Coverage
Mitchell’s WWE Raw Results & Report! (1/30/23)
We’re on the Road to WrestleMania!
It’s the Raw after the Royal Rumble!
Two Rumble matches, two Nightmares as winners! Cody Rhodes and Rhea Ripley will both share their plans for WrestleMania tonight on Raw!
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Elimination Chamber Match Qualifier: Seth Rollins VS Chad Gable w/ Otis; Rollins wins and advances to the United States title Elimination Chamber match.
- Candice LeRae w/ Mia Yim VS Iyo Sky w/ Damage CTRL; Sky wins.
- Elimination Chamber Match Qualifier: Johnny Gargano w/ Dexter Lumis VS Baron Corbin w/ JBL; Gargano wins and advances to the United States title Elimination Chamber match.
- The Miz VS Rick Boogs; Boogs wins.
- Elimination Chamber Match Qualifier: Dolph Ziggler VS Bronson Reed; Bronson wins and advances to the United States title Elimination Chamber match.
- Cody Rhodes VS Finn Balor w/ The Judgment Day; Cody wins.
PLAY BY PLAY
Cody Rhodes is here!
The American Nightmare is the 2023 Men’s Royal Rumble winner, having made his return after surgery on his torn pectoral! Cody gets the pyro but fans are already plenty fired up as he goes to the ring. Cody gets the mic as fans chant his name. The fans also chant, “You Deserve It!” as Cody looks up at the WrestleMania sign. Cody soaks up the energy and then says, “So… What do you guys wanna talk about? I think it goes without saying, but every week there’s someone new watching this show, so I’ll go ahead and say it. I am not the same person when I started this journey over 15 years ago on this very show.
“I’ve thought a lot, though, about 19-year-old me, first day on the job, pulling up to this metal barn, Ohio Valley Wrestling. There’s a sign on the door that says, ‘Tomorrow’s superstars today.’ And I’m sitting in my beat-up Volkswagen Jetta, and I remember, I vividly thought to myself, ‘I’m gonna be WWE Champion inside of two years.’ Hey, I was ambitious, albeit a little delusional, because I also thought, ‘I’m gonna be the next John Cena.'” Cody says if he could go back, maybe write a letter to young Cody, what would he say? Cody wonders if he’d tell himself, “I don’t think it’s gonna go down like that, chief.”
Would Cody reveal that one night in London, you’re gonna get slapped so hard on live TV that your knees buckle. “You’re gonna be Dashing Cody Rhodes, and you’re gonna give out grooming tips. You’re gonna win the Intercontinental Championship and restore it to its former retro glory. You’re gonna paint your paint and become less than. That triumph will become tragedy will become triumph all over again.” Would Cody tell himself that the lovely lady ring announcer becomes his wife? Would Cody tell himself that he’s gonna lose his 295 best friend but gain a 6 pound one back that has his same eyes?
Would Cody tell himself that he’s gonna be on fire at some point, bleed all over the world, and that in 2015, he does what everyone tells him not to and goes on excursion? And that one part of that excursion is fully focused on the industry’s health and neglecting his own? Or that on January 28th, 2023, at the Royal Rumble, he outlasted 29 others and punched his ticket, the very first in the family to do this, and go under the brightest lights on the biggest stage at WrestleMania?
Fans fire up again and chant Cody’s name, and Cody tells them, “Truth be told, I wouldn’t tell him a single thing. I wouldn’t tell him a single thing because every single piece on this broken road, every splinter on this upward ladder has been unequivocally, 100% worth it!” Fans cheer that! Cody says he is here tonight, he heard the fans singing his song, and that song will still be his song, but the most important words are those very first ones, because those are his own. “Wrestling has more than one royal family.” In fact, WWE has more than one royal family.
“But for that to be true, for it to be real, for it to be venerated, validated and vindicated in my heart, I have to stand across from another. I have to stand across from an entire bloodline. I have to stand across from the Tribal Chief, the Head of the Table.” Fans already boo, knowing who he’s calling out. Cody says he has to stand across from one who is essentially the LeBron James of WWE, the biggest star on the planet, a man who has held the title for over 800 DAYS. Cody must stand across… from Roman Reigns. Fans chant “ROMAN SUCKS!” but Cody says, “I’m sure you can hear it, I have a great deal of respect for Roman.”
But what’s next, Cody has the same sincerity: WrestleMania is in 62 days. That might be just 62 normal days for Roman, but that is 62 days “from the rest of my life.” At WrestleMania, undesirable has already become undeniable, but it will be uncrowned until that night when it ends. At WrestleMania, pull up a chair, sit wherever the hell you want, because on that night, someone else will be eating. After WrestleMania, Roman can be the Tribal Chief, the Head of the Table, the biggest star in the world, but what he won’t be… is the UNDISPUTED WWE UNIVERSAL CHAMPION! The American Nightmare has spoken, but wait, here comes the Judgment Day!
Damian Priest, Finn Balor and Dominik Mysterio head tot he ring, with mics of their own. Finn is confused. Is Cody returning to do something original? Or is he just gonna knock off all of Finn’s old stuff like Cody’s done before. And on top of that, Cody ruined the Judgment Day’s plans at the Rumble! Mami Rhea did what she was supposed to and she won her Rumble match. Later tonight, we all have the honor to hear her tell us who her opponent will be. But DOM was supposed to win the Men’s Rumble! Fans boo because that was not happening. Finn says speaking of the Rumble, what happened to Rey that he couldn’t make it?
Dom knows, he found Rey’s mask. And y’know what? Cody, you put your hands on Dom. Cody ruined Dom’s moment at the Rumble. But if that happened in prison, Cody wouldn’t be standing here right now. He would’ve got got! Priest says Dom should be the ONLY multigenerational superstar to main event Mania! Not some suck up who gets whatever he wants! Look at Rhea: entered #1, outlasted 29 others, and won the whole thing. She EARNED a spot! Cody is the golden boy, he got handed #30! How does that happen? Dom says it doesn’t matter. Cody owes Dom. Cody owes Dom an apology!
Cody has them stop there. Dom, Cody doesn’t wanna run the risk of pissing you of, but uh… Is Dom trying to scare Cody straight? Is that what this is? This could be very different. Cody already mentioned WWE’s royal families. The Rhodes, the Mysterios, Cody has a huge amount of respect for Dom’s dad. Yeah, Dom’s dad? Real funny, since Dom doesn’t. And Dom doesn’t have respect for anyone’s dad here, not even Cody’s! Fans boo, but Cody says fine. Cody gets this now. Fans chant “KICK HIS ASS!” Cody says between now and Mania, he could play it safe, try and stay healthy, or he could be himself, and kick Dom’s ass!
Cody is ready to take anyone on, really! And he’ll do it here, tonight! Judgment Day wants to punish Cody for “stealing” the moment, but will he end up doing that anyway here on Raw?
But wait! EDGE IS HERE! And he CLOBBERS each member of the Judgment Day! Edge rains fists on Finn but Priest drags him up. Edge brawls with Priest and Dom, security and officials rush out, and Adam Pearce will not have this break down onw! But then Cody joins in! Cody goes after Finn, and security, and Dom! Tulsa is thunderous, will The American Nightmare have the Rated R Superstar watching his back against common enemies?
Elimination Chamber Match Qualifier: Seth Rollins VS Chad Gable w/ Otis!
Austin Theory will defend his United States Championship in THE Elimination Chamber, and the first qualifier is here! The Visionary takes on “Master” Gable, will we be singing the song all the way to Montreal? Or will Gable “SHOOOSH~!” everyone here in Tulsa?
The bell rings and the two circle. They tie up, Rollins wrenches to a wristlock, but Gable rolls, bridges, handsprings, wrenches back and headlocks to spin and toehold! Gable gets an ANKLE LOCK, but Rollins scrambles to the ROPEBREAK! Fans chant, “GABLE SUCKS!” but Gable keeps focused as Rollins stands up. Fans sing, “OH~ OHH~ OHHH~!” as Rollins and Gable reset. They circle, Gable waistlocks, CHAOS THEORY! Bridging cover, TWO!! Rollins escapes, bails out, but Gable goes to the apron to CANNONBALL! Gable puts Rollins in, throat chops him down, then goes up the corner! DIVING HEADBUTT! Cover, TWO!!
Rollins survives, Gable is steaming, but Raw goes picture in picture. Gable says, “A THANK YEW~!” as Rollins flops back out of the ring. Rollins shakes out the stars and stands up, but Gable stalks him around the way. Gable puts Rollins back in, then drags him to a corner. Gable has a leg, and he says, “SHOOSH!” before he SLAMS the leg into the post! Rollins scrambles away, clutching the knee. Gable goes in, has Rollins in a corner, and wraps the leg around ropes. The ref counts, Gable lets off but then stomps the leg! Gable brings Rollins out to DRAGON SCREW the leg! And then Gable wraps on a standing toehold!
Rollins endures, keeps his shoulders off the mat, and fights the hold. Gable YANKS the leg, then tells everyone to “SHOOSH!” Gable drags Rollins back to the corner, “SHOOSH~!” but Rollins YANKS Gable into the post! Otis fans Gable off but Rollins builds speed! Rollins hobbles but he manages to WRECK Gable with a dropkick! Rollins puts Gable back in, hurries after him, but Gable hits another DRAGON SCREW! Gable drags Rollins by that bad leg and has another standing toehold. Gable YANKS the leg, then looms over Rollins. Gable drags Rollins around to spinning toehold! And then another spinning toehold! And another!
Gable cranks on the leg but Rollins endures. Raw returns to single picture and fans rally up. Rollins kicks and CHOPS Gable, and he gets free! Otis is upset but Rollins brings Gable up. Rollins CHOPS, CHOPS and CHOPS! Rollins whips, Gable reverses and runs in to get the leg! Gable puts one in the ropes, to have the other with a DRAPING DRAGON SCREW! Rollins writhes and clutches his bad leg while Gable climbs up. MOONSAULT, but Rollins moves to roll Gable up! TWO and Rollins deadlifts Gable for a BUCKLE BUMP! Both men are down and Otis is freaking out. Otis coaches Gable but fans sing the song, “OH~ OHH~ OHHH~!”
Gable and Rollins rise, and Rollins rallies with LARIATS! Mule kick, front kick, ROLLING- NO, Gable gets around, O’Conner to the CHAOS THEORY but Rollins lands out! SUPERKICK! FALCON ARROW! Cover, TWO!! Gable survives but Rollins is in too much pain to be frustrated. Rollins rises as the fans sing even louder and harder. Rollins shakes the bad leg out as he goes to a corner. Rollins runs in but Gable avoids the stomp! Rollins kicks low, hooks the arms, but Gable trips to a jackknife! TWO!! Gable runs in, into a roll-up! TWO, sunset flip! TWO and Rollins jackknifes! TWO as Gable bridges up!
Gable spins Rollins, Canadian Rack, for the CLIFFHANGER! Cover, TWO!!! Rollins survives and no one can believe it, least of all Gable! Gable snarls and fans rally up. Gable tells everyone to “SHOOOOSH~!” and he brings down the straps! Gable deadlifts but Rollins elbows the suplex away! PELE, but into an ANKLE LOCK! Gable keeps on the bad leg, then leans on the hold! Rollins kicks and rolls but Gable still holds on! Rollins rolls to a VICTORY ROLL! TWO!!! STOMP- NO! Gable grabs the leg to have the ANKLE LOCK! Rollins rolls, kicks, Gable comes back to jackknife, but Rollins rolls through! PEDIGREE!!! Cover, ROLLINS WINS!
Winner: Seth Rollins, by pinfall (advances to the Elimination Chamber)
The Visionary finds the way to win, and he’s headed to Montreal! Will he get that title back from Theory? Who else will join them in that high risk match-up?
Candice LeRae w/ Mia Yim VS Iyo Sky w/ Damage CTRL!
This grudge has been going for some time not, but the Women’s Rumble match only added fuel to the fire. The Genius of the Sky, the Captain of Team Kick, and the self-proclaimed Role Model all ganged up on the Poison Pixie, and everyone in that match really, so it’s time for payback! Will #CandiceWrestling get a big win off the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion? Or will DMG CTRL check off some contenders on the Road to WrestleMania?
The bell rings and the two tie up. Candice trips Sky, things speed up, Sky redirects but Candice follows. Sky goes Matrix, rolls Candice up but Candice slips free. Candice avoids the sweep, keeps moving, and avoids a dropkick! Jackknife bridge, TWO! STEP-UP SENTON! Cover, TWO! Sky YANKS Candice into ropes! Candice sputters, Sky hits a FLAPJACK! DMG CTRL fires up but the fans boo. Bayley wants commentary to emphasize Sky eliminating Candice in the Rumble. Sky scoops Candice to SLAM her down! Fans rally for Candice but Sky clamps on a chinlock while Raw goes picture in picture.
Sky grabs Candice’s arms and has a straitjacket stretch! Candice endures, Raw returns to single picture, and Candice fights up. Candice backs Sky into a corner, then arm-drags her away. Sky comes back but into boots! Candice runs, to dropkick Sky down! Fans rally while Sky bails out. Bayley says Candice still sucks, but Candice WRECKS Sky with a dropkick! Candice hurries to put Sky on the apron but Sky kicks Candice away! Sky builds speed to DIVE! Direct hit at the ramp and Sky eggs the fans on! Fans boo, Mia coaches Candice but DMG CTRL is loving this. Sky puts Candice back in, steps in, but into a dropkick!
Sky falls back out, Candice goes up the ropes! SPRINGBOARD CROSSBODY! Fans fire up, Mia argues with DMG CTRL, and Raw goes picture in picture again. Sky and Candice rise, but Candice drags Sky up into the ring. Kai keeps Bayley from hearing the fans taunt them, but Candice climbs up the corner. Sky trips Candice and she falls into the ring! Sky elbows Candice, RAMS into her, then RAMS her again! The ref counts, Sky lets off, and Mia coaches Candice again. But Sky digs both boots into Candice! And then SWINGING METEORAS! Sky eggs Candice on, then brings her around to a cover, TWO!
Sky is annoyed but she’s back on Candice with a chinlock. Candice endures, even as Sky digs her knee into Candice’s back. Candice fights up but Sky shifts to a dragon sleeper! Candice still fights up, throws body shots, and runs, to tilt-o-whirl and IRON OCTOPUS! Sky endures now, flails and reaches out, but Candice pulls on the arm! Sky powers out to a SIDEWALK SLAM! Both women are down and DMG CTRL is upset. Candice goes to the apron, Sky goes to the other end. Sky runs in to SUNSET FLIP, but Candice holds onto the ropes! Candice stomps but Sky dodges, to trip Candice up! Candice hits the apron, but Sky gives her an APRON BACK SUPLEX!
Candice writhes while Sky climbs back up. Candice kicks Sky away! Candice stands, runs in, APRON COMPLETE SHOT! Sky flounders, Candice hurries up a corner, and Raw returns to single picture. Fans fire up for the MISSILE DROPKICK! Cover, TWO!! Sky survives and Candice grows frustrated. Bayley talks trash but Candice puts Sky up top. Candice CHOPS, then climbs up. But Sky hops down to YANK Candice down! Candice hits buckles, and then Sky underhooks! TIGER BACKBREAKER! Bayley is fired up but fans boo. Sky goes to the corner, runs in, SHINKANSEN! Sky puts Candice in the drop zone and goes back up!
Fans boo but Candice SPANKS Sky! Candice climbs up to SUPER GERMAN SUPLEX! High stack cover, TWO!! Sky survives again and Kai breathes easy again. Candice and Sky are both down but Mia rallies the fans. Candice and Sky go forehead to forehead, then forearm for forearm! Candice forearms, CHOPS and repeat! She fires off in the corner, runs in but Sky dodges. Sky runs in but into an elbow! Candice climbs but Sky CLUBS her! Electric Chair Lift, but Candice fights it to a POISON-RANA!! Cover, TWO!?!? Sky survives yet again and DMG CTRL is beside themselves! Candice snarls as she stalks Sky to a corner.
Candice hoists Sky up top, climbs up after her, and brings her in. But Sky throws Candice away! No wild rides here! Sky adjusts, fans boo, OVER THE MOONSAULTÂ onto BOOTS!! Candice drags Sky into a cradle but Kai distracts the ref! Mia is pissed, Candice would’ve won already! The ref finally counts, TWO!! Mia chases DMG CTRL off and Candice hits a CODE BREAKER! Bayley gets up, Candice DECKS her! But Sky rolls Candice up! SKY WINS!
Winner: Iyo Sky, by pinfall
The numbers game wins again! Michin wasn’t enough to stop Bayley and Kai, but will DMG CTRL face the consequences of their actions soon enough?
Rhea Ripley heads to the ring!
As promised, the Judgment Day’s Eradicator is here, and she is ready to make that WrestleMania decision. Rhea has the mic to say, “It’s been awhile since I’ve been out here without my Latino Heat, my Dom-Dom, and the Judgment Day crew. But I really just wanted all the attention on me. Two nights ago, I disrupted the status quo. I did the unthinkable, I went the distance, I came in here at number one, and overcame and outlasted 29 other women to win the Royal Rumble match. And now… I get to choose whichever champion I wanna face at WrestleMania.”
Fans “WOO~!” but also chant, “EST! EST!” Rhea says three years ago, she had just turned 24 and her career just got started. She was NXT Women’s Champion. She came here to Raw, stood in this ring, and challenged the winner of the Women’s Rumble, Charlotte Flair. She wanted the match at WrestleMania, and Charlotte put her in her place. The funny thing about Charlotte is she’s somehow always in the title picture. Charlotte is always at the top of her game, and Rhea hates to give her credit, “but she seems to get better each and every year. The normal flow here in the WWE is that Charlotte Flair is at the top.
“But I’m the disrupter. I don’t like the natural flow, I don’t like the normal formula, and I don’t like things being overplayed. So, Charlotte. I advise you to enjoy everyone rising and bowing down to the Queen. Because they’re about to rise to Rhea Ripley!” Fans fire up for that! At WrestleMania, Rhea plans to put Charlotte in her place! “Charlotte Flair, I choose you.” Rhea isn’t worried about the title, she’s focused on revenge! Will the SmackDown Women’s Champion soon face her Judgment Day?
Backstage interview with Seth Rollins.
Cathy Kelley is with the Visionary, and he is fired up! Before we talk Elimination Chamber, let’s talk tonight! Tulsa, Oklahoma~! “What a crowd! What a fight against Chad Gable, and what a win! And now, I’m going on to Elimination Chamber. I’m gonna beat five other dudes inside that Chamber. I’m gonna take the United States title back from Austin Theory, and when it’s time, WRESTLEMANIA! LOS ANGELES! LET’S GOOO~! HAHAHAHA!” Then Cathy has to ask, at the Rumble, there was a lot of chatter after seeing surprise entrant, Logan Paul, eliminating Rollins. Can we get a comment?
Rollins takes a breath, and smiles, before walking away. Is the Visionary going to ignore Logan Paul to focus on The Now? Will the ImPAULsive Influencer do something to change that?
Elimination Chamber Match Qualifier: Johnny Gargano w/ Dexter Lumis VS Baron Corbin w/ JBL!
Johnny Wrestling has run into the Modern Day Wrestling God before, both in the ring and at the poker table. But the stakes are even higher than those encounters combined! Who will win their way into the Elimination Chamber in Montreal? And who will be left out in the cold?
The bell rings and Gargano rushes in! Corbin catches Gargano, RAMS him into a corner, but Gargano dodges the lariat to fire off haymakers! Corbin CLOBBERS Gargano, drags him up and whips him to ropes, but Gargano ducks ‘n’ dodges and RANAS! Corbin staggers up, into a DROPKICK! But Corbin comes back to BOOT Gargano down! Corbin puts Gargano in a corner, throws hands, but fans taunt “BUM ASS CORBIN!” Corbin gets annoyed by that, but he whips Gargano corner to corner hard! Gargano tumbles up and out to the apron, but Corbin drags him back in. Corbin choke grips, to CHOKE SLAM BACKBREAKER! Cover, TWO!
Corbin is annoyed but Gargano survives. Fans rally for Johnny Wrestling but Corbin scoops him. Gargano slips off, elbows Corbin away, then sidesteps to schoolboy KICK! Corbin staggers, Gargano throws him out of the ring, and then builds speed to WRECK Corbin with a dropkick! Gargano slingshots, Corbin slides in, but Gargano shoulders into him! Slingshot, but into a HAYMAKER! Down goes Gargano and Corbin goes out after him. Corbin choke grips, stares down Lumis, and CHOKE SLAMS Gargano on the barriers! Gargano falls and fans boo as Raw goes picture in picture.
Corbin looms over Gargano, drags him back up, and brings him around. Corbin SMACKS Gargano off the announce desk, the ref wants him to get this i the ring, but Corbin tells him to hold on. Corbin drags Gargano around to then RAM into barriers! Gargano falls, Corbin refreshes the ring count, and Corbin stalks Gargano. JBL argues with the ref but Corbin drags Gargano into the ring. Cover, TWO! Corbin looms over Gargano, drags him up, and ROCKS him with a right! Corbin has Gargano in the corner with more haymakers, then he puts Gargano up top. Corbin ROCKS Gargano again, climbs up after him, and throws down fists!
Corbin then stands Gargano up, but Gargano throws body shots! Gargano HEADBUTTS Corbin off the corner! Gargano reels Corbin in, for a TORNADO DDT! JBL is stunned but the fans rally up! Gargano drags himself to ropes, staggers over, and he throws haymakers on Corbin! The ref counts as they’re in the corner, but Gargano whips corner to corner. Corbin reverses, runs in, but Gargano dodges. Corbin slides out, slides in, and CLOBBERS Gargano! Cover, TWO! Corbin is furious, so he clamps on a half nelson chinbar! Gargano endures as Corbin leans on the hold. Raw returns to single picture as fans rally up for Gargano.
Gargano fights up, throws elbows, then elbows free! Gargano runs, but Corbin CLOBBERS him! Corbin rains down elbows then covers, TWO! Gargano goes to the apron and Corbin scowls. Corbin storms over, drags Gargano up, and ROCKS Gargano. Corbin runs side to side, but into a SLINGSHOT SPEAR! Cover, TWO! Corbin survives but JBL still looks a bit worried. Gargano drags Corbin up, Lumis is stoic, but Corbin choke grips! Corbin TOSSES Gargano to a corner, runs in, but Gargano BOOTS him away! Gargano goes up, leaps over Corbin, but Corbin slides out and in, into a SUPERKICK! Another SUPERKICK knocks Corbin down! Cover, TWO!!
JBL is worried again while Gargano grits his teeth. Corbin sits up, fans rally for Johnny Wrestling, and Gargano storms up on Corbin. Corbin throws body shots but Gargano throws forearms. Corbin shoves Gargano, Gargano gets around, redirects, dodges, but Corbin ELBOWS him! Gargano rebounds to DISCUS! Corbin rebounds, into an ENZIGURI! Gargano keeps moving, but runs into DEEP SIX! Cover, TWO!! Gargano survives and Corbin is furious! Corbin rains down fists but the ref warns him. Corbin lets off, throws off his shirt, but fans boo, they do NOT want that free souvenir.
Corbin drags Gargano up, reels him in, but Gargano ROCKS him! Gargano goes to a corner, Corbin runs in, but Gargano POSTS him! JBL is furious, but Gargano DIVES to send Corbin into the desk! Gargano puts Corbin in the ring but JBL tears the desk apart! But then Lumis steps over, with a HATCHET! JBL wants his hat but Lumis CHOPS it with the hatchet! JBL shouts for 911, but Lumis gives Gargano a thumbs up. Gargano GAMANGIRIS, but Corbin BOOTS Gargano out of the spear! END OF- NO, ROLL-UP!! GARGANO WINS!!
Winner: Johnny Gargano, by pinfall (advances to the Elimination Chamber)
Corey Graves questions why Lumis was out here at all, but we just saw why! Lumis made sure JBL didn’t pull something. Gargano is going to Montreal, will Johnny Wrestling become Johnny America with the United States title?
MVP is in the VIP Lounge!
Montel Vontavius Porter welcomes us, and says that means big things are still popping, little things are still stopping, so sit back, relax and enjoy the view, because the VIP Lounge is still for people better than all of you. But tonight’s guest is a man “courageous enough to defend the United States Championship inside the Elimination Chamber.” It’s Atlanta’s own, Austin Theory! Fans boo as The Now struts his way out to the ring. Of course, Theory is only champion because Brock Lesnar screwed out Bobby Lashley again, but he’s still gonna count that.
Anyway, Theory steps past the velvet rope and through the ring ropes to relax on the couch. MVP says to make himself comfortable, and Theory says, “Just wow!” Fans boo, but MVP wants them to hear the man out. Theory says first of all, beyond all this disrespect, thank you, MVP, for inviting him! MVP says you’re welcome, happy to have you. When Theory was a “little kid,” he used to watch the VIP Lounge. In fact, that was a long time ago. But that’s why Theory’s here! He’s here to reinvent the VIP Lounge and make it relevant again, just like he will for MVP. Oh, how considerate.
Think about this: The VIP Lounge presents ATL – Austin Theory Live! Even better, get rid of the VIP Lounge and just make it Austin Theory Live! MVP says there is a ring to that, but to remind Theory, hot trends come and go, but classics never go out of style. Well, Theory is a classic. Uh, no, you’re not old enough yet. But they’ll figure this out. The VIP Lounge presents Austin Theory Live! Fans boo and Theory tells them to shut up. MVP does like the sound of that title, but maybe after the Elimination Chamber, Theory won’t have one. MVP wants to talk with Theory about that. Fans chant “YOU SUCK!” at Theory but he grins.
“Oh, I suck? You shut up because I am the CHAMP! And speaking of champ, did MVP just call me champ?” MVP confirms, he did. The same man that called Bobby Lashley the champ? And last week, MVP said Lashley was gonna beat MVP. MVP admits to that. So MVP thinks Lashley can beat Theory? MVPÂ knows Lashley can. Oh, he knows? Well… Theory says he’s just messing around. But let’s talk the Chamber. It’s grueling, it’s hard to survive, but Theory survived it before. Theory was in the most grueling spot! Brock Lesnar F5’d him off the top of a chamber! But here he is, still standing!
And why is that? Because Theory IS the ruthlessness that this new generation needs! And NO amount of aggression can stop him! MVP says he likes this! MVP likes the confidence! He gets it, he understands where Theory is psychological. MVP was once a young, brash United States Champion, and was also once in an Elimination Chamber match. And Undertaker threw MVP off the top of a pod! So that means Theory is terrified, scared out of his mind, but doing a good job hiding it, just like MVP did. “But you never know who’s gonna be in that Chamber.” Theory asks MVP if that’s a threat. No, it’s a warning.
MVP is putting Theory up on game. Oh, is he? Trying to compare Lashley to the Undertaker? Lashley is MORE dangerous than Taker, to Theory. Oh, well that’s great Lashley is more dangerous, because Theory’s already beaten him twice. And this US Championship will be defended in the Chamber, but Lashley won’t be in it! So let’s talk about something that’s not the past. No problem, MVP can do that. He and Lashley aren’t business partners, so MVP is not at liberty to speak on Lashley’s back. But MVP knows Lashley, so for Theory’s health, should he survive- HIS HEALTH?! MVP cares about Theory’s health? Just a little bit.
Well, MVP should be more worried about his own health! More importantly, MVP should be worried about Lashley’s health. Everyone here knows that Lashley is MVP’s meal ticket, and that meal ticket is gonna get chewed up by Brock Lesnar! But wait! Here comes Bobby Lashley! Fans fire up as the All Mighty makes his way to the ring, and MVP defends he has nothing to do with this. Lashley pushes over the velvet rope, gets in the ring, and Theory says he shouldn’t even be here! What’s Lashley doing? But then MVP has Lashley stay back, and Theory says, “That’s right, Bobby. Listen to your daddy.”
Hearing that, MVP shrugs and says whatever. MVP stands aside and Lashley ROCKS Theory! And clotheslines him in the corner! Lashley throws the furniture around, Theory runs in, but into a COMPLETE SHOT! Fans fire up as Lashley continues to move things aside! MVP stands Theory up, Lashley runs in, but Theory uses MVP as a shield! The SPEAR hits MVP!! Theory runs away, and Lashley is even more furious! Theory says Lashley is the past and he’s done with the past! But will Lashley force The Now to deal with him in the near future?
Backstage interview with the Judgment Day.
Byron Saxton walks over to ask Finn about tonight’s main event, the first-time-ever of Finn VS Cody. But also, Byron brings up their altercation with Edge. Finn thought Edge would’ve had enough by now, but clearly not. Byron knows Finn isn’t hard to find, so tell Edge that Finn works Mondays. As for Cody, the Too Sweet is Finn’s. The finger guns, that’s Finn’s. The number 30 spot in the Rumble, that SHOULD’VE been Finn’s! Cody’s been stealing from Finn for years! “So tonight, he’s getting taxed! Because Finn Balor is coming to collect.” The Prince is ready, but will he be able to get even with the American Nightmare?
The Miz is in the ring!
The Hollywood A-Lister says he has something on his shoulder, and it’s a hell of a lot more than a chip! First, last week on Raw’s 30th Anniversary show, Miz was not given time, he was assaulted by Kevin Owens! “Who, as far as I’m concerned, got exactly what he deserved at the Royal Rumble.” And speaking of, Miz got a terrible number in the Rumble! And then everyone teamed up on him because he was a threat, and he got eliminated FIRST! Then Miz goes to the airport and fans chanted “FIRST MAN OUT!” at him. The fans chant that here now! IF they wanna act like children, he’ll treat them like children! He raises his hand! “When my hand goes up, your mouths go shut!”
And tonight, instead of Miz having a chance to qualify for the Elimination Chamber, he has NOTHING! He wants to be treated with RESPECT! And until he is given matches that deserve his star power- Adam Pearce interrupts. We get it, Miz is upset, but Miz is always upset. Miz wants opportunities, but he always wants opportunities. But Pearce has a guy beating down his down wanting that same opportunity. So please welcome to the Raw roster… RICK BOOGS! Fans fire up as Boogs is back! Boogs air guitars and air drums to the ring, and Miz is confused. Boogs rocks in the ring, and Miz has him hold on. “Boogs? You want me to have a match with Boogs?!”
Miz says he is in a $10 THOUSAND suit that Maryse bought him! He can’t have a match! Pearce says fine, but Miz is always talking about how awesome he is, so here’s the way to prove it. A ref heads to the ring, this is happening!
The Miz VS Rick Boogs!
The bell rings, Miz protests, but he backs up into Boogs! Boogs TOSSES Miz into a corner! Boogs runs in but Miz has him stop! Miz doesn’t want him damaging the suit! Boogs fires up and stars air-drumming again. Miz ROCKS Boogs with a sucker punch! Fans boo, Miz says he’s in a suit! Boogs still gut wrenches Miz, throws him around, and Miz’s shoes fly off! Boogs then hits a GUT WRENCH SUPLEX! Miz staggers up, into a trophy lift! And a POWERSLAM! Cover, Boogs wins!
Winner: Rick Boogs, by pinfall
Now that was awesome! Boogs is ready to rock on Raw, will we see him turn it up to 11 on the way to WrestleMania?
The Alpha Academy regroups backstage.
Otis says that when the going gets tough, the tough get rough. Is that the saying? Otis and Gable go to the locker room, and Maximum Male Models is here? Maçé and Mansöôr don’t even understand what they’re looking at in Otis. “It’s disgusting.” “It’s grotesque!” But Maxxine Dupri says Otis is PERFECT! Huh? Is Maxxine looking at the same Otis we all are?
Bayley heads to the ring!
The Role Model walks back out, not only feeling good over helping Iyo Sky win against Candice LeRae, but also feeling good from making sure Becky Lynch didn’t win the Women’s Rumble, and beating down Becky to avoid the steel cage match with her. Bayley laughs and gets the mic as fans boo. “Did you guys really think I’d leave the building without talking about that?” Fans chant “BAYLEY SUCKS!” but she says she doesn’t. She knows we all saw what happened on Raw 30. Everyone is talking about how DMG CTRL took out Becky and made history. “It felt so good. We had so much confidence going into the Royal Rumble, if you couldn’t tell.”
They were dominant! Elimination after elimination after elimination, etc! But Bayley’s favorite was when she single-handedly eliminated The Man, Becky Lynch! HA! “Now finally, thank goodness, I’m done with Becky. The story is down, we’ve ended things, this obsession she has with Damage Control is done-” WAIT! Here comes Big Time Becks! Becky is the birthday girl tonight, and she tells Bayley, “Shut up, Bayley, ya stupid fool.” They’re not done until The Man says they’re done. Becky had already won the Rumble, she was just making sure Bayley and her team didn’t. Right, sounds like an excuse to Bayley.
Oh, excuses like robbing the fans of their Steel Cage match. Excuses like attacking Becky before the bell because Bayley was too scared. Excuses like doing whatever you can to avoid going 1v1 because Bayley doesn’t want to admit Becky’s better than her. Bayley laughs at that, and tells the fans to pipe down. Excuses, huh? Bayley is making excuses? No, Bayley is smart! Read a book or something! But Becky says Tulsa gets it. Bayley says she’s here to celebrate but Becky has to come out here and make it all about her. Well, it is Becky’s birthday. Bayley doesn’t give a damn! Becky doesn’t tell Bayley where and when to be or what to do! She’s not the suck-ups in the crowd!
Bayley knows Becky. And Bayley doesn’t like “Rebecca.” Becky is overrated. Becky isn’t good enough for all of this. To be champion again. Or to be in the ring with Bayley 1v1. Becky isn’t even good enough for her husband, Seth Freakin’ Rollins! HAH! Don’t act like you don’t know. The only reason Rollins married Becky is cuz he knocked her up! Becky stares daggers at Bayley’s smug smile. Becky says after all this time, she thought they were only fighting over wrestling. But whatever this is, this once-friendship, this animosity, this bitterness Bayley has, it all started 10 years ago in NXT in Orlando.
So since Raw will be in Orlando next week, that is where they should end this! Becky and Bayley will get that Steel Cage match once and for all! Bayley says, “What’re you, stupid, Becky? No! No chance!” Becky had a feeling Bayley would say that, so she’ll be right back. Oh, is she gonna go find another excuse? Another reason why she’s better than Bayley? Bayley has no time for this! She has to leave this crappy city. But then Becky returns, dragging Dakota Kai! Bayley is freaking out as Becky has Dakota’s leg inside a chair! What is it gonna be, Bayley? Kai, shush, The Man is talking. Bayley has to choose: the steel cage, or Kai getting the steel chair?
Bayley says wait WAIT WAIT! Bayley accepts the match! Oh, good. Thanks. Becky lets Kai go, and says Bayley can bring her friends along. But uh, maybe go check on Iyo in the back. Becky leaves and Bayley hurries to Kai’s side. Will Bayley regret pushing Big Time Becks to this point?
Backstage interview with Adam Pearce.
Cathy Kelley is with the WWE official, and says he has something big to announce. Yes, two big announcements. First, he is ecstatic that yes, next week, Becky VS Bayley in the Steel Cage is happening! And as if that’s not big enough, Rhea Ripley called out Charlotte Flair for her WrestleMania title match, so who will face Bianca Belair for her title? We figure that out at Elimination Chamber! There will be a Raw Women’s Championship #1 contenders Elimination Chamber match! The winner goes on to WrestleMania to face the EST!
Pearce says that the first four entrants are already decided, as they will be the final four superstars in the Women’s Rumble: Raquel Rodriguez, Liv Morgan, Nikki Cross and Asuka! “But wait, there’s more!” Also next week on Raw, they will hold a qualifying match for the fifth entrant in a Fatal 4 Way! Mia Yim VS Candice LeRae VS Piper Niven VS Carmella! All this, next week on Raw in Orlando! But wait, in walks CHELSEA GREEN! She asks if Pearce is the manager. He introduces himself but she already knows his name. She just wants to be sure he’s the man to talk to about the “unacceptable accommodations” she’s been given. Um, sorry?
Chelsea feels embarrassed for him, but someone must not have told Pearce. Chelsea is not just any returning superstar. She is THE Chelsea Green. Where is her private room? Where is her fresh spring water? Where is her Swiss chocolate? Uh… Chelsea expects this to be resolved IMMEDIATELY! Okay, then he’ll get her the chocolates… The Hot Mess is back, but will she focus less on her accommodations and more on her WrestleMania plans?
Elimination Chamber Match Qualifier: Dolph Ziggler VS Bronson Reed!
The Show-Off has had his issues with Austin Theory, he’s had the US title around his waist, and now he gets to go after both! Well, if he gets through the Colossal Aussie! Will Ziggler ride a wave of momentum into Montreal? Or will he be washed away by the Tsunami?
The bell rings and the two circle. Ziggler stays low with his amateur wrestling, but Bronson grabs him and THROWS him to a corner! Bronson rushes in but Ziggler dodges and then DROPKICKS back! Bronson stays up so Ziggler SPLASHES in the corner! ZIG- NO, Bronson bucks that, and then BODY CHECKS Ziggler! Bronson storms around, drags Ziggler up, and he HEADBUTTS Ziggler back down. Bronson drags Ziggler up, scoops him and SLAMS him, then runs to STEAMROLL him! Cover, TWO! Bronson is annoyed but he drags Ziggler into a chinlock. Ziggler endures as Bronson leans on the hold.
Fans rally, Ziggler fights up, and Ziggler JAWBREAKERS free! But Bronson clamps right back on! Ziggler fights up again, to JAWBREAKER again! Bronson staggers, but he runs in, into an elbow! Ziggler BOOTS Bronson, then dodges! Bronson hits buckles, and turns around into the SATELLITE DDT! Cover, TWO! Bronson is hanging tough, but Ziggler SUPER- NO, Bronson blocks the kick to ROLLING ELBOW! Ziggler wobbles, Bronson reels him in to suplex. Ziggler slips off, ZIGZAG!! Cover, TWO!?! Bronson survives Ziggler’s best shot, but he is also dazed. Ziggler and Bronson rise, and Ziggler throws hands.
Ziggler throws knees into Bronson’s head and fans rally for Ziggler. Ziggler HEADBUTTS, kicks low, and runs, but Bronson turns Famouser into POWERBOMB! Bronson puts Ziggler in the drop zone, then climbs up top! TSUNAMI!! Cover, Bronson wins!
Winner: Bronson Reed, by pinfall (advances to the Elimination Chamber)
And that’s all Bronson needed to crush Ziggler’s hopes and dreams! Will Bronson prove he is the top dog in the Elimination Chamber?
Backstage interview with Carmella.
Cathy starts but Mella needs more excitement first. She’s Carmella! The Moonwalking, Trash Talking Princess of Staten Island, and she’s back! And she’ll be back on top where she belongs when she wins the Fatal 4 Way to get into the Elimination Chamber. Because #MellaIsMoney. And there is not a single woman- Oh, wait! Asuka walks over! Is she welcoming Mella back? Or maybe she’ll say, “Mella is not ready for Asuka!” No, Asuka. You are not ready for Mella! Paint your face up, Mella still isn’t afraid. But then Asuka has blue teeth as she grins. Mella is more grossed out than afraid, but does this mean no one is ready for THIS Asuka?
The Street Profits talk with Elias and Boogs.
They’re all excited, but then Byron walks over to ask Boogs how it feels to come back after injury. “It feels like I’m climbing a mountain, in a loin cloth, and I just wanna scream at the top of my lungs! EEEEEEEEEYAH!” But for real, being back in front of the fans is electric. It feels like he’s riding the lightning! It has been a long road of recovery, but it is official! Rick… BOOOOOGS~ is BACK! Ford fires up for that! Boogs is a maniac but Ford loves it! Dawkins says he’s also shredded, and he can shred a guitar, too! YEAH! Elias says anyone can shred, but it takes true skill to be an artist. And Boogs has that potential.
Ford wants Elias to cool it with the hating. Boogs got the dub, now he has to get dressed so they can have a night out on the town! Boogs is BOOGING OUT! New thing, booging out! Byron then asks the others that all three of them have a shot at the Elimination Chamber match for the US title. Dawkins takes on Damian Priest, Ford takes on… Elias! Whoa, Byron sure knows how to stir the pot. But Ford and Elias go back like fins on a Cadillac, but Ford promises that HE will be the one moving on. Elias says hold on, hold on. Just like Cadillacs, Elvis and Johnny Cash, Elias is an American classic. And next week, things turn around for Elias, at Ford’s expense.
Elias has GOT to be the next US Champion! Whoa, don’t sleep on ya boi. Next week, when Dawkins beats Damian, he’ll be walking into SoFi as the US Champion. WHAT?! These friends all argue, but will it be like the Rumble: every man for himself?
Cody Rhodes VS Finn Balor w/ The Judgment Day!
The American Nightmare opened the night but was interrupted, and we now have a first-time-anywhere showdown! Will Finn exterminate the so-called Bullet Club parasite? Or will the Prince learn why Cody is uncrowned wrestling royalty?
The bell rings and Cody circles with Finn. Fans rally for Cody as they feel out the grapple. They tie up, go around, end up on ropes and then in a corner. Finn and Cody end up in another corner, and then Finn shoves Cody away. The two stare down, Finn jabs Cody in the chest with a finger, but Cody kicks low and drops for the RHODES UPPERCUT! Cody then wrenches an arm, suplexes Finn up and holds him up for TEN before the GOURD BUSTER! Finn scrambles out and fans fire up with Cody. Judgment Day coaches Finn up while Raw goes picture in picture.
Finn cools off, Rhea and Priest talk trash to Cody, and then Finn goes up the steel steps. Cody patiently waits, and Finn steps back in. Cody and Finn circle, feel things out, and then tie up. Finn headlocks, Cody powers up but Finn holds on tight. Cody fights up but Finn fights the suplex. Cody powers up again but Finn again holds tight. Finn hits a takeover, Cody headscissors, but Finn shrugs that off. Finn grinds the headlock, but Cody fights up again. Cody powers out this time, things speed up, but Finn KICKS Cody away! Cody clutches the repaired pec and Finn grins, knowing he hit the mark.
Finn and Cody reset, tie up again, and Finn waistlocks to drag Cody down. Finn keeps on an arm then floats to a facelock. Cody fights up, slips around and hammerlocks Finn. Finn fights up to get the ROPEBREAK! The ref counts, Cody lets off, but then Cody ROCKS Finn with a right. Cody CHOPS Finn, and Finn staggers away. Cody ROCKS Finn again, whips him to ropes, but Finn reverses. Cody sunset flips, Finn rolls through but Cody blocks the boot! Cody stands up, backs Finn into a corner, and puts the leg in the ropes to KICK it! Finn hobbles and Cody CLUBS him! Cody stalks Finn to the apron and DECKS him!
Cody springboard stomps, something he really is taking from Finn! Cody whips Finn corner to corner as Raw returns to single picture. Finn goes up but Cody catches him into an Alabama! Finn CLUBS Cody, Cody sets him down, and Finn trips Cody! Cody avoids the stomp to ELBOW, then he drops. But Finn blocks the uppercut to STOMP away on the bad pec! Finn SLAMS Cody’s arm, too, and Rhea mocks Cody, “How’s that feel, Nightmare?” Fans boo but Finn soaks up the heat. Finn drags Cody up, bumps him off buckles, then CHOPS him! Finn pulls the bad arm around the ropes, but lets off as the ref counts.
Finn CHOPS Cody again, snapmares him, then runs to PENALTY KICK! Cover, TWO! Rhea argues the count but Finn keeps cool. Finn stomps Cody to ropes, then drags him over to stomp him more. Finn springboard stomps to show Cody how it’s done! And again, and again, and again! The ref counts, Finn lets off, and fans boo. Finn tells Tulsa off, then he brings Cody through the ropes. Finn kicks Cody, kicks again, but Cody blocks to DRAPING DRAGON SCREW! Then BEAUTIFUL DISASTER! Finn falls to the floor and Cody builds speed! Cody DIVES and Finn hits the desk! Cody puts Finn in, but he has to dodge Priest!
Priest tumbles into the timekeeper’s area! Dom runs in, but Cody TOSSES him over the desk! Cody gets in the ring, he dodges Finn, and then hits a SPINNING POWERSLAM! Cover, TWO! Mami Rhea helps Dom-Dom up, and fans fire up, “This is Awesome!” Cody CLUBS Finn, springboards, but into a waistlock! Dragon sleeper, ELBOW DROP DDT! Cover, TWO! Finn is frustrated but Raw goes picture and picture again.
Cody sits up and grits his teeth but Judgment Day soaks up the heat. Rhea even says to “SUCK IT!” Finn clamps onto Cody, and he throws down elbows! Cody wants the bad arm but Cody resists! Finn still clamps on a chicken wing, but Cody fights up to his feet! Cody arm-drags Finn away! Cody runs in, but into a do-si-do that gives Finn to COBRA TWIST! Cody endures the stretch, pries at Finn’s legs, but Finn CLUBS Cody in the side again and again! Cody still endures as Finn puts more pressure on! Cody powers out to HIP TOSS Finn away! Cody then runs to drop an elbow! Cover, TWO! Finn gets to the corner and Judgment Day is relieved.
Cody storms up to whip Finn corner to corner, then he runs in, only for the splash to hit buckles! Finn stomps Cody back down, then stomps him more. Finn goes to the corner and he climbs up while Rhea mocks Cody. Finn reaches the top, but Cody ROCKS him first! Cody climbs up to join Finn, throws forearms, but Finn hits back! They brawl up top, Cody gets the edge, and Raw returns to single picture as Cody SLAPS Finn on the back! Cody SUPERPLEXES Finn!! Both men are down and Tulsa is thunderous! Judgment Day is worried, they coach Finn up but “This is Awesome!” as both men stir.
Finn and Cody rise, and Cody ROCKS Finn! Finn ROCKS Cody! Cody ROCKS Finn! Finn ROCKS Cody! The hands go back and forth, faster and faster, and Finn kicks low! Finn soaks up the heat, runs, but Cody follows to springboard, CODY CUTTER!! Cover, TWO!! Finn survives but Cody keeps focus. Cody stands and the fans rally up! Cody dragon sleepers, but Finn slips through! But Cody drops down to KICK Finn away! But Finn SLINGBLADES on return! Finn aims from the corner, runs in, but into a SUPERKICK! Cody covers, TWO!! Judgment Day continues to worry, but fans rally up behind Cody.
Cody has Finn’s legs, “WOO~!” and FIGURE- NO, cradle! TWO!! Finn runs in, Cody trips him and steps in again, but Finn BOOTS Cody out of the ring! Cody is surrounded by Judgment Day, but then Priest spots EDGE in the crowd! Priest intercepts, Priest and Edge brawl in the crowd! Edge THROWS Priest into walls! Edge DECKS Dom on his way to ringside, and then he keeps ON Dom! Dom flounders with every haymaker and Rhea is freaking out! Edge SPEARS Dom down! But then Rhea CLOBBERS Edge!! BUT HERE COMES BETH!! The Glamazon SPEARS Rhea like she did on Saturday!!
Fans are losing their minds, and Cody brings Finn up. Finn trips Cody, to DOUBLE STOMP! Finn takes aim, SHOTGUN sends Cody into the corner! Cody is in the drop zone, Finn climbs up! Fans boo, but Edge distracts Finn! Edge hops down, Finn leaps, but Cody avoids the Coup de Grace! CROSS RHODES!! But Cody holds on, for another CROSS RHODES! AND ANOTHER CROSS RHODES!!! Cover, Cody wins!
Winner: Cody Rhodes, by pinfall
The Rated R Superstar and the Glamazon made sure Judgment Day faced some of their own medicine! Will Edge & Beth finally finish what Edge started? And now, the American Nightmare is rolling along this Road to WrestleMania! Will Cody be ready to take down the Tribal Chief?
My Thoughts:
This was really a great Raw, especially in following up the Royal Rumble. For one, they built off of just about everything from the Rumble event, and we got great stuff out of Cody Rhodes, Judgment Day and of course, Edge and Beth. Great opening promo from Cody to establish that he is going after the Undisputed Universal title, aka both belts, not just the black ‘n’ gold world title belt. Good stuff from Judgment Day, acting like Dom was even close to winning the Rumble. And we got a great main event, including Edge and Beth again getting the best of Judgment Day. We most definitely need Edge & Beth VS Rhea & Dom at the Elimination Chamber event, since we know Rhea’s plans.
I was rather surprised Rhea chose Charlotte Flair, but her logic is also 100% spot on as to why she wants Charlotte. As such, it makes sense that Adam Pearce brings in a couple (currently) SmackDown superstars to fill out the Raw Women’s Championship Elimination Chamber match. Raquel and Liv have been building momentum on SmackDown, they’re great choices, and Nikki Cross has always been solid so good to see her get the nod. Carmella and Asuka are back, and they had a good promo together. Mella has reset back to her original gimmick, which is fitting since Asuka is being more like “Kana,” her persona in Japan. That Fatal 4 Way is going to be hard to call, but if Mella is back and she’s already had interaction with Asuka, it’d make sense if Mella got in.
Chelsea Green also had a good bit with Pearce, acting entitled given how strong she was going in Impact Wrestling. Great match out of Candice VS Sky, even with the ever constant overbooking of DMG CTRL getting involved. And then a great promo segment from Bayley and Becky. Becky taking out Kai & Sky offscreen some time before this was a nice touch, and Becky scaring Bayley into accepting the cage match was good stuff. It does seem pretty fitting to have this supposed blow-off in Orlando, maybe that cage match should be the main event. And while Sky beat Candice, she lost to Mia, so maybe we’ll get a tag title match come Elimination Chamber.
Rick Boogs being back was unexpected, and having him beat Miz while Miz is in his suit was good stuff. Great qualifying matches for the US Championship Elimination Chamber match. Rollins was a natural choice, but great match with Gable. I also like that Otis has oddly caught they eye of Maxxine Dupri now that MMM has moved over to Raw. As ridiculous as the male modeling agency gimmick is, they might as well lean into it and have Maxxine make round mound Otis into her masterpiece project. Great win for Bronson over Ziggler, and great win for Gargano over Corbin. Lumis with the hatchet was hilarious, especially with Corey being horrified by it.
And great locker room promo from Boogs, the Profits, and Elias. Elias and Boogs both being musical gimmicks, I am very confident they’ll be in a program on the Road to WrestleMania. And while Priest likely beats Dawkins to get into the Chamber, I would love for Ford to get in there. It’ll be a great showing for Ford as a singles guy, and could you just imagine seeing his From the Heavens frog splash off the top of a pod? That’d be an amazing moment all by itself. But also, good VIP Lounge segment from Theory, MVP and Lashley. Lashley accidentally hitting MVP adds a bit to their story, but I think Lashley is getting in the Chamber, too.
I don’t see Lashley winning the Chamber, but he could do most of the damage for Theory to capitalize on. And as I said before, Lashley VS Lesnar at Mania isn’t going to be about a title, so therefore Lashley doesn’t need to have a title on him. Depending on how this Hurt Business 2.0 goes, maybe Lashley moves over to SmackDown to start fresh.
My Score: 8.7/10
About Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
 MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)Â
THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports PodcastÂ
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)
TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends
Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5
Classic POD is WAR
Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
Coverage
Andrew’s TNA iMAPCT! & Unbreakable Results & Match Ratings: 4.17.2025
iMPACT is the Pre-Show, Unbreakable is a TNA+ Special! See what happened!
iMPACT! is getting the old Heat treatment as a TV episode pre-show. While nothing about the iMPACT episode seems overly intriguing, they all actually have narrative weight, and since the last two weeks have been devoid of weight and general cohesion…this might be a surprisingly good episode which would serve as a better pre-show than expected.
I’m still mad that it’s a damn Thursday and they want to have 4-5 hours of show because WrestleMania reasons. Even WWE realized doing long shows before workdays was stupid, so NJPW giving them the idea to break Mania into two nights is a boon for everyone over thirty.
Also the main reason I’m doing a joint article. Since Unbreakable starts immediately after iMPACT, I’m not gonna put up back to back articles. One stop shoppin it!
Will @AJFrancis410 be crowned the FIR$T TNA International Champion TONIGHT at #TNAUnbreakable?!
WATCH #TNAiMPACT on TNA+: https://t.co/rT1TusIxJd pic.twitter.com/rxiBn6PxPw
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 18, 2025
iMPACT! – Ratings:
- Laredo vs Jason Hotch w/Tasha Steelz: Laredo wins via Laredo Fly – ** 1/4
- Jazmyn Nyxx w/Fatal Influence vs Xia Brookside w/Lei Ying Lee: Xia wins via Small Package – **
- KC Navarro vs Cody Deaner: KC wins via Loaded Fist – **
- Maggie Lee & Heather by Elegance w/Personal Concierge vs Gigi Dolin & Tatum Paxley: Hot Topic Hotties win via Cemetery Drive – ** 1/4
- Jakara Jackson w/Lash Legend vs Dani Luna w/Jody Threat: Dani wins via Luna Landing – ** 1/4
- Leon Slater vs Brian Myers: Myers wins via Roster Cut – ** 1/2
Unbreakable – Quick Ratings:
- Zachary Wentz vs Eric Young vs AJ Francis: Young wins via Piledriver – *** 1/4
- Ace Austin vs Steve Maclin vs Eddie Edwards w/Alisha: Steve Maclin wins via KIA – *** 1/2
- X Division Championship: Moose(c) w/Alisha vs Akeem: Moose wins via Lights Out – Long Squash
- Mustafa Ali & Nemeths vs Hardys & Mike Santana: Jeff Hardy wins via Swanton Bomb – ***
- Kaz & Tessa vs Joe Hendry & Masha: Hendry wins via Standing Ovation – ** 3/4
- Barb Wire Massacre: Sami Callihan vs Mance Warner w/Steph De Lander: Callihan wins via Cactus Driver ’97 – ** 1/2
- Inaugural International Championship: AJ Francis vs Steve Maclin vs Eric You: Maclin wins via K.I.A. – *** – TITLE CHANGE!!!
Results:
Laredo vs Jason Hotch w/Tasha Steelz
Laredo starts quick with a Straight Right, Tijeras, a few quick strikes, kicks Hotch out of the ring, wants a Plancha, but Tasha gets in the way to stop Laredo’s offense which gives Hotch an opening. Quick trip, a few chops and a hard Irish Whip has Laredo trying to catch his breath. Hotch tries to go for another Strong Irish Whip but Laredo reverses, two kicks, Flying Neckbreaker into a Missile Dropkick sending Hotch to the outside. Laredo finally pulls off his Suicida, and he’s rolling. Corner Forearm, Uno Mass Corkscrew Moonsaults, but Hotch manages to get away after two. A Snap Jab staggers Laredo, Ali style Outside In Rolling Neckbreaker and Hotch tries to take things to the top. But Laredo counters and Avalanche Michinoku Driver…only for two.
Laredo tries to keep things going, Back Handspring Crossbody, but Hotch catches him, big Tilt-a-Whirl Backbreaker for two. Hotch looks to the corner and then gets scared because he thinks Santana might strike, Hotch and Tasha argue, Laredo recovers and runs up the corner and hits the Laredo Fly for the win.
If @CodyDeaner can take down @KCwrestles tonight on #TNAiMPACT he punches his ticket Ultimate X at #TNARebellion! @milanmiracle
WATCH #TNAiMPACT on TNA+: https://t.co/rT1TusIxJd pic.twitter.com/T5zqKHVr24
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 18, 2025
Jazmyn Nyx w/Fatal Influence vs Xia Brookside w/Lei Ying Lee
Jazmyn and Xia go for a chain wrestling or World of Sport kind of start. Xia even gets out of the Head Scissors with the classic Hand Stand and pop. After a little taunting, Jazmyn tries to charge but Xia loops around for a flash Cradle, Nyx kicks out quick and retreats to her Fatal Influence friends for a breather. Xia catches her with a Dropkick, a few strikes and starts putting things together until Jazmyn catches her in the corner and Snake Eyes Xia the hard way and then starts leaning her into the ropes, a few Leg Sweeps, PK kicks and Jazmyn is in control. Fisherman’s Suplex Hold from Jazmyn but Xia kicks at two. She tries to fight back up but Jazmyn is using her positioning to keep control. Bulldog into the middle buckle, puts Xia between the ropes and lays in a Round Kick to her chest and Xia has been eating offense for the last few minutes. The crowd tries to rally the little British Angel, but Jazmyn lays in some forearms, hits the ropes, Xia ducks and they hit stereo High Kicks to double down for a few moments.
Xia starts to rally, gets a few shots in, Tijeras, Xia tries Angel Wings but Jazmyn moves. Jazmyn tries to stay on her, but a Jawbreaker gives Xia time to go to the corner, Xia hits the Crossbody, Angel Wings, and looks for a DDT or something but Fatal Influence get involved distracting everyone. Lei has Fallon hanled, but Jacy is mouthing off causing Rosemary to come down and make a Mist save. Jazmyn tries to be opportunistic, but Xia blocks her move and hits the Small Package for the win.
Overbooked and timing was a bit shoddy in some spots, but not offensive. Not bad, but not good either.Â
KC Navarro vs Cody Deaner
This is for a spot in the Ultimate X match. Here’s to hoping the Blessed One beats the hell out of the loser who’s about as over as Herpes. Meaning he never goes away, and he’s unlikable. Anyone that says “Funny Underdogs are needed on shows”, isn’t that like 60% of the roster? No one is funny if everyone tries to be funny. KC however, he’s fucking hilarious and amazing.
KC tries to pay off Deaner and get him to forfeit, Deaner of course does the underdog thing of fighting back, dumb looking punches, goofball corner spot that he lengthens to the put of looking dumb and not funny. Oh thank God KC hits the Spiderman in the ropes, ducks Deaner and 305 gets hit for a near fall. Now KC is rolling, nice quick offense, Snapmare, Front Roll Neck Snap, Stomp into Split into cover for only two. Deaner goes for the comeback, and a few Lariats, Bulldog, and everything looks soo stupid. Deaner puts KC in the Airplane spin, gets dizzy and then goes again, TKO for two.
Navarro tries to powder, Deaner goes after him but the ref gets Deaner off of him since KC was in the ropes, KC wraps his necklace around his knuckles and a quick Jab to the face as Deaner tries to suplex him, 1-2-3, Blessed WIN.
If Deaner was the only doofus guy he’d be fine, but when we have Santino, Arianna, Laredo, KC, Great Hands, Brian Myers, Dango, Alisha, Hendry (while not a doofus isn’t close to serious), Kaz, Elegance Brand (all 3 of them), Ryan Nemeth and those are just off the top of my head. Everyone can’t be silly or no one is silly and nothing matters.
Maggie Lee & Heather by Elegance w/Personal Concierge vs Gigi Dolin & Tatum Paxley
I’m gonna keep any Gigi drooling to a minimum since I respect my boy Wentz, but I will say, you gotta love Hot Topic Hotties. Yes I like walking red flags, I’m self aware, and okay with it.
Maggie and Gigi start, a few quick counters, Gigi manages the Double Hook Cradle for two, then Hot Topic Hotties go tandem with a Dropkick and a Twisting Elbow for another two. Tatum is officially legal, Maggie looks for the tag but Heather wants to push Maggie more. Which is exactly how ASH treated her. Tatum turns it around, Gigi tags in, Poetry Bronco, and then Kawada Kicks from Gigi. Concierge distracts, Maggie grabs her, Heather takes the cheap shot, Suplex from Maggie for two. Heather and Maggie get some offense in together, and Heather is working Gigi over in the heel corner. Unicorn Stampede essentially. Heather goes for a pinfall and its only 2. Heather is getting frustrated, Gigi with an Upkick headscissors, Heather tries to stop the tag out, but eats the Mule Kick.
Tatum starts beating on Heather, rams Heather into Maggie, Cartwheel Peach Sunrise, tags in Gigi, Double Headbutts and Cemetery Drive from the Hot Topic Hotties and everyone wins. Jesus…will never leave this chat, he started it.
Jakara Jackson w/Lash Legend vs Dani Luna w/Jody Threat
Things start a little slow, Collar & Elbow tie up that they won’t relent for a while, Jakara tries to turn it into a Headlock Takeover, but Dani is too strong. Dani gets a few shots in, hops the rope for something but Lash makes her present felt and trips Dani while Jakara distracts the referee. The referee didn’t see anything but ejects Lash anyway. Lash won’t go, tries to intimidate the ref and say no. Jakara keeps things moving against Dani while Lash takes her sweet time slowly walking away. Jakara tries a Roll-Up but Dani too thicc to keep down. Dani fights back up, scoops Jakara and drops her unceremoniously.
Jakara starts laying in a bunch of Falling Knees and gets a quick two, before locking in a Cravat that Dani tries to fight out of. Dani counters out of it, ducks the Line, and they crash into each other with Forearms. The Double Fall Down spot is a little played out and this is only the pre-show really.
Dani levels Jakara with a few Lariats, looks for the Luna Landing, Jakara slips it so Dani comes off the ropes with a Busaiku Knee. Luna wants a Blue Thunder but Jakara gets away until Luna grabs her again for the Rebound Blue Thunder Bomb and a near fall. Luna charges the corner, misses, Jakara hits the Tornado DDT, but only two. Jakara tries to ram Dani’s head into the buckles, but Luna blocks, fires and takes Jakara’s head off, Luna Landing gets his and Dani wins!
Elijah has a promo segment and they have a really Sesame Street style “Walk this Way” words on the screen thing. When they did the bouncing ball lyrics with Ron Killings, it was at least cool. This comes off as corny and low budget public broadcasting crap just for Elijah to announce an open challenge at Rebellion or something. Admittedly I zoned out cause I figured it would be nothing of note.
Leon Slater vs Brian Myers
Myers and Slater start in a shoving match jawing at each other, and then Leon lays in a Shoulder Tackle off the ropes, some jumping crap and Myers is getting bounced from corner to corner like a dork. Leon tries to continue the Around the World but a punch, Thrust Kick and Irish Whip across the ring gives him some confidence, but he eats the Feint Mule Kick, Back Handspring Back Elbow…and again System matches are “look stupid and get beat up for 70% of the match until a shortcut can be taken”. Speaking of short cuts, Leon goes for his Corner Leap, Myers guards from it, Leon repositions but gets tripped and eats a Spear. Then…we go to commercial.
Coming out of the commercials Myers is still in control. Leon slips out of a suplex and then connects with a flurry of offense, Myers eats more kicks than I can count, powders, Leon does his corner post leap, comes in and looks to win but an Implant DDT, dick kick and Roster Cut gives Myers the win.
Overall iMPACT! Rating: 5/10
Nothing special but at least it made some sense and was a better than the last few episodes. Low bar comparatively. Now immediately onto Unbreakable! So because this is a long night, I figured I’d do a Watch A Long with Mat Sarpraicone over on Dirt Sheet Radio because I have zero faith in Unbreakable being worth the 2-3 hours it will take to watch it.
So you’ll get quick results with ratings and an overall thoughts at the end of Unbreakable from me, because it’s late and I needed something to keep me awake.
Overall Unbreakable Rating: 4.5/10
The iMPACT! episode was easier to watch and digest, three Triple Threats is too many and the Main Event being a slow paced triple threat after a Barb Wire match and a bunch of faster matches really doesn’t resonate well with fans. Even though I didn’t love the Sami vs Mance match, ending on carnage and the “babyface” winning would’ve been a much better way to send the crowd home happy and we wouldn’t have needed so much time fill during the last hour of the show.
Maclin being the inaugural International Champion is cool, setting up the first defense against Eric Young is good for their story, so most of the marks were hit. It just was too damn slow and had no business being a main event. Champions vs Challengers was okay, but it only really picked up when Masha and Tessa were mixing it up. I liked Moose having the extended squash match for shits and giggles, but two Triples back to back to open the show is an easy way to burn out a crowd. Sure the Moose match was an extended piss break to recharge the crowd, but the card was just laid out awkwardly and things felt like far more of a chore than they should have.
All in all this was a very lame event. Yes I get it was purely stop gap to take advantage of WrestleMania weekend, but with Rebellion next week, we all knew it wasn’t gonna shake things up too much. But hot damn was I about to fall asleep if I wasn’t doing the watch-a-long to not pass out.
About Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
 MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)Â
THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports PodcastÂ
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)
TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends
Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5
Classic POD is WAR
Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
Is Thursday night alright for fighting?
AEW Spring Breakthru continues as Collision is brewin‘ up a TNT Championship Open Challenge! Will it be all about the BOOM for Adam Cole, Baybay?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Kevin Knight VS Lance Archer w/ Don Callis; Knight wins.
- Josh Alexander & Konosuke Takeshita VS Rocky Romero & Tomohiro Ishii; Alexander & Takeshita win.
- 2v1 Handicap Match: Megan Bayne w/ Penelope Ford VS Rebecca Scott & Ashley Vox; Megan wins.
- AEW TNT Championship Open Challenge: Adam Cole VS Claudio Castagnoli; Cole wins and retains the title.
- Six Man Tag: La Faccion Ingobernable VS Rosario Grillo, Leon St. Giovanni & KM; LFI wins.
- ROH World Television Championship: Komander w/ Alex Abrahantes VS Nick Wayne; Nick wins and becomes the new ROH World TV Champion.
- Mercedes Mone & Harley Cameron VS Kris Statlander & Julia Hart; Kris & Julia win.
PLAY BY PLAY
Marina Shafir storms out here!
She throws some poor rando around on stage, and then kicks her off stage, to then storm into the ring. Marina intimidates Arkady Aura into giving up her mic, then here come the Death Riders! Claudio Castagnoli SHOVES a cameraman down, then SMASHES the camera! Then he CHOKE SLAMS the cameraman through a table! Wheeler Yuta beats up more equipment, the fans boo these sore losers, because clearly this is all in response to losing the AEW World Trios Championships just last night. Boston tells off Yuta but he just uses that as motivation. Jon Moxley is in the ring, waiting for all of this to calm down a bit.
Marina gives Moxley the mic, and Moxley tells the fans and everyone celebrating last night better enjoy it now. “Hobbs, Swerve, Shibata, enjoy it now! Because it’s the last chance you’re gonna have to celebrate for a long time!” The fans boo, but Moxley tells The Young Bucks he officially doesn’t like them, he doesn’t like looking at them, so they better stay in their own lane. They cross the line with Moxley, he swears to God that they are never seen or heard from again, and he means that! Fans are torn there, but Moxley says from the first day he started in this sport, there was one undisputed baddest man in pro-wrestling. That man is Samoa Joe.
The fans cheer for “JOE! JOE! JOE!” and Moxley says he has always shown Joe respect, treated him with reverence. The fans sing, “Joe is gonna kill~ you!” Yuta tells them to shut up! Moxley says he has given Joe that reverence, he has given Joe his space, and it could’ve stayed that way. But Joe started something that Moxley has to finish. Because Moxley doesn’t know any other way, he will not run, he will not hide, he will not roll over and die. he knows no other way to do this but to fight Joe to the death for the AEW World Championship! Tomorrow, now, for better or worse! Mox will be clear: He is challenging Joe!
The fans again chant for “JOE! JOE! JOE!” Moxley says that’s all he’s gotta say. Joe’s known Moxley long enough to know exactly what he’s dealing with. Moxley then storms off, leading the Death Riders away. Will Samoa Joe accept that challenge, and perhaps even go Double or Nothing?
Kevin Knight VS Lance Archer w/ Don Callis!
The Jet is feeling real good having his share of $400,000, and he’s preparing for next month’s NJPW Best of the Super Juniors tournament. But will Knight still be too fly? Or will he be sent crashing down by the Murderhawk Monster?
The moment Archer hits the ring, he hits Knight! Archer fires off in a corner, the bell rings, and the ref counts. The fans boo but archer only stops to throw his jacket at Knight! Then he THROWS Knight out of the ring! The fans tell Callis off like they did last night, but Archer SMACKS Knight off the LED walls! Archer says night-night, Knight! He CLUBS Knight down on the stage, then drags him up to TOSS him down the ramp! Knight flounders to the apron but Archer steps inside to stop the ring count. Archer goes out to drag Knight up, choke grips, and CHOKE- NO, Knight flips free! Knight blocks a boot, ROCKS Archer, then goes up the corner, BIG triangle jump DROPKICK!
The fans fire up as night goes to the apron, springboards, QUEBRADA! They fall on the ramp and the fans fire up! Knight storms after Archer as they go into the ring, then Knight climbs up. Knight leaps to SEATED- NO, Archer catches Knight! Knight fights and RANAS Archer into a corner! Knight stomps and UPPERCUTS on repeat! Knight then stomps a mudhole, but stops as the ref counts 4. The fans fire up with Knight, but Archer LARIATS Knight inside-out! The fans boo but Archer drags Knight back up. Short arm LARIAT! Callis applauds while Archer rains down forearms on Knight’s head.
The ref reprimands about pulling hair but Archer tells him to shut up! Archer stomps Knight, paces around him, then drags him up. Archer CLUBS Knight on the back, then stalks him to a corner. Archer CHOPS Knight but the fans rally, “Let’s Go, Kevin!” Archer whips, Knight sunset flips, but Archer stays up! But Knight avoids the punch! Knight runs to SLIDING SHOULDER TACKLE! Archer tumbles out of the ring, Knight runs, and he WRECKS Archer with a dropkick! Archer pinballs off the desk, then Knight goes up the corner. But Callis grabs at Knight’s foot! The fans boo, Callis gets away with that, but Archer drags Knight down!
Archer ROCKS Knight, then SWINGS him into the steel steps! Archer is all fired up, Callis is happy, but the fans boo while Collision goes picture in picture.
Archer drags Knight up, brings him around, and whips him hard into railing! Knight sputters, the fans cheer him on, but Archer brings Knight up. Archer ROCKS Knight, sits him in a chair, and then runs up to BOOT him down! Knight slumps against the barriers while Archer refreshes the count. But this just lets Callis get his shots in! Callis hammers Knight, but stops before he gets caught. Callis talks smack on the fans, especially that one guy in the third row. Archer stands Knight up against barriers, calls out a small child in their father’s arms, and then CHOPS Knight! Archer drags Knight along the way, taunts more fans, but Knight fires body shots!
Knight CHOPS Archer, but Archer isn’t even bothered! Archer whips Knight back into the ring, then storms in after him. Archer looms over Knight, stands on Knight’s hand, then steps off as the ref reprimands. Archer taunts Knight, stands him up, and pulls hair to put him in the corner. Archer climbs up, taunts the fans, and he smothers Knight! Archer rains down fists, but he stops short of ten to rob the fans the satisfaction! Spring Breakthru returns to single picture and Archer runs corner to corner. ELBOW! Archer keeps moving, and he ELBOWS Knight again! Archer wants more, so he runs again, to ELBOW Knight again!
The fans are torn as Archer has his hattrick, and he looms over Knight again. Archer taunts Knight, slaps him around, but Knight fires a body shot! Archer nods, eggs Knight on, and Knight fires more hands! The fans fire up, but Archer DECKS Knight! Archer drags Knight around, has a cocky cover, ONE!! Knight is tougher than that as a former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion, and he flips Archer off! Archer grabs at him, Knight cradles, TWO!! Archer almost got caught, but he BOOTS Knight for that! And GERMAN SUPLEXES! Knight lands on his face and Archer grins. The fans rally for Knight but Archer puts him in a corner.
Archer hoists Knight up top, ROCKS him, then lifts Knight in the reverse crucifix! Knight flails, BLACKOUT- NO, Knight lands out! But Archer grabs him! CHOKE- DROPKICK! Knight turns things around, then fires hands! The fans rally as hard as they can for Knight as Knight fires shot after shot! Knight whips, Archer reverses, but knight slips to the outside! Archer hits buckles, Knight springboards in, but Archer gets clear. Knight comes back, but into a BOOT/STOMP! Archer drags Knight right up, then goes up the corner with him! The fans fire up already as Archer lifts Knight, but Knight fires elbows!
Knight fires body shots now, Archer pushes him back, but Knight returns, to the UPPER ROOM! Knight rolls and UFO SPLASHES! Cover, TWO! Archer is still in this, but Knight runs corner to corner, only for Archer to dodge! Arche comes back, DERAILER!! Archer hauls Knight up, BUCKLE BOMBS, and CHOKE SLAMS! Cover, TWO?!?! Knight survives and Callis is furious! Archer snarls but he drags Knight back to a corner. The fans rally as hard as they can for “KEVIN! KEVIN!” but Archer walks the tightrope! But Knight trips Archer up! Archer is stuck on the ropes, and Knight DROPKICKS him down!
The fans fire up as Knight springboards, FLYING FOREARM to the floor! The fans fire up and Knight puts Archer in! Knight springboards, but Archer catches him! Knight HOTSHOTS that arm, then springboards again, FLYING LARIAT!! Cover, Knight wins!!
Winner: Kevin Knight, by pinfall
The Jet flies high and takes the win! Will this literally big win help Knight take over the BOSJ?
The Opps speak.
After Dynamite went off the air, the NEW AEW World Trios Champions regrouped backstage. Samoa Joe said, “Do you understand the unusual thing about predators? Predators tend to think they are the largest and most evil thing in the jungle. They think that nothing pursues them because they are the pursuers. Tonight, the Death Riders learned that wasn’t the case. See, we are The Opps. We are not a movement, we are not an understanding between gentlemen, no. We are men who only need an opportunity and excuse to commit violence. We are men like Shibata. We are men like myself. And now, Death Riders, you learned we are men like Willy Hobbs.
“We are The Opps. We are your AEW Trios Champions. And we are coming for so much more.” The Death Riders were the hunters but are now the hunted, will their reign of terror end thanks to The Opps?
BREAKING NEWS for next week’s Collision!
While Collision will return to Saturday nights, it will also have to wait until after coverage of the NBA Playoffs. The silver lining? It’ll be live from coast to coast! Make sure you schedule accordingly so you don’t miss a minute of the Playoff Palooza!
Backstage interview with Jamie Hayter & Kris Statlander.
Renee Paquette is with these two ahead of their Women’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament match, set for next week on Dynamite. It is a semifinal match, and yet this is also the first time Kris and Jamie face off 1v1. The winner goes on to Double or Nothing to face Mercedes Mone in the tournament finals, but Kris stops Renee there. Enough about Mone. And enough about Toni Storm, honestly. There are plenty of other women in this locker room who work just as hard, if not harder, than those two. Jamie says she won’t disagree there. Jamie works hard, Kris works hard, and Jamie won’t stand here to give endless pats on the back.
But Jamie also knows Kris is good, being a former TBS Champion. And Kris knows Jamie is good, being a former AEW Women’s World Champion. They both know they can go, and this right here has been a long time coming. Whoever wins this, they better go all the way. See you Wednesday, mate. That match is for Dynamite, but will Kris get a leg up on Mone in the tag match later tonight?
Tony Schiavone reads a letter from FTR.
Given the suspension as announced last night, Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler are not allowed in the building, so they sent this message instead.
“Dear Tony & Nigel, I (Dax) wish I could take back everything we did to you guys last week. It was completely unacceptable, unnecessary, and unwarranted. I honestly think the punishment for us wasn’t severe enough.” Schiavone explains it is a suspension for a week, without pay. Dax’s letter continues to say, “Tony, I would never have gone through with the piledriver with you. You said some things about my daughter that I won’t hold against you. But in the heat of the moment, I felt I was justified to scare you a little. I love you, Tony.” Schiavone rolls his eyes, the fans boo because they don’t believe Dax’s words.
Schiavone explains this next part is addressed to Nigel. “I never wanted things to get physical between the three of us, I know your body, and your mind for that matter, is very fragile.” Nigel rolls his eyes at the passive aggressiveness there. “I’m sure you were thinking the same thing with emotions as we were. Even though you probably knew there was no way you could ever beat us up, LOL. Again, my sincerest apologies to you both, and I hope we can just move forward in a professional and productive manner. With love, Dax Harwood.” The fans still boo the ingenuine sentiments, and Nigel sarcastically accepts the apology. Will FTR ever actually learn their lesson?
Josh Alexander & Konosuke Takeshita VS Rocky Romero & Tomohiro Ishii!
The Walking Weapon couldn’t defeat the Cowboy, so he goes and sucker punches him after the match, then seemingly joins forces with The Don Callis Family! Will Alexander get his first win alongside The Alpha? Or can Azucar & Stone Pitbull conglomerate their way to a victory?
The teams sort out and Ishii starts against Konosuke in a battle of Openweight Champions! The fans fire up as Ishii and Konosuke go toe to toe, then they start shoving! The forearms start flying, the fans fire up, and Ishii gets the edge! Ishii runs, but Konosuke BOOTS him! Konosuke whips, Ishii reverses, and then Ishii ducks the lariat to waistlock. Ishii ducks an elbow, but Konosuke ROCKS Ishii! Konosuke reels Ishii in, but Ishii suplexes first! Konosuke fights free, then runs up, and they RAM shoulders! The fans fire up and Ishii runs to RAM Konosuke again! Konosuke returns, runs through the chop and he CLOBBERS Ishii!
Ishii is up, he runs through a chop and then CLOBBERS Konosuke! Konosuke is back up, both men run in, and they RAM each other down! The fans fire up while Konosuke and Ishii back off. Tag to Rocky and Alexander and the fans rally again. The two circle, tie up, and Alexander waistlocks. Rocky switches, Alexander switches, and Alexander SLAMS Rocky down! Rocky brushes that off while the fans rally. The two circle, tie up, and Rocky wrenches. Alexander knees low, whips, but Rocky slides under! Rocky wheelbarrows and arm-drags! Alexander comes back, Rocky dodges and RANAS! The fans fire up while Rocky gives some Azucar Heat!
Rocky runs up, Alexander DUMPS him to the apron, but Rocky UPPERCUTS! Alexander distracts the ref so that Konosuke can YANK Rocky down! Konosuke DOUBLE CHOPS Rocky, then DRIVE-BY DROPKICKS! Rocky sputters while Collision goes picture in picture.
Alexander runs to BODY CHECK Rocky off the apron! The Don Callis Family soaks up the heat, then they fetch Rocky off the ground. Alexander puts Rocky on the apron, CLUBS him, then slides in. Alexander has the ref watch Ishii, and then he stomps Rocky around. Alexander scoops and SLAMS Rocky, then tags Konosuke. Konosuke goes up to SUPER SENTON! Cover, TWO! Rocky stays in this, but Konosuke stays on Rocky with a snapmare and KCIK! Konosuke tags Alexander and Alexander stalks Rocky. Alexander drags Rocky from the ropes to drop a knee! Cover, TWO! Alexander stalks Rocky to the ropes, then bumps him off buckles.
Alexander CHOPS Rocky, and Collision goes to break.
Collision returns and Konosuke has Rocky up top! Rocky fights the back suplex with fists, then he BITES Konosuke! The ref reprimands, but Rocky cravats to hit a SUPER SLICED BREAD! The fans fire up while both men crawl, hot tags to Alexander and Ishii! The fans fire up as these two RAM, and RAM, and then Ishii ROCKS Alexander! Ishii whips, Alexander reverses, but Ishii comes back to CLOBBER Alexander! And SAIDO! Cover, TWO! Alexander survives but Ishii runs, only for Konosuke to get a cheap shot in! Ishii DECKS Konosuke for it! Alexander waistlocks, Ishii fights and switches, but Konosuke runs in!
Alexander ducks, Konosuke BOOTS Ishii! Konosuke runs, he and Ishii DOUBLE LARIAT! Konosuke rebounds to LARIT Ishii down! Rocky runs up, wrenches Konosuke, and kicks off Alexander to TORNADO DDT! Ishii LARIATS Konosuke back down, but Alexander kicks! Ishii blocks, feed to Rocky for a kick and UPPERCUT! Then Ishii hits a GERMAN SUPLEX! The fans fire up more as Ishii runs, and he LARIATS Alexander down! Cover, Rocky blocks Konosuke, but Konosuke SHOVES Rocky onto Ishii! The match is saved but the ref reprimands everyone for being in the ring. Ishii and Rocky argue, but Konosuke has Rocky!
Rocky avoids the forearm, so Konosuke DECKS Ishii! Alexander BOOTS Rocky out of the ring! Alexander torture racks Ishii, for the TOWER HACKER BOMB!! Cover, TWO?!? But into an ANKLE LOCK!! Rocky sends Konosuke into railing! Ishii endures, reaches out, but Rocky storms in! Rocky springboards to CROSSBODY Alexander! The fans fire up, but Konosuke runs in! Rocky DUMPS Konosuke out, then PLANCHAS! Ishii LARIATS Alexander, suplexes, but Alexander fights it! Alexander wrenches, Ishii wrenches back, but Alexander gets around to GERMAN SUPLEX! Bridging cover, ROCKY BREAKS IT!
The fans fire up as we get another save! Rocky brings Alexander i, but Alexander waistlcoks. Rocky fights free, throws an elbow, then a HAYMAKER! Rocky reels Alexander in, but Alexander hits a GOURD BUSTER! Alexander hoists Rocky up, but Ishii helps Rocky RANA! Rocky KICKS Alexander, cravats, and Ishii gives him the boost! SHIRA- NO, Alexander slips free! Rocky waistlocks Alexander, Ishii runs up, but Alexander ducks! The LARIAT hits Rocky! Then Alexander rolls Ishii up, with tights! TWO!! Alexander fires a flurry of elbows, but Ishii roars! Ishii runs in, but into a GERMAN SUPLEX! But he’s right back up!?
Alexander runs up, Ishii SWATS a lariat, then ROCKS Alexander! Alexander ROCKS Ishii, but Ishii HEADBUTTS! The fans fire up while both men fall! A standing count starts, but Ishii crawls hover, hot- WHAT?! Rocky leaves Ishii hanging?! WHY?!? The fans boo, but Konosuke BOOTS Ishii! Then feed to a GERMAN SUPLEX! Alexander holds on, ripcord, DOUBLE ROLLING ELBOWS!! Then a POWERBOMB!! High stack, Don Callis Family wins!
Winners: Konosuke Takeshita & Josh Alexander, by pinfall
Rocky looks conflicted, but they why did he leave Ishii all alone to begin with?! Callis celebrates with his guys, will nothing stop the family from taking over AEW? Rocky goes back to help Ishii, but Ishii shoves Rocky! Ishii asks what the heck, but wait! Is that TRENT BERETTA!? Rocky CLOBBERS Ishii, and Trent takes off the jacket! Trent rains down fists on Ishii now, and the Callis Family returns?! Trent was Don Callis Family the last time we saw him, and it seems he still IS Don Callis Family! Callis explains to Konosuke that it’s fine, and he gives Trent the monkey wrench! The very thing that took Trent out almost a year ago!
Rocky stands Ishii up, and says goodbye. Trent CLOBBERS Ishii with the monkey wrench!!! Trent & Rocky are in the Family, will AEW soon belong to them?
Backstage interview with Mercedes Mone.
Lexy Nair welcomes in #FourBeltsMone, and Mone again says, “Bostooon~! Say hello to your C E O!” Lexy congratulates Mone on defeating Athena last night and advancing to the Women’s Owen Hart Cup finals at Double or Nothing. She will either face Kris or Jamie, and Kris is someone Mone has had a lot of history with. Mone stops Lexy there and says that history is where Mone won them all. Tonight, she is in the main event in another tag match alongside Harley Cameron. Mone already groans as Harley brings out “Mini Mone!” “Bostooooon~! Say hello to your C E O~!” Mone says she already did that.
Mini Mone knows Main Mone doesn’t wanna talk to Harley right now, but she has assured Mini Mone that things will be different this time. They better be! Now now, talk to Mini Mone. She’s not gonna do that! Harley, just stay out of the way and not be such a loser! Harley pouts but Mone says there’s no reason to be sad. Mini Mone says yeah, there’s no crying in wrestling! Damn right! Wait, wait, why is she talking like the puppet’s real!? Harley starts singing “Ride the Money Wrath Train~!” Mone says no no no! Mone storms off, but the train is on the tracks either way. Mini Mone says, “See you tonight!” Will The CEO and the wild Aussie stay on track as we head for Double or Nothing?
2v1 Handicap Match: Megan Bayne w/ Penelope Ford VS Rebecca Scott & Ashley Vox!
The wrath of the Megasus has yet to be satiated, so she is again doubling up on opponents. Will even Everyone’s Favorite Flight Attendant & The Reel Catch #BowDown?
The bell rings and Vox & Scott DOUBLE DROPKICK! The fans fire up as they bring the fight to Megan with fast hands! They double whip, but Megan crisscrosses them into each other, then DOUBLE GERMAN SUPLEXES!! The fans fire up as Megan roars, and she reels Vox in! Megan hauls Vox up to POWERBOMB! And deadlift for ANOTHER POWERBOMB! And ANOTHER POWERBOMB!! Vox flounders away while the fans fire up! Megan aims at Scott, runs in, and LEAPING LARIATS! Megan is all fired up, and she hauls Scott up, FATE’S DESCENT onto Vox!! Double cover, Megan wins!
Winner: Megan Bayne, by pinfall
Vox & Scott tried, but they could not stop this female titan! Megan then sits them both up and tells them, “BOW DOWN!” Megan SMACKS them off the mat! The Superbad Girl raises Megan’s hand in victory, will nothing stop Megan from storming back up the mountain?
Anthony Bowens speaks.
“Throughout my life, I’ve been told ‘no’ so many times. But if I wanted it bad enough, I always found a way. And here in AEW, I won’t take ‘no’ for an answer. My name is Anthony Bowens. I am AEW’s 5 Tool Player. The perfect combination of power, athleticism, intelligence, the look, and The It Factor. I am the Pride of Professional Wrestling, led by a badass. I intend to use every tool necessary to climb to the top of AEW. And oh, yeah, I intend to win gold. Let’s make history. So the question is, who’s next to step to the plate and get their ass Molly Whopped by THE Five Tool Player?! That journey starts now. Don’t believe me? Well I’ve got five tools and one rule: Prove them wrong!”
AEW TNT Championship Open Challenge: Adam Cole VS ???
The Panama City Playboy is in Boston, ready to make this City of Champions undisputed! But who will step to this paragon of wrestling? CLAUDIO CASTAGNOLI! The Death Riders never left the building, they were just lurking from the shadows! But will the Swiss Cyborg snatch away this title to make up for the one he lost?
The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and we see who brings the boom!
The bell rings and the two tie up. Claudio powers Cole right to a corner, lets off as the ref counts, but then Cole avoids the sucker punch! Cole fires fast hands, the fans fire up, but the ref counts. Claudio scoops Cole first to SLAM him down! Claudio looms over Cole, drags him up, and he whips Cole, only for Cole to reverse. But Claudio bounces off buckles to BOOT Cole down! The fans boo but Claudio stalks Cole. Claudio drags Cole up, scoops again, but Cole fights around to a SLEEPER! The fans cheer, but Claudio RAMS Cole into buckles. Claudio is free, but Cole BOOTS him, then JUMP NECKBREAKERS! Cover, ONE!!
Cole hurries to headlock, but Claudio powers up and lifts Cole, only for Cole to sunset flip! Claudio drags Cole right up, but Cole fires forearms! The fans fire up as Cole whips, btu Claudio reverses. Cole grabs ropes, 52 Fake Out! SHINING WIZARD! Cover, TWO! Claudio stays in this but Cole runs up to BOOT him back down! Claudio bails out, throws a fit, but then Cole BOOTS him off the apron! The fans fire up for “ADAM COLE, BAYBAY!” Claudio goes to the apron, Cole storms up on him, but Claudio trips Cole up! Claudio drags Cole out, Cole fires forearms, but Claudio knees low! Claudio whips Cole hard into barriers!
Claudio winds up, runs up, but Cole dodges! Now Claudio hits the barriers! Cole fires forearms, stalks Claudio around the way, and he fires forearms again. Claudio YANKS Cole into the barriers! The ring count climbs, Claudio hauls Cole up, BARRIER BACK SUPLEX! Cole flops to the floor and the fans lose their minds! Claudio refreshes the ring count, but he does wait on Cole. Cole slowly crawls, so Claudio goes out to fetch him. Claudio UPPERCUTS Cole, Cole staggers around, and Claudio military presses him! Claudio TOSSES Cole out into the crowd! The fans go nuts again, and they cheer on “A E DUB! A E DUB!” for making this possible.
Claudio storms into the ring, soaks up the heat, and the ref checks Cole. That was a rough landing on that hardwood floor, but it seems Cole is okay to continue. The fans rally for Cole as he hobbles his way back to ringside. Cole rolls in, but Claudio runs up to LARIAT! Cover, TWO! Cole stays in this but Claudio clamps onto him with a chinlock. Cole endures, the fans rally, but Claudio squeezes tight. Cole fights around, fights to his feet, and the fans fire up as Cole fires body shots. But Claudio knees low, then TOSSES Cole back out! Cole flops to the floor, the fans boo more, but Claudio just soaks it all up as Collision goes picture in picture.
Cole gets checked by Doc Sampson, given that big bruise right on his side. The ring count climbs all the while, and Claudio paces as he waits on a verdict from Doc. Cole seems to be okay to continue, and he crawls his way over. Cole grabs at the apron skirt, drags himself up, and springs in at 9! Claudio is right on him and rains down fists! Claudio is all fired up, and also sports a cut on his arm from hitting these barriers. Claudio scoops to hit a BACKBREAKER, and then he bends Cole against his knee! Cole endures, throws hands from below, but Claudio shoves him down! Cole avoids the elbow drop! Claudio snarls, but Cole fires a forearm!
Claudio UPPERCUTS, Cole fires another forearm, repeat! Claudio looms over Cole but Cole still comes back with a forearm! The shots go back and forth, but then Claudio smothers Cole with a chinlock! Cole endures and fights back up, but Claudio pushes him down to the mat! Claudio leans on the hold as he grinds Cole down. Cole fights up again, fires body shots, and Spring Breakthru returns to single picture. Claudio ROCKS Cole, runs, but Cole ROCKS Claudio! Claudio UPPERCUTS into a backslide! TWO, and Cole fireman’s carries, but Claudio fights free! Claudio whips, UPPERCUTS, then whips corner to corner.
Claudio runs in and UPPERCUTS! Then he whips corner to corner again, for another UPPERCUT! Claudio tries again, but Cole SUPERKICKS him down! The fans fire up while a standing count begins again! Cole is in a corner, but Claudio rises up to get him. Cole JAWBREAKERS, then ELBOWS, then BOOTS! Claudio still comes back, Cole gets around, BACKSTABBER! Cover, TWO! Cole is frustrated and sore, but he still stands up. The fans fire up as Cole is in the corner, and he climbs up the ropes! Cole aims, Claudio stands, PANAMA- BACKDROP! Claudio wags his finger, then he storms up, but has to fight off another fireman’s carry!
Claudio short arm LARIATS, then he drags Cole up! Claudio reels Cole in, but Cole BACKDROPS! Claudio just manages to land out, but Cole SUPERKICKS again! Cole now fireman’s carries, for USHIGOROSHI! Cover, TWO! Claudio stays in this and Cole is frustrated, but the fans rally up behind Cole. Cole goes back to the corner, hops up again, and Claudio’s up. PANAMA SUN- NO, Claudio trips and SWINGS Cole! The fans are torn as Cole goes around and around! TEN and Claudio THROWS Cole! Cover, TWO!! But into a CROSSFACE! Claudio pulls back on Cole but Cole endures! The fans rally as Cole reaches out. Cole rolls to a cover, TWO!
Claudio THROWS Cole to a corner! Claudio runs, UPPERCUTS, and then runs again! But Cole DUMPS Claudio out! Claudio HOTSHOTS Cole, hurries up the corner, then leaps, into a SUPERKICK! Cole covers, TWO!! Claudio is still in this, but both men are running on fumes. Cole rises up, brings down the kneepad, and says it’s time. But Claudio stops Cole to waistlock, only for Cole to PELE! Cole runs, into a POP-UP UPPERCUT! Cover, TWO!! Cole survives and Claudio is in disbelief! Cole goes to a corner as Claudio snarls and rises up. Claudio runs up, UPPERCUTS, and UPPERCUTS, and UPPERCUTS!
The ref backs Claudio off, the fans boo, but Claudio just seethes. Cole drags himself up with the ropes, Claudio runs back in, UPPERCUT! UPPERCUT! UPPERCUT! Claudio just UPPERCUTS and ELBOWS away! The ref backs Claudio off, warns him to listen to authority, but Claudio goes back in for more UPPERCUTS! The fans rally for Cole as he takes these shots, but then Claudio hoists him up top! Claudio climbs, goes to the very top, SUPER DUPER PLEX!! Cover, ONE, and into a ghost pin! COLE WINS!!!
Winner: Adam Cole, by pinfall (still AEW TNT Champion)
Claudio is in shock! But perhaps his anger got the better of him as he could’ve done things different. But the rest of the Undisputed Kingdom/Paragon is here to celebrate with their guy! Will Cole, Roddy & Kyle all be rolling on the road to Double or Nothing? Wait, now Claudio FLIPS the desk over in his anger! And then he stands it up on it’s side to tip it the other way! And another way! Yuta and Moxley hurry out here to try and calm Claudio down, and the fans taunt Claudio, “That’s expensive! That’s expensive!” They even chant “LOSERS! LOSERS!” The Death Riders storm off, what will satiate their anger?
Backstage interview with “Big Bill” Morrissey & Bryan Keith.
Lexy Nair is with the former Learning Tree Branches, The Redwood & The Bad Apple. She brings up how last week, Chris Jericho said he wasn’t angry, he was just disappointed, and then he left them to themselves. Where do they go from here? Bill says Jericho was disappointed in them, but Bill is disappointed in Jericho. Jericho is supposed to be the leader, and yet he walks out on them? Quite honestly, Bill is getting… angry. Keith wants Bill to chill. Not right now. What? What’s the difference? They talked about this in private, what’s the difference with it being now? Keith says it is like Bill just said: It was in private.
Keith knows Jericho said they were family, and that means something to Keith. And he just feels that if they’re family, they should handle this like family, and that is internally. And maybe, if Bill didn’t put Jericho on blast last week, Jericho wouldn’t have left. Bill understands, family is very important. That is why Keith wants to get back in the good graces of Jericho. Bill gets that. He just isn’t sure they should be living and dying at the whims of Jericho. Either way, the strategy moving forward is the same: They need to get in the ring, crack some skulls, and stack some wins. Lexy, to answer the question of what’s next, that is next.
Bill heads out, Keith follows, but will they do better or worse without The Nueve?
Six Man Tag: La Faccion Ingobernable VS Rosario Grillo, Leon St. Giovanni & KM!
Finally, El Toro Blanco has returned! Rush leads Dralistico y The Beast Mortos into action again, will LFI finally stampede through AEW?
The trios sort out and LFI just attacks! Dralistico has Grillo, Rush has KM and Mortos as LSG! Things spill out side, LFI send their opponents into barriers, and then Darlistico CHOPS Grillo! Rush stomps KM, Dralistico stomps Grillo, and Mortos is back in the ring. The fans fire up with Mortos, and Dralistico sends Grillo into more railing! Rush regroups with his hermanos, both literal and in arms. Dralistico CHOPS LSG, Mortos SPLASHES, and then Mortos whips LSG corner to corner for another SPLASH! Mortos whips LSG to ropes now, for a POP-UP SAMOAN DROP! Tag to Dralistico and he springboards in, FLYING CODE BREAKER!
LSG flounders around and the fans fire up. KM tags in, but Dralistico SOBATS, KICKS, and ENZIGIRIS! The fans fire up as Dralistico tags in Rush! The fans fire up and Rush SUPERMAN PUNCHES KM! Then he DECKS LSG, HEADBUTTS Grillo, and he lets Dralistico FLY! Down go LSG and Grillo! Rush then says, “You mess with the bull…” YOU GET THE BULL’S HORNS!! KM takes those right in the face! Cover, LFI wins!
Winners: La Faccion Ingobernable, by pinfall
LFI makes quick work, and Rush says LFG! Will these three be like bulls in a China shop when it comes to the AEW Trios Division?
Backstage interview with Kevin Knight.
Renee catches up to The Jet as he and “Speedball” Mike Bailey say hey. A big congratulations for Knight in winning against Archer. Renee is pretty sure that match came about because Callis didn’t like the rejection he got in trying to recruit Knight and Speedball. Knight says pretty much, but that’s understandable. He doesn’t think the Don- Ricochet steps in, backwards hat and military coat not really going together, but he tells Knight to shut it. Ricochet says these goofs are not the story of the week. The story is how they screwed Ricochet last week and stole that prize money!
Speedball says if by “screwed,” Ricochet means Speedball’s team beat him fair and square to win 400 stacks, then yeah, he got screwed. Ricochet says first, you pinned Mortos, not Ricochet. And seeing as how they’re the new guys here, here’s some “veteran advice.” Don’t upset the top talent in AEW. You don’t disrupt the chain of command. And since Knight and Speedball are so low, at the bottom of the pole, take his advance before something bad happens. Knight says Ricochet has it all twisted, they respect him. Knight and Speedball respect the game, the in-ring talent, the hot wife, all of that.
But anything that Ricochet can do, the Jet can, too. In fact, here’s something he can do that Ricochet can’t. And then he shakes them dreads! Ricochet says here’s what he can do: he can smack Knight in his mouth! Then do it then! Maybe he will, if Knight keeps talking! Knight fakes a slap and makes Ricochet flinch! Ricochet says okay, he wants trouble now. Yeah, Knight needs that. Speedball says okay, just not tonight. Speedball and Knight head out, Renee tosses her hair and leaves. But will the One & Only find he’s the only one with a problem?
ROH World TV Championship: Komander w/ Alex Abrahantes VS Nick Wayne!
If Christian Cage is to be believed, this match has come about all thanks to him pulling the strings. But at the same time, he told his “son” that he’d have to win this one on his own. Will The Prodigy make The Patriarch of the Patriarchy proud? Or will the Commander of the Skies ruin Christian’s “gift?”
The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and we see who’s the real star of ROH TV!
The Code of Honor is not upheld as Nick SPITS at Komander! The bell rings, the fans boo, and Komander DORPKCIKS Nick! Komander fires off hands in the corner, Nick scurries away but Komander keeps on him! Komander CHOPS, Nick kicks low, and then Nick ROCKS Komander. Nick storms up, but Komander kicks, mule kicks, front kicks, and CHOPS! The fans fire up, Komander whips, but Nick reverses. Komander rolls off Nick’s back, then blocks the chop to knuckle lock and CHOP! Komander goes up, up, jumps around, and then FLYING RANAS! The fans fire up again while Nick flounders away.
Komander runs in, Nick TOSSES him to the ramp! Nick comes back, but Komander GAMANGIRIS him down! Komander goes up with Nick in the drop zone! But Nick hurries away, no Cielito. Komander still tightrope walks to ARABIAN PRESS, only for Nick to put him on the apron! Komander RAMS into Nick, springboards, and CROSSBODIES! Then DROPKICKS! The fans fire up while Nick bails out to the ramp. Komander aims, springboards, but Nick dodges! Komander comes back, Nick puts him in the ring, then he ducks a haymaker to HOTSHOT! Komander falls and the fans boo, but Nick checks his teeth.
We see Christian Cage, Kip Sabian & Mother Shayna are watching this backstage as Nick hurries back in the ring. Nick stomps Komander, RAMS him into a corner, then puts him up top. Komander wobbles, Nick winds up to CHOP, then Nick climbs. Komander fires hands and Nick backs off. Komander hops down, springboards, but Nick SHOVES him down! Komander crashes to the floor and Collision goes picture in picture.
Abrahantes coaches Komander, and Nick goes outside to taunt the fans. Nick then fetches Komander to THROW him into railing! Komander writhes, Nick soaks up heat much like he did during Prelude to Spring Breakthru. Nick fetches Komander again, puts him in the ring, and taunts the fans before stepping inside. Cover, TWO! Nick is annoyed but he looms over Komander. Nick drags Komander up, throws him into the ropes, then CHOKES him! The ref counts, Nick steps off and he taunts the fans before he CHOKES Komander again! The ref counts again, Nick steps off, and Komander sputters while Nick swaggers around.
Nick drags Komander up, brings him around, and snapmares for a leg drop! Cover, TWO! Komander stays in this and Nick grows frustrated. Nick tells the fans to shut up, but Collision goes to break.
Collision returns and Nick again has Komander on the ropes, literally. Nick whips Komander then KNEES him against the ropes! Nick soaks up the heat, whips Komander again, but Komander springboards to go up and FLYING ARM-DRAG! Then he reels Nick into a EURO CLUTCH! TWO!! Nick escapes in time, but Komander CHOPS! And CHOPS! Nick kicks low, runs, but Komander scoops to BACKBREAKER! The fans fire up while both men are down! Abrahantes and Boston rally for “KO-MAN-DER!” Nick goes to a corner, Komander runs up, but Nick dodges! Nick runs in, but Komander puts him up top, ROCKS and CHOPS him, then triangle jump ENZIGIRIS!
Nick flops to the ramp and the fans fire up! Komander builds speed, and he FLIES to SWANTON Nick on the ramp! A rough landing no matter what, but Komander still kicks Nick in the ring. Komander aims from the corner, tunes up the band and the fans join in. Komander runs, goes up, up, and MOONSAULTS! Cover, TWO! Nick survives but the fans taunt him with “Whose Mom?” “NICK’S MOM!” Komander drags Nick up, torture racks, but Nick fires hands! Nick is free, he goes to a corner, but Komander runs up. Nick goes up and over, victory rolls, TWO! Komander runs back in, but Nick sends him hard into buckles!
The fans boo while Nick takes aim. Nick kicks but Komander ducks it! Komander RAMS Nick into the corner, then hops up, POISON-RANA! Cover, TWO! Nick survives and both men are down while the fans fire back up. Komander goes back to the corner, aims and springboards, but Nick slips around! DRAGON SUPLEX! Bridging cover, TWO!! Nick is stunned, but he takes aim again! Komander rises, into Nick’s ROUNDHOUSE! Then up, up, WAYNE- TIGER FEINT sweeps the legs! And then a FLYING DESTROYER!! Nick tumbles out of the ring, staggers around, and the fans are thunderous as Komander builds speed!
Komander goes up, up, and ARIHARA MOONSAULTS!! Direct hit on Nick and Boston is erupting! Komander puts Nick in, “This is Awesome!” as Komander climbs again. Nick is in the drop zone, for CIELITO LINDOÂ onto BOOTS!! Nick turns things around, then takes aim, ROUNDHOUSE! Nick roars, reels Komander in to pump handle and PRODIGY PLEX!! Cover, NICK WINS!!!
Winner: Nick Wayne, by pinfall (NEW ROH World Television Champion)
Boston doesn’t like it, but Nick Wayne just became the youngest singles champion in ROH! The Patriarchy is certainly proud, but then Christian Cage leaves Shayna and Kip to go off somewhere. Will he prepare some other gift for his Prodigy as celebration?
Hologram is loading.
And Hologram will return to action next week for Playoff Palooza! Will the incredible win streak continue?
Top Flight speaks.
Dante Martin calls out Action Andretti & Lio Rush to say, “Guess what? We just came from Tony Khan’s office, and there’s no more running, there’s no more hiding, no more ducking, because we have a match next week.” Darius says it isn’t just any match. This has been going on for far too long, so they’re over the wrestling part of this. They want to fight The Cru! Forget the rules, forget the tags, it is a TORNADO TAG MATCH! Leila Grey tells Action & Lio that they’ll see ’em next week for Collision: Playoff Palooza. That is, if The Cru has the balls to show up. Well hold on, The Cru shows up now!
Lio & Action tell Top Flight that they don’t have to wait! Security steps in and keeps this from getting out of hand, but what will happen when there’s nothing holding these teams back?
BREAKING NEWS for a future Dynamite!
It will be AEW’s return to Portland, Oregon, June 11th, when AEW does the unthinkable! It will be the first-ever AEW Summer Blockbuster, a FOUR HOUR edition of Dynamite! That’s right, F O U R!! Get tickets next Thursday, or at least set your DVRs so you do not miss what could be an instant classic!
Toni Storm is here!
The Timeless AEW Women’s World Champion was present last night to watch from afar, but now she wants to get a closer look at tonight’s main event!
Mercedes Mone & Harley Cameron VS Kris Statlander & Julia Hart!
The CEO is reluctant to step back into the ring alongside the wild Aussie, but Harley’s probably the only person who would team with her at this point. Can Harley help Mone keep the Money (Wrath) Train on track? Or will the #BornAgainKristen and the Princess of the Black Throne make a winning combination?
The teams sort out and Mone starts against Kris for both a revival of their rivalry, and also a teaser of what could be for the Owen Hart Cup finals. The two tie up, and Kris SHOVES Mone down! The fans cheer as Kris flexes, but Mone tags Harley. Harley and Kris tie up, and Kris SHOVES Harley away! Harley tags Mone back in, and then picks up Mini Mone! Wait, wait, Harley tags in Mini Mone? Is this a substitution or a 3v2 Handicap now? Harley THROWS Mini Mone at Kris, which Kris easily catches. Kris passes Mini Mone to Julia, how just puts Mini Mone down to step on! Harley tries to roll Kris up but Kris stays up.
Kris drags Harley to her feet, then slips around to roll Harley up! Harley rolls through, Oklahoma Rolls back, TWO! Kris runs up, Harley headlocks, but Kris powers up and out. Harley tilt-o-whirls and HARLEY-GO-ROUNDS! Kris ends up in a corner, the fans fire up, and Harley shouts, “Feel The Wrath~!” Harley runs in, Kris dodges, and then Kris runs in. Harley ELBOWS Kris, has Kris in the ropes, and sunset flips! TWO! Kris kicks, then deadlifts Harley for a suplex! The fans fire up, Kris tags Julia, and Julia takes the handoff to wrench and YANK Harley’s arm! Julia YANKS the arm again and again, then goes up the ropes.
Julia knuckle locks, then tightrope walks! The fans fire up as Julia hits an OLD SCHOOL! Then she adds a BLINDSIDE LARIAT! Cover, but Mone breaks it! The fans cheer, but Julia drags Harley up. Harley JAWBREAKERS, then runs, dodges, and ENZIGIRIS! Tag to Mone, but Julia drop toeholds! Julia dribbles Mone off the mat, but Mone gets free. Mone goes to a corner, Julia runs up and ELBOWS! Julia runs side to side, tags Kris, then goes back to ELBOW Mone again! Kris runs in and KNEES Mone down! Kris brings Mone around to scoop, and FALL AWAY SLAMS! The fans fire up while Mone flounders out and Kris flexes.
Kris goes to the apron, Mone blocks the kick, but Kris handstands out of the throw! Kris also avoids the sweep of her arms, but Mone goes up! Kris avoids the meteora, and they both stop as the other shows haymaker! They then look at Toni Storm, and then they both ROCK the other! Julia and Harley run up, but Mone and Kris DECK them! Then they fire fast hands with each other! The fans fire up, Kris KNEES low, and Collision goes picture in picture.
Kris reels Mone in and FLAPJACKS her off the apron! Mone flounders, Kris stands on her while doing the CEO dance! Kris hauls Mone up and into the ring, covers, TWO! Kris drags Mone up, tags Julia, and they mug Mone. Julia ROCKS Mone, whips her to a corner, but Mone reverses. Mone runs up, blocks boots and ROCKS Julia! Julia is in the ropes and Mone hits the STOCK DROP! Mone huffs ‘n’ puffs before she drags Julia to a cover, TWO! Mone is annoyed but she drags Julia up again. Mone snapmares Julia, runs, and METEORAS! Cover, TWO! Julia stays in this but Mone taunts Kris. Mone dares Julia to crawl to Kris, but then she bumps Julia off buckles.
Mone tags Harley and they mug Julia. Harley brings Julia around, whips her to ropes, and ELBOWS her down! Cover, TWO! Harley stays between Julia and Kris, then brings her around. Julia JAWBREAKERS free, then CLUBS Harley. Julia CHOPS Harley at the ropes, CHOPS her again, then fires forearms. The ref counts, Julia backs off, but then Julia whips Harley to ropes. Harley ducks ‘n ‘dodges, and DOUBLE LARIATS take them both down! The fans rally while Julia and Harley crawl, and Spring Breakthru returns to single picture as they hot tag Mone and Kris! The fans fire up as Mone CHOPS, knuckle locks and goes up, up, and FLYING ARM-DRAGS!
Mone does her dance, then runs corner to corner, DOUBLE KNEES! Mone reels Kris in, the fans rally, and Mone snap suplexes! That’s Una Amiga, and then Mone gets Kris up for Dos Amigas! then THREE AMIGAS! But Kris stops it before quatro! Harley makes the save, and she helps Mone, only for Kris to DOUBLE SUPLEX! Kris rolls through?! DOS DOUBLE SUPLEX! Kris rolls through again and THREE DOUBLE SUPLEX!! The fans are thunderous, we see Jamie Hayter watching backstage and applauding, and Kris puts Mone & Harley in the drop zone! Kris goes up, but Harley rolls with Mone to avoid the 450 Splash!
The fans fire up as Kris tags Julia while Mone and Harley seem to have a tender moment of friendship. Julia ruins the moment with a STANDING MOONSUALT! Julia then tilt-o-whirls Mone, but Mone stops that to RAM Julia into the corner! And then she puts Julia in the Tree of Woe for KNEE after KNEE after KNEE! Mone goes out, goes up, but Julia SPIDER SUPLEXES her away! Harley runs up, Julia sits up to then roll back, and she takes a swing! Harley reels Julia in for a NECKBREAKER! Kris kicks Harley, reels her in, and hits a NORTHERN LIGHTS BOMB! But then Mone METEORAS Kris! Julia stalks Mone, runs up, wrench and STO!
Julia puts Mone in the drop zone, goes back up the corner, and HART SAULTÂ gets KNEES! The fans fire up while Julia and Mone are both down! Julia and Mone stir, “This is Awesome!” as a standing count starts. Mone and Julia stir at about 4 of 10, crawl for their corners, hot tag to Kris! Kris fires off on Mone with forearms! Kris ROUNDHOUSES Mone, BLASTS Harley, and then runs up on Mone. Mone hooks her into the Gory Especial! Kris fights free, scoops Mone, but Mone kicks and flails! Kris’ legs give out, they both flop down, and the two fight on the mat. Kris powers up to her feet, but Harley tags in!
Harley brings Mone out of the gut wrench, but Kris hits the DISCUS LARIAT! Kris kicks, Mone blocks, and Mone KNEES Kris in return! Mone whips, Kris reverses, and Mone is sent into Julia’s TARANTULA!! But Harley rolls Kris up! TWO!! Mone is stuck as Kris scoops Harley and hits a BACKBREAKER! Then Kris cording holds Harley’s arm, kisses the bicep, and hits the Hayterade?! Cover, Kris & Julia win!
Winner: Kris Statlander & Julia Hart, by pinfall
That wasn’t just the game winner Kris hit on Harley, it was a message sent to Jamie! Luther helps Toni Storm to the ring so she can applaud Kris, and even blow a kiss! Will Kris go Double or Nothing with Mone to then go All In with Toni? Or will Kris feel a Hayterade from the source?
My Thoughts:
A great Collision to not just wrap Spring Breakthru but to keep things going immediately from last night. Very good promo from The Opps after their win, and some great stuff with The Death Riders for once. The Death Riders throwing a fit was good stuff, and Moxley had a good promo to call out Samoa Joe. Moxley wants his match with Samoa Joe, that’s a great detail in itself, and that is going to be a great match for Double or Nothing. Claudio stepping up to Adam Cole’s Open Challenge was also cool, and that was a great match. Cole surviving was a good touch, especially with how it just pissed Claudio off more.
Very good promo from Bill & Keith, and it feels very obvious that Keith will betray Bill to side with Jericho. We will get Bill VS Jericho, Keith will screw Bill, but then something will happen where Bill gets his rematch and wins over Jericho in the end. Really good “letter” from FTR to keep up their passive aggressive nature, and you can bet they’ll just do all the same things again next week when they’re back. Great to see LFI back in full force, but let’s just hope they actually get going this time around. There could even be some interesting intertwining of stories if LFI challenge for the trios titles at Double or Nothing, putting Joe in a double header situation since he’ll face Moxley for the world title.
Good promo from Top Flight with Cru to hype up next week’s Collision. But does every post-basketball Collision need a nickname? And as nicknames go, “Playoff Palooza” sounds more like a promotional deal run at a supermarket or car dealership. Really good stuff from the Don Callis Family tonight. Great match from Knight VS Archer and a great win for Knight. Knight and Speedball have a good promo with Ricochet, and a match of Knight VS Ricochet would be awesome, I hope we see it before Knight’s off for Best of the Super Juniors.
Great tag match of Alexander & Takeshita VS Ishii & Rocky, and I should’ve realized watching ROH Prelude to Spring Breakthru was teasing something for tonight. Rocky was salty over that loss there, and then he got even saltier during this match. Great to see Trent back, and now Roppongi Vice is Don Callis Family! They can be the tag team of the faction while Konosuke, Kyle Fletcher and now Josh Alexander all go for singles titles. Awesome ROH World Television Championship match from Komander and Nick Wayne, and again to my surprise, the Prelude foreshadowed stuff. Nick brought momentum into this match, he won this title, and unless he loses it back to Komander at like Supercard of Honor, he probably will bring the title to NJPW BOSJ.
Another great handicap match win for Megan Bayne, but she’ll still be spinning her wheels until after Double or Nothing with all this other stuff going on. Great promo from Mone, Harley & Mini Mone before their main event tag match, and same for Kris having a good promo with Jamie Hayter. That was of course a great match, and Kris winning using Jamie’s finisher was wild. I feel like with Toni Storm paying more attention to Kris, that’s a sign Kris is beating Jamie to face Mone at Double or Nothing. It’s still anyone’s guess who wins the Cup, because Toni VS Kris and Toni VS Mone are both great matches.
My Score: 8.9/10
About Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
 MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)Â
THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports PodcastÂ
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)
TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends
Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5
Classic POD is WAR
Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
4 Corners Podcast: Houston Still Has a Problem
This week, we discuss the NCAA Final Four, the NHL Playoff chase, the end of the Gr8 Chase and much...
4 Corners Podcast: Chalk & Chase
This week we talk a little MLB, discuss the red-hot Blues, the GR8 Chase, and whether a chalky NCAA Tournament...
4 Corners Podcast: March Madness Bracket Breakdown
This week on 4 Corners Podcast we break down the Men's NCAA tournament bracket. Which of the top seeds will...
4 Corners Podcast- The Fantastic Four Nations Faceoff
The guys discuss Canada's big win in the Four Nations Faceoff and take a look at some early Spring Training...
Oblong Ball Foot Show: One For The Road
The Philadelphia Eagles are Super Bowl Champions! Tune in as we recap an excellent NFL season and touch on a...
Bandwagon Nerds #284: Mission Unlikely
The Nerds break down a tremendous Episode 8 of Daredevil: Born Again. Plus, the Sweet 16 of Villain Madness and...
Mitchell’s Hyrule Puro-Resu News Report! (4/10/25)
It's gonna be May!
Bandwagon Nerds #283: Ice, Ice, Baby
Daredevil vs Muse, Villain Madness, news about Spider-Man 4, Superman, and the Nintendo Switch 2, plus the Nerds pay their...
Mitchell’s Hyrule Puro-Resu Results & Report! (4/1/25)
Happy Sixth Anniversary!
Bandwagon Nerds #282: Daddy Ganon & A Glass of Wine
A double dose of Daredevil, major Zelda news, a massive Avengers: Doomsday reveal, and Villain Madness Round of 32 matchups...
Andrew’s TNA iMAPCT! & Unbreakable Results & Match Ratings: 4.17.2025
iMPACT is the Pre-Show, Unbreakable is a TNA+ Special! See what happened!
Mitchell’s AEW Collision Results & Report! (4/17/25)
Spring Breakthru Night 2!
Mitchell’s ROH Results & Report! (4/17/25)
Prelude to Spring Breakthru!
The Outsider’s Edge presents the WrestleMania 41 Preview Episode
The Outsider's Edge is BACK for Ca$h-A-Mania with a WrestleMania 41 preview!
Mitchell’s WWE Evolve Results & Report! (4/16/25)
The first Fatal 4!
The Ricky and Clive Wrestling Show – NXT Stand and Deliver
Rey Ca$h brings back his friends Ricky and Clive for an NXT Stand and Deliver preview!
Mitchell’s AEW Dynamite Results & Report! (4/16/25)
Spring Breakthru Night 1!
Attitude Of Aggression #306- The Chairshot Hall of Fame
Cash-A-Mania runs wild! Join us as we break down this year's Hall of Fame class. Then the Chairshot staff make...
DeMarco: Top 5 Non-Title WrestleMania Matches In WWE History
Not all WrestleMania classics had titles on the line. Dive into the top 5 non-title matches that stole the show...
Greg DeMarco Show: WWE WrestleMania 41 Preview & Predictions with Patrick & Dave!
Dave fills in for Greg to join Patrick for your WWE WrestleMania 41 preview and predictions show...Who Should Win? Who...
