WWE Smackdown (10/11/24)

WWE Smackdown

Secours Wellness Arena

Greenville, SC

October 11, 2024

Commentators: Michael Cole & Corey Graves

Ring Announcer: Alicia Taylor

We're six days removed from Bad Blood and from the Smackdown side of things, the balance of power has begun to shift. Nia Jax defeated Bayley but is becoming increasingly paranoid over the intentions of Tiffany Stratton. Meanwhile Roman Reigns returned to the ring for the first time in six months to join WWE Champion Cody Rhodes to face Jacob Fatu and Solo Sikoa. When the Tongans got involved, Jimmy Uso made his return after six months to aid Roman in victory. But who was there to end the show to throw a monkey wrench in everything? The Rock! How will he factor into things? Lastly, at Bad Blood Triple H announced the Crown Jewel World Championship matches. World Heavyweight Champion Gunther faces WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and World Women's Champion Liv Morgan faces WWE Women's Champion Nia Jax. There's a lot going on so let's get on with the show.

We open the show with a graphic that LA Knight defends the US strap against Carmelo Hayes tonight. Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair defend the women's tag titles against NXT's Jakara Jackson and Lash Legend. Then we get a highlight of the main event of Bad Blood with Jimmy Uso helping Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes winning. Back to real time, here's Jimmy Uso making his first appearance on Smackdown in six months after being taken out by Solo Sikoa and the debuting Tama Tonga the Friday after Wrestlemania 40. Jimmy says he missed all the fans and "welcome to Friday night Smackdown." Jimmy says for 6 months he's been on the shelf thanks to his own brother Solo Sikoa. Jimmy says it wasn't even Solo, it was Tama Tonga that attacked him from behind because Solo didn't have the balls to do it himself. Tonight, he's kicking Solo's ass but here comes Roman Reigns to join in.

The crowd chants "OTC" and Roman says we're going to change things up for a bit. He wants Greenville to acknowledge Jimmy instead, cementing Roman's babyface turn as if there was any doubt by this point. Roman low fives Jimmy and says "moving on". Roman says he's not an older brother so he doesn't understand brotherly revenge. Too bad Matt aka Rosey died in 2017, would have been interesting to see where he would have fit in the Bloodline. He says he's not a wise man so he doesn't come up with the plans. Roman says he's the tribal chief and he takes what's his. Roman says for four years the Bloodline ran roughshod over everyone with title belts, money and power. Roman told Jimmy to buy as many houses as he wanted but now he doesn't like where he's at. He doesn't like being out of control and he meant being the GOAT and they are the Ones. Jimmy "Yeah, but we not though." Jimmy says he sees a chief with no tribe or Ola Fala. Jimmy says he came back because Roman needed him despite Roman not asking. Jimmy says they need help which cues a YEET chant. Jimmy says he knows one person they can get help from and Roman says "No yeet". Jimmy says Roman is his chief but he's the only one in the family that acknowledges him. Jimmy leaves Roman in the ring alone and the message is clear, Roman can talk all he wants but he's outnumbered for the first time in years. They can't beat Solo and his crew alone and Jimmy knows it. With Survivor Series a month and change away, you can see where this is going.

LA Knight makes his way to the ring for his title match as we go to break. Back from commercial, the old timers that were there at Bad Blood are given a shoutout as Carmelo Hayes makes his entrance. We're shown AJ Styles hurting his foot last week and having to stop his match with Hayes early, causing LA Knight to hit Melo with BFT.

Match 1

Carmelo Hayes vs LA Knight for the WWE United States Championship

Graves says Hayes is going to bring back the spinner title belt if he wins and Knight drops Hayes with a right hand to start. Hayes rolls over Knight but runs right into a clothesline. Melo recovers by throwing him against the second rope. Knight clotheslines Hayes over the top to the floor and Melo shouts at Andrade who apparently materialized out of thin air next to the announce table. Knight jawjacks him as well and drops an elbow on Melo as we go to break. Back from commercial, Knight is in a chinlock until he counters with a back suplex. Knight rallies with left jabs and an inverted atomic drop. Knight clotheslines Melo down and Hayes runs into the pop up powerslam. Knight hits the big elbow drop and covers for 1...2...no. Knight boots away in the corner but runs right into a superkick. Knight victory rolls a sunset flip for a deuce but Melo rolls through for 1....2..no. Knight hits a neckbreaker and hits the Yeah jumping elbow from the top rope, covering for 1...2...no. Knight calls for the BFT but Melo blocks it and hits an axe kick. He hits a suplex cutter and covers for 1...2....NOOOOOO. Melo calls for Nothing But Net but stops to look at Andrade just standing there. Melo misses but Knight's BFT is blocked by a Melo backslide for 1..2...no. Melo's suplex cutter is blocked and Knight purposely lets Hayes roll right into a BFT. He covers for 1...2...3 to win the match. Damn good match and Hayes/Andrade is still going to be a thing moving forward. Andrade calls him a pendejo after the match for good measure.

Time of match: 9:01

Winner: Knight by pinfall

Jimmy Uso in the back walks up to WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. Jimmy says consider Bad Blood a favor but don't expect any more of those. Cody says Solo isn't the same guy as when Jimmy left and Jimmy says that's family business. Jimmy says Cody's handling business and taps the belt, saying respect. Bottom line is if we're gonna have a Wargames, its unlikely Cody will be involved. We cut to a graphic of Crown Jewel coming up on November 2nd in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. WWE Champion Cody Rhodes faces World Heavyweight Champion Gunther for the "Crown Jewel Championship". Then we get a graphic of Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson and they handle business at NXT. They says they're going to show Bianca & Jade what the Meta Girls are all about. Nice to see the NXT girls get a showcase here as we go to commercial. Back from break Lash and Jackson make their entrance in matching yellow outfits.

Before anything happens, Kevin Owens gets in the ring to interrupt. For those that didn't see the post-show, Kevin Owens attacked Cody Rhodes in the parking lot after Bad Blood to cement his heel turn. The Suit Brigade hits the ring to get him out of there and his mic is cut off. Kevin runs over and steals Corey Graves' headset says Cody Rhodes turned on him. Here comes Rhodes himself who's held back by the Suit Brigade while security hits the ring to hold KO back. Randy Orton runs out and pulls Cody away before getting in the ring. He holds Owens back and gets elbowed in the face. Orton decks him in return....uh oh. Orton has a look of regret as Owens is in shock. This just got interesting as we go to another commercial. Back from break its finally time for the tag team match....with NXT Champion Trick Williams in the crowd. Piper Niven and Chelsea Green are also at ring side as Michael Cole says Chelsea hasn't showered since she was thrown in the dumpster last week.

Match 2

Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson vs Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship

This is going to be a good one since Lash & Jakara have been killing it in NXT. Before the match, a pre-match interview shows Chelsea and Niven want a tag title shot but Bianca and Jade tell her she stinks. Inside the ring Lash and Jakara don't wait around, they attack at the bell. Lash sends Jade into the ring post and out while Jakara takes Bianca down by the hair. Lash tags in officially and hits a fireman's carry slam, covering for 1...2..no. Jakara tags in and they do a tower of doom in the center of the ring, Jakara covering for 1...2...no. Lash tags in for the wheelbarrow cutter, covering for 1..2...no, Jade makes the save.  Jade and Lash stare at each other and Lash decks Jade outside with a right hand, also throwing Bianca to the outside. Lash inexplicably kicks Chelsea Green over the table into the announce team causing Michael Cole to hilariously gag. Cole "GAG GAG, I MIGHT VOMIT! GET OFF ME! GAG GAG!" Bianca breaks out of Jakara's grip, slides in and tags Jade. Jade hops in and hits a big boot to Jakara, superkicking Lash off the apron. Jade and Bianca hit their wheelbarrow finisher on Jakara, covering for 1....2..3 to win the match. Very short but very sweet as well with a lot going on. The NXT girls got to get some shit in, Chelsea Green and Michael Cole's bit was hilarious and the champs retained all in 2 minutes. Lash was bigger than Jade and could be someone to keep your eye on moving forward.

Time of match: 2:10

Winners: Cargill & Belair by pinfall (still Tag Team Champions)

WWE Women's Champion Nia Jax heads to the ring with Tiffany Stratton in tow as we go to break. Back from break we're shown Randy Orton slugging Owens and we cut to Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes with Nick Aldis. Orton tells Cody to calm down and get on his bus and Randy says he'll talk to Owens. Nick says its Cody vs Gunther in 3 weeks and he needs Cody focused to win that match. Orton hands him the title belt and tells him he'll take care of it, he promises. Nick says "Randy Orton, voice of reason?" Yeah really, that's totally not Orton's style.

Nia Jax and Tiffany Stratton head to the ring for a soliloquy. 3 weeks from tomorrow it'll be World Women's Champion Liv Morgan against WWE Champion Nia Jax. Nia says she's got an agenda tonight so point one, she gives credit to Bayley. She says she actually broke a sweat against Bayley but she still ended up on her back. Nia says nobody can beat her, especially her counterpart Liv Morgan. Nia calls her a little girl and says she's going to annihilate her just like Bayley. Nia grabs Tiffany and gives her a hard headlock before saying when she beats Liv, its Tiffy time. Nia backs Tiffany down and says that's when she cashes in on Liv. Here comes Naomi for a rebuttal and she says the only reason Nia is the champion is the "broke down Barbie" helped her. Naomi says she can't win without Tiffany and Naomi beat Tiffany already. Naomi wants a piece of Nia and Nia replies that it took two of them to beat her. She tells Naomi to go find a partner and they'll go right now, but Naomi says she doesn't need anyone to help her win. Nia says she's sick of Naomi's face and Naomi says she can beat Nia right now. Nia says fine and tells Nick Aldis to get a referee right now. Here comes referee Ryan Tran.....and Judgment Day. Raquel Rodriguez, Liv Morgan and Dom Mysterio walks out. Liv says she's upset because they were going to make an example of Nia so they're just going to watch Nia lose just like she'll lose at Crown Jewel. Nia shoves Naomi down and we go to break. Guess we got an impromptu match.

Match 3

Naomi vs Nia Jax (with Tiffany Stratton)

Non-title, this is just for bragging rights. Back from commercial Naomi fights out of a samoan drop attempt. Naomi stands on Nia's back and rocks her with a right hand. Naomi ducks the line and slides underneath a clothelsine. Naomi's sunset flip is blocked and Naomi splashes her in the corner before avalanching her in the center of the ring. Nia covers for 1...2..no. Cole asks why Graves was touching Dominik's hair and Graves hilariously calls him a gentleman. Nia locks in a surfboard before throwing Naomi in the corner. Nia sends Naomi into the ring post and hits the Umaga, covering for 1...2..no. Nia locks in a chinlock but Naomi elbows out of it. Nia headbutts her but Naomi plants Nia with a headscissors, sending Jac onto the bottom rope. Naomi does a split legged leg drop and Nia bails to the outside. Naomi baseball slides Nia and dropkicks her into the ring post. Naomi bulldogs her off the barricade but jumps into a samoan drop on the floor. Nia calls Mysterio greasy and nasty as Dom replies "That smell is you" as we go to break. Back from commercial Nia scoop slams Naomi inside, but misses the running senton. Naomi kicks Nia twice and bulldogs her into the second turnbuckle. Naomi hits the top rope crossbody for 1...2..no, Nia kicked out. Naomi ducks the line and hits the springboard enziguiri to send Nia to the floor. Naomi hits a skytwister press to the floor and rolls Nia inside, but here's Tiffany to boot her in the ribs. Tiffany goes to waffle Naomi with the briefcase but Raquel takes it from her, causing Tiffany to shout at her to put it down. Naomi whirls Tiffany around and kicks her in the head as Raquel backs off. Naomi snaps Nia off the top rope but Nia catches her with a right hand. Nia goes for the Banzai Drop but Raquel distracts the ref long enough for Liv to whack Nia with it. Naomi powerbombs Nia off the second rope and stacks her up for 1...2...3 to win the match. Interesting big woman/little woman match with Naomi using her speed to thwart the monster. Liv and Raquel as the defacto faces was fun to see as they get one over on Nia and Tiffany.

Time of match: 9:53

Winner: Naomi by pinfall

The celebration for Judgment Day is short lived as Rhea Ripley runs out, unloading on Raquel. Ripley sends her into the barricade and backs up Liv & Dom toward the ring. Liv runs into the ring....right into Nia Jax. Rhea hits a big boot on Nia before railing on Liv. Dom hops up for the distraction as Liv, Dom and Raquel bails. Ripley stands tall to show she's coming for the strap. 

We cut to Carmelo who bitches to Nick Aldis about Andrade doing what he wants at ring side. Nick says he and Andrade are tied for 3 wins apiece so its time for Game 7. The winner faces LA Knight for a US title shot. Nick tells Melo not to miss as Legada Fantasma walks up behind him. Santos Escobar says he sees a pattern of Carmelo and Andrade in a permanent spot for a US title shot, why? Nick says Santos blew his chance to win and he's been waiting for him to bounce back. Santos says not just him but where's Elektra's title shot, or Los Garza. Angel "What about us?" Nick says next week Los Garza will face a team of Nick's choosing and if they win, they'll be worthy of a title shot. Santos asks how hard was that and walks off with the rest. Nick says they might regret this as they leave.

We cut to Solo Sikoa by himself rubbing the Ola Fala and says Jimmy is looking for revenge tonight, but he won't get it. Solo says Jimmy may be the big brother but HE'S the tribal chief and Jimmy will acknowledge him. We cut to another Detroit vignette saying next week....in other words, the Motor City Machine Guns are making their debut next week. 

Back from commercial, Cole makes fun of Graves for not having a sign in the crowd. We then cut to a highlight of last Friday's tag team title match between the Street Profitz, DIY and The Tongans. DIY and Profitz stole the show but it was the Tongans that retained. We cut to the Profitz and DIY arguing M*A*S*H* style with Nick Aldis in the middle. Nick "Gentlemen....and lady" and says unfortunately that was their shot and a new team's coming next week. They yell at each other for about 30 seconds but Aldis notices something else going on. He runs off and then yells for security. Oh no! Kevin Owens is beating the crap out of Randy Orton outside. Kevin tells Randy he picked the wrong side and security gets him out of there. Aldis checks on Orton and calls for the paramedics. Well that changed the tone in a hurry. After that, the New Bloodline make their way to the ring for the main event. Cole can't believe Jimmy challenged Solo with Solo's entire crew around him. Solo and the others put their fingers up as we go to break.

Back from commercial, we're shown the Florida Panthers getting their 2024 Stanley Cup Champions rings which has WWE title belts engraved into them. If only Jeremy Swayman of the Boston Bruins didn't allow that goal to Gustav Forsling with 93 seconds left in Game 6, things might have been different....but that's a rant for another blog. We're then shown a highlight of Hell In A Cell between CM Punk and Drew McIntyre before Jimmy Uso makes his entrance alone. Where the hell is Roman?

Match 4

Jimmy Uso vs Solo Sikoa (with Jacob Fatu, Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa)

Cole says this is Jimmy's first match since he faced Jey Uso at Wrestlemania. We get a graphic of Solo putting Jimmy out the week after Wrestlemania and Jimmy is pissed. Bell's gone and Solo says to join him since he's the tribal chief. Solo says to acknowledge him like everyone else and Jimmy shakes his head. Jimmy rallies with a right hand and chops but Solo throws him in the corner. Jimmy hits an uppercut and another chop. Jimmy runs into a back elbow smash and Solo charges, but Jimmy pulls the top rope down to send Solo to the floor. Jimmy hits a suicide dive to the floor and throws Solo back inside. Jimmy jumps off the top right into a right hand by Sikoa. Sikoa says he's not little anymore and chokes Jimmy on the first rope. Jacob Fatu cheapshots Jimmy with the ref not looking and Solo says he's the tribal chief now. Solo headbutts Jimmy on the apron and taunts him. Jimmy sends him into the buckle and tries to suplex Solo to the floor. Solo blocks it and clotheslines him on the apron. Jimmy rallies with a kick but his springboard is stopped by a right hand by Solo to the floor. Solo distracts the ref and Jacob blasts Jimmy with a flying back elbow. Solo taunts the irate crowd as we go to commercial. Back from break, Solo hits the Umaga in the corner but Jimmy rallies with right hands. Jimmy rams Solo's head into the mat which Solo no-sells then hits a spinning heel kick. Solo puts Jimmy on the first rope where Jacob hits another cheap-shot. Solo headbutts Jimmy and tells him to get his ass up. Solo taunts Jimmy and goes for the samoan drop, but Jimmy counters with a DDT. Jimmy chops away at Solo but runs right into the spinning Solo. Solo covers for 1....2...noooo. Solo hits the Umaga in the corner and calls for a second one. Solo runs into the superkick and Jimmy rallies with more strikes. Jimmy's samoan drop is countered but Jimmy hits an enziguiri. Jimmy gets backdropped to the apron and he hits a kick. Jimmy off the top hits a crossbody for 1..2....no. Jimmy drops Tonga Loa and Jacob Fatu off the apron then blocks the Samoan Spike. Jimmy hits the samoan drop and covers for 1...2...no. Jimmy goes back to the top but Tama distracts the ref so Jacob can crotch Jimmy on the top rope. Solo hits the Samoan Spike and covers for 1...2...3 to win the match. Good match for what it was but the numbers game was too much for Jimmy. 4 against 1 was damn near impossible to overcome and Solo gets the win.

Time of match: 14:00

Winner: Sikoa by pinfall

Post-match the Bloodline beats down Jimmy but here comes Roman Reigns for the save. He superman punches Jacob in the aisle then snaps Loa off the top rope. Roman superman punches Loa and Tama and its now one on one with Solo....until Jacob Fatu attacks from behind. Fatu hits the Umaga in the corner and catches Jimmy with the superkick. Fatu hits the top rope moonsault on Jimmy and Solo hits the Spike on Roman. The New Bloodline taunt Roman and leave as Cole says Roman is indeed a tribeless chief. Solo poses in the aisle as Roman nods his head at Jimmy as the show ends. The message is clear, they need help.

Decent show that establishes a lot of good things. Cody has a huge challenge ahead in Gunther but Kevin Owens' heel turn just gave him another obstacle to worry about. LA Knight needs a clear challenger for the US title and Andrade/Melo's best of 7 might lead to one of them taking the strap. Nia Jax vs Liv Morgan being heel vs heel will be fun to watch them beat the crap out of each other. Michael Cole gagging was the highlight of the show but the biggest arc is Roman vs New Bloodline. It just might be time to call Jey Uso and Sami Zayn....or maybe The Great One, since he showed up randomly at Bad Blood. All in all we got Crown Jewel and Survivor Series on the horizon so let's see how this all plays out. The next show after this is Monday's Raw at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri. I'll see you there.

WWE Bad Blood 2024 (10/5/24)

WWE Bad Blood

State Farm Arena

Atlanta, GA

October 5, 2024

Commentators: Michael Cole and Corey Graves

Ring Announcer: Samantha Irvin

Its the return of Roman Reigns to active duty as he teams with WWE Champion Cody Rhodes to take on his cousins Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu. The story to this one is pretty simple. After Cody Rhodes defeated Roman at Wrestlemania, Roman disappeared. In his absence, Solo Sikoa assumed the role of "tribal chief" and took out both Jimmy Uso and Paul Heyman with his new squad of Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa and Jacob Fatu. At Summerslam, Roman Reigns made his first appearance since Wrestlemania to help Cody defeat Solo and announce the real tribal chief was back. Now Cody and Roman battle the Bloodline tonight. Also, we got Hell in A Cell with Drew McIntyre and CM Punk. At the Royal Rumble Drew McIntyre injured CM Punk's shoulder (in real life it was an accident) and put him out for six months. McIntyre bragged about it and Punk cost him not only the World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestlemania but a failed Cash-In after Drew won Money In The Bank. McIntyre won the first match at Summerslam with Seth Rollins the guest referee, CM Punk took the rematch in a strap match at Bash in Berlin. This final battle for bragging rights should be epic. Also the big rematch from Summerslam with Bayley taking on WWE Women's Champion Nia Jax. Finally the Terror Twins/Judgment Day feud continues with two singles matches. Liv Morgan puts the Women's World Heavyweight Championship on the line against Rhea Ripley while Finn Balor goes one on one with Damian Priest. Also Triple H has a big announcement....yay.

We open the show with Samantha Irvin introducing our hosts, Jade Cargill, Bianca Belair and Naomi. Social media pointed out how there hadn't been a black singles winner in over a year so HHH responded by having these three as our hosts. Naturally people were upset that they weren't wrestling. The trio stand in the ring and tell us up first is Hell in a Cell. During the entrances we see a shot of Goldberg and his son Gage in the crowd. Next to him is Atlanta rapper Killer Mike....yeah.

Match 1

Drew McIntyre vs CM Punk in a Hell in a Cell Match

As mentioned in the intro, this is the rubber match. McIntyre won at Summerslam, Punk won in Berlin. Cole before the match says it was 27 years ago tonight that the first Bad Blood took place featuring Hell in A Cell. Drew McIntyre also made his debut 15 years ago the day before at 2009 Hell In A Cell. McIntyre tweeted earlier in the day that he match would be mutually assured destruction. Bell's gone and they stare at each other in the corner to start before walking slowly to the center of the ring. They slug it out before Drew punches Punk in the corner. They trade corner punches before Drew block a kick and heaves Punk in the other corner. Drew chops Punk then throws him through the ropes to the outside. Cole says that Punk has gotten to McIntyre so bad that even Drew's wife says she's not as important as revenge on Punk. Punk goes back first into the Cell but they both fail to ram heads into the Cell. They slug it out on the floor before Punk whips Drew into the cell. Punk shoulderblocks Drew twice before ramming the back of Drew's head into the cell twice as well. Punk goes under the ring for a table as the crowd cheers. He grabs a chair too but Drew takes it and hits Punk in the back with it. Cole gets a shot at Dave Meltzer by saying this won't be a 5 star wrestling classic....of course, its not in AEW or Japan. Drew throws Punk into the steel steps and stands on him to a chorus of boos. Drew grabs a toolbox and empties it in the ring. He swings and misses with a wrench and Punk punches Drew down before driving the wrench into the forehead of Drew. Cole says Shawn Michaels vs Triple H was 47 minutes long in 2004 (don't remind me). Back inside McIntyre boots Punk in the forehead and goes to set up the table but he rips the legs of it by accident. He goes to hit punk with the broken legs but gets booted in the mid-section. Punk drops Drew throat first into the table and chokes him with the broken table legs. Punk rams Drew back first into the table legs still attached twice as the crowd chants "One more time". Drew has noticeable back bruises and blocks Punk's attempt to ram the legs into his eyes. Outside the ring Punk goes for the GTS but Drew grabs the cell to block it. Drew hits a Claymore Kick on the outside and torpedoes Punk face first into the cell. Punk is busted wide open and Drew cracks an evil grin. Drew grabs the steel steps and rams Punk in the head with them then rams CM's head into them. Drew stomps on Punk's head and says he's going to end his career and his wife will leave him. McIntyre grabs a wrench and rams it into Punk's open wound. McIntyre goes outside and grabs another table from under the ring. Drew punches Punk in the head and stares at the blood on his hand as Cole says he's a psychopath. Punk hits the running knee in the corner but McIntyre dumps him on the apron. Punk goes to the top rope and hits an axehandle smash. Punk grabs a wrench and goes back to the top but McIntyre catches him on the way down. Drew hits a Taz-plex and sits in the corner just staring at Punk. He nips up and calls for the Claymore Kick but Punk rolls out of the ring. Punk waffles Drew with the toolbox itself and Drew is now bleeding like crazy. Punk cracks Drew in the face again and goes up to the top with the box. Punk smashes  Drew with the box as Drew's face is a mess. Punk hits three running knees in the corner and the bulldog. Punk calls for the GTS but Drew rolls out of it. Punk then counters a backslide with another GTS attempt, hitting this one. Unfortunately for Punk, Drew rolled out of the ring. Punk laughs as he throws Drew back in the ring. Punk rolls in and Drew hits the Claymore before covering for 1...2...nooooo. Quick strike by McIntyre almost worked. Drew calls for another Claymore but misses it. Punk goes for a modified sharpshooter but Drew grabs a wrench. Drew hits Punk with the wrench to break the hold then rams it into Punk's face. Punk and Drew slug it out in the center of the ring as Drew goes for Future Shock. Punk blocks it and goes for another GTS but Drew rolls out of it. Drew chops Punk but gets kicked in the head. McIntyre rolls to the apron and Punk hits another running knee. Drew then suplexes Punk from the apron through the table below. Drew goes for the ring steps as Graves says Punk isn't moving and he's concerned. Drew doesn't even have the strength to put the ring steps in the ring to show how brutal this match as been. Drew finally gets the steps in the ring as Punk is rolled into the ring. Punk hits the GTS out of nowhere and covers for 1..2.....noooooo. Cole "Somebody win this damn match and end this brutality." Graves "Both of them are flirting with career threatening injuries." Drew hits White Noise on the steps on Punk and covers for 1..2....noooooo. Drew counters a tilt-a-whirl with the anaconda vice as Drew grabs a wrench. Punk grabs the wrench away and pummels Drew with it. Drew begs off as Punk screams "You're gonna beg?" Drew then hits a low blow and grabs a black sack....you know what that means! Referee Shawn Bennett goes to wipe the blood off McIntyre's face with a white towel but Drew shoves it away. Drew dumps the bag.....of beads on Punk. Ahhhhhhahahaha, what a troll move. Drew finally wipes himself off with a white towel and goes for the Claymore. Punk moves and Drew lands back first on the side of the ring steps...ow. Punk wraps a metal chain around his left leg and grabs a handful of beads. Punk rams the beads in Drew's mouth and hits the GTS. Punk covers for 1....2....3 to end the war. Punk's prediction of Drew begging came true as Graves says the ring looks like a crime scene. This was never supposed to be a wrestling match, this was a a brutal war and it delivered on that. Punk wins the war as Bennett has to hold Punk up to raise his hand. Cole "Tonight the second city saint is the second city devil" as Punk symbolically slams the door on his way out, collapsing in the aisle. Great match and feud ender, hats off to both guys.

Time of match: 31:24

Winner: Punk by pinfall

Adam Pearce and Gregory Helms rush the ring to tend to McIntyre after the match as the EMT's tend to Punk sitting on the ground. McIntyre stares at Punk in agony as Punk rips the mask off his face, standing up with Pearce's help. Punk poses on the ramp victorious as we cut to commercial of the Firefly Funhouse for WWE2K24....damn I miss Bray. Back from break Cole says Kurt Angle won Gold here in the 1996 Olympics. Then we get a graphic for Nia Jax vs Bayley up next. How the hell do you top HIAC? They're going to try. 

Before the match, Samantha Irvin introduces WWE Hall of Famers Jacqueline who looks as great as ever, Lilian Garcia who hasn't aged a day in 20 years, and Booker T. Then we go over to Cathy Kelley in the VIP Suite. There's a party going on with the hosts along with WWE Intercontinental Champion Jey Uso, Diamond Dallas Paige, Tully Blanchard, X-Pac and Mickie James in the background. Jade wants to see Rhea vs Liv while Naomi wants to see Nia vs Bayley. Onto the next match.

Match 2

Bayley vs Nia Jax for the WWE Women's Championship

After Bayley defeated Iyo Sky at Wrestlemania to become the Women's Champion, Nia Jax was pushed as a monster heel. Nia won Queen of The Ring in Saudi Arabia to earn the title shot at Summerslam. Nia then beat Bayley to become the new women's champion. Since then, she's employed the MITB winner Tiffany Stratton and Pretty Deadly as stooges. With Bayley's unlikely allies up in the VIP Suite, she's kind of on her own against the monster. Bayley rushes Nia at the bell and they slug it out. Nia shoulderblocks Bayley in the corner and throws her to the otherside. Nia hits an avalanche in the corner and another splash. Nia takes Bayley's head off with a clotheslines and covers for 1...2....no. Nia locks in a chinlock then slaps at Bayley. Nia hits another corner splash then the running ass bump. Nia hits another bulldozer and slaps Bayley around. Nia locks in a bearhug before Bayley rolls out of it for a sunset flip for 1...2..no. Nia rolls on top and applies a single leg crab as Corey says this is unlike her to go for a submission. Nia splashes Bayley against the ropes then goes for a modified camel clutch. Bayley gets to her feet then goes and up and over, sliding under Nia. Nia charges but Bayley sends her through the ropes to the outside. Nia slides in only to eat a leg drop. Bayley runs off the ropes but Nia slides outside the ring. Bayley hits a baseball slide and punches away on her. Bayley rolls Nia inside and covers for 1...2...no. Bayley snaps Nia off the second rope and hits a suicide dive through the second rope. Problem is she damn near missed and Nia had to bend down to take some of it. Back inside Nia lands a headbutt and rams Bayley onto the top rope before landing another avalanche. Nia lands another ass bump and goes for the banzai drop. Bayley punches away at Nia and they totally botch a hurracarana. Nia took the powerbomb bump and Bayley took the hurracarana bump anyway....whoops! Nia hits a belly to belly suplex and covers for 1...2...no. Nia throws Bayley on the top rope and goes for another ass bump, but misses. Bayley hits a running knee and goes for the sunset flip but Nia just sits down on her. That was too close to the ropes for Bayley to try that. Bayley drops a few elbows and limps around as she sells her right leg. Bayley hits the top rope elbow and covers for 1....2..no. Both roll outside and Bayley moves, Nia crashing into the steel steps on a charge. Bayley hits an elbow drop off the ring steps but Bayley has to get back in the ring to break up the count. Nia punches Bayley down then powerbombs her onto the steel steps. Nia slings her into the barricade as we go back inside. Nia poses for the irate crowd and totally botches a samoan drop. She covers anyway for 1...2...no, this is getting ugly. Nia goes for the banzai drop but Bayley pulls her off. Nia drops Bayley with a back elbow smash but Bayley counters with a samoan drop of her own. Bayley covers for 1...2..no. Nia press slams Bayley off into referee Jessika Carr. Carr goes to get up but Bayley kicks Nia in the head, Nia landing ontop of Jessika. Bayley hits a pop up stunner and a rose plant but Carr is down. Here comes Tiffany Stratton with the Money In The Bank briefcase and she waffles Bayley with it. Tiffany pulls up Carr but Nia sits up, staring a hole in Tiffany. Tiffany says she wasn't going to cash in as Bayley from behind avalanches Nia into Tiffany in the corner. Bayley rolls up Nia for 1...2....no. Nia misses a splash in the corner and goes up to the tope rope. Tiffany tosses Bayley the briefcase as distraction and Bayley throws it back at her. This allows Nia to deliver a second rope Samoan drop. Nia pulls Bayley in the corner, hits the banzai drop and covers for 1..2....3 to win the match. Bad, bad match but at least its over. Nia wins the feud with Bayley as Tiffany still lurks in the shadows.

Time of match: 14:17

Winner: Nia Jax by pinfall (Still WWE Women's Champion)

We cut to commercial which is hype for Summerslam 2025. Its going to be two nights at Met Life Stadium with Cardi B calling Bianca. We then cut to outside the arena with Xavier Woods shilling Dragonball Sparking Zero video game. Up next is Damian Priest against Finn Balor but before that, Samantha shouts out more hall-of-famers. X-Pac, Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson stand up and say hi. Onto the next match.

Match 3

Finn Balor vs Damian Priest

In case you missed it, both Rhea Ripley and Damian Priest got screwed over by Judgment Day and now its singles action. Bell's gone and they stare down in the center of the ring. Balor slaps his chest to start and Priest levels him with a forearm. Priest slams Balor in the corner and puts the boots to him. Priest hits a flapjack and hits a super kick. Balor rolls to the apron, shoulderblocks Priest and kicks at him. Balor chokes Priest on the top rope but Damian kicks Balor off the apron. Outside the ring, Finn hits a slingblade on the floor and rolls inside. Damian rolls inside and Finn stomps a mudhole in him before posing for the irate crowd. Balor locks in a sleeperhold then gouges the eyes. Balor pounds away with elbows and locks in a chin lock. Priest powers out of it as Graves says Balor never recovered mentally after relinquishing the Universal Championship. Priest charges but each boot but Finn jumps off the top right into a live round, Priest punched him for real by accident and hurt his hand. Balor counters a tilt-a-whirl with a Russian leg sweep and covers for 1....2...no. Balor kicks away at Priest then poses for the crowd again. Balor goes for the abdominal stretch before Priest hiptosses out of it. Priest unloads with right hands and a discuss punch. Priest hits a broken arrow and covers for 1...2...no. Priest misses a big forearm and Balor hits a slingblade. Priest hits two spin kicks and a clothesline before covering for 1...2...no. Priest hits a bellringer and kicks Balor in the chest twice. Finn hits a Pele Kick and chops Damian in the corner. Balor takes down Priest twice then stomps him on the chest. Priest blocks the third attempt and hits the Razor's Edge. Priest covers for 1...2...no. Outside the ring Priest sends Balor into the announce table. Priest hits a Razor's Edge on the ring apron and slides back in. Balor begs off as Priest pulls the singlet straps down. Here comes Carlito to distract the ref and JD McDonough to snap Priest off the top rope. Balor dropkicks Priest into the corner and Damian drops. Balor goes up to the top rope and hits Coup De Gras. He covers for 1...2....no. McDonough and Carlito can't believe it as the crowd chants Yeet. Carlito distracts the ref again as JD tosses Balor a chair. Priest kicks the chair into Finn's face and knocks Carlito off the apron. He backdrops McDonough on top of Carlito on the floor and goes for the South of Heaven. Balor victory rolls out of it for 1...2...no. Balor counters a powerslam with Eye of The Hurricane. Balor hits the Coup De Gras to Priest's back not once but twice. Balor jumps off the top a third time right into South of Heaven. Priest covers for 1...2....3 to win the match. Pretty good match but naturally we had to have the run ins. Priest says this won't bring back the World Heavyweight Championship but it had to feel good to win.

Time of match: 12:48

Winner: Priest by pinfall

We get a vignette for Survivor Series in British Columbia on November 30th before Cole shills some merch. We show Triple H in gorilla position as he's supposed to be up next then a graphic for Monday's Raw where Jey Uso puts the IC title on the line against Xavier Woods. Sheamus vs Pete Dunne in a "Good old fashioned Donnybrook" match and Sami Zayn challenges Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship. Here comes Triple H for a conference with some kind of podium in the ring. The podium has Crown Jewel written on it so this must be related to that. HHH opens by saying 30 years ago he was Terra Ryzing WCW...ha. Our attendance is 16,092 and 60th sellout of the year. Triple H says the next history making event will be four weeks from now at Crown Jewel. The catch is neither world title will be on the line, but the world champions will face each other. The winners will be the Crown Jewel Champion. HHH unveils a Crown Jewel belt with 50 karat diamonds and then World Heavyweight Champion Gunther walks out. Gunther gets in the ring and says Bad Blood wouldn't be anything without the World Heavyweight Champion. Gunther says he won King of The Ring in Saudi Arabia and HHH handed him the trophy, now HHH will do the same with the new belt. Gunther hypes up his match against Sami Zayn this Monday on Raw and tells Triple H that Sami isn't cut out to be top guy. Gunther says he's a future legend and wants to shout out the legends today. The crowd chants for Goldberg and right on cue, Gunther points him out in the front row. Gunther says Goldberg was NOT his childhood hero, he was a one trick pony. Gunther says he's busting balls but has a message for Gage Goldberg. He hopes Bill is a better father than he is a wrestler. Goldberg stands up, rips his hat off and hops the guardrail. Cole tells Graves to get the hell out of the way. Gunther says he's got 3 minutes, let's go. Security pushes Goldberg back until the Suit Brigade of Adam Pearce, Jamie Noble and others show up. Suddenly Sami Zayn himself rushes the ring and beats down Gunther. Zayn hits a plancha as the suit brigade grab Zami allowing Gunther to hit a big boot. Zayn chases him to the back. To sum up this entire segment, Champion vs Champion at Crown Jewel for a Saudi title, Zayn vs Gunther tomorrow night. HHH raises Goldberg's hand as his old theme plays as we move on. 

The Royal Rumble will be February 1, 2025 at Lucas Oil Stadium. The first time ever the Rumble will not be in January. Up next is World Women's Champion Liv Morgan defending against Rhea Ripley with Dom Mysterio locked in a shark cage. Before the next match, Samantha Irvin shouts out DDP, Mickie James and Scott Steiner. Cathy Kelley is up in the VIP section where Metro says Cody Rhodes is an Atlanta legend and to handle his business. Chelsea Green walks in and everyone is grossed out. Piper Niven can stay but Chelsea's gotta go. This is in reference to last night's Smackdown where Mia Yim defeated Chelsea in a dumpster match. Then we get a vignette of Dom Mysterios riding around with Liv Morgan in a low rider before they make their entrance in the low rider.

Match 4

Rhea Ripley vs Liv Morgan (with Dom Mysterio) for the World Women's Championship

Cole brings up Tommy Rich and Mad Dog Buzz Sawyer in the Last Battle of Atlanta with Paul Ellering locked in a cage before the match starts. Cole mentions how Rhea never actually lost the championship as Cole brings up Triple H had to be in a cage as well. Rhea shills Dirty Dom toilet paper which is actually ingenious. Cole "I'd love to see all the ways WWE fans would use that toilet paper." Graves "Do you have any idea the pandora's box that would open? Have you SEEN our fans?" Graves then says "This is cruel and unusual. He can't hang up a poster of Rhea and dig himself out with a spoon like he did the last time he was locked up." Rhea grabs a mic before the match starts and says "One more thing, Dom. You're afraid of heights? Raise him up!" Cole is loving it as the bell finally rings. Rhea attacks at the bell and throws Liv down before hitting a dropkick. Rhea heaves Liv across the ring and stomps on her foot. Rhea drops Morgan with a clothesline and hits a fallaway slam. Liv bails to the outside and rams Rhea into the steel steps. Liv misses a chick kick and Rhea electric chair drops Liv into the ring apron. Rhea throws her back inside as Graves say this is unfair. Rhea baseball slides Liv and sends her into the barricade. Liv is thrown inside as Corey says Rhea needs to move on from Dom. Buddy Mathews is comin for you Graves. Liv snaps Rhea's leg off the second rope and goes to work on the left knee. Dom is sitting down inside the cage as he looks legit terrified. Liv kicks away at Rhea inside the ring and hits a dropkick to the knee. Liv's charge eats elbow but rolls into a half crab. Rhea grabs Liv's head and rams it into the ring to escape. Rhea rallies with clotheslines and a northern lights suplex for 1...2...no. Graves "Poor Dom, he's white as a ghost." They slug it out in the ring before Liv rams Rhea's knee into the apron. Graves "That shark cage might be worse than prison. At least Dom got 3 hots and a cot in prison." Liv continues to ram Rhea's knee against the ring post as the crowd chants "Dom you suck!" Liv heaves Rhea against the barricade twice and she spin kicks Ripley. Liv hits a sunset flip bomb into the barricade and throws Rhea inside.  Liv does a DX crotch chop and hits a codebreaker from the second rope. Liv covers for 1...2...no.  Rhea counters Ob-Liv-ion and smiles at her. Ripley hits a knee to the stomach then goes for Riptide. Liv rolls out of it and hits a crucifix bomb (!!!) for 1....2...no. Graves says that move is called the "Home Wrecker". Liv looks up at Dom as Cole says they have three things in common "Shoes, movies and nuggets". Liv slams Rhea and says "That's my man, you're nothing." Liv slaps Rhea and does the Eddie Guerrero shimmy before going for the 3 Amigos. She hits two but Rhea blocks the third. Rhea hits a Razor's Edge as somehow Dom gets the shark cage open. Cole asks if he learned that in prison with Rhea on the top rope. She taunts Dom with  YEET and hits the frogsplash. She covers for 1...2..no, Liv rolled out of it. Rhea hits the Prism Lock but Liv makes it to the outside. Cole "Yeah he got the door open but its like escaping from Alcatraz, where's he gonna go?" Chyna jumped to the floor back in 1998 so its possible he can too. Rhea outside taunts Dom and throws Liv into both sides of the barricade. Rhea stomps on the derriere of Liv and hits Riptide on the floor. Dom somehow falls out of the cage but is hanging by his foot that's chained to the cage. Two security guards show up and Graves asks "Who are these derelicts?" Rhea spanks Dom and goes back inside and tells the referee to give her one minute to handle unfinished business. Referee Dan Engler says she deserves that...ha! Even the ref doesn't like Dom. Graves "Caught on camera, you crooked fool!" Rhea goes under the ring and grabs a singapore cane as Cole is enjoying this. Rhea looks at the camera and says "Happy birthday to me" (her birthday is coming up on the 11th) before busting Dom with the cane. Rhea unloads on Dom when someone bashes Rhea from behind that's unseen due to the camera angle. We get another shot and its RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ! Liv Morgan's former partner that's been on the shelf due to MCAS is back. The bell rings and Raquel hits a powerbomb to lay out Ripley. Raquel picks up Liv and frees Dom. Corey "Ain't love grand!" Bad match but they finally threw a monkey wrench in Rhea's revenge plan. Liv can't hang with Rhea one on one, but Raquel can. Having Raquel and Dom as stooges makes Liv more tougher to beat. Not to mention these are all women that Ripley terrorized when she was a Judgment Day heel. Rhea is going to need backup of her own but who'd want to come to HER aid after all she did to people?

Time of match: 14:34

Winner: Ripley by DQ (Liv retains)

Cue a vignette for Ford Field and a music video saying "Coming soon." Oh...its the Motor City Machine Guns, Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin. They were known mostly for their Ring of Honor and TNA runs, now they're coming to WWE. We then get our upcoming holiday live schedule, December 26 in Jacksonville Florida. December 27 is a double shot with Raw guys in Pittsburgh, PA and Smackdown coming from Tampa, Florida. December 28 has a double shot with one crew in Baltimore and another in Orlando. December 29 one crew in Chicago and the other in Miami. December 30 is a double shot with Raw in Houston while Smackdown guys were in Detroit. That's a little too Vince for my taste to have a five day stretch with 9 shows but hey, it'll give them reps. Then we get a Crown Jewel vignette for Saturday November 2nd. Then we get our PLE schedule with Survivor Series on November 30th in Vancouver, Saturday Night's Main Event December 14 at the Nassau Coliseum, the Royal Rumble on Feb 1st at Lucas Oil Stadium, Wrestlemania 41 April 19th and 20th in Las Vegas and Summerslam 2025 August 2nd and 3rd at Metlife Stadium. Not a fan of two nights for Summerslam but oh well. After a vignette for the main event, let's get to it.

Match 5

Jacob Fatu & Solo Sikoa vs Roman Reigns and WWE Champion Cody Rhodes

Long story short...after Cody beat Roman at Wrestlemania, Roman disappeared and Solo Sikoa took over the Bloodline. He had Paul Heyman and Jimmy Uso dispatched by new members Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa, the sons of Haku. Then the son of Tonga Kid, Jacob Fatu also joined Solo. At Summerslam, Reigns returned to cost Solo his title match against Cody but is now without backup. Cody told Roman this would happen but he's doing the right thing to help him out against the Bloodline.  Roman says after this is over, he's coming after the title again. Solo and Jacob enter together without the Tongans who won the Triple Threat Ladder match last night but got beat up in the process. The Arkansas Pine Bluff Marching Band plays Cody Rhodes' theme as he enters which stems from them going viral weeks earlier for doing it during a game. Roman has his own orchestra play his theme as Cole brings up Ole Anderson turning on Dusty Rhodes in the Omni in 1980 and wonders if Roman will do the same. He also says this is the first match where Roman hasn't walked into it as a champion in over four years and hasn't wrestled in six months. Solo holds up the Ulafala as Roman facepalms. Bell's gone and Roman and Cody argue who's gonna start as Cole brings up Battleground 2013 when it was Cody and Dustin Rhodes against Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins of The Shield with Dusty in the corner of Cody. Cody starts with Jacob and Cody starts with a headlock. A shoulderblock goes nowhere and Jacob says to run it. Cody does an uppercut and a disaster kick but Jacob is barely fazed. Cody ducks the superkick and Solo gets in to tongue lash Jacob. Roman steps in to even the odds as the crowd chants "OTC". The crowd chants "Fuck you Solo" as Roman puts his hand to his ear. Jacob tags out to Solo and Cody says hold up. Cody slowly turns his head to Roman and Roman shrugs. Roman reaches for the tag and Cody tags him in. Roman and Solo circle and Roman unloads with right hands. Solo kicks him in the head and lands a headbutt before taunting the irate crowd. Roman gets the upperhand with 10 corner punches and an elbow smash. Roman clotheslines Solo over the top rope to the floor as Jacob gets in the ring despite no legal tag. They circle but Solo from behind clotheslines Roman down. Solo chokes Roman on the second rope as the crowd chants "You can't wrestle". What? Solo hits the ass bump in the corner to Roman before tagging out to Jacob. Fatu hits the same ass bump his uncle Umaga made famous as he taunts Roman. Jacob shoulderblocks Roman in the corner and says Solo is the tribal chief. Jacob eats ringpost on a charge and Roman throws him through the ropes to the outside. Cody gets the hot tag who punches away at Fatu before hitting a forearm. Cody hits the powerslam and Dusty Punches followed by the Cody cutter. Cody goes for Cross Rhodes but Solo distracts, allowing Jacob to hit the samoan drop. Jacob tags Solo and throws Cody outside, where Solo does a Rock Bottom onto the apron. Jacob and Solo double team Cody as Cole says if Solo pins Roman, he's the tribal chief. Graves asks if Jacob Fatu were to pin Cody, imagine HIM as champion. Solo and Jacob hit the wishbone but Cody tries to fight back with right hands. Jacob hits a spinning back elbow and tells Solo he loves him. Jacob bites the hand of Cody to prevent a tag as Cole calls him a scary man. Jacob locks in a nerve hold as the crowd chants "We want Roman". Cody fights out of it but Jacob tags out to Solo who pounds on Cody in the corner. Solo whips Fatu into Cody and Solo hits the as bump as well. Jacob tags in to cover for 1...2..no. Jacob tags in Solo but gets thrown out of the ring by Cody. Cody kicks Solo away and jumps for the tag....oh no, Roman hops down to avoid the tag. No wait! Jacob pulled him off....nevermind. Jacob rams Roman's head into the steel steps as Solo back inside clotheslines Cody. Solo covers for 1....2...no. Graves says Jacob may be a destructo in the ring but is very intelligent out of it. Jacob tags in to pummel Cody in the corner and powerslams him. Jacob goes to the top rope for the swanton but Cody gets the knees up. Roman is ready for the tag and Cody finally makes it there. Solo tags in and Roman cleans house with clotheslines to Solo. Roman hits a splash in the corner and a big boot. Roman punches him 10 times and locks in for the Superman Punch. Solo counters the punch by grabbing the arm and goes for a Samoan Spike. Reigns counters with a crucifix for 1.....2...no. Roman hits the Superman punch and covers for two as Roman caters to the crowd. Roman calls for the spear but Jacob stops him. Roman uppercuts Solo but runs into a double superkick. Fatu hits a moonsault and Solo hits a top rope splash. Solo covers for 1...2..no, Cody breaks it up. Jacob throws Cody outside and follows him out. Jacob is sent into the steel steps and Cody prepares the announce table. Jacob kicks Cody in the face but Rhodes moves, allowing Jacob to crash through the barricade. Jacob goes nuts as Cole says he's alive. Graves "Alive??? The sonovabitch is throwing chairs!" Cody rams Jacob's face first into a chair and shouts "go down!" Cody hits the Cross Rhodes on the floor and Jacob gets up almost immediately. Cody kicks Fatu twice to send him on the announce table. Cody goes to the top rope, salutes Reigns and splashes Jacob through the table. Down to Roman and Solo the crowd chants "This is awesome". Roman and Solo play "Yay boo punchathon" until Roman drops him with the Superman Punch. Roman calls for another spear but here come the Tongans. Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa distract Roman allowing Solo to hit a spear of his own. Solo covers for 1..2....nooooo. The crowd chants "YEET" as Corey tries to tell Cole that his monitor went out but someone just hopped the guardrail out of the corner of his eye. Solo taunts Roman as he notices someone in a hoodie standing behind the Tongans...gee, who could THAT be? Sure enough the hoodie dude superkicks both Tongans revealing himself to be Jimmy Uso, who hadn't been seen in six months. Cole "JIMMY USO IS BACK!" Solo turns around into a spear and Reigns covers for 1..2...3 to win the match. Damn good match even if it took a while to get to the good part.

Time of match: 25:43

Winners: Reigns and Cody by pinfall

After the match Jimmy gets in to acknowledge Roman and they hug it out. Jimmy holds up Roman's hand in victory and Roman turns to Cody Rhodes holding the WWE Championship. Roman stares at the belt and Cody and says let's go to Jimmy. Roman and Jimmy go to leave as the Tongans mug Cody. Jimmy "You gave him your word, Uce." Roman and Jimmy run back in and clean house of the Bloodline. The Tongans and Solo retreat as Roman picks up the WWE Championship belt. Roman hands the belt to Cody......IF YA SMELLLLLLLLL hits and the crowd explodes. Here comes The Rock still holding the Muhammad Ali belt standing at the entrance. Well this just got interesting, who does HE go after or side with? Cody, Jimmy and Roman stand in the ring staring at him. He counts 1,2,3 with his hands and says cut before leaving. He DID pin Cody at Wrestlemania Night 1 so him going after Cody is definitely in play as we sign off. Fans have been speculating what Wargames was going to be for months and it does appear that it might just be Roman, The Rock, Cody and The Usos against Solo, The Tongans, Jacob Fatu and a possible wild card.....or The Rock himself and have Sami Zayn come back for one night as the honorary Uce on Team Roman. Either way the story continues.

Bottom line was this was a 2 match card with three others thrown in there to fill it out. Not that Priest vs Balor was bad or the women's matches didn't deserve to be there, but this was Drew/Punk and Bloodline/Roman & Cody. 5 match cards really take away the hard work the rest of the roster does, but it shows you that you have to be special to get on there. Nia Jax is starting to bully Tiffany Stratton more and Liv now has more backup against Rhea Ripley. We got some business to take care of before we set off for Saudi Arabia in four weeks. This Monday's Raw is at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis. I'll see you there.