Showing posts with label Sami Zayn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sami Zayn. Show all posts

Saturday, March 1, 2025

WWE 2025 Elimination Chamber (3/1/25)



2025 Elimination Chamber
The Skydome
Toronto, Canada
March 1, 2025


Commentators: Wade Barrett, Pat McAfee and Michael Cole

Ring Announcer: Alicia Taylor


The road to Wrestlemania takes an interesting turn as tonight's the night we find out who faces Cody Rhodes at Wrestlemania 41. So what's been going on lately? Well the Men's Elimination Chamber match is self explanatory. John Cena is the odds on favorite to win since he wants one last main event before he retires this year. Standing in his way is his long time rival CM Punk who also wants to main event Wrestlemania for the first time in his career (despite being the WWE Champion in 2012). Damian Priest and Drew McIntyre have been at each other's throats and each wants to get back in the main event picture. Seth Rollins not only despises just about everyone in the match, he was the one who had Cody's back at Wrestlemania last year, he wants a crack at him this year. The wild card is Logan Paul who could bring millions of social media views to Wrestlemania if he wins. In other matches, Cody Rhodes dispatched Kevin Owens in a ladder match at the Royal Rumble and Kevin took his frustrations out on long time friend Sami Zayn. Even throughout Kevin's heel turn in the fall, Sami remained in his corner. Not anymore! Tonight they fight in an "unsanctioned match" which is just mumbo jumbo for no disqualification. The women's chamber match will determine who faces Rhea Ripley at Wrestlemania. The contestants are her rival Liv Morgan who she defeated for the title back at the first Raw on Netflix. Naomi and Bianca Belair have formed a pretty nifty tag team with Jade Cargill out with a storyline injury but they'll be opponents here. Alexa Bliss made her return at the Royal Rumble and wants to make the big comeback with a win tonight. Bayley lost the WWE Women's Championship to Nia Jax and was never able to get it back. If she can't beat Nia, maybe she can beat Ripley. The wild card is Roxanne Perez, the former NXT Women's Champion. She could sneak into the main event of Wrestlemania to face the "eradicator". The final match is a standard women's tag team match with the "divas" Trish Stratus and WWE Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton against former champion Nia Jax and her sidekick Candace Larae. It was definitely a Canadian thing going on with Trish, Sami and KO taking center stage for sure. Let's get right to it.

Michael Cole welcomes us saying Wrestlemania 6 and 18 were held in this arena. He hypes up The Rock and Cody Rhodes' confrontation. We're shown Kevin Owens arriving to the arena in a Bret Hart jacket while stealing some wrenches for the match later. Sami Zayn arrives as well as Damian Priest and Seth Rollins. Logan Paul is chillin with some people as Drew McIntyre also arrives. CM Punk arrives and Cole says our first match will be the Women's Elimination Chamber. We're shown an introductionary vignette starting with John Cena's interview at the Royal Rumble saying he's always done what's best for business. What is best for business is he main events Wrestlemania, by winning Elimination Chamber. The sad part is The Rock is rehashing the original Vince McMahon and Steve Austin storyline from 1998 where Vince wanted Austin to be his "corporate" champion. Cole welcomes us with Pat McAfee and Wade Barrett and McAfee goes on a rant saying Canada is a terrible country that booed their national anthem. Get used to that tonight....and I can't blame him.



Match 1

Liv Morgan vs Naomi vs Bianca Belair vs Bayley vs Roxanne Perez vs Alexa Bliss in an Elimination Chamber Match

Winner faces Rhea Ripley (or Iyo Sky) at Wrestlemania and no sense going over the rules since everyone knows them by now. Liv Morgan starts with Naomi as Cole says Liv beat Iyo to qualify for this match. Liv taunts Bianca with her women's tag title belt and walks in a circle taunting everyone in the pods. Bell's gone.....and Jade Cargill's theme hits. Liv Morgan looks absolutely terrified as Jade runs into the ring before the cage was closed. Jade then....beats the living daylights out of Naomi. WHAT? It was implied that Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez was the one who put Jade out of action but apparently it was Naomi? Bianca kicks and screams in the pod because she can't get out as Jad rams Naomi into the side of the chamber. Jade heaves her into Bayley's pod as McAfee & Barrett thinks Naomi attacked her. Jade hits a pump kick on Naomi directly into Bianca's pod. The crowd starts a "welcome back" chant as Naomi tries to crawl away, only for Jade to close the door on Naomi's head. Wade "Jade Cargill came for her pound of flesh". Jade storms off angry as the stretcher comes out for Naomi. Liv in the ring says "I told ya so" and starts taunting Bianca. Bianca pounds on her pod as NAOMI is declared eliminated by Alicia Taylor over the house mic. The crowd taunts Naomi with a "Na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye" chant before the countdown begins.

Bianca Belair is released and she runs right to the door to check on Naomi, getting attacked from behind by Liv Morgan. Liv rams her into Alexa's pod then Bayley's pod. Liv throws Bianca into the ring and Bianca rallies with a forearm. Bianca shoulderblocks Liv in the corner and punches away, but is pushed off the top rope by Liv. Cole on commentary says it might be Naomi that attacked Jade months ago. Bianca misses the handspring moonsault and Liv hits a shining wizard, covering for 1...2...no. Liv throws Bianca face first into the mat twice before kicking her in the ribs. Liv taunts the irate crowd and clobbers Bianca in the corner. A charge in another corner eats boot and Bianca follows with a spinebuster. Bianca hits the handstand moonsault for 1...2...no. Cole says the crowd is still in shock and McAfee can't help but say they're lousy.

The countdown begins and Roxanne Perez is released next. Perez hits a headscissors and goes nuts on both Liv & Bianca. She avalanches both women in opposite corners and rolls to the middle of the ring. Roxanne misses a charge but recovers to hit a top rope frankensteiner to Bianca then faceplants Liv. Roxanne covers for 1...2..no. Roxanne goes for another frankensteiner outside but Bianca catches her in mid-air. Roxanne blocks the powerbomb by climbing the chamber but again Bianca catches her in mid-air. Roxanne then counters another powerbomb with a russian leg sweep into the chamber. Roxanne ties Bianca's hair into the chamber and Liv dropkicks Roxanne out of nowhere. Liv throws Roxanne into the ring and covers for a deuce. Liv hits a running knee and both women duck each other's moves before dropping each other with a double clothesline. Cole asks Barrett how long it took him to realize how dangerous the match is in his Chamber match and he said 10 seconds.

The countdown begins and Bayley is released. Roxanne cuts her off but Bayley rams her into the pod, destroying it in the process. Bayley dribbles Roxeanne's head off the pod window then Liv into the chamber. Liv's elbow is bleeding as Bayley hits a Bayley-To-Belly against the chamber on Roxanne. Bayley spots her old rival Bianca in the ring and they go at it. Bayley reverses a go-behind to throw Bianca out by the hair, hitting her with a forearm. The crowd chants for Bayley as she catches Bianca with a knee to the jaw. Bayley hits a sunset bomb on Belair and covers for 1...2...no. Bayley heaves Liv out of the ring and sets up Bianca in the center. Bayley goes upstairs and drops a big elbow. She covers for 1...2...no.  Bayley goes up top again but Roxanne from out of nowhere powerbombs her onto the steel. Roxanne goes upstairs and hits a frog splash on Bayley inside the ring. She covers for 1...2...no! Roxanne screams and Liv hits a codebreaker on her. Liv covers for a deuce as the countdown begins.

A smiling Alexa Bliss is released and she very slowly makes her way to the ring, stalking Liv Morgan. Alexa throws her down by the air and punches away at her. Roxanne pulls her off and Alexa catches her with a back elbow smash. Alexa takes her down and clubs away at her with some stiff shots before delivering a jawbreaker to Liv. Alexa hits a dropkick on Liv but Bayley rolls her up for 1....2..no. Alexa drops Bayley witha  right hand and jumps on Bayley's back. Alexa hits a rolling neckbreaker and covers for 1....2...no. Alexa slaps Bayley and hits double knees to the stomach. Roxanne then heaves Bliss outside then into the chamber. Roxanne calls herself the prodigy but Alexa hits a backbreaker. Wade "You cannot be cocky with veterans like Alexa." Alexa flies off the top rope but jumps into Bayley and Bianca who slam her down. Bayley hits a modified stunner on Bianca and dives on both her and Bliss. Liv heaves Bayley into an open pod twice. Bayley hits what looks like a New Delhi Devasator on Liv but Roxanne rolls up Bayley inside the ring for 1...2...no. Roxanne hits a head scissors and turns it into a Crippler Crossface. Bayley rolls outside with Roxanne still holding on until Perez breaks it. Perez then hits a modified stunner through the ropes then goes for the second rope moonsault. Bayley gets her knees up but Roxanne blocks the Rose Plant. Roxanne is dumped onto the chamber outside but Liv from out of nowhere hits ObLivion on Bayley. Liv covers for 1....2...3 to eliminate BAYLEY.

Liv runs for her life from Bianca who climbs to the top of a pod. She klicks away at Bianca who joins her up there. Liv rams Bianca's head off the pop and tries to pulls her off by the hair. Bianca uses her hair as a whip that knocks Liv to the floor. Pat "YEE-IKESSSS". Bianca flies off the top hits all three remaining women with a crossbody. Liv has a legitimate welt from the whip as Bianca covers both Roxanne and Liv for two counts. Bianca shoulderblocks Alexa in the corner and goes for a superplex, but Liv and Roxanne team up for the powerbomb plex. Liv screams "I HATE YOUUU" and goes for ObLivion on Bianca but jumps into a superkick from Roxanne. Roxanne throws Belair into the ring and goes for Pop Rox, but Bianca heaves her into Liv. Liv executes a code breaker to drop Roxanne and Alexa hits Twisted Bliss from off the top rope. She covers Roxanne for 1...2....3 to eliminate ROXANNE PEREZ.

Down to three and Alexa sits cross-legged in the center of the ring with the other two in opposite corners. Alexa drops Liv and punches away at Bianca. Bianca goes for the KOD on Alexa but she hits a frankensteiner on Liz instead. Alexa drops Bianca with a drop toe hold and stands on her until Liv clubs her off. Liv then hits 3 Amigos on Bianca and does the Eddie Guerrero pose. Liv hits a shining wizard on Bianca and calls for the 619. She gets intercepted by Bliss who goes for Sister Abigail but Liv pushes her away. Liv rolls out of the KOD attempt by Bianca although Bianca rolls her up for a two count. Liv kicks her off right into Alexa for the Sister Abigail attempt. Alexa hits it but Liv jacknife pins Alexa for 1....2....3 to eliminate ALEXA BLISS.

Liv waives bye to Alexa and pulls Bianca into the center of the ring. Liv covers for 1...2....no. Liv rams Bianca into the chamber by the hair multiple times and back in the ring, Liv covers for 1..2...no. The crowd starts a small EST chant as Liv hits a codebreaker. Bianca no sells it and spears Liv, covering for 1...2..no. Bianca goes for a powerbomb outside but Liv blocks it. Bianca then rams Liv's head off the pod then the cage, finishing with a powerbomb inside the ring. Cole says Liv had nothing left as Bianca goes for the 450 splash. Liv gets her knees up and goes for the ObLivion. Instead Bianca ducks it and goes for the KOD. Liv rolls out of it and hits another codebreaker. She goes for Oblivion again but this time Bianca slides through it, hitting the KOD. Bianca covers for 1..2....3 to win the match. Damn good effort by Liv to take all that punishment the whole match and Alexa for her first big time match in years. Cole runs down the whole match including the Jade Cargill run-in and yet Bianca wins anyway. People have wanted Bianca vs Ripley for years and it looks like we're headed in that direction.


Time of match: 29:16

Winner: Bianca Belair


Bianca celebrates after the match as we go to the replays. Then Rhea Ripley appears behind her at the entrance and stares her down. Then Iyo Sky walks out and stares them both down. Monday night on Raw will decide who faces Bianca as we go to break. Back from commercial we get a plug for WWE Evolve this coming Wednesday, the newest WWE show which will be the Double-A show compared to NXT being Triple-A. We're shown a highlight of 2006 Unforgiven in Toronto where Trish Stratus defeated Lita for the WWE Women's Championship. 18 years later she'll team with Tiffany Stratton against Nia Jax and Candace Larae. After the recap vignette, its showtime.



Match 2

Trish Stratus and Tiffany Stratton vs WWE Women's Champion Nia Jax and Candace Larae

The hometown hero Trish teams with Tiffany in a generational tag team for the ages. Trish was the Tiffany of 25 years ago and she's backing up Tiffany against the monster Nia. Wade "Trish, what the hell are you thinking putting your body on the line here?" Cole says this is the first time Trish's children have ever seen her compete live. Damn we're old. Bell;s gone and Trish starts with Candace. Trish hits a Thesz Press and punches away at Candace. Trish ducks a line from an interfering Nia who runs into a Tiffany punch. Tiffany and Trish hit a double dropkick to send Nia flying as Trish hits a neckbreaker on Candace. Trish covers for 1...2...no. Cole says Trish has never lost a tag match in Canada as Tiffany tags in. Nia pulls Trish outside and decks her but Tiffany comes off the apron with a Supergirl punch. Larae hits a baseball slide on Tiffany as Cole points out Trish eliminated Canadace from the Royal Rumble. Larae sends Tiffany into the steel steps then throws her inside. Candace rams Tiffany into the corner and tags in Nia. Candace whips Tiffany and Nia botches a senton as her ass never left the turnbuckle but Tiffany dropped down anyway. Nia mocks Trish and throws Tiffany down, saying "You're not shit without me." A small "you can't wrestle" chant starts as Nia sits on Tiffany on the second rope. Nia gets in a chinlock as Cole says Nia eliminated 9 women in the Rumble including Trish. Nia avalanches Tiffany in the corner and goes for the banzai drop. Pat "This is the worst place to be in the history of wrestling". Personally I'd rather be under Nia than Yokozuna, just ask Dan Dubiel. Tiffany pulls Nia off the rope and tags in Trish. Trish rallies with right hands as McAfee says "That's Stratusfying". Trish chops away in the corner and then hits the Chick Kick. Trish hits a tornado DDT and covers for 1....no. Candace gets in and Trish hits a spinebuster on her. Trish goes for the Stratusfaction but Nia counters with a back suplex. Nia covers for 1....2..no. Nia grabs Trish by the hair and mock chants "USA, USA" McAfee "I'm okay with it." Nia does a Chyna bearhug and throws Trish down much to the crowd's chagrin. Nia tells Tiffany to kiss her buttocks and lifts Trish up in a stretch muffler. Nia rams Trish's head against the buckle as Candace hits a dropkick. Candace covers for 1...2...no. Candace rams Trish face first as we get a replay of the double team attack. Candace goes for the arm-bar and Trish tries to escape, but is thrown back down by Larae. She covers for 1...2...no. Candace hits a snap suplex and covers for 1...2..no. Candace drags Trish to her corner and Nia tags in. Nia hits the Umaga bump in the corner and delivers a stinkface to Trish. She took a few of those from Rikishi back in the day. Candace tags in to stand on Trish in the corner but Trish rallies with forearms. Candace backs Trish in the corner and then knocks Tiffany off the other apron. Trish and Candace pull each other down by the hair. Tiffanyt gets the hot tag and she unloads on Candace with clotheslines and a shoulderblock. Trish hits a handspring back elbow in the corner before knocking Nia off the apron. Candace rolls through a cradle but Tiffany executes the Alabama slam. Tiffany then hits a spinebuster on Nia before delivering a double dropkick. She covers Candace for 1....2....no. Tiffany goes for the moonsault and damn near breaks her neck when she's pushed off by Candace. Candace makes the tag and Jax tags back in. Nia hits a big leg drop and covers for a deuce. Tiffany pushes Nia into Candace and hits a back suplex on the big lady. Trish gets the tag but runs into a back elbow by Candace. Candace gets caught in the Stratusphere but Nia breaks up the pinfall attempt. Nia clotheslines Tiffany down and tags back in legally. Nia throws Trish in the corner and goes to the second rope, but Trish counters with a kick. Trish hits the Stratusfaction from the top rope and covers for 1...2.....no, Trish moves out of the way as Candace hits a moonsault on Nia by accident. Tiffany tags in who dumps Candace on the apron. Tiffany hits the moonsault on Nia and covers for 1...2...3 to win the match. Better than I thought it was gonna be and Tiffany gets some momentum heading into her Wrestlemania showdown against Charlotte Flair. 


Time of match: 11:40

Winners: Tiffany and Trish by pinfall



Back from commercial break, Michael Cole tells us WWE will be back in Australia sometime this year and then gives our Wrestlemania itinerary. Smackdown will be Friday April 18th, NXT Stand & Deliver will be Saturday afternoon the 19th with Wrestlemania 41 in Las Vegas Saturday and Sunday night with Raw on Monday the 21st. The rapper Travis Scott enters the arena as we get a plug of the Elimination Chamber merch stand. After more advertisements, Damian Priest and Drew McIntyre are shown preparing as Seth Rollins takes of his wedding band. Uh oh, don't tell Becky Lynch that. We're shown Cody Rhodes in shirt and tie contemplating tonight's decision. Then we go to another vignette showing how The Rock has taken the company into the stratosphere and he's the "Final Boss." After this, our attendance is 38,493....which is nowhere near Wrestlemania 6 of over 60,000 legit. FINALLY, we get to our next match. Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn in the "Unsanctioned match." We're shown a backstory of them betraying each other over the years with KO doing the honors this time. Alicia Taylor says WWE is not legally responsible for anything that happens in this match. There are no rules and the ref is only here to count to three or declare a submission. Here we go.



Match 3

Sami Zayn vs Kevin Owens

Long story short, KO was mad Sami didn't interfere in the ladder match at Royal Rumble so he injured Sami's neck. Sami vowed revenge and here we are. Sami enters looking mad and determined which is a far cry to his usual demeanor. Michael Cole says KO and Sami met at an indy show in 2002 and brings up Ring of Honor's El Generico vs Kevin Steen. As the bell rings, Cole mentions how two years ago these two main evented Wrestlemania and put the first crack in the Bloodline's armor, and now here they are bitter enemies. Despite both men being Canadian, the crowd is absolutely dead to start. There is a cool spotlight shown in the ring which is a nod to the old territorial "Lights Out" matches. They slug it out to start with Sami getting the upper hand. KO recovers and drops Sami with a back elbow smash. KO drops Sami ribs first on the top rope and hits a running senton. Sami heaves KO into the ring post outside but KO chops him. Sami sends him into another ring post and grabs a chair from underneath the ring. He then starts heaving multiple chairs into the ring. KO grabs one and hits Sami in the back with it first. KO continues to crack Sami with the chair as Cole says the referee can't do anything about it. KO swings and misses, hitting himself in the head on the ricochet. Sami then takes over with the chair on the back of KO. Sami cracks KO in the back again and KO bails outside. Sami cracks him outside as well and throws him back inside. Sami stacks chairs on KO's chest and goes outside. He grabs a hockey stick which does get a pop from the crowd. He waffles the chairs with the hockey stick and KO bails outside again. The crowd starts a small Sami chant as he grabs a table much to the crowd's delight. KO grabs Sami and heaves him into the ring post before grabbing the hockey stick. Kevin chokes Sami with the stick and bites the top of his head as Cole almost gags. Cole "This guy is NUTS!" KO grabs another table and stacks it on the other table. Sami grabs the stick and checks KO over the barricade into the crowd. They brawl up some steps as KO chokes Sami with some security tape. Sami rallies with right hands and grabs a trash can. Sami waffles KO with the trash can as Pat says "HE JUST HIT KEVIN OWENS IN THE HEAD WITH DOMINIK MYSTERIO!" Barrett "Completely unnecessary but very funny, man." Sami puts the trash can on his head and Cole says Owens is grouchy. Ha! Sami stalks KO into a watering station and hits the Blue Thunder Bomb through the table set up. Sami  hits another Blue Thunder Bomb through another table as Barrett calls Sami unhinged. Sami throws Kevin down and hits him in the head with a trash can lid. Sami keeps whacking him back toward the ring but KO whacks Sami with the ring bell to stun him. KO clobbers him with the trash can lid a few times then hits him with one of the announce team's TV monitor. KO rolls Sami into the ring and goes up to the top rope. Sami cuts him off and goes for the fisherman buster, but KO slides under him and shoves him off the top rope through the stacked tables. Cole says Sami is clutching his neck while Barrett says good that he's not paralyzed. Back inside, KO hits a brainbuster on a chair and covers for 1....2...no. KO kicks Sami in the face and goes for the pop up bomb, but Sami turns it around into a Taz Plex. KO doesn't sell it and instead charges only to get Tax plexed right onto a chair. Cole "KEVIN OWENS MAY BE DEAD!"  Sami goes for the Helluva Kick but KO pulls referee Rod Zapata in the way. Zapata is out cold and KO hits the stunner on Zayn, but there's no ref to count. Charles Robinson sprints to the ring and counts 1...2...no. KO decks Robinson with a lariat as McAfee asks what's wrong with Owens. Referee Ryan Tran hits the ring and checks on Charles as we got to the replays of the refs getting wiped out. KO goes to the floor and gets another table as Sami continues to sell the neck. Barrett says he's been there and its not going to work. KO waffles Sami in the head with a chair as Cole tells Sami to give it up. Owens sets up Sami on the table with a chair on top but Sami pops up and throws the chair at KO. His facial expression is priceless and Sami smacks him in the face. Sami goes for the superplex but KO counters with a fisherman's buster through the table. Wade "Get this match over with!" KO covers for 1......2.....no. Cole "Sami I am begging you to just stay down!" Petey Williams of the Suit Brigade hits the ring and tells KO that Sami's had enough. KO props up Sami in the corner and says its all his fault. He runs to the other corner but Sami from out of nowhere hits the Helluva Kick. Sami covers for 1....2...no. Cole "And this massacre continues." Sami then goes under the ring and pulls out a chair wrapped in barbed wire. Cole "OH JESUS!" Barrett "Who the hell set THAT up under the ring?" Sami stalks Owens with the chair, kicks him and waffles him in the back with it twice. Sami sets the chair up and hits a drop toe hold on it with KO rolling around grabbing his face. Sami sets the chair up on two others and hits the blue thunder bomb on it. Sami covers for 1..2....noooooo. KO staggers to the corner but counters the Helluva Kick with a pop up powerbomb. Sami then bails to the floor grabbing his neck and KO grabs another chair. He wraps it around Sami's neck and sends him into the ring post. He sends him into another ring post as Cole screams "KEVIN ENOUGH!" KO hits a powerbomb on the ring apron and Cole shouts "YOU SICK BASTARD!" The rest of the Suit Brigade shows up and tells Kevin its over, but Owens hits another powerbomb against the side of the ring. KO throws Sami inside as Barrett calls him sub-human scum. KO covers for 1...2....3 to win the match. That was a war and the commentary team throwing professionalism out the window made it seem like classic JR and King from the 90's/00's. Forget holds, forget workrate, that was a FIGHT. Owens gets the last word with Sami to pretty much end this feud.


Time of match: 27:34

Winner: Owens by pinfall



After the match the stretcher comes out for Sami with security telling Owens to beat it. Owens beats up the security guards and pulls the protective mat off the floor. Owens drags Sami out of the ring and goes for the package piledriver on the floor....until Voices hits. Sure enough, out comes Randy Orton for the save. Owens stands in the center of the ring as the crowd sings Voices. Orton sheds his vest and runs in to beat the crap out of Owens. Randy hits the RKO and grabs the chair, standing over KO's fallen body. Randy throws the chair out and loads up the punt for the first time in years. Just as Orton is about to deliver the punt, he's intercepted by the Suit Brigade. KO makes a hasty retreat and Orton hits the rKO on members of the security team. Randy stares at the Wrestlemania sign to signify where this feud is going before posing for the crowd.

Back from commercial the announcers give their regards to Sami Zayn and hypes up Stephanie McMahon's talk show on ESPN+ coming up with Pat McAfee. We're shown Logan Paul getting ready for the chamber match with CM Punk on his way to the ring. The chamber is lowered and its go time.



Match 4

Logan Paul vs Damian Priest vs CM Punk vs John Cena vs Seth Rollins vs Drew McIntyre in an Elimination Chamber Match

Logan Paul enters the arena waiving the American flag which was GENIUS heel heat. Rollins and McIntyre are going to start as Barrett brings up how everyone but Cena had to qualify for the match. Bell's gone and McIntyre stares at Rollins to start. McIntyre goes for the claymore early and misses and Rollins misses the curb stomp as well. Rollins punches McIntyre in the corner and bites his forehead. McIntyre slams Rollins on the chamber steel outside of the ring. He rams Rollins back first into the cage then rakes his face against it. CM Punk from the pod says to McIntyre to stay alive so he can get him some. Rollins rams McIntyre's head against Punk's pod as Punk screams harder. Back inside Rollins hits a flying knee and a kick, covering for 1...2..no. Logan Paul draws on his pod with a marker as McIntyre hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, covering for a two count. McIntyre backdrops Rollins on the steel and kicks him in the chest. McIntyre ribs the turnbuckle pad off and slingshots him into it. The countdown begins as McIntyre sits in front of Punk.

Damian Priest enters and stares down McIntyre. They chop it out in the middle of the ring amd Priest hits a discuss punch. Priest splashes Rollins in the corner and flatlines McIntyre. Priest hits a Razor's Edge on Rollins on top of McIntyre. Priest runs into a Glasgow Kiss from Drew and he calls for the claymore. Rollins cuts him off with a superkick and avoids South of Heaven from Priest. Rollins superkicks Priest but runs into a spinebuster by Drew. McIntyre powerbombs Rollins on top of Priest and covers Seth for 1...2...no. Logan Paul draws something on the pod causing the crowd to chant "Fuck you Logan". McIntyre is tied into the tree of woe and Rollins goes for a superplex. McIntyre holds on to Rollins for a german suplex as the countdown begins.

Logan Paul is next and he hits a springboard crossbody on McIntyre for 1...2..no. Logan hits a standing moonsault on Priest for 1..2...no. Paul hits some boxing jabs on Rollins and a 3 handled credenza on him. He covers for 1...2...no. Paul taunts the crowd but Priest catches him with a bellringer. Priest clotheslines Paul over the top rope to the steel floor then rams him into the pod. Priest knees Paul against the cage but McIntyre attacks from behind. Priest walks the top rope and hits a frankensteiner on McIntyre. Paul hits a big right hand and a gut wrench suplex on Priest then gets back in the ring. Paul sets up Rollins but runs into a superkick. Rollins covers for 1...2...no. The countdown begins with Rollins eyeballing the two remaining guys in the pods.

John Cena is next and he shoulderblocks Rollins twice. Cena hits the FU on Priest and the back suplex on Paul. Cena hits the FU on Rollins and calls for the 5 knuckle shuffle. Cena hits it on Logan Paul and hits the FU next. McIntyre from out of nowhere hits the Claymore kick on Cena. Before he can cover, Priest hits a crucifix for 1...2....3 to eliminate DREW MCINTYRE. Cole says he was too fixated on Cena to worry about Priest, which doesn't make sense since he was about to pin Cena. Drew pulls a sore loser and hits the Claymore on Priest. Drew leaves as Logan Paul heads to the top rope. Logan then climbs on Punk's pod and hits a frog splash on Priest. He covers for 1...2....3 to eliminate DAMIAN PRIEST. Paul stares down Punk as the countdown starts.

CM Punk is the final entrant and he says "You know its me, open the fucking door" to the ref. He and Paul trade blows before Punk suplexes Logan on the floor. Punk hits a running knee to Paul and rams him into the pod. Punk rams Paul into the cage and starts to climb it, pointing at the Wrestlemania sign. Punk then eyeballs his old rival Cena as the crowd pops for the two legends. Punk and Cena both say they're going to Wrestlemania as Rollins hits a kick to Punk from out of nowhere. Rollins rallies with right hands and Cena pulls him off. Rollins shoves Cena and Cena says "Ohhh, what?" Rollins "He's mine! Go back and film more movies, stay out of this!" Rollins goes to attack Punk again but Cena again pulls him off. Rollins responds with a kick and a pedigree attempt. Cena goes for the FU but Rollins rolls out of it. They play "Yay, boo" with Cena getting the yays (try imagining that 10 years ago). Paul comes out of nowhere and double clotheslines both men down. Logan goes for the slingshot clothesline but Punk rolls out of it and slaps him in the face. Punk goes for the GTS and hits it, covering for the 1...2....3 to eliminate LOGAN PAUL.

Down to three, Punk taunts Paul by doing a grave digging motion. Punk and Cena eyeball each other again but Rollins stares at Punk. Cole says the three men left have 26 world championships between them. Punk says the other two will go to sleep while the crowd chants "Let's go Cena, CM Punk" like its 2012 again. Punk and Cena stand side by side and Rollins fights them both off until the numbers game catches up. Cena holds Rollins and Punk hits a Hart Attack, nice touch. Cena and Punk stare each other down as Rollins rolls way. Punk "Now we can get down." Cena extends a hand and Punk hugs him instead. They trade blows and the crowd yays both of them. Cena drops Punk with a shoulderblock but Punk rolls through the back suplex with a headlock takeover. Punk hits the running knee in the corner but Cena hits the back suplex. Cena calls for the 5 knuckle shuffle and goes "you can't see me" but Punk tries to kick him. Cena catches the leg and spins him around for the STFU, but Punk rolls out of it. Cena runs right into the GTS attempt, but rolls out of it. He applies the STFU in the center of the ring. Punk sells for awhile then locks in the anaconda vice. Cena rolls him on his back for 1...2....no. Punk goes up to the top rope and hits an axehandle smash on Rollins outside. Punk goes back to the top and tries a crossbody, but Cena rolls through it. Cena hits the FU and covers Punk for 1...2...noooooo. Cena goes up to the top but Rollins crotches him. Rollins powerbombs Cena into the side of the cage then rams him through one of the empty pods. Rollins stalks Punk inside the ring but walks into an inside cradle for 1...2...no. Rollins recovers by countering the GTS with the pedigree. He covers for 1..2...nooooo. Rollins goes for the pedigree on the steel floor but Punk backdrops Seth into the ring.  Punk looks to the Wrestlemania sign for power and goes back to the top rope. Seth climbs the rope and goes for the superplex but Punk drops him. Punk hit the flying elbow drop and calls for the GTS. Rollins rolls out of it and buckle bombs Punk in the corner. He hits the curb stomp and covers for 1...2...nooooo. Rollins pounds the mat in frustration and goes up to the top. Cena intercepts Rollins and goes for the FU, but Rollins wiggles free....right into the GTS. Rollins staggers into and FU by Cena and Punk covers for 1..2...3 to eliminate SETH ROLLINS.

Down to Cena and Punk, Cole says Rollins had Cena dead to rights when he threw him into the pod, but his bloodlust against Punk cost him. Cena and Punk stare each other down with dueling chants like its thirteen years ago. Punk then hits the GTS out of nowhere and covers for 1.....2...nooooo. Cena's turn as he hits the FU and covers for 1.....2.....noooooo. McAfee "Nein, nein, nein, nein, nein!" Punk kicks Cena down but Rollins hits the curb stomp on Punk out of nowhere. Cena drags Punk into the ring and locks in the STFU. Punk fades and the ref calls for the bell....Cena wins it. John Bradshaw Layfield used to call him "Big Match John" because he always seemed to win the big match, and Cena just did once again. It'll be Cena vs Rhodes at Wrestlemania in a hell of a match.


Time of match: 32:40

Winner: John Cena



Cena thanks the fans in the ring but Cody Rhodes' music hits. Guess its time for "the decision". Cena sits on the rope to let Cody in and stands in the corner. Cena "They know its you and me at Wrestlemania, we're gonna throw down for the championship." They shake hands....and The Rock's music hits. Nevermind...its rapper Travis Scott. He's holding the Muhammad Ali title and NOW The Rock comes out to his Hollywood theme. The Rock and Travis get in the ring with Scott sizing Cody up. Cena and Scott stand off to the side together and The Rock grabs Cody by the head and says "Cody Rhodes, the moment has arrived." He says he'll open arms for Cody to embrace him as his brother and Cody as his champion. He wants his mind and soul...NO! He NEEDS his soul and if he says yes, the American nightmare will live forever. If the answer is no, the dream dies tonight....again. Cody "I want it all, Rock. My soul no longer belongs to me. And you know why? Because I gave my soul to this ring and these people a long time ago. Hey Rock, GO FUCK YOURSELF!" The crowd LOVED that and Rock's expression is cold. Cena hypes up Cody to the crowd as Rock stands there motionless. Rock then backs up and looks at Cena. Cena laughs at Rock and Cody extends his hand. Cena takes it and hugs Cody as the crowd cheers. Rock suddenly makes a slit throat motion and nods to Cena. Wait...what? John then boots Cody in the gonads meaning...OH YES....JOHN CENA HAS TURNED HEEL FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 22 YEARS! Cole "What the...." Rock, Cena and Scott stare at Cody until Cena steals Cody's watch. He punches Cody with it as McAfee says The Rock always has a plan. Cena punches him with it a second time and unloads with right hands. Cena grabs the mic and cracks Cody in the head with it. Cena then grabs the WWE Championship and clobbers Cody with it too. Rock looks out at the crowd as Cena stares at the crowd with a scowl, holding up the WWE title. Cody is busted wide open and Cena hits him a second time with the belt. Cole "Somebody stop this! John you want to go out like THIS?" Cena rips Cody's shirt off and chokes him with it. Cole "After everything he's accomplished in his career, he's gotta stoop to this shit? You gotta be kidding me!" Hell yeah Cole. Scott and Cena hold Cody only Scott grabs Cody and pulls him up, with Cena having to push him back down in a subtle hint to Scott to stop what he's doing. Scott then punches Cody for real as The Rock whips Cody with his weight belt. Cena stands on Cody's head and poses with The Rock with Scott behind them against the ropes. Cole shouts to Cena "What are you doing? There are millions of children that look up to you." Rock whips Cody with the weight belt one more time and Cena throws the WWE Championship down at him. Cena leaves the ring to a chorus of boos as Rock and Scott leave as well. Michael Cole himself gets in to check on Cody as the three heels stand at the entrance and stare at Cody to end the show.

Holy shit that was awesome. You had betrayals out of nowhere, you had cursing, you had blood.....this was a show for the ages. People are already comparing it to Bash at The Beach 96 with John Cena in the Hulk Hogan role. The sky is the limit for this feud as its going to be heel Cena vs Cody at Wrestlemania with The Rock in his corner. Only question is will Cody have help like he did last year? Joe Tessitore after the show said the signs were there at the Royal Rumble press conference when he said he did everything the right way his whole career but demanded to be in the Elimination Chamber. It also makes sense, John Cena wants to be the GOAT with a record 17 world championships and The Rock most likely promised to take him there. Also Jade Cargill is back and Naomi is in deep doo-doo. Bianca will go to Wrestlemania but what's her situation going to be like? Rhea Ripley vs Bianca has been a dream match for years but Jade Cargill vs Bianca seems to be on the table for some reason. KO vs Randy Orton seems Wrestlemania bound with Sami dispatched and Tiffany vs Charlotte is all clear now that Nia Jax and Candace has been dispatched. Either way the road to Wrestlemania just got interesting. The next show after this is tomorrow night's Raw. I'll see you there.

Monday, January 6, 2025

WWE Raw (1/6/25)



WWE Raw
Intuit Dome
Los Angeles, California
January 6, 2025


Commentators: Michael Cole & Pat McAfee

Ring Announcer: Alicia Taylor


Welcome to the most overhyped Raw in decades. Raw leaves its home on USA where its been for 19 years and comes to Netflix. Now Raw won't have to cater to USA standards and practices and a fixed run-time. This was more or less being hyped as a ppv and that's how it might be treated tonight. Jey Uso takes on Drew McIntyre, Seth Rollins takes on CM Punk, John Cena returns and Roman Reigns goes one on one with Solo Sikoa in Tribal Combat. Let's get to it.

Michael Cole welcomes us to Los Angeles and Cole says Seth Rollins will be in the biggest match of his career....what? Not Wrestlemania against The Rock and Roman Reigns last year, not Triple H in 2017 or Sting at Summerslam....a match on Raw against CM Punk? We're shown CM Punk, Seth Rollins, Judgment Day and Rhea Ripley entering the arena.

Before anything happens, we're treated to a vignette hosted by Triple H about the history of wrestling. Wrestling had been around in the Roman times and in carnivals but television changed wrestling. Wrestling needs a face (a painting of Hulk Hogan) and a heel (Andre The Giant). The late 90's changed how we looked at who was good and who was bad (with a nice montage of the nWo and the Montreal screwjob), the real, and unreal. "Every damn story had an element of truth. The screens get smaller but the show gets bigger." From television to streaming, from America to the world, never to end....story of WWE. The giant curtain drops and HHH is standing in the ring. HHH "17,000 plus sold out Los Angeles LET ME HEAR YOU!" Triple H says this is the moment they're all being seen and heard by the entire globe. HHH says show them who you are and tell them that his is the WWE and we are louder than anything you have ever seen before. HHH knows the answer but he asks anyway, ARE YOU READYYYYYY. "Then, welcome to Monday Night Raw, welcome to the Netflix era". Great opening montage, didn't do too much, just said wrestling grew over the last 70 years.

HHH leaves and the lights go out.....IF YA SMELLL, WHAT THE ROCK...IS COOKIN. Here comes The Rock with the Muhammad Ali belt shaking hands with the fans. He greets some dignitaries at ring side before posing for some fans. Rock even shakes hands with Michael Cole and Pat McAfee before greeting Rock's two youngest daughters Jazzy and Tia along with his mother, Ata Maivia-Johnson. Cole also brings up Rock has a claim to be high chief of Samoa as well. Rock talks about how he used to travel with his father when he was just a pebble (there goes my nickname for Ava Raine). He says back then you either bought a ticket or had to be in front of your TV on Saturday morning. He goes on to say you're watching it worldwide on Netflix and they broke another gate record. "Finally WWE has come back to Netflix....no no no that's bullshit, get to the real one." Rock "FINALLY, THE ROCK HAS COME BACK TO LOS ANGELES!" The Rock thanks some Netflix execs in the VIP suite and says if Netflix glitches when he's in the ring, he'll go Squid Games on their candy asses. This was a reference to the Mike Tyson/Jake Paul fight that broke Netflix. The Rock then puts over Cody Rhodes for carrying the company on his back the past year and he's shown in the crowd. Rock "Tell mama Rhodes I said hello." Rock then shouts out Roman Reigns which gets a huge OTC chant from the crowd. Rock says Tribal Combat is next and the world will be watching. He puts himself over as high chief and says the winner of this match will be deserving of tribal chief. IF YA SMELLLLLLL...WHAT THE ROCK....IS COOKIN. Rock shakes hands with Cody at ring side and says hi to his kids as he leaves. Now its time for Tribal Combat. This has been building since Wrestlemania. After Roman Reigns lost to Cody Rhodes, he went on vacation. While he was gone, Solo picked up the Ola Fala and took over the Bloodline. He got rid of Jimmy Uso and Paul Heyman while adding Jacob Fatu and the Tongans. Then little by little the OG Bloodline returned culminating in Roman Reigns and Jimmy Uso recruiting Jey Uso and Sami Zayn to reform the original Bloodline. After the OG's were victorious at Wargames, its still been OG vs New until now. If Solo wins, the OGs are done. If Roman wins, the New is essentially useless. It actually would be a lot more interesting if Solo wins but the writing is on the wall.



Match 1

Solo Sikoa vs Roman Reigns (with Paul Heyman) in Tribal Combat

Alicia Taylor introduces Solo but Paul Heyman introduces Reigns as the "reigning, defending" OTC. Bell's gone and Solo says the Ola Fala is his as they tie up. Solo and Roman back each other up until Roman throws Solo out of the ring. Solo backs Reigns into the ring post outside as Cole says this is Roman's first one on one match since Wrestlemania.....wow. The death of house shows really shows here. Solo rams Roman's head into the announce table and back inside the ring. Solo drops Roman with a clothesline and delivers a headbutt. Roman then floors Solo with back to back lariats. Roman clubs Solo in the corner with forearms and brings up all the HoFers Roman has beaten as Reigns big boots Solo to the outside. Roman goes outside and walks right into a Rock Bottom onto the announce table, clearing out Pat and Michael. Solo grabs a monitor and decks Roman with it. Solo taunts the irate crowd as Cole says he has to get the hell out of here. Solo grabs the ring steps and tells Roman to get his ass up. Cole "This is gonna be one of those nights, Pat." Solo rams Reigns with the steps as we go to break. Back from commercial, Solo grabs a chair and gets in the ring. Solo hits Roman in the ribs then in the back. Solo then caves in Roman's ribs with the chair and puts it around his neck. Solo taunts Roman that he gave him everything and always loved him. Solo goes for the Umaga but Roman rolls out of the way. Roman grabs the chair and hits Solo in the ribs, then the back with it. Roman unloads on Solo with the chair and rams his head into it. Roman goes for the Conchairto but Solo moves. Solo hits a low blow and another spinning Rock Bottom . He covers for 1...2....no. Cole brings up the very first Raw was January 11, 1993 and we've had 1,649 episodes total on cable TV....until tonight. Solo grabs a table from under the ring but Roman hits a dropkick from the apron. Roman throws the table into the ring and sets it up, but Solo whacks Roman with a singapore cane. Solo wails on him with the cane while taunting Heyman. He then chokes Roman with the cane and says to acknowledge him. He loved Roman but he never loved him back. Roman then uses his strength to push the cane off him then powerbombs Solo through a table. Roman covers for 1.....2....noooo, Tama Tonga pulls referee Chad Patton out. Here comes the shenanigans. Jacob Fatu comes in from the other side, slaps Reigns, hits a superkick and delivers the Impaler. Fatu then hits the standing moonsault and picks Solo up. Solo hits the Samoan spike on Roman and covers for 1...2...NOOOOOOO! Jacob can't believe it as the crowd chants OTC. Jacob backs down Chad in the corner but Solo has to tell him to back off.....so he can hit the samoan spike on Patton. Cole says that was dumb as nobody's there to count the fall. Here comes Sami Zayn and Jimmy Uso to even the odds. Sami heaves Jacob into the ring steps as Jimmy throws Tama into the ring post.  Inside the ring, Jimmy superkicks Solo and Sami follows with the Helluva Kick. Roman hits the spear and covers but there's no ref. Finally here comes another ref to count 1....2.....NOOOOO. The crowd chants "This is awesome" and now we got a stalemate. Jimmy and Sami dive outside and fight to the back with Jacob & Tama. Roman loads up another spear but here comes Kevin Owens of all people. He hits a stunner on Roman and tells Solo to pin him. This makes no sense, why would KO help either of them considering Solo made his life a hell too. Solo covers for 1..2....nooooo. KO pummels Roman and goes for the package piledriver as the crowd chants for Cody Rhodes.....and here he comes. Cody in the suit and tie hits the Cody cutter, causing KO to bail. Cody brawls with him into the barricade and we're back to one on one. Solo blocks the Superman punch, but Roman ducks under the Samoan Spike. Roman hits the spear. Roman caters to the crowd and calls for another one. Roman hits a second spear and covers for 1..2...3 to win the match. That was a damn good PPV style match that would have fit right in at the Rumble. Roman ends the Solo Bloodline once and for all.


Time of match: 23:27

Winner: Roman Reigns by pinfall



Paul Heyman goes to put the Ola Fala back on Roman but here comes The Rock to steal the spotlight AGAIN. The Rock takes it from Heyman and presents it to Roman. They shake hands and the crowd cheers. Roman takes a full minute to soak in the emotion before we cut to the back where CM Punk is preparing for his one on one match with Seth Rollins. Cole says this is one of the biggest matches in wrestling history....how?? We're then shown the VIP suite where Byron Saxton, Kayden Carter, Jaida Parker, Carmelo Hayes, Grayson Waller, Zoey Stark, Austin Theory (in a hilarious red suit) are having a party. Then we go to ringside to see Gabriel Iglesias holding the big gold belt, naturally he has a special airing the next day. Ashton Kutcher and his son are shown as well as Netflix comedian Michael Che. Then we're shown LA Knight, Rey Mysterio, Erik and Ivar sitting in the front row. Why are they treating these guys like common fans? Rey is wearing an Eddie Guerrero jacket to boot. 

John Cena is here to begin his farewell tour. He holds up "The last time is now" towel as he runs to the ring. Cena caters to the crowd and thanks the fans, causing a massive "Thank you Cena" chant. Cena says the fans are smart and the audience just got a lot bigger. He tells the crowd to let the world know they can see them. Cena thanks Netflix for the experience of airing Monday Night Raw and for letting him wear jorts in the ring one last time. He says the farewell tour kicks off in LA because he used to sleep in his car working for Gold's Gym and wrestled for UPW in Orange County. Cena rented a two bedroom apartment 600 feet from this building because Inglewood was up to no good. He says this is where his first gimmick "The Prototype" was born and where he won the WWE title at Wrestlemania 21. He says for 25 years LA has allowed him to perform in the ring and he humbly thanks the fans. Cena says this year is about making moments and who he's going to face at Wrestlemania or his last match in December. He lists Drew McIntyre, CM Punk, Logan Paul, Gunther...Cooooody Rhodes. He says people are asking when he becomes the record holding 17 time world champion but he wants to be honest, he doesn't see it happening. Cena says he's got a streak going on, its been 2,446 days since he won his last match. One look at Google shows the mixed tag match he won on New Year's Day 2019 confirms this.....wow. Cena says his time up and their time is now (the fans boo). Cena says title 17 is never gonna happen then catches himself and says never say never. Cena says it would take a miracle and has a better chance of winning an Oscar. Cena says he can't just waltz into the main event with a streak like that unless he wins Money In The Bank, Elimination Chamber.....or the Royal Rumble. Cena "Wait.....maybe I could win the Royal Rumble." He says its a long shot but he can't win the lottery if you don't play. Cena says he's officially entering the Rumble for the last time. Cena says he'll never give up and he's going to win the Rumble. "YOU WANT SOME, COME GET SOME!" So this long speech was to set up Cena entering the Rumble, good.

We cut to a Logan Paul vignette. He puts himself over and plays off the very real heat he has with people and says everyone hates how successful he is. Logan Paul himself is shown in the crowd and says its his time now. Liv Morgan then makes her entrance for the next match with Dom Mysterio and Raquel Rodriguez in tow. Cole has to give Liv her props for potentially being superstar of the year in 2024. Before Rhea makes her entrance, we're shown more celebs. Seth Green, longtime WWE fan Macaulay Culkin, O'Shea Jackson Jr (who's a hilarious troll on Twitter), Wil Friedle and Danielle Fishel from Boy Meets World. Will is not mentioned, only Danielle....wow, Eric Matthews gets the shaft. Right in front of them are Naomi and Bianca Belair, the women's tag team champions. Next to them is X-Pac and Shinsuke Nakamura, the US Champion. McAfee drools over Ripley during her intro as Cole says "she lost her way and was manipulated into Judgment Day by Edge". Wow, throwing shade at Edge now? Cole says it was his influence that led her to turn on Liv Morgan and set Liv on the path of turning on her in return. We get a frightening graphic that since May of 22 Rhea Ripley is 22-0 against everyone else but only 3-2 against Liv Morgan. On to the match.



Match 2

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

Bell's gone and they brawl to start. Rhea stomps on her foot and grabs her by the throat. She choke bombs Liv down and Liv bails to the outside. Rhea cannonballs onto Raquel Rodriguez as Cole says unlike Tribal Combat, there are rules here. If referee Daphanie LaShaunn catches Dom or Raquel doing anything funny, that's it....even if it screws Ripley. Speaking of Dom, he grabs her foot allowing Liv to knock Rhea off the apron. Liv goes for a head scissors but Rhea powerbombs her onto the announce table. Pat and Cole heckle Liv as we go to break. Back from commercial, Liv apparently has been dominating during the commercial break. Liv stands on Rhea in the corner and shrieks at Daphanie. Liv elbows Rhea and hits a tornado bulldog, covering for 1..2....no. McAfee "This dumbass Dom can't even count to three" and Dom heckles him in return. Liv kicks Rhea in the head and in the ribs before stepping on her. Liv rakes the back which only makes Rhea mad. Rhea no-sells a few slaps and says "You fucked up" before clotheslining Liv down twice. Rhea kicks Liv in the ribs and face plants Liv. Rhea hits a shining wizard and goes for a package piledriver that she turns into a suplex much to Dom's dismay. Liv goes for a victory roll but Rhea hits a reverse Taz plex. She covers for 1.....2...no. Rhea goes for Riptide but Liv slips out of it to apply a backstabber. Liv hits a tornado DDT and covers for 1..2....no. Liv hits a step up enziguiri but Ripley slides under Liv, hitting riptide. Ripley stacks her for 1...2...NOOOOO. Somehow Liv kicked out and Ripley can't believe it. Raquel throws a chair in the ring only for Ripley to knock her off. Liv hits ObLivion onto the chair. Cole "Referee didn't see it, she was dealing with dumbass Dom." Liv covers for 1...2....NOOOOO. McAfee "The wrestling gods are blessing us this evening." Liv can't believe it and she goes for the three amigos. She hits all three and goes up to the top for the frog splash. Liv hits it and covers for 1..2...nope. Ripley blocks ObLivion and shakes her head no. Rhea blows her a kiss, throws her down, hits Riptide twice and covers for 1...2...3 to win the match. The crowd explodes as we have a new World Women's Champion. Odd decision for to Rhea get her revenge on Raw instead of a PLE, but it was a good match. Liv couldn't beat Rhea straight up and Rhea finally caught her.


Time of match: 11:29

Winner: Ripley by pinfall (New World Champion)



Post match Dom sneaks up on Rhea. Cole "Oh what is this idiot doing?" Rhea turns around and Dom wants a hug. Cole calls him a gold digger and McAfee calls him a rat bastard (ha!). Rhea "You want me?" She kisses the belt and puts it down. She fakes a hug and kicks him full force in the gonads much to Cole & McAfee's delight. Rhea hits Riptide and the crowd explodes. McAfee "The kick was good" We get a highlight of Rhea winning the match before she celebrates on the ramp. Suddenly The Undertaker's theme hits and sure enough, here comes the deadman on a motorcycle to "American Bad Ass" by Kid Rock like its 2000 again. Cole brings up how Taker main evented the first Raw in history (against Damien Demento) and he salutes Rhea. They raise their fists as the fireworks go off.

We go back to the VIP section where Cruz Del Toro, Joaqin Wilde, Kayden, Maxxine Dupri, Saxton and Dragon Lee celebrate. Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods aren't so happy and Cole points out he wants to interview them soon. We cut to Cathy Kelley standing nearby as Adam Pearce and Bayley have a conversation. Cathy asks what can we expect moving forward but here comes all four members of American Made (Ivy Nile, Julius Creed, Brutus Creed and Chad Gable) to interrupt. Gable says his group are elite and he's destroyed Alpha Academy. He says he wants the single best luchador and send him his way. Pearce asks if he's sure about that and Chad says absolutely. Adam has a smile and says he's got to make a phone call. This should be good.

We cut to Jey Uso about ready to make his appearance as we go to break. Drew McIntyre is on his way to the ring as well. Back from break, we're shown The Rock's instagram as he was leaving. He greeted Jimmy Uso, Paul Heyman, Triple H, Roman Reigns, rapper Travis Scott and Cody Rhodes. Rock drives off with a bottle of tequila in his hands saying he'll be at NXT tomorrow night....just don't tell the cops. We're shown more celebs including Bill Simmons flashing a Boston Celtics logo, perfect for heel heat in Los Angeles. We're shown more Netflix execs and actress Vanessa Hudgens. Then we're shown Michelle McCool, Iyo Sky, Dakota Kai and Lira Valkyria. Lira and Dakota go one on one next week in the Women's Intercontinental Championship Finals. Travis Scott is here holding a belt and hitting a dab before Jey Uso makes his entrance right behind him. Cole and McAfee Yeet on the table and Cole doing it in suit and tie makes it even funnier. McAfee "Wait for the beat to drop, Cole." Cole "How the hell do I get down now?" Before the match we get a graphic of the most televised wins in 2024 and Jey Uso is tied for fifth place with 21 behind Pete Dunne (??) with 22, Damian Priest with 23, Bron Breakker with 24 and Bianca Belair with 29.



Match 3

Jey Uso vs Drew McIntyre

Cole was in the middle of bringing up how Drew McIntyre's entire heel turn was based around never getting over the Bloodline costing him the WWE title at Clash at The Castle....when Jey immediately suicide dives him before Drew gets a chance to take off his ring jacket. Jey suicide dives through the ropes on top of Drew but Drew counters with an overhead suplex. Cole finishes his thought from earlier that once Jey Uso came to Raw, Drew was never the same. Drew inside the ring goes for the claymore as the bell officially rings. Jey hits an avalanche in the corner followed by a running enziguiri. Jey goes for the up and over but Drew kicks him in the head. Cole says Jey has never beaten Drew one on one as Drew gets in a big right hand. McIntyre mocks the Yeet to the irate crowd and chops the nine time tag team champion. Drew chops him again before punching him in the corner. Drew chops again before doing 10 punches in the corner...as a heel? Jey does a sit down powerbomb and they slug it out in the middle of the ring. They play "Yeet/boo" with Jey hitting an enziguiri. Jey hits the Umaga in the corner and hits a top rope crossbody for 1..2....no. McIntyre hits a reverse neckbreaker and kips up before staring at Jey. He calls for the Claymore but runs into a superkick. Jey covers for 1.....2...no. Jey goes for the Uso splash but McIntyre gets his knees up. Drew hits a spinebuster and jackknife covers for 1..2...no. Drew tries a sitdown powerbomb and covers for 1...2...nope. McAfee says Drew should be a champion but gets inside his own head. The crowd plays "Let's go Drew/Let's go Jey" as they slug it out in the center of the ring. Drew's future shock is blocked by Jey but his samoan drop is blocked. Drew hits future shock and covers for 1..2...no. Drew calls for another Claymore but runs into the spear. Jey covers for 1..2....nooooo. Jey hits a superkick to the left arm then catches him in the jaw. Jey goes for another spear but Drew kicks him in the head. Jey superkicks him into the ropes but Drew fires back with a Claymore Kick. Drew covers for 1...2....noooooo. Drew can't believe it and unloads on Jey with right hands. Drew picks up Jey and chops him relentlessly in the corner. Drew does a Glasgow Kiss and calls for another Claymore. Drew runs but Jey collapses in the center of the ring. Drew laughs at him and then taunts the irate crowd. Drew tells him to get up so he can finish him. Drew goes for the Claymore but Jey ducks under it and crucifixes Drew for 1..2...3 to win the match. Drew goes ballistic inside the ring as Jey bails as the winner. Jey had never beaten Drew until now in a good match. That was a hell of a fight and McIntyre loses another big match to add to his misery.


Time of match: 10:22

Winner: Uso by pinfall


We go to a vignette on Gunther to show he's an emotionless killer. Back to Cathy Kelley who's with comedian Gabriel Iglesias. He's got a new special dropping tomorrow but before he can say anything, here's New Day to interrupt. Xavier Woods says they haven't been allowed to explain why they dropped Big E Langston as Kofi Kingston says this is the biggest platform on earth and Cathy should be talking to them instead of the "fluffy buffoon". Gabriel "Buffoon? Dude, I liked you guys better when you had cereal. What's going on?" Woods "Its always jokes with you, isn't it?" Alpha Academy shows up and says Happy New Year and puts their arms around Iglesias. He thanks the Universe and he leaves with Otis, Maxxine Dupri and Akira Tozawa serenading "New....Day sucks. New....day sucks." 

We cut to Paul Heyman singing Roman Reigns' praises as they walk down the hall. Heyman says they need a platform to when the world can acknowledge him. He says January 27th.....what? Oddly specific but okay. We show a determined Seth Rollins in the locker room before we go to break. Back from break we're shown more celebs in the crowd. Finally IC Champion Bron Breakker and WWE Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton are shown in the crowd as well. If anyone should be in the ring tonight its them. We're shown Nikki Bella in the crowd as well when a familiar theme song hits.

Hulk Hogan comes out with none other than Jimmy Hart in tow and gets booed relentlessly despite Michael Cole and Pat McAfee singing his praises. Hulk goes into his familiar promo of "Well ya know something brother" and he says the fans have been his greatest tag team partner. He says he has a new tag team partner, his own beer company. He talks about his ex-partners like Randy Savage and Andre The Giant but the best partner ever is WWE and Netflix. Hogan rips off his shirt to reveal a Netflix is Raw t-shirt and poses as the crowd doesn't give a rats ass. Poor Jimmy Hart, he didn't deserve that.

Next week Lira Valkyria takes on Dakota Kai to determine the first Women's Intercontinental Champion and Sheamus takes on Ludwig Kaiser, Chad Gable will face a mystery luchador and Damian Priest faces Finn Balor in a street fight. We're shown Stephanie McMahon herself in the crowd next to Rory Culkin as BURN IT DOWNNNN hits.



Match 4

Seth Rollins vs CM Punk

This goes all the way back to Survivor Series 2023 when Punk returned to a VERY unhappy Rollins response. Rollins' storyline beef was Punk walked out in 2014 and he himself stayed all these years. Injuries to both Punk and Rollins delayed their inevitable showdown until now. The bell rings and they have dueling chants to start. They brawl to start with Punk getting the upper hand. Rollins clubs him against the ropes then Punk ducks a line, clotheslining over the top to the floor. Punk misses a dive to the floor and Rollins hits a suicide dive onto Punk. Rollins rips apart the announce table early as referee Rod Zapata gives him shit for it. Rollins yells "Let it rideeeeee" to him but Zapata is having none of it. Punk outside sends Rollins over the barricade and dives on top of him. Back over the barricade Rollins goes for an axehandle, but gets punched by Punk for it. Punk throws the top of the table on him as the crowd duels chants. Punk slides in the ring and narrowly misses the curb stomp. Rollins blocks the GTS attempt and kicks Punk in the corner. Zapata yells at Rollins again and Punk boots Seth in the face. Cole points out Rollins is too obsessed with the ref to concentrate on Punk. Punk hits a swinging neckbreaker from off the top rope as we go to break. Back from commercial Rollins clubs away at Punk in the corner and yells at him to get up. Rollins runs into the corner but Punk was right behind him with the running knee. Punk hits a second knee but Rollins blocks the bulldog. Punk rallies with two clotheslines and a swinging neckbreaker before calling for the GTS. Punk pulls Rollins up by the hair and snaps him off the top rope to the floor. Punk throws Rollins inside and goes to the top rope. Rollins rolls through a crossbody and hits a GTS of his own, sending Punk to the outside. Rollins just stares at Punk on the floor for a bit before coming out to get him. Rollins caters to the crowd to let Punk breathe a bit before throwing him inside. Rollins slides in and Punk hits a curb stomp of his own, covering for 1...2..no. Punk rallies with right hands and calls for the GTS. Rollins blocks it and hits the GTS himself, covering for 1...2...noooo. Punk rolls out of the ring and Rollins throws him onto the announce table. Punk goes for the GTS but Rollins rolls out of it. Rollins hits the pedigree on top of the announce table and sells his own knee. That looked for real. Rollins rolls him inside and hits the pedigree in the center of the ring. Rollins covers for 1....2..noooo. The crowd chants for both men again as they slug it out in the center of the ring. Punk goes for the running knee but Rollins hits the buckle bump followed by the curb stomp. Rollins covers for 1...2...nooooo, foot on the rope at the last second. Rollins can't believe it and he picks Punk back up onto the the top rope. Punk pushes him off and Rollins gets mad. He scales the top rope and hits a superplex, rolling through for the Falcon Arrow attempt. Punk blocks it and hits GTS. Rollins staggers into the ropes and back into Punk for a second GTS. Punk covers for 1.....2...3 to win the match. That was certainly a choice to have Punk win but this feud is far from over. Punk gets the opening salvo in a damn good match. Rollins is bleeding from the eye as we end the show.


Time of match: 19:54

Winner: Punk by pinfall




This was a pay-per-view style show but only four matches is criminal. So much time was wasted with The Rock, Hulk Hogan and Gabriel Iglesias that you could have had the Women's IC title match or have some of the guys in the crowd in the ring. Still, tribal combat was fun, Rollins vs Punk was great and Rhea winning the strap back was monumental. Jey vs Drew was okay but its just the fact you had four matches in a 3 hour show isn't good. Raw and SD going to 3 hours was supposed to enhance the roster, not shrink it to only a few matches a night. How sad is it that WWE did more in 2002 with a 2 hour show than it does with 3 now? Still, the matches themselves were good and that's the most important. Netflix is off and running so hopefully this was a one time event to kiss their ass before moving on to more important things as the Royal Rumble approaches. The next show after this is tomorrow night's NXT, I'll see you there.

Friday, August 5, 2022

WWE Smackdown (8/5/22)



WWE Smackdown
Bon Secours Wellness Arena
Greenville, SC
August 5, 2022


Commentators: Michael Cole & Pat McAfee

Ring Announcer: Samantha Irvin


With Summerslam in the past, its time to focus on Clash at The Castle coming up in Wales. Raw on Monday established The Uso's were still the team to beat while Smackdown had to do something to counter. Let's see how they do it. We open with a Summerslam recap vignette set to Kid Rock before we're shown The Bloodline arriving. Jimmy & Jey Uso in their own car with Roman Reigns in a different car. He knows better than to have them driving. We're in Greenville, South Carolina tonight as McAfee says coming up tonight is a confrontation between Drew McIntyre and Roman Reigns. Pat uses his telestrator to show him kicking Baron Corbin in the gonads. Baron himself is watching from the back and gets laughed at by Ricochet, Angel Garca, Humberto Carillo, Megan Morant, Xia Li, Drew Gulak, Shanky and Jinder Mahal. Ricochet says karma is a b...eautiful thing. Corbin says he's going to wipe the smile off his face and Ricochet challenges him to a match right here, right now. McAfee "Hahaha loooooser, loserrrrrr" Back to ringside, Cole says Pat is having way too much fun as its on to our first match.



Match 1

Ricochet vs Baron Corbin

"Happy" Corbin is on a cold streak of late and Ricochet wants another IC title shot, so let's see how this plays out. Bell's gone and Corbin heaves him into the corner but misses a charge. Ricochet gets the Pele kick on the apron, blocks the End of Days and Ricochet dropkicks him out of the ring. Ricochet dives over the top rope onto Corbin. Ricochet dives off the top but lands on his feet, only to take a 360 clothesline by Corbin. Baron punches away in the corner and stops to hear the boos. Ricochet punches away but gets dropped with a back elbow smash. Ricochet on the apron shoulderblocks Baron in the ribs but Baron hits a right cross to stop the springboard. The crowd chants for McAfee as Baron gets a knee to the ribs. Baron slides under Ricochet but gets kicked in the face twice. Ricochet flips over Corbin, sits on Samantha Irvin but gets launched right into the ring post by "Happy" as we go to break. Back from commercial Corbin has a neck twist on in the ring before hitting a backdrop. Corbin covers for 1..2.....no. Corbin yells at the ref and then the crowd as Cole says he's wasting too much time. Richochet flips over Corbin and gets a knee to the ribs. Ricochet hits an elbow and a shoulderblock in the corner. Ricochet hits a flying clothesline and a standing shooting star for 1..2....no. Ricochet goes for a spring board but Corbin counters with a torture rack neckbreaker. Corbin covers for 1...2....no. Corbin eats a frankensteiner and Ricochet overs for a deuce then hits a sunset flip for another two count. Ricochet kicks Corbin but runs right into Deep Six, Baron covers for 1..2....no. Ricochet goes for the sunset bomb but Corbin drags Ricochet to the top rope. Corbin throws him into the top rope (OW!) as McAfee stands up for the distraction. Ricochet crotches Corbin and hits the running jawbreaker. Ricochet hits the shooting star press and covers for 1...2...3 to win the match. McAfee celebrates at ringside as Cole says the bum luck of Corbin continues. Good big man/little man match as Ricochet used his speed to frustrate Corbin. The McAfee distraction didn't hurt either.


Time of match: 11:50

Winner: Ricochet by pinfall



Post-match, Ricochet and McAfee throw a football around before Pat autographs it. Pat punts it into the crowd but the fan totally fails to signal for the fair catch. We go to a highlight of Liv Morgan pinning Ronda Rousey by complete accident while Liv was tapping. We then get a graphic of a gauntlet match coming up to decide the number one contender to Liv's Smackdown Women's Championship. Sami Zayn knocks on Roman Reigns' door as we go to break. Back from commercial we get another damn Summerslam montage when the Uso's answer the door for Sami. Jimmy is happy to see him but Jey isn't. Sami says he respects them for winning the tag match and asks how Paul Heyman is. Sami says he's trying to text him so he could talk to Roman. Sami says it'll be quick but Jey says its not a good time but Jimmy says he'll text him later. McAfee says that's a tough look for Sami Zayn at ring side. Cole shows us the Liv Morgan/Ronda Rousey match. Liv clearly tapped before Rousey was pinned and Cole says the official blew the call. Rousey turned heel by attacking Liv and the referee. Cole says we got a gauntlet match to determine Liv's opponent at Clash at The Castle but McAfee gets stopped mid sentence to mark our for Shinsuke Nakamura's theme. Hahahaha! Before we get to the next match, we get a highlight from all the way back in April 27, 2000 of Steve Austin destroying the DX Express bus. That's a fun stroll down memory lane, on to the next match,



Match 2

Shinsuke Nakamura vs Ludwig Kaiser (with Gunther)

Basically winner gets a title shot at Gunther and Guntger tells Kaiser to go get him. Kaiser beat Nakamura a few weeks earlier after Nakamura beat him a month ago. This is the rubber match as Kaiser gets some elbows to the head. Kaiser rams Shinsuke's head into the buckle and stomps away in the corner. Nakamura counters with kicks in the corner and choking him with his boot. Shinsuke tells him to come on and hits an enziguiri. Shinsuke covers for a one count and Kaiser hits a right hand to the jaw. Kaiser is dropped on the top rope and hits a running knee to send him to the floor. Shinsuke hits a kick but runs into a tilt-a-whirl slam as we go to break. Back from commercial Shinsuke hits a knee to the head followed by an axe kick to the back. Shinsuke hits a sliding dropkick and a siding german suplex. Nakamura taunts Gunther to hit him but gets a baseball slide courtesy of Kaiser. Kaiser is thrown on the apron and Shinsuke hits a running knee. Shinsuke runs into an uppercut and Ludwig covers for 1...2...no. Ludwig hits a fisherman's plex and covers for 1..2...no. Gunther is frustrated outside and tells Kaiser to finish him. Nakamura gets an arm-bar but Kaiser lands on top for 1..2....no. Nakamura hits Kinshasha and covers for 1..2....3 to win the match. Next week its Shinsuke vs Gunther for the IC strap. Good match and it serves its purpose to set up the big showdown.


Time of match: 8:45

Winner: Nakamura by pinfall



Post-match Shinsuke goes toe to toe with Gunther and taunts him. We get a highlight of the Viking Raiders taking out Xavier Woods last week and we cut to Megan Morant with Kofi Kingston. She asks how Kofi and Xavier are doing and Kofi says Xavier will be fine. He'll get back to normal and he's not used to being alone without Big E and Xavier. Kofi says its time to make the Vikings pay because New....Day rocks....New....Day rocks. Up next is the controversy surrounding Liv Morgan.....after Sami knocks on Roman's door again. Jey is irate but Jimmy says he needs a favor from Sami. He wants him to assume Heyman's role and Sami says its not really his job. Jimmy says it'll mean a lot to Roman and Sami agrees to do it. Sami says he'll take care of it and leaves while Cole says lock the door to the production truck (Hahahaha!). Kayla Braxton brings Liv Morgan to the ring who's arm is in a sling. Kayla asks how she's feeling since her arm is in a brace and Ronda's been suspended. Liv says she's feeling so many different emotions and the crowd legit boos her. She wants to address the elephant in the room as the crowd chants "You tapped out!" Liv says she appreciates people calling her out on her shit (yes, she said that). Liv says she tapped but she thought the ref had counted three so when Ronda comes back....oh wait, here comes Sonya Deville of all people. Sonya says she can fool the dumb crowd with her innocent act but they know she doesn't deserve to be champion. Liv raises the belt as Sonya says Liv screwed her over. Sonya admits that Adam Pearce sucks at his job but Sonya really loves seeing her hurt. She says she's going to win the gauntlet match then beat her at Clash At The Castle. She's going to take what matters most, the Smackdown Women's Championship. Here comes Aliyah to face Sonya for the gauntlet match, so let's get started.



Match 3

Sonya Deville vs Aliyah vs Raquel Rodriguez vs Shotzi Blackheart vs Xia Li

Match one of the gauntlet has Aliyah taking on Sonya. Liv will be at ringside for the duration as the bell rings. Aliyah starts with a shoulderblock and blows her a kiss. Sonya drops her with a back elbow smash and chokes her on the second rope. Aliyah rolls her up for a one count but Sonya ducks the line. Sonya hits a spinebuster and covers for 1..2...no. Sonya locks in a chinlock but Aliyah hits a jawbreaker. Aliyah with a Thez Press and a second rope crossbody for 1...2...no. Sonya drops Aliyah on the second rope as the crowd chants for Ronda Rousey. Sonya hits Eye of The Hurricane (she calls it Deville's Advocate) and covers for 1...2...3 to win the fall.

Next out is Aliyah's partner Raquel Rodriguez. Raquel backs her up in the corner and hits shoulderblocks. Raquel clotheslines Sonya for 1..2...no. Sonya clips the left leg of Raquel and hits a facebuster for 1...2...no. Sonya locks in a chinlock but Rodriguez stands up and hits a sidewalk slam. Raquel elbows Sonya and hits snake eyes, followed by a big boot. Raquel hits a Vader Bomb followed by a Tejana Bomb before covering for 1...2....3 to send Sonya out.

Next up is Shotzi Blackheart as we go to break. Back from commercial Shotzi has an abdominal stretch on Raquel but Rodriguez powers out of it to land a fallaway slam. Raquel hits a Vader Bomb followed by a normal powerbomb. Raquel covers for 1...2...3 to win the fall.

Xia Li's turn to face Rodriguez and she kicks away at Raquel to start. Xia kicks at the left leg and does a double knee drop, covering for 1..2...no. Xia rolls up Raquel then locks in a half crab. She makes the ropes and Li kicks away at her before slapping her across the face. Raquel gets mad and headbutts Xia down. Xia counters with a kick to the ribs but runs into a fall away slam. Another Vader Bomb is followed by a Tejana Bomb and the cover gets 1...2....3 to eliminate Li.

Natalya is up next and she goes after the left leg of Raquel. She goes for the sharpshooter but Raquel kicks her off. Natalya clips the left leg and works it over. Natalya applies a deathlock (for real) and slaps Raquel's stomach. Raquel rolls through and somehow hits a vertical suplex. Raquel covers for 1...2..no. Natalya applies the sharpshooter but Raquel makes it to the ropes. Natalya goes up to the top and Raquel hits a Tejana Bomb. She covers for 1....2....3 to eliminate Natalya.

Shayna Baszler is the last one out and the winner of the fall goes to Clash at The Castle. We go to break then after the commercial, Shayna locks in a leglock. Shayna kicks at the left leg and then works over the left arm. She points at Liv Morgan and rolls through with an armbar. Shayna goes for a sleeper but Raquel throws her in the corner. Raquel hits the corner splash but Shayna counters the Vader Bomb with the Kirifuda Clutch. Raquel tries to roll through it but Shayna hangs on and german suplexes Raquel for 1...2....3 to win the match. Damn good showing by Raquel with a smart move to end it by Shayna. She essentially choked out Raquel so she had nothing left to kick out.


Time of match: 21:05

Winner: Shayna Baszler by pinfall



Post-match Shayna poses on the second rope and calls out Liv Morgan. Cole says that with Liv dinged up, this is the worst possible outcome for her. Back to Sami with the Usos and tells them that everything's all taken care of with the production truck. He has to talk to Roman and Jimmy says it ain't gonna happen. Sami says they're giving him the runaround and Jey shouts the truth is the Bloodline don't need him and if Sami doesn't get with the program, he'll rip that shirt off real soon. We get a graphic for tonight's confrontation between Drew and Roman before we cut to commercial. Back from break we get yet another Summerslam vignette before we head to our next match.



Match 4

The Viking Raiders (Erik and Ivar) vs Tommy Gibson and Jim Mulkey

Interesting names for the job guys. Tommy Gibson is 19 year old "Hollywood" Hunter James out of the Georgia indies while Jim Mulkey is Marcus Kross (no not Karrion). Gibson runs right into an Erik forearm to start. He heaves Mulkey in the ring where Ivar tags in to do a bronco buster to Mulkey. Ivar scoop slams Gibson and Erik scoop slams Ivar onto Gibson. Ivar elbows Tommy in the corner and tags in Erik. Erik splashes Mulkey and scoop slams him before tagging in Ivar. Ivar hops on the second rope and hits a powerslam on Gibson. Both Raiders slam Mulkey on Gibson and Erik covers for 1..2...3.. to win the match. A good old fashioned squash match right out of 1993.


Time of match: 1:28

Winners: Viking Raiders by pinfall



Post-match the Raiders shitcan the jobbers but here comes Kofi Kingston with a singapore cane. Kofi cleans house of both Raiders to a huge pop. Erik "You're a dead man!" as we go to break. Back from commercial, its an impromptu match!



Match 5

Erik (with Ivar) vs Kofi Kingston

Impromptu match since Erik had no problem with the jobbers. Kofi punches away at Erik in the corner but runs into a knee to the face. Erik pounds away on Kofi and hits a snapmare. Erik applies a chinlock and pounds away with forearms. Erik hits a modified Bossman slam and covers for 1...2...no. Erik  goes for a full nelson and knees the back of the head. He covers for 1..2...no. McAfee says he's never seen the moves Erik has done before as Kofi hits a second rope dropkick. Erik is sent out of the ring and Erik dives over the top rope onto him. Ivar misses with the singapore cane and Erik uses the distraction to send Kofi in. Kofi rolls up Erik anyway for 1..2....3 to win the match. That was sudden although it doesn't really prove anything. He barely beat Erik but oh well, a win's a win. 


Time of match: 3:44

Winner: Kingston by pinfall



Cole says he has breaking news, the women's tag team belts are vacant and this Monday, the tag team tournament starts to crown new champions. Finally, its time for the confrontation. Roman Reigns and The Uso's hit the ring as we get a highlight of Reigns winning the Last Man Standing Match with Brock Lesnar. We cut to commercial and when we come back, we get a mini-vignette of Gunther highlights. Then Roman stands in the ring with his crew and demands his acknowledgement. McAfee "They have to. How could you not?" Reigns say you know the deal and how they're going to brag about winning, but there's a few things first. Roman says he hates Brock Lesnar but he respects him. Reigns says they hate Lesnar because he tried to kill Heyman who's not here. Reigns says Heyman is in the hospital (yes, not medical facility, another sign Vince is gone). but Drew McIntyre shows up for a rebuttal. Drew calls him the "tribal queef" and says he talks too much. He just wants to fight and doesn't want to wait. Drew goes to the ring but strange music plays and things go black and white. A woman is at the entrance way as even the Bloodline is confused. Suddenly Drew McIntyre is attacked by....KARRION KROSS! Yup, the guy who was released in 2021 along with fifty others for Vince's "budget cuts" is back! Kross beats the hell out of McIntyre and sends him into the ring steps. The woman at the entrance is Scarlett Bordeaux and Kross looks at the Bloodline. Scarlett sets up an hourglass as Cole says time is running out on Reigns. Kross and Scarlett stare at the Bloodline and Reigns holds up his title belts as we sign off.

Looks like Triple H is righting the wrongs of the past by bringing back Kross & Scarlett who should have never been fired in the first place. Not only that, he's going to put legit badass Baszler against Liv Morgan in Wales. Then he's bringing back the women's tag team belts. Things are looking up around here. Sami continues to be the sidekick to The Uso's and McIntyre now has to watch his back against Roman. Not just from the Uso's but Kross as well. Also Reigns said "hospital" and not medical facility, that's definitely a sign Vince doesn't run the show. Hopefully Raw this Monday keeps up the momentum. I'll see you there!