Monday Night Raw
Date: September 21, 2026
Location: Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re back stateside and that means it’s time to keep getting ready for Money In The Bank. We’ll be having some qualifying matches, but we’ll also have to deal with LA Knight getting the World Title shot against Roman Reigns. You didn’t hear about that one? Well it was announced after last week’s Raw went off the air. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Penta vs. Roman Reigns in their instant classic last week. We also see LA Knight coming out to lay Reigns out after the show, with the Money In The Bank title match being announced, oddly by Reigns, who wanted revenge.

Penta and LA Knight have a quick staredown in the back but everything seems to be ok.

Here is Penta to get things going and he gets quite the pyro. Penta talks about how big last week was for everyone, including himself and his family. Roman Reigns was the better man that night and Penta respects him, but this isn’t over. He wants another shot to win the title but here is Judgment Day to interrupt.

They don’t know why Penta is talking about the title when he lost last week. Dominik Mysterio is going to win Money In The Bank and become the champion while Penta is just a luchador. Dominik says he is the King Of The Luchadors but Penta says the only king is Dominik’s father. The brawl is on and Penta fights back with a double high crossbody to send the villains bailing.

Jacob Fatu yells at the Usos about how they keep screwing up with 946 (Royce Keys and OTM). Solo Sikoa comes in with a literal white flag and says they need to work together against OTM. That’s only happening if Sikoa acknowledges the Bloodline, which Sikoa says isn’t happening and leaves. Fatu says that was a big mistake….by the Usos.

Women’s Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Iyo Sky vs. La Catalina vs. Roxanne Perez

Catalina’s AAA Reina de Reinas title isn’t on the line. Perez chases both of them outside to start before it’s Perez going back inside to get double dropkicked right back to the floor. Catalina spins Sky around for two and Perez is back in for some rollups of her own. They get up for a three way standoff and Perez knocks Sky outside again. The suicide dive is cut off by Sky’s forearm and Sky follows with an Asai moonsault. Catalina dives onto both of them and we take a break.

We come back with Perez grabbing a DDT and Russian legsweep at the same time for two each. Catalina is back up with a high crossbody for two and some running hip attacks in the corner. Sky is sent outside and a forearm to the back gives Perez two. Back up and Sky goes up top, where Catalina shoves her onto the post. Perez gets up top with them and throws Catalina down, leaving Sky to get caught with a super hurricanrana.

Catalina knees Perez down though and everyone needs a breather. They all get up and strike it out until Catalina Gory Bombs Perez for two. Sky is back in with a double missile dropkick and the running knees hit them both in the corner. Over The Moonsault only hits Catalina though, allowing Perez to Pop Rox Sky for the win at 14:02.

Rating: B. The ending was a nice sequence but it was another example of a triple threat match where one of them stayed down for awhile while the other two did their thing. It’s a problem with having this many triple threat matches because it always comes up. Perez going over is fine, even if pinning Sky is something of a surprise.

LA Knight makes sure Solo Sikoa isn’t joining the Bloodline again and they agree to both win at Money In The Bank. Sikoa just better not cash in on him.

Here is LA Knight for a chat. He gives Roman Reigns and Penta props after last week’s classic, but now he has his shot against Reigns at Money In The Bank. It’s been three years since they’ve fought one on one because Knight has been kept out of the plans. The problem is Knight is the plants.

Knight will acknowledge that Reigns won a great one last week and he did it himself. It’s easy to acknowledge Reigns’ greatness, but the people have kept staying behind Knight the whole time. The problem is the fans don’t believe it’s going to happen and Knight doesn’t blame you after losing the big one so many times.

Maybe no one believes that he can win, but what interests Knight is how many times Reigns has done things with no Bloodline. Knight: “Good for you. Yippy skippy.” The reality is Reigns has never been able to beat him one on one and Knight has done everything on his own. At Money In The Bank, he’ll acknowledge Reigns acknowledging him as the new champion. This was a fired up Knight, though I’m still not sure I can imagine him winning.

Je’Von Evans is ready to win Money In The Bank. The Vision comes in to threaten him, with Bron Breakker saying the briefcase belongs to him. Evans is ready with the challenge and slaps Breakker before running away. Breakker doesn’t follow, saying it’s time to use his head first.

Je’Von Evans vs. Bron Breakker

Breakker starts fast and hammers away in the corner, followed by some knees in the corner. Back up and Evans fights up for an uppercut in the corner and the suicide dive. They both wind up outside with Breakker being sent into the announcers’ table. Breakker’s charge misses and he crashes into the time keeper’s area. Evans follows with a big dive to take Breakker down again and we take a break.

We come back with Breakker snapping off the super Frankensteiner but the spear is blocked with a perfectly times superkick. They both get up and Evans hits a springboard crossbody but has to counter a gorilla press into a DDT. A running Sliced Bread gets two but Maxxine Dupri offers a distraction, allowing Austin Theory to get in a cheap shot. A spinning Boss Man Slam gives Breakker two but he misses a charge into the post. Evans hits a pair of big dives to the floor (one for Bronson Reed, one for Breakker). The OG Cutter is loaded up but Theory breaks it up for the DQ at 12:02.

Rating: B-. This was a case where I liked the result, as Evans was making me think he was about to win and the last thing I wanted to see was him getting speared in half for the pin. This leaves the door open for a rematch down the line and I could go for seeing them running it back, as the next generation gets another chance to show what they can do. Good match here with a better result.

Post match the beatdown is on but Oba Femi runs in for the save and wrecks the entire team, including some rather loud chair shots. That’s not enough though as Femi picks up Evans and launches him onto the team, with the Vision only kind of catching Evans.

Mark Henry is here.

946 is in a car and says no one is safe.

We look at Joe Hendry doing a live performance earlier, with some fans joining in to sing about JD McDonagh as a Funko Pop, and yes there is a life McDonagh Pop there.

Here is Judgment Day for a chat. McDonagh is sick of all the insults from Joe Hendry and they have to end because his family is being hurt. Liv Morgan brags about all of the success the team has had, including attacking El Grande Americano. Morgan wants her rematch for the Women’s Title right now because what happened to her was unfair.

Instead here is Becky Lynch to interrupt in the crowd, saying she’s disappointed of everyone there, including Jordan Devlin McDonagh. They’ve known each other for years and Lynch has CALLED HIS MOM. Mama McDonagh is sick of seeing her son like this and being around such losers. Lynch says Morgan must be disappointed as well, because she found out what happened when she actually defended her title.

They better not be disappointed in Referee Rebecca though, because she might be the greatest referee of all time. Cue Stephanie Vaquer, who says she’s the champion around here. Morgan can have her rematch to show that the win in Chile wasn’t a fluke. Lynch isn’t happy so Vaquer says she’ll talk to Adam Pearce about it. We’re getting another triple threat out of this but I’m trying to get over the idea of Lynch calling McDonagh’s mom. Lynch was acting like her old self here and that is awesome to see again.

Lyra Valkyria talks about everything she had to do to get away from Bayley and then tried to win Money In The Bank. Bayley cost her, so now it’s time to make Bayley wish that their last match was their last match. Valkyria’s transformation in recent months is remarkable.

Bayley vs. Lyra Valkyria

Bayley jumps her on the floor before the bell and the beating is on, with Sky in fast trouble. They go inside for the opening bell and Sky is sent outside again. The dive is cut off so Bayley grabs a belly to back suplex. Bayley gets flipped into the corner though and comes up holding her knee. That’s enough for Valkyria to hit a top rope Fameasser for two but Bayley is able to knock her off the top. The top rope elbow gets two and Bayley drops a string of elbows as we take a break.

We come back with Valkyria planting her down for two and knocking Bayley into the corner. Back up and a quick Bayley To Belly gets two on Valkyria, who can’t hit the Last Breath. The Rose Plant is blocked as well and they fight out to the floor. Valkyria is thrown over the announcers’ table and Bayley tries a piledriver, which is broken up. Back in and Bayley is so livid that she gets sent throat first into the rope. Valkyria grabs a rollup with tights for the pin at 11:45.

Rating: B-. You know this isn’t over and that’s not a bad thing, as there seems to be a lot left in the tank here. Bayley getting cheated out of the win after beating the fire out of Valkyria for a good while is a good example of Valkyria looking crazy but still coming off as smart. I’m liking her prospects as this is already working better than what she was doing before.

Chad Gable congratulates Dragon Lee on a great match last week and is willing to run it back anytime. Lee seems to appreciate that but Ethan Page comes in to interrupt. Page says maybe Gable should get a mask of his own because he’s clearly hiding. Gable points out that Page keeps getting chances but losing, so go show him something. Until then, stay away from the title.

Here is Adam Pearce with a contract. He brings out the officially signed Lola Vice, who is happy to come out and greet the fans. She talks about her mother introducing her to dance while her father introduced her to martial arts. Now she’s ready to knock out whoever she needs to in order to win Money In The Bank. This brings out Roxanne Perez, who says no one care about the signing. The fight is nearly on, with Vice just barely missing the spinning backfist.

Paul Heyman is shown watching Vice in the back when Bron Breakker comes up. Heyman says Oba Femi is still breathing and that’s bad for the Vision. Breakker says he’s still breathing too and that’s bad for everyone. Heyman: “Everyone?” Breakker: “Everyone.” Heyman isn’t sure what to think about that one.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Solo Sikoa vs. Dragon Lee vs. Dominik Mysterio

Hold on though as 946 has attacked Solo Sikoa and throw him in the back of their car and drive off with him. Jacob Fatu and the Usos show up but the car drives away. Fatu blames the Usos for this as LA Knight shows up to hear what happened. We take a break and come back with Dominik Mysterio trying to get a bye to Money In The Bank but Adam Pearce sends him to the ring. So it seems we’re having a singles match…but hang on. Here is Adam Pearce to say this is still a triple threat match.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Dragon Lee vs. Dominik Mysterio vs. Penta

Yeah this works. Mysterio gets double stomped down and Lee backdrops him out to the floor. A quick armdrag sends Penta into the corner but Mysterio pulls Lee outside. That means Penta can hit a big running flip dive and we take a break. We come back with Lee striking away at Penta out of the corner and hitting the big running flip dive to the floor.

Back in and a sitout powerbomb gives Lee two on Mysterio, who is able to catch Lee on top. Lee is right back up with the top rope double stomp but Penta takes Lee out to leave everyone down. Mysterio is back up with a trio of slingshot hilos to Penta until Lee cuts Mysterio off with a superkick (I’m guessing Lee wasn’t there in time so Mysterio had to keep doing it).

Lee gets sent to the floor but pops right back up with a slingshot hurricanrana to take Penta out on the floor. Mysterio hits a heck of a 619 to a running Lee, leaving Penta to come back in for the three way chop off. Lee is knocked down and a Penta Driver gets two on Mysterio to leave everyone down again. Lee forearms Mysterio down and hits Operation Dragon for two, with Penta diving in for the save.

Penta and Lee slug it out until Penta’s superkick only earns himself a poisonrana. Mysterio’s quick from splash hits raised knees and Lee Styles Clashes Mysterio for two with Penta making another save. Penta drops Lee on the apron and gets 619ed, setting up a frog splash for a heck of a near fall. The frustrated Mysterio pulls a turnbuckle pad off but Penta sends him into the steel instead. The springboard Mexican Destroyer gives Penta the win at 18:55.

Rating: B+. After last week, it made sense to put Penta in the match and have him win. He doesn’t have to win Money In The Bank, but what matters is he’s still in the picture here. That’s what the fans wanted to see here and it came after a heck of a match. These three know how to do the exciting style and it worked rather well.

Overall Rating: B. They weren’t going to be able to top what they did last week but we did get a very good show, with the fans still being all about Penta. The ladder matches are looking strong and I’m not sure which way they’re going. Raw is actually on something of a roll right now and I could go for seeing how they follow it up. Granted that doesn’t mean it’s going to go well, but they do at least have the momentum at the moment.

Results
Roxanne Perez b. Iyo Sky and La Catalina – Pop Rox to Sky
Je’Von Evans b. Bron Breakker via DQ when Austin Theory interfered
Lyra Valkyria b. Bayley – Rollup with tights
Penta b. Dominik Mysterio and Dragon Lee – Springboard Mexican Destroyer to Mysterio

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Goldberg And Sid’s Hardest-Hitting Battles
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan

Sure why not. I have no idea who was asking for this but Sid is quite the guilty pleasure at times. Goldberg knew how to work with power wrestlers well enough but Sid is quite the different kind of opponent. I’m not sure how many highlights they had but we’ll see how the collection goes. Let’s get to it.

From Monday Nitro, August 9, 1999.

Goldberg/Sting/Hulk Hogan vs. Kevin Nash/Rick Steiner/Sid

This one pops up a lot as that’s pretty much the ultimate WCW hero team. Goldberg comes out to Megadeath’s Crush Em, which is an awesome song but doesn’t quite fit when he has such an iconic entrance theme. That being said, the big deal here is Hogan returning to the red and yellow for the first time in a few years. Yeah that’s a big one.

Hogan shoulders Steiner down to start as commentary discusses the power of Hulkamania. The big boot drops Steiner again and Hogan fires off the elbow drops and right hands. Sid and Nash both come in and are promptly punches in the head as well as this is totally one sided to start (as it should be). Hogan throws down the punches on Nash in the corner and puts his hand to the ear, allowing Goldberg to come in to face Nash. They trade the big forearms and Goldberg hits a jumping shoulder, followed by the underhook toss.

Steiner gets in a cheap shot though and it’s off to Sid, who forearms away until Goldberg ducks a shot. Sid gives a great OH NO look and then gets powerslammed, allowing Sting to come in. Sid’s missed boot in the corner leaves him laying on top so Sting Splashes him anyway, followed by a shot each to Steiner and Nash. The top rope splash hits Sid’s raised knees though and the villains finally take over.

Nash’s side slam gets two but the referee won’t allow Snake Eyes onto an exposed buckle. Instead Sting slips out and sends Nash into the referee, setting up the Stinger Splashes to Nash against the buckle. Steiner comes in to hit Sting with a chair though and everything breaks down, with Sid hitting Goldberg with the chair. Hogan chairs Sid and Nash though, allowing Sting to get the Deathlock on Nash for the win at 8:08.

Rating: C+. Well that was a stretch for a Goldberg vs. Sid section as they were only in there against each other for about 15 seconds. There was a great pop for Hogan’s return, but at the same time it was also about having a dream team of WCW stars together and making Nash, the #1 contender to the World Title, looking like something of a loser in the end. The match was fun to see, but this was hardly about Goldberg and Sid.

From Halloween Havoc 1999.

US Title: Goldberg vs. Sid Vicious

Sid is defending and has a cut above his left eye. This is part of Sid having his own Streak, which involved him chokeslamming people and counting it as a win. Hold on though as Scott Hall and Kevin Nash jump Goldberg in the aisle and beat him down. Sid comes over to keep up the beating but Goldberg fights back and sends him into the steps. Sid’s cut is opened up already and they go inside, where Sid knocks him down again and grabs a camel clutch.

That includes Sid’s eyes bugging out, which gets even worse as Goldberg lifts him up for an electric chair drop. Goldberg unloads on the cut, with commentary pretty clearly behind Sid here. Sid’s comeback is cut off and Goldberg fires off more short punches to the cut, with Sid’s face just covered in blood. A clothesline puts Sid down again and Goldberg beats on him even more in the corner, with Sid falling down to his knees. And that’s enough for the referee to stop it and name Goldberg US Champion at 7:11.

Rating: C. Uh sure? So the idea here was that Sid was fighting through the pain and surviving as long as he could ala Steve Austin against Bret Hart at Wrestlemania. That’s not going to work in a match that only runs about seven minutes and ends as Sid is still on his feet (albeit with quite the flow of blood). It’s like they tried to take a shortcut to the big ending and while the cut looked good, the rest of the match didn’t live up to the hype.

Post match Rick Steiner comes in to try to keep Sid from going after Goldberg again.

From Mayhem 1999.

Sid Vicious vs. Goldberg

This is the rematch and an I Quit match. They start slugging it out with Goldberg on the apron and Sid is punched out to the floor. A whip sends Sid into the barricade as the Canadian fans cannot stand Goldberg, which earns them some intense glaring. They get inside where Sid hits a cobra clutch slam and chokes on the rope. A pair of chokeslams have Goldberg down again and Sid chokes him some more. That’s reversed into a cross armbreaker, followed by some clotheslines to drop Sid again. The arm is in trouble and a cobra clutch knocks Sid cold at 5:30.

Rating: D+. This felt like another attempt at Hart vs. Austin and again, no. The match was about five minutes long and Goldberg dominated a good chunk of it before getting caught in two holds and passing out. It might make more sense if he was busted open again and had to struggle or something but instead he’s just out in a few moments. Again: put in the effort and it could work. As it is here, no.

And that’s it. No seriously that’s the whole collection.

Overall Rating: D-. Were they just desperately needing some kind of a collection and threw something together at the last second? This is just shy of forty minutes long and might as well have only been two matches, as the six man was just related in name only. This was pretty easily the worst thing I’ve seen from one of the official YouTube channels and it’s just pitiful.

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AAA On FOX
Date: September 19, 2026
Location: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: John Bradshaw Layfield, Corey Graves

So we’re officially done with TripleMania and the big story coming out of the show is El Grande Americano defeating Dominik Mysterio to become the Mega Champion. That’s not the biggest surprise as Americano is the most popular star in the promotion and needed to secure his spot. Other than that, Rey Mysterio was taken out by the reinstated Omos and that’s going to be an issue. Let’s get to it.

Here is TripleMania if you need a recap.

Long TripleMania recap.

El Fiscal vs. Dinamico

This was filmed before the first night of TripleMania. Dinamico’s running shoulder has no effect and Fiscal knocks him outside with ease. A suicide elbow is cut off with a kick to the head though and Dinamico is back in to stomp him down in the corner. Fiscal fights up and grabs a powerslam, followed by a spinning high crossbody for two. Dinamico’s top rope cutter is blocked and Fiscal hits a frog splash for the pin at 4:31.

Rating: C+. This was short and to the point, which makes sense as it was a warmup match for the biggest show of the year. That’s all it needed to be and Fiscal looked like a monster. Odds are he’ll be facing Abismo Negro Jr. in a big showdown in the near future so letting him warm up here is a good idea.

We look at Los Perros del Mal winning the Trios Titles and getting their old theme music back, which was a big deal.

Los Perros say they’re just getting started and ask who is next.

Marisela Pena is going into the Hall Of Fame in October.

Video on the Latin America tour.

Dorian Roldan isn’t that upset about TripleMania but El Ojo is wanting an investigation into the Mega Title match with Rey Mysterio getting involved. There will also be an announcement on October 3.

We look at some recent charity stuff.

WWE now has a Spanish podcast.

La Parka is happy with his win and wants more challengers for the Latin American Title.

Mr. Iguana isn’t happy with his loss but he’s not done coming for the Latin American Title, whether he’s best friends with the champion or not.

Nino Hamburguesa is happy to be back and….that’s about it.

We look at Psycho Clown vs. El Carnicero, with Pagano turning on Clown to cost him the match.

We look at Omos beating Rey Mysterio in the main event of Night One and then putting him through the announcers’ table for an injury. The next night, Omos won La Copa Bardahl.

CM Punk is going to be at Worlds Collide, with hints of him wearing a mask. There is still no word on where that show is airing, which has me curious.

Rey Mysterio talks about how banged up he is after his loss to Omos but doesn’t really give an update. He’s also fine with how the Mega Title match went down as he felt it was fair. We also get the card for Worlds Collide, which will feature a bunch of Raw/Smackdown/NXT stars. The main event will see Mysterio/CM Punk/El Grande Americano vs. Omos/JD McDonagh/Dominik Mysterio, with Oba Femi making an appearance as well.

We look back at the big celebration for El Grande Americano after his Mega Title win. The locker room filled the ring and even threw him into the air for quite the visual.

Americano was off to celebrate.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

We look at La Catalina defeating Flammer to win the Reina de Reinas Title.

Catalina is very excited and ready to be a fighting champion. She can’t believe she won but here is Roxanne Perez to say the moment ends at Worlds Collide. Catalina’s energy was great here.

La Hiedra vs. Faby Apache

Apache takes her to the mat for a quick wrestling lesson and we go to a standoff. The surfboard goes on to put Hiedra in more trouble, with the hold not lasting long. Instead Hiedra takes over on the floor but Apache is back with a running boot. A high crossbody gives Apache two, as doesn’t Hiedra’s Downward Spiral. Apache’s rolling armbar sends Hiedra to the rope again and she snaps off a Michinoku Driver to pin Apache at 4:13.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have time to do much here but Hiedra seems to be on her way to a big showdown with Flammer. It’s another short match where they didn’t waste time, with the rather sudden ending making Hiedra feel more dangerous. Apache continues to like she’s just kind of there anymore, but you need veterans like that around for stuff like this.

Overall Rating: C. This was basically the old post-Takeover formula, with a bunch of recaps, interviews that don’t add much and the two matches taped before the bigger shows. In other words, they took a week off from taping and had to fill in some time. They were hardly hiding what they were doing here so it’s hard to get too mad about this one.

Results
El Fiscal b. Dinamico – Frog splash
La Hiedra b. Faby Apache – Michinoku Driver

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Collision
Date: September 19, 2026
Location: Charleston Coliseum, Charleston, West Virginia
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness, Paul Wight

After last week’s rather touching tribute to the Butcher, we’re back to a more traditional show here. The good thing is that means the action should be high quality, as it tends to be on Collision. Other than that, we’re a week away from All Out and might get some more additions to the card. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Jon Moxley says Will Ospreay has chosen conflict with he and the Death Riders. The problem is that Moxley is going to have this match and it is going to be a very long drop for Moxley. He has already given Ospreay everything he has and fallen before but now he has climbed back up. The cliff that Ospreay will fall off at All Out will be the result of gravity. More intense stuff here from Moxley, which he has covered quick extensively over the years.

TNT Title: Darby Allin vs. Myron Reed

Reed is challenging and Steven Borden and Zachary Wentz are here too. We get a show of respect and Allin slips away from an early waistlock. Reed’s attempt to nip up out of a wristlock is broken up as Allin drops down into a headlock for a rather smart counter. Allin sends him outside and Reed is right back in with a jumping enziguri. Reed knocks him off the top for a big crash out to the floor, setting up the big running flip dive over the post as we take a break.

We come back with Allin hitting a top rope superplex and Reed rolls out to the floor. Allin is back up with a heck of a suicide dive and tries another one, only to get caught with a cutter. Back in and the diving cutter over the top rope Allin on the floor and a 450 gives Reed a delayed two. Reed kicks him off the apron and into an open chair, with Reed’s running flip dive crashes through the chair. Allin throws what is left of Reed inside for the Coffin Drop to retain at 11:23.

Rating: B. This was one of those matches where they were tasked with going out there and flying around the ring (both inside and out) until one of them couldn’t get up anymore. That big dive onto the chair looked great as the chair was just crushed. It’s another case of a random title shot but AEW knew exactly what they were doing here and it worked.

Post match the other two come in and respect is shown. Allin gets the mic and says Reed showed he belonged tonight. As for Steven Borden, teaming with his father was one of the best things of Allin’s career. Borden is ready to give everything to help Allin get the titles again so they’re giving everything they have at All Out.

We look at Tommaso Ciampa attacking Kazuchika Okada to set up their International Title match at All Out.

Don Callis is ready for the Family to beat Steven Borden and Darby Allin to become #1 contenders to the Tag Team Titles. Kevin Knight and Kyle Fletcher agree and Kazuchika Okada tells Tommaso Ciampa to be careful what he wished for with his challenge.

Juice Robinson wants the Bang Bang Gang to challenge the Dogs and the Death Riders to a Tailgate Brawl at Tailgate Brawl. We get a lot of football references as well.

Zayda Steel vs. Thekla

Willow Nightingale is on commentary. Shockingly Thekla has no time for a handshake so Steel takes her down and hammers away. Thekla’s kick tot he face is shrugged off and Steel gets in a running shoulder. A Codebreaker out of the ropes hits Thekla, who kicks her to the floor for a double stomp to the back. Thekla’s dancing takes us to a break and we come back with Thekla yelling at Nightingale, allowing Steel to get in a baseball slide.

Back in and Thekla is fine enough to grab a guillotine choke over the ropes but Steel fires off even more right hands. A TKO gives Steel two and they go up top, where Thekla blocks a sunset bomb. Instead Thekla gets tied in the ropes for a top rope double stomp and a near fall. The Killswitch is broken up and Thekla does her spider walk into the spear…and pulls Steel up at two. Instead it’s a stomp to pin Steel at 11:18.

Rating: B-. Steel got to show some offense here but Thekla needed a win on the way to All Out. The big deal here was that Thekla got to show what she can do in the ring, as she is mainly known for her talking abilities. I could still go with more of Steel though, especially with her winning a thing or two outside of a nothing match on Ring Of Honor.

Pac vs. Adam Priest

Pac starts fast with a running clothesline and whips him into the corner. Priest fires off some clotheslines of his own and he gets his half crab, sending Pac over to the rope. Commentary talks about Christmas cards as Pac snaps off a suplex for two and then chokes with the knee. Back up and Priest dragon screw legwhips him down but can’t get the half crab again. Instead Pac hits a running shot in the corner, setting up a Tombstone. The Brutalizer finishes Priest at 4:17.

Rating: C+. Priest is someone who has been built up to be a jobber to the stars and that’s a fine role for him. He’s only going to get so far given his size and basic look, but he’s good enough in the ring to be a good choice for something like this. Other than that, Pac gets to look dominant enough, which is where he tends to do best.

Post match Pac goes to leave but gets cut off by Andrade El Idolo’s entrance. You can imagine how this is received.

National Title: Daniel Garcia vs. Andrade El Idolo

Andrade is defending. They circle each other to start and Garcia takes him into the corner for some slaps to the chest. Garcia asks HOW YOU KNOW and gets taken down, allowing Andrade to do a bit of posing. Back up and a test of strength doesn’t work for either of them so Garcia sends him into the ropes…for the Tranquilo pose. A running hurricanrana sends Garcia outside for the slingshot dive and we take a break.

We come back with Garcia raining down right hands in the corner and then escaping Three Amigos as a bonus. Garcia knocks him outside and loads up his own picture with a woman, which has Marina Shafir yelling at Garcia to get back inside. Andrade backdrops him to the floor and there go the pants, setting up a springboard corkscrew dive to take Garcia down again. Garcia breaks up the Three Amigos again so it’s a double moonsault to give Andrade two. They fight over a small package and, after about eight counts, Andrade retains at 13:24.

Rating: B. It was quite the technical showcase with some of those counters being rather nifty. As usual, these title defenses aren’t so much about the title being in jeopardy as much as they’re about getting Andrade in the ring. It makes sense as he’s one of the hotter names in AEW at the moment so showcase him where you can.

Post match the Death Riders run in and beat down Andrade, with Pac demanding a National Title shot at All Out. Andrade accepts in a less than polite fashion and gets beaten up some more. Francesco Akira runs in for the save but gets choked, with Mike Bailey bringing in a chair for the real save.

Mike Bailey vs. Wheeler Yuta

They go with the grappling to start until Bailey snaps off a running hurricanrana to the floor. Yuta is fine enough to send him face first into the steps and bends the exposed ankle over the turnbuckle. Bailey is back up with a missile dropkick but gets German suplexed for two more. They go outside where Bailey gets in a middle rope moonsault to the floor and we take a break.

We come back with an exchange of rollups for two each until Bailey kicks him in the head to put them both down again. Bailey’s cross armbreaker is broken up and they trade rollups again with Bailey getting the better of things. The moonsault knees hit the mat so Yuta gets two more off a rollup. Back up and Bailey grabs a sunset flip with the arms tied up for the pin at 11:18.

Rating: B. Some of the exchanges of rollups were rather good as both of them can work that fast paced style. That’s the only reason to put these two together and it worked pretty well. Neither of them are about to go anywhere anytime soon but Bailey looks better in the ring than he does trying to make a save and look tough.

Post match the Death Riders and the Dogs run in until the Bang Bang Gang runs in for the save. Security has to break it up.

Jack Perry is walking through the woods and talks about how you have to face the best to be the best.

The Opps don’t seem impressed but offer Perry a match with Katsuyori Shibata first.

Queen Aminata/Mina Shirakawa vs. Georgia South/Emily Jaye

Jaye gets wristlocked and clotheslined to start and everything breaks down. Aminata and Shirakawa get to dance before we get stereo Chocolate Kisses. The Glamorous Driver drops Jaye and it’s a Figure Four to South with Aminata adding a top rope double stomp. Aminata gives Jaye a running knee for the pin while South taps at 2:46. Fun squash.

Nick Wayne rants about Chris Jericho beating him and then offering him a handshake. Maybe Jericho is the one who doesn’t know something.

Video on Jon Moxley vs. Will Ospreay.

Jon Moxley vs. Zachary Wentz

Non-title eliminator match. Moxley takes him down by the arm to start and Wentz rolls out of a cross armbreaker attempt. Wentz handspring kicks him out to the floor, which is a bit too much selling for Moxley so he comes back in with a cutter. We take a break and come back with Moxley hitting a running shot in the corner but charging into a boot to the face.

A double stomp to the back and a kick to the chest set up a Blockbuster for two on Moxley so Wentz pulls him into a half crab. Moxley reverses into a choke so Wentz gets in a handspring kick to the head. Wentz misses a Spinal Tap though and Moxley Stomps him into the Death Rider for the pin at 9:19.

Rating: C+. Well, Moxley was his usual dominant self and that was only so entertaining, but I’ll take them going through this one a bit faster rather than dragging it out. Wentz was never going to be seen as a threat to beat Moxley so it was nice to see them get out of there a bit sooner. It’s another case of getting a star in the ring and that’s fine enough for a Collision main event.

Post match the Death Riders celebrate, with what sounds like the wrong music at first, as the song abruptly changes.

Overall Rating: B. That’s definitely an episode of AEW Collision, with some good action, not much in the way of big stories being advanced, and a few matches being set up for the future. I’ll take that pretty much every week though, as being in a formula can be ok if the formula is working. That was the case here and I liked it well enough this week.

Results
Darby Allin b. Myron Reed – Coffin Drop
Thekla b. Zayda Steel – Stomp
Pac b. Adam Priest – Brutalizer
Andrade El Idolo b. Daniel Garcia – Small package
Mike Bailey b. Wheeler Yuta – Arm trap sunset flip
Queen Aminata/Mina Shirakawa b. Georgia South/Emily Jaye – Running knee to Jaye
Jon Moxley b. Zachary Wentz – Death Rider

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Because sometimes, you need to move on in wrestling.

https://www.smarkdownsblog.com/wrestling-storylines-move-on

Best Of Victoria
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Jonathan Coachman

This is an interesting one as Victoria was one of the best members of the women’s division when it was at its weakest. That doesn’t change how talented Victoria was though and she definitely boosted the division when she showed up. It should be interesting to see what’s included here, though you can probably guess some of the selections. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

From Survivor Series 2002.

Women’s Title: Victoria vs. Trish Stratus

Victoria is challenging in a hardcore match and jumps Stratus from behind to start fast. Some choking with Stratus’ jacket has her in trouble but she avoids some swings with a broom. They both grab the broom and flip around with it a bit with Stratton getting the better of it and grabbing a trashcan lid. That earns her a broom to the lid to Stratus’ face as Victoria is looking rather nuts. Victoria takes her outside for a face first whip into a trashcan attached to the post (easier access to the weapons you see), followed by a slingshot flipping legdrop for two back inside.

The trashcan is wedged in the corner, where Stratus catapults her face first for two of her own. Some kendo stick shots rock Victoria gain but she’s back with a trashcan lid to knock Stratus down. The Stratusphere is blocked but Stratus sits up for a lid shot of her own (that looked awesome) and Victoria is sent crashing out to the floor. Back in and Victoria hits her with the stick again before grabbing a fire extinguisher to (very eventually) blind Stratus. That and a snap suplex of all things gives Victoria the pin and the title at 7:01.

Rating: B. The thing to remember about this era is that the women’s division was pretty going in an entirely new direction as Stratus was just becoming the star of the whole thing. Victoria showed up and added a new dimension to the division and it worked rather well. That was certainly the case here as they beat the fire out of each other with some of those shows sounding excellent. Rather good match here, with Victoria instantly feeling like she mattered in a different kind of match. Even with a snap suplex.

From Monday Night Raw, November 25, 2002.

Women’s Title: Victoria vs. Trish Stratus

Stratus is challenging and gets shouldered down to start, allowing Victoria to drop an elbow for two. Back up and Stratus gets in a knockdown for her own two, followed by a nice enough bridging rollup for two more. Victoria launches her out to the floor in a big crash though and then drives her into the barricade for a not great looking crash. The slingshot flipping legdrop gets two more, followed by a clothesline for two more.

The seated full nelson (I love a good Ne-Han) has Stratus in more trouble and a pair of snap suplexes give Victoria another near fall. A whip sends Stratus into the steps for quite the loud impact but she gets in a Chick Kick for two of her own. The Stratusphere connects but Victoria slams her down for the standing moonsault. Victoria gets in a bulldog choke for a bit, followed by the Widow’s Peak to retain the title at 8:13.

Rating: B-. This might have been more impressive than the Survivor Series match as Victoria destroyed Stratus and won in dominant fashion. Stratus never had much of a comeback and lost without Victoria even needing to use the weapons from the hardcore match. She looks like an absolute star here and the Widow’s Peak is a heck of a finisher.

From Wrestlemania XIX.

Women’s Title: Victoria vs. Trish Stratus vs. Jazz

Victoria is defending and has Steven Richards with her. Jazz jumps Victoria from behind to knock her to the floor and grabs a Last Chancery on Stratus, which doesn’t last long. Stratus is back up to hammer away but Victoria drops Stratus face first onto the apron. They all wind up on the floor, where Victoria and Jazz start beating up Stratus. Back in and a double reverse suplex into a shoulderbreaker (that was kind of cool) leaves Stratus down so Victoria powerslams Jazz for two.

Back up and Stratus rolls Jazz up for two, with Lawler losing it over the visual of Stratus’ gear. Stratus fires off the forearms at Victoria, leaving Jazz to hit a sitout powerslam for two with Victoria making the save. That means the villains have to brawl some more, with Jazz just straight up choking Victoria in the corner. Stratus breaks that up and victory rolls Jazz for two. The Chick Kick connects for the same and the Stratusphere brings Victoria back off the top.

Jazz is back in with a half crab on Stratus but Richards comes in to break it up. Ignore that the referee was with Victoria so the tap wouldn’t have mattered anyway. Victoria and Stratus fight over a rollup for two before Jazz drops Stratus. Victoria’s moonsault misses but she backdrops Jazz to the floor instead. Richards misses a chair shot and knocks himself silly anyway, earning himself a Stratusfaction. The Widow’s Peak is broken up and the Chick Kick gives Stratus the title back at 7:18.

Rating: B-. They were all working hard here and Richards really didn’t need to be here, though that bouncing chair to the head was good. Stratus had to get the title back eventually and she did pin Victoria, though Jazz will likely be around for awhile too. Nice stuff here, with all of them doing well.

From Monday Night Raw, February 23, 2004.

Women’s Title: Victoria vs. Molly Holly vs. Lita vs. Jazz

Holly is defending in an elimination match and Jazz has Theodore Long with her. Victoria throws Holly over the top to start but gets caught in Jazz’s double chickenwing. Lita slips out of Jazz’s suplex and hits her snap DDT to get rid of Jazz at 55 seconds. Holly is back in with a running flipping neckbreaker on Lita but Victoria gets a bridging rollup to pin Holly at 1:30. So we’re down to Victoria vs. Lita as I try to figure out why they bothered with the elimination stuff if Victoria was going to pin the champion anyway.

The livid Holly goes after Victoria as Lita is smart enough to just stand back and watch. We take a break and come back with Victoria grabbing a headlock takeover of all things. Lita comes back up with a hard clothesline but the angry Victoria grabs a chinlock. That’s broken up as well as Lawler offers to donate a kidney and lung to Lita. Well I’m guessing Lita but I can’t imagine it matters.

The spinning side slam is countered into what was supposed to be a hurricanrana but was more a weird armdrag. That and the reverse Twist Of Fate give Lita two, with Victoria’s bridging rollup getting the same. Something close to a Blue Thunder Bomb plants Victoria but she counters the Litasault into the Widow’s Peak for the title at 9:43.

Rating: C. Yeah we hit a hard wall after the previous matches, with the first two eliminations being nothing and the Lita vs. Victoria section just being ok. Lita was finally getting back into the groove of things after another devastating injury and it was starting to click, with the fans certainly behind her. At the same time though, Victoria was an established name by this point and the fans were into her enough to warrant another run.

From Wrestlemania XX.

Women’s Title: Victoria vs. Molly Holly

Victoria is defending and this is title vs. hair (they weren’t going to be able to be on the show until that stipulation was pitched and that was enough to warrant a spot). They fight over a lockup to start with Holly taking her into the corner for the early choking. Holly throws her down and hits a basement dropkick for two, followed by a reverse cravate of all things.

Back up and Victoria’s bridging rollup (it’s cool to see her using that as a regular thing, which wasn’t exactly a top spot for her but it was working around this time) gets two as JR gets sick of hearing Lawler go on about underwear. A sunset bomb gives Holly two but Victoria is right back with a backslide for the retaining pin at 4:52.

Rating: C+. They barely had time to make it onto the card but this was all about the stipulations anyway. The big deal here was the tease of Holly getting her head shaved and she deserves credit for being willing to do that. It’s a shame they didn’t get much time and that Lawler had to be himself, but the fast pin and Holly’s reaction were good.

Post match Holly realizes she’s in big trouble and tries to run off but Victoria gives chase and…gets put into the barber’s chair instead, but the clippers don’t work. Instead Victoria gets in a blast with some hairspray (good thing that was there) and straps her into the chair (because barber chairs have straps) for the cutting. Thank goodness they included this as it’s the big highlight of the whole thing, with Holly freaking out as she realizes what’s going on.

From Backlash 2004.

Women’s Title: Victoria vs. Lita

Victoria is defending. Lita takes her down a few times to start but Victoria is back with the headlock takeover (as she used back in February). That’s quickly escaped with a headscissors and they fight over a backslide to limited avail. A lockup has them both crashing out to the floor and thankfully Lita doesn’t break something else on the landing. They fight over a rollup for two each and Victoria hits her dancing moonsault for two.

A surfboard has Lita in more trouble but she headscissors her way out of the spinning side slam (MUCH better this time). Another headscissors has Victoria down so Lita grabs a sleeper of all things but gets planted with the spinning side slam. Victoria’s moonsault misses (while landing on Lita, who didn’t roll away fast enough) so the reverse Twist Of Fate gives Lita two. Back up and Victoria small packages her for the sudden pin at 7:23.

Rating: C. As usual, Lita had some incredible charisma and the fans loved her but there was only so much of a way around all of the mistakes she would make in the ring. The moonsault thing has happened before and it’s not exactly something you can ignore, which makes it even worse. The ending coming out of nowhere didn’t help either, but it might have been best for them to just get out of there.

From Vengeance 2004.

Victoria vs. Molly Holly

For a future Women’s Title shot. Holly (with a blonde wig complete with a chinstrap) works on the arm to start but gets monkey flipped over. The dancing moonsault is broken up so Victoria goes with some armdrags. The regular moonsault gives Victoria two and Holly bails outside, with a dive taking her out. Holly sends her into the steps and stomps away back inside, setting up a handspring elbow for two.

A Fujiwara armbar has Victoria in more trouble but she fights up and uses the classic strategy of hitting her in the face. Holly drops the bad arm onto the rope but Victoria gets in a backslide for two. Victoria gets in another right hand and a powerslam for two but the arm gives out on the Widow’s Peak. Instead Victoria hits a heck of a superkick for the pin at 6:22.

Rating: C+. The ending was great as I love seeing someone just smash through their opponent with a shot to the face like that. Victoria sold the arm well and Holly did take away the Widow’s Peak, but that superkick was a nice surprise. You can see Victoria getting more well rounded in the ring and she’s feeling like a bigger star. Nice storytelling here.

From Monday Night Raw, November 29, 2004.

Victoria/Lita vs. Trish Stratus/Molly Holly

This is evil Stratus (with a facemask) and Holly’s hair has mostly grown back. Holly grabs a snap suplex for an early two on Victoria and it’s off to Stratus for a kick to the chest. A hair pull gets two more and it’s already back to Holly to choke on the rope. Victoria’s rollup gets nothing as Stratus goes over to jump Lita so Holly fights back and grabs a chinlock. The camera points out that Victoria’s trunks are torn and thank goodness Lawler isn’t on commentary here.

Holly knocks her for two more but misses a handspring elbow. Stratus is in to cut Victoria off again, with Victoria shrugging that off rather easily. Lita is finally in to slug away on Stratus, followed by a headscissors to Holly. Lita’s sleeper has Stratus in trouble so Holly makes the save as everything breaks down. With Victoria and Holly on the floor, Lita DDTs Stratus for the pin (with a rather “whatever” look on her face) at 6:42.

Rating: C+. This was a good enough match, though Lita’s face at the end was pretty bizarre as you would think she would be a lot more excited to pin the Women’s Champion/her arch-rival. Victoria wasn’t nearly as much of the focus here but she did feel equal to the two biggest names of her era.

From New Year’s Revolution 2007 (the graphic says New Year’s Revolution 2004, which doesn’t exist).

Women’s Title: Victoria vs. Mickie James

Victoria is challenging and has her hit list, which includes a bunch of names she has taken out and only WOMEN’S TITLE left. Victoria cranks on the arm to start but James cartwheels over and works on the arm as well. With that broken up, Victoria kicks James in the face to knock her outside, where a baseball slide connects as well. James gets dropped face first onto the apron as Lilian Garcia (recently attacked by Victoria) is getting concerned.

Victoria tells her to sit down and then throws James around by the hair (JR: “Like a sexy little Frisbee there.”). The moonsault misses though and James makes the clothesline comeback. Some snap jabs set up a running punch to the face, leaving Lawler to make more annoying jokes. A hurricanrana out of the corner has Victoria on the floor so here is Victoria’s friend Melina, who gets punched down too. Melina grabs James’ foot but gets cut off by Maria and Candice Michelle. The Widow’s Peak is countered and James hits a spinning DDT to retain at 6:45.

Rating: B-. The interference in the end didn’t help this one, but this was a very different era for Victoria. It was clear that she had been shunted down the card a bit and was little more than a stopover feud for James, who was being turned into one of the newer stars of the division. Victoria would stick around for a few more years, but it was clear that she could still hang in there if given the chance. The problem is those chances didn’t come very often.

Overall Rating: B-. This was an interesting situation as Victoria arrived during a time when women’s wrestling was basically being relaunched in WWE. She would go on to be one of the bigger parts of the division but it’s more remembered as Trish/Lita and everyone else. They were definitely the biggest stars of the era, but Victoria was incredibly valuable as she was a good monster heel (or as close as you could get to one) and then became one heck of a heroine.

I’m glad she got a look like this as she’s rather underappreciated, though I’m kind of shocked that her cage match with Lita wasn’t included. Either way, nice job here with an underrated star who deserves a lot of credit for building up the women’s division when it was in its very early stages.

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Smackdown
Date: September 18, 2026
Location: Hilliard Center, Corpus Christi, Texas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’ve got a new World Champion as Sami Zayn beat CM Punk last week in Mexico City. The big story continues to be a bunch of people wanting the title and that fits perfectly with Zayn, as he’s always been good at running for his life. That should be the focus here, along with Money In The Bank qualifying matches of course. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We look at Zayn regaining the World Title last week.

Here is Nick Aldis to get things going. Aldis says sometimes you have to deal with some people who just drive you nuts, so here is Sami Zayn. He knows that it killed Aldis to introduce him as the World Champion but he’s a bit surprised by the reception he’s getting here. When he said JUSTICE FOR SAMI, it was for everyone including these people here and this is what it looks like. He also expects equality, which brings out Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae (not Michelle, Cole).

Zayn is glad to have them here for the celebration, but Gargano wants something else. They had a deal last week and he’s here to collect his title shot. Zayn said Gargano was the only one who said that and all Zayn said was he’d take care of Gargano. That doesn’t work for Gargano, who wants his title shot tonight. Aldis says not so fast because Gargano already got a title shot and lost. The man Aldis thinks is next in line isn’t here tonight, but that man is CM Punk.

This brings out Kevin Owens, who wants a title shot but LeRae says not so fast. Owens says hang on a second and Stuns Gargano, leaving Aldis to say bad behavior doesn’t get title matches. Owens: “Are you high?” He brings up Zayn causing all of the chaos in recent weeks and it got him a title shot. Aldis listens to Owens, including calling Zayn an arrogant jackass. Aldis: “Well I can’t argue with that one.”

Zayn snaps and grabs Aldis’ jacket, which has Aldis looking livid. That’s enough to earn Zayn a title defense tonight….against Owens. Aldis says the first title reign was nine days so let’s see if we can lower that. A panicked Zayn leaves and here is Randy Orton for his match, making sure to polish the title up on the way.

We look at the South American/Mexico tour.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Randy Orton vs. Rey Fenix vs. Trick Williams

Non-title. Fenix gets knocked down and Williams shoulders Orton but Fenix is back up to kick away. Fenix is back up to kick Orton down and dive onto Williams for two. Williams faceplants Fenix and stomps him down in the corner before knocking him outside. That means Orton can drop both of them onto the announcers’ table, with Lil Yachty getting dropped as well.

We take a break and come back with Orton giving Williams the circle stomp and taking him up top. Fenix is back in for a springboard sunset bomb to turn it into a Tower Of Doom and a near fall. Orton blocks a Fenix kick and throws it at Williams so Fenix gets a running kick to knock Orton down. The rope walk kick hits Orton but Williams shoves Fenix off the top. Back in and Fenix hits a heck of a superkick on Williams but dives into the RKO. Williams hits a quick Trick Shot on Orton though and pins Fenix at 10:28.

Rating: B. Some of Fenix’s spots were incredible of course and it’s cool to see him getting involved in the bigger matches. At the same time, he was the only choice to take the fall here as you don’t want the US Champion losing and Orton isn’t about to get pinned. It’s a good match as they packed a lot into a short amount of time and now we get to see Williams on a bigger stage.

Johnny Gargano is icing his face when Sami Zayn comes in to rant. Zayn thinks Gargano deserves a title shot but he can’t go through losing the title again so soon. He seems to hint that if Gargano wants a title shot, Zayn wants help tonight against Kevin Owens. Gargano seems to get it.

The MFT’s are ready for Kyoki and Shinsuke Nakamura, with the latter needing help and being the cause of Kyoki’s pain.

Kyoki and Nakamura are ready to fight.

Tatum Paxley has a bunch of candles to try to get Alexa Bliss ready but Charlotte (in what looks like a Flintstones skirt) comes in to blow them out. Paxley points out that one was bad luck and Charlotte tries to re-light it.

Bakusai vs. MFT’s

Non-title and Haku is here with the MFT’s. Kyoki and Tama start things off with Kyoki knocking him to the floor and hitting a running dropkick off the apron to both MFT’s. We take a break and come back with Tama striking away at Kyoki before Talla comes in. Kyoki counters a chokeslam into a DDT and there’s the big dive to take out both of them on the floor. Back in and Nakamura belly to back suplexes Kyoki onto Talla for two before kicking Talla in the head. The sliding German suplex drops Tama but Haku hits Nakamura with the walking stick for the DQ at 7:21.

Rating: C+. This had some moments but there was only so much here, especially with the ending being a way to save the champions. If nothing else, this makes me want to see Nakamura fight Haku and have all of the strikes do absolutely nothing. Odds are we’ll be seeing a rematch here and I’ve heard worse ideas, as these teams getting more time with higher stakes could be a good idea.

Post match Bakusai gets destroyed, including with a high/low.

Kevin Owens talks about how this is where he had his first WWE match, which happened to be against John Cena. He beat Cena that night and he’ll beat Sami Zayn tonight. Finn Balor pops up and suggests that there are some shenanigans behind Owens getting a title shot that fast. Balor is coming for the winner, even if that means with the Money In The Bank remake.

Chelsea Green and Tiffany Stratton are in the back with Nick Aldis, who congratulates Green on her win last week. Danhausen pops out of Aldis’ office with Aldis’ phone, saying Gunther isn’t happy. Also some guy named Mickie keeps calling and isn’t happy. Green and Stratton go off and Stratton is in a Money In The Bank qualifying match. That’s totally fine with Green but Nikki Bella comes in to say she’s a legend and is coming for the title.

We look back at Cody Rhodes pausing in his match with Randy Orton and getting hit low to set up Orton’s victory.

Rhodes sits down with Michael Cole and isn’t making any excuses for what happened. Cole takes us back to Rhodes winning the title at Wrestlemania XL and everyone praising him. Everyone in that ring has turned on him but that comes with being the champion. Rhodes is tired of everyone asking about going in a different direction but he has experimented and changed things up in wrestling like no one except for maybe Mr. Heyman (oh my).

He was uncompromised and won two Royal Rumbles and beat Roman Reigns. He’ll face Orton again and he won’t make the same mistake again. They’ve planted some seeds of Rhodes working with Heyman more than once now and that could be rather interesting, whenever it might wind up happening.

Jade Cargill, with the Baddies, is going to win Money In The Bank.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Jacy Jayne vs. Jade Cargill vs. Alexa Bliss

Non-title. Jayne pulls Bliss down by the hair and then rolls outside to pose on the announcers’ table. Bliss cuts that off and gets grabbed by Cargill, only to be sent outside by Jayne. That leaves Jayne to low bridge Cargill out to the floor, with Cargill pulling Bliss down with her. Back in and a Boss Man Slam gives Cargill two on Jayne as we take a break.

We come back with Cargill (kind of) powerbombing them down with a Tower Of Doom for two each. Cargill is sent outside and Bliss is up to take over on Jayne. A flip dive off the apron hits Jayne but Cargill knees Bliss in the face. Cargill is knocked down again and Bliss loads up Twisted Bliss, with Jayne rolling to the floor. Back in and the Sister Abigail DDT connects but Cargill pulls the referee out. Jaded plants Bliss so Jayne kicks Cargill away and steals the pin at 11:27.

Rating: B-. Good grief I could go a long time without the steal the pin finish to a triple threat. This is the second time in a show that someone (the US Champion in both cases) stole the pin and I have no idea how there is no better way to go. I like Jayne winning as she could become a threat to win the ladder match and again, at least the champion didn’t get pinned.

Giulia is ready for her Money In The Bank qualifying match next week but the Irresistible Forces interrupt. They mock the idea of Giulia beating Lash Legend, with Giulia threatening some kicking.

Lil Yachty hypes up Trick Williams and they run into Sami Zayn. Williams wants Zayn to keep the title so he can beat him again. Well that was cold.

Damian Priest says the only thing people should be asking why he took so long to turn on R-Truth. He was sick of R-Truth losing again and he’s a bad man.

Smackdown World Title: Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens

Owens is challenging and jumps him to start fast and stomps Zayn down in the corner. Zayn gets crushed on the floor and we take a break. We come back with Zayn snapping Owens’ neck across the top rope and slaps him on the mat a bit. Zayn stops to yell at the referee before hitting a middle rope elbow to the back of the head for two.

Owens avoids a charge though and hits a superkick, meaning the Cannonball can connect in the corner. An AA gives Owens two and the Stunner is countered into the Blue Thunder Bomb as we take a break. We come back again with Owens hitting a Swanton for two as the fans are rather invested.

Cue Johnny Gargano for a distraction so Candice LeRae can sneak in with a tornado DDT. That sets up the Helluva Kick for two so Zayn tries to try it again and charges into a pop up powerbomb. The Stunner connects but Gargano puts Zayn’s foot on the rope. Owens goes outside and loads up the powerbomb to put Gargano through the table until Zayn makes the save. Zayn goes through the table instead so Gargano tries a belt shot, which earns him a Stunner. Cue CM Punk to hit Owens with the belt….for two (that might have been a mistake) so Zayn hits a quick Helluva Kick to retain at 15:58.

Rating: B. Somehow this is their first World Title match in WWE and that continues to feel pretty special. They have incredible chemistry together just from knowing each other so well, though you know this isn’t likely to be the last match between the two of them. Punk continues to add another twist to the whole thing and you can pretty easily feel the multi-man title match coming at Money In The Bank.

Post match Punk gives both of them a GTS to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show had another solid focus with the Money In The Bank matches and the World Title stuff as the big focal point. It’s something that has been done for years but it does make for an easy to follow show. I do like the World Title stuff and the Tag Team Title match has me wanting to see a rematch. This show was an efficiently put together two hours and had the matches to make it work. Well done here.

Results
Trick Williams b. Rey Fenix and Randy Orton – RKO to Fenix
Bakusai b. MFT’s via DQ when Haku interfered
Jacy Jayne b. Alexa Bliss and Jade Cargill – Jaded to Bliss
Sami Zayn b. Kevin Owens – Helluva Kick

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Impact Wrestling
Date: September 17, 2026
Location: CAA Center, Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re less than a month away from Bound For Glory and that means it is time to start firming up a lot of the card. That’s for later though, as Moose is putting his career on the line against Frankie Kazarian in what should be a pretty big showdown. Other than that, we have another qualifying match for the X-Division Title so let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Knockouts TV Title: Kiera Hogan vs. M By Elegance

M, with the Elegance Brand, is defending while Allie is here with Hogan. They fight over wrist control to start and Hogan sends her into the ropes for a running hip attack. M is right back up with a Blockbuster and a basement dropkick with the kickout leaving her stunned. The double arm crank goes on and Hogan is pulled down by the hair to keep her in trouble. Hogan is back up with a running hip attack but Face The Music is blocked. M misses her moonsault though and Hogan grabs a rollup for two. Back up and Hogan tries a rollup out of the corner, with M reversing into a kneeling Tombstone to retain at 5:37.

Rating: C. M needs wins like this to boost herself up a bit and this went well. At the same time, it could probably boost the Brand up for a Knockouts Tag Team Title somewhere down the line. It’s annoying to have champions lose but the tag division is hardly overflowing with teams in the first place.

Leon Slater doesn’t like what Nic Nemeth has become so tonight he’s going to beat up Ryan Nemeth.

John Skyler again seems to try hitting on Mila Moore to no avail as she takes a phone call instead.

X-Division Title Qualifying Match: LJ Cleary vs. Rich Swann

Cleary, from Ireland, is making his debut. We get a handshake and we’re ready to go, with both of them flipping away and avoiding the early contact. Swann connects with a dropkick and they flip up to a standoff and another handshake. Swann takes him down for the step up kick to the back and Cleary is sent outside for a kick in the chair.

With Cleary still in the chair, Swann gets a running start around the ring to kick him in the face but gets cut off by a dive for trying it again. They trade dives to the floor before Cleary gets two off a Death Valley Driver. After we hear some audio that I don’t think was intentional, Swann wins a strike off but Cleary is back with a springboard Canadian Destroyer for two. Swann rolls around a lot and hits a handspring cutter, setting up the Phoenix splash for the pin at 8:05.

Rating: B. These two had some sweet chemistry out there and it was nice to see Swann getting to have this kind of a match. He has the resume around here to be a bigger star but he needs some wins to get him back up the ladder a bit. I’ve seen Cleary a few times before and he has talent, so it was nice to see him getting a chance here.

Frankie Kazarian says Moose has brought this on himself and he’s ready to take Moose out.

The System vs. Elijah/Ricky Sosa

Elijah works on Eddie’s arm to start and it’s off to Sosa for two off a slam. A snap powerslam gives Sosa one and Elijah gets to hit Alexander in the face a few times. Walk With Elijah is loaded up to Alexander while Sosa dives onto Edwards at the same time as we take a break.

We come back with Alexander pulling at Elijah’s beard and Edwards mocking his inability to get a tag. Elijah manages a jumping knee to knock Edwards out of the air and it’s back to Sosa as everything breaks down. Walk With Elijah cuts off the rest of the invading System and Sosa’s running uppercut is good for the pin on Alexander at 12:07.

Rating: B-. This got better near the end and it’s good to see Sosa get a win. He’s still trying to find himself in TNA but he’s around here often enough and getting wins. Having him in various tag teams is fine for now, as being the guy you bring in when you need a partner isn’t a bad idea.

Post match the System lays the winners out, with Eddie grabbing a mic and having a seat. He wants Sosa at Bound For Glory to see if Sosa belongs here. Yeah that’s an upgrade.

The Righteous isn’t happy with BDE for turning them down and he has one more chance.

Ryan Nemeth vs. Leon Slater

Nic Nemeth is on commentary. Slater starts fast with the right hands in the corner and nails a handspring elbow. Ryan is sent outside for a dive from Slater, who stops to glare at Nic, allowing Ryan to neckbreaker him on the way back inside. Some forearms set up a chinlock and a Nic style jumping DDT gives Ryan two. Slater fights up and kicks him in the head, setting up a very spinning torture rack bomb. The Swanton 450 finishes Ryan at 4:47.

Rating: C+. That’s all this needed to be as it’s Ryan Nemeth against the #1 contender to the World Title. Slater is on the way to the biggest match of his career and he got to beat up the champion’s brother in the process. Thankfully they didn’t drag this out in any way and Slater got to finish with his big move.

Post match Nic runs in to beat Slater down, including a belt shot to the head.

John Skyler has roses for Mila Moore but hears her on the phone, mocking the idea that she would ever date someone who looked like him.

Moose is ready to do his best as his back is to the wall.

Zoey Serrano vs. Harley Hudson

Serrano wastes no time in shoving her down and mocking Hudson’s pushups. Some choking in the corner has Hudson in more trouble and we’re already in the chinlock. Back up and Hudson knocks her into the corner for a string of running hip attacks. A rollup gives Hudson two but Serrano German suplexes her into a brainbuster onto the knee for two. Hudson trips her down and drops a leg for two, only for Serrano to come back with her flipping knee (with Hudson being flipped backwards onto the knee) and the pin at 5:50.

Rating: C. Hudson continues to impress me as she’s getting a bit more established around here. I could go for her having more success, but Serrano feels like she’s the bigger prospect at the moment. If nothing else, Serrano looking fairly dominant in her singles debut makes sense and that knee looked great.

Post match Daria Rae comes out to tell Serrano to finish Hudson, which brings out Indi Hartwell for the save. Hartwell says Rae isn’t getting rid of her but Rae says Hartwell is on borrowed time.

Moose vs. Frankie Kazarian

Moose’s TNA career is on the line and Avery Styles is here with Kazarian. Moose knocks him down but misses an early backsplash, allowing Kazarian to crucifix him for two. Kazarian’s Backstabber and Back To The Future gets two, only for Moose to come back with the chokebomb out of the corner.

Kazarian bails out to the floor and tries the slingshot cutter, with Moose head faking him for a slingshot splash instead. A high crossbody gives Kazarian two more and we take a break. We come back with both of them getting to their feet for the slow slugout. Some rollups give Kazarian two more and he clotheslines Moose for one. A headbutt and the spear connect for Moose but Kazarian rolls out to the floor.

Moose makes the mistake of trying another spear outside and gets backdropped through a table, which is good for a nine count. Fade To Black gives Kazarian two and the chickenwing goes on but Moose keeps his arm up. Moose rolls out and gets two off the spear before spearing a springboarding Kazarian out of the air. One more spear gives Moose the pin at 16:52.

Rating: B. The best thing here is the match was starting to feel big. That was the idea is it was Moose putting up everything he had for one more shot at Kazarian, which paid off. The match could have used some more time to be set up, but at least the match wound up being rather good and worthy of the main event slot.

Post match Moose crushes Kazarian’s crown with a chair.

Matt Hardy has been attacked….and two people look down at him before walking away. Well there’s your next big detail.

Overall Rating: B+. There was enough good action to carry this one with the main event and Swann vs. Cleary being the highlights. This show felt more packed than usual and it made for one of the better Impacts in awhile. That’s a great sign as we’re this close to Bound For Glory, but they have to keep it up or this doesn’t mean very much.

Results
M By Elegance b. Kiera Hogan – Kneeling Tombstone
Rich Swann b. LJ Cleary – Phoenix splash
Elijah/Ricky Sosa b. The System – Running uppercut to Alexander
Leon Slater b. Ryan Nemeth – Swanton 450
Zoey Serrano b. Harley Hudson – Flipping knee to the face

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Ring Of Honor
Date: September 17, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman, Tony Schiavone, Paul Wight

We’re back here and the question now is what we’ll be getting this week. That’s a rather wide open question but that’s just kind of how it goes with this show. There’s a chance that it’s a bunch of random matches with little to do with the previous weeks but there will probably be a title match thrown in too. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Women’s TV Title: Remi Reade vs. Red Velvet

Velvet is defending and this is from 1FW (1 Fall Wrestling) and was filmed during Dynamite, because crossing over with one promotion isn’t enough for ROH anymore. They trade rollups to start fast and get up for a standoff as the fans are oddly silent. Velvet takes her down by the arm before knocking her into the corner for some choking. The running knees to the back keep Reade down but she’s right back with a falcon arrow for two. That’s shrugged off and Velvet kicks her in the head for the pin at 5:45.

Rating: C. There wasn’t much to this one as it was nice to see Velvet look fairly dominant, but Reade was another case of “who is this person”. I’m assuming she’s a star in 1FW but what the heck is 1FW? I get it more with a promotion like New Japan, which at least has a long history and reputation, but this appears to just be an independent promotion in Georgia. In other words, as usual, it’s another case where they just waved their hands and went with it because it’s ROH and it doesn’t matter.

We look at Nick Wayne losing at Death Before Dishonor and this week on Dynamite. Therefore, it’s time for Wayne to get a win to get his quote unquote heat back.

Nick Wayne vs. Adam Priest

And here we are. Wayne ducks away a few times and spits at Priest before going outside. Back in and Wayne stomps away but gets caught with a quick running clothesline. Priest grabs the armbar but Wayne gets out and drops a top rope double stomp onto the arm. Wayne twists the arm around again and we’re off to a keylock. Back up and Priest avoids a charge in the corner and grabs a dragon screw legwhip.

A top rope superplex drops Wayne again and Priest grabs a DDT for two. They forearm it out until Priest takes out the leg to set up the half crab. Wayne makes it to the rope and tries a suplex, which sends both of them crashing out to the floor. Back in and Wayne knocks the rope into Priest, setting up the ProdigyPlex for the pin at 10:00.

Rating: B. The match was good, which is hardly a surprise, but it felt like “this is the thing that we always do and we’re getting through it”. If that’s what you want to do, maybe don’t have it be on Ring Of Honor? Or on a One Fall Wrestling show or whatever this is this time? Anyway, they had a rather watchable match, as the two of them tend to do.

And now, off to Jacksonville.

The Hex vs. Emi Sakura/Deonna Purrazzo

Belle and Purrazzo start things off with Belle being low bridged to the floor. Purrazzo dropkicks her down and Sakura hits a running crossbody to drive Belle into the steps. Back in and Kay pulls Purrazzo down by the hair so the villains can take over. Belle kicks her into Kay’s backsplash into a running kick to the chest for two. Purrazzo fights out of trouble and it’s off to Sakura, who sends the Hex into each other for a double down. Kay gets two off a clothesline and everything breaks down, with stereo Fujiwara armbars making the Hex tap at 6:21.

Rating: C+. I’m assuming that Sakura is the next challenger for Purrazzo and it’s not like there is anyone else coming for the belt. The title has been needing someone fresh to come after if for a long time now and Sakura is considered a big deal around here. If nothing else the stereo armbars was a cool looking finish.

Post match Sakura jumps Purrazzo and grabs another Fujiwara armbar. Well points for not wasting time.

Nick Comoroto and Aaron Solo join forces with Griff Garrison and want gold. Sure guys.

The Kingdom/Bryan Keith vs. Skyflight

After Sky checks the referee for weapons (yep), he and Bennett start things off with Bennett getting in a running shoulder. Everything breaks down and Skyflight clears the ring but Taven dropkicks Darius down. That’s broken up and Taven gets bulldogged onto a knee to put him in trouble for a change. Hold on though as the Kingdom gets their phone to check with AI and apparently the answer is to throw Darius the phone and hit him in the face (the phone appears to be fine).

A pop up forearm gives Bennett two but Darius gets over to the corner for the tag to Dante. That means a series of kicks into a high crossbody but Keith is back in for a running clothesline. Everything breaks down again and we get the parade of knockdowns but Darius’ dive is cut off. Keith grabs a tiger bomb to pin Darius at 8:10.

Rating: B-. As usual, Skyflight looks good and mostly out there to lose against someone else. The Kingdom and Keith are a new team and the AI deal is unique enough (at least for this generation) so see what it can do. It’s not like they’ll get a title shot anytime soon so if nothing else, it gives them a chance to be build up.

The Dark Order sits down with Caprice Coleman, with the team talking about how they’ve been around for a long time and no one has gone up against the things they’ve faced. They’re still not in sync about Preston Vance but Evil Uno insists that they’re a family. Tensions seem to stay high.

Robyn Renegade vs. Isla Dawn

They shove each other to start and lock up in the corner, with Dawn firing off a forearm. Some kicks to the chest have Renegade in more trouble but she knocks Dawn back. Dawn slams her off the top though and a running knee gives Dawn two. The chinlock goes on with Dawn switching into a headlock, sending Renegade to the rope. Back up and Renegade kicks her in the back and a Backstabber has Dawn in more trouble. A middle rope clothesline gives Renegade two so Dawn kicks her in the head. That and a dragon sleeper make Renegade tap at 6:12.

Rating: B. This was a hard hitting back and forth match and Dawn felt like she had to work to get the win here. That’s always nice to see and Renegade has felt like someone who could be build into something bigger if she was given the chance. It was better than I was expecting here and hopefully we see both of them around more often.

Post match Dawn goes to leave but is interrupted by Mina Shirakawa, which doesn’t seem to please Dawn.

Mina Shirakawa/Queen Aminata vs. Dream Girl Ellie/Xanti Li

Aminata backs Li into the corner to start and then does it again against the ropes. An armdrag has Li in more trouble and she tries a running shoulder, which just bounces off of Aminata. Chocolate Kisses let Shirakawa come in for some dancing and a running dropkick to the back. Li slips out of a slam and brings in Ellie, who kicks Shirakawa in the face for a quick two.

It’s back to Li for a running uppercut in the corner and Ellie’s snap suplex gets two. Shirakawa is right back up and brings Aminata in to fire off the running forearms in the corner. Everything breaks down and Shirakawa Stunners Li over the top rope for a slingshot corkscrew splash. Back in and a spinning backfist knocks Li silly and it’s a Figure Four (with Aminata taking Ellie out) for the tap at 9:37.

Rating: C+. Shirakawa and Aminata seem to be the next women’s team around here and it’s not a good sign that it took them this long to beat a makeshift team. I get that the idea is to have the best matches possible every chance but that doesn’t always benefit them in the long run. That was the case here, as Shirakawa and Aminata should have been a more dominant force here.

Post match the winners dance.

Aaron Solo/Griff Garrison/Nick Comoroto vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

Solo and Moriarty start things off with Moriarty getting in a quick rollup for two but Solo snaps off a running hurricanrana. Garrison comes in and backsplashes Miles but it’s off to Taylor, who punches Garrison in the face. Taylor even throws on Garrison’s cowboy hat (yeah he has a cowboy hat now) and dances a bit, allowing Moriarty to fire off some knees to the ribs.

Garrison gets away though and Comoroto comes in to run through everyone. Everything breaks down and we get the Comoroto vs. Taylor showdown. Taylor plants him with a release Rock Bottom but gets sent outside, leaving Miles to superkick Solo for the pin at 6:38.

Rating: C+. This was in fact another version of the Promotions getting to beat another group of low level stars. I’m not sure why I should believe that this is going to be their next step towards success but the Promotions get to do this kind of stuff rather frequently. In other words, more of the same stuff with a lot of the same people.

Satnam Singh vs. Matt Mako

Mako tries to kick away and charges into a boot in the corner. Singh chops away and hits a clothesline before Mako runs away on the floor. Back in and Mako kicks at the leg some more and jumps on the back for a choke. More kicks to the leg have Singh down…but he comes back with a pop up cutter of all things for the pin at 3:31.

Rating: C+. Well that was a surprise. I wasn’t exactly expecting Singh to be in trouble here and Mako actually gave him a sweat. At the same time, it has me wondering when Singh is going to actually do something that matters. It never really happens and that’s a problem with far too many people around here.

Bandido/Komander vs. Soleil/AR Fox

Bandido and Soleil start things off with Soleil missing a charge into the corner and knocking Komander down. For some reason Soleil apologizes to him, leaving commentary confused. Bandido kicks Fox off the apron by mistake as well and now we’re all even. Bandido and Soleil slug it out, with Bandido flipping into the finger gun pose. Fox comes in to cutter Bandido into the corner and Soleil takes Komander down. Soleil and Fox run around a bit before kicking Komander in the back for two.

Bandido is back in for a Shining Wizard to Fox, followed by a running boot to the head for another near fall. Something like an upside down surfboard has Fox in trouble, at least until he flips over for two off a sunset flip. Soleil and Komander come in with Soleil flipping around for some kicks. Everything breaks down and Fox hits a 450 on Bandido to give Soleil two. Bandido and Komander are up for a one handed gorilla press and the running flip dive, followed by the assisted X Knee to Soleil. The 21 Plex gives Bandido the pin at 9:25.

Rating: B. It was fun and they did their usual flips and dives, which was quite the impressive feat. You knew exactly what you were going to see with these teams and it wound up going well. As usual, this does nothing for the World Title and it’s not like there are any challengers for it at the moment, so I’ll take what I can get. I think.

Post match respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This is a textbook example of how Ring Of Honor can feel like the most useless weekly wrestling show. As usual, the matches were fine. As also usual, it felt like very little on here mattered whatsoever. Outside of Sakura attacking Purrazzo (ending their partnership after a total of just ever six minutes), it felt like everyone on this show is right where they were when the show started. That happens WAY too often around here and that makes these shows feel very, very long. The wrestling is bad, but thrown in some promos or angles or ANYTHING to make this show feel like it matters already.

Results
Red Velvet b. Remi Reade – Spinning kick to the head
Nick Wayne b. Adam Priest – ProdigyPlex
Emi Sakura/Deonna Purrazzo b. The Hex – Double Fujiwara armbar
The Kingdom/Bryan Keith b. Skyflight – Tiger bomb to Darius
Isla Dawn b. Robyn Renegade – Dragon sleeper
Mina Shirakawa/Queen Aminata b. Dream Girl Ellie/Xanti Li – Figure Four to Li
Shane Taylor Promotions b. Aaron Solo/Griff Garrison/Nick Comoroto – Superkick to Solo
Satnam Singh b. Matt Mako – Pop up cutter
Bandido/Komander b. Soleil/AR Fox – 21 Plex to Soleil

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Evolve
Date: September 16, 2026
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Robert Stone

It’s title week here as Harlem Lewis is defending the Evolve Title against Cutler James, who got the title shot by winning a four way a few weeks back. Other than that, Skylar Raye is coming for the Women’s Title, with the title on the line next week Finally, the ID Program is coming off a big win last week, thanks to the help of It’s Gal. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Harlem Lewis talks about how important the title is to him and he’s not ready to let it to go. Darkstate doesn’t matter to him and tonight, Cutler James is just another victim.

Opening sequence.

Kale Dixon vs. Ulka Sasaki

Alix Brooks is here with Dixon. Sasaki works on the arm to start and then drops down to let Dixon have some free kicks. Instead he trips Dixon down for two but Sasaki takes him down and hammers away on the apron. A backbreaker puts Sasaki down and the big chop to the back gets two. The chinlock doesn’t last long and Sasaki is back up with a spinning kick to the head for two of his own. Cue Aaron Rourke to put a jacket over Brooks to distract Dixon, with Sasaki getting a nice flipping rollup for the pin at 5:38.

Rating: C+. The match only had so much time but that tends to be the case around here as the matches aren’t always that long. In addition though, Sasaki is a talented star who is at least getting some time, with that flipping rollup being a cool finish. Rourke has a new feud it seems and that should go well for both of them.

The ID Program is happy with their win last week but Braxton Cole comes in to interrupt. Mathers doesn’t seem happy but is held back.

Succession IV is on October 14.

Vanta The Unknown doesn’t like Laynie Luck and isn’t going to let her succeed.

Harley Riggins wants the Evolve Title and has the winner after tonight.

Elijah Holyfield vs. Milosh Jovic

This is Jovic’s debut and he talks about bringing speed and power. Holyfield knocks him down to start and grabs a suplex, setting up the spinebuster and uppercut for the win at 1:34. Total squash.

Post match Holyfield says he’s here to win the Evolve Title but Braxton Cole interrupt. Cole wants the title but Marcus Mathers comes in to go after Cole, with the referees breaking it up.

Video on Cutler James.

Here is Sloane Jacobs to bring out Nikkita Lyons for a chat. Lyons seems to think she’s better than most of the rest of the division, which brings out Skylar Raye to interrupt. Raye calls out Lyons for mocking her for being a cheerleader when Lyons has her own cheerleader in Jacobs. Cue PJ Vasa to interrupt, saying she has the winner of whomever comes out of this next week. Jacobs actually goes after Vasa, leaving Raye to take Lyons out.

Elijah Holyfield gets to face Braxton Cole in two weeks. He’ll knock Marcus Mathers out too if he has to.

Harley Riggins tells Timothy Thatcher that he’s getting the next title shot and he’s going to watch the title match tonight. Thatcher says no, citing how Harlem Lewis and Riggins tend to create chaos. Get involved and deal with consequence.

Evolve Title: Harlem Lewis vs. Cutler James

Lewis is defending. James grabs a headlock to start and takes Lewis down, with the hold staying on for longer than you might expect. It’s finally broken up and Lewis gets in a middle rope stomp to the arm. James counters a dive off the apron though and hits a backbreaker as we take a break.

We come back with Lewis getting whipped hard into the corner and another backbreaker giving James two. Back up and Lewis is able to wrap the arm around the post, setting up a crossface. That’s reversed into a side slam and James hits a pop up uppercut to the back. Shell Shock connects but the arm is too banged up, allowing Lewis to roll out to the floor.

James follows him to the floor and clotheslines the post by mistake. A spear drops James and they head back inside, where he’s able to counter the Boom Slang into a spinning backbreaker. The arm gives out on another Shell Shock attempt and now the Boom Slang can retain the title at 10:09.

Rating: B. I can go with Lewis as the guy who might not be the most talented in-ring star, but he’s a good, strong brawler. It worked well here and that’s the kind of thing that could get him through quite a few title defenses. James felt like a challenger there for the sake of giving Lewis a win over an NXT name and that’s a fine way to go, especially with Lewis breaking him down and winning in the end.

Post match Harley Riggins comes out to say he’s next but It’s Gal interrupts, saying it’s his shot. Lewis tells them to fight to see who gets the next shot and the brawl is on to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Evolve continues to stick with the style that has worked for them thus far: focus on one big thing a week (most of the time) and have some other stuff there to fill in the show which also sets up some stuff for later. You can see where a lot of stories are going here and the Evolve Title was on the line. That’s a good use of about 45 minutes and I liked this show quite a bit.

Results
Ulka Sasaki b. Kale Dixon – Flipping rollup
Elijah Holyfield b. Milosh Jovic – Uppercut
Harlem Lewis b. Cutler James – Boom Slang

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6