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Mitchell’s WWE Raw Results & Report! (10/30/23)

Trick or treat, eat defeat!

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Things that go bump in the night!

Crown Jewel is Saturday, but Halloween is tomorrow, so Monday Night Raw’s getting spooky! Will Natalya win her Trick or Street Fight with Chelsea Green?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

  • Dominik Mysterio w/ Rhea Ripley VS Ricochet; Dom wins.
  • The Alpha Academy w/ Maxxine Dupri & Akira Tozawa VS The Creed Brothers w/ Ivy Nile; The Creeds win.
  • DIY VS Imperium; DIY wins.
  • Candice LeRae w/ Indi Hartwell VS Xia Li; Xia wins.
  • Seth Rollins VS JD McDonagh; Rollins wins.
  • Trick or Street Fight: Natalya VS Chelsea Green w/ Piper Niven; Chelsea wins.
  • Sami Zayn VS Damian Priest w/ The Judgment Day; Priest wins, by disqualification.

PLAY BY PLAY

Rhea Ripley is here!

Mami leads Dom Dom and the Irish Ace out to the ring, and she gets the mic to welcome us to Monday Night Raw, “the show that The Judgment Day runs.” But it’s not just a saying anymore, they’ve taken care of every single superstar that has stood in their way. Last week, Damian Priest absolutely shattered Cody Rhodes’ ankle! Fans boo but Rhea says that’s just the beginning. Tonight, her Latino Heat, which fans boo, is gonna put down Ricochet and remind him not to disrespect The Judgment Day. And then we have JD McDonagh, who will remind Seth Freakin’ Rollins exactly what it feels like to be an enemy of the Judgment Day.

As for Seth and McIntyre, they’ve got some decisions to make. And whichever one decides to make the right choice, then it really comes down to who walks out of Crown Jewel a loser like all of the fans, or as the World Heavyweight Champion! And speaking of Crown Jewel, Rhea has her own match, against four of the baddest women in the WWE. “But to me, that’s just another opportunity to prove to every single one of you who is the MOST DOMINANT woman in the WWE, and why Mami is always on top!” But then Sami Zayn shows up! Fans fire up as the Great Liberator makes his way out, and goes right to the ring.

Fans cheer Sami on, he apologizes for coming out when not invited, but he is so sick of hearing Rhea talk. He is so sick of her talking about power and how Judgment Day has all the titles, and how they run Monday Night Raw. But let him explain something about himself, in case they haven’t figured it out themselves. Sami’s entire career, his entire life, he has fought people like Judgment Day. People who think like the Judgment Day, that think that all that matters is power. And as long as you’re chasing power, you can do whatever you want! Be ruthless, cutthroat, rule with an iron fist, as long as it’s in the name of power!

So if that’s the name of their game, fine! But in that case, he isn’t Sami Zayn! He is rebellion! He is resistance! And he will fight, 1v1, 2v1, 3v1, 4v1, 5v1!! As long as he has breath in his lungs, he will fight, fight, FIGHT!! Fans fire up for Sami, and Sami says he will fight them and everything they stand for until the Judgment Day is no more. Rhea laughs, and tells Sami that it’s hilarious. Sami can resist all that he wants, it doesn’t matter! The Judgment Day doesn’t need numbers when it comes to him. So if management says it’s okay, why doesn’t Sami go 1v1 against… Damian Priest! Fans cheer that, and Dom says y’know what?

Fans boo Dom, but Dom continues by saying they should teach Sami a lesson right now! The mics drop, Sami is ready, but wait! Here comes Ricochet! The King of Flight has a fight with Dom tonight anyway, so he’s here now! Rhea bails out, but then JD rushes in! Ricochet DUMPSM JD, then swings on Dom! Dom falls back, but he’ll have to fight Ricochet anyway, after the break!

Dominik Mysterio w/ Rhea Ripley & JD McDonagh VS Ricochet!

Raw returns and Ricochet dodges Dom to RANA! Fans fire up as Ricochet DROPKICKS! Cover, TWO! Ricochet brings Dom around, CHOPS him to a corner, and then ROCKS him! Dom staggers around, Ricochet ROCKS him again, then CHOPS again! Rhea is frustrated but Ricochet whips. Dom holds ropes to stop himself, then Ricochet runs in, Dom puts Ricochet on the apron, blocks a boot and YANKS Ricochet into rope! Then Dom DROPKICKS Ricochet down! Rhea is happy now but fans boo. Rhea taunts Ricochet, Dom goes out, but fans chant “YOU SUCK! YOU SUCK!” Dom SMACKS Ricochet off the desk!

Dom soaks up the heat, Rhea & JD cheer him on, and Dom pushes Ricochet into the ring. Dom storms up on Ricochet, RAMS him into the corner, and again! Then Dom whips corner to corner hard, and Ricochet bounces off buckles. Fans taunt Dom but he just ignores them to bring Ricochet up. Dom stomps Ricochet, the ref counts, and Dom stands on the corner to soak up heat. Dom taunts the fans, then he stomps Ricochet back down. Dom drags Ricochet up, whips him corner to corner hard, and Ricochet falls! Fans continue to boo but Dom storms up on Ricochet. Dom throws hands, throws body shots, then whips.

Ricochet goes up and out and Dom hits buckles! Ricochet bumps Dom off buckles, then KICKS Dom away! Fans fire up and Ricochet springboards, but Dom gets under. Dom runs in but into a Tiger Wall Kick, and ENZIGURI! Fans fire up with Ricochet and he NORTHERN LIGHTS! Roll through to deadlift and BRAINBUSTER! Rhea panics as Ricochet STANDING SHOOTING STARS! Cover, TWO! Rhea can breathe again, and Dom gets out of the ring. Dom flops over and JD fans him off. Ricochet has the fans behind him, and Ricochet runs to DIVE! Direct hit on Dom! Fans are thunderous, Rhea freaks and JD seethes as Raw goes to break.

Raw returns again and Dom has Ricochet down with a chinlock. Ricochet fights up, throws body shots, and then he ROCKS Dom with a right! And another! Dom kicks low, snap suplexes, and that’s Uno Amigo! Fans boo as Dom hits Dos Amigos! Fans boo more as Dom hits THREE AMIGOS! Rhea & JD like it as Dom gets the legs to CATAPULT Ricochet onto ropes! Dom dials it up, 619 MISSES as Ricochet ducks! Ricochet handsprings to BACK ELBOW! Both men are down and the fans fire up! Ricochet sits up first, Dom crawls to ropes, and both men stand. Dom swings but Ricochet counter punches! Ricochet fires off, whips, but Dom reverses.

Ricochet RAANS Dom down, then handsprings up! Fans fire up as Ricochet runs corner to corner to RAM into Dom! Ricochet goes tot he apron, springboards and CROSSBODIES! Then LIONSAULTS! Cover, TWO! Dom survives and Rhea is again relieved. Ricochet drags Dom up, fireman’s carries, but Dom claws the eyes! Dom then runs to NECKBREAKER! Rhea cheers as Dom goes up a corner. Dom aims, but Ricochet avoids the splash! SUPERKICK! Rhea panics again as Ricochet drags Dom to a drop zone! Ricochet goes up and fans fire up, but Rhea distracts! JD runs up but Ricochet avoids him!

JD avoids the superkick! Dom rolls Ricochet up! With tights and the rope!! DOM WINS!

Winner: Dominik Mysterio, by pinfall

But Ricochet SUPERKICKS JD after all! And hits Dom with RECOIL!! Rhea is furious but that’s what her boys deserve! Ricochet goes up the corner but Rhea drags Dom to safety! Dom has to get ready for Halloween Havoc tomorrow night, will Nathan Frazer find a way past Mami to take that North American title?

 

Raquel Rodriguez speaks.

“I am going up against four of the most dominant women in this division. The biggest, the baddest, the best that this company has to offer. Not one of them has the fight that I have. The drive that I have. So they can consider me the underdog, they can put a chip on my shoulder. It’s okay. It’ll make it that much sweeter when I take each and every single one of them down. At Crown Jewel, I will show the entire world why I am the most dominant woman on Raw when I become Women’s World Champion.”

 

The Alpha Academy w/ Maxxine Dupri & Akira Tozawa VS The Creed Brothers w/ Ivy Nile!

In order to prove they’re still tag title worthy, Chad Gable & Otis put out an open challenge to any team from any brand! As such, NXT’s Julius & Brutus accepted! Will the Diamond Mine win big on their Raw debut? Or will Gable & Otis SHOOOOSH~ the doubters and get back to the tag titles?

Raw returns and the Creeds make their entrance. The teams sort out and Julius starts against Gable, They tie up, Gable wasitlocks but Julius slips around, They go facelock for facelcok, waistlock for waistlock, and Gable SLAMS Julius down! Gable brings Julius back up, but Julius arm-drags free. Julius shoots in to waistlock and SLAM! Julius brings Gable up, he slips free, and arm-drags! Julius arm-drags! The two stand off and the fans cheer the exchange. Gable and Julius shake hands, tie up, and Gable headlocks. Gable spins, spins and drop toeholds! Gable facelocks, but Julius deadlift suplexes from the floor!

Brutus tags in, he takes the handoff, and Brutus marches around with Gable! Brutus SLAMS Gable down! Fans fire up for the strength, and Brutus brings Gable up. Gable shoves to hip toss but Brutus handsprings through! Brutus fireman’s carries for the takeover! Gable hurries to his corner, tag to Otis! Fans fire up as those legs start shaking. Otis and Brutus tie up, Brutus waistlocks but Otis is too big! Otis throws Brutus away! Otis powers Brutus to a corner, the ref counts but Brutus gets away.

Otis runs to RAM Brutus down! Otis whips Brutus to a corner, runs in, but Brutus dodges! Otis hits buckles, Brutus pushes him away and leaps, DOUBLE AX HANDLES! Otis stays up but Julius tags in. The Creeds double whip Otis to the corner but Otis comes back to DOUBLE LARIAT! Fans fire up, Gable DOUBLE CROSSBODIES! Then the Academy DOUBLE EXPLODER! Fans fire up, the Academy says, “A THANK YEW~!” and Raw goes to break.

Raw returns, Brutus has Gable’s arm but Gable reaches out. Otis reaches but Brutus keeps them apart! Brutus whips, Gable ducks ‘n’ dodges and rolls to get a leg, ANKLE LOCK!! Brutus scrambles, fans fire up, Brutus victory rolls! TWO, and Gable runs up, but Brutus catches him! Fireman’s carry and SAMOAN DROP! Cover, TWO! Gable is still in this and Maxxine is relieved. Brutus snarls, watches Gable rise, and Brutus runs in at the corner, but Gable gets around! GERMAN SUPLEX! Fans fire up and Gable crawls for the corner! Brutus crawls, too, hot tags to Julius and Otis! Fans fire up as Otis runs through the double clotheslines!

Otis rolls under to come back and DOUBLE LARIAT! The fans are thunderous as Otis scoops and SLAMS Julius! And scoop SLAMS Brutus! Short arm LARIAT for Julius! Maxxine says go off, Otis! Otis SPLASHES Julius down, and he has a target! Otis rips the shirt off, and he starts up the CATERPILLAR ELBOW! Cover, TWO!! Julius survives, but Otis scoops. Julius slips free, JUMP KNEES, and he tags Brutus! Brutus goes up, to DOUBLE AX HANDLE! Down goes Otis, Julius STANDING SHOOTING STARS! Brutus STANDING MOONSAULTS! Cover, Gable breaks it! Gable dodges Julius and CROSSBODIES Julius and himself out of the ring!

Brutus and Otis stand and fans fire up! Otis runs up, Brutus dodges, DOUBLE LARIATS collide! Brutus tries again but Otis stays up! Brutus LARIATS again but Otis just fires up! They run in again, Brutus ducks and goes up, to then CROSSBODY, but Otis catches him! WORLD’S STRONGEST SLAM! Cover, Julius 450 SPLASHES it apart!! But Gable’s up top, to MOONSAULT the pile!! Fans are thunderous as all four men are down! Maxxine gets on the apron but Ivy yanks her down! Ivy gets on the apron, but Maxxine yanks her down! Tozawa tells he ladies to relax, but Ivy just GERMAN SUPLEXES him for it!

Gable is distracted, Brutus DUMPS him out! Julius tags in, Otis CLOBBERS Brutus! Otis goes up but Julius CLUBS him! Julius gets Otis in an Electric Chair Lift?! Brutus goes up, for the BRUTUS BALL!! Cover, CREEDS WIN!!

Winners: The Creed Brothers, by pinfall

Gable can’t believe it! He put out the challenge, only to lose! But Gable still shows the Creeds respect. Julius & Brutus have a Tables, Ladders & Scares match tomorrow night, will they survive to have a solid spot here on Raw waiting for them?

 

The Judgment Day talks backstage.

Finn Balor & Damian Priest are discussing things, but then someone knocks on the door. “Trick or Treat!” What?! Trick or treat! It’s the New Day! They’re cosplaying as the NEW~ Judgment Day! Trick or treat! Put the candy in the- Wait, what is that? Priest doesn’t know? It’s the Money in the Bank Briefcase! No candy? But the light’s on! Lame. They’ll just go to the next house. But as they exit, Rhea and Dom walk in. Woods says hi to Mami, but Kofi tells him to move along. Dom is confused, Finn asks if he’s okay. Good win but what happened after was no bueno. Ricochet needs to pay! And he would’ve, if the entire Judgment Day was out there.

Hey, Dom still won, it is fine. They need to focus on business, okay? Speaking of which… Priest has a lot to focus on. He has Cody at Crown Jewel, and he might even cash in on a broken down Seth Rollins, or even on Drew McIntyre. Maybe even on Roman Reigns! Or he gives LA Knight the shortest title reign of all time. But uh, we’re all equals here, right? No leaders? Finn says yeah, no leaders. Then did Priest miss a meeting where they decided they could make matches for each other? Priest looks at Rhea and Rhea asks if what Cody said last week is bothering him. There are no leaders here, they’ve been through that.

But Rhea made the match for Priest VS Sami is because Priest is the Punisher of the Judgment Day! He takes care of everyone in their way! It’s what he does! Right, guys? Yeah! Okay, okay, take it easy. Then let’s not make tonight about Priest, but about the Judgment Day! They’re gonna show the world who runs this, right? YEAH! JD puts his hand in and the others tell him stop. Right, sorry. But let’s do it! The team is united and Rhea says they run Raw. But will Sami Zayn be just the rebel needed to bring them down?

 

Nia Jax speaks.

“Ever since my return to Raw, I did everything I said I was gonna do. I’ve squashed everyone. Shayna Baszler: squashed. Zoey Stark: squashed. Raquel Rodriguez: squashed. On my very first night back, I squashed the most dominant women’s champion, Rhea Ripley. At Crown Jewel, I’m gonna show the world that I am the most dominant woman on Raw, and become the next Women’s World Champion.”

 

The Miz is here!

The Hollywood A-Lister is ready to host perhaps the most prestigious episode of MizTV yet, as he has the WWE Intercontinental Champion, Gunther! We find out what Miz has in store for Der Ring General, after the break.

Raw returns and Miz has the mic to welcome us back to the Most Must-See WWE Talk Show, and says it is a very special Halloween edition. After the announcement of Bash in Berlin, Miz secured one of the biggest guests in MizTV history. And this is the very first time this man has been on any WWE talk show, so please welcome the longest reigning Intercontinental Champion in WWE history, THE RING GENERAL, GUNTHER! … Well, wait, where’s the music? Miz says it is Gunther’s first time, he must not know the protocol. Miz announces the guest, the guest comes out.

So once again, please welcome THE RING GENERAL…! GUNTHER! Still nothing. Does Miz have to say it in German? But Ludwig Kaiser comes out saying “Nein nein nein…!” He hates to break it to The Miz, but Der Ring General isn’t just gonna walk down because Miz tells him to! Ludwig & Vinci join Miz in the ring and Ludwig says especially not The Miz. The Miz is everything that is wrong with the WWE Universe today! The fans boo but Ludwig says Miz is the “embodiment of what we absolutely despise! You are nothing but a clown, Miz!”

Miz says he’s been called a lot of things, but he’s been another man’s sidekick like Ludwig. And that must make Vinci the third wheel! Vinci’s sorry, but wasn’t Miz Maryse’s sidekick on Total Divas? Miz takes his sunglasses off and says, “He talks! With such a deep voice! He said something! Give a round of applause, ladies and gentlemen! He spoke!” And um, it’s Miz & Mrs. And Vinci wishes could be yelled at by someone as hot as his wife, instead of being yelled at by Ludwig. By the way, Ludwig let Vinci talk? Isn’t he supposed to be in charge? Vinci says he talks when he wants to talk, but then Ludwig says Vinci talks when either Gunther or Ludwig wants him to!

But speaking of Gunther, here he comes! Gunther storms his way to the ring, belt on his shoulder as he wears a clean suit. Miz finally introduces us to Gunther! And he welcomes Gunther to the show and offers him a seat. Gunther does not sit, he just takes a mic. Since Miz didn’t understand the message, Gunther will say it: he is not Miz’s guest. He is here to make two things clear to Miz. First, it is the year 2023 and Miz wants to run a talk show? Second, this ring is SACRED to Gunther. And everything Miz does is beneath him. In fact, MIZ is beneath Gunther. Gunther does not respect Miz. Fans boo but Miz says that was one way to break the ice.

Miz says it’s also not the first time he’s heard all that, nor will it be the last. Miz will explain something to Gunther now: Miz interviewed Invisible John Cena, and that was more entertaining than Gunther. And he also explains that from movies to TV to this ring, Miz is the biggest star that WWE has! Gunther says see, this is Miz’s issue. Once the bell rings, it doesn’t matter how “entertaining” Miz is, when things get serious, the only thing that matters is how good of a wrestler you are! And that is why Miz is a talk show host, and Gunther is the GREATEST Intercontinental Champion of all time! Fans are a bit torn there.

Miz says if we’re talking serious, then he can be serious when he wants. He was serious when he beat Randy Orton to earn his first WWE Championship. Miz was serious when he beat John Cena in the main event of WrestleMania! Miz was serious when he won his SECOND WWE Championship over a decade later! And he wants Gunther to really understand this, so Miz will go slowly. Miz was very, very serious when he made the title on Gunther’s shoulder the most relevant title in ALL of WWE! Fans fire up for that one! And Miz has no problem doing it again. Gunther is amused now. Is Miz serious? Fans chant “YES HE CAN! YES HE CAN!”

Gunther says he gets it. Miz is one of the greatest sports entertainers of all time, he’s all about making moments. So why not create a MizTV moment we’ll never forget? Gunther tells Ludwig & Vinci in German what to do, and Ludwig takes one of the Jack O’ Lanterns. The one with the upside-down WWE logo that represents The Miz. Ludwig SMASHES it! Fans boo and Gunther asks what Miz is gonna do. Like always, NOTHING. Vinci & Ludwig get the chairs out of the ring, but Miz DECKS Ludwig and TOSSES Vinci! But Gunther CHOPS Miz down! Gunther looms over Miz and asks who he thinks he is! He is NOT in Gunther’s league.

Gunther takes his leave but Miz fires off haymakers! Fans fire up but the others are back for Gunther to BOOT Miz down! Fans boo as Miz is the one sent out of the ring. But wait! Here comes DIY! Gargano & Ciampa are going to face Ludwig & Vinci, will they get payback by proxy for Miz?

 

The Miz finds Adam Pearce in his office.

Miz asks if Pearce saw that out there. He has never been so disrespected and humiliated in his career! Is he sure about that? Not the point! Miz asks if Pearce is going to let Imperium do that to a future first ballot Hall of Famer. Pearce can’t imagine that felt good. No it did not! So Miz wants a match with Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship! Why should he do that? Does he need to rattle off the accolades? Two-Time Grand Slam Champion. EIGHT-Time Intercontinental Champion. EIGHT-Time Tag Team Champion. Yes, Miz, we know the credentials, but Pearce can’t just give Miz a title match!

If Miz will calm down, Pearce can give Miz the chance to earn one. In fact, Pearce is supposed to be meeting with someone who also has that in mind. Who? “ME!” Bronson Reed!? Unless Miz has a problem with that. Didn’t Bronson get his shot? Well, okay, Miz says it’s fine. Just know Miz is the one who takes that title off Gunther. Pearce and Bronson talk, what big plans are in store for the Intercontinental Championship scene?

 

DIY VS Imperium!

Raw returns and the teams sort out. Gargano starts against Vinci and they circle. They tie up, Vinci headlocks but Gargano powers out. Vinci runs him over, things speed up, and Gargano leaps, but into Vinci’s arms! Vinci scoops but Gargano slips free. Gargano ducks ‘n’ dodges to RANA Vinci to the corner! Gargano CHOPS, then tags Ciampa. Gargano whips Vinci back into the corner, Ciampa taunts Ludwig before he and Gargano coordinate, DOUBLE KICK COMBO in the corner! Ciampa snapmares Vinci, stomps him down, then tags Gargano back in. Gargano dropkicks Vinci, then brings him around to tag Ciampa back in.

DIY mug Vinci, and Ciampa headlocks. Vinci claws the eyes, puts Ciampa on ropes, and he ROCKS and UPPERCUTS Ciampa. Fans chant “D I Y! D I Y!” as Vinci whips. Ciampa kicks but Vinci blocks to short arm LARIAT! Tag to Ludwig and Imperium stomps Ciampa to a corner. Vinci ROCKS Ciampa, Ludwig runs up, but blocks a boot! “NEIN!” UPPERCUT! Ludwig soaks up the heat, drags Ciampa up to whip but Ciampa ducks ‘n’ dodges. Gargano sneaks a tag, Ciampa CHOPS, Gargano CLUBS, Ciampa JAWBREAKERS! Gargano wrenches an arm, Ciampa LARIATS! Gargano runs, Vinci grabs him but Ciampa KNEES Vinci down!

Fans fire up as Gargano builds speed. Ciampa holds the ropes open and Gargano DIVES onto Vinci! They sit on the apron to applaud and pat themselves on the back! Fans cheer, Gargano ROCKS Vinci but Ludwig UPPERCUTS Gargano! Ludwig slides in, Vinci APRON BACK SUPLEXES Gargano, and Ludwig DROPKICKS Gargano back out! Fans boo but Imperium taunts Ciampa as Raw goes to break.

Raw returns again and Ludwig grinds Gargano down with a chinlock. Fans rally, Gargano fights up and throws body shots. Ludwig whips Gargano, scoops with a gut wrench and SLAMS him! Tag to Vinci, and Ludwig whips Gargano, only for Gargano to TOSS Ludwig out! Gargano DUMPS Vinci, and hurries for his corner! Fans fire up, but Vinci drags Gargano back. Gargano ENZIGURIS Vinci, but Ludwig YANKS Ciampa down! Fans boo but Vinci pops Gargano up for a BACKBREAKER! Cover, TWO! Vinci taunts Gargano, drags him back up, and SLAPS him! Vinci eggs Gargano on, so Gargano SLAPS back!

Vinci knees low, reels him in, but Gargano turns powerbomb into DDT! Fans fire up while both men are down! Gargano and Vinci crawl, hot tags to Ludwig and Ciampa! The Psycho Killer rallies on Ludwig! Then on Vinci! Then a clothesline in one corner! Clothesline in another corner! Then he ducks ‘n dodges and DOUBLE LARIATS! Fans are thunderous for Ciampa and he whips Ludwig. THESZ PRESS and fast hands! Ciampa then gets around, ripcord and FOREARM! REVERSE DDT! Cover, TWO! Fans rally as Ciampa drags Ludwig up. Ciampa reels Ludwig in, underhooks, but Ludwig wrenches out to HAYMAKER!

Ciampa fires haymakers back, but Ludwig shoves him away. Ciampa rebounds, into the ROLLING DEATH VALLEY! Cover, Gargano breaks it! Vinci runs in but Gargano rolls him up, SCHOOLBOY KICK! But Ludwig PENALTY KICKS Gargano! Ciampa rolls Ludwig up, TWO! Both men scramble up, Ciampa BOOTS! Ciampa runs, into a DISCUS LARIAT! Fans boo but Ludwig huffs and puffs. Tag to Vinci, Ludwig goes up. Vinci brings Ciampa in, but Ciampa resists the bomb to back drop Vinci! Ludwig still leaps, into a SUPERKICK from Gargano! Ciampa sits on Vinci, TWO! Vinci has the sunset, TWO!

Vinci CHOPS, UPEPRCUTS and whips! Ciampa reverses, Vinci goes up and up and MOONSAULTS but FLOPS as Ciampa dodges! PSYCHO KNEE! Tag to Gargano, and they take corners! They MEET IN THE MIDDLE!! Cover, DIY wins!

Winners: DIY, by pinfall

Their first match together in three YEARS, and it’s like they never missed a beat! Will Gunther be furious with his men over this? Will DIY prove they are tag title worthy?

 

Shinsuke Nakamura speaks.

“I am still looking for the next sacrifice. Where are you? Do you want me to choose you? Or will you choose for me? Go ahead. Step forward. Awaken me. What are you afraid of? Poke the lion. That is what a strong, brave hero does. DO it! Show yourself! I am waiting.”

 

Xia Li speaks.

“A mighty warrior has their own way of fighting. Don’t turn away from your fears, embrace them. Destiny whispers softly in my ear, saying, ‘You cannot withstand the storm.’ I answer, ‘I AM the storm!'”

Candice LeRae w/ Indi Hartwell VS Xia Li!

The Poison Pixie is still trying to find her way to the top, but The Exterminator will not stop until she is the one standing over everyone! Will Candice show Xia all she’s earned is a Wild Ride? Or will this be Xia’s first step towards the title?

Raw returns as Xia makes her entrance. The bell rings and Xia rushes in! Candice dodges to fire off haymakers! Fans fire up but the ref counts. Candice lets off, runs in and back body blocks! Candice snapmares Xia, then step-up SENTONS! Cover, TWO! Candice CLUBS Xia out of the ring, goes after her at the apron, but Xia drags Candice out. Xia spins Candice to ROCK her, and CHOP her! Xia then smothers Candice with the apron skirt and KNEES her in the back! Fans are torn as Candice gets away and the ref reprimands. Xia runs in but into a BOOT! Candice ELBOWS Xia, rolls her up, ONE! Xia JUMP KNEES back!

Candice rebounds, into a SPINNING ROUNDHOUSE! Fans boo and the ref checks Candice. Xia wants after Candice but the ref keeps her back. Fans rally, Candice does manage to stand but on shaky legs. The ref checks with Candice, again has to keep Xia back, and the ref calls it!

Winner: Xia Li, by referee stoppage

Indi checks on Candice while Xia smiles triumphantly. If Xia is that dangerous, will anyone be able to stop her? As for Candice, medics check her but she insists she is fine. But is she really? Or will she have to be very careful the next time she’s in the ring?

 

Jey Uso finds Sami backstage.

They say what’s up and Jey loves the passion! He’s all fired up, too! But he also wishes Sami good luck against Priest, Sami has this. Sami thanks Jey, but then in walks Jackie Redmond. She wants a quick word with Jey. Sami says that’s fine, he’s gotta bounce. Yeet! Jackie asks Jey about Judgment Day. Yes, she knows that’s a sore subject, especially with Finn Balor costing Jey against Damian Priest. Jey says he’ll slide on Finn soon, and Sami’s gonna handle business tonight. Cody will handle business at Crown Jewel. But Jey thinks he and Cody can get those titles one more time. And then, we’ll see how Mami feels about it. YEET.

 

Shayna Baszler speaks.

“You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do. And what I plan on doing is ripping and tearing, limb by limb, four women who parade themselves around on Monday Night Raw as if they’re worthy competition. But not of them truly understand the pain that I am capable of inflicting. And at Crown Jewel, I’m going to show the world that I am the most dominant woman on Raw, and that I am the next Women’s World Champion.”

 

Candice gets checked backstage.

DIY is there for her, as are Kayden Carter & Katana Chance. Candice has an ice pack on her shoulder and is getting checked for a concussion. What will be the state of the Poison Pixie after tonight?

 

Drew McIntyre speaks.

The Scottish Warrior sits in the Performance Center. “One of the most memorable moments of my career happened during a time in history that nobody wants to remember. I find myself looking back and asking, ‘Was the sacrifice worth it?’ Of course. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t angry. Before the age of 30, I was named The Chosen One. Failed, then fired, forced to reinvent myself. And ultimately, I took my second chance. Finally, after 20 years of giving absolutely everything to this industry, I won the Royal Rumble. I had the fans behind me. There was gonna be a stadium full of people screaming my name when I slayed the Beast in the main event of WrestleMania.

“Then, everything changed overnight. WrestleMania was gonna be in front of nobody? You gotta be freakin’ kidding me. The Pandemic shut the world down. And although the WWE carried on, I was all alone. I beat Brock Lesnar, became WWE Champion, in this very building. The biggest moment of my career, with no one there to celebrate. Still, I did what I’ve always done: my job. I defended my title against the very best the WWE has to offer. Put my body through absolute hell. I needed to be a champion to be proud of. And when everybody finally returned, my moment had past.

“For years, I fought and clawed my way to get it back. When the WWE returned to the UK once again, everything aligned. I was gonna beat Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship with 60 thousand people screaming me on. Only for The Bloodline to cheat and take it all away from me. Unlike everyone else, I won’t forgive the Bloodline, I can’t erase the past. But at Crown Jewel, I can make it right. For Seth Freakin’ Rollins, this is just another defense in a Hall of Fame career. But for me, this is everything. We both live for this. Seth is willing to break his back to keep his championship. And I’m willing to break his back to take it from him.

“I need this. No more broken dreams. 2020 Seth Rollins was my first title defense. And at Crown Jewel, I will be his last.” The Scottish Warrior is ready, will he slay the Visionary?

 

Zoey Stark speaks.

“This match, this Fatal 5 Way match, is for me. See, when I’m inside that ring, I’m the Hunter. And the females that are standing in there with me, they’re my prey. Because I was born for this, this is my destiny, I am unstoppable! So at Crown Jewel, I am going to prove to the world that I am the most dominant female on the Raw roster, and become your new Women’s World Champion.”

 

Seth Rollins VS JD McDonagh!

Speaking of that Visionary, speaking of that Revolutionary, speaking of that WWE World Heavyweight Champion, he is here and ready to #BurnItDown! Will Rollins be rolling into Crown Jewel? Or will he be trumped by the Irish Ace?

Raw returns and Rollins revels in the fans singing his song, “OH~ OHH~ OHHH~!” Rollins then has the mic to tell Greenville, “Welcome to Monday Night Rollins!” He is the Visionary, he is the Revolutionary, he IS Seth Freakin’ Rollins! And Greenville, he is feeling like getting a little loose out here tonight. So he graciously agreed to beat the bejeezus out of the Judgment Day’s bag boy here tonight, And he will do that in preparation for Saturday, Crown Jewel, Seth Rollins VS Drew McIntyre for the World Heavyweight Championship! And Rollins is a fan of McIntyre, so Rollins says this as respectfully as he can after hearing what McIntyre had to say earlier.

“Boo freakin’ hoo! Cry me a river, ya big Scottish baby! Nah, you wanna flashback to 2020, right? All of us were suffering in some way, alright? All of us were fighting our battles in some way! There were a lot of people who had it worse off than you did, okay? They didn’t know when they were gonna get their next paycheck. They didn’t know when they were gonna get their next batch of groceries. They didn’t know when they were gonna see their loved ones again. Some of them didn’t get to! So excuse me for not feeling sorry for you that you didn’t get to win the WWE Championship the way you dreamt it.”

Rollins says McIntyre wants to blame everything else on The Bloodline, his failures and shortcomings, again cry me a river and get in line! Look at Sami Zayn! At Cody Rhodes! You don’t hear those guys asking for pity, now do ya? But Rollins will say this: McIntyre was a hell of a champion. And Saturday at Crown Jewel, if McIntyre can take this title from Rollins, if he can pry it from Rollins’ waist, then Rollins will be the first man to shake McIntyre’s hand and call him the champ, just like he did back in 2020! Fans cheer that. But Rollins ain’t the same guy McIntyre beat back then. The Monday Night Messiah is long gone, he is not the Architect. There’s a reason the fans sing his song!

There is a reason- JD ATTACKS FROM BEHIND! Fans boo as JD stomps away on Rollins! The ref tries to stop him but JD fires down fists! JD lets off to take off his jacket and wants the match to start! The ref check with Rollins, and Rollins is fuming. Fans chant “YOU SUCK!” at JD, Rollins says do it. The bell rings, JD runs in, and Rollins BOOTS him down! Rollins TOSSES JD out, goes out after him, and fires haymakers! And CHOPS! And CHOPS again! Rollins keeps JD from running away into the crowd, and CHOPS him again! Rollins SMACKS JD off the apron, brings him around, and then RAMS JD into barriers!

Fans fire up with Rollins, Rollins puts JD in the ring, and JD wants him to show mercy. Fans sing the song, Rollins storms up, and he blocks the kick to CHOP! And CHOP! Rollins CHOPS JD in the corner, stalks him to another corner, but JD turns it around, JD swings, misses, and Rollins CHOPS JD down! JD crawls away while Rollins smiles. Fans rally and Rollins puts JD in a corner. Fans chant “WHOOP THAT TRICK!” as Rollins runs and RAMS JD into buckles! Rollins whips JD to then back drop him! Fans fire up while JD writhes, and Rollins storms up to drag Rollins up. “How do you like it, kid?”

Rollins whips JD to a corner, JD tumbles up and out and trips Rollins, to then slingshot and TORNILLO SENTON! JD snarls while Rollins goes to a corner. JD CHOPS Rollins, digs his boots in, but the ref counts. JD lets off at 4, Rollins sputters and JD CHOKES Rollins! The ref counts, JD lets off at 4 again, but fans rally for Rollins. JD drags Rollins up to DECK him! And DECK him again! Rollins hits back with haymakers! And a CHOP! Rollins storms up but into a JAWBREAKER! JD drags Rollins up, whips him to ropes, but Rollins holds ropes. Rollins ELBOWS JD away, JD runs in but Rollins TOSSES him up and out!

Fans fire up as JD hits the ground hard! Rollins builds speed and DIVES! Direct hit and JD is sent over the announce desk! The fans are thunderous and singing Rollins’ song as we go to break.

Raw returns and JD has Rollins down in a rear bearhug. Fans rally as Rollins endures, and Rollins fights up to throw elbows. JD shoves Rollins into a corner, runs in, but into a BUCKLE SHOT! JD sputters, Rollins catches his breath. Rollins ROCKS JD with haymakers, CHOPS, and repeat! Rollins fires CHOP after CHOP after CHOP and has JD against ropes! The ref counts, Rollins lets off but whips JD. JD reverses but Rollins reverses back to rally with clotheslines! Rollins mule kicks, front kicks and DISCUS LARIATS! Fans fire up and sing while JD goes to a corner. Rollins runs corner to corner, to forearm smash!

Rollins whips but JD dodges, only for Rollins to still LARIAT him down! Rollins hurries to get JD up, to suplex, but JD slips free! O’Conner Roll, TWO! JD goes to a corner, comes back, but into a SLINGBLADE! Rollins hurries to run and KNEE JD down! Cover, TWO! Rollins is frustrated but the fans continue to rally. Rollins aims from a corner, JD sits up, and Rollins run sin. But JD avoids the stomp! Rollins kicks first, underhooks, but JD slips under to then HEADBUTT Rollins down! Rollins flounders, JD goes up a corner! JD MOONSAULTS but has to roll through as Rollins moves! Rollins kicks low, underhooks, but JD trips and jackknife bridges! TWO as Rollins bridges up!

JD wrenches out of the underhooks and then ripcords, but Rollins KNEES JD down! Rollins runs, but JD gets him for a SPANISH FLY! Cover, TWO!! Rollins survives and JD is furious! JD hurries around, drags Rollins up and in, but Rollins slips free to get JD up! BUCKLE BOMB! JD falls, Rollins goes up! Fans fire up but here comes Damian Priest! Rollins still FROG SPLASHES, into knees! JD cradles, TWO!! Rollins sputters, Priest has his own ref! Could he cash-in tonight!? JD goes up, but Rollins trips him! Priest smirks as Rollins goes up, and JD throws elbows! Rollins falls, fans rally for him, and Rollins springs back up!

Rollins gets JD up for a SUPER BACK SUPLEX!! Both men are down but Rollins fires back up! Priest still smirks and Rollins dares him to make his move. JD kicks Rollins and underhooks! But Rollins back drops! JD sunset flips, Rollins rolls through and flips JD into the PEDIGREE!! And then the CURB STOMP!! Cover, Rollins wins!

Winner: Seth Rollins, by pinfall

The Visionary stares Priest down, but Priest still smirks. Rollins then storms out to stare Priest down face to face. Rollins again dares Priest to make his move. Priest holds up the briefcase, and says it is inevitable. Be careful what you wish for. Rollins says Priest better not waste it. Will the Punisher take down whoever it is that holds onto the World Heavyweight Championship on Saturday?

 

Ricochet talks with Pearce backstage.

Ricochet knows Pearce saw, just as everyone did, what happened out there with Dominik. Pearce did, but Ricochet still had a great showing. Here’s a way to make it up for him. Ricochet can earn a shot at the Intercontinental Championship. Well, that does sound good, but Ricochet still has a bone to pick with Dom. Pearce feels that. Ricochet heads out, and then in storm Chelsea & Piper, cosplaying Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart. Chelsea is furious that her match with Natalya is a Trick or Street Fight! Is he for real? Are they for real in this get-up? He has no time to discuss this, Hitman & Anvil. He has a lot on his plate. Yeah, he does! And cute costume.

What? He turns around and sees The Viking Raiders! Sarah Logan says the gods demand they speak about the Intercontinental Championship. See you in your office. Ivar & Sarah head out, and Pearce says he needs a drink.

 

BREAKING NEWS for Crown Jewel!

As part of the Crown Jewel Kickoff Show, it will be Sami Zayn VS JD McDonagh! The Great Liberator said he would rebel against the Judgment Day, but will he be able to get through JD?

 

Backstage interview with Becky Lynch.

Jackie Redmond is with The Man, and says it has been a few days since the epic battle in which Becky lost the NXT Women’s Championship. What’s Becky’s takeaway looking back at that title reign? Well, she’s a little lighter around the waist and a little heavier in the heart. But if anyone was gonna take that title from her, it had to be someone passionate, hungry and eats, sleeps and drinks this business, and that is Lyra Valkyria. But Becky isn’t afraid of losing, because that doesn’t keep her down and never will keep her down. In just 42 days, Becky defended her title more than Rhea Ripley has all year! More than Roman!

Becky is the catalyst for change, and is the reason why everyone who wanted their shot got one. Becky doesn’t need a title, the title needs her. But then in walks Xia. Xia asks if Becky is so scared that she lost the title so she wouldn’t have to face Xia. What’s she doing? Becky says if Xia wants to fight, we can do that here and now. Xia says they will fight, on her time. Her time? It’s been three weeks! When is it her time?

 

Trick or Street Fight: Natalya VS Chelsea Green w/ Piper Niven!

The Queen of Harts may not be a platinum recording artist, but she’s looking like bad bunny tonight. Will she quite literally whip the attitude out of the Hot Mess? Or will Chelsea look to establish herself as the best there was, the best there is, and the best there ever will be?

Raw returns and Chelsea makes her entrance, using the Bret Hart music! Natty is not amused. The bell rings and Chelsea kicks low then throws Natty by her bunny ears! Piper fetches a pie and Chelsea PIE FACES Natty! Then Chelsea dribbles Natty off the crust! But Natty trips Chelsea to get the legs! Chelsea kicks her away, BOOTS her down, then hurries out to get some candy bowls. Chelsea puts those in one at a time, and even a kendo stick and some chairs. Natty rushes out to kick Chelsea! Natty SMACKS Chelsea with the kendo stick! And DISCUS LARIATS her into the timekeeper’s area!

Fans rally as Natty hops up and over the railing, but then Chelsea SMACKS her down with a trash can lid! Piper fetches more items and Chelsea SMACKS Natty down again! The tag champs move the table closer and fans like that! Another SMACK with the trash can lid, and Chelsea puts Natty on the table. Piper helps Chelsea go up onto the barriers, and Chelsea grins as SENTONS through the table, but no Natty!! Natty avoided disaster, and she puts Chelsea in the ring. Chelsea hurries away but Natty pursues up the ramp! Natty drags Chelsea back to DUNK in the apple tank! Fans fire up as Chelsea sputters, but then Natty dunks her again!

Piper runs up but Natty SLAPS her! And trips her! Natty has the legs, but Chelsea runs up! Natty trips her, and has them both! But they both BOOT Natty into the POST! Piper tells Chelsea to keep on Natty, and Chelsea stomps Natty down. Chelsea drags Natty up to SMACK off the apron. Natty hits back, and has a pumpkin! Chelsea BOOTS Natty down first! Chelsea picks up the biggest pumpkin, something’s under it so Chelsea puts it back. Wait, what was under it? Chelsea picks that one up, and it’s NIKKI CROSS’S HEAD!? Chelsea freaks out, the pumpkin falls onto her head! She blindly staggers around and falls over!

Chelsea sits up, sees Nikki again and freaks outa gain! Natty dribbles Chelsea off the table! Natty whips, Chelsea reverses and Natty hits steel steps! Piper tells Chelsea to keep going and she puts Natty in the ring. Chelsea hoists Natty up top, Piper gets a black bag! Chelsea empties the bag out, to reveal CANDY CORN! Chelsea goes up the corner, but Natty slips under! POWERBOBM onto the candies!! Cover, TWO!!! But Natty gets the legs! SHARPSHOOTER!! Fans fire up, but Piper shouts at Natty! Natty runs up to ROCK Piper! Piper grabs Natty, Chelsea runs in, but Natty moves! The pie hits Piper! Natty runs in, Chelsea sends her into Piper!

Piper falls but Chelsea doesn’t care, she chicken wings for the I AM PRETTIER on the candy!! Cover, Chelsea wins!

Winner: Chelsea Green, by pinfall

The Hot Mess makes a mess of everything, but she still gets a win thanks to her tag partner! Will Natty ever live this down? Will Chelsea & Piper make it through Halloween Havoc and their tag title defense?

 

Rhea Ripley speaks.

“Every woman in this match thinks that this is their chance to make a name for themselves. Well, the reality is, it’s not. It’s nothing to do with them. It’s to do with me. This is MY chance to beat every single one of the top females here in this division all at once. To claim this as Mami’s show. And at Crown Jewel, I will prove to the world that I’m the most dominant woman here on Raw. And I will stay your Women’s World Champion.”

 

BREAKING NEWS for next week’s Raw!

To determine the next contender to the Intercontinental Championship, a Fatal 4 Way has been created! The Miz, Bronson Reed, Ricochet and Ivar will all battle it out, who will stand tall to challenge Der Ring General?

And to prove himself to Coach Gable, Akira Tozawa is accepting the somewhat open challenge put forth by Shinsuke Nakamura! Can the Stamina Monster defeat, let alone survive, the King of Strong Style?

 

Sami Zayn VS Damian Priest!

So long as the Judgment Day, or any force, thinks themselves the unstoppable dictators of the WWE, the Great Liberator vows to be there to stop them! Will he stop Senor Money in the Bank from rolling into Crown Jewel? Or will the Punisher make an example out of Sami Zayn?

Raw returns, the bell rings, and the two tie up. Priest powers Sami to a corner, the ref counts, but Priest lets off. Fans sing “OLE~ OLE OLE OLE~” for Sami but Priest ROCKS then DECKS Sami! Priest TOSSES Sami back to the corner, but Sami dodges to CHOP! CHPO! And fire haymakers! Sami bumps Priest off buckles, goes up and AX HANDLES him down! Cover, ONE! Priest bails out but Sami follows. Priest knees low, whips Sami at the barriers, but Sami goes up to QUEBRADA! Direct hit and fans fire up! Sami drags Priest up, puts him in the ring, and fans rally behind Sami. Sami runs in but Priest JUMP KICKS!

Priest snarls, soaks up the heat, and drags Sami up. Priest whips Sami to ropes, then DECKS him! Priest eggs Sami on as he paces around, then he drags Sami up to KICK him in the chest! And again! Then he ROCKS Sami with a forearm! Sami goes to a corner, Priest whips him corner to corner then runs in to STAGE DIVE ELBOW! Priest suplexes to BROKEN ARROW! Cover, TWO! Priest is annoyed but he stalks Sami back to the corner. Priest runs in, but into an ELBOW! Priest is annoyed, but Sami BOOTS him! Sami spins and wrenches to knuckle lock and CHOP! Sami goes up and up and TORNADO DDTS!

Fans fire up as Priest bails out. Sami takes aim, builds speed, but he has to stop as Priest moves. Sami goes out to rush Priest, but Priest catches him! APRON CHOKE SLAM! Sami writhes and fans boo as Raw goes to break.

Raw returns again and the forearms are flying! Fans fire up, Priest ROCKS Sami, then kicks him low. Priest soaks up the heat, whips Sami to ropes, but Sami goes up and over. Sami then LARIATS Priest down! Fans fire up, but here come Dom & Finn! Fans boo, Sami swipes at them, but then Priest choke grips again! SOUTH OF- NO, Sami wheelbarrows to victory roll, TWO!! Priest gets up, but runs into a BOOT! Dom gets up, Sami DECKS him! Sami storms up on Priest but Priest kicks low. Priest dragon sleepers, RECKONING!! AKA the Cross Rhodes! Priest grins and brings down the straps as he sends a message to the American Nightmare.

Priest goes back for Sami, hoists him up to a crucifix, but Sami slips free! Sami dodges the splash and Priest hits buckles! Finn gets on the apron to distract the ref, Dom DECKS Sami! Fans boo, but here comes JEY USO! Main Event Jey is gonna make sure his dawg has a fair fight, so he CLOBBERS Dom! And UPPERCUTS Finn! Dom gets up, Jey brings him around, but the ref reprimands them all. Jey lets Dom go so he can get in at Priest. Priest grabs at him, Jey SUPERKICKS Priest!

Winner: Damian Priest, by disqualification

Jey saves Sami but hands Priest the win. And now Finn & Dom attack anyway! Fans boo the 3v2 mugging, and Priest taunts Jey about where Cody went. But wait, here comes Cody! Priest says he’ll handle this! Cody runs in, and he fires hands with Priest! Fans fire up as Cody ROCKS then BOOTS Priest! Cody goes out to SMACK Priest off the desk! And again! And again! The brawl is now 3v3, and Jey DECKS Finn! Sami fires off on Dom! SUPERKICK for Dom, then Sami clotheslines Dom up and out! Sami & Jey nod, build speed, and they DOUBLE TOPE to take out the Judgment Day! Cody gets Priest and POSTS him!

Cody clears the desk! Fans fire up and Cody drags Priest onto the desk. But JD makes the save! Fans boo as Priest gets away, but a HELLUVA KICK hits JD!! Fans fire up again as Cody calls to Sami to set JD up. Sami says okay! They put JD on the desk, Cody drags him up, CROSS RHODES!! The Irish Ace suffers for sticking around the Judgment Day, and fans want that “One More Time!” Cody says why not!? Cody drags JD back up, for another CROSS RHODES!! Cody gets a mic to shout, “Hey, Damian! Last week, you took a steel chair, you wrapped it around my ankle and you tried to take me out. You were unsuccessful!

“I got back up, because that’s why my story is: the guy who gets knocked down and gets back up! What’s your story? 6’6″, 20 year pro, you’ve got a briefcase that you are this close, within a whisper of immortality, and yet you are not the leader of the Judgment Day? It’s because you’re a walk-behinder! You walk behind Finn Balor, you walk behind Rhea Ripley, and you even walk behind DOMINIK MYSTERIO! When you think it’s somebody else, when you’re like, ‘Oh, maybe, maybe it’s not Cody Rhodes.’ You gotta know something, Damian Priest. It’s ALWAYS me! I’m back on my path, and this Saturday at Crown Jewel, my path goes straight through you!!”

Fans are fired up with the American Nightmare, will he ruin everything for The Judgment Day this Saturday? Or can The Punisher still cash-in on the top champions to return stateside as a top champion?


My Thoughts:

A great episode for Raw, but being a go-home, it still had that go-home vibe that can kinda kill momentum. Great promos from all five women in the Fatal 5, but uh, Rhea’s was a bit redundant since she already talked to open the show. Also nice of them to give everyone the same closing line about being the most dominant woman and becoming champion over Rhea. Great promo out of Sami with that fire. He already experienced and fought against one faction that tried to be the top of the mountain at all costs, he ain’t gonna stand for it here.

And Rhea making the main event of Sami VS Priest was great for feeding Priest’s promo. There continues to be tension within the group, but it’s shifting from “Who is top champ?” to “Who is on top?” aka the leader. They all claim there isn’t a leader but clearly Rhea acts like it. Hell, take a cue from Shayna’s favorite saying, “You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do.” Rhea takes charge, figures things out, comes up with a plan, she clearly wants to be a leader. Sami had a good promo with Jey and Jey had a good promo to say he still wants tag titles. That main event was great stuff, Jey makes a great save, as does Cody. Great momentum for Cody but I wonder if this means Priest wins their match now so he’ll be better primed for a cash-in.

Speaking of that, McIntyre had a great promo to reflect on his title history, and Rollins also had a great response. I see both sides, which is why the title match feels like it can go either way. Rollins VS McDonagh was great, as was Priest showing up to remind Rollins of the MITB. Now, the looming factor of Priest cashing in could be exactly what gets someone to lose. If McIntyre tries to stop Priest from cashing in, that could cost him against Rollins, but so could the reverse. Rhea said she’s just waiting for one of them to accept the offer, that could also come into play.

Pretty good stuff in the Trick or Street Fight, with Chelsea & Piper cleverly being the Hart Foundation to taunt Natty. Could’ve been a bit better, and maybe if Tegan Nox was healthy, Natty would’ve had her helping in this match. They didn’t really do a good job of that Nikki Cross under the pumpkin bit, and I don’t think fans are that into the black bag fake out. I believe AEW just did that on Saturday for their Fright Night Fight. But maybe with Nikki still hanging around, she and Natty will find a way to make this work to be a team. Great promo from Nakamura, and Tozawa is definitely getting destroyed, but Tozawa isn’t going to be that mysterious someone Nakamura needs to “awaken.”

Great tag match of Alpha Academy VS Creed Brothers, and I was really surprised the Creeds won. But at the same time, the Creeds easily could’ve been on RawDown by now, but maybe that moment is coming closer and closer. There’s half a chance Garza & Carrillo win tomorrow’s TLC tag match, sending Diamond Mine off to Raw in epic fashion. Really good MizTV segment with Miz standing up to Imperium as a Face of sorts, and great stuff setting up that Fatal 4 Way #1 contender’s match. On paper, Bronson and Ivar feel like top choices, but those guys work Heel and Miz can be rather opportunistic, I feel like Miz is going to find a way to win.

Great tag match from DIY VS Imperium, and great win for DIY. The Raw side of the tag division is getting really strong, there are plenty of teams that could take the Judgment Day on for. For that matter, I really liked New Day dressed up as Judgment Day to poke fun. I kinda wish Big E was at least traveling with Kofi & Woods, he could really add to moments like this. Candice VS Xia was good but I do appreciate them making Xia look strong with that knockout kick. And just as I figured last week after Becky lost to Lyra, Xia was gonna rub that in Becky’s face before they still have their own match. Becky’s promo was great, calling out Roman and Rhea, Becky will definitely be waiting on the other side of Crown Jewel.

My Score: 8.7/10


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Coverage

Mitchell’s WWE SmackDown Results & Report! (4/26/24)

It’s Draft Day!

Published

on

And with the first overall pick of the 2024 WWE Draft, SmackDown selects…

The WWE Draft returns for 2024, the first four rounds being right here on Friday Night SmackDown! With champions protected, who ends up where to challenge them?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

  • Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee w/ Zelina Vega & Carlito VS Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo; Rey & Dragon win.
  • Bron Breakker VS Cedric Alexander; Bron wins.
  • WWE Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s Match: Naomi VS Tiffany Stratton; No Contest.
  • Cody Rhodes VS Carmelo Hayes; Cody wins.

PLAY BY PLAY

Backstage interview with Paul Heyman.

Kayla Braxton is with the Wise Man and says that here on night one of the Draft, there are already rumors circulating, including those about The Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns. Heyman will clarify these are not rumors regarding The Tribal Chief, Roman… Reigns. These are facts! Ladies and gentlemen, Your Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns, has voluntarily withdrawn from eligibility for this year’s Draft. That is not a negative but a positive. Who built SmackDown since the Pandemic? Roman Reigns. Who is the biggest star in the entire industry? Roman Reigns. Why would Roman Reigns hog the number one draft pick spotlight when he won’t be returning in the immediate future?

Read into his words, Kayla, that is not what a real Tribal Chief would do. Instead now, the pressure is on Nick Aldis. Because if Roman Reigns isn’t the first draft pick, then who is? The first two picks make history in a brand new era. And Heyman doesn’t know about you, but he is intrigued. No Tribal Chief up for grabs, who gets their opportunity to shine in the spotlight?

 

SmackDown throws it to the NXT Performance Center.

Jackie Redmond says the emotion down here is palpable! There is excitement, hope, and a little bit of nerves. But for these NXT Superstars, tonight is the culmination of a lifetime of hard work, dedication, a little bit of luck and a whole lot of self-belief. It was just last year that the NEW WWE Tag Team Champion, Grayson Waller, was hoping his name would be called. And it is funny this is NXT, but time to buy a vowel, throw in an E! Who is next? We find out tonight! The draft pool is deep, who rises to the top of the list?

 

Corey Graves is in the ring.

Corey welcomes Cincinnati and all of us at home to night one of the 2024 WWE Draft. Understandably, the GMs have their hands full, so Corey will be moderating the contract signing for the WWE Championship match that takes place next Saturday for Backlash: France. Without further ado, it’s the #1 contender, The Phenomenal AJ Styles! Styles makes his entrance, taking a seat at the table on camera right. And now, the Undisputed WWE Champion, the American Nightmare, Cody Rhodes! Cincy fires up and sings along, “WHOA~ OH~!” as Cody makes his entrance and gets his pyro before joining everyone in the ring.

Styles looks over the contract, absolutely tuning out the fans going wild for “CODY! CODY!” Styles then gets the mic to say before he signs, he doesn’t know if we realize that we’ve got two Georgia boys about to mix it up for the first time, and for the biggest prize in the game. Styles understands why they boo, but they gotta know that he doesn’t respect LA Knight, LA Knight got under his skin. He accepts that. But that’s why Styles lost at Mania. But what happened? Styles got his composure back and realized that he is Phenomenal. Styles BEAT Knight to earn the right to face Cody Rhodes at Backlash.

Now unlike Knight, Styles does respect Cody. They hadn’t crossed paths yet, but they’ve been down the same roads. They had to prove themselves outside of the WWE. And Styles is willing to believe that the same man who gave him advice a long time ago gave Cody the same advice, on how to stand on their own two feet and be the men they are today. That man was The American Dream, Dusty Rhodes. The fans cheer for “DUSTY! DUSTY!” Styles learned a lot from Dusty. Styles gets a little emotional thinking about Dusty, he was a good man. Dusty taught Styles how to carry himself, and to carry the weight of a championship.

And Styles looks at this WWE Championship here. The weight of this isn’t just the leather and gold. And at Backlash, we see if Cody can carry it. Styles goes back to his table, signs the contract, and then hands it off to Corey. Corey brings that to Cody, and Cody picks up his mic. “So… Cincinnati…! Whadda we wanna talk about? Certainly, we can talk about respect. There is not a locker room on Earth that you’ll find where everyone in it, every single person, they all respect AJ Styles. Last week, I went on to say you are the modern day Excellence of Execution. I respect the roads that you have traveled down to get here, the parallel paths that perhaps you and I have.

“Mutual respect, much respect. But that respect goes by the wayside at Backlash. I can feel it in your words to a degree. You’ve been here before. And it seems you’re implying that I cannot carry the weight of that championship. Well, good thing the man who trained me not far from where I sit now used to tell me all the time, it’s not about winning the title, it’s about keeping it.” The fans cheer that. Cody says boy does he respect Styles’ familiarity with Cody’s last name. But when you put C O D Y in front of it on this paper, that means they’ve never touched before. That means Backlash is a level playing field.

That means no matter how Phenomenal Styles is, this isn’t a dream match for Cody. It’s a must-win! Cody signs while the fans cheer, and it is official! Cody even throws the pen to the crowd as a free souvenir. Cody then offers a handshake, and Styles says y’know what? It was a beautiful thing to see Cody #FInishTheStory and win the title. But it’s a shame that Cody’s title reign will end at Backlash. Styles still shakes Cody’s hand, and then walks away. Cody picks up the belt and holds it high, will he get to hold it high again in Lyon, France?

Triple H is here!

Just as Cody was on his way to the back, The Game makes his way out here! HHH raises Cody’s hand, then invites him over to the podium. HHH welcomes us to the first round of the 2024 WWE Draft. It is a night that changes the landscape of the WWE going into the future, and things are a bit different this year. As the GMs ponder their next steps, they have to understand it is about protecting the roster they have as it is making the roster they want. Meaning that when they use their picks, they have just as much of a chance gaining a superstar as they do losing one they already have.

HHH just felt that since champs are protected and Cody will be staying here on SmackDown, maybe Cody could help read the SmackDown picks and HHH can read the Raw picks. And since SmackDown goes first, Cody reads first. Cody takes the card to say that with the first pick of the 2024 WWE Draft, SmackDown selects… The E S T, Bianca Belair! The stongEST, fastEST, roughEST, toughEST stays on Friday nights! HHH reads that for the second pick of the 2024 WWE Draft, Raw selects… YEET! JEY USO! Monday nights will still have Main Event Jey Uso! And the fans “YEET!” Cody says for the third pick, SmackDown selects… NXT’s Carmelo Hayes!

The fans fire up as SmackDown manages to snag… HIM! The former NXT Champion makes history again by being the first NXT superstar to be chosen this high in the Draft! HHH says that’s a hell of a pick. But then the fourth and final pick of this first round, Raw selects… SETH! FREAKIN’! ROLLINS! It is still going to be Monday Night Rollins as the Visionary stays on the red brand! Cody and HHH shake hands, and then Melo makes his way out! Melo has the mic to say when they talk about who’s next up, about who’s the hottest out, they don’t call them “the hottest out,” they just call him “Carmelo Hayes.”

The fans chant “WHOOP DAT TRICK!” to remind Melo how he’s leaving NXT. Melo says okay, okay. But then to Cody Rhodes, ever since Cody won the title, he’s been talking about “If you aim for the king, you best not miss.” Well, funny how that works. Because when Melo shoots, Melo don’t miss. And as a first round draft pick, what better way to shoot his shot on SmackDown than to shoot it right at Cody? Melo leaves the mic with Cody but Cody picks it up to say, “Fortune certainly favors the bold, but I dunno. You folks don’t wanna see me in action tonight, do ya?” The fans go wild! Oh, but what if Cody forgot his gear?

Oh that’s right! He didn’t forget his gear! And this title right here, for Cody, means absolutely 100%, Melo’s on! They shake on it, and we’re about to see a huge first-time-ever showdown! But will this bold first move work out for… HIM?

 

Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee w/ Zelina Vega & Carlito VS Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo!

The LWO is still not convinced Legado Del Fantasma had nothing to do with the beating that took the Boy Wonder out ahead of WrestleMania. Will the King of Lucha help get to the bottom of things? Or will Angel & “Berto” make it as easy as ABC, 1-2-3?

The teams sort out, Dragon runs up on Humberto but Humberto LARIATS him down! Humberto drags Dragon up, tears the shirt away and CHOPS! Humberto whips, Dragon ducks ‘n’ dodges to RANA! Humberto tumbles out, Dragon builds speed and FLIES! Direct hit and down goes Humberto! The fans fire up as Dragon pushes Humberto into the ring, goes up a corner, and then CROSSBODIES! Cover, TWO! Dragon facelocks to drag Humberto up, but Humberto wrenches out to CLUB Dragon down. Humberto waistlocks but Dragon throws elbows. Angel tags in as Humberto shoves Dragon. Dragon ducks but Angel holds ropes open, and Dragon tumbles to the floor!

The fans boo and LWO hurries to check on Dragon! Angel & Humberto just soak up the heat as SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns and both Dragon and Humberto are down! They crawl, hot tags to Angel and Rey! The fans fire up as Rey ducks ‘n’ dodges and tilt-o-whirl RANAS! Angel ends up in a corner, he puts Rey on the apron, but Rey ROCKS Angel! Rey goes up to SEATED SENTON! Rey keeps moving, wrenches and kicks, then hops on! CODE RED! Cover, Humberto breaks it! The fans boo but Humberto hauls Rey up. Rey fights and RANAS Humberto up and out! But Angelo kicks, scoops, but Rey slips free! Angelo kicks low, reels REy in, and underhooks, but Rey fights those to RANA Angel onto ropes! Rey dials it up to 619!

Tag to Dragon and he takes aim! Angel stands, into the tilt-o-whirl, PROJECT DRAGON!! Cover, LWO wins!

Winners: Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee, by pinfall

Carlito and Zelina hug it out with the team, but then Santos Escobar & Elektra Lopez walk out here. Santos says whoa, whoa, whoa, hold that celebration. Because Santos is many things, but a liar is not one of them. And when Santos said he did NOT attack Dragon that night before Mania, he meant it. Elektra has been working for weeks to track down the security footage from that night. And Rey… Oh, Rey. What you’re about to see, you will find very, very interesting. The footage plays, and it was CARLITO!! Carlito throw Dragon around backstage! No one can believe it, because of how well Carlito fooled even Dragno.

Speaking of, Carlito RAMS Dragon into Rey, then hits a BACKSTABBER! Never has that move’s name been more fitting! Carlito runs away in a panic, and Rey stands back up in a rage! Santos says he told Rey that he was right all along. They were supposed to be family, and yet look how that turned out. How will the LWO recover from this shocking development?

 

Bron Breakker VS Cedric Alexander!

The Big Bad Booty Nephew has been making a case for himself ever since showing up on SmackDown, and he’s already bringing the straps down! Is he going to break PRIMED Alexander while also breaking match time records? Or will Cedric prove he’s too fly for Bron?

The bell rings and Cedric dodges Bron to CHOP and ROCK! Cedric whips, Bron reverses and Cedric handsprings, into a SPEAR!! Cover, Bron wins!

Winner: Bron Breakker, by pinfall

Well, hard to say if that’s an all-time fast match, but that was a fast match! QR Code stuff going on, but will we all see Bron take the world by storm?

 

Nick Aldis heads out.

And waiting is Tiffany Stratton. She asks if he saw what she did last week. Wait, of course he did. Because she is the Center of the Universe. She dropped Naomi and Bayley, where is her title match? Aldis tells Tiff to look at his watch. It is NOT set to #TiffyTime. And he was this close to sending her to the back of the line. But then someone convinced him otherwise, good for her. Tonight, she goes 1v1 with Naomi again, and the winner faces Bayley for the title at Backlash. Whose stupid idea was that?! Bayley says DING DONG, it was hers. It is a win-win situation here. If Naomi wins, she gets the match she got cheated out of.

And if Tiff wins, then she’ll find out when she attacks the Role Model. Tiff gasps as she has a #TiffanyEpiphany. Bayley should be ringside for that match so she can see Tiff do what Bayley couldn’t, and that’s beat Naomi. Tootles. Tiff leaves, but will the only thing she gets is to #FeelTheGlow?

 

Michelle McCool and Torrie Wilson are here!

One is a former WWE Women’s Champion, the other is a WWE Hall of Famer, but they’re both here to present Draft picks! Michelle says with the first pick of the second round, SmackDown selects… The Viper, Randy Orton! SmackDown will still have to watch out for an RKO outta nowhere! Torrie says that with the second pick of the second round, Raw selects… BRON BREAKKER! We just saw Bron make quick work of opponents here on SmackDown, but now he’s gonna be rampaging on Raw!

Michelle says that with the third pick of the second round, SmackDown selects… NIA JAX! The Irresistible Force may have to change targets from the Women’s World to the Undisputed Women’s title, but will she be unstoppable all the same? And with the fourth and final pick of this round, Raw selects… LIV MORGAN! The Revenge Tour will still be part of Monday nights, will we watch Liv rise to the top?

 

The Bloodline arrives backstage.

Paul Heyman is there to greet them and open the door to the SUV. He apologizes for not being faster about that, but Solo Sikoa asks The Bloodline if they’ve been drafted. Not yet. Then give Solo the details. Okay, well, Roman Reigns withdrew right before the show began, and then Solo keeps adding members, so no one really knows what they’re getting if they draft The Bloodline! Solo sighs, and here comes Tama Tonga. Heyman asks they be patient but Solo wants Heyman to repeat that for him. Heyman gets scared, but then KEVIN OWENS jumps in! Kevin fires off on Tama, security and refs rush in to stop it!

The Prizefighter wants Solo’s “MFT” to bring the fight like he did last week! Security still drags Kevin away, but will he get that fight he wants?

 

Kayla Braxton is on stage.

SmackDown returns and Kayla welcomes us back to the show. And please welcome out the first overall pick, Bianca Belair! The fans fire up as The EST walks out on stage, and Kayla congratulates her on being the first overall pick. But let’s talk Backlash. Breaking news, Bianca and Jade Cargill are going to challenge for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships, against the Kabuki Warriors. How satisfying would it be to dethrone them on the stage of this magnitude? Bianca says so satisfying. She really hopes Jade gets drafted to SmackDown because given all this history with Damage CTRL, all the partners by her side, Bianca has never been the one to finally end it with them.

For everything they’ve done to her and this division, Bianca feels Jade is the perfect woman to help her end this. Now, DMG CTRL is falling apart piece by piece, and that final piece is the tag titles. So once Bianca & Jade take the gold at Backlash, the Kabuki Warriors won’t even have a reason to come back to SmackDown. But wait, they’re here now! Asuka & Kairi walk out here and Kayla moves aside. The Empress of Tomorrow and the Pirate Princess taunt the EST, but here comes The Storm! Jade makes her way to stand right by Bianca’s side. The four shout and argue, but this will be settled on May 4th!

WHOA! Tama and Kevin are brawling their way out here! The ladies move aside so the gentlemen can brawl all the way down to ringside! Tama hits low, gets in the ring, but Kevin pursues! Kevin TACKLES Tama, but Solo CLOBBERS Kevin! The fans boo as The Bloodline beats Kevin down! The refs hurry out here but clearly Solo’s Bloodline won’t listen! Tama DECKS producers, DECKS guards, HEADBUTTS them, throws hands and even THROWS the guards! Tama and Solo beat Kevin down again, but here comes Randy Orton! The Viper is still on SmackDown and he’s still pals with Kevin, so here he comes!

Orton DECKS Tama, fires hands on Solo, then RK- NO, Solo gets free and gets away! Orton wants to pursue, almost runs Jamie Noble and refs over to do it, but the Bloodline has gotten away! The fans cheer Randy on, and KAevin even hugs him! But then Kevin and Randy try to give chase! Security stops this, when and where will we see #RKKO strike down Solo and Tama?

 

The Dudley Boyz are here!

The fans fire up as Bubba Ray & D-Von are both here for the next round of picks! Cincy chants for “E C DUB! E C DUB!” Bubba and D-Von look at the cards, it’s hard to read. So out come the glasses! Bubba says with the first pick of the third round of the 2024 WWE Draft, SmackDown selects… L A KNIGHT! YEAH!! The Mega Star stays on Fridays! D-Von says with the second pick of the third round, Raw selects… RICOCHET! Mondays still has the One and Only, is Ricochet going to bring that WWE Speed Championship home to Raw, too?

Bubba says with the third pick of the third round, SmackDown selects… THE BLOODLINE! That means Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga and Paul Heyman are staying right here on Friday nights. And D-Von says with the final pick of this round, Raw selects… SHEAMUS! The Celtic Warrior just got back, but he won’t have to worry about going anywhere else but Monday nights.

 

WWE Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s Match: Naomi VS Tiffany Stratton!

It’s time to run it back once again! The Glow got robbed by the Spoiled Rich Girl, but supposedly, it’s #TiffyTime. Will Naomi prove there’s no such time on the clock? Or will Bayley be the one feeling the Backlash over giving Tiffany one more chance?

The bell rings and Naomi hits a THESZ PRESS! Naomi rains down fists, Tiffy shoves her away and goes to ropes, but Naomi gets up in Tiff’s face. Naomi whips, Tiff holds ropes to bail out and fans boo. Naomi scowls, runs in and WRECKS Tiff with a dropkick! Naomi then gets Tiff up, SMACKS her off the apron, and then SMACKS her off it again! And again! Naomi puts Tiff in, goes up a corner, but Tiff gets under the jump! Naomi runs back up but Tiff YANKS her into ropes! Tiff runs to HIP ATTACK! Naomi sputters, Tiff scowls and drags Naomi up, to then put through ropes. But Naomi RAMS into Tiff!

Naomi reels Tiff in, for a HEATSEEKER! Tiff flops to the floor, and then Naomi SPLIT LEG DROPS! Naomi says it’s #NaomiTime, but SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns and Naomi runs, but into a SPINEBUSTER! High stack, TWO! Naomi survives and Tiff is frustrated but the fans rally up. Tiff drags Naomi up, whips her to a corner, but Naomi goes up and sunset flips! TWO! Tiff escapes, knees Naomi low, then whips. Naomi slides under the lariat to then mule kick! Then she headscissor SPIKES Tiff down! Cover, TWO! Tiff survives but barely, and Naomi keeps her cool. Naomi headlocks, but Tiff shoves her into buckles! Tiff runs, but Naomi follows, DOUBLE RUNNING FACEBUSTERS take them both down! The fans fire up as the two rise!

Naomi KICKS, ROCKS and ROCKS Tiff again! Naomi fires shots again and again but Tiff knees low! Tiff reels Naomi in, but Naomi wrenches out to ENZIGIRI! And then BUCKLE BULLDOG! But then NIA JAX attacks Bayley!? Nia SMACKS Bayley off buckles, rains down fists, and this momentarily distracts Naomi. Naomi refocuses, but by now, Tiff’s slipped away! Nia KICKS Bayley in the side, so Naomi goes out to ROCK her! Nia POSTS Naomi and that throws the match out!

No Contest

The fans boo as Nia ruins the fun, then runs Bayley over! Nia smiles as she blows kisses to Cincy. Tiff smiles, she drags Naomi up and puts her in the ring. Then she drags Bayley in! Tiff wants a repeat of last week as she puts them side by side in the drop zone! Tiff then goes up and up for the PRETTIEST MOONSAULT EVER!! Tiff says it’s her time, but the #1 contendership is still in question. Who gets their shot at the Role Model at Backlash?

 

B-Fab and the Street Profits meet up backstage.

Angelo Dawkins has a “WHO-DEY” sign, but Montez Ford is wondering where Bobby Lashley is right now. B-Fab says calm down, he’ll be here. Byron Saxton walks over and apologizes for interrupting. He doesn’t know what the Draft destination for this group will be until Monday Night Raw, but we do know that The Profits will challenge A-Town Down Under for the WWE Tag Team Championships. YESSIIIIIIR~! B-Fab says it doesn’t matter where they get drafted. The Profits are going to take down A-Town Down Under and take those titles. Then they’ll have their first class tickets right back to SmackDown.

SmackDown? Did someone say SmackDown~? In walk Austin Theory & Grayson Waller, showing off the titles. And Theory says you can’t have SmackDown without the GREATEST undefeated tag team of all time. And sorry, Dawkins, but these are championships, something the Bengals know nothing about! B-Fab keeps Dawkins back, but then in steps Bobby Lashley! The All Mighty scares Theory & Waller right off, and Dawkins says see y’all next Friday! Will there be nothing keeping these Profits down the night before Backlash?

 

The Final Testament speaks.

Karrion Kross says good evening. What’s going on here? You guessed it! More random acts of violence! Just follow him. Kross & Scarlett lead the way to show The Authors of Pain beating down New Catch Republic! Rezar beats down Pete Dunne while Akam victimizes Tyler Bate! Paul Ellering says they will know about sacrifice! Kross says whether they get drafted to Raw or stay on SmackDown, the violence will continue until they get what they want! So sayeth The Final Testament!!

 

Teddy Long and JBL are here!

The Hall of Famer General Manager and the Hall of Famer WWE Champion are both here, ready to give us the fourth and final round of picks tonight! Teddy gets right to it! The first pick of the fourth round, SmackDown selects… AJ STYLES! The Phenomenal One is really an obvious choice, because one way or another, the WWE Championship stays with SmackDown! JBL says the second pick of the fourth round, Raw selects… THE ALPHA ACADEMY! Raw keeps Chad Gable, Otis, Maxxine Dupri & Akira Tozawa, A THANK YEW~!

Teddy says with the third pick of this round, SmackDown selects… ANDRADE! A big move as now El Idolo will be part of Friday nights. And with the final pick of this fourth round, Raw selects… NXT’S Kiana James! The Calculator, the former NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion, has the Raw hat to put on, and after a quick hype package, Jackie Redmond is there to interview her. Kiana, congratulations! You are heading to Monday Night Raw! How much does this mean to her? This means the world to her. She is filled with gratitude, but also knows every decision she has made up to this point has been by design to get her here.

Kiana is so proud of her time in NXT, but she’s ready to show Raw why she is the One Percent. Was she surprised? Of course she was! HBK is here to wish her luck and congratulations. Is Kiana going to start the hostile takeover of the Raw Women’s Division?

 

Backstage interview with Nick Aldis.

Kayla is with the SmackDown GM and says that with night one in the books, how does he feel about SmackDown’s selections? He feels really good about them. SmackDown’s future is bright, he can’t wait for the new recruits to show up and show out for the blue brand. But he also wants to turn attentions to Backlash, because he’s got some new matches to announce! The first PLE in France, this is exciting stuff, Kayla. Aldis says that the WWE Women’s Championship will now be on the line in a Triple Threat! Bayley VS Naomi VS Tiffany Stratton! Will the odds make it that much harder for the Role Model to succeed?

There’s one more match to announce, but Aldis will let the GM GOAT take it from here. Teddy Long steps in, and don’t forget. We’ll talk about this tag team match. The Bloodline VS Kevin Owens & Randy Orton! Holla, players. Solo & Tama will have to face The Viper and the Prizefighter, will #RKKO strike fast and strike hard?

 

Cody Rhodes VS Carmelo Hayes!

The American Nightmare just put pen to paper for his match with the Phenomenal One, but he isn’t one to shy away from a challenge. The former NXT Champion is shooting his shot, but will this be nothing but net? Or will it be a frustrating airball?

The bell rings and the two circle. They tie up, the fans rally for Cody as he puts Melo in a corner then arm-drags him away. Melo runs up, Cody headlocks, Melo powers out then drops. Melo hurdles, but Cody kicks low to RHODES UPPERCUT! Melo staggers to ropes, the fans fire up, but then melo throat chops and springboard FLYING LARIATS! Melo says that’s why he’s a first round pick! But then Cody CLOBBERS him! Cody asks if Melo’s ready for this, and SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns once again and Cody has a headlock. Cody hits a takeover, Melo flails and kicks around, but Cody grinds him down. Melo pushes with his forearm, then headscissors, but Cody kips free. Melo CHOPS, the fans “WOO~!” but Cody brushes himself off. Melo pie faces Cody! Cody fires forearms on Melo, then whips, but Melo reverses. Melo ELBOWS Cody, then runs up to KICK him in the side! Melo fires forearms and CHOPS in a corner, then throws body shots. Melo digs his boot in, the ref counts, and Cody goes to another corner. Cody eggs Melo on, Melo storms up, but Cody puts him in the corner to CHOP!

Cody swings, Melo dodges and CHOPS! Cody turns things around to CHOP! The fans rally, Cody whips corner to corner, then he back drops Melo away! Melo staggers up, Cody runs, and he rallies on Melo with forearms! Cody goes up and over in a corner but Melo tilt-o-whirls, LA MYSTICA! Melo springboards, FADE AWAY! Cover, TWO! Cody survives that flying DDT, but we see the NXT roster all fired up watching Melo take it to the champ. Melo sits Cody up, drags him into a facelock, but the fans rally for Cody. Cody fireman’s carries but Melo slips free to dragon sleeper! Melo grins, but Cody cradles! TWO!!

Melo swings, Cody boots, then Cody springboards to BEAUTIFUL DISASTER! Melo flips inside-out, Cody covers, TWO! Melo is still in this and he snarls up at Cody. Melo gives a forearm, Cody gives it back, and the fans rally up. Cody scoops Melo, storms around, and then hits a RUNNING POWERSLAM! Cover, TWO! Melo survives and Cody grows frustrated. Cody pounds the mat, the fans rally up, and then Cody goes to ropes. Cody springboards again, CODY CUTTER! Cover, TWO!! Melo survives yet again, proving why he’s a former NXT Champion, on top of NXT North American Champion! But then Cody drags him up!

Cody back suplexes, Melo lands out of it, then FIRST 48! Doe goes Cody and Melo goes up! Melo is setting up for the game winner! NOTHING BUT- NO, Cody avoids the flying leg drop! Melo rolls through, Cody dodges to SUPERKICK! Cody brings Melo around, but Melo gets free! They both run, both springboard, but completely miss each other, and Cody takes a rough landing! Melo drags Cody up, reels him in, but Cody wrenches out to dragon sleeper! CROSS RHODES!! Cody shakes out the bad arm but still makes the cover, and Cody wins!

Winner: Cody Rhodes, by pinfall

Melo took his shot but it was blocked! Even so, Cody sits Melo up to show him respect and tell him he’s still the future. But did this match end up more of a trap game for Cody after that crash landing? Or will he be alright in time for Backlash and his phenomenal opponent?

Speaking of, Styles sneaks right into the ring! Cody sees him in time and Styles stays back. Cody and Styles stare down, but Styles says it was that close. Styles offers a handshake, and Cody takes it. There’s still respect here, for now. But will nothing stop Styles from turning Cody’s story into a tragedy after all?


My Thoughts:

A great SmackDown to open the WWE Draft but to also set up Backlash. To recap, SmackDown took Bianca, Melo, Orton, Nia, LA Knight, The Bloodline, Styles and Andrade while Raw took Jey, Rollins, Bron, Liv, Ricochet, Sheamus, The Alpha Academy, and Kiana. Many of those choices made sense, as picks won’t be wasted on keeping champions on brands, and just need to be used to keep most stories alive and change up a few others. Kiana is perhaps one of the more surprising moves, but well-deserved. She has been a solid character and solid in-ring performer almost from the start, she’s a solid addition to Raw.

Bron of course demolished his opponent tonight, it’s just a shame it was Cedric and not local enhancement talent. But Bron will also be a good addition to Raw, but maybe he can move past his squash match phase and get right to story. Melo being a first round pick was great stuff, and he had a great promo with Cody to give us tonight’s main event. That double springboard whiff was definitely a timing problem, but at the same time, a Fade Away countered into a Cody Cutter would’ve been way too epic just for TV. Cody with a great win, and we got a really good contract signing segment, but you can bet Cody retains.

Really good tag match from LWO VS Legado but naturally Rey & Dragon won. I knew it was only a matter of time before Carlito was outed, and how he handled being exposed was pretty good. And with Andrade being drafted to SmackDown, you just know that means Andrade joins the LWO. The Final Testament attacking New Catch Republic was a wild moment, I almost thought Ellering was going to use the pliers in his hands to grab at fingers. Maybe we get that next week for SmackDown in France. Good promos from A-Town Down Under and the still technically unnamed faction of Bobby Lashley’s. As great as The Profits are, it feels like Theory & Waller will cheat to retain.

Really good promo with Tiff and Bayley to set up Naomi VS Tiff round 3, but I did not think Nia Jax would disrupt all that. A Triple Threat at Backlash is good stuff, it will protect Bayley if she loses, but can also protect Naomi and Tiff if Bayley uses them against each other to win. Good promo from Bianca that then turned into the shouting match of Bianca & Jade with Kabuki Warriors. Their tag title match is official, and I’m pretty sure Bianca & Jade win. I also liked that this segment ended up having Kevin and Tama brawl right through it. Orton saving Kevin was a great move, RKKO VS Solo & Tama is going to be awesome stuff, I can’t wait to see it.

My Score: 8.8/10


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Andrew’s TNA iMPACT! Results & Match Ratings: 4.25.2024

We just got done with Rebellion, and Under Siege is two weeks away! Gotta see how these dots connect!

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Rebellion had quite a few returns, Mike Santana, Sami Callihan and Broken Matt Hardy. All three of these guys could easily be main event players, and its nice to mix up and expand what felt like a rather small pool of potential challengers.

Under Siege is only like 2 weeks out, so we’ll see how the dots connect in such a short period of time.

Ratings:

  • Mike Santana vs Myron Reed w/Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz: Santana wins via Spin the Block – ** 1/2
  • #1 Contender: Frankie Kazarian vs Josh Alexander: Josh wins via Grapevine Ankle Lock – ***
  • ASH by Elegance vs Xia Brookside: Xia wins via School Girl Roll-Up – ** 3/4
  • Sami Callihan vs The Good Hands: Sami Callihan wins via Cactus Driver ’97 – SQUASH
  • Eddie Edwards w/Alisha Edwards & Brian Myers vs Nic Nemeth: Eddie wins via Boston Knee Party – *** 1/4

Results:

A weird opening that is just framed to put Nemeth and Hardy together against The System. Feels a little awkward, but who knows how it will play out. 

Mike Santana vs Myron Reed w/Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz

Ahh I didn’t really pay attention to Santana’s theme at Rebellion, but its pretty damn cool. Good stuff. 

Rascalz blindside Santana early, but the heel advantage doesn’t last more than a few moves. Santana whips Myron from corner to corner, hits a few Hip Attacks before Myron finally dodges one and starts using his unique offense and agility to his advantage. Matrix dodge, into an Leaping Outside Back in Slingshot Codebreaker. Some more offense and Santana powders to the ramp, Myron jumps over the rope and tries a Flying Cutter, but Santana blocks it, turns things around, gets pushed forward and hits the Rolling Cutter. Santana takes out the Rascalz, heads back into the ring, Myron tries to catch him unawares but eats the Spin the Block off the rope run! Santana wins fairly quickly.

Maclin’s music hits, he tries to employ the help of The Rascalz to attack Santana, but as soon as Maclin positions himself to get in, The Rascalz bail and flip off Maclin. Maclin makes it out of the confrontation relatively unscathed, but at least we know where he’s going for Under Siege probably.

OH FUCK ME WITH RUSTY KNIVES. Because Cardona is hurt Kon is paired with SDL, and she just challenges Jordynne and PCO to a tag match. WHY!? STOP IT. This is hot garbage. 

Josh Alexander comes out…I wonder who’s Super Finisher he’s gonna conveniently kick out this time? Brian Myers? Frankie Kazarian? Rich Swann? Because yes, I’m still annoyed that Hammerstone has been in TNA for half a sandwich, he already connects with a Super version of his finish on tacks, and that’s not a finish. Oh Kaz’s music hits. Okay, so time for Josh to kick out of Fade to Black or Flux Capacitor. Kaz talks smack, says he won his match too so he should have a say in who’s number one contender. Josh challenges him, Kaz says not right now, but a referee runs out and says the match is official. 

#1 Contender: Frankie Kazarian vs Josh Alexander

Kaz throws his jacket on Josh’s head, and attacks him with some strikes before Josh fights back and throws Kaz out. Commercial break, we see Kaz misses his Apron Guillotine, Josh goes for the Low Crossbody but Kaz dodges and Josh goes flying. Kaz starts throwing some chops and claws at the cauliflowered ears of Josh. Russian Leg Sweep from Kaz for a near fall. Josh swings wildly and Kaz ducks the strike and levels Josh with a Lariat.

Josh blocks a Vertical Suplex attempt, but Frankie pulls off a Fisherman’s Suplex after a few overhead strikes for a near fall. Josh stands up and connects with a straight right, rocks Kaz, Back Body Drop, into a Charging Forearm, Rolling Senton, 2 count! C4 Spike attempt countered into a Back Stabber and then Chicken Wing, but Josh fights it off, rolls through and into an Ankle Lock, Kaz kicks off and into a Head and Arm Cradle for a near fall and then the Guillotine Leg Drop into Slingshot DDT spot from Kaz for another 2 count!

Fade to Black, but its fought off, Big Boot but then Kaz counters the next move with a Power Slam into the Springboard Guillotine Leg Drop, but Josh grabs the Ankle Lock! Locomotion German Suplex time from Josh, Halfhatch Suplex after the Germans, floats over for a 2 count! C4 Spike attempt again, but Kaz fights it off, dumps him over the top rope, slingshots him in and into the Cutter for a near fall for Kaz! After the 2 Kaz grabs a chair and chain, the referee stops the chair of course, so he tries the chain, EY runs down and grabs the chain so Kaz pulls the Eddie Guerrero and the referee admonishes EY, but doesn’t DQ Josh. So as Kaz is busy laughing at EY, Josh picks the ankle, Ankle Lock with the Grapevine, Kaz taps.

ASH by Elegance vs Xia Brookside

Both are jawing at each other and then throw hands before Xia gets the upper hand with a Headscissors from the Top Turnbuckle, Charging Knees, a Flurry of Kicks, but when the ref forces some space in the corner, ASH is finally able to dodge and work over Xia with her Twisting Body Splash, a few choking moves, a corner Stomp into a Snap Suplex for 2. ASH is in charge elegantly, but the referee keeps forcing space on both of them when they go for corner attacks. Xia manages to take advantage a little, but ASH regains control, kicks Xia up the ramp and then lands her Cartwheel Back Elbow up the ramp. It actually looks pretty cool executed like that.

Headlocks and Hair Pulling to keep Xia down and using energy to kick out. ASH is getting frustrated but Xia is remaining persistent. ASH goes back to the Headlock, but Xia fights up, Jawbreaker, Back Elbow, Kick to the gut and Drop Toe Hold sends ASH face first into the middle buckle. Xia rips off 4 Double Knee Smashes to the back of ASH’s head into her Flying Crossbody for a close 2! Xia pulls her up, but ASH spins out, then Xia slips it, but ASH kicks her in the chest and deposits her to the outside and demands a count from the referee. Iceman puts Jeweled Knuckles/Rings on ASH’s hand, the referee catches her, removes the stuff from her fingers and Xia hits the School Girl Roll-Up for the flash win.

Sami Callihan vs The Good Hands

So the Good Hand Jobs are about to do their job to Sami. I’m just gonna assume Sami beats the hell out of both and wins with a Cactus Driver ’97. If anything interesting happens I might actually cover it, but come on now.

Kaz makes a Metallica reference with the “Wash Your Back So You Won’t Stab Mine”…and Sweet Amber is the only good song on St. Anger. So…I ain’t mad.

Eddie Edwards w/Alisha Edwards & Brian Myers vs Nic Nemeth

A little early ground wrestling and headlocks for control from both men. Nothing super flashy to start until we get to the rope run and Nemeth goes for the Flying Body Press to drop Eddie. Before Nemeth can follow up, Lish grabs his foot. Nic does have his brother Ryan in the crowd, trying to get chants going and do the old school ‘power up the babyface’ thing, but Eddie has been in control since Lish got involved. Simple offense, chokes, strikes, Snap Suplexes, Knee Drops, simple yet effective. But then Eddie ducks his head too early, Nemeth kicks him in the face, bounces his head off the buckles a few times, Dropkick sends Eddie reeling to the corner, Nemeth starts the 10 Count Punches but Myers hits the apron to distract and Eddie manages to slip the situation and push Nemeth to the floor.

Commercial break happens, Nemeth is trying to fight back with Chops, but a Kitchen Sink from Eddie puts Nemeth on the floor again! Clubbing blow from Eddie, but Eddie then misses the Hip Attack in the corner and Nemeth counters with the Rude Awakening into the 10 Count Rain of Elbows. Fame Ass-er miss, Eddie tries something but Nemeth turns it into that hesitation DDT for 2! Tuning up the band starts to build and Eddie powders to avoid it. Nemeth throws Eddie back in, goes to the top, but Eddie crotches him, rises up and hits the Superplex into Tiger Driver for 2! Eddie starts mocking with Tuning Up the band but Nemeth hits his own Superkick into an Olympic Slam for 2!

Both men just trade strikes Fighting Spirit style, Eddie says “Always Trust the System” and Nemeth shuts him up with a Headbutt. Danger Zone is blocked, Boston Knee Party gets ducked, they level each other with Lariats! Myers and Ryan Nemeth start fighting to distract the referee, Moose hits the ring and hits Nemeth with the belt. Eddie lands Boston Knee Party and The System wins again!

 

Overall Score: 6/10

A lame opening segment, a squash match, ASH by Elegance getting her first loss, and a weird way of just pulling the number one contender out of mid air makes for an awkward show. Also Kon still be involved in, literally anything, is negative. However, I can say there was a ton of stuff thrown at the wall this episode, so there’s a chance that some things landed better with other people than myself. The ballot segments were amusing, they overused the “I need to talk to you Santino” gimmick a bit much and personally I feel like having Jake versus Hammerstone is booking yourself into a weird corner.

But hey, the main event was fun, Nemeth getting laid out to the point that there could be a story reason to take him out of the Under Siege match. Kaz with the Metallica reference was pop worthy and I guess its a lot of ‘let’s see where it goes’ kind of angle creation. So it wasn’t complete trash, but its definitely a wait and see episode.


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