Coverage
Mitchell’s WWE SmackDown Results & Report! (10/4/24)
Who rises to the top?
The gold hangs in the balance!
On the night before Bad Blood, The Bloodline defends their WWE Tag Team Championships against DIY AND The Street Profits in a Ladder Match Triple Threat!
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Carmelo Hayes VS AJ Styles; Melo wins, by referee stoppage.
- Dumpster Match: Chelsea Green VS Mia Yim; Mia wins.
- Naomi VS Tiffany Stratton; Naomi wins.
- WWE Tag Team Championships Triple Threat Ladder Match: The Bloodline VS The Street Profits VS #DIY; The Bloodline wins and retains the titles.
PLAY BY PLAY
Nashville’s own HARDY is here!
The country music star is in the ring, and he welcomes Nashville to Friday Night SmackDown. Give a warm welcome back to the Phenomenal One, AJ STYLES! The fans fire up as Styles makes his return to SmackDown after four months since Clash at the Castle! Styles high-fives fans as he goes to the ring, with a new song to boot. The fans cheer on Styles while he grabs a mic, and that energy pumps him right up! Styles soaks it in a little longer, then says, “I have missed you guys so much. And it’s only fitting that I’m here in Nashville, Tennessee tonight. This is where it all started for AJ Styles.
“And over the past couple months, I’ve done a lot of things that I regret. Things I may not be forgiven for. But I’m not here to talk about the past. I’m talking about tonight, and rebuilding the legacy of AJ Styles.” The fans fire up for that! Styles knows there are guys who don’t like him, and he doesn’t blame ’em. But they’re also guys who need to be reminded that this is still The House That AJ Styles Built! Wait, Carmelo Hayes makes his way out! Melo tells Styles that after everything Styles has done, it’s no surprise there isn’t a long line of guys to welcome him back. But that’s okay, because Melo has taken it upon himself to do that.
Melo goes to the ring while fans boo, but Melo says he doesn’t need to reintroduce himself. Styles knows who this is. This is H1M, Carmelo Hayes, the man who beat Andrade three times, and the one who’s been holding it down while Styles has been gone. The fans boo but Melo says believe it or not, he’s actually a huge fan of Styles. He loves old timers like Styles! And Melo is sure Styles is going to announce the giant Legends contract he just signed, which he deserves. But if we’re talking things deserved, lets’ talk about Melo for a minute. The fans boo more but Melo says a guy like him, who deserves to be US Champion, not LA Knight and not Andrade.
Styles says if it’s okay with Melo, here’s some friendly advice. Styles has been in the ring with Knight, and Knight is relentless. The fans cheer “YEAH!” and Styles says Knight came to Styles’ house. “YEAH!” Styles and Knight had a match at WrestleMania. “YEAH!” Melo stops Styles there and says he doesn’t need advice. Melo doesn’t take advice… from quitters. The fans boo but Styles says okay, he earned that one. But Melo thinks he’s that good? He is. If he were that good, if Melo was H1M, wouldn’t he be US Champion by now? Melo says if Styles was still so phenomenal, then he’d be WWE Champion now.
The fans chant “He’s Not Him!” and Melo gets annoyed. Styles says how about this. Melo is in gear, Styles is in gear, they’re in the ring, this is Nashville, so why don’t they fight right here and right now? The fans like that idea! Melo puts his sunglasses and says, “Nah, I’m good.” Melo goes to leave, but here comes Knight! The fans fire up as The Mega Star stands on stage, mic in hand, and says, “LEMME TALK TO YA!” Knight says ain’t this a familiar sight! Someone wants to fight Melo, and what’s he do? He wants to run away! But Styles, Knight won’t pretend like they’re friends. They’ve been through it all!
And to be honest, the last time we saw Styles, he was misleading Knight, misleading the world, saying that he was gonna retire, then he made a liar of himself! So Knight has nothing to say to Styles. But look at this. Knight sees Melo, saying he deserves this, he’s H1M! Well yeah, he’s him! As in the guy getting stomped out here tonight! The only question is, there are two options. First: Knight can basically go down there, punch Melo in the mouth four or five times, head out to Broadway, have some drinks and a good night. Or: Styles, well, it seems like he made a challenge to Melo, Melo wasn’t ready to take it, so Knight can go make Melo take it.
So if Melo can beat AJ Styles right here and now, Knight will make a case to Aldis that Melo can get the shot he so thinks he deserves at the US Championship! But regardless, the chances are, Melo gets stomped out, Knight still goes out to have a sip, and when it’s all said and done, tell you what? Everybody’s still saying “L A KNIGHT! YEAH!” Now let’s get a referee to get this done! The Mega Star is calling the shots, but will Melo end up winning that title shot? The ref is here so we’re about to see!
A search is on.
The sirens are blaring and the engines are revving, but just who are we looking for? “Coming Soon…”
Carmelo Hayes VS AJ Styles!
SmackDown returns and the bell rings. Melo and Styles circle, tie up, and Melo throws Styles aside. Melo eggs Styles on but the fans boo. Knight watches from ringside as Styles and Melo reset. They tie up, Styles clinches for a BACKBREAKER! Melo goes to ropes, Styles fires hands and CHOPS! Styles CHOPS Melo again, then whips Melo. Melo reverses to kick and CLUB Styles, then KICK him again! Melo fires hands, then facelocks. Melo puts Styles in a corner to CHOP! Melo pie faces Styles, CHOPS again, but Styles turns things around to CHOP and CHOP and CHOP! The fans fire up and Melo drops to his knees.
Styles whips Melo, Melo reverses to ELBOW him! The fans rally for Styles as he reverses a whip. Styles hurdles, drops, and DROPKICKS! Melo checks his teeth and bails out of the ring. Styles storms up to ropes but the ref has him stay back. Melo rises, Styles eggs him on, and Melo takes his time going to the apron. Styles storms up but Melo slips away again. The fans boo but Melo says he does this on his time. Melo steps in, then kicks low! Melo CLUBS Styles, taunts the fans, then whips. Styles holds ropes, ELBOWS back, then goes up to QUEBRADA! Melo gets under, comes back, CROSSBODY! Cover, TWO!
Melo grins as he drags Styles up and reels him in. Melo snap suplexes, covers, TWO! Styles stays in this but Melo drags him up to TOSS him out! The fans boo but Melo paces. Styles rises up, Melo soaks heat from a corner, but Styles is on the apron. Melo storms over, ROCKS Styles, then DECKS him! Styles goes to the floor, Melo slips out and brings him up. Melo RAMS Styles into the desk! Knight stands up to stare Melo down, the fans rally up, and SmackDown goes to break.
SmackDown returns again and Melo has Styles down with a HALF CRAB! Styles endures and the fans rally up. Styles crawls over to the ROOPEBREAK! Melo lets off, but then yanks on the leg! Styles kicks Melo away with the good leg, then kicks him again. Styles rises, fires the Phenomenal Blitz, and that LIRAT! The fans fire up as Styles SLIDING FOREARMS! The fans fire up while Styles grits his teeth. Melo goes to a corner, Styles runs in, and hits a LARIAT! Styles brings Melo out to fireman’s carry, USHIGOROSHI! But on the bad leg! Both men are down, but the fans rally up. Styles goes to a corner, the ref says call it!
Winner: Carmelo Hayes, by referee stoppage
The fans boo, Styles is furious with himself, but injuries can’t be helped. Styles storms off, just barely walking on that leg. But as the announcement is made, Knight gives Melo a B F T! The Mega Star told Melo if he won, he’d talk to Aldis, but Knight is letting Melo know this is about as close as he’s getting to the belt. Will Knight give H1M that title shot just to hit it ‘n’ quit it?
Dumpster Match: Chelsea Green VS Mia Yim!
The Hot Mess said Michin is nothing but trash, but she’s been talking so much trash, she has to be full of it herself. Who will be feeling down in the dumps after this one?
While Chelsea is dressed like a waste management Barbie, Mia is bringing the toys: a trash can full of kendo sticks! The bell rings and Chelsea is already asking Mia to show mercy. Mia does, by throwing her a kendo stick. Now they’re even. Chelsea swings, Mia dodges and she SMACKS away on Chelsea! Then Mia DROPKICKS Chelsea out of the ring! The fans fire up as Mia runs to DIVE! Down goes Chelsea and the fans fire up! Mia pushes Chelsea in the ring, then goes looking for more goodies. Mia brings out a cookie sheet, a chair, and another trash can! And just as fans want, a TABLE! The fans cheer as Mia puts this table in the ring.
Chelsea dives but Mia SAMCKS her with a cookie sheet! Mia puts Chelsea back in, goes up a corner, and then MISSILE DROPKICKS! The fans fire up while Chelsea tumbles out. Mia hurries, and she fireman’s carries! Chelsea clings to the dumpster, slips free of Mia, then SHOVES Mia into the side! Chelsea SUPERKICKS Mia, then STOMPS her into the side! Mia is down but the fans fire up, and SmackDown goes to break.
SmackDown returns and Chelsea has Mia on the apron. Chelsea storms up to ROCK Mia, and ROCKS her again! Mia wobbles, Chelsea runs, but Mia ducks under! Mia ROCKS Chelsea again and again, then steps in, TORNADO DDT! And then a GERMAN SUPLEX! Chelsea flounders around, but Mia wrenches her for EATE- NO! Chelsea holds ropes to stay up! Chelsea hops on, for a DESTROYER!! Even Chelsea is surprised! Chelsea TOSSES Mia into the dumpster! She just has to close it! Mia blocks the lid! The fans fire up as Mia powers out, and SMACKS Chelsea with a trash bag! And again! And again! Hefty, Hefty, Hefty!
Mia SMACKS Chelsea again, then climbs out of the dumpster. Mia SMACKS Chelsea more, pushes her into the ring, and fans still want the table to come into play. Mia looks, finds the cookie sheet, but Chelsea dodges! Chicken wings, turn, but Mia wrenches out! EAT DA FEET! Mia hurries to put the trash can around Chelsea! Payback for what Nia Jax did weeks ago! Mia goes up top, to SUPER SENTON on the can!! The fans are thunderous for Mia compacting the trash! And then Mia goes to the table! The fans fire up as Mia brings that around, puts it across the dumpster, she wants to go hardcore with this one!
The fans are thunderous again, but then here comes Piper! Piper CLOBBERS Mia while wearing a cowgirl hat and a full hazmat clean suit! Piper says yeehaw, then SENTONS! Then she runs up, CANNONBALL into the dumpster! Mia dodges disaster, and she hurries into the ring! Chelsea crawls out of the can, then runs up to BOOT Mia! Mia wobbles, Chelsea goes out to the apron! Chelsea drags Mia up, reels her in, but Mia fights the lift! Mia fires elbows, blocks a kick, and hoists Chelsea up! POWERBOMB THROUGH THE TABLE AND INTO THE DUMPSTER!! Nashville is going wild as Mia rises up! Mia gets up, out, and CLOSES the lid! Mia wins!!
Winner: Mia Yim
The Head Baddie In Charge just took out the trash! The Hot Mess is gonna need a hot shower, maybe three or four, but she’ll never live down the embarrassment. As for Mia, will she make her way to the top of the Women’s Division no matter who she has to fight, or how she has to fight?
AJ Styles is checked out by medical.
The trainer tests his leg from knee to foot, and while Styles can move the leg, it is very painful. X-rays are going to be needed so Styles will be on his way to a Nashville hospital. Did the Phenomenal One’s comeback get cut short already?
Naomi prepares backstage.
Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill check on sis, and Naomi is ready to go. They know she’s gonna handle Tiffy Business cuz she’s always talking mess. But enough about Tiff, let’s talk about the beautiful titles Bianca & Jade won back. They shine them up, and Jade says after Naomi gets the W, “we” are going to turn it up in ATL! Huh? “We?” Yeah, they ain’t speaking French now. We three that is The Big 3, they ALL get to host Bad Blood! Naomi is all fired up for it! A-Town Stomp! Bayley joins in but that kinda ruins the mood.
The StrongEST Duo heads out, and Bayley says sorry for interrupting. Bayley just wants to go over what they talked about. Bayley will call out Nia and tell her to her face that Bayley wins at Bad Blood. And when Bayley does, Naomi is #1 contender. Bayley better. Bayley promises to bring the title to the after party. They hug it out, Bayley heads for gorilla, but will The Role Model regret calling out The Queen of the Ring?
Bayley heads to the ring!
SmackDown returns and Nashville cheers as the former WWE Women’s Champion gives high-fives on the way out. Bayley gets a mic to say, “In just 24 hours, I have the opportunity to win the WWE Women’s Championship back. So I’m not gonna waste anyone’s time, I’ma get right to it. Nia Jax, I’m calling you out. I’m in your ring, Queen, you can even bring Tiffany. C’mon, I got something to say to your face.” The fans cheer, Bayley says lets go Queen Champ. Is this being on Tiffy Time? But here comes Nia and Tiffany, who is trying to be her own cowgirl Barbie. The two go right to the ring, and grab their own mics.
Nia says if Bayley has something to say, say it straight to her face. The fans boo but Bayley says that’s why she called Nia out. Because for as long as Bayley has known Nia, Nia has never understood the significance of this title or what it stands for. What it means for the fans, for the people like Bayley who grew up loving the WWE, who grew up wanting nothing more than to hold this title. Bayley grew up watching women like Molly Holly, Victoria, Beth Phoenix, Natalya, Trish Stratus, Lita. They all made this title mean they were larger than life, more than human. And that ain’t Nia.
But as much as it pains Bayley to say, there is one thing that those women weren’t. They’ve never had a dominant run like Nia has had. Nia is going on to become one of, if not THE, most dominant women in WWE history. The fans are torn but Nia nods. Bayley says the facts still are, there are two people in the WWE that can take this title from Nia. One is Bayley tomorrow night 1v1 at Bad Blood, which she plans on doing! The other… is Tiffy! The fans cheer that but Tiffy is wary. Bayley says it isn’t because Tiffy’s good enough, it’s the briefcase. The moment Tiffy gets tired of Nia talking down and berating her, Tiffy will smack Nia in the back, cash in, and become the NEW champion! Wham bam, thank you ma’am!
The fans cheer but Tiffy speaks up. Is Bayley saying Tiff isn’t good enough? That the only reason Tiff can win is because of the MITB briefcase? Tiff doesn’t need the briefcase to beat Nia. Nia says, “Um, excuse me?” Tiff realizes she spoke out of turn! She would never! Bayley has Tiff so angry right now! Y’know what, Pam?! Tiff says instead of sitting here and trying to break this duo up, why doesn’t Bayley bow down to the Queen of the Ring? Oh, wow, bow down to Nia? Tiff’s crazy. As much as Bayley doesn’t agree with how Nia conducts herself, Bayley respects how strong and dominant Nis is. Bayley has NO respect for Tiff!
Bayley would rather bow down to a queen than patronize a stupid b*tch!! Tiff gets mad and takes a swing! Bayley dodges and KNEES Tiff down! Nia CLOBBERS Bayley! And then CLOBBERS her again! The fans boo as Nia stands over Bayley, then runs, but Bayley avoids the senton! Bayley storms up on Nia now, and grabs Tiff’s briefcase! Bayley JAMS, CLUBS, and SMACKS Nia! Then RUNNING KNEE! Bayley picks up the belt and the fans cheer as she holds it up. Bayley sets it down on Nia, then leaves. But then Tiff gets up, grabs her briefcase, and stares Bayley down. Bayley says bet, because Tiff starts staring at Nia!
The fans fire up as Tiff thinks about it. The ref is here because Tiff’s match with Naomi is coming up, but is she going to do that? Nia sees Tiff, Tiff hesitates, and fans chant “CASH IT IN!” Tiff hesitates, and here comes Naomi! Will Nashville #FeelTheGlow? Or will it still be #TiffyTime tonight?
Chelsea and Piper regroup backstage.
The Hot Mess has yet to clean up, and Piper has a hard time not gagging from the smell. Pretty Deadly is there, and they almost fall over! What is that smell!? Their eyes are burning! Kit & Elton leave, Piper says don’t listen. A-Town Down Under pass by, and Theory thinks something’s wrong with their cake. Waller says no, mate, it’s Chelsea Green~! Angel & Berto pass by and they gag pretty bad, too. Piper says she’s not, whatever they just said. Aldis sees Chelsea and says sorry about that result, that must stink. Mia did her dirty with that. Sorry, he doesn’t wanna recycle these puns, but can he help her with anything? Other than a shower.
Chelsea is at a loss for words for once, and just storms off. Melo then walks over and tells Aldis he beat Styles “fair and square,” so where’s that deal with Knight? Melo thinks maybe they can fit it on Bad Blood, or even go to WrestleMania. Aldis asks if Melo’s really gonna say that with a straight face. The only thing Aldis cares about right now is checking on Styles. So Melo and Aldis can talk this out next week. Melo smells the lingering stench and wonders if it’s Aldis. Melo leaves, will he get the shot he wants?
Naomi VS Tiffany Stratton!
SmackDown returns and the bell rings. Naomi and Tiff tie right up, go around, and Tiff puts Naomi in a corner. The ref counts, Naomi pushes Tiff, but Tiff SLAPS back! Naomi runs up to THESZ PRESS! Naomi rains down fists, Tiff gets free, but Naomi bumps her off buckles. Naomi brings Tiff to another corner to bump off more buckles. Naomi RAMS into Tiff again and again, then lets off as the ref counts. Naomi HEEL KICKS Tiff, then snapmares so she can SLIDING LARIAT! The fans fire up and Naomi keeps moving. Tiff sits up, into a sliding SLEEPER! Tiff fights up, RAMS Naomi into a corner, and then RAMS her again!
The ref counts, Tiff lets off, then brings Naomi around to whip. Naomi slides under the lariat, taunts with a twerk, then mule kicks! Naomi front kicks, then FACEBUSTERS! Cover, TWO! Tiff survives but Naomi brings her up. Naomi TOSSES Tiff to the apron, has her in ropes, an d then holds her down for the HEAT- NO, Tiff powers out! Naomi KNEES Tiff back, brings her back in, and snap suplexes! Cover, TWO! Tiff is tougher than that but Naomi brings her up. Naomi TOSSES Tiff back out, has her again, but still no Heatseeker! Tiff ROCKS Naomi, HOTSHOTS her, then slingshots to KNEEBOARD! Cover, TWO!
The fans rally while Tiff grows frustrated, and she stalks Naomi to the apron. Naomi ROUNDHOUSES, then runs up, but Tiff LARIATS! Naomi falls to the floor, Tiff goes out after her. Tiff whips, Naomi reverses, but Tiff hops up. Naomi blocks a boot, spins Tiff around and ROCKS her in the back! And KICKS her! Naomi goes up, APRON LEG DROP! Naomi says deuces, and SmackDown goes to break.
SmackDown returns and Naomi has Tiff as a backpack, for a BACKPACK STUNNER! Both women are down and the fans rally up. Naomi rises, storms up and ROCKS Tiff! Tiff ROCKS Naomi, Naomi KICKS back! Tiff ROCKS Naomi, Naomi fires a flurry in return! Naomi whips, wrenches, and LEG LARIATS! Tiff staggers up, into a DROPKICK! Naomi keeps moving, goes up and around to SLINGSHOT BULLDOG! Naomi kips up, the fans fire up, and Tiff sits up into the sliding SLAP! Naomi then headscissors to SPIKE Tiff! Cover, TWO! Tiff toughs it out but Naomi keeps cool. Naomi brings Tiff up, but Tiff fights the nelson!
Tiff whips Naomi, Naomi KICKS back! And kicks low! FACE- NO, Tiff handstands out! And basement DROPKICKS! Cover, TWO! Tiff is frustrated but the fans fire up! Tiff drags Naomi up, puts her in a corner and then on the top rope. Tiff climbs, but Naomi fires hands! Naomi HEADBUTTS Tiff down, then adjusts. CROSSBODY! But Tiff rolls through! Tiff shows off that Tiffy Strength! Fireman’s carry, but Naomi fights free! Naomi goes to a corner, Tiff blocks boots, but not the rebound ENZIGIRI! Tiff is down, Naomi goes up and up, SPLIT-LEG FLOP as Tiff moves! Tiff goes up and up to PRETTIEST MOONSAULT- NO, Naomi moves!
Naomi and Tiff are in corners, Tiff handsprings in, but Naomi ducks in time! Naomi waistlocks, Tiff fights, but Naomi full nelsons! But Tiff arm-drags free, has the cover, TWO! Naomi ghost pins, NAOMI WINS!
Winner: Naomi, by pinfall
Nashville feels the glow, and that means Naomi is rolling! Will Naomi get that promised title match with Bayley? Or will Nia & Tiffany both have different ideas?
The Bloodline walks ‘n’ talks.
Jacob Fatu says, “I LOVE my Tribal Chief! My Tongan brothers, they LOVE our Tribal Chief. Nashville, Tennessee, oh yeah, they LOVE our Tribal Chief. DIY, Street Profits, Cody Rhodes, hell, even Roman Reigns, will LOVE our Tribal Chief. And when you LOVE our Tribal Chief, you learn to RESPECT our Tribal Chief. And when you RESPECT our Tribal Chief, OH LAWD, you will WORSHIP our Tribal Chief. And if you don’t know how to do none of those three, at the end of the day, you will acknowledge the REAL Tribal Chief, Solo…!” Solo Sikoa steps up and says to acknowledge him.
With that, Tama Tonga & Tonga Loa are sent forward, will they defend not just the tag team championships but the honor of Solo Sikoa’s Bloodline? Or will there be new champions one way or another?
Tiffany returns backstage.
And Nia is there waiting. Nia tells Tiff, “If I didn’t know any better, I would think that you’re trying to tease me on when you’re trying to cash-in. Maybe you should focus on Liv Morgan’s Women’s World Championship match tomorrow night, because that’s a cash-in you would actually survive. Or… You can tell me right now that you’ll never betray me.” Tiff stammers, “Of course not, My Queen! After all, like, you are My Queen.” Nia leaves it at that, will Tiff take Nia up on that idea? Or will Tiff wait and see how things go tomorrow?
WWE Tag Team Championships Triple Threat Ladder Match: The Bloodline VS The Street Profits VS #DIY!
SmackDown returns as “WE ARE~, WE ARE~!” Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano make their entrance, followed by Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins. The introductions are made, the belts are already overhead, and we see who will be partying on Broadway in Nashville after this!
The bell rings, and all six men look up at the gold. Then the Profits & DIY stand 4v2 against The Guerrillas of Destiny! The brawl is on and the fans fire up! DIY TOSS Loa, Profits TOSS Tama, and the Guerrillas regroup while the other teams stare down. Ciampa pushes past Dawkins to KNEE Loa! Ford goes out to PENALTY KICK Tama! Gargano SUPERKICKS Loa! Dawkins CLOBBERS Tama! The fans fire up as the Guerrillas are down and SmackDown goes picture in picture.
The other teams go out, and The Profits mug Tama while DIY mugs Loa. Dawkins fires off fast hands on Tama then DECKS him! DIY grab a ladder while Ford uses Tama as a speed bag now. The Profits notice DIY, but so does Loa. Loa goes after them, and he DECKS Ciampa to then HEADBUTT Gargano. Loa SMACKS Gargano off the apron, but Ciampa SMACKS Loa off the apron! Tama fights back against The Profits, but DIY fights back against Loa. Loa shoves back but just gets beat up more. DIY RAMS Loa into the barriers, and Loa dangles over the front row! The Profits mug Tama, and then they coordinate with DIY. They stomp Tama, and Gargano sets up a ladder.
Ciampa helps Gargano steady the ladder at center, and The Profits slide in. Gargano kicks Tama off the apron, Ciampa defends the ladder from Dawkins. The alliance is done now as only one team can win. Gargano bumps Ford off buckles, Ciampa does the same to Dawkins. But Dawkins UPPERCUTS Ciampa down! Ford yanks Gargano from the ladder to DECK him! Dawkins stomps Ciampa, then climbs. Ford is on defense now, but Ciampa gets up to YANK Dawkins down! Ciampa ROCKS Dawkins, BOOTS him, and Gargano YANKS Ford from the ladder! DIY CHOP away on Ford at the ropes!
Gargano SMACKS Ford off the rungs, then Ciampa climbs. Gargano fights off Dawkins but Dawkins DECKS him! Dawkins grabs at Ciampa, drags him down, and Dawkins DECKS Ciampa! Ford sets up another ladder nearby, and SmackDown returns to single picture. Ciampa hurries to climb but so do the Profits. Gargano joins in, the fans fire up, but Tama & Loa return! They climb up and drag the others down! All six men are brawling up there! Gargano CLUBS Tamas, Ciampa CLUBS Loa, but they come right back! The Guerrillas YANK DIY down, then they do the same to The Profits! Loa SMACKS Dawkins off rungs!
Tama folds the ladder to SMACK it off Dawkins! Then he and Loa hold the ladder up, but Ford climbs i8t! It isn’t even set up! The Guerrillas shake Ford loose, but Ford avoids the ladder! But not on the return! Down goes Ford, and Loa BATTERING RAMS Gargano! Loa puts that ladder aside while Tama puts the other in the ropes. Tama has Ciampa’s legs, CATAPULT GUILLOTINE with the ladder! Loa CLUBS away on Dawkins, then suplexes him onto the ladder! Dawkins writhes, Tama slingshot SENTONS! The fans boo but Tama & Loa pace around, daring the other teams to do something. The Guerrillas lift the ladder, and CHUCK it at Ciampa!
Ciampa avoids disaster, but now he has to fight 2v1! The Guerrillas mug Ciampa, and Loa CHOPS Ciampa down. The Guerrillas pick that ladder up again, and they run Ciampa down! The fans boo, but Dawkins FLIES! Dawkins hits ladder to take down the Guerrillas! The fans are fired up, but then Gargano DIVES! Dawkins falls, everyone fights as a cluster, and Ford FLIES! Down goes EVERYONE and the fans are thunderous again! All six men are down at ringside, “This is Awesome!” B-Fab coaches The Profits up, and she helps Ford find his way around. B-Fab says Tez, get the tables! Ford says alright, and he looks around under the ring.
Ford finds a table! The fans fire up, and SmackDown goes back to picture in picture.
Ford sets this table near the Hydration Station, then goes back to the cluster. Ford & Dawkins drag Tama up, Dawkins mule kicks Loa down, but Tama fights back! Tama SMACKS Ford off the table! Then he SMACKS Dawkins off the table! Loa storms up and he BOOTS Dawkins! Tama rains down fists on Ford! Loa goes into the ring, he fights DIY, and he RIDGE HAND CHOPS Ciampa! Loa stomps Ciampa around, Tama stomps Gargano. Loa stands a ladder up in a corner, Tama CHOKES Gargano, but The Profits return! Dawkins fights both Guerrillas, but he gets mugged by the Guerrillas! Ford tries now while Tama TOSSES Gargano.
Ciampa moves ladders around while The Profits DOUBLE LARIAT Loa and themselves out of the ring! Smackdown returns to single picture again as Tama attacks Ciampa! Tama stands the ladder up, climbs, but Ciampa stops him! Gargano joins in, and DIY YANKS Tama down, into SHATTER MACHINE!! The fans fire up and Gargano moves a ladder aside. DIY says- NO, Loa drags Gargano out! The KNEE hits Tama, but Loa SMACKS Ciampa with a ladder! Loa then RAMS Gargano with that ladder! And he RAMS Ciampa! Loa hoists the ladder up, but DIY hit a BOOT SUPERKICK COMBO! Loa drops to his knees, the ladder around his neck!
DIY says here goes! FULL METAL MEET IN THE MIDDLE!! A double-edged move with Ciampa’s knee hitting the ladder, but Gargano hurries to stand a ladder up! The fans fire up as Gargano climbs! But here comes Dawkins! Dawkins yanks Gargano down and DECKS him! Gargano goes to the apron, he GAMANGIRIS in return! SLINGSHOT SILENCER!! PSYCHO KNEE from Ciampa!! Ciampa goes to the ladder! The fans rally as Ciampa climbs with one good leg! But Dawkins is up to drag him back down! Ciampa swings, Dawkins counter punches! And again! Ciampa leans on the ladder, Dawkins hauls him up!
Dawkins electric chair lifts, and Ford goes up the ladder!! SUPER BLOCKBUSTER DOOMSDAY!!! The fans are thunderous while those three are all down in the ring! “This is Awesome!” and The Profits rise up! Dawkins positions the ladder just right, climbs up, and is near the top! But Tama SHOVES the ladder over! Dawkins HOTSHOTS off ropes, and Tama is on him! Tama TOSSES Dawkins out, Loa is on him with a HEADBUTT! Tama moves ladders around, Loa sets Dawkins up, Tama RAMS the ladder into Dawkins! Tama says time to end this! Loa hoists Dawkins up near the table, and Tama goes looking for itmes.
Tama brings out a chair! We’re doing a real TLC now! Tama storms up on Dawkins, but B-Fab SNATCHES the chair! The fans cheer, because DIY DOUBLE CHAIR SHOT The Guerrillas! They JAM away on Tama & Loa! The fans fire up as DIY gets some payback on The Bloodline! They put Loa on the table, beat him down, and the fans fire up! Ford goes up and the fans are thunderous! Ford aims at Loa as DIY holds him down, SUPER FROM THE HEAVENS, through the TABLE!! The fans are losing their minds, because now DIY clears the desk! Dawkins says get ’em up! Tama fights against DIY but Dawkins ROCKS him!
The fans fire up as DIY & Dawkins mug Tama! The wreckage is cleared, and we get some Shield references! TRIPLE POWERBOMB through the DESK!!! The fans are electric as Tama & Loa are all down! But then DIY BOOT-SUPERKICK on Dawkins! They DUMP Dawkins into the timekeeper’s area, then hurry to get a ladder in place! Gargano and Ciampa both climb! But Ford is there! Gargano runs up, Ford GAMANGIRIS! Then Ford SPRINGBOARDS onto the ladder! Ford and Ciampa fight, but Dawkins returns! Dawkins climbs up beihnd Ciampa, but Gargano climbs behind Ford!
The fans fire up as Dawkins and Gargano CLUB away on Ciampa and Ford, then clinch! Dawkins SUPER BACK SUPLEXES Ciampa down through a ladder!! But Loa is back!? And he TIPS the ladder to DUMP Ford & Gargano down through the other ladder!! The fans are freaking out, and Loa hurries up the ladder! The fans boo as Tama steadies the ladder for his brother. Loa climbs, reaches up, and he brings the clip down! The Bloodline wins!!
Winners: The Bloodline (still WWE Tag Team Championships)
The Guerrillas of Destiny didn’t even need help from Solo Sikoa or Jacob Fatu, they found a way to survive all on their own! Is this proof that no one will ever stop the dominant tyranny that is The Bloodline?
My Thoughts:
A great episode of SmackDown here to feed right into Bad Blood. Country star Hardy showing up just to introduce Styles was kinda weird, but good promo from Styles, Melo and Knight. Knight’s adlib style kinda stalled for a second but he got to the point that Melo could be facing him next. I would think Styles’ injury tonight was kayfabe to give a reason Styles isn’t right back in a title scene, and it gives Melo that false confidence thinking he deserves a title match. I would hope also that Andrade gets back in the mix. He and Melo are tied 3-3, we need “game 7” before either one goes for the title.
Great stuff in the Dumpster Match, and of course Piper got involved. But even with that and last week with Mia standing tall, she won here and that was a great surprise. Chelsea getting made fun of for the stink by the Heel tag teams of SmackDown was pretty funny, too. Good promo from Naomi with Bianca & Jade to now upgrade the hosting duties to The Big 3. I feel like this move could motivate something happening with a trio from Raw like Pure Fusion Collective or something to set up big stuff for next week, or even a tag title match like with Damage CTRL.
Great promo for Bayley, Nia and Tiffany to tease a Tiffy Turn. As I said before, to be different from SummerSlam, Tiff would have to go through with her cash-in, even if she waits for the match to be over and take advantage of a tired winner. Great win for Naomi over Tiff, great promo after where Nia tells Tiff not to cash-in, which could be all the more reason Tiffany does. And then great promo from Jacob Fatu to hype up not just the tag team main event for Bad Blood but the tag team ladder match here tonight.
That main event was an awesome, PLE worthy ladder match, but we should’ve figured Bloodline wasn’t losing the tag titles just yet. It could be a point of storytelling that, in a parallel to Roman Reigns’ height as champion, the leader of The Bloodline needs his faction more than they need him. Roman was always having The Usos save him, just as Solo is having The Guerrillas of Destiny save him. But The Usos were always able to win their tag matches, just as Tama & Loa did here. That parallel can be thrown at Solo to show he isn’t better than Roman, and that can upset him into losing. For that matter, we might still see Tama & Loa try to help tomorrow night at Bad Blood, proving that point.
My Score: 8.9/10
About Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)
TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends
Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5
Classic POD is WAR
Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!
Powered by RedCircle
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One step away from the Cup!
David Finlay awaits in the New Japan Cup finals, and will either face Shota Umino or Shingo Takagi! Can the Roughneck slay the Rampaging Dragon?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Hiroshi Tanahashi & Katsuya Murashima VS Satoshi Kojima & Yuji Nagata; Kojima & Nagata win.
- 10 Man Tag: The United Empire VS El Phantasmo, Jado, Toru Yano, Boltin Oleg & Daiki Nagai; The United Empire wins.
- Six Man Tag: Hontai VS TMDK; TMDK wins.
- Six Man Tag: Just4Guys VS Bullet Club War Dogs; War Dogs win.
- Six Man Tag: Bullet Club War Dogs VS House of Torture; Double Count-Out Draw.
- Six Man Tag: Los Ingobernables de Japon VS House of Torture; House of Torture wins.
- 2025 New Japan Cup Semifinal: Shota Umino VS Shingo Takagi; Shota wins and advances to the finals.
PLAY BY PLAY
Six Man Tag: Los Ingobernables de Japon VS House of Torture!
Yota Tsuji was cheated out of the New Japan Cup by the King of Darkness, but that’s no surprise. However, that means Evil has a golden ticket to the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship. Will Dick Togo & Yujiro Takahashi help Darkness Fall? Or can Testuya Naito & Bushi help Yota keep everything tranquilo?
Even now, Naito takes his time with his elaborate entrance attire. Eventually, the pants are put aside, and Naito is wearing the new Tendedero merch shirt. LIJ fist bumps, but The House attacks! The fans boo but the bell rings so this is on record. Evil has Yota on the outside and he CLAWS Yota’s eyes! Yujiro CHOKES Naito, Dick bumps Bushi off buckles, and then Yujiro TOSSES Naito! Dick CHOKES Bushi now, then he and Yujiro double whip. Dick runs corner to corner but Bushi dodges! Bushi BOOTS Yujiro, then headlocks Dick! BULLDOG DROPKICK COMBO! The fans fire up and Bushi hurries to tag Naito.
Naito stomps Yujiro, Bushi joins in, and Evil protests. Evil runs in, but into an atomic drop! Evil staggers away to a corner, Naito & Bushi whip Yujiro into him! Evil falls, Naito kicks Yujiro, and holds him in place, for the NECKBREAKER! Naito poses and the fans cheer. Naito then covers, TWO! Tokyo Pimp is tougher than that, but Naito drags Yujiro up to cravat. Yujiro endures the neck wrench, Naito CLUBS him then whips. Yujiro reverses and Dick gets a cheap shot in! Yujiro runs, but Bushi gets as cheap shot in! Naito runs but Evil trips him up! Dick BLASTS Bushi, Yujiro BLASTS Yota, and Evil drags Naito out.
Evil RAMS Naito into the timekeeper! Abe-san again suffers at the hands of Evil! The fans boo and the ref reprimands but Evil drags Naito up. Evil pushes Naito into the ring, then he and Dick loosen the blue buckle pad. Yujiro covers Naito, TWO! Yujiro drags Naito up while the fans rally, but Yujiro snapmares to drop a leg! And he drops another leg! And another leg! Cover, TWO! The fans cheer, but Yujiro taunts LIJ. Yujiro drags Naito up, bumps him off Evil’s boot, and then he tags Evil in. Evil CLAWS Naito’s eyes then stomps away on the legs! The ref reprimands, Evil drags Naito out, and then Evil stomps the leg more!
Evil drops an ELBOW on the knee! Evil pulls on the leg in a toehold, then traps the leg in a leg scissors! Yota runs in and stomps Evil, but Dick TOSSES Yota back out! Evil pulls on the leg, almost has an ankle lock, but Naito has the ROPEBREAK! The ref counts, Evil lets go, and he tags in Dick. They split the wishbone on Naito! The fans rally for Naito but Dick throws down fists. Cover, TWO! Naito is tougher than that and the fans continue to rally. Dick is annoyed, but Naito fires body shots on him! Dick CLAWS Naito’s eyes! The ref reprimands but Dick whips. Naito reverses and ELBOWS Dick, to then arm-drag him!
Naito dropkicks Dick’s legs out! The fans rally, Dick and Naito crawl, hot tag to Yota! The fans fire up as Yota CLOBBERS Dick, then BLASTS the House! But Dick CLAWS Yota’s eyes! Yota runs, but into a scoop and BACKBREAKER! The fans fire up and Yota runs corner to corner, to SPLASH! Yota scoops and SLAMS to then run and BODY PRESS! Cover, TWO! The fans fire up with Yota as he paces around. Yota drags Dick up, suplexes, but Dick fights that! Dick wrenches, hammerlocks, headlocks, then punches Yota! Tag to Evil and they mug Yota! The ref reprimands, the fans boo, but Dick & Evil stand Yota up.
Dick & Evil double whip to DOUBLE SHOULDER TACKLE Yota down! Cover, TWO! Yota is tougher than that and the fans rally up, but Evil tells them to shut up. Evil drags Yota to his feet, talks more trash on the fans, but the fans give that back. Evil “puts one out” on Yota, then fireman’s carries! Yota slips free to ROCK Evil! The fans fire up with Yota, he runs, but Evil goes the other way! But Yota catches the pounce into a clinch! BACKBREAKER, FLATLINER, and STOMP! The Gene Combination hits and the fans fire up! Evil sputters, Yota rolls and tags in Bushi. Bushi runs up to dropkick Evil’s legs out! Then Bushi BLASTS Dick!
Yujiro kicks Bushi, whips him to ropes, but Bushi reverses to dropkick the legs out! Evil is back but Bushi DECKS him! Bushi then builds speed and DIVES! Direct hit and Evil is sent into railing! The fans fire up, Bushi puts Evil back in, and Bushi aims from a corner. Bushi runs corner to corner to ELBOW Evil, then he puts a leg in the ropes to DROPKICK it! Bushi brings Evil out and has the leg, but Evil pulls on the mask! Bushi breaks free, kicks, but Evil blocks, hands it to the ref, and mule kicks Bushi down! Dick & Yujiro BLAST Naito & Yota off the apron! They then double whip Bushi to a corner! Dick ELBOWS Bushi! Yujiro BOOTS! Evil LARIATS!
Dick goes up, Evil & Yujiro hold Bushi open, and the ref reprimands! No one to distract him this time! But then Evil just grabs the ref and turns him around! The ref can’t get free, Bushi suffers the DICK CHOP! Cover, TWO!! Bushi survives and the fans fire up! Evil is stunned but he brushes that off. Evil paces around Bushi, slashes his throat, and vows to end this! Evil drags Bushi up, spins him, EVERY- NO, Naito gets in to kick Evil down! Yujiro is in, Evil distracts the ref, and Yujiro blocks a kick to LOW BLOW Naito!! The fans boo, but Yota runs up! Yujiro blocks his kick, and trips him up, to FALLING HEADBUTT LOW BLOW!!
The fans boo but Evil still holds onto the ref. Bushi stands, Evil shoves the ref at him! Bushi pushes the ref aside, and he blocks the low blow! But Dick LOW BLOWS from the other side! Evil & Dick get Bushi up, for MAGIC KILLER!! Cover, the House of Torture wins!!
Winners: House of Torture, by pinfall
But they’re not done, as they beat up on Yota now! They snatch the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship from him, and Evil holds it up. The fans boo, but Evil takes aim at Yota! But Yota LOW BLOWS Dick! And he dodges Evil’s attack to then pop-up LOW BLOW! Yujiro has his pimp cane! Yota blocks that, takes the cane, and LOW BLOWS Yujiro with it! The fans fire up behind Yota as he takes his belt back. Yota holds it up to show that not everything is Evil! Will the Gene Blast stop the House of Torture from having more gold?
2025 New Japan Cup Semifinal: Shota Umino VS Shingo Takagi!
The Paradigm Shift has certainly taken a turn after The Roughneck gave up his fiery red locks. Shota has changed up his style in the ring to match his new look, but will this Second Chapter lead to the Cup? Or will this young hero fail to slay the Rampaging Dragon?
The bell rings and the fans rally up. They’re strongly behind “TA-KA-GI! TA-KA-GI!” but Shota doesn’t let that bother him. Shota and Takagi slowly step forward, feel things out, then clinch. Takagi waistlocks but Shota turns around to facelock. Takagi wrenches out and has a wristlock, but Shota rolls, wrenches back, and then hammerlocks. Takagi reaches back to headlock and he hits the takeover, but Shota headscissors. Takagi kips free and the fans cheer the standoff. The two reset and feel things out again. They knuckle lock, then go shoulder to shoulder in a Test of Strength! Shota has the leverage but Takagi powers up.
Takagi breaks a grip, wrenches, headlocks, and he grinds the hold. The fans rally up while Shota endures. Shota pries at the headlock but Takagi keeps it on tight. Shota powers up and out the back, then headlocks in return. Takagi endures the grind now, and he powers up and out! They RAM shoulders, Shota keeps going to RAM Takagi! Takagi rebounds to RAM Shota, but Shota stands his ground! Shota fires a forearm, Takagi fires a DOUBLE CHOP! Takagi whips, but Shota reverses to scoop, HOTSHOT, and then he RUNS Takagi over! The fans fire up while Takagi bails out. Shota waits on Takagi, and the fans rally up again.
Takagi takes his time stepping back inside, and he resets with Shota. They knuckle lock, but then Shota shoots in and trips Takagi up. Shota stomps that leg, then he SMASHES the knee off the mat! Shota stalks Takagi to a corner, then puts the leg around ropes. The fans rally, Red Shoes reprimands, but Shota pulls on the leg. Shota then brings Takagi out to trip him, and Shota stomps away on the leg. Shota drops an ELBOW on the knee, and pulls on the toehold! Takagi endures, works his way back, and has the ROPEBREAK! Shota lets go, but then he drops a knee on the knee! Red Shoes reprimands but Shota stomps Takagi’s leg again.
Shota drags Takagi up, facelocks and turns him, but Takagi elbows free! Takagi runs in at the corner but Shota BOOTS him! Shota runs, but Takagi ELBOWS! JABS! YUKON feint and DDT! Shota staggers around while the fans fire up, and Takagi LARIATS Shota up and out! Shota staggers into railing then slumps down. The fans rally behind Takagi while he shakes out the bad leg. Takagi goes out to fetch Shota, and he drags Shota back up. Takagi RAMS Shota into the apron, then RAMS him in again! Takagi whips Shota hard into railing and Shota slumps down! Red Shoes wants Takagi to get this back in the ring, so Takagi rolls in.
The fans applaud and the ring count begins. Shota is still down at 5 of 20, sits up at 8, and he rises up at 10. Shota stands at 13 and hobbles his way over. Shota rolls in at 15, but Takagi stands on him! Red Shoes reprimands but Takagi marches in place before he steps off. Takagi KICKS Shota in the back, then drags him up to whip. Takagi KNEES Shota at the ropes, then runs to CLOBBER Shota! The fans fire up and Takagi flexes. Takagi drags Shota up, reels him in and suplexes high and hard! Cover, TWO! Shota is tougher than that, but Takagi looks to the camera. Then he wags his finger, it’s not time yet.
Takagi clamps onto Shota with a chinlock and squeezes tight. Shota endures, so Takagi sits him up and shifts around to also trap an arm. Shota endures being twisted and turned, and he kicks his way forward to the ROPEBREAK! The fans applaud, and Takagi lets go, only to BELL CLAP! Red Shoes reprimands but Takagi brings Shota around to SENTON! The fans cheer more and Takagi stands back up. Takagi looms over Shota, kicks him around, but Shota just gets mad. Shota glares at Takagi so Takagi eggs him on. Shota stands to fire a forearm! Takagi shakes his head, so Shota fires another forearm! And another!
Takagi wobbles a bit and Shota fires a flurry! But then Takagi blocks one to wrench and knuckle lock! Takagi goes up the ropes!? The fans fire up, but Shota breaks free! Takagi gives thumbs down, and the fans boo, but Takagi HIP ATTACKS Shota down! Takagi rallies the fans behind him, then reels Shota in. But Shota BACKDROPS free! Takagi gets up fast, but Shota dropkicks the legs! Shota turns Takagi for a NECKBREAKER! Shota snarls, goes to a corner, and the fans rally again. Takagi stands, Shota runs corner to corner and UPPERCUTS! Then FISHERMAN SUPLEX! Bridging cover, TWO! Not quite perfect, but Shota stays clam.
Shota drags Takagi up and reels him in, but Takagi fights the lift! Shota CLUBS Takagi, whips him to a corner, then runs up, but he blocks a boot! KNEE JAMMER, and then a SHIN BREAKER! Shota turns Takagi over for the STF! The fans rally as Takagi endures and Shota pulls on the hold! Takagi reaches out, crawls his way over, and fights his way to the ROPEBREAK! The fans cheer and Shota lets go in frustration. Shota stands Takagi back up to reel him back in, but again Takagi fights the lift! Shota KNEES Takagi again and again, then tries again. Takagi still fights that lift! Takagi CLUBS at the legs, but Shota CLUBS away on Takagi’s back!
Shota UPPERCUTS into a spin! Takagi suplexes, Shota fights it, so Takagi hits a TWIST ‘N’ SHOUT! Both men are down and the fans rally back up. Shota crawls away to a corner while Takagi slaps his leg into working. Takagi watches Shota stand, then he runs in. Takagi blocks a boot, CLUBS the leg, and he LARIATS Shota down! The fans fire up and Takagi gets them even more fired up. Takagi stands Shota up, but Shota fires forearms! Takagi SHOVES Shota down, but Shota is right up to fire more forearms! Takagi THROWS Shota down, but Shota’s right up to fire forearms! Takagi YUKON LARIATS outta nowhere!
The fans fire up while both men are down! Takagi rises and grabs at Shota but Shota shakes him off. Takagi still tries to stand Shota up but Shota kicks him now! So Takagi short arm LARIATS Shota down! And he short arm LARIATS again! Then a scoop for a SLAM, and Takagi goes up! YUKON ELBOW DROP! Takagi hauls Shota up, and hits a POWERBOMB! High stack, TWO!! Into an STF! Takagi gives Shota a taste of his own medicine! Shota endures, the fans rally, and then Takagi shifts to Just Facelock! Shota still endures, then fights around and reaches out. Takagi shifts to a FUJIWARA ARMBAR! Shota still endures!
Shota reaches out but Takagi pulls on that arm! The fans rally, Takagi puts as much as he can into the Fujiwara, but Shota fights and reaches out, ROPEBREAK! The fans applaud while Takagi lets off, and he throws some elbows down for good measure. Takagi then brings Shota up, puts him on the top rope, and he fires ridge hand chops! Takagi climbs up, goes to the very top, and hits a SUPER DUPER PLEX! The fans fire up and Shota writhes! Takagi covers, TWO!! Shota survives and the fans fire up again. Takagi finally says, “TOKI GA KITA!” The fans fire up as the time has finally come! They then join in with “OI! OI! OI!”
Takagi stalks Shota, brings him up, and pump handles, only for Shota to fight the lift! Shota slips free, half nelsons, but Takagi elbows free! Shota UPPERCUTS, then UPPERCUTS! And UPPERCUTS! And UPPERCUTS! Shota winds up and runs, but Takagi follows to LARIAT at the ropes! Takagi keeps moving, Shota gets around to SNAP HALF ‘N’ HALF! But Takagi’s right up to SNAP GERMAN! Shota’s right up, ducks a lariat, and he SNAP GERMANS! Shota roars, runs up, but into a PUMPING BOMBER!! Both men are down and the fans fire up again! Takagi and Shota go to opposite ends, and the fans rally up.
Takagi goes to a corner, drags himself up, and Shota is in the other corner. The fans rally harder, and they both run in! DOUBLE LARIATS collide, but neither man falls! So they DOUBLE LARIAT again! Both stay up, Takagi SWATS a lariat to BLINDSIDE LARIAT! Then he whips Shota, but Shota reverses to TORNADO DDT! Takagi’s right up!? But Shota LARIATS him back down!! Shota also falls and the fans rally back up! Takagi and Shota stir, and Shota crawls his way over to Takagi. The “SHOTA! SHOTA!” fans are showing up now, and he reels Takagi in, for a POWERBOMB!! High stack cover, TWO!!
The fans fire up again and Shota fires himself up. Takagi slowly rises up, Shota runs, but Takagi swats the lariat! ELBOW! JAB! YUKON- SHOTGUN! But Takagi’s up to PUMPING BOMBER again!! Both men are down again as we hit 20 minutes! Takagi pounds the mat, the fans rally up, and Takagi crawls over to Shota. The dueling is starting to sound even, and Takagi brings Shota up. Shota fires boxing elbows, then a ROLLING- NO, Takagi catches him! Pump handle, MADE IN JAPAN! Cover, TWO!! Takagi shouts out Milano Collection AT with how he tucks Shota’s arms! TAKAGI DRIVER 98!! Cover, TWO!!
Shota survives but Takagi keeps moving, SLIDING FOREARM! The fans fire up as Takagi gets going again, and he PUMPING BOMBERS!!! Cover, TWO?!?! Shota survives and shocks everyone! Takagi thinks on what he must do now, and he brings Shota back up. The fans rally, Takagi pump handles and torture racks! But Shota kicks and flails to get free! Shota LARIATS, but Takagi stays up while Shota drops to his knees! Takagi shakes his head, brings Shota up again, but Shota ENZIGIRIS! Takagi goes to a corner, Shota fires forearms and an elbow, then a ROLLING ELBOW! Takagi stays up to ELBOW! JAB! And whip!
Shota reverses, and DROPKICKS! The fans fire up, Shota brings Takagi to his feet for the fisherman and SECOND- NO, Takagi fights that to scoop Shota! LANDSLIDE DRIVER!! The fans rally up again and Takagi watches Shota rise. Takagi runs, Shota dodges, but then Takagi dodges! DOUBLE LARIATS!! Shota falls on the cover, ONE?!?! Shota gest going again, SHOTA BOMBER!! Cover, TWO!!! Takagi will not be beat at his own game and the fans fire up! Shota goes to a corner as the fans are dueling, and Shota BUSAIKU KNEES! Then he hooks the leg, SECOND CHAPTER!!! Cover, SHOTA WINS!!
Winner: Shota Umino, by pinfall (advances to the finals)
The Rampaging Dragon has been slain! Perhaps if this was the Shota from before New Beginning, the story would be different, but the Second Chapter writes Takagi out of the tournament. Will Takagi battle his way to the top from a different path?
As for Shota, he decides not to say anything, and exits the ring. But wait! David Finlay & Gedo make their way out here! Gedo grabs the mic to ask, “Oi, kid, where’d you go? Get back out yere, you punk! Get back here, kid!” Shota responds to that taunting and makes his way back out. Gedo tells Shota, “I don’t know what’s going on in your head, but do you realize who you’re facing in the finals? The Savage King, David Finlay! He’s crazy strong, kid! Tougher than you can imagine! Whatever it took for you tog et here, in an instant, it’ll be destroyed! Get over here, ya punk! Get over here! I wanna know how much you want this!”
“You want to come in here, say your piece? Just try!” Gedo drops the mic for Shota, and then Shota stares Finlay down. Shota picks the mic up, and he tells Finlay, “I promise I will beat you.” Finlay likes the sound of that. These two stare down, and we are just days away from them battling for it all! Who will be the 2025 New Japan Cup Champion, and the man aimed squarely at the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship?
My Thoughts:
Another great night for New Japan Cup, but with as much filler as yesterday’s event. The War Dogs sure have their hands in many things, as does the House of Torture with how Evil is building to a title match with Yota Tsuji. The War Dogs and House of Torture going to Double Count-Out Draw again was a good move, it keeps both sides equal as we wait for them to do whatever huge faction warfare match they’re planning. As for Yota VS Evil, hard to say at this point as House of Torture won the match but then Yota stood tall after that scrap. It’d be really weird if Evil gets that title off Yota just to be a transitional champion to Finlay so that Finlay can get “his” title back.
Shota VS Shingo was a great match, but the crowd really took a second to get into it. There still seems to be a number of fans who are uncertain on Shota so they didn’t feel like cheering right away, but Shota got them on his side as things heated up. Shota winning makes sense, he’s got this new attitude and so that’s part of the push. I hope he changes his aesthetic enough once we get to the finals on March 20th. Take those all white paints, airbrush something on them that helps represent what “Second Chapter” Shota is about, or even just go with a solid color like red or blue to indicate the change visually. As for who wins, that is anyone’s guess, as Finlay will have to circle back to the Bullet Club Civil War at some point.
My Score: 8.8/10
About Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)
TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends
Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5
Classic POD is WAR
Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
Adrenaline in Brussels, every thought out of control!
Cody Rhodes has called him out and now it’s the moment of truth: Will John Cena return to Monday Night Raw live from Brussels, Belgium?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- No Holds Barred: PENTA VS Ludwig Kaiser; Penta wins.
- Dakota Kai VS Ivy Nile; Dakota wins.
- Jey Uso VS Austin Theory w/ Grayson Waller; Jey wins.
- The Creed Brothers VS Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee; Rey & Lee win.
- WWE Intercontinental Championship: Bron Breakker VS Finn Balor; Bron wins and retains the title.
PLAY BY PLAY
JOHN CENA IS HERE!
Brussels erupts with booing as the traitorous GOAT makes his way out. He’s wearing the custom Belgium merchandise, but not even that is enough to appease the fans, and they still sing, “John Cena SUCKS~!” Cena grabs the mic and paces around while the fans boo and give thumbs down. The dueling does begin, “Let’s Go, Cena!” “CENA SUCKS!” and Cena just stands there to let it play out. Then he drops the mic and turns to leave, but that makes everyone boo! Cena picks up the mic, fans chant, “You Sold Out!” so Cena drops the mic again. The fans boo, so Cena picks the mic back up.
Cena finally speaks, “When someone is properly grounded in life… They shouldn’t have to look outside themselves for approval.” Fans chant and sing at Cena some more, but Cena says they are making this so easy for him. “For 25 years, I’ve been the victim, okay? I have been the victim of an abusive relationship. No, no, no, you have lost your time to talk!” The fans say, “You Sold Out!” Cena says fine, take the floor. But what do they do with it? They just abuse and bully him into being their damn puppet, and expect him to do it with a smile on his face! NO MORE! The fans tell Cena off, and he lets them say it. “So very classy. Thank you.”
“Look, I am not a ‘baby face,’ I am not a ‘heel.’ I’m a human being. And each and every one of you has been AWFUL to me! Go ahead, go ahead! You’ve been awful!” The fans boo more, but Cena says it has been the same damn noise for 25 YEARS! When he first got here, the fans let him know really loud that they hated him. Moments of embarrassment and shame, they let him know he wasn’t worthy of them. So he changed himself, and it worked for a second, but then it wasn’t enough! So what’d he do? He worked hard like always, he started to win and win and win and win, and win and win and win and win!
But oh, he won a lot, and fans hated it! It wasn’t enough! So what’d Cena do? He spent 10 YEARS giving away everything he possibly could, and it still wasn’t enough! The fans tell Cena to STFU, but he just smirks and shakes his head. In his final moments, what’s the only thing he can do? He can walk away. Wow, and now you cheer. But he announced his retirement in a move no one has done before. He really is walking away at the end of this year. He tried one last time to get along with the fans. He tried one last time to do something nice, but they ruined it! Just like they ruin everything!
Because just like right here tonight, it was great for two seconds, and then it wasn’t enough! The fans sing “Hey Hey Hey~, Goodbye~!” Cena says, “Each one of these idiots is proving my point with every breath. My point is, no matter what I do, it is never enough, and you should all be ashamed of yourselves. All you ever do is take. You take, you take, and you take! And you only care about yourselves! I put my values on the line to make a very important choice in my life, and all you could think is, ‘What do we get?’ My story changed! ‘What do we get? John Cena’s coming to my town! What do we get? This is trending! What do we get?’
“Not one of you SOBs asked me how I feel. No one! It’s just ‘What do we get? What do we get?’ YOU GET NOTHING! You get what you have earned, and what you have earned is NOTHING! You don’t get a new look, because you dress like me, I don’t dress like you idiots! You don’t get new music! That is MY voice on that song, and your time is finally up! And my time is finally now! The only thing you get is to take a long look in the mirror to see how awful each and every one of you has been for 25 years to me!” The fans still boo, and even shift to, “We Want Cody!” Oh, they want Cody? OH~, of course! The brand new, shiny toy! Because they’re about to put this one out to pasture.
Like he said, they’re just proving his point that they’re awful people. And that’s every single person here! No one is safe, no one can hide, especially those he can pick out in the crowd. This guy, that guy in the front row, and that other guy. Yes, he sees them. The “Let’s Go Cena” people. They’re the ones who support Cena. The dueling begins again, and Cena says, “You hear that, world? The Cena Sucks Jagoffs, they have already proved themselves awful people. I’m about ot tell you why the Let’s Go Cena people are just as awful. You claim to support me? What have you ever done? What have you, you, you, what have you ever done to support me, huh?!
“What have you ever done for me? All you ever do is steal from me! You steal! You steal my personal moments! You steal my time! You have made me your freakin’ toy! I am an object to you! You have made me the butt to a stupid ‘invisible’ joke for 15 years, and you still think it’s funny! It is NOT funny! It is pathetic! You are pathetic.” Fans tell Cena off again, but Cena says they don’t wanna hear this, huh? Not ready to hear this? Not ready to lean into the uncomfortable conversation. The truth is, the fans don’t wear his merch to support him. They wear it to feel good. They wear words like Hustle, Loyalty, Respect, but Cena LIVES them.
The fans think they can buy the words “Never Give Up?” Cena is the definition of perseverance, and everyone here knows it! “You do not support me. What you do is you use me as an excuse for your pathetic failure of a life. Because all you’ve ever done there for 25 years is sit on your ass and watch me be great! NO MORE! This, everybody, including that one kid right there, is a toxic, dysfunctional relationship! Oh, you don’t wanna hear it, huh? It’s too tough for ya? Well listen to this. I’m breaking up with you. I’m done. I’m breaking up with every single person. Whether you like me or you don’t, you’re dumped.
“I don’t need you anymore. I don’t care about you. And you don’t matter to me. And here’s the thing. There’s no noise you can make, there is nothing you can do, because you know I’m right and you know you are wrong!” WAIT! Here comes Cody! Brussels erupts with cheers this time, and they sing along with the song, “WHOA~ OH~!” Cody gets his pyro, continues down the ramp and high-fives fans, and Cena just waits on Cody. We get the second “WHOA~ OH~!” and more pyro as Cody throws off his jacket and steps into the ring with Cena. Cody raises the Undisputed WWE Championship, the fans cheer, and then Cody gets himself a mic.
The fans cheer as the song dies down and Cena scowls. The fans sing, “CODY! CODY RHOOODES~! CODY, CODY RHOOODES~!” Cody lifts the belt again and the fans cheer more. Cody then finally says, “I think everybody was willing to hear you out, even myself. If I understood correctly from what you just said, they’ve given you their worst. Sure, they might’ve given you their worst. But they’ve also given you their best for 25 years, and they did that because you were special. They did that because you were special. They did that because you could take it. They did that because you could carry it!” The fans cheer that.
Cena says, “Look, kid,” but Cody tells him, “ENOUGH! And it’s certainly not ‘kid.’ It’s champion!” The fans cheer that, too! And Cody wants to ask Cena something. “Who the hell are you? Where’s the guy on this shirt? Right here! Even after what you did, I was excited at the prospect of going week to week, face to face, with John Cena. And instead, I got this. Well this better not show up at WrestleMania. Because if it does, I run it over, I run it out, because I already took its best shot and it wasn’t good enough, I retire it early! So go find John Cena, because I wanna wrestle him at WrestleMania 41, not this whiny b*tch!”
Cody drops his mic and leaves the ring, the fans all fired up! Cody gives Cena one last look before he makes his way back up the ramp. The fans sing for “CODY! CODY RHOOODES~!” again, and he again lifts the belt. Cena is still in the ring, so the fans boo. Cena drops his mic, exits the ring, and the fans again sing “Hey Hey Hey, Goodbye~!” Cena gives them one last look before he goes backstage. Will this Cena be all we get from now until the end of 2025?
No Holds Barred: PENTA VS Ludwig Kaiser!
After going back and forth, and even adding Pete Dunne to the mix, the Man with No Fear and the Impeccable German have it out with nothing holding them back! Will Penta show Kaiser what #CeroMiedo looks like when it is fully unleashed? Or will Kaiser say NEIN to another loss?
Raw returns and Penta makes his entrance. The fans fire up with the pyro, and “CERO! MIEDO!” The fans even sing, “OLE~, OLE OLE OLE~! CEROOO~, MIEDOOO~!” The bell rings and Penta eggs Kaiser on. Kaiser is annoyed with the fans, but then he and Penta start throwing hands! Kaiser gets the edge, but Penta avoids the lariat to CHOP Kaiser down! Kaiser staggers, Penta runs up, and Penta LARIATS Kaiser up and out! Then Penta slides out, runs up, but Kaiser THROWS him into the timekeeper’s area! The fans boo, but Penta gets up on the barriers! Penta tightrope walks his way to FLYING RANA Kaiser into the apron!
The fans fire up with Penta and he pursues, but Kaiser bails out. Kaiser grabs chairs, puts them in the ring, but Penta runs up to DROPKICK Kaiser down! Penta then builds speed and he FLIES! Direct hit, the fans fire up, but then the fans cheer as Penta clears the commentary desk! Penta puts Kaiser up there, CHOPS him, but Kaiser CHOPS back! They CHOPS go back and forth, the fans cheer and boo. Penta fires off a flurry, but Kaiser CLAWS Penta’s face! Then KAISER ROLL on the desk! The fans lose their minds while Kaiser stands tall, and Raw goes to break.
Raw returns, Kaiser has Penta up top, and he CLAWS at the mask! But Penta fights Kaiser off! The fans fire up as Kaiser staggers, and Penta CROSSBODIES! Kaiser staggers up, Penta dodges and KICKS Kaiser in the leg! Then SLING-DOG! Kaiser flounders to a corner, Penta whips, but Kaiser reverses. Penta goes up and over to BACKSTABBER! Cover, TWO! The fans rally up and Penta rises. Penta aims from a corner, calls his shot, and runs up, but into a GAMANGIRI! Kaiser fireman’s carries, KAISER ROLL again, then cover! TWO! Penta survives, but Kaiser kicks him out of the ring. Kaiser UPPERCUTS Penta, then RAMS him into steel steps!
The fans boo, Kaiser leaves Penta behind, but only to go out the side. Kaiser gets running, wanting his favorite shot! But Penta BACKDROPS Kaiser onto the desk! The fans are thunderous as Kaiser writhes! Penta has the fans singing again, and he brings Kaiser off the desk to put in the ring. Penta stalks Kaiser, but Kaiser SMACKS Penta! The fans chant, “We Want Tables!” but Penta CHOPS! Kaiser fires a haymaker, Penta fires back, and the two stand. Kaiser ROCKS Penta, but Penta ROCKS Kaiser! The haymakers keep going, then Penta trades CHOPS with Kaiser’s haymakers! Penta fires a flurry of forearms, then says “CERO! MIEDO!”
Penta runs, tilt-o-whirls, but Kaiser SLAMS him down! BLINDSIDE SLIDING FOREARM! Cover, TWO! Penta survives but Kaiser stalks him to ropes. Kaiser tells Penta to listen to him! Penta will fear KAISER! Kaiser will teach Penta what it means to fear! Kaiser CLUBS Penta down, the fans sing for Penta, but Kaiser grabs a chair. Kaiser dares Penta to get up, and then he SMACKS Penta on the back! Penta scrambles to a corner but Kaiser grins as he storms up. Kaiser CHOKES Penta with the chair and shouts, “Are you scared? Say it!” Kaiser wants Penta to admit he’s afraid, but Penta just powers up! The fans fire up as Penta pushes Kaiser back! “CERO! MIEDO!”
Kaiser drags Penta up, clinches, but Penta WRINGS that arm, then has the other! THE SACRIFICE!! Kaiser writhes, clutches that elbow, but now Penta has the chair! Penta winds up but Kaiser wants mercy! Penta shakes his head but Kaiser says he gives up?! Kaiser says Penta wins? Penta isn’t sure about that, but then Kaiser CLAWS Penta’s eyes! Kaiser has th echair, but Penta SUPERKICKS the chair into Kaiser! Then he SMACKS Kaiser! Then he gives the chair back to SUPERKICK it into Kaiser again! Penta goes up, Kaiser staggers around, and Penta reels him in, FLYING MEXICAN DESTROYER on the chair!!
The fans are losing their minds, but Penta then hits a PENTA DRIVER!! Cover, Penta wins!
Winner: Penta, by pinfall
Brussels gives this brutal opener a standing ovation! Will Penta now leave Kaiser in the past to go for bigger and better prizes? Cathy Kelley interviews Penta on the ramp and congratulates him on the win. That was a definitive end to that match, and we’re on the Road to WrestleMania. What is next for Penta? Penta says first off all, THANK YOU, BRUSSELS! They are amazing, he loves ’em! But the Penta New Era is here! It is alive in Europe, but also in every continent in the world! What is next for Penta? Listen: THE INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP!
Penta wants to tell everyone that he doesn’t care what he has to do, he WILL be champion! Because he is Penta, and he has CERO MIEDO! That very title is on the line later tonight, will Penta be aimed at Bron Breakker or Finn Balor for WrestleMania?
Dakota Kai heads to gorilla.
Iyo Sky gives her a pep talk before her match, but uh, is that Dominik Mysterio talking with Karrion Kross? Is Dom still trying to recruit new members? Or is Mr. Doomsday giving Dom some special advice of his own?
The Judgment Day is in the clubhouse.
Carlito is adding to the great graffiti backstage, Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez talk about how Dominik should’ve taken the match with Bron Breakker instead of- Finn walks in! Liv & Raquel say hey, and they wish him luck tonight. Finn thanks them for that, and he wishes them the best of luck in their matches. Jade Cargill is gonna be another stop on the Liv Morgan Revenge Tour! And Raquel, by this time next week, they’ll both be Intercontinental- Oh, Dom walks in! Hey, bud! The man of the moment! Finn knows Dom knows, but Finn wants to say from the bottom of his heart, thanks for getting him the title match.
Dom says of course! Whatever it takes to get Judgment Day back on top. But here’s the thing… Dom was talking with some people, and he has an idea. Oh, an idea? Is Dom sure he should say this? Dom says it’ll be okay. Ever since JD McDonagh went down, they kinda lost some muscle around here. So Dom found the perfect person to add to the Judgment Day! Finn is annoyed and asks who. Penta! Finn wants to get something straight. After all this time, and after all they’ve been through, Dom goes behind Finn’s back, has all these conversations with all these people, and the one he lands on… is offering a spot to Penta, the guy who just declared HE wants Finn’s Intercontinental title?!
Finn seethes, and tells Dom he’s just a snake! Finn storms out, the mood ruined. Dom didn’t know Penta was gonna go for the title. Carlito says Dom doesn’t watch the product, huh? Well, Dom stepped in it this time. Is there some way he can he make it up to Finn? Or should he just give up on adding members?
Dakota Kai VS Ivy Nile w/ Team American Made!
Speaking of the Women’s Intercontinental Championship, both #CobraKai and the Diamond Pitbull have fought for and failed to take that title from Lyra Valkyria. With Raquel Rodriguez facing Lyra next, who will prove they’re worthy of the shot after that?
What a surprise to see Chad Gable showing up. He apologizes for being late, and then he joins The Creed Brothers in Ivy’s corner. The bell rings, and Dakota fires off fast hands on Ivy! The ref reprimands as they’re in the corner, but Dakota backs off. Dakota runs up, but Ivy stops the flying-mare! Ivy throws Dakota away, Dakota keeps moving, but Ivy LARIATS! Ivy is already frustrated and she rains down fists! The fans boo, Ivy tells them to shut up, and Maggle taunts Gable about his lucha mask that he may or may not have. Ivy stands Dakota up, whips her to a corner, and Dakota bounces off buckles into Ivy’s GERMAN SUPLEX! Cover, TWO!
Ivy is annoyed but Gable coaches her on. Ivy drags Dakota up, reels her in, and she suplexes. Dakota cradle counters! TWO, and Dakota goes to a corner. Ivy runs up, Dakota ELBOWS her away, then Dakota BOOTS her! Dakota runs to DISCUS LARIAT! And then LARIAT again! And DROPKICK! The fans fire up with Dakota while Ivy ends up in a corner. Dakota runs in to BOOT WASH! Dakota then puts Ivy through ropes, and JUMP- NO, Ivy avoids the stomp! But Dakota GAMANGIRIS! The fans fire up again and Dakota builds speed, but Gable is on the apron! The fans boo, Ivy storms in, and Ivy scoops Dakota for a SWINGING SIDE SLAM! Cover, TWO!
Dakota survives, and here comes the LWO! They go after The Creeds for what Gable or not Gable did! Gable runs but gets flanked, so he goes into the crowd! The fans fire up as Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee chase after Gable! Ivy is shocked, but that lets Dakota run Around the World! BOOT! And then a fireman’s carry, GO TO KICK!! Cover, Dakota wins!
Winner: Dakota Kai, by pinfall
American Made falls apart in Brussels, and now #CapKota is in pole position for the title chase! Will she get one more shot on goal with Lyra? Or will she and her old rival, Raquel, meet again?
Iyo Sky heads to the ring!
The fans fire up as the Evil Genius, the NEW Women’s World Champion, is ready to sign on the dotted line! She and Bianca Belair are going to put pen to paper, but will that be all that happens? We find out after the break.
Raw returns as Bianca is in the ring, and Adam Pearce has joined them. Pearce welcomes everyone in French, and says it is now time to make this world title match official between challenger Bianca Belair, and champion Iyo Sky! The fans cheer that! Pearce says they know how this works. Two signatures makes this official, so the floor is theirs. Iyo and Bianca both take their seats, and Iyo picks up her mic first. “Bianca, you will not disrespect me again. Rhea will not disrespect me again. No one will disrespect me again. Because I am the Women’s World Champion!” The fans cheer that! “And after WrestleMania, I will still be the Women’s World Champion!” The fans cheer even more for that!
Iyo signs her part, the fans cheer again, and even chant, “You Deserve It!” Iyo bows in thanks for that. Now Bianca has her turn to speak. “Iyo, I have all the respect in the world for you. I really do. But last week, I gave you a pass because it was lowkey my fault, so I’ma tell you exactly what I told Rhea. If you put your hands on me and think you can get away with it, you don’t know me at all. So WrestleMania, you gonna find out exactly who I am. I am Bianca Belair, The EST of WWE, and I will be your NEW Women’s World Champion.” Fans are a bit more torn here, but Bianca signs her part. Pearce says it is now official!
The fans cheer and Pearce thanks them for being so professional. But then RHEA RIPLEY shows up! The fans fire up but Pearce, Bianca and Iyo are all shocked and upset about this. Mami has a mic as she storms down the ramp, but Pearce already calls in refs! Pearce asks what Rhea is doing out here, but Rhea asks them what they’re all doing out here. Because last she checked, Iyo slapped her in the face and she won’t do nothing about it, like Bianca over here. How the hell is Bianca acting like nothing happened? Well, for one, Bianca had to sign the contract for WrestleMania. That’s what she’s doing out here.
Rhea says real funny, coming from Bianca. Because Bianca had no business being out here for Rhea’s title match, but there she was. So time to take a page out of Bianca’s book, and she’s just out here to watch. Oh, then Rhea will be just watching WrestleMania! Bianca and Rhea argue, Iyo gets riled up, and she storms up like last time. But Bianca pie faces her first! Bianca says she ain’t getting smacked today! Well she gets a HEADBUTT from Rhea! Bianca ends up on the table, and then Rhea kicks Iyo! Rhea reels Iyo in, and hauls her up, to POEWRBOMB onto Bianca! The table doesn’t break, but Pearce has had enough of Rhea!
Rhea sees the contract on the floor, then picks it up. And she SIGNS IT, TOO!? Can she do that?! We have the two signatures, but is she making this into a Triple Threat?! Pearce argues with Rhea all the way to the back as she plays keep-away, but is Mami about to be on top one way or another?
Jey Uso walks ‘n’ talks.
“Yeah! Yeah! Main Event Jey Uso is now in your citaaay~! YEAH! I ain’t been myself lately. Been doubtin’ myself. Mind playin’ tricks on me. So I flew halfway around the world to whoop somebody’s ass! And that person tonight is Austin Theory. But at WrestleMania, it’s me and you, Gunther, when I shock the world and become World Heavyweight Champ! So Uce! Hey, Uce! Please hit my music-” GUNTHER IS AT GORILLA! Jey and Gunther get to shouting but Pearce and security barge in! Pearce says not tonight! Not after everything Rhea just did! Gunther says he talked to Jimmy on Friday, and he’s just as dumb as Jey!
Jey shoves Gunther, security ushers Gunther out, and Jey says he’ll see “G” out there! UH UH, YEET!! Jey makes his entrance, will he be even more fired up to fight #AllDay Austin Theory?
Jey Uso VS Austin Theory w/ Grayson Waller!
Raw returns and A-Town Down Under makes their entrance. The bell rings, Waller distracts Jey already, and Theory fires off haymakers! They end up in the corner, the ref reprimands and counts, but Theory talks trash on the Yeet! Theory drags Jey up, whips him corner to corner, but Jey goes up and over. Jey keeps moving, he ducks ‘n’ dodges then SPEARS!! Cover, Jey wins!!
Winner: Jey Uso, by pinfall
That was fast! Jey really IS fired up to fight Gunther for Mania! Waller storms in, but Jey SUPERKICKS him down! Jey then watches ATDU regroup, and Jey FLIES! Jey clips the ropes just a bit but he still takes ATDU down! Jey gets back up, but GUNTHER GETS HIM IN A SLEEPER!! Gunther squeezes tight, but Jey RAMS Gunther into a corner! Jey is free to fire haymakers! “YEET! YEET! YEET!” Jey pops, locks, but Gunther blocks the shot! Jey ROCKS Gunther with his off hand, and then he YANKS the title from Gunther!! The fans fire up, Gunther runs up in a rage, but Jey DUMPS him out! The fans fire up as Jey holds up the belt!
Gunther is furious, the fans cheer, but then Jey tosses the belt back. Der Ring General tried to punk out Jey, but Jey turned the tables! Will nothing stop Jey from proving he IS a main event player?
Pearce argues with Rhea.
Pearce will not allow Rhea to get away with what she’s doing! You can’t just write your name on a contract! Rhea says yes she can, she literally just did it! This is like talking to a child. Give him the contract! No! Yes! No! YES! NO! Rhea Ripley, give her the contract! Rhea says then he should put her in the match, her name’s on the contract! She shoves the contract into Pearce’s chest, he thanks her and takes his leave. But here comes Bianca! She and Rhea brawl! Bianca HAMMERS away, but now Iyo gets in, to go after Rhea! Bianca shoves Iyo aside and says Rhea is hers! Iyo DECKS Bianca, tells Bianca not to screw with her, but then Rhea SHOVES Iyo into a door!
Rhea goes after Bianca, and throws her into road cases! Pearce returns to have refs usher Rhea out of here! Rhea demands to be in that title match! Will Mami get what she wants? Or will she throw things out of whack until she does?
The Creed Brothers VS Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee!
After that wild encounter earlier tonight, this was a natural choice for all parties involved! Will Julius & Brutus get payback for Master Gable being run out of the building? Or will American Made learn not to mess with the L W O?
The teams sort out and Julius starts against Dragon. The bell rings, and Julius JUMP KNEES Lee down! The fans boo but Julius drags Lee up for a fireman’s carry. But Lee pops up to RANA Julius away! Brutus runs up but Lee dodges to SUPERKICK! Brutus tumbles out, Lee DIVES onto Brutus! Lee goes up a corner, then CROSSBODIES Julius! Cover, TWO! The fans fire up and Lee clamps onto Julius. Lee reaches out but Brutus YANKS Rey down! Julius turns things around and hits Lee with a ROLLING SPINEBUSTER! Then a SLIDING LARIAT! Julius scowls, the fans boo, but Raw goes to break.
Raw returns and the fans rally as Lee wipes out the Creeds! Lee crawls for his corner, hot tags to Julius and Rey! The fans fire up as Rey BLASTS Brutus, BOOTS Julius, then ELBOWS Brutus to dodge Julius! Tilt-o-whirl DEJA VU RANA! Julius flounders around, the fans fire up, and Rey climbs up on Julius. Rey rains down fists, and the fans count all the way to “Sept” (seven in French) before Julius carries him off the corner! Brutus is there and Julius hands Rey off! But Rey fights back, elbowing Julius away and raining fists down on Brutus! But Brutus THROWS Rey at Julius, and Julius catches Rey!
Julius powers up and brings Rey around, but Rey swings to DDT! Lee is back, FLYING RANA for Brutus to the floor!! The fans are thunderous and Rey goes up top! But Julius springs up after him! Only for Rey to HEADBUTT him away! Rey leaps, FLYING RANA and Julius is on the ropes! Rey dials it up and the fans cheer the 619! DROP THE DIME! Cover, LWO WINS!
Winners: Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee, by pinfall
The King of Lucha and his Boy Wonder took down the Creeds, but WAIT! That American Made luchador is back! He CLOBBERS Rey, dodges Lee, and then FLYING HEADBUTTS! El Americano rains down fists on Lee, then GERMAN SUPLEXES! Rey storms up to fire forearms! The fans fire up, but Gable- er, uh, Americano waistlocks again! GERMAN SUPLEX and Rey lands on Lee! The fans boo “whoever this is,” but now he goes up top! The fans chant “You Suck! You Suck!” a la Angle, but Americano says SHOOOOSH! DIVING HEADBUTT on Lee!! “UH GRACIAS~!” Americano runs away as security rushes out here!
Gable was ran off from the building, yet this luchador returns. What is going on with this masked man mystery?
Seth Rollins is here!
Brussels sings his song, “WHOA~ OH~ OHH~!” as The Visionary is in a comparatively normal outfit. Rollins high-fives fans and makes his way to the ring in his dark green suit and boots highlighted with gold chain and wristwatch. What will Rollins have to say about the shocking way Roman Reigns returned? We find out, after the break.
Raw returns as the fans continue to sing, “WHOA~ OH~ OHH~!” Rollins revels in it while he has the mic in hand. The fans applaud as the singing just keeps going. Another round of applause, and then Rollins tells Brussels, “Welcome to Monday Night Rollins!” The fans cheer again, and Rollins says that by the sound of this, they already know it. In case you don’t, this is a Visionary, this is a Revolutionary, this is SETH! FREAKIN’! ROLLINS! The fans cheer more, the singing returns, and Rollins again smiles. The fans applaud, and Rollins says alright. He was coming out here mad as Hell, but it is hard to be mad with those beautiful voices serenading him.
Rollins takes a moment as fans start to chant “C M PUNK! C M PUNK!” Well, we’ll get to him, but Rollins wants to talk Roman Reigns first. “O T C! O T C!” Yes, you saw the footage last week. Is Rollins mad as Hell that Roman came for revenge? Absolutely not, cuz he’d have done the same damn thing! HAHAHA! “The problem is, even after all these years, and a Wise Man in his ear, Roman Reigns still can’t come up with a plan. He needs his Architect to do it for him.” Roman had the time, the place, the moment, but he left one detail out: That detail is the man the fans were all chanting for just a few moments ago.
The “C M PUNK!” chant returns and Rollins says yes, “The luckiest loser on the face of the planet.” Because of Rollins had just a few more seconds in that cage, he would’ve ended what he promised the world. He would’ve stomped Punk through the mat, ended the Mania dream, and put Punk’s career on ice! Rollins would’ve taken care of the Punk Problem for everyone, including Roman. But like the good ol’ days, Rollins is left to clean up Roman’s mess. The “O T C!” chants return, and Rollins says don’t worry, he’ll put OTC in his place along the way. And it just so happens that Rollins’ two favorite people are going to be in the same place at the same time this Friday Night SmackDown.
Oh, trust him, Brussels, Rollins wishes those two were here, too. But… Rollins was just thinking… Why let them boys have all the fun? Maybe Rollins makes a trip down to Italy, makes a trip to SmackDown, and he puts himself right in between Roman and Punk? What do the fans think about that? The fans cheer, and Rollins says yeah, that sounds like a nice way to solve a problem and clean up a mess. But that is Friday, this is Monday, this ain’t about SmackDown, this is about the fans! This has been one hell of a crowd all night long! They’ve been singing with their beautiful voices, there’s just one match left and that is the main event for the Intercontinental Championship!
So Brussels, sing Rollins’ beautiful song as he makes his way to SmackDown and we make our way to the main event! Give it to ’em, Brussels! “WHOA~ OH~ OHH~!” Rollins revels in it again, and he says, “It’s on. See you boys on Friday, HAHAHA!”
Backstage interview with AJ Styles.
Cathy is with the Phenomenal One and says he had a lot to say on the Raw Recap show about Logan Paul. Could he give us a bit of that here? Styles says he stands behind everything he said. Styles hears the fans sing for him, then says Logan Paul just doesn’t belong. But then Karrion Kross & Scarlett Bordeaux walk over. Kross asks if that’s really how Styles feels. Styles says he doesn’t need this. Kross says he is just offering a different perspective, but if Styles doesn’t want it… Kross turns to go but Styles says fine, let’s hear it. Maybe Styles isn’t mad about Logan Paul. Maybe Styles is mad at himself. That’s enough of that.
No, hey, hold on! Kross just wants Styles to think: How long did it take for Styles to get to the WWE and find validation? 16? Styles says it was 17. Okay, okay. But it didn’t take Logan that long, did it? Is Styles not able to respect a guy who just waltzed into the business and did everything Styles has ever wanted to in record time? Styles sees where Kross is going with this, and it’s not gonna work. Styles leaves, but Kross says it’s working. He and Scarlett do the Scott Hall fingers, will their mind games make Styles and Logan bitter enemies?
Bron Breakker heads to gorilla.
And Penta is there! Penta looks at the title, and Bron smirks. Will this be the match-up for the title? Or will this Road to WrestleMania take a detour thanks to The Judgment Day?
WWE Intercontinental Championship: Bron Breakker VS Finn Balor!
The Big Bad Booty Nephew has been chewing up this roster ever since he got here, but The Prince claims he chews up “rookies” like Bron his whole career. But until these two fight it out, it’s all just talk. Whose bark is worse than their bite when the bell rings?
Raw returns and Bron makes his entrance. The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and it’s time to see who’s the real badass around here!
The bell rings and the fans rally up. In fact, they’re even dueling, “Let’s Go, Balor!” and then barking for Bron. Finn and Bron feel things out, knuckle lock, but then Finn backs away to ropes. The ref has Bron stay back, Finn leaves the ropes, and the two reset. They tie up, Finn headlocks, but Bron powers up and out. Bron RUNS Finn over, the fans bark, and Bron snarls as he storms up on Finn. Finn kicks low, CLUBS Bron on the neck, then headlocks. Bron blocks the takeover with pure brawn, then he hoists Finn up! The fans fire up, but Finn uses that to flying headlock takeover! The fans cheer while Finn grinds Bron down.
Bron endures as Finn thrashes him around. Bron rolls Finn to a cover, TWO, and Finn holds onto the headlock. The fans rally, Bron powers out and headlocks. Finn powers out, drops down, then bypasses Bron to TOSS him out! Bron lands on his feet! The fans fire up, Bron storms in, and he RAMS Finn into a corner! Bron RAMS Finn again and again, then snarls again. Finn staggers to another corner, but Bron runs up to LARIAT! Bron whips Finn to TOSS him out, and Finn tumbles! Bron goes out the side, and he builds up speed! The fans fire up, but Finn SLINGBLADES Bron down! Finn has control while Raw goes to break.
Raw returns and Finn has Bron in a corner. Finn CHOPS and the fans “WOO~!” Finn paces, then he goes back to Bron for a haymaker. Bron counter punches! And counter punches! Bron fires hands, whips, then scoops, but Finn tilt-o-whirls through to RUSSIAN LEG SWEEP! Cover, TWO! Finn ELBOWS Bron in the neck, the fans rally up, and Finn stalks Bron. Finn scuffs Bron, SLAPS him, and talks trash. “You know who I am? I’m Finn Balor!” Finn keeps scuffing and slapping, and the fans tell Finn he done messed up! Finn fires hands, but Bron just snarls! Bron ROCKS Finn again and again, then whips. Finn reverses, but Bron LEAPING ELBOWS!
Bron storms up again, clinches, and EXPLODERS! Finn flounders, Bron whips again, but Finn KICKS the backdrop away. Finn runs, Bron dodges and then catches Finn for a POWERSLAM! The fans fire up and bark, and then Bron drags Finn up. But wait, here come Dom & Carlito! It was only a matter of time before Judgment Day pulled this move! They distract Bron and Finn rolls Bron up! TWO, and Finn runs up, but Bron catches him by the neck! Military press, but Finn slips free, EYE OF THE HURRICANE! Cover, TWO! Bron survives and Finn is frustrated, but Dom & Carlito cheer Finn on.
Bron crawls to ropes, Finn spins him around, and Finn JUMP STOMPS! The fans tell Dom he sucks, Carlito tells Dom to tune that out, and Finn gives more stomps! Finn asks Dom what he’s doing out here, so apparently this was another of Dom’s ideas. Finn CHOPS Bron, then whips, but Bron ducks ‘n’ dodges and builds up speed to CLOBBER Finn! The fans fire up and bark again while Finn bails out. Bron storms out after Finn and the ref tells Dom & Carlito to back off. Bron LEAPS from the apron and onto the desk! Both men go tumbling over and the fans lose their minds! Bron sputters, Corey Graves lost a shoe, and “This is Awesome!”
Bron and Finn slowly stir, and Bron is on his feet! Finn crawls, wants mercy, but Bron stomps him! Bron puts Finn in the ring, and he dares Dom & Carlito to pull something. Bron slides in and builds speed again! SLINGBLADE! Finn hits first, and then he hurries to go again! SHOTGUN and Bron hits buckles! Bron slumps down into the drop zone so Finn climbs up! The fans fire up as Finn reaches the top! COUP DE- NO, Bron dodges, runs up, but Finn hurdles over the Spear! Roll up, TWO!! Bron grabs Finn again, military press, BREAKKER SLAM! Cover, TWO! Finn survives, both men are down, and the fans are fired up!
Dom & Carlito coach Finn but Bron is up first. Bron has blood in his mouth, perhaps from a busted lip, but he doesn’t care. Bron runs in, but Finn KICKS him first! And ENZIGIRIS! Bron is down again so Finn goes back up! But Bron hurries to trip Finn! Finn CLAWS at Bron’s head, then throws hands! The fans rally, Finn stands, but Bron ROCKS him first! Bron climbs up and brings Finn to the top! But Carlito distracts the ref! Dom YANKS Bron into a HOTSHOT, but that trips Finn up, too! Finn lands on his prince and he’s pissed at Dom! Dom apologizes, but Bron is just as mad! Bron BLASTS Dom, BLASTS Carlito, then springs up after Finn! SUPER STEINER!!
The fans are thunderously barking, Bron hits the SPEAR!!! Cover, Bron wins!
Winner: Bron Breakker, by pinfall (still WWE Intercontinental Champion)
Bron is so badass, not even Judgment Day could cost him! But now Judgment Day attacks him! The fans boo but Dom goes to grab the belt. Carlito bumps Bron off buckles, but here comes Penta! The fans fire up as Penta slides in, and he dodges Dom to then SUPERKICK Dom down! Carlito runs up, into a SUPERKICK! Bron gives Carlito a SPEAR! But now Penta holds onto the title as he stares down Bron. The fans sing “OLE~, OLE OLE OLE~! CERO~ MIEDO~!” Penta hands the belt to Bron, and Bron holds it up. Will these two put it all on the line in Las Vegas?
My Thoughts:
A great episode for Raw in Brussels, and the Brussels crowd was just as fun as the Barcelona crowd on Friday. Cena and Cody opening with their big promo segment was the right move to give it time to breathe. Cena did a perfect job of using the fans as part of his promo because he took the trope of “I blame the fans!” to the ultimate level. He didn’t just use recent stuff, he used his entire 25 years and all the phases he went through as part of it, and he really dug into some personal feelings for both him and the fans. Cody therefore had the perfect counter to show Cena was only focusing on the negative, and how that’s not who Cena has presented to us. I think we’re getting another appearance of Cena next week, can’t wait to see how Glasgow treats him.
Iyo and Bianca had a good contract signing but I expected a touch more from both promos. Rhea joining in was the main element, and this is clearly heading for a Triple Threat. That quick brawl backstage was good, and I feel like we’re going to get Rhea VS Bianca to see if Rhea earns her spot in the match. Good stuff from Jey and Gunther again, but I kinda wish we’d just gotten only brawl. Jey squashing Theory was pretty wild, and he still gets the better of Gunther here, but it should’ve just been all Jey and Gunther. Gunther promised a living Hell for Jey, but I’m not sure we’re quite there yet. All the more reason Gunther should’ve beat up Jimmy on Friday as a way to stick it to Jey.
Good promo from Styles and Kross to add to this Styles VS Logan Paul build. Kross continues to be a great instigator, but when is he going to get back in the ring for his own desires? Or is he just waiting for the right opening to mess with the right champion? Honestly, as it feels like Jey is going to win the world title, Jey is the perfect target for Kross. Jey admitted to himself that there is insecurity right now, and the belt can help give him confidence again, but Kross can certainly find ways to tear that back down on the way to Backlash and beyond.
Very good stuff from American Made. Gable being run off by the LWO of course set up “El Americano” for that tag match segment, but it was also a good part of Dakota being Ivy. I feel like it’d be a bit much of Dakota gets a third match with Lyra, but I don’t know if that means Judgment Day screws Lyra out of the title. Cheating Lyra could be a way to keep her strong in the loss, and we could get some good stuff as Dakota takes on Raquel. Plus, DMG CTRL currently having the world title makes them an eventual target of Judgment Day, and the tag titles could also be in the mix for some serious Two Woman Power Trip teasing.
Judgment Day also had great stuff tonight. Dom thinking Penta would want to join Judgment Day is interesting, I wonder if that was Kross’s idea. Penta VS Kaiser was a great opener, but I feel they could’ve done more for a No Holds Barred match. Still good stuff to give Penta the win and move on from Kaiser to call out the Intercontinental Championship. Bron VS Finn was a great match, even with Dom & Carlito showing up. Dom accidentally messing Finn up was pretty clever, and that just adds to the Judgment Day tension. While Bron VS Penta will be awesome stuff, I was kinda hoping we’d get Finn VS Penta to add even more intrigue to the Judgment Day story, but I guess that’s something that doesn’t need a title.
My Score: 8.9/10
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