Monday Night Raw
Date: October 6, 2008
Location: Key Arena, Seattle, Washington
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler

We’re done with No Mercy and the big story around here is that Chris Jericho defeated Shawn Michaels in an outstanding ladder match to retain the World Title. That should wrap up their feud for good as we move on to Cyber Sunday. Jericho is going to need a fresh challenger and as luck would have it, Batista became #1 contender last night. Let’s get to it.

Here is No Mercy if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Chris Jericho to get things going. Jericho talks about how Mike Adamle will not be here tonight due to a meeting with the McMahons, so Jericho is in charge tonight. He’s still sore from last night and has a banged up tooth, which he has to live with for the rest of his life. Every time he sees that, he will think of Shawn Michaels, which ironically will make him smile. Jericho knows Michaels is here tonight and wants revenge, so tonight Michaels can face Lance Cade, anything goes. Now you have to admit that he is the best in the world, but here is Batista to interrupt.

Batista tells him to pick the number of days until their title match. It could be seven days, fourteen days, or two-day. Jericho doesn’t back down because he knows he could beat Batista, who needs to get out of this ring right now. Batista laughs that off and plants him with a spinebuster. Simple and to the point here and it worked fine.

During the break, Jericho announced that Batista will have to beat JBL again tonight to remain #1 contender. As a bonus, Jericho himself will be guest referee.

Mickie James/Jamie Noble vs. Beth Phoenix/Santino Marella

William Regal and Layla are at ringside. Before the match, Marella says he is trying to become more American, so he has adopted a new NBA team: the Oklahoma City Thunder, which is the recently departed Seattle Super Sonics. Eh it’s one of those classic heel moves that always works.

James elbows Phoenix in the face to start and it’s off to the men, with Noble kicking away in the corner. Everything breaks down and James dropkicks Phoenix out to the floor, leaving Noble to grab a sunset flip for two. We settle back down and Phoenix grabs Noble from the apron, allowing Marella to roll him up for the fast win.

Post match Noble and Regal get in a fight, likely setting up another mixed tag.

Shawn Michaels is tired, sore and in pain and he knows Chris Jericho feels the same. Lance Cade is supposed to take Michaels out but tonight Michaels is going to show that he still has gas in the tank.

Kofi Kingston vs. Ted DiBiase Jr.

Cody Rhodes and Manu are here with DiBiase so here is CM Punk to even things up a bit. Kingston leapfrogs him a few times before hitting a jumping back elbow. DiBiase is right back with a knockdown of his own and we hit the quickly broken chinlock. Back up and Kingston strikes away, including the jumping dropkick. Manu’s distraction doesn’t work though as Kingston knocks him down and gives DiBiase the Russian legsweep. Punk goes after a distraction Rhodes but DiBiase grabs a Million Dollar Dream into a Russian legsweep of his own for the fast win.

Chris Jericho talks to Randy Orton and says tonight, he’s going to work.

Video on John Cena, who is working on getting better after neck surgery.

Kane, Mark Henry and Tony Atlas have no interest in meeting Dolph Ziggler.

Rey Mysterio/Kane vs. Matt Hardy/Rey Mysterio

Tony Atlas is here with the villains. Mysterio slugs away at Kane to start but can’t get very far. Instead he manages to get Kane into the corner so Hardy can help with the mon…well the taller monster, but Kane cuts that off rather quickly. Henry tries to come in but gets taken down by the leg, with Hardy and Mysterio hitting a double dropkick.

We take a break and come back with Hardy in trouble but he gets away for the tag to Mysterio. That means the pace can pick up, including a springboard legdrop to Henry. Kane gets in a cheap shot from the apron though and comes in to stomp away in the corner. Henry’s headbutt drops Mysterio again but Kane misses his top rope clothesline. Hardy comes back in as everything breaks down, with Mysterio hitting a 619 to Kane and Hardy going up top. Henry gets creative by throwing Mysterio at the ropes though, knocking Mysterio into the chokeslam to give Kane the pin.

Rating: C+. Pretty run of the mill power vs. speed match here and it worked about as well as usual. If nothing else, it was nice to see a pair of feuds tied together to give us something fresh. Henry is probably coming after Hardy one more time and it’s pretty clear Mysterio vs. Kane isn’t done so this was a nice use of time.

Shawn Michaels vs. Lance Cade

No DQ and Cade actually drops him with an early clothesline. They go outside with Cade hammering him down some more and loading up a table. Michaels gets put through it as this is quite the one sided beating thus far. Cade grabs a chair but Michaels takes him down and hammers away. A chair shot to the head drops Cade and Michaels just unloads on him with the chair for the pin.

Post match Michaels beats on Cade with the chair even more, much to the fans’ delight.

Jerry Lawler is in the ring and announces that the fans will get to face Santino Marella for the Intercontinental Title at Cyber Sunday. You can pick from Roddy Piper, Goldust or the Honky Tonk Man. Throwing Piper in there does offer a bit of a mystery winner, as otherwise this should be Honky Tonk Man in a walk.

Here is the Great Khali to interrupt Lilian Garcia. Runjin Singh says Khali is not happy with Jackass’ Johnny Knoxville (this isn’t where I saw this going). We see a clip from an interview between Knoxville and Khali, with Knoxville asking about the proportions of a certain part of Khali’s anatomy. This results in Khali storming off and then inviting Knoxville to Raw next week. To show that he’s a fun loving guy, we get the Khali Kiss Cam, with Khali kissing Garcia, who isn’t sure what to think.

Here is Jillian Hall to sing some Nirvana, which doesn’t go well.

Jillian Hall vs. Kelly Kelly

Miz and John Morrison and Cryme Tyme are on commentary for a lot of bickering. Kelly gets sent to the apron to start and is knocked outside just as fast. Hall rams her into the apron as Cole cannot get a word in as the other four have not stopped arguing. Back in and Hall throws her down by the hair as commentary is throwing out Chris Jericho related insults. Miz says something about a bowl of chili as Hall works on a backbreaker. Lawler FINALLY gets in a word and talks about Hall beating on Kelly but the argument is right back on. Kelly gets a victory roll for the pin.

Rating: C. Ok, so the match was absolutely nothing, but the commentary was a blast, as it was basically “how long can you guys argue without taking a breath?”. It almost turned into a game as they just kept going and it wound up being really funny. This was totally different than what you usually get around here and it was really fun as a result.

Video on John Cena’s recovery from surgery. The doctor was astounded at how he recovered, including going to the arena the day of the operation. Yeah Cena is not normal.

Batista vs. John Bradshaw Layfield

For the #1 contendership and Chris Jericho is guest referee. Actually hold on as we also have William Regal as guest timekeeper and Randy Orton is guest commentator. Batista powers JBL into the corner to start and runs him over with a shoulder for a rather delayed one. A shinbreaker of all things sets up the Figure Four and JBL reaches for the rope…with a brief touch counting as a break.

JBL is back up to hammer away in the corner and a big clothesline gets (a somewhat slow) two. Batista is back up with a suplex but this time Jericho won’t even count. That earns Jericho a run to the floor, allowing Regal to jump Batista from behind. Back in and JBL grabs a full nelson and then a sleeper, with Batista jawbreaking his way to freedom. The running shoulder in the corner is tripped down by Jericho so Batista hits a spinebuster on JBL. Regal and Orton try to come in and it’s a triple spear to take the villains down. Cue Mike Adamle to send another referee down so the Batista Bomb can give Batista the pin.

Rating: C. I mean, it was better when Vince Russo turned it into a thing, but JBL isn’t quite Mick Foley and while Batista is a big star, he isn’t Austin. At the same time, it didn’t help that they were rushing through things and the villains only interfered so much. It’s a good idea, but they did the Cliff Notes version here and that didn’t quite work.

Post match Adamle says Batista gets his title shot at Cyber Sunday, with the fans getting to pick the guest referee. The choices are Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels or Steve Austin, meaning Jericho knows he’s in trouble to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. They set up the big title match at Cyber Sunday and that worked well, though there was only so much to be gained with the stuff they got ready. Jericho vs. Batista is a fresh match, but it’s a pretty big step down from the awesome Jericho vs. Michaels feud. The rest of the show was pretty much the run of the mill stuff Raw has been doing recently, meaning this show was about as mediocre as it gets.

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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NXT
Date: February 10, 2026
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re in a bit of a new era as we have a new NXT Champion in Joe Hendry, who won the title last week in a heck of a seven man ladder match. That leaves us pretty wide open for where things go from here and that should make for some interesting developments. Other than that, we’re on our way to…whatever the next big show is going to be.  Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Here is Joe Hendry to get things going. He is the new NXT Champion but he wasn’t sure he was going to get here. Last week he was on the floor in pain but he looked up at Ricky Saints and he got up to win the title. Becoming a two time national amateur wrestling champion in England was a step, just like winning the TNA World Title and facing Randy Orton at Wrestlemania. Cue the Vanity Project to interrupt, with Jackson Drake saying he’s ready to run through a wall. Or take the title. The brawl is on with Hendry getting taken down, allowing Drake to do Hendry’s pose and hold up the NXT Title.

Zaria and Sol Ruca are still having tension, with Zaria asking why it can’t be her time. Ruca: “Good talk, I guess.”

Jaida Parker is ready to give a beating. The fire she has in her eyes is great.

Keanu Carver wants the next shot at the NXT Title but Robert Stone says Jackson Drake is getting it, as Shawn Michaels wants chaos. Carver is fine with delivering chaos but Stone tries to stop him. A glare cuts that off really fast.

Blake Monroe vs. Jaida Parker

Parker jumps her to start but Monroe throws part of her gear. That doesn’t get her very far though as Parker is back with a German suplex. A waistlock puts Monroe in trouble and Parker knocks her out to the floor. Monroe manages a trip into the announcers’ table though and we take a break. We come back with Parker blocking a kick to the ribs and elbowing Monroe in the face. The Teardrop connects in the corner and Parker knocks her outside, where they brawl to a double countout at 9:02.

Rating: C. Well that wasn’t much. Parker continues to feel like a star in the making but instead she’s going to a double countout in a so so match with Monroe. At least Parker feels like she has something going for her though, but Monroe is just kind of there. That’s going to need to change, as she’s needing something else to do. Like pairing her with someone perhaps.

Post match the beatdown stays on, with Parker taking out both Monroe and security. Monroe bails into the crowd.

Tatum Paxley talks about how it felt like she was drowning and struggling to breathe around Izzi Dame and the Culling. She tried to become what Dame wanted her to be but had to let go. It let her become what she knew she was and become the version of Tatum Paxley she needs to be.

Kale Dixon yells at Uriah Connors for walking out on Chase U last week. Connors says Chase held them back and here are Stacks, Arianna Grace and Lexis King, who seem to want Connors on their side. Wasn’t he on the team last week?

The title character from the movie Psycho Killer is behind commentary. Make your own Tommaso Ciampa reference.

Speed Title #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Josh Briggs vs. Eli Knight

Knight ducks boot in the corner to start and gets in a high crossbody. An enziguri sends Briggs outside for a running dive but he clotheslines Knight in the back of the head for an early two. Knight knocks him back down and hits a moonsault for the fast pin at 2:06. Well they got the speed part right, but that’s about all they had here.

Elio LeFleur comes out to shake hands with Knight but Jasper Troy comes in to lay them both out.

Lola Vice gets her hand looked at and is ready to face Kelani Jordan next week. Cue Jordan to jump her from behind.

Keanu Carver has wrecked a bunch of people, including Sean Legacy and Andre Chase.

Here is Darkstate for a chat. Dion Lennox wants the NXT Title but Cutler James isn’t sure what Tony D’Angelo was thinking last week. They haven’t forgotten about the Culling either, but here is the Culling on the platform to say they aren’t charging into this kind of a disadvantage. The lights go out and OTM say they’re here for the titles as well. Hank & Tank pop up to say they want the belts too but here is D’Angelo to run through Darkstate.

Post break Robert Stone makes a three way #1 contenders match for next week with OTM, the Culling and Hank & Tank. Stone runs into Shiloh Hill, in a hockey mask for some reason, but Ethan Page comes in to say Hill needs to leave. Hill does that and Page tells Stone that he wants to set the record for the most title defenses. Page says he’s already beaten everyone around here and from TNA but Hill comes back in to get his machete, which gets him a title shot next week.

NXT Title: Joe Hendry vs. Jackson Drake

Only Hendry is defending and Drake (with the Vanity Project) dropkicks him into the corner to start. An early Swanton gives Drake two and a running shooting star press connects, only for Hendry to roll through into a fall away slam. They go outside with Hendry blocking a ram into the apron and then hitting a slam back inside.

Hendry rams him into the corner a few times and gets two off a suplex, with the fans approving. The Project gets caught sending Hendry into the steps though and get ejected as we take a break. We come back with Hendry fighting out of a cravate and grabbing a quick neckbreaker.

Hendry makes his comeback but the Standing Ovation is escaped, meaning Hendry has to settle for two off an Angle Slam instead. A German suplex and the Unaliver (running knee, not even named by commentary) gets two on Hendry but he counters a hurricanrana into a powerbomb. The Standing Ovation retains the title at 11:14.

Rating: C+. This was about getting Hendry’s first title defense out of the way and that’s not a bad thing. What matters the most is establishing him as champion, which kind of hast to be done since he won the title in a ladder match. I’m not wild on a champion losing, but it does help when the Evolve Title is clearly further down the ladder than the NXT Title, so this is far from an upset.

Post match Ricky Saints runs in and lays Hendry out.

Kendal Grey and Wren Sinclair fire each other up before their main event.

Darkstate is ready for whomever comes after them next. Cutler James is ready to take out Tony D’Angelo next week.

IMG Credit: WWE

Hank & Tank vs. Vanity Project

Hank chases after Baylor to start but gets taken into the corner for the tag off to Tank. A Smokes distraction lets Baylor get in a dropkick though and Smokes comes in for a chinlock. That’s broken up in a hurry with Hank working on the arm. Smokes gets sent face first into the buckle but Baylor gets a blind tag so Tank can get stomped in the corner.

We take a break and come back with Tank getting away and diving over for the tag back to Hank. A wheelbarrow Edge-O-Matic (that was cool) drops Smokes but Baylor comes in off the top with an elbow to cut Hank off. Everything breaks down and they all knock each other down but here are OTM and the Culling to brawl for a distraction. Cue Jackson Drake to knock Tank into a rollup to give Baylor the pin at 11:20.

Rating: C+. I’m assuming this will result in the Vanity Project being added to the #1 contenders match (which is fine) but the best thing is that it makes the team look like a bit more of a threat. The idea of the team isn’t that physically imposing but they’re clever. That’s something that has worked for years and it’s probably the best option for the team.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Sean Legacy wants Keanu Carver in two weeks. Yeah Carver will beat him up, but Carver will know he’s been in a fight.

Robert Stone does indeed put Vanity Project in the #1 contenders match next week (Simple and logical. That’s all I ask for. Well a lot of it at least.). Myles Borne comes in and isn’t happy about not getting the North American Title shot. Stone tells him it’s time for him to do something out of character.

Here’s what else is coming next week.

IMG Credit: WWE

Wren Sinclair/Kendal Grey vs. Sol Ruca/Zaria

Whomever gets the pin gets an NXT Women’s Title shot. Grey rolls Ruca up to start fast so Ruca throws her into the corner for a break. It’s off to Sinclair for a basement dropkick but Ruca flips out of a wristlock. Zaria comes in to take over but shoves Ruca for a tag, only to break up Ruca’s cover. Zaria’s blind tag lets her get back inside, where Grey hits a superkick from the apron.

A double suplex gets Zaria out of trouble and it’s back to Ruca for a Mega Powers elbow. Ruca and Zaria argue with each other though and get dropkicked together for a crash out to the floor. Sinclair and Grey hit a dive apiece and we take a break. We come back with Grey escaping Zaria’s torture rack and both of them being knocked down.

Ruca tags herself back in and missile dropkicks Sinclair, followed by a running knee for two. Zaria makes her own tag back in and has to fight out of a cross armbreaker. Grey superkicks Zaria into Ruca, which counts as a tag but Zaria doesn’t notice. The spear hits Grey and an F5 takes out Sinclair, only for Ruca to come back in with the Sol Snatcher (which didn’t come close, with Grey falling down before the contact) to pin Grey at 12:25.

Rating: B-. That ending really didn’t work as there was no way to hide how far off the Sol Snatcher really landed. At the same time, it’s another issue between Ruca and Zaria, as I try to figure out why they’re still together. It’s one case after another of Zaria getting screwed over (often by herself) and they should have pulled the trigger on their split already. Sinclair and Grey work well together too and hopefully their split is a good time off in the future, as it doesn’t need to happen anytime soon.

Zaria is furious and here is Fatal Influence to yell at Ruca to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was about trying to take some steps into the future, as we have a lot of new stories that need to come together. It also helped with the idea of giving some of the fresh names something to do. NXT was needing some fresh blood and thankfully their early steps went fairly well. That being said, they still have a long way to go so we’ll have to see where it goes from here.

Results
Jaida Parker vs. Blake Monroe went to a double countout
Eli Knight b. Josh Briggs – Moonsault
Joe Hendry b. Jackson Drake – Standing Ovation
Vanity Project b. Hank & Tank – Rollup to Hank
Sol Ruca/Zaria b. Kendal Grey/Wren Sinclair – Sol Snatcher to Grey

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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Monday Night Raw
Date: February 9, 2026
Location: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

The road to Elimination Chamber continues here as we have some more qualifying matches for the namesake matches. That isn’t going to be enough to fill out the card though and that means we should be getting some more things being set up. The Tag Team Titles are on the line as well so let’s get to it.

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

CM Punk is in the back and AJ Lee happens to be here as well. Becky Lynch sees them and is not pleased.

We start with some less than good news: Bron Breakker has suffered an injury and undergone surgery, which will leave him out of action indefinitely.

Here is a ticked off Becky Lynch for a chat. She’s tired of the disrespect…and here is AJ Lee to interrupt. Lynch doesn’t like Lee being here to support Maxxine Dupri and insults her EYEBROWS before calling her a little chihuahua who keeps barking and ruining Lynch’s life. Lee thinks that’s a tad dramatic before going into a list of the things that she’s done to Lynch, including a bunch of defeats. Lee: “That’s water under the bridge.” Lynch: “THERE IS NO WATER AND THERE IS NO BRIDGE!!!”

Lynch starts to lose it (Lee’s eyes bugging out is hilarious) and issues a challenge for Elimination Chamber where she can spill Lee’s blood. Lee: “BECKY! I knew you liked me!” She thinks that since she beats Lynch, she should be #1 contender but that’s a big NO from Lynch. Lee: “No title, no match.” She teases leaving and Lynch begrudgingly agrees to make this a title shot. Lynch says if Lee thinks she was held down by the man before, she has no idea what this will be like. This was really good, as Lynch sold the heck out of losing it over Lee, who strung her along every step of the way.

IMG Credit: WWE

Tag Team Titles: Usos vs. Alpha Academy

The Usos are defending and Tozawa knocks Jey down into an early chinlock. That’s broken up and Jey drives him into the corner so Jimmy can come in. Tozawa fights out of the corner and gets in a hurricanrana, followed by a spinning kick to the head for two. Everything breaks down and the Usos are sent to the floor, with Tozawa being thrown onto them as we take a break.

We come back with Tozawa getting in a DDT to spike Jey (who thankfully seems ok), allowing the tag off to Otis. House is quickly cleaned but the Caterpillar is cut off with a superkick. Jimmy comes back in for the double superkick. Otis runs the champs over with a double clothesline. Everything breaks down and Tozawa’s top rope backsplash gets two on Jimmy. Otis is sent shoulder first into the post before missing a charge. A double spear drops Otis and the 1D retains the titles at 10:01.

Rating: B. I was dreading this match coming in because the Academy have been nothing for so long, but at the time, it’s not like there is a better option out there right now. The Raw tag division has been nothing for a long time so having a random tag match wind up being good is a nice surprise. They desperately need some fresh teams, but that could take a long time to get going, especially given WWE’s history.

Post match respect is shown but the Usos are asked what’s next for them. Jimmy wants Jey to qualify for the Elimination Chamber and get the World Title back.

We look back at CM Punk and Roman Reigns’ face to face showdown last week, with their Wrestlemania title match being set up.

Here is Judgment Day for a chat. Liv Morgan has something to say but first, Dominik Mysterio has some flowers for her. Morgan says that’s what should be done for Valentine’s Day and he’ll get his gift from her later. She knows that whomever she faces at Wrestlemania will lose, so here is Stephanie Vaquer to interrupt.

Vaquer says Morgan talks too much and switches to Spanish, with Morgan asking for a translation. Mysterio doesn’t think he should translate but responds in Spanish on Morgan’s behalf. Morgan asks what he said, with Vaquer saying “he said he’s a little b****.” More arguing ensues and Morgan insults her in Spanish, earning Mysterio a slap from Vaquer. Morgan getting all excited over the Spanish was a great touch and this opened the door of Morgan picking Vaquer a bit wider.

Rhea Ripley, Ivy Nile and Lyra Valkyria are ready for their Elimination Chamber qualifying match.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Rhea Ripley vs. Ivy Nile vs. Lyra Valkyria

Ripley sends Nile flying to start so Valkyria is right there to get two off a small package. Back in and Nile German suplexes both of them, with everyone heading outside. Valkyria snaps off a hurricanrana and we take a break. We come back with Nile getting caught in the Tree of Woe while the other two fight on top. Nile sits up and grabs a German suplex for the Tower Of Doom.

Back up and Ripley kicks away at Nile until Valkyria gets a quick two off a rollup. A Steiner Bulldog is loaded up but Ripley drops Valkyria down for a faceplant instead. Nile German suplexes Ripley and covers Valkyria for two more. Valkyria’s DDT to Ripley gives Nile another two as this has been about stealing covers at every possibility. Ripley saves Valkyria from a seated dragon sleeper but gets knocked outside. Nightwing connects, with Ripley making the save, setting up Riptide for the pin on Valkyria at 9:30.

Rating: B. Nile got something of a standout performance here, which has not been the case for a long time. At the same time, it was nice to see Ripley getting back to what made her a star in the first place. Fun match here, with everyone trying to steal a pin and keeping things moving until the finish.

The sore Dominik Mysterio is in an Elimination Chamber qualifying match last week but also has to defend the Intercontinental Title. For now though, Mysterio has to calm Finn Balor down, but Balor wants the World Title. Mysterio thinks Balor’s window might be closed, but Balor says he’s tired of being an afterthought. He thought they were supposed to be family and leaves.

Michael Cole is in the ring to introduce CM Punk but Finn Balor interrupts and grabs the mic. Balor knows that Punk is hurt but everyone is talking about Punk vs. Roman Reigns. Balor had Punk beat and he’s tired of being pushed around. He wants Punk for the title at Elimination Chamber but here is Adam Pearce, who says we’re not doing things like this. Pearce tells Balor that the title is spoken for so forget about this or get out of here.

Cue a ticked off CM Punk, who says Balor is the first thought instead of an afterthought. Punk thinks Balor deserves a beating instead of a title shot so get off the announcers’ table and come get it. Balor wants the title on the line so Punk says let’s do it. Pearce says no, but Punk says give him the match he wants or Punk will spend the rest of the show beating Balor up around the arena. Pearce says the match is on…at Elimination Chamber, taking a lot of the air out of the arena.

With all that out of the way, Punk is ready for the scheduled interview, with Cole asking what Punk is doing by jeopardizing his Wrestlemania main event. Punk says he isn’t jeopardizing anything, because he is trying to build things up. He is trying to get one step better every day and he knows this is a risky way to go.

These people deserve this but he knows it could end anywhere in any city in front of any crowd, but he’s confident enough to know “that s*** ain’t gonna happen.” The only way Wrestlemania ends is with his hand raised and the ring announcer saying AND STILL World Heavyweight Champion, CM Punk. Good stuff here from Punk, though that match with Balor is about as dead in the water as you can get. At the same time, Punk got to show what a master of the microphone he is here, as he was basically directing the whole segment with his words.

Adam Pearce makes sure Finn Balor is out of the building but here is the Vision to interrupt him. Paul Heyman underestimated Pearce because he kept pushing Bron Breakker, who injured himself lifting and had to undergo major surgery. Pearce stands up and says he knows Breakker is one of the keys to the future of WWE (Heyman: “Agreed.”).

He wants Breakker back more than anyone but we need to focus on the now, including Austin Theory’s Elimination Chamber qualifying match. Pearce also tells the Vision to stay out of the match, and that’s a threat. Heyman: “There it is.” Logan Paul asks Pearce what he’ll do if the team interferes, but that’s a rhetorical question.

Nattie vs. Maxxine Dupri

Yes it’s officially Nattie and Dupri gets her in the ankle lock in about ten seconds. That’s broken up so Dupri knocks her outside for another ankle lock. Nattie kicks her into the steps for the break and gets in a hard posting as well. Dupri gets dropped onto the announcers’ table and pummeled down for the double countout at 1:35. If this was the big change for Nattie, it’s about exactly what I would have expected from her.

Post match Nattie gets the Sharpshooter on the table. AJ Lee runs out for the save but Becky Lynch is here to post Lee, as a person who is snapping tends to do.

LA Knight is ready to qualify for the Elimination Chamber and wants to take the chance away from Austin Theory.

Los Americanos vs. Je’Von Evans/???

Evans’ mystery partner is…the Original El Grande Americano. Well who else was it going to be? Ron Bass? Rayo jumps Evans to start and gets dropkicked for his early efforts. A springboard hurricanrana takes Bravo down as well but Evans is sent outside. That earns the Americanos a top rope double clothesline from the Original.

We take a break and come back with Original coming in to start firing off suplexes. Rayo headbutts Evans but gets kicked in the face by Original. The regular El Grande Americano shoves the Original off the top so Bravo goes up. A dive (after Original has already moved) is cuttered out of the air and Original’s top rope headbutt gets the pin at 7:45.

Rating: C+. The dive into the cutter was such awesome timing that it makes up for how dump Bravo looked for jumping in the first place, which is rather impressive. The Americano stuff is awesome, especially considering it’s totally different down in AAA. Odds are this is setting up a mask vs. mask match and it could be rather good given how talented these two really are.

Post match both Americanos try to go after the masks but neither get anywhere.

Penta, Austin Theory and LA Knight are ready for the Elimination Chamber.

We look at Gunther’s celebration last week and beatdown of Dragon Lee from last week.

Gunther is annoyed at being told he has an Elimination Chamber qualifying match last week because he already knows that. His road to Wrestlemania should have started when he beat Bill Goldberg but the result will be the same, because he’ll leave Wrestlemania as the new WWE Champion. Of note: Gunther had a very nice looking watch.

IMG Credit: WWE

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Penta vs. Austin Theory vs. LA Knight

Paul Heyman is here with Theory, who is taken into the corner to start for the slingshot dropkick. Knight’s running knee rocks Theory again and a double clothesline puts him on the floor. Penta takes over on Knight and sends him outside, only to get dropkicked by the returning Theory. A ram into the steps has Penta in trouble and we take a break.

We come back with Knight slugging away at Theory, who gives Penta a brainbuster for two. Theory kicks Penta down for two more but Knight is back in with a running clothesline to put Theory on the floor. That means Knight can send both of them into the announcers’ table but Theory is able to trip Knight into the turnbuckle. Penta is back up with the Backstabber out of the corner to Theory, with Knight making the save.

They go up top for a Tower Of Doom to give Theory two on Knight, meaning frustration is setting in. Knight knocks Theory down and hits the top rope elbow but here is the Vision for a distraction. The Tsunami crushes Knight so Adam Pearce runs out with security to get rid of Bronson Reed. Penta gets sent onto the announcers’ table but the masked man is back with a superkick and Stomp to Theory. Back in and the BFT finishes Theory at 13:42.

Rating: B-. I’m rather over seeing triple threat qualifying matches for anything, but at least they had a good match here. Knight getting the revenge on the Vision and moving on to the Chamber is a good way for him to go, as he’s still one of the most popular stars in the company. Go with what the fans want, as Knight getting the title later this year would not be a crazy way to go.

Knight promises more for the Vision and Pearce glares at Heyman to end the show.

The show is dedicated to Jim Shank, a longstanding member of the production team who passed away earlier today.

Overall Rating: B. They had a solid show here as we shift away from the Royal Rumble to the Elimination Chamber. The qualifying matches were both good and you can see a lot of the pieces on this side coming together. I’m not wild on seeing Punk vs. Balor again, especially after how the previous match ended and what is set for Wrestlemania, but at least it should be quality. Nice show this week, and hopefully they can keep up the interest going into the pay per view.

Results
Usos b. Alpha Academy – 1D to Otis
Rhea Ripley b. Ivy Nile and Lyra Valkyria – Riptide to Valkyria
Nattie vs. Maxxine Dupri went to a double countout
Original El Grande Americano/Je’Von Evans b. Los Americanos – Top rope headbutt to Bravo
LA Knight b. Penta and Austin Theory – BFT to Theory

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

Remember this?  Yeah probably not.

https://411mania.com/wrestling/halls-wwe-great-balls-of-fire-review/

AJ Styles In WCW
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Tony Schiavone, Scott Hudson

Yeah this happened and it makes sense given that Styles is finally retired. He was around long enough that he was actually part of the final days of WCW. It really didn’t last long, but there is something to be said about seeing such an early part of his career. If nothing else, maybe we can see just how far he came later on. Let’s get to it.

From Thunder, February 14, 2001.

AJ Styles/Air Paris vs. Knoble And Karagias

The winners move on to a six way match at Superbrawl. Knoble drives Styles into the corner to start as we talk about Styles being 23 years old and only three years into his career. They battle over wrist control until Styles moonsaults over him and grabs a hiptoss. Everything breaks down and Styles and Paris clear the ring in a hurry.

Paris gets backdropped over the top onto the two of them before coming in to face Karagias. A short powerbomb gives Paris two and it’s back to Styles to trip Karagias down for a running corkscrew splash. Styles gets dropped to the floor by a cheap shot though and Knoble sends him into the barricade to take over. Karagias comes in with a powerslam for two and a bridging northern lights suplex gets the same.

A surfboard dragon sleeper has to be broken up so Styles and Karagias hit stereo crossbodies. Styles gets in a powerbomb and brings Paris back in for something like a Burning Hammer to Knoble. Everything breaks down and Karagias hits a big springboard dive to the floor.

Paris gets caught in a Doomsday Device…but Knoble and Karagias fight over who gets the pin. Styles comes in for the save but gets knocked down. Paris and Knoble crash out to the floor, leaving Karagias to 450 Styles for two, with Paris making the save. Styles’ springboard shooting star to the floor hits Paris by mistake, meaning it’s a springboard dropkick/powerbomb combination to finish Styles at 12:20.

Rating: B-. It was a fun start for the team and you can see Styles showcasing the skills that he obviously has. On the other hand you have Paris, who is best remembered as Styles’ partner but it was far from bad in his own right. As a result you had a bunch of guys getting a chance to showcase themselves and it worked out pretty well, especially for one of the last Thunders.

From Thunder, February 21, 2001.

AJ Styles/Air Paris vs. Boogie Knights

Wright uppercuts Paris down to start and stomps away in the corner. A spinwheel kick allows Disqo (it was a 2000 thing) to come in for a facebuster. Styles comes in and avoids Wright’s charge in the corner but gets knocked down again. That means dancing can ensue (shocking I know) but it’s already back to Paris to slug away. Disqo goes after the leg to take over as we talk about WCW’s impending new owners (cue ominous music).

Paris tries to fight back but gets caught with a Doomsday missile dropkick. Styles pulls him out of the way of a charge though and then gets the tag. A running tornado DDT plants Disqo and it’s back to Paris, who knees Disqo to the floor. Styles hits a top rope double dropkick to take both of them down, followed by Paris’ springboard high crossbody. Back in and Styles hits his own high crossbody to pin Disqo in an upset at 6:59.

Rating: C. Yeah the Boogie Knights were hardly a great team but they had some success so it means a bit more for Styles and Paris to beat them. That’s something you need to have every so often and this was a quick enough match to give the new guys some establishment. I don’t expect it to go much further, but at least it’s something.

From Monday Nitro, March 5, 2001.

Cruiserweight Tag Team Title Tournament First Round: Air Raid vs. Elix Skipper/Kid Romeo

Yeah this was a thing and given that the company was out of business in less than a month, they didn’t last long. Romeo (a dancer, because that was REALLY popular in 2001, though he’s closer to a stripper) is a mystery partner. Styles gets chopped up against the ropes but sends Romeo outside. A charge is cut off though and Styles is dropped onto the announcers’ table, setting up a big dive from Skipper.

Back in and Styles’ faceplant gets two on Romeo, followed by a running flipping splash for two. Paris comes in and is quickly knocked down, meaning it’s already back to Styles. Everything breaks down and Skipper hits a top rope Asai moonsault onto Paris and Romeo. Styles is taken out with a dive as Chavo Guerrero comes out to watch.

Skipper dropkicks Paris off the apron into a scoop brainbuster to give Romeo the pin at 5:22. Romeo and Skipper would go on to win the titles, with the company going out of business eight days later (and they would lose them on the last show, with Rey Mysterio and Billy Kidman winning, and reportedly keeping, the belts).

Rating: C+. It was nice to see the team getting a spot on Nitro, albeit in a show that is pretty much completely forgotten. This was such a strange time for WCW, and wrestling in general for that matter, but it’s better than nothing for the team. They were getting some exposure on a big stage, even in defeat, and Styles was making it work.

From Thunder, March 19, 2001 (the last episode).

Air Raid vs. Jung Dragons

Yang wrestles Styles down to start and suplexes him into the corner for a big crash. A double Stunner over the top rope drops Styles and Paris before Styles reverses Hayashi into the (debuting and yet to be named) Styles Clash for two. Paris comes in and gets taken down with a standing hurricanrana before Yang comes in to clean house. A comeback is cut off with a powerbomb out of the corner. That’s enough for Hayashi and Styles to come back in, with Styles getting dropped with a kick to the head.

Everything breaks down and Styles gets dropkicked out of the air but he’s able to shove Yang outside. We get a really obvious edit as Styles loads up what looks like a super Styles Clash but instead we look at the crowd. As we come back, Styles’ is on the mat holding his back (after no sound on the landing) and Paris hitting a clothesline on Hayashi. A double powerbomb drops Hayashi for two, with Yang making the save. Hayashi grabs a chinlock and kind of reverse bulldogs Styles for the pin at 8:09.

Rating: B-. So that’s how the run ends and…yeah it’s not much different than the rest of the team’s run. It was cool to see the Clash, which was at least a different kind of move. The Dragons were an underrated team in their own right and of course they never came close to the Tag Team Titles because, well, that’s WCW for you.

Overall Rating: C+. This is basically a big footnote in Styles’ career, as he would go on to TNA and become a huge star (by their standards at least) just over a year after WCW went out of business. At this point, he wasn’t getting to showcase his talents very well, but then again, what were you expecting in the last month and a half of a dying promotion’s life? It would have been nice to see Styles get a singles match (he only had one, a dark singles match against Paris) but he had enough of those later on. For now, this was a nice look back at a pretty much forgotten time.

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

AAA On Fox
Date: February 7, 2026
Location: Auditorio José María Arteaga, Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico
Commentators: Corey Graves, John Bradshaw Layfield, Rey Mysterio

It’s time to head back to Mexico and I’m mostly enjoying this promotion in its time on the new network. There is something interesting about having a secondary promotion like this which isn’t directly connected to the main roster. We’re getting enough guest stars around here and it makes things fun enough to keep watching things. Let’s get to it.

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

Ethan Page gets a call from Chelsea Green, who doesn’t seem to be here as planned for their title match tonight.

Here is Dominik Mysterio to get things going (and Rey Mysterio calls him a “ba*****”, which isn’t the best sounding insult). Dominik talks about how he doesn’t want to see these old faces on the flags because he is the ruler here. No one has given this company the place that he has given it or done what he has done with the title. He beat John Cena at Survivor Series and this title was in the middle of the ring for everyone to see it.

AAA is exploding all over Latin America and it is thanks to him, not El Hijo de Vikingo or Dorian Roldan. Cue El Ojo, with Roldan saying that Dominik is right, as things are exploding, but it’s because of Vikingo. The fans don’t approve and it gets worse when Vikingo gets the mic and promises to take the title on March 14. Dominik threatens violence so Vikingo says he wants the stakes raised, with Vikingo’s hair on the line.

Ethan Page is still freaking out about Chelsea Green, who is on the phone and shows off her foot in a walking boot. La Hiedra comes in and seems interested in being Page’s partner, complete with a quick slap to the back of his trunks.

We look at various Hispanic and AAA wrestlers in the Royal Rumbles. Feel free to have a match on this show. Anytime.

Mixed Tag Team Titles: Lola Vice/Mr. Iguana vs. Ethan Page/La Hiedra

Vice and Iguana are challenging and Page has both titles. Why did he have Green’s title if he thought she was going to be here? Page grabs a headlock on Iguana to start things off but gets reversed into a spinning DDT. The women come in with Vice kicking away and the champions get caught with some running hip attacks.

Vice knocks Hiedra outside for a quick shake, only to get crushed against the steps. Back in and Hiedra cranks on the arm, which is broken up in a hurry, allowing the tag off to Vice. Everything breaks down and Hiedra’s offer to kiss Iguana is shoved away. Page threatens to cut off the stuffed iguana’s head but it gets knocked into Iguana’s hands. The distraction lets Vice grab a rollup for the titles at 5:36.

Rating: C. That was a pretty short comedy match and while I get the idea of the popular team getting the titles, it’s a shame that Green wasn’t around. The good thing is that things stayed entertaining throughout, which makes sense as the people involved fit well. Hiedra being tied in made sense as well, as she was already dealing with Iguana and Vice. Not much of a match, but I was entertained enough.

Dominik Mysterio runs into El Grande Americano and they seem to get along, with talks of Grande respecting legends, including Rey Mysterio. There seems to be talk of a title match and Mysterio leaves…but the Original El Grande Americano jumps Grande and handcuffs him to some exercise equipment.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Rey de Reyes Qualifying Match: Octagon Jr. vs. Rey Fenix vs. Dragon Lee vs. Original El Grande Americano

The fans tell Americano to GET OUT and he is quickly sent outside. Octagon clears the ring but Americano pulls him outside to cut off an early dive. Americano comes back inside, where he is quickly dropped with a double superkick. That leaves us with Fenix vs. Lee and the fans certainly approve. They both escape each other and miss kicks until Americano is back in to drop them both.

That earns him a knockdown from Octagon but Fenix clears him out as well. Fenix’s big running corkscrew dive drops Lee but gets superplexed by Americano. We cut to the back where the other Americano is still handcuffed before coming back where Lee dives into a suplex to give the Original Americano two. Something like a Dominator into a DDT gets two on Fenix but Octagon is back in.

Octagon’s super hurricanrana is blocked though and Lee hits his top rope double stomp. Lee’s Styles Clash gets two on Americano, with Fenix making the save. Fenix and Lee strike it out again with Fenix getting the better of things but Octagon gives him a poisonrana. Americano is back in with a German suplex, setting up the ankle lock to Fenix. That’s broken up and Octagon gives Americano a 450 for two.

We cut to the back where Rayo and Bravo can’t get the other Americano free, continuing their uselessness. Back in the ring, Fenix kicks Lee in the mask and drops him with a jumping neckbreaker. The Mexican Muscle Buster drops Octagon but Americano makes the save. That leaves Fenix to go for his mask until Lee breaks it up. Americano loads up the mask and starts clearing the ring, setting up a top rope headbutt to finish Octagon at 14:23.

Rating: B. This was right out of the same playbook from the previous qualifying match and that is a good thing. It’s the idea of just letting four people go out there and fly all over the place until someone got a pin. In this case it made even more sense with the cheating Americano, which is one of the hotter stories around here. Good main event, even if it came on a show with two matches.

Post match the other Americano runs out to chase off the Original.

Overall Rating: C+. There’s only so much to be gained out of a two match show, even with a decent amount of stuff happening. As usual, there’s only so much to complain about on a show that runs about fifty minutes when you take out the commercials. The good thing is I feel like I know the main stories, even if they’re only so deep. This remains a very easy watch and it’s fun to see the fans getting behind a lot of this stuff. Nice show here, but not the most wrestling heavy week.

Results
Mr. Iguana/Lola Vice b. Ethan Page/La Hiedra – Rollup to Hiedra
Original El Grande Americano b. Octagon Jr., Rey Fenix and Dragon Lee – Loaded headbutt to Octagon

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

Collision
Date: February 7, 2026
Location: Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

It’s another title match tonight as the new TNT Champion Tommaso Ciampa is defending in a three way match against Claudio Castagnoli and Roderick Strong. Other than that, the Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Eddie Kingston/Ortiz continues (for some reason) in an eight man parking lot brawl. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Young Bucks vs. Gates Of Agony

The winners are in a three way #1 contenders match on Dynamite. Liona shoves Matt down to start so Nick comes in and charges into a slam from Kaun. Everything breaks down and the Bucks take over by sending the Gates outside. The stereo dives are pulled out of the air and it’s off to a double nerve hold on Matt back inside.

The Gates hit each other by mistake but Nick’s running flip dive is cut off as well. That means the Bucks can be rammed into each other and a headbutt drops Matt as we take a break. We come back with Matt sliding between Kaun’s legs and making the tag off to Nick to clean house. A high crossbody gets two and everything breaks down (meaning the referee gets to just stand there) as the Bucks take over.

The Bucks come off the top at the same time for stereo near falls but Liona is back with a double Samoan drop. The Gates hit their own dives onto the floor (because they can do that), followed by a wheelbarrow cutter for two on Matt. Nick is back in to help with the BTE Trigger for two, with Kaun making the save. The TK Driver finishes Kaun at 13:56.

Rating: B. It’s a good match, though the idea of getting anywhere closer to the Bucks vs. FTR again makes my head hurt. The Bucks got to do their usual stuff so it was entertaining enough, though I still don’t see much of a reason to get interested in them. It’s a good example of match quality not making the biggest impact, as they continue to just be there, often in a prominent spot.

Post match FTR and Stokely Hathaway pop up on screen. Hathaway can’t believe that in the year of our lord Beyonce Knowles, the Elite still wants to hold all of the gold like in the good old says. Dax Harwood says that’s the problem with the good old days: they’re not here anymore, unlike FTR, who are the top guys. And they’re out.

Video on the TNT Title triple threat.

Brody King is ready to win the World Title next week.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Here is Kris Statlander to announce the stipulation for her rematch with Thekla. Cue Thekla to spear her down though, with the Triangle Of Madness holding Statlander to the mat. Thekla whips her with the belt and promises to make things toxic no matter what. The villains go to leave but Statlander calls Thekla a stupid b**** and makes it a strap match.

Kyle Fletcher wants the TNT Title back and here is Kazuchika Okada for a quick pep talk.

Scorpio Sky vs. Kevin Knight

Christopher Daniels, Leila Grey and Mike Bailey are here too. They stare at each other to start and we get an SCU chant, which doesn’t impress Knight. The fight over a lockup goes around the ropes but doesn’t get either very far. A test of strength lets Sky shoulder him down and they exchange nipups. Knight makes fun of Sky’s lack of hair and gets chopped into the corner but Knight sends him outside.

The big dive drops Sky on the ramp and we take a break. We come back with Sky planting him down for two but Knight’s small package gets the same. A DDT gives Knight two more but Sky catches him on top with a superplex. Knight is right back with a springboard clothesline, followed by the UFO Splash for the pin at 11:44.

Rating: C+. This was kind of a weird one, as it felt like they were having something of a personal issue, despite the two of them not having any important interactions in a good while. I do like Knight winning a match on his own though, as he’s quite fun to watch. At the same time, given that most of the team wrestles in singles matches at the moment, I have no idea why Knight/Bailey/Hangman Page are the Trios Champions. Then again, the Opps barely ever defended them anyway so this does at least continue the tradition.

Hook says Samoa Joe is out injured so in the time being, he’s the new captain of the Opps. Sure. I completely believe that this will be the thing that gets Hook over after years of trying.

Mina Shirakawa vs. Viva Van

Shirakawa works on the arm to start but Van flips away and does Shirakawa’s dance. Some knees to the face put Shirakawa down and Van snapmares her into a chinlock. That’s broken up and Shirakawa starts firing off the kicks. A Stunner to the leg over the rope sets up a slingshot dive but Van blocks the Figure Four. Back up and Van’s flipping kick to the head gets two but Shirakawa is back with the top rope Sling Blade. They trade strikes to the head until the Figure Four finishes Van off at 5:42.

Rating: C-. This was a bit of a disappointment, as it felt like Van was wrestling in slow motion and not exactly working smoothly. It doesn’t help that Shirakawa is just kind of floating around at the moment while her partner teams with Orange Cassidy. She needs something to do, and a five minute match on Collision isn’t exactly much to see.

Death Riders vs. Sky Flight

Jon Moxley is on commentary. It’s a brawl to start with the men going outside while Shafir easily wrestles Steel down. The leglock is reversed into a quick choke and Steel gets two off a small package. A distraction from the floor lets Shafir get in another knockdown but it’s off to Dante Martin to take over. That lasts all of ten seconds before Yuta pulls him down into a chinlock and we take a break.

We come back with Yuta holding Martin up top and raking his back. One heck of a chop puts Yuta down though and the top rope flip dive connects. Yuta is back with a bridging German suplex into the elbows to the head but Martin fights up again. Steel comes in to take over on Shafir and even gets in a shot to Yuta on the apron. Shafir pulls Steel out of the air though and Mother’s Milk (with Shafir yelling at the camera and treating Steel like an afterthought in a nice touch) finishes at 9:21.

Rating: B-. This was basically a warmup for the Riders before their big hair vs. hair match next week and naturally Steel needed to take the loss. That’s all she’s done since showing up around here, which is apparently the new favorite way to debut stars. At the same time, Martin (and Sky Flight in general) feel even less important than ever, which is quite the feat.

Post match the Riders go for Steel’s hair but Toni Storm and Orange Cassidy make the save.

A man hits on Alex Windsor and Jamie Hayter, earning himself a beating. They dub themselves the Brawling Birds.

After Dynamite, MJF went nuts and ranted about all the people coming for his title, which he’ll keep. He’s at his most dangerous when his back is against the wall and that will be the case next week.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Thekla vs. Brittnie Brooks

Thekla knocks her down to start and finishes with the spear at 28 seconds.

Post match Thekla whips Brooks with the strap and…no one makes the save.

Video on Jon Moxley vs. Konosuke Takeshita next week for the Continental Title.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Eddie Kingston/Ortiz/Rascalz vs. Grizzled Young Veterans/Big Bill/Ortiz

Parking Lot Brawl. Kingston throws in a trashcan full of weapons and charges in as the brawl is on with a fast start. A missed shot breaks a car window and Bill kicks a side view mirror off. We settle down to general chaos until the Rascalz hit Hot Fire Flame off the top of a car. Bill takes over again with the heavy forearms before tossing Xavier over the top of a car for a big crash.

We take a break and come back with Keith and Xavier fighting over a hammer until Wentz and Xavier fight into the back of the limo. Kingston cleans house with a stick and Xavier shooting stars off the limo roof. Bill is up again to start wrecking everyone and Wentz is chokeslammed through a windshield (with a camera suddenly inside the car). Some double teaming drops Bill on the concrete and a double suplex drops Keith on the top of the limo.

The Veterans get in a slugout with Kingston and Ortiz, with Kingston getting choked. Ortiz is up with a cable of some kind but Isla Dawn pops up to hit Ortiz in the head with a sheet. Myron Reed (the third Rascal) pops up with a flip dive off a car before stealing Dawn. Kingston DDTs Gibson onto the car for the pin at 12:31.

Rating: C+. Ok then. I mean what else am I supposed to think here? Kingston has destroyed the Veterans for the entirety of their feud and he did it again with this match. I’m not sure why this match needed to exist, as it felt like AEW wanted to do another parking lot brawl and then put the feud into the match as a result. It was your usual good carnage, but I had no reason to care about any of these people.

Post match Schiavone has trouble remembering how many people were in the match.

Roderick Strong says he needs to change things around here but Mark Briscoe interrupts. Briscoe thinks Strong has what it takes to win the title, but he wants a title shot against the winner. Strong appreciates that, though he’s not in the Conglomeration.

TNT Title: Tommaso Ciampa vs. Roderick Strong vs. Claudio Castagnoli

Only Ciampa is defending. Castagnoli is knocked outside to start fast and the other two are left to strike it out. Strong is sent flying over the top, with Castagnoli easily catching him to show off a bit. Back in and Ciampa kicks Castagnoli in the face but Strong is back with a jumping knee to Ciampa. Castagnoli hits his running shots in the corner but Ciampa grabs a Downward Spiral/DDT to drop both of them.

A double suplex drops Castagnoli and the other two get to strike it out a bit. They all head outside with Strong chopping away against the barricade and a charging Castagnoli is sent into said barricade. Naturally Castagnoli is fine enough to drop Ciampa face first onto the announcers’ table as we take a break. We come back with Castagnoli striking Ciampa down again and muscling him up top.

Strong pulls Castagnoli down though and dropkicks Ciampa out of the air. A backbreaker sets up the Stronghold, with Castagnoli making the save. Castagnoli gets to show off a bit with a double suplex but Ciampa is right back with a DDT. The Fairy Tale Ending gets two on Castagnoli but the running knee is cut off. Castagnoli’s Swing is broken up as well and an uppercut hits Strong for two. Strong’s jumping knee drops Castagnoli but Ciampa’s running knee knocks Strong silly to retain at 11:43.

Rating: B. So this was the match designed to prove that Ciampa’s win last week wasn’t a fluke. That’s a fine way to go as Ciampa was more than good enough to hang in there. It made for a strong main event with Castagnoli getting to show off the insane power. Strong can work well with anyone as well and that made Ciampa look even better retaining. Odds are he loses it to a big name soon, but at least they’re starting somewhere.

Post match Kyle Fletcher comes out to hold the title, which he hands back to Ciampa. Fletcher asks how it feels to know that Ciampa will never fill his shoes. He wants the title match next week and it seems to be set for Dynamite (I’m assuming Ciampa kissing him on the cheek counts) to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was the run of the mill Collision, with good action but little that felt important. The opener and main event both felt big enough that it made for a good show, though as usual, it’s not exactly a show you need to see. At least next week is Grand Slam so things should feel bigger. The show looked good on paper and lived up to the hype, though it had its usual Collision issues.

Results
Young Bucks b. Gates Of Agony – TK Driver to Kaun
Kevin Knight b. Scorpio Sky – UFO Splash
Mina Shirakawa b. Viva Van – Figure Four
Death Riders b. Sky Flight – Mother’s Milk to Steel
Thekla b. Brittnie Brooks – Spear
Eddie Kingston/Ortiz/Rascalz b. Grizzled Young Veterans/Big Bill/Ortiz – DDT onto a car to Gibson
Tommaso Ciampa b. Roderick Strong and Claudio Castagnoli – Running knee to Strong

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

Battle Of The WWF Superstars
Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon, Bobby Heenan, Lord Alfred Hayes, Vince McMahon, Jesse Ventura, Hillbilly Jim
Host: Sean Mooney

This is a Coliseum Video from around 1990, which is quite the fun time from the company. I remember seeing this in the video store as a kid so I’m sure I’ve seen it a few times before, though I don’t remember a single thing about it. That often makes for the best possible option as I’m basically coming into it blind. Just please don’t be bad. Let’s get to it.

Sean Mooney welcomes us to the show, which has a theme of war, meaning Mooney is in camouflage and a helmet. He hopes we need to avoid the agony of defeat and runs down the card (in what sounds like a Patton impression).

Rhythm And Blues (with Jimmy Hart) promise a lot of singing, dancing and guitaring.

The Bushwhackers say….oh pretty much exactly what you would expect them to say about Rhythm And Blues.

From New York City, New York, April 30, 1990.

Rhythm And Blues vs. Bushwhackers

Jimmy Hart is here as well. Luke (still in his hat) works on Honky Tonk Man’s arm to start as commentary tries to figure out how the Bushwhackers are related. Honky Tonk Man fights back and ax handles Luke on the ropes, only to get ax handled in the back. Butch makes things serious by going after Honky Tonk Man’s hair before grabbing the mic and calling him GREASEBALL. Or is he talking about Valentine?

Either way the villains go to leave but Hart (in an Earthquake jacket rather than a Rhythm And Blues jacket) calls them back. Valentine comes back in to elbow Luke down and it’s time for some strutting. Butch comes back in for some double clotheslines and it’s time for more whacking. Honky Tonk Man takes Butch into the corner though and it’s time to start the slow beating but we get the nearly required heel collision. Monsoon: “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make a duck out of him.” Heenan: “Exactly. What?”

A clothesline puts Luke down though and it’s time to take turns with various forearms. Honky Tonk Man’s fist drop sets up the chinlock, with Butch getting to play cheerleader. Valentine tries to come in to cut off the comeback but hits Honky Tonk Man by mistake. Butch comes in to clean house and everything breaks down, with Luke chasing Honky Tonk Man to the back with a chair. Unfortunately Valentine is the only one left in the ring and the Bushwhackers are counted out at 13:03.

Rating: D+. One of the points of a tag match starting things off is to have some fun, usually in a fast paced style. Instead, this went long, wasn’t any good, and ended with a lame countout. It’s not like this was some red hot feud or anything. You really didn’t have a Rockers match laying around somewhere instead?

Post match Valentine beats on Butch some more until Luke makes the save with the chair. Of note, Hart celebrating the win is one of the reasons he was so good at his job. In theory, Hart should be especially happy because his team won and therefore they get more money. That’s a logical reaction for him and he sold it perfectly.

Mooney explains the tournament (that voice he’s doing is getting really annoying) for the vacant Intercontinental Title, as Ultimate Warrior had to vacate the belt after winning the WWF Title. We skip the first two rounds and arrive at the finals.

From Austin Texas, April 23, 1990. This is the tournament final, which of course was taped one day before the last match of the first round. Wrestling is weird.

Intercontinental Title: Mr. Perfect vs. Tito Santana

For the vacant title and commentary argues about who would be the favorite. Ventura: “You and I come from different sides of the street.” That’s one way to put it. Perfect grabs an early waistlock so Santana elbows him in the face, much to Ventura’s annoyance. They go to the mat with Santana working on the arm, which Ventura says is Perfect testing how far Santana will go with the rule breaking.

Santana knocks him outside before throwing him back inside for the slingshot shoulder. The armbarring continues, with even Ventura admitting that it’s a nice one. That’s broken up so they run the ropes, with Perfect tripping him out to the floor for a crash. Naturally this leads to an argument over whether that was luck or skill, because that’s what Ventura and McMahon would do.

A quick sunset flip gives Santana two so Perfect clotheslines him neck first into the ropes (ouch). Santana is fine enough to crotch him on the post and wrap the leg around the post. Back in and Santana starts on the leg, including wrapping it around the rope. Cue Bobby Heenan as Santana tries the Figure Four, which is reversed into a small package for two. Heenan even gets on the apron for a distraction and a small package gives Perfect the pin and the title at 7:31.

Rating: B-. Shockingly, two talented wrestlers have a good match, with the stakes making it all the better. Perfect was a great choice for the title, as he had been built up for a long time and needed something to cement him as a star. At the same time, Santana was the ideal choice for him to beat, as he was just good enough to feel like a serious threat to take the title as well.

Post match Perfect introduces Heenan as his new champion. Why he has an old tag belt instead of the Intercontinental Title isn’t clear.

Dusty Rhodes talks about his daughter laying her head on his chest and hearing the heartbeat of America. You might want to get that checked.

From New York City, New York, February 19, 1990.

Dusty Rhodes vs. Akeem

Sapphire and Slick are here too, with Sapphire knocking him out to the floor before the bell. Akeem backs him into the corner to start and gets elbowed in the head, meaning it’s time for both of them to gyrate a bit. The threat of another elbow drops Akeem, with Rhodes laughing at the idea that he didn’t even have to hit Akeem.

Back in and another elbow sends Akeem into the ropes, with the arms getting tied up. Akeem knocks him down as well though and a nerve hold goes on. As Heenan continues to rant about Sapphire not being a manager, Slick gets in a cheap shot on Rhodes, allowing Akeem to elbow Rhodes in the back of the head (Rhodes: “OH S***!”).

Rhodes fights out of another nerve hold and gets in some less than great looking right hands in the corner. Akeem’s bearhug doesn’t last long and Rhodes start elbowing, with Sapphire cutting Slick off. Akeem gets a lot more evil by going after Sapphire, with Slick shoving her as well. The dancing Slick knees Akeem by mistake though and Rhodes beats the count at 9:03.

Rating: C-. Ok so the match wasn’t great, but Rhodes was doing his thing and the managers were running around on the floor for the sake of some humor. That’s all this needed to be and while it wasn’t good, it was entertaining enough. Rhodes was hardly a great star in the ring, but he knew what he was doing out there every single time.

Rhodes, in an apron with no shirt underneath, is at a butcher shop. We see various meat and that’s it. Rhodes: “You sure can’t beat my meat.”

From Fresno, California, August 9, 1989.

Dusty Rhodes vs. Big Boss Man

Slick is here with Boss Man but this is the pre-Sapphire days. They circle each other a bit to start with Boss Man shoving him down. Rhodes is right back up with a knockdown of his own but an elbow drop misses. The neck crank doesn’t last long and Rhodes is back up with the elbow to the head. The big elbow drop connects but Slick comes in for the DQ at 2:56. Why did they even include this?

Post match the beatdown is on but Rhodes fights back, steals the nightstick and hat, and kidnaps Slick. Boss Man’s response to this is to yell a lot while standing in the ring.

Rhodes is now at a stable and shovels manure, which he calls “fuel”.

From Phoenix, Arizona, February 13, 1990.

Dusty Rhodes vs. Randy Savage

Queen Sherri is here with Savage while Rhodes has Sapphire. Rhodes knocks Savage to the floor and the women argue, allowing Savage to come right back in and jump him to start fast. Savage knocks him into the corner to start but makes the mistake of going after Sapphire, meaning it’s time for the early elbows. Rhodes gets knocked outside though and it’s the top rope ax handle to the head back inside.

The chinlock doesn’t last long so Savage sends him outside again for another ax handle. Rhodes starts shaking his head though and that’s never a good sign. Sherri gets in a few shots so Rhodes goes after her, allowing Savage to get in a cheap shot to take over again. That’s enough of a distraction for Savage to get in a shot with the loaded purse for two so Sherri offers a distraction.

Savage’s choking triggers the Hulk Up (with Rhodes even putting his hands on his hips while on his knees for a funny visual) and Rhodes sends him crashing into the corner. Sherri decks Sapphire to little avail as Sapphire is back up to steal the loaded purse. Savage is knocked out to the floor for a ridiculously fast countout at 7:11.

Rating: C-. This was about as basic of a version of their match as you could get, as that purse was in there almost every time. It wasn’t like you were watching this match for the quality, but Rhodes was never exactly one to burn up the mat in the WWF. The match made sense on paper, but the execution wasn’t quite working.

Post match Rhodes tells Sherri, who he calls a “street walker” to get her “a**” in the ring if she wants some of Rhodes’ brown sugar (meaning Sapphire). And of course Sapphire drops her in a hurry.

Alfred Hayes shows us a sped up video of an arena being set up for a WWF show, going all the way to the opening bell. Of note: he says they’re in Binghamton, New York, where “no less than 20,000 fans” will be here. That arena holds a capacity of 7,200 people and at one point in 1990, the WWF reportedly drew 2,300 to a house show in the arena. What a liar.

It’s time for the Fan Favorite Match, meaning a fan requested this match.

From New York City, New York, January 15, 1990.

The Genius vs. Jim Neidhart

The lying is spreading around here as there is no way this match was requested. Genius gets to prance a bit to start and throws in a cartwheel, plus a standing backflip. They finally lock up and Genius is shoved down with ease. Neidhart shoves him down again and Genius blames a non-existent hair pull. Genius has an idea and tries to shove Neidhart away, only to fall flat on his face in a funny bit.

Neidhart knocks him to the floor, gets annoyed at Genius’ cartwheel, and throws him out again. The chase goes to the Genius, who catches Neidhart with a dropkick on the way back in. Genius punches away but a running crossbody gives Neidhart a quick two. A knockdown lets Genius go up but his moonsault hits raised knees. Genius charges into a boot in the corner and the chase is on outside. Cue Mr. Perfect with a scroll shot to the head to give Genius the pin at 9:20.

Rating: C+. This was little more than a comedy match for the most part, with Genius playing well into his strengths. That’s something he did well for his entire time in the WWF and it worked again here. Neidhart was fine as a foil and having Perfect cheat to cost him the match worked. They didn’t overthink this and it went fine as a result.

From New York City, New York, December 28, 1989.

Ted DiBiase vs. Jake Roberts

No DQ and Virgil is barred from ringside. DiBiase bails outside to start before going back inside for a quickly broken lockup. Roberts snaps off the left hands and the big right hand puts DiBiase on the floor for an early breather. Back in and Roberts starts in on the arm with a variety of crankings to put DiBiase down. Roberts lifts him up by the arm before grabbing a hammerlock on the mat. DiBiase reverses into one of his own, which is broken up just as fast.

An elbow sends DiBiase back to the floor, where it’s time to hold his arm for a bit. Back in and Roberts is right back to the arm as this is going about as well as most of their matches. DiBiase fights to his feet and gets taken down back down, meaning they get to lay around for more arm work. Roberts gets knocked into the ropes, with his eyes getting tied up, allowing DiBiase to slowly hammer away.

A swinging neckbreaker stays on the neck (that DiBiase previously injured) and a piledriver lets DiBiase gloat before getting two. Naturally we hit the chinlock as I try to figure out why they bothered with the No DQ. Maybe they have something else, but we’re over twelve minutes into this and there has been nothing that makes the stipulation necessary. The comeback is cut off with a quick clothesline, meaning more stalling can ensue. The chinlock goes on again for awhile, with DiBiase covering for two.

A middle rope ax handle misses though and they go outside, with the chase allowing Roberts to hit a running knee lift. Roberts slugs away…and charges into a knee in the corner to slow things right back down. The Million Dollar Dream goes on but Roberts falls into the ropes. That means Roberts crashes out to the floor, where he pulls a yelling DiBiase shoulder first into the post. Back in and Roberts actually goes aerial (!) for a middle rope knee and there’s the short arm clothesline. The DDT finishes DiBiase clean at 18:37.

Rating: D. It was long, it was boring, and there was absolutely no need for the No DQ rule. Other than maybe the posting near the end (and that’s a huge stretch), they did nothing that stood out in any way. These two had all kinds of matches against each other but for some reason it always wound up going this way. Just more boring stuff here and it felt like it went on forever.

Post match Roberts grabs the Million Dollar Title but now Virgil shows up to take it back.

And now, trivia!

What was the first match at Wrestlemania I?

Who sang the National Anthem at Wrestlemania I?

How much weight did Dino Bravo bench press?

Wrestlemania II was held in which three cities?

Who was the female co-host in each city?

What was the record-setting attendance at Wrestlemania III?

What is the name of Sean Mooney’s identical twin brother?

Who did Randy Savage beat to win the WWF Title at Wrestlemania IV?

Who returned to the WWF on the Brother Love Show at Wrestlemania V?

What rank did Sean Mooney have on this tape?

Eh I’ve heard weaker tests.

From Lacrosse, Wisconsin, May 15, 1990.

WWF Title: Ultimate Warrior vs. Mr. Perfect

Only Warrior is defending and Perfect bails outside for his entrance, which is probably not a bad idea. Perfect tries to jump him from behind but gets tossed outside without much trouble. The beating goes outside until Warrior brings him back in for the big running shoulders. It works so well that they do it again, followed by Warrior sending him face first into the buckle, with Perfect clearly doing all of the work.

The Warrior Splash misses though and Perfect kicks him in the ribs a few times, followed by some chops on the floor. Back in and a middle rope fist to the jaw doesn’t even knock Warrior down. Something like a top rope double stomp to a standing Warrior (even commentary didn’t think it looked good) drops him but the PerfectPlex gets two. The shoulders and Splash retain the title at 5:53.

Rating: D. What was that? You show Perfect winning the title an hour and a half ago and he loses in a short match here where his finisher doesn’t work. Oh and Heenan wasn’t even here to make up for some of Warrior’s issues. At the end of the day, Warrior looked miserable out there and that’s a big issue. If you’re a month and a half into your title reign, you should be able to show some energy in a five minute match. Come on already.

And of course Mooney knocks himself out with his gun to end the tape.

Overall Rating: D-. It’s a bad sign when the best match on the tape is a just ok match between Santana and Perfect. That was almost completely negated by the terrible main event and the even worse DiBiase vs. Roberts match. This was a good example of just how bad things were when Hogan wasn’t around, as he at least could have breathed some life into this thing. Rather terrible offering here, with Neidhart vs. Genius of all things being the second best match.

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

Smackdown
Date: February 6, 2026
Location: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

It’s the first Smackdown after the Royal Rumble and since Raw had both Royal Rumble winners, so Smackdown needs to get its Wrestlemania matches in order. In this case, we have the first few Elimination Chamber qualifying matches and all of the fallout from Saturday. Let’s get to it.

Here is the Royal Rumble if you need a recap.

Long Royal Rumble recap.

Here is Drew McIntyre to get things going but an irate Cody Rhodes jumps him on the way to the ring. Security breaks it up and Rhodes jumps into the ring, saying things will never be the same. For the first time in history, Rhodes can’t fairly point to that sign. When people talk about Wrestlemania, Rhodes is the first name they say because they know what it means to him. He was born in this city with pizza boxes everywhere and Arn Anderson and Manny Fernandez fighting in the waiting room. McIntyre was jealous that Rhodes got the title instead of him and now McIntyre isn’t going to be champion all the way to Wrestlemania.

Giulia and Kiana James are ready to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Nick Aldis tells Cody Rhodes to cool it or he’s out of his Elimination Chamber qualifying match next week. Rhodes leaves but isn’t happy.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Iyo Sky/Rhea Ripley vs. Giulia/Kiana James

Sky and Ripley are defending. Ripley and James start things off with a lockup before it’s Giulia forearming Sky in the face. Giulia mocks Sky’s dance and James gets in a cheap shot from the apron. James beats on Sky outside and we take a break. We come back with James hitting a running shoulder to the ribs in the corner but another charge misses.

The tag brings in Ripley to clean house, including a nice kick to James’ head. An electric chair faceplant gets two but James knocks Ripley down. A powerbomb sends Sky onto Ripley and the 401k gets two, with Ripley making the save. James gets knocked outside though and it’s the Riptide into Over The Moonsault to retain the titles at 11:04.

Rating: B. This was an action packed match and the last few minutes made it that much better. Sky and Ripley have turned into a rather good team and I would really hope that they aren’t being built up as the team who gets to lose the titles to the Bellas in some “historic” moment. James and Giulia weren’t the best challengers, but they worked well here.

Miz and Ilja Dragunov argue over who should get the US Title shot against Carmelo Hayes. Cue Hayes, who says Dragunov gets the title shot at some point, but tonight, Miz is getting a beating.

The Miz vs. Carmelo Hayes

Non-title and Miz jumps him to start fast but Hayes fights back up against the ropes. A springboard is cut off though and Miz mocks the basketball pose as we take a break. We come back with Hayes fighting out of trouble, including La Mistica getting two. Miz heads outside and gets taken down by a dive but a frog splash hits raised knees back inside. The Skull Crushing Finale is countered into a superkick for two but Miz’s slingshot sitout powerbomb gets the same. Another Skull Crushing Finale is loaded up but Hayes reverses into the First 48 for the pin at 9:31.

Rating: C+. I was worried they were going to give this one to Miz to set up a triple threat with Dragunov but thankfully this was more about Hayes getting to put Miz behind him. There’s no other reason to have the story continue so Hayes won here to wrap it up. Now just let us have a title match somewhere, likely against Dragunov, instead of another open challenge.

Tiffany Stratton is back and ready but Chelsea Green interrupts, saying she’s the news around here. Stratton says Green will only be in the obituary section after she gets done with her. You know you can just pin her rather than kill her right?

Uncle Howdy is not ok with Solo Sikoa stealing the lantern and is going to take it back.

IMG Credit: WWE

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Lash Legend vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Chelsea Green

Nia Jax and Alba Fyre are here too. Green gets beaten up between the two of them and it’s a legend between Stratton and Legend. Stratton gets the better of things and Green steals the cover for two, earning herself another beating. Green goes up and dives onto Stratton and Jax but gets kicked down by Legend as we take a break.

We come back with Stratton and Green accidentally working together to send Legend into the corner. Legend is knocked outside, leaving Stratton to fight out of the Unprettier. A superplex gets two on Green, with Stratton making the save. The Lash Extension is broken up and Green actually goes Coast To Coast for two. Legend is knocked outside though and Stratton knocks Green down, setting up the Prettiest Moonsault Ever for the pin at 10:29.

Rating: B-. Stratton getting the win over one of the designated jobbers of the division isn’t a bad thing, as Green is someone who isn’t really hurt by losses. At the same time, I could go for Legend getting a bigger story sooner than later, as she needs something better than “she’s in this match too” after such a Rumble performance. Finally, it’s not great to have the second women’s match in about seventy minutes ending with another moonsault. Mix that up a bit.

Randy Orton talks about how he’s going to win tonight and move on to his tenth Elimination Chamber, which gives him the most experience. Aleister Black isn’t convinced. Maybe because Orton has been in nine in nine of them and only won once?

We look at NXT stars, past and present, in the Royal Rumbles. They must be proud of this as it’s aired on all three shows this week.

Here is Kit Wilson for a chat and I don’t like his odds. He was disgusted by the sweating and grunting at the Royal Rumble as the toxic masculinity was awful. They can’t handle a man who moisturizes and listens or who can move his hips like this. Anyone who is in the Rumble can come out here and yes indeed it’s Oba Femi time.

Oba Femi vs. Kit Wilson

Wilson declares Femi toxic and the Fall From Grace finishes Wilson at 48 seconds. It was obvious that it was going to be Femi from the second Wilson started talking and that’s not a bad thing.

R-Truth is impressed with Femi but Damian Priest doesn’t want to hear it (mainly because Femi eliminated him). Drew McIntyre comes in but walks away from Priest instead of getting into anything.

Here is McIntyre for a chat…but this time Jacob Fatu jumps him from behind and McIntyre is knocked over the barricade to run away.

Post break, Nick Aldis tells Fatu to qualify for the Chamber next week but for tonight, get out. Works for Fatu.

IMG Credit: WWE

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Tama Tonga

The MFTs are here with Tonga. Nakamura strikes away in the corner to start fast but they head outside, where Tonga takes over. Tonga knocks him onto the announcers’ table and hits an elbow as we take a break. We come back with Nakamura kicking away and hitting a middle rope knee to the steps for two.

Tonga grabs a lifting sitout Pedigree for two but Nakamura flips out of a dragon sleeper. A jumping DDT drops Nakamura, who pops right back up with a knockdown of his own. They trade forearms until Nakamura hits a spinning kick to the face. The Landslide gets two but Tonga Loa grabs the foot to break up the Kinshasa. The Cutthroat finishes Nakamura at 10:35.

Rating: C+. This was about what Nakamura does most of the time (save for the outstanding Styles match) as he looked fine but was ultimately there to put someone over. Tonga has been teasing a singles run for awhile now and I don’t see why not. It wasn’t some star making performance but it did what it needed to do.

Fraxiom and the Motor City Machine Guns run into Candice LeRae and Johnny Gargano, who is laying face down on a crate (labeled NXT). The Guns won’t talk to him because they don’t like being lied to.

Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky are ready to keep the titles and get ready for the Chamber. Nia Jax and Lash Legend come in to talk some trash and tease a challenge. Judgment Day comes in to get between the teams and head to the ring.

Kit Wilson runs into Matt Cardona and blames him for bringing back the toxic masculinity. Cardona is ready to fight anytime but Wilson needs a warm bath. Apollo Crews (who is here too, in a rare cameo) finds this funny.

IMG Credit: WWE

Nick Aldis brings in Liv Morgan, with Raquel Rodriguez, for a chat. Morgan brags about being really great at the Royal Rumble as well as the hottest, smartest, funniest, most charismatic, most talented and most iconic woman in WWE history. Anyway, Morgan has a decision to make between Jade Cargill and Stephanie Vaquer.

Cue Cargill to interrupt, saying she’ll beat up Morgan if given the chance. Cargill doesn’t like Rodriguez looking at her but Morgan threatens to have Rodriguez take the title from her. Cue Jordynne Grace, who says she might take the title as well. That has Morgan laughing but Cargill and Grace both cut her off. Aldis says if Morgan is here to talk, she can fight, so the tag match is made.

Jade Cargill/Jordynne Grace vs. Judgment Day

It’s a brawl to start with Judgment Day getting cleared out as we take an early break. We come back with Rodriguez powerslamming Grace and hitting some forearms to the chest. Morgan comes in and tries Three Amigos, with the third being blocked. A Michinoku Driver looks to set up Beast Mode but Morgan escapes with a Codebreaker. Cargill comes in and, ahem, accidentally kicks Grace down. Rodriguez kicks Morgan down as well and we get the Rodriguez vs. Cargill showdown. That doesn’t last long as Grace is back in to knock Cargill down and steal a rollup pin on Rodriguez at 8:18.

Rating: C+. This was pretty simple, as they kept the Rodriguez vs. Cargill showdown until the end, with both sides teasing issues. That could result in either, or perhaps both of them, getting into a Wrestlemania match down the road. The match wasn’t exactly great, but it did what it needed to do.

We look at Drew McIntyre beating Sami Zayn to retain the World Title at the Royal Rumble.

A depressed Sami Zayn runs into Dragon Lee, who calls him a big inspiration. Trick Williams comes in to mock Zayn but Lee tells him to shut up or get his teeth knocked out.

Jordynne Grace and Jade Cargill are arguing in the back so Nick Aldis makes their title match for next week.

We look at the Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk segment from Raw, setting up their title match at Wrestlemania. Yeah I’d want to show something that awesome again too.

Here is Drew McIntyre for a third time and he manages to get onto the announcers’ table. He has something to say and he’s going to say it. First of all, Cody Rhodes and Jacob Fatu should be banned from the Elimination Chamber qualifying matches after attacking him. As for Sami Zayn, he got crushed, just like everyone who is going to come after him for the title.

As for what he heard on Raw between Reigns and Punk, he was just disappointed. It came off as two people being insecure, as one of them would mock him but the other would defend him. The Smackdown roster should see that as a declaration of war. McIntyre didn’t walk away when the world shut down and he made this title, just like Austin, Hogan, not Dusty Rhodes, HHH, Michaels and more.

McIntyre gets why Reigns picks Punk, because it was either facing a Scottish warrior or a tattooed freak who is one loss away from losing it. That leaves the entire roster fighting to get to his title shot. The music ends and it sounds like he wasn’t quite done. Cue Trick Williams to say he’s going to watch the main event and get ready to take the title from McIntyre at Wrestlemania. McIntyre doesn’t seem impressed.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Solo Sikoa is ready to win but can’t find the MFTs.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Solo Sikoa vs. Randy Orton vs. Aleister Black

Zelina is here with Black. They all miss big shots to start until Sikoa is sent outside. Orton gets tripped down so Black knocks Sikoa off the apron, setting up a middle rope moonsault. We take a break and come back with Black working on Sikoa’s leg but Orton is back in for a save. Black is sent outside and Sikoa punches Orton down, followed by a pop up Samoan drop for two on Black as we take a break.

We come back with Orton superplexing Black but getting Superfly Splashed to give Sikoa two. Orton takes Sikoa outside and drops him onto the announcers’ table, with Black getting the same treatment. The hanging DDT drops Sikoa but Black kicks Orton in the face. Black is knocked outside and the RKO finishes Sikoa at 16:37.

Rating: C+. This was WAY too long and could have been cut in half to a better result. Orton going on is fine, and it was more a question of whether he would pin Sikoa clean or if the Wyatts were going to interfere to cost Sikoa the match. Orton moving on is fine and I’m glad Black didn’t take the pin, but this felt like it went on forever despite some good action.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was one of the annoying kind, as it was more about setting up a bunch of stuff for the next few weeks. That went well enough, but triple threat qualifying matches lost their luster a long time ago. It feels like they do these for every big match anymore and it gets tiring. Other than that, they did some stuff to set up the next week or so, but this was one of those shows where there wasn’t much worth seeing, as it was more about getting ready for the future than anything else.

Results
Rhea Ripley/Iyo Sky b. Kiana James/Giulia – Over The Moonsault to Giulia
Carmelo Hayes b. The Miz – First 48
Tiffany Stratton b. Lash Legend and Chelsea Green – Prettiest Moonsault Ever to Green
Oba Femi b. Kit Wilson – Fall From Grace
Tama Tonga b. Shinsuke Nakamura – Cutthroat
Jade Cargill/Jordynne Grace b. Judgment Day – Rollup to Rodriguez
Randy Orton b. Solo Sikoa and Aleister Black – RKO to Sikoa

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: February 5, 2026
Location: Tingley Coliseum, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

Things got more interesting last week as we had the results of the Feast Or Fired briefcases. That means it’s time to have some fresh title matches coming up, though it’s not clear when those will actually happen. Other than that, we should be in for the build towards next week’s No Surrender. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

Trey Miguel vs. Adam Brooks

Arianna Grace is on commentary. They fight over arm control to start, with Miguel snapping the arm over the top rope. Miguel even goes outside to blow Grace a kiss but charges into Brooks’ kick to the head back inside. A running forearm gives Brooks two and he chokes on the ropes. Miguel is right back with a German suplex into a hurricanrana but Brooks cuts him off on top. Brooks kicks him in the face a few times, followed by the sitout powerbomb for two. Miguel grabs a poisonrana into the Lightning Spiral for the fast pin at 7:34.

Rating: C+. Brooks got to show off a bit here and it made for a nice opener here. There wasn’t much in the way of drama about the result, but at least Brooks wasn’t treated as a total loser here. Miguel is on his way to an International Title match and that means he gets built up, which is basically what he did here.

Post match Stacks runs in and belts Miguel in the face.

Lei Ying Lee, Xia Brookside and Indi Hartwell are ready to take out the Elegance Brand tonight.

Righteous vs. Tommy Two Scoops/TW3

Two Scoops is either the worst name I’ve ever heard or the most amazing. Maybe both. Vincent knocks both of them down to start and it’s off to Dutch for a legdrop on TW3. Orange Sunshine (an assisted cutter) finishes for Vincent at 2:25.

Post match the Righteous say they want to team with the Hardys instead of fight against them.

The Hardys aren’t sure about this but the System comes in to beat them down.

Frankie Kazarian shakes hands with Daria Rae before coming out to the stage. Kazarian can’t stand Mike Santana walking around with his title but Kazarian blames a hand injury. Rae understands his issues though and there is not a man in this city who can take him out. Cue Elijah, who walks past Kazarian and goes to the ring for his scheduled match.

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

Elijah/Jada Stone vs. Order 4

Stone and Steelz (there’s a tag name in there somewhere) start things off with Stone snapping off some early armdrags. Steelz bails outside and there’s the big dive from Stone as we take a break. We come back with Elijah giving Ali a sitout powerbomb, allowing the tag back to Stone. A split legged moonsault gets two on Steelz but Agent Zero World’s Strongest Slams Elijah onto the apron.

That leaves Ali to shove Stone, who forearms him in the face instead. A tornado DDT plants Ali and a second one sends him crashing out to the floor. Stone’s moonsault drops Order 4 on the floor but Ali drops her with a clothesline. Back in and Stone grabs a Stunner, with Steelz having to make a save. Stone gets back up and heads to the top, but Agent Zero distracts the referee. Ali hits a Stone with a Highwayman’s Farewell to give Steelz the pin at 11:25.

Rating: B-. Geez what a performance from Stone, who got to run absolutely wild there for a little while. It made for a great run with both Steelz and Ali getting taken out a few times. That can only last for so long though and it made sense for the villains to use the numbers game to take over. Fun match.

Arianna Grace appeals to Santino Marella and wants a title match, just to show what she can do. Marella agrees, which can’t be a good idea.

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

Daria Rae announces the card for No Surrender:

• Stacks defending the International Title against Trey Miguel (in the Feast Or Fired cash in)
• The Hardys/Righteous vs. Order 4
• Mike Santana/Leon Slater vs. Nic Nemeth/Eddie Edwards

That’s certainly a No Surrender card. Santino Marella comes in to say that Arianna Grace will get her Knockouts Title shot, but Rae is more annoyed that Marella has allowed Steve Maclin to be here. Maclin is upset because of what this place has meant to him. He’s glad that he’s leaving with his head held high. Mike Santana stops him, saying Maclin always believed in him. They shake hands…and Maclin jumps him. Security breaks it up and throws Maclin out. I heartily approve of Santana vs. Maclin.

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

Tessa Blanchard vs. Rachel Ley

Blanchard throws her down to start and works on the arm, followed by some choking on the rope. Blanchard doesn’t seem overly worried here and hammers away on the mat. Ley gets a boot up in the corner but misses a moonsault. The Buzzsaw finishes for Blanchard at 3:28.

Rating: C-. This was a total squash and shows you just how good Blanchard is in the ring. She has a lot of issues but talent has never been one of them, as she can do just about anything out there. It’s a shame she has so much baggage with her, as she could be one of the biggest stars in the world otherwise.

Ryan Nemeth and Mara Sade are at a football stadium, where Sade does a Mr. Perfect impression by throwing herself a long pass. Then they throw darts, where Nemeth gets stabbed, and then they play basketball, where Sade superkicks him.

Eric Young offers BDE a change to join him but BDE isn’t interested. More on this next week.

Elegance Brand vs. Angel Warriors/Indi Hartwell

The Brand is in Breaking Bad gear for a change. Ash and Lee start things off but of course Ash brings in M to get kicked down instead. A headscissors takes Brookside down, which is quickly broken up. Everything breaks down and the Brand is knocked outside. Heather comes back inside and gets dropkicked into the corner to keep her in trouble. A cheap shot from the floor cuts Brookside off though and M adds a backsplash for two.

Ash comes in to stomp away in the corner and it’s back to Heather for a chinlock. That doesn’t last long either as Lee gets the tag to clean house. Mr. Elegance throws a shirt in to distract her though and Ash grabs her own chinlock. This one is reversed for a double clothesline, allowing Hartwell and M to come back in. Brookside hits a big dive to the floor to take everyone down and the Personal Concierge glitter bombs Mr. Elegance by mistake. Back in and Brookside rolls Heather up for the pin at 12:22.

Rating: B-. Nice match here, with the important thing being that Ash is able to get back in the ring. It’s good to have someone back to full health and she brings some star power to the roster. You can see the Angel Warriors getting the title shot from here, which fits perfectly as it means we could have another double champion, as that’s such an original idea.

Post match the Brand jumps the winners.

Here is a ticked off Mike Santana for a chat. He talks about sitting in this ring and talking about what it means to be champion. The title made one of his former best friends turn on him earlier tonight…and here is the System to jump Santana. Cue the Hardys for the save, with Moose returning to join in and clean house to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This wasn’t their strongest show, but I do rather like the idea of Santana vs. Maclin. The two of them have some interesting chemistry together and it could make for a heck of a showdown. Other than that, you have the briefcases getting us to the next batch of title matches, with Santana having quite a few people lining up to come after the title. Not a great show this week, though at least it set up some stuff for the future.

Results
Trey Miguel b. Adam Brooks – Lightning Spiral
Righteous b. Tommy Two Scoops/TW3 – Orange Sunshine to TW3
Order 4 b. Elijah/Jada Stone – Highwayman’s Farewell to Stone
Tessa Blanchard b. Rachel Ley – Buzzsaw
Angel Warriors/Indi Hartwell b. Elegance Brand – Rollup to Heather

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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