Coverage
Mitchell’s WWE Raw Results & Report! (8/7/23)
Where does Raw go now?
Who will want payback after SummerSlam?
Seth Rollins is STILL WWE World Heavyweight Champion, and Finn Balor is not happy about it! Who will suffer The Prince’s wrath on Raw?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- WWE Intercontinental Championship #1 Contender’s Fatal 4 Way: Ricochet VS Tommaso Ciampa VS Matt Riddle VS Chad Gable; Gable wins and will challenge Gunther for the title.
- Shinsuke Nakamura VS Bronson Reed; Nakamura wins.
- Shayna Baszler VS Zoey Stark; Shayna wins.
- Otis w/ Maxxine Dupri VS Ludwig Kaiser w/ Giovanni Vinci; Ludwig wins.
- The Viking Raiders w/ Sarah Logan VS The New Day; The New Day wins.
- Six Man Tag: Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins &
Sami ZaynShinsuke Nakamura VS The Judgment Day w/ Rhea Ripley; Cody, Rollins & Nakamura win.
PLAY BY PLAY
Raw is commercial free for the first hour!
Cody Rhodes is here!
Minneapolis fires up for the American Nightmare and sings along with his song, “WHOA~ OH!” Fans then chant for “CODY! CODY! CODY!” as he stands in the ring with the mic. Cody fires the fans up a little more, soaks in their praise a little more, then says, “So, Minneapolis… Whaddya wanna talk about?” He thinks we should talk about one of their own. About a Beast that had his claws sharpened, here, that was educated here, that became champion here, the University of Minnesota’s own Brock Lesnar.” Fans cheer that! Cody says he has had the privilege, the honor and the misery of standing across from the Beast, and surviving him.
But what happened next, Cody could never have imagined. He throws it to footage from SummerSlam, of Brock Lesnar shaking Cody’s hand in respect. Cody had a conversation with his mom this morning, and shared his shock at this exact moment. She told Cody, “Dummy! Don’t you know what just happened? Brock Lesnar… acknowledged you.” After SummerSlam, Cody feels on top of the world, like he could beat anybody in the world! And here comes Seth Rollins! He stomps his way out in yellow Astro Boy boots that are also part crocs…? And fans sing along, “WHOA~ OH~ OHH~!” as the WWE World Heavyweight Champion makes his way to the ring.
Rollins and Cody stare down and Rollins gets a mic. Fans sing “WHOA~ OH~ OHHH~!” Rollins then shouts to Minneapolis, “Welcome to Monday Night Rollins!” And last time Rollins was here to address the future of the WHC, Cody was the first man to walk down the aisle and get in Rollins’ face. SO consider this Rollins returning the favor. Now, did Rollins hear Cody right when he said he feels like he can beat anyone in the world? If that’s the case, why not put that to the test? Fans love that idea! But wait, here comes Damian Priest! And the rest of Judgment Day, minus Finn Balor…
Fans boo as Priest tells those two are apparently confused. Because for some reason, they think they run Monday Night Raw! Rhea Ripley says they don’t! The Judgment Day, THEY run Raw! And speaking of things Rollins and Cody don’t do… They don’t dictate what happens with championships around here, the Judgment Day do! More specifically, Senor Money in the Bank does! And look what we have here. They have the most dominant Women’s World Champion, Rhea Ripley! Fans do cheer Mami. The North American Champion, Dominik Mysterio! Fans DO boo Dom!
And Cody says he’s done with the Beast, but Dirty Dom ain’t done with Cody. Cody says he’s a workhorse, but DOM is the workhorse! He’ll defend his title live on NXT, but what’s Cody doing? Dom gets in Cody’s face, but then backs up to take the mic. Fans already start booing as Dom says, “You…” Rollins laughs, but FINN ATTACKS FROM BEHIND! Finn and the boys mug Rollins and Cody! Fans boo even more, Finn stomps Rollins but here comes SAMI ZAYN! Sami slides in, and he fires off on Priest! Fans fire up as Sami dodges Priest to clothesline! Sami ELBOWS Dom, Cody hits a CODY CUTTER on Dom!!
Finn runs in into a kick, a RHODES UPPERCUT, and a BOOT! Rollins’ Astro Boy boots get some! Fans fire up as Cody gets a mic and he dares the Judgment Day to step up! He has a solution for ALL of this! There’s three of them, and there’s three in the ring! Tonight, in Minneapolis, Cody, his friend Sami, and the World Heavyweight Champion, Seth Freakin’ Rollins, take on the Judgment Day! Rollins is a bit surprised but the Judgment Day is ready for it! Will the Visionary be able to work with the American Nightmare to get rid of some common enemies?
Ricochet talks with Adam Pearce backstage.
He knows Pearce knows, and the whole world knows, Logan Paul cheated to win! Pearce says yes, he did. Then what’s happening now? An apology. The ref’s decision is final, but Pearce agrees, that ending doesn’t sit right with him. But that was Saturday. This meeting is about tonight. More men walk in, and it’s Chad Gable, Tommaso Ciampa and Matt Riddle. Pearce explains to all four that tonight, the four of them may be feeling things haven’t been going right for them. BUT, remember that you are all a moment away from greatness. So tonight, he wants to present them all with another chance at a moment.
Tonight, Fatal 4 Way, the winner faces Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship. So he wants them all to seize the moment. Ricochet says sorry to the other three, they got him on a bad night. Ciampa says no one loves a title like he loves a title. May the best man, or bro, win. Riddle says yeah, all good over here, bro. He’ll dedicate this to Drew McIntyre. SHOOOOOSH! Please. Tonight, we’re in Gable’s neck of the woods. Minnesota born and raised. So what better way to celebrate by beating three bros so he can teach Gunther a lesson he’ll never forget? A THANK YEW! Well, welcome home, bro.
WWE Intercontinental Championship #1 Contender’s Fatal 4 Way: Ricochet VS Tommaso Ciampa VS Matt Riddle VS Chad Gable w/ The Alpha Academy!
The One and Only got clocked by brass knuckles from the ImPAULsive Maverick, but he could rebound in a big way! Will the King of Flight be aimed at Der Ring General? Will the Psycho Killer get a new “Goldie” in his life? Will the Bro get one more go at Gunther? Or will Minnesota’s own get his own rematch with Imperium’s leader?
The bell rings and the four watch each other. Ciampa swings, Gable waistlocks, Ricochet headlocks Riddle. Ciampa elbows Gable, Riddle shoves Ricochet and Ricochet Tiger Wall Kicks off Ciampa! Gable headlocks Ciampa, Riddle waistlocks Ricochet. Now Ricochet elbows free and Ciampa shoves. Gable runs Ricochet over, dodges Riddle and he ROCKS Ciampa! Ricochet headlocks, Riddle powers out, things speed up, Ricochet stops himself, Riddle sunset flips! Gable ghost pins! Ciampa Oklahoma Rolls! Ricochet stacks! All four men get out of a pin and fans fire up! The four reset, and Gable has them hear the fans chant his name! “A THANK YEW!”
Ciampa KNEES Ricochet, throws him into Gable, and then fires off on Riddle! Ciampa CHOPS, Gable throws hands on Ricochet, Riddle blocks a kick to an ANKLE LOCK! Gable does the same! Ricochet and Ciampa scramble, DOUBLE ROPEBREAK! Ricochet and Ciampa get out, Gable and Riddle back up and bump into each other. Fans rally as the two circle and fist bump. They tie up, Gable gets a leg, waistlocks, but Riddle slips around. Gable slips back around, Riddle rolls free but Gable gator rolls. Riddle dumps Gable but Gable rolls him up, and Riddle gets away! Fans rally, Ciampa gets in to send Riddle into Gable!
Ciampa BOOTS Gable, BOOTS Riddle, stomps Riddle, then TOSSES Gable! Ricochet springboards in, FLYING LARIAT! And STANDING MOONSAULTS! Cover, TWO! Fans rally, Ricochet brings Ciampa up and fireman’s carries. Ciampa slips off, Ricochet ducks a roundhouse! Riddle blocks Ricochet’s kick to FISHERMAN BUSTER! Cradle cover, Gable breaks it! Fans fire up as Gable Canadian Racks Ricochet to hit a DOMINATOR! Cover, Ciampa breaks it! Ciampa reels Gable in, but Gable slips free of the bomb! Only for Ciampa to get him in a REVERSE DDT! Cover, Ricochet breaks it!
Ricochet swings, misses, and Ciampa ROLLING ELBOWS! Ciampa underhooks, FAIRY- NO, Ricochet slips out, fireman’s carries, and DETONATION KICKS! Cover, TWO! Ricochet paces around, gets Ciampa to a drop zone, and then goes up top! Fans fire up, but Riddle springs up after him! Riddle CLUBS away on Ricochet, goes up after him, but then Ciampa adds on! And then Gable joins in!! TRIPLE GERMAN SUPERPLEX!!! All four men are down and Minneapolis is thunderous! But Gunther is watching backstage, more amused like an adult watching children play than a champion worried about contenders.
“This is Awesome!” as all four men stir. Gable rises, ‘A THANK YEW~” and he drags Ciampa up,. Ciampa denies the O’Conner but Gable gets under the boot to ANKLE LOCK!! Ciampa endures, reaches out, ROPEBREAK, but Gable doesn’t have to let go! Gable drags Ciampa back! Riddle FINAL FLASH KNEES Gable! And then POWERBOMBS! And then flips Gable over for another FINAL FLASH! Cover, TWO but then Ricochet RUNNING SHOOTING STARS! Riddle clinches Ricochet, BROSPLODER! Ciampa BOOTS Riddle, reels him in, ripcord and- NO, Riddle ducks to ripcord, FINAL FLASH!
Ciampa goes to a corner, Riddle storms up and hoists him up top! Riddle CHOPS Ciampa, climbs up, and fans rally for the “BRO! BRO! BRO!” Riddle goes to the very top, for a SUPER DUPER PLEX!! Both men are down, Gable DIVING SPLASHES while Ricochet SHOOTING STAR PRESSES! But both get knees!! Riddle and Ciampa cradle cover, TWO!!! Gable and Ricochet both get out of this and fans are thunderous! The four stir as fans again declare “THIS IS AWESOME!” Gable hits Ciampa, Riddle hits Ricochet, they each hit back. And then Ricochet hits Ciampa! And CHOPS Riddle! CHOPS go around the circle, as do forearms.
This brawl divides into Ricochet and Gable, Riddle and Ciampa. Ciampa blocks a kick to bend toes! And then stomps toes! Ricochet fires body shots, Ciampa sends Riddle out. Gable clotheslines Ricochet out! Then he dodges Ciampa, but Riddle dumps him out! Riddle ROCKS Ciampa, FLOATING BRO ATTACK onto Gable! But Ciampa catches Riddle on the return, WILLOW’S BELL!! Ricochet FLIES onto Gable!! Ricochet hurries back up, he springboards, but Ciampa KNEES him outta the sky! PROJECT CIAMPA!! Cover, TWO!!! Ciampa can’t believe it, and then Riddle PENALTY KICKS him! To then scoop and BRO DEREK!! Cover, Gable DIVING HEADBUTTS!!
Fans fire up as Gable saves this match more for himself than for Ciampa! All four men are down again but the fans rally up behind their guy! Gable rises, and he CHOPS Riddle! Riddle throws a forearm, Gable gives it back, and repeat! Gable ducks a roundhouse, O’Conner Roll into CHAOS- RECOIL!! So Gable gest Ricochet! CHAOS- KOTARO KRUSHER from Ciampa!! So Gable gets Ciampa, CHAOS THEORY!!! Bridging cover, GABLE WINS!!!
Winner: Chad Gable, by pinfall (NEW #1 Contender to the WWE Intercontinental Championship)
All the fans join in on “A THANK YEW~!” But Gunther chuckles. He beat Gable just last week, though it was a hard fought match. Will Gable prove he can pull off the Herculean task of dethroning Der Ring General?
Cody talks with Sami backstage.
Cody hopes he wasn’t being presumptuous calling for that Six Man Tag. Sami says no, he’s fine, he wanted this. But then Seth walks in and says he sees how it is! Cody wants to go out there, make decisions for Rollins, and talk strategy behind his back! Oh, c’mon! It’s not like Rollins had a match tonight. Doesn’t he want this match? Yes, but not with Cody as a teammate! Sami has them calm down. They all need to take a breath. Sami knows there’s history and tension here, and just… a lot. He doesn’t expect them to solve their problems overnight, but they have a chance to do something tonight.
Sami isn’t sure about Seth, but Sami is sick of dealing with The Judgment Day. He has been dealing with them for months, as has Seth. Now, they put Sami’s Undisputed Tag Team Championships in jeopardy, they injured Sami’s tag partner, Kevin Owens. Kevin is Sami’s friend, he’s Cody’s friend, and he’s Seth’s friend. Kevin is on the shelf cuz of them! These three here, three of the very best, can stand side by side and deal with the Judgment Day once and for all! So can they do it? Can they get past this just for tonight? Cody’s cool. Is Seth cool? Seth takes a moment, and he says yeah, he’s cool. Seth leaves, Cody leaves, and Sami isn’t sure if this is going to work.
The Miz is on the phone.
He says he’s gonna get outta here as soon as possible, Minneapolis is a dump. And he tells the staffers they have three minutes. Actually, Miz, you need to wait. Wait? For what? LA Knight is getting his pictures taken as the winner of the Slim Jim Battle Royal! Miz is annoyed. One battle royal and now Miz has to wait? Adam Pearce is gonna hear about this! Miz storms off, is the Hollywood A-Lister gonna have beef with the Mega Star?
Shinsuke Nakamura VS Bronson Reed!
The King of Strong Style may not have won the Slim Jim Battle Royal, but he is going to brush that off in exchange for chasing a bigger prize. And by bigger, it’s COLOSSAL! Will Nakamura find away to finally bring down Auszilla? Or will Bronson bring another Tsunami with him?
The bell rings and the two circle. Fans rally up as both men feel things out. They tie up, Reed powers Nakamura to ropes, but lets off slowly. Nakamura resets and circles with Reed again. They tie up, and Reed pushes Nakamura to a corner. Reed lets off slowly again, then pats Nakamura on the head. Nakamura is annoyed and he storms up. Reed headlocks, Nakamura throws body shots and powers out, only for Reed to run him over! Fans boo but Reed just smirks as he mocks Nakamura’s “C’MON~!” Nakamura BOOTS Reed! And fires off fast hands! And then knees! Fans fire up as Nakamura drags Reed down to throw more knees!
Nakamura stomps Reed, Reed ducks the buzzsaw and waistlocks, but Nakamura elbows free. Nakamura runs but Reed ELBOWS him down! Reed grins, paces around Nakamura, and then drags him up. Fans rally, Reed HEADBUTTS Nakamura to a corner, and then RAMS into him! And again! And again! Fans chant for Nakamura but Reed brings him out. Nakamura fires off fast hands but Reed ROCKS Nakamura! And CLUBS him down! Reed flexes but fans boo, and Reed drags Nakamura up again. Reed fireman’s carries, but Nakamura slips to sunset flip! But Reed stays up! HIP DROP but Nakamura moves!
Nakamura keeps moving and he SLIDING KNEES Reed down! Nakamura drags Reed around, runs, and SLIDING KICKS! Reed goes to a corner and Nakamura storms up to give Reed BAD VIBRATIONS! Fans fire up and now Nakamura says, “C’MON~!” Reed runs in, but into a GAMANGIRI! Reed bails out, Nakamura runs and baseball slides! Reed is sent into the desk! Nakamura goes out and drags Reed up, but that’s a lot of dead weight. But Reed shoves Nakamura away and gets int he ring. Nakamura hurries in, then ducks ‘n’ dodges, but into a scoop! Nakamura slips free and runs again, but into a BODY CHECK!
And then Reed JUMP ELBOW DROPS! Nakamura sputters as he goes to the apron. Reed storms over that way, but Nakamura ROUNDHOUSES him! Reed BODY CHECKS Nakamura off the apron! Fans boo but Reed smiles and Raw goes picture in picture.
Reed eggs Nakamura on but the ref has him stay in the ring. Reed grins, Nakamura sits up and sputters, and Reed again mocks “C’MON~!” The ring count climbs but Nakamura slides in, only for Reed to stomp him! And stand on him! The ref counts, Reed lets off, and then he CHOKES Nakamura! The ref counts again, Reed lets off, and Reed soaks up the heat as he flexes. Reed goes back to Nakamura, clamps on with a neck wrench, and he leans on the hold to really press Nakamura down! Nakamura endures, fights up to his feet, but Reed waistlocks and throws him right down! Reed keeps on Nakamura with a rear bearhug!
Nakamura endures, reaches out, but Reed keeps him back. Nakamura fights up, throws elbows, and then PELES! Reed wobbles, Nakamura runs, but into a BOOT! Reed brushes his shoe off, goes back to Nakamura, and he drags Nakamura into a chinlock. Nakamura endures all over again as Reed squeezes tight and leans on him. Nakamura fights as Raw returns to single picture. Nakamura kicks and kicks and kicks! Reed wobbles, but he HEADBUTTS back! And then scoops, but Nakamura slips off! Nakamura waistlocks but Reed’s too big to lift! Reed elbows free, Nakamura goes to a corner, Reed runs in but into a BOOT!
Reed wobbles, Nakamura goes up to FLYING KNEE! Direct hit and both men are down! Fans rally up behind Nakamura as he pounds the mat. Reed swings but Nakamura fires off counter punches! And a strike fest! Nakamura KICKS and KICKS, Reed blocks but Nakamura ENZIGURIS! Nakamura whips, Reed blocks and reverses! Nakamura ducks ‘n’ dodges to DYNAMIC DROPKICK! Cover, TWO! Reed just gets that arm up and Nakamura grows frustrated. Fans fire up as Nakamura goes to a corner and hops up top. Nakamura aims, leaps, but Reed catches him! Ripcord and POWERSLAM! Nakamura writhes while Reed rises up.
Reed snarls, he drags Nakamura up, and then reels him in. Reed says thumbs down, and he hauls Nakamura up, RUNNING POWERBOMB!! Cover, TWO!!! Nakamura survives being thrown into the Black Forest! But he’s in the drop zone, and Reed goes up! Nakamura hurries to GAMANGIRI! Reed is stuck up top, Nakamura gives him a TOP SHELF KNEE! Nakamura then aims, runs in, but into a fireman’s carry! JAGGED EDGE DRIVER!! Cover, TWO!!! Nakamura survives again and Reed is shocked! Fans rally up but Reed snarls. Reed drags Nakamura up, gives another thumbs down, but Nakamura escapes the bomb!
Reed ducks the roundhouse but not the HEEL KICK! Reed still stays up, and he LARIATS in return! Reed drags Nakamura to a drop zone now and he goes up top! TSUNAMI FLOPS!!! Nakamura BLINDSIDE KINSHASAS!! And then Nakamura aims again, runs back in, FRONT KINSHASA!! Cover, Nakamura wins!!
Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura, by pinfall
The tide was high but Nakamura rode that wave to victory! Will the King of Strong Style finally find his way to the top?
Adam Pearce checks in with WWE Medical.
The doctor tells him and Raquel Rodriguez that she has to understand this is a serious injury. She just isn’t ready yet. Pearce appreciates that, and he tells Raquel that this is the doctor’s decision. Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell are also here as moral support for their friend. Raquel is close, but just not yet. Pearce leaves, Candice & Indi say it’s best to be at 100% before facing Rhea. But how long of a road does Raquel have?
Maxxine Dupri is on the phone.
She is SO excited for Coach Gable tonight. And “Otise” is so good for them. Plus, don’t forget to grab ice. Okay, see you soon, kisses. Maxxine finishes her call with whoever, and Ludwig Kaiser walks over. What a pleasant surprise to see her here. What is HE doing here? He just wants to congratulate Gable on that amazing victory, and to let him know that Gunther is already looking forward to wiping the ring mat all over with Gable’s body again. Ew. Get out of their locker room! Okay, but before that, Kaiser wants to let her know, he has had his eyes on her the last few weeks and he has to say, she has all the potential in the world.
But what she must understand is that some people around here are just better than others. Look at Kaiser! European elegance! A+ aesthetics, A+ EVERYTHING! And then there’s Otis. “Big, disgusting freak!” Maxxine SLAPS Kaiser! Well, okay, he likes- Otis!? He asks Ludwig what he’s doing in their locker room. Get his eyes off Maxxine and get in the ring with Otis tonight. Otis will make it so the pretty boy isn’t so pretty anymore. Ludwig says okay, he’ll see Otis and Maxxine out there.
Becky Lynch is here!
Minneapolis just entered The Big Time! The Man is preparing for her real rematch with Trish Stratus next week in Canada, but what will she have to say about it? We hear that, after the break.
Raw returns and fans cheer Becky on. “The Man has come around to Minneapolis!” Fans cheer, and Becky says that she is so close to the end. “It has been months of doing everything in my power, I have been fighting, I have been talking, I have been scratching, clawing, winning, losing, overcome obstacles and failing again… And I am tired.” Becky is tired and weary, but she is hopeful and ready to put an end to this saga, this charade, when she FINALLY gets her rematch next week, 1v1, with Trish Stratus! Fans like the sound of that!
Becky says the greatest of that generation VS the greatest of this generation, and the next and the next and the one after that until infinity, with NO interference from Zoey Stark! No looking over her shoulders, just throwing digs and tossing pigs! But wait, here is Zoey Stark now! “Wow… Obsessed much, huh?” This has been over long enough. Trish already won, Stark already won, but y’know what this is? Becky The Man is scared of Zoey Stark. Fans boo but Stark says the ringside ban was because The Man left her “balls” at home. Becky asks what is is going on. She’s been in the ring with Stark twice, so she knows how good Stark is! She’s gifted even!
But maybe that’s Stark’s problem. She’s too good for her own good. Stark wants it easy, and that is why she hitched a wagon to Trish, hoping for a free ride. But no matter how good Stark is, she’s too stupid to realize that Trish is just dragging her the wrong direction. Stark could’ve been fighting for the championship, but instead is playing second fiddle to someone who isn’t even gonna be here after next week! Stark says one, she doesn’t play second fiddle to anyone! And two, damn right Stark is amazing at what she does! But that means Becky is jealous! “What?” JEALOUS! And mad that the GOAT kicked her to the side and picked Stark up.
And that is because Stark is the fastest rising star in the WWE, and that makes her the baddest in the locker room. She has already mastered this game, she could do this all- Uh oh, here comes Shayna Baszler! The Queen of Spades is still showing the marks from her MMA style match with Ronda Rousey. Becky says, “Damn, Shayna, you lookin’ rough!” Shayna smirks as she gets in the ring and says you should see how Ronda looks. Oh wait you won’t, because Shayna beat Ronda at SummerSlam and drove her out of the WWE! Fans cheer that! Fans chant “Thank You, Shayna!”
Shayna knows she wasn’t invited tot his little party, but uh, was Stark referencing Shayna when she said what? Who’s the baddest now? Stark says Shayna is just the baddest punching bag. But if Shayna keeps running her mashed mouth, Stark will send her home with her bag, just like Ronda! Becky says those sound like fighting words! And uh, Becky has an idea. She can’t think of a better place or time for these two to fight than right here, right now in Minneapolis! Fans fire up and Becky tells Pearce to make this official for the good people! Pearce walks out and says that sounds like a great idea! Let’s get a ref, cuz it WILL be Shayna VS Zoey, right now!
Fans fire up as the Queen of Spades and the Hunter are about to throw down! Who will really be the baddest? We find out, after the break!
Finn Balor talks with JD McDonagh backstage.
The Irish Ace is telling The Prince that yeah, he lost, but- Oh, Damian Priest walks over. They need to talk. Judgment Day business. Finn says anything he’s gonna say, he can say in front of JD. They’ve known each other 20 years, JD’s heard it all. Fine, that’s Finn’s problem. But what was that tonight? Finn doesn’t come out with them, then he blindsides Rollins, doesn’t tell any of them what’s up! What’s going on? They gotta handle Finn’s business, too? Finn says he just decided to make his own plan, since Priest didn’t stick to their plan on Saturday. Oh, so that’s what it is? That wasn’t on Priest! Everyone knows why Priest was there: to make sure FINN won!
But no, even with Priest’s help, Finn lost. Oh is that it? Well maybe it was because of Priest that Finn lost. Finn, you’re crowding Priest right now. Well, that contract is crowding them both. Priest asks, “Is it?” Rhea walks over and has them step back. They are not going through this again. Stop acting like bloody children! Look at her, Finn. Look. Priest WAS there to help you, as was the rest of the Judgment Day. It didn’t work out, end of story, it was one loss. But she needs them both to stay on the same page so they can still run Raw, understood? Priest says yeah, he’s got it. What about Finn? Finn says yeah, man, he’s good.
JD says this may not be his place, but he thinks that briefcase has come between them. So maybe, they should get rid of it. JD leaves, Finn shrugs and leaves with JD. Priest gets mad, what is it to McDonagh!? Rhea says it’s fine, he’s not Judgment Day, so let it go. Things are uneasy within the Judgment Day, is it all going to fall apart?
Shayna Baszler VS Zoey Stark!
Raw returns to the ring and the match begins. The two circle, tie up, and Shayna waistlocks. Shayna SLAMS Stark down, Stark gets up but Shayna SLAMS her back down! Becky is ringside to watch, sippin’ on some nice lemonade. Stark fights up, wrenches out, but Shayna kicks! Stark ducks, slips around, and goes after the bad arm! Shayna moves around, Stark wrenches but dodges Shayna’s haymaker. Stark handsprings, but Shayna runs her over! Becky likes what she sees as things speed up. Stark hurdle but Shayna gets the leg! ANKLE LOCK! Stark flails, Shayna drags Stark back but Stark rolls free.
Stark swings, misses, Shayna waistlocks but Stark elbows free! Shayna goes to a corner, that bad eye took the hit. Stark rushes up to smear forearms into the bruised eye socket! The ref counts, Stark lets off, and she ROCKS Shayna! And again! Stark snapmares to then stomp the bad arm! Fans boo, but Stark just soaks it up. Stark stomps Shayna, clamps onto a chinlock and pushes on the bad eye! The ref counts, Stark lets off, but then SCRAPES Shayna’s face on ropes! The ref reprimands, but Stark stomps Shayna. Stark snapmares, covers, ONE! Stark clamps back on with another chinlock, making sure her grip is right on that eye.
Shayna endures, fights up, and fans rally up. Shayna throws body shots but Stark CLUBS her down! Then right back to the chinlock! Stark leans on the hold, digs her elbows into the eye, but the ref counts. Stark lets off but then goes back to a chinlock. Becky admits, that’s good stuff. Shayna fights up, fans rally, and Shayna slips out ot KICK! And KICK! And KICK, KICK, and KICK! Stark’s on her knees, Shayna KICKS her in the chest! Stark swings but into a SAIDO! Shayna then runs up to clothesline Stark up and out! Fans fire up and Becky offers lemonade to Stark. Shayna goes out to fetch Stark, and she puts her in the ring.
Becky gives a cheers to Shayna, Shayna gets in and she kicks Stark low. Shayna whips, Stark reverses and then runs in. Shayna puts Stark on the apron but Stark GAMANGIRIS! Shayna clutches the arm, Stark HOTSHOTS her! Stark then springboards to MISSILE DROPKICK! Direct hit, fans boo, but Stark soaks it all up as Raw goes picture in picture.
Stark paces around, clamps onto Shayna’s bad arm and pulls on it. Shayna endures, fights up, but Stark whips her into a corner! Shayna hits face first and clutches the bad eye! Stark stomps away on Shayna at the ropes, then she goes to the apron. Stark slingshots to ARABIAN PRESS SENTON! Cover, TWO! Shayna is still in this and Stark grows frustrated. Stark clamps onto Shayna with a chinlock and she grinds Shayna down. Shayna endures, fights up, throws elbows, and then arm-drags free. Stark kicks low, wrenches and WRINGS the arm out! Shayna writhes but Stark paces around. Stark isolates an arm to stomp it!
Shayna goes to the corner, Stark storms up and wraps the arm around ropes. Stark pulls on the arm, lets off, and then throws body shots! Stark wrenches, and hits an ARMBAR DDT! Shayna writhes and Stark grins, but Becky talks some smack. Stark KICKS Shayna in the arm, and then has her in the ropes! Stark pulls on the arm, chinlocks and bends Shayna back as Raw goes to break.
Raw returns again and Stark keeps on Shayna with a chinlock. Shayna endures, Becky is a bit antsy in her seat, but the fans rally up. Shayna fights to her feet, throws elbows, but Stark knees low. Stark whips Shayna to a corner, runs in, but only gets buckles! Shayna crawls, avoids a kick and then CLOBBERS Stark! And CLOBBERS her again! Fans fire up, Shayna runs in to JUMP KNEE! Shayna then waistlocks to GERMAN SUPLEX! Stark flounders and fans fire up with Shayna! SLIDING KICK! Cover, TWO! Shayna grows frustrated but she gets fans to rally up. Shayna aims from a corner, she runs back in, but Stark dodges to HEEL KICK! Cover, TWO!!
Becky is fired up and sipping lemonade as Shayna survives! But Stark SLAMS the bad arm on the mat again and again! Stark clamps onto Shayna, and then stomps the bad arm again and again! Stark even pulls the arm brace off! And throws it at Becky! Stark gores for the arm, Shayna resists, so Stark stomps her! Stark copies Shayna a bit as she keylocks the arm, but then Shayna avoids the stomp! Shayna tackles Stark to rain down fists! Fans fire up, Stark kicks Shayna away to SUPERKICK! Fireman’s carry, Z- NO, Shayna slips off to gut wrench and SLAM! Cover, TWO! Becky is a bit upset, she felt Shayna had that!
Shayna stalks Stark to a corner, drags her up, and Stark ROCKS Shayna! Stark springboards in, but into a waistlock! Then KIRAFUDA KLUTCH!! But Stark throws Shayna out of the ring first! And PLANCHAS! Direct hit and then Stark stares Becky down. Becky dares her to try something, and Stark puts Shayna in the ring. Stark talks trash back, but Shayna catches her on the ropes, KIRAFUDA KLUTCH!! The ref counts, Shayna lets off, and Stark HOTSHOTS the bad arm! Stark talks more trash, resets, but Shayna KNEES her int he ropes! Shayna hoists Stark up but Stark fights. Shayna still fireman’s carries, for a PIPER’S PIT!! Cover, Shayna wins!
Winner: Shayna Baszler, by pinfall
Shayna renames Ronda’s move the “World’s Baddest Slam!” Becky toasts The Queen of Spades, will we all be toasting Becky after she beats Trish?
Backstage interview with Shinsuke Nakamura.
Byron Saxton says Nakamura asked for this time after his big win over Bronson Reed. Nakamura says yes, because he is tired of people getting in his way. Tonight, he won! And from now on, he carves his own path. Wait, something is going on just off screen! Someone is attacking Sami! It’s JD MCDONAGH!! OH NO Sami’s elbow!! Is that bulge a dislocation!? Looks like the Irish Ace just did The Prince a favor by taking out one of the Judgment Day’s three enemies! What chance do Cody and Seth have now?
Otis w/ Maxxine Dupri VS Ludwig Kaiser w/ Giovanni Vinci!
We already saw Master Coach Gable represent for the Alpha Academy and the Northern Midwest, now it’s time for his number one guy to do the same! Will this tree trunk fall on the Impeccable German? Or will Ludwig say NEIN to an Alpha Sweep in Minneapolis?
The bell rings and Otis fires up as he circles with Ludwig. Ludwig waves hi to Maxxine but she says ew. Otis and Ludwig tie up, Otis puts Ludwig in a corner, and then Otis lets off. Ludwig kicks low, fires off haymakers, then throws hands. But Otis just absorbs them and pumps up! Ludwig throws more haymakers but fans fire up as Otis just keeps taking them! Otis fires up again but Ludwig headlocks. Otis powers out and runs Ludwig over again! Then scoops and SLAMS! Fans fire up and Otis runs in, but Ludwig dodges, and Otis POSTS himself! Maxxine is worried but Ludwig winks at her.
Ludwig runs to PENALTY KICK! Just in time for the Premier League even. Ludwig makes sure Maxxine watches as he throws down hands! And then digs his elbow in, before he ELBOWS Otis down! Ludwig continues to flirt with Maxxine but she tells him to watch himself. They argue, the ref wants Maxxine to hop down. Otis storms up to fire off hands! Fans fire up and Otis whips Ludwig into the corner! Otis scoops and then hits a FALL AWAY SLAM! Then he runs in to SPLASH at the corner! Maxxine loves what she sees, because now Ludwig is down, and OFF COMES THE SHIRT! Otis powers up but Vinci gets on the apron!
Otis CLOBBERS Vinci, then hauls him up for a BIG suplex! Fans fire up, but GUNTHER runs in! The ref is busy with Vinci, so Gunther BOOTS Otis and Ludwig ENZIGURIS! Fans boo as Ludwig covers, and Ludwig wins!
Winner: Ludwig Kaiser, by pinfall
Maxxine is stunned that all of Imperium would be needed to deal with Otis! But then Imperium beats up on Otis! Fans boo more and Maxxine can’t do anything, but HERE COME’S GABLE! Gable runs in, Imperium runs away! Or is it just a tactical retreat? Gunther smirks, but fans are fired up behind Gable. Will the American Olympiad make sure Der Ring General pays for this?
Backstage at the Trainer’s Room.
Jackie Redmond is waiting on an update on Sami’s status. Cody and Seth both step out of the room and she says they’re still expected to compete in tonight’s main event. But how can they have a Six Man Tag after what just happened? Is Sami going to be able to go? Both men want to talk, but Cody allows Seth to take this while he prepares. Seth sighs and then tells us that Sami wants to go, but the doctors won’t clear him. It is 2v3 now, and as far as Seth is concerned, he doesn’t know if he can trust Cody. It might as well be 3v1. But then Nakamura steps in. He knows what happened tonight was bad. If Rollins needs help, he can step in.
Rollins says okay, sure. Shinsuke, there is a lot of respect here. Let’s ride! They shake hands, and now the King of Strong Style steps in! But is Nakamura really someone Rollins can trust more than Cody?
The Miz heads to the ring!
Minneapolis is fairly neutral for the Hollywood A-Lister from Ohio. But either way, Miz is here and he’s going to speak his mind. We hear what he has to say, after the break.
Raw returns and Miz asks, “Am I missing something? Is something going over my head?” Miz asks what happened to showing industry leaders like him the proper respect? He comes here to Raw, HIS show, to find a guy who all the fans suddenly just absolutely love in LA Knight–fans add “YEAH!”–taking priority over Miz! MIZ! Miz is a veteran, a locker room leader, and when he first got here a very long time ago, he was taught respect. When you get in the locker room, you introduce yourselves, shake hands of the superstars that have paved the way that have allowed you to step into this ring!
But LA Knight threw Miz out in the battle royal from behind! He did not introduce himself to Miz nor did he shake Miz’s hand! “I am sick and tired of the lack of respect from the so-called crop of new talent we-” LA KNIGHT WALKS OUT! Fans go nuts as Knight goes right to the ring. Knight gets a mic now, and fans cheer him on. “Lemme talk to ya!” Fans cheer again, and Knight says he felt we got a great introduction in the battle royal. But if that wasn’t good for ya, he’ll introduce himself, with everybody saying, “L! A! KNIGHT! YEAH!” Knight holds out his hand, but Miz says no. Fans boo but Miz says Knight doesn’t deserve the handshake.
You don’t think Miz has seen superstars like Night come into the WWE and ride his coattails? As Miz sees it, if you take away things from The Miz, from his success, fame, money, his hot wife Maryse, every ounce of charisma that he has, and what do you get? LA KNIGHT! Knight is a flash in the pan, a flavor of the month! Now, don’t get Miz wrong. All the fans love you right now, and maybe for the rest of the year. They will buy your shirts because they think you’re “it.” But Knight is just an Attitude Era fanboy playing pretend in MIZ’S ring! Fans boo and even chant “TINY BALLS! TINY BALLS!”
Knight says okay, no handshake. Then to be honest, Knight has no problem with Miz. But trust him when he says, Miz does not wanna make this personal. Personal? Oh, you wanna talk personal? Miz takes his career very personally! He has for almost 20 YEARS. He took it personal when he first got here and said people would be gone after three months! He took it personal when he was kicked out of the locker room! He still takes it personal to this day, even though he’s main-evented WrestleMania, is a TWO-TIME WWE Grand Slam Champion, and has made himself indestructible to anyone in that locker room or anything out here, for 20 YEARS!
What has Knight done the last 20 years?!? Fans do cheer Miz’s fire, but then Knight takes off the sunglasses. Knight says, “Personal it is. What have I been doing the last 20 years? That’s a great question.” Knight has been making himself into “a dangerous man.” What does that mean? He’ll tell ya what that means. He has scratched, clawed, and done everything he has needed to, on the outside looking in the entire time the WWE has bet on the wrong horses, Miz being one of ’em! Meanwhile, this thoroughbred has been running a parallel path, albeit a little more rocky, just looking for his opening.
And here Miz is with a 20 year head start. And y’know why Miz got that head start? Because he was “safe.” Y’know what that means? “They” knew that when Miz came in, “they” could smack him around, kick him outta the locker room, and what’d Miz do about it? He TOOK it. The line on Knight has always been, “We’re not ready to take a chance on you yet.” And y’know what that is? Cuz Knight is a dangerous man! They knew that if Knight came in here, they wanna smack him around? NAH NAH! Papa don’t take no mess! He is not to be messed with! That is the difference between Knight and The Miz.
But with all that said, STILL, Miz became every single champion he could, many times over, and good on him. Knight hasn’t been there yet. But here he is on the climb, and Miz’s career is in the damn toilet! Fans do start cheering for Miz and Knight says Miz gained a couple. Good for him. But hey, if Miz is making this personal, then Knight doesn’t mind making him a stepping stone. STEPPING STONE?! Oh don’t get hot, he’s not talking about Miz’s little ones down there. Knight is talking about him, stepping over Miz, to get to the main event. Miz IS the main event! And Knight is not on his level!!
Knight says that’s a really interesting theory. Because Knight is looking Miz dead in the eye. If Knight isn’t on Miz’s level, prove him wrong, cuz he ain’t going anywhere. The mics drop, and Miz throws off his jacket! Fans fire up as the two stare down, but Knight’s waiting. Fans are fired up for “L A KNIGHT! L A KNIGHT!” and Miz picks up his jacket. Fans boo, but Miz throws the jacket at Knight! Then he fires off shots! Fans boo more as Miz gets the cheap shots in on Knight, then hauls him up to a full nelson! SKULL- NO, Knight slips free to B F T!! Knight shakes Miz’s hand now, “YEAH!” Will the Mega Star shine brighter than the A-Lister ever did?
The Viking Raiders speak.
Erik & Ivar introduce the trio, and Sarah Logan says, “After a vicious and glorious campaign, the gods again call to us.” Erik says the gods call, and Ivar says they answer. Under the light, they challenge anyone who wishes to do battle and be sacrificed! It is an open challenge, who will willingly take on the raid?
The Viking Raiders w/ Sarah Logan VS ???
Raw returns and we await the challengers. THE NEW DAY!? Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston are back! Minneapolis is fired up for the Power of Positivity’s return, will they be able to deny the Vikings their Ragnarök?
The teams sort out, Woods starts against Erik, and Woods CHOPS! And UPPERCUTS! And CHOPS again! Woods forearm smashes, tags to Kofi, and then feeds Erik to a GAMANGIRI! Kofi gets in, Woods hits a BIG back suplex, then Kofi FLYING SPLASHES! Cover, TWO! Tag back to Woods, PENALTY KICK to SLIDING LARIAT to IMPLODER SPLASH! Woods adds the ELBOW DROP, then covers, TWO! Fans chant “NEW! DAY ROCKS!” as Woods brings Erik up. Erik shoves him away but Woods mule kicks! Woods goes up but Sarah distracts! Erik runs in, Woods leaps over, but Erik CLOBBERS him!
Tag to Ivar, and Erik TOSSES Kofi into the ring! Ivar SPIN HEEL KICKS! Erik gets Woods for a SPINEBUSTER! Ivar goes up top, to WARBEARD SPLASH!! Cover, TWO!?! Woods survives and Ivar is furious! Ivar drags Woods up, ROCKS him, then tags in Erik. The Vikings mug Woods against the ropes, but the ref counts. The Vikings let off and Sarah howls but fans boo. Erik tags back to Ivar, and Ivar drops a fist! Ivar grinds his forearm in Woods’ face, but lets off as the ref counts. Ivar has Woods in a corner, knees him low, then puts him in the corner. Tag to Erik, and they feed Woods to another knee! Erik then SLIDING KNEES Woods down! Cover, TWO!
Erik drags Woods around, chinlocks and he grinds Woods down. Fans rally, Woods fights up, and Woods arm-drags free! Erik runs in and whips Woods away. Woods goes to the apron, he ELBOWS Ivar and RAMS into Woods, GET OVER HERE DDT! Fans fire up as Woods crawls, as does Erik. Hot tags to Ivar and Kofi! Kofi FLYING AX HANDLES! And DOUBLE CHOPS! And DOUBLE CHOPS again! Kofi DROPKICKS, then ducks ‘n’ dodges to LEAPING LARIAT! Fans fire up and Kofi runs in to SPLASH in the corner! Kofi whips, Ivar reverses, Kofi goes up to CROSSBODY! Fans fire up for Kofi’s NEW~ DAY~ BOOM DROP!
Kofi fires up with the fans and he aims from a corner. They clap along, “NEW! DAY ROCKS!” Kofi spins, but Ivar ducks the Trouble! Kofi ducks the spin kick! SOS!! Cover, TWO!! Ivar staggers up to a corner, Kofi runs in, but into a SEATED SENTON! Tag to Erik, Ivar SPLASHES! Then snapmare to Ace Ten Mao! Cover, TWO! Ivar hurries back to the corner, tags back in, and the Vikings get Kofi up. Feed to Erik’s pop-up, but Kofi RANAS Erik! Kofi HEEL KICKS Ivar! Ivar wobbles, tag to Woods! Kofi and Woods go to a corner, Ivar stands up into TROUBLE IN PARADISE! And then Kofi FLIES to take out Erik! Woods hits the LIMIT BREAKER!! Cover, New Day Wins!
Winners: The New Day, by pinfall
Kofi & Woods are back in action and back in the win column! Will one of the greatest tag teams in WWE history return to the top of the WWE Tag Team Division?
Backstage interview with Becky Lynch.
Byron appreciates The Man taking this time, as a week from tonight is finally the 1v1 match with Trish Stratus, no Zoey Stark. But then Shayna walks over. First off, she didn’t need Becky’s help tonight or ever. Yeah, got it. And then second, now that Shayna has cleared out Ronda, she has a whole list of scores to settle. And that means she’ll be after The Man sooner or later. Well Becky ain’t hard to find. And she looks forward to it. Shayna heads out, will Becky hop from one big time feud to another after next week?
The New Day celebrates backstage.
Jackie Redmond is there to interview them but they ask who she is. Oh, she’s Jackie, she works here now. Just wanted to say congrats. Aw she doesn’t even have to ask. They know she wants to know how it feels to be back. It feels GOOOOOOOD~! The Viking Raiders said they were gonna make a sacrifice to their gods, what? What? But did they forget that the New Day are the GODS OF THE TAG DIVISION, BABYYY~! Obviously, Jackie has seen what’s going on with The Street Profits now, and the Usos breaking up? What is that?! The New Day is gonna inject some positivity back into this place! They are back to do what they do best, and that is become your…
Oh, Jackie, you can join in if you want. Oh, okay! W! W! E! WORLD! TAG! TEAM! CHAMPIONS~! And do you know why? Why? BECAAAAAAUSE~! NEW! DAY ROCKS! NEW! DAY ROCKS! Nice to meet you, Jackie.
BREAKING NEWS!
TMZ had it first that sadly, Sonya Deville suffers a torn ACL and is out indefinitely. We all hope her a speed recovery, but sadly, that also means she and Chelsea Green will have to vacate the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships. What will be the fate of these titles now?
Six Man Tag: Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins & Shinsuke Nakamura VS The Judgment Day w/ Rhea Ripley!
The American Nightmare and the Visionary promised Sami Zayn they would stay on the same page to rid Raw of their common enemy. But in some odd favor to Finn, JD McDonagh made sure Sami could not fight tonight! Will the King of Strong Style still be a team player? And what of the dysfunction on the other side? Will Finn and Priest hold it together to get the better of the World Heavyweight Champion?
Speaking of world champions, Raquel Rodriguez BLINDSIDES Rhea!! Fans fire up as Big Mami Cool RAMS Mami Rhea into railing! And rains down fists! Dom can only watch as his Mami gets beat down! Refs and producers rush out to get Raquel away from Rhea, but Rhea also wants after Raquel! They brawl at the ramp! Now even Indi and Candice have to rush out to stop Raquel! But Rhea gets loose again, and she TOSSES Indi aside! And TOSSES Candice! Then she DECKS Raquel and rains down fists! But then Candice SPEARS Rhea!! The brawl is getting even wilder, more officials are needed to separate them all! The chaos continues, but Raw goes to break!
Raw returns and the brawling is over, so now Cody makes his entrance, “WHOA~ OH~!” Then Nakamura makes his entrance and fans even sing along with his song. And of course, fans sing along with Rollins’ song as he makes his entrance, “WHOA~ OH~ OHH~!” The trios then sort out and after a bit of discussion, Nakamura steps up for his team against Finn. But then Priest tags in? Finn is confused but Priest says it’s no big deal. So then Dom tags in and he has everybody calm down. The fans boo, Finn and Priest accept, and Dom turns around, into a strike fest! Nakamura throws Dom down, and gives him BAD VIBRATIONS! Then a knee drop! Cover, TWO!
Nakamura stalks Dom to ropes, whips him, but Dom holds ropes and bails out with Priest’s help. Nakamura says “C’MON~!” Fans fire up while Judgment Day cools off, and Raw goes picture in picture.
Nakamura eggs Dom on, Finn and Priest give Dom a pep talk, and they all go back to the corner. Dom slides in, circles with Nakamura, but Dom hears the fans booing. The two circle more, then Dom tags out to Finn. Finn runs in but Nakamura fires knees! Finn puts Nakamura in a corner and fires off hands! The ref counts, Finn lets off, and he soaks up the heat. Finn storms back up to throw hands but Nakamura gives those back! And then he puts Finn up top, for a TOP SHELF KNEE! Tag to Cody and Cody throws hands. Cody wrenches, whips, and kitchen sink knees! Finn flounders, wants mercy, but Cody just wrenches his arm!
Cody twists the wrist, and hits an ELBOW BREAKER! Cody wrenches again, considers his options, and tags Nakamura. They mug Finn, and Nakamura wrenches the arm to WRING Finn out! Nakamura brings Finn back up, and Raw goes to break.
Raw returns again and Finn rolls through a sunset flip to dropkick Nakamura down! Cover, TWO! Finn storms up on Nakamura, brings him up and facelocks, but he considers his options. Priest reaches a hand out, so Finn tags him in. They double whip and mule kick, front kick and ROUNDHOUSE, to then SCISSOR KICK Nakamura down! Priest drags Nakamura up, and he wraps on a SLEEPER! Fans rally, Nakamura fights, but Priest drags Nakamura down with a chinlock. Nakamura fights up, throws body shots, but Priest ROCKS him! Nakamura goes to the corner, Priest runs in, STAGE DIVE ELBOW!
Tag to Finn, Rhea says teamwork makes the dream work. Tag to Dom and he slingshot SENTONS! Fans boo but Dom tags to Finn. Finn tags Priest, and they get Nakamura up, BACKBREAKER LEG DROP COMBO! Cover, TWO! Rhea makes sure everyone sees this. Fans rally for Nakamura but Priest waits on him. Choke grip, SOUTH OF- NO, Nakamura knees free! Priest blocks a kick but Nakamura ENZIGURIS! Hot tag to Rollins! Rollins dodges Priest, DECKS Finn, DECKS Dom, then BOOTS Priest! Rollins goes up, leaps over Priest and he SLINGBLADES on the return! Rollins suplexes but Priest fights it!
Rollins keeps trying, but Priest suplexes Rollins! Rollins turns it around to FALCON ARROW! Cover, TWO! Rollins watches Priest bail out, and he builds speed. Rollins DIVES and sends Priest into the desk! Rollins puts Priest back in, hurries to DIVE onto Finn! Finn hits barriers! Rollins springboards in to FLYING- HAYMAKER from Priest! And then FLATLINER! Priest drags Rollins up, TOSSES him out, and tags in Finn! Finn aims, and SHOTGUNS Rollins into barriers! The Judgment Day is standing tall as Raw goes picture in picture again.
The Judgment Day soaks up the heat, Finn and Priest fist bump, and then Finn puts Rollins in. Finn drags Rollins around to have an armlock and he grinds Rollins down. Rollins endures, fans rally up, and Rollins fights up. Rollins hits a JAWBREAKER! But Finn keeps him from the corner to put on a COBRA TWIST! Rollins endures, even as Finn digs an elbow into Rollins’ ribs. Fans rally, Rollins powers up and hip tosses free! Both men are down, they crawl for their corners, hot tag to Priest and he stops Rollins with a facelock! Priest CLUBS Rollins down, then soaks up the heat. Fans give thumbs down but Rhea smiles.
Priest drags Rollins up, ROCKS him with a right, then JABS away in the corner! And then UPPERCUTS! Priest argues with the ref, which allows Finn and Dom dig in their boots! Cody and Nakamura protest but Priest drags Rollins up. Priest waves at Cody, then UPPERCUTS Rollins! Rollins falls against the ropes, Priest mocks Nakamura. Priest then whips Rollins away, but Rollins kicks him back! Rollins hurries but Priest keeps him from the corner! Rollins ROCKS Priest with forearms but Priest holds on! Priest wrenches, hammerlocks, and then PEPSI TWISTS! Cover, TWO Rollins survives and Rhea is furious!
Tag to Dom and Dom stomps away on Rollins. Rollins goes to ropes, Dom CHOKES him! The ref counts and Raw returns to single picture again. Dom lets off, Mami gets a shot in! Rhea says they’re too smart for you all. Dom snap suplexes Rollins, Uno Amigo! And then another snap suplex, Dos Amigos! And then some Latino Heat before he sucker punches Nakamura! But Rollins LARIATS Dom for it! Rhea is shocked and fans are thunderous! Hot tags to Finn, and with no one else to choose, Rollins tags Cody! Cody runs in to rally on Judgment Day! Cody kicks, drops, RHODES UPPERCUT! Finn staggers around, runs in, but Cody goes up and over!
Finn hits buckles, Cody springboards, BEAUTIFUL DISASTER for Priest! Finn runs back in, but into a POWERSLAM! Fans are thunderous behind Cody, and he drags Finn into the draogn sleeper! Finn spins it around! But Cody drpos to kick back! Cody then springboard, but Finn catches him! EYE OF THE HURRICANE! Cover, TWO! Cody is still in this but Finn aims from a corner. Finn runs in, but Cody SUPERKICKS! And then springboards, CODY CUTTER! Cover, Dom breaks it! Fans boo, Nakamura runs in, Dom ducks the roundhouse but not the HEEL KICK! Priest KICKS Nakamura down!
Rollins CLOBBERS Priest out of the ring! And then builds speed, but Finn clotheslines Rollins out! Cody gets Finn but Rhea distracts! BRIEFCASE SHOT by Priest! Finn takes the briefcase, but SAMI GOES AFTER PRIEST?! One arm and all, Sami still TOSSES Priest over the desk! But Finn is still aimed at Cody! But Rollins SUPERKICKS the briefcase into Finn’s face!! Rollins helped Cody, Cody drags Finn up to the CROSS RHODES!! Cover, Cody’s team wins!!
Winners: Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins & Shinsuke Nakamura, by pinfall
Sami helped his friends out after all as the Judgment Day’s trickery all fell apart! Fans sing along again, “WHOA~ OH!” Rollins and Cody shake hands with Sami and Nakamura, but not with each other. Cody says they won, Rollins should be happy about that. Sami has everyone cool off, and he raises their hands in victory. Then Rollins shakes Cody’s hand! Fans fire up and this dysfunctional dream team celebrates together! But then Nakamura KINSHASAS Rollins!!! The King of Strong Style was the real snake in the grass all along! Sami and Cody are shocked, but we all know what this is about. Will Rollins and Nakamura soon fight over that World Heavyweight Championship?
My Thoughts:
This was an awesome Raw to follow SummerSlam! And as soon as they said it was commercial free the first hour, and there was also uses of picture in picture, you knew this was gonna be good stuff. And they did an amazing job of weaving stories together the entire night, too. Just an awesome Fatal 4 Way match, Gable winning was the right choice in this moment. And then great tie-in to making a match of Otis VS Ludwig, with now this sub plot of Ludwig trying to charm Maxxine to Imperium. That isn’t working, so of course Ludwig and Imperium had to go and screw Otis over. I would love Alpha Academy VS Ludwig & Vinci as part of the build to Gunther VS Gable for the Intercontinental Championship at Payback.
Awesome promo stuff from Miz and Knight, no pun intended. Fans love it when Miz gets fired up like that, bringing up his accolades, and Knight had a great response. He of course couldn’t/wouldn’t name the things he did and the places he’s been before reaching WWE (Impact, NWA, and all the little things WWE had him do as an extra), but we all know the story of Knight’s journey. While Knight is on SmackDown, he was here on Raw I think just to take advantage of this opportunity. And I would love if Miz goes to SmackDown to return the favor. Miz VS Knight could be an awesome match for Payback while Knight waits on his title opportunities.
New Day returning off a random Viking Raiders open challenge was great, we’ve all been missing Kofi & Woods. They brought up SmackDown teams, though, but I guess those were the only examples of team dysfunction or Heel turns they could use. Sami himself said the Undisputed Tag Titles are in jeopardy, a tournament could be started and New Day could get in on that and then go between all brands, hence why they named SmackDown teams. And speaking of tag titles, it is starting to feel like the Women’s Tag titles have been cursed by a voodoo witch doctor doing the bidding of those who don’t care about women’s wrestling. Sonya Deville goes down with a real injury, another new team will have to be crowned, and who knows what will happen to that team.
Great promo from Becky, and a good one from Shayna, with decent input from Stark. Stark still needs to work on promos but the match she had with Shayna was great stuff. Shayna gets a great win here to keep her momentum going, and she even has a good promo with Becky backstage putting her on notice. I would think Becky wins next week, and she and Shayna can battle to see who goes after the title next. And we know Raquel, with her mostly kayfabe injury, is going to get at Rhea first after the great brawl that happened. Candice and Indi joining in, they probably end up in matches with Rhea for her to build momentum going into that title match.
Which of course leads to all the amazing things we got out of Judgment Day’s story and the World Heavyweight Championship story. Great promo from Cody that then brought in Seth Rollins that then brought out Judgment Day. Cody and Rollins returning their feud feels like a clear direction for Raw but they’re making sure to hold off on it until a little closer to WrestleMania season. I really like that JD McDonagh was brought back into the Judgment Day story, this will be a pivotal turning point in the tension between Finn and Priest. Nakamura VS Bronson was a great match for Nakamura to settle that feud, and then his promo turning into McDonagh attacking Sami was really clever.
Nakamura offering to join the main event was so suspicious, of course something like what we got at the end was gonna happen. The main event was awesome, so Nakamura attacking was a great shock ending. Rollins VS Nakamura is going to be great, and y’know what? I bet that is when Priest finally gets his cash-in off. Whether or not he succeeds is uncertain, but Judgment Day won’t have dysfunction over it since they are screwing over Rollins or Nakamura, not one of their own.
My Score: 8.9/10
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The Road to the Tokyo Dome goes through KOPW!
As 2024 nears an end, Great-O-Khan defends the KOPW Championship one more time, against a former KOPW Champion in Taichi! Who will be THE 2024 King of Pro-Wrestling?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Kickoff – Chase Your Dream Match: Shoma Kato VS Hiromu Takahashi; Hiromu wins.
- Boltin Oleg VS Satoshi Kojima; Boltin wins.
- Triple Threat Tag: Jeff Cobb & Jakob Austin Young VS Ryohei Oiwa & Hartley Jackson VS Ren Narita & Yujiro Takahashi; Narita & Yujiro win.
- DOUKI & Taka Michinoku VS El Desperado & Master Wato; Desperado & Wato win.
- Fatal 4 Way: Kevin Knight VS Robbie Eagles VS Francesco Akira VS “Drilla” Dan Moloney; Eagles wins.
- Six Man Tag: Los Ingobernables de Japon VS Bullet Club War Dogs; LIJ wins.
- Shota Umino & Hiroshi Tanahashi VS Zack Sabre Jr. & Kosei Fujita; ZSJ & Fujita win.
- KOPW Championship Three Stages of Hell: Great-O-Khan VS Taichi; Khan wins and is the definitive 2024 KOPW Champion.
PLAY BY PLAY
After the Triple Threat Tag…
The House of Torture of course cheated to win, but they wouldn’t leave it at that! They waited until the United Empire and TMDK argued with each other to then attack them all! Yujiro Takahashi CLUBS Oiwa down while Narita shoves Cobb into big Hartley Jackson! And then Narita JAMS Cobb with the pushup bar! The fans boo but Narita JAMS Oiwa up, too! The Souled Out Son of Strong Style is so proud of himself as he holds up his NJPW World TV Championship, but wait. Christmas music starts playing? The fans clap along as surprise! Santa and his reindeer are here! Well, one reindeer. But shouldn’t the House of Torture be on the naughty list?
Santa Claus walks over, and he gets the mic. He sounds familiar as he tells, “Narita-san… You have a Christmas present waiting. Would you like it now?” Narita asks what the heck is going on. Santa steps into the ring and offers Narita the little tiny bag. Narita snatches the bag, then he and Yujiro look at it. The fans asks, “Nani nani? <What is it?>” Narita tells them to shut up. Narita gets the bag open and pulls out… Blue sunglasses! With LED lights! The fans cheer as the lights go down! “E! L! P!” EL PHANTASMO IS HERE! The Headbanga has been battling cancer, but he’s here in Korakuen Hall!
Narita is furious but ELP slides right into the ring! Narita & Yujiro run away, but the fans cheer ELP on as he stands side-by-side with Jado Claus. ELP gets the mic now, and the fans cheer him on. ELP takes a moment before saying, in Japanese, “Cancer. Cancer… I’ve beaten cancer! And I love Korakuen!” But ELP asks Jado-san how to say a certain something in Japanese. He whispers it, but then Narita & Yujiro attack! The fans boo these cowards, but then Narita says Merry Christmas! But ELP BOOTS him, ELBOWS Yujiro, then dodges Narita to SUDDEN DEATH! Jado Claus DECKS the Tokyo Pimp!
ELP again asks Jado, and Jado says on behalf of ELP, that ELP is going to wrestle tomorrow night! And… Then he’ll be at the Tokyo Dome! ELP grabs the NJPW World TV Championship! ELP looks it over, and looks to the crowd, and then to Jado, but then Jeff Cobb and Ryohei Oiwa get in the ring. Cobb asks if ELP’s good. ELP is good. Are they good? Then let’s turn it up a notch! FATAL 4 WAY for the TV Championship! Narita snatches his belt, gets out of the ring, and tells everyone to shut up! The odds just got stacked against the House of Torture, will the New Year have a NEW NJPW World TV Champion one way or another?
Shota Umino & Hiroshi Tanahashi VS Zack Sabre Jr. & Kosei Fujita!
Ahead of battling for THE IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, The Roughneck and The Front Man bring some back up! The Ace is also preparing to fight Evil, will he and Shota bring a Once in a Century Paradigm Shift? Or will ZSJ and the Japanese Young Punk prove The Mighty Don’t Kneel?
The teams sort out and Shota starts against ZSJ. The fans cheer this WrestleKingdom preview, and Korakuen duels between “SHOTA! SHOTA!” and “ZAKU! ZAKU!” ZSJ and Shota feel things out, then knuckle lock. ZSJ clinches but Shota fights back with his own clinch. ZSJ slips around to chinbar but Shota wrenches to a wristlock. ZSJ rolls, tries another chinbar but Shota cranks the wristlock. ZSJ bridges, spins, slips around and wrangles Shota! Shota kips up to WRING the arm, but ZSJ UP KICKS! The fans cheer as the two reset. Shota and ZSJ circle, feel things out, and knuckle lock. ZSJ then stands on Shota’s hand!
ZSJ has another hand and twists the wrist! Then he has both arms for a motorcycle stretch but Shota fights up. Shota turns things around, and he fights ZSJ as ZSJ tries to turn them back. ZSJ keeps trying, and he pushes through, but Shota spins things right back around! The fans cheer while Shota digs a foot into ZSJ’s back. ZSJ flips, kips up, spins things around, but Shota spins them back! The fans cheer, and Shota spins ZSJ. ZSJ dodges the lariat, Shota blocks a kick, but ZSJ ducks the enzigiri! Shota avoids the Penalty Kick and arm-drags ZSJ, but ZSJ headscissors! Shota kips free, avoids a leg pick, and the fans cheer!
Shota dares ZSJ to go for the leg but the two reset again. They feel things out, knuckle lock, and each man breaks free of one. They back off, and Shota tags in Tanahashi. The fans cheer, ZSJ tags in Fujita, and Korakuen strongly supports President Ace. Tanahashi and Fujita circle, tie up, and Tanahashi powers Fujita back. The ref counts, Tanahashi lets off slowly, but then Fujita turns things around! Tanahashi turns things around, and repeat! The ref counts, Fujita lets off slowly, but then both men block a kick! They argue over who lets go first, and eventually agree for a mutual break. They set the feet down, but then Fujita holds on!
Fujita CHOPS Tanahashi, then whips. Tanahashi reverses but Fujita ducks ‘n’ dodges to GAMANGIRI! The fans fire up and Fujita aims from a corner. Fujita runs corner to corner but Tanahashi BOOTS him! Shota CLOBBERS Fujita, then eggs ZSJ on! ZSJ runs up, Shota blocks a kick and he sends ZSJ into Tanahashi’s ELBOW! Shota CLOBBERS ZSJ and the fans fire up. Shota pursues ZSJ to the outside and CLUBS him down! Shota clamps onto ZSJ with a chinlock but the ref reprimands. Tanahashi CHOPS Fujita, but Fujita CHOPS Tanahashi! The fans fire up as Fujita storms back up, but he blocks a boot!
Fujita DRAGON SCREWS Tanahashi’s leg! Fujita kips up, ZSJ sends Shota into railing, and Fujita stomps Tanahashi. The fans rally and Fujita brings Tanahashi up to CHOP! Fujita eggs Tanahashi on, CHOPS him again, then CHOPS again! Tanahashi flounders and ZSJ tags in. ZSJ drags Tanahashi up to UPPERCUT! Tanahashi ends up in the TMDK corner, ZSJ UPPERCUTS him again! ZSJ says, “Mada mada!” and he UPPERCUTS again! Tanahashi falls, ZSJ tags in Fujita, and Fujita brings Tanahashi up. Fujita CHOPS again, and then CHOPS again! Tanahashi is stinging and using the ropes for defense while the fans rally up.
Tanahashi storms up but Fujita CHOPS! Tanahashi CHOPS, Fujita CHOPS! Tanahashi falls and Fujita BLASTS Shota! Tag to ZSJ and he grabs a leg. Fujita also grabs one, they drag Tanahashi to center, and then they both go after arms. Then they shift, ZSJ has an arm while Fujita has a leg! Then they both have legs again! Then ZSJ has a leg and Fujita has an arm! Then back to the arms! They both isolate the arms for DOUBLE STOMPS! The fans cheer, the ref reprimands and ZSJ “apologizes” with a bow. ZSJ stands on one of Tanahashi’s legs to then twist the other! Tanahashi endures, even as ZSJ TWEAKS the ankle!
ZSJ twists the foot the other way, flips Tanahashi over, and shifts around to have a headscissor and armlock! Shota stomps ZSJ but Fujita goes after Shota! Fujita TOSSES Shota, ZSJ tags Fujita back in. Fujita stomps Tanahashi, KICKS him in the back, but Tanahashi gets mad! Fujita KICKS Tanahashi but Tanahashi fires up! Fujita KICKS and CHOPS, but Tanahashi fires forearm after forearm! Fujita CHOPS again! Tanahashi grits his teeth but Fujita CHOPS again! And CHOPS again! SHOTEI! Fujita falls but so does Tanahashi! The fans rally up while both men crawl, hot tag to Shota! Shota rallies on Fujita with big forearms and elbows!
Shota whips, Fujita reverses, but Shota dropkicks the legs out! ZSJ runs up and RAMS Shota! Then ZSJ runs, but into Shota’s DROPKICK! The fans fire up and Shota goes to Fujita. Shota whips corner to corner, runs up, and UPPERCUTS! Shota reels Fujita in, FISHERMAN SUPLEX! Bridging cover, TWO! Not quite perfect but Shota doesn’t mind. Shota clinches but Fujita fights the suplex with elbows. Shota runs up, but Fujita wrenches, waistlocks, but Shota ELBOWS free! Shota whips, Fujita reverses and DROPKICKS! Both men are down and the fans fire up again! Fujita crawls, hot tag to ZSJ!
ZSJ runs up to BOOT Shota! Shota stays up so ZSJ runs to BOOT him again! And BOOT him again! Shota roars and ROCKS ZSJ! Shota runs to ROCK ZSJ again! ZSJ UPPERCUTS, Shota eggs him on, repeat! Shota UPPERCUTS and ZSJ roars! ZSJ UPPER- NO, Shota hooks the arm, but ZSJ wrenches out of the backslide to PELE the arm! Then ZSJ basement DROPKICKS Shota! The fans fire up while Shota clutches a leg and an arm. ZSJ kicks him around, scuffs him and taunts him. The fans rally, the ref checks Shota, but Shota is okay to continue. ZSJ stands Shota up to UPPERCUT! And UPPERCUT!
Shota clinches to EXPLODER! Both men are down and the fans rally again! Shota crawls, hot tag to Tanahashi! Fujita runs up, but Tanahashi blocks a kick to DRAGON SCREW! Payback for earlier! Tanahashi runs up at ZSJ in a corner, blocks a boot, and DRAGON SCREWS! Tanahashi put some stank on that one! Then he goes up the corner for a SUNSET SENTON! Cover, TWO! ZSJ stays in this but the fans continue to rally! “GO ACE! GO ACE!” echoes out as Tanahashi runs, but ZSJ catches him into a COBRA TWIST! Tanahashi endures, then throws elbows into ZSJ’s leg. Tanahashi gets free to DRAGON SCREW again!
ZSJ writhes, Tanahashi ties the legs up, but ZSJ kicks at him! Tanahashi blocks a kick to GROUND DRAGON SCREW! And now, TEXAS CLOVER- NO, ZSJ fights the turnover and reels Tanahashi into a TRIANGLE HOLD! Tanahashi endures and the fans rally up, but Shota gets in! Shota stomps away on ZSJ, but then Fujita MISSILE DROPKICKS Shota! Fujita brings Tanahashi up but Tanahashi SHOTEIS him down! ZSJ is after Tanahashi but he avoids the shotei! ZSJ SLAPS Tanahashi, then PENALTY KICKS! Cover, TWO!! Tanahashi survives but ZSJ gives him a NECK TWIST! The fans fire up as ZSJ stand Tanahashi up.
ZSJ scoops but Tanahashi fights that, to a TWIST ‘N’ SHOUT! The fans fire up but Tanahashi isn’t done! TWIST ‘N’ SHOUT! Tanahashi stands ZSJ up again, but ZSJ scoops to ZACK DRIVER!! Cover, ZSJ & Fujita win!
Winners: Zack Sabre Jr. & Kosei Fujita, by pinfall
Shota can’t believe The Ace fell, but this is why ZSJ is the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion! Will ZSJ do this all to Shota when they’re 1v1 in the Tokyo Dome? Or will Shota prove he’s mightier than The Mighty?
KOPW Championship Three Stages of Hell: Great-O-Khan VS Taichi!
The Dominator has, well, dominated as KOPW Champion for a long stretch of 2024, but the Holy Emperor did close out 2023 with this title. Granted, Taichi says that win, lose or draw, this is his final KOPW Championship match. As such, tonight’s stipulation is a sort of “Best Of” compilation as we go Best 2 Out of 3. Part one: a no ropes Sumo Rules match! Part two: Yoshinobu Kanemaru as special guest referee? Well, he would be a neutral party… And part three, if needed, will be a LAST MAN STANDING MATCH! Will Taichi “retire” from this truly freestyle division standing tall? Or will Khan truly conquer KOPW for the United Empire?
The introductions are made, the belt is raised, but Taichi also brings back the trophy for the occasion, and it’s time to end the year in style!
Sumo Rules!
Both men finish preparations with weight belts and some stretching. They square up, the ref says go and they RAM into each other! The fans rally as both men go for those weight belts to use as leverage. They go around, get very close to the ring edge, but then Khan moves things away. Khan THROWS Taichi, but Taichi stays on the ring so the sumo match continues. They reset and go again! Taichi pushes Khan back with both hands, but Khan digs in his heels! They clinch, go around, and Taichi goes for the edge! Khan pulls on Taichi’s leg to get around, but Taichi uses that to steer Khan to another edge! But Khan hits a fireman’s carry takeover!
Khan drags Taichi up but Taichi fights off the throw! They clinch and fight for control again. They each try to lift with the belt! Khan has Taichi near the edge, but then Taichi has Khan near the edge! Khan is teetering and the fans fire up! Taichi THROWS Khan to the floor, Taichi wins the fall!
Khan: 0; Taichi: 1
Special Guest Referee!
The fans are thunderous as Taichi takes the Sumo Rules fall, but now we go to a much more complicated situation. The ropes have to be put back up, sure, but now the Heel Master of all people is going to be the referee! The time it takes to set up the ropes is a reprieve for both sides, especially Khan as he has to catch his breath and refocus. Once the ropes are up, both men wait in the ring. All that is left is the buckle pads, and of course, Kanemaru himself. Kanemaru gets a proper introduction and entrance before he goes to the ring, and wow, he’s even wearing an official NJPW referee shirt with the lion mark on it.
Referee Kanemaru does his check and he even tells Taka Michinoku to watch himself. Kanemaru does a far less thorough check of Khan than Taichi! Did the Empire pay Kanemaru off?! Kanemaru has Taichi cool off, then whispers something to Khan! The bell rings, the fans rally for Khan, and Khan circles with Taichi. They tie up, Taichi powers Khan to ropes, and Kanemaru calls for a ropebreak. Then he has a fast count! Taichi lets off before 4 and argues with Kanemaru! Kanemaru says that’s his count, deal with it. Khan and Taichi reset, tie up, and Khan puts Taichi on ropes. Kanemaru pays more attention to Taka than Taichi!
The fans can’t help but laugh as Kanemaru finally does count, and now it’s really slow! Taichi protests, but Khan pulls Taichi’s arms. Then he CHOPS Taichi and stops at “3!” Khan then goes after Taichi, wrenches and wristlocks, and Kanemaru is asking if Taichi gives up!? Taichi tells him to shut up, but Khan kicks and CLUBS Taichi. Khan whips, Taichi BOOTS Khan down, then covers! Kanemaru strolls over to count! And it’s so slow! “TWO” and the fans cheer. Taichi is upset, but Khan rolls Taichi up! SO FAST!! TWO!! Taichi is getting pissed but Kanemaru backs away. Taichi stomps Khan, and Kanemaru’s untying a buckle pad?!
Taichi stomps Khan around, Khan leaves the pad there loosely, and Taichi whips. Khan reverses, and SURPRISE! bare buckles! Taka protests but Kanemaru SMACKS him with the pad! Khan plays dumb, and then he stands on Taichi’s lower back. Taichi has the ropes, but Kanemaru kicks the arm away! Khan has Taichi’s other arm, Taichi keeps grabbing for ropes but Kanemaru keeps kicking the hand away! Khan drags Taichi up, brings him around, and ROCKS him in the back! Taichi goes to a corner, Khan Mongolian Chops him on the back! And Mongolian Chops again! And Mongolian Chops again! Kanemaru doesn’t bother counting at all!
Taka protests, Kanemaru warns him, but then Khan hops up to sit on his throne! The fans cheer while Taichi endures, and only now does Kanemaru count! Khan asks hold on, hold on, so Kanemaru stops counting! Khan hops down, and then he puts Kanemaru up on the throne! Khan gets the fans to join in on the “Ohh…! HMPH!” Kanemaru isn’t into it so he hops down. Khan apologizes to Kanemaru, then he kicks Taichi around. Taichi gets up to fire hands! Khan kicks low, whips, but Taichi reverses to wrench and HOOK KICK! The fans fire up while both men are down. Taichi stands, and he drags Khan up into SEITEI JUJIHOU!
Kanemaru might be stuck, he can’t ignore Khan tapping. But then Kanemaru drags Khan over to the ropes! Taichi is frustrated with Kanemaru but Kanemaru says that’s a ropebreak. Taichi storms up on Kanemaru, but then Khan waistlocks! Ripcord and SAYANAGI! Both men are down again and the fans rally up! Taichi goes to a corner, Khan runs in, but Taichi dodges! GAMANGIRI! The fans fire up and Taichi snarls. Taichi TAKES OFF THE PANTS! The pants were a bit stubborn, but still. But then Kanemaru “checks” Khan just to stay between him and Taichi! Taichi says move or else! Kanemaru says he’s the ref!
Kanemaru kicks Taichi, CLAWS Taichi’s eyes, then traps his arms! Khan gets up to IRON RIGHT!! Kanemaru “scolds” Khan, then “checks” Taichi. Khan rests in a corner and Kanemaru drags Taichi up for him. Taichi CHOKES Kanemaru! Kanemaru kicks low! Kanemaru whips Taichi into a corner, ELBOWS him, then Khan LARIATS! Khan snapmares and covers, Kanemaru wants more first! Khan sits Taichi up for a BASEMENT DROPKICK! Now cover, TWO!! Taichi survives so Kanemaru hurries to get his whiskey! Khan takes a swig, and Kanemaru sets Taichi up! WHISKEY MIST into Kanemaru! Taichi hits the GEDO CLUTCH, but Kanemaru really can’t count now!
Taichi lets off of Khan since there was no count to be had. Taichi drags Kanemaru up, but Khan WHISKEY BOTTLE SHOTS Taichi! IRON CLAW!! Kanemaru calls for the bell? He just hands the win to Khan without counting, so now we’re all tied up!
Khan: 1; Taichi: 1
Kanemaru has fulfilled the contract, Khan gives him the envelope of money. Khan even makes sure we all see how many thousands that is! Kanemaru heads out, is he going to party hard for the holidays? But that aside, it is time for the final fall!
Last Man Standing!
Taichi gets the mic first, and tells Khan that if that’s how Khan wants to do it, then Taichi will get down and dirty with Khan! No lumberjacks, no special guests, just the straight up ten count, and it can happen anywhere in Korakuen Hall! Khan says bet! The announcement is made for the official rule change, and now we have the final fall! Khan rushes Taichi on the outside, then whips him into railing! And we’re already going into the crowd! Khan throws Taicihi at English commentary, but big Hartley is a solid wall for Chris. Khan then drags Taichi up into the bleachers, and the fans clear out of the way!
Khan CHOKES Taichi with a chair, then lets off to clear chairs out of the way. The Young Lions try to help but Khan gets mad at them and pushes them aside. Khan drags Taichi up, knees him low, and then reels him in! But Taichi fights the sayanagi! Taichi SHOVES Khan, Khan falls to the floor but gets up, only for Taichi to CROSSBODY! Down goes Khan and Red Shoes hurries over. Both men are down but Taichi sits up. The count starts and Khan is still down at 5 of 10! Khan hurries to get up, and Taichi stomps him down! Taichi drags Khan back up into the bleachers, but we go the other way.
Taicih KICKS Khan down, Young Lions keep the fans back again, and Taichi drags Khan along. They keep moving through the crowd, and Taichi shoves Khan into chairs! Khan sputters but Taichi drags him up again. Taichi KNEES Khan, then drags him up. They go back down to floor level, and then Taichi aims at chairs! Taichi whips but Khan reverses and he BOWLS Taichi into chairs! Not quite a strike but he got a good number of those chairs! Khan pops the railing loose from the special corner piece, and he brings that corner piece over! Khan SMACKS Taichi with the steel! Taichi staggers away but he sits in a chair.
Khan starts folding chairs to stack them on the floor. Khan then uses one chair as a leash to drag Taichi over! Khan CLUBS Taichi, adds that one chair to the pile, and then snap suplexes Taichi onto the chairs! Taichi writhes but Khan rises up. Khan roars and the fans fire up! The count begins again but Taichi slowly sits up at 4. Taichi rises up, and he stands at 8! Khan brings Taichi around in a headlock, and they go to the orange bleachers! Khan uses the gate to smother Taichi, then they go up to the higher level! The fans fire up but then fans have to move! Khan KNEES and CLUBS Taichi, then whips Taichi at the exit door!
Taichi tumbles into the hallway! Khan drags Taichi back into the arena and uses the HITSUJIGOROSHI against the chairs! Taichi endures as Khan chokes him, then Khan lets him go! Red Shoes checks on Taichi, Taka coaches him, but the count begins. Khan sits in a chair to relax while he waits. Taichi sits up at 7, and stands at 9! Khan storms up on Taichi to CLUB him on the back! Khan headlocks Taichi, brings him to the other section, and he gets up close to the fans for photo ops. Khan then whips, but Taichi reverses, and Khan is sent into the wall! Taichi leaves Khan behind while the count begins again.
Khan sits up so Taichi KICKS him back down! Taichi drags Khan up, KICKS him again, and Khan falls to his knees. Taichi drags Khan up by his ponytail, and he goes close to the stairs that lead to the back! Khan fights the suplex, and for his life, but then he turns things around! Taichi fights the suplex, throws hands, and then DDTS Khan to the floor! Red Shoes checks both men, then starts the count. Taichi shakes out his arms and sits up at 4. Taichi stands at 6 but Khan is still down at 8! Khan drags himself up at 9! Taichi CLUBS Khan down, then brings him back up. Taichi brings Khan back to ground level, then snapmares him hard for a KICK!
Khan is in agony but Taichi drags him back up. But Khan RAMS Taichi into the railing! Taichi sputters while also sitting in a chair. Khan staggers away to ringside, and he goes looking under the ring. Khan brings out a trolly cart? Khan JAMS Taichi up using his own mic stand, then leaves him behind. Khan brings out a TABLE! Fans rally up as Khan puts the table on the trolly, then he staggers over to Taichi. Khan CLUBS Taichi down, then SHOVES him onto the table trolly combo. Khan has fans clear out, and then he SNOW PLOWS the chairs with Taichi on the cart!! The fans fire up as Khan stands over Taichi.
Khan drags Taichi up, and he brings the table along, too. Khan kicks chairs out of the way as he returns to the upper deck! Khan SMACKS Taichi off the edge, then he clears out space. Khan sets the table up, then he goes up to fetch Taichi. Khan JAMS Taichi up with a chair, then SMACKS him! Taichi writhes, fans rally, and Khan drags Taichi up. Khan vows to end this! IRON CLAW, and ELIMI- NO! Taichi fights Khan off! Taichi stumbles away through the crowd, but then grabs himself a chair. Taichi runs up to JAM Khan right in the face! Taichi then steals Khan’s idea to choke grip and CHOKE SLAM down through the table!!!
Khan writhes and the fans go nuts! Taichi hobbles around while Red Shoes counts Khan. Khan is still down at 5! Still down at 7! 9! KHAN GRABS RED SHOES’S HAND!! Khan survives, and though he has a couple bloody cuts on his back, he crawls his way to the ring. Taichi eggs Khan on and the fans are thunderous! Khan drags himself into the ring, Taichi runs, AX BOMBER!! The fans fire up and the count returns! Khan is still down at 5, stirs at 6, sits up at 7, and he rises at 8! So Taichi just runs up to AX BOMBER!! Khan drops to his knees, flops over, but he’s already pushing himself back up! Taichi runs again, AX BOMBER!!
Khan staggers around but he stays on his feet! Taichi says fine, AX- SAYANAGI!! Khan turns things around, and he AX BOMBERS in return!! Both men are down and the fans rally as hard as they can! The count is on both men, and Khan crawls for ropes at 5! Taichi slowly sits up at 6, and both men go to corners at 7! Red Shoes waits on them to rise up, and then Taichi fires up! Taichi runs up, DOUBLE LARIATS collide! Neither man falls, so Taichi BOOTS! Khan BOOTS back! Taichi URAKENS! Khan MONGOLIAN CHOPS! Taichi SOBATS! Khan BODY BLOWS! Both men drop to knees, but they also grab at each other.
The fans rally as Khan and Taichi slowly rise. They are forehead to forehead, and then Taichi AX BOMBERS! Khan drops to his knees, Taichi BUZZSAWS, but Khan blocks it! Khan ROCKS Taichi with a right! And then Khan reels Taichi in, but Taichi Alabama Lifts! BLACK- NO, Khan fights into a GUILLOTINE! Taichi is stuck in the body scissors!! Taichi flails, even taps out, but that’s not how Last Man Standing works! Khan squeezes tighter and tighter, Taichi fades, and Red Shoes checks! Khan lets Taichi go and the count begins! Khan rises at 6, and Taichi is somehow up at 9!! So Khan clamps on an IRON CLAW!
Khan lifts Taichi, but Taichi slips free! Taichi shoves Khan and ROCKS him! DANGEROUS SAIDO!! But Khan is staggering to his feet?! Khan goes to a corner, flounders along ropes, but he isn’t down yet! The fans rally hard while both men fight to their feet! SUPERMAN PUNCH from Khan! PELE from Taichi! Both men are down again! Red Shoes starts the count on them both, and the fans rally even harder! Taichi is up at 7! Khan grabs Red Shoes at 9 again!! Taichi roars, Korakuen is with him, and he powers up! TENSHI JUJI- NO!! Khan blocks, and he hooks Taichi! Taichi CLUBS away on Khan, but Khan still lifts! ULTIMATE ELIMINATOR!!
Both men are down again and the fans rally as hard as they can! The count is on both men, and they’re both down at 5! At 7! 9! Khan pushes up, but he FLOPS back down!! DOUBLE TEN! IT’S A DRAW!! What does that mean for the belt!? Red Shoes goes out to talk with Abe-san, and then the announcement is made. In the end, with it being 1-1-1, a true draw, it all goes to KHAN!
Winner: Great-O-Khan, by pinfall (DEFINITIVE 2024 KOPW Champion)
Khan flips Taichi off, one last insult added on top. Khan is given the belt back, but Taichi grabs his trophy. Taichi steps up to Khan, and gives him the trophy, saying it is rightfully his now. Taichi shows Khan that respect, and Khan returns it with a handshake. Khan “retires” Taichi from KOPW, what will the Holy Emperor look to do in 2025?
As for Khan, he grabs the mic, and he asks Taichi to wait a moment. “You served this title for three years. We will honor your glory!” The fans applaud that, and Khan asks the previous champion to come closer. No, closer. The fans cheer Taichi on as he steps closer to ringside. Khan says Taichi served this title well, so here is his reward. Khan is giving the trophy back? Taichi says no, he gave that to Khan out of respect. Khan says to Taichi and to everyone to listen well. “We are the last KOPW Champion!” Everyone is a bit surprised to hear that.
Khan says, “As an alternative, on January 4th in the Tokyo Dome… as THE last KOPW Champion, We demand that the January 4th match determine the next IWGP World Heavyweight Championship challenger!” The fans are really intrigued by that idea! Khan throws down the belt, and Chris makes sure English speakers understand what Khan is suggesting. The New Japan Ranbo determining a #1 contender? Khan says that these are the words of the final KOPW Champion, The Great-O-Khan! “HAIL US, PEASANTS!” A New Year, a new era? Will Khan’s revolution bring glory to the United Empire?
My Thoughts:
A very good night for Road to Tokyo Dome, though I did skip a lot just because I didn’t have a lot of time today. But luckily I was skimming through, or I would’ve missed ELP’s great return. Congratulations on him beating cancer, and I like that they’re adding him to the NJPW World Television Championship match. It makes sense given ELP’s beef with the House of Torture, and honestly, why not just have ELP win? Not even so much for getting over cancer (though kind of that, too) but because fans love ELP and it’d help him solidify his singles run with Hikuleo long gone for WWE.
Really good stuff in the other tune-up matches, such as #DespeWado winning and the chaotic end to the Fatal 4 Way. Eagles won to help him and Fujita have momentum, but there is still more to the Road to Tokyo Dome first. Honestly that tag Fatal 4 could really go any which way they want so I’m not sure how the go-home math would even work. And Gedo of course took the loss against LIJ. Yota Tsuji is aiming for David Finlay and the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship, but who knows how things go before we get to WrestleKingdom.
Very good tag match from Shota & Tanahashi VS ZSJ & Fujita, and it was technically a surprise for Tanahashi to take the loss. This works on many levels, as Tanahashi should be figuratively on the ropes going into his match with Evil, and this gives Fujita equal momentum alongside Eagles. And then great main event, Khan and Taichi really went the distance with this one. And it all makes sense after Khan reveals this is the end of the KOPW Division. Khan wants to make the New Japan Ranbo to basically be the Royal Rumble and that is pretty cool. I think they could keep the belt to represent that contender’s status the same as the G1 Climax having a briefcase, because that KOPW belt actually looks pretty nice.
My Score: 8.8/10
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Classic POD is WAR
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Rockin’ around the Christmas Collision!
The Continental Classic continues on Christmas Collision, with crucial points on the line this close to AEW Worlds End! Who will finally take the lead in Gold League?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- AEW Continental Classic, Gold League: Will Ospreay VS Ricochet; Ricochet wins.
- Kris Statlander VS Penelope Ford; Kris wins.
- AEW Continental Classic, Blue League: Shelton Benjamin VS Daniel Garcia; Garcia wins.
- AEW Continental Classic, Blue League: Mark Briscoe VS The Beast Mortos; Briscoe wins.
- AEW Continental Classic, Gold League: Darby Allin VS Claudio Castagnoli; Claudio wins.
PLAY BY PLAY
Here are the current Continental Classic Gold League standings!
Claudio Castagnoli: 2-1, 6 points
Will Ospreay: 2-1, 6 points
Ricochet: 2-1, 6 points
Darby Allin: 2-1, 6 points
Brody King: 2-2, 6 points
Komander: 0-4, 0 points [ELIMINATED]
Here are the current Continental Classic Blue League standings!
Kyle Fletcher: 3-1, 9 points
Kazuchika Okada: 2-1-1, 7 points
Mark Briscoe: 2-2, 6 points
Shelton Benjamin: 2-1, 6 points
Daniel Garcia: 1-1-1, 4 points
The Beast Mortos: 0-4, 0 points [ELIMINATED]
Ian Riccaboni is in the ring.
He has Big Boom AJ & Big Justice with him in the Hammerstein Ballroom, and yes, they’re ready to bring the BOOM~! They’re ready to watch the action tonight, and even the final face-to-face of MJF and Adam Cole. AJ says if MJF is gonna bring the doom, then you know he and Big Justice will bring the BOOM~! But tonight, their guy, Adam Cole will bring the BOOM~ too! And of course we have big Continental Classic action! Daniel Garcia VS Shelton Benjamin in a critical showdown, and while Shelton is tough, Garcia is going to bring the BOOM~! Plus, Mark Briscoe battles The Beast Mortos! The Chicken is their guy, time to bring the BOOM~!
In Gold League, we have Darby Allin VS Claudio Castagnoli, and the Swiss Superman is a DOOM~! Let’s go, Darby, bring that BOOM~! And then a match everyone wants to see, the fireworks rematch of Will Ospreay VS Ricochet! If you’re a fan of high-flying wrestling, this is the right night to be right here in AEW! Ricochet and their guy, Ospreay, will bring the BOOM~! But speaking of, that match is up first! The Aerial Assassin joins AJ & Big Justice in giving a BOOM~, but will Ricochet make sure tonight is #OuttaThisWorld?
AEW Continental Classic, Gold League: Will Ospreay VS Ricochet!
Wait, are the fans throwing white streamers or is that… No, yeah, it’s toilet paper! Ospreay laughs at the fans basically calling Ricochet crap. Ricochet throws the toilet paper back! The bell rings and we’re on the clock. The fans fire up for Ospreay as he and Ricochet circle. The fans also sing, “F HIM UP, OSPREAY, F HIM UP!” Ricochet shrugs that off, he and Ospreay tie up, and then Ricochet rolls. Ospreay shoots in, waistlocks, but Ricochet switches. They go around, Ricochet gator rolls with Ospreay, then floats to a headlock. Ricochet wrenches, hammerlocks then headlocks again. Ospreay powers up and out, Ricochet runs him over, but Ospreay kips up!
The fans cheer and Ospreay smiles as he and Ricochet reset. They tie up, go around, and Ricochet wrenches to a wristlock. Ospreay rolls, wrenches and wristlocks, but Ricochet spins and wrenches to hammerlock. Ospreay reaches back, headlocks and hits a takeover. Ricochet rolls to a cover, TWO! Ospreay holds onto the headlock but Ricochet powers up and out. Ospreay runs Ricochet over, Ricochet bails out, and then Ospreay handsprings to fake Ricochet out! The fans cheer as Ospreay superhero lands out, and Ricochet is annoyed. Ospreay holds ropes open for Ricochet, but Ricochet goes around the way to step in on his own.
The fans boo Ricochet being a bad sport but Ricochet ignores that. Ospreay and Ricochet knuckle lock, then Ricochet kicks low! And CHOPS! Ricochet whips, Ospreay reverses, but Ricochet rolls off Ospreay’s back! Things keep moving, Ospreay avoids the handspring to then duck ‘n’ dodges and RANA! But Ricochet handsprings through! The fans fire up, and Ospreay arm-drags Ricochet down! The fans cheer while Ricochet endures the grind. Ricochet fights up and puts Ospreay on ropes. The ref counts, Ricochet and Ospreay slowly let g o, and Ricochet SLAPS Ospreay! Ospreay CHOPS Ricochet!
Ospreay takes a swing, Ricochet ducks under to roll back and RANA! But now Ospreay handsprings through! Ricochet dodges to waistlock but Ospreay bucks the O’Conner. Ricochet arm-drags Ospreay down, but Ospreay headscissors back! Ricochet pops free but Ospreay arm-drags! Ricochet headscissors, Ospreay pops free, and Ospreay handsprings, but Ricochet catches him! Ricochet then THROWS Ospreay into the Tree of Woe, and Ospreay falls down! The fans boo while Ospreay bails out, but Ricochet FOSBURY FLOPS! The fans boo but Ricochet takes the toilet paper to wipe himself, then he SMOTHERS Ospreay with it!
The fans boo that literally disgusting act of disrespect, but Collision goes picture in picture.
Ricochet taunts the fans, then drags Ospreay up. Ricochet puts Ospreay in, soaks up more heat, then KNEE-BOARD SENTONS! Ricochet swaggers to taunt the fans more, then he goes back to Ospreay. Cover, ONE!! Another cover, TWO! Ricochet taunts the fans more, then goes back for Ospreay. Ricochet stands Ospreay up to CHOP, and Ospreay goes to a corner. Ricochet RAMS into Ospreay, RAMS him again, then snapmares to UPPERCUT in the back! Cover, TWO! Ospreay stays in this but Ricochet drags him into a motorcycle stretch. Ospreay endures while Ricochet digs a knee into the back. Ospreay fights up, fights with elbows, then runs, but into a DROPKICK!
Ospreay is down in a daze but Ricochet has to shake out the stars in his own head. Ricochet covers, ONE! Ospreay then uses that one to flip off Ricochet. Ricochet RAMS Ospreay in the back! Ricochet then clamps on with a chinlock, and he digs his knee into Ospreay’s back. Ospreay endures, even as Ricochet JAMS Ospreay. Collision returns to single picture as the fans rally for Ospreay again. Ospreay fires up, fires hands, but Ricochet RAMS him into a corner. Ricochet runs up, RAMS into Ospreay, then goes to the apron. Ospreay takes a swing but Ricochet dodges and gets around him to GERMAN SUPLEX! Ospreay lands out!
Ospreay runs, handsprings, NEURALIZER KICK! The fans fire up while both men are down! Ospreay goes to the apron, takes aim, and he springboards to PIP PIP CHEERIO! Down goes Ricochet, Ospreay covers, TWO! Ospreay stays focused and the fans rally up. Ospreay drags Ricochet up, CHOPS him, then CHOPS him again! Ricochet staggers, Ospreay runs, but Ricochet TIGER WALL KICKS! Forearm, SOBAT, and Ricochet runs, but into a POP-UP, and STYLES- NO, Ricochet sits up, slips free, and he underhooks Ospreay for a FACEBUSTER! Cover, TWO! Ospreay survives but Ricochet goes up.
Ricochet has to double clutch, the fans let him hear it, but Ricochet still MOONSAULTS! Ricochet lands out as Ospreay moves, and Ospreay runs up, but into an ELBOW! Ricochet handsprings, but into a pop-up, Electric Chair, spin around, STYLES CLASH!! Cover, TWO!! Ricochet survives and Ospreay is surprised. Ospreay pulls on the elbow pad and the fans fire up! “This is Awesome!” as Ospreay aims, but Ricochet bails out! The fans boo but Ospreay storms after Ricochet. They’re both on the apron and Ospreay goes up a corner. Ricochet anchors Ospreay first! Then Ricochet has the Electric Chair Lift!
Ospreay fights free, fights off a nelson, then he KICKS Ricochet! Ospreay runs, but into a pop-up APRON DEATH VALLEY DRIVER! The fans chant “You Still Suck!” but Ricochet adds a SHOOTING STAR PRESS! Ricochet puts Ospreay in, then springboards to 450 SPLASH! Cover, TWO!! Ospreay survives, but then Ricochet AX KICKS! Dragon sleeper, inverted suplex, VERTIGO! Cover, TWO!? Ospreay survives and Ricochet is shocked! Ricochet snarls and he aims from a corner. The fans rally for Ospreay but Ricochet loads up. SPIRIT- NO, Ospreay ducks under! Ospreay gets up, Ricochet blocks a kick!
Ricochet V-TRIGGERS, then he reels Ospreay in! But Ospreay fights out of the bomb, but then Ricochet returns the favor! Ricochet suplexes, into STUN DOG MILLIONAIRE! Ospreay springboards for the OSC- CUTTER FROM RICOCHET!! Ricochet hurries to get Ospreay up, powerbomb into fireman’s carry, DEATH VALLEY DRIVER! SPIRIT- HIDDEN BLADE!! Both men are down and the fans are thunderous! Ospreay and Ricochet both slowly sit up and the fans rally as hard as ever. Ricochet and Ospreay stare down, talk a bit of trash, then stand up. Ospreay draws a line in the sand and dares Ricochet to step up.
Ricochet steps right up, they stand toe to toe, literally! They start firing forearms! The fans cheer Ospreay, boo Ricochet, and Ricochet wobbles! But then Ricochet comes back with forearm after forearm! Ospreay wobbles, but he grins as he rises and roars! Ospreay fires a flurry on Ricochet, then ROCKS him! Ricochet flops over, Ospreay hauls him up! But Ricochet grabs at the ref! Ospreay kicks Ricochet’s arm away, but then Ricochet RAMS Ospreay into the ref! The fans boo but then Ricochet hurries to HOOK KICK! And VERTI- NO, Ospreay slips free to underhook! STORM BREAKER! Cover, but the ref is down!
The fans count, Ospreay would’ve won twice over! Ospreay calls to the ref, the ref sputters around, and Ospreay goes up. But then Ricochet kicks the ref into ropes! Ospreay gets tripped up and the fans boo more! Ospreay is confused as to what happened, but SPIRIT GUN hits the mark!! Cover, RICOCHET WINS!
Winner: Ricochet, by pinfall (gains 3 points; Ospreay earns 0)
The One & Only got away with murder, but there’s nothing that can be done now! Ricochet has NINE points, will he be headed to Worlds End?
Adam Cole heads to the ring!
The fans cheer as the Panama City Playboy returns to the Hammerstein Ballroom, and yes, they join in for the “BOOM~!” and the “ADAM COLE, BAYBAY~!” Cole grabs a mic, but he keeps his eyes on the ramp. That’s because we all know who’s next. MJF makes his entrance, but with a handful of security guards in front of him first. And not even AEW security, that’s his own personal security. MJF grabs a mic and has them cut his music. The fans boo but MJF tells them, “If I wanted your help, I’d ask for it. Sit down and shut up.” The fans tell MJF to STFU, but MJF shrugs that off.
MJF tells Cole that MJF is frustrated. It’s because for the past few months, MJF has had to listen to Cole say MJF is Cole’s biggest enemy! If memory serves, and MJF’s memory always does because unlike the fans here, he isn’t a complete moron… Didn’t Cole turn on MJF? But then does Cole realize he has bigger enemies out there? Like spray tan, cracks in the floor, gusts of win, and maybe… a cavity. Because last MJF heard, Cole’s dentist isn’t seeing him anymore. Cole was already staring daggers into MJF, but now he’s pissed. MJF has Cole calm down, and he tells the fans to shut up so he can shoot straight.
When MJF was the longest-reigning and greatest AEW World Champion of all time, Cole was nothing more than MJF’s cute little sidekick. That ate Cole up inside. Cole wanted to be MJF. Cole wanted #TripleB. But the sad truth is, Cole had many opportunities to win the title before MJF got anywhere near it. It’s almost like when it comes to Cole being elite enough to become world champion, just like his “s*itty little ankle,” Cole blows it. MJF laughs at his own joke, and then tells the fans he is talking, it is not that complicated. But this is why MJF doesn’t buy the hogwash that Cole turned on MJF because MJF would turn on Cole first.
Cole turned because he, like all these shmucks, is jealous of MJF. And who can blame Cole? MJF is rich, handsome, funny, entertaining, and then look at Cole. For crying out loud, Cole used to be ADAM COLE BAYBAY. Now, he’s just a crack baby! Cole asks if MJF is done. Was that the last line? Because it felt like MJF practiced that for two weeks in front of a mirror. But MJF killed it, really. Cole could come back with childish comments to hurt MJF’s feelings, but he won’t. Cole could mention MJF has had two surgeries on that fake head of hair of his while only in his 20s, which is hilarious, but he won’t.
Cole could talk about how MJF pulled some strings to get his girlfriend hired, like the real politician he is, but Cole won’t go there. Cole could talk about how every single time MJF enters a room, everyone waits for him to leave because he is loud, obnoxious and annoying as hell. But Cole won’t go there. Because Cole is not like MJF. They are nothing alike. That is why the friendship was ruined. Because, MJF, the truth is you say Cole is a failure, but in virtually every wrestling company Cole has worked for, he is the longest-reigning champion in so many!
In this very building, Cole bled BUCKETS against Kyle O’Reilly, wanting to prove he was one of the best in the world, and that is exactly what he did! Does Cole have regrets? Sure. Are there things Cole wishes he could take back? Absolutely. But Cole does NOT regret turning on MJF. The only reason it drives MJF insane is because Cole beat MJF to it. That’s MJF 101: Get close to someone, then turn on them. It’s what MJF does. Cole just did it better than MJF, and MJF knows it.
But Cole has been thinking, trying to understand what’s going on in MJF’s head, and he finally figured it out. MJF is terrified of having anyone close to him, because he feels it is a weakness. That hit a chord? Because not only does MJF act like a child, he thinks like a child! MJF knows in his heart that he was going to be the one to turn on Cole first! DAMN RIGHT HE WAS!!! MJF realizes he let the cat out of the bag. MJF says congrats, Cole, he solved the mystery! A regular Scooby-Doo! Great job, Adam.
But you want the truth? Here it is. The fact of the matter is, last year at Worlds End, MJF had every intention on stabbing Cole in the back that night. Cole just got lucky. When #BetterThanYouBaybay started, MJF didn’t give a damn about Cole. Cole was nothing more than a pawn. But MJF will admit, he did eventually start to care. For the first time in MJF’s life, he cared about someone else. Fans mockingly go, “Aww…” But MJF says that is just when Cole became a liability. And since Cole’s “a fragile little freak,” him jumping off that ramp and exploding his ankle made him a distraction!
Distractions, liabilities, emotions, there are no room for those when all you should be concerned with is maintaining the world championship! But Cole doesn’t get it, does he? Last year was a fluke. Cole ain’t the Devil, he just beat the Devil to it. But this year, Worlds End, December 28th, the same show where Cole tried to end MJF’s world, MJF ENDS Cole!! MJF throws down the mic and the fans are torn. Cole smirks and says MJF ends things then? Well, how about Cole ends this? COLE DECKS MJF! The guards rush in, but Cole fights them off! MJF sends more but Cole SUPERKICSK! And SUPERKICKS! And SUPERKICKS!
But then MJF LOW BLOWS Cole! MJF tells the fans to shut up! MJF takes out the Dynamite Diamond Ring! But then The Kingdom rushes out here! MJF runs away from Matt Taven & Mike Bennett, but he vows this ends at Worlds End. We have one week left, is that the last week Cole has in AEW? Or will MJF finally lose the one thing he has left in that diamond ring?
Backstage interview with Kris Statlander.
Lexy Nair is with the #BornAgainKristen and brings up her trying to make amends with Willow Nightingale last night, as well as making the save when Harley Cameron & Penelope Ford were beating Willow up. Kris says what she and Willow have to discuss is between them. But as far as her and Penelope go, they’ve got a lot of history, and if Ford wants a fight, Kris will give her a fight. Then speaking of history, Kris still has her eyes set on the TBS Championship, can she tells us more on that?
Kris says she looked back on 2024 and she had a downward spiral that started with losing that title. Maybe if she wins it back, Kris will right her wrongs. On that note, Mercedes Mone, you don’t have an opponent for Worlds End so here Kris is. Let her know when you’re ready for round two. Kris heads out, will she prove to everyone that she is still the Galaxy’s Greatest?
Backstage interview with Orange Cassidy.
AEW returns and Lexy is now with Freshly Squeezed. In exactly one week, he will compete against three other men for the AEW World Championship. There are a lot of combustible elements at play, and Cassidy says yeah, we saw that on Dynamite. Jay White, Hangman Page and Cassidy can’t exactly have a conversation. So really, Cassidy wants them to listen. “Between now and Worlds End, Jon Moxley can run and hide. He can hide behind his goons, he can run away in a pickup truck. But when that bell rings in seven days, he has nowhere to go. He will be in the ring with us. Us three. And you both know that we need to remove Jon Moxley from the equation.
“We can. We’ve done it. And after that, us three, we can fight for the AEW World Championship and one of us will become the AEW World Champion. Just something to think about. See you guys on Dynamite.” Cassidy is ready to remove the Maniac from the throne, but will the Switchblade and Cowboy listen to reason?
Kris Statlander VS Penelope Ford!
As Kris just said, she’s calling out The CEO in hopes of one more TBS Championship match. But will the Superbad Girl be more like the Grinch for Kris this Christmas?
The bell rings and the fans rally as Kris circles with Ford. They tie up, Kris powers Ford to a corner, then throws Ford back into the corner! The ref counts, Kris lets off, but Ford shoves her! Kris ROCKS Ford, TOSSES her, then runs up on her. Kris whips, drops down, then hurdles over. Kris CLOBBERS Ford and the fans fire up as she flexes. Kris drags Ford up, reels her in, and suplexes, and she holds Ford up! The fans cheer and Kris goes all the way to TEN, but Ford slips into a SLEEPER! Kris pries the hold open and she brings Ford around for another suplex! The fans fire up as Kris holds Ford up for five before the SLAM! Cover, TWO!
Kris drags Ford up, whips her to the corner, but Ford goes up, only for Kris to Electric Chair Lift! Kris climbs, Ford fights with fists, and she shoves Kris down! Ford steadies herself, then hits a FLYING BLOCKBUSTER! Cover, TWO! Ford is frustrated but she storms up on Kris. Ford bumps Kris off buckles but the fans rally behind Kris. Ford stomps a mudhole, but she lets off as the ref counts. Kris goes to the apron, but Ford jumps up to drop KNEES on her! The fans boo but Ford soaks up the heat, and Collision goes picture in picture.
Ford brings Kris around to THROW her into railing! Ford soaks up more heat, then drags Kris up and RAMS her into the apron! Ford refreshes the count, then stalks Kris around the way. Ford whips Kris into the steel steps! Kris falls over in a heap but Ford drags her up into the ring. Ford covers, TWO! Kris stays in this but Ford kicks her around. Ford CHOKES Kris on the ropes, thrashes around, but lets off as the ref counts. Ford drags Kris up and whips her to ropes, then LARIATS as Collision goes to break.
Christmas Collision returns and Ford CHOKES Kris on the ropes again! The ref counts, Ford lets off and Kris sputters to the apron. Ford runs and goes up, up, and KNEE DROPS on only apron! Kris then SHOTGUNS Ford off the apron! The fans fire up and Kris brings Ford up, to THROW into railing! Kris puts Ford in the ring, the fans fire up, but Ford kicks low. Ford reels Kris in, but Kris suplexes, FISHERMAN BUSTER! Cover, TWO! Ford flounders to a corner but Kris has the fans rallying behind her. Kris runs up to UPPERCUT! Kris goes side to side but Ford dodges the knee! Ford hits a FISHERMAN SUPLEX! Bridging cover, TWO!
Ford wasn’t quite perfect there but she watches Kris go to a corner. Ford runs corner to corner, handsprings, but Kris catches her! The fans fire up as Kris GERMAN SUPELXES, but Ford lands out! but Kris goes Matrix to dodge! So does Ford! STUNNER! Ford runs, Kris does her best to follow, but Ford hops up for a POISON-RANA! Cover, TWO!! Kris survives and the fans fire up! Ford is beside herself, but she drags Kris to a drop zone. Ford goes up top, and MOONSAULTS BUT FLOPS as Kris moves! Kris hurries to deadlift GERMAN SUPLEX! And then GERMAN SUPLEX again! The fans fire up as Kris scoops to tuck Ford in! STATURDAY NIGHT FEVER! Cover, Kris wins!
Winner: Kris Statlander, by pinfall
Ford gave Kris quite the fight, but Kris came out on top! Wait, here comes Mone! Kris did call the CEO out, so Santa Mone says, “Ho, ho, ho ho ho! New York Citaaaay~! Please say hello to your C E O! Kris, after the year I’ve been having, I was planning on taking Worlds End off. I was planning on going to the Ritz in Boston.” The fans boo Boston, but Mone says since it’s the holidays, Mone feels like being nice. She already beat Kris once anyway, so she’ll just beat her twice! At Worlds End, you see that money changes everything, because Mone is the greatest TBS Champion of all time!
The challenge has been accepted, and Mone is looking to be busy before the New Year. Will Kris make her regret it?
Big Boom AJ & Big Justice return to the ring.
They’re getting Christmas Collision ready to bring the BOOM, but out comes Chris Jericho, who is still ROH World Champion after overcoming Matt Cardona last night at Final Battle. And he has Bryan Keith & “Big Bill” Morrissey with him as he asks if AJ has a permit for being here tonight. Did they talk with Mayor DeBlasio? Because they certainly didn’t run this past Jericho. Do they know who he is? Big Justice says yeah, he knows! “You’re a JACKASS!” Jericho is taken aback, but the fans agree with Justice. The Bad Apple says this is why dumbass kids should be sitting and not heard. Jericho says yeah!
And if being a jackass means he’s the King of New York, then Jericho’s the biggest jackass! And besides, Jericho talks for everyone here saying we do not want AJ & Justice here! The fans boo, they disagree with Jericho. But Jericho says they don’t even have Costcos in New York! New Yorkers shop at bodegas. Fans are torn, because they kind of agree. Jericho says his favorite is the Walgreens a few blocks over in Flushing. And speaking of Flushing, that’s where AJ & Justice belong: in the toilet! This is the Hammerstein Ballroom, the House that Jericho built! The fans boo that, it’s the House that Hardcore built.
But Jericho says there’s no time for goofy gimmicks like BOOM~, or bandit masks, or scissoring! Scissor me, Bad Apple~! But then wait! The Acclaimed is here! Well, Anthony Bowens is, at least. Bowens pushes past The Learning Tree and he joins AJ & Justice in the ring. Bowens has the music cut, and he tells Jericho that he doesn’t get why Scissor King is catching strays, but you caught his attention. Jericho is trying to intimidate a man in a walking boot and an 11 year old child while spouting nonsense about being the King of New York. Why doesn’t Jericho do what he has asked so many others in the past: SHUT THE HELL UP!
The fans cheer but Big Bill says, “As the Learning Tree always says, when a man tries to silence another man, he’s probably afraid of the truth.” The fans do cheer Big Bill because he is from New York. Bowens says he has no idea what that means, Bill. But he does know we’re live on TNT, Christmas Collision, Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City! So Chris, why not walk your ass to this ring and get it whipped by the Scissor King?! Jericho says if Bowens wants him to do that, then not tonight. Jericho waves bye, but AJ says hold on, listen up. We know Jericho is running scared, but we know at some point, Bowens will get to bring the-
Bowens stops the Boom? Because he wants to scissor! AJ says okay, and they SCISSOR BOOM~! But is that true? Will Anthony Bowens be the one to tear down the Learning Tree and be a champion?
Backstage interview with The Vendetta.
Lexy is now with Deonna Purrazzo & Taya Valkyrie, and they’ve got a hot streak going. Deonna’s message last week was ominous, but who was it for? Taya says there are so many options. Everyone deserves a slice of The Vendetta. There’s Mercedes, Mariah, Toni Storm, even Lexy could get some, so watch your back. Speaking of Toni, she stumbles in and apologizes for interrupting. She just wants to say hi to everyone, hello. Oh, Deonna, a pleasure. Deonna says she knows who Toni is. R-Really? So cool! Taya says she’ll make a guess: Toni has a tattoo on her leg, a little duck with a knife through it.
Wow, how’d Taya know? Deonna says no no no, she is not doing this again. She does not get what sick crap Toni’s up to, but she is already done with it. So for Dynamite’s Miracle on 34th Street, Toni VS Taya! Taya says she’ll make Toni forget everything! Toni nervously thanks The Vendetta, and says this is a big opportunity to face someone like Taya. Toni leaves, Deonna and Taya sigh, and Lexy has no idea what to say. Is Toni’s mind unraveling before our eyes? Or is there still a bit of Timeless inside Toni Time?
AEW Continental Classic, Blue League: Shelton Benjamin VS Daniel Garcia!
This showdown was inevitable, but it’s even more fitting after The Standard of Excellence beat up the TNT Champion just because he stood up to the Hurt Syndicate. Will Shelton continue to bring the pain? Or will he not survive Red Death?
The bell rings and Garcia goes right at Shelton! Garcia fires hands but Shelton RAMS him into the corner! Shelton fires hands but Garcia turns things around to fire more shots! The ref counts, Shelton shoves Garcia back, but Garcia runs up to fire hands! Shelton shoves Garcia again, but Garcia gets under the lariat to waistlock. Shelton fights the lift but Garcia shoves him to SLAP! And CHOP! Shelton just grins and he picks Garcia up again! Shelton TOSSES Garcia away and Garcia goes to ropes. Shelton brings Garcia back up, scoops and SLAMS him, then brings him up again. Scoop SLAM! Shelton drags Garcia up and puts him in a corner.
Shelton whips corner to corner hard and Garcia falls! The fans sing, “We Hurt People!” Shelton drags Garcia around, stomps him around, then TOSSES Garcia out hard! Garcia sputters but Shelton storms outside. Shelton brings Garcia up but Garcia fires hands! Shelton RAMS Garcia into the apron, then railing, then back to the apron! And repeat! Garcia falls in a heap and the fans fire up. Shelton grins as he drags Garcia up, to then THROW into steel steps! Shelton leaves Garcia behind and the ring count climbs on Garcia. Garcia drags himself up at 7 but Shelton goes out after him again.
Shelton puts Garcia in the ring, then grabs at him. Garcia grabs ropes but Shelton stomps him. Shelton stands Garcia up to DECK him! The fans cheer but Shelton brings Garcia up again. Garcia fires a forearm, then he CHOPS! Shelton eggs Garcia on, so Garcia CHOPS! Shelton grins, Garcia CHOPS, but Shelton DECKS him again! The fans duel but Shelton whips Garcia to ropes, for a BIG backdrop! Garcia flounders and Collision goes picture in picture.
Shelton stalks Garcia to the ropes, brings him up and around, then puts him on other ropes so he can CHOKE him! The ref counts, Shelton steps off, and Garcia coughs and sputters to a corner. Shelton stalks behind Garcia, stands him up, and winds up to ROCK Garcia! Garcia flounders against ropes then falls to the mat! Shelton stands over Garcia, drags him up and puts him in the corner. Shelton throws hands and Garcia stumbles. Garcia falls, but Shelton stands on him. Shelton stomps Garcia, drags him up, but Garcia fires up! Garcia breaks free to fire CHOPS and forearms on repeat!
Garcia whips, Shelton reverses and Shelton BOOTS Garcia down! Cover, TWO! Shelton is still amused, and he clamps onto Garcia with a chinlock. Garcia endures as Shelton grinds him down, and Garcia fights up, only for Shelton to wrangle him back down! Shelton leans all his weight on the hold and he squeezes tight. Garcia fades but the fans rally, and Garcia gets a second wind! Garcia fights up, Christmas Colilsion returns to siongle cipture, and the fans duel as Garcia fires hands! Garcia runs, ducks ‘n’ dodges, then SHOTGUNS SHelton down! The fans fire up and Garcia aims from a corner. Garcia runs up, Shelton gets around, GERMAN SUPLEX!
The fans are torn while Shelton storms around. Shelton waits on Garcia, waistlocks, GERMAN SUPLEX! Garcia flops around but Shelton stalks him to the ropes. Shelton goes to the apron, runs up, but Garcia BOOTS him! Garcia takes a swing, but Shelton waistlocks! Garcia holds ropes to fight off the suplex to the floor! Garcia stands up and elbows Shelton away! Then Garcia LEAPS, but into Shelton’s clinch! OVERHEAD BELLY2BELLY to the floor! Garcia flounders, fans sing, “We Hurt People!” Shelton runs up but Garcia drop toeholds him into a chair! Shelton sputters and the fans rally up. Garcia makes Shelton take a seat, then rains down fists!
The fans count along and Garcia goes to nine, puts up the dukes, then hits TEN! Garcia gets space, runs back in, and he SHOTGUNS Shelton outta the chair! The fans are thunderous as Garcia goes back for Shelton. Garcia drags Shelton up but Shelton pushes him away. Shelton LARIATS Garcia, then rolls into the ring. The ring count starts, the fans help Garcia stand, and the fans fire up! Garcia hurries to the ring, but Shelton BOOTS, only for Garcia to block! DRAGON SCREW! Garcia runs, Shelton gets around, GERMAN SUPLEX! Even with a bad leg, Shelton has so much strength! Shelton storms up in the corner, but Garcia dodges!
Shelton’s knee hits buckles, and Garcia leg scissor rolls him! Garcia steps through for the DRAGON TAMER!! Shelton endures and the fans fire up! Garcia sits on the hold, but Shelton powers up! Shelton powers out of the hold, has Garcia’s legs, and he turns Garcia over into a QUEEN ANGELITO STRETCH! Garcia endures, reaches out, and he army crawls his way forward! But Shelton drags Garcia back! Garcia cradles Shelton! TWO!! Shelton escapes, but Garcia BOOTS him! Shelton SUPERKICKS Garcia! Both men are down and the fans are thunderous! Shelton covers, TWO!! Garcia barely gets out of that and Shelton is furious!
“This is Awesome!” as Shelton looms over Garcia. Shelton drags Garcia up, but Garcia trips Shelton! Jackknife bridge, GARCIA WINS!!
Winner: Daniel Garcia, by pinfall (gains 3 points; Shelton earns 0)
A Christmas Collision miracle? Who knows! But Garcia is still alive in the C2, but Lashley snatches Garcia into a SLEEPER! The fans boo but MVP hands the pimp cane to Shelton! But here comes Mark Briscoe, and he has a chair! Security wants this to stop before it gets out of hand, and even producers get out here! But wait! Is that Swerve Strickland rushing in from the crowd?! It is! He goes right up top to SUPER SWERVE STOMP the Syndicate and security guards! Garcia gets free of the pile, Mark Briscoe is with him, and now the locker room hurries out here to stop this from getting worse!
The fans chant, “Whose House?” “SWERVE’S HOUSE!” and Nana eventually hands the mic to Swerve. “Bobby FREAKIN’ Lashley! Didn’t I say I was gonna get my hands on you by the end of ’24? By the end of 2024, I said I was gonna get my hands on you, and that’s what I did, courtesy of the most dangerous man in AEW. Whose house?!” “SWERVE’S HOUSE!” Swerve is still aiming for Lashley’s head, will he and Lashley have it out at Worlds End?
AEW Continental Classic, Blue League: Mark Briscoe VS The Beast Mortos!
After getting a couple shockers, The Sussex County Chicken could easily jump up to the front of the block with one more! But will he #ManUp and bring down the menacing minotaur? Or will The Beast be a massive spoiler for Briscoe?
The bell rings and we’re on the clock again. The fans rally and duel while both men fire up. They RAM shoulders, and then fire forearms! The fans fire up as Mark gets the edge, but Mortos swings! Mark dodges to CHOP, then fire forearms! Mark ROCKS Mortos, whips, but Mortos reverses and SPLASHES Mark! Mortos runs but Mark follows to LARIAT! Mark runs, Mortos follows, but Mark dodges to CHOP! And CHOP! And forearm! And Mongolian Chop! Mark fires forearms against the ropes, then roars. Mark runs but Mortos follows to UPPERCUT! The fans fire up, Mortos runs but Mark follows to FOREARM!
Mark runs, Mortos follows, and he slingshots to hook and backslide, TWO! Mark trips Mortos to jackknife, TWO! Mortos gets around, hammerlock and cradle, TWO! Mark slips around to roll Mortos, TWO! Both men stand, both men dodge, and the fans cheer the standoff. The fans cheer “BOTH THESE GUYS! BOTH THESE GUYS!” as they reset. Mark and Mortos run up to RAM shoulders again! And again! Mortos is getting the better of this, and he CLOBBERS Mark! The fans cheer Mortos while Mark goes to ropes. Mortos runs in but Mark TOSSES him up and out! Mortos clutches a leg, stands up, but Mark runs!
Mortos slides in, dodges, and he SPEARS Mark! The fans fire up and Mortos roars while Collision goes picture in picture.
Mark rolls to a corner while Mortos headbutts buckles. Mortos then runs corner to corner to DROPKICK Mark! Mark sputters, Mortos drags him to a cover, TWO! Mark stays in this but Mortos drags him into a chinlock. Mark endures, even as Mortos leans on the hold. Mark fights up as the fans rally, and Mark fires body shots. Mortos THROWS Mark down! Mortos then CRANKS Mark’s neck, then KICKS him in the chest! Cover, TWO! Mark is still in this and he goes to ropes. Mortos storms up but Mark CHOPS! Mortos SMACKS Mark and Mark falls into a corner. Mortos stomps Mark, then digs his boots in!
The ref reprimands and counts, Mortos steps off, then Mortos snapmares Mark so he can step on Mark’s face! Then NECK TWIST! Cover, TWO! Mark stays in this and he goes back to ropes. Mortos waits on Mark to stand, then SMACKS him down! Mark dangles out of the ring in the ropes, but Mortos goes after a leg while Collision goes to break.
Christmas Collision returns and Mortos has Mark in a corner. Mortos whips corner to corner, then runs up to UPPERCUT, CHOP, and HEADBUTT! Mark staggers and the fans rally up for Mortos. Mortos brings down his kneepads, runs corner to corner, but Mark dodge! Mortos hits buckles then falls to the outside! The fans fire up as Mark then WRECKS Mortos with a dropkick! Mark builds speed and he DIVES, direct hit on Mortos! The fans fire up and Mark even hugs a few! Mark tosses a chair into the ring, and fans rally for #DEMBOYS. Mark sets the chair up, but Mortos anchors Mark’s legs! Mortos then SMACKS Mark!
Mortos drags Mark to the apron, Mark fires forearms. Mortos shoves Mark, but Mark fireman’s carries! Mortos fires elbows to get free! Mark REDNECK KUNG-FU UPPERCUTS! Then APRON GERMAN SUPLEXES! Mortos falls to the floor while the fans lose their minds! Mark rises up, takes aim, and he fires the fans up more. Mark goes up a corner, for a SUPER SKY TWISTER! The fans are thunderous and Mark high-fives the front row. Mark then goes back to the ring and builds speed! Mark uses the chair to FLY! Direct hit and Mark even lands on his feet! The fans fire up and Mark hurries to get Mortos back up.
Mark puts Mortos in the ring, “This is Awesome!” as Mark takes aim. FROGGY-BOW onto knees! Mortos saves himself there, and then roars! Mortos whips Mark, scoops him, and has the torture rack! BEAST BACKBREAKER! Then Mortos hauls Mark up for a POWER BREAKER!! The fans fire up for Mortos and he DISCUS- NO, Mark dodges, runs, but into a POP-UP SAMOAN DROP! Cover, TWO!! Mark survives and the fans fire up again! Mortos snarls, hauls Mark up, and then scoops! But Mark slips free! Mark crane kicks, then underhooks! But Mortos backdrops free! Mark rises, Mortos runs, but into a fireman’s carry!
Mark hits a ROLLING DEATH VALLEY! Then Mark goes up the corner, and the fans fire up for the FROGGY-BOW!! Cover, TWO?!? Mortos survives but Mark shakes his head. Mark just goes back up top! Mortos sits up and roars! But Mark still FROGGY-BOWS!! And then he underhooks, lifts, JAY DRILLER!! Cover, Mark wins!
Winner: Mark Briscoe, by pinfall (gains 3 points; Mortos earns 0)
And with that, Mark is now even with Kyle Fletcher, who Mark already beat earlier on! That is all the difference between the one seed and the two seed, how will this final round shake out?
Julia Hart speaks.
“Jamie, Jamie, Jamie. I’m no coward. What you call tricks, I call advantages. I suggested that you watch your back. I gave you all the warnings. So I’m not understanding why you feel the need to call me classless and sneaky. I thought I was being more than reasonable. I know you’re strong, but are you smart? Are my ‘tricks’ too much for you? I guess we’ll find out January 1st, Fight for the Fallen. But remember: The House Always Wins.” The Princess of the Black Throne is ready, but will she learn Hayter Hits Hard?
Backstage interview with Mariah May.
Alex Marvez is with the AEW Women’s World Champion and says in one week’s time, it will be Mariah VS Thunder Rosa for the title, in a Tijuana Street Fight! Marvez notes that Mariah not only had some harsh words for Rosa, but for her father, as well. Mariah says, “Aw~, Papa Rosa is gonna be in the front row. Is that to watch the match? Or does Thunder need a new mami?” But speaking of Rosa, she RAMS Mariah right into the door! And dribbles her off it, too! Mariah pulls hair, Rosa tries to choke Mariah, and then Mariah shoves Rosa away. Mariah calls Rosa crazy, but Rosa says she’s not done with Mariah!
Rosa storms after Mariah into the hall, and then to the stage area! Mariah has made it to ringside, Nigel tries to warn her, but Rosa CLOBBERS Mariah! Rosa rains down fists, then stomps away! Rosa SMACKS Mariah off steel steps, then grabs a chair! Mariah sputters, but gets away before Rosa swings the chair! Security rushes out here for the third time tonight, and Rosa LEAPS! The cluster keeps her away from Mariah but fans want to “LET THEM FIGHT!” Rosa holds up the AEW Women’s World Championship, will she send the “Woman From Hell” back where she came from in order to have the gold again?
AEW Continental Classic, Gold League: Darby Allin VS Claudio Castagnoli!
While The Relentless One has been after each and every Death Rider, he gets one served up to him on a silver platter. But will Darby bring down the Swiss Superman before the final round? Or will Claudio crush Darby’s hopes and dreams this close to Christmas?
But before Claudio even gets in the ring, Darby DIVES out onto him! The fans fire up as Darby fires fast hands! Claudio gets away but Darby pursues, jumps on, and throws more hands! Claudio carries Darby up the ramp to then THROW him down! Darby writhes, Claudio drags him up, and Claudio gorilla presses! Darby slips free, goes to the entry, and then dodges Claudio to send him into the light truss! And then he shoves Claudio into it again! Claudio falls, and now Darby climbs up!? The fans fire up as Darby is up on the camera balcony! Darby SUPER CROSSBODIES Claudio down!
Claudio tumbles down the ramp and Darby sputters while fans lose their minds. The ref checks Darby, his fall was still really wicked. Claudio sits up in a daze as he’s now ringside, and somehow Darby pursues! They both get in the ring, the bell rings, and Darby runs up! But into a POP-UP UPPERCUT!! Cover, TWO!! Darby survives and Claudio is already frustrated. Claudio drags Darby by his legs, to GIANT SWING~! The fans count as Darby goes around and around, and Claudio goes past TEN, past FIFTEEN, past TWENTY, and all the way to THIRTY!! Darby flounders out of the ring while Collision goes picture in picture.
The ref goes out to check on Darby, and somehow he’s okay to continue. Claudio steps out to fetch Darby, and lift shim up with one hand! Claudio then gut wrenches and carries Darby, to SLAM him onto railing! And DUMP him down! Claudio drags Darby up again, gut wrenches again, and he TOSSES Darby onto the railing! Darby flops back down and clutches his lower back, but Claudio leaves him behind. The ring count begins but Darby sits up. Claudio goes out after him again, and brings him up to CHOP! Darby staggers away to a corner, Claudio storms up and CHOPS again! Darby flops down but Claudio looms over him.
Claudio gets space, runs up, and he UPPERCUTS Darby against railing! Darby stumbles away, Claudio goes to the ring, but Darby rolls in, just to roll back out. Darby earns himself some time, but then Claudio storms out after him. Darby hurries int he ring to get away, but Claudio is after him there, too. Claudio stands on Darby’s hands, then stomps them! Darby writhes, but Claudio stomps his hands more! Darby goes to a corner. Claudio stands him up and CHOPS! Claudio UPPERCUTS, CHOPS, and Christmas Collision returns to single picture. The fans duel, Darby fires hands, but Claudio UPPERCUTS!
Claudio whips, Darby springboards, COFFIN- NO, Claudio catches Darby! Darby fights free, runs, but Claudio runs up! Darby DUMPS Claudio, then runs to DIVE! Direct hit at the ramp! The fans fire up again and Darby puts Claudio in. Claudio rolls out the far side but Darby DIVES again! Claudio is sent into railing but Darby goes up a corner! The fans fire up for the SUPER COFFIN SPLASH! Direct hit and both men are down again. The ref starts the ring count, the fans rally up, and Darby refreshes the count. Darby LEAPS onto Claudio for a SLEEPER! Claudio goes to steel steps and he steps up, but Darby squeezes tight!
Claudio steps back down, and he runs into the timekeeper’s area! BACKPACK SENTON through the table! The fans lose their minds again while Claudio leaves Darby behind in the wreckage. Darby stirs, the ref starts another ring count, and Darby crawls. “This is Awesome!” as Darby leaps in at 7! Claudio runs but Darby slips around! O’Conner Roll, TWO, springboard and SPALSH! Cover, TWO! Ghost pin, TWO! Claudio is up, but Darby sunset flips! Claudio stays up, and DOUBLE STOMPS! Claudio deadlifts Darby to then TOSS him out of the ring! Darby hits apron on the way out and fans tell Claudio he’s sick!
Claudio goes out after Darby and drags him up again. Claudio scoops and then POSTS Darby! And POSTS him again! Claudio TOSSES Darby aside, rolls into the ring, but only to refresh the count. Claudio then drags Darby by a leg and brings him over. Claudio SWINGS Darby into steel steps!! Claudio puts Darby in the ring, stands him up, and runs to LARIAT! Darby flips through the air! Claudio covers, TWO!! Darby survives and Claudio is frustrated. The fans rally for Darby but Claudio rains down HAMMER ‘N’ ANVIL ELBOWS! Then Claudio tucks the arms, RICOLA- CODE RED!! Cover, TWO!! Claudio escapes in time!
The fans rally while both men are down again. Darby and Claudio slowly rise, and Ricochet watches, very amused as Darby is his next opponent in the round robin. Darby crawls to a corner, climbs up, but Claudio UPPERCUTS! Claudio HEADBUTTS Darby, then climbs up again. Claudio brings Darby up and suplexes, but Darby fights around! SUPER SCORPION DEATH DROP!! The fans are thunderous for “A E DUB! A E DUB!” as Darby rises up. Darby climbs to the very top, COFFION DROP onto knees! Claudio saves himself, then he hauls Darby up. Straitjacket and RICOLA~ BOMB!! Cover, TWO!?!?
Darby survives and shocks Claudio! Claudio argues with the ref but the count was fair! Darby’s just that tough! Claudio goes back to Darby and ripcords him into the RICOLA~ BOMB!! Cover, TWO!?!?! HOW?!? Claudio goes outside, and he brings out something from under the ring. He also has a chair! The ref takes the chair from Claudio, but Claudio has BRASS KNUCKLES! BRASS KNUCKLE PUNCH!!! Cover, CLAUDIO WINS!
Winner: Claudio Castagnoli, by pinfall (gains 3 points; Darby earns 0)
The Swiss Superman screws over Darby, but then he gets that chair back. But wait, Ospreay slides into the ring! And HE has the brass knuckles that Claudio tossed aside! Ospreay dares Claudio to do something, but Claudio simply leaves. Does this mean Ospreay’s ready to ride against the Death Riders with Darby? Or will we see a Miracle on 34th Street send Ospreay and Darby to Worlds End?
My Thoughts:
A great Collision here as the last one before Worlds End, and therefore a bit of a go-home in itself. While the continued feud of MJF and Cole has still been a bit clunky since they did the double turn, their faceoff did a good job addressing some of that. They got good digs at each other as always, and MJF snapping and revealing “the truth” was their big move to recover this story. We of course got a brawl, and good save by The Kingdom. It feels like MJF still finds a way to hold onto the diamond ring, but c’mon, how fitting is it for Cole to get a diamond.
Good bit with Toni Storm and The Vendetta, and Deonna’s reaction to Toni was great. Deonna is justified in thinking this is still an act from Toni, not a legitimate psychological problem, and Toni VS Taya will be good stuff. Good promo from Kris Statlander, good match from her and Penelope Ford, and of course a good win for Kris. Good promo from Mone to make Worlds End official, but as I’ve been saying, Mone is more likely to lose the NJPW Strong Women’s Championship as part of the big NJPW Tokyo Dome weekend. The irony is, Mina Shirakawa is her challenger and Mina shows up plenty in AEW, so I don’t know how that math is supposed to work.
Good promo from Mariah May as it also turned into a brawl with Thunder Rosa. As it stands, Rosa standing tall holding up the belt means she is NOT winning at Worlds End, but they could still give us a little more from Rosa and Mariah on Dynamite’s Christmas episode to turn the tables. Good promo from Julia Hart to respond to Jamie Hayter, they’ll have a good match. Good promo from Orange Cassidy to try and reason with Jay White and Hangman Page, but that’s all the more reason Moxley likely uses the challengers all against each other like he did on Wednesday. Though, it would be fun if they at least started the match all annihilating Moxley with their finishers, making us think it’ll work out in favor of “Team AEW.”
Good stuff with Big Boom AJ & Big Justice here tonight, both hyping up the show but also interacting with Jericho’s group and even Anthony Bowens. They’re adding some more foreshadowing to The Acclaimed breaking up, and I guess we’re supposed to see this as a positive move, Bowens feuding with Jericho. Unless Bowens is going to be the guy that dethrones Jericho for whatever ROH cable TV debut/return is planned, the Jericho Vortex strikes again. Bowens should be going for an AEW midcard title, but right now, those are all tied up what with the C2 going on and the International Championship being tied up in Worlds End and NJPW plans.
Speaking of the C2, great stuff with all the matches tonight. Shelton VS Garcia was great stuff, and while Garcia gets the win, they’re still giving us some set-up for a TNT Championship match of Garcia VS Shelton. Mark Briscoe of course made the save, but great surprise for Swerve to show up. Lashley VS Swerve for Worlds End just needs to be said, it already feels a given. All that brawling was also a good segue into Mark VS Mortos, and another great showing for Mortos, even in losing. But as Mark has already had all his matches and is at 9 points, Kyle doesn’t even need to win against Garcia, he just needs to draw so that Mark will be out, and Garcia with him.
While Ospreay VS Darby on Wednesday raised the bar, Ospreay VS Ricochet still had great stuff of its own. Plus, Ricochet is bringing out more of his Heel side what with using the ref, and Ricochet’s win puts the pressure on Ospreay for Christmas Dynamite. Now, no offense to Brody King, but I’m thinking Ospreay wins that to take one of the semifinal spots. Darby VS Claudio tonight was also great, but Darby doing his best Sting off the truss was not the best when he gets that whiplash on the floor. I really thought that match was going to be called for concussion protocol, but Darby’s weirdly indestructible.
Claudio still cheats this win so there’s more heat on the Death Riders and Darby is also behind the 8 ball. Ospreay making the save was good, we can definitely have another “Team AEW” VS Death Riders with Ospreay joining Darby and a couple others, but the way they did the order of matches, Claudio’s got a seemingly easy ride against Komander for Christmas. Though, how awesome would it be if Komander pulled off the spoiler? Or if they were really going to add some drama, they should create a situation where the Death Riders end up ringside, violating the Continental Rules of no cornermen and that disqualifies Claudio. Claudio misses out on the semifinals because of a technicality, sending Ospreay and maybe Ricochet to the semifinals.
My Score: 8.8/10
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