Coverage
Mitchell’s NJPW Lonestar Shootout Results & Report! (11/10/23)
It’s the Wild Wild West!
Can #JustTrent slay the Rampaging Dragon?
As NJPW returns to Texas, Trent Beretta returns to NJPW as he goes after Shingo Takagi and the NEVER Openweight Championship!
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Kickoff Match – Strong Survivor: Matt Vandagriff VS Barrett Brown; Vandagriff wins.
- Kickoff Match – Fred Rosser VS Tom Lawlor; Rosser wins.
- Six Man Tag: Tiger Mask, Atlantis & Metalik VS Rocky Romero, Ultimo Guerrero & Hechicero; Tiger Mask, Atlantis & Metalik win.
- Toru Yano VS Joey Janela; changed to…
- No Disqualifications: Toru Yano VS Joey Janela; Yano wins.
- 8 Man Tag: Guerrillas of Destiny & Intergalactic Jet Setters VS Bullet Club War Dogs; Bullet Club War Dogs win.
- NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team Championships: El Phantasmo & Hikuleo VS West Coast Wrecking Crew; ELP & Leo win and retain the titles.
- Mistico VS TJP; Mistico wins.
- NJPW Strong Openweight Championship: Eddie Kingston VS Satoshi Kojima; Eddie wins and retains the title.
- Jon Moxley & Wheeler Yuta VS David Finlay & KENTA; Moxley & Yuta win.
- NJPW World Television Championship: Zack Sabre Jr. VS Mike Bailey; ZSJ wins and retains the title.
- IWGP Women’s Championship: Mayu Iwatani VS Stephanie Vaquer; Mayu wins and retains the title.
- NEVER Openweight Championship: Shingo Takagi VS Trent Beretta; Takagi wins and retains the title.
PLAY BY PLAY
Toru Yano VS Joey Janela!
One man is NJPW’s Clown Prince, but the other is a Bad, Bad Boy. Will Yano be able to pull off all his tricks to properly “welcome” Janela? Or will this outlaw have tricks of his own to play?
After Yano’s very long and detailed introduction, Joey attacks! Fans boo but Joey soaks it up. He even snatches Yano’s spare rolls of tape, DECKS Yano, and goes out to get a mic. “Yano! Welcome to MY world! I want this NO DISQUALIFICATIONS!” Fans cheer that, Yano SPRAYS Joey with his hand spray! What a way to say yes!
No Disqualifications: Toru Yano VS Joey Janela!
Yano CHOKES Joey with his robe! The bell rings and Yano keeps going since Joey said No DQ! Yano stomps Joey down, and he unties the buckle pad! Fans cheer and Yano goes back to Joey. Yano goes to bump but Joey blocks! Joey throws hands, and he goes to bump, but Yano fights back! Yano whips, Joey reverses, but Yano stops himself. Fans cheer but Joey mule kicks! Joey whips, Yano reverses but Joey goes up and- Wait, Yano stays back to SLAP Joey on the head! Fans cheer and Yano brings Joey up, to BUMP him off the bare buckles! Joey goes down, and Yano unties the red buckle pad. And then the other white pad!
Fans cheer for the blue corner, and so Yano obliges! Yano unties the blue corner pad, and now all corners are exposed! Yano whips but Joey reverses and Yano hits buckles! Fans are losing their minds already, and Joey dumps Yano out. Joey AX HANDLES Yano, then CHOPS him down! Fans boo but Joey soaks up the heat. Joey ROCKS Yano, turns him around, and CHOPS him against railing. Joey then POSTS Yano and Yano falls! Joey goes looking under the ring, and he brings out chairs! Those are put in the ring, but then Joey grabs another chair and goes back to Yano. Joey JAMS Yano with the chair, then throws it in the ring.
Joey sets all the chairs together in a pile, and then picks up Yano’s red chair. Fans wanna see him use it, but Joey drops it out of the ring and flips every one. The Bad, Bad Boy does things his way, and he goes out to fetch Yano. Joey puts Yano in the ring, drags him up, but the fans rally for “YANO! YANO!” Joey ROCKS Yano, ROCKS him again, then has him over the chairs. Joey whips, but Yano holds ropes to stop! Joey UPPERCUTS Yano, runs, and LARIATS! Yano stays up!? Joey scowls, runs again, but Yano dodges! Clinch and BELLY2BELLY onto the chairs! Fans fire up while both men are down!
Yano stands, fans chant for “RED CHAIR! RED CHAIR!” Yano scoops Joey for ONI- NO, Joey fights to get to the ropes and the apron. Joey ROCKS Yano, and uses a cravat to drag him up and out. Joey then SUPERKICKS from the apron, and PENALTY- NO, Yano blocks to trip Joey up! Joey hits the apron hard, and Yano hurries back in. But Joey SUPERKICKS again! And he reels Yano in, PILEDRIVER onto the chairs!! Cover, TWO!! Yano survives and fans fire up! Joey gets frustrated, and he sits one of the chairs up. He sits another chair up face to face with it, and he stalks Yano to the apron. Joey goes up the corner?!
Joey SWANTONS but Yano moves, Joey hits the APRON!! Yano hurries out, puts Joey back in, and hauls him up, ONIGOROSHI onto the chairs!! The chairs get bent!! Cover, TWO?!? Joey survives and fans fire up! Yano moves the chairs aside, and fans want “RED CHAIR! RED CHAIR!” Yano sets up the last black chair, SMACKS Joey off it, then gets his spare wrist tape! Yano ties Joey up with it, wrapping around the tree! Joey is trapped and Yano says “Y! T! R!” Shrug. LOW BLOW from Joey!! Yano forgot about the legs! Joey has the ref untie him, and then ROLLING ELBOW! Fireman’s carry, DEATH VALLEY DRIVER on the chair!
Joey puts the bent chair on Yano, goes up the corner, and DIVING DOUBLE STOMPS the chair in!! Cover, TWO?!?! Yano survives and shocks Joey! The fans fire up while Joey storms around. Fans chant for tables but Joey tapes Yano’s hands together! Fans boo now but Joey soaks it all up. Joey stomps Yano, kicks him around, and fans chant “We Want Red Chair!” Joey fetches Red Chair and fans cheer! Joey swings, but Yano dodges! Red Chair bounces off the ropes to SMACK Joey in the head! And then Yano LOW BLOW HEADBUTTS!! Joey somehow stays on his feet, but Yano AX HANDLE LOW BLOWS! Roll up, Yano wins!
Winner: Toru Yano, by pinfall
The Bad, Bad Boy played with fire and got burned! What a way to debut in NJPW. But Yano does apologize for what he had to do. Will Yano continue to add to the bag of tricks with this?
NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team Championships: El Phantasmo & Hikuleo VS West Coast Wrecking Crew!
Just as the Headbanga & Young Guerrilla successfully defended these titles in Las Vegas, Royce Isaacs & Jorel Nelson had to ruin the fun! The WCWC doesn’t see ELP & Leo as a legit team, will they prove themselves right? Or will the former Bullet Club members prove they can still win a shootout?
The introductions are made, but then ELP & Leo just start throwing hands! Leo is after Isaacs and ELP is after Nelson! Fans fire up, the bell rings, and this is on record as Leo & ELP keep throwing hands! They send Nelson into Isaacs, then ELP BACK ELBOWS them both! ELP feeds Nelson to a BIG back drop, and in this smaller ring, Nelson reaches the other corner! ELP then sends Leo in to SPLASH Isaacs! ELP brings Nelson back up, the WCWC is sent into each other, and then Leo DOUBLE LARIATS them up and out! Fans fire up as Leo then gives ELP a boost up, tightrope and ASAI MOONSAULT! Down goes WCWC and fans fire up!
Leo goes out to stomp Isaacs, ELP ROCKS Nelson, and Nelson gets into the ring. ELP CHOPS Nelson, CHOPS him again, and fans “WOO~!” ELP brings Nelson around, whips, but Nelson ELBOWS him away! ELP runs in but Nelson FLAPJACK HOTSHOTS! Isaacs is there to suplex ELP out of the ropes and marches around the ring with him! ELP fights but can’t get free, and Nelson DIVES to take out Leo! Isaacs SLAMS ELP onto Leo! Fans cheer the feat of strength and Isaacs drags ELP back up. Isaacs puts ELP in, Nelson drags ELP up and UPPERCUTS! Nelson runs corner to corner to SPLASH! Isaacs runs in to UPPERCUT!
Isaacs feeds ELP to Nelson’s BOOT! Isaacs then runs to drop an ELBOW! Isaacs tags Nelson in, the WCWC gets ELP up to DOUBLE ATOMIC DROP! Nelson dropkicks the legs out, and Isaacs deadlift suplexes! Isaacs holds ELP up again, for the count of TEN! SLAM, and Nelson covers, TWO! Nelson drags ELP over, tags in Isaacs, and fans rally for ELP while WCWC mugs him. Isaacs BLASTS Leo off the apron, then deadlifts ELP again, for a squat, squat and squat again. ELP is the barbell for Isaacs’ gut wrench workout, and then the SUPLEX! ELP flounders, Isaacs drags him to a cover, TWO! ELP is still in this and Leo rallies the fans.
Isaacs throws up the Westside W, then drags ELP back. Nelson tags in to stomp ELP down. Nelson digs his knee into ELP at the corner but the ref counts. Nelson lets off at 4, he tags Isaacs back in, and Isaacs kicks ELP around. ELP fights up but Isaacs holds him back. Tag to Nelson and he cartwheels, cartwheels and drop steps. He’s parodying ELP before he hip swivels and CLAWS ELP’s back! Isaacs BLASTS Leo, then WCWC flexes for the photo op. Fans boo, Nelson drags ELP up but ELP throws forearms! ELP whips, Nelson reverses, but ELP goes up and over and rolls, then ducks ‘n’ dodges to springboard CROSSBODY! Then LION-
NO, Nelson dodges! ELP dodges back, and RANAS Nelson out of the ring! The fans fire up, ELP crawls but sees he’s going the wrong way. ELP turns around and heads for Leo, but Nelson YANKS Leo down! Fans boo but Nelson RAMS ELP into the corner! Tag to Isaacs and WCWC wrench to double- NO, ELP lands out of the back suplex! ELP goes up and over and then under, but Isaacs grabs his legs! ELP BOOTS Isaacs into Nelson, rolls and hot tag to Leo! Leo rallies on the WCWC with haymakers! Isaacs dodges but runs into a BOOT! Leo scoops Nelson to SNAKE EYES and LARIAT! Fans fire up with Leo and he choke grips Nelson.
Isaacs staggers up, into the choke grip! WCWC breaks free, fires hands, and double whip. But Leo breaks the line to DOUBLE LARIAT them down! Fans fire up and now Leo aims at Isaacs. Choke grip, GOD- NO, Isaacs slips free to CHOP! Isaacs then dodges Leo’s chop, but runs into Leo’s POWERSLAM! Cover, TWO! Leo keeps cool and pushes Isaacs to the ropes. ELP holds Isaacs in place, and Leo CHOPS! Fans fire up for “One More Time! One More Time!” ELP stands Isaacs back up, and Leo CHOPS again! Isaacs falls over, but ELP drags him up. Straitjacket torture rack, Leo runs to BOOT, and that literally kickstarts the SWINGING NECKBREAKER!
Leo BLASTS Nelson off the apron for good measure, and then ELP covers Isaacs. TWO, but ELP & Leo keep cool. Leo and ELP go to corners, they tune up the band, and Isaacs stands. SUDDEN- NO, Isaacs blocks! But Leo still choke grips! Isaacs fireman’s carries?! But Leo fights free and goes back to the grip! ELP runs in, but Isaacs ducks, SUDDEN DEATH hits Leo! ELP is stunned, Isaacs rolls him up! TWO!! Nelson JUMP KNEES ELP into Isaacs’ GERMAN SUPLEX! Bridging cover, TWO!! ELP survives and fans fire up! Isaacs snarls, he tags in Nelson and the WCWC drags ELP up. Feed to the POP-UP POWERBOMB!
Nelson then has the legs, CATAPULT into Isaacs’ fireman’s carry. DEATH VALLEY DRIVER onto Nelson’s knees! Cover, TWO!! ELP survives and Nelson can’t believe it! Nelson tags Isaacs, WCWC drag ELP up in the corner. Nelson runs to DOUBLE KNEE, then Isaacs reels ELP in for a BACKBREAKER! And then Canadian Rack, Nelson runs in, DOMINATOR CUTTER COMBO!! Nelson goes up, Isaacs brings ELP back up, PILEDRIVER and the MACHO ELBOW! Cover, but Leo BOOTS Nelson onto the ref! Isaacs CLUBS Leo and fires off! Leo ROCKS Isaacs back! Leo drags Isaacs up to CHOP! And ROCK!
But Nelson gets in with a title belt! Leo choke grips Nelson, but Isaacs LOW BLOWS Leo!! Fans boo, BELT SHOT from Nelson!! Fans boo even more, and now WCWC coordinate on ELP. Isaacs hauls ELP up, Nelson aims with the belt, but ELP ducks and the BELT SHOT hits Isaacs! SUDDEN DEATH sends Nelson out of the ring! Cover on Isaacs, ELP & Leo win!
Winners: ELP & Hikuleo, by pinfall (still NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team Champions)
Team Filthy sure tried to do the boys dirty, but it all backfired! ELP & Leo win out, does this prove they’re a real team now? Or will the challenges only get tougher from here on out?
NJPW Strong Openweight Championship: Eddie Kingston VS Satoshi Kojima!
The Mad King still has both his crowns, having just made it past Angelico in an ROH World Championship match. Will Eddie still be bringing both belts with him to ROH Final Battle? Or will the King of Bread Style rise to the occasion?
The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and we see who is NJPW Strong!
The bell rings and fans rally up for “EDDIE! EDDIE!” already. Eddie and Kojima stare down, step up, and tie up. They’re in a deadlock, but Eddie finds a point of leverage. But Kojima turns it around to put Eddie in a corner. Kojima CHOPS as he lets off, but Eddie brushes that off. They tie up again, Kojima headlocks, but Eddie powers up and out. They RAM shoulders, but neither falls. Kojima runs again, and he RAMS Eddie again! And again! Eddie falls back to shake out the arm and fans fire up. The fans now rally for “KOJIMA! KOJIMA!” Eddie comes back and the fans rally for him again.
Fans then chant for “Both These Guys!” as they tie up. Eddie CHOPS! And CHOPS! And then URA- NO, Kojima ducks, kicks and runs Eddie over! Fans fire up and Eddie bails out again. That arm is really bothering Eddie, but Kojima gets his pecs dancing! Fans cheer for the pecs, and then Kojima goes out to fetch Eddie. Kojima kicks and CLUBS Eddie, follows him around the way, kicks and CLUBS him again, then goes to the railing. Kojima whips Eddie but Eddie reverses and Kojima hits railing! Eddie CHOPS Kojima, then ROCKS him with a haymaker! Eddie puts Kojima in to cover, TWO! Eddie keeps on Kojima with a chinlock.
Kojima endures, fights around, and has the ROPEBREAK! Eddie lets off quickly and shakes out the arm. Eddie stomps Kojima, Kojima stands up in a corner, but Eddie CHOPS! And JABS! And CHOPS! Eddie whips corner to corner, runs in, but Kojima dodges! Kojima CHOPS, CHOPS and MACHINE GUN CHOPS! Fans fire up while the ref counts, and Kojima tops it off with one more CHOP! Kojima then whips corner to corner, runs in, and forearm smashes! He’s gonna get ya- NO, Eddie ROCKS Kojima! And fires the MACHINE GUN CHOPS in return! Eddie CHOPS then EXPLODERS!
Fans fire up as Kojima tumbles away to the far corner. Eddie shakes out the arms, runs corner to corner, but Kojima BOOTS! Kojima goes up but Eddie SWATS him! Kojima falls to the outside and a ring count starts. Eddie waits while the count climbs, and it goes past 5 of 20. Kojima springs up at 8 to slide in at 9, but Eddie kicks him. Eddie goes to the apron with Kojima, but Kojima fights the half nelson! Kojima fires elbows, reels Eddie in, to APRON DDT! Fans fire up while Eddie falls, and the ring count starts again. Kojima stands over Eddie at 6 of 20, the fans rally as Kojima puts Eddie in at 8. Kojima steps in but Eddie rolls to the far side.
Kojima storms over, stands Eddie up and fires off forearms! ROLLING ELBOW! Kick! DDT! Eddie writhes but fans fire up. Kojima stands, fans rally up, and he drags Eddie back up. Cravat and- NO, Eddie throws body shots, to then SAIDO! Kojima rises to run in, but into a HALF NELSON SUPLEX! Cover, TWO! Eddie’s bad arm couldn’t keep the legs hooked, but Eddie goes for the STRETCH PLUM! Kojima endures being twisted around and the fans rally up! Kojima pries at the hold, throws hands from below, and Eddie lets go. Eddie goes to a corner, Kojima stands, and the two stare down as the fans fire up.
Eddie runs in to LARIAT, but Kojima stays up! Eddie scowls and runs, but DOUBLE LARIATS collide! The fans fire up as Eddie falls and Kojima stands! Kojima stands Eddie up, COZY CUTTER! Cover, TWO! Eddie survives but Kojima keeps his cool. Off comes the elbow pad! Kojima waits on Eddie to stand, then runs, but Eddie blocks the lariat! And URAKEN! Kojima stays up, so Eddie URAKENS!! And then URAKENS!!! The trilogy of Backfist to the Future hits, but Kojima LARIATS!! Both men fall and the fans are thunderous! Kojima rises, he storms up on Eddie, and he drags Eddie back up.
Eddie shoves Kojima away, flips him off, but Kojima ROCKS him! Kojima suplexes Eddie up for a BRAINBUSTER! Cover, ROPEBREAK!! Eddie survives by a literal foot! Fans fire up again as Kojima powers up the arm. Kojima runs, to COZY- LARIAT FROM EDDIE!! Fans are thunderous again, and Eddie suplexes, NORTHERN LIGHTS BOMB!! Cover, TWO?!? Kojima survives but Eddie just powers up! URAKEN!! URAKEN!! And NORTHERN LIGHTS BOMB AGAIN!!! Cover, Eddie wins!!
Winner: Eddie Kingston, by pinfall (still NJPW Strong Openweight Champion)
Kojima proved he’s a living legend, withstanding all that damage! But in the end, Eddie proved why he is a Double Champion! Eddie and Kojima show respect to each other, will we get to see this one again in the future? Until then, who is next to- WAIT! GABE KIDD ATTACKS!! This Bullet Club War Dog knocks Eddie down, then grabs the title! Kidd talks a ton of trash before he BELT SHOTS Eddie back down! Kidd gets the mic while fans boo but he soaks it up. “Yeah, keep talking, I got the microphone! It’s always these guys! It’s always these top guys who wanna duck me, until I turn up and hit ’em in the back of the head!”
Fans boo and ask “WHAT?” but Kidd says Will Ospreay is one example! Ospreay made the same mistake, and Kidd will bury Ospreay on December 16th, Rev-Pro Uprising! But Eddie, when will Kidd come for Eddie? The answer is: Whenever the EFF he wants!! Fans boo as Kidd drags Eddie up, PILEDRIVER!!! Kidd then tells Boss Dog Finlay said bring gold or bring bodies. “Ey, boss! How ’bout both?!” Kidd stands over Eddie, holding up the belt. Kidd mockingly bows to Eddie before leaving. Is this rabid dog going to take that belt or just get put down?
Backstage interview with Trent Beretta.
Emily Mae catches Trent as he heads for his locker room and says we heard him make the challenge at the end of Fighting Spirit Unleashed, does he have anything else to say before tonight’s main event? Trent thinks about that. It has been four years since he left NJPW, and it’s been great in AEW & ROH. But he did still wonder what it’d be like if he didn’t. And tonight, he’s on his own, no Best Friends, and Trent will show NJPW, the fans, Shingo Takagi, and even AEW exactly who he is. Emily high-fives Trent and he heads out, will Trent prove he can stand on his own two feet?
Jon Moxley & Wheeler Yuta VS David Finlay & KENTA!
While the Maniac & Decoder are ready to tear into #OrangeHook this Wednesday on AEW Dynamite, there’s a war brewing in NJPW. Just last week, The Rebel ruined the confrontation Moxley had with Will Ospreay at the end of Power Struggle, and then he defiantly and violently SMASHED the IWGP United States and United Kingdom Championships! Will Finlay and the Fang Revived do even worse to Moxley & Yuta here? Or will Bullet Club get owned by the Blackpool Combat Club?
As usual, BCC makes their way in from the crowd. But as soon as they’re ringside, Finlay & Kenta attack! Finlay goes right after Moxley and Kenta beats down Yuta but the fans boo. Finlay claws Moxley’s face while Kenta rains down fists on Yuta. The ref reprimands but there’s nothing to be done when this isn’t a match yet. Kenta POSTS Yuta, but fans taunt Finlay with “Switchblade’s Better!” Yuta hits back, but Finlay fireman’s carries Moxley to SNAKE EYES off railing! Kenta RAMS Yuta into the apron, ELBOWS him in the head, and Finlay DECKS Moxley. Finlay then helps Kenta mug Yuta but the fans rally up for BCC.
Kenta stands Yuta up and Finlay CHOPS him! The War Dogs put Yuta in, the bell rings, and Kenta rains down fists! The ref reprimands about that, but Kenta lets off. Kenta stands Yuta up to bump off buckles, and then RAMS into him! And again! And again! Kenta then throws a hard body shot! Tag to Finlay and he CHOKES Yuta! The fans boo, the ref counts, but Finlay RAMS into Yuta! And again! And again and again and again! The ref backs Finlay down but Kenta gets a cheap shot in. Yuta hits back! But then Finlay smothers him and snap suplexes! Cover, ONE!! Yuta hangs tough but Finlay clamps on and stands Yuta up.
Finlay UPPERCUTS, but Yuta CHOPS! And CHOPS! Finlay pokes Yuta in the eye, then UPPERCUTS him down! Tag to Kenta, and he sits Yuta up to KICK! And KICKS! Yuta eggs Kenta on, the Yes Kicks are harder. Kenta and Yuta start trading forearms, but Kenta claws the eyes! The ref reprimands but Kenta UPPERCUTS! Kenta runs, but into an atomic drop! And ENZIGURI! Fans fire up as Yuta crawls, hot tag to Moxley! Moxley RAMS Kenta into a corner! Moxley stomps a mudhole, fires off forearms and CHOPS on repeat, then goes up to rain down more fists! The fans count to TEN, then Moxley BITES Kenta’s forehead!
Moxley whips corner to corner, runs in and clotheslines! And then he reels Kenta in, for a stalling PILEDRIVER! Cover, TWO! But Moxley just rains down HAMMER ‘N’ ANVIL ELBOWS! Fans rally and then Moxley lets off to run and- NO, Kenta blocks the Penalty Kick to KICK a leg! Moxley KICKS back, they KICK back and forth, harder and faster! Kenta gets the edge but then Moxley blocks a kick to trip Kenta for a TEXAS CLOVERHOLD! Fans fire up but Finlay BOOTS Moxley! Moxley holds on! So Finlay BOOTS him again! Moxley lets Kenta go to get in Finlay’s face, and then Yuta DECKS Finlay! But Kenta rolls Moxley up! TWO!
Moxley hits a CUTTER! Yuta drags Kenta up and reels him in, Moxley climbs a corner. The fans chant for “B C C!” but Finlay trips Moxley up! Kenta back drops Yuta away, Finlay shoves Moxley off the corner, and Kenta runs in to PENALTY KICK! Kenta drags Moxley over, tags in Finlay, and fans boo as Finlay rains down fists. The ref reprimands and counts, but Finlay BITES Moxley’s forehead now! Finlay SPITS at the crowd and fans boo. Finlay drags Moxley up to UPPERCUT! Finlay runs at the corner, UPPERCUT! BACKBREAKER! Cover, TWO! Finlay keeps Moxley from Yuta and pulls him back in a fishhook.
Finlay CLUBS Moxley with a crossface forearm, fishhooks him again, and CLUBS him back down! Finlay repeats the process, then throws up the Too Sweet. But Moxley stands to put on a SLEEPER! Finlay backs Moxley down, and Kenta grabs on with a SLEEPER! Finlay is free, and he intercepts Yuta to TOSS him out! The ref reprimands, Kenta lets Moxley go but now he has no one to tag. Finlay stomps Moxley’s hand! Finlay bends the fingers, BITES the fingers, then lets off as the ref reprimands. Moxley goes to ropes, but Finlay CHOKES him! The ref counts, Finlay lets off, and the fans rally up for Moxley again.
Moxley eggs Finlay on, Finlay pie faces him, then stands Moxley up. Moxley SLAPS Finlay, then DISCUS LARIATS! Both men are down, they crawl for their corners, hot tag to Yuta! Yuta climbs up and CROSSBODIES! Cover, TWO! Yuta DECKS Kenta for good measure before he fires off forearms and CHOPS on Finlay! Fans fire up as Yuta rains down shots in a corner! Yuta whips corner to corner, A-LIST LARIATS, then he goes up top! Finlay stands, into the FLYING LARIAT! Yuta kips up and fans fire up, and Yuta brings Finlay around. Finlay whips Yuta away but Yuta rewinds and GERMAN SUPLEXES! Bridging cover, TWO!
Finlay escapes but Yuta keeps his cool. The fans rally behind Yuta and he brings Finlay around. Wrench and- NO, Finlay slips out of the lift to waistlock. Yuta throws elbows but Finlay lifts! Yuta wheelbarrows to a victory roll, TWO! Finlay clinches, IRISH CURSE BACKBREAKER! Fans boo but Finlay drags Yuta up again to Canadian Rack, and CLIFFHANGER DDT! Cover, TWO!! Tag to Kenta and he covers, TWO! Another cover, TWO! A third cover, TWO!! Yuta is still in this and Kenta argues with the ref. The ref defends his count, so Kenta drags Yuta up. Kenta whips, Yuta holds ropes and KICKS back!
Yuta swings, Kenta spins him, and DDT! Cover, TWO! Another cover, TWO! Kenta is frustrated but the fans rally up. Kenta drags Yuta up, fireman’s carries, but Yuta fights free! Yuta shoves and DROPKICKS Kenta down! Moxley rises! Fans rally up, Yuta brings Kenta around, but Finlay has the shillelagh! The ref stops Finlay, but Kenta has his Defy Wrestling Championship! Yuta dodges the belt shot, to wrench and PAIN THRILLER! Both men are down and the fans fire up again! Kenta and Yuta crawl, hot tags to Finlay and Moxley! The forearms are fast and furious, back and forth! Moxley gets the edge, fires palm strikes, but runs into an ELBOW!
Finlay runs, but Moxley SWATS the Polish Hammer, to then SAIDO! Finlay staggers up, ducks the lariat, and T-BONE SUPLEXES! Both men are down, but they rise to go forehead to forehead. They stand, and the forearms fly again! Moxley has the edge, he flips Finlay off and runs to BOOT! Finlay returns to SPEAR! Both men are down again, and Finlay crawls his way over, tag to Kenta. Kenta goes up top to DIVING DOUBLE STOMP!! Cover, TWO!! Moxley survives but Kenta fires up! Kenta slashes his throat, drags Moxley up and fireman’s carries, GO TO- NO, Moxley lands on his feet! The forearms fly!
Fans rally, and Kenta gets CROSS COUNTER after CROSS COUNTER! Kenta roars, fireman’s carries again, GO TO- DEATH RIDER!!! Cover, BCC wins!
Winners: Jon Moxley & Wheeler Yuta, by pinfall
The better Club stands tall, and Finlay seethes as he stares Moxley down. Whatever battle is coming between Moxley, Finlay and Ospreay, it will be for the title without a name. But will it be the American Maniac, the British Assassin or the Rebel without a country that holds up that gold in the end?
NJPW World Television Championship: Zack Sabre Jr. VS Mike Bailey!
The Front Man of TMDK has been keeping season one of this title going without any delays or interruptions, but he might be up against his fastest opponent yet! Will Speedball make big changes to this title’s run? Or will his 15 minutes of fame be over before he knows it?
The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and we see who heads the Fall line-up!
The fans duel, “Let’s Go, Speedball!” “Z S J!” The bell rings, both men rush in, and Bailey gets ZSJ with a SOBAT! Bailey fires off fast palm strikes, fast kicks, but ZSJ blocks to UPPERCUT! ZJS whips, Bailey reverses, ZSJ reverses back but Bailey handsprings. ZSJ dodges, but turns around into the LIGHTNING KICKS! Bailey fires off from both sides, then ENZIGURIS! Fans fire up while ZSJ flops out of the ring. Bailey builds speed, but ZSJ is up, so Bailey BOOTS him back down! Then Bailey triangle jump MOONSAULTS! Direct hit and down goes ZSJ! The fans rally up and Bailey puts ZSJ against railing. Bailey KICKS ZSJ in the chest!
ZSJ sputters as he leans against railing but the fans rally up. Bailey whips ZSJ into more railing, then KICKS him again! ZSJ falls, Bailey stalks him, and Bailey puts ZSJ in. Bailey gives the belt a glance before going to the ring. Bailey runs but ZSJ dodges and the boot gets hung up on ropes! ZSJ trips Bailey, then TWISTS a foot! Then TWISTS the other foot! ZSJ swings Bailey around to get on the apron, and NECK TWIST! ZSJ holds on for a squeeze while slipping back into the ring. ZSJ has a DOUBLE ANKLE LOCK, but the ref counts. ZSJ lets off and fans sing “OH~ Zack Sabre Junior~!” ZSJ “apologizes” with a bow then drags Bailey to center.
ZSJ has a standing toehold, then he bends the toes! ZSJ ties the legs up, chinbars Bailey and brings him into the BOW ‘N’ ARROW! Bailey endures so ZSJ sends him flying! ZSJ flexes, fans rally up, and ZSJ brings Bailey up. Bailey throws a body shot! The fans rally again, and ZSJ cravats to snapmare. ZSJ KICKS Bailey in the back, and mocks the crane stance. But Bailey scowls as he stands. Bailey fires off a flurry of forearms, then ROCKS ZSJ! Bailey whips, ZSJ reverses and traps the arm, to TWEAK it! ZSJ whips, Bailey handsprings, but into an ARMBAR! Fans fire up as Bailey clasps hands and scrambles around!
ZSJ pulls on the arm, Bailey moves and has the ROPEBREAK! ZSJ lets go, the fans rally and duel again, and Bailey rises. ZSJ stands Bailey up, wrenches, wrenches, but Bailey clubs free to CHOP! ZSJ UPPERCUTS in return! Bailey CHOPS again! ZSJ UPPERCUTS back! That hurts ZSJ’s arm but he eggs Bailey on! Bailey CHOPS and CHOPS and CHOPS! ZSJ UPPERCUTS Bailey’s arm! ZSJ runs, but into a BOOT! Bailey goes up and MISSILE DROPKICKS! We pass five minutes, but fans rally up as Bailey rises again. Bailey aims, SOBATS, then AX KICKS! ZSJ kneels, into another KICK! STANDING SHOOTING STAR! Cover, TWO!
ZSJ is still in this but there’s still a lot of time left. Fans rally up as Bailey aims again. ZSJ sits up, ducks the buzzsaw, duck the return, but then Bailey feints the third. ZSJ lets his guard down and the BUZZSAW hits! Cover, TWO! ZSJ survives but the fans fire up with Bailey. Bailey aims again, but ZSJ ducks and rolls to get a foot! ZSJ TRIPS Bailey, but Bailey avoids the kick to kick low, snapmare and PENALTY- NO, ZSJ dodges and HEADBUTTS! ZSJ snapmares, then PENALTY- NO, Bailey ducks, kicks and snapmares, but ZSJ bridges up to snapmare back! But then Bailey bridges up to snapmare again!
ZSJ bridges up, but Bailey KICKS him! And then runs to PENALTY KICK! And then sets up to MOONSAULT KNEE DROP onto ZSJ’s knees! A double-edged save but fans still fire up. ZSJ and Bailey both clutch knees while the fans duel again. ZSJ scoots over to Bailey to kick him, but Bailey kicks back. ZSJ kicks, Bailey kicks, repeat! They each target hamstrings as they kick again and again. Both men let off, that hurts themselves more than anything. They both hobble up, and ZSJ fires UPPERCUT after UPPERCUT! Bailey roars and BOOTS! Then ROUNDHOUSE, but ZSJ dodges the roundhouse! And he goes Matrix to avoid the thrust kick!
ZSJ SLAPS Bailey, runs, but into the THRUST KICK! Bailey runs in, but ZSJ KICKS the kick! Fans are thunderous while both men sit down and Bailey clutches his leg. “This is Awesome!” and ZSJ stalks Bailey. ZSJ drags Bailey back, hooks up the legs, and then STOMPS the knees! Bailey hobbles to a corner, ZSJ runs up and knuckle locks, to pop Bailey into a KNEEBAR! And then an INVERTED FIGURE FOUR! With ANKLE LOCK!! Bailey endures, even as ZSJ TWEAKS the toes!! ZSJ then shifts to deathlock, but he wants an arm! Bailey resists, so ZSJ gets the STF! Bailey still fights forward, to the ROPEBREAK!
Fans cheer as we finally hit ten minutes! ZSJ keeps cool, and he pulls on the toes to then have a HEEL HOOK! Bailey still hast he ropes so the ref reprimands and counts. They go to the apron, Bailey holds onto ropes so they don’t fall, and he stomps ZSJ! ZSJ just shifts on the Heel Hook! Bailey sits up to SLAP! ZSJ SLAPS! They SLAP back and forth, then ZSJ gives his own stomps. Bailey eggs ZSJ on, ZSJ kicks more and more, but Bailey doesn’t budge! If anything, he leans into the shots! Bailey has the leg, steps over, and then APRON MOONSAULT KNEE DROP!! Both men fall to the floor and the fans are thunderous again!
ZSJ sputters as he rolls away, but Bailey drags himself up to the apron. Bailey goes up the corner as he sees ZSJ go tot he ramp. Bailey springboards to CORKSCREW PLANCHA!! Direct hit and down goes ZSJ! We hit the three minute warning so Bailey gets ZSJ in. ZSJ goes to a corner, Bailey runs in, TATSU- NO, ZSJ avoids Tatsumaki, but Bailey avoids the Tornado DDT! TATSUMAKI SENPU!! Bailey goes up the corner, to ULTIMATE WEAPON!!! Cover, TWO!??! ZSJ survives those knees to his back but the fans are thunderous again! Bailey aims, to KICK, but ZSJ blocks! To get a SLEEPER, then a scoop, SABRE DRIVER!! Cover, TWO?!?!?
The fans are thunderous and hope they “FIGHT FOREVER!” but we’re at the two minute warning! This is coming to an end one way or another! ZSJ drags Bailey up but Bailey RANAS! Cover, TWO! ZSJ sunset flips, TWO! Bailey high stacks but ZSJ spins, only for Bailey to cartwheel! But then ZSJ kicks the legs out and has a SLEEPER! But Bailey rolls back to a cover, TWO! Bailey has the SLEEPER, ZSJ rolls back to EURO CLUTCH! TWO?!?! Bailey escapes and both men scramble up. ZSJ KICKS, runs, but into a SPANISH FLY!! Cover, TWO!!! Bailey aims, PENALTY KCIK! Last minute, and Bailey feints the knee drop to turn ZSJ over! MOONSAULT KNEE DROP!!
ZSJ goes to a corner, Bailey runs in, TATSU- FLYING ARMBAR TAKEDOWN!!! Bailey scrambles, ends up in a Triangle Hold, but he deadlifts, only for ZSJ to drag him down! 30 seconds, Bailey stomps but ZSJ shifts! RINGS OF SATURN!! CLARKY CAT!! ZSJ tortures the fingers, stomps away, but Bailey refuses! FINAL TEN SECONDS!! ZSJ BENDS the fingers, SNAPS the pinkie, and Bailey QUITS! ZSJ WINS!!
Winner: Zack Sabre Jr, by submission (still NJPW World Television Champion)
With literal seconds left on the clock, ZSJ brings this episode to an end! Bailey’s pinkie tells the tale, will anyone ever stop The Front Man at this rate? Or will he make it far beyond the one year mark in January?
IWGP Women’s Championship: Mayu Iwatani VS Stephanie Vaquer!
The Sky Blue Hyper Technician is just the third-ever champion, and has held onto this title since April when she dethroned Mercedes Mone, and held onto it through facing Utami Hayashishita, but now she’s up against La Primera, who is already the CMLL Women’s World AND Women’s Tag Team Champion! Will Vaquer win the shootout and become a THREE-BELT champion? Or will Mayu continue her historic reign beyond 200 days?
The introductions are made, the IWGP belt is raised, and we see who has what it takes to make history!
The bell rings and the two circle. The fans rally, the two tie up, and Vaquer wrenches to fireman’s carry takeover, and then she has a double wristlock. Mayu moves around, wrenches back, but Vaquer rolls, handsprings and wrenches to wristlock. Mayu moves around, uses ropes to flip through, and then she wrenches to wrench again, then wristlock. Mayu shifts to a hammerlock but Vaquer uses her leg to hook free. Vaquer wrenches and hammerlocks, but Mayu throws elbows. Mayu headlocks, fans cheer the exchange, but Vaquer claws Mayu’s face! Vaquer puts Mayu on ropes, the ref counts, and Vaquer lets off.
Vaquer whips, Mayu rolls over the dropdown, and keeps moving to arm-drag! Vaquer avoids the dropkick but then so does Mayu! Mayu headlocks for the takeover but Vaquer headscissors. Mayu kips free, Vaquer trips her to cover, ONE! The fans cheer the standoff! Mayu and Vaquer circle, the fans rally, and the two rush in. Mayu SOBATS, whips, but Vaquer reverses. Mayu slips to the apron, schoolgirls but Vaquer rolls through, only for Mayu to basement dropkick! Fans rally with Mayu and she runs, but Vaquer pulls hair! Fans boo but Mayu gets free. Vaquer dodges to SUPERKICK! Mayu falls over and fans rally up.
Mayu goes to a corner, Vaquer runs in but into a BOOT! Vaquer comes back, puts one leg in the ropes and then DRAGON SCREWS the other! Mayu writhes, fans rally up, and Vaquer drags Mayu up. Vaquer fireman’s carries but Mayu fights to sunset flip. Vaquer stays up, to scrape soles off the face! Vaquer runs to hit the leg drop, brother! Cover, TWO! Mayu is still in this but Vaquer looms over her. Vaquer drags Mayu up, Mayu throws body shots but Vaquer wraps on a headscissors! Vaquer turns over to JAM Mayu into the mat again and again! Vaquer turns Mayu back over, ties up the legs and has a sit-down cradle, TWO!
Mayu is still in this and the fans rally up. Vaquer looms over Mayu, kicks her around, then stands her up to bump her off buckles! And again, and again, and again! Vaquer lets off as the ref reprimands, then she pushes Mayu down. Vaquer drags Mayu up but Mayu throws a forearm! Vaquer HEADBUTTS in return! That made Vaquer just as dizzy, and Mayu throws a forearm! Vaquer HEADBUTTS, HEADBUTTS and HEADBUTTS! Mayu falls against ropes, Vaquer stands on her to CHOKE her! The ref counts but fans cheer as Vaquer flexes. Vaquer scrapes Mayu’s face with her boot, then really digs it in!
Vaquer drags Mayu up, whips, but Mayu reverses to tilt-o-whirl RANA! Mayu gets running and she DROPKICKS Vaquer against ropes and out of the ring! Fans fire up as Mayu builds speed, but Vaquer GAMANGIRIS first! Vaquer steps up, springboards, and CROSSBODIES! Cover, TWO! Mayu is still in this but Vaquer keeps her focus. Vaquer reels Mayu in and tucks the arms, but Mayu fights the piledriver! Vaquer kicks Mayu low, runs, but into a SUPERKICK! Fans fire up while both women are down! Mayu rises, reels Vaquer in but Vaquer swings! Mayu gets around to SNAP DRAGON SUPLEX!
Vaquer goes to the apron and fans rally up. Mayu rises and she builds speed, to DIVE! Direct hit into the railing! Fans lose their minds as Mayu stands back up! Mayu puts Vaquer back in, then she goes to the apron. Mayu climbs up, and FROG SPLASHES! Cover, TWO!! Vaquer survives but Mayu nods. Mayu kicks Vaquer around, drags her to the drop zone again, and she heads back up. Fans rally, Mayu reaches the top to MOONSAULT! But into a TRIANGLE HOLD! Wait, it’s a FOOT CHOKE! Mayu flails inside Hell’s Gates while fans rally up! Mayu reaches out, but she’s fading! The ref checks, Mayu gets a second wind to get the ROPEBREAK!
The ref counts, Vaquer lets Mayu go at 4, and she stands Mayu up to HEADBUTT! And HEADBUTT! And HEADBUTT again! But Mayu SHOTEIS! Mayu roars, but Vaquer reels her in, GERMAN SUPLEX!! Vaquer sends Mayu flying and fans are thunderous! Vaquer goes to a corner, runs in, METEORA in the corner! High stack, TWO!! Mayu survives and Vaquer grows frustrated. The fans rally up, Vaquer tucks and lifts, but Mayu fights! Mayu slips free to ROCK Vaquer! Mayu runs, gets around the lariat, CRUCIFIX DRIVER! Cover, TWO!! Vaquer survives, but Mayu aims to SUPERKICK! But Vaquer rises up!
Vaquer shouts at Mayu, so Mayu BUZZSAWS! Cover, TWO!! Vaquer survives again but Mayu keeps her cool. Mayu drags Vaquer up, gut wrenches, and TOMBSTONES!! But Mayu isn’t done there, she goes back to the corner! Fans fire up as Mayu climbs, and MOONSAULTS!! Cover, Mayu wins!
Winner: Mayu Iwatani, by pinfall (still IWGP Women’s Champion)
And this is why Mayu is the Icon of Stardom! Mayu bests the best CMLL has to offer and holds onto NJPW’s title. Mayu does show Vaquer respect, and Vaquer accepts the handshake. Will Vaquer have to return the favor and give Mayu a match for the CMLL Women’s World Championship?
NEVER Openweight Championship: Shingo Takagi VS Trent Beretta!
Just as the Rampaging Dragon took this title off Tama Tonga in Las Vegas, he was called out by #JustTrent! Takagi doesn’t back down from a fight, but will he win the shootout? Or will Trent add this title to the Best Friends’ collection?
The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and we see if it’s truly Takagi’s time!
The bell rings and the fans rally up as the two approach. They feel things out, tie up, and Takagi powers Trent back. Trent slips around to waistlock but Takagi switches. Trent wrenches out to hammerlock, but Takagi reaches around. Takagi drop toeholds then floats to a headlock. Trent fights up to his feet, powers up and out, but Takagi runs him over! Fans applaud while Trent sits up in a huff. Takagi clamps on a chinlock, leans on the hold, perhaps aware of Trent’s bad neck. Trent fights up again but Takagi goes for the arm. Takagi wrenches, gives a quick elbow breaker, then CLUBS the arm. Takagi ROCKS Trent with a forearm!
Fans rally behind Takagi and he facelocks. Trent throws body shots but Takagi knees low. Takagi whips, Trent reverses then drops down, to jump up, METEORA! Fans fire up while Takagi flounders to a corner. Trent storms over, stands Takagi up and CHOPS! Fans “WOO~!” but Trent bumps Takagi off buckles. Takagi headbutts the buckles to fire himself up! So Trent kicks low! Trent whips, Takagi reverses, but Trent dodges in the corner to TORNADO- NO, Takagi powers out! But then Trent RANAS! And SUPERKICKS! Cover, ROPEBREAK! Trent is annoyed but the fans rally up as Takagi goes to the apron.
Trent storms over, stomps Takagi, then drags him back in. Trent CHOPS, Takagi forearms! And CLUBS and CLUBS and CLUBS! Takagi goes to scoop but Trent fights it. Trent CLUBS Takagi, ROCKS him with a forearm, then runs. Takagi ELBOWS! JABS! YUKON LARIAT! Fans fire up and Trent staggers to his feet, for Takagi to clothesline him up and out! Fans fire up with Takagi and he tells them, “TOKI GA KITA! <THE TIME HAS COME!>” Takagi goes out, drags Trent up, and whips, but Trent reverses to POST Takagi! Trent then runs in, but Takagi dodges and Trent hits railing! Fans fire up while Trent falls in a heap!
Takagi catches his breath, the ring count starts, and it passes 5 of 20. Takagi refreshes the count to then drag Trent up and SMACK him off the apron. Takagi asks if he should do it again, and fans cheer! Takagi SMACKS Trent again! The fans continue to cheer so Takagi fireman’s carries, to SNAKE EYES off the apron, kick and DDT to the floor! The ref checks Trent and he’s okay to continue, so the ring count starts again. Takagi stomps Trent, puts him in at 6 of 20, and then stands on Trent at the ropes. The ref counts as Trent suffers, but Takagi lets go of the ropes. Not the problem! So Takagi DOUBLE STOMPS Trent!
Fans rally up, Takagi reels Trent in and suplexes high and hard! Cover, TWO! Takagi pushes Trent down to elbow drop! Takagi then clamps on the body scissors! Fans rally as Trent endures the squeeze, and Trent throws elbows. Takagi BELL CLAPS back! Takagi then SENTONS! Fans rally up, Takagi brings Trent around and pushes him. Takagi JABS, Trent forearms! And again! And then CHOPS! Takagi JABS again! Trent wobbles and goes to ropes, but Takagi storms up on him. Takagi throws knees against the ropes, then he whips Trent to KNEE again! Takagi reels Trent in, but Trent fights the suplex!
Takagi turns around and he suplexes Trent, but Trent lands on the apron! Trent swings but Takagi counter punches! Takagi ROCKS Trent, HOTSHOTS, then runs, into a SLINGSHOT SPEAR! Fans fire up while both men are down! Trent drags himself around while Takagi goes to a corner. Fans rally, Trent runs in, and BACK ELBOWS! And TORNADO DDTS! Takagi flounders away and out of the ring, but Trent hurries to pursue. Trent aims from the apron, goes up the corner, and ASAI MOONSAULTS! Direct hit and Takagi hits railing! Trent stands and fans fire up with him! Trent gives the belt a glance, then moves it aside.
Trent is confiscating the timekeeper’s table! The fans fire up for that but the ref reprimands. Trent doesn’t care, he wants to bring it in. He has to untangle it from the mic, though. Then Trent CHUCKS the table into Takagi’s face! Trent puts Takagi in the ring, slides the table in, and he sets the table up in a corner. The ref says no but Trent shoves the ref! Fans are torn seeing Mean Trent here! Trent fireman’s carries, to DEATH VALLEY DRIVER through the table!! Fans fire up, they’re starting to like Mean Trent! Trent moves the wreckage out of the way, and then picks up one of the pieces! Trent aims at Takagi as he stands up!
Trent swings, but Takagi dodges! Trent tries again, Takagi blocks, and he kicks low! Takagi SMACKS Trent with the table, and again, and AGAIN! Down goes Trent and fans fire up again! Takagi goes out as Trent flops to the floor. Fans fire up more as Takagi pounds the apron. Takagi takes that piece of table, and he CHUCKS it at Trent’s face! That’s a bit of payback but Takagi isn’t done with Trent just yet. Trent is busted open, and Takagi POSTS him! Trent falls and Takagi storms up on him. Takagi drags Trent up, puts him in the ring, and calls to the ref. Cover, TWO! Trent is still in this, even with a crimson mask forming.
Takagi CLUBS away on Trent’s head, then kicks him around. Fans rally, Takagi JABS! And JABS! Trent scowls, Takagi ROCKS him with a haymaker! Trent hits back! Takagi ELBOWS! JABS! YUKON- NO, Trent gets under and around to GERMAN SUPLEX! And GERMAN SUPLEX again! What a high arc! But Takagi fights the third with elbows. Takagi breaks free, swings, but into a HALF ‘N’ HALF! Trent goes to a corner, runs back in, BUSAIKU KNEE!! Cover, TWO!! Takagi survives and the fans are thunderous! Trent blinks through the blood pouring down that left side of his face, and he storms up on Takagi.
Trent stands Takagi up, Alabama Lifts, but Takagi fights it! And turns it to a backslide! TWO! ELBOW! JAB! YUKON feint to DDT! Trent flops over, but he punches his own forehead to wake himself up. Trent goes to the corner, Takagi fires up with “OI! OI! OI!” and the fans join in. Takagi runs to the corner, to clothesline! Takagi keeps going, but Trent ducks the lariat! Trent swings, into a Gory Especial! NOSHIGAMI! Fans rally again and Takagi stalks Trent. Takagi wheelbarrows Trent to WHEELBARROW GERMAN Trent into the corner!! The ref checks Trent after that nasty impact into the buckles and ropes!
Trent is dazed but he’s still in this. The fans rally up, Takagi and Trent rise up again, and Takagi stands first. Takagi points to the sky and he drags Trent up. Takagi puts Trent on the top rope, climbs up after him, but Trent fires body shots! They brawl, Trent HEADBUTTS and SUPER SUNSET- NO, Takagi holds ropes! Takagi punches Trent away, turns around, but then Trent CHOPS! Trent CHOPS Takagi again, and Takagi wobbles atop the corner. Trent climbs up after Takagi, goes to the very top, but Takagi throws body shots! Takagi reels Trent into a fireman’s carry! And tucks the arm!? STAY DREAM!! Takagi crawls to cover, TWO!!!
Fans are thunderous as Trent survives! But Takagi again shouts “OI! OI! OI!” The fans join in, and Takagi powers up. Trent rises, Takagi pump handles, but Trent victory rolls! TWO!! Takagi escapes and fans rally again. Trent grabs Takagi by the hair but Takagi fires boxing elbows! Trent ROLLING ELBOWS! Takagi JABS, HEADBUTTS, SLIDING PUMPING!! Cover, ONE?!?! Trent is showing grit and the fans love it! But PUMPING BOMBER knocks him down!! Takagi won’t stop there, MADE IN JAPAN!!! Cover, TWO?!?! Trent survives again and no one can believe it! “This is Awesome!” as both men are down.
Takagi rises up, he drags Trent around, and he pump handles again. Trent fights the lift with elbows! Takagi LARIATS! Trent stays up but he sputters. Takagi LARIATS again, Trent wobbles, and Takagi says this is it! LARIAT! Trent roars!? Swings, but into a spin and- Alabama Lift!? DUDEBUSTER!!! Cover, TWO!!!! Takagi survives that Crunchy driver and the fans are electric! Trent and Takagi stir, both running on fumes. The fans rally up, Trent drags Takagi up to throw a haymaker. Takagi gives it back! Trent throws a forearm, so Takagi gives it back! Trent throws another, so Takagi throws another!
They stand now, and Trent throws another haymaker! Takagi staggers but he comes back to forearm! Trent wobbles, but he throws a forearm! Takagi ROCKS Trent! Trent goes to ropes, comes back, and he ROCKS Takagi! Takagi ROCKS Trent! Trent throws a forearm, Takagi fires a flurry of HEADBUTTS! Then the boxing elbows! Takagi goes all the way to TEN, but Trent gets around the lariat to backslide! Takagi rolls through, btu Trent reels him in for a GOTCH PILEDRIVER!! Cover, TWO!!! Takagi survives, the fans fire up again, and Trent huffs and puffs as he sits back up. Trent drags Takagi up, but Takagi blocks the Alabama!
Takagi CLUBS away on Trent’s back, but Trent SLAPS him! Takagi staggers to ropes, comes back, into the JUMP KNEE! Alabama Lift, but Takagi fights it to trap the arms! TAKAGI DRIVER 98!! Cover, TWO!!!! Trent survives and the fans are thunderous again! Takagi and Trent slowly rise, and Takagi reels Trent in. Trent gets up to ENZIGURI but Takagi ducks it! Takagi sits Trent up for HAMMER ‘N’ ANVIL ELBOWS! Fans fire up, then Takagi clamps on a REAR NAKED CHOKE!! Trent flails around, but ends up in the GROUND COBRA!! Trent flails, reaches out, but Takagi thrashes him! Trent starts to fade, but he gets a second wind! He kicks and kicks, ROPEBREAK!!
Takagi lets go and we’re past 25 minutes! Trent goes to the apron, but Takagi rises up. Fans rally, Takagi drags Trent up, but Trent HEADBUTTS! Takagi wobbles, Trent SLINGSHOT- NO, Takagi blocks the spears, to make it the DRAPING GTR! And then pump handle, torture rack, LAST OF THE DRAGON!!! Cover, Takagi wins!!
Winner: Shingo Takagi, by pinfall (still NEVER Openweight Champion)
Trent may not have won, but he sure showed everyone what he’s made of! But at the same time, Takagi again showed everyone what he’s made of! Takagi shows Trent respect and Trent nods, perhaps these two will go another round some day. Will Trent return to AEW ready for anything now?
As for Takagi, he gets the belt back and the ref raises his hand in victory before he gets some water to refresh himself. Then Takagi gets the mic to say, “Trent! Next time, No DQ.” Fans like the sound of that! Takagi says it’s okay, he’ll get permission. Trent nods again, and fans are really looking forward to that rematch now. Takagi then catches his breath, and the fans cheer that, too. Takagi sits up and says, “My time… is coming! TOKI GA KITA~! Thank you, guys. Thank you, everybody. I’m happy. Did you enjoy?” The fans cheer because they sure did! Takagi then says, “Actually, I love Texas. So here, my second hometown!” Fans like the sound of that!
Takagi now stands, and he says this belt, the NEVER Openweight Championship, who is next? Huh? Who’s next!? Fans cheer and Takagi points to the stage. Come on down, somebody! C’mon! Oi, oi, oi, where are they? Maybe they’re all in Japan? But Takagi promises to come back to Texas, and between Japan and Texas, it will be an amazing match! Until then, he will fly on as a Rampaging Dragon! WAIT! The lights go down and a Guerrilla of Destiny is here! And it’s Tama Tonga! The Good Bad Guy gets in the ring, picks up the mic, and he says, “Shingo, since you asked so nicely for the next challenger, you’ve got one right here.”
Last time was Las Vegas, it didn’t go Tama’s way. And yeah, that stuff eats away at him. He can’t let that go. So how about it? Tama wants his rematch. Hell, Takagi wants that rematch. Hell, the FANS want that rematch! The fans cheer to confirm! Tama hands the mic back and Takagi has everyone settle down. “Tama… Yes, of course!” So that said, from Las Vegas to Tokyo, Japan! WrestleKingdom 18, in the Tokyo Dome!! Fans fire up as a big match is made for the biggest stage in NJPW! Will the Good Bad Guy take this title back once again? Or will nothing stop the Rampaging Dragon now?
My Thoughts:
An awesome event for NJPW, the first with the new NJPW World website, but I do need to quickly say that it isn’t exactly an “improved” website. The streaming player itself is better, the website’s aesthetic is a bit more like other websites (hell, it looks almost exactly like ROH’s Honor Club). And the way they divided the show up by matches for watching On Demand is great, too, for someone who likes to skip around like I do. But in trying to skip around to the matches I want to cover, it was very glitchy, kept telling me I hit my maximum multiple streams or whatever, something they’ll need to iron out if they’re going to continue on with that format.
But of what I did cover, Yano VS Janela turning into a No DQ match was great stuff, definitely up Janela’s alley, and kudos to Yano for taking those chair spots. Unlike other promotions that might’ve given Janela a win for his debut, NJPW still had Yano go over given he has more experience not in No DQ but in being a trickster. But I’m sure Janela will still find great stories and give great matches in NJPW, maybe even getting in on the KOPW Championship to come up with some wild stipulations.
Great NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team Championship match, and I figured ELP & Leo would retain, but a really good showing for WCWC. Great NJPW Strong Openweight Championship match from Eddie VS Kojima, and I figured Eddie would retain, but an awesome showing from Kojima. Gabe Kidd attacking to stake his claim to the next challenge is good stuff, and Kidd is definitely a good fit for facing Eddie given just how much Kidd mouths off. That match is going to be scrappy and rough, and that makes for a great time, can’t wait to see it. Also awesome to hear Kidd and Ospreay are having a match in Rev-Pro back in the UK.
I wasn’t sure if I was going to cover Moxley & Yuta VS Finlay & Kenta as it’s one of those “build momentum” matches, but it turned out great and I figured Moxley would win to have momentum going into all the things he’s doing. And I did chuckle at the chant, “Switchblade’s Better,” cuz… I don’t know why, but Finlay is feeling like bootleg Jay White in this, even though he technically has the better Bullet Club henchmen while White is stuck with The Gunns. Anyway, the NJPW World TV Championship was awesome with how it pushed the time limit, but I figured ZSJ would win out there.
The IWGP Women’s Championship was a great match, but I figured Mayu would retain there, too. Vaquer is definitely a great talent and CMLL certainly felt she was worthy of two titles, but three would be one too many for anyone. And an awesome main event from Takagi and Trent, and again, I figured Takagi would retain. Trent bleeding and using a table was great stuff, and I love that Takagi wants to go No DQ for real next time. Tama coming back for his rematch is fine, that will make for a solid WrestleKingdom match that could probably go either way. Though, if Takagi got it just to hot potato it back to Tama, I’m not sure what the point was then. So personally, I’m leaning towards Takagi holding onto the NEVER title so Tama can move up to like the US/UK/whatever it’ll be title next.
My Score: 9/10
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IF YA SMELLALALALALALA~…!
As Cody Rhodes teams with Damian Priest & Braun Strowman against Solo Sikoa’s Bloodline, FINALLY, The Rock has come back to SmackDown!
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Drew McIntyre VS Jimmy Uso; Jimmy wins.
- The Miz & Carmelo Hayes VS R-Truth & LA Knight; Miz & Melo win.
- Tiffany Stratton VS Candice LeRae w/ Nia Jax; Tiff wins.
- Naomi w/ Bianca Belair VS Liv Morgan w/ Raquel Rodriguez; No Contest.
- WWE Tag Team Championships: #DIY VS Pretty Deadly; Pretty Deadly wins, by disqualification, and DIY retain the titles.
- Six Man Tag: Cody Rhodes, Damian Priest & Braun Strowman VS Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu & Tama Tonga; changed to…
- Damian Priest & Braun Strowman VS Solo Sikoa & Jacob Fatu w/ Tama Tonga; Priest & Braun win.
PLAY BY PLAY
Cody Rhodes talks with Nick Aldis backstage.
They shake hands, but the SmackDown General Manager tells the WWE Champion there’s been a change: Cody’s out of the Six Man Tag match. What? Why would Aldis do that? It is out of Aldis’s hands. Wait, Solo Sikoa shows up to do what he did, but they can’t do the Six Man Tag that they advertised? How is this out of Aldis’s hands? Who do they need to talk to so they can do the match? Aldis says there’s no one either of them can call, if you smell what’s cooking. This is coming from The Final Boss, and The Final Boss wants to see Cody in the ring tonight. What business could The Great One have with The American Nightmare?
Drew McIntyre VS Jimmy Uso!
The Scottish Terminator rubbed it in Big Jim’s face that only one of them is going to Elimination Chamber in Toronto, which Big Jim was able to brush off. But McIntyre harping on how only one Uso is going to WrestleMania was a step too far. These two look to have it out, but is Jimmy just playing into McIntyre’s hands? Or will McIntyre get embarrassed by “the other Uso” this close to that big time match?
Speaking of, Jimmy has a message for Drew as he heads to gorilla. “Everybody know you’re going to Elimination Chamber, right? But Big Jimmy got a question for the Big Easy: Will Drew go onto the Elimination Chamber and win that? Will Drew go onto WrestleMania and win that? Ey, Drew, I think we got an answer for you, Uce. The answer is…” “NO YEET!” Jimmy makes his entrance, the bell rings, and the fans rally behind Jimmy. Jimmy and Drew jaw, and then Drew raises his hands, to say UP YOURS! But Jimmy ROCKS and CHOPS away! Drew puts Jimmy in a corner, Jimmy dodges to CHOP!
Jimmy climbs and he rains down fists! The fans count, Drew dumps Jimmy tot eh apron at 5, but Jimmy GAMANGIRIS! Jimmy goes up, CROSSBODY! Cover, TWO! Jimmy hurries to CHOP, then he whips. Drew reverses to send Jimmy to the corner. Jimmy BOOTS back, goes up, and leaps, but into a clinch! OVERHEAD BELLY2BELLY! Jimmy flounders to a corner, Drew runs up to SPLASH and OVERHEAD BELLY2BELLY! Jimmy flounders again, the ref has Drew hold on, and Jimmy bails out. Drew storms out to get Jimmy and he whips Jimmy HARD into barrier! The fans boo but Drew looms over Jimmy.
The ring count starts, Drew mockingly calls him “Jey,” then puts Jimmy in the ring. Drew says NO MANIA for Jimmy. Drew stands Jimmy up, ROCKS him, then runs up, only for Jimmy to put him on the apron! Drew blocks a superkick, but not the DRAGON WHIP! Drew drops, Jimmy DIVES! Down goes Drew and the fans fire up! Jimmy grins, goes back to the apron, and then aims. But Drew stops the Penalty Kick to THROW Jimmy down! Drew then has Jimmy in the Reverse Alabama Lift! REVERSE ALABAMA SLAM onto the steel steps! Drew stands on the desk to say “NO YEET!” while SmackDown goes picture in picture.
Drew revels in the heat from New Orleans, then he leaves Jimmy behind. The ref checks Jimmy, he’s able to continue, so a ring count starts. Drew paces while Jimmy stirs. Jimmy drags himself up using the desk, then lunges in at 9! Drew is annoyed but he rains down fists! Drew stomps Jimmy, then eggs him on. Jimmy rises as the fans rally, but Drew is right on him in the corner. Drew winds up, but Jimmy counter punches! And CHOPS! And CHOPS! And whips, only for Drew to reverses. Jimmy goes up, but Drew KICKS him out of the air! Drew then hauls Jimmy up, snap suplex! Cover, TWO!
Drew says okay, Big Jim. He clamps onto Jimmy with a top wristlock and grinds the arm. Jimmy fights up, fireman’s carries, but Drew elbows free. Drew bumps Jimmy off buckles, then hauls him up to the top rope! Drew CLUBS Jimmy on the back, climbs up, then CLUBS Jimmy more. Jimmy fires elbows and Drew drops back. But Drew runs up to CLUB Jimmy again! SmackDown returns to single picture as Drew CLUBS away on Jimmy again! Jimmy keeps taunting “Jey,” then drags him up. Jimmy fights the back suplex! The fans rally, Jimmy fires hands and a HEADBUTT! Jimmy SMACKS Drew off the post!
Jimmy rises to USO IN THE WIND! Down goes Drew and the fans fire up! A standing count starts while both men stir on the mat. They both stand at 5, and Drew swings! Jimmy counter punches, then fires more shots! Mule kick, UPPERCUT, but then Jimmy dodges Drew! SAMOAN DROP! Cover, TWO! Drew is tougher than that, but Jimmy hurries to a corner. Jimmy aims as Drew goes to the other corner, “UCE! OH! UCE! OH!” Jimmy runs, but Drew FLYING HEADBUTTS! The Glasgow Kiss stuns Jimmy, and Drew hits a SPINEBUSTER! Jackknife bridge, TWO! Jimmy shows his own toughness, and the fans rally behind him.
Drew paces, then he stalks Jimmy. Drew stands Jimmy up, reels him in, but Jimmy fights the underhooks! Jimmy wrenches, UPPERCUTS, but Drew ROCKS Jimmy back! Jimmy UPPERCUTS, Drew HAYMAKERS! Drew whips, Jimmy reverses and Drew ends up on the apron! Drew ROCKS Jimmy first, then climbs the corner! FLYING- SUPERKICK! Jimmy runs to SPEAR! Cover, TWO!! Drew survives, Jimmy’s spear doesn’t hit quite like The Tribal Chief’s. Jimmy goes to the corner, climbs up, and the fans rally up. USO- NO, Jimmy rolls through as Drew moves! Drew dodges a lariat to NECKBREAKER!
Both men are down, the fans rally, and Drew kips up! Drew scowls as he aims at Jimmy. “THREE! TWO! ONE!” CLAY- SUPERKICK!! Jimmy hits first! GLASGOW KISS returns! Drew reels Jimmy in, “This is your WrestleMania! This is as close as you get!” Drew shouts Jimmy is nothing, then ROCKS him with forearm after forearm! GLAWSGO KISS! Another Reverse Alabama, but Jimmy victory rolls it! JIMMY WINS!!!
Winner: Jimmy Uso, by pinfall
Drew is furious, but his own ego caught him there! But then Drew CLOBBERS Jimmy! The fans boo Drew being a sore loser, but he puts Jimmy back in the ring! Drew rains down fists, then he DRIBBLES Jimmy off the mat! The ref reprimands, the fans boo, but Drew says that was Jimmy’s Mania Moment! Drew will win the Chamber, he will go to Mania, and he will win there! Jimmy means NOTHING to Drew! Drew puts Jimmy up against the post, then takes aim! The fans boo, but refs and producers rush out here! They swarm Drew to keep him from going after Jimmy again. Drew says fine, fine, then takes his leave.
Producers help Jimmy to his feet, but then Drew BLASTS through the refs! CLAYMORE for Jimmy!! The Scottish Terminator hits his target, then laughs as he actually leaves. Will McIntyre make this his Road to WrestleMania?
A car pulls into the parking lot.
And out steps Solo Sikoa. Solo heads inside, and he finds Jacob Fatu & Tama Tonga waiting. Solo tells them that last week with Tama, that was an accident. Jacob says yeah, it’s all good, Uce. But keep it 100: If it wasn’t an accident, Solo wouldn’t be standing here right now. Well, good! Glad to see we’re all on the same page. Solo says he will be in the corner during the match for Jacob & Tama. Uh, no, Solo, no disrespect, but Jacob & Tama have been running things on SmackDown these past couple weeks. So tonight, it’s Jacob & Solo running the play? Yadada mean? Yeah, of course. And that right there, Jacob, is exactly why Solo loves him.
Solo says he’ll be back, he has to talk with Nick Aldis. Solo heads out, but will he really just step right back into place from before he lost the ula fala?
Carmelo Hayes is backstage.
R-Truth calls out to Melo, and says for the first time ever, Truth VS Melo! What’s Truth talking about? Duh, they have a match. No, Truth, Melo knows. But they had a match last week. Truth says he has never met Melo in his life, but they have a tag match tonight. What? No, they don’t. Who even made this match? Him. Truth, they are not going through this H1M who’s on first thing again. Melo is H1M. No, him made the match. The Miz!? Miz says he’s H1M. So now there’s two of you? No no no! Melo is H1M, this is The Miz! Yeah, #MeloDon’tMiz! NO! That’s not a thing! Tonight, they are. Who’s Truth’s partner?
Truth says he’s got a guy. A Louisiana legend! In fact, he just got here, so Truth’s gotta go. Laters. Miz says he has been workshopping this, and the fans love it. Think about it: Melo Don’t Miz! Melo Don’t Miz! And we are…! Melo shakes his head. Truth steps in and says Miz just wants Melo to say, “Awesome.” Miz offers a fist bump, Melo says no. Will Melo wish he had missed tonight’s show? Or will Miz actually help H1M get another win?
Zelina Vega speaks.
“My whole life, people have taken one look at me, and they try to define me. My size has never stopped me before. It never stopped me from becoming tag team champion. Or my personal favorite, the history-making first-time-ever Queen of the Ring. That’s me. Make no mistake about it, I’ve never had it easy. I had to scratch and claw to get anything around here. But this is a fresh start. Because I have something to prove. And my dreams are a lot bigger than your measuring stick. It ain’t over until Zelina Vega says it’s over.”
The Miz & Carmelo Hayes VS R-Truth & ???
Miz makes his entrance but Melo kinda steps all over it. So he already missed his cue… But who did Truth find to team with him in the Big Easy? We’ll see, after the break.
SmackDown returns and Truth makes his entrance. “What’s up?” Well, more like who is his partner? He’ll tell us! His tag team partner is a local legend, born and bred right here in New Orleans! Ladies and gentlemen, welcome Louisiana Knight! Wait, he means L A Knight! Yes, Louisiana abbreviated is LA, but that’s not… Oh, Truth… Truth gives Knight a Po’ Boy and some Mardi Gras beads, so Knight embraces it. The teams sort out, and Truth calls out him! Does he mean Miz or Melo? Well, Melo says he is H1M, so that’s who starts. The fans cheer on Knight while Truth and Melo tie up. Melo KNEES low, whips, but Truth reverses.
Melo springboards, FADEAWAY JUMPER! Melo makes his free throw, but Truth drop toeholds! Truth headlocks, Melo powers up and out but Truth whips! Melo turns hip toss into lateral press, TWO! Truth has a ghost pin, TWO! Melo trips to cover, ONE! Truth trips to cover, ONE! Melo runs up, Truth does the splits, and then hits a BIG hip toss! The fans fire up, Truth counts, Melo gets up at TWO, but Truth was just goofing. The ref explains to Truth that he is the ref, not Truth! Melo is annoyed, he runs up on Truth, but Truth wrenches him around! Melo pulls hair but Knight tags in. The fans fire up as Knight fires hands!
Knight ROCKS Melo, whips Melo, but Melo reverses! SWINGING NECKBREAKER! Cover, TWO! Knight drags Melo up to tag Truth back in, and Truth ROCKS Melo! Melo staggers, but he refuses to tag! Truth arm-drags Melo, then grinds the arm. Melo insists he’s got this, then arm-drags free. Truth staggers up, he and Melo bump heads! Truth staggers around more, and he tags Miz?! Truth forgot The Awesome Truth isn’t a thing anymore! Again! Melo BLASTS Truth off the apron, the fans boo, but Miz tags himself in! Melo is annoyed, but Miz goes to fetch Truth while SmackDown goes to break.
SmackDown returns again, and Melo has Truth. Truth ROCKS Melo, but Melo holds onto the wristlock! Truth reaches for Knight, Knight reaches for Truth, but Melo holds on. Truth takes a swing, but into an O’Conner Roll! TWO and Melo BLASTS Knight! Truth rolls Melo up, TWO! Melo kicks low, calls his shot, but Truth suplexes for a STUNNER! The fans fire up while both men are down! Truth and Melo crawl, hot tags to Miz and Knight! The fans fire up as Knight rallies on Miz! “YEAH! YEAH!” Knight whips, Miz reverses, but Knight lEAPING LARIATS! Knight TOSSES Melo in for good measure!
Knight stomps a mudhole into Melo, “YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!” LARIAT for Miz! KNEE for Melo! Knight scoops and POWERSLAMS Miz! Knight keeps running, JUMP ELBOW DROP! Cover, TWO! Knight stays on Miz as he brings Miz up. Knight ROCKS Miz, then ROCKS him again! Knight whips, Miz grabs the ropes. Miz KICKS, then takes a swing, but into a back suplex! Miz lands out, tag to Melo! Miz ELBOWS Knight, but Knight scoops! Miz tilt-o-whirls through, Melo SUPERKICKS Knight down! cover, TWO! Knight stays in this but Melo says he’s got this! Melo waits on Knight, then leaps, but NO 48!
Knight kicks low, but NO B F T! Tag to Truth! Knight ELBOWS Melo, Truth runs in! CENA SHOULDER TACKLES! Then the SPIN OUT BOMB! Truth says it’s time! “YOU CANT SEE ME~!” truth runs for the FIVE KNCUKLE SHUFFLE! Truth then fireman’s carries, but Melo slips free! Melo shoves, Truth dodges, and Truth hits the LIE DETECTOR! Truth then gets Melo in the S T R-TRUTH! But Miz CLOBBERS Truth! Knight ROCKS Miz, then LARIATS him up and out! Knight then goes out to THROW Miz into barriers! The fans fire up again, but NAKAMURA ATTACKS KNIGHT!
The fans boo, but the sinister samurai then POSTS Knight!! Nakamura slithers away while Melo keeps the ref’s attention! Truth sees Knight is down, Melo runs up, but Truth dodges! Miz tags in, full nelson, and a FIRST 48 FINALE COMBO?!? Cover, Miz & Melo win!!
Winners: The Miz & Carmelo Hayes, by pinfall
Well, what do you know? Nakamura aside, Miz and Melo made it work! Okay, they’re both trying to hog the spotlight, but is there a future for Melo Don’t Miz? Will Knight only have more of a reason to take that title off Nakamura now?
Charlotte Flair speaks.
“The GOAT… doesn’t have to call themselves The GOAT. Now, I have crafted a legacy that no one, I mean no one, can touch. And I’m back.” The Women’s Royal Rumble Winner chose Tiffany Stratton, but will The Queen take back her throne? Or will WWE always be on #TiffyTime? Speaking of…
Tiffany Stratton VS Candice LeRae!
The WWE Women’s Champion may have gotten past Nia Jax, but now she knows Charlotte Flair is waiting for her at WrestleMania, and is going to be teaming with Trish Stratus in Toronto! Will she be in Tiffy Top Shape for that Tiffy Trishy dream match? Or will the Poison Pixie be quite the problem all on her own?
Before the match, Tiff grabs a mic while the fans cheer. Tiffy says, “I know, I know. You know it, you know it, and you know it. Ever since I won this title, everybody’s just been so obsessed with me. And last week, I had Nia Jax beat, until Candice LeRae decided to interfere and help her little meal ticket. And at Elimination Chamber, Trish Stratus and I make sure the Unstoppable Force comes to a definitive end!” The fans cheer that, but Tiff says enough about them. Let’s talk Charlotte Flair. The fans boo that name, but Tiff says Charlotte took her sweet old time, grabbed a chair, grabbed a mic, and she looked down on Tiff.
Charlotte chose Tiff as her WrestleMania opponent. In that moment, Tiff’s dream came true! And as she lied down there and looked up at Charlotte, she realized the rumors are true: No one loves to kick a girl when she’s down quite like Charlotte Flair. So at WrestleMania, Tiff isn’t coming for Charlotte’s legacy; that’s all Charlotte’s. Tiff is coming for the spot Charlotte desires the most: The number one spot as the top girl in the WWE! But here comes Nia & Candice to interrupt. Nia has a mic to tell Tiffy, “I Have to say, this is really cute. Like, it’s really cute that you actually think you were gonna beat me last week.”
Doesn’t Candice think that is cute? Candice says yes, it is so~ cute. And Tiff wouldn’t even be standing there if not for little Trish Stratus~. Exactly! And it’s even cuter that Tiff is out here talking about Charlotte when she wont’ even see WrestleMania! Because after Nia & Candide destroy Tiff at Elimination Chamber, Nia is coming back for her WWE Women’s Championship. Nia & Candice step up to the ring, and Nia says Tiff won’t even see the Grandest Stage of Them All. Tiff tells Nia to just give it up. This title isn’t even hers anymore. And once Tiff beats Candice tonight, Nia won’t have anyone to do her dirty work anymore!
Candice tells Tiffy that while they’re meant have a match right now, she and Nia are feeling impatient. Nia says they should just get rid of Tiff right now! But the ref steps in and says not gonna happen! Tiff VS Candice will, after the break.
SmackDown returns [Technical difficulties suck] TWO! Candice is frustrated but this is why Tiff’s a champ. The fans rally, but Candice stomps Tiff! Candice scowls at the fans, stalks Tiff, then brings her up. Tiff fires body shots, then she rolls Candice up! TWO, and Candice CLOBBERS Tiff! Cover, TWO, into a ghost pin! TWO! Candice escapes to hit a CODE BREAKER! Both women are down, but Candice scowls again as she crawls over to Tiff. Candice rains down fists, Nia tells fans to shut up, and Candice steps on Tiff’s face. Candice huffs ‘n’ puffs, pushes Tiff around, then scuffs her. Tiff rolls Candice up again, TWO! Candice DECKS Tiff! Cover, TWO!
Charlotte is stoic on commentary as Candice drags Tiff up and puts her in a corner. Candice fires hands, then backs off. Candice runs up to ROCK Tiff again! Candice then runs, but Tiff dodges! SmackDown returns to single picture, and Tiff rallies with LARIAT after LARIAT! The fans fire up, Tiff handsprings, BACK ELBOW! Tiff then reels Candice in for a SKY HIGH! High stack, TWO! The fans rally for Tiff, Nia coaches Candice, but Charlotte still seems nonplussed. Tiff and Candice rise, and Candice runs up. Candice puts Tiff on the apron, but Tiff ROCKS her! Tiff bumps Candice off buckles, then goes up, but Candice ROCKS her back!
Candice climbs up, and she fires hands on Tiff! Tiff fights the suplex! Tiff DECKS Candice, then adjusts position, to SANTON- FLOP! Candice ghost pins, TWO!! Tiff escapes, but Candice hits the step-up SENTON! And then a LIONSAUL FLOP! Tiff hurries to fireman’s carry, ROLLING SENTON! And then PRETTIEST MOON- NO, Nia drags Candice out of the ring! The fans boo, Nia tells them to shut up, but Tiff is on the apron! Nia swings, Tiff cartwheels over, and then she DROPKICKS Nia! Tiff Alabama Lifts Candice, to ALABAMA SLAM her into barriers! Tiff stares down Charlotte, tells her just wait for Mania, then she puts Candice in the ring.
Tiff goes to the corner, PRETTIEST MOONSAULT EVER!! Cover, Tiff wins!
Winner: Tiffany Stratton, by pinfall
Charlotte gives moderate applause, but Nia CLOBBERS Tiff from behind! The fans boo, but Nia just drags Tiff to a corner. Nia goes up, but wait! Trish is here!! The fans fire up for the legend as she rushes into the ring! Trish avoids a haymaker to CHICK KICK! Then THESZ PRESS for Candice! And then a SPINEBUSTER! Trish helps Tiff to her feet, but Nia grabs them both! Trish fires fast hands on Nia! Candice CHOP BLOCKS Trish! Tiff is still dazed, Nia HEADBUTTS her back down! Nia & Candice mug Trish, and then Nia HEADBUTTS Trish! Trish & Tiff are side by side, and Nia drags them into the drop zone! A-NIA-LATOR!!
The fans boo but there’s nothing can be done! Nia grins as she helps Candice away, will these two trash Trish & Tiff in Toronto? Charlotte steps into the ring, stands over Tiff, and points to the WrestleMania sign. Will The Irresistible Force & Poison Pixie unwittingly do the dirty work of The Queen of Flair?
Cody talks with Damian Priest backstage.
Priest asks why Cody’s boy, The Rock, is here tonight. Cody says given the time of year, his guess is as good as anyone’s. But tonight will surely be eventful. Cody congratulates Priest on entering the Elimination Chamber. Priest says what’s wild is, last year, they both walked out as champions. What sucks is that this year, only one of them can. Now, Priest is man enough and he respects Cody to say that after Chamber, he’s coming for that title. Cody says he wouldn’t have it any other way. Cody heads out, but what business does The Rock have tonight?
Braun Strowman steps in, and he tells Priest that congrats on winning, and good luck in the Chamber. But let’s be honest, Braun had Jacob dead to rights last week. If not for Solo Sikoa, things would look a lot different next week. Priest chuckles and says take it easy, he’s sounding like Drew with the excuses. But it is what it is, Priest just beat Braun to the punch. But that was last week. Tonight, Solo and Jacob, two of the baddest men in the business. Priest & Braun handling business? Oh, they’re handling business. The only business Braun cares about is getting his hands on those two. Priest says Braun definitely will.
Braun heads out, will the Monster of All Monsters and the Archer of Infamy make sure Solo & Jacob #GetTheseHands? Or will the rogues run roughshod all over SmackDown once again?
Backstage interview with Naomi & Bianca Belair.
Byron Saxton is with the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions and brings up last week’s SmackDown, the security footage led us to believe Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez were the ones behind Jade Cargill’s attack. Now, hold on, Saxton. They don’t think, Naomi knows they were. Fair enough. But this Monday, they can get their revenge when they defend the tag titles against Liv & Raquel. How ready are they for this match? Bianca says so ready! They have been waiting for months for an update. Jade has been recovering, she hasn’t been able to call or text, so the GlowEST took matters into their own hands to get revenge.
Bianca & Naomi will handle Liv & Raquel, then move on to Elimination Chamber, where one of them is gonna win to face Rhea at WrestleMania. Not only will you #FeelTheGlowEST on Monday, but Liv feels it tonight! #Let’sGLOW! The champs head out, but will they clear their Road to WrestleMania of any other distractions?
Alexa Bliss speaks.
“When I was away, there was a lot of… change that happened in me. But when I look around, I see this place is still the same. The names and faces may be different, but the desperation and insecurity remains the same. You’ll see Toronto when I turn the Elimination Chamber into something of a playground of my own. I know the Chamber. I love the Chamber. I’ve won the Chamber. And for the other five women, it’s gonna be a Hell like they’ve never experienced before. Need I remind you, this is my division, and I am in charge.” Bliss smiles and says, “See you soon.” The film comes off the reel, but will things get twisted in Toronto?
Naomi w/ Bianca Belair VS Liv Morgan w/ Raquel Rodriguez!
The Big Easy is all about having fun, and they’re fired up for Naomi’s entrance. But wait! Liv & Raquel don’t wait, they attack Bianca & Naomi while the lights are still down! They mug Naomi, but Bianca drags Liv out of the ring! Then Bianca storms in to fire off on Raquel! The fans fire up, but Liv returns to CHOP BLOCK Bianca! Raquel hauls Bianca up for a TEJANA BOMB!! Naomi runs up, fires more hands, but Liv brings Naomi around. Naomi fires hands on her, but Raquel throws her down! Liv runs up, OBLIVION!
Liv & Raquel stand tall, the refs rush out here, but clearly the singles match isn’t happening. Will we be getting something even meaner and nastier between these four on Monday?
The Rock arrives!
His truck pulls into the parking lot, but we’ll see him in the ring, after the break!
SmackDown returns and…
Aldis is chewing out Liv & Raquel for the attack. He doesn’t know what they get away with on Raw, but they can’t pull that crap here. Now get the hell out of his building. Liv & Raquel just laugh that off, but then Chelsea Green & Piper Niven walk in. Chelsea says have no fear, Chelsea & Piper are here to sub in for Bianca and Naomi at Elimination Chamber. Aldis sighs, and says they’re not missing the Chamber. What? But Chelsea had an outfit picked out! This is a travesty to not have the greatest Canadian export since maple syrup on a Canadian PLE! Does he know who she is? The first-ever, longest reigning, tallest, shortest, prettiest, richest, tannest, sparkliest, oldest, youngest Women’s US Champion! Piper asks what this is aboot, eh?
Aldis says this is them testing his patience. They need to pack their gear and whatever else they want, because they’ll be in action next week on SmackDown in Toronto. And oh, it’ll be a good one. Wait, they need more details! At least an e-calendar notification? Aldis is leaving Chelsea in the dark on what’s coming, will she absolutely hate it?
The Rock heads to the ring!
Wait, what is this New Orleans related remix? The Final Boss steps out on stage, he shows those goosebumps, then continues down the ramp, shaking hands with fans. The Rock hits his signature pose on the corner, but then takes the long way around to pick up a fan’s phone for them before going back into the ring. The fans all cheer for “ROCKY! ROCKY!” and he grabs himself a mic. He waits as the fans continue to chant his name, and then he says, “Ahh, you feel it, don’t you? You feel it. The Rock has got chills up and down his body because you know, on a Friday night, for the Final Boss to get inside his bird and fly all the way here, you know that I’m dropping some ish on you tonight!”
The fans fire up and The Rock smiles. Rock says, “Let’s get this show on the road.” The fans anticipate what’s coming but he says hold on, he’ll do it. “FINALLY! The Rock has come back…” “TO NEW ORLEANS~!” Rock smiles, and he adds, FINALLY, WrestleMania is coming back to New Orleans!! The fans are thunderous to hear that! WrestleMania 30, WrestleMania 34, and now WrestleMania 42!? Yes, next year, 2026, LIVE from the Superdome! One of the greatest cities on Earth in New Orleans, Louisiana! The pyro goes off to commemorate the occasion, and the logo is already on the tron! Rock smiles at that, then he smiles at the WrestleMania 41 Vegas logo.
The fans are losing their minds, as we now know April 11th and 12th, 2026, the Big Easy has the Grandest Stage of Them All. Rock says you damn right holy ish! Oh when the saints go marching in…! Oh how I’d love… Wait, no, this ain’t singalong with The Final Boss! Sit there, shut up, and let The Final Boss sing the song! The fans are torn, but Rock says he sings! Oh how I’d love, to be in that number~! Oh when the saints go marching in~! Okay, that’s good enough. You got him, that was a great duet. The Rock is singing with the largest collection of STD’d trailer trash he has ever seen! The fans can’t believe Rock would do that to them!
Rock says now, dropping this news wasn’t the only gift he was going to drop on us. The Final Boss came here to call somebody out. The Rock will call out a man who he respects, who he admires, and who we all admire. That man is our WWE Champion, the one and only, Cody Rhodes. The fans cheer as The American Nightmare makes his entrance! They sing along with the song, “WHOA~ OH~!” and we get Cody’s pyro before he goes to the ring. Cody gets his second “WHOA~ OH~!” and round of pyro, then he steps inside to join The Rock. The fans cheer Cody on, so he holds up the title and the fans cheer even more.
Cody grabs a mic, but Rock says, “That feels good, doesn’t it? I mean, that’s gotta feel amazing, right? They love you, man.” Cody tells NOLA, “I love you, too.” Rock says this is crazy. Pretty much no one knows this, but since after WrestleMania last year, they’ve actually become good friends. No, it’s true, they have. Last time they were together was the Raw Netflix debut. Rock gave Cody his flowers, told Cody he has carried the company like the incredible champion that he is, so thank you, Cody. Rock meant it, and that night, they went to the back, drank tequila for two hours and had a great ol’ time.
They chopped it up, had a blast, but Rock wants to call Cody out here for something important. Here’s the thing… The fans get a bit rowdy as they wait, and Rock says Cody is a great champion. A great WWE Champion. Cody knows that. Again, they’ve become good friends, so over the months, they’ve texted. Even their moms became good friends! Look! Mama Johnson & Mama Rhodes together after WrestleMania 40! It is a pleasure becoming Cody’s friend. But Rock wanted this face to face to tell him a few things. One: Cody has been a great champion, but he needs to understand. Yes, The Rock, The Final Boss, is on the Board of TKO. And TKO owns WWE.
The Rock is the Director of the Board of TKO. Don’t boo that! The Rock’s good friend, Ari Emanuel, who owns everything Endeavor, The Rock joked with Ari, “Can you believe that you own The WWE?” Ari says he doesn’t own the WWE, The Rock does. Rock said no, no, he doesn’t know if he owns the WWE. But The Rock knows he is the most powerful… Cody, you are a great champion. But Rock wants Cody to be something more. Rock wants Cody to be something more than just our champion. Rock wants Cody to be his champion. The fans don’t like where that’s going.
Cody says he did not expect them to become friends, nor their moms to become friends, nor the tequila. Cody didn’t have that on his bingo card. But becoming The Rock’s champion? The Rock of all people should know, Cody is the people’s champion. The fans cheer Cody more, and Rock says yes! Cody is their champion! Of course! The Rock is also The People’s Champion, he loves that about Cody. This is their universe, they were both born into this business. But Rock means something even bigger than just this. Rock knows Cody’s goal is to bring as much joy and happiness to everyone around the world, as many as possible.
The fans cheer, and Rock says that’s Cody. Cody is that guy, and everyone knows it. Cody is on social media, Instagram, millions of followers. Millions, and millions! The Rock has half a BILLION. That’s not a flex. But The Rock is the most followed American man in the world, that’s what he wants for Cody. Rock wants Cody to be even higher. If Cody becomes The Rock’s Champion, he will open doors to possibilities Cody never even imagined. If Cody becomes The Rock’s Champion, every dream he has ever had can come true. Every dream of Brandi’s, of their daughter’s. Think about how Rock brought them to the premiere of Moana 2, in Hawaii.
Thank you, by the way, for making that cross a BILLION dollars, fans, Rock loves you. Rock has met the Rhodes family, they’re amazing. But imagine it: Cody’s daughter’s children, their dreams, long after Rock and Cody are gone, all those dreams can come true. Rock just needs Cody to be his champion. The fans say don’t do it! Rock tells Cody to just think about it, though. Rock is a very lucky man, he has it all. Cody also has it all. They’re very fortunate. They’re Mama’s Boys, they’re Girl Dads, they’re lucky men. Fans say don’t do it, Rock tells them to shut up or he’ll slap the syphilis off their face! Rock is trying to have a moment here, shut your mouths!
The one thing that Rock has never had, that he wants more than anything, is a brother. And that is what Cody can be. Last year, WrestleMania, Rock’s goal was to face his cousin, Roman Reigns, for the title. Cody knows, the fans know. Rock talked with his friend, HHH. He talked with Nick Khan, who is his friend. They are also Cody’s friends. Rock knew it wasn’t in the plans, but they talked about moving Cody aside to make what was best for business: Rock VS Roman, WrestleMania 40! What’d Cody do? Cody pitched a b*tch fit! Cody told The Rock he ain’t doing it, and he stood up to The Rock. And y’know what else? Cody SLAPPED Rock!
No one does that and gets away with it. But that is why Cody is special. That is why Cody should be Rock’s Champion. And that is why Rock will take Cody from where he is to a level so far above. Rock will make sure every dream, every desire, for generations to come, it all comes true. Rock’s dad, Cody’s dad, Soul Man & American Dream, they are looking down right now. They were friends, Cody and Rock are friends, Cody should be Rock’s Champion. He doesn’t need to answer Rock tonight. He can think about it, talk with his wife and daughter, as will The Rock. Then Cody can think about it. Meet Rock in Toronto on March 1st to give him the answer.
Fans still say don’t do it, but Rock says it is okay. Before he leaves, this has been an amazing night, this is a hot crowd, thank you all very much. But before he leaves, Rock wants us to know this: The one thing Rock wants more than anything in this world… is that. Wait, the title? Cody’s title? The fans’ title? This is all this is about? No no no no! Brother… Rock doesn’t want the title. He wants Cody’s soul. The fans duel, “NO! NO! NO!” “SELL YOUR SOUL!” Rock pats Cody on the cheek and says see you in Toronto. The Rock leaves, giving Cody a lot to think about. Rock does give one last glance back at Cody, then smirks.
What will The American Nightmare choose: His integrity? Or his aspirations?
WWE Tag Team Championships: #DIY VS Pretty Deadly!
Did Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano got these titles thanks to Kit Wilson & Elton Prince? #YESBOY! Did they survive a couple title defenses thanks to Kit & Elton? #YESBOY! But when Pretty Deadly needed DIY, was DIY there for them? #NOBOY! So now, Kit & Elton are looking to give Ciampa & Gargano their comeuppance! Will we finally get another #SidePlateCheck? Or will Ciampa & Gargano remember for themselves, that if you wanna be champions, you gotta do it yourself?
But as DIY make their entrance, they have mics, and Johnny Wrestling tells NOLA, “Give it up one time for your TWO-TIME WWE Tag Team Champions…! The BTTITW (Best Tag Team In The World), D I Y~!” The fans boo instead. Ciampa says there is no denying that tonight has been electrifying. Gargano says this is a hot crowd. But please, if we could be somber for a second. Guys, this is serious. Two weeks ago, Pretty Deadly embarrassed DIY, and now reluctantly, DIY will return that favor by crushing their hopes and dreams of ever becoming WWE Tag Team Champions. So please, let us all rise to our feet… Yes, you in the LSU jersey, stand up.
Ciampa thanks Wade Barrett, and asks for everyone to remove their hands and bow their heads for a moment of silence for Pretty Deadly, beginning… now. The fans boo instead! And then Pretty Deadly make their entrance! The introductions are made, the belts are raised, and we see who really needed who in this broken relationship!
But then DIY jumps Pretty Deadly! The ref reprimands, DIY whip but Pretty Deadly reverses! DOUBLE DORPKICKS! Then DOUBLE LARIATS send DIY up and out! The disco ball hasn’t even stopped spinning! The fans cheer while DIY throw a fit! They regroup, cool down, and go back to the ring. Gargano distracts Elton, Ciampa CLOBBERS him, and the bell rings. But Elton fires hands on Ciampa! Elton whips, Ciampa reverses and he pulls hair! The ref reprimands, Ciampa throws Elton to the apron and KNEES him down! Tag to Gargano and he aims, SUPERKICK! Elton goes down in a heap, DIY cheers themselves on, and SmackDown goes to break!
SmackDown returns, Gargano tags in, and DIY hits the BACK SUPLEX BOMBO COMBO! Cover, TWO! Elton stays in this but Gargano tags Ciampa back in. Gargano sends Ciampa in, but Elton ELBOWS him away! Gargano runs in, but Elton puts him on the apron! Gargano goes after Kit, but Kit blocks the kick! Kit BOOTS Gargano down, but then Ciampa BOOTS Kit! Elton dodges Ciampa to come back, DOUBLE CROSSBODIES collide! Elton and Ciampa are down, sputtering and writhing, and the fans rally up. Elton crawls, Kit rises, hot tags to Kit and Gargano! Kit rallies on DIY with big forearms! Kit whips, Gargano reverses, Kit UPPERCUTS!
Kit UPPERCUTS Ciampa in a corner, then LARIATS! Kit runs to LARIAT Gargano! Kit pushes Gargano down, kicks him and hits a TWIST- NO, Gargano slips through to ROCK Kit! Kit yoyos, DOUBLE LARIATS! The fans fire up, Kit tags Elton! They get Gargano up, but Gargano BOOTS Elton! Gargano ELBOWS Kit away, then runs up on Elton! Elton dodges, then gives Kit the boost, DRY MARTI-KNEES! Cover, TWO!! Gargano survives but Ciampa is in! Elton fireman’s carries Ciampa, but Ciampa slips free! Ciampa whips, Elton reverses, Kit UPPERCUTS Ciampa! Elton shows off his strength with the GOTCH LIFT PLEX!
Tag to Kit, but IN COME THE PROFITS! Ford SHOVES Kit down, Dawkins mugs him!!
Winners: Pretty Deadly, by disqualification; DIY retain the titles
Not again! Just like they did Motor City Machine Guns, The Profits make sure no one else takes these titles off DIY! URENAGE from Ford to Elton! Dawkins keeps hammering away on Kit, and then Ford POSTS Elton! Dawkins fireman’s carries Kit, to POST him, too! Looking like the All Mighty with that one! Gargano fires forearms in return, but ends up int he POUNCE GERMAN SUPLEX! Then Ciampa runs up into a FLAPJACK! Ford goes up top, then flies in FROM THE HEAVENS!! Direct hit on Ciampa! But wait! MCMG rushes out here, wanting their payback! The Profits brawl with MCMG, but Ford TOSSES Shelley to the apron!
Ford runs up, Shelley goes to kick, but Ford blocks it! Ford LARIATS Shelley down, Dawkins hits Sabin with THE BIG ENDING! The fans are torn as Dawkins whips Sabin, Profits get him for the REVELATION!! And if there’s been any revelation, it is that Ford & Dawkins don’t just want the smoke, they want to burn down the tag division to get it! Will nothing stop them once they’re back in action?
Kevin Owens speaks.
“You got what you wanted, huh? You got your match. You couldn’t, uh… You couldn’t just take the punishment that you deserved, that I’d already given you, and let it go. No, you… You wanted me and you to go again. You wanted to fight me, you want to hurt me, you want to end my career, which would hurt my family, by the way. Which is truly despicable. But what about your family, Sami? Huh? Have you thought of them? What about your family, huh?” Kevin reveals he is right outside the Zayn home! Kevin peers inside to watch Sami, his wife, and his son!
Kevin asks Sami via the video if Sami knows what he’s about to put them through, when they have to watch Kevin end Sami’s career. And what happens then, eh? When Sami can’t provide for them, and everything they have, like this nice house, the shelter, the security, the peace they have, when it’s all gone? And why? What for? Because Sami’s too proud? Because Sami’s selfish? Sami IS selfish. Because Sami is making Kevin do this to Sami’s family. Kevin will never forgive Sami for that. He’ll see Sami in Toronto. “But remember… You asked for this. It’s all your fault.” As if Kevin’s delusions aren’t already grand, will he continue to blame everyone else but himself?
Damian Priest & Braun Strowman VS Solo Sikoa & Jacob Fatu w/ Tama Tonga!
Elimination Chamber is on the horizon, and the Road to WrestleMania makes for strange bedfellows. Priest, Braun and Jacob were fighting each other just last week, but Solo’s return really threw things for a loop. Can Priest & Braun give Solo and the Samoan Werewolf their punishment? Or will everything (not) be fine in Solo’s Bloodline?
SmackDown returns as #OneBigSOB makes his entrance. As Solo, Jacob & Tama head to gorilla, we hear from Solo. “Tonight, we handle business. And it starts with Braun Strowman & Damian-” Jacob interrupts with, “Man, c’mon, DP! C’mon, Braun! I thought we did this! So tonight, we about to even up the score. If you ain’t know, I’m all gas, no brakes with it! See, since we touched the scene, we been dropping bodies like bread crumbs! Yadada mean!? FA-TUUU~! Hit my music!” The rogues enter to Jacob’s theme, is this alone proof he’s the new alpha? Or will the match be the last nail in that coffin?
The teams sort out, but Jacob stares down both Priest and Braun. NOLA seems to acknowledge Jacob, but Solo convinces him to stand down. Solo starts against Priest, the bell rings, and the two tie up. They go around, Priest powers Solo back, but Solo powers Priest back. They break, stare down, and Solo talks some trash. Solo shoves Priest, Priest shoves back. They circle again, tie up, and Priest puts Solo in a corner. The ref counts, Priest lets off at 4, but Solo stomps Priest’s foot! Solo throws hands, then a HEADBUTT! Priest staggers, but then he ROCKS Solo! And ROCKS him! And HEADBUTTS! That was a mistake!
Solo shakes his head to HEADBUTT Priest! Priest goes to a corner, Solo throws haymakers and body shots on repeat! The ref counts, Solo lets off and says see? Solo and Jacob as one! But Priest THROWS Solo to the corner to fire off haymakers of his own! Priest ROCKS Solo, the fans fire up, and Priest whips., Solo reverses to UPPERCUT! Solo talks smack but Priest ROCKS him again! Tag to Braun and the fans fire up! Braun stares Jacob down, tells him to shove it, then runs up to SPLASH Solo! Braun stares Jacob down again, goes back for Solo, and hits another LARIAT! Braun scoops, Solo slips free, but Braun runs up!
Solo ELBOWS Braun away, tags to Jacob, and Jacob runs in, but Braun dodges! Braun CROSSBODIES! Jacob is right up, but Braun BOOTS him right back down! Solo runs in but Braun TOSSES him! Priest hurries after Solo, Braun CLOBBERS Jacob! LEAPING LARIAT for Solo! Braun then gets on the track, STROWMAN EXPRESS SMACKS a chair out of Tama’s hand! The Good Bad Guy thought he was being sneaky! But then Jacob CROSSBODIES Braun into the timekeeper’s aera! The fans go wild as Jacob rises up, and SmackDown goes picture in picture.
Jacob hauls Braun up, drags him around the way, HEADBUTTS him, then brings him over to SMACK off the desk! Braun staggers, but he ROCKS Jacob in return! And THROWS Jacob into steel steps! Braun drags Jacob up, puts him in the ring, but Jacob SUPERKICKS Braun! Braun falls into the corner, Jacob HIP ATTACKS! Jacob’s all geeked up, then he tags in Solo. Solo soaks up some heat while Jacob HIP ATTACKS Braun again! Solo puts Braun on ropes to CHOKE him! The ref counts, Solo stops at 4, but Jacob gets a HEADBUTT in! Braun flounders, Solo taunts him and eggs him on, but Braun CHOPS him!
Solo HEADBUTTS Braun right down! Solo rains down fists, then lets off so he can put Braun on the ropes. Solo CHOKES Braun again, stops as the ref counts 4, and Jacob gets another cheap shot in! Solo tags Jacob in, then he HEADBUTTS Braun again and again! Jacob runs to BODY CHECK Braun! Jacob fires up, Braun flounders to ropes, but Jacob rains down fists! Tag to Solo, he soaks up heat from NOLA, then he stomps away on Braun! The ref counts, Solo lets off, then he keeps Braun from Priest by anchoring a leg. Tag to Jacob and Jacob climbs up, FROG SPLASH! Jacob roars while Braun writhes!
Jacob looms over Braun but he glares at Priest. Priest gets heated, but Jacob fires hands on Braun as SmackDown returns to single picture. Braun stands, but Jacob HEADBUTTS him again! Jacob runs for another BODY CHECK! And then a SENTON! Cover, TWO! Braun stays in this and he goes to a corner. Jacob snarls, tags Solo in, and the fans boo. Solo runs corner to corner to HIP ATTACK Braun! Solo grins as he copies Jacob’s geeking out. Tag back to Jacob and fans cheer! Jacob aims, runs, and HIP ATTACKS! Jacob keeps going, but Braun BOOTS from below!! The fans fire up while both men stagger to their feet.
Braun SPINEBUSTERS Jacob! Both monsters are down, the fans rally up, and they crawl, hot tags to Solo and Priest! Priest fires hands on Solo, then whips. Solo reverses but Priest SHOUDLER TACKLES Solo! Priest runs to BACK ELBOW! Jacob is back, but Priest dodges to WHEEL KICK! Priest then waits on Solo, but Solo catches Priest! Priest elbows free, but Solo SUPERKICKS! But Priest JUMPING ROUNDHOUSES! Solo comes back, Priest ROCKS him first! Solo swings, but into the FLATLINER! Cover, TWO! Solo survives but Priest puts him in a corner. Priest whips corner to corner, then runs, only for Solo to put him on th eapron!
Solo takes as swing, Priest dodges and ROUNDHOUSES! Priest then knuckle locks with Solo, goes up top, and he tightrope walks for some OLD SCHOOL! The fans fire up and Priest powers up the arm! Priest runs, but Solo ducks the Comebacker! Priest fights the fireman’s carry to BELL CLAP, ROUNDHOUSE, and then he reels Solo in! But Tama is on the apron! Priest DECKS Tama, but Jacob HOTSHOTS Priest! Solo hits the URENAGE! Cover, TWO!! Priest survives and Solo is stunned! Solo snarls, looks to his taped-up thumb, then he drags Priest up. The fans boo but Solo taunts the fans now. SAMOAN- NO! Priest grabs Solo!
But Jacob runs in! Priest ROCKS Jacob, ELBOWS Solo, then he dodges, so Jacob’s SUPERKICK hits Solo! An accident just like last week’s shot to Tama, but Jacob doesn’t seem as upset by it. Priest TOSSES Jacob, then CLOBBERS Solo! STROWMAN EXPRESS CLOBBERS Jacob & Tama!! Priest brings down the straps, the fans are thunderous, and Priest grabs Solo by the neck! SOUTH OF HEAVEN!! Cover, Priest & Braun win!
Winners: Damian Priest & Braun Strowman, by pinfall
Just as Solo thought it’d be like before, he and Jacob were not on the same page! Priest is rolling towards Elimination Chamber, will this be just what he needs to go back to WrestleMania?
My Thoughts:
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Coverage
Andrew’s TNA LIVE! iMPACT! Results & Match Ratings: 2.20.2025
So the first live episode got fairly positive praise from everyone; will this continue the trend?
Filming at Full Sail seems to have set the stage nicely this week! Going into a Live episode we got Moose and The Hardy Boyz on NXT, as well as Jordynne Grace’s involvement with Steph and Giulia giving a little shine to TNA happenings since she’s newly WWE.
This episode should be interesting, we finally see Lei Ying Lee (fka Xia Li) back in action, Rascalz take on Tyson and Tyriek, Tessa should be seeing some action as well…so generally interesting happenings for the second Live iMPACT! of 2025. Let’s see how this one goes down!
No matter where @ManceWarner and @stephdelander go, @TheSamiCallihan WILL FIND THEM!
Watch #TNAiMPACT on TNA+: https://t.co/NY8HgI02kY pic.twitter.com/mXz9U7m9PL
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) February 21, 2025
Ratings:
- Tyson & Tyriek w/Wes Lee vs The Rascalz w/Ace Austin: Rascalz win via Meteora/Swanton Combo – ***
- Lei Ying Lee vs Rosemary: Lei wins via Thunderstruck – **
- NoDQ Match: Leon Slater vs JDC: Dango wins via The System help – ** 3/4
- Masha Slamovich vs Mila Moore: Masha wins via Requiem – N/A
- Elijah & Joe Hendry vs The Colons: Elijah wins via Tombstone Piledriver – *** 1/4
Results:
Oh yeah, and another Hendry concert is…cut off by a commercial, LOLTNA. First Hendry is cut off by AXSTV’s new Anime Hour bumper, and now Primo and Epico are showing up in TNA. I definitely didn’t have this on my BINGO card. The crowd starts chanting “Where’s Carlito”, which they do acknowledge and play off of well. Oh they’re using their shoot names of Orlando and Eddie now…but before they attack the lights go out and we get another guitar strum! ELIAH/ELIAS/EZEKIEL/EBENERZER/EMERY/EL VAGABUNDO – shows up to back up Hendry. Okay I can apologize away the redundant concert since it played into an Elijah debut. The crowd is immediately popping and chanting “This is Awesome” 10 minutes into the show.
Tyson & Tyriek w/Wes Lee vs The Rascalz w/Ace Austin
Treehouse bros take it to the bigger men quickly, a few fast dives, a little MCMG style tandem strikes, Tyson fires and tries to take them out but they Low Bridge him. Tyriek comes in and they try similar things but Tyriek manhandles them both and throws them out of the ring, Trey is the first one back up and Tyriek and Tyson take his damn head off with his Corkscrew Running Euro Upper. Trey finally manages to flip out of the manhandle, tags in Wentz and Wentz goes for the hot and spicy cleaning house spot. Corner to Corner Knee Lifts for both big men, a Rolling Snapmare, into a Superkick for Tyson and Standing Shoot Star on Tyriek but only for two because Wes feints like he’s going to interfere.
Tyson and Tyriek pull off a tandem Assisted Backdrop Driver, but Wentz breaks it up, Tyson gets knocked out, Wentz hits the Tornillo, Wes tries to interfere again after Trey gets perched on the corner buckle but Ace runs around and trips Wes at the last second causing him to faceplant on the apron, Trey hits the Meteora, Wentz hits a Swanton from the other side of the ring and Trey gets the pinfall victory.
It was fast paced, all gas no brakes, but it didn’t overstay its welcome, so it was pretty fun all things considered.
After the match Wes grabs a mic, complains a little but challenges them to a 6 man match as Sacrifice. So we’re THAT’S where we’re getting the expected 3v3.
Fir$t Cla$$ comes out with an entourage of hot chicks and probably influencers or something. The “First Class Penthouse” , Gabby AF, Mafiosa Valentina, and Carolina are apparently known in their own way. Gabby I know was the awful one who did something for Impact a last year and sucked, but she’s part of the Busted Open Network I believe so that’s why she’s around. Two of them look like Noelle Foley and Frank the Clown…oh they actually are. Look at that. I do love KC Navarro as the Hype Man, they have this whole set up of AJ being mad that they haven’t gotten more Tag Title shots, so TNA placated him with his own Piper’s Pit and he’s *pregnant pause* totally happy with that. He says he loved Piper and hated Hogan before it was cool.
This is actually quality content and AJ is cutting a nice promo in this segment. They introduce their first guest, the greatest performer in TNA history, many whole say he’s Phenomenal with a whole lot of style….it’s A-J-Francis.
.@AJFrancis410 is GOING OFF!
Watch #TNAiMPACT on TNA+: https://t.co/NY8HgI02kY pic.twitter.com/kGehtp9iTE
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) February 21, 2025
Lei Ying Lee vs Rosemary
Things were slow until Rosemary took her into a corner quickly, hit the Upside Down, and we get a lot of Lei trying to avoid Rosemary’s offense. Rosemary goes for a Spear in the corner and Lei forward rolls, starts connecting with a bunch of right hands, backs Rosemary into the corner, goes for 10 Count Punches, pulls her out, Airplane Spin TKO for only a two count. Rosemary tries As Above So Below, Lei shrugs it off, Rosemary tries to go after Lei anyway and eats Thunderstruck! Lei Ying Lee wins!
After the match Rosemary catches Lei on the ramp and hits the Green mist in the eyes. Match was far too short and so many of Lei’s set up moves look better than her finish. We’ve seen Kofi Kingston do it for years so it’s not bad, just the current Knockouts Division are awful and don’t take the move well.
Eric Young and the jabronis come out, EY cuts a very basic power crazed psycho kind of promo, gets the “What” chants from the crowds. EY is trying to recruit Maclin even though Maclin made his line in the sand last week. EY tries to spin it as maybe he took out Josh FOR Maclin instead of in spite of his trust. This really doesn’t seem interesting at all, but that’s probably because I hate the two Jabronis EY is with.
NoDQ Match: Leon Slater vs JDC
I really don’t have any interest in Slater. He’s got no personality beyond “flippy guy with a British accent”.
Dango immediately powders, grabs a chair and goes to swing on him but misses. So Leon is making JDC look dumb by dodging the post chop, using the chair to shield himself from a punch by JDC, and then clapping Dango’s fingers between the chair. So typical System match, look inept for the first few minutes, then take advantage of something to take over. Oh look, Leon takes too long setting up the table, Dango gets in a few pot shots, tries to whip him into the table but Leon leaps over it, and then leaps back over to clobber Dango. Dango is still trying to recover so Leon hits his over the corner post con hilo, and the crowd appreciates it but I’m not interested. Leon panders to the crowd after the big spot and then eats an X-Plex into the chair from Dango.
JDC throws Leon back in, goes for a pinfall that’s only a two and we cut to a commercial. Coming out of the commercial JDC is in control with a Kendo Stick until he isn’t, Leon counters and takes the keno stick, brutalizes Dango a few times then comes off the ropes with the kendo shot for 2. Leon goes for another table, and again, at least the crowd is receptive to this match. Leon sets it up, looks for something off the apron but Dango stops him first until he eats a dropkick to fall onto the table, Leon hits the Swanton 450 through the table on the outside. Does it look cool? Sure. Do I care about dumbass moves? Nope.
Oh thankfully the rest of The System comes out to stop the pinfall, Shield Bomb Leon through the first table, and roll him back in for Dango to win.
The Hardy Boyz come out to try and make the save, but the numbers are against them, so Oba Femi’s music hits! Oba cleans house but doesn’t get his hands on Moose, so they’re at least building the eventual clash between Moose and Oba.
The crowd starts a “Tessa, we comin for you” chant before she even starts talking. Tessa is actually playing off the crowd well, Santino’s music hits and Tessa thinks he’ll help her out with the crowd and Santino calls bullshit basically. Santino says if Tessa doesn’t wrestle next week, she’s fired and Masha’s music hits. Masha decides to step in for Tessa’s enhancement talent match.
Masha Slamovich vs Mila Moore
Jobber tries to attack Masha early but Masha stops her, rocks her and Requiem ends the match.
Masha stares down Tessa, and then Cora Jade attacks from behind and hits Jaded.
Ryan Nemeth comes out to his Abyss music remix. What will Mokuba say today? “MYYYY BIIIGG BBRROOOOTTHHHEEEEER” he repeats at least 4 times and it’s hilariously cringe. He announces that Nic will return at Sacrifice, he literally just came out to give a PSA.
Elijah & Joe Hendry vs The Colons
Hendry starts with Eddie, after a brief tie up it seems like Hendry reads the room and points at Elijah and the crowd wants him in. So Joe tags in Elijah, a little back and forth, Shoulder Tackle from Elijah, Rope Walk with Elijah lays out Eddie and a tag to Joe allows for a quick tandem knockdown, but Eddie powders as the Walking and Talking Duo hold the ring going into the final commercial break.
We come back and Hendry is bouncing Orlando off the ropes as he return a strike, but Orlando is obviously losing, eats a Euro Upper, and then gets walked around in the Stalling Suplex for posterity. Eddie tries a sneak attack but gets caught and Sack of Shit, into Kip Up, turn and then Orlando with the ambush! A few quick short cuts and an Irish Whip/Dropkick combo gives the Colons a near fall. Hendry does get locomotion variation cradles, but eats a Dropkick to stop the attempt at momentum. Orlando stays on Joe, but Joe finally starts to fire up as the crowd starts to get behind him. Euro Uppers make some space, but a Snapmare says no.
Eddie gets tagged in and a quick Leg Sweep into a Front Chancery keeps Eddie in control. As Joe tries to get back up, Eddie turns it into a Guillotine, but finally the Suplex counter connects for Hendry! Simultaneous tags! Elijah bulls over Orlando, catches a Leap Frogging Orlando with the Manhattan Drop as Orlando retreats to a corner, Stinger Splash into Spinebuster for two. Elijah tries to keep up the attacks but Orlando finds a few ways to make space, launches himself from the middle rope and eats the Jumping Knee! Eddie breaks up the pinfall, Hendry takes Eddie out and Elijah hits the Tombstone Piledriver for the win!
Overall Score: 6/10
Well there were more live hiccups than the first episode, and this felt both more epic and less epic at the same time. Elijah and the Colons debuting was a nice way to kick things off, Oba Femi showing up for the save was fantastic. There were a few decent matches, but also a lot of really short and rushed matches. Tessa played off the crowd well, but Masha really is useless on the mic. Lei Ying Lee needs to framed stronger, her matches have done nothing to show off her ability. It just proves that the Knockouts don’t know how to sell a kick to the head because they all take it in the shoulder and fall in corny ways.
Viva La Sam could be something fun if the next 3 weeks are just hand cam footage of him being like “I’m Sami Callihan and I’m gonna kick Mance Warner’s ass”, Elegance Clique getting the rematch with a stipulation is nice to see and while I like Fir$t Cla$$, that segment went a little long for a cornball swerve payoff. It’s one thing to placate the Influencer squad especially when we’ve seen Logan Paul and Ishowspeed do so well in WWE…but these are like Z Tier Influencers that no one cares about. These kind of dorks stream on Kick because they aren’t relevant enough for Twitch, not because they chose Kick over it.
So yeah, the low lights were pretty low, and the highs were a little fleeting, but at least they were pretty fun. Not a bad show, just clunky with noticeable issues and Masha shouldn’t be allowed to speak English anymore. She’s such a charisma vacuum when she’s not rambling in Russian.
About Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
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WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)
TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends
Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5
Classic POD is WAR
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Oblong Ball Foot Show: One For The Road
The Philadelphia Eagles are Super Bowl Champions! Tune in as we recap an excellent NFL season and touch on a...
Oblong Ball Foot Show: Super Bowl LIX Preview
The culmination of a season long journey is upon us. Andrew, Rey and Tunney break it all down for you...
The Front and Center Sports Podcast – NFL Conference Championships and Jimmy Butler
The Chairshot presents a new episode of The Front and Center Sports Podcast, with an NFL Conference Championship preview, and...
Oblong Ball Foot Show: NFL Conference Championships
It's Championship Sunday and the gents have you covered as we breakdown both AFC and NFC title games!
Oblong Ball Foot Show: NFL Divisional Playoffs
Rey, Andrew and Tunney catch you up on the NFL coaching carousel and breakdown the Divisional round matchups.
Bandwagon Nerds #276: Do You Style Your Moustache?
The Nerds continue their review of Season 3 of Invincible, review Captain America: Brave New World, and check out trailers...
Bandwagon Nerds #275: Master of Porpoise
The Nerds begin their review of Season 3 of Invincible and look at the latest trailers for Final Destination, Jurassic...
Mitchell’s Hyrule Puro-Resu News Report! (2/5/25)
There’s a lot going on this time around!
Bandwagon Nerds #274: Rey Cash Caught Sleeping On The Job
Tune in for another episode of BANDWAGON NERDS for your weekly fix in the world of Comics & Pop Culture!
Mitchell’s Hyrule Puro-Resu Results & Report! (1/31/25)
The Bracket of Courage!
Mitchell’s WWE SmackDown Results & Report! (2/21/25)
The Final Boss is back!
Andrew’s TNA LIVE! iMPACT! Results & Match Ratings: 2.20.2025
So the first live episode got fairly positive praise from everyone; will this continue the trend?
Mitchell’s ROH Results & Report! (2/20/25)
Anillo de Honor!
DWI Podcast #464: NXT Vengeance Day & SNL 50
NBA All-Star weekend, SNL 50th anniversary and plenty of Rasslin' talk this week on the DWI podcast.
Mitchell’s AEW Dynamite Results & Report! (2/19/25)
Phoenix is Dynamite!
Mitchell’s WWE NXT Results & Report! (2/18/25)
NXT is Absolute!
Mitchell’s ROH Global Wars Australia Results & Report! (2/17/25)
G'day, mates!
Mitchell’s WWE Raw Results & Report! (2/17/25)
Visionary VS Prince!
#TheOddity 028: One Monkey = Total Chaos
Join Dave Wortz and PC Tunney for your weekly newsletter on the ridiculous and dumb of actual headlines from around...
Mitchell’s AEW Grand Slam: Australia Results & Report! (2/15/25)
AEW goes down under!
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Podcasts7 days agoMindless Wrestling Podcast: Cena’s First Time Is Now!