearview mirror, he likes to look ahead. Next week, he’s not bringing resolutions, he’s bringing a game plan for 2025! What does the Last Outlaw have in store for himself and the team in the New Year?
AEW Continental Classic, Gold League: Brody King VS Komander!
While the rest of Gold League stands at 6 points, these two men are struggling to keep up. Will the King of Death join that traffic jam at the front of the block? Or will the Commander of the Skies be a spoiler for Christmas?
The bell rings and we’re on the clock. Brody and Komander circle while the fans bark it up. There are fans who sing “OLE~ OLE OLE OLE~” for Komander as the two tie up. But then Brody picks Komande up with both hands, and puts him on the to rope. Brody pats Komander on the shoulder, and the fans bark more. Komander hops down, not intimidated by Brody’s size. Komander then dodges Brody, DROPKICKS him, but Brody CLOBBERS Komander on the return! Brody eggs Komander on and then scuffs him. Komander gets mad and CHOPS! Brody grins and eggs Komander on. Komander CHOPS, but Brody wants more!
Komander fires up to CHOP, but Brody CHOPS Komander down! The fans fire up and Brody grins. Komander sputters, Brody paces, and Brody drags Komander up. Brody CHOPS Komander again! Brody bumps Komander off buckles, CHOPS again, and Komander flounders away! Brody stalks Komander to the corner, CHOPS him again, and Komander falls over! Brody hauls Komander up, whips him, but Komander goes up and over! Komander ducks ‘n’ dodges, but Brody BACKDROPS Komander! The fans bark while Komander writhes, and Brody drags Komander up. But Komander fires body shots and a CHOP!
Brody KNEES low and Komander drops. Brody CHOPS Komander again! Brody asks, “Are you done?!” Brody whips Komander, but Komander ducks ‘n’ dodges to then springboard, but Brody catches Komander with ease! Brody pops Komander up, but Komander pops free, sunset flip, ONE!! Brody drags Komander up and CLUBS him! Komander wobbles, Brody ROCKS him again! Brody drags Komander off the ropes, suplexes, but Komander slips around! SLEEPER! Big men still have to breathe, but Brody RAMS Komander into the buckles! Brody swings, misses, and that bad hand hits post! Komander fires KICKS on the legs!
Komander bobs ‘n’ weaves, kicks, mule kicks and ENZIGIRIS! Brody wobbles and the fans rally up! Komander knuckle locks, CHOPS, and he goes up and up and jumps around! But Brody breaks the grip and DOUBLE CHOPS Komander to the floor! The fans bark it up and the ref checks Komander while Rampage goes picture in picture.
Brody storms out after Komander, who is somehow still in this. Brody drags Komander up, and he whips Komander hard into railing! Brody revels in the DC dogs barking, and Brody stands Komander up. Brody CHOPS Komander off his feet, then refreshes the ring count. Brody drags Komander up, and whips him hard into railing! So hard, in fact, that Komander goes up and over! Brody hurries to haul Komander back up, and he suplexes Komander to the floor! Komander writhes more while Brody refreshes the count again. Brody goes back to Komander, scuffs him, and brings him back up.
Komander KICKS Brody, CHOPS, but Brody CHOPS him down! Brody revels in the noise from DC while he stands on Komander’s neck! The ref reprimands, Brody steps off and rolls into the ring. Brody again refreshes the count so he can fetch Komander. Brody puts Komander in the ring, covers, TWO! Komander is still in this but Brody is more amused than anything. Brody paces then brings Komander up. Brody CHOPS Komander to a corner, then revels in the noise a bit more. Brody then digs his boot into Komander, but lets off as the ref counts. Brody drags Komander up to CHOP, but Komander CHOPS! Brody CHOPS Komander down!
Brody digs his boots in again, but the ref counts. Brody steps away, then drags Komander to his feet. Brody ROCKS Komander as the Holiday Bash returns to single picture. Brody eggs Komander on, stands him up, and ROCKS him again! Komander flops against ropes but Brody dares him to keep fighting. Komander staggers up, but Brody CHOPS him! Komander is stinging but Brody ROCKS him! Brody whips, Komander ducks ‘n’ dodges to QUEBRADA, but Brody catches him! But Komander slips down into the STANDING BONE LOCK! The fans fire up but Brody powers up! Brody THROWS Komander right off! SENTON FLOPS as Komander moves!
Komander hurries to basement DROPKICK! The fans fire up as Brody and Komander both crawl to ropes! They both stand, Brody runs up, but Komander swings around, CRUCIFIX DRIVER! Brody flops out to the floor! Komander sees that and the fans fire up! Komander builds going side to side, and he goes up and up and CROSSBODIES, but Brody catches him! Brody RAMS Komander into the railing! And then whips him hard into more railing! Brody makes Komander take a seat, then CHOPS him! The fans bark with Brody as he gets space, and Brody runs back in, but Komander ducks! Brody CRASHES into railing!!
Komander has the fans all fired up as he rises! Komander rolls into the ring, the count is climbing, but Brody is rising! So Komander runs corner to corner to go up, up and AWAY!! Direct hit with that escalara cannonball! The fans fire up as Komander rises again! Komander and Brody both head for the ring while fans sing again, “OLE~ OLE OLE OLE~!” Komander has Brody in the drop zone! Komander goes up the corner, but Brody CLUBS him first! Brody has Komander in the Electric Chair Lift, then goes up the corner!? But Komander fights, shifts, and SUPER SUSNET FLIP POWERBOMBS!!
Brody is in the drop zone again and Komander rises! 450 SPLASH!! Cover, TWO!! Brody survives and Komander cannot believe it! “This is Awesome!” as Komander rises and goes to another corner. Komander tunes up the band, runs corner to corner, but Brody SLAPS him first! Brody runs but Komander dodges, Brody POSTS himself! Komander is on the apron and he runs up, to SHOTGUN Brody to the floor! Brody sputters, Komander climbs the corner, and the fans are thunderous! Komander springboards to ARIHARA MOONSAULT! Another direct hit and Komander feels so close to his first points in the C2!
Komander hurries to get in the ring, but then slides out to start a new ring count. Komander climbs again while Brody rises. Komander watches Brody slide in, then tightrope walks to CIELITO LINDO!! But that was on Brody’s back! Komander pushes Brody but that’s a lot of dead weight to push! Brody sits up but Komander KICKS him! Komander roars, the fans fire up, handspring- TORTURE RACK! Brody flips Komander around, GONZO BOMB!! Cover, Brody wins!!
Winner: Brody King, by pinfall (gains 3 points; Komander earns 0)
If it wasn’t clear before, this was a painful punctuation mark, Komander is mathematically ELIMINATED from the semifinals. However, Komander’s final C2 match is Dynamite’s Miracle on 34th Street against Claudio Castagnoli! Can Komander be the biggest spoiler of this entire tournament? Can Brody prove to everyone in the Gold League that the House Always Wins?
My Thoughts:
A great Rampage here for Holiday Bash, though some clear redundancies from last week’s Winter is Coming edition. We got another group Don Callis Promo, and we barely got anything different from Callis and Kyle. The tag match’s only changes were Cage switching in for Archer, even though Cage is in reality defending his ROH World TV Championship in the Hammerstein Ballroom for Final Battle, and then the Callis Family wins this time so Hobbs and Konosuke can be even going towards Worlds End. Now, Konosuke could very well retain the International Championship at Worlds End because NJPW is totally open to Konosuke Takeshita VS Shingo Takagi being Winner Takes All, AEW International and NEVER Openweight titles on the line together.
Lio & Action of course won their match, but the real purpose was to get a confrontation out of them, Private Party and OG Top Flight, Darius & Dante. Good stuff, and it teases anywhere between a Triple Threat to Lio & Action VS Darius & Dante Round 2. Very good promo from Triple J to set up for something, anything really, for 2025. Fight for the Fallen can even be the start of whatever that plan is as part of the “mother of all streams.” And good stuff with the women’s division tonight. Ford & Harley makes a natural duo now given their names, and Willow and Kris could possibly reunite now that Kris is a Face again. That wouldn’t really make up for the weird fumble in the middle where Tony Khan just wanted Kris to get away from Stokely, but hey, this story itself could be really well done.
And great stuff out of Brody VS Komander, really got the drama going before the end. I mean, we all knew Komander was out of the running before tonight, and was most certainly taking the loss here, but Komander got to really show some grit. And now, five people at 6 points going into the final round, they’re really adding great drama to Gold League. Collision tomorrow and then Dynamite Miracle on 34th Street will be some great stuff, but I still think Ospreay should be one of the semifinalists, the second spot can be whoever they want.
My Score: 8.8/10
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Feel the StrongEST, the FastEST, the RoughEST, the ToughEST, and the BEST Glow!
With Jade Cargill out of action, Naomi is stepping in to help Bianca Belair defend the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships tonight on SmackDown!
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Six Man Tag: The Bloodline VS LA Knight, Apollo Creed & Andrade; The Bloodline wins.
- Braun Strowman VS Carmelo Hayes; Melo wins.
- Johnny Gargano VS Alex Shelley; Gargano wins.
- WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships: Bianca Belair & Naomi VS Nia Jax & Candice LeRae; Bianca & Naomi win and retain the titles.
PLAY BY PLAY
Solo Sikoa is here!
The fans boo as the “Undisputed” Tribal Chief leads the Samoan Werewolf and Good Bad Guy to the ring. Roman Reigns put out the challenge for Tribal Combat, and on January 6th, in Los Angeles, for the first-ever Monday Night Raw on Netflix, it will happen! But first, Solo and his Bloodline go to the ring, and the fans chant “O T C! O T C!” Solo tells them all, “ACKNOWLEDGE ME.” The fans boo instead, as expected. Solo lets that slide, and he says, “Roman Reigns sat on his little boat with The Wise Man and decided to challenge me on January 6th to a Tribal Combat match for the ula fala on Monday Night Raw, the debut on Netflix.”
The fans “WHAT?” Solo says instead of saying that, the fans should ACKNOWLEDGE HIM. The fans boo more, but Solo says shut your mouths and listen to what THE Tribal Chief has to say! The fans continue to boo and they continue to chant, “O T C! O T C!” Solo tells Roman that if he wants Tribal Combat, if he wants to take THE Tribal Chief to war, then let’s do it! Solo will leave his Bloodline behind, “WHAT?” Roman will leave his behind, “WHAT?” They’ll leave the Wise Man behind. “WHAT?” Jimmy and Jey, too. So listen and listen carefully: On January 6th, Solo walks in and walks OUT as THE Tribal Chief!
The fans boo more but Solo says on January 6th, he will STILL be the Head of the Table! He will STILL be YOUR Tribal Chief! And he will STILL have the ula fala! So Roman, after Solo beats your ass in LA, Roman can go back out on his little boat, sail off to the Island of Irrelevancy, and Roman can finally ACKNOWLEDGE SOLO. But wait! Drew McIntyre is here!? The Scottish Terminator has already hit Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso and Sami Zayn, but let’s not forget Solo was chief among those who screwed McIntyre out of the world championship. Solo has Jacob Fatu & Tama Tonga stand down as McIntyre goes to the ring.
McIntyre grabs a mic but Solo tells him, “I gotta admit, I was very happy when you kicked my brother, Jimmy, in the face last week. Yes, I was very, very happy. But you better have a damn good reason why you’re interrupting me.” McIntyre says he’ll make it quick because it causes McIntyre physical pain to be this close to Solo and not beating Solo within an inch of his life. You like what McIntyre did to Jimmy? What about Sami and Jey? McIntyre wants to know, when Solo lies in bed at night, is he asking when McIntyre is coming after him? Because Solo is the one that cost McIntyre the title at Clash at the Castle.
Solo is the one who caused McIntyre’s family the pain and misery that caused him more pain and misery! But Solo also stood up to Roman Reigns. The only one to have the balls to stand up to Roman! The rest of them acted tough, acted like they were going to do something, but Roman snapped his fingers, didn’t change one bit. McIntyre’s heart says jump Solo, but McIntyre’s head says he and Solo have the same goal. So here’s what McIntyre is thinking: McIntyre can start working through the hit list, taking out more and more OG Bloodline members, and Solo does one thing for him: Take out Roman for good.
The fans boo but McIntyre says once all that business is finished, then he and Solo can settle theirs. But then JIMMY yanks McIntyre out of the ring! And CRACKS him with the crutch! And again! And then he runs up to CLOBBER McIntyre! McIntyre goes running into the crowd, Jimmy does his best to pursue, but now here comes LA Knight, Apollo Creed & Andrade! The Bloodline has a Six Man Tag on their hands, will Knight even let Solo make it to LA?
Six Man Tag: The Bloodline VS LA Knight, Apollo Creed & Andrade!
The brawl is on, Apollo after Tama, Andrade after Jacob, and Knight after Solo! Solo shoves back, but Knight LARIATS him up and out! Apollo DUMPS Tama and Andrade BOOTS Jacob! Apollo BOOTS Jacob, then Andrade BOOTS him again! Jacob tumbles out but Solo has him stand down! The Bloodline regroups while SmackDown goes to break.
SmackDown returns and the match is already going as Apollo ducks ‘n’ dodges Tama to then slide under. Tama keeps moving, Apollo hurdles over, drops down, then DROPKICKS! Apollo fires up and the fans are with him, then Apollo gorilla presses Tama! The fans fire up and Apollo marches around. Apollo says this is for Solo, and he DROPS Tama! Tama flounders, Apollo brings him over, and he tags in Knight. Knight fires hands on Tama, “YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!” Knight brings Tama around to whip but Tama reverses. Knight catches Tama for a SWINGING NECKBREAKER! Cover, ONE!! Tama is tougher than that but Knight stomps him.
Tag to Andrade and the unlikely partners mug Tama. Andrade CHOPS Tama, then has him in a corner. Andrade tags Apollo, they double whip Tama to DOUBLE ELBOW! Apollo covers, TWO! Tama stays in this but Apollo drags Tama up. Apollo ROCKS Tama, the fans rally, and Apollo ROCKS Tama again. Apollo tags Andrade back in, they mug Tama, but Tama fires body shots! Tama shoves Andrade but Andrade RANAS on the return! Tama tumbles out, Jacob runs in, but Andrade DUMPS him out! Tag to Apollo, and then Andrade climbs! Apollo builds speed, and Apollo FLIES while Andrade ARIHARA MOONSAULTS!
The fans fire up as Knight then gets in to keep Solo back! Knight dares Solo to try something, but Solo stays back. Knight goes back to his corner while Apollo puts Tama in. The fans fire up as Apollo reels Tama in. Tama fires body shots and switches to a waistlock. Apollo elbows free, but Jacob sneaks a tag! Tama shoves Apollo and Jacob BODY CHECKS Apollo! The Werewolf is all geeked up while SmackDown goes to break.
SmackDown returns again and Solo whips Apollo to ELBOW him down! Solo throws up the one but the fans boo. Solo drags Apollo up, bumps him off buckles, and the fans rally. Solo UPPERCUTS Apollo down, then stalks him along the ropes. Solo drags Apollo up but Apollo fires hands! Solo keeps Apollo from his corner but Apollo throws more shots! Solo whips Apollo hard into the Bloodline corner! Tag to Jacob and he looms over Apollo. Jacob drags Apollo up to scoop and SLAM! The fans boo but Jacob runs to SENTON, onto knees! Apollo saves himeslf and both men are down! They crawl, hot tag to Andrade!
El Idolo dodges Jacob, BLASTS Tama then ROCKS Solo! Andrade fires hands on Jacob, runs, then ducks ‘n’ dodges to FLYING FOREARM! Jacob tumbles to a corner while Andrade kips up! The fans fire up and chant “SI! SI! SI!” Andrade runs in, CIEN SHADOWES! Cover, TWO!! Jacob survives but Andrade keeps his cool. Andrade goes up a corner, MOONSAULT DOUBLE! Cover, TWO!! Andrade is frustrated now as Jacob survives again! Andrade thinks on what to do, and he brings Jacob up. Andrade fires forearms but Jacob grabs Andrade’s neck! Andrade fights free and fires more shots, but Solo sneaks a tag!
Andrade whips, Jacob reverses, but Andrade KICKS Jacob away! Jacob just roars! Andrade runs up, Jacob FLAPJACKS him into Solo’s HOTSHOT! That combo sends Andrade tumbling out to the floor, and Solo brings him up to POST him! The fans boo as The Bloodline stands tall, and Solo shows off his ula fala. Solo goes back to Andrade and puts him in the ring. Tag to Jacob, and Jacob whips for a POP-UP SAMOAN DROP! Andrade sputters and coughs while Jacob is geeked up again, and SmackDown goes picture in picture.
Jacob watches Andrade crawl to the apron, and waits for him to go to a corner. Andrade sits up but into the HIP ATTACK! Jacob snarls as he kicks Andrade around. Tag to Solo and he whips Jacob for Jacob to whip him! Another HIP ATTACK on Andrade! Solo scowls at the fans, then talks trash on Andrade. Solo drags Andrade by his foot and brings him over to tag Tama. Tama then slingshot ELBOW DROPS! Andrade sputters more but Tama covers, TWO! Andrade is still in this, but Tama rains down fists on Andrade to keep him down! Tama HAMMERS and CLUBS Andrade, then he talks smack on Apollo and Knight.
Tama kicks Andrade to the Bloodline corner, drags him back up, and then fires a BODY SHOT! Andrade sputters, Tama tags Jacob, and then Jacob whips Tama in for a STINGER SPLASH! Andrade falls over, Jacob clamps claws into the shoulders! Andrade endures, fights up, but Jacob HEADBUTTS him down! Jacob clamps the claws on again and really digs into Andrade’s shoulders! Andrade kicks and flails in pain but Jacob just thrashes him around more! Jacob shouts at Andrade but Andrade fights up to his feet! Andrade fires body shots, but Jacob HEADBUTTS him down again! Jacob stalks Andrade to a corner as SmackDown returns to single picture.
The fans boo but Jacob rains down fists in the corner! Jacob then sucker punches Apollo! Andrade sits up, Jacob runs in, but Andrade moves! Hip attack hits buckles and the fans fire up! Andrade and Jacob crawl, Solo shouts for Jacob to get up! Jacob grabs Andrade’s foot and brings him up! Andrade ENZIGIRIS free! Hot tags to Tama and The Mega Star! The fans are thunderous as Knight dodges then CLOBBERS Tama! Tama flounders to a corner, Knight stomps away on him, “YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!” The ref counts, Knight stops at 4, but then he CLOBBERS Jacob! KNEE for Tama! Solo runs up to TOSS Knight!
Knight dodges Solo in the corner and hits a NECKBREAKER! The fans fire up even more and Knight tags Apollo. Knight hits Tama with the BIG back suplex! Apollo goes up top for the FROG SPLASH! Cover, TWO!! Tama survives but Apollo clamps on with a CROSSFACE! Knight WRECKS Jacob with a dropkick, and the Samoan Werewolf tumbles up and over the desk! Knight goes out to say that’s what Jacob gets, BUT SHINSUKE IS HERE!? Nakamura CLOBBERS Knight into the desk! The King of Strong Style gets away with that while the ref was busy checking Tama! Solo CLOBBERS Apollo, but Andrade whips Solo!
Solo reverses and ELBOWS Andrade! Solo drags Tama to their corner and then tags in. Solo aims at Apollo, HIP ATTACK! Solo hauls Apollo up, URENAGE! And then SAMOAN SPIKE!! Cover, Bloodline wins!!
Winners: The Bloodline, by pinfall
It seems Drew McIntyre isn’t the only one who is surprisingly on Solo’s side. The sinister samurai made sure to strike from the shadows to screw over Knight, will Knight make sure Nakamura comes to regret it? As for Solo, he is rolling towards the Raw Netflix debut, will he not need his Bloodline to retain the ula fala?
Backstage interview with Motor City Machine Guns.
Byron Saxton is with Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin ahead of the emotional grudge match. Shelley takes on his former friend, student, and the man who betrayed MCMG to take those WWE Tag Team Championships. That man is Johnny Gargano, so what thoughts are flowing through Shelley’s mind? Shelley says it is one thought: Payback. Sabin says they’ve known Gargano almost 20 YEARS, and only now does Gargano let the mask fall away to show us the truth. Shelley says it cuts a lot deeper when it’s someone you considered a little brother. Shelley tells Johnny that he makes sure Gargano knows he made the BIGGEST mistake of his life.
Sabin asks Shelley if he’s ready to do this. Shelley says this is something he has to do alone. He wants to see if Gargano is man enough to do the same. Sabin says okay, let’s get warmed up. Shelley wants a 1v1 shootout with Johnny Wrestling, but will Gargano do anything but do this himself?
SmackDown shares footage from after Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Byron Saxton was with Chelsea Green & Piper Niven and said before anything else, congratulations. Chelsea pats herself on the back, Piper pats Chelsea a bit, too, and Byron takes her back through the closing moments. Unpretty-Her on Michin, the bell rings, and we hear Lilian Garcia say the words, “AND NEW Women’s United States Champion, Chelsea Green.” What went through her mind? Chelsea takes out her gum and puts it in “Bryan’s” hand, and then tells him that she always knew this would happen. He might be surprised, and that’s so cute, but she wasn’t. She’s been doing this for ten YEARS, and worked her entire life to be an overnight success.
This is Chelsea’s time! Red, white and Green! Say it with her, Bryan! #RedWhiteAndGreen. So then, let’s talk the historical significance. Chelsea will now go down in the history books as the FIRST-EVER Women’s US Champion, so how does she’s now synonymous with the likes of Harley Race, the first-ever Men’s US Champion? She would say, “Duh.” She’s in the books where she belongs. Probably should’ve been three years ago, but she was released. It should’ve been way back in 2015, but she wasn’t hired. So now is the time. NOW IS THE FREAKIN’ TIME!! Yes, it is her time. What does a Chelsea Green reign look like going forward?
Chelsea says it looks like she’s going to Disneyland, so she’s got a plane to catch. Can they wrap this up? Of course. Have fun in Disneyland. Yes, well-deserved. Piper calls for champagne. Will we never hear the end of this now that Chelsea has gold to go with the ego?
Kevin Owens speaks.
“What happened after Saturday Night’s Main Event was not my fault. There’s a lot of people to blame for it. Cody Rhodes, the referees, Nick Aldis, WWE Management, they’re all to blame. I was screwed out of winning that championship. What happened to me is a travesty, a tragedy! I should be standing here Undisputed WWE Champion, but I’m not. But I took this (the Winged Eagle belt) because I deserve it. And I’m not giving it back until I get what i want. Everyone needs to understand, you can only push a man so much until they snap. But the good news is, I haven’t snapped yet.
“It can all get so much worse, trust me. You don’t want me to snap. So Cody, Nick Aldis, WWE officials, what happens next is on all of you.” The Prizefighter has said his piece, will he hold the championship hostage until his demands are met?
DIY talks backstage.
Ciampa gets it, Gargano’s known MCMG a long time. So it surprises Ciampa that Shelley is so dumb! He wants this grudge match but he can’t win the tag titles back in a singles match. So what’s he doing? Gargano says Shelley wants his payback, that’s obvious. But Shelley wants to challenge Gargano’s manhood?! Gargano is all man! He made a kid! Yeah, Papa John, Daddy Ciampa, of course they made kids. But Shelley did specify that he wants to do this on his own, so Ciampa knows what that means, right? Ciampa has to stay backstage, too. Gargano will handle business by himself. He’s not some naive 18-year-old kid with a dream anymore! Dream came true!
Gargano will go remind Shelley that he’s Johnny Freakin’ Wrestling! So Ciampa can just relax right back here. Ciampa says go get him! Ciampa won’t even move a muscle from here, you can trust him. Can he? Or is this all another facade to lower everyone’s guard?
It’s an all new Grayson Waller Effect!
A-Town Down Under is already in the ring, and fans boo as Austin Theory & Grayson Waller show off the abs. Waller then welcomes us to the Grayson Waller- And Austin Theory…! Effect. The hottest show keeps getting hotter cuz Waller gets scoop after scoop, lads. And tonight is a big scoop! A big, BIG scoop! The first transfer from Raw to SmackDown, it’s the Monster of All Monsters, BRAUN STROWMAN! The fans cheer as Braun makes his way to the ring, and he’s coming out as Santa Braun! Or perhaps, Strowman Claus? Either way, Braun throws free merchandise to the fans, what a gift for Christmas!
Braun empties the bag and then goes to the ring. Turns out, nothing for Waller & Theory! Waller sits behind the desk and thanks Braun for coming. And how nice of Braun to help all the poor here in Hartford. The fans boo and Braun asks if Waller’s really starting this like that. Is he really trying to piss Braun off already? No no no! Braun is right, it really is nice. And this is big! The biggest acquisition in SmackDown history! On the biggest talk show in WWE history! Braun says it doesn’t get any bigger than this, baby! The fans cheer and Waller says before we start, he knows how this goes, sometimes.
Waller just wants us to know that he invested a lot of money into the new set. Maybe we continue to spread Christmas cheer and have a civil conversation. No damage. Well, if Waller runs his mouth, then Braun can promise he’ll wear Waller out using all the stuff in here. Waller says he’s a bit surprised Braun agreed to this. If no one has said before, but Braun is a little intimidating. But the more Waller thought about it, the more it made sense. Even Braun sees the sense in associating with ATDU! The fans boo and Braun says he threw up a little bit in his mouth, and that get a good laugh.
Waller says okay, but SmackDown’s a bit scary right now. Bloodline is going wild, people are getting attacked backstage, and you don’t wanna be alone in the car park. Sorry, parking lot. Braun asks if Waller knows who he’s talking to. No, he didn’t mean anything by it. Waller just figures, it’d be a good idea if Braun looked after Braun for once. And that means setting up the ultimate alliance. Braun Strowman & A-Town Down Under as the same team! They’d be untouchable! The cunning and intelligence of Waller & Theory, Braun’s strength. Get it? Brains & Braun. Braun says he already told Waller to watch his mouth! Does Waller want his set shoved up his-
Wait! Carmelo Hayes makes his way out here! Braun sighs and Melo says no, no, no, cut this out. Melo has a bone to pick with Braun. Aldis thought he was going to humble Melo by setting him up against Braun. Everybody here knows that that wasn’t fair. But newsflash, Nick Aldis, you can’t humble greatness! Melo might lose, but he’ll never quit. So Braun, “you big ugly dumb Santa Claus b*tch,” let’s run this thing back right here, right now! Cuz now, Melo’s ready! Braun says if Melo didn’t learn his lesson last week, Braun will remind him what the Braun Strowman Effect is! Waller & Theory run away as Braun grabs the fake palm trees!
Braun CHUCKS trees at Melo but Melo just laughs. Will Melo not miss the game winner in this rematch? Or will Braun be the one to humble H1M?
Braun Strowman VS Carmelo Hayes!
SmackDown returns and the bell rings. Braun chuckles at Melo wanting to tie up. They do tie up but then Melo slips around to KICK the leg! Braun just brushes that off as he and Melo circle. Melo uses the ropes and even the ref as a shield so Braun backs off. Melo comes back, taunts Braun, then drops back to ropes. The ref wants Braun to let off, and Braun does, but then Melo sucker punches him! Melo talks smack, then whips, but Braun blocks! B raun shakes his head, whips Melo, but Melo ducks ‘n’ dodges ‘n’ slides out. Melo says safe! Melo says he’s smart, but then gets spooked as Braun storms up to ropes!
The ref has Braun stay back, and Melo gets cocky again. Braun signals to the fans that he’s taking a lap and the fans fire up. Braun goes outside, builds speed, but Melo runs! Melo slides into the ring, Braun gets on the apron, but Melo KICKS him! The fans boo but Melo hits the FADE AWAY! Braun flounders, Melo CLUBS and KNEES and repeat! Braun SHOVES Melo out of the ring! Braun shakes it off then storms back up on Melo. Braun YANKS Melo up by his hair! And then he TOSSES Melo across the way! The fans fire up and Braun drags Melo up again. Braun whips, Melo dropkicks the legs out! Braun falls, Melo runs, FADE AWAY, but into Braun’s hands!
Braun pops Melo up, but Melo SPIKE-RANAS! Braun sputters and Melo soaks up heat. Braun rises up like the monster he is! Melo turns around, Braun runs up, but Melo DUMPS Braun out! Melo BOOTS Braun away, then gets cocky again. Melo goes out the side and he runs up a la Braun. But Braun BOOTS Melo right down! The fans fire up and Braun looms over Melo. Braun drags Melo up, whips him at steps, but Melo goes up! Melo leaps, but into Braun’s arms! We’re at 7 of 10 as Melo slips free! Melo SLAPS Braun! Braun grabs Melo by the neck and TOSSES him into the ring! We’re at 10!! MELO WINS!
Winner: Carmelo Hayes, by count out
Talk about rope-a-dope! Melo steals this win by getting the better of Braun’s anger! Braun scowls at smart-aleck Melo, and he storms in! Melo runs out to the crowd and into the night, but Braun pursues! Will Melo #GetTheseHands one way or another?
Nia Jax and Candice LeRae talk backstage.
They’re both excited for the tag title match tonight, because Nia can become a double champion. Tiffany Stratton walks in and Nia says there she is! Tiff wishes them luck tonight, and cannot wait to be there ringside when the ref raises their hands. Nia gets a guilty look on her face and Candice tells Tiff that they were talking… It’s best if Tiff stays in the back. But hey, she can take some notes if she wants. And if she wants to help, she can prepare champagne, balloons and maybe even streamers. They’re gonna need all that after the big win. So Tiff should get on that while Candice & Nia strategize.
Tiff looks to Nia but Nia just says, “Thanks, Tiff.” Tiff leaves, Nia shrugs off the guilt and says she and Candice are ready. Candice is sure Tiff will have the most beautiful party ready for them. Will the Irresistible Force & Poison Pixie succeed in taking the tag titles for their own? Or will it be Bianca & Naomi having that champagne to celebrate?
Melo returns backstage.
And he’s on high alert knowing Braun is still hunting him down. Melo bumps into Legado Del Fantasma, and then Braun storms up! Braun asks where Melo went. Santos Escobar says screw that, he’s no snitch. Braun says not telling is gonna get Santos worse. Angel steps in and says Melo went that way. Braun thanks Angel and storms off after Melo. But then Pretty Deadly asks Braun to please read through their script. Braun slaps the script down and says he doesn’t care about their stupid musical! But then Melo SMACKS Braun with a chair! And SMACKS him again! Melo talks trash before heading out, but Braun gets back up.
Braun is angrier than ever, and he still hunts Melo down! Is there going to be nothing left of H1M after Braun #GetsTheseHands on him?
Johnny Gargano VS Alex Shelley!
Longtime friendships thrown away in order to get ahead is practically cliche in pro-wrestling, but to think Johnny Wrestling would be the kind to do that. Will Shelley make Gargano regret ever treating 20 YEARS like it was nothing?
The bell rings and Gargano runs up! Shelley dodges to fire hands, then he bumps Gargano off buckles. Shelley stomps a mudhole in, then stands Gargano up to dig his forearm in! The ref counts, Shelley lets off, then he climbs up to rain down fists! Gargano YANKS Shelley down! Shelley flounders, Gargano CHOPS Shelley to a corner, then he mocks the MCMG hand pointing. Gargano CHOPS Shelley, ROCKS him, then wrenches him to whip corner to corner. Gargano runs up but Shelley ELBOWS him away! Shelley goes up to FLYING KNEE! And then he CLOBBERS Gargano! The fans fire up as Shelley drags Gargano up.
Shelley wrenches, hammerlocks, but Gargano elbows free! Gargano brings Shelley around to schoolboy ROUNDHOUSE! Shelley sputters, Gargano brings him up, and Gargano says he’s no longer the student. Gargano ROCKS Shelley, stomps away, but stops as the ref counts. Gargano soaks up heat, then shakes out his left hand before he runs up. Shelley puts Gargano on the apron to HOTSHOT! Gargano falls, Shelley aims, and Shelley slingshots to stomp Gargano’s bad hand! Gargano staggers away, but runs back up on Shelley, only for Shelley to jump the sweep! SUPERKICK! Then FLYING KNEE!
The fans fire up while Gargano goes down, and Shelley says that’s what Gargano gets while SmackDown goes to break.
SmackDown returns and Gargano has Shelley in a clinch. Gargano fires body shots, then he hits a JAWBREAKER! Gargano goes to a corner, Shelley runs up, but Gargano BOOTS back! Gargano runs up and slips around Shelley to SLINGBLADE BACKBREAKER! Cover, TWO! Gargano is frustrated but he stalks Shelley to the apron. Gargano brings Shelley up, talks more smack, and he fireman’s carries. Shelley slips out but Gargano ROCKS him! SLINGSHOT- SUPERKICK! Shelley takes Gargano out of the air and both men are down! The fans rally up, and Shelley stands to CHOP! And CHOP! And CHOP again!
Shelley CHOPS, whips, then kitchen sink knees! And then PENALTY KICKS! Ghost pin, TWO! Gargano escapes, but Shelley wants the arm! Shelley uses the Garga- NO, Gargano turns chicken wing into roll up, TWO!! Shelley escapes, clinches, and spins Gargano, ASAI DDT! Cover, TWO! Shelley wants the arm again! The fans rally as Shelley drags Gargano up, wrenches and wristlocks, but Gargano ROCKS Shelley with forearms! Shelley CHOPS back, CHOPS again, and CHOPS again! Shelley wrenches to an ELBOW BREAKER! But Gargano ENZIGIRIS! Shelley runs up, Gargano dodges and SUPERKICKS!
Gargano scoops Shelley, takes aim at a corner, LAWN DART! Cover, TWO!! Shelley survives and the fans rally up! Gargano grows frustrated but he brings Shelley around. Gargano wants the arm now! GargaNO Escape, but Shelley says NO to that! They both fight up, end up in a corner, and the ref counts. Gargano lets off, to then ROCK Shelley with a cheap shot! Gargano runs up, but into a BUCKLE SHOT! Shelley shakes out the stars and he goes to the corner. The fans fire up as Shelley climbs, but Ciampa shows up! Gargano GAMANGIRIS Shelley down! But wait, here comes Sabin! Ciampa violated the deal first so Sabin’s not letting him do worse!
Gargano climbs up while Sabin chases Ciampa off, but Shelley SHOVES Gargano! CROSSBODY! Gargano rolls through, and pulls tights! Gargano wins!!
Winner: Johnny Gargano, by pinfall
Distraction tactic and pulling the tights? Gargano has no shame! But he and Ciampa have the WWE Tag Team Championships, so is that all that matters?
Backstage interview with Bianca Belair & Naomi.
Byron Saxton is at gorilla with The EST & The Glow, and before they head to the ring, he wants to recap the crazy couple of weeks. The mysterious attack on Jade Cargill, the big win at Survivor Series in WarGames, and now they can solidify themselves as WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. Bianca says these past few weeks have been rough to say the least. And while you can trust Bianca will find out what happened to Jade, you best believe they won’t be stripped of the tag titles. That’s just what the culprit wants and Bianca isn’t going down without a fight. Thankfully, Bianca has a friend who always has her back.
Naomi says yeah, she’s got her back forever! And she can never turn down a good “snatch ‘n’ drag.” But she also knows how important these titles are to Bianca & Jade, and they’re just as important to her. Naomi will go out there and do everything she has to in order to keep the titles. Bianca holds out Jade’s belt to Naomi, but Naomi says no. Not until she’s earned it. Bianca says okay, and the music hits. Naomi is fired up, will this be the StrongEST Glow yet?
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships: Bianca Belair & Naomi VS Nia Jax & Candice LeRae!
SmackDown returns as the Irresistible Force & Poison Pixie make their entrance together. The introductions are made, the tag titles are raised, and we see who is truly the strongest duo!
The teams sort out and Bianca starts against Candice. They tie up as the fans rally, and Bianca powers Candice right to a corner. But Candice pulls the braid! The ref reprimands, Candice shoves Bianca, then pie faces her! But Bianca SHOVES Candice to the corner! Bianca runs up but into an elbow! Candice goes up but Bianca ROCKS her! Bianca gorilla presses Candice but Candice scrambles free! Candice hurries away and she tags in Nia. Bianca says bring it and the fans rally for the “E S T! E S T!” Nia and Bianca tie up, Bianca headlocks, but Nia powers up and out. Tiff is watching backstage as Nia scoops Bianca, only for Bianca to slip free.
Bianca runs, ducks ‘n’ dodges and DROPKICKS! Nia rebounds but Bianca avoids the elbow drop! Bianca tags Naomi then sets Nia up! Naomi and Bianca both run the ropes, Bianca handsprings, SPLIT LEG DROP AND MOONSAULT COMBO! Naomi covers, TWO! Naomi hurries back after Nia but Nia shoves her away. Naomi slides under the lariat then mule kicks! Naomi runs but into a POP-UP HEADBUTT! Nia drags Naomi to a cover, TWO! Naomi stays in this for Bianca’s sake but Nia storms back up as SmackDown goes picture in picture.
Nia DRIBBLES Naomi off the mat, then stares Bianca down. Nia stalks Naomi to a corner, puts her on ropes, and CHOKES her! The ref counts, Nia lets off, and then Nia drags Naomi over to the corner. Nia traps Naomi while she tags Candice. Nia fires some elbows before backing off, and Candice RAMS Naomi! Candice ROCKS Naomi, sits her down, then stomps a mudhole in. Candice taunts Bianca, drags Naomi to a cover, TWO! Candice CLUBS Naomi down, then clamps on with a top wristlock. Naomi endures while Candice leans on the hold. Naomi fights up, arm-drags free, then hurries for her corner!
Candice scrambles after Naomi and THROWS her by her hair! Candice stomps Naomi to the corner, tags Nia, and Nia runs up to HIP ATTACK! Nia taunts Bianca, drags Naomi up, and clamps on with a cobra clutch! Nia leans on Naomi to grind her down. Naomi endures, fights up, and JAWBREAKERS free! Nia staggers around, but she scoops Naomi! Naomi slips free to the apron and HOTSHOTS Nia! Naomi BOOTS Candice. RAMS Nia, then reels Nia in for a HEATSEEKER! Naomi is down, but she BOOTS Nia away before heading for her corner. Candice hurries and tags in, but Naomi hot tags Bianca!
Bianca rallies on Candice with shoulder tackles and DROPKICK! Bianca kips up, wrenches, and suplexes Candice! SmackDown returns to single picture as Candice slips free! Candice dodges Bianca, Nia sneaks a tag, and Bianca scoops Candice for a GUT BUSTER! Bianca runs at the corner to RAM Candice, then she climbs up! The ref tries to explain but Nia runs up! Bianca backflips up and over! Nia almost squashes Candice, but she turns around. Bianca dodges Nia, but Candice hits a CODE BREAKER! SAMOAN DROP from Nia! Cover, TWO! Bianca survives and the fans fire up! Nia snarls as she drags Bianca into a motorcycle stretch!
Bianca endures and the fans rally up. Bianca fights up but Nia POSTS her first! Nia then mocks the fans with clapping, then she scuffs Bianca. Nia dares Bianca to tag, then she THROWS Bianca by the braid! Bianca goes to ropes, and Nia pulls the braid around them! The ref reprimands, Nia lets off, but Candice gets her shots in! The fans boo but Bianca gets away. Nia soaks up the heat and then brings Bianca around. Nia has the cobra clutch back on and she thrashes Bianca around. The fans rally as Bianca endures, and Bianca fights back up. Nia kicks Bianca but Bianca rebounds to reel Nia in!
Bianca tries to suplex but Nia’s too big! Nia shoves Bianca to the corner, but Bianca BOOTS back! Bianca ELBOWS Candice, runs up on Nia, but Nia picks her up! Nia RAMS Bianca into the corner! Tag to Candice and she climbs. Nia holds Bianca up, Candice MISSILE DROPKICKS Bianca into the SPINEBUSTER! Candice then BLASTS Bianca off the apron, then uses Nia as the step for the STEP-UP SENTON! Cover, TWO!! Bianca survives, she’s the toughEST for a reason! Candice is frustrated and she CLUBS away on Bianca! The fans rally for “E S T! E S T!” Bianca throws a body shot but Candice CLUBS her down again.
Candice tags Nia and Nia pulls the braid to keep Bianca back. Nia whips Bianca to Candice but Bianca slips around. Candice standing switches, Nia runs up, but Bianca ducks and Nia clips Candice! Bianca scrambles while Nia checks Candice, hot tag to Naomi! Naomi LARIATS Nia but Nia stays up! So Naomi UPPERCUTS Nia! Nia still stays up! Naomi dodges, goes up the ropes, FLYING CHUCK! Nia wobbles and the fans fire up with Naomi! Naomi reels Nia in but Nia whips her away! Naomi BOOTS from the corner, then goes up! FLYING FACEBUSTER! Cover, TWO! Nia stays in this but Naomi pounds the mat.
The fans rally up, Naoim brings Nia up, but Nia HEADBUTTS her! Nia runs up at the corner, but Naomi dodges to POST her! Nia is down, Naomi goes up! SPLIT LEG MOONSAULT FLOPS as Nia moves! Nia CLUBS Naomi, puts her in the drop zone, then goes up! But Naomi SMACKS Nia off the post! Tag to Bianca, and Naomi gets under Nia?! POWERBOMB!! Naomi drags Nia into the drop zone! Bianca aims for the 450!! Cover, CANDICE BREAKS IT! The fans fire up, Nia is busted open from hitting that post, but here comes TIFFANY! Is she doing what it looks like? Tiff cheers on Candice & Nia, no cash-in yet.
Candice tags in, goes after Bianca, but Bianca RAMS Candice into the corner! Bianca runs but into a BOOT! Candice goes up, TORNADO DDT! Cover, Naomi GAMANGIRIS Candice! Fans cheer “CASH IT IN!” at Tiff but Bianca tags in Naomi. Nia sneaks a tag, and as the Naomi goes after Candice, the ref has to explain. In that distraction, Nia asks for the briefcase! Tiff is conflicted, but she hands it over. But then the ref sees Nia with it! Bianca HANDSPRING KICKS Nia off the apron! Nia falls right at Tiff’s feet! Bianca tags Naomi, then PLANCHAS onto Nia! Naomi has Candice but Candice cradles! TWO!! Naomi KNEES Candice down!
Naomi hurries up, up and SPLIT LEG MOONSAULT! Cover, NAOMI & BIANCA WIN!
Winners: Bianca Belair & Naomi, by pinfall (still WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions)
Tiff’s hesitation costs Nia, and that means Naomi has earned that title belt! Bianca personally hands it to her and the two celebrate together. Will they hold onto the titles all the way ’til Jade is back in action? Or will a team come along that outshines even the StrongEST Glow?
My Thoughts:
A great episode of SmackDown here, though I think it was also prerecorded. They were in Hartford last week, weren’t they? And I thought that was prerecorded given how Jimmy Uso’s promo was received… But speaking of, good stuff from Bloodline to open. McIntyre calling a true with Solo was a bit of a surprise, but I suppose we should’ve seen that coming with how McIntyre is a Heel and often a hypocrite. Jimmy going after McIntyre was also good stuff, he can clearly still be a factor even with a bad toe. Very good Six Man Tag, too, but I should’ve known Nakamura would interfere and cost Knight’s team. Good win for Solo, and we’ve still got a couple weeks before Raw on Netflix, so the go-home math will still sort out with the first SmackDown of 2025.
Very good promos from MCMG and DIY, and of course Ciampa still went out to ringside despite the “promise” he made. And of course Gargano cheated, but that adds heat to the coming tag title rematch. They might even put that on the first SmackDown of 2025 to hype it up. Especially as I think it’s going to be the first THREE HOUR SmackDown. NBC is willing to do that knowing Raw is going to Netflix, meaning SmackDown will get more time to do more great things, which works with all the belts we’ve got now.
Good stuff with Braun and the Grayson Waller Effect, but of course we set up more between Braun and Melo. Clever move for Melo to win by count out, and of course Melo gets cocky for it. Braun was almost classic Braun with how he shrugged the chair shots off backstage. We’ll of course get one more Braun VS Melo, and maybe someone from Legado or Pretty Deadly screws Braun over given how he treated them. Very good promo from Chelsea after her big win on Saturday, and I’m sure she’ll be celebrating this win in both kayfabe and real-life through the holidays, ready to start her first title feud on January 3rd.
Very good promo from Kevin Owens, but I feel like he had to contradict himself here from what he said during the Raw on Netflix “kickoff show” on Wednesday. Kevin said then that he’s going to act as the defending champion with the holiday house show tour, but he said here he isn’t the champion since he got screwed. Either way, he’ll really play up how he is somehow the victim in all this, making the return of Cody Rhodes all the better. We’ll surely get one last match of Cody VS Kevin, maybe with a big stipulation on it, and then we’ll have a moment of (more than likely) Cody holding up both Winged Eagle and corporate logo championships.
And of course, very good stuff in the two main Smackdown women’s stories. That promo from Nia, Candice and Tiff was really good because you kinda feel for Tiff being treated as the odd one out. And then very good promo right before the match with Bianca & Naomi. I like Naomi wanting to earn the belt, and we got a great tag match. Nia surely got busted open “hard way,” aka legitimately, that post surely has edges you gotta watch out for. But Tiff showing up was of course for the briefcase distraction, not cashing in. Tiff hasn’t been pushed that far yet, that might come with the Netflix debut. But Naomi & Bianca of course retained the titles, that’ll cue up Jade making a return to identify her attacker, and it might be Naomi after all…
My Score: 8.8/10
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