Coverage
Mitchell’s WWE Raw Results & Report! (6/19/23)
Cleveland is Raw!
Guess who’s back, back again!
WWE Raw returns to Cleveland, Ohio, and Logan Paul returns to WWE! What will The ImPAULsive Maverick have to say in his hometown?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- WWE World Heavyweight Championship Open Challenge: Seth Rollins VS ???; No Contest.
- The Miz VS Tommaso Ciampa; Ciampa wins.
- Sonya Deville & Chelsea Green VS Kayden Carter & Katana Chance; Kayden & Katana win.
- Indus Sher w/ Jinder Mahal VS Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin; Indus Sher wins.
- Matt Riddle VS Ludwig Kaiser w/ GUNTHER; Riddle wins.
- The Alpha Academy w/ Maxxine Dupri VS The Viking Raiders w/ Sarah Logan; The Viking Raiders win.
- Rhea Ripley VS Natalya; No Contest.
- Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match Qualifier: Trish Stratus w/ Zoey Stark VS Raquel Rodriguez; Trish wins, by disqualification, and advances to MITB.
- Shinsuke Nakamura VS Bronson Reed; Bronson wins.
- Six Man Tag: The Judgment Day VS Cody Rhodes, Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn; Cody, Kevin & Sami win.
PLAY BY PLAY
WWE World Heavyweight Championship Open Challenge: Seth Rollins VS ???
Cleveland sings along with The Visionary’s song as he struts his way down the ramp. And he’s ready for an Open Challenge! But FINN BALOR attacks!! So much for the open challenge! The Prince is after Rollins NOW! Finn TOSSES Rollins out but Rollins drags him out! Finn TACKLES Rollins onto the desk! Fans fire up, the ref reprimands, and Finn lets off to RAM Rollins into the post! And then he rains down fists! Fans chant “YOU SUCK! YOU SUCK!” but Finn keeps after Rollins! Finn kicks and stomps and refs rush out. Adam Pearce and producers show up, too, and they get Finn to leave Rollins alone.
Fans boo and Finn “apologizes.” Finn then jukes through the cluster to jump off the steps and DIVING STOMP!! Rollins sputters and Pearce is furious! Finn leaves this time, or not! DIVING STOMP off the desk!! Two Coup de Graces and fans boo even harder. Finn says he’s good, but then goes around the way! A THIRD DIVING STOMP!!! Now Finn is done because there’s no way Rollins can accept that open challenge! Will Rollins even be able to go to NXT tomorrow night? Or Money in the Bank in two weeks?
Raw returns and Rollins is raging backstage!
He wants after Finn but Pearce is telling him to calm down. But then Finn ATTACKS AGAIN! Finn throws Rollins into a table! And then into another table! And then he throws the table at Rollins! And then he drags Rollins up to throw into a road case! The case falls over! Finn stomps away on Rollins, then digs his boot in! “For seven years I’ve been waiting for this! And it’s coming home at Money in the Bank!” Producers get Finn to stop, but is the Prince far from through with The Visionary?
The Miz is here!
“Enough about Seth Freakin’ Rollins and his problems! I wanna talk about MY problems!” Seth Rollins promised an open challenge tonight, but he did not deliver. Miz was gonna accept that challenge and become World Heavyweight Champion! Miz is a GOD in this hell hole of Cleveland! And he was gonna give the people a chance to see one of their finest becoming champion , and that can’t happen now. So Miz is gonna issue his OWN Open Challenge to anyone here in Cleveland! Because Miz wants everyone to see what a winner looks like amongst a sea of losers. Miz waits, and… TOMMASO CIAMPA is here!!
The Miz VS Tommaso Ciampa
Miz is excited! Ciampa was a good pal of his when Ciampa was here, he’s hoping this will be a friendly competition. But then Ciampa DECKS Miz! Fans fire up and Ciampa says he doesn’t need Miz anymore! The bell rings and Ciampa fires off on Miz! Ciampa stomps away but the ref counts. Ciampa lets off but he’s all fired up. Fans are also fired up as Ciampa chase Miz out of the ring. Miz swings but Ciampa counter punches! Ciampa SMACKS Miz off the desk! And again! And again! Ciampa sets the desk hook up against the desk, to BACK SUPLEX Miz through it! Ciampa sits on the desk, and cheers himself!
Fans cheer as Ciampa pats himself on the back. Ciampa says not ONE message from Miz! Ciampa puts Miz in the ring, then runs in and clotheslines! And then an other clothesline! And then Ciampa ducks ‘n’ dodges to CLOBBER Miz! Fans fire up and Ciampa brings down the kneepad! Ciampa aims at Miz, but Miz dodges to kick the leg out! BASEMENT DDT! Cover, TWO! Ciampa’s tougher than that but Miz is mad. Miz rains down fists on Ciampa! Fans rally for Ciampa as Miz dribbles his head. Miz runs to basement BOOT! Miz finally throws his shirt off and he paces around. Miz drags Ciampa up but Ciampa CHOPS!
Miz shoves Ciampa, Ciampa ducks ‘n’ dodges but into a BOOT! Miz snarls, stalks Ciampa, and he puts Ciampa on ropes to CHOKE him! The ref counts, Miz lets off at 4, and stalks Ciampa to a corner. Miz stands Ciampa up to smother him! The ref counts, Miz lets off to fire off IT KICKS! Miz stands Ciampa up, but Ciampa ROCKS him with haymaker after haymaker! And a CHOP! And a CHOP! Ciampa whips, Miz reverses and then runs in, A-LIST LARIAT! Ciampa falls and Miz snarls again. Fans boo as Miz climbs the corner. Miz leaps, into a KNEE!! Miz is dazed and Ciampa fires back up!
Ciampa underhooks Miz, for the FAIRYTALE ENDING!! Cover, Ciampa wins!
Winner: Tommaso Ciampa, by pinfall
The Blackheart is back! But is the song right? Will no one survive Ciampa’s return?
The Judgment Day heads to the ring.
Finn is pacing as he leads Damian Priest, Dominik Mysterio & Rhea Ripley to the ring. He already said a lot with his attack(s) on Rollins, what more does The Prince have to get off his chest? We’ll see, after the break.
Raw returns and Finn paces on stage. “Seth Freakin’ Rollins… Your little open match challenge is canceled. It’s canceled! It’s canceled because of me. Because I’m the only one who’s gonna take the World Heavyweight Championship from you. And as for you lot… Y’all like singing his song so much? Well, you’re all gonna be singing it at his funeral.” Fans sing “OH~ OHH~ OHHH~” but Rhea tells them to sit down, shut up, and respect the Judgment Day and their Mami. Because at MITB, the WWE Universe is all gonna be bowing at their feet! Because Finn is gonna bring that WHC home to the Judgment Day!
And Rhea has the Women’s Division on lockdown as the most dominant woman here in the WWE! And Damian Priest is gonna win the Men’s MITB briefcase, and Rhea’s Latino Heat, her Dom-Dom, is gonna put down their favorite, Cody Rhodes! Priest says, in Spanish, that there’s nothing you can do about it! At MITB, the briefcase comes home with him. And the contract inside will have the name “Damian Priest” written all over it! And speaking of MITB, Dom, Cody said Dom is getting gassed up for a fight he can’t win. Cody, Priest suggests you keep Dom’s name out your mouth, or else the Judgment Day will make it so Cody can’t fight anyone ever again!
Fans boo as Dom says, “Y’know…” Dom sighs, tries again, but the booing gets louder. Rhea calms him down, Dom lifts the mic, and the fans boo even more! Rhea tells them to have respect, and Dom tells Cody, “You’re gonna see what I’m gonna do at MITB, if you can find some partners tonight to face the united Judgment Day! Together, you and some two other guys, good luck!” Will the Prince, Punisher & Prodigal Son bring the pain to The American Nightmare and whoever he chooses as teammates?
Backstage interview with Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn.
Byron Saxton is with the Undisputed Tag Team Champions and wants their reaction to the Bloodline implosion we saw on Friday. Kevin stops Byron there. Why are they still talking about Bloodline? Every week, Bloodline, Bloodline, Bloodline. Kevin can’t take it! Sami has Kevin calm down, it is a fair question. No, it’s not. Why do they have to talk about Bloodline? Why? They don’t care! Sami didn’t wanna do this in front of people but they gotta talk. Enough is enough, Kev. OH, fine, it’s just the three of them. What’s Sami gotta say? Go on. Well, ok, he’ll say it. Sami thinks Kevin is a rageaholic.
A WHAT?! What did Sami just say? Kevin has an anger problem. No he doesn’t. Yes, he does. Sami is saying this as a friend, Kevin has an anger problem. Here’s a bet. If Kevin can go the rest of the night without any more tantrums, Sami will leave it alone. But if Kevin blows up even once, he has to at least admit something’s going on. Okay? And if Kevin doesn’t blow up? Then Sami will shut up about it. But just one outburst- Okay, okay, no problem. Bet. Okay. Okay. Okay! Kevin heads out, Sami apologizes to Byron. 20 years of this. But will Kevin win the bet made with his best friend?
Someone posted to TikTok.
It’s Chelsea Green going full Hot Mess. Multiple times. Like, MULTIPLE times. A coffee shop, a diner, working out at the gym, and even in traffic.
Sonya Deville & Chelsea Green VS Kayden Carter & Katana Chance!
The Complaint Department is ready to vent frustrations, such as not getting a shot at Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler themselves. But will they learn just why Carter & Chance were the longest reigning NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions ever?
Raw returns as KC Squared makes their entrance. The teams sort out and Katana starts against Sonya. They circle, but Chelsea distracts and Sonya BOOTS Katana down! Sonya drags Katana up, bumps her off buckles, and then stomps away. Tag to Chelsea, she digs her boots in, but lets off as the ref counts. Chelsea throws Katana by her hair, then taunts the fans. Chelsea sucker punches Kayden! The fans boo but Chelsea taunts them. Chelsea thrashes Katana round by her hair, but the ref counts. Chelsea whips, Katana & Kayden hit some SILLYS TRING! Tag to Sonya and Kayden!
Kayden rallies on the Complaint Department, whips them into the same corner, and then UPPERCUTS them both! Kayden then DROPKICK SPLASHES! Sonya swings, misses, and Kayden SUPERKICKS! Tag to Katana and Kayden snapmares Sonya. They springboard to LEG DROP MOONSAULT COMBO! Cover, Chelsea breaks it! Kayden SUPERKICKS Chelsea! A-LIST LARIAT from Katana! Kayden tags in, turns Sonya, and tags back. Katana goes up, for the AFTER PARTY!! Cover, KC Squared wins!
Winners: Kayden Carter & Katana Chance, by pinfall
Chelsea complains but what else is new? Katana & Kayden are having fun, but will they win their way to another shot at Ronda & Shayna?
Cathy Kelley is on stage.
She welcomes out the American Nightmare, Cody Rhodes! Fans cheer and sing the song as Cody has his pyro. Cody shakes Cathy’s hand, “WHOA~!” Cody then shakes hands with the front row fans, and Cathy says that was quite the entrance. But what is his response to the challenge by Dominik? Cody says Cleveland is on fire! And Judgment Day is also on fire. Rhea dominates, Priest is just a few ladder steps from history, and Finn might leave the UK as World Heavyweight Champion. “And then there’s Dom.” Fans boo and Cody says Dom wants him to go find some “two guys.” That shouldn’t be too hard. As far as the challenge for tonight, Cody accepts!
Fans cheer that, and Cody heads back out. Who can Cody find to fight against Judgment Day?
Indus Sher w/ Jinder Mahal VS Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin!
The Modern Day Maharaja promised a rematch that would be more fair to the former tag team champions, so here we are. Will Veer & Sanga be more merciful while still manhandling their opponents? Or will PRIMED Alexander & The Gold Standard manage redemption?
The teams sort out and Shelton starts against Veer. But then Shelton KNEES Sanga off the apron and Cedric attacks Veer! Veer fights back, scoops Cedric but Cedric slips free! Cedric mule kicks Veer, and Shelton SUPERKICKS! Sanga gets up but Cedric BLASTS him! Shelton KNEES Sanga down again! And Cedric PLANCHAS! But Sanga catches him! Shelton hurries out to BLOCKBUSTER! Down goes Sanga and fans fire up! Jinder is there but Shelton tells him to back off. Jinder moves, Shelton gets in, but Veer hits a THESZ PRESS! Sanga hoists Cedric up to TOSS him onto barriers! Veer and Shelton steady themselves and Shelton throws hands!
Veer shoves Shelton, kicks low, and then THROAT CHOPS! Shelton sputters, Veer tags Sanga, and Indus Sher gets Shelton up. Suplex onto the ropes, for Sanga to BOOT Shelton down! Indus Sher shout “NAMASTE!” and Jinder nods. Sanga then kicks Shelton around, tags Veer back in, and Indus Sher coordinate again. MILLION DOLLAR ELBOW SLAM!! Cover, Indus Sher wins!
Winners: Indus Sher, by pinfall
Even with the tables turned, these tigers tear into their opponents! Will nothing stop Veer & Sanga from hunting down a tag title opportunity?
Kevin & Sami talk more backstage.
Sami just thinks it’s for the best that Kevin learns to control his anger. But then a staffer bumps into them and spills his drink on Kevin! The man apologizes, Sami says Kevin hates getting wet, but Kevin keeps his cool. See? He doesn’t have an anger problem, just an idiot problem. That guy didn’t know what he was doing but- Oh, hey! Matt Riddle finds them! Sup, dudes? Sami says hey, tell them everything! Riddle says it has been one crazy Hot Bro Summer! But more importantly, has Kevin been watching movies? Honey, I Shrunk the Kids? Little Giants? OH MY GOSH, MATT!! Yes. Great movies! Great movies. Good luck, Matt. Thanks, bro!
Kevin heads out and Sami says Kevin’s going through something. Riddle says he can feel it. But will Riddle unleash some of his own rage against Imperium’s Impeccable German tonight?
Logan Paul is here!
And he’s already sitting on top of a ladder under the MITB briefcases. He wants the fans to get loud, because it’s always great to be in the state of Ohio. He feels the love. Walking down the aisle, seeing so many young kids full of ambition, untapped potential, and ready to achieve greatness just like he did. Y’all know but the best people come from Cleveland. LeBron James, Jerry Lawler, and Logan Paul. And when he looks back on his life here, he thinks about the moments that made him great. The moment that truly made him great, was when he left.
Fans boo but Logan says it’s true! When he left, he pursued his dream in Hollywood. They all stayed and froze their asses off in Winter. Logan came back, walked out, and it smelled like industrial steel. And LeBron is still stuck! But don’t boo that, cuz frankly, Logan is the best they have. No no no, you know! You know! Their people cannot stop losing! Jake Paul, his brother, just lost his last boxing match. Logan lost to Rollins at WrestleMania. Heck, The Miz just lost tonight! But mark his words, today is the day that Cleveland is done losing. Logan is going to singlehandedly put some respect back on this city’s name.
Fans are torn but Logan says that because he can, he called the WWE executives, and ya boi has a special invitation to MITB. Ladies and gentlemen, he will be IN the Men’s MITB Ladder Match on July 1st in London. He’ll win, cash it in, and take a title from whoever he wants, whenever he wants. Then he’ll come back to Cleveland, throw some shots back, and we go crazy! But wait! Here comes Ricochet! The King of Flight has a mic to tell Logan, “Wait, wait, wait, listen, listen. I just came out here, honestly, just to congratulate you. You are officially in the MITB ladder match. Congratulations.”
And yes, we all understand that Mr. Logan Paul has a very big social media presence. But check this. Ricochet knows, and everyone here knows, that the only reason Logan got added is cuz Ricochet does what he always does, and at the Royal Rumble, Ricochet made Logan Paul go viral! Fans cheer, but Ricochet has more. He doesn’t care how Logan got in, because it won’t change anything. It doesn’t change that Ricochet will walk out of London as Mr. MITB. And then after that- Here comes Shinsuke Nakamura! Nakamura says, “WOW~! Is this done deal? Logan Paul in the MITB Ladder match? Ricochet! Seriously? Did you say you don’t care? I CARE!”
Nakamura has more of a reason to win now. The King of Strong Style is gonna- LA KNIGHT!? Cleveland fires up as the Mega Star makes his way out. “LEMME TALK TO YA!” Knight looks at the ring and sees Ricochet, Nakamura and two guys as useless as basketball cleats. Then he sees a guy who makes video for 14 year old girls and calls himself a star! NAH NAH! There’s only ONE star. But here’s a gift for Logan. It’s a map. With this, Logan can follow it to find where to stick each and every one of those bottles of Prime. YEAH! That briefcase has Knight’s name on it! YEAH!! So what that means- IS THE LWO IS HERE!
Santos Escobar is all fired up and he says empty promises and lies are all he hears. Please excuse him. Logan, welcome to the party, papi. But none of that matters, cuz at the end of the day, at the end of MITB, the one who will represent LA RAZA and the L! W! O! But wait, it’s FIGHT NIGHT! Pete Dunne is here! Oh, so everyone’s got something to say? Logan doesn’t even know who Butch is! Dunne gets in to DECK LOGAN! And the brawl is on! Fans fire up as Santos TACKLES Ricochet outta the ring, Knight TOSSES Nakamura, and Dunne fires off on Logan! Knight leaps but Nakamura KICKS him outta the air!
Dunne rushes Logan but Logan throws him out to DECK Dunne in return! Dunne wipes out Santos and Ricochet, but then Logan FLIES! Direct hit on them all! Cleveland’s own is standing tall, and he takes a sip of Prime. Logan points to the briefcase, spits a la HHH, and then gets back in the ring. Logan sets up the ladder, climbs it, and enjoys the cheers and jeers as he touches the briefcase. The Maverick is ready to fly, but will he crash and burn in the UK?
Matt Riddle VS Ludwig Kaiser w/ GUNTHER!
The Original Bro took out the Pride of Italy, Giovanni Vinci, but there’s still another pawn between him and Der Ring General. Will Riddle remove the Impeccable German so that nothing can keep him from Gunther? Or will Ludwig say “NEIN” to Riddle going for the Intercontinental Championship?
Raw returns and Imperium makes their entrance. The bell rings, the two circle, and they tie up. Riddle powers Ludwig back but Ludwig turns it around. Ludwig swings, misses, and Riddle fires off kicks! Ludwig blocks one, but Riddle rolls and drags Ludwig down! ANKLE LOCK! Ludwig scrambles to the ROPEBREAK! The ref counts, Riddle lets off to run in but Ludwig dodges. Riddle counter punches, but Ludwig blocks the kick to UPPERCUT! Gunther likes that as Ludwig bumps Riddle off buckles. Ludwig UPPERCUTS again, then puts Riddle in the ropes. Ludwig runs side to side to DROPKICK Riddle down!
Ludwig grins as he stands over Riddle, and then he drags Riddle up. But Riddle fires a forearm! Ludwig gives it back, they go back and forth, shot after shot! Ludwig kicks, CLUBS, spins, but into a GUT WRENCH SUPLEX! Riddle drags Ludwig up to GUT WRENCH SUPLEX again! BROTON! Ludwig bails out, Riddle goes to the apron, PENALTY KCIK! Down goes Ludwig but Gunther creeps up. Riddle tells him to back off but Ludwig CHOP BLOCKS Riddle from behind! And then DRAPING HALF HATCH to the floor! Riddle writhes and Imperium stands tall as Raw goes to break.
Raw returns and Ludwig knocks Riddle off the corner. Ludwig grins and adjusts, but Riddle goes up after him! Riddle SUPER FISHERMAN SUPLEXES!! Fans fire up while both men are down! Gunther is upset with his lieutenant while both men writhe. Riddle crawls and fans rally up. Riddle and Ludwig stand, and Riddle CHOPS! Ludwig CHOPS! They CHOP back and forth, then go to forearms! Riddle fires off palm strikes and a BOOT! Ludwig comes back, into a spin and PELE! Ludwig staggers, Riddle kips up and powers up to forearm smash! Then runs side to side to forearm smash! BROSPLODER!
Riddle keeps moving, but Ludwig ducks the Penalty Kick and avoids the standing moonsault! BROTON onto knees! Fans rally for the Bro and he gets Ludwig with a headscissor to the outside! Springboard FLOATING BRO ATTACK! Gunther is upset as Riddle puts Ludwig back in and fisherman, BACK TO THE FUTURE! Cradle cover, TWO!! Ludwig survives but Riddle drags him back up. Gut wrench, but Ludwig slips free to shove and UPPERCUT! Riddle wobbles into an ENZIGURI! Ludwig brings Riddle in, but Riddle wrenches out to ROUNDHOUSE! FINAL FLASH! Springboard, but Ludwig SPINEBUSTERS! Cover, TWO!!
Ludwig is shocked and Gunther shouts for him to keep going! Ludwig runs in at the corner, to CHOP! GAMANGIRI! HALF HATCH! Riddle flounders and Ludwig goes up the corner, to FLYING- GERMAN SUPLEX! Ludwig staggers up into the gut wrench, tuck and BRO DEREK!! Cover, Riddle wins!
Winner: Matt Riddle, by pinfall
Gunther is stunned that The Bro beat his second-in-command! But then Gunther runs in at Riddle! Riddle fires off kicks first! Gunther blocks one to SWEEP the leg! Gunther shouts at Ludwig to go after Riddle! Ludwig rains down fists, fans boo, but Imperium still mugs Riddle! Ludwig traps Riddle’s arms so Gunther can drive a knee into Riddle’s leg! And then STOMP it! Imperium has avenged Vinci, but Riddle only come back with more rage?
Medical helps Riddle to the back.
That leg is hurting so they want him to take it easy. Will The Bro be able to even walk at this point?
Sami and Kevin talk some more.
Sami says Kevin’s interaction with Riddle was in a grey area. Kevin came close. When Riddle said, “Hot Bro Summer,” a vein started to pop in Kevin’s forehead. No, it didn’t! But then Ludwig & Gunther walk over. What? What? Why again? No one called them, no one wants to see them, why are they here? Ludwig tells Kevin not to get heated. He just wanted to be sure these two have seen what happened to Riddle out there. And if they did, then if Kevin & Sami aren’t really careful, the same exact thing will happen to them. Kevin asks if anyone’s ever told Ludwig he’s too long winded. Can’t he just get to the point?
Sami wants Kevin to cool off, they’re going to put this on pause. Sami shows Kevin his phone and says they have something to take care of. Kevin says okay. They head out and say they’ll deal with Imperium another time. Sami and Kevin clink their belts at Imperium, but what business could this be?
The Alpha Academy trains Maxxine Dupri.
Chad Gable shows her the “Gable Grip” and how to use it in a suplex. Bam! Perfect form! Except for the guy taking it. Go take a lap! Maxxine says she is so ready for whatever “Valhalla” is gonna throw at her this week. Gable says she did surprise everyone, because they underestimated Gable’s coaching abilities. But he is confident Maxxine needs to be ready. Don’t get cocky, don’t be arrogant, be prepared. Remember: it is all in the hips! Show ’em, Otis! HIPS! Great thrust. Now, here goes. Maxxine gets her training partner, facelock and waistband, and… Well, leaving us in suspense! Will Maxxine get to strut her stuff tonight?
The Alpha Academy w/ Maxxine Dupri VS The Viking Raiders w/ Sarah Logan!
The teams sort out, Gable starts with Erik in a rematch from a couple weeks ago. They tie up, Erik wrenches an arm to a wristlock but Gable rolls, bridges, handsprings and spins to headlock, spin and wrench again. Gable facelocks, suplexes, and fans fire up! “A THANK YEW~!” Maxxine says she saw the hips! Tag to Ivar, and Gable looks to Otis. Fans fire up as Otis tags in! The Dozer and the War Beard circle, tie up, and throw hands! Otis headlocks, Ivar powers out, but Otis CLOBBERS Ivar! Ivar goes to a corner, Otis runs in and SPLASHES! Ivar staggers, wobbles, and falls into the drop zone!
Fans fire up and Otis tears off the shirt! But Erik rushes in! Otis CLOBBERS Erik, but Ivar BOOTS Otis down! Ivar hobbles, hitting Otis that hard! Tag to Erik, the Vikings mug Otis, and then Erik drags Otis back up. Erik RAMS Otis into the corner, tags Ivar, and the Vikings mug Otis some more. Fans rally as Ivar facelocks Otis, but Otis powers his way forward! Fans cheer and the Alphas coach Otis on as he keeps moving. But Ivar KNEES and CLUBS Otis down! Ivar drags Otis back up, but Otis suplexes Ivar! Fans fire up as both big men are down! Otis and Ivar crawl, hot tags to Erik and Gable!
Gable fires hands and chops and knees and uppercuts! Erik swings, misses and Gable mule kicks! Gable runs, ROLLING NECKBREAKER! Ivar returns, but into a clinch! Ivar fights the Exploder, Gable dodges the lariat, and Gable clohteslines Ivar up and out! Erik runs in, into the clinch! EXPLODER! The Vikings regroup outside and Cleveland says ‘A THANK YEW~!” with Gable! Gable goes up a corner, Sarah freaks out as Gable ARIHARA MOONSAULTS! Down go the Vikings, and Gable puts Erik in! Gable hurries back up top, takes aim, DIVING HEADBUTT! Cover, TWO!!
Erik survives but Sarah is still beside herself. Sarah gets on the apron, but Maxxine storms over! Maxxine YANKS Sarah down, reels her in, and SNAP SUPLEXES! Fans are thunderous, Otis celebrates with Maxxine, but Erik gets Gable for a FULL NELSON SMASH!! Cover, the Vikings win!!
Winners: The Viking Raiders, by pinfall
Maxxine & Otis realize what happened and are stunned! Well, things are now split between these teams, not including Maxxine’s moral victories. Will Gable & Otis regroup and come up with a surefire way to get even?
The Judgment Day talks at gorilla position.
Dominik says it doesn’t matter who Cody has. At the end of the day, they’re not on the same page like the Judgment Day. Rhea asks if Finn and Priest are on the same page. Finn says, “Yeah, we’re cool.” Priest says their issues aren’t with each other. They’re good. Good. Because Rhea looks forward to them teaching Cody a lesson after he talked bad on The Judgment Day. But right now, she has her own business with Natalya. Rhea heads out, sans Dom. Will Mami do bad all by herself?
Rhea Ripley VS Natalya!
Raw returns and Cathy Kelley interviews The Queen of Harts at gorilla. After everything that happened at Night of Champions, how has she prepared differently for this match? What happened at NOC rocked Natty to her core. Rhea beat her dominantly and quickly. Natty is just still trying to figure out where she fits in. But tonight is a second chance for her to prove to Rhea that she belongs, and perhaps, most importantly, a chance to prove to herself that she belongs. Natty makes her entrance now, has she already lost before the bell’s even rung?
Rhea CLOBBERS Natty off the apron!! Rhea goes out after Natty, fires off hands and stomps and she kicks Natty around the way. Rhea drags Natty up to TOSS into barriers! And then she RAMS Natty into steel steps! Rhea drags Natty up and RAMS her into the apron! The ref reprimands but the match isn’t official yet! Rhea says Natty thinks she’s real smart to get in the ring with her again. HEADBUTT! Rhea puts Natty in the ring, drags her up, and the ref calls out back-up. RIPTIDE!! Rhea looms over the Queen of Harts but the refs and producers tell her to leave. Rhea grins, having done enough damage. Will anyone ever stop the WWE Women’s World Champion?
No Contest
Backstage interview with Raquel Rodriguez.
Raquel glares at the screen showing Rhea talking trash as Cathy asks her how she feels about her Women’s MITB qualifier tonight. Raquel says it is always an honor to step into the ring with a legend like Trish Stratus. And though Raquel has her eyes on the MITB contract, she can’t help but bring up what Rhea just did to Natty. “That is not okay.” When Raquel does become Ms. MITB, she’ll make sure to cash-in on Rhea and remind her that she’s not the biggest fish- Oh, what was that, Raquel? Rhea walks in through the curtain to get in Raquel’s face. Raquel smiles and tells “Mami,” that she better hope Trish wins. Because Rhea ain’t ready for Raquel Rodriguez.
The two stare down, but Raquel’s music hits. Raquel moves on, will she get through a living legend to then go after this legend in the making?
Cody Rhodes stretches in the back.
And Akira Tozawa walks up. If Cody’s still looking for partners, don’t worry about it. He’s your man! Cody appreciates that, he’ll consider it. Thanks, Akira. Love the hair. Tozawa heads out, but then Sami & Kevin walk over. They got his text. If he’s got a problem with The Judgment Day, that means they’ve got a problem with the Judgment Day. He helped them on the Road to WrestleMania, they didn’t forget that. Any time he needs help, they have his back. Cody says Tozawa did just offer, but- Oh, no! They’re too late! C’mon, man, Kevin’s been holding in his temper, he’s been wanting to punch someone out, and now they can’t even do it!
No, no, Cody didn’t accept Tozawa’s offer. Tonight here, he couldn’t ask for better partners than the Undisputed Tag Team Champions. O-Oh. He gets to punch people in the face? Let’s go! Kevin is all excited now, and Sami tells Cody, “See you in the main event.” They fist bump and the team is set! Will the American Nightmare and two Canadian Prizefighters take it to Finn, Priest & Dom?
Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match Qualifier: Trish Stratus w/ Zoey Stark VS Raquel Rodriguez!
Raw returns as Trish makes her entrance, her new protégé by her side. The bell rings and the two stare down. They tie up but Trish kicks low! Trish fires off hands from all slides, CLUBS Raquel then KICKS her! Raquel just scowls at Trish. Raquel swings, Trish dodges, but Raquel catches Trish’s Thesz Press into a bearhug! Trish fights but Raquel thrashes her around! Trish is almost a ragdoll as Raquel SLAMS her down! Raquel drags Trish up, scoops her, and carries her around before the SLAM! Raquel tells Trish to get up, then puts her in a corner. Raquel SPLASHES Trish, then drags her back up.
Trish holds ropes, Zoey protests and the ref has Raquel back off. Raquel rushes back in, gets Trish in a waistlock but Trish fires elbows. Trish SLAPS Raquel! Raquel frowns again and Trish says hold on. But Raquel RAMS her into a corner! And again! And again! And again! The ref counts, Raquel lets off to whip Trish corner to corner hard! Raquel runs in but Trish sends her into the POST! Zoey coaches Trish to keep going and Trish goes up to TORNADO DDT! Cover, TWO!! Raquel survives but Trish covers again, TWO! Trish pulls Raquel’s hair, covers again, TWO! Trish is frustrated, so she dribbles Raquel off the mat.
Trish smothers Raquel into the mat, but lets off as the ref reprimands. Trish dribbles Raquel off the mat again, then runs to KICK Raquel in the side! Fans boo but Trish CHOKES Raquel on the ropes! The ref counts, Trish goes up and she brings Raquel up for a HANGING SLEEPER! At least, it would be hanging if Raquel wasn’t so tall. Raquel carries Trish out as a backpack, to RAM her into buckles! Raquel runs in but Trish dodge! Raquel’s leg gets stuck in the ropes and Trish RAMS into Raquel! And climbs up to pull the hair and pull Raquel against the ropes! But Raquel powers up to bring Trish out, only for Trish to RANA her into buckles!
Trish rolls Raquel up, TWO!! Trish is frustrated but Zoey says to use the ring. Trish has her HOF ring on her finger and she DECKS Raquel!! Then into the CAMEL CLUTCH!! Raquel endures, fans rally, but Trish fishhooks her! Raquel just powers up to carry Trish, swing her around and SIDEWALK SLAM!! Trish staggers up, but Raquel HEADBUTTS her to a corner! Raquel runs in to SPLASH! Raquel drags Trish back out, scoops her, and SNAKE EYES off the buckles! Raquel runs back in, but Trish dodges, only for the SOUTHPAW to hit! Fans fire up as Raquel hauls Trish back up!
Raquel scoops Trish for a FALL AWAY SLAM! Trish flops all the way outta the ring! The ref has Zoey stay back as Raquel storms out after Trish. Raquel puts Trish in, glares at Zoey, but Trish distracts the ref, talking about a bad neck. Zoey trips Raquel on the apron! Trish POSTS Raquel again! Trish drags Raquel in to cover, TWO!! Fans fire up because Becky Lynch is here! She CLOBBERS Zoey and tosses her all around! Trish goes out after Trish but Becky SLAMS Trish! THAT’S A DISQUALIFICATION!!
Winner: Trish Stratus, by disqualification (advances to MITB)
Becky can’t believe it! She just got outsmarted by Trish! But then she chases Trish off! Trish & Zoey regroup and retreat, because now they’re BOTH going to MITB! Raquel is upset with Becky but Becky says it was an accident. Will Becky just have to take down both Trish & Zoey in one match?
Backstage interview with Bron Breakker.
Cathy welcomes Bron and says reports are unclear if Seth Rollins is going to be able to compete on NXT tomorrow night, but he is still set to face him in a match for the World Heavyweight Championship? What are his thoughts on this? The Big Bad Booty Nephew says surely, Seth isn’t gonna use what happened to him tonight as some sort of excuse. Rollins talks such a big game about being the workhorse, night in and night out. Bron has been waiting for this opportunity. And if you think what Finn did to Rollins was bad, you haven’t seen anything yet. Bron promises to hurt Seth Freakin’ Rollins “really freakin’ bad.”
And who knows? Maybe the docs prescribe Rollins enough “courage” so he can make it to NXT. But get used to seeing this face on Monday nights, because he will be the NEW World Heavyweight Champion. Will Bron be #MeanerThanEvil on Raw as well as NXT?
Backstage interview with Becky Lynch.
Byron asks The Man about her accidentally helping Trish qualify for MITB. What happened there? Becky says, “I screwed myself.” Or did she? Cuz now, Becky gets Trish in a match with ladders. Look at this way: Becky has enemies in Damage Control, Trish & Zoey, and it’s not like she’s good friends with Zelina Vega or anything. So it’ll just go one of two ways. Either Becky overcomes this giant mountain she’s created, climb a ladder, grab the briefcase and become Miss MITB. Or… She goes down in a blaze of glory and takes Trish & Zoey with her. Is the UK gonna be ready for The Big Time?
Shinsuke Nakamura VS Bronson Reed!
The King of Strong Style already beat the Colossal Aussie once to qualify for MITB, but it wasn’t enough to keep him away. Will one more Kinshasa tell Bronson to leave it alone? Or will he wash Nakamura away with a Tsunami?
Raw returns and Bronson makes his entrance. The bell rings and the two rush in! DYNAMIC DROPKICK from Nakamura! Bronson ends up in a corner, and Nakamura gives him GOOD VIBRATIONS! The ref counts, Nakamura brings Reed up to uppercut, knee, and snapmare! KNEE DROP! Cover, ONE! Nakamura fires more knees, runs, but into a BODY CHECK! ELBOW DROP! Fans cheer as Auszilla looms over Nakamura. Bronson drags Nakamura up, HEADBUTTS him, then brings him into a bearhug! Nakamura endures, fights up, but Bronson CLUBS him down! Fans rally for Nakamura and Nakamura fires forearms!
Bronson CHOPS Nakamura off his feet! Bronson drags Nakamura up to HEADBUTT! But Nakamura PELES! Bronson ends up in a corner., Nakamura runs in but blocks boots. Nakamura puts Bronson in ropes, KICKS him, then runs, SLIDING GERMAN! The fans cheer, but Nakamura spots Ricochet walking up. Ricochet asks what’s up, he just wants to see this match. Nakamura tells Ricochet to go away, then goes back to the ring as Raw goes to break.
Raw returns again and Nakamura fights out of a fireman’s carry, only for Bronson to DECK him! Bronson drags Nakamura up, CHOPS him again, and even Ricochet is stinging while he sits at ringside. Nakamura goes to a corner, Bronson runs in, but Nakamura dodges! Bronson hits buckles and Nakamura hits an ENZIGURI! Nakamura then goes up to FLYING KNEE! Down goes Bronson! Cover, TWO! Fans rally as Nakamura stomps Bronson. Nakamura facelocks, drags Bronson up, but Bronson wrenches out, ripcords and POWERSLAMS! Cover, TWO! Nakamura is still in this and Ricochet seems impressed.
Bronson drags Nakamura up, scoops but Nakamura shifts to get a TRIANGLE HOLD! Fans fire up but Bronson stays on his feet to deadlift and POWERBOMB! Cover, TWO!! Nakamura survives and Ricochet applauds, though maybe sarcastically. Bronson sees Nakamura go to the apron, and BLASTS him off! Bronson then goes to the apron to FLYING SHOULDER TACKLE! Bronson soaks up the heat from the fans, then drags Nakamura up. Bronson brings Nakamura around, and throws him at Ricochet! But Ricochet’s ready and gives Nakamura his seat! Then Ricochet KICKS the chair to send Nakamura into Bronson!
Bronson wobbles, and Nakamura glares at Ricochet. Ricochet dares him to do something. But then Bronson ROCKS Nakamura and puts him in the ring. Bronson glares at Ricochet and Ricochet says worry about Nakamura. Ricochet picks his chair up, but Bronson reels him in to send him into the steel steps! Bronson gets in, ducks a roundhouse but not the WHEEL KICK! Ricochet storms up, Nakamura aims at Bronson. Nakamura runs in, but Bronson sends him into Ricochet! And then SAIDO for Nakamura! Bronson drags Nakamura into the drop zone, goes up the corner, and fans fire up for the TSUNAMI!! Cover, Bronson wins!
Winner: Bronson Reed, by pinfall
The behemoth used two kings against each other to stand tall! Bronson may not be in the MITB match, but will he be ready to crush anyone and everyone with a title over the summer?
Seth Rollins speaks.
“The question’s floating around out there, will I or won’t I? Can I? Can’t I? And to be honest with ya, they took me from the arena tonight to get X-rays on my ribs. But I don’t really give a damn what these doctors tell me. I don’t stop, and I don’t make excuses. So, Mr. Badass Bron Breakker… I’ll be at NXT tomorrow, World Heavyweight title on the line, and I’m not going all the way back home to lose. And as for Finn Balor… There’s the guy that beat me seven years ago. Welcome back. MITB can’t come soon enough.” The Visionary is ready to #BurnItDown, will he start with NXT Gold Rush?
Six Man Tag: The Judgment Day VS Cody Rhodes, Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn!
Finn, Priest, Dom & Rhea all say they run Monday nights, and they just about ran the show this week. But will they be able to finish strong after calling out The American Nightmare? Or will Cody and the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions humble this fearsome foursome once and for all?
Raw returns as the Judgment Day makes their entrance. The teams sort out and Priest starts against Cody, but Cody wants Dom. Dom says okay, and he tags in. Fans boo Dom but we’re getting an MITB appetizer. But then Dom tags right out to Finn. Fans boo even more and Rhea laughs at Cody thinking it was gonna be that easy. Finn and Cody circle, tie up, and Finn headlocks. Cody powers up but Finn holds tight. Cody powers out but Finn runs him over! Cover, ONE, but Finn is after the bad arm. Finn wrenches to wristlock but Cody cartwheels and wrenches back. Cody hammerlocks, headlocks, but Finn powers out.
Things speed up and Cody catches Finn to a fireman’s carry! GUTBUSTER RACK! Then Cody brings Finn up, but Finn RAMS him into the corner! Finn RAMS Cody again and again, the ref counts, but Finn tags to Dom. Cody turns things around on Finn but Dom CHOPS Cody on the back! Cody scowls but Dom slips out of the ring to hide behind Mami Rhea. Fans boo and Cody waits patiently as Dom comes back. Tag to Priest, so Cody tags to Sami. Sami and Priest circle, fans insult Dom, and Priest powers Sami to a corner. The ref counts, Priest lets off but he fires off hands and stomps on Sami! The ref counts again and Priest lets off.
Priest grins as he brings Sami back up to whip corner to corner. Priest runs in but Sami elbows back! Sami goes up and leaps, AX HANDLE! Cover, ONE!! Sami facelocks Priest but Priest powers Sami to the corner. Dom tags in and he stomps Sami. Fans sing “OLE~ OLE OLE OLE~” for Sami. Dom kicks but Sami ROCKS him in return! And again! And again! Dom kicks low, CLUBS Sami, then reels him in for some Latino Heat. Fans boo but Sami suplexes Dom first! Sami drags Dom up, ROCKS him, then whips him. Dom reverses but Sami BOOTS back! Dom staggers, Finn gets in and they both distract the ref so Rhea can CLOBBER Sami!
Fans boo as Rhea laughs. Cody and Kevin protest but Rhea high-fives Priest as Raw goes to break.
Raw returns once again and Priest has Sami in the corner. Priest runs in, BACK ELBOW, and then a tag to Finn. Priest snapmares Sami, Finn slingshot STOMPS! Tag to Dom and he slingshot SENTONS! Dom tags out to Finn again, and Finn tags Priest back in. They coordinate to BACKBREAKER and LEG DROP! Cover, TWO! Rhea is mad at the ref but Priest taunts Kevin. Kevin is ready to blow but Priest DEKCS him! Priest aims at Sami in the open corner, runs in, but Sami avoids the splash! Priest hits off the post even! Sami crawls, Priest staggers, hot tag to Dom! Dom DECKS Cody!
Fans boo as Dom drags Sami away to tag Finn. Finn stomps Sami, bumps him off buckles and CHOPS! Finn whips corner to corner to CHOP! Finn whips corner to corner, runs in, but Sami CLOBBERS Finn! Fans are thunderous as both men are down! Finn tries to keep Sami from crawling, but Sami kicks him away! Finn hurries, as does Sami, hot tags to Dom and Kevin! Fans explode as Kevin CHOPS and fires off hands on Dom-Dom! The ref counts as Kevin stomps a mudhole into that dummy! Then Kevin DECKS Priest from the apron! Kevin goes out after Dom to CLOBBER him on the ramp!
Kevin drags Dom up, brings him around and puts him in the ring. Dom staggers, swings on Kevin, but Kevin dodges to SUPERKICK! Dom goes to a corner, Kevin says “SUCK IT!” CANNONBALL! Cover, TWO!! Rhea is relieved but Kevin is still all fired up. Kevin drags Dom up, whips, but Finn sneaks a tag! Dom slips out of the pop-up and Finn gets the FINAL CUT! Cover, TWO! Finn rains down fists on Kevin, stomps him some more, then paces. Rhea fans off Dom while Finn SLINGBLADES Kevin! Fans boo as Finn takes aim. SUPERKICK from Kevin first! Cody is back! Kevin crawls, as does Finn, hot tags to Priest and Cody!
The American Nightmare dodges Priest to CLOBBER him! Kick and RHODES UPEPRCUT! Cody goes to a corner, Priest runs in but Cody goes up and over! POWERSLAM! Cleveland is thunderous again as Cody hits the BEAUTIFUL DISASTER! Cover, TWO!! Priest survives but Cody keeps his focus. Cody takes aim and goes up the corner, but Rhea distracts! Cody tells her to get down from the apron. Priest choke grips Cody! SOUTH OF HEAVEN!!! Cover, SAMI BREAKS IT! Dom rushes in to fire off on Sami! Fans boo but Sami whips Dom outta the ring! Dom almost falls on Rhea, but then Sami DECKS Dom!
Rhea catches her Dom-Dom, then gets up on the apron. The ref reprimands but Sami just smirks. Fans say “YES! YES! YES!” and Rhea dares him to do something. Sami runs and FLIES over Rhea to take out Dom!! Rhea is freaking out, Cody hits a CODY CUTTER on Priest!! Cover, TWO!!! Priest survives and fans are shocked! Cody is frustrated, but Kevin reaches out. Only for Priest to go after Kevin! They brawl, Kevin getting to vent all his frustration! Kevin RAMS Finn into barriers! But Priest rolls Cody! TWO! Cody escapes, but Priest ROCKS him with a right! And then runs to springboard, but into an ARM BRACE SHOT!! Cover, DOM breaks it!
Fans boo Dom as he rains down fists on Cody. The ref reprimands but Kevin goes after Dom now! Dom knees low, throws Kevin out, and he has Cody on the ropes! Dom mocks his own father, dials it up, but Sami CLOBBERS Dom! Dom ends up in a corner, Sami runs in, HELLUVA KICK!! Dom is then sent into a STUNNER from Kevin! Cody waits on Priest, CROSS RHODES!! Cover, Cody and team win!!
Winners: Cody Rhodes, Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn, by pinfall
Adrenaline is definitely in their souls as they take down the Judgment Day! Will they not run Monday nights after all? Will Cody, Kevin & Sami all be running wild this Summer?
My Thoughts:
A great Raw here with a lot going on. Great stuff with Judgment Day from start to finish. I suppose it’s fine that Finn “ruined” the Open Challenge Rollins had planned, it adds heat to their match at MITB. Plus, good promo from Bron Breakker here to add to the title match tomorrow night. Bron will be the big bad Heel with a seeming advantage, and Rollins will come out looking even stronger for winning while beat up. Good group promo from Judgment Day to call out Cody and set up the main event. I had a feeling it was gonna be Kevin & Sami for use of continuity when they worked together against The Bloodline. The main event was awesome stuff, and that win gives the Faces great momentum in their respective stories.
Speaking of which, good stuff with Sami saying Kevin is a “rageaholic” and needs to work on his anger. As such, hilarious stuff as Kevin struggled when interacting with Riddle and Imperium. Riddle VS Ludwig was a great match and I figured Riddle would win. The beatdown was a good tough, too, as Imperium gets more Heel heat. Riddle VS Gunther is still the natural course of action but Imperium also keeps getting at Kevin & Sami, so maybe we get more singles matches out of them. And Rhea just beating down Natty to where it was a No Contest, this helps build Rhea up while also adding to Natty’s “crisis of confidence” story.
I’ve said it already on these Raw articles, but I’m still looking forward to when the many trios/factions collide. Good stuff from Indus Sher with Cedric & Shelton, they could give Imperium and even Judgment Day a run for their money as they go after the tag titles. Would also love seeing them against Alpha Academy. Good stuff out of them tonight, and of course Maxxine hits another standard move on “Valhalla.” This time it costs the Academy their tag match win, but I’m hoping we get to see Maxxine VS Sarah, and even a Mixed Six like we’ve been seeing in NXT with The Schism, Diamond Mine and Chase U.
What a great surprise that Ciampa returned tonight. A little disappointed there was no Johnny Gargano, though, since he’s also from Cleveland. But it was a great move to have Ciampa return as a Face, with his old NXT theme, and just beating up on The Miz, who tried to have Ciampa as more a sidekick than a teammate. I can’t wait for Ciampa to reunite with Gargano so that DIY can finally be here on Raw and get in on the tag division. I can only imagine how awesome a match of Kevin & Sami VS Ciampa & Gargano will be, as well as all possible singles match possibilities that would help lead to a potential tag title match.
And of course, great stuff out of the MITB stories. Logan Paul getting in on the men’s match just from status alone is fine, it gives him plenty of Heel heat since pretty much most fans, even those in Cleveland, despite him. Good promo from him, from the others, but of course Dunne was the best cuz he skipped talking and just punched Logan in the face. Logan jinxes himself by touching the briefcase, as all he really deserves are his high spots we all know he’ll go for, and then he’ll crash through a ladder or table and essentially take himself out. The real winners of the Men’s MITB should be Priest or LA Knight. Priest for story, Knight because everyone absolutely loves him, even me.
Though, with what we saw out of Bronson, Ricochet and Nakamura this week, I really wish Bronson was the guy who powered his way into the match. Bronson wins big using Ricochet and Nakamura against each other, he could easily take this as evidence to Pearce that he deserves something, but that decision will have to be made clear next week on the go-home as MITB is only a dozen days away. MITB matches have usually been eight participants, Logan is the seventh, and a Tsunami off the ladder from Bronson would be pretty cool, too.
On the women’s side, Rhea beating down Natty like that also serves to give Raquel a reason to go after Rhea and revisit their NXT feud. Raquel VS Trish was great stuff, and it was very clever that Becky mistakenly costs Raquel her spot. Becky also has a good promo to frame her situation as being surrounded by enemies, even considering the ladder match is meant to be everyone for themselves. There’s also intriguing parallels between Trish & Zoey and DMG CTRL. Trish and Bayley are both using Zoey and Iyo to put themselves over, but those could backfire on them both during the ladder match. I’m thinking if it isn’t Becky, it should be Iyo winning as Iyo will go Face upon breaking away from Bayley.
My Score: 8.7/10
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IF YA SMELLALALALALALA~…!
As Cody Rhodes teams with Damian Priest & Braun Strowman against Solo Sikoa’s Bloodline, FINALLY, The Rock has come back to SmackDown!
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Drew McIntyre VS Jimmy Uso; Jimmy wins.
- The Miz & Carmelo Hayes VS R-Truth & LA Knight; Miz & Melo win.
- Tiffany Stratton VS Candice LeRae w/ Nia Jax; Tiff wins.
- Naomi w/ Bianca Belair VS Liv Morgan w/ Raquel Rodriguez; No Contest.
- WWE Tag Team Championships: #DIY VS Pretty Deadly; Pretty Deadly wins, by disqualification, and DIY retain the titles.
- Six Man Tag: Cody Rhodes, Damian Priest & Braun Strowman VS Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu & Tama Tonga; changed to…
- Damian Priest & Braun Strowman VS Solo Sikoa & Jacob Fatu w/ Tama Tonga; Priest & Braun win.
PLAY BY PLAY
Cody Rhodes talks with Nick Aldis backstage.
They shake hands, but the SmackDown General Manager tells the WWE Champion there’s been a change: Cody’s out of the Six Man Tag match. What? Why would Aldis do that? It is out of Aldis’s hands. Wait, Solo Sikoa shows up to do what he did, but they can’t do the Six Man Tag that they advertised? How is this out of Aldis’s hands? Who do they need to talk to so they can do the match? Aldis says there’s no one either of them can call, if you smell what’s cooking. This is coming from The Final Boss, and The Final Boss wants to see Cody in the ring tonight. What business could The Great One have with The American Nightmare?
Drew McIntyre VS Jimmy Uso!
The Scottish Terminator rubbed it in Big Jim’s face that only one of them is going to Elimination Chamber in Toronto, which Big Jim was able to brush off. But McIntyre harping on how only one Uso is going to WrestleMania was a step too far. These two look to have it out, but is Jimmy just playing into McIntyre’s hands? Or will McIntyre get embarrassed by “the other Uso” this close to that big time match?
Speaking of, Jimmy has a message for Drew as he heads to gorilla. “Everybody know you’re going to Elimination Chamber, right? But Big Jimmy got a question for the Big Easy: Will Drew go onto the Elimination Chamber and win that? Will Drew go onto WrestleMania and win that? Ey, Drew, I think we got an answer for you, Uce. The answer is…” “NO YEET!” Jimmy makes his entrance, the bell rings, and the fans rally behind Jimmy. Jimmy and Drew jaw, and then Drew raises his hands, to say UP YOURS! But Jimmy ROCKS and CHOPS away! Drew puts Jimmy in a corner, Jimmy dodges to CHOP!
Jimmy climbs and he rains down fists! The fans count, Drew dumps Jimmy tot eh apron at 5, but Jimmy GAMANGIRIS! Jimmy goes up, CROSSBODY! Cover, TWO! Jimmy hurries to CHOP, then he whips. Drew reverses to send Jimmy to the corner. Jimmy BOOTS back, goes up, and leaps, but into a clinch! OVERHEAD BELLY2BELLY! Jimmy flounders to a corner, Drew runs up to SPLASH and OVERHEAD BELLY2BELLY! Jimmy flounders again, the ref has Drew hold on, and Jimmy bails out. Drew storms out to get Jimmy and he whips Jimmy HARD into barrier! The fans boo but Drew looms over Jimmy.
The ring count starts, Drew mockingly calls him “Jey,” then puts Jimmy in the ring. Drew says NO MANIA for Jimmy. Drew stands Jimmy up, ROCKS him, then runs up, only for Jimmy to put him on the apron! Drew blocks a superkick, but not the DRAGON WHIP! Drew drops, Jimmy DIVES! Down goes Drew and the fans fire up! Jimmy grins, goes back to the apron, and then aims. But Drew stops the Penalty Kick to THROW Jimmy down! Drew then has Jimmy in the Reverse Alabama Lift! REVERSE ALABAMA SLAM onto the steel steps! Drew stands on the desk to say “NO YEET!” while SmackDown goes picture in picture.
Drew revels in the heat from New Orleans, then he leaves Jimmy behind. The ref checks Jimmy, he’s able to continue, so a ring count starts. Drew paces while Jimmy stirs. Jimmy drags himself up using the desk, then lunges in at 9! Drew is annoyed but he rains down fists! Drew stomps Jimmy, then eggs him on. Jimmy rises as the fans rally, but Drew is right on him in the corner. Drew winds up, but Jimmy counter punches! And CHOPS! And CHOPS! And whips, only for Drew to reverses. Jimmy goes up, but Drew KICKS him out of the air! Drew then hauls Jimmy up, snap suplex! Cover, TWO!
Drew says okay, Big Jim. He clamps onto Jimmy with a top wristlock and grinds the arm. Jimmy fights up, fireman’s carries, but Drew elbows free. Drew bumps Jimmy off buckles, then hauls him up to the top rope! Drew CLUBS Jimmy on the back, climbs up, then CLUBS Jimmy more. Jimmy fires elbows and Drew drops back. But Drew runs up to CLUB Jimmy again! SmackDown returns to single picture as Drew CLUBS away on Jimmy again! Jimmy keeps taunting “Jey,” then drags him up. Jimmy fights the back suplex! The fans rally, Jimmy fires hands and a HEADBUTT! Jimmy SMACKS Drew off the post!
Jimmy rises to USO IN THE WIND! Down goes Drew and the fans fire up! A standing count starts while both men stir on the mat. They both stand at 5, and Drew swings! Jimmy counter punches, then fires more shots! Mule kick, UPPERCUT, but then Jimmy dodges Drew! SAMOAN DROP! Cover, TWO! Drew is tougher than that, but Jimmy hurries to a corner. Jimmy aims as Drew goes to the other corner, “UCE! OH! UCE! OH!” Jimmy runs, but Drew FLYING HEADBUTTS! The Glasgow Kiss stuns Jimmy, and Drew hits a SPINEBUSTER! Jackknife bridge, TWO! Jimmy shows his own toughness, and the fans rally behind him.
Drew paces, then he stalks Jimmy. Drew stands Jimmy up, reels him in, but Jimmy fights the underhooks! Jimmy wrenches, UPPERCUTS, but Drew ROCKS Jimmy back! Jimmy UPPERCUTS, Drew HAYMAKERS! Drew whips, Jimmy reverses and Drew ends up on the apron! Drew ROCKS Jimmy first, then climbs the corner! FLYING- SUPERKICK! Jimmy runs to SPEAR! Cover, TWO!! Drew survives, Jimmy’s spear doesn’t hit quite like The Tribal Chief’s. Jimmy goes to the corner, climbs up, and the fans rally up. USO- NO, Jimmy rolls through as Drew moves! Drew dodges a lariat to NECKBREAKER!
Both men are down, the fans rally, and Drew kips up! Drew scowls as he aims at Jimmy. “THREE! TWO! ONE!” CLAY- SUPERKICK!! Jimmy hits first! GLASGOW KISS returns! Drew reels Jimmy in, “This is your WrestleMania! This is as close as you get!” Drew shouts Jimmy is nothing, then ROCKS him with forearm after forearm! GLASGOW KISS! Another Reverse Alabama, but Jimmy victory rolls it! JIMMY WINS!!!
Winner: Jimmy Uso, by pinfall
Drew is furious, but his own ego caught him there! But then Drew CLOBBERS Jimmy! The fans boo Drew being a sore loser, but he puts Jimmy back in the ring! Drew rains down fists, then he DRIBBLES Jimmy off the mat! The ref reprimands, the fans boo, but Drew says that was Jimmy’s Mania Moment! Drew will win the Chamber, he will go to Mania, and he will win there! Jimmy means NOTHING to Drew! Drew puts Jimmy up against the post, then takes aim! The fans boo, but refs and producers rush out here! They swarm Drew to keep him from going after Jimmy again. Drew says fine, fine, then takes his leave.
Producers help Jimmy to his feet, but then Drew BLASTS through the refs! CLAYMORE for Jimmy!! The Scottish Terminator hits his target, then laughs as he actually leaves. Will McIntyre make this his Road to WrestleMania?
A car pulls into the parking lot.
And out steps Solo Sikoa. Solo heads inside, and he finds Jacob Fatu & Tama Tonga waiting. Solo tells them that last week with Tama, that was an accident. Jacob says yeah, it’s all good, Uce. But keep it 100: If it wasn’t an accident, Solo wouldn’t be standing here right now. Well, good! Glad to see we’re all on the same page. Solo says he will be in the corner during the match for Jacob & Tama. Uh, no, Solo, no disrespect, but Jacob & Tama have been running things on SmackDown these past couple weeks. So tonight, it’s Jacob & Solo running the play? Yadada mean? Yeah, of course. And that right there, Jacob, is exactly why Solo loves him.
Solo says he’ll be back, he has to talk with Nick Aldis. Solo heads out, but will he really just step right back into place from before he lost the ula fala?
Carmelo Hayes is backstage.
R-Truth calls out to Melo, and says for the first time ever, Truth VS Melo! What’s Truth talking about? Duh, they have a match. No, Truth, Melo knows. But they had a match last week. Truth says he has never met Melo in his life, but they have a tag match tonight. What? No, they don’t. Who even made this match? Him. Truth, they are not going through this H1M who’s on first thing again. Melo is H1M. No, him made the match. The Miz!? Miz says he’s H1M. So now there’s two of you? No no no! Melo is H1M, this is The Miz! Yeah, #MeloDon’tMiz! NO! That’s not a thing! Tonight, they are. Who’s Truth’s partner?
Truth says he’s got a guy. A Louisiana legend! In fact, he just got here, so Truth’s gotta go. Laters. Miz says he has been workshopping this, and the fans love it. Think about it: Melo Don’t Miz! Melo Don’t Miz! And we are…! Melo shakes his head. Truth steps in and says Miz just wants Melo to say, “Awesome.” Miz offers a fist bump, Melo says no. Will Melo wish he had missed tonight’s show? Or will Miz actually help H1M get another win?
Zelina Vega speaks.
“My whole life, people have taken one look at me, and they try to define me. My size has never stopped me before. It never stopped me from becoming tag team champion. Or my personal favorite, the history-making first-time-ever Queen of the Ring. That’s me. Make no mistake about it, I’ve never had it easy. I had to scratch and claw to get anything around here. But this is a fresh start. Because I have something to prove. And my dreams are a lot bigger than your measuring stick. It ain’t over until Zelina Vega says it’s over.”
The Miz & Carmelo Hayes VS R-Truth & ???
Miz makes his entrance but Melo kinda steps all over it. So he already missed his cue… But who did Truth find to team with him in the Big Easy? We’ll see, after the break.
SmackDown returns and Truth makes his entrance. “What’s up?” Well, more like who is his partner? He’ll tell us! His tag team partner is a local legend, born and bred right here in New Orleans! Ladies and gentlemen, welcome Louisiana Knight! Wait, he means L A Knight! Yes, Louisiana abbreviated is LA, but that’s not… Oh, Truth… Truth gives Knight a Po’ Boy and some Mardi Gras beads, so Knight embraces it. The teams sort out, and Truth calls out him! Does he mean Miz or Melo? Well, Melo says he is H1M, so that’s who starts. The fans cheer on Knight while Truth and Melo tie up. Melo KNEES low, whips, but Truth reverses.
Melo springboards, FADEAWAY JUMPER! Melo makes his free throw, but Truth drop toeholds! Truth headlocks, Melo powers up and out but Truth whips! Melo turns hip toss into lateral press, TWO! Truth has a ghost pin, TWO! Melo trips to cover, ONE! Truth trips to cover, ONE! Melo runs up, Truth does the splits, and then hits a BIG hip toss! The fans fire up, Truth counts, Melo gets up at TWO, but Truth was just goofing. The ref explains to Truth that he is the ref, not Truth! Melo is annoyed, he runs up on Truth, but Truth wrenches him around! Melo pulls hair but Knight tags in. The fans fire up as Knight fires hands!
Knight ROCKS Melo, whips Melo, but Melo reverses! SWINGING NECKBREAKER! Cover, TWO! Knight drags Melo up to tag Truth back in, and Truth ROCKS Melo! Melo staggers, but he refuses to tag! Truth arm-drags Melo, then grinds the arm. Melo insists he’s got this, then arm-drags free. Truth staggers up, he and Melo bump heads! Truth staggers around more, and he tags Miz?! Truth forgot The Awesome Truth isn’t a thing anymore! Again! Melo BLASTS Truth off the apron, the fans boo, but Miz tags himself in! Melo is annoyed, but Miz goes to fetch Truth while SmackDown goes to break.
SmackDown returns again, and Melo has Truth. Truth ROCKS Melo, but Melo holds onto the wristlock! Truth reaches for Knight, Knight reaches for Truth, but Melo holds on. Truth takes a swing, but into an O’Conner Roll! TWO and Melo BLASTS Knight! Truth rolls Melo up, TWO! Melo kicks low, calls his shot, but Truth suplexes for a STUNNER! The fans fire up while both men are down! Truth and Melo crawl, hot tags to Miz and Knight! The fans fire up as Knight rallies on Miz! “YEAH! YEAH!” Knight whips, Miz reverses, but Knight lEAPING LARIATS! Knight TOSSES Melo in for good measure!
Knight stomps a mudhole into Melo, “YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!” LARIAT for Miz! KNEE for Melo! Knight scoops and POWERSLAMS Miz! Knight keeps running, JUMP ELBOW DROP! Cover, TWO! Knight stays on Miz as he brings Miz up. Knight ROCKS Miz, then ROCKS him again! Knight whips, Miz grabs the ropes. Miz KICKS, then takes a swing, but into a back suplex! Miz lands out, tag to Melo! Miz ELBOWS Knight, but Knight scoops! Miz tilt-o-whirls through, Melo SUPERKICKS Knight down! cover, TWO! Knight stays in this but Melo says he’s got this! Melo waits on Knight, then leaps, but NO 48!
Knight kicks low, but NO B F T! Tag to Truth! Knight ELBOWS Melo, Truth runs in! CENA SHOULDER TACKLES! Then the SPIN OUT BOMB! Truth says it’s time! “YOU CANT SEE ME~!” truth runs for the FIVE KNCUKLE SHUFFLE! Truth then fireman’s carries, but Melo slips free! Melo shoves, Truth dodges, and Truth hits the LIE DETECTOR! Truth then gets Melo in the S T R-TRUTH! But Miz CLOBBERS Truth! Knight ROCKS Miz, then LARIATS him up and out! Knight then goes out to THROW Miz into barriers! The fans fire up again, but NAKAMURA ATTACKS KNIGHT!
The fans boo, but the sinister samurai then POSTS Knight!! Nakamura slithers away while Melo keeps the ref’s attention! Truth sees Knight is down, Melo runs up, but Truth dodges! Miz tags in, full nelson, and a FIRST 48 FINALE COMBO?!? Cover, Miz & Melo win!!
Winners: The Miz & Carmelo Hayes, by pinfall
Well, what do you know? Nakamura aside, Miz and Melo made it work! Okay, they’re both trying to hog the spotlight, but is there a future for Melo Don’t Miz? Will Knight only have more of a reason to take that title off Nakamura now?
Charlotte Flair speaks.
“The GOAT… doesn’t have to call themselves The GOAT. Now, I have crafted a legacy that no one, I mean no one, can touch. And I’m back.” The Women’s Royal Rumble Winner chose Tiffany Stratton, but will The Queen take back her throne? Or will WWE always be on #TiffyTime? Speaking of…
Tiffany Stratton VS Candice LeRae!
The WWE Women’s Champion may have gotten past Nia Jax, but now she knows Charlotte Flair is waiting for her at WrestleMania, and is going to be teaming with Trish Stratus in Toronto! Will she be in Tiffy Top Shape for that Tiffy Trishy dream match? Or will the Poison Pixie be quite the problem all on her own?
Before the match, Tiff grabs a mic while the fans cheer. Tiffy says, “I know, I know. You know it, you know it, and you know it. Ever since I won this title, everybody’s just been so obsessed with me. And last week, I had Nia Jax beat, until Candice LeRae decided to interfere and help her little meal ticket. And at Elimination Chamber, Trish Stratus and I make sure the Unstoppable Force comes to a definitive end!” The fans cheer that, but Tiff says enough about them. Let’s talk Charlotte Flair. The fans boo that name, but Tiff says Charlotte took her sweet old time, grabbed a chair, grabbed a mic, and she looked down on Tiff.
Charlotte chose Tiff as her WrestleMania opponent. In that moment, Tiff’s dream came true! And as she lied down there and looked up at Charlotte, she realized the rumors are true: No one loves to kick a girl when she’s down quite like Charlotte Flair. So at WrestleMania, Tiff isn’t coming for Charlotte’s legacy; that’s all Charlotte’s. Tiff is coming for the spot Charlotte desires the most: The number one spot as the top girl in the WWE! But here comes Nia & Candice to interrupt. Nia has a mic to tell Tiffy, “I Have to say, this is really cute. Like, it’s really cute that you actually think you were gonna beat me last week.”
Doesn’t Candice think that is cute? Candice says yes, it is so~ cute. And Tiff wouldn’t even be standing there if not for little Trish Stratus~. Exactly! And it’s even cuter that Tiff is out here talking about Charlotte when she wont’ even see WrestleMania! Because after Nia & Candide destroy Tiff at Elimination Chamber, Nia is coming back for her WWE Women’s Championship. Nia & Candice step up to the ring, and Nia says Tiff won’t even see the Grandest Stage of Them All. Tiff tells Nia to just give it up. This title isn’t even hers anymore. And once Tiff beats Candice tonight, Nia won’t have anyone to do her dirty work anymore!
Candice tells Tiffy that while they’re meant have a match right now, she and Nia are feeling impatient. Nia says they should just get rid of Tiff right now! But the ref steps in and says not gonna happen! Tiff VS Candice will, after the break.
SmackDown returns and Candice has Tiffy down with an armlock. Tiff fights up as the fans rally, but Candice wrenches to wristlock. Tiff spins through, goes to ropes, then up the corner to flip and arm-drag! The fans fire up as Tiff rallies on Candice! DROPKICK, and Tiff snarls! Tiff goes to the corner, and Charlotte makes her entrance? The Queen chooses to be fashionably late all so everyone looks at her, including Tiffy. Tiffy handsprings, but Candice dodges! Candice runs up to UPPERCUT, then she snapmares and NECK SNAPPERS! Jackknife bridge, TWO! Candice clamps onto Tiffy with a top wristlock.
The fans “WOO~” as Charlotte now chooses to join commentary. Tiff fights up, has the ROPEBREAK, but Candice CLUBS away on her! Candice backs off, runs up, but Tiff drop toeholds her to ropes! Tiff runs, HIP ATTACKS, and Candice flops back! Cover, TWO! Tiff stays on Candice with a whip, but Candice reverses. Candice CLOBBERS Tiff, covers, TWO! Charlotte corrects Tiffy’s words earlier: Charlotte isn’t the “top girl,” she is THE woman in WWE. Candice HIP DROPS Tiff but the fans rally up. Candice scuffs Tiff, then grinds an arm to drop a knee on the elbow! And another knee drop! Tiff endures and the fans rally up.
Candice keeps on that arm, thrashes it around, but Tiff fights up. Tiff fires body shots, then shoves Candice to Alabama Lift her! Candice sunset flips, Tiff rolls through, TIFFY STOMPS! Cover, TWO! Tiff is frustrated and Candice bails out. Tiff goes to the apron, goes up the corner, and ARIHARA MOONSAULTS! Direct hit on Candice and Nia, and Tiff almost stuck the landing! The fans fire up with Tiff and she goes into the ring. Tiff points to the WrestleMania sign, and then at Charlotte, but SmackDown goes picture in picture.
Tiff waits on Candice, Candice slides in, and Tiff stomps her down! Candice bails out, Nia is there to coach her, but Tiff lets the ring count start. Candice gets on the apron, Tiff kicks her, but Candice RAMS Tiff! Candice CLUBS Tiff, has her in the ropes, and hits a NECKBREAKER HOTSHOT! Candice climbs, aims, and leaps to MISSILE DROPKICK Tiff down! Cover, TWO! Candice is frustrated but this is why Tiff’s a champ. The fans rally, but Candice stomps Tiff! Candice scowls at the fans, stalks Tiff, then brings her up. Tiff fires body shots, then she rolls Candice up! TWO, and Candice CLOBBERS Tiff! Cover, TWO, into a ghost pin! TWO!
Candice escapes to hit a CODE BREAKER! Both women are down, but Candice scowls again as she crawls over to Tiff. Candice rains down fists, Nia tells fans to shut up, and Candice steps on Tiff’s face. Candice huffs ‘n’ puffs, pushes Tiff around, then scuffs her. Tiff rolls Candice up again, TWO! Candice DECKS Tiff! Cover, TWO! Charlotte is stoic on commentary as Candice drags Tiff up and puts her in a corner. Candice fires hands, then backs off. Candice runs up to ROCK Tiff again! Candice then runs, but Tiff dodges! SmackDown returns to single picture, and Tiff rallies with LARIAT after LARIAT! The fans fire up, Tiff handsprings, BACK ELBOW!
Tiff then reels Candice in for a SKY HIGH! High stack, TWO! The fans rally for Tiff, Nia coaches Candice, but Charlotte still seems nonplussed. Tiff and Candice rise, and Candice runs up. Candice puts Tiff on the apron, but Tiff ROCKS her! Tiff bumps Candice off buckles, then goes up, but Candice ROCKS her back! Candice climbs up, and she fires hands on Tiff! Tiff fights the suplex! Tiff DECKS Candice, then adjusts position, to SANTON- FLOP! Candice ghost pins, TWO!! Tiff escapes, but Candice hits the step-up SENTON! And then a LIONSAUL FLOP! Tiff hurries to fireman’s carry, ROLLING SENTON! And then PRETTIEST MOON- NO, Nia drags Candice out of the ring!
The fans boo, Nia tells them to shut up, but Tiff is on the apron! Nia swings, Tiff cartwheels over, and then she DROPKICKS Nia! Tiff Alabama Lifts Candice, to ALABAMA SLAM her into barriers! Tiff stares down Charlotte, tells her just wait for Mania, then she puts Candice in the ring. Tiff goes to the corner, PRETTIEST MOONSAULT EVER!! Cover, Tiff wins!
Winner: Tiffany Stratton, by pinfall
Charlotte gives moderate applause, but Nia CLOBBERS Tiff from behind! The fans boo, but Nia just drags Tiff to a corner. Nia goes up, but wait! Trish is here!! The fans fire up for the legend as she rushes into the ring! Trish avoids a haymaker to CHICK KICK! Then THESZ PRESS for Candice! And then a SPINEBUSTER! Trish helps Tiff to her feet, but Nia grabs them both! Trish fires fast hands on Nia! Candice CHOP BLOCKS Trish! Tiff is still dazed, Nia HEADBUTTS her back down! Nia & Candice mug Trish, and then Nia HEADBUTTS Trish! Trish & Tiff are side by side, and Nia drags them into the drop zone! A-NIA-LATOR!!
The fans boo but there’s nothing can be done! Nia grins as she helps Candice away, will these two trash Trish & Tiff in Toronto? Charlotte steps into the ring, stands over Tiff, and points to the WrestleMania sign. Will The Irresistible Force & Poison Pixie unwittingly do the dirty work of The Queen of Flair?
Cody talks with Damian Priest backstage.
Priest asks why Cody’s boy, The Rock, is here tonight. Cody says given the time of year, his guess is as good as anyone’s. But tonight will surely be eventful. Cody congratulates Priest on entering the Elimination Chamber. Priest says what’s wild is, last year, they both walked out as champions. What sucks is that this year, only one of them can. Now, Priest is man enough and he respects Cody to say that after Chamber, he’s coming for that title. Cody says he wouldn’t have it any other way. Cody heads out, but what business does The Rock have tonight?
Braun Strowman steps in, and he tells Priest that congrats on winning, and good luck in the Chamber. But let’s be honest, Braun had Jacob dead to rights last week. If not for Solo Sikoa, things would look a lot different next week. Priest chuckles and says take it easy, he’s sounding like Drew with the excuses. But it is what it is, Priest just beat Braun to the punch. But that was last week. Tonight, Solo and Jacob, two of the baddest men in the business. Priest & Braun handling business? Oh, they’re handling business. The only business Braun cares about is getting his hands on those two. Priest says Braun definitely will.
Braun heads out, will the Monster of All Monsters and the Archer of Infamy make sure Solo & Jacob #GetTheseHands? Or will the rogues run roughshod all over SmackDown once again?
Backstage interview with Naomi & Bianca Belair.
Byron Saxton is with the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions and brings up last week’s SmackDown, the security footage led us to believe Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez were the ones behind Jade Cargill’s attack. Now, hold on, Saxton. They don’t think, Naomi knows they were. Fair enough. But this Monday, they can get their revenge when they defend the tag titles against Liv & Raquel. How ready are they for this match? Bianca says so ready! They have been waiting for months for an update. Jade has been recovering, she hasn’t been able to call or text, so the GlowEST took matters into their own hands to get revenge.
Bianca & Naomi will handle Liv & Raquel, then move on to Elimination Chamber, where one of them is gonna win to face Rhea at WrestleMania. Not only will you #FeelTheGlowEST on Monday, but Liv feels it tonight! #Let’sGLOW! The champs head out, but will they clear their Road to WrestleMania of any other distractions?
Alexa Bliss speaks.
“When I was away, there was a lot of… change that happened in me. But when I look around, I see this place is still the same. The names and faces may be different, but the desperation and insecurity remains the same. You’ll see Toronto when I turn the Elimination Chamber into something of a playground of my own. I know the Chamber. I love the Chamber. I’ve won the Chamber. And for the other five women, it’s gonna be a Hell like they’ve never experienced before. Need I remind you, this is my division, and I am in charge.” Bliss smiles and says, “See you soon.” The film comes off the reel, but will things get twisted in Toronto?
Naomi w/ Bianca Belair VS Liv Morgan w/ Raquel Rodriguez!
The Big Easy is all about having fun, and they’re fired up for Naomi’s entrance. But wait! Liv & Raquel don’t wait, they attack Bianca & Naomi while the lights are still down! They mug Naomi, but Bianca drags Liv out of the ring! Then Bianca storms in to fire off on Raquel! The fans fire up, but Liv returns to CHOP BLOCK Bianca! Raquel hauls Bianca up for a TEJANA BOMB!! Naomi runs up, fires more hands, but Liv brings Naomi around. Naomi fires hands on her, but Raquel throws her down! Liv runs up, OBLIVION!
Liv & Raquel stand tall, the refs rush out here, but clearly the singles match isn’t happening. Will we be getting something even meaner and nastier between these four on Monday?
The Rock arrives!
His truck pulls into the parking lot, but we’ll see him in the ring, after the break!
SmackDown returns and…
Aldis is chewing out Liv & Raquel for the attack. He doesn’t know what they get away with on Raw, but they can’t pull that crap here. Now get the hell out of his building. Liv & Raquel just laugh that off, but then Chelsea Green & Piper Niven walk in. Chelsea says have no fear, Chelsea & Piper are here to sub in for Bianca and Naomi at Elimination Chamber. Aldis sighs, and says they’re not missing the Chamber. What? But Chelsea had an outfit picked out! This is a travesty to not have the greatest Canadian export since maple syrup on a Canadian PLE! Does he know who she is? The first-ever, longest reigning, tallest, shortest, prettiest, richest, tannest, sparkliest, oldest, youngest Women’s US Champion! Piper asks what this is aboot, eh?
Aldis says this is them testing his patience. They need to pack their gear and whatever else they want, because they’ll be in action next week on SmackDown in Toronto. And oh, it’ll be a good one. Wait, they need more details! At least an e-calendar notification? Aldis is leaving Chelsea in the dark on what’s coming, will she absolutely hate it?
The Rock heads to the ring!
Wait, what is this New Orleans related remix? The Final Boss steps out on stage, he shows those goosebumps, then continues down the ramp, shaking hands with fans. The Rock hits his signature pose on the corner, but then takes the long way around to pick up a fan’s phone for them before going back into the ring. The fans all cheer for “ROCKY! ROCKY!” and he grabs himself a mic. He waits as the fans continue to chant his name, and then he says, “Ahh, you feel it, don’t you? You feel it. The Rock has got chills up and down his body because you know, on a Friday night, for the Final Boss to get inside his bird and fly all the way here, you know that I’m dropping some ish on you tonight!”
The fans fire up and The Rock smiles. Rock says, “Let’s get this show on the road.” The fans anticipate what’s coming but he says hold on, he’ll do it. “FINALLY! The Rock has come back…” “TO NEW ORLEANS~!” Rock smiles, and he adds, FINALLY, WrestleMania is coming back to New Orleans!! The fans are thunderous to hear that! WrestleMania 30, WrestleMania 34, and now WrestleMania 42!? Yes, next year, 2026, LIVE from the Superdome! One of the greatest cities on Earth in New Orleans, Louisiana! The pyro goes off to commemorate the occasion, and the logo is already on the tron! Rock smiles at that, then he smiles at the WrestleMania 41 Vegas logo.
The fans are losing their minds, as we now know April 11th and 12th, 2026, the Big Easy has the Grandest Stage of Them All. Rock says you damn right holy ish! Oh when the saints go marching in…! Oh how I’d love… Wait, no, this ain’t singalong with The Final Boss! Sit there, shut up, and let The Final Boss sing the song! The fans are torn, but Rock says he sings! Oh how I’d love, to be in that number~! Oh when the saints go marching in~! Okay, that’s good enough. You got him, that was a great duet. The Rock is singing with the largest collection of STD’d trailer trash he has ever seen! The fans can’t believe Rock would do that to them!
Rock says now, dropping this news wasn’t the only gift he was going to drop on us. The Final Boss came here to call somebody out. The Rock will call out a man who he respects, who he admires, and who we all admire. That man is our WWE Champion, the one and only, Cody Rhodes. The fans cheer as The American Nightmare makes his entrance! They sing along with the song, “WHOA~ OH~!” and we get Cody’s pyro before he goes to the ring. Cody gets his second “WHOA~ OH~!” and round of pyro, then he steps inside to join The Rock. The fans cheer Cody on, so he holds up the title and the fans cheer even more.
Cody grabs a mic, but Rock says, “That feels good, doesn’t it? I mean, that’s gotta feel amazing, right? They love you, man.” Cody tells NOLA, “I love you, too.” Rock says this is crazy. Pretty much no one knows this, but since after WrestleMania last year, they’ve actually become good friends. No, it’s true, they have. Last time they were together was the Raw Netflix debut. Rock gave Cody his flowers, told Cody he has carried the company like the incredible champion that he is, so thank you, Cody. Rock meant it, and that night, they went to the back, drank tequila for two hours and had a great ol’ time.
They chopped it up, had a blast, but Rock wants to call Cody out here for something important. Here’s the thing… The fans get a bit rowdy as they wait, and Rock says Cody is a great champion. A great WWE Champion. Cody knows that. Again, they’ve become good friends, so over the months, they’ve texted. Even their moms became good friends! Look! Mama Johnson & Mama Rhodes together after WrestleMania 40! It is a pleasure becoming Cody’s friend. But Rock wanted this face to face to tell him a few things. One: Cody has been a great champion, but he needs to understand. Yes, The Rock, The Final Boss, is on the Board of TKO. And TKO owns WWE.
The Rock is the Director of the Board of TKO. Don’t boo that! The Rock’s good friend, Ari Emanuel, who owns everything Endeavor, The Rock joked with Ari, “Can you believe that you own The WWE?” Ari says he doesn’t own the WWE, The Rock does. Rock said no, no, he doesn’t know if he owns the WWE. But The Rock knows he is the most powerful… Cody, you are a great champion. But Rock wants Cody to be something more. Rock wants Cody to be something more than just our champion. Rock wants Cody to be his champion. The fans don’t like where that’s going.
Cody says he did not expect them to become friends, nor their moms to become friends, nor the tequila. Cody didn’t have that on his bingo card. But becoming The Rock’s champion? The Rock of all people should know, Cody is the people’s champion. The fans cheer Cody more, and Rock says yes! Cody is their champion! Of course! The Rock is also The People’s Champion, he loves that about Cody. This is their universe, they were both born into this business. But Rock means something even bigger than just this. Rock knows Cody’s goal is to bring as much joy and happiness to everyone around the world, as many as possible.
The fans cheer, and Rock says that’s Cody. Cody is that guy, and everyone knows it. Cody is on social media, Instagram, millions of followers. Millions, and millions! The Rock has half a BILLION. That’s not a flex. But The Rock is the most followed American man in the world, that’s what he wants for Cody. Rock wants Cody to be even higher. If Cody becomes The Rock’s Champion, he will open doors to possibilities Cody never even imagined. If Cody becomes The Rock’s Champion, every dream he has ever had can come true. Every dream of Brandi’s, of their daughter’s. Think about how Rock brought them to the premiere of Moana 2, in Hawaii.
Thank you, by the way, for making that cross a BILLION dollars, fans, Rock loves you. Rock has met the Rhodes family, they’re amazing. But imagine it: Cody’s daughter’s children, their dreams, long after Rock and Cody are gone, all those dreams can come true. Rock just needs Cody to be his champion. The fans say don’t do it! Rock tells Cody to just think about it, though. Rock is a very lucky man, he has it all. Cody also has it all. They’re very fortunate. They’re Mama’s Boys, they’re Girl Dads, they’re lucky men. Fans say don’t do it, Rock tells them to shut up or he’ll slap the syphilis off their face! Rock is trying to have a moment here, shut your mouths!
The one thing that Rock has never had, that he wants more than anything, is a brother. And that is what Cody can be. Last year, WrestleMania, Rock’s goal was to face his cousin, Roman Reigns, for the title. Cody knows, the fans know. Rock talked with his friend, HHH. He talked with Nick Khan, who is his friend. They are also Cody’s friends. Rock knew it wasn’t in the plans, but they talked about moving Cody aside to make what was best for business: Rock VS Roman, WrestleMania 40! What’d Cody do? Cody pitched a b*tch fit! Cody told The Rock he ain’t doing it, and he stood up to The Rock. And y’know what else? Cody SLAPPED Rock!
No one does that and gets away with it. But that is why Cody is special. That is why Cody should be Rock’s Champion. And that is why Rock will take Cody from where he is to a level so far above. Rock will make sure every dream, every desire, for generations to come, it all comes true. Rock’s dad, Cody’s dad, Soul Man & American Dream, they are looking down right now. They were friends, Cody and Rock are friends, Cody should be Rock’s Champion. He doesn’t need to answer Rock tonight. He can think about it, talk with his wife and daughter, as will The Rock. Then Cody can think about it. Meet Rock in Toronto on March 1st to give him the answer.
Fans still say don’t do it, but Rock says it is okay. Before he leaves, this has been an amazing night, this is a hot crowd, thank you all very much. But before he leaves, Rock wants us to know this: The one thing Rock wants more than anything in this world… is that. Wait, the title? Cody’s title? The fans’ title? This is all this is about? No no no no! Brother… Rock doesn’t want the title. He wants Cody’s soul. The fans duel, “NO! NO! NO!” “SELL YOUR SOUL!” Rock pats Cody on the cheek and says see you in Toronto. The Rock leaves, giving Cody a lot to think about. Rock does give one last glance back at Cody, then smirks.
What will The American Nightmare choose: His integrity? Or his aspirations?
WWE Tag Team Championships: #DIY VS Pretty Deadly!
Did Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano got these titles thanks to Kit Wilson & Elton Prince? #YESBOY! Did they survive a couple title defenses thanks to Kit & Elton? #YESBOY! But when Pretty Deadly needed DIY, was DIY there for them? #NOBOY! So now, Kit & Elton are looking to give Ciampa & Gargano their comeuppance! Will we finally get another #SidePlateCheck? Or will Ciampa & Gargano remember for themselves, that if you wanna be champions, you gotta do it yourself?
But as DIY make their entrance, they have mics, and Johnny Wrestling tells NOLA, “Give it up one time for your TWO-TIME WWE Tag Team Champions…! The BTTITW (Best Tag Team In The World), D I Y~!” The fans boo instead. Ciampa says there is no denying that tonight has been electrifying. Gargano says this is a hot crowd. But please, if we could be somber for a second. Guys, this is serious. Two weeks ago, Pretty Deadly embarrassed DIY, and now reluctantly, DIY will return that favor by crushing their hopes and dreams of ever becoming WWE Tag Team Champions. So please, let us all rise to our feet… Yes, you in the LSU jersey, stand up.
Ciampa thanks Wade Barrett, and asks for everyone to remove their hands and bow their heads for a moment of silence for Pretty Deadly, beginning… now. The fans boo instead! And then Pretty Deadly make their entrance! The introductions are made, the belts are raised, and we see who really needed who in this broken relationship!
But then DIY jumps Pretty Deadly! The ref reprimands, DIY whip but Pretty Deadly reverses! DOUBLE DORPKICKS! Then DOUBLE LARIATS send DIY up and out! The disco ball hasn’t even stopped spinning! The fans cheer while DIY throw a fit! They regroup, cool down, and go back to the ring. Gargano distracts Elton, Ciampa CLOBBERS him, and the bell rings. But Elton fires hands on Ciampa! Elton whips, Ciampa reverses and he pulls hair! The ref reprimands, Ciampa throws Elton to the apron and KNEES him down! Tag to Gargano and he aims, SUPERKICK! Elton goes down in a heap, DIY cheers themselves on, and SmackDown goes to break!
SmackDown returns, Gargano tags in, and DIY hits the BACK SUPLEX BOMBO COMBO! Cover, TWO! Elton stays in this but Gargano tags Ciampa back in. Gargano sends Ciampa in, but Elton ELBOWS him away! Gargano runs in, but Elton puts him on the apron! Gargano goes after Kit, but Kit blocks the kick! Kit BOOTS Gargano down, but then Ciampa BOOTS Kit! Elton dodges Ciampa to come back, DOUBLE CROSSBODIES collide! Elton and Ciampa are down, sputtering and writhing, and the fans rally up. Elton crawls, Kit rises, hot tags to Kit and Gargano! Kit rallies on DIY with big forearms! Kit whips, Gargano reverses, Kit UPPERCUTS!
Kit UPPERCUTS Ciampa in a corner, then LARIATS! Kit runs to LARIAT Gargano! Kit pushes Gargano down, kicks him and hits a TWIST- NO, Gargano slips through to ROCK Kit! Kit yoyos, DOUBLE LARIATS! The fans fire up, Kit tags Elton! They get Gargano up, but Gargano BOOTS Elton! Gargano ELBOWS Kit away, then runs up on Elton! Elton dodges, then gives Kit the boost, DRY MARTI-KNEES! Cover, TWO!! Gargano survives but Ciampa is in! Elton fireman’s carries Ciampa, but Ciampa slips free! Ciampa whips, Elton reverses, Kit UPPERCUTS Ciampa! Elton shows off his strength with the GOTCH LIFT PLEX!
Tag to Kit, but IN COME THE PROFITS! Ford SHOVES Kit down, Dawkins mugs him!!
Winners: Pretty Deadly, by disqualification; DIY retain the titles
Not again! Just like they did Motor City Machine Guns, The Profits make sure no one else takes these titles off DIY! URENAGE from Ford to Elton! Dawkins keeps hammering away on Kit, and then Ford POSTS Elton! Dawkins fireman’s carries Kit, to POST him, too! Looking like the All Mighty with that one! Gargano fires forearms in return, but ends up int he POUNCE GERMAN SUPLEX! Then Ciampa runs up into a FLAPJACK! Ford goes up top, then flies in FROM THE HEAVENS!! Direct hit on Ciampa! But wait! MCMG rushes out here, wanting their payback! The Profits brawl with MCMG, but Ford TOSSES Shelley to the apron!
Ford runs up, Shelley goes to kick, but Ford blocks it! Ford LARIATS Shelley down, Dawkins hits Sabin with THE BIG ENDING! The fans are torn as Dawkins whips Sabin, Profits get him for the REVELATION!! And if there’s been any revelation, it is that Ford & Dawkins don’t just want the smoke, they want to burn down the tag division to get it! Will nothing stop them once they’re back in action?
Kevin Owens speaks.
“You got what you wanted, huh? You got your match. You couldn’t, uh… You couldn’t just take the punishment that you deserved, that I’d already given you, and let it go. No, you… You wanted me and you to go again. You wanted to fight me, you want to hurt me, you want to end my career, which would hurt my family, by the way. Which is truly despicable. But what about your family, Sami? Huh? Have you thought of them? What about your family, huh?” Kevin reveals he is right outside the Zayn home! Kevin peers inside to watch Sami, his wife, and his son!
Kevin asks Sami via the video if Sami knows what he’s about to put them through, when they have to watch Kevin end Sami’s career. And what happens then, eh? When Sami can’t provide for them, and everything they have, like this nice house, the shelter, the security, the peace they have, when it’s all gone? And why? What for? Because Sami’s too proud? Because Sami’s selfish? Sami IS selfish. Because Sami is making Kevin do this to Sami’s family. Kevin will never forgive Sami for that. He’ll see Sami in Toronto. “But remember… You asked for this. It’s all your fault.” As if Kevin’s delusions aren’t already grand, will he continue to blame everyone else but himself?
Damian Priest & Braun Strowman VS Solo Sikoa & Jacob Fatu w/ Tama Tonga!
Elimination Chamber is on the horizon, and the Road to WrestleMania makes for strange bedfellows. Priest, Braun and Jacob were fighting each other just last week, but Solo’s return really threw things for a loop. Can Priest & Braun give Solo and the Samoan Werewolf their punishment? Or will everything (not) be fine in Solo’s Bloodline?
SmackDown returns as #OneBigSOB makes his entrance. As Solo, Jacob & Tama head to gorilla, we hear from Solo. “Tonight, we handle business. And it starts with Braun Strowman & Damian-” Jacob interrupts with, “Man, c’mon, DP! C’mon, Braun! I thought we did this! So tonight, we about to even up the score. If you ain’t know, I’m all gas, no brakes with it! See, since we touched the scene, we been dropping bodies like bread crumbs! Yadada mean!? FA-TUUU~! Hit my music!” The rogues enter to Jacob’s theme, is this alone proof he’s the new alpha? Or will the match be the last nail in that coffin?
The teams sort out, but Jacob stares down both Priest and Braun. NOLA seems to acknowledge Jacob, but Solo convinces him to stand down. Solo starts against Priest, the bell rings, and the two tie up. They go around, Priest powers Solo back, but Solo powers Priest back. They break, stare down, and Solo talks some trash. Solo shoves Priest, Priest shoves back. They circle again, tie up, and Priest puts Solo in a corner. The ref counts, Priest lets off at 4, but Solo stomps Priest’s foot! Solo throws hands, then a HEADBUTT! Priest staggers, but then he ROCKS Solo! And ROCKS him! And HEADBUTTS! That was a mistake!
Solo shakes his head to HEADBUTT Priest! Priest goes to a corner, Solo throws haymakers and body shots on repeat! The ref counts, Solo lets off and says see? Solo and Jacob as one! But Priest THROWS Solo to the corner to fire off haymakers of his own! Priest ROCKS Solo, the fans fire up, and Priest whips., Solo reverses to UPPERCUT! Solo talks smack but Priest ROCKS him again! Tag to Braun and the fans fire up! Braun stares Jacob down, tells him to shove it, then runs up to SPLASH Solo! Braun stares Jacob down again, goes back for Solo, and hits another LARIAT! Braun scoops, Solo slips free, but Braun runs up!
Solo ELBOWS Braun away, tags to Jacob, and Jacob runs in, but Braun dodges! Braun CROSSBODIES! Jacob is right up, but Braun BOOTS him right back down! Solo runs in but Braun TOSSES him! Priest hurries after Solo, Braun CLOBBERS Jacob! LEAPING LARIAT for Solo! Braun then gets on the track, STROWMAN EXPRESS SMACKS a chair out of Tama’s hand! The Good Bad Guy thought he was being sneaky! But then Jacob CROSSBODIES Braun into the timekeeper’s aera! The fans go wild as Jacob rises up, and SmackDown goes picture in picture.
Jacob hauls Braun up, drags him around the way, HEADBUTTS him, then brings him over to SMACK off the desk! Braun staggers, but he ROCKS Jacob in return! And THROWS Jacob into steel steps! Braun drags Jacob up, puts him in the ring, but Jacob SUPERKICKS Braun! Braun falls into the corner, Jacob HIP ATTACKS! Jacob’s all geeked up, then he tags in Solo. Solo soaks up some heat while Jacob HIP ATTACKS Braun again! Solo puts Braun on ropes to CHOKE him! The ref counts, Solo stops at 4, but Jacob gets a HEADBUTT in! Braun flounders, Solo taunts him and eggs him on, but Braun CHOPS him!
Solo HEADBUTTS Braun right down! Solo rains down fists, then lets off so he can put Braun on the ropes. Solo CHOKES Braun again, stops as the ref counts 4, and Jacob gets another cheap shot in! Solo tags Jacob in, then he HEADBUTTS Braun again and again! Jacob runs to BODY CHECK Braun! Jacob fires up, Braun flounders to ropes, but Jacob rains down fists! Tag to Solo, he soaks up heat from NOLA, then he stomps away on Braun! The ref counts, Solo lets off, then he keeps Braun from Priest by anchoring a leg. Tag to Jacob and Jacob climbs up, FROG SPLASH! Jacob roars while Braun writhes!
Jacob looms over Braun but he glares at Priest. Priest gets heated, but Jacob fires hands on Braun as SmackDown returns to single picture. Braun stands, but Jacob HEADBUTTS him again! Jacob runs for another BODY CHECK! And then a SENTON! Cover, TWO! Braun stays in this and he goes to a corner. Jacob snarls, tags Solo in, and the fans boo. Solo runs corner to corner to HIP ATTACK Braun! Solo grins as he copies Jacob’s geeking out. Tag back to Jacob and fans cheer! Jacob aims, runs, and HIP ATTACKS! Jacob keeps going, but Braun BOOTS from below!! The fans fire up while both men stagger to their feet.
Braun SPINEBUSTERS Jacob! Both monsters are down, the fans rally up, and they crawl, hot tags to Solo and Priest! Priest fires hands on Solo, then whips. Solo reverses but Priest SHOUDLER TACKLES Solo! Priest runs to BACK ELBOW! Jacob is back, but Priest dodges to WHEEL KICK! Priest then waits on Solo, but Solo catches Priest! Priest elbows free, but Solo SUPERKICKS! But Priest JUMPING ROUNDHOUSES! Solo comes back, Priest ROCKS him first! Solo swings, but into the FLATLINER! Cover, TWO! Solo survives but Priest puts him in a corner. Priest whips corner to corner, then runs, only for Solo to put him on th eapron!
Solo takes as swing, Priest dodges and ROUNDHOUSES! Priest then knuckle locks with Solo, goes up top, and he tightrope walks for some OLD SCHOOL! The fans fire up and Priest powers up the arm! Priest runs, but Solo ducks the Comebacker! Priest fights the fireman’s carry to BELL CLAP, ROUNDHOUSE, and then he reels Solo in! But Tama is on the apron! Priest DECKS Tama, but Jacob HOTSHOTS Priest! Solo hits the URENAGE! Cover, TWO!! Priest survives and Solo is stunned! Solo snarls, looks to his taped-up thumb, then he drags Priest up. The fans boo but Solo taunts the fans now. SAMOAN- NO! Priest grabs Solo!
But Jacob runs in! Priest ROCKS Jacob, ELBOWS Solo, then he dodges, so Jacob’s SUPERKICK hits Solo! An accident just like last week’s shot to Tama, but Jacob doesn’t seem as upset by it. Priest TOSSES Jacob, then CLOBBERS Solo! STROWMAN EXPRESS CLOBBERS Jacob & Tama!! Priest brings down the straps, the fans are thunderous, and Priest grabs Solo by the neck! SOUTH OF HEAVEN!! Cover, Priest & Braun win!
Winners: Damian Priest & Braun Strowman, by pinfall
Just as Solo thought it’d be like before, he and Jacob were not on the same page! Priest is rolling towards Elimination Chamber, will this be just what he needs to go back to WrestleMania?
My Thoughts:
A great SmackDown here, but with some interesting moves after the sudden change in plans with The Rock showing up. Naomi and Bianca had a good promo to hype up what was meant to be a full match of Naomi VS Liv, but word had already come out before the show that things were being cut for time. But at the very least, they did the right thing of making it a brawl that adds heat to the tag title match on Monday. Also, hilarious how Chelsea & Piper thought the beatdown on Bianca & Naomi was so bad that they would need to be pulled from the Chamber. I also can’t wait to see what happens on Toronto SmackDown.
As for The Rock, I do appreciate he used his authority to kayfabe change more things, all so he could have his promo with Cody. I also appreciate Rock blending his different roles and even different sides, both Heel and Face, to A) bring the news of WM42 being in NOLA, and B) recreate the Corporate Champion/People’s Champion story from the Attitude Era. That was some wild stuff he was saying to Cody. I’m sure quite a few people will try and talk with Cody next week in the go-home. Heels will say do it because they’d love to have what Rock can give, Faces will say not because Cody’s better than that. But naturally, Cody is not going to become The Rock’s Champion, causing Rock to turn on him and really up things going into WrestleMania 41 and perhaps even beyond.
Good stuff in the Elimination Chamber related stories. Jimmy VS McIntyre was great stuff to open, and how fitting that McIntyre loses to Jimmy after talking all that trash about Jimmy and Jey being the same. Jey got McIntyre with something quick, Jimmy got McIntyre with something quick, McIntyre’s ego is obviously his weakness. And at the same time, McIntyre of course destroys Jimmy after because that’s his other personality trait. Priest had good promos with Cody and Braun, and we got great stuff from Solo’s Bloodline. Naturally, we got a miscommunication spot to help finish, we’re really close to Solo VS Jacob, I can feel it. Priest & Braun get the win, mostly because Priest isn’t winning in the Chamber when you’ve got Punk and Cena in there.
Very good stuff with Tiffy Time, from the promos leading into the match to Charlotte being ringside just to watch. Nia & Candice of course get the better of Tiff & Trish, because Tiff & Trish are definitely winning the tag match in Toronto. Charlotte just seems to enjoy trolling Tiff with her presence, so Charlotte probably shows up in Toronto to then confront Tiff after the match. I expect the seven weeks after Elimination Chamber to really heat up, as will Charlotte’s involvement, where she’ll get more active verbally and physically. Also, hell, Rock should go full Corporation and have Charlotte be his Corporate Women’s Champion because of how established she is.
Hilarious stuff from Truth tonight, as always. Truth and Melo having their “who’s on first” again was good stuff, and of course Miz gets in on this story, too. Truth & Knight VS “Melo Don’t Miz” was really fun, but yeah, should’ve figured Nakamura would get involved, too. Melo & Miz making it work could also be really fun, and while Knight VS Nakamura is a rehash, I really hope they find a way to up things. It feels like we’re getting the same with the tag titles as Profits “ruined” that great tag match from DIY and Pretty Deadly, then brawled with MCMG to still come out on top. Last year had a ladder tag title match, so why not do one for these titles this year?
Speaking of escalating, Kevin filming a promo outside Sami’s house was some really well done stuff, as expected of someone as good as Kevin and in such a story as him and Sami. Their match should main event, it needs time to breathe, as it could be just as, if not more violent, than the Chamber matches. What a powerful closing moment we could have if it’s a bloody Kevin and Sami, and one of them is standing over the other, triumphant yet mournful because it was their best friend in the world that they just brutalized.
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)
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THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)
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SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
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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!
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Coverage
Andrew’s TNA LIVE! iMPACT! Results & Match Ratings: 2.20.2025
So the first live episode got fairly positive praise from everyone; will this continue the trend?
Filming at Full Sail seems to have set the stage nicely this week! Going into a Live episode we got Moose and The Hardy Boyz on NXT, as well as Jordynne Grace’s involvement with Steph and Giulia giving a little shine to TNA happenings since she’s newly WWE.
This episode should be interesting, we finally see Lei Ying Lee (fka Xia Li) back in action, Rascalz take on Tyson and Tyriek, Tessa should be seeing some action as well…so generally interesting happenings for the second Live iMPACT! of 2025. Let’s see how this one goes down!
No matter where @ManceWarner and @stephdelander go, @TheSamiCallihan WILL FIND THEM!
Watch #TNAiMPACT on TNA+: https://t.co/NY8HgI02kY pic.twitter.com/mXz9U7m9PL
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) February 21, 2025
Ratings:
- Tyson & Tyriek w/Wes Lee vs The Rascalz w/Ace Austin: Rascalz win via Meteora/Swanton Combo – ***
- Lei Ying Lee vs Rosemary: Lei wins via Thunderstruck – **
- NoDQ Match: Leon Slater vs JDC: Dango wins via The System help – ** 3/4
- Masha Slamovich vs Mila Moore: Masha wins via Requiem – N/A
- Elijah & Joe Hendry vs The Colons: Elijah wins via Tombstone Piledriver – *** 1/4
Results:
Oh yeah, and another Hendry concert is…cut off by a commercial, LOLTNA. First Hendry is cut off by AXSTV’s new Anime Hour bumper, and now Primo and Epico are showing up in TNA. I definitely didn’t have this on my BINGO card. The crowd starts chanting “Where’s Carlito”, which they do acknowledge and play off of well. Oh they’re using their shoot names of Orlando and Eddie now…but before they attack the lights go out and we get another guitar strum! ELIAH/ELIAS/EZEKIEL/EBENERZER/EMERY/EL VAGABUNDO – shows up to back up Hendry. Okay I can apologize away the redundant concert since it played into an Elijah debut. The crowd is immediately popping and chanting “This is Awesome” 10 minutes into the show.
Tyson & Tyriek w/Wes Lee vs The Rascalz w/Ace Austin
Treehouse bros take it to the bigger men quickly, a few fast dives, a little MCMG style tandem strikes, Tyson fires and tries to take them out but they Low Bridge him. Tyriek comes in and they try similar things but Tyriek manhandles them both and throws them out of the ring, Trey is the first one back up and Tyriek and Tyson take his damn head off with his Corkscrew Running Euro Upper. Trey finally manages to flip out of the manhandle, tags in Wentz and Wentz goes for the hot and spicy cleaning house spot. Corner to Corner Knee Lifts for both big men, a Rolling Snapmare, into a Superkick for Tyson and Standing Shoot Star on Tyriek but only for two because Wes feints like he’s going to interfere.
Tyson and Tyriek pull off a tandem Assisted Backdrop Driver, but Wentz breaks it up, Tyson gets knocked out, Wentz hits the Tornillo, Wes tries to interfere again after Trey gets perched on the corner buckle but Ace runs around and trips Wes at the last second causing him to faceplant on the apron, Trey hits the Meteora, Wentz hits a Swanton from the other side of the ring and Trey gets the pinfall victory.
It was fast paced, all gas no brakes, but it didn’t overstay its welcome, so it was pretty fun all things considered.
After the match Wes grabs a mic, complains a little but challenges them to a 6 man match as Sacrifice. So we’re THAT’S where we’re getting the expected 3v3.
Fir$t Cla$$ comes out with an entourage of hot chicks and probably influencers or something. The “First Class Penthouse” , Gabby AF, Mafiosa Valentina, and Carolina are apparently known in their own way. Gabby I know was the awful one who did something for Impact a last year and sucked, but she’s part of the Busted Open Network I believe so that’s why she’s around. Two of them look like Noelle Foley and Frank the Clown…oh they actually are. Look at that. I do love KC Navarro as the Hype Man, they have this whole set up of AJ being mad that they haven’t gotten more Tag Title shots, so TNA placated him with his own Piper’s Pit and he’s *pregnant pause* totally happy with that. He says he loved Piper and hated Hogan before it was cool.
This is actually quality content and AJ is cutting a nice promo in this segment. They introduce their first guest, the greatest performer in TNA history, many whole say he’s Phenomenal with a whole lot of style….it’s A-J-Francis.
.@AJFrancis410 is GOING OFF!
Watch #TNAiMPACT on TNA+: https://t.co/NY8HgI02kY pic.twitter.com/kGehtp9iTE
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) February 21, 2025
Lei Ying Lee vs Rosemary
Things were slow until Rosemary took her into a corner quickly, hit the Upside Down, and we get a lot of Lei trying to avoid Rosemary’s offense. Rosemary goes for a Spear in the corner and Lei forward rolls, starts connecting with a bunch of right hands, backs Rosemary into the corner, goes for 10 Count Punches, pulls her out, Airplane Spin TKO for only a two count. Rosemary tries As Above So Below, Lei shrugs it off, Rosemary tries to go after Lei anyway and eats Thunderstruck! Lei Ying Lee wins!
After the match Rosemary catches Lei on the ramp and hits the Green mist in the eyes. Match was far too short and so many of Lei’s set up moves look better than her finish. We’ve seen Kofi Kingston do it for years so it’s not bad, just the current Knockouts Division are awful and don’t take the move well.
Eric Young and the jabronis come out, EY cuts a very basic power crazed psycho kind of promo, gets the “What” chants from the crowds. EY is trying to recruit Maclin even though Maclin made his line in the sand last week. EY tries to spin it as maybe he took out Josh FOR Maclin instead of in spite of his trust. This really doesn’t seem interesting at all, but that’s probably because I hate the two Jabronis EY is with.
NoDQ Match: Leon Slater vs JDC
I really don’t have any interest in Slater. He’s got no personality beyond “flippy guy with a British accent”.
Dango immediately powders, grabs a chair and goes to swing on him but misses. So Leon is making JDC look dumb by dodging the post chop, using the chair to shield himself from a punch by JDC, and then clapping Dango’s fingers between the chair. So typical System match, look inept for the first few minutes, then take advantage of something to take over. Oh look, Leon takes too long setting up the table, Dango gets in a few pot shots, tries to whip him into the table but Leon leaps over it, and then leaps back over to clobber Dango. Dango is still trying to recover so Leon hits his over the corner post con hilo, and the crowd appreciates it but I’m not interested. Leon panders to the crowd after the big spot and then eats an X-Plex into the chair from Dango.
JDC throws Leon back in, goes for a pinfall that’s only a two and we cut to a commercial. Coming out of the commercial JDC is in control with a Kendo Stick until he isn’t, Leon counters and takes the keno stick, brutalizes Dango a few times then comes off the ropes with the kendo shot for 2. Leon goes for another table, and again, at least the crowd is receptive to this match. Leon sets it up, looks for something off the apron but Dango stops him first until he eats a dropkick to fall onto the table, Leon hits the Swanton 450 through the table on the outside. Does it look cool? Sure. Do I care about dumbass moves? Nope.
Oh thankfully the rest of The System comes out to stop the pinfall, Shield Bomb Leon through the first table, and roll him back in for Dango to win.
The Hardy Boyz come out to try and make the save, but the numbers are against them, so Oba Femi’s music hits! Oba cleans house but doesn’t get his hands on Moose, so they’re at least building the eventual clash between Moose and Oba.
The crowd starts a “Tessa, we comin for you” chant before she even starts talking. Tessa is actually playing off the crowd well, Santino’s music hits and Tessa thinks he’ll help her out with the crowd and Santino calls bullshit basically. Santino says if Tessa doesn’t wrestle next week, she’s fired and Masha’s music hits. Masha decides to step in for Tessa’s enhancement talent match.
Masha Slamovich vs Mila Moore
Jobber tries to attack Masha early but Masha stops her, rocks her and Requiem ends the match.
Masha stares down Tessa, and then Cora Jade attacks from behind and hits Jaded.
Ryan Nemeth comes out to his Abyss music remix. What will Mokuba say today? “MYYYY BIIIGG BBRROOOOTTHHHEEEEER” he repeats at least 4 times and it’s hilariously cringe. He announces that Nic will return at Sacrifice, he literally just came out to give a PSA.
Elijah & Joe Hendry vs The Colons
Hendry starts with Eddie, after a brief tie up it seems like Hendry reads the room and points at Elijah and the crowd wants him in. So Joe tags in Elijah, a little back and forth, Shoulder Tackle from Elijah, Rope Walk with Elijah lays out Eddie and a tag to Joe allows for a quick tandem knockdown, but Eddie powders as the Walking and Talking Duo hold the ring going into the final commercial break.
We come back and Hendry is bouncing Orlando off the ropes as he return a strike, but Orlando is obviously losing, eats a Euro Upper, and then gets walked around in the Stalling Suplex for posterity. Eddie tries a sneak attack but gets caught and Sack of Shit, into Kip Up, turn and then Orlando with the ambush! A few quick short cuts and an Irish Whip/Dropkick combo gives the Colons a near fall. Hendry does get locomotion variation cradles, but eats a Dropkick to stop the attempt at momentum. Orlando stays on Joe, but Joe finally starts to fire up as the crowd starts to get behind him. Euro Uppers make some space, but a Snapmare says no.
Eddie gets tagged in and a quick Leg Sweep into a Front Chancery keeps Eddie in control. As Joe tries to get back up, Eddie turns it into a Guillotine, but finally the Suplex counter connects for Hendry! Simultaneous tags! Elijah bulls over Orlando, catches a Leap Frogging Orlando with the Manhattan Drop as Orlando retreats to a corner, Stinger Splash into Spinebuster for two. Elijah tries to keep up the attacks but Orlando finds a few ways to make space, launches himself from the middle rope and eats the Jumping Knee! Eddie breaks up the pinfall, Hendry takes Eddie out and Elijah hits the Tombstone Piledriver for the win!
Overall Score: 6/10
Well there were more live hiccups than the first episode, and this felt both more epic and less epic at the same time. Elijah and the Colons debuting was a nice way to kick things off, Oba Femi showing up for the save was fantastic. There were a few decent matches, but also a lot of really short and rushed matches. Tessa played off the crowd well, but Masha really is useless on the mic. Lei Ying Lee needs to framed stronger, her matches have done nothing to show off her ability. It just proves that the Knockouts don’t know how to sell a kick to the head because they all take it in the shoulder and fall in corny ways.
Viva La Sam could be something fun if the next 3 weeks are just hand cam footage of him being like “I’m Sami Callihan and I’m gonna kick Mance Warner’s ass”, Elegance Clique getting the rematch with a stipulation is nice to see and while I like Fir$t Cla$$, that segment went a little long for a cornball swerve payoff. It’s one thing to placate the Influencer squad especially when we’ve seen Logan Paul and Ishowspeed do so well in WWE…but these are like Z Tier Influencers that no one cares about. These kind of dorks stream on Kick because they aren’t relevant enough for Twitch, not because they chose Kick over it.
So yeah, the low lights were pretty low, and the highs were a little fleeting, but at least they were pretty fun. Not a bad show, just clunky with noticeable issues and Masha shouldn’t be allowed to speak English anymore. She’s such a charisma vacuum when she’s not rambling in Russian.
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)
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 Podcast
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!
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There’s a lot going on this time around!
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The Bracket of Courage!
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The Final Boss is back!
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So the first live episode got fairly positive praise from everyone; will this continue the trend?
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Anillo de Honor!
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NBA All-Star weekend, SNL 50th anniversary and plenty of Rasslin' talk this week on the DWI podcast.
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Phoenix is Dynamite!
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NXT is Absolute!
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G'day, mates!
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Visionary VS Prince!
#TheOddity 028: One Monkey = Total Chaos
Join Dave Wortz and PC Tunney for your weekly newsletter on the ridiculous and dumb of actual headlines from around...
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AEW goes down under!
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