Coverage
Mitchell’s WWE Raw Results & Report! (12/11/23)
C M PUNK! C M PUNK!
Look in my eyes~, what do you see? CM Punk’s free agency!
He returned at Survivor Series, showed up on Raw, SmackDown, and even NXT Deadline! Where in the WWE will CM Punk choose to sign full-time?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Drew McIntyre VS Jey Uso; McIntyre wins.
- Rhea Ripley VS Maxxine Dupri w/ Ivy Nile; Rhea wins.
- Bronson Reed VS Ivar w/ Sarah Logan; Bronson wins.
- Kayden Carter & Katana Chance VS Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell; Carter & Chance win.
- Six Man Tag: Imperium VS #DIY & ???; DIY & The Miz win.
- Cody Rhodes VS Shinsuke Nakamura; Nakamura wins.
PLAY BY PLAY
Drew McIntyre VS Jey Uso!
After what the Scottish Warrior did to him last week, Main Event Jey isn’t waiting until the main event! This is about to explode, who will be left standing when the smoke clears?
Before the match, Jey gets the mic while fans chant “YEET! YEET!” Jey welcomes us to Monday Night Raw, and he’s got his YEET back! He’s excited about that, for real. But he’s also excited for CM Punk being in the building, and tonights Punk decides if he’s Raw or not. But if y’all wanna see Punk be Raw, lemme hear ya say “YEET!” “YEET!” They’ll gain a real one of he do. But we also lost a real one. Jey’s dwag, Sami Zayn, get well soon. Fans chant for “SAMI! SAMI!” Jey says it was by McIntyre’s hand, though. McIntyre went after Sami, went after Rollins and Jey after a hell of a main event last week.
But if you ask Jey, McIntyre ain’t being honest. His actions show different. He’s two-faced. But now McIntyre’s face to face with the Yeet Master! And tonight, he about to get got! But here comes McIntyre! McIntyre has the mic but fans boo as he stands on stage. McIntyre says, “Alright, enough of the arse kissing, Jey. Don’t you think that locker room is in a rough state with you in it? Adam Pearce, please hear me right now and trust me, let him go. Nick Aldis, you can have him on SmackDown, cuz trust me, we do not want CM Punk in that locker room! He will destroy this place from the inside out!
“Oh, I’m sorry, you acrtaully know him?” McIntyre has traveled with Punk, he knows how the story ends. But for now, this is about Jey. The fans chant for “CM PUNK! CM PUNK!” McIntyre says Rollins deserved what he got. But Sami, Jey might have a point. MciNtyre knows Sami is at home, and maybe MciNtyre had a little to do with why. Sami did run his mouth a lot, talked bout McIntyre’s afmily. But McIntyre let Sami with one leg. So he’s sorry. SEE? That’s an apology! Not a good one but still! So you wanna keep booing him like he’s wrong?
Cleveland, imagine if you can someone hurt a family member of yours, they hurt you, your mom, dad, brother, sister. Woudn’t you want revenge? Imagine they never apologized. Now be honest, wouldn’t you want to take revenge on them? For a few of you, the truth will set you free. Guys, get a shot of this kid. He doesn’t care, he’s a coward! Aww… McIntyre tells he’s had enough of Jey’s half-arsed apologies, stupid made up word and this bouncing crap and it’s all forgiven? Jey says it ain’t like that. And clearly, McIntyre can’t dance. But if you wanna see McIntyre catch this YEET Down, lemme hear ya say “YEET!” “YEET!!”
The bell rings and Jey fires haymakers! Fans fire up with “YEET! YEET!” Mcintyre shoves Jey, Jey dodges and then clotheslines McIntyre up and out! Fans fire up with Jey, and McIntyre is furious while Raw goes to break.
Raw returns and Jey counter punches McIntyre! And again! Fans “YEET!” with every shot, then Jey whips. McIntyre reverses, Jey stops himself and UPPERCUTS! McIntyre kicks low, CLUBS Jey, and then drags him up to TOSS him out! Jey is on the apron, he GAMANGIRIS! Jey climbs up, leaps and CROSSBODIES! Cover, TWO! McIntyre scrambles to a corner Fan srally for Jey and he runs up to whip. McIntyre reverses, then runs in to kick Jey down! McIntyre rains down fists, Jey guards but McIntyre still hammers away! Fans boo but McIntyre watches Jey. McIntyre deadlift suplexes Jey away!
Fans rally for Jey but McIntyre storms up on him. McIntyre stomps Jey, looms over him, then talks trash. McIntyre stomps Jey again, and says he doesn’t wanna just win, he wants to hurt Jey. Fans rally for Jey but McIntyre paces. Mcintyre swings, Jey UPPERCUTS! And again! And again! “YEET! YEET!” Jey CHOPS, whips, but McIntyre reverses and CLOBBERS Jey! McIntyre drags Jey up and puts him in a corner, to CHOP! Jey sputters and drops to his knees, but McIntyre has him in the ropes for a punch across the face! Jey flops to the floor but McIntyre goes out and runs in, but Jey dodges! McIntyre flies onto the desk!
Jey gets in the ring, builds speed and DIVES! Direct hit and down goes McIntyre! The fans fire up again while Raw goes to break.
Raw returns again and Jey trips McIntyre up on the top rope! Jey throws hands and fans “YEET!” with each shot. McIntyre falls back, but then sits right up to SPIDER SUPLEX! Fans fire up while both men are down! The ref checks both men but McIntyre rises up first. McIntyre snarls and storms over while fans rally for Jey. McIntyre drags Jey up, Jey counter punches again! And again! And again! “YEET! YEET! YEET!” Jey pops ‘n’ locks and UPPERCUTS! But McIntyre hits a GLASGOW KISS! Then he runs in, but is put on the apron. McIntyre ROCKS Jey, climbs up, then FLYING- NO, Jey dodges!
Jey mule kicks, drops and UPPERCUTS! McIntyre swings, Jey dodges and SAMOAN DROPS! Cover, TWO! McIntyre survives but Jey keeps his cool. McIntyre goes to a corner, Jey goes to the opposite. Fans rally up as Jey says “UCE! OH! UCE! OH!” Jey runs in, but McIntyre dodges the hip attack! McIntyre stands, dodges, NECKBREAKER! Both men are down, but then McIntyre kips up! Fans are torn and McIntyre takes aim. “Three! TWo! One!” SUPERKICK first! And then another SUPERKICK! Jey hurries to a corner and climbs up! USO SPLASH onto KNEES! McIntyre reels Jey in, FUTURE SHOCK! Cover, TWO!!
Fans are thunderous and McIntyre is fuming! McIntyre unties a buckle pad while the ref is checking Jey! Fans boo but McIntyre is willing to go to any depths to win this! McIntyre waits on Jey, CLAY- SPEAR!! Cover, TWO!! Jey is shocked but McIntyre survives! The ref then sees the bare buckle, and McIntyre CLAWS Jey’s face while the ref was busy with the pad! CLAYMORE!! Cover, McIntyre wins!
Winner: Drew McIntyre, by pinfall
If this is The Scottish Warrior’s true self, then he’s been a snake the entire time! But McIntyre still takes the win, is he not going to stop until he’s World Heavyweight Champion?
Shinsuke Nakamura speaks.
“Cody~. Cody~. Cody. I have watched you, week after week, time after time, talk about finishing your story. Yet you are no closer. You are a dog chasing a car. As great as you are, you are not enuogh. And never will be. You say you don’t respect me. That is your weakness. You strive for the admiration of others. I freed myself from that burden long ago. I draw my own destiny. I paint my own story. Shinsuke Nakamura has been reborn thanks to you, Cody. But now, I will bring your story to an end. I am the real nightmare. Always remember, you asked for this.”
The Judgment Day is in their clubhouse.
And no one is happy. Finn Balor tells McDonagh & Dom to listen up. He and Rhea aren’t here for one week, and they let the wheels fall off! McDonagh wouldn’t say it’s that bad, but Finn tells him not to back talk. Rhea tells JD to shut up. R-Truth continues to break into the clubhouse! Yeah, lock the doors, will ya? And then Dom & JD lose to the Creed Brothers. And it is a sensitive subject and all, but her Latino Heat lost his North American Championship at Deadline! Damian Priest says Dom losing that title does suck. People not showing up, that sucks. Clearly things haven’t been going their way.
But as far as The Creeds go, Priest & Finn are not gonna take those two lightly. They will handle business Judgment Day style. Rhea says that’s good, but saying you’re the leader is a lot easier than being the leader. Priest gets mad but Rhea says she isn’t talking just to Priest. She’s talking to the family! And she is sick of the disrespect. Time to remind everyone who runs Raw! Rhea will not let HER division disrespect her, so tonight, she makes an example out of Maxxine Dupri! Rhea heads out, is Mami going to put her foot down?
The Alpha Academy talk backstage.
Coach Gable knows Maxxine is up against Rhea, but that’s nothing to be nervous about. The Creeds & Ivy show up and they fire up! Ivy then says she’ll be in Maxxine’s corner, just in case. They like that, too! R-Truth walks in? He has a roll of Christmas lights? He’s gonna add these to the Judgment Day clubhouse. About time to get decorating for the holidays. But Truth… Please be careful. Judgment Day is dangerous. And not to break yoru heart, Truth, but you’re not in the group. Whoa, whoa, guys. You got them all wrong. Truth IS Judgment Day, and the others just misunderstood. Truth’s gotta go now. Happy Thanksgiving!
Well, Truth aside, the group goes back to encouraging Maxxine. Will the Alpha Queen stand a chance against a very angry Women’s World Champion?
Rhea Ripley VS Maxxine Dupri w/ Ivy Nile!
Raw returns and Maxxine makes her entrance, the Diamond Pitbull at her side. The bell rings and Rhea circles with Maxxine. Maxxine dodges Rhea, dodges her again, then SLAPS her! Fans fire up but Rhea is mad! Rhea reels Maxxine in, short arm LARIAT! And another! ANd another! Rhea drags Maxxine up again, “You wanna slap me, huh, Maxxine?!” Rhea gets Maxxine up, but Maxxine fights the bomb! Rhea CLUBS her, tries again, but Maxxine flails and RANAS! Rhea is fuming as she gets back up. Rhea turns around but Maxxine DROPKICKS her! “A THANK YEW~!” Maxxine then runs, dodges, and waistlocks!
They go to ropes, Rhea bucks the O’Conner to BOOT Maxxine down! Rhea drags Maxxine up, pump handle and RIPTIDE! But Rhea asks, “You think this is funny?” Maxxine wants to have a match with Rhea? She’s NOTHING but a stupid little girl! Rhea kicks Maxxine around, gets the legs, PRISM TRAP!! Maxxine flails, but taps, Rhea wins!
Winner: Rhea Ripley, by submission
Rhea even leans on the hold to bend Maxxine more! Ivy storms into the ring and Rhea lets Maxxine go to stare Ivy down. Fans like the look of this match-up, will Ivy get her chance to go a round with Rhea?
Kayden Carter & Katana Chance speaks.
“It always seems impossible…” “…until it’s done.” The Life of the Party says if they accepted no for an answer, they wouldn’t be where they are today. The music concert party life, but also former tag team champions. “Every door that’s closed, we’ve ripped them off their hinges.” “And chased our dreams no matter what.” Now they want to get the tag team titles back, and that means it is only a matter of time. If you think you’ve seen everything they can do, you ain’t seen nothing yet. They take on Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell later tonight, will KC Squared find their way to the top?
Adam Pearce looks over his contract.
He walks the halls, and he finds CM Punk’s room. He knocks, is allowed in, and it’s almost time! Which brand will CM Punk choose?
Adam Pearce is in the ring.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the time for a sales pitch is over.” After talking with Aldis and HBK, the man Pearce is about to bring out needs no introduction, but will make a decision. Ladies and gentlemen, The Best in the World, C M PUNK! Fans fire up as Punk makes his way to the ring. Pearce hands over the mic while the fans chant for “C M PUNK! C M PUNK!” Punk says he thought he was in a bit of a sullen mood and then he sees all the signs and hears all the people. Truth is, Punk does have a huge decision to make. “We, if I may, have a huge decision to make.”
Punk’s been thinking about it, and the reason he’s been so worrieda bout it is because he loves the fans. But the truth is, Cleveland, this building specifically, hasn’t always been kind to Punk. He walked back in here, there’s a lot of ghosts. He’s doing his best to face them head on. People may not know this, but Punk debuted in this building. Was anyone there? He had Mickie James with him, they both got in here, and it was so good, Punk went back and they said he was gonna go to Louisville, Kentucky to be in OVW, have luck.
Punk didn’t wanna go but he did, but while he was there, he embraced being uncomfortable and learned how to love it. Exactly like when Punk came to the WWE for the first time. He didn’t know what he was in for but he embraced being uncomfortable and learned to love it. He triumphantly returned to Cleveland, this building, as World Heavyweight Champion. He was ready to put on a show! And then Randy Orton kicks Punk in the head, and he wakes up to learn he was stripped of the title because he couldn’t compete, and is not the champ. He was like “CLEVELAND! AGAIN!?”
Was anyone here 10 years ago for the story he’s about to tell? He won’t bore us with details, a lot of it is the past, he’s focused on the future, the now, and everyone here. But Punk took himself off the wheel. For better or worse, he made the hardest decision of his life. He doesn’t regret it, he doesn’t look back, but there was always that part of him that wondered… If anyone paid to CM Punk, he walked out, were they disappointed? He saw Indi Hartwell, she told him she felt betrayed back then. He told her a story about how he saw Roddy Piper on WCW and as a young fan, he felt that exact same way.
So if you’re here now, or watching at home, disappointed about CM Punk’s walkout, he understands, and he apologizes. The fans cheer that! Punk listened to Aldis, he put together a very substantila offer. Punk hung out with HBK in NXT, there’s a 15 year old Punk that’s tickled to death that he got the offer to mold the next generation. Pearce has put up a deal that honestly is head and shoulders above those other deals. But can he just be very real and very honest right now? Punk’s mind was probably already made up when he saw Cleveland on the calendar. He is here to bury the ghosts, right some wrongs, and his future starts now!
Fans cheer and Punk says “You couldn’t write a better television show, ladies and gentlemen! 10 years, almost to the day, CM Punk walked out. And regardless of how you feel about it, CM Punk walks right back in! And if you’re happy about it, if you’re mad about it, you better learn to love it. Because congratulations, Adam Pearce. The newest Raw Superstar is named C M Punk, and C M Punk is home!” Punk and Pearce shake hands, hug it out, and fans are all fired up as Punk signs on the dotted line! But wait, here comes Seth Rollins! Fans sing ‘OH~ OHH~ OHHH~” as the Visionary makes his way to the ring.
Rollins throws his sunglasses aside, perhaps free souvenir for a fan. Rollins steps in to be face to face with Punk, even as Pearce tells him to keep it civil. The fans are going nuts seeing these two stare down. It’s a chaotic mix of “C M PUNK!” “OH~ OHH~ OHHH~” and “HOLY SHID!” and yet neither Rollins or Punk makes a move. Rollins then grabs himself a mic to finally speak. “Cleveland, Ohio. C M Punk. Welcome to Monday… Night… Rollins. I hope you know how incredibly fortunate you are to even be standing in this ring right now, but could you do me just one little favor, just one thing. One thing, please. Don’t you dare call this place your home.”
Fans start up again with the chants and the singing, but Rollins says Punk abandoned the WWE 10 years ago. Not only that, but he actively tried to tear it down. Punk spent 10 years slandering Rollins, slandering every single person back in that locker room, and Punk wants to walk in here to call this his home? This is NOT Punk’s home, this is ROLLINS’ home!! Fans keep the chanting and singing going, and Rollins says he has been here. Those people back there are his brothers and sisters. The fans here and watching at home are his family so this is THEIR home! Rollins will do everything in his power to protect it from people like Punk!
So to make one thing perfectly clear, Rollins doesn’t want there to be any confusion. He knows he’s worked up, he wants us to undersatnd. He will say it plainly with every fiber of his being: Rollins hates Punk. But… If Punk is going to be part of the WWE again, then Rollins wants Punk on Raw. Because the truth always comes out. The truth always comes out! Rollins knows, Punks knows, everyone knows, this is Punk’s last chance. And so, one of two things is gonna happen: Either Punk exposes himself, self-destructs like always, and Rollins will be the first person to slam the door shut on Punk’s legacy…!
Or if by some miracle, Punk has changed, and he has any gas left in that old tank, then maybe one day Punk will be lucky enough to stand across the ring from Rollins in a World Heavyweight Championship match. And then Rollins will expose Punk for the fraud that he is. Rollins will show Punk there are levels to this, wrestle circles around Punk, and let him understand in real-time what it means to BE The Best in the World. The chans and singing return, but Punk just shrugs. “Are you done?” This is Rollins’ one pass to speak like that without Punk coming after him. Punk never asked for anything to be handed to him, and always did things the hard way.
Pearce, where’d you go? Punk says if this is to be made official, let’s make it all official! Punk is entering the Royal Rumble! And WHEN Punk wins the Rumble, maybe it is Rollins Punk comes after! Punk drops the mic as he thrwos down the gauntlet! Will Punk win it all and make WrestleMania into Clobbering Time?
The Viking Raiders and Bronson Reed speak.
Sarah tells “Big” Bronson Reed that the Norse gods have spoken, and Bronson will be the sacrificial lamb that awakens the beast within “The One True Warrior,” Ivar! And Ivar says the first time, they were stopped before Ivar could destroy Bronson. But let those wounds be a warning, for tonight, Ivar puts Bronson down in agonizing defeat!
But Auszilla tells Ivar that he is not some chosen one. You think those useless guardsa nd suits were out there to stop them? They were there to save Ivar from Bronson! This time, no one is going to save Ivar! This won’t be Clash of the Titans! Tonight is a Viking FUNERAL! These kaiju collide once again, will anything be left standing?
Bronson Reed VS Ivar w/ Sarah Logan!
Raw returns and Ivar makes his entrance, “Valhalla” leading the way. The bell rings and the behemoths RAM each other! Ivar BOOTS Bronson, puts him in a corner and fires off elbow after elbow! The ref counts, Ivar lets off with a roar, and he runs, but into a BODY CHECK! Bronson runs to ELBOW DROP! Bronson fires haymakers on Ivar in a corner, then CHOPS! Bronson whips corner to corner hard and Ivar tumbles up and down the corner! Sarah coaches Ivar and he slowly rises. Bronson HEADBUTTS Ivar, Ivar ROCKS Bronson! Bronson ROCKS Ivar back, the haymakers fly! Bronson then fireman’s carries!
Ivar fights free, shoves Bronson but Bronson dodges, DOUBLE LARIATS take both men down! Ivar bails out on one end, Bronson goes out the other. They stand, glare at each other, and they roar as they run in around the corner! DOUBLE CROSSBODIES bring both men down!! The fans are all fired up as Raw goes to break!
Raw returns again and the forearms are flying back and forth! Fans rally up with “MEET! MEET!” as the lariats go back and forth! Bronson SUPERKICKS, runs, but into a SPINEBUSTER! Cover, TWO! Bronson flounders to a corner, Ivar runs in, but Bronson avoids the Bronco Buster! And now Bronson goes up top! But Ivar UPPERCUTS first! Bronson goes to the apron, Ivar fires hands then LARIATS Bronson down! Ivar then goes up!? SUPER CANNONBALL!! Fans are thunderous and Sarah is loving this! Ivar puts Bronson back in, goes to another corner and climbs again. But Bronson hurries up to CLUB Ivar!
Bronson throws hands on Ivar, climbs up after him, but Ivar throws hands! Bronson hits back, they brawl, and Ivar CHOPS! CHOPS! Bronson HEADBUTTS! Bronson goes to the very top, brings Ivar up with him, for a SUPERSIZED SUPER DUPER PLEX!! Cover, BRONSON WINS!
Winner: Bronson Reed, by pinfall
There wasn’t a Tsunami or Ragnarok, but this battle took a lot out of both monsters! Bronson wins this round, but is this only one battl ein a war?
CM Punk finds Judgment Day backstage.
Punk says hey and asks them where Rhea is. Hah, funny guy. But welcome to their show, Punk. And just between everyone here, they’re kinda hoping it’s Punk who finishes his story around here. Because if he does, Priest will be the one waiting. Have a good night. Judgment Day leaves to go to the ring, will they handle business like Mami wants? We find out, after the break.
Raw returns with The Judgment Day in the ring.
Everyone has mics, and Priest starts by saying he can’t help but feel the need to remind everyone just who they are! ALL RISE for the Judgment Day! Finn says, “And ALL RISE for the only two-time Undisputed Tag Team Champs, Damian Priest & Finn Balor! So Cleveland, the Judgmetn Day are in town. Step up, and get put down.” Priest says they have a simple message for every WWE superstar, and that is it doesn’t matter if you’ve already beem dealt with, it doesn’t matter if you’re returning, and it doesn’t matter if you’re new like The Creeds, you’re ALL officiall put on notice!
Dom starts and fans boo even harder. McDonagh says it’s alright, and Dom says The Creeds- Wait, Truth shows up? Fans cheer as Truth and his Christmas lights are here. Truth went by the clubhouse to do some decorating and they went and got a lock for the front AND back doors! How y’all gonna have a holiday party and he don’t get an invitation? McDonagh shouts at Truth that this isn’t a party he’s walking into! And even if it was, Truth wouldn’t be invited! Priest has JD calm down. But Truth, c’mere, Priest wants to hear what you have to say. Fans cheer as Truth joins the guys in the ring.
Truth says hold on, y’all. He has a lot of ideas he wants to share to help the group out. Can he? Finn says let’s hear ’em. Truth says first, he thinks they gotta kick JD out. Dom keeps JD back while everyone else laughs, even Finn. Truth says no one likes JD! And second, DP, you gotta stop calling yourself the boss. No, no, you are a fantastic boss, Truth likies you as the boss, but it makes Mami mad. Mami getting upset and confused, we- Truth, no, man… You’re funny. Priest gets why everyone likes Truth. Finn likes him, too. Pretty sure everyone in Cleveland likes Truth. Truth says, “WASSUP!” “WASSUP!” Everybody loves R-Truth!
Except Priest. Huh? Priest CLOBBERS Truth! And then JD fires off! Dom and Finn join in, but here come The Creeds! Fans cheer as Julius & Brutus rush in, fight the Judgment Day, but they’re getting mugged 4v2! Julius gets thrown ou, JD & Dom go after him while Finn & Priest focus on Brutus! JD & Dom double whip but Julius reverses that to DOUBLE NORTHERN LIGHTS! Fans fire up as now Julius gets at Finn! Finn whips, Julius reverses and TOSSES Finn out, to then DROPKICK him down! Priest choke grips Julius, then Brutus! But Brutgus braeks free to SMASH! And then the Creeds DOUBLE SPINEBUSTER!
The Judgment Day bails out and regroups to fall back! They’re furious, Dom says he told them how they’ve gotta be careful! Priest says he gets it. Will Prince & Punisher have to game plan for Julius & Brutus?
CM Punk comes across McIntyre backstage.
McIntyre says he doesn’t care about Punk’s story, or Cody’s story. He wants to finish his story. And they got it figured out, didn’t they, Pearce? Yes they did. McIntyre leaves and Pearce honestly thought McIntyre would be happier. But it’s nothing Punk did. McIntyre is getting his World Heavyweight Championship match with Seth Rollins on the “Day One” edition of Monday Night Raw. Well good for him. And then Kofi Kingston is here! Punk says Jamaican him crazy! No, man, he doesn’t do that anymore. But good to see ya. Gable & Ricochet are there, too, to say hey. Punk says he has heard a lot about them both, such as Ricochet is bad at video games.
Punk says he’ll catch up more later, he’s gotta lots to do. Pearce is happy Kofi, Gable & Ricochet are all here now, because he has an idea involving the Intercontinental Championship. They can all talk about it in his office. All three walk in and they’re ready for whatever this idea might be. But what will this idea be for it to involve all these former champions?
Kayden Carter & Katana Chance VS Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell!
It’s party time! KC Squared won big last week, will they keep winning big until they get their shot at the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships? Or will the Poison Pixie & #IndiWrestling simply get in the way?
Raw returns and Chelsea & Piper are on commentary as Candice & Indi make their entrance. The teams sort out and Indi starts against Carter. They tie up, Indi headlocks and Carter powers out. Indi runs her over, does her own hip swivel, but Carter trips Indi! Carter shows Indi how it’s done, then dropkicks her! Carter runs up in the corner, SPLASHES and tags in Chance. Indi shoves Carter away, then shoves Chance, but Chance & Carter dosido. Chance trips Indi, Carter BOOTS! Chance slingshot SENTONS! Cover, TWO! Chance drags Indi up but Indi lifts! Chance sunset flips but Indi stays up!
Indi drags Chance up, takes a swing, but Chance dodges and combines with Carter for SILLY STRING RANA! Candice tags in, Indi BOOTS Chance but Carter SUPERKICKS Indi! Candice blocks the superkick to trip and STEP-UP SENTON! cover, ONE!! Chelsea is upset with Maggle roasting her over last week’s scuffle. We also see Natty & Nox watching backstage, having lost last week to KC Squared. Candice whips Carter to the corner, runs in to back body block, then tags in Indi. Feed to the half nelnson and GUTBUSTER, then BACKBREAKER NECKBREAKER COMBO! Cover, Chance breaks it!
Candice throws Chance out, Indi whips Carter, Carter dodges the boot and comes back, into a SPINEBUSTER! Tag to Candice, and they set up, wheelbarrow SPLASH onto knees! Indi is flustered, she hurries to wheelbarrow Carter, but Carter victory rolls and SUPERKICKS! Tag to Chance, she goes up, for the AFTER PARTY!! Cover, KC Squared win!
Winners: Kayden Carter & Katana Chance, by pinfall
Chelsea is upset, saying the fans only care about the champions, aka her and Piper! And these titles are NOT for KC Squared! But will Carter & Chance look to change that when they get their chance?
#DIY talks backstage.
Johnny Gargano has the Cleveland Browns NFL Legacy title, and says it is Victory Monday! Big Browns win, Gargano smashed the guitar, and he is here in his hometown! Ciampa loves the sound of all that, but uh… Can DIY trust “him?” Gargano doesn’t like it any better, and he wants the match anyway. Imperium walks in and Ludwig says this is interesting. All day, they’ve heard about this mystery partner. Who would possibly team up with DIY? So tell us, who is this mystery man? Oh, they shouldn’t worry about that. Worry about what Der Ring General will say when Imperium disappoints him, again.
They argue about this, but Gunther walks in. He smirks, and says they’re very confident. Good luck. But he doubts they’ll find someone who wants to publicly associate with two “weirdos” like them. Imperium heads out, but will the answer be more obvious than they think?
Becky Lynch is here!
The Land fires up as The Man heads to the ring! Becky gets a mic to say, “The Man has come around to Cleveland! And I’ll cut to the chase, I’ve come out here to call out Nia Jax.” They’ve never gone 1v1, but the last five years, they’ve been linked together because of this. Flashback to November of 2018, the huge brawl between Team Raw and Team SmackDown, and the right hand from Nia that broke Becky’s nose giving us the iconic moment of bloody Becky becoming “The Man.” Becky says it may be petty, but well, she’s petty!
Considering the last five years, nearly everyone else has tried to use that moment as a burn on Becky, it is time to get to the root of the problem. The last five years, they’ve kept missing each other. Becky went on to main event WrestleMania, Nia went on to get double ACL surgery because Nia is so unlikeable, even her own knees won’t stand up for her. Then Becky had a baby, Nia got fired, but now it’s 2023, they’re both here and- Well, Nia actually makes her way out here! Fans boo as the Irresistible Force storms her way down to the ring.
Nia gets a mic for herself, says she’s not fired anymore, and is right here, in front of Becky, better than ever. And y’know, that punch? That was a lucky swing that almost ended Becky’s career. A lucky swing that Nia didn’t even get all of. But imagine if Nia had Becky right in front of her and punched with her full force. Becky wouldn’t even get up. And everyone’s so mad that Nia broke Becky’s face, but this is a contact sport. What else did Becky expect? Becky didn’t expect anything less. She doesn’t even hold it against Nia! Everyone knows Nia is the most dangerous in the ring. They’v all been injured, hospitalized, some almost had their careers ended.
And that is why people haven’t stopped talkinga bout Nia the two years she’s been gone. And ironically, talking about the careers she nearly ended, Becky has Nia to thank for hers. See, this is what Becky does hold against Nia. This is the narrative Becky needs to change. If it was just about the broken face, the people would’ve chedk out the moment the blood dried. But it is about what that night represents, what “The Man” represents. It is about getting knocked down, dusting yourself off and fighting like hell! Because that is what Becky has done her whole life, it is what she did that night and has done every since.
But Nia and her minions have been going around saying Becky isn’t a main event star. But then she proved them wrong! So they said Becky is only a star because of Nia. That is a lie! That lie needs to end, and if Becky can’t end the lie, then she’ll just end Nia! Fans fire up but Nia just laughs. She gets it. Becky needs Nia. Becky needs to prove that she isn’t just about that one moment. More importantly, Becky needs to prove to herself that her career wasn’t just some accident after Nia broke her face. Otherwise, Nia will always be the woman who made The Man.
Becky says what she needs now is for Nia to shut the hell up. Because Becky didn’t just come here to talk, she came here looking for a fight! Fans fir eup as Becky puts the mic down and her hair up! She dares Nia to do that punch like she promised! Fans fire up, Nia is flustered, but Nia says Becky needs this a lot more than she does. Nia drops her mic and bails out. The fans boo, but will there be no running from this forever?
Backstage interview with Cody Rhodes.
Jackie Redmond wants to start with the news that CM Punk has officially signed with Raw. Cody says congrats to Pearce for getting it done. Cody is happy for the fans, for USA Network, and for Punk. But Royal Rumble is right around the corner. Can’t finish two stories at once, so certainly Cody and Punk will clash. Then to tonight. After last week, what is going through Cody’s mind as he prepares for Nakamura? Cody says if we strip this back, had Nakamura not misted Cody in the eyes, Cody would be much more excited to talk about this first-ever match.
Nakamura is a former Royal Rumble winner, is a former champion, and has a 14 year legacy in Japan before he ever came here. But what Cody has discovered for himself is that Nakamura is vicious. And that is okay by Cody. Got a problem? Cody knows where to solve it. It is Monday Night Raw here in Cleveland, Ohio! Stardust debuted here, did you know that? Talk about Undesireable to Undeniable! But Nakamura says Cody asked for this? Damn right he did. Cody heads out, will the American Nightmare be able to trump the King of Strong Style?
Six Man Tag: Imperium VS #DIY & ???
Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci have been a bit curt with each other over both trying to impress Gunther time and again. But will they all be united against their common enemies and their mystery man? Who is the third man, brother? We find all of that out, after the break!
Raw returns as Gargano & Ciampa make their entrance. And then their partner is… THE MIZ! Another Cleveland star is here, and he’s way more excited about it than Gargano or Ciampa. But they all go to the ring, the teams sort out, and Gargano starts against Vinci. Fans rally for “Johnny Wrestling!” but then Gunther tags in. The Intercontinental Champion smirks as Miz gets all fired up now. Miz reaches out, but then Gunther CLOBBERS Gargano! Fans boo as Gunther drags Gargano away, wrenches and CHOPS! Tag to Ludwig and Ludwig bumps Gargano off buckles. Ludwig talks trash, then UPPERCUTS!
Ludwig bumps Gargano off buckles, tag sVinci, and they argue. Gunther tells them to stop already. Vinci brings Gargano up but Gargano fires off forearms! Vinci knees low, CLUBS Gargano, and scoops, but Gargano slips free to waistlock. Vinci elbows free, Ciampa tags in! Gargano dodges a boot, ROCKS Vinci, Ciampa CHOPS, Gargano CLUBS, CIampa JAWBREAKERS! Ciampa runs while gargano clinches Vinci, feed to the LARIAT! Fans fire up and Miz cheers. Ciampa taunts Gunther, whips Vinci, but Vinci reverses. Ciampa dodges but Ludwig dumps Ciampa out! Fans boo as Gunther goes out to BOOT Ciampa!
Fans boo more as Imperium stands tall over Ciampa. Miz and Gargano coach Ciampa up but Raw goes to break.
Raw returns and Ciampa CHOPS and CHOPS and CHOPS Ludwig! Lludwig shoves Ciampa away, then fireman’s carries on the rebound, ROLLING DEATH VALLEY! Tag to Gunther and he smirks at Miz and Gargano as he stands between them and Ciampa. Gunther pushes Gargano then BOOTS Miz! Ciampa fires hands while Gargano checks Miz. Ciampa reaches out, Gunther keeps him from Gargano, and knees low! Tag to Vinci and builds speed, Gunther sets Ciampa up for the CROSSBODY! Vinci stomps Ciampa in the corner, taunts Gargano, then runs in, but only gets buckles! Ciampa hurries, hot tag to Gargano!
Fans fire up as Gargano BOOTS Ludwig and CLOBBERS Vinci! ENZIGURI for Ludwig! forearm for Vinci! BULLDOG LARIAT COMBO! Fans fire up with Gargano, then he runs in at Ludwig. Ludwig puts him on the apron but Gargano GAMANGIRIS back! And SLINGSHOT SPEARS! Cover, Vinci breaks it! Fans boo but Vinci & Ludwig regroup. Vinci runs in but Gargano dodges, Vinci’s knee hits buckles and he tumbles up and out! Gargano BOOTS Ludwig, goes up and leaps, into an UPPERCUT! Ludwig fireman’s carries, but Gargano slips free to SUPERKICK! Fans fire up while both men are down, and Miz rises!
Gargano and Ludwig crawl, hot tags to Gunther and Miz! The A-Lister dodges to fire off haymakers on Gunther! The fans fire up as Miz hammers away in the corner! The ref backs Miz off but he runs corner to corner, A-LIST LARIAT! The fans fire up with Miz, he GAMANGIRIS Gunther, then springboards to CROSSBODY! And he rains down more fists! Miz BOOTS Gunther and Gunther goes to ropes! The fans fire up as Miz KICKS and KICKS and KICKS! Miz then powers up, runs in, but Gunther blocks a kick to CHOP Miz down! And right into a BOSTON CRAB!! Ciampa KNEES Gunther down!
Ciampa hobbles, but Vinci & Ludwig get in, HIGH LOW!! They kick Ciampa out, but Gargano and Miz are up! They dodge Imperium to DOUBLE TILT-O-WHIRL DDT!! The Cleveland boys are all fired up but then Gunther BOOTS Gargano! Miz DRAGON SCREWS Gunther, steps through, and has the FIGURE FOUR! The fans are thunderous as Gunther flails! Gunther endures, reaches out, Ludwig gets in but Gargano catches him, LA MYSTICA into GargaNO Escape!! Vinci reaches out ot tag in! MACHO ELBOW on Miz! Vinci stomps Gargano then reels Miz in! POWER- NO, Miz slips free, slips around, SKULL CRUSHING FINALE!! Cover, MIZ & DIY WIN!!
Winners: #DIY & The Miz, by pinfall
The Land rejoices as their hometown hero wins this one for the team! Will this momentum help Miz & DIY get after the gold?
Imperium regroups backstage.
Gunther chews Ludwig & Vinci out, but then turns around to see The Miz. Miz says he wants his title match. Gunther says Miz is a pain in the… Well, fine, but under one condition. If Gunther beats Miz again, Miz can NEVER challenge for this title again while Gunther is champion! Done. Gunther chuckles and grins while Miz takes his leave. Will Miz’s next chance be his last chance?
Cody Rhodes VS Shinsuke Nakamura!
The American Nightmare being the catalyst to the King of Strong Style’s transformation is certainly an interesting angle to take. There are parallels in their stories, but there are also major differences. Will it be those differences that help Cody be one step closer to finishing his story? Or will Nakamura take the pen from him and write his own ending?
Raw returns and Cody makes his entrance. Fans sing the song, “WHOA~ OH!” and Cody gives his weight belt to a young fan and his parents in the front row. Cody gets in the ring, “WHOA~ OH!” and the pyro goes off. The bell rings and the two circle. They tie up, go around, and Cody headlocks. Cody hits a takeover, Nakamura headscissors but Cody kips free. The two reset, Nakamura kicks Cody’s hand away but Cody comes back. They knuckle lock, Nakamura kicks low, wrenches and wristlocks, but Cody puts him on the ropes. The fans rally behind Cody, the ref counts and Cody lets off, egging Nakamura on.
Nakamura gets in Cody’s face, but Cody kicks low, drops but Nakamura avoids the uppercut! Cody avoids the Penalty Kick, things speed up and Cody DROPKICKS! Cody then drags Nakamura up to a corner, and climbs up to rain down fists! The fans count along all the way to TEN! Cody then hops down to hip toss Nakamura away and he goes up. But Nakamura trips Cody up! TOP SHELF KNEE! Cody flops to the apron, Nakamura runs to BASEBALL SLIDE! Cody hits the floor and Nakamura soaks up the heat as Raw goes to break.
Raw returns and Nakamura gives Cody BAD VIBRATIONS! Then he stomps away! The ref counts, Nakamura lets off, and he drags Cody up. Cody throws body shots, Nakamura snapmares and drops a knee! Cover, TWO! Nakamura brings Cody up, Cody throws hands and he CLUBS Nakamura. Cody runs but Nakamura GAMANGIRIS! Nakamura then wraps on a chinlock. Cody endures, fights up, and fans rally. Cody throws elbows and body shots, but Nakamura throws a knee! Nakamura clinches, REVERSE EXPLODE, but Cody lands on his feet! Cody kicks low, drops and RHODES UPPERCUT!
Cody springboards, but into an ARMBAR!! Nakamura pulls, Cody clasps hands, and then they roll! Cody drag sleepers, but Nakamura drops down to drag Cody down again! ARMBAR!! Cody flails, reaches out, claws at the legs and moves around again. Cody kicks his way over to the ROPEBREAK! The ref counts, Nakamura lets go, and Cody goes to a corner. Nakamura runs in, blocks Cody’s boots and puts him in the ropes! SLIDING GERMAN! Nakamura grins as he returns into the ring, and he goes up a corner. Cody rises, into the FLYING KNEE! Cover, TWO! Nakamura is furious but he goes to the other corner.
Nakamura aims, runs in, but Cody dropkicks the legs out! Cody hurries to get that leg, and he DRAGON SCREWS it! Nakamura flounders, goes to the apron, but Cody drags him up. Cody has the leg, to DRAPING DRAGON SCREW! Nakamura is stuck in the ropes, so Cody drags him back up. Cody suplexes but Nakamura fights it! Cody still tries, and he gets Nakamura up for the GOURD BUSTER! Cody grabs the leg, pulls on it, and he turns Nakamura over! HALF CRAB! Nakamura endures, flails, reaches out, crawls his way forward, and has the ROPEBREAK! Cody lets go in frsutration and Nakamura bails out.
Cody builds speed and he DIVES! Direct hit and both men hit barriers! The fans fire up again while Raw goes back to break!
Raw returns once again and Nakamura ENZIGURIS Cody! Cody staggers, but he ducks the roundhouse! DOUBLE LARIATS collide and both men are down again! The fans fire up and rally as Cody stirs. Nakamura sits up, Cody goes after him with a forearm! Nakamura forearms in return! Cody hits back, Nakamura hits again! They go back and forth, the fans behind Cody. They go faster and faster, then Nakamura gets the edge! Strike fest! Nakamura runs, Cody follows and CLOBBERS him! Cody then goes to a corner, baits Nakamura in, and goes up and over to then SPIN POWERSLAM!
Fans fire up as Cody rises again, and he gets the leg! Cody steps through but Nakamura drags him down into a REAR NAKED CHOKE!! Cody flails but he’s caught in body scissors! Cody fights the sleeper, moves around, and he stands up with Nakamura as a backpack. Cody BACKPACK SENTONS! Fans fire up as Cody is free, huffing and puffing. Cody drags Nakamura up, runs, and BEAUTIFUL DISASTER! Cover, TWO! Cody dares Nakamura to get up, and Nakamura rises, into JAB! JAB! JAB! Flip, flop, fly and BIONIC ELBOW! Cody roars and the fans fire up again! Cody runs again, CODY CUTTER!!
Cody is all fired up and the fans are thunderous! Cody drags Nakamura up, dragon sleepers, CROSS- NO, Nakamura slips out, and RED MISTS!!! The ref calls it!
Winner: Cody Rhodes, by disqualification
But Nakamura doesn’t care, he throws KNEE after KNEE into Cody’s side! Then he kicks and stomps Cody around! The ref gets Nakamura to back off, but Nakamura then shoves Cody! Cody comes back and swings wild! Nakamura dropkicks a leg out! BLINDSIDE KINSHASA!! Fans boo and the ref reprimands but Nakamura grins with the red still in his teeth. Wait, Nakamura then gets a chair! Fans boo as Nakamura gets in the ring with it, but more refs are here. The Creeds rush out! Nakamura leaves, the refs get Cody a towel and some water, but will Cody still be seeing red as he looks for revenge on Nakamura?
The Creeds help Cody out of the ring, then refs help Cody up the ramp. But Nakamura returns to KINSHASA Cody down!! The fans boo but the King of Strong Style is deaf to them. Will nothing stop Nakamura from making this his story?
My Thoughts:
A great episode of Raw, and of course Punk “signs” with Raw. Because of course he and Rollins interact to tease their feud, and Punk entering the Rumble. And Drew McIntyre beats Jey in an awesome opening match, with a very clever Heel way to win. McIntyre gets to face Rollins on “Day One 2024” Raw, no idea if that is when McIntyre wins the title, but between McIntyre, both Punk and Cody in the Rumble, and Priest still Senor MITB, it definitely feels like Rollins has the walls closing on him. Which in a way, that’s how it should be for the Face champ, or any champ really.
Chelsea is starting to feel that, as Carter & Chance are building momentum with a great win against Indi & Candice tonight. Natty & Nox were still watching, too, but we still need input from SmackDown’s side in the form of Fyre & Dawn making their presence known again. Great promos from Becky and Nia to hype up their coming match, with Nia of course backing down per usual Heel tactics. That match is going to be great for the story, but I can’t see them stretching this out for over a month just so it can interweave with Royal Rumble. Nia VS Becky 1v1 needs to happen on that Day One Raw, and then maybe fallout is explored in the Rumble.
Bronson VS Ivar was awesome stuff, too, especially with the finish not being anyone’s finisher but just a super heavyweight superplex. I hope we get more of this, with special stipulations like Falls Count Anywhere or Last Man Standing. I also like that there’s something cooking for the Intercontinental Championship with Kofi, Gable and Ricochet being involved. Imperium VS DIY & Miz was great stuff, as I knew Miz would join DIY against Imperium, their common enemies. Miz going for that last chance match, he’s definitely losing that to force him out of the story and bringing Pearce’s match idea in.
Great stuff out of Judgment Day tonight. For one, McDonagh’s shirt specifically added his name to the team via tape and pen. The tensions are running high as Rhea and Priest have their comments about who is/isn’t leading the team, and of course Truth is amazing no matter what he does. The Judgment Day does agree on beating Truth down, though, and Rhea squashes Maxxine, but it seems Diamond Mine is ready to take them all one as we’re getting Priest & Finn VS Creeds and more than likely getting Rhea VS Ivy. Diamond Mine is going to have awesome showings in those matches, but I don’t see them winning any of the titles just yet.
And then a great main event from Cody VS Nakamura. Both guys had great promos tonight, this match was great, and I didn’t see that red mist happening. Creeds making the save was an interesting move, too, but I suppose with Sami injured, Jey getting beat hard by McIntyre and Rollins not really his friend, there wasn’t gonna be anyone else to save him. At this point, I expect Nakamura to enter the Rumble to not just try and win it but to make sure Cody doesn’t. If anything, making sure Cody doesn’t win might be more important to Nakamura than winning, given how he just threw this match to beat Cody down.
My Score: 8.8/10
About Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
 MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)Â
THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports PodcastÂ
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)
TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends
Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5
Classic POD is WAR
Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
Time to burn it down!
Ahead of entering the Royal Rumble, Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre go one more round in a rematch from WrestleMania 40!
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Kofi Kingston w/ Xavier Woods VS Rey Mysterio; Rey wins.
- Bayley VS Nia Jax; Nia wins.
- PENTA VS Pete Dunne; Penta wins.
- Damage CTRL VS Pure Fusion Collective; DMG CTRL wins.
- Seth Rollins VS Drew McIntyre; Rollins wins.
PLAY BY PLAY
Nia Jax ambushes Rhea Ripley!
The Irresistible Force is here on Raw to face Bayley, but she’s getting her payback on Mami for last week! She dribbles Rhea into the steel chain link fencing again and again, even as security and Adam Pearce rush in! They get Nia to stop, but Rhea is pissed! Will Nia regret riling up Rhea Bloody Ripley?
Jey Uso is here!
Dallas fires up and bounces along as it’s time to YEET! Michael Cole does his best to keep up with the beat as Main Event Jey makes his way down the bleachers. Wade Barrett is subbing in for Pat McAfee (the NCAA College Football Championship is also tonight), and Wade says Maggle looks like a “drunk grandpa” doing the YEET. Jey makes it to ringside, he high fives Maggle, then goes to the ring. But the YEET doesn’t slow down, it just keeps going! Jey grabs a mic and tells Dallas, “Main Event Jey Uso is now in your citaaaaaa~!” The fans cheer and join in with a “YEET!” Jey says this weekend, “YEET!” Saturday Night’s Main Event, “YEET!” Jey takes home the big one!
But then before Jey can continue, GUNTHER makes his way out here! Der Ring General, World Heavyweight Championship around his waist, makes his way right to the ring. Gunther grabs himself a mic while the fans boo. Jey paces but Gunther tells him, “Lemme guess, the next thing you were about to say is you were going to win the World Heavyweight title.” Jey confirms, he is gonna beat Gunther, then hang the title up in his room. Gunther says Jey really is “a funny little man.” But let’s not act like we both know it won’t happen. Last week, Jey was right here in front of Gunther, and he said every morning, he looks in the mirror and bets on himself.
The thing is, Gunther believes Jey. Gunther was looking forward to Saturday to square off with Main Event Jey Uso. Until today, when he saw Jey walking in here acting like that conversation last week never happened. Not after seeing Jey act like a complete DORK! Like he’s the company mascot for the fans! At this point, Gunther doesn’t even care. He could jsut as well get challenged by Jimmy Uso. Jey tells Gunther to not say something about his brother. Gunther says it doesn’t matter what Jey says, he never follows up with his actions! The fans are the only ones naive enough to believe everything Jey says. Gunther does not.
Bet on yourself? Until when? Until Roman Reigns whistles for him? Until Sami Zayn needs him? Until Jimmy needs him? Even Cody needed Jey and Jey showed up! All that makes Jey is a useful idiot, and Jey doesn’t even see it! Jey, your words and your actions do not align. Gunther’s always do! So on Saturday, when the bell rings, Gunther exposes Jey for the flash in the pan that has NO business being even this close to the World Heavyweight Championship. The fans boo but Gunther tells Jey to go. The fans “YEET! YEET! YEET!” but Jey says Gunther’s right again. Everything Gunther just said is true again.
Jey is the mascot of the WWE. And the fans here are his team. The fans are his squad. They ride with him! “YEET!” Slide with him! “YEET!” And they will be with him when he beats Gunther for the world championship! “YEET!” Jey reminds us he respects Gunther. But Gunther will respect Jey, too. Because only one of them in this ring main-evented a WrestleMania, and it ain’t Gunther. But then Gunther DECKS Jey! Gunther stomps Jey, the fans boo, but then Gunther DECKS Jey again! Gunther stands Jey up, but Jey TACKLES Gunther! Jey rains down fists and teh fans fire up! Gunther gets up, but Jey fires more hands!
Jey has Gunther’s shirt over his head for a hockey scrum! Gunther gets free, but Jey SUPERKICKS him down! The fans all “YEET!” while Der Ring General retreats! Jey has the belt and he dares Gunther to come get it! Jey drops it at the ropes, Gunther storms up to the apron, but Gunther stays back. Gunther leaves Dallas with the belt tonight, but will Jey leave San Antonio with it this Saturday?
The New Day walks the halls.
And then they spot someone. “Finally, somebody who understands!” JBL is here! They all shake hands, and JBL loves seeing them. Kofi Kingston says JBL is not just a champion and a Hall of Famer, but he’ll be on commentary tonight for The New Day’s match with that “hypocrite of a locker room leader,” Rey Mysterio. JBL should let New Day know they are the victims of a disgusting smear campaign! Kofi even sweetens the deal with a whole $2. Kofi says JBL understands being in a tag team but having to cut the deadweight to get ahead. And when he did, what happened? He had the greatest success of his career!
Not as great as The New Day, but please, be an acolyte for ya bois! JBL says yes, he does “get it.” Big E, all the muscles and charisma and personality, everywhere they go, the fans love Big E. Everyone chants for New Day, for Big E. You get rid of him, the fans have to pay attention to Kofi & Woods! Wow, okay. Backhanded compliments? Be that way. The New Day heads out, JBL asks if he can keep the two bucks. Will Kofi & Woods finally see who’s really in the wrong? Or will they continue to have a bad day here on Raw?
Backstage interview with Bayley.
Cathy Kelley is with the “busiest superstar” in WWE right now, as Bayley was on Raw, NXTÂ and SmackDown all last week. And she has an announcement to make, so for those who ahven’t heard, could she share? Yes, cat is out of the bag, Bayley is back on Raw officially via the Transfer Window! She started here after her NXT call-up, so it just feels right. But also, she is declaring for the 2025 Women’s Royal Rumble! And if you remember, she won the 2024 Rumble, so going back to back sounds really good. She could choose Tiffany Stratton, she could choose Rhea Ripley, or- Nia Jax interrupts.
Nia says Bayley can have Rhea, Nia gets Tiffy. Also, Nia is going to win the Women’s Rumble, not Bayley. Oh, yeah, Bayley did see what Nia did to Rhea earlier. If Nia wants to try that, Bayley dares her. Nia says she’ll see Bayley out there. Nia leaves, but will the Irresistible Force rough Bayley up the same way she did Rhea? Or will Bayley continue to be the Role Model, even after changing brands?
Kofi Kingston w/ Xavier Woods VS Rey Mysterio!
Raw returns and JBL is out there with Wade and Maggle already. The New Day makes their entrance, and they hate their song! They have it turn off, they get the tron to stop, and Woods says they already told the idiots in production that they’re no longer using that stuff! It’s ya bois, the NEW~ DAY~, and Dallas is starting to piss Kofi off! They have been doing this for too long and too well to be disrespected like this. They are walking Hall of Famers, unlike this FRAUD, JBL! JBL, give him that money back! Kofi snatches it out of JBL’s lapel pocket. Woods says Rey’s getting the brakes beat off him by the one and only Kofi Kingston~! BECAUSE NEW! DAY- “SUCKS!”
The fans chant “NEW! DAY SUCKS!” and the bell rings. Kofi and Rey circle, feel things out, and Kofi waistlocks to then headlock, waistlock, and he shoves Rey to a corner. The fans boo but Kofi soaks up that heat. JBL says this is the only time he’ll cheer a “deadbeat dad” like Rey. Rey and Kofi tie up, Rey waistlocks but Kofi switches to SLAM Rey down! Kofi slaps Rey around, and the fans boo as Kofi & Woods soak up the heat. Kofi taunts Rey, Rey and Kofi reset, and they tie up. Rey wrenches, hammerlocks, but Kofi wrenches out. Kofi wristlocks, Rey rolls and kips up, then Rey wrenches to headlock.
Kofi powers up and out, drops down then CLOBBERS Rey! The fans boo but Kofi keeps moving. Rey drops down, blows past Kofi, then tilt-o-whirls to RANA! Kofi staggers up, Rey dropkicks the legs out! Kofi is on ropes, Rey dials it up, but Kofi ducks the 619! Rey then PLANCHAS, but Kofi moves! Rey is on the apron, Kofi YANKS him down! The fans tell Kofi off but he drags Rey up and into the ring. Kofi then fires UPPERCUTS on Kofi, CHOKES him in the corner, then stomps a mudhole in! The ref counts, Kofi steps off, and then Kofi whips corner to corner. Rey reverses, runs up, but Kofi SWING KICKS! Rey GAMANGIRIS in return!
Rey RAMS Kofi, slingshots and SUNSET- NO, Kofi holds on, and he CLUBS Rey down! The fans boo but Kofi brings Rey in! Woods says watch this, “Hall of Famer!” Kofi lifts Rey, Rey pops free, but Kofi stomps away on him! Kofi glares at JBL, then he drags Rey up. The fans boo but Kofi SMACKS Rey off the apron. Kofi then reels Rey in, but Rey RANAS Kofi into the steel steps! The fans fire up as Rey rises, and Raw goes to break.
Raw returns and Kofi has Rey down with an armlock. Rey fights to his feet, the fans fire up, and the forearms go back and forth! Kofi ROCKS Rey, Rey ROCKS Kofi, but then Kofi kicks low! Kofi whips, Rey ducks ‘n’ dodges, then Rey leaps to FLYING FOREARM! Both men are down and the fans fire up again. Woods coaches Kofi while Rey goes to the apron. Rey then goes to the corner, but Kofi hurries over that way. Kofi fires body shots, then he climbs up after Rey. Kofi brings Rey up but Rey fires body shots in return! Rey BENDS Kofi’s fingers, then he HEADBUTTS Kofi! Kofi staggers up, Rey hits the SEATED SENTON!
Rey gets moving, but Kofi ducks the springboard crossbody! Kofi sunset flip, but Rey rolls through, basement DROPKICK! Cover, TWO! Kofi goes to a corner, Rey CLUBS him, and the fans rally. The ref gets between them, but Kofi pokes Rey in the eyes! Kofi leaps, CROSSBODY SPLASH to the back! Cover, TWO! The fans rally for Rey as he stays in this. The fans chant “NEW! DAY SUCKS!” Woods argues with a fan, Kofi aims, TROUBLE IN- NO, Rey dodges, then comes back to RANA! Kofi is on ropes, Rey dials it up! But Woods trips Rey! The ref saw that clear as day! Woods argues with the ref, but the ref EJECTS Woods!
The fans fire up while Woods throws a fit! Rey DECKS Woods! But Kofi CLOBBERS Rey! The fans boo, but Kofi hauls Rey up! Rey victory rolls Kofi onto ropes! Rey redials, 619!! And then the springboard, but onto knees! Kofi covers, TWO!! Rey survives, the fans fire up, but Kofi seethes. Kofi hauls Rey up, clinches, S O- NO! Rey makes the SOS a cover, REY WINS!
Winner: Rey Mysterio, by pinfall
But Woods CLBOBERS Rey from behind! The New Day mugs Rey, the fans boo more, but here comes the LWO! Joaquin Wilde & Cruz Del Toro run The New Day off! The fans boo, Cruz & Wilde check Rey, but then the New Day sneak back in! They drag Wilde out to POST him! Cruz hurries but now New Day retreats for real! Insult to injury here, but will Kofi & Woods continue to be blinded by their own arrogance?
Backstage interview with Team American Made.
Cathy Kelley waits as Chad Gable is arguing with his own people, then says okay, sorry, he was inspiring the team. But yeah, he’s the talk of the whole freakin’ wrestling world the past week, but he is man enough to admit he has a problem. And it all started with losing to Penta last week! It was Dragon Lee before that, and Rey Mysterio before that. Gable asks, “What’re we gonna do her?” But he’s figured it out! He found a man who knows a thing or two about lucha libre, and that man is intelligent with a mustache to match. That man is Dominik Mysterio! While Dom helps Gable with his lucha problem, the team has their marching order.
Ivy Nile says there’s a Women’s Intercontinental Championship with her name all over it. Brutus says those tag titles should’ve already had their names on them, HAHA~! Julius mocks how War Raiders cry about “One more injury~ and we’re done forever~!” Like that’s something to be proud of? No more asking, they’re just taking! They’ll take those tag titles from a team near the end of their career and put them on a team that’s entering their prime. Gable says this team that bleeds red, white ‘n’ blue will have waists wrapped in gold, and it will be glorious. Team American Made heads out, but can Dirty Dom really help Gable clean up his act?
Sami Zayn is here!
Dallas sings his song, and the Underdog from the Underground goes right to the ring. He grabs a mic and thanks Dallas for that, that never gets old. But he wont’ beat around the bush, he’ll just get right to business. Sami spoke with Adam Pearce, and Sami is now officially entered into the 2025 Men’s Royal Rumble match! The fans like the sound of that! Sami says Rollins told him he’s already helped a lot of others, so time to help himself. Well, Sami thought about that, and thought about what he wants. When he thought about that, it opened a whole bunch of thoughts. Sami pictured what 14-year-old Sami wanted.
Sami thought about what the millions around the world who dream of becoming pro-wrestlers, and the thousands who actually live the dream and get to do it. And then the even smaller group lucky enough to call themselves WWE Superstars. And then the smallest group of all, the hardest to crack into at all, is the upper echelon, the top tier, and that is where Sami is now! The fans cheer, and Sami firmly believes he is as good as everyone else in that group. That group is all in the Royal Rumble, and the only difference between Sami and the others, aka Roman, McIntyre, Rollins, and so on, is that they all have a world title to their name… and Sami doesn’t.
Sami has said it before, he’ll say it again, he’s had a great life, a great career. He doesn’t need the world title to complete him. The fans have supported Sami throughout the years, and believe it or not, that support means more to him than any world title could ever mean! So no, Sami does not need that world title, but DAMMIT, he WANTS it!! The fans love that! Sami says 14-year-old Sami wants that title, and he’s still with Sami! That kid sets foot in this ring every time Sami does. So Sami doesn’t need it, he wants it, so he will TAKE IT! WAIT, Kevin Owens is here!? The fans boo and Sami is certainly stunned seeing SmackDown’s Prizefighter back on Raw.
Kevin, who is still carrying the “Winged Eagle” title, while wearing a Bret Hart merchandise jacket, makes his way to the ring. Kevin grabs the mic, and while fans boo, he looks to Sami. Sami says he knew it was a matter of time before Kevin showed up. How does Kevin wanna do this? Kevin asks what Sami means. Sami knows Kevin. We all saw what Kevin did to Cody over teaming with Roman, so how’s this going down? Aw, is that why Sami thinks Kevin is here? No, Kevin admits, he was upset at first. But he realizes now that Sami teaming with Roman isn’t the same as Cody teaming with Roman.
Sami and Roman had a lot of history, the same as Sami and Kevin. And Roman did terrible things to Sami that Sami overlooked, just as Kevin did to Sami that Sami has overlooked. Or rather, Sami forgave Kevin for those things. Same as him forgiving Roman! Because that is who Sami is: Sami is a good person. And Rollins is right, Sami does a lot for others, especially his friends. And well, Sami is still Kevin’s best friend. A brother even! Kevin is here to tell his brother that he whole heartedly believes Sami can and will win the Royal Rumble. Kevin knows that the Sami he’s known for 20 YEARS will win the Royal Rumble!
And why? Because Sami deserves it! Sami deserves to go to WrestleMania and fight for the WWE Championship, and Kevin knows Sami will do it! Then Kevin and Sami can accomplish one more thing together. Think of everything they’ve done and seen each other do in this business. They main-evented WrestleMania to become tag team champions. But there’s one more thing they haven’t done: main event WrestleMania for THE WWE Championship. And when Sami wins the Rumble, they can do that, so long as Kevin walks away THE WWE Champion. But Kevin knows both of those things are going to happen.
Kevin knows Sami will win the Rumble because Kevin has his back. He does. And Kevin knows he’ll be THE WWE Champion because just like Sami had Roman’s back, he’s got Kevin’s back. Right? Kevin just knows it. Sami is his best friend, his brother, and if Kevin needs him, Sami will be there. Kevin drops his mic and heads out, but Sami is rather confused. Is Kevin suggesting Sami do what it sounds like? What will Sami do on this Road to WrestleMania?
Backstage interview with Sheamus.
Cathy is with The Fella and brings up his Intercontinental Championship match he has this Saturday against Bron Breakker. Why is this title so important to him? Sheamus says many would look at his career, and say he has the perfect backwards WWE career. He was only six months into his career, and he beat one of the biggest names this business has ever seen in John Cena to become WWE Champion. Ironically, the Intercontinental Champioship is what drew Sheamus to the WWE. That title has become an obsession for the past five years, but guess what? The stars are aligned! Saturday Night’s Main Event, Sheamus will bust Bron aside and fulfill destiny!
Sheamus will win the last championship he has yet to win! And for everyone who is watching, Let’s Go, Irish! A quick shoutout to Notre Dame, but then Sheamus spots Bron Breakker. Bron tells Sheamus that this title is Bron’s. This is as close as Sheamus will ever get to winning it. Because on Saturday, Bron beats him and BREAKS him like an old man! So just do us all a favor and retire. Sheamus shoves Bron, but Bron laughs it off and takes his leave. Will the Celtic Warrior finally have his WWE Bingo in another banger? Or will this title still belong to Bron Breakker?
Bayley VS Nia Jax!
The Role Model and the Irresistible Force were just on SmackDown but they’re bringing their beef over to Raw! Will Bayley make her official transfer back a successful one? Or will Nia be rolling towards the Royal Rumble?
Well, well, well, Roxanne Perez seems to be stalking Bayley. She was in the crowd for SmackDown last Friday, and now she’s here in the crowd tonight. The bell rings, Nia runs up, but Bayley dodges! Nia hits buckles, Bayley fires hands, then runs to ELBOW her! Bayley climbs up to rain down fists! The fans count, Bayley ges to 6 before Nia brings her off the corner! Bayley still fights, but Nia stops the rana! Nia brings Bayley up to a fireman’s carry, but Bayley kicks off ropes! TORNADO DDT! Cover, TWO! Nia sits up but Bayley fires hands! Bayley runs, but into a POP-UP HEADBUTT! Bayley sputters, Nia covers, ONE!!
Bayley scrambles away but Nia stalks her. Nia puts Bayley on the ropes, CHOKES her, but the ref counts. Nia lets off at 4, she soaks up some heat, then she HEADBUTTS Bayley again. Bayley goes to a corner, Nia digs her boot in, but the ref counts. Nia stops at 4, the fans boo some more, and Bayley crawls. Nia drags Bayley up, pushes her down, then runs, only for Bayley to avoid the elbow drop! Bayley fires forearms, then whips. Nia takes a swing but Bayley gets around to hit a back suplex! Cover, TWO! Nia is tougher than that but she’s also dazed. Bayley rises, runs in, but Nia URENAGES Bayley down! Now Nia climbs the corner!
The fans fire up as Bayley SHOVES Nia to the apron! Bayley BOOTS Nia to the floor, then builds speed! Bayley DIVES, down goes Nia! The fans fire up and Bayley gets in Roxie’s face! Roxie takes a swing, but Bayley blocks! Bayley DECKS Roxie! The fans go wild, security stops Roxie from getting at Bayley! Bayley mocks the little idiot, then goes back for Nia while Raw goes to break.
Raw returns and Nia drags Bayley up. Nia drops a LEG on the arm! Cover, TWO!! Bayley survives and Nia grows frustrated. Nia taunts Bayley, the fans boo Nia, and Bayley sits up. Nia drags Bayley by her hair, then runs, but Bayley avoids the leg drop! Bayley hurries to ELBOW Nia in the back! And then SLIDING LARIAT! Bayley keeps moving, and drops an ELBOW! Cover, TWO! Nia survives the onslaught but the fans rally for Bayley. Both women slowly rise up, and Bayley runs up to KNEE Nia out to the apron! Bayley then drags Nia in through the ropes, but Nia HOTSHOTS the bad arm!
Bayley writhes, Nia taunts the fans, then Nia goes back to the apron. Nia stands on Bayley’s bad arm! But Bayley avoids another leg drop! Nia clutches her lower back while she and Bayley both rise up again. Bayley runs in to SUNSET FLIP BUCKLE BOMB! Nia flops to the floor and the fans fire up! Bayley leaves Nia behind for the count to handle this. Nia is still down at 5 of 10, and at 7! Nia springs up and in at 8! But Bayley goes up, up, and she hits a BANZAI DROP! Cover, TWO! Bayley didn’t quite A-Nia-Late Nia, but she goes up to ELBOW DROP! Cover, TWO! Nia survives again but if only barely!
The fans rally as Bayley brings Nia up. Nia shoves Bayley away, then scoops her, SHOULDER BUSTER! Cover, TWO! Bayley stays in this and the fans rally up again. Bayley goes to a corner, Nia runs in, and Nia SPLASHES Bayley! Bayley flounders against the ropes, then Nia runs in. Bayley TOSSES Nia to the apron, but Nia ROCKS Bayley! Nia drags Bayley up, and POSTS her! Bayley dangles in the ropes, and Nia snarls. Nia runs to HIP ATTACK Bayley against the post! Bayley flounders back in, the fans boo, and Nia climbs up! But Bayley is up to YANK Nia down! The fans fire up as Bayley runs, and she KNEES Nia down! Cover, TWO!!
Nia survives yet again but the fans continue to rally behind Bayley. Bayley goes up a corner, but now Nia is up! Nia ROCKS Bayley, then climbs up after her. Nia fireman’s carries, but Bayley squirms around! SUPER SUNSET FLIP BOMB!! Cover, TWO?!?! Nia survives that wild fall but Bayley goes right back up! MACHO ELBOW!! Cover, TWO!!! Nia survives again and Bayley is beside herself! Nia and Bayley rise, and the fans fire up again. Bayley reels Nia in, but the bad arm won’t let her clinch! Nia fireman’s carries, but Bayley fights free! Bayley runs, CHOP BLOCKS a leg, then hurries to run again. Nia POP-UP SAMOAN DROPS!!
Nia hurries to SENTON! Then she drags Bayley to a drop zone! Nia goes up, to A-NIA-LATE Bayley! Cover, Nia wins!!
Winner: Nia Jax, by pinfall
A powerful battle between two former champions, but the Irresistible Force crushes Bayley on her return to Raw! But wait! RHEA RIPLEY makes her way out here! Mami wants revenge, and Nia says bring it! They brawl in the ring, the fans fire up, and Rhea HEADBUTTS Nia! Rhea RAMS Nia into the corner again and again, but here comes security! The fans want to “LET THEM FIGHT!” but the two are separated! But then Nia breaks free to SPLASH Rhea and whoever else was in the way! Nia CLUBS away on Rhea, producers and refs rush out here to stop this, but Rhea is up! She LEAPS at Nia for more!
The fans are thunderous as Rhea shoves everyone out of the way to ROUNDHOUSE Nia! Nia falls out of the ring, but rhea isn’t done! Rhea goes to the apron, but Nia trips her up! Nia DRIBBLES Rhea off the announce desk! Nia now clears the desk, and Adam Pearce is shouting that this is enough! Nia puts Rhea on the desk, but security swarms her! Wait, Rhea is back up! CANNONBALL!! Rhea takes Nia and the security guards out! The fans fire up but producers have to drag Rhea away from Nia! Dallas cheers on “MAMI! MAMI!” and she grabs a mic. Rhea gets on the desk to shout, “YOU! ME! SATURDAY NIGHT’S MAIN EVENT!!”
The fans are all fired up, because now things are going to get wild in San Antonio! But will the Queen of the Ring A-Nia-Late Rhea? Or will Nia get eradicated?
Judgment Day meets with American Made.
The others aren’t so sure about this, but Chad Gable says Dom said he could help with Gable’s luchador problem. Does he have some info? C’mon! Help him out! Okay, okay. Dom has someone who can help Gable. Dom hands him a piece of paper, and Gable asks, “This is the guy?” Dom says it sure is. Gable tells Judgment Day and “JD McDouche” that he’s off to master the dark arts of lucha libre. The others ask Dom what this is all about. Dom says it’s a long story but he and Gable go way back. Okay, fine, but how does this help Judgment Day? Next week is the tag title rematch but Finn is still out of action from last week’s Street Fight!
Liv Morgan says listening to Finn hasn’t really helped them win, has it? C’mon, Liv, this is serious. They’re gonna have to forfeit! Dom says maybe he could sub in. Finn shouldn’t care so long as they get the titles back, right? JD says yeah, that’s a good point. They’ll get this. Liv says yeah, Finn should be fine. And Dom is quite the mastermind now, huh? Liv just hopes this plan goes better than the one he had for her match with Rhea. Hey, didn’t she say she was over that? Yes, she did. Can Dom not take a joke? Okay, okay. Dom does have a plan for Liv, though. And even though she’s not mad, he’ll make it up to her, okay? Oh, he will. Now, let’s go.
Liv & Dom head out, Raquel tells Carlito to stop staring. Will Judgment Day (not) keep it together?
Lyra Valkyria speaks.
“Last week, I walked into Raw ready to become a history maker. And that meant spreading my wings and shedding any dead feathers that made me doubt the heights I knew I was capable of reaching. I took fear, I took doubt, and I used them to become something more. And now that I have this, it’s about what comes next. And what comes next is building a legacy as a valiant, fighting Women’s Intercontinental Champion.” The Morrigan is ready for more, just how high will she soar?
WWE celebrates Martin Luther King Jr.
He had a dream, and that dream lives on in us. May we keep that dream alive so that it may come true every day.
Seth Rollins warms up backstage.
Sami checks with him and knows the match with McIntyre is coming up. But Sami just wants Rollins to know that as a friend, he appreciated the talk they had last week. Rollins knows, and he heard Sami out there. Rollins respects Sami’s choice. It’s about time we got that Sami back. And Sami is almost rooting for that Sami. But push comes to shove int he Rumble, Rollins will throw Sami right over the top rope. Sami says, “Not if I throw you out first.” Sami again wishes Rollins luck, then heads out. Rollins finishes his preparations, but Karrion Kross is watching from afar! Could Mr. Doomsday have his next target in mind?
PENTA VS Pete Dunne!
#CeroMiedo made its debut in the WWE just last week, and it was a massive hit! But now he’s up against a man who feels disrespected left, right, front and back! Will the Bruiserweight take out all his frustrations on the new kid in class? Or will Penta continue to blow the roof off the arenas?
The bell rings and the fans already chant, “CERO! MIEDO!” Penta tells Dunne to listen, but Dunne grabs the hand! Penta KICKS Dunne, but Dunne CHOPS! Penta CHOPS, Dunne CHOPS, then the forearms start flying! Dunne headlocks, Penta fires body shots, and Penta powers out. Penta hurdles then mule kicks Dunne, and Dunne sputters away. Penta swaggers, but Dunne CLOBBERS him! The fans boo but Dunne grabs an arm. Dunne hammerlocks that arm, pulls on the other, and he bends the fingers back! Dunne STOMPS Penta’s arm! The fans tell Dunne off while Penta writhes, but Dunne drags Penta up again.
Dunne wrenches and whips, but Penta reverses. Then Penta runs up to GAMANGIRI! Penta whips again, Dunne reverses and he GAMANGIRIS! Penta sputters, Dunne brings him up, and Dunne whips. Penta reverses. Dunne goes up and flips and SUPERKICK from Penta! Penta hits Dunne outta the sky and Dunne bails out of the ring! The fans fire up and Penta says, “CERO! MIEDO!” Penta runs and DIVES into a forearm! Dunne gives back that anti-air, then he reels Penta in. APRON X-PLEX! Penta writhes again while Raw goes to break.
Raw returns, Dunne runs up to SLIDING FOREARM Penta down! The fans boo while Penta sputters, but Dunne runs up to SLIDINGN FOREARM again! Dunne paces, the fans chant, “Butch Sucks!” but Dunne just runs up on Penta. Penta dodges, mule kicks, and he runs to SLING-DOG! Dunne flounders to a corner, Penta runs and headstands on the corner! SWINGING DROPKICK! Dunne sputters more but Penta fireman’s carries. The fans fire up for the SWINGINGN DEATH VALLEY! Cover, TWO! Penta is frustrated, but the fans rally up again. Penta and Dunne rise up, and Penta goes after Dunne. Dunne ENZIGIRIS first!
Dunne STMOPS the hands, then he BUZZSAWS! Penta goes to a corner, Dunne runs up, but Penta SUPERKICKS! Penta runs up, DESTROYER!! Dunne tumbles out of the ring! The fans fire up with Penta and he builds speed again! Penta FLIES and down goes Dunne! The fans are thunderous while both men are out at the ramp! Penta and Dunne stir, the ring count climbs, and Dunne is in at 5 of 10. Penta rises at 6, and he slaps some sense into himself. Penta is back in at 7, DES- NO, Dunne stops the second shot and tucks Penta in! CRUNCHY DRIVER!! Cover, TWO!! Penta survives and the fans fire up!
Penta shakes out the bad arm, but he and Dunne sit up. They go forehead to forehead, then forearm for forearm! Dunne CHOPS, but Penta CHOPS! The fans cheer Penta on and he tells Dunne to listen! “CERO! MIEDO!” But Dunne bends the fingers, SNAPS them, then wraps Penta into a TRIANGLE HOLD! Penta endures, fights up, and he deadlifts Dunne, for a POWER BREAKER!! Dunne writhes, Penta grabs Dunne’s arm and traps it! Penta CLUBS Dunne, then grabs the other arm, SACRIFICE!! Dunne writhes in even more pain, but Penta brings him around. Pump handle, PENTA DRIVER!! Cover, Penta wins!
Winner: Penta, by pinfall
The luchador proved he could do power on top of punishing submissions, and he is 2-0 here on Raw! Will the Penta Era take over the WWE?
Logan Paul speaks.
“Man, it must suck to be a Logan Paul hater. For years, all of you have wanted me to fail. But you know why it’s never happened, and it never will? Because when I do something, I become the best at it. I became the King of the Internet. I was the only man in history to beat Floyd Mayweather. So what makes you think the WWE will be any different? Look around, dummies. This is my life now. And I will eat, sleep and breathe wrestling until I become the greatest superstar to step into that ring. You can quote me on that. You’re looking at the GOAT, ladies and gentlemen.” The Maverick makes his return next week in Atlanta, will he receive a “warm welcome?”
CM Punk is here!
The Voice of the Voiceless, the Second City Saint, the Best in the World, takes a page out of Jey Uso’s playbook by entering through the concourse and then the bleachers! Dallas fires up as he joins Jackie Redmond in the perch for an interview. Jackie says the fans love chanting Punk’s name, and thanks him for coming out here for this in-arena interview. Punk says before any questions, he has a question for us: “Is it great to be alive on a Monday night in Dallas, Texas or what?!” The fans cheer that, and Jackie says of course it is.
But to the question: There are only so many ways to get to the main event of WrestleMania, something Punk wants to do for the first time in his career. The Royal Rumble is certainly one way, but that is a match he’s never won. And it is shaping to become one of the most stacked fields ever. Punk, Roman, John Cena, Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre, Sami Zayn, and more. So, the question is, what makes this Rumble different for Punk? Punk says, “History.” And he is a maker of history! Just three weeks ago, he main-evented the first Raw live on Netflix, and he beat Rollins, a man favored to win this year’s Rumble.
This business is a fickle one, constantly asking, “What have you down for me lately?” Punk says he makes history! And he’ll do it in two weeks when he walks in, throws 29 other superstars over the top rope. The stakes are much too high, the lights are much too bright, and the pressure is on! And that is when Punk feels alive and when he thrives. No one can beat Punk when he’s at his best and with the people behind him. Jackie brought up Cena, but Punk can’t see Cena throwing him out. Roman Reigns? Roman needed Punk’s help to settle family business at WarGames. And in the Rumble, there are no friends!
Punk has put McIntyre in the dirt, and don’t ask him about Sami. You put HOGAN in the rumble, Punk will throw his old ass out and kill Hulkamania once and for all! February 1st, 60 THOUSAND strong, on the Peacock, live and in living color, Indianapolis, Indiana, Punk will settle scores and cash in debts. He’ll even call in a favor or two if he needs to. On that night, 29 other men are going night-night, and ONE MAN gets his hand raised. One name, three syllables: C, M, PUNK! “CM” might stand for “Confident Man” right about now, but will Punk be unstoppable on this road not just to WrestleMania, but also the road to his dream?
Damage CTRL VS Pure Fusion Collective!
This rivalry went back and forth all over 2024, and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down just because it is a New Year. Will Dakota Kai & Iyo Sky finally kick PFC to the curb for what they did to Kairi Sane? Or will Sonya Deville, Shayna Baszler & Zoey Stark put them on the shelf right beside the Pirate Princess?
The teams sort out, the bell rings, and Kai starts against Shayna. Shayna opens with a KICK to the leg, but Kai walks that off. Shayna KCIKS again, Kai gets mad, and the two go again. Kai blocks one kick but not the second KCIK! Shayna runs up, fakes Kai out, then trips her up! Shayna scuffs Kai, then soaks up the heat. Shayna runs back in, but Kai goes up and over to roll her up! TWO, and Kai slips past Shayna to DROPKICK her down! The fans fire up for Kai, but Shayna stops the arm-drag! Shayna whips, Kai stops herself and BOOTS Shayna away. Kai runs up, Zoey tags in before the flying mare!
Things speed up, Shayna drops down and Zoey springboards to MISSILE DORPKICK Kai down! Sonya wants everyone to take notes! Zoey clamps onto Kai with a chinlock and she grinds Kai down. The fans rally, Kai fights up, and Kai fires body shots. Zoey CLUBS Kai, CLUBS her again and again, then soaks up heat. Zoey puts Kai in the corner, tags Shayna back in, and then Zoey whips Shayna in for a KNEE! Shayna scoops Kai, BACKBREAKER and LARIAT! Shayna covers, TWO! Kai stays in this, but Sonya says her team’s got this. Kai crawls, but Shayna clamps onto the leg for a toehold.
Kai endures, kicks at Shayna with her free leg, but Shayna still bends the trapped leg! The fans rally, Kai kicks and kicks, but Shayna drops an ELBOW on the leg! Shayna tells Dallas to shut it, then she drags Kai around to bend the leg in another direction! Kai endures, reaches out for Iyo, but Shayna pulls the leg. Kai kicks at Shayna again, then BOOTS her away! Kai and Shayna crawl, hot tag to Zoey! Zoey brings Kai up but Kai ENZIGIRIS! Shayna runs back in, but Kai TOSSES her out! Hot tag to Iyo! The Genius of the Sky fires SHOTEI after SHOTEI on Zoey! Iyo ROCKS Shayna, then runs! PFC avoids the handsprings, but Iyo blocks a kick!
Iyo sends the foot at Zoey, but she ducks! Iyo SHOTEIS Zoey again! Then she dodges Shayna to GERMAN SUPLEX her away! The fans fire up as Iyo whips Zoey. Zoey reverses but Iyo uses that to DIVE onto Shayna! Iyo hurries up, blocks a shot, then ROUDNHOUSES Zoey! The fans fire up as Iyo climbs, and Iyo MISSILE DROPKICKS Zoey! Iyo handsprings up and the fans are thunderous! Iyo aims from the corner, runs in and SHINKANSEN! Iyo drags Zoey to a cover, TWO! Zoey survives but Iyo goes up. Sonya storms up, but Kai YANKS Sonya down! The fans fire up as Iyo climbs, but Shayna LARIATS Kai!
Zoey YANKS Iyo down, SUPERKICKS her, and then reels her in! ATAXIA!! Cover, TWO!! Zoey is furious, but she tags in Shayna. PFC gets Iyo up, ROLLING DEATH VALLEY, then a SLIDING KNEE! Cover, Kai breaks it! The fans fire up but Zoey TOSSES Kai! Zoey then PLANCHAS, but Kai dodges! Kai goes up to the apron to PENALTY KICK Zoey! Shayna BOOTS Kai, then dodges Iyo! KIRAFUDA KLUTCH!! Iyo flails, but she runs to the ropes! HOTSHOT and Shayna falls back! Iyo hurries up top, the fans fire up, OVER THE MOONSAULT! Cover, DMG CTRL wins!
Winners: Damage CTRL, by pinfall
PFC tried to use the numbers, but Iyo & Kai just used their skills! Will DMG CTRL still take control of Raw? Or will Sonya, Shayna & Zoey figure out a winning formula?
Seth Rollins VS Drew McIntyre!
With the Royal Rumble just down the road, it is this WrestleMania 40 rematch that could determine how WrestleMania 41 looks. The Visionary and the Scottish Terminator look to run it back, but who will be in pole position for Indianapolis?
Raw returns and McIntyre makes his entrance. The bell rings, the fans fire up, and the two stare down. The fans sing Rollins’ song, and Rollins says he’s got two good knees now. No Bloodline, no CM Punk, just them! The two circle, tie up, and McIntyre pushes Rollins to the corner. The ref counts but McIntyre talks smack as he lets off. Rollins shoves McIntyre, McIntyre shoves Rollins! They stare down again, Rollins talks a bit more smack, and McIntyre grins. McIntyre CHOPS, and Rollins likes that! Rollins CHOPS, McIntyre CHOPS, repeat! The fans “WOO~” but then McIntyre headlocks. Rollins powers up and out, but McIntyre runs him over!
McIntyre looms over Rollins, then brings him up. But Rollins CHOPS, CHOPS, and CHOPS! McIntyre headlocks, Rollins powers up and out, drops down, hurdles over, then redirects McIntyre to SHOULDER TACKLE! McIntyre rebounds to SHOULDER TACKLE Rollins! The fans fire up again while Rollins goes to ropes. McIntyre stomps Rollins, ROCKS him, then stalks him to ropes. McIntyre CHOPS Rollins against the ropes, then whips. Rollins ducks ‘n’ dodges, to then SLINGBLADE! Rollins keeps moving, and he LARAITS McIntyre up and out! The fans fire up as Rollins builds speed, to WRECK McIntyre with a dropkick!
McIntyre is at the desk. Rollins builds sped, and Rollins DIVES! McIntyre hits desk, but Rollins keeps going! Rollins DIVES again, but McIntyre stops that to TOSS Rollins up and over the desk! Rollins is down between the armchairs and McIntyre snarls, but Raw goes to break.
Raw returns again and both men slowly rise in the ring. McIntyre looms over Rollins, saying Rollins is still too damn selfish. But Rollins fires hands! McIntyre hits back, they go back and forth! McIntyre kicks low, whips Rollins toa corner, but Rollins BOOTS him away! McIntyre returns, and he pushes through the boot to ELBOW Rollins! McIntyre has Rollins in the Inverted Alabama Lift, ALABAMA- VICTORY ROLL! TWO!! Rollins goes back to the corner, and he BOOTS McIntyre again! The fans fire up while both men are down! Rollins feeds off that energy and rises up. Rollins ROCKS McIntyre, then counter punches him!
Rollins CHOPS and ROCKS McIntyre again and again, then CHOPS, CHOPS, CHOPS! The fans fire up, the ref counts as they’re on ropes, but Rollins roars! Rollins whips, McIntyre reveres, Rollins leaps, but into McIntyre’s arms! McIntyre pops Rollins up, but Rollins slips out of the suplex to then POST McIntyre! McIntyre staggers back, so Rollins POSTS him again! McIntyre sputters, Rollins brings him around and POSTS him a third time! McIntyre is stuck in the corner now, but Rollins SLAMS the arm against the post! Rollins aims as McIntyre staggers away. Springboard, FLYING KNEE! McIntyre says up, Rollins hits a RUNNING KNEE! Cover, TWO!
Rollins takes a breath as the fans rally up. McIntyre is down so Rollins goes to the apron. Springboard SWANTON! Cover, TWO! McIntyre survives but Rollins snarls. Rollins stalks McIntyre, grabs the arm, and he goes to wrangle McIntyre. McIntyre rolls free, fireman’s carries, but Rollins fights free! Rollins goes to a corner again, puts McIntyre on the apron, but McIntyre ROCKS Rollins! McIntyre climbs, but Rollins springs up to join him! SUPER DUPER PLEX! Roll through, but MCINTYRE hits the FALCON ARROW! Cover, TWO!! The fans fire up as both men are down! “This is Awesome!” as McIntyre kips up!
McIntyre still wobbles a bit, but he makes his way to a corner. McIntyre tells Rollins to get up. Rollins rises, McIntyre runs in, but Rollins ducks the Claymore! Now Rollins aims, and he runs up, but McIntyre hits a SPINEBUSTER! Jackknife bridge, TWO! Rollins survives, but McIntyre brings him in! Deadlift and- RANA! Rollins then SUPERKICKS McIntyre, runs, tilt-o-whirls, and FALCON ARROWS! The fans fire up as Rollins manages a cover, TWO!! The pin wasn’t much but neither was that kick-out, both men are running on fumes. The fans sing Rollins’ song, “WHOA~ OH~ OHH~!”
Rollins runs, CURB- NO, McIntyre avoids the stomp! Underhooks and FUTURE- NO, Rollins fights the DDT to underhook! PED- NO, McIntyre wrenches out to short arm LARIAT! McIntyre rolls away to go to the apron, then he drags himself up the corner. McIntyre reaches the top, Rollins stands, FLYING- NO, Rollins blocks the lariat to try and wrangle McIntyre. McIntyre scoops Rollins, Rollins slips free, and Rollins still wants the arm! McIntyre fights the takedown again so Rollins CLUBS away on the arm! Rollins brings McIntyre down, into a CROSSFACE!! McIntyre endures, reaches out, but Rollins pulls him back!
McIntyre fights, claws his way over, and he manages the ROPEBREAK! Rollins holds until the ref counts 4, and now Rollins tells McIntyre to get up and fight. “You question me? You question my integrity!?” Rollins gets in McIntyre’s face, the ref backs him off, but now McIntyre CLAWS Rollins’ face! Rollins staggers, McIntyre reels him in, underhook and FUTURE SHOCK!! Cover, TWO?!? Rollins survives and now McIntyre is pissed. McIntyre rises, and he tells Rollins that his words and actions don’t line up. Short arm LARIAT! McIntyre drags Rollins up again, short arm LARIAT! The fans rally and McIntyre shakes his head.
McIntyre tells Rollins to get up, and Rollins sputters as he slowly sits up. McIntyre reels Rollins in for a short arm- NO, Rollins slips up and around, and a jackknife bridge! ROLLINS WINS!!
Winner: Seth Rollins, by pinfall
Rollins snatches this one away, and McIntyre CLOBBERS Rollins for it! The fans boo but McIntyre scares the ref off. But Rollins fires hands in return! McIntyre CLAYMORES outta nowhere!! McIntyre is still seething, and he drags Rollins over to the corner. McIntyre pulls Rollins’ hair to put him up against the post! The fans boo, the ref says don’t, but SAMI ZAYN to the rescue! Sami fires hands, then he POSTS McIntyre! Sami makes sure Rollins is alright, and then Sami goes back for Drew. But he gets a GLASGOW KISS HEADBUTT for it! McIntyre stands Sami up to THROW him into barriers!
McIntyre snarls as he looks to Rollins again. McIntyre gets in the ring, and he tells Rollins they should be on the same team, but Rollins is just so selfish! But here comes Sami! McIntyre moves, HELLUVA KICK to Rollins!! The fans can’t believe it and neither can Sami! Sami apologizes to Rollins, but McIntyre grins, this all worked out for the better! Will McIntyre use everyone else against each other to ensure he is the one going to WrestleMania?
My Thoughts:
Another great episode coming in at just two hours and 35 minutes or so. I don’t mind things “ending early” compared to the usual three hour run, but I am curious as to how they’re only using two-and-a-half hours. I suppose they have their plan and just go with it. That way, if things go long, they have breathing room for it. But they really could’ve added like one more thing to this and it would’ve been fine, I think. That said, good go-home stuff for Saturday Night’s Main Event, such as a good promo from Jey and Gunther. Though, they didn’t really add more to what last week had, other than that brawl. Jey stood tall, go-home math would suggest he loses.
Sheamus and Bron had a good promo to put the final touches on their build, but as I said last week, this is a rather interesting one. Sheamus really should win that Intercontinental Championship already, but I don’t know if Saturday Night’s Main Event is a “big enough stage” for such a moment. Great stuff with Bayley, Nia and Rhea tonight, especially that match. It seems the Transfer Window is finally putting some actual transfers in, what with Wyatt Sick6 on SmackDown and now Bayley on Raw. Rhea VS Nia on Saturday Night’s Main Event is going to be an awesome title match, but it feels like Rhea will retain to solidify her as champion past the Royal Rumble.
And speaking of the Rumble, Bayley is certainly a top choice to win. For one, it’d be historic for Bayley to not just win back-to-back, but to also be the first woman to have won two Rumbles at all. Very good promo from Punk to hype himself up for the Rumble, and he did mention a favor… Though, it’d be rather Heel of Punk to use a favor from Heyman to basically rig the Rumble or give him protection during it, but it’d also be great continuity as The Shield was to shield Punk. Sami of course declared for the Rumble, but Kevin showing up was a great surprise. And Kevin clearly implies that if Sami helps Kevin cheat the ladder match, Kevin will help Sami cheat the Rumble. Or rather, if Kevin does help Sami win the Rumble, Sami better help Kevin win the ladder match.
Sami also had a good promo with Rollins backstage, with the real fun part being Kross watching from the background. Kross needs a new feud with the Wyatts going to SmackDown, and moving on to names like Rollins and Sami would be some big stuff for him and The Final Testament. Rollins VS McIntyre was a great main event, and classic move having the quick pin win this so that McIntyre is still strong even in defeat. Sami making the save was also a nice touch, as was the Helluva Kick accidentally hitting Rollins. The Rumble has a lot of feuds crossing over, and Kross can add onto what happened here, we’ll get some really good chaos in that match.
Great promo between New Day and JBL to where even JBL, notorious as one of the meanest, most obnoxious Heels of his time, is on Big E’s side. And we finally got New Day back in the ring, but it’s a little disappointing that it wasn’t a tag match. Dragon Lee hasn’t gotten to do much, and he’s doing even less now. It was still a great match from Kofi VS Rey, with Rey getting his own quick pin win. New Day beating Rey up of course brought out the LWO, and I’m sure we’ll get New Day VS Cruz & Wilde next. We can only hope for Dragon Lee’s sake that he gets to be part of the blowoff for this feud. Actually, better yet would be him in the Intercontinental Championship scene.
Penta might also make a great choice for the Intercontinental Championship scene. Penta had another awesome match, as Pete Dunne is always a great opponent. Maybe Penta gets in on the Rumble so he can check that off his bucket list. He doesn’t need to win, he can just have a great showing, and rivalries can spark from those interactions. Lyra had a very good promo but I was hoping for a little more after her winning the Women’s Intercontinental Championship. DMG CTRL VS PFC was a great tag match, and a great win for DMG CTRL. Dakota and Iyo could each make a case for a match with Lyra, but clearly Ivy will be up first. She would make a solid first defense for Lyra, and then Lyra can have rematches from the tournament with Kai and Iyo.
At the same time, PFC might already be thinking about changing up the team with Zoey taking the loss. Good stuff with Judgment Day. Dom and Liv plotting and scheming while being passive aggressive is a fun phase for them. They’re probably plotting on how Liv can win the Women’s Rumble, but it’ll likely backfire and that’ll push the Liv x Dom break-up. Also, you can bet Finn won’t like Dom taking his spot against the War Raiders, especially if they win. That said, I don’t see them winning, Erik & Ivar should definitely be able to handle Dom & JD. It certainly feels more likely the Creeds can take the tag titles than Judgment Day.
I do wonder who Dom recommended to Gable, though. It’d be cool if WWE brought in some other lucha legends, as WWE seems to be expanding their partnerships. WWE is working more closely with TNA now, and I believe TNA still has a working relationship with AAA, especially after AEW moved over to working with CMLL because of the relationship with NJPW. Also a super crossover like NXTNAAA would be a lot of fun to see for WrestleMania weekend.
My Score: 8.8/10
About Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
 MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)Â
THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports PodcastÂ
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)
TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends
Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5
Classic POD is WAR
Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
Coverage
Andrew’s TNA Genesis Results & Match Ratings: 1.19.25
Does TNA Believe in Joe Hendry more than Mokuba Nemeth believes in his big brother?
Hot off the heels of the TNA and WWE working relationship announcement, the Kickoff show already has the first sprinkle of NXT talent with Ashante “Thee” Adonis coming out after Ariana Grace tries to take all of the credit for the partnership. Jake something runs over Ashante, but it’s a good quick nod on free YouTube. Oh it also looks like the ring announcer is McKenzie Mitchel again. I did like her first run in TNA in what was that… like 2016-2018 or 19? She’s got personality, she’s cute and a solid announcer, so nice to see her back.
I’m not gonna run down any predictions on who I think will win, because honestly, I just feel like Hendry needs to win today or it’s been an entire waste of momentum. So lets get to the main show!
Ratings:
- X Division Championship: Moose (c) vs Ace Austin: Moose retains via Lights Out – *** 1/4
- The System vs Maniac Marines: Marines win via K.I.A. – ***
- Knockouts Tag Titles: Elegance Clique (Heather & Ash) w/Personal Concierge vs Spitfire (Dani Luna & Jody Threat) (c): Spitfire retain via Pressure Drop – **
- Jordynne Grace vs Tessa Blanchard: Tessa wins via Magnum – ****
- I Quit Match: Josh Alexander vs Mike Santana: Santana wins! – ***
- TNA Tag Team Championships: The Hardyz (c) vs The Rascalz: Hardyz retain via Swanton Bomb – *** 1/2
- Raven’s Clockwork Orange House of Fun Match: TNA Knockouts World Championship: Masha Slamovich (c) vs Rosemary: Masha wins via Avalanche Requiem – ** 3/4
- TNA World Championship: Nic Nemeth (c) vs Joe Hendry: Hendry wins via Standing Ovation – *** 3/4 – TITLE CHANGE!!!!!!!
Results:
X Division Championship: Moose (c) vs Ace Austin
As soon as the bell rings, Ace jumps on him, forces him into the corner and stomps on him. Moose tries to fight out but Ace stays relentless. Ace has a counter for everything Moose is trying to counter in the early goings. Even when Moose catches him during the apron Handstand Dodge, Ace still has a counter for his counter. It’s not until a rake to the eyes from Moose that finally gives him a moment to start dictating the pace. A huge Irish Whip on the outside through the barricade is what Ace feels…twice. Ace tries to fight back from Moose continuing the momentum, Ace eats a Pump Kick, but blocks Moose’s attempt at a Suplex and counters with his own Vertical Suplex on Moose! JDC gets in the proximity of Ace so Ace kicks him, which delays his springboard, so Moose catches him and bounces him off the apron like a super ball.
Moose lets the count go, Ace barely gets in at 9, Moose throws him corner to corner, is slowing things down and being very deliberate. Ace starts powering through the pain, catches a Pump Kick, dodges a Spear into the corner and puts together a few strikes, Double Stomp, Triangle Kick, wants The Fold but Moose puts the brakes on there. Ace tries to spring off the ropes but Moose grabs him and hits Go To Hell for two! Fighting Spirit spot, Ace starts winning the trade, a Headbutt from Moose stops Ace, Moose flips him over the ropes to the apron, tries a few more things, Ace looks for a Springboard, Moose catches him but Ace slips it for a Frankensteiner. Moose powders to the opposite apron and Ace hits his Inside Out Headscissors sending Moose crashing to the floor. Alisha and JDC try to help up Moose, and while the referee is distracted JDC posts Ace. Moose goes for the Around the World Lights Out, but Ace moves and Moose kills JDC! Ace hits The Fold on the floor!
Eddie Edwards and Brian Myers run down the ramp, Ace sees them so he hits the Fosbury Flop to take them out. Ace is rolling, he goes for the Triangle Kick but Moose counters with Lights Out! 1-2- KICK OUT? Moose sets up for another Lights Out, Ace sidesteps it for the Cradle, kickout, Uranage, Cradle counter, Art of Finesse from Ace but Lights Out to the Spine from Moose! Moose sets up another and lands the Lights Out to retain!
Post Match the System looks to beat down on Ace, but Maniac Marines music hits and they go after Myers and Edwards. Guess the match is now!Â
The System vs Maniac Marines
Steve and Eric beat the hell out of the System members while the referee tries to set the match, it still hasn’t started but we get stereo 10 count punches in the corner, big fists causing Myers and Edwards to powder. This is essentially a Tornado Tag right now because the match hasn’t even started. Okay it eventually starts and Maclin hits the Backbreaker on Edwards and Busaiku Knee on Myers. He looks for a SCUD but Lish grabs the foot which is just enough! Maclin tries to charge anyway but gets caught in the Blue Thunder Bomb and now the match slows down and Eddie is in control.
Maclin absorbs some Chops from Eddie in the corner, no sells a little and fires, Eddie tags out Myers tries to slow things down with a Russian Leg Sweep but Maclin continues to try and rally. Eddie’s back in, shortarm Gowan Lariat into a cocky cover for two. Eddie tries to keep moving but Maclin hits the Vertical Suplex. Maclin is too slow to tag out so Eddie tags out and Myers cuts off Maclin. After a few more quick tags from System members, Maclin finally lands a Lariat to get the simultaneous tag and EY comes in hot. EY does the Flair corner flip, knocks Eddie off the apron, Myers eats a Macho Elbow but only two. Eddie knocks Maclin off the apron, Tandem Tiger Driver for two, EY fights back to level Eddie, Tree of Woe Myers Caught in Crosshairs but Lish gets in the ring! Eddie grabs Eric and distracts the ref, Lish clocks Maclin with either knuckles or a full hand of rings, Spear from Myers is only a two!
System Overload attempt, it’s thwarted by EY, Myers gets crotched in like a Reverse Tree of Woe, so Maclin hits the Caught in the Crosshairs on the back, EY with a Plancha to the outside to take Edwards out and K.I.A. from Maclin means Maniac Marines win!
Knockouts Tag Titles: Elegance Clique (Heather & Ash) w/Personal Concierge vs Spitfire (Dani Luna & Jody Threat) (c)
Elegance duo comes out dressed like Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. They do a Go Eagles chant right before the bell rings to a chorus of Boos.
Even though Elegance Clique throws their pompoms and try a cheap shot, Spitfire just plow through them, literally. Quick tags, some assisted moves, Ash gets away from Spitfire, tags in Heather and shoves her forward trying to take them off guard, but they turn around…grab Heather and a long Tandem Stalling Suplex with a Deep Squat for two. Concierge distracts the referee, looks for a low Dive onto Heather but Ash just kicks Dani in the face, and the referee sees nothing. Heather rolls her back in, Kawada Kicks, Forearm Shiver, trip into a Dropkick to the face! Ash hangs Dani off the apron and Heather hits the Double Stomp from the apron to the floor.
Ash starts choking Dani on the ropes, distracts the referee and Heather paintbrushes Dani with pompoms as Ash goes for a series of pinfall attempts. Quick tags, Dani is in their corner, Cartwheel Back Handspring Elbow from Ash into a Seated Dropkick from Heather. Dani has been getting smacked around for the last 4 or 5 minutes. Ash leans on Dani for a while, but Dani gets a head of steam, comes off the ropes and Shotgun Dropkick gives her space. Jody gets a hot tag, she Sack of Shits them both, Vader Hammers in the corner into a Michinoku Driver, which Ash breaks up with a Meteora. Heather and Ash have a nice tandem move for a two count. Jody tries to fight back, but Elegance stops it, blind tag from Dani, Senton takes out both Elegance Clique members and Dani stalks her prey. Snap Suplex two times on Ash, but Heather stops the third and Jody just tosses Heather out of the ring in a rough way. Jody tries her Double Knees German Suplex spot but Ash moves. Dani with the Shinsuke Nakamura Inside Out German, Pressure Drop and Spitfire retains.
Boo…
Jordynne Grace vs Tessa Blanchard
Grace charges Tessa immediately, and the ref needs to pull her off, but Tessa gets thrown around the ring literally, the crowd is chanting “Fuck You Tessa”, Tessa powders, eats a Dive and then a Jackhammer on the outside! Grace puts Tessa on her shoulders up to the ring, but Tessa finally fights off and flips off the crowd, revels in it for a second, tries the Frankensteiner, but Grace holds on, smashes Tessa into the guardrail twice, looks for the Reverse Bomb on the apron, but Tessa gets out, stomps on Jordynne a few times, hooks Jordynne’s face with the crook of her leg and drives Jordynne’s face into the apron. Unique looking and decent.
Tessa has the correct intensity, pushes into two quick pinfall attempts and starts getting deliberate. Drags Jordynne’s face across the rope, throats Grace, kicks her in the face and Slingshot Elbow is another near fall. Tessa with the Front Facelock, Grace tries to fight out but Tessa holds on and drops her with a Scorpion Death Drop for another near fall. Jordynne fights Tessa off with a few elbows, looks for a Superplex, but Tessa fights off, wants the Avalanche Sunset Bomb, but Jordynne stops it, Tessa kicks Grace’s feet, looks for a Rope Hung Death Drop but Jordynne fights it off and smashes Tessa’s face into the turnbuckles but Tessa hits the Rope Hung Backstabber for two. Tessa looks for Magnum, but Jordynne cuts her off, they fight at the top, Avalanche Sack of Shit! They both sell the exhaustion of the match so far.
They trade blows, two Scoop Slams from Jordynne, Lawn Dart into the Top Turnbuckle! Package Powerbomb for two! Dragon Suplex attempt from Grace, Tessa breaks it, Headlock Takeover, quick counter wrestling, Tiger Destroyer from Tessa! Only for a two count, but still nice. Buzzsaw attempt is shrugged off, Tessa comes off the ropes and eats the Spinebuster from Jordynne for two quick pinfall attempts. Tessa with the Body Scissors and pulls herself up and fights back, Jordynne slaps her around, looks for the Suplex but Tessa slips it and Neckbreaker Counter for a two count! The brawl to the apron, Grace eats a forearm and Tessa hits the Tornillo on Jordynne! They posture on the steps, Tessa wants a move but Jordynne counters her and Spicolli Driver from the stairs to the floor from Jordynne!
More back and forth in the corner, just positioning and counters, it’s like watching chess. Jordynne grabs Tessa for an Avalanche Air Raid Crash, but Tessa fights it and turns it into an Avalanche Crucifix Bomb! After trying a grounded submission Tessa locks in the Octopus, tries to wrench the fingers but Jordynne counters, Rope Assisted German Suplex into a Capture Suplex for 2! Kudome Valentine attempt from Grace but Tessa gets out, Backfist from Jordynne, Tessa bounces off and Cutter gives her a two count! Tessa calls for Magnum, Jordynne dodges it, Tessa rolls through, tries boots but Grace grabs Tessa and hits the around the world Reverse Alabama Slam! Tessa keeps trying to remove Buckle Pads but they’re on good, Tessa reverses out of the Kinikku Buster, hits the Buzzsaw into the partially exposed buckle but Grace grabs the rope. Tessa removes another pad, Bulldog into exposed buckle, Magnum, and Tessa is still sexy.
The turnbuckle pads being on too well made the finish a little flat, but it was a damn good match. There’s also a joke in the match with Tessa coming out wearing Red and Gold (Yellow), so the racism allegations are never going away if she keeps making it easy.
I Quit Match: Josh Alexander vs Mike Santana
There’s intensity but its all just technical tactics to take each other to the ground and grab a limb. But since we just came off of a pretty good match, things can’t start too hot. Every time Santana throws Josh to the outside, Josh scurries back to the ring, he’s playing scared. There’s a “He’s a bitch” chant that pops up. Santana cuts off Josh’s charge with a few well placed boots which sends Josh outside, Tope con Hilo levels the bald man. Santana throws Josh into a guardrail, Yakuza Kicks back to back rock Josh a bit. Fans call for tables and Santana slides one out to a huge pop. Santana sets it up, plays to the crowd, tries a Powerbomb onto the table but Josh slips it and Overhead Belly to Belly sends Santana crashing. A fan can be heard saying “That look like it hurt” to which Santana replies ” It did asshole”. Now Josh is dissecting Santana’s legs to soften him up for the Ankle Lock. Josh goes for the corner spot with the Figure Four around the post after bouncing the knee off the post a few times.
Josh tries to continue but Santana slides out and counters Josh and bounces his face off the post. Josh walks it off a bit as Santana stalks him and then a quick Chop Block has Santana writhing in pain. Josh decides to be a heel and do the Three Amigos instead of the Kurt Angle Germans. Disrespectful bald jerk. Santana gets throated, dropped to the apron on his ass, Low Crossbody but Santana flattens out and Josh goes flying! Santana tries a Dive, but Josh catches him and just drops him spine first on the apron. After a small resilient flurry of slaps from Santana Josh goes for the Germans. Santana brushes off on the third, goes for the Rolling Buck Fifty, gets caught in the Torture Rack, Santana fights off Josh’s shoulders, kicks him into the corner, Senton into the seated Josh. Perches him up top, points at the table, tries something but Josh fights him off, Moonsault from Josh misses and a Death Valley Driver gives both a moment to breathe.
Santana Spin the-BLOCK-ED! Josh sweeps the leg, Ankle Lock and Santana refuses to quit twice but slips the boot ala Eddie Guerrero. Josh pauses a moment, Santana charges and Josh dumps him over the top rope through the table! Santana says he doesn’t quit, Josh looks surprised, so he goes looking for more plywood. He also grabs the bottom set of stairs and throws them into the ring. Scoop Slams Santana into the broken table and continues looking for weapons, like a chair and zip ties. Santana crawls into the ring, Josh steps on the worked on leg and smashes it repeatedly with the chair. Josh goes into Full Mount, rains down strikes, exposes the elbow for Elbow Strikes and tries to soften him up for the zip ties. C4 Spike but Santana raises up like the Undertaker and fires into beating the piss out of Josh. Frankensteiner on Josh into the Frog Splash, Spin the Block! Josh doesn’t quit. Santana grabs the zip ties that Josh introduced, ties the hands behind Josh’s back, Spin the Block 2! Josh doesn’t quit. Santana sets up the steps as a ramp, table in front of Josh in the corner and Cannonballs through the table into Josh! Josh still doesn’t quit off the Jackass stunt. Santana finds a sock filled with quarters and starts beating Josh like it’s a slapjack. Josh still doesn’t quit. Santana tells Josh to bite the curb and is about to Curb Stomp him into the steps and Josh gets scared and quits.
TNA Tag Team Championships: The Hardyz (c) vs The Rascalz
Fraxiom comes out to watch the match, so this nicely sets up a potential early angle between NXT and TNA for the crossover.Â
Trey and Matt start, but it’s a slow Headlock basic counters and feint spots. Jeff and Wentz want to play, so this is very Japanese in giving each member a free chance to interact before any cutoffs or tandems. The crowd likes both men, so this is interesting but more Stalemate spots. Jeff manages a Polish Hammer to tag in Matt and go for a quick tandem move and keep Wentz in the Hardy Corner bouncing his face off buckles in Delete fashion. Tag from Jeff for another tandem Rocket Launcher into the bottom rope and Leg Drop from Jeff. Wentz counters the Twist with a Jumping Knee so he manages a tag to Trey and then a few quick striking double team spots. Quick tag to Wentz, Matt comes in to break it up, drops Matt and Wishbone. Quick Tag, MCMG ACS Rush homage. Wentz Dives onto Matt on the outside, Matt catches him into the Side Effect on the floor! Jeff gets the best of Trey after he’s a little distracted. Manhattan Drop from Jeff, into a tag to Matt and then some double team strikes for a near fall. Delete Head Smashes again on Trey.
Vertical Suplex from Matt for another 2. Matt tags out and Hardys look for more Tandem attacks, Plot Twist but Wentz recovers and makes the break! Trey flips out of Jeff’s arms, tags in Wentz, and Wentz cleans house on both Hardys. Corner to corner, tags back in Trey they hit the Saki Kashima assisted Dropkick on each Hardy and then they dump the Hardys at the feet of Fraxiom. FIVE HOLE DIVE FROM RASCALZ! Misses the Hardys and hits Fraxiom! This builds heat for The Rascalz and Fraxiom as Hardys attack the Rascalz while distracted. Poetry in Motion off the stairs from Jeff!
Facebuster from Jeff for two! Wentz hits a Busaiku Knee on Jeff to stop him from hitting Trey, Side Effect drops Wentz, Enzuigiri from Trey drops Matt and all four are down to catch their breath a bit. Original Poetry in Motion on Trey! Twist of Fate from Matt but countered and Matt is thrown into Jeff who’s selling a knee. Superkick into Feed Em to the Lions! Wentz Dives on Matt but Trey can’t quite make a clean pinfall. Jeff eats a Cheeky Nandos and Top Rope Tiger Feint, Twist of Fates for everyone and Jeff re-NO Trey kicks out! Another Twist but eats a Superkick from Wentz, tries the UFO Cutter on Matt but Matt just throws him to the outside. A Twist of Fate from each Hardy Boy, Swanton Bomb and the Hardyz retain!
Thursday’s Live Show will have Fraxiom vs The Rascalz for the NXT Titles!Â
Raven’s Clockwork Orange House of Fun Match: TNA Knockouts World Championship: Masha Slamovich (c) vs Rosemary
Do Rosemary’s shorts have Pokemon Gym Badges on em? Masha goes for the Staple Gun, it almost gets countered immediately, but she gets the first few clicks of the Staple gun, it actually doesn’t backfire, but she lets Rosemary powder and starts grabbing a few weapons. Masha finally decides to attack Rosemary with a cane, but Rosemary turns things around with the green mist. Slamovich gets some of the mist out of her eyes, chases her into the ring and eats a Drop Toehold into a Chair. Rosemary sets up the table, panders to the crowd and Masha launches herself over the top with a Crossbody, into Rosemary and then through the table! Masha finds her old chain she used to make Killer Kelly submissive and starts choking and dragging Rosemary around the ring and then Sabus the chair at Rosemary for emphasis.
Masha tries to hit the front flip Senton onto a seated Rosemary, but Rosemary moves and Masha hits the chair weird. Rosemary beats her with a chair a few times, looks under the ring, gets giddy and finds Janice! Rosemary swings Janice, breaks it, and then uses the two pieces to block the cane Masha had and then pressed the nail portion into Masha’s back! Rosemary is talking to Janice and goes to the back to find tacks that she spills out on the stage. Rosemary wants a Chokeslam into tacks, Masha counters, misses a Lariat and then eats the Spear into the tacks! Barbed Wire board is set up in the ring, Spicolli…nope! Russian Death Device into the Barbed Wire! Masha goes to the top, Footstomp into the barbed wire but only for 2 again! Masha goes to the outside and grabs a ladder.
A trash can lid gets thrown at Rosemary for good measure, Masha ascends the ladder and then Rosemary pushes the ladder and Masha goes crashing through one of two tables set up on the outside. Rough spot, rough looking, but Masha manages to move enough to break the pinfall since its falls count anywhere. Rosemary now goes full Kevin Steen and makes some chair art for a spot, drags Masha into the ring, sets he on the chairs and goes to the top. Masha sits up as Rosemary climbs, counters the momentum and Avalanche Requiem through the chairs! Masha retains.
Cora Jade’s music hits and sets up nicely after Masha was on NXT.Â
The Countdown Panel starts off with their main event picks they hinted towards and it’s necessary because they have to clean up the ring. Mark Henry picks Joe Hendry, and he better be correct. Ryan Nemeth interrupts with the “my brootthhheerrr” stuff, and Santino calls him “Fuck Face Guy”. It’s all good stuff, and I’m still a big fan of the Mokuba gimmick, but now they ban Ryan Nemeth.Â
TNA World Championship: Nic Nemeth (c) vs Joe Hendry
Simple chain wrestling start until Nic has a few words and then snaps off a Dropkick, does his show off Dolph stuff so Hendry runs him over with a Shoulder Block and then a Knee Lift. Hendry tries his Stalling Suplex but Nic slips it into a Rear Naked Choke! Hendry spins Nic around, walks around with the Stalling Suplex before finally dropping Nic. Ryan Nemeth shows up with a ticket, so he’s sitting in the crowd now. Joe gets distracted just enough for Nic to jump up and hit a delayed DDT. After Nic tries to stretch Joe a little, Hendry goes into locomotion Cradles but Nic drops Joe to take a breather. Nic does his single Shot to the Heart Elbow and he’s really embracing the old Dolph Ziggler show off ego. Ziggler looks for a Rude Awakening after more arrogant moments, but Joe tries to fight it off, so Nic just snaps off a Jumping Neckbreaker.
Joe manages to hit a Cutter off the ropes to try and get some energy from the crowd. Strike exchange happens here, Uppercuts from Joe and Fists from Nic. Joe blocks one fist, throws a few of his own together and a Lariat levels Nic. Sack of Shit into the Kip Up! Counters galore from both men before Nic gets caught in the Pop-Up Powerbomb! Attitude Adjustment for just a near fall. You see moments of Nic trying to cheat or find an angle but he hasn’t done anything overtly heelish yet. Joe is rocking him with chops, perches Nic on the top, looks for the Superplex but Nic fights back, Hendry gets pushed off, Crossbody but Hendry rolls through, holds on and gets his Powerbomb countered into a FAMEasser for two! Nic crawls to a corner, looks to climb for something big, Hendry cuts him off, Avalanche Sack of Shit! Kaz walks out with the trophy as both men sell, but JBL comes out of the crowd and Clothesline from Hell on Kaz. JBL punches Ryan in the face as he comes out to say something. Then Tuxedo JBL leaves after doing his job. Standing Ovation from HENDRY! 1-2-NO! Nic kicks out!
The crowd chants “One More Time” and it fires up Hendry, he does the heel turn and goes full Queen Stomp, tries again, but Nic slips it. Superkick into Danger Zone and it’s….HENDRY KICKS OUT! Nic is tuning up the band, Hendry catches Nic, Sack of Shit, Kip Up, big fire, Standing Ovation! JOE HENDRY WINS!
Overall Score: 7/10
Even if the match quality wasn’t bonkers, mostly all the matches did what they needed to do, were fairly good and a good number of NXT talent showed up to make the Live iMPACT! and TNA really feel like something special right now. I’m an unabashed Tessa fan, so I’m giddy she won and Hendry finally getting the title is the latest they could’ve really dragged this out to, but at least it stops him from becoming Tetsuya Nai-Joe.
I’m not gonna be a hypocrite from previous complaints I made with too many champions being babyfaces, because that’s still bad and proves the next few title defenses could prove volatile. However, I of course just enjoy most of the current champions. So while it doesn’t erase the fact it’s bad, it makes it more palatable for me personally. Now if only PCO destroyed the Knockouts Tags instead of a different irrelevant belt.
Also let’s be very clear, anyone that believes the PCO stunt was a legit shoot doesn’t know wrestling. Everything is a work until it isn’t and then it still could be turned into a work. Don’t be gullible and just anticipate something to be worked out of it one way or the other.
Still though, good show with a lot of hype for the Live iMPACT, so Thursday should be fun! See you there!
About Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
 MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)Â
THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports PodcastÂ
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)
TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends
Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5
Classic POD is WAR
Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
Oblong Ball Foot Show: NFL Divisional Playoffs
Rey, Andrew and Tunney catch you up on the NFL coaching carousel and breakdown the Divisional round matchups.
Hockey (and Sports) Talk- Age Is Just a Number [011425]
The guys discuss Alex Ovechkin making more history plus a recap of the CFP Semi-Finals and much more.
Oblong Ball Foot Show: NFL Wildcard Weekend
Dave Wortz joins the show this week as we breakdown the NFL's Wildcard Weekend!
Hockey (and Sports) Talk- Time 4 A Cool Change [010725]
The guys discuss the CFP Quarterfinals and how Alex Ovechkin breaking Wayne Gretzky's record this season now appears very likely.
Oblong Ball Foot Show: Who Is Your NFL MVP?
Join Rey Cash, Andrew Balaz and PC Tunney as they cover which way exactly the oblong ball bounces from week...
Bandwagon Nerds #272: Nerdosity
The Nerds discuss the MCU including Captain America, Daredevil, Avengers, and Vision Quest. Plus, the Switch 2 is official and...
Bandwagon Nerds #271: Jack Quaid aka Jack Paid
The Nerds review 2024 and reveal their choices for the best of the year in categories such as best series,...
Mitchell’s Hyrule Puro-Resu News Report! (1/11/25)
Setting the Brackets!
Bandwagon Nerds #270: Deathgrass & Rainbows
The Nerds return to the Trailer Park, address some rumors about Half-Life 3 and the MCU, and discuss Jason Mamoa...
Mitchell’s Hyrule Puro-Resu Results & Report! (12/31/24)
History comes full circle!
Mitchell’s WWE Raw Results & Report! (1/20/25)
WHOA~ OH~ OHH~!
Andrew’s TNA Genesis Results & Match Ratings: 1.19.25
Does TNA Believe in Joe Hendry more than Mokuba Nemeth believes in his big brother?
Classic POD is WAR: Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice… Goldberg
The Chairshot, brings you THE podcast that will absolutely have you questioning everything you thought you knew about professional wrestling,...
Mitchell’s AEW Collision Results & Report! (1/18/25)
The carnage continues!
Mindless Wrestling Podcast: RAW, TNA & AEW
We've got a little bit of everything this week. With DJ out on assignment, Rob and Jason bring you ALL...
Mitchell’s WWE SmackDown Results & Report! (1/17/25)
Will Tiffy Time be cut short?
DWI Podcast #459: RIP Mr. Baseball Bob Uecker
DP and PC run down a plethora of topics from RAW and SmackDown as we head towards the Royal Rumble.
Andrew’s TNA iMPACT! Results & Match Ratings: 1.16.25
The Go Home for Genesis this Sunday! Let's see what happens!
Mitchell’s ROH Results & Report! (1/16/25)
Stir it up!
Mitchell’s AEW Dynamite Results & Report! (1/15/25)
Let the carnage begin!
