Coverage
Mitchell’s NJPW Anniversary Show Results & Report! (3/6/24)
Will this anniversary be tranquilo?

Will the Murder Machine stack the deck on Naito?
As has become tradition in NJPW, the anniversary show features the world heavyweight VS junior heavyweight champions, Tetsuya Naito VS Sho!
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Tanga Loa & Tomoaki Honma VS Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb; Khan & Cobb win.
- El Phantasmo & Hikuleo VS Zack Sabre Jr. & Mikey Nicholls; ZSJ & Mikey win.
- 8 Man Tag: Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, El Desperado & Boltin Oleg VS Los Ingobernables de Japon; Goto, Ishii, Desperado & Oleg win.
- Six Man Tag: The United Empire VS Bullet Club War Dogs; The United Empire wins.
- 8 Man Tag: Just5Guys VS House of Torture; Just5Guys win.
- 2024 New Japan Cup Opening Round: Toru Yano VS Yujiro Takahashi; Yano wins and advances.
- 2024 New Japan Cup Opening Round: YOSHI-HASHI VS KENTA; Hashi wins and advances.
- 2024 New Japan Cup Opening Round: Shota Umino VS Jack Perry; Jack wins and advances.
- Anniversary Event Special: Tetsuya Naito VS SHO; Naito wins.
PLAY BY PLAY
2024 New Japan Cup Opening Round: Toru Yano VS Yujiro Takahashi w/ Pieter!
While the New Japan Cup series isn’t starting until tomorrow, the tournament is starting tonight! The Clown Prince clashes with the Tokyo Pimp, who will be the first of the first three in, and who will be among the first three out?
Oh but of course Yujiro attacks before the bell! Yano’s long introduction kept him distracted and now Yujiro stomps him down! The fans boo but Yujiro stomps Yano more. Yujiro hits Yano with his own jacket, the bell finally rings, and Yujiro copies Yano’s tactic of taking off a buckle pad! The ref tries to stop Yujiro but Yujiro shoves him away, and he SMACKS Yano down! The fans fire up and rally as Yano rises again. Yujiro whips him in at the corner but Yano stops himself. Yano taunts Yujiro, dodges him, but Yujiro stops himself from hitting buckles! Yano runs back in but Yujiro sends him into the bare steel!
Yano falls over in a heap, and Yujiro kicks him out of the ring! Yujiro goes out after Yano, whips him into the railing right in front of commentary, and then brings out handcuffs! This is payback for the G1 as Yujiro cuffs Yano to the railing! The fans can’t believe it but Yano is caught! The ring count is 10 of 20 as Yujiro laughs and waits in the ring. Yano struggles against the cuffs but we’re past 15! Yano pops the railing free from its frame and now he’s free! Yano slides in at 18! But Yujiro’s there to kick Yano right back out! Yano still gets the keys and gets the cuffs off his wrist. Yujiro goes out after Yano, but Yano hits low!
Yano cuffs Yujiro! Yujiro freaks out, kicks low and then whips, but Yano reverses! Yujiro hits railing, and now Yano hurries around the back! Wait, he grabs one of the special guests at ringside, and shoves him into Yujiro! And then Yano cuffs Yujiro’s hands together for some kind of hug trap! Then Yano LOW BLOWS behind the guest’s back! Yano slides into the ring at 17, and Yujiro is stuck on the outside! Yano wins!!
Winner: Toru Yano, by count-out (advances to the next round)
The Producer gives us a brand new way to win, and Pieter is in shock! Yujiro is already done in the New Japan Cup, will Yano bring out even more tricks to make it to the end?
2024 New Japan Cup Opening Round: YOSHI-HASHI VS KENTA!
Chaos continues to battle Bullet Club as the Head Hunter faces the Fang Revived! Will Hashi join Yano in the next round? Or will Kenta make him #GoToSleep?
Kenta wants the ref to be very thorough with his check of Hashi. Not just his pants but his head, his hair, his kneepads, and even his shoes. Is this because of what Yano just did to Yujiro? Hashi turns around for the ref to check his butt, and Kenta attacks! The fans boo but the bell rings, and Kenta stomps away on Hashi. Kenta drags Hashi up, whips him to ropes, but Hashi reverses. Kenta holds ropes, BOOTS back, then runs, only for Hashi to trip him up! Hashi drags Kenta out to throw him into railing! And SMACK him off the apron! The fans rally as Hashi builds speed, but his dropkick kinda falls short…
Hashi still goes out to CHOP Kenta, and that didn’t miss the mark! Kenta staggers away and Hashi gets his staff. Hashi makes sure it is at the ready just in case, but he goes back to CHOP Kenta again. Kenta staggers away, but Hashi storms up to CHOP again! Hashi puts Kenta in the ring, but then he bails out the side. Hashi is annoyed but he runs back out. Kenta slides in and Hashi is annoyed again. Hashi hurries up the apron but Kenta BOOTS him down! Hashi hits railing then falls in a heap! The ref has Kenta hold on, but Kenta sneaks out the side. Kenta storms around the way, sees “Bo-chan,” and says he’ll come back later.
Kenta drags Hashi up to fire hands. The ref reprimands, those are closed fists! But Hashi ROCKS Kenta with a forearm! Kenta palm strikes! Hashi CHOPS! Palm strike! CHOP! Repeat! The fans rally up, Hashi shoves Kenta into Bo-chan! That was inadvertent, but Hashi gets Kenta up to whip him again. Kenta reverses and Hashi hits railing hard! Kenta gets Hashi up to whip hard into more railing! The ref starts the ring count, and Kenta holds up Bo-chan. Kenta throws Bo-chan down! He’s over it, and he puts Hashi back in the ring. Kenta stomps Hashi, drops a knee, then drops another knee.
Hashi checks his face, the ref reprimands but Kenta tells him to shut up. Kenta stomps Hashi, stands him up, turns him, and hits a NECKBREAKER! Cover, TWO! Kenta clamps onto a chinlock and the fans rally up. Hashi endures, fights up and throws body shots, but Kenta throws Hashi down by his hair! The ref reprimands, the fans rally, and Kenta looms over Hashi. Kenta sits Hashi up to KICK! Hashi eggs Kenta on so Kenta KICKS him again! And KICKS him again! Cover, TWO! Hashi is still in this but Kenta drags him back into a chinlock. Hashi endures again and the fans rally up. Hashi fights to his feet, throws body shots, then hits a STUNNER!
Hashi kicks, Kenta blocks, and Kenta claws the eyes! Kenta reels Hashi in, but Hashi suplexes first! The fans fire up while both men are down! The fans rally as Kenta goes to a corner, Hashi goes to the other. Kenta stands, Hashi runs in, and Hashi CHOPS! Hashi whips to CHOP again, then he mule kicks! Hashi reels Kenta in, hangs him out to dry, then runs as the fans rally, to DROPKICK Kenta down! Hashi sits Kenta up and keeps moving, basement DROPKICK! Cover, TWO! Kenta stays in this and the fans rally up again. Hashi drags Kenta up, reels him in, and hoists him up, but Kenta slips free of the bomb!
Kenta blocks the haymaker to wrench, but Hashi wrenches free! Hashi ducks the lariat to run and BLOCKBUSTER! The fans fire up as Hashi gets Kenta back in place. POWERBOMB! Cover, TWO! The fans rally up again as Hashi drags Kenta back up. Hashi full nelsons, but Kenta grabs the ref! Hashi lets go, Kenta shoves the ref at him, but Hashi pushes the ref back at him. Kenta pushes the ref away, Hashi SUPERKICKS! Hashi runs, to LARIAT! The fans fire up and Kenta rises! So Hashi LARIATS again! Cover, TWO! The fans fire up with Hashi and he drags Kenta up. Full nelson, pump handle, but Kenta cradles! TWO!!
Hashi escapes and the fans fire up! Kenta goes to ropes, Hashi runs in but Kenta puts him on the apron. Kenta drags Hashi through ropes, DRAPING DDT! The fans rally as Kenta strikes like a Viper! Kenta then goes to ropes, then a corner. He runs corner to corner at Hashi, HYDRAULIC DROPKICK! The fans fire up as Kenta goes up top! DIVING DOUBLE STOMPS!! Cover, TWO!! Hashi survives and Kenta is furious! Kenta slashes his throat, drags Hashi up and fireman’s carries, GO TO- CRADLE!! Cover, TWO!!! Kenta escapes, LARIATS, but Hashi stays up! Hashi roars, fires a flurry of forearms, then CHOPS!
Kenta roars and ROLLING- SUPERKICK! Hashi runs, but Kenta uses the ref as a shield! Hashi pushes him aside, Kenta ROCKS Hashi with a palm strike! Kenta then sits Hashi up, runs in, BUSAIKU KNEE!! Cover, TWO?!?! Hashi survives and the fans are thunderous! Kenta is fuming, and he brings down the kneepad! Kenta fireman’s carries, into EASY PICKINGS!! Cover, Hashi wins!!
Winner: Yoshi-Hashi, by pinfall (advances to the next round)
The Head Hunter was able to #TurnItAllAround on Kenta and bring him down! Will Hashi have a ticket back to the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships in his back pocket after this?
2024 New Japan Cup Opening Round: Shota Umino VS Jack Perry!
The Roughneck’s first match in the tournament ends up being a surprise grudge match! The former AEW Pillar is here in NJPW, claiming he is Tony Khan’s “Scapegoat” for how things went down at Wembley. But will Perry prove he’s more a snake than a sacrificial lamb? Or will nothing stop #SHOOTER from moving towards the future?
The moment Shota’s in the ring, he goes after Perry! The fans fire up, the bell rings, and Jack kicks low! Jack CLUBS Shota, CLUBS him again, but Shota grabs Jack by the neck! Jack fires a forearm, Shota gives it back, repeat! The fans rally as Shota gets the better of Jack with each shot. But then Jack rakes the eyes! The ref reprimands, Jack CHOPS Shota against the ropes, and Shota staggers away. Jack whips, Shota reverses to scoop, DROP, run and SHOTGUN! The fans fire up, Shota mocks the Jungle Life dance, then he ROCKS Jack in a corner. Shota UPPERCUTS Jack, then throws elbows into him.
The ref counts, Shota lets off, and he whips corner to corner. Shota runs in but Jack dodges! Jack comes back to clothesline! Jack then reels Shota in to ELBOW him down, then runs to basement dropkick! The fans do applaud Jack’s ability, and Jack “kicks dirt” at Shota. Jack rains down forearms, stands on Shota’s face, then scrapes his sole off him. Jack CHOKES Shota on ropes, but lets off as the ref counts. Shota coughs and sputters, but Jack stomps a mudhole into him in the corner. Jack digs his knee in, but lets off as the ref counts. Jack then goes up the corner to soak up the cheers and jeers.
Jack hops down, brings Shota up and turns him for a NECKBREAKER! Cover, ONE!! Shota shows his grit and Jack is annoyed. Jack KICKS Shota, but Shota frowns. Jack CHOPS Shota, CHOPS again, but Shota fires a flurry of forearms! Jack knees low in return! Jack whips, Shota reverses and arm-drags! Then Shota ELBOWS Jack down, runs, and hops on for a chinlock! Shota uses that to sit Jack up, then he runs, but Jack drop toeholds! Jack ties up the legs, SNARE TRAP! Shota flails and reaches out while he’s stuck in this STF and the fans rally up! Jack squeezes tight but Shota drags him along towards the ropes!
Shota reaches out, but Jack thrashes around! Shota still fights to the ROPEBREAK! The fans cheer, the ref counts and reprimands, and Jack lets go at 4. Jack is frustrated and he drags Shota out along the apron! DRAPING DDT to the floor! Jack’s not just a snake, he’s acting like a Viper! Jack even takes El Desperado’s water, drinks it, then drops it on the floor. Jack drags Shota up and into the ring, stands on him for a cocky cover, TWO! Shota roars, the fans rally, but Jack argues with the ref. The ref says the count was fair, so Jack drags Shota up. Shota ROCKS Jack! Jack ROCKS Shota! Shota fires up and the fans are with him!
Shota ROCKS Jack, Jack ROCKS Shota, but Shota shakes his head. Shota fires up with “OI! OI! OI!” and Jack eggs him on. Shota fires forearm after forearm and Jack wobbles! Shota whips, Jack reverses, but Shota ducks ‘n’ dodges and blows through the lariat to CLOBBER Jack with a forearm! Both men are down and the fans fire up again! Shota rises, he stalks Jack, and Shota whips Jack to the corner. Shota runs in to UPPERCUT, then he reels Jack in for a FISHERMAN SUPLEX! Bridging cover, TWO! Shota is frustrated but he fires back up. The fans rally as Shota brings Jack back up and clinches.
Jack resists the lift, but Shota still tries. Jack throws elbows and is free, then runs up, only for Shota to wrench and TORNADO- NO, Jack denies the DDT! Jack gets around to SNAP DRAGON SUPLEX! The fans rally as Jack kicks Shota at the ropes. Jack runs, but Shota BOOTS back! Jack staggers, comes back, but Shota drop toeholds him into ropes! Shota then slingshots, to APRON DDT!! The fans are thunderous and Shota is all fired up! The ref checks Jack while he’s down on the floor, and the fans rally behind Shota as he walks his way back over. Jack is dead weight so the ref checks again. Jack is still in this, so Shota puts him in the ring.
Shota then goes to a far corner, climbs up top, and goes COAST2COAST! But that’s not all! Dragon sleeper, SAVING GRACE! Cover, TWO! The fans fire up and Shota aims from the corner. Jack rises up, Shota runs in, but Jack avoids Ignition to SUPERKICK! But Shota roars! Jack SUPER- NO, Shota blocks to UPPERCUT! Jack FOREARMS, runs, but Shota ROCKS him, and ROLLING ELBOWS! Jack SUPERKICKS! And hops on, to POISON-RANA!! Shota staggers to a corner, and comes back to BLAZE BLADE!! The fans are thunderous as both men are down! Shota fires up as he rises again and the fans are with him!
Shota drags Jack up, spins him, and pop-up KNEES! Then IGNITION!! Cover, TWO!! Jack survives but Shota brings him right back up! Jack grabs at a leg to resist, but Shota still underhooks. Jack wrenches free, slips around, but Shota hooks him to backslide! Jack rolls through, but Shota YANKS him right into DEATH RIDER!! Cover, TWO?!? Jack survives but Shota won’t stop there! Wait, is that Yoshinobu Kanemaru? What’s he doing here? And why is he throwing a Young Lion into the ring!? The ref stops Kanemaru from getting in, but what’s this even about? Shota drags Jack up, and REN NARITA runs in!
Ren CRACKS Shota with the push-up bar, and then hits the DOUBLE CROSS!! Jack runs up to V-TRIGGER!! Cover, Jack wins?!?!
Winner: Jack Perry, by pinfall (advances to the next round)
This is a shocking turn of events but no one knows what to make of it! Sure, the House of Torture still has it out for Shota, but is that all this is? Wait, Evil, Yujiro and Dick make their way out, and it looks like they have an extra shirt! Are they asking Jack to join the House? Jack puts the shirt on! The House of Torture now has seven members! Is nothing going to stop them from taking of NJPW now?
Anniversary Event Special: Tetsuya Naito VS SHO!
The tradition continues as the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion faces the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion in a match that’s not about titles but about pride. However, The Murder Machine clearly has no shame, as he stole this title away from El Desperado during the New Beginning. Will the House of Torture turn things completely upside-down on this, the anniversary of NJPW? Or will the Uncontrollable Charisma make sure everything’s tranquilo?
Before the match, Sho gets the mic to parody Naito by saying, “Buenas noches, you bunch o’ losers!” The fans boo but Sho says Naito always does that crap, so Sho’s gonna steal that and everything Naito has! Anyone that has a problem with that can fight him! And Sho wants Naito to keep his promise, that if Sho ends up winning, Naito will VACATE the world title! Naito makes his entrance and the fans fire up. But Sho snakes his way around the backside of the crowd to CLOBBER Naito from behind! Fans boo as Sho is up to his old tricks, and he drags Naito up to POST him! Sho soaks up the heat as he picks up the world title.
Red Shoes reprimands Sho and takes the belt from him. Sho drags Naito up, puts him in the ring, and Red Shoes calls for the bell. The match is on record, the fans rally for “NA-I-TO!” but Sho grins as he stomps Naito around. Sho stands Naito up to claw the eyes! Sho whips, but Naito holds ropes! Sho runs up but Naitoi puts him on the apron, and sweeps the legs! Naito runs side to side to then baseball slide dropkick Sho down! Naito keeps moving, and Sho gets a Young Lion for a shield! But Naito fakes Sho out to tranquilo! The fans cheer but Sho shoves the Young Lion into railing out of anger!
Sho hurries back into the ring but Naito bails out. After all, he’s still in his entrance attire! Red Shoes has Sho hold on so Naito can get the nice red suit off already. But Sho doesn’t wait, he runs out! So Naito kicks him low and sends him hard into railing! Naito holds off on taking the pants off so that he can whip Sho. Sho reverses, but Naito reverses back and sends Sho into more railing! The fans fire up while Sho flounders around! Naito takes off his belt, and he CHOKES Sho with it! Red Shoes reprimands but Naito lets go with only one hand. Red Shoes reprimands more so Naito finally lets Sho free.
Sho sputters but still manages to complain. Naito takes the pants off, brings Sho up and into the ring, and the fans cheer. Naito takes his time getting back in and Sho still begs for mercy. Naito chuckles as he stalks Sho right to a corner. Sho tells Red Shoes to back Naito off so Red Shoes backs Naito off. But then Naito runs up to stomp away on Sho after all! Naito digs his boots in, Sho crawls to the apron, and Naito lets off. Naito drags Sho up, but Sho bends fingers! Sho then HOTSHOTS that arm, drags Naito out, and he hits an APRON KNEE JAMMER! Naito flops to the floor and clutches the knee while Sho hurries away.
Sho rolls into the ring and he wants the count-out! Red Shoes is busy checking Naito, and the fans rally up. Sho gets upset but Red Shoes does return to the ring to start the count. Sho tranquilos, but the count isn’t to his liking so he throws a fit. The count keeps going while Naito stands and shakes out the bad leg. Naito hobbles around the way at 9 of 20, slides in at 11, but Sho stomps away on him! Sho SMASHES the knee while the fans boo. Sho then grabs the bad leg to DDT the foot! Naito writhes, Sho goes after the leg again, and wraps on a KNEEBAR! Naito endures, the fans rally, but Sho pulls on the leg!
Naito fights around, reaches out, but Sho taunts him as he holds on. Naito reaches out to the ROPEBREAK! The fans cheer, Red Shoes counts, and Sho lets go at 4. Sho grins as he drags Naito up, grabs the bad leg, but Naito CLUBS away on Sho’s back. Sho kicks the bad leg, then kicks it again. And he kicks it again! Naito hobbles to a corner, Sho runs up, but Naito BOOTS him! Naito then ELBOWS Sho, runs up, and RANAS! The fans fire up while both men are down again. Sho goes to ropes while Naito sits up. Naito slaps the bad leg into working and he storms over to Sho. Naito ROCSK and KICKS and CLUBS Sho!
Naito whips, arm-drags, and then runs up to ELBOW Sho back down, for the basement dropkick! The fans fire up again and Naito has Sho in a corner. Naito whips corner to corner, runs in, but Sho avoids the jump kick! Sho runs up, Naito dodges, then Naito blocks kicks to put Sho in the ropes! DRAPING BACKBREAKER! The fans rally up again while Sho writhes. Naito drags Sho up, turns him, and hits a NECKBREAKER! Sho writhes, Naito pushes him to a cover, TWO! The fans continue to rally for Naito as he keeps cool. Naito drags Sho back up, cravats for a neck wrench, but Sho fights with body shots.
Naito CLUBS Sho, CLUBS him again, then whips him to ropes. Sho blocks the hip toss and pulls hair, but Red Shoes reprimands. Naito kicks low, runs, but Sho uses Red Shoes as a shield! Sho runs, but into the HIP TOSS NECKBREAKER! The fans rally up for Naito while Sho sputters and writhes. Naito stands on Sho’s head, digs his heel in, then stomps! Naito drags Sho up, hammerlocks and half nelsons, but Sho fights with elbows! Naito ripcords, Sho dodges and gets in Red Shoes’ face! Naito runs up, Red Shoes is again used as a shield, but Naito moves him aside. Sho blocks a kick, to fake a low blow from Naito!!
The fans boo, Naito defends his innocence, and when Red Shoes believes Naito, Sho SWINGS Naito’s foot into him! Down goes Red Shoes and Sho CHOP BLOCKS Naito’s leg! The fans boo but Sho hurries to go get something from under the ring. Sho brings out a chair, brings it into the ring, and he grins as he takes aim. Sho winds up and SMACKS Naito in the leg! Sho then drags Naito to the corner and wraps the bad leg around the corner! The fans boo more as Sho takes the chair again, and SMACKS the leg against the post!! Naito hobbles away but Sho mocks the wide-open-eye pose. Then Sho JAMS Naito with the chair!
Sho SMACKS the bad leg again!! Then he stands on it, to SMACK it again! Sho hides the chair as he sees Red Shoes stirring. Sho gets Red Shoes up and into the ring, and he’s looking to leave Naito behind! But Red Shoes can’t start the count in this state! The fans boo, Red Shoes looks around and he sees Naito is down on the outside. The ring count starts and Sho grins. Naito stirs at 3 of 20, grabs at the apron skirt, and he crawls around. The count is already 10 of 20 and Naito is still down! Naito pushes himself up at 14, stands at 16, but he falls over! Sho is all excited, but Naito springs up and in at 19!
The fans cheer and Sho is upset again. Sho drags Naito around, and clamps on the KNEEBAR!! Naito endures, claws at the grip, but Sho pulls on the leg! The fans rally as hard as they can while Naito endures! Naito kicks and flails around, reaches out, but Sho shifts to drag Naito away! KNEEBAR!! Naito reaches out but Sho thrashes the leg around! Red Shoes checks on Naito as Naito shouts in pain and flails around! Naito crawls towards ropes but he’s still so far away! Sho pulls on that leg and Naito is shouting in pain! But Naito uses one last gasp to get the ROPEBREAK! The fans cheer and Sho lets go as Red Shoes counts.
Sho grins as he drags Naito up. Sho reels Naito in, lifts him up, and hits POWER BREAKER!! Cover, TWO!! Naito survives and Sho is furious with Red Shoes! Red Shoes says the count is fair, so Sho drags Naito back up. Sho winds up and runs, to LARIAT Naito inside-out! Sho slashes his throat and drags Naito up again. Sho reels Naito in, tucks the arms, STRAITJACKET PILEDRIVER!! Cover, TWO?!?! Naito survives and the fans are thunderous! Sho is beside himself but he aims his bow at Naito. Sho drags Naito back up, reels him back in, double pump handles, and SHOCK- NO, Naito gets free to ENZIGIRI!
Sho wobbles, Naito runs, tilt-o-whirl and CORRIENDO SHIKI DESTINO!! Both men are down and the fans are thunderous again! Naito rises, hobbles around, and he drags Sho up. Naito throws those heavy back elbows! Sho kicks at Naito’s leg but Naito ignores that to throw more heavy elbows! Sho kicks again, but Naito eggs him on! Sho kicks again, so Naito throws MORE heavy elbows! Sho ends up in a corner, the fans rally behind Naito, and Naito hoists Sho up top. Naito climbs up after Sho, and he SUPER STEINERS!! Sho flounders around and the fans fire up! Naito then hobbles over to Sho and drags him back up.
Sho blocks the scoop! Sho CLUBS the bad leg, but Naito throws even more heavy elbows! Naito whips, Sho reverses, but Naito reverses back to TORNADO DDT! Naito scoops, Sho slips free and he RAMS Naito into Red Shoes! Red Shoes is stuck in the corner, Sho LOW BLOWS Naito, then RAMS him back into Red Shoes! Fans boo as Sho grabs the Torture Tool, and the rest of the House shows up! Ren, Kanemaru, Evil & Yujiro stomp away on Naito! Dick must be giving Jack his orientation, that’s why they’re not here. But wait! Here comes LIJ! Hiromu SUPERKICKS Kanemaru! Ren CLOBBERS Hiromu!
Yota gets Ren for a BACKBREAKER, FLATLINER and STOMP! Yujiro runs up to REVERSE DDT Yota! Bushi TOSSES Yuijro, then builds speed to DIVE! Direct hit right into railing and the fans are thunderous! But Evil has the world title belt!! Evil aims, but Naito ducks! And Takagi PUMPING BOMBERS!! The fans are thunderous but Sho LOW BLOWS Takagi! Sho hurries to get his wrench again and he takes aim! Naito rises, but he ducks the tool shot! Pop-up LOW BLOW!! That one wasn’t a trick! Naito has the wrench and he grins at Sho. But then Naito SPITS on the wrench, throws it away, and scoops Sho for VALENCIA!!
Naito drags Sho up as Red Shoes rises again. Wrench and tilt-o-whirl, DESTINO!!! Cover, Naito wins!
Winner: Tetsuya Naito, by pinfall
The IWGP World Heavyweight Champion triumphs! Not just because he is a heavyweight or a world champion, but because he is better than Sho inside and out! Will the House of Torture simply have to focus on keeping the titles they have rather than going for more?
As for LIJ, they stand with their fearless leader, and Hiromu even gets Naito some water. Naito stands back up and has LIJ raise his hands in victory. LIJ takes the corners and Naito gets the mic. “Buenas Noches, Ota~!” The fans cheer, and Naito says that even on a weekday, they packed the house for NJPW’s 52nd Anniversary show! For that, “Gracias, amigos!” The fans cheer and Naito continues by saying that starting today, they turn the page to a 53rd year! And maybe, just maybe, the heads of NJPW might not like who is leading the way, but it is LIJ on top!
And with the New Japan Cup around the corner, the winner of that will face Naito in April. Naito knows Takagi and Yota are in the Cup, so he hopes it is one of them that meets him in the main event of Sakura Genesis on April 6th! Now, for the moment everyone’s been waiting for! NJPW’s 52nd Anniversary show of course has to end with this, so is everyone ready? “Bushi! Hiromu! Takagi! Titan! Yota! Y Naito! Nosotros! LOS! INGOBERRRRRNABLEEES~! DE! JA! PON!!” The fans cheer and Naito tosses the mic away. Naito wants a tranquilo Sakura Genesis, will either the Rampaging Dragon or Gene Blast make that a reality?
My Thoughts:
A great event for NJPW to mark their anniversary but also start the New Japan Cup. Yano VS Yujiro was quick and funny, pretty much the norm for that match-up. Thanks for coming, Pieter, you can go back on vacation now. Great match from Hashi VS Kenta, really setting the bar high already on the rest of the opening round, and a great win for Hashi. Shota VS Perry was some great stuff, too, but the big thing is that Jack Perry of all people is joining The House of Torture of all factions. That is a wild development, it could also be a way for House of Torture to one day get more involved with AEW, but who knows. And honestly, at this point, can we just get confirmation on whether House of Torture is even still connected to Bullet Club? I feel like adding Perry should force a new civil war.
And then great stuff out of Naito VS Sho. A really good match even before the overbooking, but of course there was overbooking with the House of Torture being very active tonight. But as such, LIJ of course helped Naito win out. And with NJPW shifting gears into the New Japan Cup, I like that Naito has put it on Takagi and Yota to make it to the finals and win that Cup for the group, but also so he can face one of them for the title. I can’t be sure the chances of either guy doing that, but between the two, I’d say Yota has the better chance. Takagi’s been world champ, Yota’s one of the Reiwa Three Musketeers, NJPW has big plans for Yota so winning the Cup would be a good start.
My Score: 8.8/10
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Time to defy the odds!
A tag team gauntlet and a Fatal 4 Way determine contenders that will challenge for NXT gold this Saturday at Stand & Deliver: Las Vegas!
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- NXT North American Championship #1 Contender’s Fatal 4 Way: Eddy Thorpe VS Lexis King VS Wes Lee VS Ethan Page; Ethan wins and will challenge Ricky Saints for the title at Stand & Deliver.
- NXT Women’s North American Championship Ladder Match Qualifier: Tatum Paxley w/ Gigi Dolin VS Lola Vice; Lola wins and advances to Stand & Deliver.
- NXT Tag Team Championships #1 Contenders Gauntlet: ??? wins and will challenge Fraxiom for the titles at Stand & Deliver.
- NXT Women’s North American Championship Ladder Match Qualifier: ???
PLAY BY PLAY
NXT North American Championship #1 Contender’s Fatal 4 Way: Eddy Thorpe VS Lexis King VS Wes Lee VS Ethan Page!
The Absolute holds what many want, but only one gets their shot. Will the Alpha Wolf be one step closer to his “birthright?” Will the Drama King look to go for another crown? Will the Wes Side return to former glory? Or will it be All Ego that meets Saints in Sin City?
But speaking of Saints, Ricky makes his entrance after everyone else is already in the ring! The fans fire up as the champion decides to join commentary. The bell rings and Eddy kicks at Ethan but Ethan blocks, only for Lexis to DECK Ethan! Wes then rolls Eddy up, but Lexis shoves Wes away! Lexis basement SUPERKICKS Eddy! Wes and Lexis stare down, things speed up, and Lexis hurdles, but Wes leaps over. Wes dodges Lexis, but Lexis steps on Wes’s dropdown! The fans are torn, but Eddy is up. Lexis wants Eddy to calm down, but then Ethan is also up. Lexis tells them both to calm down, but now Wes is up.
Lexis finds himself surrounded, and Wes feeds Lexis to Eddy’s KICK, and Ethan’s HAYMAKER! Wes adds a HAYMAKER, then Eddy KIKS again! Ethan HAYMAKERS, Wes ENZIGIRIS, and Lexis wobbles. Eddy TOSSES Lexis, the fans fire up, but then Ethan DECKS Wes! Eddy ROCKS and KICKS, KICKS, and SOBATS on Ethan! Wes runs up, Eddy gets around to GERMAN SUPLEX! Wes tumbles to a corner, Eddy BOOTS Ethan! Eddy runs and BOOTS Wes! Lexis is back, but Eddy dodges to BUSAIKU KNEE! Cover, Ethan breaks it! Ethan ROCKS Eddy, but Wes ROCKS Ethan! Eddy spins Wes, but Wes BODY BLOWS!
Wes KICKS, KICKS, and ENZIGIRIS Eddy, to then DOUBLE STOMP him down! Wes runs to ELBOW Ethan in a corner, mule kick, and AX KICKS! Wes then runs at Lexis, but Lexis dodges! Lexis dodges Eddy so Eddy runs into Wes! Lexis dodges Ethan, Ethan runs into Wes & Eddy! Lexis then SUPERKICKS Ethan into them both! Lexis runs corner to corner, but everyone clears out! Lexis POSTS himself! Wes BOOTS Ethan, Eddy kicks Wes, then Eddy reels Wes in. Wes wrenches out, slips around, but Eddy elbows free. Eddy runs, Wes dodges, and Ethan holds the ropes down! Eddy tumbles up and out and to the floor!
Wes runs up, Ethan puts him on the apron, but Wes RAMS into Ethan! Eddy grabs at Wes, Wes kicks him away, but Ethan ROCKS Wes! Wes is stuck in the ropes, so Ethan hits a DRAPING CODE BREAKER! Cover, TWO! Wes survives, Ethan drags Wes up, but then he sees Lexis climbing a corner. Ethan pushes Wes aside to ROCK Lexis! Ethan then climbs up to join Lexis, reels him in, but they both fire body shots! Lexis CLUBS Ethan, Eddy UPPERCUTS Lexis! Eddy climbs up to work with Ethan, but then Wes throws hands on the legs! Wes gets under all of this, and the fans fire up for the TOWER OF DOOM!!
All four men are down while the fans cheer on “NXT! NXT!” for making this the opener! Lexis flops out of the ring, Ethan and Eddy flounder, but Wes runs, SHOOTING STAR on Ethan! Cover, Eddy breaks it! The fans fire up as Wes and Eddy stand to trade forearms! Wes fires a body shot then a forearm, but Eddy fires a forearm, an UPPERCUT, and a KICK! Eddy snarls, but Ethan waistlocks! Eddy fires elbows to get free, but Wes BOOTS Eddy! Ethan DUMPS Eddy out, Wes DECKS Ethan! Wes builds speed and he DIVES into Lexis! Ethan let Lexis take that shot while he grabs Eddy. Eddy blocks the apron bump to elbow Ethan!
Eddy runs up, Ethan dodges, and Eddy almost hits Ricky! Ricky says watch it, but then Ethan SHOVES Eddy into Ricky! The fans go nuts, Ricky is pissed, and he THROWS Eddy aside to get at Ethan! The ref tries to stop this, but Ricky is too heated, so the ref EJECTS Ricky from ringside! The fans boo but Ethan just mockingly waves bye-bye. Ricky warns Ethan, the fans chant, “Ref, You Suck!” but NXT goes to break.
NXT returns and Lexis ROCKS Wes. Lexis reels Wes in, but Ethan BOOTS Lexis down! Ethan then scoops Wes to SLAM him onto Lexis! Ethan then THROWS Lexis into Eddy! Ethan drags Lexis up, but Lexis slips free of the Canadian Rack! Lexis grabs the arms, crosses them, then reels Ethan in, but Ethan trips Lexis up! Ethan turns Lexis over, BOSTON CRAB! The fans are torn as Lexis endures, and Lexis claws at the mat! Lexis crawls forward, but Ethan drags him back from the ropes! Wes runs up, Ethan ducks the lariat, but then Eddy YANKS Wes outta the ring! Eddy clamps onto Lexis with a CROSSFACE!!
Lexis endures double submissions, but then Wes STOPS Lexis from tapping!! The fans are thunderous, but Eddy is furious! Eddy lets go of Lexis to STOMP Wes down! Eddy then BOOTS Ethan down! Eddy goes up a corner as the fans duel, and Lexis UPPERCUTS Eddy! Lexis climbs, fires forearms on Eddy, and Eddy falls to the apron! Ethan CLUBS Lexis! Ethan has an Electric Chair, then he has Eddy in a facelock! But Wes goes up, up, and CANNONBALLS onto a DOOMSDAY DDT COMBO!! The fans are going nuts all over again while all four men are down! But then Ethan crawls to cover Eddy while Wes crawls to cover Lexis! Double covers, TWO!!
The fans fire up while Wes and Ethan grow frustrated. They stare down, then they throw hands! Wes fires a flurry, but Ethan ROCKS Wes with one! Wes PELES in return! Wes hurries to go up a corner! But Lexis SHOVES him down! Wes hits apron, Lexis climbs, SWANTON BOMB on Ethan! But Eddy is up top! He MACHO ELBOWS the cover apart! Eddy then drags Lexis up, but Wes rises! METEORA for Eddy!! Cover, Lexis YANKS Wes up! CORONATION!! But Ethan has Lexis! TWISTED GRIN!! Cover, ETHAN WINS!
Winner: Ethan Page, by pinfall (NEW #1 Contender to the NXT North American Championship)
Ethan smirks as he takes advantage of this golden opportunity. Ethan grabs a mic to say, “Well, I guess that makes me the man then, huh?” The fans are torn but Ethan says he is the #1 contender. Ethan knows he isn’t the guy Ricky wanted to win, and he has every right to believe that. Because everyone remembers their first. And the first championship in WWE for Ricky was ruined by Ethan Page! At Stand & Deliver, Ricky’s first title defense will also be ruined by- RICKY SPEARS ETHAN!! No more ringside ban, and the champ gets some payback! But will Las Vegas be absolute? Or will All Ego’s ego only expand exponentially this Saturday?
Jordynne Grace speaks.
“What you see today as The Juggernaut, multiple time TNA Knockouts Champion, this wasn’t how I started. I wasn’t scouted, I never had ‘star power,’ never really been a beauty queen. If it were possible to have negative aura, that is who I was. I was just a little girl wrestling in half-empty gyms, trying to find a place to fit in a world that didn’t seem built for me. I knew what people saw, or really rather what they didn’t see. But something I did have that not a lot of people in wrestling do, is self-awareness. So I finally stopped wishing that I had what I was supposed to have, and started building what I could become.
“I turned insecurity into intensity, doubt into discipline, and that was the day The Juggernaut was born. I fell in love with getting stronger. I became laser focused into building my body into an atomic bomb. Waking up at 3AM to train, jumping into a car to drive 8 hours to wrestle, hit another gym session after that, then sleep two hours and do it all over again the next day. And as hard as that was, I was obsessed with it. It was a way that I could stand out against all the other women. And to me, it was the only way. I wanted the WWE Universe to say, ‘Yeah, the WWE women are killing it, but have you seen Jordynne Grace over in TNA? That’s Jordynne Grace!?’
“I’ve put in the work so that no one could ignore me. I forced my way into the conversation and made people believe in The Juggernaut the way I believed in myself. Now, the biggest hurdle of my career is right in front of me this Saturday, when I have the opportunity to become NXT Women’s Champion. And just like I’ve been my entire career, I’m aware of exactly what I’m gonna have to do to leave Vegas with my first WWE championship.” Jordynne is ready, but will Grace survive in Sin City?
The NXT Women’s Division holds another watch party.
Sol Ruca asks Zaria who she thinks will take the last two spots in the Women’s North American Championship Ladder Match. Zaria isn’t sure, but it won’t matter when the outcome will be the same. Sol agrees there, because it’ll be one of them as the champ. Oh, really? Doesn’t Sol mean Zaria? Kelani Jordan hears this and takes offense. She thought #ZaRuca was fine. Uh, they are. New shirts and everything, thanks for asking. Well, it won’t be either of them, because Kelani’s going to be a TWO-TIME Women’s North American Champion. And she’ll show everyone why no one can do it like Lan- Izzi Dame interjects.
Izzi says good one, idiots. But y’know who Izzi misses these days? The old Kelani. She was way more likeable. Old Kelani, new Kelani, it won’t matter when Izzi’s the one on top of the ladder, holding the title, and bringing it home to The Culling. Keep dreaming, Izzi, it’ll never happen. Those two both head out, and Sol says it’s just like she said, either her or Zaria will walk out as champion. Zaria says sure, something like that. But to the point, who will get the remaining spots and fill out the six pack?
NXT Women’s North American Championship Ladder Match Qualifier: Tatum Paxley w/ Gigi Dolin VS Lola Vice!
The weird girls are hungry for some gold, but so is the MMA Mamacita! Will Tatum take over? Or will there be a Vice in Sin City?
The bell rings and the two tie up. Tatum rolls Lola, TWO, and Tatum narrowly avoids the roundhouse! The fans rally as the two reset and tie up. Tatum waistlocks, Lola switches, and Lola SLAMS Tatum down. Lola holds on as Tatum fights around, and Gigi coaches Tatum up. Tatum pries free, backflips up and over to then Oklahoma Roll, TWO! Lola has Tatum in a modified CROSSFACE! Tatum endures, fights to stack Lola, TWO! Lola runs up but Tatum kicks her away. Tatum wrenches, UPPERCUTS, then CLUBS the arm. Tatum grinds Lola down, the fans duel, and Lola endures. Tatum hits a BRIDGING FUJIWARA!
The fans rally, Lola fights around and reels Tatum into a TRIANGLE HOLD! Tatum high stacks, TWO! Lola lets Tatum go, but then BODY BLOWS! Tatum drops to her knees, Lola clamps on with a headlock, and Lola hits a takeover. Tatum fights around, but Lola puts on the pressure. Tatum fights up, Lola thrashes, but Tatum powers up and out. Lola ducks ‘n’ dodges to then whip Tatum, and Lola catches Tatum to a SLEEPER! The fans rally, Tatum powers out fast, but then Lola hits a SPINEBUSTER! Tatum bails out, Lola rushes after her! Tatum crawls under the ring? Lola grabs at Tatum but Tatum kicks her away!
Tatum scurries under the ring, Gigi taunts Lola, but Lola tells Gigi she’s estupida. Lola goes looking for Tatum, but Tatum YANKS her into the ring frame! Tatum laughs, Gigi says that’s what Lola gets, and NXT goes picture in picture.
Tatum taunts Lola, brings her up and into the ring, then drags Lola up to KNEE the arm again and again! Tatum wrenches and WRINGS the arm, then JUMPING ELBOW DROPS! Cover, TWO! Tatum grabs Lola’s arm, stomps it, then twists the wrist! Lola endures, but Tatum SLAMS the arm off the mat! Tatum bends the fingers, mockingly high-fives the hand, but Lola kicks her away! Tatum comes back and wrenches again, but Lola wrenches and WRINGS it in return! Lola SOBATS Tatum, whips and KNEES her low, and Tatum is in the ropes. Lola goes to the apron to AX KICK Tatum down! Tatum flounders into the ring but Lola pursues.
Lola whips and KICKS Tatum, then drags her up to reel her in. Lola snap suplexes! That’s Una Amiga as Lola gets up, for Dos Amigas! Lola drags Tatum up again, gives some Latina Heat, and hits THREE AMIGAS! Cover, TWO! Tatum stays in this and Lola grows frustrated. Lola stalks Tatum to the ropes, stands her up, and whips her to KNEE- NO, Tatum rolls Lola up! TWO, and Lola KICKS Tatum back down! Lola drags Tatum around, then clamps on with a chinlock. Tatum endures, even as Lola thrashes her around. Tatum fights up, RAMS Lola into a corner, but Lola holds on! Tatum RAMS Lola into another corner, but Lola clamps on again!
Tatum pries at the hold, RAMS Lola into the corner again, and now she’s free. Only to run up into headscissors! Tatum brings Lola off the corner to POWERBOMB! NXT returns to single picture as both women rise. Tatum dodges a kick, and she CLOBBERS Lola! And CLOBBERS her again! And ENZIGIRIS! Tatum wrenches Lola for a NECKBREAKER! The fans fire up while Tatum runs corner to corner and CROSSBODIES Lola in the corner! Tatum whips corner to corner to CROSSBODY again! Tatum goes for a third, but Lola KNEES the crossbody down! The fans rally, Gigi coaches Tatum, but Lola AX KICKS again!
Lola fires LIGHTNING KICKS and she backs Tatum up into the corner! The fans fire up for Lola as she reminds us, “I’m a Latina~!” HIP ATTACK! Lola drags Tatum out of the corner, covers, TWO!! Tatum survives and the fans fire up! Lola drags Tatum up, lifts her up, but Tatum sunset flips! TWO, and Tatum hurries to a corner. Lola runs in, but Tatum dodges! Lola gets stuck in ropes, Tatum CROSSBODIES again! Tatum brings Lola around to hoist her up top, and the fans duel even harder! Tatum climbs, Lola fires body shots, and Lola shoves Tatum down! Tatum comes back to GAMANGIRI! Tatum then climbs up, brings Lola up, and SUPERPLEXES!
The fans fire up, Tatum crawls to the cover, TWO!! Lola survives, but Tatum doesn’t stop! She hooks Lola up, but Lola pops free! SLEEPER!! Lola drags Tatum down, but Tatum rolls back to a cover! TWO!! Lola lets go in time, but Tatum throat chops! Tatum goes up the ropes, springboards, but into a SUPERKICK! And then the BUENAS NOCHES BACKHAND!! Cover, Lola wins!
Winner: Lola Vice, by pinfall (advances to Stand & Deliver)
Lola got the knockout, and now she’s punched her ticket to Las Vegas! Will everything come up LV this Saturday?
Giulia speaks.
“For the past few weeks, I watched Stephanie bask in the glory of being a double champion. I waited and waited for her to give me a rematch, but it never happened. Friendships only go so far when it comes to the NXT Women’s Championship. Last week, I reminded Stephanie of what Beautiful Madness is. Jaida Parker? I don’t know her, but I can tell she is very confident. She likes to dish out punishment, but she doesn’t like to take it. Jordynne Grace is strong, but on Saturday, I will introduce her to Strong Style. Jordynne and Jaida are obstacles in my way to Stephanie. My goal was to win the NXT Women’s Championship. Losing it only made me more dangerous.
“Last year at Stand & Deliver, I introduced myself. This year, I leave as the NXT Women’s Champion.” Giulia is ready, will all succumb to the Beautiful Madness?
A car pulls up real fast.
And out steps Trick Williams! #CrashOutTrick looks ready for a fight, will he find one this close to his NXT Championship Triple Threat?
Ava Raine is arguing with The Fatal Influence and Meta Four!
The NXT General Manager is trying to get Fallon Henley, Jacy Jayne, Jazmyn Nyx, Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson to all listen to her, but then Gigi & Tatum stumble in. Gigi brings up this other opportunity Ava talked about last week, and Ava says yes, that’s what this is about. But Jacy says it won’t be an opportunity for Gigi & Tatum. Ava says hold on, hold on. Everyone will get their opportunity at Stand & Deliver. There will be a Triple Threat Tag Team match, and after talking it over with Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis, the winners will get a WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship match for the NXT after WrestleMania.
Tatum & Gigi are fired up, as are the Meta Girls and Fatal Influence, but then Roxie storms in and says she just knew Ava would do this. Every single woman is going to be on Stand & Deliver except for Roxie, the woman who made this division the best Women’s Division in the WORLD! Ava says yes, hi, how are you, Roxie? Good job losing to Tiffany on SmackDown last Friday. But clearly she didn’t get enough because she’s back here bothering Ava. But hey, if Roxie can charm herself a tag partner, then Ava will happily make this a Fatal 4 Way. The others chuckle and Roxie says Ava has always had it out for her,
Roxie storms off and the others sarcastically wish her luck. Will Roxie be able to salvage one of the many bridges she’s burned around here? Or will the Prodigy be out of luck this close to Stand & Deliver?
NXT Tag Team Championships #1 Contenders Gauntlet!
Speaking of luck, the luck of the draw is going to be tested, and the team that survives the odds will battle Nathan Frazer & Axiom for the titles! But who do we have first? It’s Hank ‘n’ Tank! The Street Profits told them to just be themselves and it’ll be alright, but will Hank ‘n’ Tank be able to run the table?
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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!
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CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
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TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends
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It’s a truly star-studded Raw!
Ahead of their WrestleMania 41 Night 1 Main Event, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, CM Punk & Paul Heyman are all here on Monday Night Raw!
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Bayley w/ Lyra Valkyria VS Liv Morgan w/ Raquel Rodriguez; Bayley wins.
- Rey Mysterio w/ The LWO VS Julius Creed w/ Team American Made; Rey wins.
- AJ Styles VS Karrion Kross w/ Scarlett Bordeaux; Styles wins.
- PENTA VS Finn Balor; Finn wins, by disqualification.
PLAY BY PLAY
Gunther is here!
Sacramento boos Der Ring General as he storms to the ring. Michael Cole was going to interview the World Heavyweight Champion later tonight, but it seems Gunther wants to get to it. Gunther and Cole meet in the ring, Cole says two weeks ago, he left Jimmy Uso bloodied in this ring. That caused Jey Uso to march out here last week- Gunther cuts Cole off to says that last week, Jey walked out here, looked Gunther in the eyes, and claimed he’s not afraid anymore. The fans boo as Gunther says this week, he is here to look us all in the eyes to tell us that Jey Uso is full of crap! Cole understands the fans are upset, but speaking of that, it seems Gunther is also upset.
We saw last year at WrestleMania, when… The fans “YEET! YEET! YEET!” and Gunther says screw the questions! Screw Jey Uso! Screw everything Jey stands for! And screw everybody who stands with Jey! The fans boo more, and Gunther says ever since he stepped for in the WWE, he is the greatest gift this company has ever received! For 80% of his time in the WWE, he has been a champion! And now, he is the GREATEST World Heavyweight Champion of all time! The fans boo more, but Gunther says he refuses to let somebody like Jey Uso ruin that for him. The fans “YEET!” more and he says fine, do it as much as you want!
Gunther tells Jey to puff his chest out, walk into WrestleMania with the most confidence he’s ever had, because it won’t matter! In the end, the bell has to ring! And when that happens, Jey still can’t lace Gunther’s boots! Gunther will put Jey down for a FOURTRH time! These last two weeks, Gunther has been accused, told he went too far, that he lost control. Jey, trust one thing: In 37 years of LIFE, Gunther has never lost control! The fans chant “You Suck! You Suck!” Gunther says two weeks ago, when he took a bath in Jimmy’s blood, Gunther was in full control, and he LOVED it!
And Jey, go pray to the Lord, thank Him for how Gunther was in control, or else he would’ve drowned them both in Jimmy’s blood! Gunther looks forward to next week, calling his mother and telling her how much he enjoyed beating the living hell out of Jey, and is STILL World Heavyweight Champion! Gunther storms off, having done his part for tonight. Will nothing and no one stop Der Ring General from destroying Jey?
Bianca Belair speaks.
“I’ll be the first to admit that lately, I’ve been in my head. Everything that’s happened with Jade and Naomi, it really messed me up. And now, this whole situation with Iyo and Rhea has brought out a different version of me. But different isn’t wrong. My Road to WrestleMania has filled with nothing but blood, sweat and tears. Not no complaining, no whining, no excuses. No, just straight facts. I’ve been doing nothing but standing up for myself and speaking the truth, something that anybody would do. Something I would hope people are teaching their kids to do. And you don’t have to like the truth, but you can’t deny it.
“Just like I can’t deny now it’s a Triple Threat. Yeah, I’ve been through a lot. But I’m still the best. So I’ma use the bit of everything that I’ve been through to be the Bianca I know I can be. I’m the Bianca that won Elimination Chamber, I’m the Bianca that’s never been pinned at WrestleMania, and I’m the strongest, the fastest, the roughest, the toughest, the quickest, the greatest, the best Bianca that you have ever seen. So it doesn’t matter if it’s a Triple Threat, because there’s nothing that Rhea or Iyo can do to stop me from getting my flowers and walking out of WrestleMania as champion. Because you cannot spell WrestleMania without E S T.”
Bayley w/ Lyra Valkyria VS Liv Morgan w/ Raquel Rodriguez!
The Role Model and the Morrigan ran the table on Friday Night SmackDown’s tag team gauntlet, and now they’re going to WrestleMania! Will they have even more momentum going into that WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship match? Or will the leading ladies of Judgment Day refuse to give up the spotlight even now?
Raw returns and Bayley has made her entrance, Lyra by her side. The bell rings, the fans rally up, and Bayley circles with Liv. They approach, and Liv SLAPS Bayley! Liv laughs, but Bayley smirks. Liv apologizes, then runs away! Bayley chases Liv around the outside, but then they slip into the ring. Liv stomps away on Bayley, the fans are torn but the ref counts. Liv stops at 4, and Liv bumps Bayley off buckles. Liv stomps a mudhole, but again stops at 4. Liv then stomps another mudhole in, and shouts, “OKAAAY~!” as she lets off. The fans are torn, Liv stands Bayley up, but Bayley fires forearms! The fans fire up, Liv swings, but into a fireman’s carry!
Liv fights free, ducks ‘n’ dodges Bayley, but Bayley hits a THESZ PRESS! The fans fire up and Bayley hits a NECK SNAPPER, then a SLIDING LARIAT! Cover, TWO! Bayley stomps Liv around, glares at Raquel, but Liv kicks from below. Bayley rains down fists on Liv, the fans rally behind her, and Bayley whips. Liv reverses, then avoids the up ‘n’ over to DROPKICK Bayley! Liv runs corner to corner, and BACK BODY BLOCKS! Liv rolls, but Bayley follows to LARIAT! The fans fire up again and Bayley looms over Liv. Bayley glares at Raquel, then bumps Liv off buckles. Bayley ELBOWS Liv, then ELBOWS her again.
Bayley brings Liv around, the fans cheer her on as she bumps Liv off buckles. The fans duel, Bayley brings Liv in and snap suplexes! Cover, TWO! Liv is tougher than that but Bayley stays on her. Bayley brings Liv over but Liv stops the buckle bump to give a buckle bump! Liv runs up, but Bayley ELBOWS her! Bayley goes up to FLYING ARM-DRAG! Then she gest around to SAIDO! Liv bails out, Raquel checks on her, but Bayley smiles. Bayley aims, builds speed, and DIVES, but into a forearm! Liv drags Bayley out to snap suplex to the floor! That’s just Una Amiga as Liv gets Bayley up again! Dos Amigas to the floor!
Liv drags Bayley up again, but Bayley stops that to wrench and KNEE low! Bayley RAMS Liv into steel steps! The fans fire up, Bayley runs up, but Liv dodges! Bayley hits steps, then Liv STMOPS Bayley’s hands! Liv drags Bayley up, THREE AMIGAS to the floor, from OFF the steps! Liv gives some Latina Heat while Raw goes to break.
Raw returns again and Liv has Bayley in the ring. Liv grinds Bayley down with a chinlock but the fans rally up. Bayley fights to her feet, then JAWBREAKERS free! Liv staggers, comes back, but Bayley blocks to fire forearms! Bayley fires forearm after forearm, but Liv KICKS in return! Liv kicks again, but Bayley KNEES her down! Liv flounders, Bayley runs up, but Liv dodges! Bayley is sent into the buckles! The ref checks Bayley and she’s still in this, so Liv basement ENZIGIRIS! Cover, TWO! Bayley is tougher than that but Liv gives her cheap hammer fists. Bayley hits back but Liv stomps her down.
Liv goes up the corner, waits on Bayley to rise, and FLYING- NO, Bayley grabs Liv’s legs! Liv fights the turnover, pops Bayley into the sunset flip, TWO! Bayley runs up, Liv ducks the knee to roll her up, TWO! KNEE!! Liv flounders around again, Bayley runs in, SUNSET FLIP BUCKLE BOMB! The fans fire up as Bayley drags Liv to a cover, TWO! Liv stays in this but Lyra coaches Bayley. Raquel coaches Liv while Liv crawls away. The fans duel and Liv stands. Bayley grabs a leg but Liv kicks at her! Liv BOOTS Bayley away, but Bayley comes back and slides out! But Liv gets her for a CODE BREAKER! Bayley flops down, and Liv snarls as she rises up.
Liv aims and MISSILE DROPKICKS to the floor! A little double-edged given that landing, but Liv hurries to get Bayley up and into the ring. Liv crawls to the cover, TWO! Bayley survives and Lyra is relieved. Liv snarls again and waits on Bayley. Bayley goes to the ropes, Liv runs up, OBLIV- NO, Bayley puts her on the apron! Bayley ROCKS Liv, has her in the ropes, but Liv denies the hotshot! GAMANGIRI! Liv storms in, gets moving, she goes up, up, and FLYING- STUNNER! Bayley turns things around on Liv, and hits a BAYLEY2BELLY!! Bayley crawls to the cover, Raquel gives Liv the ROPEBREAK!
The fans boo, they all saw Raquel do it! Lyra goes after Raquel, Raquel fights her off and BOOTS her down! The fans boo, but Bayley DECKS Raquel, and hits the HOTSHOT in the ropes! The fans fire up but Liv hits Bayley with a BACKSTABBER!! And then OBLIV- NO, Lyra anchors Bayley’s feet! Bayley jackknife bridges, AND WINS!
Winner: Bayley, by pinfall
A huge bit of teamwork leads to a huge win over one-half of the tag champions! Liv is livid, will she and Raquel get their revenge at WrestleMania?
Paul Heyman waits backstage.
And like usual, he’s waiting on The Tribal Chief. Will Roman Reigns even bother with The Wise Man knowing he’ll be in CM Punk’s corner at WrestleMania?
Rhea Ripley speaks.
“Bianca, I can see right through you. You said you were just out there to watch, and then you said you were just out there to call it down the middle. But I can see your true intentions now: You thrive on playing with my emotions, winding me up like I’m some sort of toy to you so you can get what you want and make it seem like I’m the bad guy. The thing that you failed to understand is that when I lose something that I love, I wills top at nothing to get it back. And Iyo, I never had to give you a championship match. But watching you pout and moan, it really pulled on the heartstrings that I had left. So I pulled a page out of your book, and I got what I wanted, too.
“So Iyo, I advise you to cherish every single moment you have with the Women’s World Championship. And Bianca, I can’t wait to make you feel what it’s like when I’m the bad guy. Because at WrestleMania 41, I get back what belongs to me.”
Rey Mysterio w/ The LWO VS Julius Creed w/ Team American Made!
Before going up against the supposed greatest luchador of a generation, El Grande Americano, the King of Lucha will take on one of the Creed Brothers. But is this going to be far more than just a tune-up? Or will Rey speed-dial the 619 here in Sacramento?
Raw returns and American Made has made their entrance. The bell rings, Rey and Julius circle, then Rey waistlocks. Julius backs Rey into a corner, the ref counts, and Rey lets go. Julius elbows Rey down! The fans boo but Julius pushes Rey around. Julius wrenches Rey, wristlocks, but Rey endures. Julius uses a straight arm lever to lift Rey! Then he drops Rey, grinds the arm down, but Rey fires forearms! Rey uses the ropes to flip through, then he KICKS, KICKS, and KICKS! Julius wrenches, hammerlocks, but Rey reaches back! Rey jumps up, FLYING-MARE! Julius runs back up to CLOBBER Rey!
Julius talks trash, American Made soaks up the heat, and Julius whips Rey. Rey reverses, then blows past to tilt-o-whirl and RANA! The fans fire up as Julius tumbles to a corner! Rey fires up, but Julius comes back to CLOBBER him again! Cover, TWO! The fans rally for Rey but Julius clamps on a chinlock. Rey endures, the fans rally up more, and Rey fights up. Rey throws body shots, runs, but Julius kitchen sink knees him down! Julius stands Rey up, whisp him to ropes, but Rey KICKS back! Rey dropkicks the legs and Julius ends up on ropes! Rey dials it up, but Julius dumps Rey out! Rey RAMS into Julius, ROCKS him, then climbs up!
The fans fire up, but Brutus distracts the ref! This lets Gable trip Rey up! The fans boo but Julius is right up top! So now Wilde distracts, and that lets Dragon Lee trip Julius! Turnabout is fair play, but now both teams are protesting! So the ref EJECTS everybody! Things will truly be 1v1, after the break!
Raw returns again and Julius has a neck wrench on Rey. Julius whips Rey hard to a corner, runs up, but Rey ELBOWS him! And BOOTS him! Rey goes up, up, but Julius Electric Chair Lifts! Rey fires hands, then spins to MYSTERIO RANA! Both men fall out of the ring pretty hard, but Rey gets back inside! Rey WRECKS Julius with a dropkick, the fans fire up, and Rey builds speed to SLIDING- NO, Julius stuffs Rey into a deadlift suplex! Julius marches with Rey, and then goes up the steel steps! Julius has Rey at the ropes, but Rey fights free! Julius BOOTS Rey back! Julius runs up, Rey moves, Julius POSTS himself!
The fans fire up while Julius flops into the ring. Rey hurries back up, climbs the corner, and FLYING RANAS! Julius ends up in a corner, Julius climbs up again, and he rains down fists! The fans count all the way to TEN! Rey fires up, the fans are with him, and Rey whips Julius corner to corner. Julius springs right up, goes over, but then Rey QUEBRADAS! But Julius catches him! Rey swings through to DDT! Cover, TWO! The fans fire up while both men are down! “This is Awesome!” as Rey rises, and he brings Julius around. Julius blocks the whip, shakes his head, and he whips Rey. Rey slides under, comes back, but Julius KNEES Rey down!
Julius brings down the straps, runs up, but Rey DUMPS Julius out tot he floor! Wait, El Grande Americano is here! Rey runs up, grabs him by his mask, but then Julius rolls Rey up! TWO!! Julius gets up, swings, but Rey shoves Julius into El Grande! Rey dropkicks Julius onto the ropes! Dial it up, 619!! Slingshot, DROP THE DIME! Cover, Rey wins!
Winner: Rey Mysterio, by pinfall
But then El Grande CLOBBERS Rey! The fans boo, the LWO returns, but Julius holds them off! Grande CLOBBERS Cruz, but Dragon Lee fires off forearms! Dragon Lee whips, but Grande FLYING HEADBUTTS! The fans boo, but now Grande goes up top! DIVING HEADBUTT onto Rey! “UH GRACIAS~!” That mask is definitely loaded like last week, but will Rey be able to overcome that tactic and win for the honor of true lucha libre?
The War Raiders speak.
Ivar says, “Xavier, Kofi, you run your mouths about how the New Day is the greatest tag team of all time.” Erik says, “The fact of the matter is, the War Raiders have blazed a path of world domination for more than a decade. We’ve won gold on multiple continents.” “And last week, we had you beat, dead to rights.” The New Day took the cowardly way out because they knew they couldn’t beat the Raiders. The New Day says this is about the titles, but it has gotten much more personal. Kofi & Woods took this to a whole new level. They didn’t come for these titles, they came for Erik’s neck! They tried to put Erik on the shelf! They tried to end his career!
So at WrestleMania, this won’t be a match! It’ll barely be a fight! This is WAR!
The New Day is backstage.
They’re busy playing the Clash of Clans WWE crossover game, not that they’re in it. But Jackie Redmond walks over to talk with them. The New Day says that is rude, they’re busy playing a game. This lack of respect is audacious. Jackie does apologize, but she brings up the War Raiders saying that this match at Mania is now a war. War? New Day’s been in war from how they’ve been treated this whole time! The whole time! But the warpath stops when they take back what belongs to them, and that’s their WWE World Tag Team Championships! The entire world will see that ya bois, the NEW DAY~, are the best team on the face of Planet Earth!
Last week was just a taste of what they’re willing to do to get those titles back. And after Mania, Erik will wish they took his head off so that he and Ivar wouldn’t have to catch the beating they’re getting this weekend. At WrestleMania, every irrelevant and immature member of the WWE Universe will have no choice but to drop to their knees and THANK GOD for the New Day! Woods & Kofi head out, but will they survive this WrestleMania weekend?
AJ Styles VS Karrion Kross w/ Scarlett Bordeaux!
Before taking on The Maverick, Logan Paul, at WrestleMania, the Phenomenal One is going to prove to Mr. & Mrs. Doomsday that this AJ Styles IS the AJ Styles that can get the job done! Does that mean Raw is going to be Too Sweet? Or will Kross be disappointed?
Raw returns as Kross makes his entrance, his femme fatale by his side. Kross is really taking this mirroring stuff to another level, wearing tights very similar to what Styles would wear. Kross still wants Styles to understand, Styles has to be like the Styles of the past in order to finally humble Logan Paul and save professional wrestling. Styles gets mad, but Kross shoves him! Styles RAMS Kross into the corner, RAMS him again and again, but lets off as the ref counts. Styles storms back up, whips corner to corner, but Kross reverses. Kross runs up, but Styles BOOTS him away. Kross comes back to BOOT Styles down!
The fans boo but Kross stomps Styles around. Kross talks trash, but Styles KICKS Kross! And CHOPS! Kross YANKS Styles into ropes, then CHOKES him! The ref counts, Kross says it doesn’t have to be this way, but he lets off as the ref pulls him back. Scarlett CLAWS at Styles’ face in the distraction! The fans boo but Kross stomps Styles. Kross drags Styles up, but Styles JAWBREAKERS back! Styles runs up, but into a SAIDO! The fans boo, Kross stalks Styles to a corner, then he stomps away. Kross whips corner to corner hard, and Styles clutches his ribs as he falls. Kross laughs at Styles’ pain, then stomps him more.
Kross drags Styles up, but Styles DRPOKICKS Kross down! The fans cheer, Kross bails out, and Styles slides to DROPKICK! Kross hits barriers, then Styles PLANCHAS! Kross moves, Styles lands safe on the apron, but Kross sweeps the legs! Kross then whips Styles hard into barriers! Styles almost falls onto that guy cosplaying the Prime bottle. Kross whips Styles hard into more barriers, and Styles falls into the timekeeper’s area! Scarlett kisses Kross’ hand while he soaks up heat, and Raw goes to break.
Raw returns Kross has a chinlock. Styles fights up, fires body shots, but Kross KNEES low! Kross scoops and hits a BACKBREAKER! Kross scoops again, but Styles slips free! Styles goes for a leg but Kross stifles that and shoves Styles to a cover, TWO! Kross drags Styles up, reels him in, but Styles fights the bomb! Kross stops the rana, fireman’s carries, FINAL PRAYER! Cover, TWO!! Styles survives but Kross asks if Styles is sandbagging. Kross looms over Styles, the fans rally up, and Kross smirks as Styles rises. Kross swings, but Styles counter punches! And counter punches! And CHOPS, CHOPS, KICKS!
Styles KICKS Kross again, then whips. Kross hobbles then falls over, clutching his knee! The fans boo, thinking this is an act. Scarlett checks Kross as he clutches the ankle. Styles asks the ref about this, but then Kross sucker punches Styles! It WAS an act, and the fans boo that Kross got away with it! Kross shimmies and shuffles, then taunts Styles. Styles runs up to CLOBBER Kross! Styles fires off the PHENOMENAL BLITZ! SLIDING FOREARM! The fans fire up, Styles runs in at the corner to LARIAT Kross! Fireman’s carry, but Kross slips free! Kick and DDT! Kross vows to end it, and the fans boo as Kross throws off his elbow pad.
Styles rises as Kross winds the hands of time. KROSS- NO, Styles ducks the hammer and fireman’s carries! USHIGOROSHI! Kross hobbles, Styles runs up, but Kross puts him on the apron! Styles HOTSHOTS Kross, then DECKS him! The fans fire up, Kross rises, PHENOMENAL FOREARM! Cover, Styles wins!
Winner: AJ Styles, by pinfall
Kross put Styles to the test, and that was definitely Styles acing that test! But then Logan Paul appears! Sacramento boos Logan as he walks out with mic in hand. Logan asks what’s up with the hostility. Chill, he’s here to congratulate Styles. No, seriously, good win! He did it! In front of Sacramento, “a bunch of people who weren’t cool enough to live in Los Angeles, or work smart enough to live in San Francisco.” But Styles showed these “generic California losers” why Styles VS Logan is gonna cook! But hey, why not show them why it’ll make money? Here is what Styles is up against. Please enjoy this piece of cinema.
Logan has his own hype video package, “I accomplish more in one weekend than you all will in your entire lives. I didn’t join the WWE to take part, I joined to take over.” Styles grabs a mic to say that’s a cute video, smartass. But let’s start Mania earlier! Get your ass to the ring right now! The fans fire up for that! Logan says okay, and he steps closer. But Kross runs up on Styles! Styles ROCKS Kross, ROCKS Logan, repeat! Styles DECKS Logan, ROCKS him again, btu Kross scoops! Styles slips free, REVERSE DDT! Styles snarls at Kross, but Logan is up! ONE LUCKY RIGHT!! Then the PAUL-VERIZER!! The Maverick is feeling so “humble,” but will he be humbled at Mania?
Paul Heyman is still waiting…
Will he be waiting all night at this rate?
Jey Uso is here!
The fans fire up as Main Event Jey pops right through the curtain to walk down the bleachers. Sacramento bounces for him and they “YEET!” along with the song, but Jey is once again very serious. Jey goes to the ground level, but then stands on the desk for everyone to see him. Jey grabs the mic while the bouncing continues, and the fans cheer as the song dies down. Jey takes a breath, fans “YEET! YEET! YEET!” and chant “One More Time! One More Time!” Jey says okay, and the song starts up again! The bouncing starts up again, and then Jey paces as he waits for the music to die down.
“Aight, check it. I said what I had to say to Gunther last week.” “YEET!” “But I really wanted to come out here and holler at y’all.” “YEET!” Jey says what up, Sac Town! Mama out here somewhere in the crowd. But everyone keeps on asking Jey, “Jey, where your mind at?” Is he crashing out? HELL YEAH he’s crashing out! But he’s locked in! Locked in for him! For his family! And for y’all! Check it out, though. Listen to Gunther out here talking. Y’know what that made Jey feel like? He mad. Nah nah nah… Gunther’s afraid! Yeah, Gunther’s afraid! Afraid that Jey will whoop that ass in front of 60 THOUSAND and the world! See you Saturday, Uce!
Jey says one time for the one time… Hey, Uce, please, PLEASE hit his music! UH UH, YEET!! The fans fire up as the bouncing starts up yet again! Jey has all the confidence, all the fire, all the momentum. But will he have it all when it’s all said and done in Las Vegas?
Backstage interview with Bron Breakker.
Cathy Kelley is with the Badass WWE Intercontinental Champion and brings up this Sunday, the Fatal 4 Way that stacks the odds against him. How is he handling what could be the biggest defense of his career? Bron says obviously, this is the biggest match of his career. And- JUDGMENT DAY ATTACKS! Finn Balor, Dominik Mysterio & Carlito mug Bron! They stomp him around, then THROW him onto a road case! They still rain down fists, and Finn says the dog’s bark is worse than his bite! They CHUCK Bron into more road cases! Adam Pearce and producers storm in and stop The Judgment Day, but will Bron be alright in just 6 days?
As for Finn, he has a match to get to! Will The Prince be ready for #CeroMiedo?
PENTA VS Finn Balor!
Raw returns and Finn makes his entrance, only for Penta to DROPKICK him off the apron! Penta then FLIES and takes Finn down! Penta strikes first since Finn did that to Bron, and the fans love it! Penta puts Finn in the ring, then storms in after him. The bell rings, the fans fire up as Penta runs up, but Finn puts him on the apron. Penta GAMANGIRIS, then goes up, up, and CROSSBODIES! Cover, TWO! Finn kicks Penta low, then brings Penta around. Penta WRINGS free, then traps that arm! But Finn trips Penta! Penta BOOTS Finn away, then pump handles! Finn pops free, dragon sleepers, but Penta drops to KICK from below!
Penta runs up to ENZIGIRI in the corner, then he headstands and SWINGING DROPKICKS! Cover, TWO! Finn stays in this, the fans cheer for “CERO! MIEDO!” Penta nods and storms up on Finn to KICK the leg out! Finn flounders, stands back up, but Penta KICKS the leg again! Penta stalks Finn, and KICKS Finn’s leg out again! The fans fire up while Finn flounders around more. Penta has Finn on the ropes, hushes the fans, and he CHOPS! Finn is stinging as he staggers away, and the fans fire up as they want even more of that! Penta whips, Finn reverses, but Penta sunset flips. Finn rolls through to basement DROPKICK! Cover, TWO!
Finn keeps Penta down with an ELBOW, then a chinlock. Finn grinds Penta down, Penta endures, and the fans rally. Penta fights up, but Finn yanks the mask! Finn has Penta down, and he soaks up the heat. Finn drags Penta, then jumps stomps! Finn soaks up more heat, jump stomps again, then argues with the ref. Finn taunts Sacramento, stomps Penta again and again and again! The ref counts, Finn stops, but he soaks up more heat. Finn goes back to Penta and says “Just Too Sweet!” They go to the apron, and Penta scoops! Finn slips free, and APRON EYE OF THE HURRICANE! Both men are down on the outside while Raw goes to break.
Raw returns again and Finn has Penta up top! And then the very top! SUPER DUPER PLEX! Cover, TWO!! Penta stays in this and the fans fire up! Finn grows frustrated, but he clamps onto an arm for a FUJIWARA ARMBAR! The fans rally up, Penta fights to his feet, and Penta fires hands. Penta arm-drags free, then ducks ‘n ‘dodges, for a RANA! Finn flounders up, Penta LARIATS! And LARIATS! The fans fire up again as Penta then SUPERKICKS Finn! Finn wobbles, Penta whips, but Finn reverses, only for Penta to go up and over! BACKSTABBER! Cover, TWO! Finn survives and Penta is frustrated, but the fans fire back up.
Penta stalks Finn, the fans sing, “OLE~ OLE OLE OLE~! CERO~! MIEDO~!” Penta has Finn in the corner, he puts Finn up top, and then he CHOPS! Penta calls his shot and the fans cheer that. Penta climbs up and he goes to the very top! But Finn fires body shots! Penta hops down to the apron and CHOPS again! Then he jumps up to FLYING RANA! Finn staggers back up, Penta BOOTS him! Penta then runs to SLING-DOG! Penta keeps moving, but Finn SLINGBLADES! The fans rally, both men stand, and Finn aims from a corner! SHOT- NO, scoop and BACKBREAKER! Penta has the arm, traps it, and then pulls on the other! “CERO! MIEDO!” SACRIFICE!!
The fans fire up while Finn writhes! Penta stalks Finn, clamps onto him again, “This is Awesome!” as the PENTA- NO, Finn victory rolls the driver! TWO!! DOUBLE LARITS collide! Penta fires body shots, a SOBAT, a KICK, then a SUPERKICK! Finn flops down, but Penta goes to a corner. But then Carlito & Dom rush out here! Penta glares at them, they back off, but Finn rolls Penta up! TWO!! Penta escapes, Finn ducks ‘n’ dodges, SLINGBLADE! Finn aims, SHOTGUN! Penta hits buckles, then ends up in the drop zone, but HERE COMES BRON! You can’t keep a good dog down! Carlito fears for his life after last week…!
Carlito runs away, so Bron runs in and CLOBBERS Finn!! But that lets Finn win!
Winner: Finn Balor, by disqualification
Bron keeps beating up on Finn, so Dom runs in and TACKLES Bron! Carlito joins in now that they have the advantage! They mug Bron 2v1, but Bron fights back! Bron dodges, and he DOUBLE SPEARS!! Sacramento barks for Bron as he aims at Penta! Bron roars, runs up, but Penta KICKS first! And mule kicks! And SUPERKICKS! And then tilt-o-whirl RANA! Bron tumbles out of the ring and the fans fire up! Penta builds speed to go up, up, and SUPER CROSSBODY! Penta wipes out Bron, Dom & Carlito, but where’d Finn go? Finn is already up the ramp! The Prince got handed the win tonight, but will Penta take it all with his #CeroMiedo?
Iyo Sky speaks.
“This message is for Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley. You keep forgetting that I’M the Women’s World Champion. You push me out of the way of your petty squabbles like I mean nothing. But I’m the whole reason you’re fighting in the first place, aren’t I? Because I have the one thing you both want: The Women’s World Championship! So, I’m done being ignored. I’m done being forgotten. Because you have to go through ME to get this title, and I’m not afraid to take you both on to defend it. I’ve beaten both of you before, and I’ll beat you again! At WrestleMania, you will never forget the name Iyo Sky, Women’s World Champion.”
Paul Heyman is still waiting, but CM Punk joins him!
Punk sits down with a coffee and says he’s never seen The Wise Man so stressed. Look in his eyes, what do you see? The Cult of Personality? No, a real friend. A friend who would never do anything to put Heyman in harm’s way. But then a car is pulling up. It’s ROMAN! Roman sees Punk and Heyman being buddy-buddy, and he storms off! Heyman tries to catch up to his Tribal Chief, but Roman won’t even look at him. Will this favor cause the break-up of Roman and Heyman?
Roman goes to the ring!
The fans cheer and put the ones up as The OTC makes his entrance, Wise Man trailing behind. What will happen with Roman, Heyman, Punk, and Seth Rollins, all in the building this close to WrestleMania? We find out, after the break.
Raw returns rather quickly, and Roman is now in the ring. He raises his finger up for the pyro and the fans cheer. Heyman has the mic while the fans chant “O T C! O T C!” Heyman tentatively holds it out for Roman, but Roman doesn’t take it! Roman gets a mic for himself, leaving Heyman a bit dismayed, but the cheering continues. Roman tells, “Sacramento…! ACKNOWLEDGE ME!” The fans cheer and put up the ones as they cheer on “O T C! O T C!” Roman says, “The whole world can feel that. The whole world can hear that you love and acknowledge your Tribal Chief. And now the whole world understands that you would never betray your Tribal Chief.
“But not everybody’s like you. Some people would betray me. Sacramento, you got any guesses on who that might be?” Obviously it’s Heyman that Roman is referring to, but Roman asks The Wise Man, “How could you betray me?” The fans tell Heyman he messed up. Roman says Heyman can’t hear that well, say it louder. The fans get louder with it, and Heyman is a bit surly about that. Heyman goes to talk, but he reconsiders. Roman still asks him why, and Heyman is at a loss for words. The fans boo, but some do chant for “C M PUNK! C M PUNK!” Roman smirks as Heyman finally says, “My Tribal Chief… It was not a betrayal. I paid back a favor that I owed.”
Roman doesn’t seem to like that answer, but he still smirks. Sacramento, maybe Roman’s a little confused here, but the way favors work is, you usually pay it back yourself, correct? The fans say yes. Roman says it feels the only one getting screwed here is him! And if there’s one thing about Roman Reigns, if there’s one thing about The Tribal Chief, it’s that he’d never ask for a favor. No, Roman takes what he wants! So Roman doesn’t owe a favor, because he never asked for any help, for anyone to join him at WarGames, so how is he supposed to cover the tab for Heyman’s dumbass favor? But now, “BURN IT DOWN!”
Seth Rollins makes his way out, and Roman is no longer in any good mood as the fans sing “WHOA~ OH~ OHH~!” Rollins struts out in a leather vest and black pants that both have a lot of pockets. Rollins steps into the ring, grabs himself a mic, and the fans continue to sing, “WHOA~ OH~ OHH~!” Rollins tells Sacramento, “Let’s give it up for Your Tribal Chief! Because after over a decade, you’re finally getting it, man! You’re finally putting the pieces together all by yourself! You’re almost there, you’re just missing one little piece, and it’s a real shame it’s too little, it’s too late, cuz I still gotta end you at WrestleMania.”
Rollins says it is for the same reason that it always has been: It’s the right thing to do! This Triple Threat at WrestleMania is the BIGGEST, most IMPORTANT one in the history of Mania, of the WWE, of professional wrestling! Because the winner of this match will define the future of this industry. And it can’t be Roman, it can’t be Punk. Because this business is filled with people like Roman, people who show up when it is convenient, expecting everyone else to do all the work. That’s how this business dies! Roman finally sees it can’t be Punk, either.
This business is filled with too many “little Punks” running around who wanna pick up their ball and go home when it gets tough, only to come back and leech off the profits of other people’s success, and that’s how this business dies! The fans chant for Punk but Rollins says okay, they want this business to die? Rollins doesn’t! If there are more people in this business like Rollins, who always sacrifices physical and mental well-being to do what is best for business, then the business not only lives, but it thrives! There can be only one, and it’s gotta be Rollins.
As for that one little piece that Roman hasn’t quite figured out… “Favors don’t happen by chance, Roman. Favors are a choice. I chose not to put Paul Heyman in the hospital last week, and now Paul Heyman can choose whether or not he pays that debt to me. But your Wise Man, he is dishonorable as they come, he is a scumbag, and I expect nothing from him.” The fans boo and Heyman frowns, but Rollins says Heyman is not in CM Punk’s corner by chance. Heyman has made a choice. It isn’t just a betrayal, Roman. What Roman needs to ask himself, what that final piece is, Heyman isn’t just returning a favor, he’s choosing. So why is Heyman choosing Punk over Roman?
Heyman tells Roman he’s not doing that, but Roman seems to be thinking Rollins has a point. Roman tells The Wise Man that Rollins is right, Heyman made his choice. But Roman has made his. LARIAT FOR ROLLINS! The fans fire up as Roman then POSTS Rollins! Rollins flops out of the ring, Heyman is very pleased, and he says he acknowledges his Tribal Chief! Roman nods, but then he PIE FACES Heyman!? Heyman is stunned, but here comes CM Punk! The fans fire up as Punk runs down to the ring, and he dodges Roman to fire hands! The fans fire up as they brawl, and then Punk LARIATS Roman up and out!
The fans are torn as Punk helps Heyman up. Heyman is distraught, but Roman is back! SPEAR for Punk!! Roman HAMMERS away on Punk! Roman shouts at Punk, HEADBUTTS him, but then Rollins returns! And with a chair! SMACK to the back of Roman Reigns, just like the night it all started! Sacramento is all fired up, and Rollins hits a CURB STOMP on Punk! And then CURB STOMP on Roman! Heyman is freaking out as both his guys are down! Rollins stares Heyman down, is Rollins’ favor going to come into play after all?
My Thoughts:
A great Raw, especially for the go-home to WrestleMania. Great promo from Gunther with how he “doesn’t wait” for the proper interview with Michael Cole, and very good response promo from Jey. Gunther definitely sounds a bit on edge, and considering he might lose two WrestleManias in a row as the start of his WrestleMania career, I suppose I would be, too. And very good promos from Bianca, Rhea & Iyo to hype up their match, though I can’t say that changes anything for the go-home math. Iyo stood tall last time, so there’s a chance Rhea or Bianca take the other out to get the win. Rhea and Bianca talking about who’s the bad guy in this, could we see Bianca go Heel?
Good promo from War Raiders and New Day, but unless they add a stipulation, I don’t necessarily see this being “a war” of a match. Well, maybe they can break something like ringside barriers. But I feel like New Day is going to win so that this Heel turn has actual results. Very good match from Bayley VS Liv, but Bayley winning here surely indicates Liv & Raquel retain. Rey VS Julius was really good, but the LWO and American Made all being ejected, that of course meant El Grande Americano would show up. Rey wins here, but then El Grande stands tall, so I would think Rey wins at Mania to expose Grande as Gable.
Very good match from Styles VS Kross, and naturally Styles won. That along with Logan & Kross getting the better of Styles after, this has to mean Styles wins at Mania. I don’t think it’s possible to get anything Bullet Club related, but WWE works with TNA pretty closely now so maybe they can use one of Styles’ themes from TNA to really bring us back to “the Styles that can beat Logan Paul.” Very good stuff with the Men’s Intercontinental Championship build, with Bron being jumped by Judgment Day, then Judgment Day trying to cost Penta, only for Bron to actually cost Penta and give Finn the win. Penta standing tall now sadly might cross him off, but I personally do think Dom pinning Finn or Finn pinning Dom is the better route going forward.
And of course, great stuff with the Punk-Rollins-Reigns story. Heyman finding himself stuck between Roman and Punk, with Roman starting to distance himself from Heyman, that’s also very good stuff going forward. Rollins stands tall again, so not sure if that means he takes the loss or is just not in the decision. No matter who wins, Heyman no longer being Roman’s manager is the best move. Roman needs to do things on his own again, and Heyman can reunite with Punk and perhaps help Punk towards a title. Punk did say that he’d be coming for THE WWE Championship at some point, Heyman by his side for that like 10 years ago would be something.
My Score: 8.8/10
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