Coverage
Mitchell’s WWE Raw Results & Report! (4/29/24)
The Draft wraps it up!
Pick and choose, sit and lose, all you different crews…
Night two of the WWE Draft continues here on Monday Night Raw, even as The Judgment Day take on Jey Uso, Ricochet & Andrade! Will Main Event Jey’s team put a YEET Down on Damian, Finn & JD?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Gunther w/ Ludwig Kaiser VS Xavier Woods w/ Kofi Kingston; Gunther wins.
- WWE Intercontinental Championship: Sami Zayn VS Bronson Reed; Sami wins, by disqualification, and retains the title.
- Maxxine Dupri VS Candice LeRae w/ Indi Hartwell; Candice wins.
- Liv Morgan VS Nia Jax; Liv wins.
- WWE World Tag Team Championships: The Awesome Truth VS The Alpha Academy; The Awesome Truth wins and retains the title.
- Six Man Tag: The Judgment Day VS Jey Uso, Ricochet & Andrade; Jey, Ricochet & Andrade win.
PLAY BY PLAY
Logan Paul arrives!
The Maverick United States Champion rolls up, also with IShowSpeed, and they’re greeted by Patrick Mahomes! And Judgment Day, too! Damian Priest says hey to Logan, congratulates Mahomes on his success, and from champion to champion, Priest wants to say that Logan looks good with the title. Logan appreciates that. Nick Aldis invited Logan to Raw to help with the WWE Draft, make some picks, and hang out with the greatest QB in the NFL. But hey, Judgment Day’s been crushing it. They run Raw! Logan’s guess is that at Backlash, they’re gonna destroy the “ugly Uso,” Jey. Let’s get it! This clique rolls in, will things all go well for them this close to the big night?
Becky Lynch is here!
The fans fire up for the NEW Women’s World Champion as she makes her way to the ring, gold back in her hands! Becky gets a mic in her hand now, and she says, “The Man has come around to Kansas City!” The fans cheer that! And man, we’ve got history here, right? Yeah, yeah! Lots of people say KC is where The Man was born. Nearly six years ago, right up on those steps, face bloodied, and she let everyone know that this is HER show now! And here she stands, your new Women’s World Champion, and she’s still saying the same damn thing! The fans cheer on “BECKY! BECKY!” Becky says we are on night two of the Draft, and the times, they are a changing!
There’s a whole new division waiting in the wings. It has taken Becky two YEARS to work back to holding a world championship. And the fans chant, “You Deserve It!” She thanks them for that and loves them for it. But now that Becky is holding this title, her instinct is to hold it tight, never let it go, but titles aren’t meant for just holding. They are meant for defending! Fans like the sound of that, too! So Kansas City, let’s find ourselves a new #1 contender! And Becky wants to fight the best, because you only get better fighting the best. And with that, here comes Liv Morgan! Liv has a smile and a mic as she goes to the ring to tell Becky if she’s looking for a contender, here she is!
The fans are torn but the “MAMI! MAMI!” chants come out. Liv says now, the very last thing she wanted was for Becky to just hand her a title match. But for some reason, Liv can’t help but feel like Becky owes her one. The fans boo but Liv says hold on, hold on. The truth here is, the only reason Becky has the World Championship is because Liv did what Becky couldn’t, and that was take out Rhea Ripley. The fans boo because Liv hurt Rhea. Liv continues to say that this is still the Liv Morgan Revenge Tour, after all. And she thinks they both know that the endgame here was always going to be Liv. So Liv won’t stop until she has everything that she wants.
Becky tells Liv she’s right. Becky would not be holding this title if not for what Liv did to Rhea. But the interesting thing is, Liv would be holding this title if not for what Becky did to Liv. Funny how that works, huh? But then here comes Nia Jax! The Irresistible Force was drafted to SmackDown, but rosters don’t lock in until after Backlash! And Nia says this is all just them being rude. She doesn’t know about any of the fans here, but Nia says Kansas City is very rude for not welcoming her. They are lucky she even showed up tonight. Liv can’t hear Nia over the boos! Nia says she dominated them both last week! SHE should be champion right now!
And the only reason she’s not is because Liv and Becky teamed up to make sure she wouldn’t be. But lucky for her, she’s now on the superior show, SmackDown! It’s why she’s wearing blue, if you can’t tell, you idiots. But like Bayley, Naomi & Tiffany saw, Nia will soon be champion. So tonight is her last night on Raw. Fans cheer that! Well, if Nia is leaving, she’s taking one of them with her. So- LIV SHOTGUNS NIA! The fans fire up and Liv says if Nia’s gonna make a challenge, SHE accepts! Will Liv survive a battle with Nia to then go after Becky and the title?
Stephanie McMahon is here!
The fans fire up as the Billion Dollar Queen walk out on stage! She goes to the podium because she has the first round of picks! And she says it feels great to be back here in Kansas City! She welcomes us to night two of the 2024 WWE Draft, and says with the first pick, Raw selects… DER RING GENERAL, Gunther, and Ludwig Kaiser, Imperium! And yes, it’s just them after they expelled Giovanni Vinci from the group. With the second pick, SmackDown selects… JADE CARGILL! The Storm is staying on Friday nights, much to Damage CTRL’s chagrin. And with the third pick, Raw selects… DAMAGE CTRL! Well, never mind!
The fans are torn as Iyo Sky, Dakota Kai, Asuka & Kairi Sane now move to the red brand! And with the final pick of this opening round, SmackDown selects… KEVIN OWENS! The Prizefighter stays on Fridays, which is fitting as he wants after The Bloodline! Who else will be chosen? We’ve still got FIVE rounds to go tonight!
Gunther w/ Ludwig Kaiser VS Xavier Woods VS Kofi Kingston!
Speaking of Imperium, they’re ready to commemorate staying on Raw and dumping Giovanni Vinci by sanctifying the ring. However, will the reigning, defending, W, W, E, King, of, the RING~ prove to Der Ring General that he isn’t ready to wear the crown?
The bell rings, Gunther and Woods slowly circle. The fans rally up for “NEW! DAY ROCKS!” The two approach, Gunther kicks low, then CLUBS Woods. Woods goes to a corner, Gunther clinches and grinds forearms, but the ref counts. Gunther lets off, Woods dodges the chop to CHOP! Woods dodges another chop to headlock! Gunther powers up but Woods holds on tight, Gunther powers out on the second try, but Woods ducks ‘n’ dodges ‘n’ slides under to ROLLING ELBOW! Gunther fumes, runs up, but Woods dumps him out! Woods runs, but Gunther avoids the wrecking ball dropkick to CHOP Woods down!
Woods writhes, Gunther hauls him up and hits an APRON BACK SUPLEX, and then Raw goes to break!
Raw returns and Woods is down in the ring. Gunther paces, Kaiser tries to get fans to cheer him but they boo instead. Gunther brings Woods up to UPPERCUTS! Woods goes to a corner, kicks low, then UPPERCUTS back! Woods fires more UPPERCUTS, but Gunther scoops to SLAM him down! Gunther paces while Woods writhes and fans boo. Gunther goes back to Woods, eggs him on, then stands him back up. Gunther HIP DROPS, then he talks trash. Gunther scuffs Woods, but the fans rally with “NEW! DAY ROCKS!” Secret glitch happens, but Woods fires CHOPS on Gunther! Gunther CHOPS Woods down!
Woods still gets up! Woods CHOPS and CHOPS, but Gunther pushes him to a corner, to CHOP again! And CHOP again! And then short arm LARIAT! Fans boo but Gunther grins while talking smack on Kofi. Kofi coaches Woods, Woods rises, and Kofi tells Gunther not to worry about him. Woods stands and ROCKS Gunther, JAWBREAKERS, then CHOPS! And CHOPS! And CHOPS! Gunther CHOPS Woods again! Then reels him in, hoists him up, but Woods slips free! Woods mule kicks and the fans fire up! Woods runs corner to corner, but is put on the apron! Gunther CHOPS, Woods wobbles, and Gunther climbs!
Gunther drags Woods up, but Woods fires body shots! Woods throws hands and he CHOPS Gunther! And CHOPS him off the ropes! The fans fire up as Woods climbs, to MISSILE DROPKICK! Cover, TWO! Gunther is still in this but even Kaiser looks a little worried. Gunther sits up, Woods is on him and brings him in. Woods goes to suplex but Gunther fights out! Gunther CHOPS Woods down again! Woods goes to the apron, Gunther runs in but Woods RAMs him! Only for Gunther to SHOVE Woods down! Woods’ leg gets caught in the ropes! The ref hurries to help Woods but Gunther stomps away! The fans boo but the ref backs Gunther off.
Gunther goes outside, to CHOP the leg! The ref frees Woods, Woods flops to the floor, and the ref reprimands. Gunther grins as he still has control, and Raw goes to break.
Raw returns again and Gunther drops a knee on Woods’ bad leg! And then another knee drop! Woods flounders to a corner, drags himself up, and Gunther again talks trash to Kofi. Gunther goes back to Woods, but Woods throws body shots and chops! Gunther kicks the bad leg! Woods CHOPS, but Gunther scoops him to SLAM him into ropes! Woods grits his teeth, clutches the leg, but the fans boo as Gunther mocks Woods. Gunther drags Woods up, puts him on the top rope, and CHOPS him on the back! Woods falls back into the Tree of Woe, and Gunther CHOPS the knee! And CHOPS! And CHOPS it again! The fans boo but Gunther BOOTS the knee!
The ref backs Gunther off, gets Woods out of the Tree, but Gunther grins as he watches Woods writhe. Kofi coaches Woods, the fans rally up, but Gunther eggs Woods on. Woods crawls after Gunther, rises up, only for Gunther to CHOP him down! Gunther goes out to the apron, taunts Kofi some more, then goes up the corner! GUNTHER SPLASH onto knees!! A double-edged tactic but it still saves him! Woods slaps the leg, gets it moving, and the fans rally up harder! Woods rises, to kick, but Gunther blocks! Gunther CHOPS Woods down, then has the leg for a HALF CRAB! Woods endures, flails, reaches out, and Kofi coaches him, only for Gunther to drag Woods back!
Gunther sits deep on the leg, and Kofi thinks about the towel! Kofi grabs the towel, but Woods tells him no! Woods doesn’t wanna lose like that! He knows he can do it! Kofi hears Woods out, and throws the towel away! The fans fire up as Woods powers up! Woods crawls forward, reaches out, but Gunther turns him over! Woods kicks with his free leg, but Gunther drags him way back! STF, with HAMMERING ELBOWS on top! INVERTED GRIP!! Woods endures, but he just can’t! He taps, Gunther wins!
Winner: Gunther, by submission
A gutsy move by Woods, but Gunther has no mercy for anyone. Der Ring General stands tall over the king and “takes his crown” for his own. Will this also happen during the King of the Ring tournament as we enter the money of May?
Backstage interview with Jey Uso.
Cathy Kelley is with Main Event Jey, Raw’s first pick from Night One. A great honor for Jey, but is there any pressure being Raw’s first pick while also heading into Backlash’s World Heavyweight Championship match? Jey appreciates the praise, but says there’s no pressure. Put that on his back, watch him work, and Priest is about to catch this YEET down! Then one more question: Logan Paul- Jey stops her there. Jey is glad WWE signed a Paul brother. He just wishes it was the one with a winning record. YEET. Jey heads out, will he and his team get a big win over Judgment Day?
Wait in the background, is that Liv? And is… is that Dom following her?! What’s going on with Mami’s Latino Heat while she’s away?
Logan Paul & IShowSpeed head to the ring.
The fans boo as The Maverick and his pal walk out to the podium. Logan says what’s up, Kansas City? It’s so beautiful. But real quick before they get started, you all know there’s a special guest in the house. Samantha Irvin, do an introduction for Mahomes! The fans cheer as Samantha introduces the TWO-TIME NFL MVP, the THREE-TIME Super Bowl Champion, and the starting quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes! The fans cheer again, and Speed snipes the first pick of the second round. Raw selects… The Voice of the Voiceless, C! M! PUNK! The fans fire up for that one, and even chant his name!
Logan takes the pick for SmackDown, and they select… THE PRIDE! Bobby Lashley, Montez Ford, Angelo Dawkins & B-Fab are all sticking together, and they’re all staying right on Friday nights to go after A-Town Down Under. Speed says for the third pick, Raw selects… THE MONSTER OF ALL MONSTERS, Braun Strowman!! Raw is keeping the 6’8″, 385 pound superheavyweight right here on Mondays! And SmackDown wraps up this round, they select… Tiffany Stratton! The Center of the Universe is still on Fridays, will it be #TiffyTime for the Summer?
Logan continues to the ring to say it’s time to get real. He came to KC to help picks, celebrate with Mahomes, but then what happened? Jey is running his mouth just because he pointed out the truth? The truth is, stupid, Damian Priest will beat Jey Uso! And here’s why: Because Jey made a mistake leaving The Bloodline. Jey Uso is incapable of becoming a champion on his own! Something Logan has become a master of. So look, KC, let him give you a play by play of what happens this Saturday at Backlash. But wait! Here comes Jey! The fans fire up as Jey goes right to the ring, the fans bouncing along with the beat!
Jey stares Logan down, and even looks at the US Championship. The “YEET!” echoes out as Jey gets a mic. Jey says Logan’s got predictions. But Kansas City, what you got to say? You thnik Jey can beat Priest? “YEET!” You think Jey can be world champ? “YEET!” You think Jey needs to knock the YEET outta Logan for running his mouth? “YEET!” Logan asks if Jey thinks he can out YEET him. For all his little gangstas, Logan’s been yeetin’ since 2017! Lil’ Jey trying to roast Logan? Jey ain’t good when he’s alone. It’s why he got kicked outta the Bloodline. The difference between Jey and Logan, is Logan and his bloodline nis tight.
And here come JD McDonagh & Finn Balor! Logan says well, well, well. Jey’s all alone again. Can’t fend for himself then, can’t fend for himself now, and always behind with those two braincells in his head. Jey’s vocabulary consists of two words: YEET, and UCE. But Jey says YEET and he fires haymakers on JD & Finn! Only to get mugged 2v1! Logan says well, well, well. Logan leaves it to Judgment Day as he says KC has something they might like. Logan goes to Mahomes, and Mahomes gives Logan all his Super Bowl rings to be brass knuckles!! The Judgment Day gets Jey on his feet, Logan swings, but Jey ducks! The Irish Ace takes all three rings to the face!!
Jey then walks back up and even he’s like, DAMN! JD got the knocked the YEET out! Finn swings, Jey TACKLES him! Logan drags Jey off Finn and throws down those rings! But BRAUN is here?!? Logan didn’t realize the Monster Among Men was actually going to be in KC! Braun storms in, Finn goes after him, but Braun SHOVES him down! And then grabs him for a MONSTER CHOKE SLAM!! Braun glares right at Logan, and Logan goes running! Braun pursues right into the crowd but Logan’s too fast. Braun tells him he better run! Braun then looks at Mahomes, who gave Logan the ammo in the first place.
The fans fire up as Mahomes has his linemen step up. Jey has Braun calm down, those guys are WWE’s guests. Braun leaves it at that, and KC fires up as Braun roars! Will nothing stop this Monster Among Men from making Mondays his night?
R-Truth finishes talking with Chad Gable backstage.
Gable says Truth drives a hard bargain, but he won’t regret it. On behalf of The Alpha Academy, it has been a pleasure doing business with him. The Miz walks in and says they just negotiated a title match tonight. Yeah, with Gable. Good businessman here. Gable said they get one now, and two later! W-What? Y’know, like Now & Laters, the candies. But dog, it’s the Draft! And the WWE World Tag Team Champions could be drafted into the NFL and be players for the Chiefs! Miz asks if Truth knows that this is the WWE Draft, not the NFL Draft. Truth knows now. Who does he talk to? Patrick Mahomes is here. The insurance guy?
Truth is ready to bundle his home and auto! It’s two-for-ones all day! Let’s roll! Truth heads out, Gable says that’s quite the negotiator. Miz just replies with, “Really? Really?” Miz heads out, and Sami BOOTS Gable down!! The fans cheer as Sami gets some revenge before heading out for his own title match! Will everything start falling apart for The Alpha Academy this close to Backlash?
Backstage interview with Booker T.
Cathy says Booker is lending his knowledge to Raw as a draft analyst, so what does he think of it so far? Jade Cargill for SmackDown is a game changer. And while Priest is locked in for Raw, what about the rest of Judgment Day? But then CM Punk, what a big break for Raw. That’s huge. But then in walks Drew McIntyre. Book says hey, what’s up? McIntyre says, “Tell me you didn’t just say that. You think this is 2010, Book?” Punk gets hurt after one match, and then he still gets drafted ahead of the guy who took him out, and who literally won the world title?! The title you don’t have right now?
Drew seethes and tells Booker to not be like the others. Booker saw what happened just like everyone else did. Booker asks Drew if he saw what happened like everyone else did. McIntyre asks if this is backwards world or something! He was with Booker back in the day! He knows how Book really felt about Punk! But Booker’s changed. McIntyre storms off, but just what is going on with McIntyre?
WWE Intercontinental Championship: Sami Zayn VS Bronson Reed!
The Great Liberator just got a semblance of payback on Chad Gable, and now he’s looking to take a BIG bite out of Auszilla! Will Sami avenge himself of all the cheap shots and blindside attacks? Or will there be a tectonic shift in the championship landscape tonight?
The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and this is a massive moment for both men!
The bell rings, the two circle, and they feel things out. The fans rally for Sami as the two circle and tie up. Sami waistlocks, Bronson backs him down but Sami puts him in a corner! Sami CHOPS and CHOPS and CHOPS! Bronson shoves Sami away, then CLOBBERS him! Bronson snarls, drags Sami up, and HEADBUTTS him! Sami flops against ropes but Bronson storms up on him. Bronson stands Sami up against ropes, to CHOP! Bronson HEADBUTTS Sami, HEADBUTTS him again, then eggs him on. Bronson CLUBS Sami, CLUBS him again, but the fans still rally for Sami. Bronson drags Sami up, whips him to ropes, but Sami holds ropes!
Sami dodges Bronson to send him outta the ring, then goes to the apron! Sami mule kicks, then ARABIAN PRESS SAULTS! Direct hit and down goes Bronson! The fans fire up with Sami as he stands tall! Sami puts Bronson in the ring, goes to a corner and climbs, to CROSSBODY, but Bronson catches him! And RAMS him into the corner! And then RUNNING POWERSLAMS! Cover, TWO! So Bronson SENTONS! Sami sputters and flounders while Raw goes to break.
Raw returns and Bronson stands tall over Sami. Bronson brings Sami up, HEADBUTTS him, then fires forearms. The fans rally behind Sami as Bronson whips, but Sami goes up and over! Sami LARIATS Bronson down! The fans fire up and Sami goes to a corner. Bronson stands, storms over, but Sami ELBOWS him away. Sami goes up and AX HANDLES, but into an URENAGE! Cover, TWO! Sami survives that slam but Bronson snarls. Bronson drags Sami back up, reels him in, and hoist shim up, to BUCKLE BOMB! Then he gets Sami back up, SITOUT POWERBOMB!! Cover, TWO!! Sami survives and the fans fire up again!
Bronson is frustrated but he stalks Sami to the ropes. Bronson kicks Sami out of the ring, goes to the apron, and FLYING SHOULDER TACKLES! Sami goes down in a heap and Bronson looks to the title belt. Bronson puts Sami in the ring, then aims from a corner. But Sami HELLUVA KICKS outta nowhere!!! Cover, BUT GABLE GETS IN!? GERMAN SUPLEX!!
Winner: Sami Zayn, by disqualification (still WWE Intercontinental Champion)
Gable ruins Bronson’s match just to get back at Sami! Gable rains down fists on Sami, then CLUBS away on him with crossface forearms! Gable rolls up his sleeves to put on the ANKLE LOCK!! Sami endures, flails, but ends up int he GRAPEVINE! Refs rush out here to stop Gable and he lets Sami go. But then TSUNAMI!! Bronson gets his in, but perhaps on the wrong target! Gable grabs the gold, he holds it over Sami as he says Sami never deserved it in the first place! But then Bronson fireman’s carries Gable! DEATH VALLER DRIVER!! Bronson grabs the gold and stands over both men! Is Auszilla going to destroy anyone and everyone until he’s the alpha?
Ron Simmons & John “Bradshaw” Layfield are here!
The fans fire up as The APA is here to give the next round of picks! JBL starts by saying Raw’s first pick of the third round is… THE LATINO WORLD ORDER! Rey Mysterio, Dragon Lee, Zelina Vega, Cruz Del Toro, Joaquin Wilde, and… Carlito, are all on Raw! But what about the falling out from Friday? Ron says SmackDown selects… LEGADO DEL FANTASMA! Santos Escobar, Elektra Lopez, Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo are staying on Fridays, them exposing Carlito’s dark secret their final act in the feud. JBL says Raw selects… THE SCOTTISH WARRIOR, DREW MCINTYRE! McIntyre might still have a way to complain about this…
And with the final pick of this third round, SmackDown selects… THE KING OF STRONG STYLE, SHINSUKE NAKAMURA! Shinsuke is moving over to Fridays, will he look to take aim at Cody Rhodes once again?
But speaking of McIntyre, he now makes his way out here, mic in hand! “Am I the only sane and logical person left around here? In what world does Drew McIntyre get drafted in Round Three?” If someone were to walk up to him and explain how it makes sense, he’d call that person a liar! McIntyre says the APA must’ve been doing a lot of drinking since Friday, that’s how stupid this is! But the fans chant for “C M PUNK! C M PUNK!” Oh, yes, so anti-establishment to say his name. McIntyre says Punk is the furthest thing from that! Punk is now a corporate ass-kisser! Punk, congrats, you finally did something since returning: you hurt McIntyre!
McIntyre shows off his arm bandaged up, because Punk’s attack fractured McIntyre’s elbow! But unlike Punk, McIntyre is still here, working through the pain instead of staying home collecting paychecks! McIntyre just tapes it up, gets on with it, because he’s a real man! WAIT! Punk’s music hits! Is he here tonight!? McIntyre is storming around, waiting and looking, thinking this is a game. But then Punk says cut his music. Is it good to be alive in Kansas City or what? He’s up in a skybox! Punk is showing he’s not sitting at home, he’s right here, “Ya little b*tch!” Punk waves, McIntyre storms off, and the fans chant for Punk!
Ron looks to JBL, then looks around and says… “DAMN!!” The fans cheer the iconic line, but is McIntyre going to find his way up to Punk’s skybox to settle this once and for all?
The Alpha Academy prepares backstage.
Maxxine is so ready! But then Gable storms in and asks what’s going on. Maxxine says Otis & Tozawa are just firing her up for her match tonight! Didn’t you see her last week? Two eliminations in that battle royal! Finally, some momentum! Gable sarcastically says yeah, two eliminations, that’s great. But uh, can he see the title she won? She didn’t win… No, she didn’t, did she? So what? He’s to celebrate mediocrity? She wants a participation ribbon? It’s PATHETIC! And as for Otis & Tozawa, they better get it together. Tozawa, Gable swears to God, if he sees that stupid dance… Now go out there and win him those championships!!
Gable storms off, Maxxine is shook, but Ivy walks in to calm her down and help her prepare. Otis and Tozawa look to each other, are they going to win just so Gable isn’t disappointed? Or will they do this for themselves tonight?
Backstage interview with Bron Breakker.
Raw returns as Cathy is with the Big Bad Booty Nephew, and notes him being a top draft pick. What are his feelings being brought to Monday Night Raw? Bron says that Adam Pearce knows Bron is the best possible pick. He is here to take this place over. But then Sheamus apologizes for the interruption. What? Why’s he interrupting? Sheamus just wants Bron to save his breath to cool his porridge. Sheamus just wants to say he’s impressed by Bron. And this isn’t just Sheamus trying to figure out who the BAMF is, it’s just that Bron reminds Sheamus of a young and hungry Sheamus. Bron’s had banger after banger after banger.
But then McIntyre storms past them both, and Sheamus stops himself. Bron says sure, bangers. Bron heads out, is he going to break through sooner rather than later? As for Sheamus and McIntyre, can Celtic Warrior get through to Scottish Warrior before he does something he’ll regret?
Maxxine Dupri w/ Ivy Nile VS Candice LeRae w/ Indi Hartwell!
With the lingering grudge between these two, we’re bound to see fireworks go off tonight! Will Maxxine accomplish greatness by finally conquering her bully? Or will the Poison Pixie continue to be absolutely toxic?
The bell rings and Candice is already pushing Maxxine around! Maxxine TACKLES Candice for it! Maxxine dribbles Candice off the mat, then lets off to LEG LARIAT! The fans fire up as Maxxine brings Candice up to FISHERMAN SUPLEX! And a kip up! Maxxine runs, and BULLDOGS Candice down! Straps come down, and Maxine handsprings into the CATERPILLAR ELBOW! The fans fire up as Candice flounders and Maxxine says ‘A THANK YEW~!” Candice kicks, Maxxine blocks, and has an ANKLE LOCK!! Right outta Gable’s playbook! Indi coaches Candice, she crawls over, but Maxxine drags Candice back!
Candice keeps fighting around, but Maxxine keeps hold of that leg! Candice tries to go the other way, Ivy tells Maxxine to keep on the pressure! Indi POSTS Ivy!! Maxxine’s stunned, Candice rolls to send Maxxine into ropes! Maxxinen sputters, sits up, and Candice SUPERKICKS her down! Candice gets the arms, stretches Maxxine out, to WICKED STEPMOTHER!! Cover off the vicious stomp, Candice wins!
Winner: Candice LeRae, by pinfall
If Candice is a wicked stepmother, than is Indi her evil stepdaughter or something? They might be winners, but have they completely lost their way?
Backstage interview with The LWO.
Cathy is with Zelina, Rey, Dragon, Cruz & Joaquin, the newest additions to Raw. But Carlito is still coming along with them, so how are they feeling after his apparent betrayal? Rey says there are a lot of mixed emotions, but they are very happy to be here on Raw. As for Carlito… No idea why he did what he did, which means they still have unfinished business. But then Dom walks over to say hey to the “old geezer.” Dom tells LWO that Judgment Day runs Raw. So welcome back, Lollipop Guild. Rey tells Dom Judgment Day can’t run Raw if they haven’t even been drafted here. And wait… What is that on your lip, Dirty Sanchez?
Dom says Rey’s just lucky he’s not cleared! Dom runs off, Zelina says Dommy misses his Mami. But is this a sign that things are going to reignite in this father-son rivalry soon enough?
McIntyre finds the upperdeck.
He asks the fans which skybox is Punk’s but no one knows. McIntyre finds it, but Punk’s gone. Punk did leave a signed picture, though. McIntyre crumples that up, and then Punk’s making his way to the ring! Punk gets the better of McIntyre again, and says it’s CLOBBERIN’ TIME~! McIntyre now watches Punk from the skybox as Punk gets a mic. The fans chant for Punk while he looks up at McIntyre. “I love Kansas City and the people that inhabit it, so I don’t wanna waste your time like Drew McIntyre. So I’m gonna try and do this in less time than the last time you were World Champion, which means I’ve got five minutes and 46 seconds. Pat, time me!”
The fans cheer, and Punk says this would normally be where Punk asks if he has your attention now. But he can see clear as day just like everyone else, Punk’s had McIntyre’s attention for quite some time. He’s like an ex-girlfriend Punk can’t get rid of! And McIntyre says Punk hurt his elbow? GOOD! McIntyre prayed for Punk’s injury, but Punk did that to McIntyre. Punk thought McIntyre hurt his arm sitting around and tweeting. That is why Punk was drafted before McIntyre! Punk isn’t mad, isn’t out for revenge, McIntyre has given him purpose. The fans chant for Punk again, and Punk lets them.
Punk then says the reason Punk went ahead of McIntyre in the draft is simply economics! He is the Best int he World! In the ring, on the mic, even on commentary! No offense to Pat & Michael. Pat lets us know we’re 90 seconds in. Punk tells McIntyre that losers hope things happen. Losers pray for things to happen, but winners make it happen! And when Punk is cleared at 100%, he promises to make McIntyre’s life a living hell! Mic drop, and that’s just under two minutes! Will those other three minutes be used by McIntyre stewing over Punk?
Teddy Long and Alundra Blayze are here!
The Hall of Famers are here, Punk gets a hug from the former SmackDown GM, and even gives Alundra a polite hug and kiss on the cheek. Teddy starts off by saying Raw’s first pick of this fourth round, they select… JUDGMENT DAY! Finn Balor, JD McDonagh & Dom Mysterio are all staying put behind Damian Priest! Alundra says SmackDown selects… THE GLOW, NAOMI! Naomi’s challenging for the WWE Women’s Championship, so naturally SmackDown wants to keep it all on the blue brand. Teddy says Raw’s next pick, they select… NXT’s Mad Dragon, ILJA DRAGUNOV!! The Performance Center erupts as Raw is now UNBESIEGBAR!
Dragunov stands up, a standing ovation as he walks down to hug it out with HBK. Dragunov gets to put on the hat, will Mondays soon belong to The Czar? And then SmackDown closes this round with… CHELSEA GREEN & PIPER NIVEN! The Hot Mess & “Miss P” started liking Aldis better anyway, so hopefully they’ll be happy for once.
Liv Morgan VS Nia Jax!
As we saw earlier tonight, Liv wants her shot at the Women’s World Championship but is willing to earn her way to it. Will a huge win over the Irresistible Force be just the thing? Or will a crushing defeat be Nia’s parting gift before moving to SmackDown?
The bell rings and the two tie up! Nia THROWS Liv away, then eggs her on. Liv runs up, but Nia THROWS her again! Nia eggs Liv on more, then runs her over! Nia smiles, grabs a leg and SMASHES the knee! Liv flounders and hobbles away, but Nia SPLASHES her in the corner! Nia mocks Liv, “Look at that face.” Then she TOSSES Liv again! Nia soaks up the heat, but Liv JAWBREAKERS back! Liv KICKS, KICKS and KICKS! But Nia blocks one and spins Liv around, only for Liv to ENZIGIRI! Liv runs to SHOTGUN but Nia just drops to her knee! Liv SHOTGUNS Nia again, and Nia ends up on ropes! Liv DROPKICKS Nia in the back!
The fans rally up and Liv runs into the corner to back body block! Liv rolls, returns, and back body blocks again! Liv runs but Nia LARIATS her down! Nia drags Liv to a drop zone, stands on her, and Liv sputters as Nia lets off. Nia goes up and up, but Liv grabs a leg! Nia kicks Liv, but Liv sweeps the legs! Nia is stuck in ropes, Liv WOE STOMPS her down! Nia bails out, Liv builds speed, and Liv slides, but into Nia’s hands! Nia wheelbarrows Liv to SMACK her off the desk! Liv flops over and Nia soaks up the heat, but wait, Tiffany Stratton is here. Tiffy taunts Nia from the crowd, and Raw goes to break.
Raw returns and Nia has Liv down with a cobra clutch! Liv endures, the fans rally up, but Tiffy doesn’t look that impressed. Liv fights up, but Nia thrashes her back down! Raw goes picture in picture to plug The Fall Guy, then comes back as Liv fights back up. Liv throws body shots, but Nia whips her to a corner. Nia runs in, but Liv dropkicks a leg out! Nia stumbles and POSTS herself! Liv runs to SHOTGUN Nia into the post! And then Liv DRIBBLES Nia off the post!! The fans fire up as Liv kicks Nia away and climbs up the corner. But Nia YANKS Liv off the corner, and hits a SAMOAN DROP! Cover, TWO!! Liv survives and Nia is fuming!
Nia takes a moment to calm down, then she slaps Liv around. Nia drags Liv up, the fans rally behind Liv, but Nia whips her to a corner. Liv goes up and up, and wheelbarrows to victory roll Nia into buckles! Nia sputters, Liv runs up, goes up and up to DOUBLE STOMP Nia down! Liv pushes Nia to a cover, TWO! Nia is still in this but Tiff is still not impressed. Liv fires herself up, CLUBS away on Nia, then pushes her around. Liv runs, but Nia SPINEBUSTERS! Nia shrieks, the fans boo, and Nia drags Liv to a drop zone. Nia goes up and up, determined to end this! Nia grins as the fans boo, but Liv gets up and under Nia!
Liv YANKS Nia into the buckles again and again and again, then manages a POWERBOMB!! High stack, TWO!! Lia almost had Nia and that actually had Tiff on the edge of her seat! But then NAOMI ATTACKS TIFF! The fans fire up as Naomi throws Tiff all around, then DUMPS her over barriers! Naomi goes after Tiff but Tiff turns things around! NIa has Liv int he ropes, CLUBS her down, and Naomi sends Tiff into the desk! Then BULLDOGS her off the apron! And then PENALTY KICKS her down! Nia BLASTS Naomi for distracting her! Liv runs up, FLYING CODE BREAKER! Nia wobbles, into OBLIVION!! Cover, LIV WINS!!
Winner: Liv Morgan, by pinfall
Nia took her eyes off the ball and Liv takes this one to the house! Liv is ready to go after Big Time Becks, will we #WatchHer become the new world champion?
Backstage interview with Booker T.
Cathy again joins draft analyst Booker, and says he’s had front row seats to many a new superstar’s beginnings. What does he think of this year’s prospects? Booker says it’s about who’s next in NXT! Trick Williams, Roxanne Perez, but congrats to Dragunov. He’ll do a hell of a job on Raw. Adam Pearce walks by, Cathy hopes to get a word on how this is all panning out. Pearce feels great about Raw, good foundation and some new wrinkles added in. But sometimes, it’s the picks you don’t make that can stick in your mind. His favorite so far is actually that he didn’t take Chelsea & Piper! He hopes Aldis prays a lot, because HALLELUJAH, Pearce is free of Chelsea!
And on that note, time to make some more picks in person! Pearce heads for gorilla, who did Raw and SmackDown take in the penultimate round?
The Dudley Boyz are here!
Bully Ray & D-Von Dudley are back again, and they set up their own table! They’re also here to give us the picks! Fans chant for “E C DUB! E C DUB!” and Bully says, “Kansas Citaaaay~! You guys wanna have some fun with the Dudley Boyz tonight? WASSAP~!?” But to business, D-Von! One, two, three, “GET THE TABLES!” “OH mah brotha, testify!” The fans cheer, and Bubba says with the first pick of the fifth round, Raw selects… THE NEW~ DAY~! Kofi & Woods are staying right here on Raw, which will let them settle things with Imperium. D-Von says SmackDown selects… PRETTY DEADLY! Elton Prince & Kit Wilson will stay on SmackDown, #YESBOY!
Bubba says Raw’s next pick is… NXT’s LYRA VALKYRIA! The Morrigan, the former NXT Women’s Champion, is joining her hero, Becky Lynch, on Monday nights! Lyra herself is surprised and even emotional as she gets the red hat and gets to hug HBK. And with the final pick of this round, SmackDown selects… THE WAY, Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell! Will they start to poison the waters of the blue brand now?
WWE World Tag Team Championships: The Awesome Truth VS The Alpha Academy!
R-Truth may not really know “WHAT’S UP,” but he and Miz are still fired up to defend their titles tonight. Will they make good on the “deal” Truth made with Gable and hold onto their gold? Or will Otis & Tozawa finally make Gable proud?
Raw returns and the match is already underway! Truth fights up from a chinlock to hit a BIG back suplex on Tozawa! Both men are down, the fans fire up and so does The Miz! Truth and Tozawa crawl, hot tags to Otis and Miz! The fans fire up as Miz dodges Otis to KICK, KICK and KICK! Miz KICKS away in the corner, lets off as the ref counts, and then goes corner to corner for the A-LIST LARIAT! Miz sends Otis away, Tozawa runs up but Miz BOOTS him down! Miz RAMS into Otis, ROUNDHOUSES and HOTSHOTS him, then hurries back up! Miz springboards, into Otis’ arms! WORLD’S STRONGEST SLAM!
Otis rips up the shirt, gets those hips moving, and he revs up for the CATERPILLAR… ELBOW! Tag to Tozawa and he goes up! Otis says for the Academy! SUPER SENTON onto knees! Miz powers up, reels Tozawa in, but Tozawa arm-drags free from the nelson! Truth sneaks a tag, Miz ELBOWS Tozawa and reels him in! Truth joins in, THE TRUTH CRUSHIGN FINALE!! Miz SHOTGUNS Otis while Truth covers, Awesome Truth wins!
Winners: The Awesome Truth, by pinfall (still WWE World Tag Team Champions)
Well, Gable’s not gonna like this. How badly will he tear into poor Otis & Tozawa over this one?
The Judgment Day regroups in the clubhouse.
JD & Finn are still sore from Strowman steamrolling them, but Dom says it’s shocking they fell to the fourth round of night two! What is this? Priest asks Dom if he’s really surprised. Week after week, they’ve gotten involved in Priest’s business, then failed miserably, all because they didn’t talk to him about it. When it comes to Jey Uso, he appreciate sit, but he doesn’t need the help. Cool? Yeah… JD, you got it? JD takes the icepack away and WHOA, that swelled up something bad! This is what Priest is talking about! But tonight, just stick to the plan and get this done. Got it? Priest heads out, JD asks if it’s always been so bright in here. Dom thinks Finn needs a towel.
Judgment Day is definitely struggling without Mami to help them, but will they pull it together? Or will they all end up looking like JD’s lumpy head?
Liv returns backstage.
And Becky finds her to congratulate her on the win tonight. And also congrats, because Liv also gets her title shot. Liv smiles and moves on, but then in step Damage CTRL. Dakota Kai says hi to Becky, they’re all on Mondays now. Dakota leads Iyo Sky, Kairi Sane & Asuka away, Kairi tapping the title. Becky says don’t touch her belt! Is The Man going to get past Liv’s Revenge Tour just to have #CobraKai, The Evil Genius and the Kabuki Warriors coming after her?
Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis are on stage!
The Raw and SmackDown GMs finish the Draft in person, and Pearce says it’s been fun playing chess with him. Time to take it home! Pearce says that with the first pick of this final round in the 2024 WWE Draft, he and Raw select… THE FINAL TESTAMENT! Karrion Kross, Scarlett, Paul Ellering & The Authors of Pain are all coming to make Mondays into Doomsday! Aldis says with the second pick, he and SmackDown select… DIY! Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano are now making their way to Fridays! Pearce says the third pick from him and Raw, it’s… BIG BRONSON REED! The Colossal Aussie still wants that Intercontinental Championship, will he take it?
And Aldis says with THE final pick of THE final round, SmackDown takes NXT’s BLAIR DAVENPORT! The Performance Center goes wild as now the Ichiban Gaijin is moving on to the next level! She hugs it out with HBK and gets the blue hat, will all of Fridays now beware of Blair?
Six Man Tag: The Judgment Day VS Jey Uso, Ricochet & Andrade!
Raw made sure Priest, Finn, JD & Dom are sticking together through the Draft, but their dominance over Raw is seriously in question. Jey just turned their attempt at a beatdown into a YEET down, and we’ve seen both the King of Flight and El Idolo get the better of them time and again. Will they and Main Event Jey embarrass Judgment Day all over again? Or will they fall as #ALLRISE for the Judgment Day?
Raw returns as Ricochet makes his entrance, followed by Andrade’s. Then Judgment Day makes their entrance, JD still struggling with that welt on his head. The teams sort out and Andrade starts against Finn. They tie up, Finn fires body shots and backs Andrade into a corner. Finn RAMS into Andrade again and again, then CHOPS, throws more hands, then headlocks for a takeover. Andrade keeps his shoulders up, moves around, and he fights up to his feet. The fans rally, Andrade throws body shots and powers out. Andrade drops, hurdles, but Finn whips him away! Andrade goes Spider-Man in the ropes!
The fans cheer, Finn runs in but Andrade drops down to send him out! JD runs in, but Andrade dumps him out onto Finn! Tag to Ricochet, he and Andrade double clothseline Priest out! Then they DOUBLE DIVE onto Finn and JD! The fans fire up as Jey DIVES onto Priest, and Priest goes up and over the desk! The fans fire up with Team YEET as Raw goes to break!
Raw returns once again and Priest grinds Ricochet down with a motorcycle stretch. The fans rally as Ricochet endures, and Ricochet fights up to his feet. Ricochet breaks free but Priest BELL CLAPS him! Then Priest suplexes for a BROKEN ARROW! Cover, TWO! Priest is frustrated but he eggs Ricochet on. Ricochet slowly rises, Priest winds up and KICKS! And KICKS! And KICKS, then ROLLIGN ELBOWS! Ricochet falls back, Priest soaks up the heat, then he ROUNDHOUSES Jey down! The fans boo the cheap shot, and the ref has to keep Andrade back, but that lets JD & Finn mug Ricochet! Priest then runs in to back elbow!
Tag to Finn, Priest snapmares Ricochet so Finn can slingshot STOMP! Tag to JD, he slingshots to ARABIAN PRESS SAULT! Tag back to Finn, he tags Priest. They get Ricochet up for the BACKBREAKER LEG DROP! Cover, Andrade breaks it! The fans cheer, Priest grabs Andrade to POST him! Priest storms back to his corner to tag JD, and JD flexes. The fans “YEET! YEET!” but JD has Ricochet. Ricochet hits a RECOIL! Both men are down and the fans fire up! Ricochet crawls, reaches out, and JD goes to the neutral corner, he’s that dazed! Hot tags to Jey and Finn! Jey dodges Finn, ROCKS Priest, then ROCKS Finn!
Jey fires off on Finn again and again, “YEET! YEET! YEET!” Pop, lock ‘n’ YEET! Finn flounders up, into a mule kick! Jey UPPERCUTS, kicks again but Finn blocks! But the DRAGON WHIP still hits! Finn ends up in a corner, Jey gets the fans joining in on “UCE! OH! UCE! OH!” Jey runs but Priest swings! Jey dodges to DECK Priest! Jey runs at Finn but Finn puts him on the apron. So Jey GAMANGIRIS back! Jey goes up to CROSSBODY! Cover, JD breaks it! But Andrade runs up, boot feint to BACK ELBOW! Priest gets up to ROUNDHOUSE Andrade! Ricochet leaps in, but into a FLATLINER! Priest drags Finn over and then tags himself in!
Priest aims at Jey and LARIATS him down! Priest brings down the straps while the fans boo, and he drags Jey up. Priest reels Jey in, lifts, Canadian Rack but Jey slips free to SAMOAN DROP! Both men are down but Jey rolls to a corner! Jey climbs, but Dom gets on the apron! The fans boo but Priest grabs Jey! JD hurries over to SHOVE Jey down! Priest asks what JD’s even doing! Priest had Jey himself! JD says it looked like he was gonna get hit! Priset runs up on Jey, Jey dodges and SUPERKICKS! Priest ends up knocking Finn off the apron! Jey dodges JD to SUPERKICK JD out! Finn is back, Jey dodges and SPEARS!!
The fans fire up and Jey goes back up! Finn is legal again as Jey hits the USO SPLASH!! Cover, Jey’s team wins!
Winner: Jey Uso, Ricochet & Andrade, by pinfall
And with that, Main Event Jey wins in the main event! Judgment Day is falling apart at the seams, but can Priest hold it together on his own? Or is Jey about to finally have his moment?
My Thoughts:
A mostly great Raw, but I feel like this year’s WWE Draft was the first real speedbump the HHH Era has hit. HHH himself explained on SmackDown that the brands would be using their picks to keep who they already have and that certainly happened. So many picks were just Raw and SmackDown “securing” many of the people they’ve had this whole time. I did like Pearce’s sense of relief that Chelsea Green & Piper Niven are no longer his problem, they’re Aldis’. But LWO leaving SmackDown right as things were getting interesting again in the feud with Legado seems disappointing. And the fact Carlito is going with them just seems like a messy handling of moving their story over to Raw just so they can also have more Rey VS Dom in the future.
DMG CTRL moving over probably gives away that Jade & Bianca are winning the women’s tag titles for Backlash. Yes, the women’s tag titles are meant to be “roaming” titles, but it feels so long since they’ve really done that. And with the entire The Way family moving to SmackDown, this makes me think Candice & Indi will try (and fail) to take the belts from Jade & Bianca. Final Testament moving to Raw seems rather surprising, but I suppose there’s something to it with them also being on NXT. Raw and NXT are still on USA Network together for now, it’d maybe help continuity for them to be back to back on Mondays and Tuesdays. Also, how strange that this is where they finally say “The Pride” for the team of Lashley, Profits & B-Fab after them being together for months…
I will say that we got great moments for the NXT call-ups. Dragunov going to Raw made sense with Imperium still being here, but I’m surprised Lyra is Raw rather than SmackDown. Maybe she’s meant to back Becky up against DMG CTRL? And Blair being called up period clearly caught her by surprise, that was a rather sweet moment for her villainous self, but she’ll make a solid part of the division on SmackDown. We also got good story crossover as Naomi and Tiffany were here tonight to brawl and cost Nia so Liv could get a great win. Becky VS Liv for some time after Backlash will be good stuff, but I’m thinking Becky retains. What’s more curious is Liv quite literally leading Dom along. Liv’s Revenge Tour really does seem to be about taking everything from Rhea…
Disappointing Draft aside, great action to build towards both Backlash and King of the Ring. Woods VS Gunther was an awesome match, but I figured Gunther would win. Hard to say if Gunther will be the new King of the Ring, but this was a good case for it. Great stuff in the Intercontinental Championship story as Sami gets that boot on Gable, was about to win against Bronson until Gable attacked, and then Bronson stands tall. So far, all three guys are staying on Raw, I sense a huge Triple Threat for this title, and that could really go either way to me. Sami can use Gable and Bronson against each other, one of them could be opportunistic, it’s going to be an awesome match.
Great story intertwining with the Academy, too, as Gable takes his anger out on his team, and that more or less affects all of their performances tonight. Maxxine tried to finally get even with Candice but Indi’s Heel turn is continuing so The Way wins on the way out from Raw. Otis & Tozawa have a fun match with Awesome Truth but end up losing, so Gable’s just gonna lose his mind with them. Good story intertwining for Judgment Day and Logan Paul. Great seeing Braun back, he looks better than ever right now. Now, while the champions are all staying put, I feel like Braun should’ve gone to SmackDown so he can continue to scare the Prime outta Logan over the US Championship. And they did a great cosmetics job with JD’s huge welt, that looked nasty!
The deterioration of Judgment Day continues in wild fashion. They get JD punched in the head, almost get Logan mauled by Strowman, and then they aren’t on the same page in the main event. They could end up messing Priest over at Backlash because of it, giving Jey the win, but it feels like Priest finds a way to win despite them messing up. Then perhaps in a twist, Priest doesn’t get kicked out of Judgment Day, he quits them and leaves them to flounder on their own.
Segment of the night goes to CM Punk making McIntyre look like a fool. He goads McIntyre into storming up to the VIP section only to circle around him and go to the ring. And I feel like Punk was even trying to fill for time since he said he had 5 minutes and 46 seconds, but he still cooked McIntyre in half that. McIntyre VS Punk is going to blow the roof off the place, wherever it takes place.
My Score: 8.7/10
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The end is so close, we can almost taste it!
Half of A Block at 3-2, half at 2-3, and only two rounds left! Who will break away from the pack to lead this World Tag League?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Kickoff – Shoma Kato VS Daiki Nagai; Kato wins.
- Six Man Tag: The United Empire VS Bullet Club; The United Empire wins.
- Six Man Tag: Taichi, Taka Michinoku & DOUKI VS TMDK; Taichi, Taka & Douki win.
- Six Man Tag: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Jado & Katsuya Murashima VS Toru Yano, Boltin Oleg & Tiger Mask; Yano, Oleg & Tiger Mask win.
- Six Man Tag: Los Ingobernables de Japon VS The House of Torture; LIJ wins.
- World Tag League 2024 A Block: Shota Umino & Tomoaki Honma VS KENTA & Chase Owens; Kenta & Chase win.
- World Tag League 2024 A Block: Alex Zayne & Ryusuke Taguchi VS Gabe Kidd & SANADA; Gabe & Sanada win.
- World Tag League 2024 A Block: Bishamon VS Jeff Cobb & Callum Neman; Bishamon wins.
- World Tag League 2024 A Block: Zack Sabre Jr. & Ryohei Oiwa VS Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji; Takagi & Tsuji win.
PLAY BY PLAY
Here are the current A Block standings!
Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji: 3-2, 6 points
Jeff Cobb & Callum Newman: 3-2, 6 points
Bishamon: 3-2, 6 points
Gabe Kidd & Sanada: 3-2, 6 points
Shota Umino & Tomoaki Honma: 2-3, 4 points
Kenta & Chase Owens: 2-3, 4 points
Zack Sabre Jr. & Ryohei Oiwa: 2-3, 4 points
Alex Zayne & Ryusuke Taguchi: 2-3, 4 points
World Tag League 2024 A Block: Shota Umino & Tomoaki Honma VS KENTA & Chase Owens!
The Roughneck almost didn’t make it to this round with how he hurt his foot last round, but he’s good to go! But will he and Honma be able to make it through the sixth? Or will The Fang Revived & The Crown Jewel make them #Go2Sleep?
OH NO, Kenta & Chase attack as Shota & Honma make their entrance! Bullet Club takes advantage of Shota & Honma going out into the crowd, and now they’re beating Shota & Honma down! The ref reprimands but Chase uses Shota’s own glowstick to JAM him in the head! Kenta drags Honma up for haymakers and Chase JAMS Shota again! The ref reprimands more but this isn’t a match so Bullet Club keeps beating up on Shota & Honma! Kenta POSTS Honma, and Chase drags Shota over. But Shota fires forearms in return! The fans fire up and Shota saves Honma from Kenta! Shota fires forearms on Kenta & Chase again and again!
Kenta ducks Shota’s forearm to full nelson, and Chase kicks the bad leg! Shota drops to the floor as he clutches the knee, and Kenta stomps Honma. Chase grabs a chair and he pushes the ref aside. Kenta holds the leg out! Honma covers the leg to shield it! So Chase SMACKS Honma instead! Kenta drags Honma up, Chase brings Shota around, and Chase puts Shota in the corner. Chase pulls the leg against the post, and then he grabs the chair! CON-CHAIR-TO on the leg against the post! The fans are stunned as Shota falls to the floor and shouts in pain! Kenta drags Honma up and puts him in the ring, and Chase wants the bell!
Kenta storms in, the bell rings, and now we’re on record as Kenta stands Honma up. Kenta KICKS, and KICKS, and KICKS, but Honma blocks! Honma CLUBS the leg, but then Kenta CLAWS Honma’s face! Kenta brings Honma over to bump off Chase’s boot. Tag to Chase and Bullet Club mugs Honma. Chase then traps Honma’s head for the NECK TWEAK! Cover, TWO! The fans rally up but Chase tags Kenta. Bullet Club continues to mug Honma, then Kenta covers. TWO, but Kenta drops a knee on Honma’s head! And another! Kenta tags Chase and Chase stomps Honma. Chase grinds his forearm into Honma’s face!
Chase drags Honma up, headlocks and punches! Chase bumps Honma off Kenta’s boot, tags Kenta back in, but Honma fights back! The fans rally as Honma fires CHOPS and SLAPS, but Bullet Club mugs him again! They double whip Honma to a corner, then Kenta runs in. Honma dodges Kenta, then dodges Chase! Honma kicks Chase, catches Kenta, DDT COMPLETE SHOT COMBO! The fans fire up but Shota is still down! Honma is in an unofficial 2v1 handicap match at this point! Shota crawls, but he’s still so far from the corner. Kenta CLUBS Honma, then brings him around. Chase adds on, and they double whip again.
Honma grabs ropes, BOOTS Kenta, then DUMPS Chase! The fans fire up as Honma hurries to his feet. Honma SHOULDER TACKLES Kenta! The fans fire up as Shota is back up! But then Chase CHOP BLOCKS him! Shota falls and tumbles into railing! Honma CHOPS Kenta! And CHOPS! And CHOPS! Honma whips Kenta corner to corner, then runs up to ELBOW! And BULLDOG! The fans fire up and Honma fires up! FALLING KOKESHI FLOPS as Kenta moves! Tag to Chase and Bullet Club storms up on Honma. SOBAT! KICK! ROUNDHOUSE! Chase mocks the Kokeshi call to KNEE Honma down! Cover, TWO!
Chase calls to end this, and Kenta goes up a corner. Chase brings Honma in, but Shota gets up to SHOVE Kenta down! Kenta hits apron then floor! Shota shoves Chase into a cradle! TWO!! Chase escapes, runs up but Honma shoves Chase into Shota’s ELBOW! Chase staggers and Honma rolls him up! TWO!! Chase escapes again, but Honma runs up. Chase swats the lariat, fires a strike fest, but Honma roars! Honma HEADBUTTS, runs, KOKESHI- C-TRIGGER!! Chase tucks Honma in, hoists him up, PACKAGE PILEDRIVER!! Cover, Bullet Club wins!!
Winners: Kenta & Chase Owens, by pinfall (gain 2 points; Shota & Honma earn 0)
Bullet Club struck first and they struck last, and they’re still in the running! Can they find an outside shot at the finals and hit the mark? As for Shota & Honma, they’re mathematically ELIMINATED from the finals! Will Shota even have a leg to stand on when it comes time for his world title match?
World Tag League 2024 A Block: Alex Zayne & Ryusuke Taguchi VS Gabe Kidd & SANADA!
The Funky Sauce is on the bubble at 2-3 but they seem to be getting hot at just the right time. Can Zayne & Taguchi cook up a great comeback? Or will the heat die down after facing the Mad Man & Cold Blooded?
The teams sort out and then the War Dogs attack! It’s the Bullet Club way! Gabe is after Zayne, Sanada is after Taguchi, and the bell rings to get this on record! Sanada TOSSES Taguchi while Gabe UPPERCUTS Zayne! Sanada helps drag Zayne up, and they War Dogs DOUBLE SUPLEX! Cover, TWO! The fans rally up but Gabe reels Zayne in. Zayne fights the driver, shoves Gabe at Sanada at the corner, but Gabe narrowly avoids running into him. Zayne then SUPERKICKS Gabe, and he dodges Sanada to then IMPLODER KNEE DROP! STANDING MARIPOSA! The fans fire up but Gabe waistlocks! Zayne fights, switches, but Gabe backs him down!
Zayne keeps hold of Gabe and Taguchi tags in. Taguchi CLUBS Gabe, Zayne kicks, and Funky Sauce double whip. They blow past Gabe to then BULLDOG and basement DROPKICK! Taguchi covers, TWO! The fans rally as Funky Sauce HIP ATTACK back and forth! Gabe sputters, and he gets a HIP ATTACK SANDWICH! The fans cheer again and Zayne drags Gabe up. Taguchi goes to a corner, Zayne sends him in, and Taguchi BOOTS! Taguchi goes up for DEADLY HIPS! Taguchi then hops up, Zayne tilt-o-whirl RANAS, but Gabe stops from running into cheeks! Gabe SHOVES Taguchi to the floor, then he dodges Zayne to CHOP!
Zayne falls then flounders away while the fans rally up. Sanada brings Taguchi out into the crowd and SMACKS him off chairs! Gabe does the same with Zayne on the other side! Young Lions make sure fans get to a safe distance while Sanada SMACKS Taguchi off more chairs. Gabe sends Zayne into the back wall! Gabe fires forearms, then THROWS Zayne into the wall again! Sanada drags Taguchi up and moves through the crowd while Gabe SMACKS Zayne with spare railing! Gabe has a wild grin as he storms around. The ring count starts, so Sanada brings Taguchi back to ringside. Taguchi resists but Sanada CLAWS his face!
Gabe has fans clear out, then he BOWLS Zayne into the chairs! Zayne tumbles up and over multiple rows! That was a strike, maybe even a turkey! Gabe then goes back for Taguchi to put him in the ring at 15 of 20. Gabe flexes and mockingly asks where Zayne went. Gabe drags Taguchi up, and he CHOPS! Taguchi goes to a corner while the fans rally up. Gabe bumps Taguchi off buckles, tags Sanada, and Sanada stomps Taguchi down. Sanada stomps away, and Gabe intercepts Zayne at the gate! The ref counts, Sanada lets off, and Gabe grins as Zayne is down in the crowd again. Sanada drags Taguchi back up to bump off buckles.
Sanada whips corner to corner, runs in, and ELBOWS! Taguchi sputters but Sanada tags Gabe. Gabe eggs Taguchi on. Taguchi rises up to CHOP! Gabe eggs Taguchi on more, so Taguchi CHOPS, CHOPS, and CHOPS! Gabe BITES Taguchi’s forehead! Then he bumps Taguchi off buckles! The ref reprimands but Gabe tags Sanada. Sanada stands Taguchi up and ROCKS him with a right hand! Taguchi drops to his knees, so Sanada stands him up to ROCK him again! Taguchi wobbles, Sanada ROCKS him again, but Taguchi comes back with CHOPS! The fans rally, but Sanada CLAWS Taguchi’s eyes! Sanada whips, Taguchi HIP ATTACKS!
The fans fire up as Taguchi reaches out, and Zayne has returned! Taguchi crawls over but Gabe runs over to YANK Zayne down! And it’s back out to the crowd! Zayne fights the driver to BOWL Gabe into chairs! STRIKE! The fans fire up as Zayne hurries back, but Sanada drags Taguchi away. BIG atomic drop! Taguchi hobbles, reaches out, but Sanada reels him back in! Taguchi fires elbows, runs, but he fakes Sanada out! HIP ATTACK! The fans fire up again as Taguchi crawls! Hot tag to Zayne! Zayne dodges Sanada, fires hands and forearms, then whips. Zayne HIP TOSSES Sanada to then MARIPOSA!
Zayne drags Sanada up, suplexes, but Sanada fights it to suplex! Zayne fights that, and it’s a battle for control! Zayne suplexes up and over! The fans fire up and Zayne rises! Zayne stands Sanada up to fire forearms and ELBOWS! Then a mule kick! Zayne runs but Gabe trips him up! Gabe drags Zayne out and suplexes, but Zayne fights it! Zayne hangs Gabe out to dry on railing! Then ROLLING AX KICK! Gabe flops down, Zayne runs in and he dodges Sanada! BOOT! ENZIGIRI! Sanada ends up in a corner, tag to Taguchi! Funky Sauce whips Sanada corner to corner, then Taguchi HIP ATTACKS! Feed to Zayne, tilt-o-whirl RANA into the HIPS!
The fans fire up as Zayne backslides Sanada, but Sanada rolls through! KETSUYE! Cover, Gabe breaks it! Gabe runs up to kick Zayne and brings him around. Gabe suplexes, but Zayne slips free! Feed to the HIP- NO, Atomic Drop! Wait, Gabe’s knee is what hurts? Taguchi wags his fingers, did he activate his buns of steel?! Zayne ENZIGIRIS, and then HIP ATTACK! The fans fire up again and Taguchi goes for Sanada. Funky Sauce double whip, but Sanada grabs ropes. Sanada TOSSES Zayne, then dodges Taguchi to spin and suplex, MAGIC- NO, Taguchi slips free! Sanada fights the suplex to dragon sleeper! But Zayne BLOCKBUSTERS!!
The fans are thunderous but Gabe UPPERCUTS Zayne! Zayne hits back, and the two fire heavy shots! The fans rally, Zayne blocks a boot to KNEE, but Gabe LARIATS! Gabe kicks Taguchi, suplexes, but Taguchi fights it! Taguchi wrenches to ENZIGIRI! Gabe falls but Sanada rises, so Taguchi runs up, to whiff on the hip attack! Dragon sleeper, but Taguchi drops down! OH MY GAH ANKLE!! Sanada flails and reaches out, Gabe and Zayne intercept each other! Gabe reels Zayne in, but Zayne fights the lift to have OH MY GAH ANKLE 2!! The fans are thunderous as the War Dogs are enduring! Zayne shouts, “ITADAKIMASU~!” And he BITES Gabe’s leg!!
The fans are thunderous but then Gabe rolls and sends Zayne into Taguchi! All four men are down, and Zayne continues tumbling out to the floor. Gabe bails out to the apron, but Taguchi runs at Sanada. Sanada BOOTS Taguchi, SANADA QUEBRADA! Taguchi dodges! Sanada’s leg jams! KETSU- NO! Sanada dodges the hips! Sanada comes back to SHINING WIZARD!! Sanada roars, the fans fire up, and Sanada clinches for DEAD- NO, Taguchi trips Sanada up, steps over, LA MAGISTROL!!! TWO!! Gabe beats up on Zayne while Sanada catches Taguchi! Taguchi switches but Sanada shoves the ref, LOW BLOW MULE KICK!!
The fans boo but Sanada reels Taguchi in! DEADFALL!! Cover, War Dogs win!
Winners: Gabe Kidd & Sanada, by pinfall (gain 2 points; Zayne & Taguchi earn 0)
Another first strike, last strike match for Bullet Club, and the Funky Sauce is ELIMINATED from the finals! Gabe & Sanada now moving up the ranks, will they be the ones taking those trophies?
World Tag League 2024 A Block: Bishamon VS Jeff Cobb & Callum Neman!
The four-peat is still alive, but at 3-2, who knows for how much longer. Can the Fierce Warrior & Headhunter defy the United Empire? Or will the Imperial Unit & Prince of Pace make sure Hirooki Goto & Yoshi-Hashi won’t #GetBackUp?
The teams sort out and Callum pushes Goto. Goto steps up and the fans cheer with the bell. Goto and Callum stare down while the fans rally up more, then they circle. They tie up, are in a deadlock, but Goto uses size to power Callum backwards to ropes. The ref counts, Goto lets off with pats on the shoulder, and the fans applaud. Callum brushes that off literally and the two go again. They tie up but Callum kicks low! Callum fires a forearm, whips, but Goto reverses. Callum ducks ‘n’ dodges and BOOTS Goto down! The fans fire up and Callum waits on Goto to sit up. Callum stomps Goto, then stands him up to fire forearms.
Goto CHOPS, Callum fires a forearm, repeat! Callum knees low, whips, but Goto grabs ropes! Hashi tags in and Goto BOOTS Callum! Bishamon CLOBBERS Callum! Cobb runs up, but Bishamon drop toeholds him onto Callum! Callum sputters while Goto & Hashi bring Cobb up. “SE~ NO!” DRUM BEAT! The fans fire up as Bishamon CLUBS Cobb back down onto Callum! Goto steps out while Cobb rolls away, and Callum coughs and sputters his way to ropes. Hashi brings Callum around to cover, ONE!! Callum is still toughing it out and the fans rally up. Hashi drags Callum up to CLUB him on the neck!
Callum goes to another end of the ring but Hashi storms up. Hashi CLUBS Callum again, then keeps him from Cobb. Hashi ROCKS Callum with a forearm, then whips him to ropes. Callum reverses and HIP TOSS NECKBREAKERS! Cobb runs up to BLAST Goto! Cobb goes out to stomp Goto down, then he stands on Goto’s chest! The fans cheer, and Cobb pretends he didn’t see Goto there as he steps off. Callum drags Hashi up to ROCK him with a forearm! Callum then CHOPS Hashi off his feet! The fans cheer and Callum brings Hashi over. Callum bumps Hashi off buckles, then he tags in Cobb.
Cobb HEADBUTTS Hashi in the back! And HEADBUTTS him again! Cobb whips and RUNS Hashi over! Cobb then carefully covers, TWO! Another cover, TWO! A third cover, TWO! Hashi stays in this and the fans rally up again. Cobb stalks Hashi to ropes, stomps him, then drags Hashi up. Cobb CLUBS Hashi down, pushes him around, and then steps on Hashi’s back! Cobb stands on Hashi to use him as a surfboard! Cobb mocks Goto’s pose, then steps away to tell Goto to go back to his corner. Cobb bumps Hashi off buckles then tags Callum. Callum CHOPS Hashi, kicks him, but Hashi fires forearms!
Callum and Hashi go back and forth, and Hashi has the edge! But Callum CHOPS Hashi off his feet! Callum stands Hashi up, tags Cobb, and the Empire mugs Hashi in the corner. The fans rally but Cobb scoops Hashi and holds him with one arm! Then Cobb SLAMS Hashi down! Cobb again mocks Goto’s pose to power up, GACHIMUCHI MOONSAULT! Cover, TWO! Hashi survives and the fans fire up, but Cobb brings Hashi around. Hashi fires body shots and forearms! Cobb JABS! Cobb whips, but Hashi dropkicks the legs out! The fans fire up and Hashi crawls over, hot tag to Goto! Goto runs to RAM Cobb!
Cobb stays up so Goto RAMS him again! Cobb tells Goto nice try! Cobb kicks low, whips, but Goto reverses. Goto then blows past Cobb to LARIAT! Callum runs in but Goto kicks him, and snap suplexes him onto Cobb! The fans fire up and Goto brings Cobb around. Goto fires a flurry of forearms, then whips corner to corner. Goto runs up to MURAMASA, and then BULLDOG! Cover, TWO! Cobb stays in this and the fans rally up more. Goto drags Cobb up but Cobb’s too much to fireman’s carry! Cobb CLUBS Goto, but Goto fires forearms! Cobb fires back and the forearms go back and forth!
The fans rally as Goto and Cobb throw shots, but then Cobb gets the edge! Cobb pumps up, swings, but into a dragon sleeper! But Cobb fights free! Goto ROCKS Cobb, runs, but Cobb blows past Goto now to “JOHN CENA!” SHOULDER TACKLE! Goto is down and the fans fire up! Cobb rolls his way to the corner, Goto crawls, hot tags to Callum and Hashi! Hashi dodges to fire a strike fest! Hashi CHOPS and Callum goes to the corner. Hashi storms up to CHOP again! Hashi turns Callum, Callum slips free to shove, trip, and DOUBLE STOMP! The fans fire up, Callum huffs ‘n’ puffs and rises again.
Callum drags Hashi up, but Hashi suplexes! Callum slips free, waistlocks, but Hashi RAMS him into a corner! Goto runs up and LARIATS! Hashi CLUBS Cobb off the apron! Hashi whips Callum but Callum BOOTS Goto! And then Callum jumps Hashi’s basement dropkick to DOUBLE STOMP! Cobb storms in and he deadlift suplexes Hashi! Callum adds a PENALTY KICK! Cover, Goto breaks it! The fans fire up but Cobb TOSSES Goto! Cobb goes out after Goto again while Callum brings Hashi up. Cobb runs up but someone crashes into railing! Hashi avoids Callum’s Oscutter, then blocks a kick to fire a forearm!
Callum fires back and the fans rally as the shots go back and forth! Callum wobbles, Hashi fires a flurry! Hashi spins to COHP! Callum falls, kips up and ENZIGIRIS! Callum runs, but Goto is back, and he LARIATS Callum! Bishamon stands Callum up! Fireman’s carry, USHIGOROSHI! They call their shot and get Callum back up! Dragon sleeper, leg lift, but Callum kicks free! Goto suplexes, Callum knees free! Goto waistlocks, spins Callum around, and Hashi LARIATS at the ropes! Then full nelson, but Callum BOOTS Goto and STUNNRES Hashi! Victory roll, TWO!! Cobb drags Goto out to send him into railing!
Hashi ducks a roundhouse to SNAP DRAGON SUPLEX! Hashi sees Callum tumble to a corner but Cobb runs up to ROCK Hashi! Goto gets in, Cobb ROCKS him, too! Cobb fires more shots, but gets caught into an URA GTR! Hashi LARIATS Cobb down! The fans fire up and Hashi roars! Callum SUPERKICKS Hashi! And DREAMCAST KICKS Goto! Hashi runs up, into a JUMP KNEE! Callum springboards, OSCU- NO, Goto catches him! Hashi has the legs! SHOTO!! Cover, BISHAMON WINS!
Winners: Bishamon, by pinfall (gain 2 points; Cobb & Callum earn 0)
A fast and furious finish, and it was certainly lights out for Callum! The United Empire’s dream of facing each other in the finals is in jeopardy, but is the dream of the four-peat about to come true for Goto & Hashi?
World Tag League 2024 A Block: Zack Sabre Jr. & Ryohei Oiwa VS Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji!
TMDK is on the ropes in both blocks, their hopes of a mighty battle in Kumamoto is no longer possible. But can The Front Man & Mullet stay strong until the end? Or will the Rampaging Dragon & Gene Blast keep World Tag League tranquilo?
The teams sort out, LIJ fist bumps, and the fans rally up as Oiwa steps up to Yota. Yota grins, the bell rings, and the fans rally up. Yota and Oiwa circle, feel things out, then circle. They tie up, Oiwa spins to hammerlock, but Yota reaches back to headlock. Oiwa powers out and wrangles Yota into a headlock. Yota fights up, fires body shots, then hammerlocks in return. Oiwa slips around to switch the hammerlock onto Yota, but Yota switches and full nelsons. Oiwa fights that, so Yota spins him to a snapmare. Yota chinlocks but Oiwa slips right out to hammerlock! Oiwa then hooks the other arm and brings Yota into a cover, TWO!
Oiwa keeps on Yota with a double wristlock but Yota fights up to headlock. Yota hits a takeover, Oiwa headscissors, and Oiwa holds on tight! Yota fights around, pops out and has Oiwa’s legs trapped! Oiwa endures, Yota floats to a headlock but Oiwa again headscissors. Yota kips free this time but Oiwa goes up and hits a headscissor takedown! The fans fire up while Oiwa pushes up to put on the pressure. Yota fights around, ROPEBREAK! Oiwa lets go of Yota to stomp him down, then he brings Yota up to CHOP! Oiwa CHOPS Yota at the ropes, then runs, but Takagi jumps in! LIJ DOUBLE SHOULDER TACKLE Oiwa down!
The fans fire up and Takagi SENTONS! Yota BODY PRESSES! Cover, TWO! Oiwa stays in this but Yota brings him up. Yota CHOPS Oiwa, but Oiwa comes back for more. Yota CHOPS again, but Oiwa shakes his head. Oiwa CHOPS, ROCKS, and fires more forearms! But Yota CHOPS Oiwa down! The fans fire up and Yota runs, but Oiwa dropkicks the legs out! The fans fire up again as Oiwa hurries, tag to ZSJ! ZSJ drags Yota around by a leg, has a standing toehold, and he twists and tweaks that foot! ZSJ turns Yota over and hooks up the legs. Yota resists as ZSJ goes for the arms, so ZSJ STOMPS the legs!
The fans fire up while Yota writhes, and ZSJ tags Oiwa. Oiwa storms up and grabs a leg for his own standing toehold. Yota endures, fights, but Oiwa YANKS the leg! Oiwa drags Yota around to YANK the leg again! Oiwa then tags ZSJ back in and ZSJ goes right after the leg, SPINNING TOEHOLD! ZSJ scissors the leg but Yota kicks with the free leg. But ZSJ grabs that and adds it on, DEATHLOCK! ZSJ pulls way back on it, and even has a headscissors! ZSJ again innovates with this modified Bow ‘n’ Arrow, but Yota endures and reaches out! Yota rolls over to have the ROPEBREAK! The fans cheer and ZSJ lets go to tag Oiwa.
Oiwa drags Yota up to dropkick the legs! Oiwa brings Yota up again, has a leg, but Yota fights the lift! Yota CLUBS away but Oiwa DRAGON SCREWS the leg instead! Tag back to ZSJ and ZSJ stalks Yota to a corner. ZSJ UPPERCUTS Yota, UPPERCUTS again, and then UPPERCUTS again! Yota falls over, ZSJ drags him around, and he stands on the leg before dropping into another DEATHLOCK! Yota endures as ZSJ stands up to put on the pressure! Takagi storms up to CHOP ZSJ! ZSJ stays standing but Takagi JABS, JABS and CHOPS, but ZSJ catches him! COBRA TWIST! The fans are thunderous as ZSJ has both LIJ behemoths!
Red Shoes counts, ZSJ lets Takagi go, and then he drags Yota back by just walking! Tag to Oiwa, and Oiwa stomps Yota down. The fans rally up while Oiwa drags Yota up, and he RAMS Yota into an open corner. The fans rally and duel while Oiwa pulls the leg around ropes! Oiwa then KNEES the knee! Red Shoes reprimands but Oiwa whips corner to corner. Yota manages to reach the other side, and Oiwa runs up. Oiwa blocks a boot, but Yota reels him in to then DOUBLE STOMP! Both men are down, the fans rally up, and Yota hot tags Takagi! Takagi CLOBBERS Oiwa, BLASTS ZSJ, and shouts, “Mada mada! <Not done yet!>”
Takagi runs in at the corner, blocks a boot, and LARIATS through! The fans fire up with Takagi and he JABS, CHOPS, and repeat! Red Shoes counts, Takagi JABS, JABS, JABS, but ZSJ storms in! ZSJ wrenches the arm, CLUBS it, then he and Oiwa double whip. Takagi grabs ropes, comes back, but into DOUBLE BOOTS! Takagi stays up, clinches Oiwa and kicks ZSJ! DDT COMPLETE SHOT COMBO! The fans fire up again as Takagi suplexes Oiwa high and hard! Cover, TWO! Takagi tells Kochi, “TOKI GA KITA!” The fans fire up and join in on “OI! OI! OI!” Takagi rises, brings Oiwa up, but Oiwa fires a forearm!
Takagi shakes that off and comes back to ROCK Oiwa! Oiwa fires another forearm, but Takagi fires back! The forearms go back and forth and the fans rally up again! Takagi JABS, JABS, and JABS! Oiwa LARIATS! Oiwa roars, runs, but Takagi LARIAT at the ropes! Takagi runs, DOUBLE LARIATS collide! Oiwa comes back into an ELBOW! JAB! YUKON feint and DDT! Yota runs in to BLAST ZSJ off the apron! LIJ brings Oiwa up and they double whip. Oiwa breaks the double chops to DECK Yota and DROPKICK Takagi! The fans fire up as everyone is down! Oiwa crawls over, ZSJ is back, and ZSJ tags in!
ZSJ storms up to UPPERCUT Takagi, then UPPERCUT again! And again! Takagi eggs ZSJ on, then blocks a boot! But ZSJ steps through the dragon screw to NECK TWIST! And basement DROPKICK! Takagi flounders to a corner, and ZSJ almost parodies Takagi. ZSJ runs up to UPPERCUT, then NORTHERN LIGHTS! Bridging cover, TWO! Takagi stays in this but ZSJ stays focused. The fans fire up as ZSJ aims, and KICKS! Takagi blocks! Takagi puts ZSJ’s leg in the ropes, fires JAB after JAB, then DRAPING DRAGON SCREWS! ZSJ flops over and clutches that leg but fans cheer as Takagi rises again.
Takagi grabs a leg, has a standing toehold, then steps through. ZSJ boots Takagi away, Takagi comes back, but ZSJ avoids the sliding lariat to grab that arm! ZSJ hammerlocks, traps, and TWISTS! The fans fire up while ZSJ sits back to clutch his leg and Takagi clutches that elbow. ZSJ clamps back onto the arm, twists the wrist and SNAPS fingers! Red Shoes reprimands but ZSJ digs elbows into Takagi’s back. ZSJ then drags Takagi up to UPPERCUT the arm again and again! Takagi fights the takedown to ELBOW! YUKON- NO, ZSJ blocks to PELE the arm! ZSJ BOOTS Takagi, then catches Takagi on the rebound!
ZSJ isolates the arm and STOMPS! Then he scoops, but Takagi slips free! Takagi suplexes, ZSJ fights it, so Takagi hits a SWINGING NECKBREAKER! Both men are down and the fans fire up again! ZSJ and Takagi crawl, hot tags to Oiwa and Yota! Oiwa dodges to headlock but Yota powers right out. They RAM shoulders, and both men fire up! They fire forearms back and forth, faster and faster, and the fans rally up! Yota gets the edge and ROCKS Oiwa! Yota runs, but into a ROLLING ELBOW! Oiwa runs to SPINNING UPPERCUT! Cover, TWO! The fans fire up again and Oiwa grabs a leg! SHIN BREAKER!
Oiwa trips Yota, steps through, FIGURE FOUR! Oiwa thrashes the hold as Yota endures! Yota pushes at the main leg, but Oiwa pulls on Yota’s legs! Yota endures, reaches out, but Oiwa pushes up for more pressure! Yota fights, crawls, and manages the ROPEBREAK! The fans cheer and Oiwa lets go of the hold. Takagi coaches Yota but Oiwa SPLASHES down on the leg! And then drops knee after knee onto it! Red shoes reprimands as Yota again has ropes, so Oiwa stands Yota up. Oiwa whips, Yota reverses, and Yota kitchen sink knees! And then basement DROPKCIKS! Takagi runs up to BLAST ZSJ down!
Takagi checks on Yota, and the fans rally up. Yota stands and Takagi runs in, to ELBOW Oiwa! Takagi feeds Oiwa to Yota’s BOOT, then Takagi BLINDSIDE LARIATS! Oiwa staggers and Yota brings him in. LIJ hits a DOUBLE BACK SUPLEX! Cover, TWO! Oiwa stays in this and the fans fire up again. Yota drags Oiwa up, Takagi wheelbarrows, but ZSJ CLOBBERS Yota! Takagi KNEES and TOSSES ZSJ out hard! LIJ double whip Oiwa, then duck Oiwa’s counter lariats! Takagi fireman’s carries Oiwa to TOSS him to Yota’s KICK! That was like the Aussie Open Dental Plan! The fans fire up as Yota hauls Oiwa up to the top rope!
Yota climbs up after Oiwa and fires up! The fans fire up with him, and Yota SUPERPLEXES Oiwa! Oiwa sits up, into a SLIDING PUMPING BOMBER! Yota covers, ZSJ BREAKS IT! Takagi TOSSES ZSJ out again! Takagi goes out to stomp away on ZSJ, and Yota grins as he rises up again. Yota powers up, aims at Oiwa, GENE- NO, Oiwa hurdles over, and ZSJ catches Yota into a GUILLOTINE FACELOCK! ZSJ then suplexes, but Yota slips free! ZSJ switches to have the COBRA TWIST! Red Shoes reprimands, but Yota HIP TOSSES free! ZSJ UP KICKS, Oiwa UPPERCUTS! ZSJ UPPERCUTS, Oiwa DAIGOSHIKIPLEXES! Cover, Takagi breaks it!
ZSJ BOOTS Takagi back out, then pursues. Oiwa fires up, and he clamps on a SLEEPER! Yota endures and the fans rally up! Someone is sent into railing right as Oiwa spins Yota! Yota ducks The Grip, and PUMPING BOMBER hits! But ZSJ runs in at Takagi to BOOT! Takagi comes back, ZSJ BOOTS the lariat! Takagi ELBOWS! JABS! YUKON feint and DDT- NO, ZSJ slips free! PENALTY KICK! But Takagi’s right back up! PUMPING BOMBER!! Oiwa is up to LARIAT Takagi! GENE- LARIAT?!? Oiwa takes Yota down first, but he also falls over! The fans are thunderous as ALL FOUR MEN are on the mat!
ZSJ and Takagi roll out to the aprons, and the fans rally as hard as they can as Oiwa drags himself up! Yota crawls to the corner, and Oiwa runs in! Oiwa LARIATS, then he suplexes! Yota fights that, wrenches and swings, but Oiwa catches him and spins him! But Yota suplexes first! Oiwa fights that, slips around to waistlock, but Yota fights the lift! Yota switches, Oiwa fights, and then Oiwa switches to have a SLEEPER! Yota snapmares free, and SUPERKICKS! Oiwa staggers, Yota roars and runs, but Oiwa gets around! SNAP GERMAN! The fans fire up as we hit 20 minutes! Yota runs up again, but Oiwa gets back around, SNAP GERMAN! Bridging cover, TWO!!
The fans are thunderous as Yota escapes! Oiwa hurries to his feet, and he storms over to a corner. The fans fire up with Oiwa, ZSJ keeps Takagi from getting to the corner, and Oiwa DIVING BODY PRESSES! Cover, TWO!! Yota survives that simple yet effective splash, but Oiwa roars! Oiwa gut wrenches, DOCTOR- RANA from Yota! SUPERKICK! Oiwa roars, but Yota’s GENE TRIGGER hits! Oiwa falls back and now Yota roars! The fans are thunderous again and Yota goes to the corner. Yota goes up and up, to MAROON CRUSH! Cover, ZSJ drags Yota back with an ANKLE LOCK! Takagi CLUBS ZSJ and has a STANDING CROSSFACE!
ZSJ lets Yota go to slip free of Takagi! ZSJ fires UPPERCUT after UPPERCUT on Takagi, but then Yota catches ZSJ! Spin and wheelbarrow, then BOOSTED WHEELBARROW GERMAN!! ZSJ flounders out and the fans fire up with LIJ! “OI! OI! OI!” Yota sets up in the corner, Takagi stands Oiwa up, PUMP- NO, Oiwa shoves Takagi away and rolls Yota up! TWO!!! Yota escapes with nanoseconds to spare! Takagi CLUBS away on Oiwa, he and Yota double whip, but Oiwa DOUBLE LARIATS! The fans are thunderous again and Oiwa roars! Oiwa rises, brings Yota up, DOCTOR BOMB!! Cover, TWO?!?! Yota survives and shocks Oiwa!
The fans are electric as Oiwa rises again. Oiwa sits Yota up into the SLEEPER! Yota endures and the fans rally up! Someone is sent into railing as Yota fights up, but here comes Takagi! Oiwa ducks, ZSJ catches Takagi into a SLEEPER! ZSJ tells Oiwa now’s the time! IRON OCTOPUS on Takagi, and THE- GENE BLASTER POINT BLANK!! DEATH VALLEY DRIVER for ZSJ!! The fans are thunderous again while ZSJ flops out of the ring! Takagi shouts that they’re not done! Takagi runs to PUMPING BOMBER!! Takagi roars, Yota rises, and Oiwa is set up for the PUMPING BLASTER!!! Cover, LIJ WINS!!
Winners: Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji, by pinfall (gain 2 points; ZSJ & Oiwa earn 0)
Another fast ‘n’ furious fight that Oiwa just could not win out! And now, Oiwa & ZSJ are ELIMINATED from the finals! The Mighty Don’t Kneel, but will they simply have to fall back on other plans for WrestleKingdom?
As for LIJ, Yota shows Oiwa respect by standing him up and raising his hand. Oiwa shakes free, not wanting Yota’s pity, so Yota BOOTS him down! ZSJ lets it be while he and Takagi raise their titles at each other. The IWGP World Heavyweight Champion helps his young teammate out of there while the NEVER Openweight Champion stays in the ring. Yota then grabs the mic to say, “Oi, Kochi. Finally…” Takagi says, “Our time has come!” The fans cheer that! Takagi repeats to Yota that their time has come. Yota recaps that they are now 4-2, and on top of the block! The fans cheer that!
Yota asks, “Hey, Takagi-san, you’re ready, right?” Takagi says, “Of course I’m ready! I’m totally ready! Now it’s time to make this really interesting. There’s no time like the present and no team like us to win this! We’re rampage to the end of this league.” The fans cheer that, and Yota tells Kochi and everyone watching to “keep your eye on us as we win this thing!” The fans cheer again, and Yota says, “Oi, Kochi, are you ready?!” The fans cheer because yes they are! Yota simply ends with, “We are winning this World Tag League.” Mic drop and LIJ heads out, but will they be headed to Kumamoto?
Here are the NEW A Block standings!
Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji: 4-2, 8 points
Bishamon: 4-2, 8 points
Gabe Kidd & Sanada: 4-2, 8 points
Jeff Cobb & Callum Newman: 3-3, 6 points [ELIMINATED]
Kenta & Chase Owens: 3-3, 6 points [ELIMINATED]
Shota Umino & Tomoaki Honma: 2-4, 4 points [ELIMINATED]
Zack Sabre Jr. & Ryohei Oiwa: 2-4, 4 points [ELIMINATED]
Alex Zayne & Ryusuke Taguchi: 2-4, 4 points [ELIMINATED]
My Thoughts:
Another great round for World Tag League, and A Block is dropping like flies compared to B Block. With three teams at 4-2, so many teams get wiped out here, despite the great matches everyone had. Kenta & Chase finish off Shota & Honma, but then Kenta & Chase are still out because Gabe & Sanada won. Bishamon of course stays in the running, their four-peat is a big story for them, and they take Cobb & Callum out of the running to cross off any chances of a United Empire finals. And as I said when this all started, WTL was not the real goal of ZSJ and Shota, they were just setting up their world title match at Tokyo Dome.
Though, ZSJ & Oiwa VS Takagi & Tsuji was an awesome main event with a lot riding on it because had ZSJ & Oiwa won, they might’ve eliminated LIJ from the running. Hard to tell say, given LIJ lost to Bishamon and to Kenta & Chase but beat everyone else. But I guess if Takagi VS Konosuke is a WrestleDynasty thing, then maybe he and Yota can battle for the tag titles at WrestleKingdom. Though, that might telegraph Khan & Henare winning since Takagi would be bringing the tag titles along to a match with Konosuke Takeshita. Maybe? NJPW’s plans could be up in the air even now for all I know.
My Score: 8.9/10
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OHHH Monday Night Raw! Don’t you DARE be sour!
At least, we hope things won’t be sour given last week’s tense moment between Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods. Can the Power of Positivity prevail on this night, the TENTH ANNIVERSARY of ya bois, the New Day?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez VS Damage CTRL; Liv & Raquel win.
- WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship Tournament Opening Round Triple Threat: Dakota Kai VS Katana Chance VS Shayna Baszler; Dakota wins and advances to the next round.
- Gunther VS Dominik Mysterio; Gunther wins.
- R-Truth VS Pete Dunne; Truth wins.
- Seth Rollins VS Sami Zayn; Rollins wins.
PLAY BY PLAY
CM Punk arrives backstage!
And as he heads to gorilla, he says hey to Jey Uso & Sami Zayn. They feel great after their win at WarGames, and even Sami shakes Punk’s hand. Punk continues on as his music begins, and while Everett, Washington may not be Seattle, they go supersonic for The Best in the World! And yes, “IT’S CLOBBERIN’ TIME!” Punk signs autographs before he goes to the ring, and fans cheer more as Punk does a quick lap before grabbing a mic. Punk takes a moment as the fans chant his name, and he says, “Is it good to be alive in Everett, Washington on a Monday night or what?!” The fans cheer that!
Punk says to those at home, it is SOLD OUT here in Everett! And the last time you saw Punk, he stood on that ramp, fresh from a possible career ending Hell in a Cell match, and he said he wasn’t sure what the future held for CM Punk. He had a lot of things to consider. And now some deja vu, here he is, life and in living color, fresh from a possibly career ending WarGames, and now Punk knows exactly where he’s going. He’s less beat up than he was after Hell in a Cell. We can all tell, Punk put the personal issues aside, handled business with Drew McIntyre, then handled some personal business for his friend, Paul Heyman.
The fans cheer that, and Punk gets up on the corner to tell us that he knows what the future holds. Punk points to where a sign would be, and he wants us to imagine it with him. He can see it. For his entire career, everyone said it wasn’t there. They couldn’t see the vision. The sign isn’t hanging in Everett, but oh, ladies and gentlemen, Punk sees it. Punk knows what the future holds. There are many roads you can take to get there, different ways you can finish your story, and the Royal Rumble’s around the corner. That could be the road he takes, or maybe it’s Elimination Chamber. All roads Punk’s taken have been dead-ends, but he has a favor to call upon to get where he needs to go!
Punk invites all of us to come on the journey with him! And- “BURN IT DOWN!” Here comes Seth Rollins! Punk sighs as the Visionary struts out in a very shiny pewter colored suit, or maybe more clay, and then he heads to the ring. Rollins takes off his amber colored sunglasses before he goes into the ring, and the fans sing for him, “WHOA~ OH~ OHH~!” Rollins has a mic of his own now, and now the suit appears a bit more the color of hot cocoa. The fans fire up seeing both Rollins and Punk in the ring, and the dueling chants are on! Punk and Rollins stare down from opposite corners, and Rollins speaks first.
“You know, I’ve been thinking a lot. I really shoulda knocked your ass out the same day you came back to the WWE.” The fans are torn on that, but Rollins says he has regretted that every single day of the past year. And over this past year, a lot has gotten in the way. Punk got hurt, Rollins had titles to defend, Rollins had a Bloodline to take down… And the last time Rollins saw Punk, Rollins was this close to taking his shot. But Rollins had pity on Punk, because Punk had just come out of Hell in a Cell and was hanging on by a thread. Rollins showed pity, and that was Rollins’ mistake.
After Saturday, seeing Punk there triumphant next to Roman Reigns, it all became clear that it was time to rectify Rollins’ mistakes. The fans are again torn, but Rollins says that as we stand here right now… Rollins takes off his jacket and says there is nothing in the way. There is only air and hatred, and Rollins has a feeling in his gut that TONIGHT is the night he knocks CM Punk on his ass!! The fans are again torn but Punk just smirks. Punk finally says, “You talk too much, and you don’t listen enough. I just came out here and I said I put all the personal stuff aside. I’m long past running races with people I didn’t even know I was running.
Six months ago, Rollins was a champion, he had something Punk wanted. But now, Rollins has nothing! The fans are torn on that one, but Punk says he knows where he’s going, and what’s in his future. Rollins, kid, you ain’t it. Rollins has been thinking about Punk for six months? Punk doesn’t think about Rollins at all! Punk has things to do in this business, so just stay out of his business. The fans fire up and they wanna see this fight! Rollins tells Punk, “You talk too much, and you don’t listen enough! This is MY business!” Rollins DECKS Punk! The fans fire up, Punk gets up, and the brawl is on! But Sami & Jey hurry out here!
Sami & Jey separate Rollins and Punk, the fans “YEET! YEET! YEET!” but both Punk and Rollins want more! The fans want more, too! Rollins dares Punk to bring it, but Punk listens to level heads and hops out of the ring. Adam Pearce is there, as are producers, but Rollins grabs his mic again. “C’mon! Am I your business now? C’mon now!” Punk rushes in! Rollins stomps at Punk, the producers pull Punk back and Rollins says fine, get him outta here. Yeah, yeah, go on, Punk! Go on, Jey! Run along to Roman! Sami grabs a mic to tell Rollins hey, no! Sami gets Rollins is angry, but he doesn’t get to talk to Jey that way.
The fans cheer and Rollins tells Sami yeah, fine, Sami’s right. That was family, that’s fine, Rollins is just pissed, he shouldn’t have gone there. But Jey is Roman’s family, what’s Sami’s excuse? Sami ain’t family. Sami stares at Rollins, and fans chant “Sami Uso!” Rollin says oh, ha-ha, yeah, Rollins loves Sami Uso. But if Sami’s family with Roman, then he should really be family with Rollins! Rollins and Sami have known each other way longer than they’ve known Jey or Roman. They came up int he business together, up and down the roads for over 20 YEARS together! They’re family, and yet Sami stabbed Rollins in the back when Sami teamed with Punk!
Sami stops Rollins there to bring up how Sami didn’t ask for Punk. Did Rollins think Sami wanted Punk as a partner in WarGames? No, he didn’t. But Punk was willing to help when the OGs were down a man! Sami didn’t want to take his help, he wanted Rollins! Sami asked Rollins, TWICE, and he’ll remind Rollins that Rollins said no TWICE. The OG Bloodline wouldn’t have needed Punk if Rollins had teamed with them, but Rollins is just too damn stubborn! The fans really fire up hearing that one. Rollins gets a headache, and he asks if he’s losing his mind. Can Sami remind Rollins what Sami even wanted him to team with them to do?
What did Sami want Rollins to team with them for? Oh yeah, to help Roman Reigns! To help that monster to regain their power! Sami says “that monster” was created by Rollins! Rollins created that monster when he put the chair in Roman’s back TEN YEARS AGO! So don’t act like Rollins’ hands are clean in this. Rollins says he is in no way acting innocent. He understands completely what he has done. He understands the sins he committed. Rollins understands that the chair shot to Roman’s back was the motivation for “The Tribal Chief.” Rollins has apologized and atoned for that.
But if we’re pointing fingers for stabbing people in the back, then Sami needs to look in the mirror and see he did the same damn thing! And Rollins doesn’t fault Sami for it, because Sami did it for the right reasons! Roman is the scum of the earth! He treated Sami like crap, he treated Jey like crap, every single person was supposed to bow down to Roman. Rollins understands why Sami did what he did, why they ALL did what they did at WrestleMania 40, what they sacrificed in order to take down The Bloodline! Does Sami not remember this? Get it through your head: Roman Reigns has NOT changed!
Has Roman apologized to Sami? To Jey? To ANYONE? Even a shred of remorse? No. Roman hasn’t changed, and “that snake” CM Punk sure hasn’t! Stubbornness is NOT the issue here. Sami’s naivety is! He’s gullible! That’s the issue. And really, Sami’s just being stupid. The fans aren’t so sure about that, and Sami says that Rollins is really angry, with a lot of frustration. If Rollins wants to blow off some steam, then Sami has no problem meeting him in this ring tonight! The fans fire up for that! Rollins says fine by him. Rollins drops the mic and pushes past Sami, but who pays for Rollins simply lashing out?
The Judgment Day is in their clubhouse.
Finn Balor tells everyone that he warned Damian Priest months ago: Finn would be lying in wait for the moment Priest thinks he’s finally done with Finn, and then- Liv Morgan interrupts. Didn’t they agree that Finn was going to leave Priest alone? Finn says oh, well, yeah, but that’s when Dominik was going to handle it. But seeing as lil’ Dom Dom couldn’t get the job done, Finn handled it himself. And now instead of Priest walking around here with the World Heavyweight Championship on his arm, he’s walking around with an arm in a sling.
And Liv, maybe if they’d all listened to Finn, her team might not have lost at WarGames. And now, Liv has to worry about Iyo Sky facing her for the title at Saturday Night’s Main Event! Sis, she’s got a lot to worry about. Liv says yes, that is right. She and Raquel have Damage CTRL to focus on, so that’s what they’ll do. She just hopes Finn knows what he’s doing. Oh, Finn knows. See? He and JD are still WWE World Tag Team Champions. And when everyone listens to Finn, Judgment Day wins. Carlito likes that rhyme. Finn heads out, but Raquel asks what Finn means by that. Liv isn’t sure. But Liv wants Dom to keep an eye on Finn while Liv & Raquel have their match.
Dirty Dom says no problem, and he heads out after The Prince. Liv & Raquel head to gorilla, and JD goes back to WWE 2K. Is everything (not) fine with Judgment Day?
Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez VS Damage CTRL!
Well, as Finn just said, the Women’s World Championship is now set to be on the line on December 14th, Saturday Night’s Main Event! Will Lil’ Liv & Big Mami Cool be rolling towards Long Island? Or will The Evil Genius & Pirate Princess start to take control?
The teams sort out, and Raquel BOOTS Kairi down at the bell! Then she BLASTS Iyo! The fans boo but Raquel drags Kairi up. Raquel TOSSES Kairi to the Judgment Day corner, then tags Liv. The fans boo as Raquel scoops and SLAMS Kairi, then Liv becomes her weapon! POWERBOMB SENTON! Cover, Iyo breaks it! The afns fire up but Raquel TOSSES Iyo out! Raquel tells Iyo to stay out, but Liv runs at Kairi. Kairi BOOTS Liv, then runs up to BLOCKBUSTER! Kairi crawls, Liv drags her back, but Kairi ENZIGIRIS! Th efans fire up while both women are down, and Kairi crawls again! Hot tag to Iyo!
The fans fire up as Iyo SHOTEIS Liv! And SHOTEIS again! DROPKICK! Liv tumbles and Iyo kips up! Iyo runs up to ELBOW Liv, then brings her around, only for Liv to throw Iyo at ropes! Iyo BOOTS in return, then goes out to the aprno. Raquel sings, Iyo blocks to SHOTEI! And JAWBREAKER! Iyo KICKS Raquel into ropes, then slingshots to DROPKICK Raquel down! Not the cleanest hit, but Liv waistlocks! Iyo switches and GERMAN SUPLEXES! Liv tumbles to a corner and Iyo fires up! The fans fire up as Iyo runs in, SHINKANSEN! Iyo has Liv in the drop zone and climbs up! Th efans fire up again, but Liv trips Iyo up!
Iyo is in a Tree of Woe and Liv hurries away. Tag to Raquel and Raquel hoists Iyo right up! TEXANA- RAAN!! Raquel avoids hitting buckles, and grins, but Kairi tags in! Raquel runs up, Iyo POSTS her! Kairi AX KICKS and shoves Raquel down! Iyo goes up again, to MISSILE DROPKICK! Raquel is down, and Kairi is up top! The fans fire up for the IN-SANE ELBOW! Cover, LIV BREAKS IT! Liv saves it with nanoseconds to spare, but Iyo TOSSES Liv back out! The fans fire up as Iyo DIVES! Direct hit at the ramp! Kairi brings Raquel up, but has to dodge a lairat! Kairi fires fast hands, an URAKEN, and another URAKEN!
The fans fire up as Kairi roars, but Raquel BOOTS her down! Raquel deadlifts Kairi for the TEXANA BOMB!! Cover, Raquel & Liv win!
Winners: Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez, by pinfall
But they’re not done as Raquel stomps away on Iyo! Liv joins in, but HERE COMES RHEA! The fans fire up as Mami runs in, but Liv runs away! Rhea and Raquel throw hands! Rhea HEADBUTTS Raquel, then pump handles! RIP- NO, Raquel fights free, and she CLUBS Rhea in the bad eyebrow! But Rhea UP KICKS! And she LARIATS Raquel up and out! The fans fire up and Rhea goes out to DRIBBLE Raquel off the desk! Liv attacks Rhea! Rhea has Liv as a backpack, and she POSTS her! Liv crumbles, but Raquel BOOTS Rhea! And THROWS her into the desk! Rhea hits the edge!! The fans boo and security rushes out while Rhea clutches her face!
Rhea rises up but Liv laughs as she and Raquel fall back. Rhea wants more, but security keeps her back for her own safety. When and where will Mami Rhea have her revenge?
Backstage interview with Gunther.
Cathy Kelley is with Der Ring General, only to be interrupted by Finn & Dom. Finn tells Gunther, “Hey, Champ. I think you owe me a title match. It was the second time that you faced Damian for the title, and it was the second time that you walked out as champion. And it was the second time because of me! So instead of kicking me in the face, you should’ve been shaking my hand! So, for the second time, I think you owe me a title match.” Gunther says he doesn’t owe Finn anything. He didn’t want Finn’s help, he never needed Finn’s help, and while Finn was plotting this all along, Gunther had a terrible time leading up to Survivor Series.
Gunther needed to win this by himself, and for himself. And that is what Finn took away from him. Oh, well, does he want to face him then? Dom keeps putting up the two fingers and Gunther slaps them down. Why’s Dom so cocky, huh? Oh, right, Gunther knows why. Because unlike Finn, Dom scored a win over Priest. And y’know what? Gunther thinks Dom deserves something for that. Gunther’s feeling rather generous right now. As World Heavyweight Champion, Gunther has leverage around here. Gunther will talk with Adam Pearce. Dom smiles, but then he stops as Finn looks at him. Will Dirty Dom of all people get a title match with Gunther?
WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship Tournament Opening Round Triple Threat: Dakota Kai VS Katana Chance VS Shayna Baszler!
Speaking of title matches, everyone in this tournament is deserving, but only those who win will get what they want! To parallel SmackDown’s Women’s United States Championship Tournament, we hold a round of Triple Threats that boil down to singles matches. Tonight, it is #CobraKai, one half of KC Squared, and the Queen of Spades, who defies the odds to head for gold?
The bell rings and Shayna goes right at Dakota! Katana jumps on Shayna, but Shayna throws her off! Dakota DROPKICKS Shayna, BOOTS Katana, then runs up to GAMANGIRI Shayan to the floor! The fans fire up and Dakota builds speed, to DIVE into a HAYMAKER! Shayna drags Dakota up to THROW her into the desk! But Katana PLANCHAS Shayna! The fans fire up with the American Ninja as she says it’s finally her time! Katana stands over Shayna while Raw goes picture in picture.
The ref checks Dakota, she’s okay, and Katana gets Shayna in the ring. Katana then rolls her to a sunset flip, TWO! Katan whips, Shayna reverses, but Katan goes up and up and LEAPS, but Shayan catches her! Shayan pops Katana up to a suplex! Cover, TWO! Katana sputters but Shayna drags her into a wristlock. Shayna twists the wrist and pulls on the arm. Dakota crawls in, Shayna twists Katana’s arm more, but Katana fights up! Shayna CLUBS Katan, then gut wrench SLAMS her! Cover, Dakota breaks it! Dakota then drags Shayna up, but Shayna fights the suplex! Shayan wrenches, Dakota fires forearms and an ENZIGIRI!
Shayna staggers to a corner, Dakota runs in for a BOOT WASH! Katana rolls Dakota up! TWO, and Dakota kicks Katana. Dakota TOSSES Katana out, then goes Around the World! Shayna dodges the boot to hit a BIG back suplex! Cover, Katana breaks it! Katana SPIN KICKS, LEG SWEEPS, and then runs, but Shayna blows past her! Katana runs back in but into a FLAPJACK HOTSHOT! Katana sputters and flounders, but Shayna brings her up. Shayna wrenches the arm and has a top wristlock! Katana endures being bent around, and she fights up, but Shayna wrangles her down. Shayna isolates the arm, but Dakota runs up!
Shayna catches Dakota, wrangles her arm, and then STOMPS Katana! Dakota flails, but Shayna- NO, Dakota avoids that stomp, which she knows too well! Raw returns to single picture as Dakota fires shots! Shayan shoves Dakota but Dakota comes back to FLYING MARE! Shayna ends up in a corner, Dakota runs in, to BOOT! Shayna flops to the apron, Dakota puts her in ropes! JUMP STOMP! Cover, TWO!! Shayna survives and Dakota grows frustrated. Dakota drags Shayna into a drop zone and goes up the corner. The fans fire up but Shayna GAMANGIRIS Dakota! Shayna climbs up after Dakota now, but Katana joins in!
The fans fire up as Katana pulls Shayna from the corner! Dakota HEADBUTTS Shayna, but Shayan ROCKS Dakota! Shayna ROCKS Katana, then has Dakota back up! Dakota fires body shots and Shayna falls back! Dakota adjusts, and she STOMPS Shayna down! But then Katana ROCKS Dakota! Katana goes up to SUPER STEINER Dakota onto Shayna! Cover, TWO!! Shayna survives so Katana covers Dakota! TWO!! The fans fire up while Katana is beside herself! Katana drags Dakota up, whips, but Dakota reverses. Shayna waistlocks Dakota, Dakota elbows free! But Katana BOOTS Dakota! Katana then uses Dakota as a step to FLYING RAN- NO, Shayna blocks!
Shayna swings Katana up, fireman’s carries, but Katana slips free! O’Conner Roll, Dakota DDTS Katana! Shayna KNEES Dakota! Cover, TWO!! Dakota survives and the fans fire up! Shayna is seething but she goes to a corner. Shayna aims at Dakota, runs back up, but she has to KNEE Katana away first! Dakota victory rolls Shayna! TWO!! Shayna escapes, but Dakota dodges to SCORPION KICK! And then fireman’s carry, for the DETONATION- NO, Shayna has the leg! Shayna yanks Dakota up, KIRAFUDA KLUTCH!! Body scissors, but Katana is up top! Dakota rolls free, 450 SPLASH on Shayna!!
Dakota fireman’s carries Katana! DETONATION KICK!! Cover, Dakota wins!!
Winner: Dakota Kai, by pinfall (advances to the next round)
Fast and furious to say the least, but Dakota is now moving on! The brackets show that either Zoey Stark, Kayden Carter or Raquel Rodriguez is next, will someone come back to avenge their teammate? Or will former teammates in Dakota and Raquel have it out in the semifinals?
Adam Pearce is in the ring.
The Raw General Manager says, “Ladies and gentlemen, we are here tonight in commemoration and celebration of the incredible ten-year anniversary of the most decorated tag team in WWE History! Without any further ado, please join me in welcoming Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston, The NEW~ DAY~!” The fans fire up as Woods & Kofi make their way out. The ring and stage are decorated with balloons, as well as props representing the best moments of the team’s career. Kofi shakes hands with Pearce, then starts passing out pancakes. Woods also shakes hands with Pearce, and the fans cheer as Woods throws more pancakes.
Pearce says, “Gentlemen, congratulations. This ring and this moment, this night is yours. But if I may be so bold, to speak on behalf of the WWE Universe, I think we all would love to let you know how much we think New Day Rocks.” The fans join in, “NEW! DAY ROCKS! NEW! DAY ROCKS!” Woods & Kofi grab mics, the cheering gets louder, and they’re a bit emotional. Woods says, “IT’S YA BOIS, THE NEW~ DAY~!” Woods wanted to come out here and say that being a part of the WWE, and being successful in the WWE for ten years… Getting to this point is so much than they could ever dreamed when they started.
So Woods wants to thank each and every one out here. Kofi says yes, it’s been one hell of a ride. Never in Kofi’s wildest dreams would he have thought they’d achieve so many accolades and accomplishments. And have so much fun while doing it! They could not have done it without each other, and you know who else? Who? Who, who? Yes, that’s right, each and every one of the fans! The fans cheer for “EEE~! E! E! E!” Woods says yes, they miss him, too. But with all this said, Woods & Kofi wanted to be face-to-face with the fans to say “what we’re about to tell you… Is not your fault.” What?
Woods says the New Day has nothing but love for each and every one of the fans. Kofi says that he and Woods, they’ve talked. And especially in light of last week… They both feel that when it comes to “The New Day” going forward… WAIT! BIG E IS HERE?!? The fans are all fired up, and both Woods & Kofi are excited to see the man himself! Big E walks his way out to the ring, finally on Raw again after almost four years! Big E joins his boys in the ring, the fans cheer on “E! E! E!” and Big E takes it all in. Big E says he can’t thank us all enough. But he wishes he was here under different circumstances.
Because to see Woods & Kofi argue and bicker and say some of the most hurtful things they could to each other… That troubled Big E’s soul something deep. When they started The New Day ten years ago, they were all they had! Kofi, ten years ago, you were mulling over retirement because your passion was beaten out of you! Woods, ten years ago, you and Big E were each this close to getting fired! And on one of the worst days of Big E’s life, the scariest moment of his career, Woods and Kofi were at his hospital bedside making sure he was good! The fans cheer that!
Big E wants Kofi to remember, that Big E was in a neck brace just a few months after Kofi’s daughter was born, and yet Kofi, his wife, and baby Lotus were in Big E’s home so Big E could hold Lotus. When Woods got back after winning King of the Ring, Big E was one of the first to greet him, tears spilling out of Woods’ eyes! The fans cheer those moments, too. Big E says what they built here means something to a lot of people. The fans also cheer that, and Big E says for damn sure, it means a lot to him. “So, until I am medically cleared to return to this ring… I am going to remind the two of you exactly who you are.”
The fans fire up as Big E says he will be here to cheer for them, root for them, uplift then, EVERY SINGLE WEEK! Big E will serve as the team’s manager! The fans cheer Big E on while Woods and Kofi both look a little guilty. The fans cheer on, “NEW! DAY ROCKS! NEW! DAY ROCKS!” Woods lifts his mic and says, “Now? Now you wanna come back? After you watched us fight for months? After you watched us argue to the edge of the cliff, and the last thing left to do was jump!? NOW you wanna come back? E, you left us.” The fans boo as Woods is being so negative! Big E says he broke his NECK! What is he saying, “left them?!”
But now KOFI says it, too! “YOU LEFT US!!” Yeah, Big E broke his neck. SO WHAT!? WHAT?!? Stone Cold Steve Austin broke his neck and came back! Kurt Angle broke his neck and came back! Edge broke his neck and came back! They didn’t even have people here waiting for them! Big E had family who kept the lights on, so he’d have something familiar to walk back into. And what’d Big E do with that? NOTHING! Woods & Kofi didn’t change, they didn’t evolve, at their own deficit, for Big E.
Kofi stops Big E from saying anything, and he says that as BIG as E is, as STRONG as E is, and the fact he never even needed surgery for it, he’s trying to say he couldn’t have been back here sooner if he wanted to? Big E says he was meeting with doctors, getting scans, MRIs and- Yeah, they heard it all before. Woods tore his Achilles off the bone, had surgery, and was back in nine months, for Big E. If Big E really, truly cared about The New Day, he would’ve been back a long time ago! He would’ve been by their side, encouraging and cheering them on this entire time, galvanizing them! But NO, he chose his new life over them!
Big E chose his projects and his GIRLFRIEND over them! Big E chose his DESK JOB over The New Day! In fact, listen up: Does Big E even realize the burden he’s become? No matter where New Day goes, the fans always say, “We Miss E!” As if Kofi & Woods didn’t! But obviously Big E didn’t miss them. The fans boo but Kofi says their philosophy since day one has been about brotherhood over anything else! We Before Me! But E… Broken neck or not, Big E chose Big E over The New Day! The fans boo but Woods keeps going: Let’s stop teasing all these fans. Let’s tell them the truth: BIG E WILL NEVER BE MEDICALLY CLEARED!
And since that’s the case… Why doesn’t Big E just get the hell out of this ring and get back to his desk where he belongs? And then they’ll call him, if they need him. The fans boo even more and Big E is as stunned as anyone that The New Day would say these things. Big E says he is not letting them throw this away like that! Not after a decade! They can fix this! Big E wants to hug it out, but Kofi keeps him at a distance. Woods doesn’t even look at Big E. Big E can’t believe it. Just like that, the group is over? Big E asks if they mean this. The fans chant “BIG! E ROCKS!” but he has no choice but to exit the ring.
With Big E gone, Kofi & Woods look at each other now. They say it’s just them now? They united over treating their other friend like nothing, and the fans boo as hard as they can! New Day is now just Two Day, did they just kill the Power of Positivity?
Karrion Kross speaks.
“Throughout my life, I have done some really terrible things to people. Which I’m actually quite proud of. So I have a tolerance for when people wanna do something back to me. But last week… He sent that creature after MY WIFE. And words are not gonna get me what I want, which is exactly each and every one of them in the arena next week. He used Scarlett to get to me. CONGRATULATIONS, because it worked! But just remember: You started this fire, and now I am going to make sure you burn in it. Tick-tock.” The Wyatts have escalated things with the Final Testament, who survives when these forces of nature clash?
Gunther VS Dominik Mysterio!
Der Ring General didn’t appreciate The Prince interfering with his match at Survivor Series, nor did he for SummerSlam, but perhaps as passive aggressive payback, he’s letting Dirty Dom face him 1v1. And furthermore, Dom is telling Carlito & JD McDonagh to stay in the back? Does Dom really think he can handle Gunther all on his own? Or will Gunther use Dom to send a warning to everyone about pissing him off?
The bell rings, and Dom SHOVES Gunther! Gunther scowls but Dom eggs him on. The fans fire up as the two circle, and they tie up. Dom facelocks, but Gunther lifts Dom right up and puts him on the apron. The ref counts, Dom lets go, and Gunther pats Dom on the head. Dom SLAPS Gunther! Gunther BOOTS Dom! The fans fire up more as Gunther goes out, brings Dom up, but Dom RANAS Gunther into POST! Dom hurries into the ring, builds speed, and he WRECKS Gunther with a dropkick! Then Dom DIVES! Down goes Gunther and Dom flexes! The fans boo but Dom is standing tall while Raw goes picture in picture.
Dom waits on Gunther, and Gunther settles down before storming back into the ring. They circle, feel things out, and Gunther powers Dom into a corner. The ref counts, Gunther lets off slowly, but Dom avoids a chop! Dom CHOPS, but Gunther just glares. Dom backs up as Gunther steps forward, and Gunther grabs Dom again! Gunther TOSES Dom, but Dom avoids the chop to CHOP! Gunther is just getting angrier, but Dom keeps his distance. Dom then slides under, only for Gunther to turn on a dime! Gunther kicks low, whips, but Dom ducks ‘n’ dodges, only for Gunther to scoop! Gunther pops Dom up to SLAM!
Dom writhes while Gunther looms over him. Dom wants mercy but Gunther just clamps on a facelock! Gunther then stands Dom up to CHOP! Dom sputters but Gunther is on him again. CHOP! Dom falls right over and Gunther paces. Dom sputters, Gunther eggs him on, and Dom CHOPS! And CHOPS! Gunther CHOPS Dom off his feet! Dom writhes while clutching his chest, but Gunther is back on him. Gunther snapmares Dom, to then NECK TWIST! Dom writhes even more, but Gunther stays close. Gunther stalks Dom to a corner while Raw returns to single picture. Gunther eggs Dom on so Dom fires body shots!
Dom kicks, Gunther blocks and DECKS Dom! Gunther then has the legs and flips Dom over, BOSTON CRAB! Dom endures, crawls, but Gunther drags him back to center! Dom fights the other way, ROPEBREAK! The ref counts, Gunther lets go at 4, and fans boo as Dom survives. Gunther storms up, not even upset about the blood trickling from his own chest, and he pie faces Dom around. Gunther mocks Latino Heat and brings Dom up again. Gunther CHOPS Dom, pie faces him, and eggs Dom on. Dom CHOPS again! Gunther CHOPS again! Dom drops to his knees, but stands back up.
Gunther pulls Dom’s hair and eggs him on. Dom CHOPS, and CHOPS, and fires a flurry of forearms! Dom CHOPS, but Gunther grabs him by the face! CHOP, and SLEEPER! Dom grabs the ref, the ref cowers in the corner, Dom LOW BLOW MULE KICKS!! The fans boo but Dom 619s Gunther in the gut! Dom keeps moving, and he dropkicks Gunther onto ropes! Dom redials, 619!! Dom goes up and FROG SPLASHES!! Cover, TWO!! Gunther survives and Dom is shocked! Dom thinks on what he has to do, and somehow Everett has come around on him!? Dom brings Gunther up, but Gunther fights the suplex!
Gunther CHOPS, BOOTS, and he hauls Dom back up! GENERAL BOMB!! Cover, Gunther wins!
Winner: Gunther, by pinfall
Dom put up a bigger fight than anyone expected, but it still wasn’t big enough to stop Gunther! But here comes Finn! Finn dodges Gunther to SLINGBLADE! Finn aims, and he SHOTGUNS Gunther down! Finn hurries up a corner while fans are again torn, but Finn still hits a COUP DE GRACE!! Finn smiles and says, “Watch and learn, kid.” Dom does watch as Finn goes back up, COUP DE GRACE!! The Prince isn’t done, he goes back up! CUOP DE GRACE!!!! Finn gets Gunther in the back, and then he holds up the world title! Finn puts it down on Gunther, and he grins. Finn says that’s how it’s done.
The Prince leaves, but he may have just put a target on his own back here. Will Der Ring General give Finn what he wants so he can also give Finn what he deserves?
Backstage interview with Pete Dunne.
Cathy is with The Bruiserweight, and says that while Dunne knows he has a match with R-Truth, does Truth know that? Or does Truth think he still has a match with- Dunne stops Cathy there. Please do not say that name. And as for that idiot, R-Truth, he doesn’t seem to know so Dunne will make this very clear. Tonight, it is Pete Dunne VS R-Truth. Truth needs to get that in his head. Wait, something is going on behind all this. Producers rush in and the camera follows. Someone just attacked Jey Uso?! But the culprit is long gone! Adam Pearce wants medics to check Main Event Jey, but just whodunnit?
R-Truth VS Pete Dunne!
Raw returns as The Bruiserweight makes his way to the ring, still seething over the misunderstanding Truth has had about names and identities. Will Dunne help Truth #FigureItOut the hard way?
The bell rings, the fans chant “BUTCH! BUTCH! BUTCH!” and that just angers Dunne. Dunne runs up, Truth does the splits then runs! Dunne ENZIGIIRS Truth down! Dunne HAMMERS away on Truth but the fans boo. Dunne stomps Truth, tells the fans off, then he grinds Truth’s arm! STOMP! The fans boo but Dunne waits on Truth to get up. Dunne then just shoves Truth down to stand on Truth’s head! Dunne STOMPS Truth, but the fans still chant “YOU’RE A BUTCH! YOU’RE A BUTCH!” Dunne clamps onto Truths’ face but the ref counts. Dunne stops to stomp Truth down, and he dares fans to keep calling him Butch.
Dutch BOOTS Truth down, then he rains down fists! The ref has Dunne stop so he can check Truth. Truth is still in this but Dunne is still pissed at the fans! The ref keeps Dunne from going after the fans, and Truth rolls Dunne up! TRUTH WINS!!
Winner: R-Truth, by pinfall
Dunne’s anger got the better of him, and now he’s lost the match! Will Dunne absolutely lose his mind at this rate?
Backstage interview with Bron Breakker.
Cathy is now with the Intercontinental Champion, and says that in the Triple Threat, in a match where Sheamus ended up with a broken rib, Bron is still the champion. Was that match his biggest challenge to date? Yes, it was obviously a great challenge. But Bron told both men- Oh, speaking of, Ludwig Kaiser steps in. And Kaiser says Bron sure seems happy with himself. That is a surprise, because of Bron had come in a few seconds later, that title would be Kaiser’s now. But hey, it doesn’t matter. Because Kaiser accomplished what he needed to.
When Sheamus broke one of Kaiser’s ribs, Kaiser vowed to come back and put an end to the Celtic Warrior for good, and that’s what he did. A rib for a rib. And now, there is nothing stopping Kaiser from taking the title and bringing it back to where it belongs in Imperium. Bron asks if that’s a challenge. Because Bron knew Kaiser would come here today with the whole “Bron didn’t pin Kaiser” thing. So yeah, Bron will talk with Pearce, see what can be done. But Bron would love nothing more than to face Kaiser for this title and beat him, so that Kaiser can have that stupid look on his face, knowing he will never, ever hold this title.
BUT… Bron will give Kaiser his props. That was a hell of a match. Kaiser proved to everyone that he is on his way out from under Gunther’s shadow. But if Bron was Kaiser, Bron would try to get out of the shadow a lot faster, because Gunther’s stock is plummeting. Bron leaves, will the Impeccable German make good on a title rematch that is 1v1?
Sami Zayn finds Pearce backstage.
Sami wants to know what happened to Jey and Pearce has him calm down. Medical is still evaluating Jey, they have to wait to know the damage. Sami asks who did it, and Pearce says he doesn’t know, but who does Sami think did it? Sami says he knows exactly who, and he’s about to whip his ass in that ring! Is Sami accusing The Visionary of lashing out against Jey? Will Sami beat a confession out of him? Or is Sami aiming at the wrong man?
Raw returns and Adam Pearce is on a phone call.
He tells whoever that he appreciates them being on the same page, he just needs them to make it official. He thanks them, then promises to call back, because Finn stepped in. Finn knows Pearce saw what happened out there. He did. Then the only thing Finn needs to know is when is he getting a world title match. Oh, that’s rich. It takes an act of Congress to make Finn defend his tag title and yet Finn wants more. Finn’s lucky the War Raiders aren’t here tonight, or- Oh, the War Raiders?! Finn doesn’t care about them! Finn only cares about when Pearce stops letting Gunther duck Finn!
Duck Finn? Funny enough, Pearce talked with Gunther and Gunther wants this match just as badly. Finn gets his wish. Finn VS Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship… SATURDAY NIGHT’S MAIN EVENT! Finn says about time. Finn turns to go but Pearce tells him, “One more thing. Next week, let’s talk about your other title match.” Pearce leaves and Finn doesn’t like how that sounds. Is Finn going to learn that it’s all about give and take?
Seth Rollins VS Sami Zayn!
The Visionary wants to beat the crap out of CM Punk, but he ended up picking a fight with the Honorary Uce. Will Rollins not just #BurnItDown, but burn down the few bridges he has left? Or will he just be red hot in his pursuit of the Best in the World?
The bell rings and the two tie right up. They go around, Rollins puts Sami in a corner, but the ref counts. Sami and Rollins push each other as they let off, then they tie up again. Rollins headlocks, Sami powers up and out, but Rollins runs Sami over! The fans cheer Sami on as things speed up. Sami ducks, hurdles, then TOSSES Rollins out! The fans fire up and Sami builds speed, but Rollins moves! Sami hits the Arabian Press to land back inside, and the fans fire up as Sami waits on Rollins. Rollins paces around the outside while Raw goes picture in picture.
Sami waits, the fans rally up, and Rollins goes to the steps. Rollins takes his time going up to the apron, then steps inside the ropes. Rollins and Sami tie up again, go around in another deadlock, but Sami waistlocks, Rollins wrenches out to hammerlock and he wrangles Sami to the mat. Sami fights up, Rollins pulls on the arm, but Sami ELBOWS free. Sami bumps Rollins off buckles, then fires forearms! Rollins fires back! The forearms go back and forth, harder and faster, but Rollins ROCKS Sami! Rollins bumps Sami off buckles and Sami falls right over! Rollins stands Sami up to CHOP! Sami CHOPS back!
The CHOPS go back and forth, then Rollins whips Sami to ropes. Rollins scoops Sami to a BACKBREAKER! Sami writhes but Rollins walks around him. Rollins drags Sami up and wrenches an arm. Rollins whips Sami hard into a corner, and Sami falls to the mat! Rollins scowls, not happy he has to fight his friend and rival, but he drags Sami up by his hair. Rollins waistlocks and has a rear bearhug squeeze! Sami endures, fights around, and he throws elbows! Sami is free, he ROCKS Rollins, but Rollins CHOPS back! Sami falls and Rollins seethes as he stands over him. Rollins taunts Sami, eggs him on, and Sami rises.
Sami CHOPS, but Rollins nods,. Rollins CHOPS Sami, Sami CHOPS back, and the CHOPS continue! Raw returns to single picture as now the forearms fly! Rollins gets the edge, whips, but Sami goes up and over! Sami LARIATS Rollins down! The fans fire up and Sami goes to a corner. Rollins stands but Sami kicks him! Sami bumps Rollins off buckles, then climbs up to rain down fists! Fans count to TEN but Sami fires a flurry to go all the way to TWENTY! Rollins flounders away but Sami leaps, AX HANDLE! The fans fire up as Sami goes up again! Rollins stands, Sami leaps, but Rollins kicks low!
Rollins underhooks, Sami wrenches out! Sami avoids the lariat to BLUE THUNDER BOMB! Cover, TWO! Rollins survives but Sami is not deterred. The fans rally up and Sami storms over to Rollins. Sami stands Rollins up but Rollins fires elbows! And an ENZIGIRI! Sami goes to a corner, Rollins runs corner to corner, but Sami catches him! BUCKLE EXPLODER! The fans are thunderous as Sami goes corner to corner, and he takes aim again! Rollins stands, Sami runs up, SUPERKICK from Rollins!! Rollins then runs up, but Sami avoids the curb stomp! Sami bails out while Rollins hobbles a bit. Rollins seethes while Sami catches his breath.
Sami rises but Rollins goes out the side. Rollins storms his way over, and he tells Sami that he didn’t want this fight. This fight is with Punk. Sami SLAPS Rollins! Sami says he knows it was Rollins! Sami SLAPS Rollins, but Rollins POSTS Sami! And then POSTS him again! Sami falls and Rollins rolls into the ring. The ring count climbs, but then Rollins goes out to fetch Sami. Rollins stands Sami up, and TOSSES him into the timekeeper’s area! Sami flounders up, the ref reprimands, but Rollins is still seething. Rollins drags Sami up, says it wasn’t him, but Sami BOOTS Rollins away! The fans fire up as Sami storms up on Rollins!
Now Sami POSTS Rollins! Rollins falls back, but Sami gets him in the ring. The fans rally for “SAMI USO!” but then Sami grabs a chair! The fans fire up as Sami wants revenge for Jey! Sami says stop, what’s Sami doing!? Sami says he knows it was Rollins! Rollins doesn’t understand, Sami says it was Rollins who jumped Jey! Rollins says he wouldn’t do that! How about Punk? Maybe it wasn’t Punk, but it sure wasn’t Rollins! Use your head, Sami! The fans are thunderous, but Sami cools off. Sami puts the chair outside, but then Rollins snatches Sami to a cradle! ROLLINS WINS!!
Winner: Seth Rollins, by pinfall
Rollins defended his innocence, but then he takes advantage of Sami’s emotions! Rollins still wants Sami to understand, Rollins loves that Sami has a big heart, but he wants Sami to start using his brain. Either way, there is still the mystery of whodunnit. Wait, who is this getting int he ring!? CLAYMORE!! DREW MCINTYRE IS BACK?!? Wait, did HE attack Jey!? And now he’s hit Sami! Is the Scottish Terminator going to make sure no one survives his wrath?
My Thoughts:
A great Raw, maybe even an awesome one, with another great pivot from one event to the next. Saturday Night’s Main Event is stacking up. We already know of Cody Rhodes VS Kevin Owens for the WWE Championship, and then they snuck in the announcement of Iyo Sky VS Liv Morgan for the Women’s World Championship. Great stuff from Judgment Day up and down the show again, with a great tag match out of Liv & Raquel VS DMG CTRL. Logical move to have Raquel beat Kairi, that keeps the math on Iyo and Liv untouched. Rhea coming out to go after Liv but getting Raquel, it’s a logical move to give us Rhea VS Raquel as a way for Rhea to bide her time. Liv VS Iyo can happen for SNME, Rhea gets the winner at the Royal Rumble.
Finn wanting after Gunther over the unwanted assist was good stuff, as was Gunther giving a match to Dom tonight instead of Finn. Dom got a strong showing, perhaps doing two birds at once: Dom is building his power level to counter his reputation as Judgment Day’s scrub, but also showing Gunther might still have an arrogance problem. Gunther of course won, but Finn attacking afterward was of course happening, as well. Gunther VS Finn for the title at SNME, I wonder if Priest returns the favor and screws Finn over. At the same time, Pearce definitely planted the seeds of Finn having to pull double duty on that night, opening the show with the tag titles but then having to turn right around and go for the world title. That’s probably how Finn & JD even lose the tag titles.
Great Triple Threat from Dakota, Shayna and Katana to start the Women’s Intercontinental Championship tournament, and for just a moment, I thought they were giving this to Shayna. But in the end, Dakota wins out, which I feel is the right choice because Dakota’s been one of the many deserving superstars for a lot longer than a few others. There are a lot of great choices in this tournament, too, but we’ll have to see how this shakes out before I can say Dakota’s getting the title. And speaking of titles, great promo from Bron and Kaiser to set up their own title match, but at this point, if Bron didn’t lose a Triple Threat, he won’t lose 1v1. But I did like Bron getting in Kaiser’s head about leaving Gunther behind, as perhaps Imperium has run its course.
Well, speaking of a team running its course… That New Day anniversary segment was powerful stuff. It was nice seeing some of those old items, and they had a good video package before this segment, but I did NOT see it going this direction. Woods and Kofi talking like it was going to be a faction divorce was already something, but then Big E makes a surprise return and logically tries to patch things up with the group. The shock was Kofi and Woods doubling down by using Big E as some sort of common enemy! They were so callous about Big E’s broken neck that, as the medical diagnosis was years ago, was nearly fatal. It was no less than a miracle Big E wasn’t paralyzed, either, and yet New Day is expelling Big E from the group as Woods & Kofi go Heel together, and that’s nuts!
Very good promo from Kross to put the Wyatts on notice, and that will definitely bring about the 8 Man Tag I’ve been expecting. That will be a great match, can’t wait to see how it goes. Great stuff with Dunne and Truth tonight, especially with how it overlapped a bit with this bigger story of Punk, Rollins, and maybe even McIntyre again. Punk had a good promo to tease his part in the Royal Rumble and maybe even Elimination Chamber if need be, and then Rollins reigniting their issues was good stuff. Sami and Jey made natural mediators, with Rollins lashing out at them. I would think McIntyre attacked Jey as McIntyre still hasn’t gotten over that grudge.
Rollins VS Sami was a great main event, with a very clever win for Rollins. And then McIntyre hits Sami as further revisiting of grudges, and I feel like McIntyre will want to go after Punk, but he’ll be detoured by Sami and/or Jey for some great matches there. The Road to WrestleMania starts a little later this year with the Rumble being a February event, not a January one, but there can be twists and turns that somehow still give us Rollins VS Punk in Vegas, title optional. It’d be bigger if the title was on the line so that Punk can finally have a WrestleMania title match main event, but that would depend on the plan for Gunther’s WrestleMania as well.
My Score: 8.9/10
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