Coverage
Mitchell’s WWE Raw Results & Report! (1/23/23)
Raw turns 30!
This could be the biggest Raw of all time!
For THIRTY YEARS, through highs and lows, Monday Night Raw has led the WWE! Now we see who leads Raw into the NEXT thirty years!
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Raw Tag Team Championships: The Usos VS The Judgment Day; The Usos and Sami Zayn win and retain the titles.
- Steel Cage Match: Bayley VS Becky Lynch; No Contest.
- Six Man Tag: Seth Rollins & The Street Profits VS Imperium; Rollins & The Profits win.
- Bianca Belair VS Sonya Deville; Bianca wins.
- WWE United States Championship No Disqualifications: Austin Theory VS Bobby Lashley; Theory wins and retains the title.
PLAY BY PLAY
Hulk Hogan is here!
And so is Jimmy Hart! The Mouth of the South and the TWO-TIME WWE Hall of Famer Immortal Hulkamania are on stage with mics, to say, “What’s up Philadelphia Hulkamaniacs? Well let me tell you something, WWE Universe! A long time ago, when Hulkamania was running wild, a little TV show started, called Monday Night Raw. And week after week, it got bigger, and week after week, it got better, just like me! Yes, sir, guys. And tonight, we celebrate thirty YEARS of Monday Night Raw! We celebrate thirty years then, we celebrate thirty years now, and we celebrate thirty years forever, together!”
Hulk asks, “Whatcha gonna do when Hulkamania, thirty years of Monday Night Raw, and those Philadelphia Eagles run wild on you?!” Fans fire up, will this truly be the biggest night in Raw history?
The Bloodline is here!
The Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns, leads the way for Paul Heyman, the Usos, Solo Sikoa and Sami Zayn! Tonight was meant to be a multigenerational Acknowledgement Ceremony for the Head of the Table, but recent circumstances have forced a change in plans. Even so, Roman and the Usos raise their belts for the pyro. They then go to the ring, and they raise the belts again for another round of Pyro. But behold, there is a table set up. Kevin Owens got the better of everyone on Friday Night SmackDown, except for Sami Zayn, who was a minute too late to stop the Prizefighter. Hence, tonight is a Tribal Court Hearing!
Fans are torn as the Bloodline stands around the table, with Sami off to the side. Philly chants for Sami, but Heyman hands Roman a mic. “Philadelphia! ACKNOWLEDGE ME!” Philly sounds pretty torn here. Roman wants to get to business. “Wise Man!” “Yes, My Tribal Chief!” Heyman takes the mic and everyone sits at the table. Philly chants for “E C DUB!” as Heyman speaks. “My Tribal Chief, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, my name is Paul Heyman. And I noticed just a moment ago, you all had a chant of three letters that are very near and dear to me.” Fans chant those letters again, “E C DUB!”
But Heyman explains to Roman that ECW is dead, and Heyman wishes the same for SAMI ZAYN! Fans boo, that’s not right! Fans chant for Sami now, but Heyman says, “In plain Samoan speak in this Tribal Court, that is an imbula bara para!” A JUDAS! A BETRAYER of the Island of Relevancy! A conspiracist, in a conspiracy with Kevin Owens since day number one! Sami led the Bloodline on about how good they are and how he is a part of them, “like the fans of the Philadelphia Eagles.” Fans boo but Heyman says they’re gonna feel like the fans after they get conquered by BROCK PURDY of the 49ers! Fans boo even harder!
Fans chant “Fly Eagles Fly!” but Heyman continues to say that this is an open and shut case. He has Exhibits A, B, C, D, even E, F, G, all the way to L M N O P! But he’ll stop at these four pieces of footage that demonstrate that Sami Zayn is “guilty as charged.” Fans boo but Heyman presents his evidence. Exhibit A: Sami talking with the Usos on 8/12/22, and then Drew McIntyre attacks! “Sword Ass” McIntyre jumped the Usos but Sami ran off! “Like the gutless coward that he is!” And then Exhibit B: 8/29/22, Jey telling Sami to get a chair, and Sami taking his sweet time. Sami could’ve hit Kevin, but he didn’t! And Kevin hit a Stunner to win!
Heyman apologizes to Jey that he had to relive that. But Exhibit C: 11/26/22, Survivor Series and the WarGames match. After the win, Sami isn’t with the Bloodline celebrating, he’s on top of the cage for his own glory. And he says something about for life! Is he nWo? Four Horseman? What? And lastly, Exhibit D: 12/23/22, Sami talking up the Bloodline, but shoulder bumping Roman! THAT! The high school hallway shoulder bump! That’s assault! Does Sami perform euthanasia on Roman’s father? Castrate Roman’s sons? That was an assassination attempt on Roman so that Sami could become the Tribal Chief!
If Sami is guilty of nothing else, he is guilty of assault on the Tribal Chief! Heyman tells Roman and the “jury,” he begs of us, and he’s not a begging man, “to find this rat bastard… Guilty! As! Charged!” Fans boo as Heyman drops the mic in Sami’s lap. Then he picks up another mic just to say he rests is case. Fans rally behind Sami as he stands up to speak. “You know, I had a whole defense all lined up, all laid out in my head, but the one thing I didn’t count on was how I would actually feel when I came out here.
“And Paul, watching you, listening to you say all that, right to my face, after every time you hugged me, and it’s Shmuli this, and ‘I love you, Shmuli’ that, man… That hurts. That hurts so much. Watching you play that video, carefully craft this video to make it out like what? What do you think? What do you think I’m doing? You think I’m conspiring with Kevin Owens? You think I’m trying to take out the Tribal Chief?” Heyman shouts “YES!” Sami asks how Heyman can think that after all this time. The fact Heyman would think that, that hurts! After everything that’s gone on, the fact that the Bloodline doesn’t see it, guess what? The FANS see it!
The fans have seen it all these last nine months! But the fact that they’d literally put Sami on trial, to defend himself, that hurts. “So I guess what I’m saying is, my defense is that I have no defense.” Sami sits back down but Philly cheers him on. Roman looks confused. He grabs a mic and says, “Let me get this straight. You don’t have a defense? You got so much ego, you won’t even fight for this? You won’t even explain yourself? You don’t care now, huh? You got so much ego, that you can’t even argue for this? This doesn’t mean anything to you?” Roman gave Sami chance after chance, and this is what he does? This is the respect he shows Roman!? SOLO!!
Solo steps closer to Sami and fans boo. Solo walks around Sami, prepares the thumb, but then JEY stops him!? Fans fire up as Jey stops the Samoan Spike from executing Sami! Fans chant “UCEY! UCEY!” and Jey has everyone calm down. OG, no disrespect, but Jey has his own footage. Roll the tape. WHAT!? Defense Exhibit A! It’s 6/3/22, Matt Riddle hits a SUPER RKO but Roman’s music hit! Jey snuck the tag, then hits the USO SPLASH so the Usos retain, and Sami was the one who pulled the fake-out! Exhibit B: 8/19/22, McIntyre tossing Roman around, but Sami makes the save! Exhibit C: 9/9/22, McIntyre goes after Solo with a chair, Sami makes the save!
And Exhibit D: 12/9/22, Usos beat Brawling Brutes, Sami makes sure Sheamus couldn’t get in! And then Exhibit E: back to WarGames, Kevin has Roman down, Sami stops the ref! And then LOW BLOWS Kevin! And then hits the HELLUVA KICK to set Kevin up for Jey’s USO SPLASH, that wins it for them! Fans cheer seeing those videos, and Jey says, “Let’s go, man! It’s right there, Uce. It’s right there on tape, on film, for you and the whole world to see! This man has taken so many bullets for me, for you, for the whole Bloodline. Man, my dawg basically bulletproof.” And we all know Jey despised and distrusted Sami.
But Sami saw the good in Jey the whole time and never gave up on him. That’s what family do! Fans cheer that, and Jey says, “That tape right there demonstrates to me, Uce, loyalty! And love to this family! Sami Zayn, I love you like a brother, Uce, 100.” So if you want Sami to stay, throw your ones to the sky! All of Philly joins Jey, and even Jimmy raises his finger! Roman stands up now, but fans chant “SAMI USO!” Roman says, “As your Tribal Chief, and the Head of the Table, I find you, Sami Zayn… Not guilty.” Fans cheer and Heyman looks like he’s tearing up. But then Roman adds, “For now.” He wants Sami to thank Jey, because Jey bought Sami time.
In the meantime, this is how it will go. Sami can finish tonight, make the Bloodline proud, and then Roman doesn’t wanna see Sami again until Saturday at the Royal Rumble. Not see him, hear from him, or hear that he’s at a show. Sami will go home, then show up at the Royal Rumble. And that is where Sami delivers his final test. Then we’ll see if Sami Zayn really is The Bloodline or not. The Tribal Chief has passed his judgment, but will the Honorary Uce find a way to finally prove he is worthy?
Raw Tag Team Championships: The Usos w/ Sami Zayn VS The Judgment Day w/ Rhea Ripley & Finn Balor!
Jimmy & Jey helped Sami stay in the Bloodline, but now they must pull their own weight in defending their own honor! Will the Usos keep Raw on lockdown? Or will Dominik Mysterio & Damian Priest bring the jailhouse rock to the Uso Penitentiary?
The introductions are made, the red belts are raised, and we see who really runs Monday Night Raw!
The teams sort out and Priest starts with Jimmy. Priest fires off with kicks and fists, then he whips Jimmy to ropes. Jimmy holds ropes, Priest rushes in but Jimmy sends him out. Priest gets back on the apron and blocks a kick, but he spins Jimmy for the DRAGON WHIP! Jimmy then builds speed, but Priest moves aside. Jimmy grins, goes out to taunt Dom and then follows Priest. Dom goes after Jimmy but Jimmy DECKS him! Priest POUNCES Jimmy onto the announce desk! Priest and Dom high-five, Priest puts Jimmy in, and tags in Dom. Dom slingshot sentons! Fans boo as Dom gives us Latino Heat.
Dom CHOKES Jimmy on the ropes, lets off at 4, and Finn gets a cheap shot in! Dom stomps away on Jimmy, rains down forearms, then tags Priest. They mug Jimmy, Priest whips Jimmy to ropes and BACK ELBOWS him down! Cover, TWO! Jimmy sits up but Priest clamps onto the arms for a motorcycle stretch. Fans rally as Jimmy endures. Roman, Solo and Heyman watch from their private room, though Heyman is watching Roman more than anything. Jimmy fights up but Priest CLUBS him down. Fans boo but Priest soaks it all up. Priest stands Jimmy up, shoves him and CLUBS him on the back!
Priest roars, Jimmy sputters, and Rhea mocks Jimmy. Priest brings Jimmy up and shoves, but Jimmy LARIATS on the return! Fans rally up as Priest and Jimmy both crawl. Hot tags to Dom and Jey! Fans rally as Jey rallies on Dom with big clotheslines! Mule kick! UPPERCUT! Dom flounders, swings on Jey but Jey dodges him to SAMOAN DROP! Rhea and Finn freak out but Jey leads the fans in “UCE! SO!” HIP ATTACK in the corner! Cover, TWO! Dom survives but Jey drags Dom up. Dom ROCKS Jey, blocks a kick, but also gets a DRAGON WHIP! Tag to Priest, he ROUNDHOUSES Jey away! Priest runs in, but Jey elbows back!
Jimmy tags in, Priest choke grips Jey! Jey slips free, the Usos shove and DOUBLE SPINEBUSTER! Cover, TWO! Priest is still in this and Rhea is frustrated. Jimmy goes to a corner, climbs up top, and fans rally with Sami. Dom rushes over but Jimmy DECKS him! Priest runs in, Jimmy shoulders him back, but Jimmy slingshots into a HAYAMKER! Jey runs in, Priest fires off strikes! Priest ROCKS Jimmy in a corner, SPLASHES Jey in the other! Priest runs to back elbow Jimmy, then back elbow Jey, then back to Jimmy! Another shot for Jey, and then the BROKEN ARROW! Priest snarls as Jey bails out.
Priest builds speed, but Jimmy SUPERKICKS him! Priest rebounds to SUPERKICK back! Jimmy flops out of the ring, Priest builds speed, and Priest FLIES! Direct hit and down go both Usos! Rhea and Finn fire up as Priest roar! Philly boos as Priest puts Jimmy back in, and Priest runs to COMEBACKER LARIAT! Cover, TWO!! Rhea is furious but the ref defends his count. Jimmy is in the corner, Priest runs in to back elbow! Dom tags in, Priest ROLLING KICKS Jey! Priest lifts Jimmy and Dom climbs up, DOOMSDAY!! Cover, TWO!?! Jimmy survives and Rhea can’t believe it! Sami is relieved but Rhea shouts at the ref.
Priest tags back in, he stalks Jimmy and brings him up. Priest reels Jimmy in, Canadian Racks, but Jimmy sips off! Tag to Jey! SUPERKICK for Priest! Dom run sin, into DOUBLE SUPERKICKS! DOUBLE SUPERKICKS for Priest! And then DOUBLE SUPERKICKS AGAIN! Cover, TWO!!! Priest survives and everyone is shocked! Finn helps Dom back in, and the ref has to stop him. Finn runs around to trip up Jey! But the ref sees him!! Finn says no, he didn’t mean to! But the ref EJECTS Finn!! Finn is furious but Philly is loving it! More refs come out to drag Finn away! Jey adjusts, USO SPLASH onto knees! Cover, TWO!!!
Rhea can’t believe it! But Jey SUPERKICKS Priest! Tag to Jimmy and he goes up top, USO SPLASH!! Cover, TWO!?!? Priest survives and no one can believe it! Sami is worried, Rhea rallies for Priest and Dom. Jimmy stands, builds speed, and he DIVES to take out Priest! Dom hurries to Priest’s side, Rhea tells commentary to shut up about being nervous. Jimmy hobbles, his leg is bothering him. Jey checks on him, as does Sami. The ref checks on Jimmy, too, but Jimmy is pissed! He hurt his leg, and that brings out medics. The medics help Jimmy up, and Adam Pearce hurries out. Jimmy can’t continue? The ref confirms as much.
Well, if Jimmy can’t, then protocol dictates forfeiting the match, and the titles. Rhea laughs, but Sami says wait! There has to be a solution! Fans cheer and they already anticipate that solution! One Uso is down, but Sami USO is good to go! Sami wants to tag in! Roman is curious as to this development, but fans want to see it! Pearce says he did it for Judgment Day, he’ll do it for Raw 30! Sami tags in, this match continues NOW! Sami is doing his duty, and he fires off on Dom! Jey is after Priest, Philly is thunderous! Sami clotheslines Dom out, Priest clotheslines Jey out! Priest rushes Sami, Sami dumps Priest out!
Fans fire up as Sami builds speed, to FLY! Direct hit on Dom and Priest! Fans are even more fired up as Sami drags Dom up and into the ring! Priest grabs Sami’s foot, Sami kicks him away, but Dom rolls up Sami! With feet on the ropes! TWO!!!! Dom fires off furious fists on Sami, and he says HE will be champion! Dom runs in, into a CORNER EXPLODER! Fans fire up as Sami goes to the other end! But Rhea gets on the apron! Fans boo, but Priest sneaks in! Choke grip, SOUTH OF HEAVEN!!! Sami is down, Dom crawls to the cover! Cover, TWO!?!? Sami survives and Judgment Day cannot believe it! But Philly is LOVING this!
Dom dares Sami to get up, then he runs in, body scissors onto the rope! Dom dials it up but Jey tags in! SUPERKICK for Dom! SUPERKICK for Priest! Rhea gets in, and Jey hesitates. Rhea dares Jey to do something, but then Dom rushes in and dropkicks Jey onto ropes! Dom dials it up, 619!! Fans boo but Dom climbs up! FROG SPLASH!! Cover, SAMI BREAKS IT!! Fans are thunderous but Priest whips Sami to a corner. Sami dodges and Priest POSTS himself! Priest flops out, Dom TOSSES Sami out! But Jey fireman’s carries! Dom slips off, Sami tags in as Jey bucks the O’Conner! SUPERKICK! Sami and Jey coordinate, they ONE AND DONE!!! Cover, THE USOS WIN!!
Winners: Jey Uso & Sami Zayn (still Raw Tag Team Champions)
Roman is rather stunned. Sami actually did it! He made up for tonight, but Roman still doesn’t wanna see Sami until Saturday. Heyman says, “Yes, My Tribal Chief.” But even so, Sami and Jey raise the belts together as brothers in arm! Will San Antonio be Sami’s last stand?
JBL and Baron Corbin walk around backstage.
They come across The Godfather! JB and Charles Wright hug it out, and Wright asks JBL, “Who’s the stooge you got with you?” JBL introduces Corbin, and Wright checks his guest list. Barry? No, Baron. He’s gotta be on the list. Nope, no Corbins. JBL says maybe they can speak to the owner of the establishment. Sure, he can do that. Wait, APA? It’s RON SIMMONS! Bradshaw and Farooq hug it out, but who’s the stooge? This is Baron Corbin! HIs protégé. They wanna get in on the poker game but Corbin’s not on the list. Maybe They could check it again, wink wink. Money money. Oh… That list. Yeah, they got a spot for him.
Ron says he’s got just the thing for Corbin and JBL, and they walk through the door. Ron sure fixed this place up from the old days. There’s THREE poker tables, with legends and new stars all around! Will Corbin fit right in here?
LA Knight is here!
The Mega Star of SmackDown is here on Raw 30, and he says, “Lemme talk to ya!” Philly cheers “YEAH!” “Last Friday on SmackDown, Bray Wyatt brought back the Firefly Funhouse, yippee~! A grown-man incel playing with puppets with spooky music. And I’m supposed to be scared of that? HUH!? WRONG! If I was any more a man, there’d be two of me standing here right now. Meanwhile, this guy is living on past glory, and it just got me thinking. Here we are, Raw is turning 30 tonight, there’s a bunch of legends back there running around, they’re living on past glory. Bray Wyatt’s living on past glory.
“And it just has me thinking: If any single one of those legends right now has enough tingle in their loins, YEAH~, why don’t you come on down here and I’ll give you a little preview of the Pitch Black match at Royal Rumble, at your expense, YEAH!” Everyone waits, but Knight figured. No one will- WAIT! The bell tolls, the lights go down, and the moon rises! IT’S THE UNDERTAKER!! But then wait, Kidd Rock plays, and it’s the AMERICAN BADASS TAKER!! The motorcycle riding version of the Dead Man is here in Philly! Taker parks at ringside, makes sure the kickstand is up, and then Philly fires up as he gets in the ring!
Knight says that’s enough, cut the music! Fans chant for “UNDERTAKER!” and now Taker is waiting on Knight to get back in the ring. Knight says, “Before we take this anywhere, I heard what you said on Joe Rogan about the locker room being soft. Hey, I agree with ya. You look back there and there’s a bunch of softies back there. Top of the list is Bray Wyatt. But I’ll tell you like this: if you think I fall under that umbrella, somebody told you the wrong story. But I tell you what. You’re giving me an opportunity to do something right now.
Let’s just think about something here: think of the irony of the headline we can create right now: LA Knight sends the Undertaker to the undertaker. HAHA, YEAH!” So Knight says he’s gonna give Taker a pass. He’ll let Taker live to see another day and enjoy retirement with his family. Oh, but Knight wants Taker to watch the match at Rumble. After that, Knight will be the Lord of Darkness. Also, if anyone asks you whose game this is, don’t be confused. Everyone is saying it’s L A Knight’s Game, YEAH! But then the lights go down! BRAY WYATT is here! And he’s right behind Knight! Knight gets scared down the ramp, stuck between a rock and a hard place!
Bray walks his way forward, lantern shining, and it forces Knight towards the ring. Knight tells Taker not to take what he just said personally. But then Taker choke grips Knight! Knight begs for mercy, but Taker sees Bray approach the ring. Bray steps inside, and Taker gives Knight over to SISTER ABIGAIL! And fans lose their minds over a moment we thought we’d never see again: Taker and Bray staring down! Taker whispers something to Bray, then takes his leave. What just did the Phenom tell the Eater of Worlds? Will it help Bray overcome not just Knight, but the inner demons Bray is battling?
We check back in with the APA poker games.
JBL sees the belt Alundra Blayze has with her. Did she fish this out of the trash? Ha ha. She raises, Gable folds, “A thank yew.” Why does he always do that? It’s the smart move! Otis doesn’t care, he’s in! What about DDP? Oh, he’s in, and calls. Blayze has Kings & Queens, FULL HOUSE! She’s still champ! WAIT! D D P has a straight. Those don’t beat Full Houses. But a STERAIGHT FLUSH DOES! BANG! Alright, good one. Who will be the big winner tonight on the biggest night in Raw history?
Steel Cage Match: Bayley VS Becky Lynch!
The Role Model and the Man have escalated their rivalry to this point, in which Bayley got goaded into doing this all on her own! Dakota Kai & Iyo Sky see Bayley out, but will they see Bayley lose all on her own? Or can Bayley finally overcome everything Becky says is still bothering her?
Raw is picture in picture for Bayley’s entrance, and she takes a moment to take in the sight that is the cage lowering. She tells the crew to hustle up, time is money. Bayley taunts Philly from the cage, more than likely saying her 49ers will beat the Eagles just like she’ll beat Becky here. Raw returns to single picture as Becky makes her entrance. Becky steps into the cage, but wait! Kai & Sky return! SO much for doing this alone! Becky fights them off, but Bayley BOOTS the door into Becky! Kai & Sky throw Becky around, then FLAPJACK her into the cage! Bayley cheers her team on as Kai has a metal chain! She DECKS Becky with a chain fist!
Kai & Sky put Becky in the cage, then join Bayley in beat Becky down! Kai uses the chain to lock the door! Bayley & Sky TOSS Becky into the steel! Bayley rains down fists, and says she’s the smartest person in this division! Pearce is furious but he can’t get the door open as Bayley hits a suplex on Becky! Sky stomps Becky then hits a LIONSAULT! Pearce and Bayley argue, but Bayley says Becky wanted this! Pearce has bolt cutters and he cuts away at the chain! But DMG CTRL hits a DOUBLE BACK SUPLEX NECKBREAKER!! Becky is down, DMG CTRL climbs the cage to get away from Pearce and the refs.
Fans boo but DMG CTRL laughs, having pulled off their master plan. Will anyone be able to humble the Role Model with the back-up she’s got?
Degeneration X is here!
Philly fires up because they are ready! HHH! HBK! Road Dogg! X-Pac! And playing the part of Billy Gunn tonight is Kurt Angle. Angle joins in on the crotch chop pyro! Dogg gets the mic to say, “The more things change, the more they stay the same. Now then, llllladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages! Tonight, Degeneration X proudly presents to you, it’s SIX-TIME WWE Tag Team Champions of the WOOOOORLD~! The Road Dogg, Jessie James! The Bad-” Wait. They just now noticed Kurt Angle? What’s he doing here? Angle always wanted to be in DX. He takes off his red, “I’ll make you TAP OUT” shirt, and reveals a DX shirt!
HBK wants to sort this out. If Angle wants to be in DX, he has to past the test. Is he ready? Is that the test? HHH says nevermind. He asks the fans, “ARE! YOU! READY~?!” Fans cheer, so “then, for the sold out thousands in attendance. For the millions watching around the world. LLLLLLLLLLET’S-” IMPERIUM!? Giovanni Vinci, Ludwig Kaiser, and of course Der Ring General, GUNTHER, are here from SmackDown! The WWE Intercontinental Champion leads his soldiers into the ring to stand face-to-face with DX! Ludwig has a mic to say, “Shame on you for all that filth and nonsense.”
Fans boo but Gunther says, “Look at all of you! You bunch of degenerates! Standing out here celebrating yourselves! For what?! For making a mockery of this great sport! We are Imperium! And we are here to restore the honor of this precious sport. And we are here to kick you out of OUR ring. Unless anyone of you is gonna do something about it.” They all pat HHH on the back and he steps up! HHH says, “I’m retired, dude.” Then he steps back and looks to HBK. Fans cheer on HBK, but he says he’s too old. X-Pac says if they’re leaving this to him, he has shin splints. and Road Dogg won’t even joke about it. HHH tells “Butterbean” to stay in the corner.
But HHH has the group huddle up. Fans already cheer on Kurt Angle, and they look to him. So they volunteer Kurt! Kurt say nope, not it. Oh, c’mon! Well, they’re in a bit of a jam, then. HHH wishes there was someone who would come out here and fight Imperium. SETH ROLLINS is here! Fans sing “OH~ OHH~ OHHH~!” for the Visionary as he makes his way to the ring. But wait, he’s just one guy. Imperium is three. If only there was a team that could help Seth. Well here come the STREET PROFITS! Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins wear their 76ers best as they make their way to the ring! Because where there’s fire, there’s SMOKE!
Dogg says this is cool! Three and three, now what? Well, someone needs to make it official. Why’s everyone always looking at HHH? Booking isn’t that easy! You don’t just make decisions on the fly. If only there was someone who could come out and make sense of this whole situation. TEDDY LONG is here! And he says, “Hold on a minute, playa. Now, I’ve got the perfect idea for ya. Imperium, tonight… You will face the Street Profits, and Seth Freakin’ Rollins, in a SIX MAN TAG TEAM MATCH, playa!” HBK says someone needs to keep this chaos under control. Like a special guest referee?
DX huddles up again, Angle wants to talk because he has an idea. Hold on, they’re talking. Guys, Angle has an idea! Fine, let him say it. Angle has a REF SHIRT under the DX shirt! It’s even red, white ‘n’ blue! HHH says let’s make Kurt the special guest ref! It’s official! Ring the bell! HBK says if you’re not down with that, we’ve got two words for ya: SUCK IT!! Will Imperium regret crashing Raw 30?
Six Man Tag: Seth Rollins & The Street Profits VS Imperium!
Raw returns and the trios sort out as Jerry “The King” Lawler joins commentary. Rollins and Vinci start, and they circle. Fans sing for Rollins, “OH~ OHH~ OHHH~!” Rollins and Vinci tie up, go around, and Vinci headlocks. Rollins powers up but can’t power out as Vinci holds tight. Rollins fights up, powers out, and things speed up. Rollins hurdles, redirects, then mule kicks Vinci! Front kick, DISCUS LARIAT! Fans fire up and Rollins brings Vinci up. Rollins wrenches the arm, tags in Ford, and Ford jumps in to CLUB Vinci’s elbow! Ford wrenches the arm, but Vinci kicks low! Vinci uppercuts and CHOPS!
Ford is stinging, but Vinci whips. Ford reverses to DROPKICK Vinci down! Cover, TWO! Ford CHPOS Vinci in the corner, whips him corner to corner, but Vinci reverses. Ford boots but Vinci blocks to short arm LARIAT! Vinci stomps Ford, tags Ludwig, and Imperium mugs Ford. Ludwig CLUBS Ford, kicks low, then CLUBS Ford again. Fans rally for Ford but Ludwig bumps Ford off buckles. Ludwig stomps a mudhole, then shouts, “NEIN!” Fans boo but Ludwig drags Ford up. Ludwig whips but Ford reverses to CHOP, CHOP and CHOP! Ford whips, tag to Dawkins, the Profits run Ludwig over! Back suplex SPLASH! Cover, TWO!
Ludwig goes to a corner but Dawkins whips Ludwig corner to corner. Dawkins runs in but Ludwig dodges the cyclone to GAMANGIRI! Ludwig ROCKS Dawkins, but Dawkins DECKS Ludwig! Both men are down and Philly fires up! Hot tags to Gunther and Rollins! The Architect stares down with Der Ring General and fans fire up. Gunther kicks low, CLUBS Rollins, then UPPERCUTS! Gunther scoops but Rollins slips off to waistlock, Gunther switches, for a SLEEPER! Rollins arm-drags free, runs in but is put on the apron. Gunther swings, Rollins dodges to shoulder in! Rollins springboards, into a CHOP!
Rollins sputters, Gunther drags Rollins up and scoop SLAMS him! Then NECK TWIST! Rollins writhes, Angle reprimands, but Gunther CHOPS Ford down, and he stares Dawkins down while Raw goes picture in picture.
Gunther stalks Rollins, stomps him around, then drags Rollins up to wrench. Gunther grinds the arm, tags in Ludwig, and they mug Rollins. Rollins goes to ropes, Ludwig CHOKES him! Angle counts, Ludwig lets off and argues with him, and Vinci gets a cheap shot in! Angle suspects something but Ludwig covers, TWO! Ludwig drags Rollins up to chinlock, but Rollins endures. Rollins pries the hold, fans rally up, and Rollins throws body shots. Then a JAWBREAKER! Ludwig staggers back, tag to Vinci! Vinci stops Rollins and whips him to ropes, to then scoop and BACKBREAKER! Cover, TWO!
Vinci is annoyed but Angle defends his count. Rollins stands, but Vinci kicks him to the corner. Vinci ROCKS Rollins, then brings Rollins out. Rollins throws body shots, but Vinci knees low! Vinci POSTS Rollins! Tag to Ludwig, and Rollins is tuck in the corner. Gunther joins in, TRIPLE KICK in the corner! Imperium poses together while Rollins flops to the floor. Gunther drags Rollins up, puts him in the ring, and stomps him down. Gunther tags Ludwig, and Ludwig grinds Rollins down with a headlock. Rollins endures, fans rally up again, and Rollins fights up. Rollins throws body shots, powers out, but Ludwig throws him by his hair!
Ludwig then clamps onto Rollins with a chinlock and he grinds Rollins down. Rollins endures, Ludwig puts his weight on the hold, and Raw returns to single picture. Fans continue to rally as Rollins fights up. Rollins pries the hold open to DECK Ludwig! Rollins hurries but Ludwig grabs an arm! Ludwig keeps Rollins back, then he whips Rollins at the corner! Rollins BLASTS Gunther, then CLOBBERS Ludwig! But Vinci rushes in to back suplex! Rollins lands on his feet, ducks Vinci and hot tags Ford! Ford GAMANGIRIS Vinci, then CLOBBERS him! And CLOBBERS him again! Ford CHOPS and CHOPS and CHOPS and CHOPS! MACHINE GUN CHOPS!
Ford whips, Vinci reverses, but Ford CLOBBERS him! Ford kicks, front kicks, but Vinci ducks the enziguri! Back suplex, but Ford lands on his feet! Vinci kicks, Ford blocks, and Ford has an ANKLE LOCK! Angle appreciates the shoutout, and then Dawkins intercepts Ludwig! DOUBLE ANKLE LOCKS! Fans fire up, Gunther runs in, and he BOOTS Ford! And CHOPS Dawkins! Gunther and Angle argue, and fans fire up for Kurt. Gunther jabs Kurt in the chest with his finger, so Kurt shoves him! Rollins runs in to CLOBBER Gunther! Dawkins builds speed to FLY onto Ludwig! Ford builds speed to FLY onto Vinci!
And as fans sing, “OH~ OHH~ OHHH~!” Rollins builds speed to- CHOP from Gunther! Gunther SHOTGUNS Rollins into buckles! Gunther drags Rollins up, for the GENERAL BOMB! Cover, TWO!!! Rollins survives and Gunther is furious! Gunther waistlocks and deadlifts Rollins, to GERMAN SUPLEX! But Rollins lands on his feet! Gunther gets around, SLEEPER, but Rollins pries free to ELBOW BREAKER! PELE! SUPERKICK! ANGLE SLAM!! Angle likes that shoutout, too! Rollins and Gunther are both down, they crawl for their corners, hot tags to Vinci and Ford! Vinci LARIATS Ford!
Ludwig goes up top, Vinci lifts Ford! But Rollins springs up after Ludwig! Ford back drops Vinci, Rollins SUPERPLEXES Ludwig! And rolls through, feed to the Electric Chair! Ford is up top, BLOCKBUSTER DOOMSDAY!! Gunther returns to CHOP Dawkins! Rollins kicks, Gunther blocks and reels him in! Rollins slips free to PEDIGREE!! Shoutout to HHH!! Dawkins dodges Vinci to ANOINT him! Rollins tags in as Ford is up top, FROM THE HEAVENS! Rollins adds on the CURB STOMP!! Cover, Rollins & the Profits win!
Winners: Seth Rollins & The Street Profits, by pinfall
The Visionary tops it off, he is rolling towards the Royal Rumble! Will Rollins look to #BurnItDown at WrestleMania?
The poker games continue.
And Corbin has made it all the way to facing THE Million Dollar Man, Ted DeBiase! What’s Coribn got? He’s got FOUR ACES! DeBiase folds and he’s out! The pot goes to Corbin! Wait, Irwin R. Schyster is here to say, “Don’t forget to pay your taxes.” IRS takes his cut, and… Corbin gest to keep $100. He “earned” that. Ron walks over and sees what happened. JBL braces for it. “DAMN!!”
Backstage interview with Bobby Lashley.
Cathy Kelley notes that later tonight, Lashley takes on Austin Theory for the WWE United States Championship, but can he explain to us why it’s now in a No Disqualifications match? Lashley says NO DQ means no excuses and no way out. Theory can’t get disqualified to hold onto his title, and Lashley won’t get disqualified for what he’s about to do to Theory. Lashley should still be US champion, if not for Brock Lesnar. But Lashley dealt with Brock, and that little suspension. Lashley has one focus: tear Theory apart and win the US Championship back.
But then MVP steps in and asks Cathy give them time to talk. MVP tells “the champ” that he has no doubt in his mind Lashley will do everything he said he would. Lashley is going to hurt Theory, and take back his title. Then after that, Lashley and MVP can hit the VIP Lounge, pop some bottles, make some new friends, wink wink. Lashley tells MVP that he didn’t need help from MVP or Omos to become #1 contender. And he won’t need their hep to win the title back. So tonight, let Lashley handle his business on his own. Lashley heads out and MVP says okay, Lashley can handle his business. Will Montel Vontavius Porter be a man of his word?
Ric Flair is here!
Philly lets out a “WOO~!” for the Nature Boy, and he has a mic to say, “Celebrating making history. Celebrating 30 years of Raw! You, you keep our lights shining. You keep the Nature Boy stylin’, baby, and profilin’. And like I’ve said over the years, diamonds are forever. And so is Monday Night Raw. WOO~! The WWE has given me so much, given me the opportunity to be so successful. But the greatest gift they’ve given me is the opportunity to watch my daughter exceed all of my goals. And I am so honored, so honored as a father, as a wrestler, as a man, to be here tonight in front of you to introduce to you our very special guest. Really special.
“The greatest Women’s Champion in the history of the WWE, Charlotte Flair! WOO~!” Charlotte makes her entrance now, the SmackDown Women’s Championship around her waist. The Queen struts her way to the ring, high-fiving fans along the way. Charlotte has the mic to say, “It is right here on Raw where we began to revolutionize Women’s Wrestling. It is where I evolved from a Diva, into the FOURTEEN-TIME Women’s Champion! WOO~! Facing names like Ronda Rousey, Nikki & Brie Bella, Asuka, and Rhea Ripley. No, it’s really because of them that I am able to call myself the most decorated athlete of all time. Women’s athlete of all time.
“Now I know I stand here your SmackDown Women’s Champion, but Monday Night Raw will always be my home.” But wait! Here comes Bianca Belair, the RAW Women’s Champion! The EST makes her way to the ring, no stranger to The Queen. Bianca and Charlotte stand in the ring together and fans cheer the EST. Bianca says she respects everything Charlotte’s done for the business. “No one wears a crown like you. Yes, Queen, do what you do! But just not here. Because I go here now. This is my show, this is my home, and you best believe that I do everything that I can to make sure that Raw is the greatest show on television.”
Wait, here comes Sonya Deville! Sonya says, “Oh hold on, hold on. I am so sorry to break up this little pow-wow, but ladies. Do you realize how big a night in Raw history this is? And the two of you are just standing out here, talking about yourselves.” Starting with Charlotte, was it really necessary to fly daddy all the way out here just so he could give her a grand introduction? For a show she’s not even wanted on? And to Bianca, she doesn’t really think fans tune in just for her, does she? That’s a little delusional. But what about people who work so hard to make this show special that don’t get the spotlight every week? People like Sonya.
She did use to run this, y’know. She was Raw General Manager for over a year! Where is HER recognition in all this? Charlotte says she does owe Sonya for the cheap shot on Friday. So Bianca has been killing it, she should handle that. You up for it, champ? Bianca says it’ll be her pleasure! Sonya wants to face the champ, right? She wanted the spotlight, right? So come get in the ring to be the center of Bianca’s attention. That is, if Sonya’s ready to go 1v1 with the EST of the WWE. The ball is in Sonya’s court, will she play the game?
Bianca Belair VS Sonya Deville!
Ras returns and Sonya is playing the game! The bell rings and Sonya circles with Bianca. They tie up, Bianca puts Sonya in the corner but Sonya turns it around., The ref counts, Sonya lets off, and Bianca pushes her. Sonya comes back, waistlocks, but Bianca switches. Sonya switches, Bianca switches again and SLAMS Sonya down! Sonya fight sup, throws elbows, and headlocks. Bianca powers up and out, then she runs Sonya over! Fans cheer as Bianca dusts herself off. Bianca runs, Sonya stays low but Bianca handsprings. Bianca says kiss this, then hurdles. Sonya slides, but turns around into a DROPKICK!
Bianca kips up, fans fire up, and Bianca RAMS Sonya in the corner! The ref counts, Bianca lets off, and she whips Sonya corner to corner. Sonya comes back into a scoop, and Bianca carries Sonya around. Sonya slips off, throws Bianca down by her hair, and then soaks up the heat. Bianca goes to a corner, Sonya storms up and throws kicks and body shots! Sonya stalks Bianca to a corner, she bumps Bianca off buckles, and then Sonya says this will be Charlotte next. Bianca shoves Sonya but Sonya kicks Bianca. Sonya bumps Bianca off buckles, throws body shots, and then snapmares her. Sonya runs, but Bianca avoids the knee!
Bianca rolls Sonya, TWO, and Bianca goes to a corner. Sonya runs into a BOOT! Bianca goes up top, tells Sonya to kiss this, and then she flips over Sonya! Bianca scoops Sonya for a BACKBREAKER! Sonya writhes, Bianca handsprings to MOONSAULT! Cover, TWO! Fans rally behind Bianca and she brings Sonya up. Bianca whips Sonya to the corner, runs in, but Sonya KNEES Bianca away! Sonya whips but Bianca reverses, sending Sonya out of the ring. Sonya gets on the apron but Bianca WRECKS her with a dropkick! Bianca goes out after Sonya, but Sonya grabs at her foot. Bianca kicks Sonya away, then leaps.
But Sonya gets under, to BOOT Bianca down! Fans boo but Sonya mocks the “WOO~!” as Raw goes to break.
Raw returns again and Bianca has Sonya up in a stalling suplex! Bianca marches around before the SLAM! Bianca kips up, fans fire up, and Bianca handsprings to MOONSUALT onto knees! Sonya runs in to BOOT Bianca, high stacks, TWO! Sonya is frustrated but Bianca is the toughEST for a reason. Sonya covers again, ONE! Fans rally for Bianca but Sonya drags Bianca around. Sonya steps through but Bianca kicks her away! Bianca torture racks, for the KISS OF DEATH!! Cover, Bianca wins!
Winner: Bianca Belair, by pinfall
Sonya kept trying to send a message to Charlotte and she lost focus on the champion in front of her! Will Sonya earn a title match losing like this?
As for Bianca, she gets a mic to say, “Hold on, hold on. Don’t even think I forgot about Alexa Bliss and the Royal Rumble. Because what I just did to Sonya, is only a preview of what I’m gonna do to Alexa Bliss. Because you know what? She can bring Uncle Howdy, Bray Wyatt, the Playhouse, the Funhouse, whoever, it don’t matter. Nobody and no one is gonna stop them from saying, ‘And still your Raw Women’s Champion, Bianca Belair!'” But then Bliss is on the tron! “Bianca. For the last time. I am your only obstacle. And if everyone would just leave me the hell alone, maybe I wouldn’t have to keep reminding you of that.”
Alexa doesn’t need Uncle Howdy or Bray Wyatt, or anyone to tear Bianca’s face open with her bare hands. But don’t worry, Alexa will spare Bianca’s eyes so she can watch Alexa walk away with the Raw Women’s Championship. A grim warning from Twisted Miss Bliss. Will Alexa make Bianca the scaredEST she’s ever been?
The story of Cody Rhodes’ return continues.
Five months ago, Cody started on his rehab. He wants to not only make his comeback at the Royal Rumble, he wants to win the Royal Rumble. It feels like it has taken 16 years to get to this point. Not only recovering from injury, but carrying the history of everywhere Cody has been. His first run in WWE, him leaving, and him returning. All the doubt, all the struggle, all the sacrifice, all the heartache. When you’re in the ring and in the moment, you know exactly why it’s working. He was born for this.
Cody is in the prime of his career, only to hit rock bottom. “No human being could’ve kept me from getting in that ring. I looked up at the lights enough, whether that be in the ring or on a table, ready to have surgery.” As his Nightmare Factory mantra says: Put in the work. The doctors know he has the determination to get back, but Cody has to respect nature of the human body. Cody wants us to picture that moment where you’re that close to success, to vindication. And for it to get broken, that was a legitimate knife to the heart.
But at the Royal Rumble, a torn pec, two torn pecs, torn quads, nothing short of his heart failing will stop him. Being in the ring is like oxygen, and Cody wants to breathe again. Cody is putting in the work, envisioning his return. He wants everyone to get off the mountain, because he has made it clear what he wants and why he is going to do it. The American Nightmare is just FIVE DAYS AWAY, will he make this the biggest comeback in WWE history?
WWE 2K23’s cover superstar is…
JOHN CENA! He’s worked to earn his place in WWE history, but has faced the agony of defeat. Will you beat Cena like they did? Or will you help Cena right history? Plus, as a pre-order bonus: BAD BUNNY!
The Miz is here!
And he doesn’t look happy. “Thirtieth anniversary of Monday Night Raw, one of the biggest nights in the history of the show, and where’s my MizTV?! Where’s my championship match?! Where’s my celebration of all of my amazingness that has happened? All of my moments on Monday Night Raw! I am the first-ever Grand Slam Champion in the history of this company, and I deserve!” Fans are cheering, but not for Miz! In comes KEVIN OWENS! Kevin turns Miz around for a STUNNER!! Well, that’ll be a highlight for the show. Kevin then grabs the mic out of Miz’s hand as fans chant for “KO! KO!”
Kevin tells Roman, “You might’ve said Sami Zayn is not guilty, but let me tell you what you are guilty of.” Roman is “guilty of having held the WWE Universal title hostage for over two years now!” But on Saturday, at the Royal Rumble, Kevin will give us his word, from everyone in the building and to everyone watching at home, that he will do everything he can to change that and take that title and give everyone a champion they can be proud of! Philly likes the sound of that! Kevin continues to say, “And I guarantee you, I will just keep fighting until I have nothing left. On Saturday, I’m taking that title from you, or I’m gonna die trying!”
Kevin throws down the mic, but Miz gets back up. STUNNER!! Miz is down, and Kevin has thrown down the gauntlet! Will Kevin #StunTheWorld and dethrone the Tribal Chief once and for all?
WWE United States Championship No Disqualifications: Austin Theory VS Bobby Lashley!
The Now of the WWE vows he is also the future and the forever of this title. But when going 1v1 against The All Mighty, will forever come to a quick end?
Raw returns as Lashley makes his entrance. The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and with nothing holding them back, we see what will be left of The Now!
The bell rings, Lashley powers Theory to a corner, then he fires off fists! And then he stomps a mudhole! Lashley digs his boot in, throws more hands, but Theory fights back. Theory headlocks, but Lashley SLAMS him down! And then clotheslines him out of the ring! Fans fire up as Lashley paces around. Lashley goes outside, drags Theory up and RAMS him into barriers! Fans fire up while Theory writhes. Lashley fireman’s carries Theory, and POSTS him! Philly fires up as Lashley stands tall, and Raw goes picture in picture.
Lashley drags Theory back up, clinches and RAMS him into more barriers! Theory staggers away, but Lashley follows after. Lashley clinches again, to RAM Theory into more barriers! Theory scrambles into the ring but Lashley pursues. Theory scrambles back out of the ring, but Lashley pursues. Theory goes under the ring, but Lashley drags him back out. Lashley THROWS Theory into more barriers! Lashley looms over Theory, drags him back up, and puts him back in the ring. Lashley takes his time returning while Philly fires up. Lashley stalks Theory to a corner, and Lashley throws back elbow after back elbow. Lashley then TOSSES Theory out of the ring!
Lashley goes outside, starts looking under the ring, and fans fire up. Lashley CLUBS Theory down, then goes back to look under the ring. Theory CLUBS Lashley in return! Theory goes to bump Lashley off the desk, but Lashley blocks that to ROCK Theory! Lashley pushes Theory against the barrier, then throws elbow after elbow! Fans fire up, getting closer to the action. Lashley brings Theory around and RAMS him into the barriers! Lashley then turns Theory around, for a NECKBREAKER to the floor! The ref checks Theory but he’s okay to continue. Lashley leaves Theory behind to bring out a TABLE! But Theory KNEES Lashley away!
Theory hears the fans fire up for the table, so he puts it back under the ring! Theory CLUBS Lashley, puts him in the ring, and goes to the apron. But Lashley gets up to CLUB Theory! Lashley brings Theory around to bump off buckles. Lashley whips corner to corner, then runs in to RAM into Theory! Raw returns to single picture as Lashley hits another NECKBREAKER! Fans rally behind Lashley as he stalks Theory. Lashley suplexes Theory, but Theory rakes eyes to get free! Theory goes to the apron, slingshots and SHOTGUNS Lashley down! Theory fisherman’s for the AOI SHOUDO! Cover, TWO! Theory rains down fists on Lashley in frustration!
Theory goes out, and he grabs a chair! Theory brings the chair into the ring, aims at Lashley, and SMACKS him on the back! Lashley writhes from the chairshot but Theory wedges the chair in the corner. Theory grins, goes back for Lashley, but Lashley TOSSES Theory to the apron! Theory stands up, Lashley ROCKS him! Lashley runs side to side to BLAST Theory to the floor! Lashley goes out but Theory trips him up! Lashley hits off the apron before falling to the floor! Theory drags Lashley up and in, then he goes looking under the ring. Fans want a table, and Theory brings one out! Theory puts the table in the ring, but goes after Lashley first.
Lashley gets around, HURT LOCK! Theory goes for the buckles but Lashley lets go in time! Lashley then drags Theory out to roll up, TWO! Lashley clinches, COMPLETE SHOT! Theory flounders, Lashley drags him up, and Lashley RAMS Theory into the chair! The chair goes flying, Theory flops out to the floor! Fans fire up as Lashley sets up that table Theory brought in! The table is standing in the corner, Lashley fetches Theory. Theory crawls under the ring, Lashley drags him back out, but Theory BLASTS Lashley with the fire extinguisher! Theory RAMS Lashley into steel steps! Philly boos as Theory stands tall, and Raw goes picture in picture.
Lashley writhes on the ground while Theory grits his teeth. Theory soaks up the heat from the fans before he goes looking for more things to use. Theory brings out another table, and he puts that one in the ring. Theory sets this table up in the other corner, leaning it against the buckles. Then he goes back to BLAST Lashley with more fire extinguisher spray! Lashley sputters and staggers away but Theory goes after him. Theory puts Lashley in the ring, soaks up more heat from Philly, and then stalks Lashley. Theory brings Lashley up, throws hands, then headlocks to bring Lashley around. Theory whips, but Lashley blocks!
Lashley throws hands to then whip Theory! Theory stops himself from hitting the table, and he kicks Lashley to throw him back out. Theory soaks up more heat from the fans, and says, “It’s MY time!” Theory goes out after Lashley, but Lashley blocks the bump off the steps. Lashley throws haymakers, then puts Theory back in the ring. Lashley stalks Theory, but Theory dropkicks Lashley’s legs out! And hits a DDT! Theory grins as he goes to the apron. Theory talks trash on Philly, climbs up the corner, but Lashley ROCKS him first! Lashley climbs up, throws more hands, and then brings Theory up.
Theory resists, Lashley throws more hands, and Raw returns to single picture. Fans fire up as Lashley hits a SUPERPLEX! Both men are down and Philly fires up. Lashley throws hands, Theory throws them back. They go back and forth, Lashley blocks a kick to ELBOW, and then gut wrench! Canadian Rack, DOMINATOR! Lashley waits on Theory to get up, then runs in. But Theory KICKS the spear away! Theory fireman’s carries, but Lashley slips off! HURT LOCK!! Theory flails, but MULE KICK LOW BLOWS! Theory grins as he brings Lashley up, but Lashley hits a MILE HIGH SPINEBUSTER through the table!!
BUT WAIT! BROCK LESNAR IS HERE?!? The Beast is grinning ear to ear, because Lashley was wrong! Lashley and Lesnar are NOT done, and Lesnar storms right into the ring! Lesnar hauls Lashley up, F5!! Lesnar drags Theory up, to F5 him ONTO LASHLEY! Cover, Theory wins!!!
Winner: Austin Theory, by pinfall (still WWE United States Champion)
Lesnar screws Lashley all over again! And Theory is again the one who benefits from it all! Is Theory really The Now if he keeps getting lucky? And are we going to see Lashley VS Lesnar at the Royal Rumble again?
My Thoughts:
This was a great episode for Raw, though not as epic as they wanted us to think. The steel cage match turning into a steel cage beatdown was lame, but word is they had to cut it to that because, being that this is live television, the opening segment went long and other segments couldn’t be sacrificed. In all fairness, the Tribal Court also being an adjustment because members of the Anoa’i family couldn’t make the trip, they probably didn’t have the timing worked out. But it was still a great segment that really added some depth to this story with Sami and the Bloodline. Jey stepping up to defend Sami was such a great move.
The Raw Tag Team Championship match was also awesome stuff, especially with the substitute move like we got out of Judgment Day’s match in the tag gauntlet. Kevin and Miz was so short, I almost feel like it wasn’t really needed, but I suppose Kevin needs to say something in response to Roman making a big deal out of grilling Sami. And Miz in character really would be upset he got snubbed on Raw 30. Sami’s final test is definitely about whether or not he can screw over Kevin the same way The Bloodline has screwed over every other challenger Roman has faced. Sami will have a bigger internal conflict than any time before, who knows what we’ll see.
Good stuff with JBL, Corbin and the legends. I like that the legends had no idea who Corbin was, but of course they responded to him having fat stacks of cash. And Corbin winning the last hand only to be shafted by IRS was hilarious. Great stuff out of LA Knight, Bray Wyatt and Taker. American Badass Taker showing up was a huge surprise in itself, and while he didn’t quite get the motorcycle out smoothly, that was minor compared to how great it was to see him and Bray in the ring together again. Now, we still don’t know what to expect from the Pitch Black match, but at this point, even with go-home math in his favor, I don’t see Knight winning.
We got a hilarious segment out of DX and Angle. I was just waiting for them to realize Angle was even there, and Angle having the DX shirt and a ref shirt was great stuff. And of course we had to bring Teddy Long out to make a match. Though, Teddy was the SmackDown GM when he did that… Well, anyway, great Six Man Tag out of Rollins & Profits VS Imperium, and as the Raw superstars and Faces, it makes sense for Rollins & Profits to win. That adds some hype to what we’ll see in the Royal Rumble match, and what we could one day see out of Rollins VS Gunther 1v1 in the future. And great vignette from Cody to further hype his return. At this rate, is he going to enter #1?
Great promo from Charlotte, Bianca and Sonya, and really good match out of Bianca VS Sonya. Bianca winning makes sense, and of course we heard from Alexa. If Bianca stood tall here, go-home math suggests something could happen to help Alexa win. At the same time, with them still making the fuss over Uncle Howdy possibly being behind Alexa, this is still going to come down to that. Uncle Howdy could be why Alexa loses, but also why Alexa wins, and they can tell a story from there. As for Sonya, she could still be Charlotte’s challenger for the Rumble, or she just gets in the Rumble to see if she can go to Mania.
Good promo from MVP and Lashley to further tease the return of Hurt Business. And while we got a great main event out of Lashley VS Theory, I could not believe Lesnar showed up to screw Lashley over again. I suppose Lesnar VS Lashley had to happen one more time to finish the series, but I thought it’d be more a WrestleMania thing than a Royal Rumble thing. But at the same time, if Lashley had won the title here, it’d be hard to give a reason for why Lesnar wouldn’t want the title. Well, the obvious reason is that Lesnar is so far above title, he just wants money for the big events. So whatever, we’ll get Lesnar VS Lashley Round 3, the final round, and Lashley will still have an open Mania card.
My Score: 8.7/10
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Rockin’ around the Christmas Collision!
The Continental Classic continues on Christmas Collision, with crucial points on the line this close to AEW Worlds End! Who will finally take the lead in Gold League?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- AEW Continental Classic, Gold League: Will Ospreay VS Ricochet; Ricochet wins.
- Kris Statlander VS Penelope Ford; Kris wins.
- AEW Continental Classic, Blue League: Shelton Benjamin VS Daniel Garcia; Garcia wins.
- AEW Continental Classic, Blue League: Mark Briscoe VS The Beast Mortos; Briscoe wins.
- AEW Continental Classic, Gold League: Darby Allin VS Claudio Castagnoli; Claudio wins.
PLAY BY PLAY
Here are the current Continental Classic Gold League standings!
Claudio Castagnoli: 2-1, 6 points
Will Ospreay: 2-1, 6 points
Ricochet: 2-1, 6 points
Darby Allin: 2-1, 6 points
Brody King: 2-2, 6 points
Komander: 0-4, 0 points [ELIMINATED]
Here are the current Continental Classic Blue League standings!
Kyle Fletcher: 3-1, 9 points
Kazuchika Okada: 2-1-1, 7 points
Mark Briscoe: 2-2, 6 points
Shelton Benjamin: 2-1, 6 points
Daniel Garcia: 1-1-1, 4 points
The Beast Mortos: 0-4, 0 points [ELIMINATED]
Ian Riccaboni is in the ring.
He has Big Boom AJ & Big Justice with him in the Hammerstein Ballroom, and yes, they’re ready to bring the BOOM~! They’re ready to watch the action tonight, and even the final face-to-face of MJF and Adam Cole. AJ says if MJF is gonna bring the doom, then you know he and Big Justice will bring the BOOM~! But tonight, their guy, Adam Cole will bring the BOOM~ too! And of course we have big Continental Classic action! Daniel Garcia VS Shelton Benjamin in a critical showdown, and while Shelton is tough, Garcia is going to bring the BOOM~! Plus, Mark Briscoe battles The Beast Mortos! The Chicken is their guy, time to bring the BOOM~!
In Gold League, we have Darby Allin VS Claudio Castagnoli, and the Swiss Superman is a DOOM~! Let’s go, Darby, bring that BOOM~! And then a match everyone wants to see, the fireworks rematch of Will Ospreay VS Ricochet! If you’re a fan of high-flying wrestling, this is the right night to be right here in AEW! Ricochet and their guy, Ospreay, will bring the BOOM~! But speaking of, that match is up first! The Aerial Assassin joins AJ & Big Justice in giving a BOOM~, but will Ricochet make sure tonight is #OuttaThisWorld?
AEW Continental Classic, Gold League: Will Ospreay VS Ricochet!
Wait, are the fans throwing white streamers or is that… No, yeah, it’s toilet paper! Ospreay laughs at the fans basically calling Ricochet crap. Ricochet throws the toilet paper back! The bell rings and we’re on the clock. The fans fire up for Ospreay as he and Ricochet circle. The fans also sing, “F HIM UP, OSPREAY, F HIM UP!” Ricochet shrugs that off, he and Ospreay tie up, and then Ricochet rolls. Ospreay shoots in, waistlocks, but Ricochet switches. They go around, Ricochet gator rolls with Ospreay, then floats to a headlock. Ricochet wrenches, hammerlocks then headlocks again. Ospreay powers up and out, Ricochet runs him over, but Ospreay kips up!
The fans cheer and Ospreay smiles as he and Ricochet reset. They tie up, go around, and Ricochet wrenches to a wristlock. Ospreay rolls, wrenches and wristlocks, but Ricochet spins and wrenches to hammerlock. Ospreay reaches back, headlocks and hits a takeover. Ricochet rolls to a cover, TWO! Ospreay holds onto the headlock but Ricochet powers up and out. Ospreay runs Ricochet over, Ricochet bails out, and then Ospreay handsprings to fake Ricochet out! The fans cheer as Ospreay superhero lands out, and Ricochet is annoyed. Ospreay holds ropes open for Ricochet, but Ricochet goes around the way to step in on his own.
The fans boo Ricochet being a bad sport but Ricochet ignores that. Ospreay and Ricochet knuckle lock, then Ricochet kicks low! And CHOPS! Ricochet whips, Ospreay reverses, but Ricochet rolls off Ospreay’s back! Things keep moving, Ospreay avoids the handspring to then duck ‘n’ dodges and RANA! But Ricochet handsprings through! The fans fire up, and Ospreay arm-drags Ricochet down! The fans cheer while Ricochet endures the grind. Ricochet fights up and puts Ospreay on ropes. The ref counts, Ricochet and Ospreay slowly let g o, and Ricochet SLAPS Ospreay! Ospreay CHOPS Ricochet!
Ospreay takes a swing, Ricochet ducks under to roll back and RANA! But now Ospreay handsprings through! Ricochet dodges to waistlock but Ospreay bucks the O’Conner. Ricochet arm-drags Ospreay down, but Ospreay headscissors back! Ricochet pops free but Ospreay arm-drags! Ricochet headscissors, Ospreay pops free, and Ospreay handsprings, but Ricochet catches him! Ricochet then THROWS Ospreay into the Tree of Woe, and Ospreay falls down! The fans boo while Ospreay bails out, but Ricochet FOSBURY FLOPS! The fans boo but Ricochet takes the toilet paper to wipe himself, then he SMOTHERS Ospreay with it!
The fans boo that literally disgusting act of disrespect, but Collision goes picture in picture.
Ricochet taunts the fans, then drags Ospreay up. Ricochet puts Ospreay in, soaks up more heat, then KNEE-BOARD SENTONS! Ricochet swaggers to taunt the fans more, then he goes back to Ospreay. Cover, ONE!! Another cover, TWO! Ricochet taunts the fans more, then goes back for Ospreay. Ricochet stands Ospreay up to CHOP, and Ospreay goes to a corner. Ricochet RAMS into Ospreay, RAMS him again, then snapmares to UPPERCUT in the back! Cover, TWO! Ospreay stays in this but Ricochet drags him into a motorcycle stretch. Ospreay endures while Ricochet digs a knee into the back. Ospreay fights up, fights with elbows, then runs, but into a DROPKICK!
Ospreay is down in a daze but Ricochet has to shake out the stars in his own head. Ricochet covers, ONE! Ospreay then uses that one to flip off Ricochet. Ricochet RAMS Ospreay in the back! Ricochet then clamps on with a chinlock, and he digs his knee into Ospreay’s back. Ospreay endures, even as Ricochet JAMS Ospreay. Collision returns to single picture as the fans rally for Ospreay again. Ospreay fires up, fires hands, but Ricochet RAMS him into a corner. Ricochet runs up, RAMS into Ospreay, then goes to the apron. Ospreay takes a swing but Ricochet dodges and gets around him to GERMAN SUPLEX! Ospreay lands out!
Ospreay runs, handsprings, NEURALIZER KICK! The fans fire up while both men are down! Ospreay goes to the apron, takes aim, and he springboards to PIP PIP CHEERIO! Down goes Ricochet, Ospreay covers, TWO! Ospreay stays focused and the fans rally up. Ospreay drags Ricochet up, CHOPS him, then CHOPS him again! Ricochet staggers, Ospreay runs, but Ricochet TIGER WALL KICKS! Forearm, SOBAT, and Ricochet runs, but into a POP-UP, and STYLES- NO, Ricochet sits up, slips free, and he underhooks Ospreay for a FACEBUSTER! Cover, TWO! Ospreay survives but Ricochet goes up.
Ricochet has to double clutch, the fans let him hear it, but Ricochet still MOONSAULTS! Ricochet lands out as Ospreay moves, and Ospreay runs up, but into an ELBOW! Ricochet handsprings, but into a pop-up, Electric Chair, spin around, STYLES CLASH!! Cover, TWO!! Ricochet survives and Ospreay is surprised. Ospreay pulls on the elbow pad and the fans fire up! “This is Awesome!” as Ospreay aims, but Ricochet bails out! The fans boo but Ospreay storms after Ricochet. They’re both on the apron and Ospreay goes up a corner. Ricochet anchors Ospreay first! Then Ricochet has the Electric Chair Lift!
Ospreay fights free, fights off a nelson, then he KICKS Ricochet! Ospreay runs, but into a pop-up APRON DEATH VALLEY DRIVER! The fans chant “You Still Suck!” but Ricochet adds a SHOOTING STAR PRESS! Ricochet puts Ospreay in, then springboards to 450 SPLASH! Cover, TWO!! Ospreay survives, but then Ricochet AX KICKS! Dragon sleeper, inverted suplex, VERTIGO! Cover, TWO!? Ospreay survives and Ricochet is shocked! Ricochet snarls and he aims from a corner. The fans rally for Ospreay but Ricochet loads up. SPIRIT- NO, Ospreay ducks under! Ospreay gets up, Ricochet blocks a kick!
Ricochet V-TRIGGERS, then he reels Ospreay in! But Ospreay fights out of the bomb, but then Ricochet returns the favor! Ricochet suplexes, into STUN DOG MILLIONAIRE! Ospreay springboards for the OSC- CUTTER FROM RICOCHET!! Ricochet hurries to get Ospreay up, powerbomb into fireman’s carry, DEATH VALLEY DRIVER! SPIRIT- HIDDEN BLADE!! Both men are down and the fans are thunderous! Ospreay and Ricochet both slowly sit up and the fans rally as hard as ever. Ricochet and Ospreay stare down, talk a bit of trash, then stand up. Ospreay draws a line in the sand and dares Ricochet to step up.
Ricochet steps right up, they stand toe to toe, literally! They start firing forearms! The fans cheer Ospreay, boo Ricochet, and Ricochet wobbles! But then Ricochet comes back with forearm after forearm! Ospreay wobbles, but he grins as he rises and roars! Ospreay fires a flurry on Ricochet, then ROCKS him! Ricochet flops over, Ospreay hauls him up! But Ricochet grabs at the ref! Ospreay kicks Ricochet’s arm away, but then Ricochet RAMS Ospreay into the ref! The fans boo but then Ricochet hurries to HOOK KICK! And VERTI- NO, Ospreay slips free to underhook! STORM BREAKER! Cover, but the ref is down!
The fans count, Ospreay would’ve won twice over! Ospreay calls to the ref, the ref sputters around, and Ospreay goes up. But then Ricochet kicks the ref into ropes! Ospreay gets tripped up and the fans boo more! Ospreay is confused as to what happened, but SPIRIT GUN hits the mark!! Cover, RICOCHET WINS!
Winner: Ricochet, by pinfall (gains 3 points; Ospreay earns 0)
The One & Only got away with murder, but there’s nothing that can be done now! Ricochet has NINE points, will he be headed to Worlds End?
Adam Cole heads to the ring!
The fans cheer as the Panama City Playboy returns to the Hammerstein Ballroom, and yes, they join in for the “BOOM~!” and the “ADAM COLE, BAYBAY~!” Cole grabs a mic, but he keeps his eyes on the ramp. That’s because we all know who’s next. MJF makes his entrance, but with a handful of security guards in front of him first. And not even AEW security, that’s his own personal security. MJF grabs a mic and has them cut his music. The fans boo but MJF tells them, “If I wanted your help, I’d ask for it. Sit down and shut up.” The fans tell MJF to STFU, but MJF shrugs that off.
MJF tells Cole that MJF is frustrated. It’s because for the past few months, MJF has had to listen to Cole say MJF is Cole’s biggest enemy! If memory serves, and MJF’s memory always does because unlike the fans here, he isn’t a complete moron… Didn’t Cole turn on MJF? But then does Cole realize he has bigger enemies out there? Like spray tan, cracks in the floor, gusts of win, and maybe… a cavity. Because last MJF heard, Cole’s dentist isn’t seeing him anymore. Cole was already staring daggers into MJF, but now he’s pissed. MJF has Cole calm down, and he tells the fans to shut up so he can shoot straight.
When MJF was the longest-reigning and greatest AEW World Champion of all time, Cole was nothing more than MJF’s cute little sidekick. That ate Cole up inside. Cole wanted to be MJF. Cole wanted #TripleB. But the sad truth is, Cole had many opportunities to win the title before MJF got anywhere near it. It’s almost like when it comes to Cole being elite enough to become world champion, just like his “s*itty little ankle,” Cole blows it. MJF laughs at his own joke, and then tells the fans he is talking, it is not that complicated. But this is why MJF doesn’t buy the hogwash that Cole turned on MJF because MJF would turn on Cole first.
Cole turned because he, like all these shmucks, is jealous of MJF. And who can blame Cole? MJF is rich, handsome, funny, entertaining, and then look at Cole. For crying out loud, Cole used to be ADAM COLE BAYBAY. Now, he’s just a crack baby! Cole asks if MJF is done. Was that the last line? Because it felt like MJF practiced that for two weeks in front of a mirror. But MJF killed it, really. Cole could come back with childish comments to hurt MJF’s feelings, but he won’t. Cole could mention MJF has had two surgeries on that fake head of hair of his while only in his 20s, which is hilarious, but he won’t.
Cole could talk about how MJF pulled some strings to get his girlfriend hired, like the real politician he is, but Cole won’t go there. Cole could talk about how every single time MJF enters a room, everyone waits for him to leave because he is loud, obnoxious and annoying as hell. But Cole won’t go there. Because Cole is not like MJF. They are nothing alike. That is why the friendship was ruined. Because, MJF, the truth is you say Cole is a failure, but in virtually every wrestling company Cole has worked for, he is the longest-reigning champion in so many!
In this very building, Cole bled BUCKETS against Kyle O’Reilly, wanting to prove he was one of the best in the world, and that is exactly what he did! Does Cole have regrets? Sure. Are there things Cole wishes he could take back? Absolutely. But Cole does NOT regret turning on MJF. The only reason it drives MJF insane is because Cole beat MJF to it. That’s MJF 101: Get close to someone, then turn on them. It’s what MJF does. Cole just did it better than MJF, and MJF knows it.
But Cole has been thinking, trying to understand what’s going on in MJF’s head, and he finally figured it out. MJF is terrified of having anyone close to him, because he feels it is a weakness. That hit a chord? Because not only does MJF act like a child, he thinks like a child! MJF knows in his heart that he was going to be the one to turn on Cole first! DAMN RIGHT HE WAS!!! MJF realizes he let the cat out of the bag. MJF says congrats, Cole, he solved the mystery! A regular Scooby-Doo! Great job, Adam.
But you want the truth? Here it is. The fact of the matter is, last year at Worlds End, MJF had every intention on stabbing Cole in the back that night. Cole just got lucky. When #BetterThanYouBaybay started, MJF didn’t give a damn about Cole. Cole was nothing more than a pawn. But MJF will admit, he did eventually start to care. For the first time in MJF’s life, he cared about someone else. Fans mockingly go, “Aww…” But MJF says that is just when Cole became a liability. And since Cole’s “a fragile little freak,” him jumping off that ramp and exploding his ankle made him a distraction!
Distractions, liabilities, emotions, there are no room for those when all you should be concerned with is maintaining the world championship! But Cole doesn’t get it, does he? Last year was a fluke. Cole ain’t the Devil, he just beat the Devil to it. But this year, Worlds End, December 28th, the same show where Cole tried to end MJF’s world, MJF ENDS Cole!! MJF throws down the mic and the fans are torn. Cole smirks and says MJF ends things then? Well, how about Cole ends this? COLE DECKS MJF! The guards rush in, but Cole fights them off! MJF sends more but Cole SUPERKICSK! And SUPERKICKS! And SUPERKICKS!
But then MJF LOW BLOWS Cole! MJF tells the fans to shut up! MJF takes out the Dynamite Diamond Ring! But then The Kingdom rushes out here! MJF runs away from Matt Taven & Mike Bennett, but he vows this ends at Worlds End. We have one week left, is that the last week Cole has in AEW? Or will MJF finally lose the one thing he has left in that diamond ring?
Backstage interview with Kris Statlander.
Lexy Nair is with the #BornAgainKristen and brings up her trying to make amends with Willow Nightingale last night, as well as making the save when Harley Cameron & Penelope Ford were beating Willow up. Kris says what she and Willow have to discuss is between them. But as far as her and Penelope go, they’ve got a lot of history, and if Ford wants a fight, Kris will give her a fight. Then speaking of history, Kris still has her eyes set on the TBS Championship, can she tells us more on that?
Kris says she looked back on 2024 and she had a downward spiral that started with losing that title. Maybe if she wins it back, Kris will right her wrongs. On that note, Mercedes Mone, you don’t have an opponent for Worlds End so here Kris is. Let her know when you’re ready for round two. Kris heads out, will she prove to everyone that she is still the Galaxy’s Greatest?
Backstage interview with Orange Cassidy.
AEW returns and Lexy is now with Freshly Squeezed. In exactly one week, he will compete against three other men for the AEW World Championship. There are a lot of combustible elements at play, and Cassidy says yeah, we saw that on Dynamite. Jay White, Hangman Page and Cassidy can’t exactly have a conversation. So really, Cassidy wants them to listen. “Between now and Worlds End, Jon Moxley can run and hide. He can hide behind his goons, he can run away in a pickup truck. But when that bell rings in seven days, he has nowhere to go. He will be in the ring with us. Us three. And you both know that we need to remove Jon Moxley from the equation.
“We can. We’ve done it. And after that, us three, we can fight for the AEW World Championship and one of us will become the AEW World Champion. Just something to think about. See you guys on Dynamite.” Cassidy is ready to remove the Maniac from the throne, but will the Switchblade and Cowboy listen to reason?
Kris Statlander VS Penelope Ford!
As Kris just said, she’s calling out The CEO in hopes of one more TBS Championship match. But will the Superbad Girl be more like the Grinch for Kris this Christmas?
The bell rings and the fans rally as Kris circles with Ford. They tie up, Kris powers Ford to a corner, then throws Ford back into the corner! The ref counts, Kris lets off, but Ford shoves her! Kris ROCKS Ford, TOSSES her, then runs up on her. Kris whips, drops down, then hurdles over. Kris CLOBBERS Ford and the fans fire up as she flexes. Kris drags Ford up, reels her in, and suplexes, and she holds Ford up! The fans cheer and Kris goes all the way to TEN, but Ford slips into a SLEEPER! Kris pries the hold open and she brings Ford around for another suplex! The fans fire up as Kris holds Ford up for five before the SLAM! Cover, TWO!
Kris drags Ford up, whips her to the corner, but Ford goes up, only for Kris to Electric Chair Lift! Kris climbs, Ford fights with fists, and she shoves Kris down! Ford steadies herself, then hits a FLYING BLOCKBUSTER! Cover, TWO! Ford is frustrated but she storms up on Kris. Ford bumps Kris off buckles but the fans rally behind Kris. Ford stomps a mudhole, but she lets off as the ref counts. Kris goes to the apron, but Ford jumps up to drop KNEES on her! The fans boo but Ford soaks up the heat, and Collision goes picture in picture.
Ford brings Kris around to THROW her into railing! Ford soaks up more heat, then drags Kris up and RAMS her into the apron! Ford refreshes the count, then stalks Kris around the way. Ford whips Kris into the steel steps! Kris falls over in a heap but Ford drags her up into the ring. Ford covers, TWO! Kris stays in this but Ford kicks her around. Ford CHOKES Kris on the ropes, thrashes around, but lets off as the ref counts. Ford drags Kris up and whips her to ropes, then LARIATS as Collision goes to break.
Christmas Collision returns and Ford CHOKES Kris on the ropes again! The ref counts, Ford lets off and Kris sputters to the apron. Ford runs and goes up, up, and KNEE DROPS on only apron! Kris then SHOTGUNS Ford off the apron! The fans fire up and Kris brings Ford up, to THROW into railing! Kris puts Ford in the ring, the fans fire up, but Ford kicks low. Ford reels Kris in, but Kris suplexes, FISHERMAN BUSTER! Cover, TWO! Ford flounders to a corner but Kris has the fans rallying behind her. Kris runs up to UPPERCUT! Kris goes side to side but Ford dodges the knee! Ford hits a FISHERMAN SUPLEX! Bridging cover, TWO!
Ford wasn’t quite perfect there but she watches Kris go to a corner. Ford runs corner to corner, handsprings, but Kris catches her! The fans fire up as Kris GERMAN SUPELXES, but Ford lands out! but Kris goes Matrix to dodge! So does Ford! STUNNER! Ford runs, Kris does her best to follow, but Ford hops up for a POISON-RANA! Cover, TWO!! Kris survives and the fans fire up! Ford is beside herself, but she drags Kris to a drop zone. Ford goes up top, and MOONSAULTS BUT FLOPS as Kris moves! Kris hurries to deadlift GERMAN SUPLEX! And then GERMAN SUPLEX again! The fans fire up as Kris scoops to tuck Ford in! STATURDAY NIGHT FEVER! Cover, Kris wins!
Winner: Kris Statlander, by pinfall
Ford gave Kris quite the fight, but Kris came out on top! Wait, here comes Mone! Kris did call the CEO out, so Santa Mone says, “Ho, ho, ho ho ho! New York Citaaaay~! Please say hello to your C E O! Kris, after the year I’ve been having, I was planning on taking Worlds End off. I was planning on going to the Ritz in Boston.” The fans boo Boston, but Mone says since it’s the holidays, Mone feels like being nice. She already beat Kris once anyway, so she’ll just beat her twice! At Worlds End, you see that money changes everything, because Mone is the greatest TBS Champion of all time!
The challenge has been accepted, and Mone is looking to be busy before the New Year. Will Kris make her regret it?
Big Boom AJ & Big Justice return to the ring.
They’re getting Christmas Collision ready to bring the BOOM, but out comes Chris Jericho, who is still ROH World Champion after overcoming Matt Cardona last night at Final Battle. And he has Bryan Keith & “Big Bill” Morrissey with him as he asks if AJ has a permit for being here tonight. Did they talk with Mayor DeBlasio? Because they certainly didn’t run this past Jericho. Do they know who he is? Big Justice says yeah, he knows! “You’re a JACKASS!” Jericho is taken aback, but the fans agree with Justice. The Bad Apple says this is why dumbass kids should be sitting and not heard. Jericho says yeah!
And if being a jackass means he’s the King of New York, then Jericho’s the biggest jackass! And besides, Jericho talks for everyone here saying we do not want AJ & Justice here! The fans boo, they disagree with Jericho. But Jericho says they don’t even have Costcos in New York! New Yorkers shop at bodegas. Fans are torn, because they kind of agree. Jericho says his favorite is the Walgreens a few blocks over in Flushing. And speaking of Flushing, that’s where AJ & Justice belong: in the toilet! This is the Hammerstein Ballroom, the House that Jericho built! The fans boo that, it’s the House that Hardcore built.
But Jericho says there’s no time for goofy gimmicks like BOOM~, or bandit masks, or scissoring! Scissor me, Bad Apple~! But then wait! The Acclaimed is here! Well, Anthony Bowens is, at least. Bowens pushes past The Learning Tree and he joins AJ & Justice in the ring. Bowens has the music cut, and he tells Jericho that he doesn’t get why Scissor King is catching strays, but you caught his attention. Jericho is trying to intimidate a man in a walking boot and an 11 year old child while spouting nonsense about being the King of New York. Why doesn’t Jericho do what he has asked so many others in the past: SHUT THE HELL UP!
The fans cheer but Big Bill says, “As the Learning Tree always says, when a man tries to silence another man, he’s probably afraid of the truth.” The fans do cheer Big Bill because he is from New York. Bowens says he has no idea what that means, Bill. But he does know we’re live on TNT, Christmas Collision, Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City! So Chris, why not walk your ass to this ring and get it whipped by the Scissor King?! Jericho says if Bowens wants him to do that, then not tonight. Jericho waves bye, but AJ says hold on, listen up. We know Jericho is running scared, but we know at some point, Bowens will get to bring the-
Bowens stops the Boom? Because he wants to scissor! AJ says okay, and they SCISSOR BOOM~! But is that true? Will Anthony Bowens be the one to tear down the Learning Tree and be a champion?
Backstage interview with The Vendetta.
Lexy is now with Deonna Purrazzo & Taya Valkyrie, and they’ve got a hot streak going. Deonna’s message last week was ominous, but who was it for? Taya says there are so many options. Everyone deserves a slice of The Vendetta. There’s Mercedes, Mariah, Toni Storm, even Lexy could get some, so watch your back. Speaking of Toni, she stumbles in and apologizes for interrupting. She just wants to say hi to everyone, hello. Oh, Deonna, a pleasure. Deonna says she knows who Toni is. R-Really? So cool! Taya says she’ll make a guess: Toni has a tattoo on her leg, a little duck with a knife through it.
Wow, how’d Taya know? Deonna says no no no, she is not doing this again. She does not get what sick crap Toni’s up to, but she is already done with it. So for Dynamite’s Miracle on 34th Street, Toni VS Taya! Taya says she’ll make Toni forget everything! Toni nervously thanks The Vendetta, and says this is a big opportunity to face someone like Taya. Toni leaves, Deonna and Taya sigh, and Lexy has no idea what to say. Is Toni’s mind unraveling before our eyes? Or is there still a bit of Timeless inside Toni Time?
AEW Continental Classic, Blue League: Shelton Benjamin VS Daniel Garcia!
This showdown was inevitable, but it’s even more fitting after The Standard of Excellence beat up the TNT Champion just because he stood up to the Hurt Syndicate. Will Shelton continue to bring the pain? Or will he not survive Red Death?
The bell rings and Garcia goes right at Shelton! Garcia fires hands but Shelton RAMS him into the corner! Shelton fires hands but Garcia turns things around to fire more shots! The ref counts, Shelton shoves Garcia back, but Garcia runs up to fire hands! Shelton shoves Garcia again, but Garcia gets under the lariat to waistlock. Shelton fights the lift but Garcia shoves him to SLAP! And CHOP! Shelton just grins and he picks Garcia up again! Shelton TOSSES Garcia away and Garcia goes to ropes. Shelton brings Garcia back up, scoops and SLAMS him, then brings him up again. Scoop SLAM! Shelton drags Garcia up and puts him in a corner.
Shelton whips corner to corner hard and Garcia falls! The fans sing, “We Hurt People!” Shelton drags Garcia around, stomps him around, then TOSSES Garcia out hard! Garcia sputters but Shelton storms outside. Shelton brings Garcia up but Garcia fires hands! Shelton RAMS Garcia into the apron, then railing, then back to the apron! And repeat! Garcia falls in a heap and the fans fire up. Shelton grins as he drags Garcia up, to then THROW into steel steps! Shelton leaves Garcia behind and the ring count climbs on Garcia. Garcia drags himself up at 7 but Shelton goes out after him again.
Shelton puts Garcia in the ring, then grabs at him. Garcia grabs ropes but Shelton stomps him. Shelton stands Garcia up to DECK him! The fans cheer but Shelton brings Garcia up again. Garcia fires a forearm, then he CHOPS! Shelton eggs Garcia on, so Garcia CHOPS! Shelton grins, Garcia CHOPS, but Shelton DECKS him again! The fans duel but Shelton whips Garcia to ropes, for a BIG backdrop! Garcia flounders and Collision goes picture in picture.
Shelton stalks Garcia to the ropes, brings him up and around, then puts him on other ropes so he can CHOKE him! The ref counts, Shelton steps off, and Garcia coughs and sputters to a corner. Shelton stalks behind Garcia, stands him up, and winds up to ROCK Garcia! Garcia flounders against ropes then falls to the mat! Shelton stands over Garcia, drags him up and puts him in the corner. Shelton throws hands and Garcia stumbles. Garcia falls, but Shelton stands on him. Shelton stomps Garcia, drags him up, but Garcia fires up! Garcia breaks free to fire CHOPS and forearms on repeat!
Garcia whips, Shelton reverses and Shelton BOOTS Garcia down! Cover, TWO! Shelton is still amused, and he clamps onto Garcia with a chinlock. Garcia endures as Shelton grinds him down, and Garcia fights up, only for Shelton to wrangle him back down! Shelton leans all his weight on the hold and he squeezes tight. Garcia fades but the fans rally, and Garcia gets a second wind! Garcia fights up, Christmas Colilsion returns to siongle cipture, and the fans duel as Garcia fires hands! Garcia runs, ducks ‘n’ dodges, then SHOTGUNS SHelton down! The fans fire up and Garcia aims from a corner. Garcia runs up, Shelton gets around, GERMAN SUPLEX!
The fans are torn while Shelton storms around. Shelton waits on Garcia, waistlocks, GERMAN SUPLEX! Garcia flops around but Shelton stalks him to the ropes. Shelton goes to the apron, runs up, but Garcia BOOTS him! Garcia takes a swing, but Shelton waistlocks! Garcia holds ropes to fight off the suplex to the floor! Garcia stands up and elbows Shelton away! Then Garcia LEAPS, but into Shelton’s clinch! OVERHEAD BELLY2BELLY to the floor! Garcia flounders, fans sing, “We Hurt People!” Shelton runs up but Garcia drop toeholds him into a chair! Shelton sputters and the fans rally up. Garcia makes Shelton take a seat, then rains down fists!
The fans count along and Garcia goes to nine, puts up the dukes, then hits TEN! Garcia gets space, runs back in, and he SHOTGUNS Shelton outta the chair! The fans are thunderous as Garcia goes back for Shelton. Garcia drags Shelton up but Shelton pushes him away. Shelton LARIATS Garcia, then rolls into the ring. The ring count starts, the fans help Garcia stand, and the fans fire up! Garcia hurries to the ring, but Shelton BOOTS, only for Garcia to block! DRAGON SCREW! Garcia runs, Shelton gets around, GERMAN SUPLEX! Even with a bad leg, Shelton has so much strength! Shelton storms up in the corner, but Garcia dodges!
Shelton’s knee hits buckles, and Garcia leg scissor rolls him! Garcia steps through for the DRAGON TAMER!! Shelton endures and the fans fire up! Garcia sits on the hold, but Shelton powers up! Shelton powers out of the hold, has Garcia’s legs, and he turns Garcia over into a QUEEN ANGELITO STRETCH! Garcia endures, reaches out, and he army crawls his way forward! But Shelton drags Garcia back! Garcia cradles Shelton! TWO!! Shelton escapes, but Garcia BOOTS him! Shelton SUPERKICKS Garcia! Both men are down and the fans are thunderous! Shelton covers, TWO!! Garcia barely gets out of that and Shelton is furious!
“This is Awesome!” as Shelton looms over Garcia. Shelton drags Garcia up, but Garcia trips Shelton! Jackknife bridge, GARCIA WINS!!
Winner: Daniel Garcia, by pinfall (gains 3 points; Shelton earns 0)
A Christmas Collision miracle? Who knows! But Garcia is still alive in the C2, but Lashley snatches Garcia into a SLEEPER! The fans boo but MVP hands the pimp cane to Shelton! But here comes Mark Briscoe, and he has a chair! Security wants this to stop before it gets out of hand, and even producers get out here! But wait! Is that Swerve Strickland rushing in from the crowd?! It is! He goes right up top to SUPER SWERVE STOMP the Syndicate and security guards! Garcia gets free of the pile, Mark Briscoe is with him, and now the locker room hurries out here to stop this from getting worse!
The fans chant, “Whose House?” “SWERVE’S HOUSE!” and Nana eventually hands the mic to Swerve. “Bobby FREAKIN’ Lashley! Didn’t I say I was gonna get my hands on you by the end of ’24? By the end of 2024, I said I was gonna get my hands on you, and that’s what I did, courtesy of the most dangerous man in AEW. Whose house?!” “SWERVE’S HOUSE!” Swerve is still aiming for Lashley’s head, will he and Lashley have it out at Worlds End?
AEW Continental Classic, Blue League: Mark Briscoe VS The Beast Mortos!
After getting a couple shockers, The Sussex County Chicken could easily jump up to the front of the block with one more! But will he #ManUp and bring down the menacing minotaur? Or will The Beast be a massive spoiler for Briscoe?
The bell rings and we’re on the clock again. The fans rally and duel while both men fire up. They RAM shoulders, and then fire forearms! The fans fire up as Mark gets the edge, but Mortos swings! Mark dodges to CHOP, then fire forearms! Mark ROCKS Mortos, whips, but Mortos reverses and SPLASHES Mark! Mortos runs but Mark follows to LARIAT! Mark runs, Mortos follows, but Mark dodges to CHOP! And CHOP! And forearm! And Mongolian Chop! Mark fires forearms against the ropes, then roars. Mark runs but Mortos follows to UPPERCUT! The fans fire up, Mortos runs but Mark follows to FOREARM!
Mark runs, Mortos follows, and he slingshots to hook and backslide, TWO! Mark trips Mortos to jackknife, TWO! Mortos gets around, hammerlock and cradle, TWO! Mark slips around to roll Mortos, TWO! Both men stand, both men dodge, and the fans cheer the standoff. The fans cheer “BOTH THESE GUYS! BOTH THESE GUYS!” as they reset. Mark and Mortos run up to RAM shoulders again! And again! Mortos is getting the better of this, and he CLOBBERS Mark! The fans cheer Mortos while Mark goes to ropes. Mortos runs in but Mark TOSSES him up and out! Mortos clutches a leg, stands up, but Mark runs!
Mortos slides in, dodges, and he SPEARS Mark! The fans fire up and Mortos roars while Collision goes picture in picture.
Mark rolls to a corner while Mortos headbutts buckles. Mortos then runs corner to corner to DROPKICK Mark! Mark sputters, Mortos drags him to a cover, TWO! Mark stays in this but Mortos drags him into a chinlock. Mark endures, even as Mortos leans on the hold. Mark fights up as the fans rally, and Mark fires body shots. Mortos THROWS Mark down! Mortos then CRANKS Mark’s neck, then KICKS him in the chest! Cover, TWO! Mark is still in this and he goes to ropes. Mortos storms up but Mark CHOPS! Mortos SMACKS Mark and Mark falls into a corner. Mortos stomps Mark, then digs his boots in!
The ref reprimands and counts, Mortos steps off, then Mortos snapmares Mark so he can step on Mark’s face! Then NECK TWIST! Cover, TWO! Mark stays in this and he goes back to ropes. Mortos waits on Mark to stand, then SMACKS him down! Mark dangles out of the ring in the ropes, but Mortos goes after a leg while Collision goes to break.
Christmas Collision returns and Mortos has Mark in a corner. Mortos whips corner to corner, then runs up to UPPERCUT, CHOP, and HEADBUTT! Mark staggers and the fans rally up for Mortos. Mortos brings down his kneepads, runs corner to corner, but Mark dodge! Mortos hits buckles then falls to the outside! The fans fire up as Mark then WRECKS Mortos with a dropkick! Mark builds speed and he DIVES, direct hit on Mortos! The fans fire up and Mark even hugs a few! Mark tosses a chair into the ring, and fans rally for #DEMBOYS. Mark sets the chair up, but Mortos anchors Mark’s legs! Mortos then SMACKS Mark!
Mortos drags Mark to the apron, Mark fires forearms. Mortos shoves Mark, but Mark fireman’s carries! Mortos fires elbows to get free! Mark REDNECK KUNG-FU UPPERCUTS! Then APRON GERMAN SUPLEXES! Mortos falls to the floor while the fans lose their minds! Mark rises up, takes aim, and he fires the fans up more. Mark goes up a corner, for a SUPER SKY TWISTER! The fans are thunderous and Mark high-fives the front row. Mark then goes back to the ring and builds speed! Mark uses the chair to FLY! Direct hit and Mark even lands on his feet! The fans fire up and Mark hurries to get Mortos back up.
Mark puts Mortos in the ring, “This is Awesome!” as Mark takes aim. FROGGY-BOW onto knees! Mortos saves himself there, and then roars! Mortos whips Mark, scoops him, and has the torture rack! BEAST BACKBREAKER! Then Mortos hauls Mark up for a POWER BREAKER!! The fans fire up for Mortos and he DISCUS- NO, Mark dodges, runs, but into a POP-UP SAMOAN DROP! Cover, TWO!! Mark survives and the fans fire up again! Mortos snarls, hauls Mark up, and then scoops! But Mark slips free! Mark crane kicks, then underhooks! But Mortos backdrops free! Mark rises, Mortos runs, but into a fireman’s carry!
Mark hits a ROLLING DEATH VALLEY! Then Mark goes up the corner, and the fans fire up for the FROGGY-BOW!! Cover, TWO?!? Mortos survives but Mark shakes his head. Mark just goes back up top! Mortos sits up and roars! But Mark still FROGGY-BOWS!! And then he underhooks, lifts, JAY DRILLER!! Cover, Mark wins!
Winner: Mark Briscoe, by pinfall (gains 3 points; Mortos earns 0)
And with that, Mark is now even with Kyle Fletcher, who Mark already beat earlier on! That is all the difference between the one seed and the two seed, how will this final round shake out?
Julia Hart speaks.
“Jamie, Jamie, Jamie. I’m no coward. What you call tricks, I call advantages. I suggested that you watch your back. I gave you all the warnings. So I’m not understanding why you feel the need to call me classless and sneaky. I thought I was being more than reasonable. I know you’re strong, but are you smart? Are my ‘tricks’ too much for you? I guess we’ll find out January 1st, Fight for the Fallen. But remember: The House Always Wins.” The Princess of the Black Throne is ready, but will she learn Hayter Hits Hard?
Backstage interview with Mariah May.
Alex Marvez is with the AEW Women’s World Champion and says in one week’s time, it will be Mariah VS Thunder Rosa for the title, in a Tijuana Street Fight! Marvez notes that Mariah not only had some harsh words for Rosa, but for her father, as well. Mariah says, “Aw~, Papa Rosa is gonna be in the front row. Is that to watch the match? Or does Thunder need a new mami?” But speaking of Rosa, she RAMS Mariah right into the door! And dribbles her off it, too! Mariah pulls hair, Rosa tries to choke Mariah, and then Mariah shoves Rosa away. Mariah calls Rosa crazy, but Rosa says she’s not done with Mariah!
Rosa storms after Mariah into the hall, and then to the stage area! Mariah has made it to ringside, Nigel tries to warn her, but Rosa CLOBBERS Mariah! Rosa rains down fists, then stomps away! Rosa SMACKS Mariah off steel steps, then grabs a chair! Mariah sputters, but gets away before Rosa swings the chair! Security rushes out here for the third time tonight, and Rosa LEAPS! The cluster keeps her away from Mariah but fans want to “LET THEM FIGHT!” Rosa holds up the AEW Women’s World Championship, will she send the “Woman From Hell” back where she came from in order to have the gold again?
AEW Continental Classic, Gold League: Darby Allin VS Claudio Castagnoli!
While The Relentless One has been after each and every Death Rider, he gets one served up to him on a silver platter. But will Darby bring down the Swiss Superman before the final round? Or will Claudio crush Darby’s hopes and dreams this close to Christmas?
But before Claudio even gets in the ring, Darby DIVES out onto him! The fans fire up as Darby fires fast hands! Claudio gets away but Darby pursues, jumps on, and throws more hands! Claudio carries Darby up the ramp to then THROW him down! Darby writhes, Claudio drags him up, and Claudio gorilla presses! Darby slips free, goes to the entry, and then dodges Claudio to send him into the light truss! And then he shoves Claudio into it again! Claudio falls, and now Darby climbs up!? The fans fire up as Darby is up on the camera balcony! Darby SUPER CROSSBODIES Claudio down!
Claudio tumbles down the ramp and Darby sputters while fans lose their minds. The ref checks Darby, his fall was still really wicked. Claudio sits up in a daze as he’s now ringside, and somehow Darby pursues! They both get in the ring, the bell rings, and Darby runs up! But into a POP-UP UPPERCUT!! Cover, TWO!! Darby survives and Claudio is already frustrated. Claudio drags Darby by his legs, to GIANT SWING~! The fans count as Darby goes around and around, and Claudio goes past TEN, past FIFTEEN, past TWENTY, and all the way to THIRTY!! Darby flounders out of the ring while Collision goes picture in picture.
The ref goes out to check on Darby, and somehow he’s okay to continue. Claudio steps out to fetch Darby, and lift shim up with one hand! Claudio then gut wrenches and carries Darby, to SLAM him onto railing! And DUMP him down! Claudio drags Darby up again, gut wrenches again, and he TOSSES Darby onto the railing! Darby flops back down and clutches his lower back, but Claudio leaves him behind. The ring count begins but Darby sits up. Claudio goes out after him again, and brings him up to CHOP! Darby staggers away to a corner, Claudio storms up and CHOPS again! Darby flops down but Claudio looms over him.
Claudio gets space, runs up, and he UPPERCUTS Darby against railing! Darby stumbles away, Claudio goes to the ring, but Darby rolls in, just to roll back out. Darby earns himself some time, but then Claudio storms out after him. Darby hurries int he ring to get away, but Claudio is after him there, too. Claudio stands on Darby’s hands, then stomps them! Darby writhes, but Claudio stomps his hands more! Darby goes to a corner. Claudio stands him up and CHOPS! Claudio UPPERCUTS, CHOPS, and Christmas Collision returns to single picture. The fans duel, Darby fires hands, but Claudio UPPERCUTS!
Claudio whips, Darby springboards, COFFIN- NO, Claudio catches Darby! Darby fights free, runs, but Claudio runs up! Darby DUMPS Claudio, then runs to DIVE! Direct hit at the ramp! The fans fire up again and Darby puts Claudio in. Claudio rolls out the far side but Darby DIVES again! Claudio is sent into railing but Darby goes up a corner! The fans fire up for the SUPER COFFIN SPLASH! Direct hit and both men are down again. The ref starts the ring count, the fans rally up, and Darby refreshes the count. Darby LEAPS onto Claudio for a SLEEPER! Claudio goes to steel steps and he steps up, but Darby squeezes tight!
Claudio steps back down, and he runs into the timekeeper’s area! BACKPACK SENTON through the table! The fans lose their minds again while Claudio leaves Darby behind in the wreckage. Darby stirs, the ref starts another ring count, and Darby crawls. “This is Awesome!” as Darby leaps in at 7! Claudio runs but Darby slips around! O’Conner Roll, TWO, springboard and SPALSH! Cover, TWO! Ghost pin, TWO! Claudio is up, but Darby sunset flips! Claudio stays up, and DOUBLE STOMPS! Claudio deadlifts Darby to then TOSS him out of the ring! Darby hits apron on the way out and fans tell Claudio he’s sick!
Claudio goes out after Darby and drags him up again. Claudio scoops and then POSTS Darby! And POSTS him again! Claudio TOSSES Darby aside, rolls into the ring, but only to refresh the count. Claudio then drags Darby by a leg and brings him over. Claudio SWINGS Darby into steel steps!! Claudio puts Darby in the ring, stands him up, and runs to LARIAT! Darby flips through the air! Claudio covers, TWO!! Darby survives and Claudio is frustrated. The fans rally for Darby but Claudio rains down HAMMER ‘N’ ANVIL ELBOWS! Then Claudio tucks the arms, RICOLA- CODE RED!! Cover, TWO!! Claudio escapes in time!
The fans rally while both men are down again. Darby and Claudio slowly rise, and Ricochet watches, very amused as Darby is his next opponent in the round robin. Darby crawls to a corner, climbs up, but Claudio UPPERCUTS! Claudio HEADBUTTS Darby, then climbs up again. Claudio brings Darby up and suplexes, but Darby fights around! SUPER SCORPION DEATH DROP!! The fans are thunderous for “A E DUB! A E DUB!” as Darby rises up. Darby climbs to the very top, COFFION DROP onto knees! Claudio saves himself, then he hauls Darby up. Straitjacket and RICOLA~ BOMB!! Cover, TWO!?!?
Darby survives and shocks Claudio! Claudio argues with the ref but the count was fair! Darby’s just that tough! Claudio goes back to Darby and ripcords him into the RICOLA~ BOMB!! Cover, TWO!?!?! HOW?!? Claudio goes outside, and he brings out something from under the ring. He also has a chair! The ref takes the chair from Claudio, but Claudio has BRASS KNUCKLES! BRASS KNUCKLE PUNCH!!! Cover, CLAUDIO WINS!
Winner: Claudio Castagnoli, by pinfall (gains 3 points; Darby earns 0)
The Swiss Superman screws over Darby, but then he gets that chair back. But wait, Ospreay slides into the ring! And HE has the brass knuckles that Claudio tossed aside! Ospreay dares Claudio to do something, but Claudio simply leaves. Does this mean Ospreay’s ready to ride against the Death Riders with Darby? Or will we see a Miracle on 34th Street send Ospreay and Darby to Worlds End?
My Thoughts:
A great Collision here as the last one before Worlds End, and therefore a bit of a go-home in itself. While the continued feud of MJF and Cole has still been a bit clunky since they did the double turn, their faceoff did a good job addressing some of that. They got good digs at each other as always, and MJF snapping and revealing “the truth” was their big move to recover this story. We of course got a brawl, and good save by The Kingdom. It feels like MJF still finds a way to hold onto the diamond ring, but c’mon, how fitting is it for Cole to get a diamond.
Good bit with Toni Storm and The Vendetta, and Deonna’s reaction to Toni was great. Deonna is justified in thinking this is still an act from Toni, not a legitimate psychological problem, and Toni VS Taya will be good stuff. Good promo from Kris Statlander, good match from her and Penelope Ford, and of course a good win for Kris. Good promo from Mone to make Worlds End official, but as I’ve been saying, Mone is more likely to lose the NJPW Strong Women’s Championship as part of the big NJPW Tokyo Dome weekend. The irony is, Mina Shirakawa is her challenger and Mina shows up plenty in AEW, so I don’t know how that math is supposed to work.
Good promo from Mariah May as it also turned into a brawl with Thunder Rosa. As it stands, Rosa standing tall holding up the belt means she is NOT winning at Worlds End, but they could still give us a little more from Rosa and Mariah on Dynamite’s Christmas episode to turn the tables. Good promo from Julia Hart to respond to Jamie Hayter, they’ll have a good match. Good promo from Orange Cassidy to try and reason with Jay White and Hangman Page, but that’s all the more reason Moxley likely uses the challengers all against each other like he did on Wednesday. Though, it would be fun if they at least started the match all annihilating Moxley with their finishers, making us think it’ll work out in favor of “Team AEW.”
Good stuff with Big Boom AJ & Big Justice here tonight, both hyping up the show but also interacting with Jericho’s group and even Anthony Bowens. They’re adding some more foreshadowing to The Acclaimed breaking up, and I guess we’re supposed to see this as a positive move, Bowens feuding with Jericho. Unless Bowens is going to be the guy that dethrones Jericho for whatever ROH cable TV debut/return is planned, the Jericho Vortex strikes again. Bowens should be going for an AEW midcard title, but right now, those are all tied up what with the C2 going on and the International Championship being tied up in Worlds End and NJPW plans.
Speaking of the C2, great stuff with all the matches tonight. Shelton VS Garcia was great stuff, and while Garcia gets the win, they’re still giving us some set-up for a TNT Championship match of Garcia VS Shelton. Mark Briscoe of course made the save, but great surprise for Swerve to show up. Lashley VS Swerve for Worlds End just needs to be said, it already feels a given. All that brawling was also a good segue into Mark VS Mortos, and another great showing for Mortos, even in losing. But as Mark has already had all his matches and is at 9 points, Kyle doesn’t even need to win against Garcia, he just needs to draw so that Mark will be out, and Garcia with him.
While Ospreay VS Darby on Wednesday raised the bar, Ospreay VS Ricochet still had great stuff of its own. Plus, Ricochet is bringing out more of his Heel side what with using the ref, and Ricochet’s win puts the pressure on Ospreay for Christmas Dynamite. Now, no offense to Brody King, but I’m thinking Ospreay wins that to take one of the semifinal spots. Darby VS Claudio tonight was also great, but Darby doing his best Sting off the truss was not the best when he gets that whiplash on the floor. I really thought that match was going to be called for concussion protocol, but Darby’s weirdly indestructible.
Claudio still cheats this win so there’s more heat on the Death Riders and Darby is also behind the 8 ball. Ospreay making the save was good, we can definitely have another “Team AEW” VS Death Riders with Ospreay joining Darby and a couple others, but the way they did the order of matches, Claudio’s got a seemingly easy ride against Komander for Christmas. Though, how awesome would it be if Komander pulled off the spoiler? Or if they were really going to add some drama, they should create a situation where the Death Riders end up ringside, violating the Continental Rules of no cornermen and that disqualifies Claudio. Claudio misses out on the semifinals because of a technicality, sending Ospreay and maybe Ricochet to the semifinals.
My Score: 8.8/10
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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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