Coverage
Mitchell’s WWE NXT Results & Report! (12/16/25)
Who gets a second chance?
There MUST be a challenger for New Year’s Evil!
Ricky Saints screwed Je’Von Evans over, so now someone else is going to challenge Oba Femi for the NXT Championship at New Year’s Evil!
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- NXT Women’s North American Championship: Blake Monroe VS Thea Hail; Thea wins and becomes the new NXT Women’s North American Champion.
- Hank ‘n’ Tank VS OTM; Hank ‘n’ Tank win.
- Kendal Grey & Wren Sinclair VS Fallon Henley & Lainey Reid w/ Jacy Jayne; Kendal & Wren win.
- NXT Championship #1 Contender’s Fatal 4 Way: Dion Lennox VS Leon Slater VS Joe Hendry VS Myles Borne; Leon wins and will challenge for the title at New Year’s Evil.
PLAY BY PLAY
Je’Von Evans arrives in the parking lot.
Ava Raine wants him to hold on, but the Young OG is too heated. He wants to know if Ricky Saints is here. Ava says they can’t have it go like this but Je’Von says after Ricky did him dirty last week, he’ll catch Ricky the moment he gets here. Ava says she can’t deal with this, the Women’s North American Championship is opening the show. She asks he calm down and come inside so they can talk. He’s not gonna do that. Ava sarcastically says this is a great start to the night… Will Ava have no choice but to help Je’Von and Ricky settle things the right way?
NXT Women’s North American Championship: Blake Monroe VS Thea Hail!
The Glamour tried an Open Challenge, it got out of hand, but she blames everyone else for that. However, it was the Grown-Ass Woman that got the better of the champ, which is why she’s getting this shot straight up! Will Thea make Blake tap out on record now? Or will the Woman From Hell show herself tonight?
The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and we see who walks away with the gold, and who doesn’t walk at all!
The bell rings and Blake runs up! Thea dodges and goes for the arm! Blake shoves her away, but then Thea dodges to send Blake into buckles. Thea snapmares, steps over, HIP DROP! ARM WRINGER! Cover, TWO! FUJIWARA! Blake endures, fights up, pulls hair, and snapmares free. Blake SHOTGUNS Thea to the title! Blake stomps a mudhole in, but stops as the ref counts. The fans rally and even duel as Blake stands Thea up. Blake ROCKS Thea, whips her into the corner, then whips her back in! Scoop and SPIN-OUT SIDEWALK SLAM! Cover, TWO! Thea is tougher than that, but Blake stalks her to the ropes.
Blake stands Thea up, whips her to ropes, then scoops again, but Thea slips out! Thea spins and snapmares Blake to then PENALTY KICK! STANDING MOONSAULT! Cover, TWO! Thea clamps onto Blake to keep her down, and she has an armlock. Blake endures as Thea grinds the arm. Blake fights up, pulls hair, and she puts Thea on the ropes. Blake whips, Thea wheelbarrows, and she arm-drags! Then she DROPKICKS Blake out! Thea then DIVES and wipes Blake out! Thea puts Blake in, clinches, EXPLODER! Blake flounders, the fans rally, and Thea runs up to back body block! But Blake THROWS Thea into buckles!
Blake goes up the corner, reels Thea in, HANGING TRIANGLE HOLD! The ref counts, Blake stops at 4, and the fans are torn as NXT goes picture in picture.
Blake huffs ‘n’ puffs and storms back into the ring. Blake rains down fists, then she drags Thea by her arm. Blake stomps Thea, drags her back up, and reels her in for a snap suplex! Thea writhes, Blake covers, TWO! Thea is still in this but Blake stalks her to the ropes. The fans rally while Blake scuffs and kicks Thea around. Blake slaps Thea around, but Thea fires body shots! Thea rises up, but Blake BOOTS her back down! Blake drags Thea up, wrenches, and ARM CODE BREAKER! Cover, TWO! Blake keeps on Thea for an ARMBAR! Thea clasps hands to fight it, then she stacks, TWO! Blake lets Thea go, and SUPERKICKS her down!
Blake drags Thea around, clamps on with a COBRA CLUTCH, and she THRASHES Thea around! Thea endures, but Blake drags her into body scissors! Thea still moves around and fights the hold! Thea pries the clutch open, sits up and shifts around, but Blake ripcords to short arm LARIAT! Blake rains down forearms, then clamps onto Thea with a straitjacket stretch! Thea endures while NXT returns to single picture. The fans rally, but Blake ripcords to short arm LARIAT again! Blake clamps back on with the COBRA CLUTCH! Thea endures, fights up, and the fans rally again. Ripcord, and they DOUBLE HEADBUTT!!
The fans fire up as Thea rallies with LARIAT after LARIAT! SENTON and then TRUST FALL! Cover, and… Wait, what? Was it a double pin or did someone kick out? The ref clears up the confusion, and says THEA WINS?!?
Winner: Thea Hail, by pinfall (NEW NXT Women’s North American Champion)
Blake is absolutely stunned, and Thea is practically in tears! Thea Hail FINALLY has gold in NXT! Is this proof that believing in yourself is the key to everything?
The Culling arrives in their lair.
Shawn Spears is sure Tatum Paxley has cried a thousand tears since Deadline. And well, it iz what it- Wait. What is that on the stool? Tatum left a Niko Vance action figure here?! What is that supposed to mean? Clearly, Tatum can’t accept defeat. If she knew what was good for her, she’d move on, just like The Culling will. They corrected their mistake, and they’re done. The Culling leaves, but Niko might be a bit spooked. Will #TuesdayAddams do that voodoo that she do?
Ethan Page is here!
The fans still taunt All Ego “A-HOLE~!” as he makes his way to the ring. Ethan gets a mic and clears his throat. “Well, I am absolutely appalled that the wrestling world seems more concerned with which WWE champions were crying while their coworker quit their job this past Saturday, instead of the champion who was heinously attacked from behind. That same champion with unlimited potential and projected earnings unlike anyone before him, that same champion with a back so strong he can carry an entire industry! Now, that back was almost broken this past week, and nobody seems to care. Why!?
“Not why do you not care…! But why was I attacked? Was it jealously? Huh? Was it the fact that i have clearly become a foundation in NXT? Or, is it the fact that I have taken the North American Championship and left every title reign before me in the dust?! Zero provocation, zero rhyme, zero reason, and I don’t care, I’m here to get my answers. So whatever dark shadow you’re lurking in, time to get your ass out here, Tony D’Angelo!” But instead of The Don, we get STACKS! Channing Lorenzo has Arianna Grace with him, and she wears his newly won TNA International Championship, while the fans boo.
Stacks knows Ethan didn’t expect him, but that guy Ethan’s talking about, Stacks doesn’t know what his problem is, and he really doesn’t give a damn. What Stacks does care about is Ethan talking about people getting on his level and being a champion across companies. Stacks knows those big ol’ glasses can see Stacks’ “beautiful, exotic queen carrying my TNA International Championship. And Arianna? She’s got expensive taste. And the one thing she asked for Christmas this year… is more gold. So we got some things to discuss.”
Ethan says this is exactly what he’s talking about! Zero decorum! Stacks is just gonna interrupt the Greatest North American Wrestler alive? Yeah, don’t think so! Stacks says all he’s saying is, to go along with the International title, those AAA Mixed Tag Team Championships would look so good around the snatch waists of NXT’s hottest power couple! But wait! MOOSE is here!? The fans fire up for that! The Face of the Franchise walks to the ring, steps right to Stacks, and says, “Once again, an NXT talent has a TNA championship! And I’ll be honest, the boys back in TNA are pissed. So I’m here to do something about it.”
The fans cheer that! Moose tells Stacks that someone will deal with you, but today is his lucky day. Because Moose is focused on ETHAN PAGE! Ethan stops in his tracks while the fans cheer. Moose says he is here to take one of NXT’s most prestigious titles back to TNA with him! No, that’s not how this works. There are RULES here in NXT! This is not TNA. Go talk to Ava, buddy. Moose says don’t worry about that, she already signed off on it. And so did Santino! And on December 30th, at the NXT Year End Awards show, Ethan WILL defend that title against MOOSE! Ethan takes a swing, but Moose blocks to DECK him! And LARIAT him up and out!
The fans fire up as Ethan is stumbling and seething! But is Moose about to make an impact on the NXT landscape?
Leon Slater talks with Je’Von Evans.
The Youngest In Charge wants the Young OG to cool down, he doesn’t need to just sit and wait in the parking lot all night. C’mon! Je’Von says Leon can go do what he’s gotta do, he’s got this. But Leon says it’s a #1 contender’s match, he wants his boy to be ringside. Je’Von says yeah, he’s got Leon. Leon says be real, Je’Von. Ricky might not even show up! Je’Von says Leon doesn’t understand! Je’Von had Oba beat, and Ricky pulled the ref! Je’Von should be champion now! Leon says he does, but Je’Von will get that lick back. But they gotta focus on what’s in front of them, and that’s Leon’s own #1 contender’s match. Is Je’Von with him or what?
Je’Von says alright, alright. They secret handshake and Je’Von reluctantly walks inside. Will Je’Von still be too focused on taking the fight to Ricky Saints? Or will he be absolutely disappointed when he’s denied his revenge?
Hank ‘n’ Tank VS OTM!
Walker & Ledge, the former GHC Tag Team Champions, are back from their expedition in Pro-Wrestling Noah, but they’re ready to get back to those NXT Tag Team Championships! Will they prove Big Belly Boys Ichiban? Or will Bronco Nima & Lucien Price make them wish they never came back?
NXT returns as OTM makes their entrance. The teams sort out and the fans duel as Tank starts against Nima. The two tie up, are in a deadlock, but Nima gets under to SHOVE Tank away. The fans applaud as Tank and Nima reset. They tie up, Tank slips around to waistlock, but Nima throws elbows. Nima whips, RUNS Tank over, and Nima talks trash. Tank goes to a corner, storms back up, and he waistlocks again. Tank ducks an elbow this time and he RAMS Nima into the corner! Tag to Hank, Hank headlocks, and the fans rally. Nima fires body shots, powers up and out, but Tank tags in. Hank slaps the belly and Tank headlocks Nima!
Nima powers up and out, he RUNS Tank over, then he tags Price. They get Tank up, whip him to ropes, and kitchen sink KNEE to the STOMP! Cover, TWO! Price snarls as he looms over Tank, then whips him to a corner. Price SPLASHES, scoops, and SLAMS! Price fires up, the fans are torn, and Price looms over Tank. But Tank UP KICKS! Tank runs up, but Price scoops! Tank slips free, shoves Price, then BOOTS him! Tag to Hank and they put Price in a corner. Hanks SPALSHES, Tank goes up, SHOULDER TACKLE! Cover, TWO! Price toughs it out but Hank wrenches and tags Tank. Tank goes up and slaps the belly to AX HANDLE the arm!
We go picture in picture to see someone pulling into the parking lot. And a lot of security is sent to make sure this individual is safe as they arrive. Could it be Ricky? Tank wrenches and YANKS Price’s arm again and again, then tags Hank. Hank HOTSHOTS Price, then Hank wrenches and YANKS the arm again. Hank wrenches, grinds the arm, and tags Tank. They double wrench, DOUBLE YANK, and then Tank whips Price into the corner. SPLASH, tag to Hank! Hank runs up, SPLASH again! Hank whips, but Price reverses! Judo throw and CHOP! Tag to Nima, and OTM double whips to DOUBLE ELBOW! Cover, TWO!
Nima stays on Hank while the fans duel. Nima bumps Hank off buckles, whips, but Hank reverses to send Nima into buckles! Tag to Tank, and Tank runs Nima side to side to buckle bump! And back the other way for Hank to UPPERCUT! Nima falls, Price runs up, but Hank ‘n’ Tank dodge to then come back and DOUBLE BACK BODY BLOCK! They double scoop, and DOUBLE SLAM! The fans fire up with Hank ‘n’ Tank as they have targets in the corners! They climb up, and they both rain down fists! But OTM stops them both at 5! SUPER COLLIDER!! OTM looking like AOP, and NXT goes to break!
NXT returns again and Tank DIVES onto Nima! The fans fire up again and Hank puts Price in the ring. Hank climbs up, up, but Price ROCKS him first! Price climbs up after Hank, and he SUPERPLEXES! The fans fire up while both men are down! Hank and Price crawl, the fans rally up, and hot tags to Nima and Tank! Tank fires haymakers with Nima, heavier and heavier, then Tank gets the flurry! Tank runs, Nima CLOBBERS him at the ropes! Nima runs but he senses Tank! Tank ducks the lariat, then the other! Then he ELBOWS Nima at the ropes! Tank runs, but Nima swings! Tank blocks, KNEES Nima, but Nima says he eats that for breakfast!
Nima ELBOWS Tank, but Tank says he eats that for lunch! Cartwheel and LARIAT! Cover, TWO, but into a TOP WRISTLOCK STRETCH! Hank blocks Price, but Price URENAGES Hank onto Tank! The fans fire up, Price drags Nima to safety so he can tag in. OTM then hoists Tank up, DOUBLE BACKBREAKER! Cover, HANK BREAKS IT! Nima TOSSES Hank, tells Price to get going, and tags back in. OTM double pump handle, then torture rack! DOUBLE RACK DROP!! Cover, TWO!! Tank survives and the fans fire up again! Nima TOSSES Tank, tags Price, and Price goes right after Tank! They get Tank up, and aim for the desk!
The fans freak out for the DOUBLE- NO, Tank kicks free! tank BOOTS Price, BOOTS Nima, and aims to then CANNONBALL! Down goes OTM! Tank hurries to get Price in the ring and he climbs up the corner! Tank aims, and SWANOTN BOMBS!! Tank roars, the fans fire up, tag to Hank! The jerseys come off, it’s time to HONK HONK! BIG BELLY SANDWICH!! Then The- NO, Nima LAIRATS Tank! Price SUPERKICKS Hank! Price tags Nima, TOM tries again! But Tank dodges Price to then POUNCE him into Nima! This disrupts the suplex and Hank cradles through!! HANK ‘N’ TANK WIN!!
Winners: Hank ‘n’ Tank, by pinfall
Price & Nima are furious, but think of that as a tackle at the goal line! Hank ‘n’ Tank score another win, will they be cruising down the highway to the tag titles?
Ricky Saints IS here!
He is the man in the SUV, and he walks to the arena with that security. But will any of them be able to stop Je’Von Evans from having his revenge before the night is over?
Ava talks with Jasper Troy in her office.
She apologizes for not meeting sooner, she was busy with Ricky and Je’Von and a lot else. Jasper says he should’ve just destroyed both those guys when he had the chance. Ava says sure… But let’s put a pin in that for now. Because next week marks the start of a new WWE Speed Men’s Tournament. Robert Stone helped Ava put together a very diverse group of talent, and it’ll be an exciting tournament. Jasper says that is good news. But also, bad news for whoever wins. If they step into the ring with him, destruction is guaranteed. She says yes, understood. But just who gets their chance at the gold with the New Year?
Ricky Saints goes to the ring.
The fans boo The Absolute as he’s betrayed everything he’s been about. Ricky mockingly says he loves them, too. Ricky then gets the mic, and he says, “Well, first thing’s first… I’m not out here to apologize. The day that I stepped foot in this ring, I told everybody that I was going to bring in The Absolute Era. And it’s the reason why I actually came to NXT, because i wanted to prove to the world that I am exactly what I have been saying for years that I am: Ricky Saints is the guy who can carry any brand!” The fans boo harder as Ricky says he took the biggest gamble on himself, because he has no more options.
Ricky realized that to get forward, he needed to be obsessed with being number one. The fans tell Ricky to shut up but Ricky ignores them. Everyone was searching for the man who was going to beat Oba, and Ricky did it! But here’s what is confusing to Ricky: You fans enjoyed it for a minute; bu tyou really wanted someone else. You would’ve rather had JE’VON beat Oba Femi?! Which is why no one cared when the Young OG decided to jump the line and cash in on his title shot in front of Ricky way before Ricky got his rematch! So that is why Ricky had to check Je’Von and remind his narrow ass that he ain’t the man until Ricky says so!
The fans continue to boo as Ricky says his entire career has been played very safe, and he has been passed over and stepped on. But no more! He ain’t doing that! Ricky will get what he wants, when he wants! If that means Ricky’s gotta stab you in the back or in the front, then so be it! Ricky tried to be a big brother, he gave sound advice: Wait your turn! Your time is gonna come! But Ricky already waited for his, and you mean to tell him that Je’Von is better than Ricky Saints?! The fans shout, “YES!” but Ricky says NO! Hey, how many titles has Je’Von even won? EXACTLY!
Whenever Ricky allows Je’Von to step in the ring with him, Ricky will prove Je’Von is in a class way, way, WAY below him! Just like everybody else, Je’Von waits! No more popularity contest! You’ve got NXT superstars in the back chasing clout when you’ve got a real superstar right here! A REAL main-eventer! Ain’t nobody in this company more debonair, more suave, or smells better! He is The Absolute! He is not the wrong guy, he’s the right guy! Every time he arrives and comes out here, they say, “The Revolution is Televised,” and you’re living in it! Ain’t nobody gonna do what it takes to get to the top more than Ricky.
And ain’t nobody will go to the lengths that Ricky will to keep that spot! Can you say the same? Je’Von can’t. The fans chant, “Ricky! The Door! Ricky! The Door!” AND THEN JE’VON TACKLES RICKY! The fans fire up, but security rushes in! The fans chant “LET THEM FIGHT! LET THEM FIGHT!” Je’Von DECKS guard after guard, then CLOBBERS Ricky! The security pulls them apart, and then Ricky DECKS Je’Von! The fans boo, but Ricky drags Je’Von up to THROW him into steel steps! Ricky snarls, he clears off the desk, and the fans boo more. Ricky drags Je’Von up, fires hands, then reels him in!
The fans boo and Ricky mocks Je’Von with “SIX SEVEN~!” ROSHAMBEAUX through the table!! Ricky just showed he’s an absolute narcissist, but did he just ensure Je’Von can’t get ahead of him? Or did he only escalate things?
Ava meets with #ZaRuca.
The NXT General Manager congratulates Sol on her big Saturday Night’s Main Event win, but then Ethan storms in and asks, “What in the Hell is going on here?!” Reptiles stealing cars, Tony D jumping Ethan from behind, and didn’t Ethan tell Sol to stop hanging out with Zaria?! Sol stops Zaria from attacking, and Ethan rants about “Romeo & Juliet” thinking they can come after the AAA Mixed Tag Team titles AND the Moose on the loose! Alba Fyre barges in now, and says the Hot Mess has landed. Chelsea Green says she is so sorry, she would’ve been here sooner, but there is a MOOSE in the parking lot!
And then YOU, Ava! You are just as bad as Sir Nicholas the Prickless and Pea Brain Pearce! Is there no line they won’t cross? Sabotages, cream pies and sneak attacks, oh my! What was that one? Sol says she has no idea how Ava deals with all this. Neither does Ava. But hey, idea! Ava will hold Chelsea’s hands while saying this: All of the bad things happening to her are NOT Ava’s fault. Ethan & Chelsea laugh that off and ask about Moose. Ava says Ethan’s the Greatest North American Ever, can’t he handle a challenge? Ooh~! Chelsea says she and Ethan are DOUBLE champions, and double champions can do anything!
Then that’ll be put to the test over the next two weeks. Wait, two weeks? Ethan is going to defend this title twice in a row? No, not that title alone. Ethan VS Moose is in two weeks, but next week, Chelsea defends HER United States title against… Sol Ruca! Chelsea & Ethan panic and ask why, but Ava says it is cuz Sol beat Bayley at SNME. Ethan says this is not in their favor, time to leave. Will the Canadian Connection hit quite the speed bump in their power trip? Will Sol snatch herself some new gold for the holidays?
Kendal Grey & Wren Sinclair VS Fallon Henley & Lainey Reid w/ Jacy Jayne!
The Evolve Women’s Champion has already been shocking the WWE Universe with her underdog wins, but never more so when she won the Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge at Deadline! She’s ready to go after THE NXT Women’s Championship at New Year’s Evil, but can she and #WrenQCC make it through Jacy’s pawns? Or will even the Ice Woman be under the Influence?
Jacy joins commentary, and she says while she’d rather sit next to Booker T, she’ll tolerate being stuck next to Vic Joseph’s “crusty little butt.” The teams sort out and Fatal Influence rushes WrenQCC! They knock Wren down and out of the ring, then they double whip Kendal. They DOUBLE FLAPJACK, then run to DOUBLE THROWBACK! They BLAST Wren, too, then Fallon covers, TWO! Kendal is tougher than that, but Fallon bumps Kendal off buckles. Tag to Lainey, Jacy enjoys seeing them mug Kendal. Lainey UPPERCUTS Kendal, wrenches her, but she swings on Wren! Wren avoid the shot, Kendal cradles Lainey, TWO!
Kendal goes to a corner, Lainey runs up, but Kendal ELBOWS her away! Then Kendal goes up, around, slides under, and runs up to redirect! Wren tags in before the trip, then CHANCERY DROPKICK COMBO! The fans fire up, Wren covers, TWO! Wren waistlocks, Lainey elbows free, but Kendal tags back in. Wren SOBATS, Kendal SUPERKICKS, then Wren DOUBLE CHOPS! Kendal GERMAN SUPLEXES with a bridging cover, TWO! Kendal holds on with a facelock, but Lainey fights up. The fans rally behind Kendal as she fisherman cradles, TWO! Kendal still holds on, Wren tags in, and Kendal snapmares for Wren to BASEMENT BULLDOG! Cover, TWO!
Wren keeps Lainey down with a facelock, then whips. Lainey BOOTS back, Fallon tags in, but Wren DECKS Fallon first! And she spins Lainey around, BUTTERFLY PLEX! Lainey flounders out, Wren pursues Lainey, but Fallon is the legal one! Jacy tells Wren to chill! Lainey swings, Wren dodges, but Fallon YEEHAW KICKS! Jacy says that’s what you get! Fatal Influence is in control while NXT goes to break.
NXT returns and Fallon CLUBS Wren down! The fans rally for Wren but Fallon whips her to the corner. Fallon blocks boots, puts Wren int he ropes, then tags Lainey. SLIDING GERMAN, and then Lainey STEP-IN STUNNERS! Cover, TWO! Another cover, TWO! Lainey ELBOWS Wren again and again, then taunts Kendal. Lainey winds up, but Wren avoids the elbow drop! The fans rally up while both women crawl, but Lainey drags Wren back! Wren BOOTS her away! Fallon tags in, she drags Wren back, but Wren BOOTS her away! Lainey tags in, both she and Fallon jump, but Wren jumps, too! Hot tag to Kendal!
The fans fire up as Kendal rallies on the Influence with LARIATS and ELBOWS! Then she OVERHEAD THROWS Lainey! The straps come down, the fans fire up, and Kendal runs to TRIP Lainey! And spin her to slingshot and DOUBLE STOMP! Then SUPERKICK for Fallon! Kendal runs up on Lainey, SHADES OF- NO, Lainey BUCKLE SHOTS Kendal! And SUPERKICKS Wren! Lainey runs, Fallon tags, BLOCKBUSTER! YEEHAW FACEBUSTER! Cover, TWO!! Kendal survives and the fans fire up! Fallon whips Kendal to the corner, Kendal BOOTS her, and DECKS Lainey! Fallon CLOBBERS Kendal!
Fallon back suplexes, but Kendal lands out! And SNAP POWERSLAMS! Cover, Lainey BREAKS it! Wren gets Lainey, BIG back suplex of her own! But Fallon SHINING WIZARDS! Jacy gets on the apron! Kendal DECKS her! And Wren SUPER CROSSBODIES Jacy & Lainey! Fallon O’Conner Rolls, TWO! Kendal avoids the knee, wrenches, and ARMBAR TAKEDOWN!! Fallon flails, Kendal STOMPS the grip apart! Fallon TAPS, Kendal & Wren win!
Winners: Kendal Grey & Wren Sinclair, by submission
And with that, another great win for the Evolve Women’s Champion! Will nothing stop her from taking Jacy’s title along with an arm? Or will Jacy make sure to be extra toxic for New Year’s Evil?
Backstage interview with Thea Hail.
Jackie Redmond is with the NEW NXT Women’s North American Champion and congratulates her on the title win. Thea says she’s been happy crying for like the past twenty minutes, she doesn’t think she has any more tears to cry. She, Thea Hail, is THE NXT Women’s North American Champion! She’s been here since she was 18, in Chase U, with friends and without friends, and has finally won a title! She did it today! The plates say Blake but they’ll say Thea soon enough! Can you even believe this!? Jordynne Grace steps in and says congrats. It seems Thea figured this out faster than Jordynne did.
Thea says no, she just has to be positive! Just believe! Thea did it, and… Oh, Blake steps in, and she’s almost in tears as she demands to have her title back. Blake didn’t lose, she kicked out! She doesn’t know who hired that ref but he does not deserve to work here! That title is HERS! Jordynne says Thea’s been champ for like 30 minutes, can’t Blake ever let someone have their moment? Go lick your wounds somewhere else. Blake says this is the worst day of her life! She wants her rematch. Enjoy your new Muscle Muffin! Blake leaves, Thea hugs Jordynne, and Jordynne isn’t sure how to feel about that. But will The Glamour get her revenge one way or another?
Izzi Dame walks ‘n’ talks on the phone.
She walks into the locker room and asks Spears what he means when he can’t find Niko. Oh no, the Shawn Spears action figure is in Izzi’s locker! She has to call Spears back, she knows Tatum did it. Izzi hangs out, and Lola Vice says that The Culling thinks they’re done with Tatum, but… It ain’t looking good for her boys. One done, one to go. Okay, Izzi didn’t ask for her opinion. Take it easy. Lola kinda feels bad for Niko & Spears after what Izzi did to Tatum. Lola would watch her back if she was Izzi. Izzi says, “What I did to Tatum?” Uh, yeah, duh. Maybe take your own advice, Lola. Izzi storms off, and Lola sees Kelani walking in with her stuff.
Lola asks what Lani thinks she’s doing, and Lani says she’s back in the locker room where she belongs. Don’t think Lani forgot how Lola was in charge of kicking her out, either. Yeah, well, she did. So what? Lani says she’s seen what jealousy does to people, and it does not look good on Lola. Oh, jealous of what? Lani says she is the best crossover superstar in NXT. If she wasn’t here, then maybe Lola would finally win a title. Oh, Kelani. Gymnastics is nothing compared to MMA. And people like Kelani AND Izzi are gonna find out real quick. Is The Standout going to wish she stayed away from Vice City?
Shiloh Hill and Skylar Raye talk backstage.
The journey from LFG to here is insane! Beating Lexis King was exhilarating, even better than chasing racoons! Skylar says yeah, she told him! She was itching for her shot at the Women’s North American Championship, but not everything goes as planned. In step Arianna Grace & Stacks. Arianna complains that Moose ruined everything! The AAA Mixed Tag Team titles was right there! Stacks says yeah, they were this close! “And that TNA meathead ruined everything.” They thought they left the moose behind when Arianna left “The Great North.” Shiloh asks if they said there’s a moose in Florida. That would be super weird, they don’t live this far south.
But hey, happy December, right? Stacks asks if Shiloh is stupid. Doesn’t he have an appointment to get his fake tooth fixed? Skylar says don’t they have a couples therapy session to go to? How dare you little LFG’ers talk to NXT’s Power Couple like that! Uh, you two were being rude first. Secondly, don’t throw shade, these are the Season 2 LFG Champions here. Oh, so they won? Wow. Well, they’re all winners, so maybe next week, Shiloh & Skylar learn NXT is a different ball game than LFG! They’re down. But then in walk DarkState! Everybody moves aside, and Saquon says this is Dion’s world now! Cutler says Dion doesn’t waste opportunities!
Osiris says they all think this is chance, but this is by design! Dion says he’s got this. Will Dion win the Fatal 4 Way main event for his golden opportunity at New Year’s Evil?
NXT Championship #1 Contender’s Fatal 4 Way: Dion Lennox VS Leon Slater VS Joe Hendry VS Myles Borne!
Regardless of what Ricky did to ruin Je’Von’s title shot, the Iron Survivor already cashed in, and now Oba Femi awaits new competition! Will it be DarkState’s hot head, The Youngest In Charge, the Prestigious One, or the #BabyOrton that meets The Ruler in the New Year?
NXT returns and DarkState makes their entrance. They dap it up with Dion as they see him off, and the bell rings. The four watch each other, but then Dion BOOTS Myles! And he sends Leon into Hendry, then scoops Leon for the EMERALD FLOWSION! Cover, Myles breaks it! Myles and Dion trade shots, Myles gets the edge, but Dion knees low! And back suplexes! Myles lands out, ROCKS Dion, and has him in the corner for UPPERCUTS! Dion fires body shots, puts Myles in the corner, but Myles dodges the splash! Hendry kicks Myles, underhooks, but Myles wrenches to dragon sleeper! Dion runs up, Myles hits EYE OF THE HURRICANE while dodging!
Myles then hits Dion with the SNAP POWERSLAM! Cover, Leon breaks it! The fans rally up, Leon BOOTS Myles, then he BOOTS Myles again! Myles goes to ropes, Leon runs up, but Myles blocks the kick! Myles ducks the enzigiri, but Leon slips under the waistlock! Leon shoves Myles to Hendry, Hendry fireman’s carries, but then Leon helps Myles escape. Hendry DOUBLE LARIATS them! The fans fire up and chant, “WE BELIEVE! WE BELIEVE!” Hendry UPPERCUTS Leon, HEADBUTTS him, then UPPERCUTS again! Hendry whips, Leon goes up and over, but Hendry CLOBBERS Leon! And then HIP TOSSES him!
The fans fire up with Hendry, and he watches Leon stagger. Hendry ducks a shot, wrenches and DDTS! Cover, TWO! Leon is tougher than that, but Hendry stays cool. The fans rally, “LET’S GO, JOE! LET’S GO, JOE!” Hendry fireman’s carries, but Dion drags him down! So Hendry rolls Dion up, TWO! Dion escapes, Leon runs up, but Dion blocks a kick! Dion and Hendry both duck the enzigiri, but only Hendry avoids the REWIND HEEL! Dion is down, Leon runs up, but Hendry kicks low! Hendry whips, Leon handsprings, BACK ELBOW! The fans fire up as Hendry bails out! Leon goes up, out, and CANNONBALLS!
Leon hurries back up, but Dion runs up! Leon jumps up to GUILLOTINE LEG DROP! Then Leon climbs the corner and CROSSBODIES! Cover, TWO! Dion is still in this but Leon stays focused. The fans rally up, Leon CHOPS, and he shakes out the hand. Then he CHOPS again! But Dion kicks low in return! Dion CLUBS Leon, UPPERCUTS him in the corner, then fires hands! Dion whips, Leon reverses, and he runs up to CHOP! The fans fire up and Leon says that’s a free throw. Leon whips but Dion blocks! Leon still tries but Dion holds the ropes, so Leon CHOPS Dion again! The fans fire up and Leon puts Dion in a corner.
Leon climbs up and rains down fists! The fans count, Leon makes it a beat, and winds up at nine to then TEN! Leon snapmares, goes up, and CROSSBODIES again! Cover, TWO! Dion survives another one but Leon stays focused. Leon puts Dion in a drop zone, goes up the corner, but Dion bails out! The fans boo, but Leon hops down and builds speed, to then PLAN- NO, Dion dodges! Leon hobbles from the landing, he shakes out the leg, and he hurries back in. Dion BOOTS Leon to a corner! Myles gets in while Dion rains down fists on Leon. Myles spins Dion around to fire hands, then a DROPKICK! Hendry is back, but Myles DECKS him!
Myles runs up on Dion, Dion fires shots and BOOTS him! Leon uses Hendry as a step to SEATED- NO, Myles catches Leon, and Dion is up top! DOOMSDAY POWERBOMB! But then Hendry has Dion for a spin and NECKBREAKER! BOOT on Myles, but Myles dodges the lariat to BACKSTABBER! All four men are down and the fans are fired up as NXT goes picture in picture!
Everyone writhes somewhere in the ring, but Dion stomps Myles down. Dion DECKS Hendry, stomps Myles, then drags him to a cover, TWO! Myles clings to ropes so Dion goes to Leon. Dion POSTS Leon, then spins him around for body shots and stomps! Dion snarls as he looks at Myles and Hendry. Dion drags Leon up, reels him in, NECKBREAKER! Cover, Myles breaks it! Dion is annoyed but he BOOTS Myles back down. Dion drags Leon up again, brings him around and whips to the corner. Leon boots, Dion blocks, but Leon ENZIGIRIS! Leon ashakes out the leg, but Dion CHOP BLOCKS it! Leon ELBOWS Dion down for it!
Leon CLUBS Dion, goes up the corner, but Dion CHOP BLCOKS again! Leon falls hard on the mat! Myles goes after Hendry, snap suplexes him, and Dion SLAMS Leon’s leg against post! Myles covers Hendry, TWO! Dion continues to beat up Lion’s legs, Myles UPPERCUTS Hendry, and then Myles slides out after Dion! Dion ROCKS Myles first, SMACKS him off the desk, but Hendry LARIATS Dion! Hendry SMACKS Dion off the apron again and again, then whips. Dion reverses and Hendry is sent into the steel steps! Dion hurries after Leon, but Leon kicks Dion away! Roll and HALF CRAB! But Myles gets in to put Dion in a CROSSFACE!
Hendry gets Dion in a CROSSFACE!! Dion is in a TRIPLE SUBMISSION! But knowing they can’t afford a tie, they all let Dion go! Dion bails out, and Myles DOUBLE LARIATS with Hendry! NXT returns to single picture while all four men are down! The fans cheer “NXT! NXT!” for making this match happen! Leon hobbles, but he manages to LEG LARIAT Myles! Leon hurries to drag Myles to a drop zone, then he goes up top! The fans rally for Leon as he climbs, but Dion YANKS Leon down! The Youngest In Charge is in trouble as Dion ROCKS him! Dion hops up, brings Leon onto his shoulder, but Myles BODY BLOWS Dion!
Myles positions Dion just right, then he climbs up to join them! Hendry does, too! The fans fire up and are already losing their minds! Leon fires shots of his own, and he goes to the post! Leon manages a SUPER SUNSET FLIP for the TOWER OF DOOM!! The fans are thunderous, Leon covers Hendry, TWO! A cover on Myles, TWO! Leon hurries to cover Dion, TWO!! Leon is beside himself as all three opponents survive! But the fans know “This is Awesome!” Leon BOOTS Dion, DECKS Myles, then winds up to KICK Hendry! And he KICKS Dion! And he KICKS Myles! Leon fights through the pain to KICK, KICK, and KICK!
Leon BOOTS Dion down again, but Myles ROCKS and UPPERCUTS Leon! BIG back suplex! Dion SHOVES Myles, then SPINEBUSTERS on the return! Hendry waistlocks Dion! HIGH ANGLE GERMAN!! But Leon runs up! Hendry ducks the leg lariat, guzels, but Leon slips free! And UTOPIA SLAM! Leon hobbles to the corner, but Dion YANKS him off the apron! Dion fires hands, then whips Leon. Leon uses the apron to TIGER FEINT KICK! Leon puts Dion in, goes up a corner, but Dion rolls away! The fans boo, but Leon says bet! SWANTON BOMB!! Dion sputters and Leon goes to the other corner now!
Leon climbs again, but Myles DROPKICKS him down! Myles reels Hendry in, but Hendry fights the suplex! Hendry suplexes Myles up and over! The fans fire up again, “WE BELIEVE! WE BELIEVE!” Hendry waits on someone, anyone! He fires hands on Myles, whips him to ropes, then LARIATS! And LARIATS! And scoops to FALL AWAY SLAM! Kip up and… Dion runs up! Hendry scoops to FALL AWAY SLAM! Kip up and… Myles staggers i n to the ANGLE SLAM! Hendry LARIATS Dion up and out! Then guzel on Myles! STANDING OVATION!! But Leon springboards in! HENDRY CATCHES HIM!?
Hendry pops Leon up, military press, and he THROWS Leon out onto Dion! Fireman’s carry for Myles, and WIDOWMAKER! Cover, DION YANKS HENDRY OUT! Dion and Hendry brawl, this is like Deadline and the Six Man Tag before! Leon goes up top again!! SWANTON 450!! Cover, LEON WINS!!!
Winner: Leon Slater, by pinfall (NEW #1 Contender to the NXT Championship)
The X-Division Champion was certainly the variable in this match, and he defied the odds to come out on top! But wait! Here comes The Ruler! The fans cheer as Oba Femi makes his way to the ring to stare down his new challenger. But will Leon just be the newest name on the list of men Oba has conquered? And wait! From the rafters! Tony D’Angelo IS here, and he’s watching this all unfold! Je’Von, Oba, Ethan, who is Tony D truly targeting? Or is it D: all of the above?
My Thoughts:
A great NXT, even with the botch that affected the title match. In Blake Monroe’s defense, Thea Hail’s trust fall senton did hit pretty solid, Blake probably couldn’t breathe after it. But the ref still did the count like nothing was wrong, hence the accidental win for Thea. But WWE has proven they know how to improvise and pivot, and I think they gave us that with the promo from Thea, Jordynne and Blake. They can easily do a rematch for New Year’s Evil, and maybe even escalate by putting Jordynne in the match as a Triple Threat to protect all three while perhaps putting the title back on Blake to correct course.
Very good tag match from Hank ‘n’ Tank VS OTM, but I’m a bit surprised OTM lost. At the same time, Hank ‘n’ Tank are coming back hot from NOAH, the fans still really love them, and DarkState being Heel tag champions, you gotta put Faces up against them. Decent promo from Ava with Jasper Troy to help set up the next Men’s Speed tournament, can’t wait to see who is in it and who wins it. Kinda hoping this “diversity” they mentioned means we get some TNA and AAA wrestlers in there to spice things up. And even then, I would think Jasper retains the title as it would be his first defense.
Very good tag match from Kendal & Wren VS Fallon & Lainey, very good win for Kendal & Wren, and while it’s too early to call go-home math, I think Jacy still finds a way to win. Kendal’s the Evolve Women’s Champion, and despite seeing double champions all year, I don’t think Kendal joins that club so quickly. Unless she were to lose the Evolve Women’s title before New Year’s Evil, she’s not winning the NXT title. Very good stuff with Ethan Page and all these moving parts. I could just sense Moose going for Ethan, not Stacks, and then Ethan & Chelsea of course step in it to give Sol a title match. But even so, feels like there will be hijinks to mess Sol over.
Really good stuff with Je’Von and Ricky, even with Ricky doing the typical Heel move of “If I can’t be champion, this guy sure can’t!” I knew that was the case since last week, but I think Ricky also added some of his AEW gripes to this where he got “fumbled” over there, too. Great brawl, though, and great table spot. I’m still sensing a bit of a “Loser Leaves NXT” story with how Je’Von has been on Raw and SmackDown quite a bit already. Je’Von losing and being “banished” to main roster would certainly get more heat on Heel Ricky, that could be some good stuff.
Good promo from Shiloh & Skylar with Stacks & Arianna to follow up, that’s a mixed tag waiting right there. Very good stuff from The Culling story, Tatum has already struck off camera like a horror movie villain, yet she’s technically the hero because of how she’s getting revenge on her bullies. Or maybe this is a Carrie situation where no one is the hero, it’s just grudges and violence. Which might just be the blowoff match where Tatum and Izzi go No Disqualification and really push things. I would think Tatum gets her win there, and maybe moves back to a title scene for it.
And good way of plugging the ongoing Lani story, but the bad attitude thing from Lani had it’s time, and now it’s just back to being bad. Maybe there needs to be a “Loser Leaves NXT” move here, too, which results in a call-up for Lani to go to SmackDown (so she can be with boyfriend, Carmelo Hayes) and Lola… I dunno, finally DOES win a title? That’d be nice. Izzi VS Lola will be good, Lani probably gets involved, and then we’ll get Lola VS Lani after. Awesome Fatal 4 Way main event, and I did NOT see Leon winning that. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised, he’ll have an awesome match with Oba. But again, Tony D watching like he’s bootleg Sting, he’s gotta be aiming for THE NXT Championship first in an attempt to complete that Grand Slam.
My Score: 8.8/10
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Who heads for Montreal?
To determine a challenger to the NEW Undisputed WWE Champion, Drew McIntyre, SmackDown holds qualifying matches for a #1 contender’s match! Who wins tonight to advance to Saturday Night’s Main Event?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- WWE Championship #1 Contender’s Qualifier: Randy Orton VS The Miz; Orton wins and advances.
- Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss VS Giulia & Kiana James; Charlotte & Alexa win.
- WWE Championship #1 Contender’s Qualifier: Trick Williams VS Matt Cardona; Trick wins and advances.
- WWE Championship #1 Contender’s Qualifier: Damian Priest VS Solo Sikoa; Priest wins and advances.
- WWE United States Championship Open Challenge: Carmelo Hayes VS Leon Slater; Melo wins and retains the title.
- Jordynne Grace VS Chelsea Green w/ Alba Fyre; Grace wins.
- WWE Championship #1 Contender’s Qualifier: Sami Zayn VS Ilja Dragunov; Sami wins and advances.
PLAY BY PLAY
Bagpipes play for Drew McIntyre!
A troupe of six play the music of the Scottish Terminator’s people before the NEW Undisputed WWE Champion officially makes his entrance. London cheers as Drew steps on stage, belt around his waist, and they sing for “OH~ Drew McIntyre~!” as he takes his time walking down the ramp. Drew gets his pyro, the fans cheer more, and Drew continues to the ring. Drew looks at the championship while he hears the fans cheering, and he goes up the corner to raise the belt up high! The fans cheer as Drew gets more pyro! And a lot of it! The fans cheer again, and Drew puts the belt on his shoulder, but then he goes back out to join the front row in cheering!
Drew goes back to the ring, grabs the mic, and the singing for “OH~ Drew McIntyre~!” continues. Drew says, “I prayed for this and it happened.” The fans cheer that, then chant, “You Deserve It!” Drew says, “I know it’s been a rough few years in the UK here, but if there’s somebody that can bring us together, it’s our Undisputed WWE Champion. It’s the first-and-only-ever BRITISH WWE Champion, Drew McIntyre!” The fans cheer that! Drew says the love he’s been shown the past week is incredible. Texts, social media posts, the cheers all across Europe, including tonight, “you bunch of mentalists.”
And Drew just wants to say to each and every one out there… “Screw you.” The fans laugh at that, but Drew says no, this isn’t even being a bad guy wrestler. Seriously, screw you! When he got FIRED from WWE, where were they? They wanna jump on the bandwagon now? 99% of them weren’t there for him! When he was being screwed over by Roman Reigns and the Bloodline, there was no uprising for him, huh? How’d they help him out? When CM Punk screwed Drew, the fans cheered Roman and Punk and doing the YEET with Jey Uso! The fans do chant those things now, and then Drew brings up Cody and the corrupt refs!
Was there a hashtag for Drew? NO! There is only one person Drew needs to thank, that ever believed in Drew, and that person… is Drew! So thank you, Drew! If you wanna chant, chant “Thank You, Drew!” The fans do chant, “Thank You, Drew!” Well, there’s one more person Drew must address: The former… Oh, that feels good to say. Drew knows Cody Rhodes is here, and it must cut like a knife to say FORMER WWE Champion, Cody Rhodes! The fans now sing for “Cody, Cody Rhodes~!” Yes, Drew knows Cody’s crack team is trying to figure out a title rematch. Drew admits to having Nick Aldis add a little extra clause.
Since 99% of Americans can’t read, Drew will tell us what it is: There is NO rematch clause! Cody must start at the bottom, work his way back up. The Vanilla QB1 Era is over! The Dangerous Drew Era begins tonight! The fans cheer that! But then here comes Randy Orton! The fans also cheer for The Viper, they sing along with Voices, and Orton goes right to the ring. Orton grabs himself a mic while the fans finish singing, and then the fans cheer as Orton and Drew are face to face. Drew says this must be Orton out here to congratulate him. The fans chant “R K O!” while Orton chuckles. Orton says Drew and the fans in London all know that they don’t like each other one bit.
So no, this is not Orton here to congratulate Drew. Orton is here to remind Drew that a few months ago, Drew had the chance to kick Orton through the table and declined. The fans again chant “R K O! R K O!” Orton says he wanted to tell Drew that when Orton has the opportunity to return the favor, he won’t hesitate. he beat Drew for that title before, he’ll do it again, and it’ll be courtesy of the three most dangerous letters in all of sports entertainment: R K O! The fans cheer that, but Drew smirks. Only for JACOB FATU to show up! The fans cheer the Samoan Werewolf as he storms his way down the ramp and to the ring.
Drew wants Fatu to hold on, but Orton steps aside so Fatu can DECK Drew! Fatu goes out after Drew, DRIBBLES him off the desk, then whips again! Drew reverses to POST Fatu, but Fatu isn’t even bothered! Drew hurries away, Fatu chases him into the crowd! Orton is more amused than anything, will Drew get out of London in one piece? But then The Miz slithers in! SKULL CRUSHING FINALE on Orton!! The Hollywood A-Lister strikes outta nowhere, but will he soon regret that? We find out, after the break!
WWE Championship #1 Contender’s Qualifier: Randy Orton VS The Miz!
SmackDown returns and the match is already going as Orton fires body shots and a HEADBUTT! But Miz kicks the leg out and BASEMENT DDTS! Cover, TWO! Orton survives then bails out, then throws his shirt off. The fans rally, but Miz pursues. Orton ROCKS Miz, then brings him up for the DESK BACK- NO, Miz lands out to then CLUB Orton! Miz hits the DESK BACK SUPLEX! The fans boo as Miz mocks Orton’s signature pose, then Miz puts Orton in the ring. Miz stomps Orton, but the fans taunt Miz with, “OH~ Miz is a Wanker~!” Miz throws hands, Orton fires back, and they go back and forth.
Orton fires off haymakers, whips Miz to a corner, but Miz reverses. Miz soaks up heat, runs in at Orton, but Orton LARIATS first! And LARIATS again! Then a dodge and SNAP POWERSLAM! The fans fire up for Orton while Miz scrambles to the apron. Orton goes after Miz, brings him through the ropes, but Miz fights free! Miz hurries away while the fans boo, but Orton pursues. Orton finds Miz at the desk! Kick and DESK BACK SUPLEX! Miz sputters and writhes while the fans fire up. They want that “One More Time!” Orton obliges, another DESK BACK SUPLEX for Miz! The fans rally, they still want that “One More Time!”
Orton gets Miz up again, a third DESK BACK SUPLEX! Orton refreshes the count while Miz slumps off the desk. The fans cheer Orton, he puts Miz in the ring, and he has Miz in the ropes! The fans fire up again and Orton smiles as he drags Miz in, DRAPING DDT! The fans cheer again, and Orton hears those voices! Miz slowly rises, R K- FINALE!?! Cover, TWO!! Orton survives and the fans cheer! Miz is beside himself as Orton survives his finisher again! The fans rally behind Orton but Miz storms up to full nelson again. But Orton arm-drags free, RK- NO, Miz rolls him up, TWO! Miz scrambles, RKO!! Cover, Orton wins!
Winner: Randy Orton, by pinfall (advances to Saturday Night’s Main Event)
The fans cheer as The Viper strikes, and now punches his ticket to Montreal! But will Orton truly be the Apex Predator when he battles three others for that #1 contender’s spot?
Drew returns backstage.
He grumbles about crazy Fatu, but Ilja Dragunov finds him. The Mad Russian is glad they are finally talking face to face. Obviously, Drew has some problems, so Ilja will get to the point: Tonight, Ilja will beat Sami Zayn and be one step closer to the championship. Ilja won a championship his first night back, simply because he doesn’t fight like a sane man! Drew says yeah, he doesn’t care, there’s a crazy person after him! Go ahead, win your match, win the Fatal 4 Way, and we’ll see him at the Royal Rumble. Drew swears he did NOT knock Fatu’s teeth out, but he sure will do that to Ilja! Drew runs off, but is that true? If Drew didn’t sideline Fatu, who did?
The Wyatts speak.
Bo Dallas says, “Solo… You think you stole our light. But you’ve just inherited the weight of what it really means. The lantern has never been a weapon. We carry it in the dark, so the dark doesn’t carry us. It does not belong int he hands of someone who believes taking it is more powerful than its true purpose. It will come back to us. Like a moth to a flame, we will not rest until it’s home.” The warning has been issued, will MFT heed it?
Charlotte Flair finds Alexa Bliss backstage.
The Queen hip bumps Lil’ Miss Bliss to cheer her up, but it doesn’t really work. Alexa says last week sucked: She lost to Giulia, Nia & Lash messed with her before the match and then beat her up after. It was a complete numbers game, Alexa was alone, so was Charlotte actually sick? Or was she just “cough cough” sick? No, it was not a “cough cough,” it was a “barf barf.” And Alexa’s the one that got a title opportunity without Charlotte, but Alexa has no idea how many title opportunities Charlotte turned down because she put the team first. Really? Yes, really. Name them. Not the point. Well, does Charlotte have Alexa’s back? Does Alexa have Charlotte’s back?
Bottomline is, Alexa is Charlotte’s person. Charlotte was sick. Heart hands, and Charlotte says she’ll finish warming up. But then Nia & Lash walk in saying that was so cute. Charlotte has no reason to trust Nia, but this is typical Alexa. She makes you feel guilty then plays victim. She’s really good at it. Yeah, Charlotte has no reason to trust Nia. And they won’t like her response. As for this charade, Charlotte gets why Alexa isn’t friends with Nia. And Lash has changed. Charlotte heads out, will #Charlexa be able to focus on the match before them? Or will the Irresistible Force & Bougie Bully make sure all eyes are on them again?
Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss VS Giulia & Kiana James!
SmackDown returns and the Beautiful Madness and Miss Management are already waiting in the ring. Charlotte makes her entrance, followed by Alexa. The teams sort out and Alexa starts with Kiana. The fans “WOO~” for Charlotte while Kiana talks some trash on Alexa. Kiana shoves Alexa, but Alexa SLAPS back! The fans cheer that! Alexa then ducks a shot to SLAP, ROCK, KNEE, and DROPKICK Kiana! Alexa runs, but Kiana gets up to KNEE low! Kiana brings Alexa around, suplexes, but Alexa tags out to Charlotte. The fans “WOO~” again and Kiana talks more trash. Charlotte slips around her, Kiana ELBOWS free, then whips, but Charlotte reverses!
Kiana hits buckles, but she ELBOWS back again! Kiana goes up and over Charlotte, then SUPERKICKS! Charlotte wobbles, Kiana runs, but into Charlotte’s BOOT! Tag to Alexa, and she gets a hand in the spin and DROPKICK! Giulia tags in, Alexa dodges but Giulia ROCKS Charlotte! Alexa ROCKS Giulia! Alexa ROCKS Kiana! But then Giulia SHOTGUNS Alexa! Giulia taunts Alexa, the ref keeps Charlotte back, and SmackDown goes picture in picture.
The ref reprimands but Kiana backs off. Giulia wrenches Alexa’s hair to THROW her to the corner. Giulia stomps away on Alexa in the corner, the ref counts, but Giulia stops at 4. Giulia tags Kiana, Kiana stomps Alexa, then Kiana CLUBS Alexa. Alexa goes to another corner, Kiana whips corner to corner, and Alexa hits buckles hard! Kiana grins as she storms back up, and she bumps Alexa off buckles. Tag to Giulia and Giulia brings Alexa onto the ropes. Giulia hooks Alexa up in the ropes, and fishhooks the face! The ref counts, Giulia stops and sucker punches Charlotte! The ref stops Charlotte, Giulia DROPKICKS Alexa and Kiana BOOTS Alexa down!
Giulia ELBOW DROPS Alexa, covers, TWO! Giulia is already annoyed with the count, but she stomps away on Alexa. Giulia CLUBS Alexa, HEADBUTTS her, and HEADBUTTS again! Giulia bumps Alexa off buckles, tags Kiana, and Kiana brings Alexa around to kick a leg. Kiana taunts Alexa, but she sucker punches Charlotte! The fans give thumbs down, but Kiana snap suplexes! Charlotte protests, that distracts the ref! The ref is late to the cover, TWO! Kiana fireman’s carries Alexa, but Alexa fights to a sunset flip! TWO! Kiana stops Alexa, but she still reaches out! Kiana RAMS Alexa into the corner! And RAMS her again and again!
Kiana handsprings, runs back in, and she RAMS Alexa again! The ref counts, Giulia tags in, and Kiana snapmares Alexa to BOOT her! Giulia is up top, she MISSILE DROPKICKS! Cover, TWO! Alexa survives, but Giulia HEADBUTTS her to the cover! Charlotte again distracts, another late count, TWO! Giulia is annoyed but she tags Kiana as SmackDown returns to single picture. Kiana sends Giulia in, but Alexa dodges! Giulia hits buckles, Alexa DUMPS Kiana out, and the fans fire up! Kiana hurries back in, she anchors Alexa’s foot, then she drags her back! Alexa ENZIGIRIS free, hot tag to Charlotte!
The fans fire up as The Queen RUNS Kiana over! And RUNS her over again! CHOP and CHOP for Kiana, CHOP and CHOP for Giulia! CHOP after CHOP, “WOO~” after “WOO~,” and then Charlotte CHOPS Giulia down! Charlotte runs up, Kiana dodges, but Charlotte keeps moving! WALK OVER LARIAT! The fans fire up again and Charlotte stalks Kiana to a corner. Charlotte whips, Kiana reverses, but Charlotte goes up and out. BOOT for Giulia, BOOT for Kiana, and then Charlotte goes up! CROSSBODY on Kiana! Cover, TWO! Kiana is tougher than that, but Charlotte stays focused. The fans rally up as Charlotte runs in, but into a BOOT!
Kiana runs up, but into a BOOT! Charlotte steps on Kiana to a corner, she and Giulia scrap, and Kiana YANKS her down! The fans boo but Charlotte still wrenches Kiana to a NECKBREAKER! Charlotte runs, but into a SIPNEBUSTER! Kiana shows her power, and she tags Giulia! Giulia KNEES Charlotte down! Cover, Alexa breaks it! The fans fire up but Giulia is furious! Kiana whips, Alexa reverses and TOSSES Kiana out! But Kiana trips Alexa! Giulia has Charlotte, Charlotte shoves free, but Giulia BOOTS her! And KICKS her! And KICKS her again! Charlotte snarls, she ducks the buzzsaw!
Charlotte shoves and ROCKS Giulia! Charlotte runs, but Giulia follows to HEADBUTT! Giulia runs, but into a BOOT! Charlotte has Giulia but Kiana tags in! Charlotte runs, Kiana KNEES her first! But Alexa tags in! Kiana runs, but into the clinch! TWISTED SISTER ABIGAIL!! Cover, Charlexa wins!
Winners: Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss, by pinfall
Bliss proved she does have Charlotte’s back! But then Nia & Lash attack after all! They BLAST Giulia, DECK Alexa, and HEADBUTT Charlotte! And HEADBUTT her again! Nia POSTS Charlotte while the fans boo! Nia & Lash soak up the heat, but Giulia is back up! Kiana says hold on, hold on, they’re good. Giuila says she is NOT good, she wants after Nia! Miss Management has her client back off, if just for now. Will the Beautiful Madness make sure no one disrespects her and gets away with it?
Solo Sikoa speaks.
“Bo. You’re absolutely right. This is just more than a lantern. I can see the millions of fireflies across the world. They are now in my possession. Your legacy is in my hands. And if you want this lantern back, I suggest you put those tag team titles on the line. But that’s just the beginning. You see, my family is going to take back all the gold. But until then… I’m going to take real, real good care of this. And he is going to be with me when I take out Damian Priest and bring back the WWE Undisputed title to the family.” Solo then blows out the lantern, but will it be lights out for the Archer of Infamy? Or will Priest be the one headed to Saturday Night’s Main Event?
Cody Rhodes is here!
London sings along with Kingdom as The American Nightmare makes his entrance. There’s a bit more smoke than usual, but we still get “WHOA~ OH~!” and the pyro! Cody takes a moment to take in the crowd before he goes down the ramp and to the ring. Cody then stands on the corner for the second “WHOA~ OH~!” and pyro, but even that seems different without the Undisputed Championship on his arm or around his waist. Cody grabs the mic, the fans cheer, and Cody takes a moment to hear them singing, “Cody, Cody Rhodes~!” Cody then says, “Well, that sounds a bit different. That’s okay. That’s okay.
“Because if anything, I guess it was becoming a bit… episodic. I would come out here, I would tap my fist three times, we’d all say ‘Whoa,’ I’d walk to the ring, and I’d ask you, ‘Whaddya wanna talk about?'” The fans are a bit torn there, and Cody takes a moment. The fans now sing for “OH~ Drew McIntyre~!” Cody says don’t worry, they will discuss the NEW WWE Champion, Drew McIntyre. Cody never broke down why the name of his podcast is Whaddya Wanna Talk About. It was quite simple: He wasn’t just the company’s champion, he was the people’s champion. The fans are again torn, but Cody says he didn’t want the fans to be spectators, he wanted them to be teammates.
But perhaps Cody got comfortable with the episodic, with the predictable. He didn’t see all the eventualities, all the ways in which he could lose. Or, is Drew just that good? The fans agree there! Cody says he could ask himself that, or he could ask what HBK, Hogan, and Stone Cold have in common with Cody. Simple: they’re the only ones to go back-to-back in Royal Rumble wins. And only one of those names won it three times, that’s how a near impossible feat that is. And they all know Cody loves a gamble, he loves a long shot. Here in WWE, where we have the best men’s and women’s divisions, sometimes the best power you can have is self-belief.
So here and now, in a city that means a great deal to Cody, a city he wrestled in every weekend for WhatCulture Pro-Wrestling to sharpen his skills and became the American Nightmare, a city that DOES deserve a WrestleMania (the fans erupt for that!), let Cody make it official! Drew says there’s no rematch clause, good! They’ll do this the old fashioned way! Cody is officially declaring for the 2026 Men’s Royal Rumble match!! The fans love that, too! “So, London, what DO you wanna talk about?! Let’s talk about Jacob Fatu!” The fans are torn on that name, and Cody says he met Fatu backstage at APW, you know he’s a thoroughbred!
Cody saw Fatu VS Solo Sikoa, and you could tell Fatu was on the come up. Fatu is a young veteran in their industry. But as such, Cody is aware and positive that Fatu knows what a receipt means! And Fatu has the largest receipt coming from Cody! Fatu is all gas, no brakes, come down here and collect. Or Cody can find Fatu first and beat the brakes off his ass! The fans are fired up with Cody, but is this gambler going to bust even before we reach the Royal Rumble? Or will a fight with Fatu be just the momentum Cody needs to have his threepeat?
Backstage interview with Matt Cardona.
Cathy Kelley is with The Complete, saying he is moments away from his match with Trick Williams to qualify for the #1 Contender’s Fatal 4 Way. What would it mean to not only come back to the WWE but to win that title? Cardona says the way Cody lost was a shame, and Cardona was really looking forward to facing his friend for that belt. But now that it’ll be Drew McIntyre. They go way back, too. Drew’s first WWE match was with Zack Ryder. And just like Cody and Drew, Cardona left WWE to find himself, and he’s back, But while Cody and Drew are each former world champions, Cardona is not. Yet.
Cardona isn’t back just to be back, he wants his time at the top. The journey, the ups and downs, the grind, it all led back here for Cardona to be Undisputed Champion! Cardona is #AlwayZReady, but will he be able to #WhoopDatTrick? Or will the former NXT & TNA World Champion soon be headed for another top title in his young career?
WWE Championship #1 Contender’s Qualifier: Trick Williams VS Matt Cardona!
SmackDown returns as Trick continues to vibe with London. Then the fans cheer as Cardona makes his entrance. The bell rings and the fans rally and duel already. The two circle, tie up, then break. Cardona smirks, Trick flexes, and the two go again. Trick waistlocks, spins Cardona, then pie faces Cardona! Trick talks trash, but Cardona RAMS him into a corner! Trick bobs ‘n’ weaves, then he pie faces again! Trick says he runs this house, dawg! But Cardona ROCKS Trick, ROCKS him again, then fires hands in the corner! The ref counts, Cardona backs off, but Trick KNEES low! Trick scoops and SLAMS, then snarls as he checks his chin.
Trick tells Cardona not to mess with him! Trick RUNS Cardona over! The fans are torn but Trick talks trash. Cardona rises up, he dodges the tackle, but Trick CLUBS the backdrop away. Trick pie faces, then runs, but Cardona DROPKICKS him! Then clinch and FLATLINER! Trick staggers up, Cardona LARIATS him up and out! The fans fire up with Cardona, and he builds speed to WRECK Trick with a dropkick! Cardona then aims from the apron, MISSILE DROPKICK to the floor! The fans rally up again and Cardona grits his teeth while SmackDown goes picture in picture.
Cardona drags Trick up, puts him in the ring, but Trick bails back out. Cardona goes to the ropes, and he drags Trick up by his hair! But Trick trips Cardona up! Trick drags Cardona out to THROW him into barriers! Trick talks trash, then FLAPJACKS Cardona off the apron! Trick fires up, then he brings Cardona up to put him in the ring. Cardona goes to a corner, Trick storms up on him, and he ROCKS Cardona. The ref reprimands, but Trick CHOPS Cardona. Then ROCKS him again! Trick hears the fans cheer and jeer, and he talks some smack on them now. Trick UPPERCUTS Cardona and Cardona slumps against ropes.
Trick whips Cardona, FLAPJACKS again, then kips up! Trick says he runs this house, then he storms up on Cardona at the ropes. Trick CHOKES Cardona, the ref counts, but Trick stops at 4. Cardona coughs and goes to a corner, Trick digs his boots in, but the ref counts. Trick stops at 4, snarls, then he whips Cardona corner to corner! Then a NECKBREAKER! Cover, TWO, and SmackDown returns to single picture. Trick keeps Cardona down with a chinlock, but the fans rally while Cardona endures. Cardona fights up, fires body shots and CHOPS, but Trick LEG LARIATS! Cover, TWO! Trick rains down forearms and Cardona can barely guard!
Trick drags Cardona back into the chinlock and he squeezes tight. The fans rally as Cardona endures again, and Cardona fights up. JAWBREAKAER! Trick rebounds, but Cardona dodges to then ROLLING ELBOW! Trick pushes Cardona back, Cardona avoids the sweep but not the EDDY GORDO KICK! Cardona wobbles, but he comes back to BOOT Trick! Trick comes back, but Cardona catches the leg lariat to SAIDO! Both men are down and the fans fire up! Trick crawls, Cardona rises, and the fans duel. Trick is in a corner, Cardona runs up, forearm SMASH! Cardona fires shots, soaks up cheers and jeers, then goes side to side for the BROSKI BOOT!
Cardona then ZIGZAGS! Shoutout to his pal, Nic Nemeth, then covers, TWO! Trick survives but Cardona underhooks him! Trick fights the lift, BACKDROPS, but Cardona sunset flips it to high stack! TWO!! Trick escapes, runs up, but the splash misses! Trick slumps down, Cardona goes for another, but Trick avoids the boot! Trick wags his finger, but then Cardona just WRECKS him with another dropkick! Cardona hurries to fetch Trick into the ring while the fans still duel. Trick runs back up, SLINGSHOTS Cardona into the ring, then TRICK KICK! Cover, TWO!! Cardona survives but Trick gets the arm.
The fans rally up, Trick cartwheels to RIPCORD, and BOOK- DDT!! Cardona turns things around, goes to the corner, and he runs up, ROUGH- NO, Trick pops free! Trick runs up, but into KNEES! Cardona goes up, lines up the shot, but Trick avoids another one! Both men run, and Trick POUNCES Cardona?! The fans fire up and Trick takes aim again! Cardona staggers up, TRICK SHOT!! Cover, Trick wins!
Winner: Trick Williams, by pinfall (advances to Saturday Night’s Main Event)
A hard fought match for the first-time-ever, and Mr. Whoop Dat punches his ticket to Montreal! Will Trick soon win his first Saturday Night’s Main Event to- “Hey, Kit. Are you there?” The fans fire up for Mr. Masculinity Detox! Kit steps past Trick and Cardona, to then BLINDSIDE Cardona! The fans boo as Kit sends Cardona into the steel steps! Kit says, “TOXIC! TOXIC! TOXIC!” London goes back to cheering as the song continues, but will Kit make himself the topic no matter where he goes?
Backstage interview with Damian Priest.
Cathy Kelley is now with the Archer of Infamy, and brings up his chance at Drew McIntyre and the Undisputed Championship. But that means going through Solo Sikoa first. How do you prepare for such an opportunity? Priest says he could go on and on about Drew, there’s a lot of history there. He won’t get ahead of himself, tonight is about Solo. Facing Solo 1v1 isn’t an issue. But is it going to be 1v1? Priest doesn’t think so. But Priest will remind us that in London, he became Senor Money in the Bank. So tonight, Solo, MFT, if Priest has to do 1vALL again, he’ll do it. Priest has to get past this and get at Drew. So tonight, it’s whatever it takes.
Priest heads out, will he make sure no one stops him on his path back to the top? Or will Solo use The Outlaw as an example to all of the WWE Universe?
SmackDown returns and…
Kit is still in the ring with a mic,. “You all know that I’m right! You know there’s a problem! And I’m the solution. So I will say it again. I will let the whole world know. you all need reassurance, you all need leadership. you all need ME!” The fans cheer that, but then FATU slips in behind Kit! Kit says he is the tonic to the toxic masculinity, he is KIT! WIL-SON! But he turns around into a SUPERKICK! The Samoan Werewolf is raging, the fans are torn, but Fatu dares Cody and/or Drew to show up! SENTON on Kit, then a MIGHTIEST MOONSAULT EVER! Kit flounders away, the fans are still torn, but now Fatu grabs a mic.
“YADADA MEAN!?” The fans cheer that! Fatu tells Cody, “You got something to say about me?! You have something to say TO me? Well check this out! Bring your punk ass out here right now!” Fatu throws off his vest, and Cody makes his entrance again! Cody is in his tracksuit but that comes off pretty quick, too! The American Nightmare and Samoan Werewolf start throwing hands and the fans fire up! Cody hammers away in the corner, but Fatu RAMS him into another corner! Security rushes out here but fans boo! “LET THEM FIGHT! LET THEM FIGHT!” Aldis hurries out here, and he wants them both to stop!
The fans cheer as Cody breaks free! Cody CLOBBERS Fatu, everyone falls over, and SmackDown goes back to break! What must Aldis do to restore order?
BREAKING NEWS!
Now set for Saturday Night’s Main Event, it will be Cody Rhodes VS Jacob Fatu! Will Montreal survive the American Nightmare and Samoan Werewolf tearing it up?
WWE Championship #1 Contender’s Qualifier: Damian Priest VS Solo Sikoa w/ MFT!
The Archer of Infamy and the would-be Tribal Chief have said their piece, and now they must back those words up with actions. Will Priest defy the odds as Solo isn’t solo out here? Or will Solo, waving the Wyatt lantern as he walks out here, lead by example for his family?
The bell rings and Solo circles with Priest. They tie up, Solo headlocks, and Solo talks trash. Priest powers up and out, they RAM shoulders, and Priest rebounds to RAM Solo! Solo staggers, but he and Priest reset. They tie up, but Solo kicks low! And HEADBUTTS! Solo ROCKS Priest, whips him to ropes, but Priest reverses to BACK ELBOW! Priest mule kicks Solo, reels him in, but Solo fights the lift. Solo UPPERCUTS, but Priest SUPERKICKS! Solo tumbles out, MFT is there to check on him, but Priest pursues. The fans fire up as Priest runs up, but MFT stands in the way! The fans boo, the ref tells MFT tos tay back, and Priest goes back tot he apron.
Solo runs up,b ut Priest dodges! Solo still avoids the roundhouse and he BOOTS Priest down! The ref wants Solo to back off, but now MFT mugs Priest! The fans boo, JC Mateo pretends to be shocked, and SmackDown goes picture in picture.
Solo goes out to fetch Priest, SMACK him off the desk, and put him in the ring. Solo soaks up heat, HEADBUTTS Priest down, then HEADBUTTS him again and again! Solo stalks Priest to ropes, kicks him out, then pursues. MFT backs up so Solo can SMACK Priest off the desk again! Solo soaks up more heat, winds up, but Priest clinches! FLATLINER on the desk! The ring count is climbing but Priest puts Solo in at 5 of 10. Priest then winds up to UPPERCUT! Solo wobbles, Priest powers up the arm, and he runs to COME- NO, Solo ducks, shoves, and SAMOAN DROPS! Cover, TWO! Priest survives and Solo frowns.
Solo motions that he’s gonna be champion, and he rains down fists in the corner. The ref counts, Solo stops at 4, and he soaks up more heat. Solo runs corner to corner, HIP ATTACK! Priest sputters in the corner, Solo soaks up more heat, and SmackDown returns to single picture. Solo aims again, he runs back in, and HIP ATTACKS! Priest sputters again and the fans duel. Solo smirks as he goes corner to corner again, and mocks Jey Uso with the “Run it back” motion. Solo runs back in, but Priest is up! WHEEL KICK! Priest hits that just in time, and JC shields the imaginary eyes of the lantern from that collision.
Solo and Priest go back to corners while the fans rally up. Priest huffs ‘n’ puffs and fires up! Priest and Solo stare down, run up, and they RAM shoulders! Then they fire haymakers back and forth! The fans duel, Priest KICKS, Solo ROCKS, and the hands keep firing off! Solo gets the edge, but Priest avoids the last shot to BELL CLAP! Then he KICKS, KICKS, and KICKS! ROLLING ELBOW! Priest then winds up again, but Solo HEADBUTTS! Priest ROUNDHOUSES! Solo rebounds to SUPERKICK! Priest staggers, but he SPIN KICKS! Solo stays up, Priest SPIN KICKS again! Solo rebounds, Priest ducks ‘n’ dodges, then LEAPING LARIATS!
The fans fire up with Priest while Solo goes to a corner. Priest runs up, BACK ELBOW! Priest keeps moving, but Solo fireman’s carries! Priest slips free, ELEVATED FLATLINER! Cover, TWO! The fans fire up, MFT coaches Solo, but Priest goes to the corner. Priest climbs up, but Solo distracts the ref. Talla reaches out to trip Priest up! The fans boo but the ref wonders what happened. The ref puts two and two together, and he EJECTS Talla! The fans cheer, Talla is mad, but Solo hurries up after Priest! Fireman’s carry, but Priest slips free! Priest has the crucifix! RAZOR’S EDGE on Solo! Cover, TWO!! Solo survives and MFT is relieved.
Priest sighs but he just brings down the straps. The fans fire up as Priest aims, but Tama Tonga distracts! The fans boo, but Loa gets on the apron! Priest runs Loa off, but Solo prepares his own right hand! Priest avoids the spike, COMEBACK- SPINNING SOLO!! Solo goes up the corner, FLYING SOLO!! Cover, TWO!! The fans fire up as Priest survives, but Solo- OH NO! The Wyatts are here!! The lights go out, the fans go nuts, and when the lights are back, the Wyatts are BEHIND MFT! JC, Loa and Tama turn around, and then Howdy, Gacy & Lumis JUMP on them! The fans fire up as the factions fight all around ringside, Nikki Cross cheering her brothers on!
Things spill out into the crowd, Howdy RAMS JC into the post, then TOSSES JC into security staff! Howdy sees the lantern, but Solo CLOBBERS Howdy first! The fans boo, but Solo brings the lantern to the ring. The ref reprimands, Solo sets the lantern down, but Priest guzels! SOUTH OF HEAVEN!! Cover, Priest wins!!
Winner: Damian Priest, by pinfall (advances to Saturday Night’s Main Event)
Solo’s obsession with tearing down the Wyatt legacy just cost him his own chance at glory! Saturday Night’s Main Event is now wepa, but will The Archer of Infamy hit the mark in Montreal? Meanwhile, Howdy laughs as he takes the lantern back. But TALLA is back! And he BOOTS Howdy down! The fans boo but Talla takes the lantern back for MFT. Will the Wyatts have no choice but to put those titles on the line in exchange?
Sami Zayn heads for gorilla.
And on the way, he crosses paths with Drew McIntyre. Drew tells Sami that he heard what Sami said last week. Sami hoped that Drew would win, but thought Cody would? Well, lucky Sami isn’t a betting man, or he’d lose big, as usual. Sami says he meant what he said, a part of him did want Drew to win, and that part of him is happy Drew did win. Because now, Sami is going to go to war with Ilja Dragunov, and win. Then next week, in Sami’s hometown of Montreal, Sami will become #1 contender. And then at the Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia, they’ll see each other again.
Oh, really inspiring, Sami, but here’s the truth: Drew has beaten Sami ELEVEN times, Sami has beaten Drew ZERO times. And if Sami does happen to make it to the Rumble, absolutely nothing changes. Sami says, “We’ll see.” Sami continues on, will he be able to defeat the Mad Russian and head home to Montreal? Or will he fall short of his world championship dreams yet again?
WWE United States Championship Open Challenge: Carmelo Hayes VS ???
Speaking of championship dreams, it is another opportunity for someone, anyone, to step up to H1M! Who will go for gold in London? We find out, after the break.
SmackDown returns, London cheers on “MEL~O! MEL~O!” But who is answering the call? It’s TNA X-Division Champion and the star of Bradford, England, LEON SLATER! The fans fire up for their guy, but will the Youngest In Charge soon be a double champion? The introductions are made, the US title is raised, and we see who hits the game winner!
The bell rings and the two run up! They tie up, go around, and Melo headlocks. Melo hits the headlock takeover, Leon headscissors, Melo kips free. Roles reverse as Leon hits the headlock takeover for Melo to headscissor. Leon kips free, Melo turns things back around with another headlock, but Leon powers up and puts Melo in the corner. The ref counts, Leon backs off, and the fans applaud as Leon whips. Melo reverses, Leon goes up and over, but Melo turns hip toss into hip toss and lateral press! TWO and Leon has the ghost pin! TWO, Leon stands, dodges Melo, but Melo blocks! Melo dodges, then hits the FADE AWAY JUMPER!
The fans fire up as Melo then brings Leon up. Melo CHOPS, ROCKS, and CHOPS again. Leon ROCKS Melo back! The fans rally up as Leon runs to CHOP Melo in the corner! Leon shakes out his hand, that’s how hard he hit Melo! But Melo kicks Leon, CHOPS again, and the fans fire up. Melo whips, Leon reverses, but Melo rolls off the back. But Melo’s leg jams! Leon hesitates, but Melo says bring it. Leon runs up, Melo dodges to waistlock, but Leon bucks the O’Conner! Melo blocks one kick, ducks the enzigiri, but that REWIND HEEL hits! The fans fire up, Leon whips but Melo reverses, only for Leon to handspring back elbow!
Melo bails out, Leon aims, PLANCHA! Down goes Melo and the fans fire up! Leon puts Melo in, he goes up the corner, and Melo hobbles up into the CROSSBODY! Cover, TWO! Melo is still in this, but the fans sing, “Leon Slater, DOO DOO DOODOO!” Leon is feeling it, Melo applauds, and SmackDown goes picture in picture.
Leon and Melo circle, though that bad leg is still a problem. Melo shakes it out, he and Leon go again, and Melo waistlocks. Leon switches, they go to the mat, and Leon body scissors for a GEDO CLUTCH! TWO, and Melo is up! Leon hurries after him, but Melo ELBOWS Leon away. Melo reels Leon in, suplexes, then floats to a cover, TWO! Melo takes his kneepad down to check his knee, and Leon crawls to ropes while the fans rally up. Melo stalks Leon, has him in a corner, and he climbs up. Melo rains down fists, gives a little forearm grind instead of the six-seven, then he snapmares Leon. But Leon’s right up to CHOP!
Melo flops to the apron, Leon brings him up, but Melo RAMS Leon! Melo hobbles but runs, only for Leon to blow past him! Melo hurdles, ducks, and then DROPKICKS! But even that wasn’t the best, and he shakes the leg out. Leon slowly rises, the fans rally more, and both men stand. Melo hobbles over to Leon, brings him up, and reels him in again. Leon fights the suplex, Melo still tries, but Leon pops free! Leon shoves and DROPKICKS Melo down! Cover, TWO! Melo is toughing it out but Leon still has the fans behind him. Leon stands Melo up, whips him to ropes, but Melo reveres. Leon handsprings, but Melo dodges!
Leon avoids the Jumper again, then he follows Melo! INVERTED SPANISH FLY! The fans fire up while both men are down! “This is Awesome!” as SmackDown returns to single picture and both men slowly rise. Melo is up first, he gets Leon to his feet, and he CHOPS! Leon snarls and he CHOPS again! Leon then brings Melo up, but Melo ROCKS Leon! Leon staggers, comes back, and he ROCKS Melo! Melo CHOPS, whips, but Leon reverses to BOOT! Melo is at the ropes, but he avoids the sweep! LA MYSTICA! And then the suplex, LAYUP CUTTER! Cover, TWO! Leon survives and the fans rally up while Melo grits his teeth.
Melo waits on Leon to rise up, then he storms up in the corner. Melo whips, Leon stops himself, and he stops the First 48! Melo fights the crab, reels Leon in, TWO! But then Leon LEG LARIATS Melo down! Cover, TWO! Melo survives the sudden turnaround but Leon stays cool. Leon drags Melo to a drop zone, goes up the corner, but Melo goes to the apron. Leon just adjusts, then leaps, but Melo dodges! Melo CHOPS Leon, but Leon fireman’s carries! Melo slips free, the leg jams, and Leon avoids the shoulder! GUILLOTINE LEG DROP in the ropes! Leon then goes back to the corner, springboards, but Melo slips around! Sunset flip, TWO!
Leon sits on the cover, TWO! Melo has it, TWO! Leon has it, TWO! ONE! ONE! And repeat! both men stand, the fans fi reup, and Leon SPIKE-RANAS! Cover, TWO!! Melo survives and the fans fire up again! Then Melo SUPERKICKS! Leon goes to the corner, Melo runs up, but Leon puts him on the apron. Melo’s leg jams again! Leon just builds speed corner to corner! Leon FLIES over the post!! Down goes Melo and the fans are thunderous! Leon puts Melo in fast, goes up the corner, and the fans are on his side! SWANTON- NO, Melo moves and Leon FLOPS! Melo hits the FIRST 48! Cover, TWO!! Leon survives and the fans fire up again!
Melo is frustrated, his leg is hurting, but he elbows Leon off him. “This is Awesome!” as Melo goes back up the corner. Leon hurries to anchor a foot, but Melo CLUBS away on Leon. Leon UPPERCUTS Melo, then climbs back up. Leon and Melo fight for control up there, and they’re on the very top! Melo hits a SUPER LAYUP CUTTER!! Cover, MELO WINS!
Winner: Carmelo Hayes, by pinfall (still WWE United States Championship)
A standing ovation as two young icons just put on an instant classic, and Melo gives respect to Leon. This was the first time they’ve fought, will there be many more in the years to come?
Shinsuke Nakamura watches this backsatge.
But then Tama Tonga calls him out. Tama says Nakamura is looking at the US title, but the next chance doesn’t belong to him. Nakamura took his shot, and he blew it. Once MFT takes the tag titles, that US Championship is Tama’s. Nakamura and Tama do go way back, so this is Nakamura’s one and only warning: Stay out of Tama’s way. Nakamura tells Tama in Japanese that he knows their history, but he warns Tama in return that he better be ready to fight for what he wants. Will the Good Bad Guy bring the US title to MFT? Or will the King of Strong Style get another chance?
Johnny Gargano & Candice LeRae walk ‘n’ talk backstage.
Johnny Wrestling looks at the Axiom mask he stole and he still can’t believe “those dorks” fell for it last week. Who even wears turtlenecks? But Axiom steps in and says he’ll be the better man. He wants to save Gargano from a beating, so just hand the mask over. Oh, Gargano doesn’t have the mask. He hands it to Candice, she hurries off, and Axiom tells Gargano to grow up. Gargano says if Axiom will excuse them, they’re gonna do married people things. Laters. Wait, another Axiom? This one DECKS Gargano, and surprise! It was Frazer! Oh, another surprise is that Frazer talked with Aldis. Next week, it is Gargano VS Frazer, 1v1.
And after Frazer beats Gargano, his amigo will do the same and take that mask back. So enjoy it while you still can. Fraxiom high-fives and heads out, will they get their revenge on Gargano one way or another?
Jordynne Grace VS Chelsea Green w/ Alba Fyre!
The Juggernaut chose SmackDown because of all the names she’d love to beat down. She already handled “Slaygent A,” will she bring down The Hot Mess next? Or will even she have to pledge her allegiance to Chelsea Green?
SmackDown returns and Jade Cargill is ringside to watch this. The Storm has put Chelsea and Jordynne on notice, will her presence do that tonight? Jordynne makes her entrance now, and the bell rings. Chelsea runs up to tie up with Grace, but she SHOVES Cheslea away! Chelsea gets up to SLAP Grace, and SLAP and SLAP again! Grace just brushes those off, then SLAPS back! Chelsea wobbles, Grace whips her, and then SPINEBUSTER! Grace hauls Chelsea up, reels her in, and the fans rally as Grace claps using chelsea’s back. Grace hits a stalling suplex, then she SLAMS Chelsea down! The fans cheer, Grace covers, TWO!
Grace clamps onto Chelsea, fireman’s carries, but Chelsea slips free to RAM her into buckles! Chelsea salutes, BOOTS Grace into the corner, then Alba SUPERKICKS Grace behind the ref’s back! Chelsea runs, slides, and THROWS Grace down! Cover, ONE!! Chelsea is furious already, and she drags Grace up. Chelsea whips Grace to the corner, salutes again, and the fans are torn as she runs in. Grace slips around to RAM Chelsea into buckles! ANd again, and again! Backslide, roll through, and short arm LARIAT! Short arm LARIAT! And- NO, Chelsea slips aroudn to waistlock. Grace ELBOWS free, then she ROCKS Cheslea!
Grace ELBOWS, LARIATS, then roars! the fans fire up and Grace runs in, but she blocks a boto firsT! Then a wrench and MUFFLER PLEX! Grace shouts fo rChelsea to ger up. Chelase stands, Grace fireman’s carries, DIRECT EFFECT! Jackknife bridge, Grace wins!
Winner: Jordynne Grace, by pinfall
A new move for her new win streak, but Jade just golf claps Grace’s win. Grace grabs a mic, and she says, “Hey, champ. I’m glad that you came out here tonight to watch me. It’s extremely important that you know exactlly waht’s coming fo ryou.” The fans are torn, but Grace says if watching was just enough, that’s fine. But if Jade’s tired of babysitting that title, then step into the ring right here, right now! The fans fire up as Jade stands up! Jade goes to the ring and says Grace msut be stupid. But then Chelsea runs up! Grace dodges, Cheslea BLASTS Jade!! Chelsea is shocked, but also dazed, and Grace picks up the belt.
Grace smiles as she holds up THE WWE Women’s Championship, before she throws it back to Jade. Jade says, “Bet!” When and where will these forces of nature battle it out?
Backstage interview with Trick Williams.
Cathy congratulates him on his win tonight, and says he didn’t just ease his way onto SmackDown, he jumped into the deep end. What does this mean to him that he is headed to Saturday Night’s Main Event for a #1 Contender’s Fatal 4 Way? Trick says let this be a warning: he is putting all of SmackDown on notice! All you bums, bobbleheads and bootlickers, know that Trick is that dawg! Trick looks like money, he feels like money, because Trick IS money. And he wants a special shoutout to Randy Orton and Damian Priest! Congrats, you have a match with the future of this business, let’s talk about it! And hold on. He might be Whoop Dat Trick, but on Saturday, he whoops dat ass.
Cathy says yes, she was going to add- Oh, Priest steps in. Trick is the guy who does a lot of talking. Priest doesn’t. You already know what’s up on SNME. But Trick’s free on Friday, right? So is Priest. And Priest is ready to whoop dat Trick. Priest heads out, will he have quite the appetizer with Trick when SmackDown arrives in Montreal?
WWE Championship #1 Contender’s Qualifier: Sami Zayn VS Ilja Dragunov!
We saw these two battle over the United States Championship, and #BigMatchSami lost the title to the returning Mad Russian Dragon. But now, they fight for a much bigger prize on this Road to WrestleMania! Will Sami make up for that loss and join that Fatal 4 Way? Or will Ilja continue to rise up the ranks and be one match away from taking over the world?
SmackDown returns as Sami makes his entrance. The fans sing along with the song and Sami high-fives the front row along the ramp. The bell rings and the fans fire up as Sami and Ilja stare down. They step up, and they start firing forearms! The fans rally up as the shots go back and forth, faster and faster! Sami fires a flurry, but then Ilja CHOPS, CHOPS, and CHOPS! Then SPIN CHOP! CHOP to the leg! BOOT! Ilja runs, but into a LARIAT! The fans fire up while Ilja goes to ropes and Sami catches his breath. Sami storms up on Ilja to CHOP! Ilja just eggs him on! Sami CHOPS, fire more forearms, then stops as the ref counts.
Ilja KNEES low, fires more forearms, then whips. Sami reverses, Ilja reverses back, but Sami goes up and over! Sami runs up, Ilja BOOTS him, then JUMP KICKS! The fans fire up with Ilja, and he stands Sami up to bump him off buckles. Ilja CHOPS, then runs corner to corner. Ilja KNEES low, keeps moving, and he BOOT WASHES! Ilja snapmares Sami down, then hops up, KING KONG KNEE DROP! The fans fire up and Ilja goes up again! KING KONIG- NO, Sami dodges! Sami then kicks Iljia and suplexes, BRAINBUSTER! Cover, TWO! Another cover, TWO! A third cover, TWO! Ilja is still fighting and the fans rally back up.
Sami stands Ilja up to CHOP! Ilja goes to a corner, Sami ROCKS him, and the fans cheer. Sami ROCKS Ilja again, has him in a corner, and CHOPS! Sami reels Ilja in, whips him to ropes, but Ilja KNEES Sami! Then GERMAN SUPLEXES! Ilja holds on and he talks some smack while the fans rally. Sami stands, switches, and he GERMAN SUPLEXES! Ilja headlocks in return as Sami stands him back up. Ilja then pries the waistlock open, switches, but Sami switches. They switch and switch and switch, then Ilja SNAP GERMANS! The fans cheer, Ilja goes back to the corner, and Ilja rises up, only for Sami to CHOP!
The fans cheer and sing for “Sami, Sami Zayn~!” but Ilja fires body shots. Sami CLUBS Ilja again and again, then goes up to the very top! SUPER DUPER PLEX! Both men are down and the fans cheer again while SmackDown goes picture in picture.
Sami and Ilja both stir, and Sami crawls over to Ilja. Sami brings Ilja up with a facelock, but Ilja wrenches out to waistlock. Sami fights the lift, but Ilja CLUBS him and HAMMERS him, then pump handles for an EXPLODER! Cover, TWO! Sami survives, but Ilja SLIDING FOREARMS in the back! Ilja ELBOWS and CLUBS Sami again and again, then stalks him to ropes. The fans rally up, and Ilja stomps Sami at the ropes. The ref counts, Ilja BOOTS Sami, then SLAPS him! Sami sputters, but he comes back to SLAP Ilja! Ilja and Sami make it a SLAP fight, then Sami fires haymakers! DDT! Cover, TWO! Ilja stays in this, but Sami stays cool.
Sami checks his teeth, they’re all there. Sami stands, Ilja crawls to ropes, but it’s Ilja who eggs Sami on! Sami stomps a mudhole into Ilja at the ropes! The ref counts, Sami stops at 4, but the fans rally up again. Sami huffs ‘n’ puffs and brings Ilja around. Sami goes for the corner but Ilja wants the leg! Ilja eggs Sami on, Sami HAMMERS Ilja down! Sami busts Ilja’s eyebrow open! Ilja sputters, Sami goes to the apron, and the fans rally up again. SmackDown returns to single picture as Sami rises, but Ilja SLAPS him! Ilja SLAPS again, climbs up, and he fires up again! The fans are with Ilja on that, but Sami gets some shots to the chin!
Sami CLUBS Ilja, then adjusts position, SUPER SUNSET FLIP POWERBOMB! Cover, TWO!! Ilja survives and the fans fire up again! Sami is beside himself, but he hurries to get after Ilja at the ropes. Sami drags Ilja up, around, but Ilja stops the Blue Thunder with elbows! Ilja runs, but Sami reels him back in! Ilja slips free, ducks ‘n’ dodges, CONSTANTINE SPECIAL! The fans fire up while both men flounder! Ilja goes to a corner, goes up top, and he aims to go COAST2COAST! Sami falls, Ilja covers, TWO!! Sami survives and now Ilja is stunned! The fans rally again while Sami is down. Ilja winds up, H-BOMB- BOOT!!
The fans fire up as Sami counters the falling forearm! Both men stagger to their feet, then Sami clinches! But Ilja fights off the exploder! Sami ROCKS Ilja, Ilja springs up to ENZIGIRI! Ilja has Sami in the corner, he runs corner to corner and LARIATS! Ilja runs corne rto ocrner again, another LARIAT! Ilja goes for a third, but he ducks Sami’s Helluva Kick! Ilja knew that trick and Sami crashes into buckle! They both go to the apron, and Ilja fireman’s carries. Sami fights free, HEADBUTTS Ilja, and Ilja staggers back. But then TORPEDO MOSCOW!! Both men fall to the floor! The fans rally while the ring count climbs!
Ilja rises at 5 of 10, rolls in at 7, and Sami sputters at 8. Sami rises at 9, and leaps in at 9.99! But Ilja is on him! POWERBOMB! Ilja goes up, up, and SUPER SENTONS but onto KNEES! Not the cleanest counter, but Sami clinches Ilja! BUCKLE EXPLODER! The fans fire up with Sami, he runs corner to corner, HELLUVA KICK!! Cover, Sami wins!!
Winner: Sami Zayn, by pinfall (advances to Saturday Night’s Main Event)
And with that, our #1 contender’s Fatal 4 is set! Orton, Trick, Priest, and Sami! But then Trick CLOBBERS Sami from behind! The fans boo but Trick lets his hair down and goes wild! Trick aims again, TRICK SHOT!! Sami is down, Trick stands over him, and he soaks up all that heat. But will Trick be able to whoop three decorated superstars at once? Or will Sami’s journey to the top finally be fulfilled in Montreal?
My Thoughts:
A great episode for SmackDown, a lot of action that also helped in the various story builds. Drew McIntyre had a great opening promo, but they also segued really well into Orton VS Miz as the opener. We also got a very good promo from Cody, and of course he wants to threepeat at the Royal Rumble. It was wild for Kit Wilson to go after Matt Cardona to give Fatu an opening to attack and then call out Cody in return. Very good brawl from Fatu and Cody, and Cody VS Fatu for Saturday Night’s Main Event is going to be great. If Drew didn’t do the attack, will Cody win against Fatu and reveal it was him all along?
Good promo from Charlexa with Nia & Lash, and then a very good tag match. Good win for Charlexa, but at least Giulia and Kiana got a bit better of a showing. But of course Lash & Nia attacked after, and now all three teams have beef. With Liv Morgan & Roxanne Perez as contenders from Raw, we’ll definitely get separate contenders for SmackDown now to parallel. Then it’ll be about Rhea & Iyo trying to survive both challenges, perhaps to build up the go-home week to Royal Rumble. If Liv & Roxie actually win, then the SmackDown team stands no chance, no matter who it is, because Liv & Roxie wouldn’t be transitional champions.
Very good stuff from Grace, Chelsea, and Jade, and I wonder if they’d give us a Triple Threat of Jade VS Grace VS Chelsea. Chelsea would definitely be the one to take the loss to keep both Jade and Grace strong, regardless of who wins. But at the same time, we’d still need a proper 1v1 of Jade VS Grace for the title to settle the feud. Good promo with Fraxiom getting payback on Gargano and setting up Frazer VS Gargano and Axiom VS Gargano. Absolutely awesome US Championship from Melo VS Leon, I did not think they’d go that hard, but it was greatly appreciated. Melo selling bad leg is definitely foreshadowing how he eventually loses that title, though it might not be for some time.
And of course, great stuff in all four SNME qualifier matches, even with all the results being how I expected. As I said last week, a shame that Cardona had to lose here, but Trick is getting on a roll already. Orton VS Miz was a great opening, and Sami VS Ilja was an awesome main event. Trick going after Sami kinda foreshadows Sami winning out in the end, as Sami VS Drew is definitely a great choice for the Royal Rumble, too. It really is a story of “Something’s gotta give.” Drew pointed out the 11-0 record between him and Sami, but Drew has/wants to make it through his first title defense, it could come down to Drew using shenanigans like he did to dethrone Cody.
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)
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THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)
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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
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Coverage
Andrew’s TNA iMPACT! Results & Match Ratings: 1.15.26
TNA had some time to cook up their big debut. Did they burn it, or make a succulent feast?
AMC era has begun! Granted it’s not without a big loss, being The Rascalz seem to be headed to AEW. Which honestly I’m conflicted. If it was their decision because the money was astronomical, then I can’t fault TNA for not being able to compete with the TK Bank Account. But if TNA didn’t even try and let them walk for money that could’ve been negotiated…then TNA fumbled harder than CJ Stroud. Jake Something is a non-factor, but The Rascalz could be a big mistake.
WOAH! @AJStylesOrg and @FrankieKazarian come face to face on #TNAiMPACT on @AMC_TV! pic.twitter.com/CSh7IpV5ex
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) January 16, 2026
Ratings:
- Elijah & The Hardyz vs Order 4: Jeff wins via Swanton Bomb – *
- TNA Knockouts Tag Titles: The IInspiration (c) vs The Elegance Brand: Maggie wins via pinfall – (-) *** – TITLE CHANGE!!!
- TNA World Championship: Frankie Kazarian (c) vs Mike Santana: Santana wins via Spin the Block – *** 3/4 – TITLE CHANGE!!!
Results:
AJ Styles comes out to kick off TNA episodes on a new network. He walks out to the WWE theme, makes a quick hype promo, doesn’t interact with anyone aside from the crowd. Definitely feels like more could’ve been done with AJ, but it was nice to see him.
Elijah & The Hardyz vs Order 4
The Hardyz come out with some guitar guy, Justin Lyonz or something…BDE and another streamer buddy? Definitely already feels overbooked just on the intro.
Order 4 tries to start fast but things back fire quickly and…this is starting off like an old episode of like WCW Thunder. Just messy overbooked intros, hot start into a commercial. 13 minutes in and it’s not a good start. Coming back from the commercial, Ali had the advantage but then Jeff Hardy is turning it around, all the apron dwellers are down. Ali tries the Rolling Neckbreaker, Jeff catches him with a Twist of Fate. Tasha tries to get in the way, Ali gets shoved into her, Matt hits the Twist of Tasha draped over Ali…shmoz spot. The Great Hands actually turn things around after the pinfall break, but Elijah stops them with some Mule Kick action, into a Twist from Matt and Swanton from Jeff. I think we saw maybe 3 minutes of this and it was all just cliche chaos crap.
Loser Agent Zero attacks after the fact…even though Elijah laid him out last week and the luster is off of Zero. He’s a joke. The Righteous come out to make a…Save? Dutch hits Death Walks on Matt and Vincent pulls out…a pad lock or something and then chains Jeff to the post via his eat gauge. This is…an embarrassing mess of crap just happening. If this is anyone’s first episode, I apologize for the Crash TV whiplash effect of this so far.
20 minutes of worthless D List Star spotting that leads to a comedy spot with Ryan Nemeth (which is fine, I love Ryan) but then it goes into Santino finding a new General Manager type because he’s been compromised. And it’s…Sonya Deville with Daria Rae as her new gimmick name. She comes out as the heel “management” type who wants to get rid of Santino. And…she apparently signed Elayna Black. Yikes, back to back no one cares reveals. Sonya Deville and Cora Jade. Cora’s hot, but wrestling competence…ya that’s non-existent.
I can almost tolerate Sonya since she’s supposed to come out and be a heel immediately, so the lack of current love, buzz and pop, is fine. But bringing Cora Jade along like she’s anything more than eye candy is…pathetic. It has been 30 minutes since the last actual wrestling match happened.
WHY DO WE GO INTO ANOTHER GOOFBALL TALK SEGMENT?!?!? The Elegance Brand, with Perez Hilton…has he even been relevant since like 2008? What is this? I get that it’s a dumb shtick before the match but STOP TALKING. This…Mr Elegance thing is complete garbage.
TNA Knockouts Tag Titles: The IInspiration (c) vs The Elegance Brand
The IInspiration comes down to stop the awful segment and as soon as things start we cut to commercial again. WHY. M has control cause of course the heels are in control until Cassie gets the knees up and M crashes and burns on the Moonsault. Jessie hot tag, lays out both Elegance members. She dispatches of M, Armbar Suplex on Heather but the Concierge pulls out Jessie. Jessie blocks the numbers game but eats combination kicks from Heather. They go for their Bow and Arrow, Stomp combo but Cassie shoves off Heather, IInspiration double teams M, Mr Elegance hops on the apron and gets slapped.
This is a sloppy mess of over booked gimmicked garbage. Idolizer on Maggie but interference for days and Maggie gets the pin and the…I don’t care. Get rid of these titles. I love Maggie, but this is pathetic and the fact we need NXT tag teams to flesh out a contender bracket is sad. What the actual FUCK is this episode? This feels like a fever dream.
TNA International Champion @Stacks_WWE and @AriannaGraceWWE take plenty of shots at @milanmiracle ahead of #TNAGenesis! #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/9V2wMk3zlk
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) January 16, 2026
Jesus, okay the Visa issue is legit because I know there’s problems in e-sports and other professional mediums. But now Lei Ying Lee comes out because her title match becomes an Open Challenge because Dani can’t compete at Genesis. ZaRuca comes out, and I don’t care who challenge Lei, but I swear if TNA makes Lei drop the title to an NXT wrestler again. Sol actually says Zaria deserves the shot, which surprises Zaria…kind of a nice moment. But still…I swear, no more NXT wrestlers taking TNA gold.
Christ on a crutch, another talking segment. The System has to say stuff because Dango is retiring on Saturday, but come the hell on. So far there have been 2 matches, we saw 3 minutes of the first one, some people missed the entire second match because AMC ran back to back commercial breaks. But even seeing it, there’s was about 4 minutes of interference in that match. 90 minutes so far, and there’s been 7 minutes of visible wrestling. They’ve done garbage shows like this before, but I was hoping they would know better than to give us some gum flapping imbecile show. But NOOO.
TNA World Championship: Frankie Kazarian (c) vs Mike Santana
Collar and Elbow tie up, Kaz tries the early Chicken Wing, but Santana fights it off and tries to catch him with a Spin the Block, but easily dodged and we reset. Santana hits the Shoulder Tackle and the crowd pops probably because it’s actually wrestling for what feels like the first time all night. Frankensteiner sends Frankie to the floor, Escalera Plancha from Santana keeps Kaz on the receiving end. Santana launches off the steps but misses and Kaz connects with a Belly to Belly.
Back from yet another terribly timed commercial, we see Kaz get shoved off the ropes, Santana tries the Rolling Buck Fifty, but Kaz connects with a Backstabber. He then decides to talk smack to Santana and big brother him. Santana absorbs Kaz’s shots, fires and then throws his own haymakers. Santana going a little Sting with a big Woo, catches Kaz’s foot and then Gamengiri. Kaz cuts him off, Santana cuts off Kaz, Rolling Buck Fifty out of the up and over, but only a 2 count.
Kaz claws the eyes, shoves Santana away, but Santana climbs the buckles again, Spanish Fly, no sell, into a struggle for signature moves when Santana snaps off a Code Red for another near fall. Santana takes too long to go for the Cannonball, knees up, Kaz hits the Angel’s Wings for two. Chicken Wing attempt two, but Santana rolls over into the pinfall, Kaz kicks out. A little cat and mouse on the Guillotine, but Slingshot Cutter into the Springboard Guillotine Leg Drop for two again!
Frankie tries to bring in the belt, it gets taken away, finisher counters, Fighting Spirit, Spin the Block misses, Kaz goes for a Shotgun Kick but ref bump. Santana hits the Spin the Block but the ref is dead. Kaz looks for the discarded belt, clocks Santana with it while the referee is still dead. Kaz aims for Fade to Black on the apron and connects! Throws Santana back into the ring, cover, Santana kicks out at two and fires! Kaz with the Canadian Destroyer but Santana no sells, Spin the Block! 1-2-2.999. Kaz kicked out of it. Kaz dodges the next STB, tries one of his own, but then Santana connects with another!
Overall Score: 2.5/10
This was an awful trainwreck of a fever dream. The Main Event was the only thing worth watching, and if you’re not a TNA fan, I wouldn’t expect people to have stuck around that long. The Main Event is 2 of the 2.5 points, the only other slightly decent part was utilizing Sonya Deville’s relative lack of interest and expected lack of pop, to just make her a heel out of the gates.
Everything else about this show was complete unadulterated dogshit. Mr Elegance talks like young Chris Jericho, Ryan Nemeth and Peter Brady did a failed fusion dance. The concept was cringe the execution is worse. The constant commercials at the start of matches and coming back for 2-3 minutes of trash is a 90s formula that doesn’t work nowadays. 80% of this show was useless talking, highlight segments of the history of TNA and running around to fix Genesis matches because all the UK wrestlers can’t make the show.
This was pathetic. If this was people’s first time watching TNA, it probably will be their last. This show made WCW Thunder look competent. I yearn for the days of Disco Inferno vs Lodi. Van Hammer vs Mike Awesome during his fat chick thriller era, would be better writing and television than whatever this was.
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!
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