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Mitchell’s WWE Raw Results & Report! (11/20/23)

Who truly runs Raw?

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Which side are you on?

Survivor Series: WarGames is this Saturday, so tonight on Raw, The Judgment Day battles Cody Rhodes’ super team for advantage!

OFFICIAL RESULTS

  • Nia Jax VS Raquel Rodriguez; Nia wins.
  • Becky Lynch VS Xia Li; Becky wins.
  • Ludwig Kaiser VS Johnny Gargano w/ Tommaso Ciampa; Gargano wins.
  • WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships #1 Contenders Fatal 4 Way: Tegan Nox & Natalya VS Kayden Carter & Katana Chance VS Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell VS Maxxine Dupri & Ivy Nile; Nox & Natty win and will challenge Chelsea Green & Piper Niven for the titles.
  • Shinsuke Nakamura VS Chad Gable w/ The Alpha Academy; Nakamura wins.
  • Men’s WarGames Advantage: Drew McIntyre VS Jey Uso; McIntyre wins the advantage for his team.

PLAY BY PLAY

Drew McIntyre is already in the ring.

Fans boo the Scottish Warrior for what he did last week, but he has the mic to say he is NOT Dominik Mysterio. he has earned the right to talk so they will listen. Everyone is feeling a certain way, they’re a little upset about it. But y’know who is most upset? HIM! McIntyre has been called a coward, a backstabber, #WhyDrewWhy, but he has been the same person this entire time! He hasn’t lied, not to Rollins, not to the fans. If you’ve been paying attention then he doesn’t have to explain himself. And if you turned on him, that’s on you and you were never really a fan so he doesn’t give a damn what you think!

McIntyre gave Jey what he never gave McIntyre when he attacked from behind: he looked Jey in the eye before dropping his arse. And Jey is probably looking for an apology for costing him the tag titles and his big moment. But McIntyre doesn’t remember one single apology to him or anyone else that Jey screwed over with The Bloodline. Fans boo and chant “YOU SUCK!” McIntyre says there must be collateral damage. Cody was part of the match, but it was on him for bringing Jey to Raw. And then on SmackDown, Cody goes after Jimmy & Solo and no one gets on him about ‘Get over!” NO! Why should they, huh!?

Y’know what Jey cost McIntyre? Clash at the Castle, the Bloodline, cost McIntyre the biggest moment of his life in front of HIS family! His family, 16 years he’s been away, sacrificing everything! Birthdays, they understand. Christmases, they understand. His nephews growing up, they understand. But that night, when McIntyre was going to beat Roman, was going to be their moment. But Jey’s family took that from McIntyre’s family! And now you start to understand. Has he lied? Does he make sense? But everyone wants to talk about the million dollar question: Has McIntyre joined Judgment Day?

We’ve watched Drew since he was 22, you should know him by now, he’s been the same person all along. Grand Rapids, yes or no, has McIntyre joined the Judgment Day? It’s hard to say with that chorus of boos, but McIntyre says they don’t know him very well. NO, he is not in the Judgment Day. But he will be on their team for WarGames, though! And why? Because Rhea Ripley gave McIntyre what no one else has given him: Jey Uso stuck in a cage! Now Jey, this is your final warning. It is on sight! He doesn’t know what Jey believes, what God he might worship, where his soul is going, but Saturday, your ass belongs to McIntyre!!

BUT HERE COMES JEY! Fans fire up as Jey stands on stage, mic in his hand. The fans chant ‘YEET! YEET!” and Jey tells McIntyre he needs to let it go. Yeah, he cost Jey the tag titles. So no more talk. How about McIntyre catches this beat down. Or rather, YEET DOWN! And if you wanna see McIntyre catch one, lemme hear ya say YEET! “YEET!!” But as if on cue, the Judgment Day appears from the crowd side. McIntyre smirks as Mami and her boys have his back, but then so does Jey’s team! Seth Rollins makes his way out, followed by Sami Zayn, and of course followed by Cody Rhodes! The fans fire up as #TeamYEET steps to the ring!

But then Adam Pearce rushes out there and says NO! They are not doing this tonight! WarGames is Saturday! And the advantage match tonight, NO ONE is fighting before! If they do, whoever throws that first punch, automatically costs their team the advantage. Is he understood? Fans boo but the teams stay put. Then two pieces of business. Firstly, as McIntyre said, he IS on the Judgment Day’s team for WarGames, that means Cody’s side needs a fifth. And they need to find them by the end of tonight. Secondly, by 9 PM Eastern, and he means that, the teams must decide who is in the advantage match for a 1v1. Understood? 1v1! No outside interference! Fair and square!

So they have an hour, the clock is ticking. Pick a member or Pearce picks for you. McIntyre steps up, sounds like he’s already decided! Fans chant “YEET!” as he stares Jey down, will McIntyre get what he wants out of all this? Judgment Day stands down per Pearce’s orders, but the clock is also ticking on Cody’s team finding that fifth man. Will Cody, Rollins, Sami and Jey be able to think of someone that they can all work with?

 

Judgment Day regroups backstage.

Finn says Cody’s side is lucky Pearce showed up when he did. Because if not, those fellas wouldn’t even be making it to WarGames! McDonagh agrees, no shot at all. But Priest tells Rhea that while he doesn’t really care for the guy, adding McIntyre to this team is good business. But as the leader of the team, Rhea should’ve really brought it up to him first so they could have discussed it. Rhea says McIntyre is unpredictable, she wasn’t even sure what his decision was going to be, but it all worked out. Did it, though? Well, Rhea thinks so. But she does understand. As the WarGames leader, she really should’ve talked it over with Priest.

That’s all he’s saying. They all just need to be on the same page. Now speaking of McIntyre, where is he? He’ll be here soon, don’t worry. Right, sure. Then while they wait, Priest wants everyone to know that he feels he should be in the advantage match. Rhea says actually, like Priest just said, the team needs to discuss this all together. They will wait on McIntyre, and then talk. Yeah, okay, whatever. Finn reminds Priest it’s like he always: just take it easy.

 

Nia Jax VS Raquel Rodriguez!

The Irresistible Force brags on and on about how she’s squashed everyone else in the locker room, even though she isn’t the Women’s World Champion. Will she continue to reestablish her dominance? Or will Big Mami Cool show her what real strength is all about?

Raw returns and Raquel makes her entrance. The bell rings and the two rush in! Raquel BOOTS Nia to a corner, RAMS into her, then RAMS again and again! Raquel lets off to just RAM again! Raquel whips to send Nia back to the same corner, and runs in again. But into an URENAGE! Nia huffs and puffs and then KICKS Raquel in the side! Nia stomps Raquel, stands over her, then dribbles her off the mat! Nia mocks Raquel’s back flex pose, then pie faces Raquel around. Nia talks trash, but Raquel throws body shots and haymakers! Fans fire up but Nia throws shots back! They go back and forth, Nia shoves, but Raquel ROCKS Nia!

Nia wobbles, Raquel POUNCES her out of the ring! Fans fire up and Raquel aims from the apron, to CROSSBODY! Down goes Nia, Grand Rapids fires up with Raquel, and she drags Nia up. But Nia shoves Raquel into the barriers! Nia fireman’s carries, to POST Raquel back first! Fans boo while Nia looms over Raquel, and Raw goes to break.

Raw returns again and Nia bends Raquel against the post! The ref counts, fans boo, but Nia lets off at 4. Raquel sputters and writhes while Nia storms back into the ring. Nia paces, then drags Raquel up. Raquel still throws body shots! Fans rally but Nia HEADBUTTS Raquel down. Fans chant “YOU SUCK!” and Nia mocks them, “I suck?” Nia clamps onto Raquel with a half nelson, but Raquel fights up! Nia uses her full weight to keep Raquel down, then she thrashes Raquel in a cobra clutch! Fans rally and Raquel fights up again, and she has Nia as a backpack! Raquel roars for the BACKPACK SENTON!

Both women are down, Raquel’s legs perhaps not holding Nia up as long as Raquel wanted. But Raquel fires up, runs at Nia and LARIATS! Nia stays up so Raquel runs again, to LARIAT! Nia is still up, Raquel runs in but Nia HEADBUTTS her down! Nia runs in at the corner, but into a RANA!? Fans fire up for Raquel as she runs in! Nia duck sone, but not the SOUTHPAW! And then the BOOT! Nia falls into a drop zone and fans fire up behind Raquel! She runs in to go up, up and TWISTING VADER! Raquel roars, the fans roar with her, and Raquel wants Nia to get up! Nia staggers up, into a fireman’s carry! But the legs and back give up!

Nia CLUBS Raquel down, then runs to SENTON! Nia grins an evil grin and then she drags Raquel to a corner. Nia goes up, but Raquel gets up under her! The fans are thunderous as Raquel wants this one! Nia holds onto ropes, but Raquel pries her away! But the legs give up, Nia HIP DROPS Raquel! And then A-NIA-LATOR!!! Cover, Nia wins!!

Winner: Nia Jax, by pinfall

Raquel tried to use her brawn but it wasn’t enough! Nia adds her to the list, will Nia be unstoppable in her return to the world title?

 

Xia Li trains for The Big Time.

The Exterminator has been sharpening her edge in the gym, beating down a punching back with Becky Lynch’s face on it. Will she tear down The Man when their grudge match comes around?

 

The Judgment Day is still backstage.

McDonagh says that with Priest as team leader in the cage, they’ve got this. Rhea tells him to shut it. Priest asks where her guy is then. But speak of the devil, in steps McIntyre. McIntyre hears Priest wants the advantage match. Rhea says yes, that is what Priest wants, and Priest is the leader for WarGames. Is there a problem? No, not for McIntyre. He was just thinking that instead of Priest, it should be McIntyre. To be clear, he doesn’t like any of them. But he despises Jey Uso. Then let Priest be clear, he doesn’t like McIntyre because McIntyre cost Priest the World Heavyweight Championship. So just take it easy, okay?

How about Priest takes it easy? No, Priest tells people to take it easy. Well, he sure isn’t taking it easy now, is he? Okay, McIntyre, fine, you want the match? It’s yours. Rhea asks if that is really what Priest wants. Yeah, McIntyre can show his worth. He can win them the advantage. McIntyre says now that is leadership. Priest tells Rhea that McIntyre better get them the advantage. Rhea smiles and says McIntyre will. But the question is, who from the other side will step up to face him?

 

WWE and Ruffles open the polls!

For the Women’s WarGames match of Damage CTRL VS Charlotte Flair, Shotzi Blackheart, Bianca Belair & Becky Lynch, it will be a fan vote across ALL WWE social media! Choose a side, grab a bag of your favorite flavor, and get ready to watch the fireworks this Saturday!

 

#TeamYEET talks backstage.

As we all saw, they know Drew McIntyre is in the advantage match. And Rollins says he knows McIntyre like the back of his hand, so he’s gonna get him again! Get him again! No, no, if it’s McIntyre, Jey is doing the same thing tonight. Yeah, but didn’t you hear him? McIntyre wants to hurt Jey! To maim him! To take him outta WarGames! And they need Jey, NEED him! Jey knows but he wants to tell Rollins this. McIntyre talkin’ ’bout family on family. You know how Jey gets down about his family. McIntyre is all Jey’s! McIntyre’s been on Jey since Jey got on Raw, Uce! Let Jey get him!

Rollins thinks, and then says, “He’s all yours.” YEET! The agreement is made, Jey VS McIntyre. Now to the other piece of business: a fifth member. Cody talked with Nick Aldis, and SmackDown’s roster is not off limits? Yes. So Sami has an idea? Oh he does. Rollins does, too. A couple even. Cody says he also has an old friend he can call. He is sure that guy will come through. But for now, Jey has to focus on the match. The team heads out, just who will this fifth man be?

 

Becky Lynch VS Xia Li!

Speaking of The Man joining WarGames, she’s looking to get spicy with The Exterminator here in Grand Rapids! Will Becky make it through a grudge match with a dangerous opponent? Or will Xia force Charlotte and team to find a new teammate?

Raw returns and Xia makes her entrance, and we see Lyra Valkyria in the crowd. Xia has a shot at Lyra and the NXT Women’s Championship tomorrow night, will Xia build momentum here? The bell rings and fans rally as Xia and Becky circle. They tie up, go around, and Becky pushes Xia, but Xia puts Becky in a corner, The ref counts, Becky shoves Xia back and the fans rally. The two approach, Xia knees low, headlocks, but Becky powers out. Xia runs Becky over and Becky checks her head. She might still be rattled from a few weeks ago. Xia runs, Becky stays low but Xia rolls over and wags her finger. Things keep moving, and Xia CHOPS Becky!

Xia runs up, Becky ducks the kick to trip and Oklahoma Roll! ONE, but Xia sweeps to cover. TWO as Becky goes Matrix to slip free! Fans cheer as things keep moving, and Becky CHOPS in return! Becky then arm-drags Xia, arm-drags again, and Xia goes to a corner. The fans fire up with Becky as she runs corner to corner, but Xia dodges! Xia runs up to step up and ELBOW! Xia then brings Becky out to clinch, but Becky fights the lift! Becky clinches, Xia slips free but then Becky TOSSES her out of the ring! Fans fire up and Becky paces. Xia stands, Becky runs and WRECKS her with a dropkick!

Fans fire up as Becky aims, FLYING FOREARM from the apron! Xia flounders, Becky drags her up and into the ring, but Xia bails out the other side. Becky storms out after Xia but avoids a boot! Becky ROCKS Xia, SMACKS her off the apron, and puts her in. Xia runs up but Becky KICKS her! Xia blocks a kick to ROUNDHOUSE Becky down! Becky falls to the floor and Xia nods as Raw goes to break.

Raw returns and Xia has Becky in a Camel Clutch! Becky fights up, arm-drags free, and then runs up. Xia clinches, but Becky JAWBREAKERS free! Xia runs in, Becky sends her into buckles! Becky fires forearms, Xia ROCKS Becky back! They throw shots back and forth, but Becky gets the edge with a flurry! Becky UPPERCUTS, SOBATS, and runs, dodges, and CLOBBERS Xia! Xia goes to a corner, Becky runs in, forearm smash! And BECKSPLODER! Xia flounders, Becky covers, TWO! Xia grits her teeth but so does Becky as she keeps cool. Grand Rapids fires up for Becky as she rises, and she drags Xia by an arm!

Xia fights and moves around, then trips Becky into ropes! Xia KICKS Becky in the back, YANKS the ropes to send Becky down, and now Xia runs, LION’S BARRAGE! Cover, TWO! Xia is frustrated, the fans rally for Becky, but Xia reels Becky in. Becky fights the back suplex to shove, clinch and- NO, Xia slips free and shoves! Becky rebounds to kick low! And then BUTTERFLY SUPLEX into an ARMBAR! Becky has that arm, Xia flails and reaches out, and then clasps hands! Xia rolls Becky up, TWO! Becky blocks a kick, dragon sleeper, but Xia knees free! Torture rack and a spin, NECKBREAKER! Cover, TWO!!

Becky survives and Xia is beside herself! Grand Rapids is thunderous for Becky as she drags herself up in a corner. Xia runs in, but Becky puts her on the apron. Xia blocks a punch to bump Becky off buckles, then she has a SLEEPER in the ropes! The ref counts, Xia lets go at 4! Becky flops forward and Xia climbs up! But Becky ROCKS her first! Becky climbs up after Xia, but Xia throws hands! They brawl, Becky CLUBS away and fans fire up again! Becky stands Xia up, to SUPERPLEX! Becky crawls to a cover, TWO!! Xia survives and Becky can’t believe it! Becky stands and gets the fans all fired up!

Becky clinches, but Xia arm-drags free! HEEL KICK!! Becky flops against ropes, Xia DUMPS her out! Xia wants a knockout or count out, something like that! The fans still rally for Becky and the ref checks. Becky is conscious but is she able to stand? Becky drags herself up with the desk, so Xia goes out after her! But Becky ducks that kick to POST Xia! Both women are down now and the ring count starts! We’re already at 5 of 10 but neither woman is up. They stir at 8, jump up and in at 9.5!! Fans fire up as Becky and Xia glare at each other. They throw forearms back and forth, faster and faster and faster! The fans are loving it!

Xia shoves, spins, but Becky ducks in time! Clinch and MANHANDLE SLAM!! Cover, Becky wins!!

Winner: Becky Lynch, by pinfall

That was one wild fight, and perhaps Xia bet too much on her own kicks. Becky used that to get the better of Xia, will Becky and her team be ready for WarGames? Will Xia be able to recover in 24 hours and take down Lyra?

Wait, speaking of WarGames, here comes Damage CTRL! Bayley, Iyo Sky, Dakota Kai, Asuka & Kairi Sane all swagger up to the front row, but wait! Bianca, Shotzi & Charlotte are here, too! And they DUMP DMG CTRL over! The fans fire up as a new brawl begins, continuing where SmackDown left off! Becky has Bayley, Pearce brings security! Fans boo and say “LET THEM FIGHT!” Becky TOSSES Bayley out of the ring, Shotzi & Charlotte mug Iyo but Kairi helps Bayley up. Charlotte and Bianca stand with Becky, and Shotzi joins them shortly after. Will this spillover prove who is worthy of the advantage via the Ruffles fan poll?

 

Giovanni Vinci finds Ludwig Kaiser backstage.

Vinci asks if Ludwig is ready, and Ludwig can’t believe him. Nothing is alright and Vinci knows it! Ludwig doesn’t appreciate Vinci trying to get on Gunther’s good side by interfering in that match last week! Vinci tells Ludwig that Vinci is going to do what is best for Imperium. And Gunther liked Vinci’s move last week. And whatever Gunther says is good is good for Imperium. So that’s what he will do. Ludwig gets mad now, but calms himself down. Der Ring General made Vinci Ludwig’s responsibility, so what Ludwig says goes! And Ludwig says Vinci will stay in the back while Ludwig takes care of Gargano. Understood?

Vinci nods and Ludwig heads out. But is the Impeccable German about to get himself in trouble against Johnny Wrestling?

 

Ludwig Kaiser VS Johnny Gargano w/ Tommaso Ciampa!

Raw returns as Gargano is in the ring, the Sicilian Psycho by his side. Ludwig now makes his entrance, a bit more swagger in his step with the spotlight all on him. The bell rings and the two circle. They tie up, Ludwig powers Gargano to a corner, but lets off. Gargano avoids the cheap shot to throw hands. Ludwig swings again, but Gargano CHOPS! Ludwig headlocks, Gargano powers out but Ludwig whips and runs Gargano over! Ludwig dusts himself off and stalks Gargano to ropes. Ludwig puts Gargano in a corner to CHOP! Ludwig snapmares to then stomp Gargano, and he swaggers around again.

Ludwig drag Gargano up, CLUBS him, and has Gargano in the corner again. Ludwig ROCKS Gargano with a right, then whips Gargano corner to corner. Gargano goes up and over, keeps moving, and he dodges Ludwig to shove, sidestep and RANA! And DROPKICK! Gargano wrenches an arm, hits an ELBOW BREAKER, and then wrenches again. Ludwig chinbars to turn Gargano around for a throat chop! The ref reprimands but Ludwig ROCKS Gargano in a corner. And CHOPS! Ludwig goes corner to corner, blocks Gargano’s boot, and shouts “NEIN!” But Gargano ENZIGURIS! Ludwig wobbles, Gargano runs at him in the corner now, but Ludwig puts him up top!

Ludwig GAMANGIRIS Gargano and Gargano wobbles up top! Ludwig climbs but Gargano ROCKS and CHOPS him! Ludwig hops down, Gargano FLYING RANAS! Ludwig ends up on the apron, Gargano DROPKICKS him to the floor! Fans fire up with Gargano as he builds speed, to DIVE into an UPPERCUT! Ludwig still shakes out some stars, but he UPPERCUTS Gargano down! Fans boo Ludwig but Ludwig dusts himself off as Raw goes to break.

Raw returns again and Ludwig throws down punches on Gargano on the apron. The fans rally for “JOHNNY WRESTLING!” and Gargano fights back! Gargano CHOPS, and ROCKS, and CHOPS again! Gargano fireman’s carries but Ludwig slips into the ring to chinlock! Gargano turns around to RAM into Ludwig! Gargano slingshots, “NEIN!” UPPERCUT! Gargano flops back down, Ludwig drags him up and has him against ropes to then run side to side. But into a SLINGSHOT SPEAR! The fans fire up and Ciampa pounds the apron. The fans rally, Gargano rallies on Ludwig! Gargano gets around, roll up and KICK!

Ludwig bails out, Gargano DIVES! Direct hit at the ramp! Fans fire up and Gargano puts Ludwig in the ring. Gargano slingshots, but Ludwig catches Gargano! Gargano still sunset flips, but Ludwig sits on it! TWO and Gargano completes the sunset! TWO, Ludwig sits up into a BUZZSAW! Gargano goes up a corner, takes aim, FLYING COMPLETE SHOT! Cover, TWO!! Ludwig survives but Gargano keeps cool. Gargano storms after Ludwig, has him up top, but Ludwig throws hands! Ludwig shoves Gargano away, Gargano comes back to block a kick but not the KNEE! And the LARIAT!! Cover, TWO!!

Fans fire up and Ludwig is stunned! The fans rally for “JOHNNY WRESTLING!” but Ludwig aims from the corner. Ludwig runs in, but Gargano ELBOWS him! And then baits him in for another roll up, only for Ludwig to block that kick! But Gargano avoids a kick in return, and ENZIGURIS! Gargano runs, but into the tilt-o-whirl SLAM! Cover, TWO! Ludwig grows frustrated, but he paces around. Ludwig waits on Gargano to stand, then clinches, but Gargano slips free! ROLLING ELBOW! ROLLING ELBOW! Gargano runs, ducks ‘n ‘dodges and tilt=o-whirls, LA MYSTICA! Fans fire up as Ludwig sits up in a daze!

Gargano runs in, but Ludwig catches him! ROLLING DEATH VALLEY, to the PENALTY KICK! Wait, Vinci is out here? Ludwig is upset because this is against direct orders! Vinci says his distracting on Gargano saved him a second ago! But then Gargano GAMANGIRIS! And slingshots, ONE FINAL BEAT!! Cover, Gargano wins!!

Winner: Johnny Gargano, by pinfall

Vinci has an “I told you so” look on his face, but now Imperium is 1-1 with DIY! Will this come down to a tag team match to settle things once and for all?

 

Raw shares footage from earlier tonight.

As always, Chelsea Green & Piper Niven are complaining to Adam Pearce. Chelsea says NO WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion should ever have to share a locker room with non-champions. It’s disgusting! The stench of losers is literally rubbing off on their titles, they cannot take it. But Natalya & Tegan Nox walk over to ask Pearce when they’re getting their shot at taking those said tag team titles off Chelsea & Piper. Oh, these two? First off- Kayden Carter & Katana Chance interrupt Chelsea’s complaining to point out that Natty & Nox haven’t even teamed up yet. They deserve a shot first. Pearce says that’s a good point.

Chelsea laughs at KC Squared thinking they deserve anything, either. But then Indi Hartwell & Candice LeRae step in, and Indi says they are a REAL tag team! When are they getting a shot? Chelsea gets upset again so Pearce shouts them all down. Everyone gets their opportunity to earn a shot, okay? Indi & Candice, Natty & Nox, Carter & Chance! But then Maxxine Dupri & Ivy Nile walk in, and Pearce cuts Maxxine off. Where they wondering if they’d get a chance? Then YES, they do, so now it’s a Fatal 4 Way! Ivy says they were really gonna ask about- SHOOOOSH! This is perfect, thank you, Adam. Okay, Fatal 4 Way #1 contender’s match! HAPPY MONDAY!

Chelsea starts again, “First off, I’m gonna have a talk with Nick Aldis about this.” Pearce tells her to tell him hi from Pearce. Chelsea storms up with Piper, Pearce needs a drink. But who will be toasting a big win here tonight? We’ll find out, after the break!

 

Rhea and Dom talk backstage.

Wait, what the hell are these two doing in Judgment Day’s room? Zoey Stark & Shayna Baszler are on the couch! Zoey says sup, Rhea? They heard so much about the clubhouse, they wanted to check it out. Shayna stares Rhea down, and says she’s seen enough. Shayna heads out, and Zoey says here we are again. Rhea’s so focused on everything else, except the one thing she should be focused on: Zoey. But to be fair, this is all really nice what they did. The decorations, the toys, the knick-knacks. The one that really sticks out is the Women’s World Championship. Zoey wants Rhea to take a long hard look at it, because come Survivor Series, the belt comes home to Zoey.

Rhea says most people wouldn’t survive pulling a stunt like this. But Rhea kinda respects it. But Zoey gets her beating at Survivor Series. Zoey smiles and says good. It’s just how she wants it. Zoey heads out, will Mami make The Hunter become The Hunted?

 

WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships #1 Contenders Fatal 4 Way: Tegan Nox & Natalya VS Kayden Carter & Katana Chance VS Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell VS Maxxine Dupri & Ivy Nile!

The Hot Mess & Scottish Viper are watching from commentary as all four teams are gathered, fighting for their shot. Who defies the 25% odds to go for the gold?

In this Fatal 4, only two teams are legal at once, so the Queen of Harts steps against the Diamond Pitbull. They tie up, Natty headlocks but Ivy powers out. Natty rolls, Ivy by passes but Natty blocks a hip toss, only for Ivy to block back! Ivy spins Natty to a backslide, TWO! Natty kicks low, brings Ivy over, and tags in Nox. Natty snapmares, Nox runs to PENALTY KICK! Cover, ONE!! Nox tags Natty back in, they bring Ivy around but Ivy wrenches to kick, KICK and whip Natty tot he corner. Ivy runs in to JUMP KICK! Tag to Maxxine, they bring Natty around to roll her up, TWO! Natty gets Maxxine for an armbar, but Maxxine rolls her up, TWO!

Natty wrenches, tells Maxxine to shoosh, but Maxxine rolls, bridges, handsprings and headlocks! Then a spin and drop toehold a la Gable! She then stands to say “A THANK YEW~!” But Natty waistlocks! Maxxine elbows free, reels Natty in, and goes to her corner to tag Ivy. Ivy waistlocks to O’Conner Roll, TWO! Ivy runs in but Natty spins her, RUSSIAN LEG SWEEP! Natty has the legs, steps through, but Ivy BOOTS her away! Indi tags in off Natty to scoop Ivy but Ivy slips free to shove. Ivy tilt-o-whirls and sunset flips, but Indi stays up. Indi scoops Ivy to SLAM her! Fans cheer as #IndiWrestling then puts Ivy in the ropes.

Indi UPPERCUTS, tags Candice, BOOTS Ivy, and then Candice storms up. She and Indi combine, reverse wheelbarrow for an assisted SPLASH! Cover, TWO! Ivy stays in this but Candice facelocks. Fans rally, Ivy fights up, and she fights to a waistlock. Kayden sneaks a tag, Candice snapmares Ivy and DROPKICKS her, but then Kayden storms in. Candice RAMS Kayden, Kayden BOOTS back, and Katana tags in. Katana ROCKS Candice, Kayden tabletops her, and then KC Squared wheelbarrow back suplex SPLASH! Cover, TWO! Indi is a half step late on that, but KC Squared still send her out of the ring!

Kayden tags back in, and she gives Katana a MONKEY FLIP SENTON into Candice! Fans fire up but Natty & Nox stop KC Squared from flying! KC Squared elbow free of the waistlocks, then whip Natty & Nox out! Now Katana gives Kayden a knuckle lock boost to FLY out onto the group! But Natty drags Katana out to join her! Ivy CLOBBERS Natty! Maxxine goes up!? Fans fire u as Maxxine CROSSBODIES the whole group! “A THANK YEW~!” Craziest of all, Chelsea is speechless as Raw goes to break!

Raw returns as we get hot tags from Candice to Katana and Nox to Natty! The Queen of Harts rallies on KC Squared, and she spins Katana to a POWERSLAM! Cover, TWO! Natty dodges Katana to springboard sitdown! But Katana fights the step-over! Natty scoops to a MICHINOKU DRIVER! Cover, TWO! Natty hauls Katana up top, climbs up after her, but Kayden runs in. Nox UPPERCUTS Kayden, then joins Natty. They have Katana but Ivy adds on! DOUBLE POWERBOMB! Katana stayed safe somehow, and Kayden SUPERKICKS Ivy down! Kayden sets Nox & Natty up in the drop zone, then helps Katana get up higher! HANDSTAND SPLASH!! Cover, everyone else breaks it!

The fans are all fired up as all eight women are down again! Indi drags herself back up, TOSSES Maxxine, Ivy TOSSES Candice. Ivy rushes Indi, Indi avoids one kick but not the ENZIGURI! Nox HEADBUTTS Ivy! And reels her in to GOURD BUSTER Ivy onto Indi! But Kayden wheelbarrows Nox, victory rolls and SUPERKICKS! But Candice is up top to MISSILE DROPKICK Kayden! Piper is loving the carnage as Katana DROPKICKS Candice! Natty trips Katana and has the SHARPSHOOTER!! Katana endures, reaches out, but Ivy BULLDOGS Natty! Ivy drags Katana over, has Maxxine tag in off her, then Maxxine dodges Nox!

Maxxine scoops Nox to SLAM her! And scoop SLAM again! Maxxine swivels a la Otis, and then hits the CATERPILLAR ELBOW! Chelsea can’t even as Maxxine then snap suplexes and bridges! TWO!! Nox escapes in time and fans fire up! Maxxine drags Nox up, sends her in, and then SPLASHES! Ivy tags, she runs in to JUMP KICK Nox down! Maxxine tags back in, Ivy and Maxxine double suplex! And they double kip up! “A THANK YEW~!” Maxxine & Ivy then coordinate and go to corners. But Natty YANKS Ivy down! Nox catches Maxxine to roll through, NOX & NATTY WIN!

Winners: Tegan Nox & Natalya, by pinfall (NEW #1 Contenders to the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships)

Chelsea is the most upset she could be about this result! She says she never agreed to any contenders, but she’ll have no choice but to face the Welsh Firecracker & Queen of Harts. Will she rely on Piper to see them through?

 

Gunther hears his team arguing.

Der Ring General frowns as he storms over and the two pipe down. Explain yourselves. Ludwig says his responsibility, Vinci, was told to stay away so he could do his job. It was going great! He was beating that little chump Gargano- Gunther stops him there to say Ludwig never listens. Ludwig asks what that’s supposed to mean! He- Gunther shouts Ludwig down and explains this to him. Gunther really thought Ludwig could uphold the prestige of the group. But he is disappointing Gunther. Gunther commends Vinci on his initiative. And it gets him thinking… Maybe he put the wrong man in charge.

So now, Ludwig can watch Gunther humble Miz and learn a thing or two. For now, they both can stay in the back. Gunther continues on and Ludwig goes back to arguing (quietly) with Vinci. Will the WWE Intercontinental Champion truly lead by example in his face to face meeting with The Miz?

 

A ref leads Adam Pearce to another commotion.

This time, the Raw Men’s Tag Division is arguing! New Day is in the middle of everything with DIY, Indus Sher, Imperium, The Creed Brothers and Alpha Academy. Xavier Woods is glad Pearce is here now. We all saw earlier how the ladies got their shot at tag titles, so what about the gentlemen? Yeah, what about us?! But New Day are 11-time champs. Yeah, well how’re they supposed to get to 12 then? Pearce says they’re all reading his mind, but they can’t do this tonight. What? Why not?! Time constraints. But next week, they can ALL enter Tag Team Turmoil, winners getting their shot at the Undisputed Tag Team Championships.

Everyone cheers and Tozawa holds up the Detroit Lions NFL Legacy title as he shouts “LET’S GOOOOOO~!” Then he swivels the hips. Tozawa, that’s naaaasty! Pearce has an aid get this news to Aldis. The assistant nods and heads out, but Nick Aldis says no need. He’s here! Oh, good. Then let’s have a conversation. Yes, lets. The GMs are face to face, what will they discuss?

 

The Miz heads to the ring!

The Hollywood A-Lister knows Gunther is big, bad and brutal, but he could still take that title away and become WWE’s most decorated Intercontinental Champion ever. We see what Miz and Gunther have to say to each other after the break.

Raw returns and Miz has a mic to say that before Gunther comes out here to suck the life out of the arena, he wants to talk about one word that Miz feels embodies what this industry is all about. Something Miz strives for everything he comes out here, and that word is “respect.” Respect for the WWE superstars that step inside this ring, respect for the part the fans play, from booing to cheering. And respect for every person in the WWE locker room, and that brings Miz to Gunther’s lack of respect for what Miz has done. But then Gunther interrupts with his entrance! Gunther swaggers his way to the ring and steps inside.

Gunther smirks at Miz as he then gets himself a mic. Gunther tells “Mike” that he has to clarify something. It isn’t that there’s a lack of respect. Gunther just has zero respect for Miz. And Miz doesn’t understand that this sacred ring is for fighting and competition. Miz is just an entertainer. Miz says Gunther says that like it’s a negative. Yeah, Miz is an entertainer, he is proud of it. Miz is a WWE superstar who gets the job done inside the ring and out! Just like all the superstars that Miz grew up loving! They were larger than life, like “Macho Man” Randy Savage, oooh yeah! “Ravishing” Rick Rude, “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig, “The Heartbreak Kid,” Shawn Michaels!

Fans cheer those names, and Miz says when Bret “The Hitman” Hart would walk down the aisle and give a kid his sunglasses, Miz would wish he was that kid. Those men all held that Intercontinental Championship, so Miz strived, learned, and battled for 20 YEARS so he could even hope and pray to hold the same title as his heroes. And the reason we still talk about those men, the reason those men are remembered is because they’re not a one note robot like Gunther! Gunther chuckles, and he gives Miz that. He is very entertaining, and Gunther is amused by him. Oh well let Miz “amuse” Gunther even more!

Miz will paint a picture: Miz has been to the top of the mountain and has been knocked down time and time again, only to rebuild himself, reinvent, adapt and change. That is what makes an entertainer immortal. That is what elevates the legacy of that title! Miz will do whatever it takes to survive, whatever it takes to win, because that The Miz! Gunther? We don’t know much about you. Here, you haven’t been at the bottom. And we won’t really know who Gunther is until he hits that bottom. And then and only then will we find out if Gunther deserves Miz’s respect, if he deserves the fans’ respect.

And when Gunther hits the bottom, will he climb up? Or will he be just another cog in the machine with no personality to invest in? Understand that this Saturday at Survivor Series, if Gunther doesn’t respect Miz now, he will beat it into Gunther! And then Miz will be a NINE-TIME Intercontinental Champion! Fans fire up for that one. Gunther smirks again and says Miz wants to talk big, that’s fine. Here is Gunther’s point of view. Everyone here in this arena, and everyone watching at home, thinks on Saturday, Gunther faces The Miz: 20 year career, two-time WWE Grand Slam Champion, future Hall of Famer.

But Gunther wants to give us his perspective. He sees through Miz. Who Gunther really faces on Saturday is someone just like everyone else in this audience here. “Little Mike Mizanin, some little weirdo that got bullied in high school because he idolized all those heroes he just named.” And when Miz graduated, he pursued a career to become a WWE superstar, and finally got to meet all his heroes. And they bullied him, too, to make him understand he does not understand in this sport! Fans boo but Gunther grins. It’s the truth! And so here we are, 20 years later, and things haven’t changed. Miz still does NOT belong here!

Miz still does NOT belong in Gunther’s ring! The only place Miz belongs is behind those guardrails with all the other weirdos that are just like him! Fans boo, and some start a “USA! USA!” chant. Gunther says that’s the smallest form of self-identification. He just told us we are all weak, simple and insecure, like Little Mike. So in conclusion, Gunther thinks Miz hasn’t been bullied enough. Gunther pushes Miz. “You wannabe, do something!” Gunther pushes Miz more, eggs him on, and even pie faces him! Gunther tells Miz to stand up for himself! Fans cheer Miz on, and Miz throws hands! Fans fire up as Miz fires off, but Gunther BOOTS back!

Gunther stands over Miz, picks the belt back up, and then sits Miz up. Have a good look at this! Miz will not- MIZ LOW BLOWS! Fans fire up as Miz smooths his suit and tie out. Miz then says MASSIVE BALLS! SKULL CRUSHING FINALE! Miz holds up the belt over Gunther now! The fans cheer, will the Most Must-See Superstar make this the most must-see title match in Survivor Series history?

 

Rollins talks with Jey backstage.

Rollins wants Jey to know he meant no disrespect earlier. Jey wants McIntyre, fine, but they need the win in this. Jey knows how important the advantage is in WarGames because Jey was in WarGames. Jey knows how to win WarGames. So go out there, take down McIntyre, get that advantage, and come back in one piece. Jey says he’s got you, Uce! YEET! YEET! Rollins nods, and heads back out. Will Main Event Jey be war ready for the Scottish Warrior?

 

The Viking Raiders speak.

Sarah Logan calls out “Big” Bronson Reed. “If you put your hand in a wolf’s mouth, you will get bitten!” Ivar says he has weathered the storm of Bronson’s Tsunami, and here he stands! Bronson angered the Norse gods, disrespected Ivar, and now the gods demand a battle! Ivar says in one week’s time, the Earth will shake! Ivar challenges Bronson! A battle of behemoths is coming, will Bronson survive Ragnarök?

 

Shinsuke Nakamura VS Chad Gable w/ The Alpha Academy!

The King of Strong Style defeated The Stamina Monster, and then he chopped down the tree trunk. Now, still seeking the one that will unlock Nakamura’s true form, he takes on the coach of Alpha Academy. Will it be a perfect 3-0 sweep? Or will Gable finally SHOOOOSH Shinsuke?

Raw returns and Gable makes his entrance, the full Academy behind him. The bell rings and Gable circles with Nakamura. They feel things out, Gable waistlocks but Nakamura drops and rolls. Gable facelocks, gator rolls, and then waistlocks again. Nakamura fights up, pries the hold and reaches out, but Gable SLAMS him down! Gable rolls with Nakamura, but Nakamura fights back up. Nakamura pries free, rolls, and wants the arm! Gable stays on his feet, Nakamura avoids a Penalty Kick but Gable arm-drags! And arm-drags again! Nakamura headscissors, Gable kips free but Nakamura KNEES low!

Nakamura KICKS Gable, then storms up on Gable in a corner. Nakamura stomps and kicks Gable, throws some knees, then lets off. Nakamura stomps Gable more, then gives him BAD VIBRATIONS! The ref counts, Gable stands to have the leg! And DRAGON SCREW! Fans cheer as Gable aims, and he runs in, but Nakamura pops him up top! Nakamura CHOPS Gable, GAMANGIRIS, and then storms back up. But Gable has the HANGING ARMBAR! Gable lets off at 4, sits back up and leaps, but Nakamura gets under. Gable rolls and then copies Nakamura’s “C’MON~!” Nakamura is annoyed, he runs in, but into an EXPLODER out of the ring!

Fans fire up with “A THANK YEW~!” Gable aims from the apron, runs in, and CANNONBALLS Down goes Nakamura, “A THANK YEW~!” The Academy is all standing tall as Raw goes to break.

Raw returns and Nakamura rises. Gable runs, but into a kitchen sink knee! Nakamura storms up on Gable, puts him on the top rope, and mocks “A THANK YEW~!” to hit the TOP SHELF KNEE! Cover, TWO! Gable hangs in there but Nakamura clamps on with a chinlock. Nakamura grinds Gable down, but the fans rally behind Gable. Gable fights up, powers Nakamura back and throws body shots. Nakamura knees low, fires off a strike fest but Gable dodges to fire some of his own! And a throat chop! Nakamura swings but Gable mule kicks! “SHOOOOSH~!” Gable runs, to ROLLING NECKBREAKER! Cover, TWO!

Gable grows frustrated but he waistlocks Nakamura. Nakamura fights the deadlift and he RAMS Gable into a corner! Nakamura fires off elbows, lets off as the ref counts, then runs in. Nakamura blocks Gable’s boots, puts him in the ropes, KICKS and runs, SLIDING GERMAN! Gable flounders, Nakamura aims from the corner, and he goes up for a FLYING KNEE! Cover, TWO! Gable stays in this and Nakamura gets mad now. Nakamura drags Gable up in a sleeper, then INVERTED EXPLODER! Gable lands on his feet! Gable ducks ‘n’ dodges and picks the ankle to an ANKLE LOCK! Fans fire up but Nakamura BOOTS Gable away!

Gable kicks back, has a crucifix lift, for a CLIFFHANGER DDT! Gable hurries up top, to DIVING HEADBUTT!! Direct hit and Gable covers, TWO!! The Academy is surprised but the fans fire up! Gable snarls and he paces around. Gable wants Nakamura to stand up, and Nakamura slowly rises. Gable reels Nakamura in, but Nakamura fights the O’Conner! A buckle pad goes flying! Nakamura victory rolls, TWO! Gable ducks one kick but not the WHEEL KICK! Fans rally for Gable but Nakamura aims! “YAO~!” KIN- NO, Gable gets around to GERMAN SUPLEX! Bridging cover, TWO!! Gable still holds on, but Nakamura fights!

Nakamura wrenches free, but Gable just full nelsons! DRAGON SUPLEX!! Gable brings down the straps and the fans are thunderous! Gable drags Nakamura to the drop zone and goes up! MOONSAULT but into BOOTS! Nakamura stands, INVERTED EXPLODER! Nakamura roars, aims from the corner, “YAO~!” KIN- NO, Gable trips Nakamura to an ANKLE LOCK! Nakamura flails, reaches out, but Gable drags him back! Nakamura moves around, reaches out more, and he rolls! Gable stumbles, and watches out for the bare buckle! Nakamura shoves him, Gable still stops himself, but Nakamura full nelsons! Gable drops, Nakamura sits on the victory roll, NAKAMURA WINS!

Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura, by pinfall

The buckle never made contact, but the fear of it was all Nakamura needed to win! The King of Strong Style has taken down the Academy from top to bottom, but will he find that key to unlock his full potential?

 

McIntyre heads to gorilla.

The Judgment Day is there to see him off. McIntyre tells them he doesn’t need them out there, so don’t even bother. Priest says that’s good, because they weren’t offering. Okay, they’re on the same page. But then Rhea tells McIntyre to get that advantage, and good luck. McIntyre says he won’t just get advantage, he’ll take Jey out for good. McIntyre heads out, and Priest says he better do it. Will Rhea’s deal with McIntyre pay off for everyone? That main event finally happens up next!

 

Bronson Reed speaks.

“Ivar, you have the audacity to challenge me. Just remember, last week, I wasn’t the one that backed away and had my witch lady fight my battles for me. You are not a true warrior. You are a cosplayer! And next week, challenge accepted! Your long boat won’t survive the crashing waves of The Tsunami, and you won’t survive Big Bronson Reed!” Will Nashville have to brace themselves for these forces of nature?

 

Sami and Rollins both see Jey off at gorilla.

They hype him up, saying he’s got this! Yeah, he’ll handle business! YEET! Jey heads out, then Cody steps in. Any luck in getting the fifth member? Rollins says no, not a one. Sami says his guy won’t be able to, either. Nothing for Cody, either? Oh no, his guy picked up. We’re in business. So “he” is in? Oh, he’s in. He’s in! They’re all fired up, but just who is it Cody called?!

Men’s WarGames Advantage: Drew McIntyre VS Jey Uso!

With McIntyre waiting, Jey makes his entrance. The bell rings and fans rally up as the two stare down. Jey and McIntyre step up, and Jey says “YEET!” The hands start flying! They go back and forth, Jey throws body shots then haymakers, then he UPPERCUTS! Fans “YEET!” with every shot, then Jey whips. McIntyre reverses, Jey stops himself, and he UPPERCUTS again! Jey storms up to whip but McIntyre reverses. Jey goes up but McIntyre KICKS him outta the air! McIntyre storms up on Jey, rains down fists, then he stomps Jey down. Jey flounders, McIntyre stalks him to ropes, and McIntyre pulls Jey against ropes!

McIntyre CLUBS Jey with a crossface haymaker, then he stalks Jey to another corner. Jey throws body shots, he backs McIntyre down, and fans “YEET!” again. Jey ROCKS McIntyre, whips him, but McIntyre reverses. McIntyre then CLOBBERS Jey, covers, TWO! McIntyre seethes, he drags Jey around to then STOMP down! Jey flounders, McIntyre snarls, and fans boo as McIntyre stalks Jey to ropes. McIntyre whips but Jey ducks ‘n’ dodges, then TOSSES McIntyre out! Jey DIVES and down goes McIntyre! Fans fire up with Jey, “YEET!” and Jey fist bumps some fans. Jey drags McIntyre up, whips and POSTS him! McIntyre is writhing while Raw goes to break.

Raw returns and McIntyre stomps away on Jey in a corner! The ref counts as McIntyre digs his boot in, but McIntyre lets off at 4. McIntyre storms back up on Jey, drags him up and CHOPS him in the corner! McIntyre rips the Yeet shirt away to CHOP! Jey fires off forearms in return! Fans “YEET!” but McIntyre throws Jey to a corner. McIntyre fires hands, whips again, but Jey reverses. Jey runs in, but McIntyre puts him on the corner. McIntyre runs back in but Jey GAMANGIRIS! Jey goes up to CROSSBODY! Cover, TWO! McIntyre is still in this but Jey keeps his cool. Jey sees McIntyre go outside so he builds speed again!

Jey DIVES, but into a HAYMAKER! McIntyre drags Jey off the apron to then haul him up and RAM him into the barriers! And then the apron! And back to the barriers! McIntyre looms over Jey, drags him back up, and puts him in the ring. McIntyre then puts Jey against the post to dig his boot in! The ref counts, McIntyre lets off at 4, and fans boo as McIntyre storms up to the apron. McIntyre glares at Jey, soaks up the heat from Grand Rapids, and then waits on Jey. Jey slowly rises and McIntyre says this is what he deserves. “Win stupid games, win stupid prizes.” The fans rally for Jey but McIntyre sits him up.

McIntyre says Jey knows what he did, so this has been a long time coming. But Jey SLAPS McIntyre! Jey kicks, McIntyre blocks but the DRAGON WHIP comes around! Both men are down, but Jey crawls to the apron. McIntyre stands and storms his way over, but Jey RAMS into him! Jey RAMS again, then RAMS again! McIntyre sputters as he falls back, Jey slingshots but McIntyre GLASGOW KISS HEADBUTTS! Jey falls to the floor and McIntyre storms out after him. McIntyre drags Jey up, scoops him, and aims for the desk! SWINGING SLAM over the desk! McIntyre says now that was a yeet! McIntyre has a sinister grin as Raw goes to break.

Raw returns once again and McIntyre staggers. He runs in at Jey but Jey goes up and over, McIntyre POSTS himself! Fans fire up and Jey catches his breath. McIntyre returns but Jey counter punches him! And again! And again! And again and again and again! Jey puts some stank on this one, and he ROCKS McIntyre! Jey whips, McIntyre reverses but Jey slips free of the scoop to mule kick! And UPPERCUT! Jey dodges McIntyre’s lariat to then SAMOAN DROP! Cover, TWO! The fans rally up as Jey stands back up. But McIntyre fireman’s carries! Jey slips free, dodges and McIntyre ends up on the apron. Jey runs in, but McIntyre DECKS him!

McIntyre goes up a corner, Jey stands, and Jey avoids McIntyre’s leap! Jey runs in, but McIntyre hits a NECKBREAKER! Both men are down, but McIntyre huffs and puffs and kips up! Fans fire up and McIntyre aims as Jey goes to a corner. The countdown is here! “THREE! TWO! ONE!” SUPERKICK from Jey!! Cover, TWO!! McIntyre survives and Jey is beside himself! Jey goes to the apron, climbs a corner, and the fans fire up. But McIntyre trips Jey up! McIntyre drags Jey off with underhooks, FUTURE SHOCK!! Cover, MCINTYRE WINS!!

Winner: Drew McIntyre, by pinfall (Judgment Day has the WarGames advantage)

McIntyre gets the job done for Judgment Day, and look who is out here now! Rhea is here to cheer McIntyre on as he beats Jey down! McIntyre TOSSES Jey out of the ring, then clears off the desk! McIntyre hauls Jey up, reels him in, but Jey fights free! Jey fires off uppercuts, McIntyre ends up in the ring, and Jey grabs a chair! But Priest CLBOBERS Jey first! Jey gets mugged 5v1, but here comes Jey’s team! Cody has a chair, as does Rollins! They dodge McIntyre, clothesline him out, and the chairs JAM up Judgment Day! And SMACK them down! The fans are thunderous as Judgment Day is sent reeling!

Team Yeet stands tall with all their chairs, but then Cody gets a mic. “I’m so glad that you guys have got the advantage. I’m so glad you have a star the caliber of Drew McIntyre with you, because we are not alone. We found a fifth member. Somebody that I have a legacy with. Y’know who I’m talking about, right? Why’re you looking at me like that? You’re looking at me like I’m prey. We’re not prey! Did you not know with us is the Apex Predator?! Matter of fact, I think all these people know who it is, too!” The fans are thunderously chanting, and Cody says that’s right! You’re not just hearing voices inside your head!

Because these people here tonight, they’re right! McIntyre dares The Viper to show himself, but Raw goes off the air! If it really is Randall Keith Orton, then will he be sure to strike outta nowhere this Saturday?


My Thoughts:

An awesome Raw, especially for a go-home. For one, they didn’t just stuff this with recaps and promos, and they didn’t just focus on Survivor Series, they also made sure to build things for the Raw After Survivor Series. Solid promos from Ivar and Bronson Reed, though I kinda wished their match had a stipulation on it. Great promos from all the tag teams, both the women and the men, setting up tag title stuff. Great Women’s Tag Fatal 4, with a great showing from all teams but especially Maxxine & Ivy in their first outing together. But I also figured Natty & Nox would win this given how this story with Chelsea & Piper has been going.

Tag Team Turmoil is going to be wild, too, with those six teams going in it. And with Judgment Day defending the titles against The Street Profits this Friday as part of the SmackDown go-home, anything could happen. We could see Street Profits coming out on top to be the champs again, and they with Lashley could show up on Raw to take on any of these teams and it’d be an awesome feud. But I’m confident that Imperium isn’t winning, and not just because they’re Heels while the tag champs would be Heels no matter what. It’s because things are falling apart as Ludwig keeps ending up the disappointment in Imperium, as we saw after he lost to Gargano and then again got chewed out by Gunther. But at the same time, feels like DIY won’t win because they need to settle things with Imperium.

Gunther and Miz also had a great segment, though I do feel Miz came at Gunther from the wrong direction. I haven’t had a problem with anything in Gunther’s personality or promos, his personality is that he embodies the serious side of pro-wrestling rather than the flashy side like Miz and those legends he namedropped. But Miz still delivered perfectly, Gunther’s side of things was some hard hitting stuff, calling Miz a weirdo and all. But great little brawl, and Miz standing tall to end makes the go-home math favor Gunther now, which is what I figured anyway. But Miz will give him a great match both on spots and story beats.

Great match from Nia VS Raquel, good story of Raquel trying and failing to use power against Nia’s size. Awesome match from Becky VS Xia, awesome showing from Xia but Becky winning makes sense given she’s in WarGames. And great move to have DMG CTRL and Becky’s team show up for a brawl. I’m okay with the women staying at 4v4, as I’m not really sure the men needed to go to 5v5. Xia goes into the NXT Women’s Championship match with a loss, but I didn’t expect Xia to beat Lyra anyway. And good promo from Zoey and Shayna with Rhea to build to the title match. Zoey still doesn’t feel likely to win but she shows guts for getting in Rhea’s face.

Awesome match from Nakamura VS Gable, clever thinking of having the bare buckle affect the outcome without anyone running into it. Can’t wait to see who Nakamura goes after to finally mark as the opponent he feels will bring out his best. Feels like it could be Cody Rhodes, or someone that isn’t Seth Rollins on that Face WarGames team. Great stuff out of all that, too, from McIntyre’s opening promo that brings everybody out to how Pearce has them save it all for the main event and Survivor Series itself. The men going to 5v5, whatever, they wanna parallel last year as well as the traditional 5v5 Survivor Series match as much as they can.

McIntyre being on Judgment Day’s side but not in the group is a good move, though, because he doesn’t fit them, doesn’t need them, and is his own kind of Heel. Great promos from the groups to address this stuff, like the tension between McIntyre and Judgment Day, namely Priest. And good stuff from Team Yeet teasing the possibilities (Sami calling Kevin probably, not sure who Rollins pictured), and after an awesome main event with McIntyre winning, it is the perfect situation for bringing Randy Orton back. He can be the final man entering the match, preserving that back for as long as they can, and this probably means the Faces win.

My Score: 8.8/10


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Coverage

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

It’s Draft Day!

Published

on

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

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

OFFICIAL RESULTS

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

PLAY BY PLAY

Backstage interview with Paul Heyman.

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

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

 

SmackDown throws it to the NXT Performance Center.

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

 

Corey Graves is in the ring.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Triple H is here!

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

Winners: Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee, by pinfall

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

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

 

Bron Breakker VS Cedric Alexander!

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

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

Winner: Bron Breakker, by pinfall

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

 

Nick Aldis heads out.

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

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

 

Michelle McCool and Torrie Wilson are here!

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

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

 

The Bloodline arrives backstage.

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

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

 

Kayla Braxton is on stage.

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

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

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

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

 

The Dudley Boyz are here!

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

No Contest

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

 

B-Fab and the Street Profits meet up backstage.

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

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

 

The Final Testament speaks.

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

 

Teddy Long and JBL are here!

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

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

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

 

Backstage interview with Nick Aldis.

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

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

 

Cody Rhodes VS Carmelo Hayes!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Winner: Cody Rhodes, by pinfall

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

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


My Thoughts:

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

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

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

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

My Score: 8.8/10


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

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

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

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

Ratings:

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

Results:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#1 Contender: Frankie Kazarian vs Josh Alexander

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

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

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

ASH by Elegance vs Xia Brookside

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

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

Sami Callihan vs The Good Hands

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Overall Score: 6/10

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

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


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