NXT
Date: April 7, 2026
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re done with Stand & Deliver and that means it’s time to start getting ready for…whatever the next big show is going to be. The big story coming out of the show is Tony D’Angelo defeated Joe Hendry for the NXT Title. In addition, Lola Vice is the new Women’s Champion. Let’s get to it.

Here is Stand & Deliver if you need a recap.

Stand & Deliver recap.

Here is Tony D’Angelo to get things going. A lot of the fans have been with him since the beginning. He has gone from a boy to a man around here and now he is the only Grand Slam Champion in NXT history. Some of the decisions he has made haven’t been the best but there isn’t a man around here who can take the title from him.

Cue Joe Hendry, who agrees that D’Angelo was the better man. That was just one night though but would it have been the same in a one on one match? Cue Ethan Page to blame Ricky Saints for his loss, which brings out Saints to say the same thing. D’Angelo is ready to go again but here is Darkstate to go after all four of them. We take a break and come back with the fighting having been broken up and Robert Stone making the eight man tag.

Sol Ruca vs. Izzi Dame

Dame has the rest of the Culling with her. Dame powers her into the corner to start but gets taken down with a snapmare. Ruca hits a standing moonsault but Dame is right back with a running clothesline. Some shoulders in the corner have Ruca in more trouble, at least until she grabs an X Factor. A dropkick puts Dame outside and a spinning springboard dive takes her out again.

We take a break and come back with Ruca hitting a springboard flipping clothesline to leave both of them down. Ruca wins an exchange of strikes, followed by a missile dropkick. Dame is able to shove her off the top though and a super Codebreaker gets two. Back up and Ruca knocks her outside, only to miss a moonsault…and get speared by Zaria. Ruca is sent back inside for Dame Over to give Dame the pin at 10:38.

Rating: B-. This worked well enough while it lasted but Zaria vs. Ruca continuing isn’t the most appealing idea. Ruca beat her clean on Saturday and it’s just making Zaria feel whiny to continue the feud. At the same time, I can go for Dame getting more of a push, as she could fit into the title picture rather nicely.

The Vanity Project come into Robert Stone’s office when Blake Monroe (scheduled to meet with Stone) comes in. The Project gives her a fake Women’s North American Title and Stone gives her a mixed tag later tonight.

The injured Elio LeFleur meets with Dorian Van Duks and EK Prosper, saying he wants one of them to win the Speed Title. Duks is ready to go, but so is Prosper.

Keanu Carver vs. Jasper Troy vs. Josh Briggs

It’s a brawl to start with Briggs sending Carver into the post and out to the floor. Briggs takes over but Carver is back in, with Briggs giving him a splash. Carver knocks both of them down, with a clothesline getting two on Briggs. Troy gets beaten up on the floor but Briggs drops both of them as we take a break.

We come back with Carver slugging away at both of them and powerslamming Briggs for two. A spinebuster drops Troy for two and Carver stomps on Briggs in the corner. Troy fights up and chokeslams Carver before covering Briggs for two more. Briggs drops Troy over the top for a big crash, leaving Briggs to kick Carver in the face. A Pounce sends Troy to the floor and another puts Briggs down. The Jackhammer gives Carver the pin at 12:56.

Rating: B-. This was pretty much exactly as advertised, with all three powerhouses beating each other up until one of them got the pin. It was a fine match, though it never really did anything to make it stand out. Carver is being treated as a new force around here so it’s good to see him get a win. If nothing else it seems like he might be in for a big beatdown on Booker T., which would feel like an important deal.

Shiloh Hill and Tatum Paxley are ready for their mixed tag. They also talk about raccoons. Ricky Saints comes in to call them weird but they don’t seem to care.

Ricky Saints/Ethan Page/Tony D’Angelo/Joe Hendry vs. Darkstate

D’Angelo jumps Shuggars to start but gets in trouble in the wrong corner. Lennox comes in and gets driven away, only for Page to steal the tag from Hendry. Page is rammed into Saints, which counts as a tag as well. Saints is taken into the wrong corner but fights out in a hurry, allowing the tag off to Hendry.

A delayed suplex drops James for two and it’s back to Saints for a Fameasser and a near fall. Page and Saints get back together for a double backdrop but D’Angelo gets back in for a change. Lennox actually runs D’Angelo over and we take a break. We come back with Hendry in trouble, with a double suplex getting two. The neck crank keeps Hendry down and he gets swung into a backbreaker.

A running Vader Bomb gives James two but cue Myles Borne to go after Lennox (who attacked him on Saturday). Everything breaks down and Saints dives off the apron with a forearm to James. Hendry hits a big dive and D’Angelo adds a spinebuster to Shuggars. Page tags himself in though and boots D’Angelo in the face. The twisted Grin finishes Shuggars at 15:00.

Rating: B. They had a lot of things going on once here and they managed to make it into a good match. Page stealing the pin in the end and attacking D’Angelo might make him the first challenger for the title. Other than that you probably have Bourne vs. Lennox coming up, which should go well for both of them. Nice job here.

Post match D’Angelo lays Page out.

Jaida Parker is sick of people like Kelani Jordan. They got in a fight at the Performance Center and almost got in another in the parking lot. Parker is ready for her again next week.

Speed Title Tournament First Round: Lexis King vs. Chazz Hall

Hall is freshly debuted on Evolve and is better known as Starboy Charlie. The rest of Birthright is here with King, who charges at him to start fast. That doesn’t get him very far and the Coronation doesn’t work. A standing Sliced Bread gives Hall two and he sends King outside for the big cartwheel dive. Back in and Hall’s shooting star’s press hits raised feet, setting up the Coronation to give King the pin at 2:06. I’m not sure why you would want a newcomer like Hall to lose so soon.

Myles Borne and Tony D’Angelo glare at each other a bit but Robert Stone comes in. D’Angelo wants Ethan Page, which works for Stone. Keanu Carver comes in for the staredown with D’Angelo.

We get a clip of the new Shawn Michaels documentary.

Shiloh Hill/Tatum Paxley vs. Jackson Drake/Blake Monroe

The rest of the Vanity Project is here too. Paxley and Monroe compare belts before the match until Monroe gets shoved down. Monroe is back up with a tackle but Paxley cranks on her arm. Drake comes in to miss an enziguri on Hill and some forearms to the chest have Drake in trouble. A top rope clothesline gives Hill two but Monroe doesn’t want to tag. Hill tags in though and Monroe has to come back in, where the Cemetery Drive is broken up.

Paxley and Hill grab stereo surfboards, both are which are escaped and the villains head outside. We take a break and come back with Hill giving Drake a running shoulder. A belly to back suplex is broken up though and it’s a double shot from behind to put Hill down. Hill easily fights out though and it’s back to Paxley, with Monroe realizing she’s in trouble. The Project offers a distraction so Hill hits a flip dive but the distraction lets Monroe avoid the 450. Drake offers a distraction and it’s the Glamour Shot to pin Paxley at 11:17.

Rating: C+. This is another case of a feud seemingly wrapping up at Stand & Deliver but it keeps going here anyway. I’m not sure what the thinking is behind doing that over and over, but there should be enough names to come after Paxley’s title without going to such a quick rematch. Hill and Paxley did have some chemistry together though and that could work for a bit going forward.

Robert Stone announces that for the next two weeks, it’s NXT Revenge. In the first week, Tony D’Angelo defends against Ethan Page and in week two, it’s Zaria vs. Sol Ruca in a Last Woman Standing match. Hopefully Maya Inca Boy makes one of the cards.

Kali Armstrong is coming (at Revenge).

We look back at the eight man tag and the post match brawl.

Here is Lola Vice for her first chat as Women’s Champion. She’s proud to be the first Cuban American WWE Champion and thought she was ready the second she walked in the door. The reality is she got humbled fast and now she knows she wasn’t ready. Now the reality is she’s undeniable and she knows what it means to have to earn something…and here is Fatal Influence.

Jacy Jayne tells her to enjoy this time because she’s ready to become a three time champion. Jayne says she lost on a technicality and gets annoyed at the fans booing her. Robert Stone comes out to make the match for next week but Fatal Influence jumps Vice from behind. Vice fights them off to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. I’m not sure what to think of this show, as it really made Stand & Deliver feel like a rest stop for Revenge rather than the biggest show of the year. What we got here was an ok show which felt like it was telling us to watch for the big show over the next two weeks. That’s a really weird way to go and I hope it doesn’t continue in this style, as it brings the major events way down.

Results
Izzi Dame b. Sol Ruca – Sitout powerbomb
Keanu Carver b. Josh Briggs and Jasper Troy – Jackhammer to Briggs
Joe Hendry/Ethan Page/Ricky Saints/Tony D’Angelo b. Darkstate – Twisted Grin to Shuggars
Lexis King b. Chazz Hall – Coronation
Blake Monroe/Jackson Drake b. Shiloh Hill/Tatum Paxley – Glamour Shot to Paxley

 

 

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

WCW did have its moment.  They just weren’t all good.

 

https://411mania.com/wrestling/halls-wcw-clash-of-the-champions-xvii-review/

Monday Night Raw
Date: April 6, 2026
Location: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re less than two weeks away from Wrestlemania and that means everything has to come together. The good thing is that the Raw side of things has been the better of the two shows and that means we could be in for a nice night. If nothing else, we might be getting some more things set for the pay per view. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is a ticked off CM Punk to get things going. Punk sits down in the middle of the ring as we get some dueling chants from the fans. Punk talks about this being a wrestling town and he has some history of his own here. This is Paul Boesch territory and Houston Wrestling. He loves to hear about the old timers and you can’t help but compare yourself to them. Sometimes he dreams and asks what Harley Race would do.

The important things happen when we’re awake though (he gets up) and it’s good to be alive on a Monday night in Houston. The thing is, Roman Reigns isn’t here tonight. Punk recaps his issues with Punk over the last two weeks. Punk gets out on the apron and talks about how Reigns hates him. That’s a good thing, because he won’t trade his authenticity for approval. Not vying for the approval of losers is what prevents him from being one of them. The fans chant for Reigns but Punk says he’s the one who is here. Punk: “And I’m an old man!”

Punk takes off his jacket and stands on the announcers’ table and talks about how this company sent Reigns to Jimmy Fallon. Reigns is there because he’s safe and boring and you know he’s not going to lose it. On the other hand, Punk is someone who could say anything. He can film TV shows and movies and never miss a show but Reigns uses it as a crutch to be gone and then Punk gets booed when he shows up. Reigns puffs his chest around in the back like he’s the Rock, a Hollywood superstar. Punk: “I’m sorry. WAS a Hollywood superstar.”

After that gasp is over, Punk talks about how Reigns got a job because his father was a wrestler because he sucked at football. He calls Reigns a nepo baby who ate dog food for a weird old man. That old man treated Punk like a dog for years but Punk had FU money and walked away. That’s why everyone hates him: they can’t control him. You can’t blackball him and he can blow up his own bridge because he knows how to swim.

He’s not done though because PAT MCAFEE thinks he can come here and get in Punk’s business. Call that agent of his that shoehorned him into the show and tell him to LOWER THE TICKET PRICES. McAfee isn’t coming here and telling him to put people in seats. Lower the ticket prices so everyone in Houston (and their families) can come to Las Vegas and see him take Reigns out. This was Punk in his element as he felt like he was venting, with the part about the ticket prices not being something I was expecting to hear.

We recap IShowSpeed’s issues with LA Knight, who showed up on Speed’s stream and beat him up last week.

Speed is in the back and runs into Danhausen, who will remove the curse in exchange for Speed’s mansion. Adam Pearce shows up and Danhausen disappears. Pearce suggests that Speed go home before it gets worse but the Vision show up and have Speed come to the arena with them.

Austin Theory vs. LA Knight

Logan Paul IShowSpeed are here with Theory, who sends Knight into the ropes to start. Back up and Knight knocks him outside for a change but Theory is back with a ram into the buckle. That earns him another trip to the floor, where Knight clotheslines him into the timekeeper’s area as we take a break.

We come back with Knight grabbing a neckbreaker and hammering away, followed by a Russian legsweep. Another neckbreaker gives Knight two but Theory hits a shot to the face into a Blockbuster. Knight shrugs that off and takes him outside for the rams into the announcers’ table. With Theory back inside, Paul shoves Speed into Knight, who gives chase up the aisle. Cue the Usos to cut Speed off so Speed jumps over Knight, who catches him back inside. Paul’s save doesn’t work but Theory rolls Knight up, with trunks, for the pin at 9:43.

Rating: C. This was a case where the match was mainly a backdrop for everything else going on, which isn’t the worst thing. At the same time, it’s also a case where a DQ would have made a lot more sense. Knight didn’t need to take a fall like this and there was so much else going on that you could have saved a bit of a headache without the pin.

Post match Knight isn’t overly happy but he has an idea for how to even things up a bit: a six man tag at Wrestlemania. Adam Pearce pops up to say he told Speed to go home because the match is official. Yeah that was obvious and it’s not a bad thing to go with what makes sense.

Commentary introduces a video on Pat McAfee’s actions on Smackdown, with Michael Cole having to calm himself down.

CM Punk talks about his favorite Wrestlemania memory: being an extra at Wrestlemania XXII, which he thinks about every time he comes to work.

Finn Balor vs. JD McDonagh

Hold on though as Dominik Mysterio jumps Balor from behind and even mocks Balor’s pose. Balor fights back and goes after McDonagh but Mysterio gets in a belt shot with the AAA Mega Title. McDonagh brings in a chair and Mysterio beats Balor down so he can do the sign point. No match.

We get a video on AJ Lee, including a lot of her time before her hiatus.

Lee sits down with Michael Cole and says she is nervous about her first Wrestlemania in eleven years…and here is Becky Lynch to interrupt. Lynch calls Cole the worst interviewer and commentator in WWE so Cole leaves, telling Lee good luck. Lynch talks about seeing Lee at Wrestlemania XXXI and getting a fake hug but then Lee left the next day. Lee tells her to keep underestimating what Lee can do and cuts her off when Lynch doesn’t like this

The reality is Lynch is a big star but she walked through the doors that Lee opened. This company called her for ten years and the fans never forgot her. When Lynch goes home and asks her daughter who her favorite wrestler is, her daughter will say it’s AJ Lee. See you at Wrestlemania. Lee leaves and Lynch is livid. Keeping Lynch angry and annoyed is a good thing and Lee getting the chance to back up her words should be fun.

Bayley vs. Lash Legend

Lyra Valkyria and Nia Jax are here too. Bayley is knocked outside to start and can’t make much of a comeback before it happens again. We take a break and come back with Bayley knocking her out of the ropes but seeming to have a bad arm. Legend swings her into a backbreaker for two but misses a boot in the ropes. Bayley’s running dropkick sends Legend into the corner, where a knee to the face connects as well.

The middle rope elbow to the back gives Bayley two but Jax interferes, triggering a brawl with Valkyria. Cue Charlotte and Alexa Bliss, with Charlotte hitting Jax with her jacket for some reason. Bayley dives onto all of them and goes up, where Legend tries a superplex. Valkyria breaks that up though and Bayley falls on top for the pin (with Valkyria holding Legend’s foot) for the pin at 8:32.

Rating: C+. Much like the opener, I wouldn’t have had someone get a fall here, but at least it was a challenger pinning a champion, which could be a much bigger deal at Wrestlemania. The interference made sense, though Charlotte’s thing with her jacket was kind of weird. At least the Bellas weren’t involved, which kept things a bit better than they would have been otherwise.

We recap Gunther attacking Seth Rollins last week.

Various celebrities, including Mark Henry, are here.

We look at the trailer for Netflix’s documentary on Hulk Hogan. That could be fascinating or stupid. I’m leaning towards stupid.

Here is Seth Rollins for a chat. Rollins talks about being gone for six months and he’s so glad to be back so he wants to hear the fans singing his song. He’s BACK and in less than two weeks, he faces Gunther at Wrestlemania. Rollins isn’t sure how we got here because he didn’t think he and Gunther had any issues.

The only option is that Gunther must have entered into some kind of agreement with Paul Heyman. Rollins is back and has two goals: get his title back and kill the Vision. They’ve already got some Samoans to deal with and that won’t end well. He also put Brock Lesnar on a silver platter for Oba Femi and yes, Femi is the future.

As for Gunther, if he wants to be in league with Heyman, it has become personal for Rollins. Cue Gunther to try a sleeper but Rollins reverses into one of his own. Gunther slips out and the fight is on, with Rollins kicking him to the floor for the suicide dive. Gunther tosses him away again but security quickly breaks it up. That lets Gunther get in a cheap shot before he leaves.

In the back, Gunther runs into Heyman, who says he doesn’t know why Gunther did what he did last week. As far as Heyman knows, there’s nothing personal between Gunther and Rollins, so Heyman owes Gunther a big thank you. Gunther says it is personal between Rollins and Heyman, so it is personal to Gunther for some different reasons (which he doesn’t reveal). He shakes Heyman’s hand but pulls him in to say Heyman owes him more than he knows. Intriguing.

We look back at Roxanne Perez saving Liv Morgan from Stephanie Vaquer last week.

Vaquer says Morgan’s hair dye must have gotten to her brain if she thinks middle school insults are going to be enough. Morgan is trying to solve her daddy issues with Dominik Mysterio, who is trying to deal with not being as good as his own dad. Vaquer wants to inspire girls but while Morgan says it’s on sight, the truth is she’ll never see it coming.

Penta/Dragon Lee/Je’Von Evans vs. Los Americanos

Bravo and Lee trade some flips and posing to start before it’s off to Rayo for a running headbutt. The dancing lets Evans come in for a springboard hurricanrana as Kofi Kingston is watching from behind. Americano comes in to counter a headscissors into a kind of reverse powerbomb, allowing all three Americanos to pose. That’s broken up and they’re sent to the floor for a set of dives. Back in and Penta and company do the Penta strut as we take a break.

We come back with Penta hitting a double DDT and bringing in Lee before diving onto Americano. Bravo has to save Rayo from a Styles Clash and everything breaks down with a parade of knockdowns. Lee Styles Clashes Bravo but Americano is in for the save. A bunch of superkicks set up Penta’s Mexican Destroyer on the apron. That leaves Evans to hit the OG Cutter to Bravo for the pin at 7:45.

Rating: B-. It was an entertaining match with a bunch of people flying around and going nuts for a short amount of time, which will always work. The ladder match at Wrestlemania still feels a bit out of nowhere, but if very well could just be a big “let’s all do a bunch of high spots”, which should work out well. Then again Evans might break every bone in his body, as he seems likely to do quite often.

Post match Rey Mysterio is back (and Je’Von Evans is completely starstruck) to praise Penta for everything he has done. The ladder match has the potential to be great…and he’s going to be in it too. Penta shakes his hand and says let’s make history.

We look at Cody Rhodes’ promo from Smackdown.

We look at the Wrestlemania six man tag being set up earlier. IShowSpeed realizing he’s in big trouble is still funny.

Video on Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar.

We get a video from Asuka, who talks about how Iyo Sky abandoned her and tried to steal Kairi Sane away from her too. Asuka was here to pave the way for them and made sacrifices to make everything better. It was all out of love, but she loved Sky too much. Then Sky rebelled, and it’s time for Asuka to get revenge, including one more lesson in the ring.

Iyo Sky/Rhea Ripley vs. Michin/B-Fab

Jade Cargill is here too. Ripley takes B-Fab down to start and brings Michin in for a big boot. Michin is sent outside but B-Fab is up with a pump kick. A spinning DDT gives B-Fab two and we hit the chinlock. Ripley fights out without much trouble and brings Sky back in to clean house. A double missile dropkick hits Michin and B-Fab and Sky’s suicide dive takes them out again. We take a break and come back with Sky in trouble and Ripley being drawn in off a distraction. Cargill sends Ripley into the steps but Sky sends Michin into the post. That leaves B-Fab to get rolled up for the pin at 7:27.

Rating: C+. The ending came out of nowhere but there is little reason to believe that Michin and B-Fab could win here anyway. The two of them exist to be cannon fodder for Cargill and that’s pretty much all they were here. Ripley and Sky were only ever in so much trouble here and the match wasn’t in the biggest doubt.

Post match the big beatdown is on, with Michin getting a kendo stick. Ripley tries to make the save but gets kicked in the face. Michin and B-Fab hold Ripley back in the corner, leaving Cargill to beat up Sky.

Finn Balor says he taught Dominik Mysterio how to play dirty but play time is over. There’s another side of him that he thought he had buried forever, but Mysterio awakened it. But now it’s back and coming for Mysterio at Wrestlemania. Oh dear.

Dominik Mysterio is nervous about what that means but the rest of Judgment Day tries to calm him down. Mysterio has an idea and leaves wit JD McDonagh. Liv Morgan (in a Wrestlemania XV shirt) talks to Roxanne Perez and thanks her for last week. She knows Finn Balor brought Perez onto the team…and here is Stephanie Vaquer to jump Morgan from behind.

Here are HHH and Adam Pearce to oversee the contract signing between Brock Lesnar and Oba Femi. Paul Heyman interrupts though and handles Lesnar’s introduction, as only he can. Femi comes out as well and Lesnar jumps him on the way into the ring. Femi is right back to ram Lesnar into the post though and they go through the table, with security running in to break it up. Lesnar throws a chair at Femi and security has a lot of work to do to keep them apart as the show ends.

Overall Rating: B-. We are officially in the “Wrestlemania is pretty much set so we’re not going to do much to shake it up” period and that means we might not be in for much great stuff. They added a bit more to the show though and nothing was overly bad. Raw continues to be light years ahead of Smackdown at the moment and while this show wasn’t must see TV, it advanced enough things on the way to Wrestlemania. That’s all it needed to do and it did so well enough.

Results
Austin Theory b. LA Knight – Rollup
Bayley b. Lash Legend – Top rope splash with Lyra Valkyria holding the foot
Penta/Dragon Lee/Je’Von Evans b. Los Americanos – OG Cutter to Bravo
Iyo Sky/Rhea Ripley b. Michin/B-Fab – Rollup to B-Fab

 

 

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

Wrestlemania XXVII
Date: April 3, 2011
Location: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
Attendance: 71,617
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, Josh Matthews
America The Beautiful: Keri Hilson
Host: The Rock

So the big story here is the return of the Rock, who is back for the first time in a good many years and serving as the show’s host. That is already bleeding into the main event, which features John Cena challenging the Miz for the Raw World Title. Other than that, we have the worst Wrestlemania match of all time so let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: US Title: Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan

Bryan is challenging in a lumberjack match and I think you know where this is going. Also, this wasn’t your traditional pre-show match, but rather a DVD extra. Sheamus starts fast and knocks him into the corner but Bryan gets in the moonsault into the running clothesline. Bryan fires off the kicks to the chest and Sheamus is sent outside, with Mark Henry throwing him back inside.

Back in and Sheamus hits a hard clothesline before knocking Bryan outside. Bryan is sent back inside and we hit a crossface chickenwing of all things. The comeback is cut off with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two but Bryan slips out of the High Cross. Sheamus is low bridged to the floor and the lumberjacks have to be dispatched. The big brawl is on and the referee throws it out at 4:19.

Rating: C+. This was pretty clearly designed to set up the pretty obvious Wrestlemania battle royal, which is something that happens almost every year. At the same time, that doesn’t exactly make the people in the match feel overly important, which isn’t a great way to go. I like that the title is involved in some way, but dang this wasn’t the best use of the US Title.

Post match the brawl is on and here is Teddy Long to…well dance a bit, and then make the battle royal

Battle Royal

Daniel Bryan, Sheamus, Yoshi Tatsu, Evan Bourne, Ted DiBiase, Drew McIntyre, William Regal, Tyler Reks, Curt Hawkins, R-Truth, Zack Ryder, Chavo Guerrero, Jey Uso, Great Khali, Jimmy Uso, David Hart Smith, JTG, Trent Beretta, Tyson Kidd, Johnny Curtis, Chris Masters, Mark Henry, Primo

Non-title. Sheamus isn’t even in the ring to start and Khali throws out Reks and Hawkins in a hurry. Tatsu is out and things slow down a bit as the brawling on the ropes ensues. Khali chops Masters down in the middle of the ring and R-Truth is low bridged out. Henry gets rid of the Usos so a bunch of people get together to toss him. Khali tosses Primo and Ryder is out after him. McIntyre and Guerrero go to the apron with McIntyre eliminating him and Hart Smith being chopped out after him.

JTG gets the same treatment and Sheamus kicks Khali down, which doesn’t seem that smart. Bryan eliminates Kidd and McIntyre does the same to Beretta. Curtis is gone as well and for some reason Masters grabs the Masterlock on the apron. Naturally he’s knocked out and it’s Bourne hitting Air Bourne on McIntyre. Regal unloads on DiBiase but misses a charge and gets eliminated. McIntyre kicks DiBiase out and gets thrown out by Bryan. That leaves Bryan, Sheamus and Khali, with the non-Khali guys going to the apron. Sheamus knocks Bryan out and goes after Khali, who clotheslines him out for the win at 8:28.

Rating: D+. As you can guess, this is the “get everyone on the show” match and that’s not a bad thing. Unfortunately it was a mostly bad match, with the string of people being eliminated that almost always happens in these things. Khali winning is fine, but the US Title being used to set up this less than important match isn’t a great sign of where the title was at this point.

Keri Hilson sings America The Beautiful.

Here’s the Rock to get things going, naturally with a big over the top introduction. This is a pretty big deal as he hasn’t really don anything important in WWE since around 2004. Rock hits his catchphrases and says we’re making history with all kinds of things tonight. He has the fans say MANIA when he says WRESTLE and then mocks John Cena with the Fruity Pebbles stuff.

Then he pauses for a bit and has some of the people’s water as this is not exactly going well. He has the fans get involved with a YABBA DABBA chant then hits some rhymes about how big this show is going to be. It’s bigger than Christmas, though there’s no offense to Santa. The big catchphrase wraps everything up after….pretty much nothing.

The opening video mostly looks at the history of Wrestlemania and hypes up the Rock’s return, plus the biggest matches.

Smackdown World Title: Edge vs. Alberto Del Rio

Del Rio is challenging (after winning the Royal Rumble) and has Ricardo Rodriguez doing his custom entrance, as usual, plus bodyguard Brodus Clay. Edge has Christian with him to even things out a bit so there are quite a few people here. There is also a giant cube that comes down over the ring and plays Edge’s logo (plus I’m assuming others later throughout the night, otherwise it’s kind of odd).

They lock up into the corner to start before Del Rio starts in on the (previously injured) arm. A backdrop sends Del Rio outside for the big crash but he sends Edge arm first into the barricade. Back in and we hit the armbar before Del Rio bends the arm around the rope. Another armbar is broken up and Del Rio misses a charge, sending him crashing out to the floor. Del Rio is fine enough to grab a super armdrag for two, followed by some basic right hands to the head.

Edge manages a spinwheel kick to leave them both down until Edge is able to grab the flapjack. The Edge-O-Matic gets two but Del Rio manages to get the cross armbreaker. Edge is right into the ropes and goes up, where it’s a jumping enziguri to bring him down for two. Clay and Cage get into it on the floor, with Edge grabbing a rollup for two of his own. The spear doesn’t work and Clay sends the bad arm into the post. The cross armbreaker goes on again but Edge switches into the Edgecator as Christian tornado DDTs Clay on the floor. Del Rio goes to the arm for the escape but Edge spears him down to retain at 11:08.

Rating: C+. It’s a fine enough way to go, though Del Rio winning the Royal Rumble and then just losing the title match feels like quite the downgrade. Edge was doing well enough but it felt like a setup for a tag match, which is kind of a weird way to go for the Wrestlemania World Title match. It’s not bad, but felt more like a big Smackdown main event and that’s about all.

Post match Edge and Christian destroy Del Rio’s Rolls Royce. Del Rio cries a lot and the Canadians celebrate as Cole wants them arrested. Then Edge would retire eight days later and vacate the title, because that’s the right way to go rather than putting Del Rio over here.

Cole taunts Lawler before their match later tonight. Oh….can we just not?

Cody Rhodes vs. Rey Mysterio

Rhodes is in his Dr. Doom phase here, as Mysterio injured his Dashing face and left him with emotional scars after the facial surgery. This was an outstanding character run for Rhodes and the first time I saw the star power and potential in him. Mysterio’s awesome superhero outfit this year is Captain America, sending Cole into a big rant (as usual around this time). Mysterio strikes away to start and hits a quick top rope hurricanrana.

Rhodes headbutts him down though and puts Mysterio in the ropes for a running headbutt. A running kick to the head sets up the one armed camel clutch but Mysterio is back up with something like a Black Widow. That’s reversed into a Hardcore Holly kick to the rather low stomach, followed by the Alabama Slam for two. Rhodes peels up Mysterio’s tights to expose the knee brace (how Rhodes was injured in the first place) before grabbing a nerve hold.

Mysterio fights up and sends him outside for a dropkick through the ropes. Rhodes is sent into the apron, followed by the top rope seated senton back inside. A wheelbarrow suplex drops Mysterio again but he’s right back with a headscissors. The 619 is blocked though and a catapult sends Mysterio throat first into the ropes.

Mysterio is back up with a 619 and pulls Rhodes’ mask off, which he puts on over his own mask. Some running headbutts put Rhodes down and a top rope headbutt gets two. The mask is removed so the referee takes it away, leaving Rhodes to hit Mysterio with his own knee brace (which was taken off somewhere in there). Cross Rhodes finishes Mysterio at 11:58.

Rating: B. These guys worked well together, and I still love the Dr. Doom period for Rhodes. It might not have had the longest legs, but this was the big win that he was needing. This felt like Rhodes getting his revenge and winning one of his biggest matches to date, which I’ll certainly take from both of them. Good stuff here and a nice way to have some hope for Rhodes’ future.

Big Show/Kane/Kofi Kingston/Santino Marella vs. Corre

Kingston is replacing an injured Vladimir Kozlov, who was taken out by the Corre. Marella goes after Slater to start but gets taken down, allowing Show and Kane to come in and clean house. Everything breaks down and we get the parade of knockdowns, including a great looking Trouble In Paradise to Barrett. The Cobra and WMD finish Slater at 1:33. Just a “get these people on the show” match.

The Rock meets Eve Torres and lets her feel his arm. Rock talks about the magic of Wrestlemania and offers to create magic with whomever comes around the corner next. It’s Mae Young, who wants the People’s Strudel. Rock makes some jokes about Young being old and Eve escorts her out (with Mae pinching Rock as she leaves). Rock says it couldn’t have been anyone else….and Steve Austin pops in. The fans get quiet as they know this one is important and they seem to show some respect while saying they remember each other at Wrestlemania. Austin coming in was pretty obvious but these two together is always special.

We recap Randy Orton vs. CM Punk. Orton was challenging for the World Title when Punk and his New Nexus interfered to cost him. As it turns out, Punk was mad at Orton for costing him the World Title TWO YEARS EARLIER and was finally getting around to going for revenge. Orton was fine with getting violent and we’re ready to go.

Randy Orton vs. CM Punk

New Nexus is barred from ringside. Punk goes for Orton’s injured (at Punk’s hands) knee to start but Orton knocks him outside. A dropkick to the steps knocks them into Orton’s knee though and Punk takes over, with a high crossbody getting two back inside. Punk gets cocky and hits a kind of Stunner onto the knee out of the corner, followed by a drop down onto the knee for two.

A top rope double stomp knocks Orton out of the Tree Of Woe for two but the GTS is countered. The RKO is countered as well though as Punk kicks him in the face for two. Punk gets caught up top though and it’s a superplex to bring him back down. Punk is fine enough to wrap the bad knee around the post, followed by the Hartbreaker for a bonus. Back in and Punk ties up the leg again and starts ripping at the bandage, only for Orton to punch him in the face for the break.

Orton starts the comeback but Punk goes right back to the leg and grabs the Anaconda Vice. They finally roll over to the ropes for the break and Punk heads to the apron, where Punk sends him into the post. The hanging DDT drops Punk and Orton gets all angry, only for the leg to give out on the Punt attempt. A desperation RKO attempt is shoved away so Punk tries a springboard…and dives into the RKO (that looked AWESOME) for the pin at 14:45.

Rating: B. This was a perfectly acceptable match with Punk working on the leg for a long time but getting a bit too cocky and walking (or diving) into the RKO. The ending looked outstanding, as Orton’s Wrestlemania RKO’s tend to do, and it came at the end of a good match. Sometimes you need a match between two good hands with some time and that was the situation here. Nice job.

Gene Okerlund is with the Rock and praises him for going well so far. Rock says John Cena’s #1 fan is here and….it’s Peewee Herman. Rock insults him and the payoff is Okerlund in Cena gear. This is as funny as you would expect.

We get the Hall Of Fame Class Of 2007:

Abdullah The Butcher (makes sense in Atlanta)
Sunny (yeah about that….)
The Road Warriors (nonsense that they weren’t in already)
Drew Carey (sure why not)
Bob Armstrong (perfectly fine in Georgia)
Jim Duggan (yes his 2×4 has a bowtie)
Shawn Michaels (eh he’s ok)

Oddly no highlight package this year.

We recap Jerry Lawler taking out Jack Swagger and going after Michael Cole, who threw a drink in his face to make Lawler hate him even more.

Jerry Lawler vs. Michael Cole

Let’s get this over with. Booker T. and Jim Ross come out to join commentary, Jack Swagger is with Cole and Steve Austin is guest referee. Cole has been a full on heel for months now and has tormented Lawler for a good while, including costing Lawler the WWE Title. Therefore, it’s time for revenge. Ross comes to the ring but Cole cuts his entrance off to talk about how Ross and Lawler are overrated and over the hill.

Cole says this is his first Wrestlemania match too and after he gets rid of Lawler, Ross will be back to making bad barbecue sauce and Cole will be the new Mr. Wrestlemania. Austin rides out on his ATV and almost runs Swagger down, as only Austin could get away with doing. After the entrances alone take the better part of ever (including Cole hiding in his Cole Mine), we’re FINALLY ready to go. Lawler jumps Swagger to start and sends him into the barricade before going after Cole in the Cole Mine.

Cole immediately begs off and apologizes, with Lawler accepting a handshake. Lawler then pulls the arm through the hole, with Cole’s face getting stuck against the wall in an actually funny moment. Lawler climbs into the box and pounds on Cole before throwing him inside. Swagger gets in a cheap shot and Cole baseball slides Lawler down. The ankle lock has Lawler tapping on the floor, and we begin the meat of the match: Cole badly working on Lawler’s ankle.

Cole tries to stand on the ankle while leaning on the ropes but can only get his toes to reach it. A punt to the ankle is a bit better but Cole can’t get a Vader Bomb to work. Instead he does a bottom rope version for two as JR can’t believe it was a near fall. Cole takes the straps down and puts on the ankle lock but Lawler kicks him away. Lawler stomps him in the corner so Swagger throws in the towel, which Austin doesn’t seem to like.

Austin towels himself off and throws it back before giving Swagger a Stunner. Cole begs Austin for mercy but Lawler punches Cole down and hits the dropkick. The middle rope punch connects but Lawler pulls him up and grabs the ankle lock. Cole taps and Austin makes VERY certain that he’s giving up, slowly asking a few times before FINALLY calling for the bell at a mind numbing 13:48.

Post match beer is consumed, with Booker T. getting in for a Spinarooni and getting Stunned as well. Everyone is happy…..and we get an email from the Anonymous Raw General Manager. Since the Raw GM has authority over Wrestlemania, the GM says that Austin overstepped his bounds and Cole wins by DQ. Josh Matthews, who read the email, gets a Stunner of his own. A ticked off Austin rids away on his ATV and Lawler joins JR on commentary.

Rating: -F. Hokey smoke it’s worse than I remember. This is, without a doubt, the worst Wrestlemania match of all time. Where do you even start? Well first of all, the match ran the better part of thirty minutes when you add in the before and after. This should have been “Swagger distracts Lawler, Cole gets in some shots, Lawler Hulks Up, punches, dropkick, piledriver (if Cole would take it) or a flying fist drop, Lawler wins in about four minutes and we celebrate.

Instead, it’s Cole working on the ankle (which is a weird enough thing to do) in a “funny” way for far too long as the joke is run into the ground. That’s in addition to Lawler already tapping on the floor (fair enough as it’s to someone like Swagger, but it didn’t need to be there at all) and making him look like a loser right out of the blocks. The match itself is abysmal, but somehow that’s nowhere close to the biggest problem.

At the end of the day, all of those problems can be weakened a bit with Lawler getting the win in his first Wrestlemania match and wrapping up the Cole arc for good. That wouldn’t be a good way to go, but it would have at least been something position. BUT WAIT! Why do that when we can have Cole not only win, but win again at the next pay per view before Lawler FINALLY got his revenge at the end of May by beating Cole in about three minutes.

But why do that when you can kill the crowd instead? That stupid email sound going off guaranteed that things were about to go from bad to worse and there was no way around it. You could practically see Vince McMahon in an otherwise silent Gorilla Position cackling about how “THAT’S GOOD S*** PAL!” while everyone around him realizes that this was the dumbest thing they could have done. This was the dumbest finish to a Wrestlemania match ever and it’s in the running for worst finish to any match anywhere in history.

We look at Wrestlemania Week. All the charity stuff they do is cool.

We recap Undertaker vs. HHH. Undertaker beat Shawn Michaels last year and ended his career, so HHH is out for revenge and to end the Streak. That’s about all you need here, plus a Johnny Cash song of course.

Undertaker vs. HHH

No Holds Barred. HHH gets the big entrance behind a wall of shields and has Metallica’s For Whom The Bell Tolls, while Undertaker goes with Johnny Cash’s Ain’t No Grave. The bell rings and HHH pounds him into the corner, only to be thrown over the top for the early crash out to the floor. Undertaker sends him into the steps and then loads up the announcers’ table.

That takes too long so HHH spears him through the Cole Mine and goes back inside, where Undertaker comes back in for the slugout. The jumping clothesline drops HHH but Old School is broken up. They crash out to the floor and Undertaker is whipped into the barricade to bust it (and him) up a bit. HHH loads up the announcers’ table this time but the Pedigree is countered into a backdrop onto the floor. The slow stand up allows Undertaker to hit the big dive and they’re both down for a bit.

Undertaker loads up something onto the steps but gets spinebustered through the other announcers’ table instead. Back in and Undertaker hits a quick chokeslam for two but HHH rams him into the corner. For some reason HHH hammers down right hands and gets caught in the Last Ride. Thankfully he knows what will happen because Undertaker did it to him about ten years ago and slips out.

Another spinebuster gives HHH two and it’s time for the chair. One heck of a chair shots to the back has HHH in trouble, only for him to come back with a sudden Pedigree for two more. For some reason HHH tries to rain down right hands in the corner AGAIN, this time getting caught in the Last Ride for two and leaving Undertaker ticked off in the process. The Tombstone, complete with tongue, gets two and Undertaker grabs the chair.

Another Tombstone onto the chair is broken up and HHH hits a DDT onto the chair to leave them both down. They very slowly pull themselves up and it’s another Pedigree for another near fall. Another Pedigree gets another two and they’re both down again. Back up and HHH hits eight straight chair shots to the back but doesn’t cover, seemingly out of exhaustion. Or dramatic intensity.

Somehow Undertaker gets back up and it’s a chair to the head to knock him back down. That’s only good for a two so HHH hits his own Tombstone for two. This is treated like the biggest kickout ever and…yeah I still don’t buy it. I remember watching this live and actually saying out loud “you’re not Kane, that won’t work” and not being surprised at all by the kickout. With nothing else working, HHH grabs the sledgehammer but gets pulled into Hell’s Gate. The hold stays on for a good while and HHH drops the hammer before wearily tapping out at 29:24.

Rating: B+. Here’s the thing: it might not have the drama of the Michaels matches (it doesn’t) and it might not have the action of the Michaels matches (it doesn’t) but it’s still a heck of a fight. They didn’t bother with the wrestling side of things here and instead just beat the living daylights out of each other.

The problem here though is that despite everything that Undertaker went through, I never really bought the Streak being in jeopardy. It was more “how much is he going to survive” rather than “how much can he survive” and that brings it down a notch. Still though, it’s quite the fight and set up the much better rematch the following year.

Post match HHH is able to get out on his own and Undertaker slowly follows…but falls down on the way out of the ring. A golf cart has to come out and take Undertaker to the back, which is quite the exit for the winner while HHH walks out. Undertaker wouldn’t be back until January to set up the rematch.

John Morrison/Trish Stratus/Snooki vs. Dolph Ziggler/Laycool

Vickie Guerrero is here with the villains. While it isn’t mentioned anywhere here, this is the result of Snooki gust appearing on Raw and arguing with Guerrero, who helped Laycool beat Stratus that night. Snooki helped Stratus fight and the men were added shortly thereafter, setting this up.

It’s a brawl before the bell with Ziggler and Morrison having to break it up, with Ziggler earning a slap from Snooki. Stratus chops at McCool to start but she’s right back with a knockdown. The Faithbreaker is countered into a faceplant and Stratus slugs away some more. The Stratusphere is blocked and they crash to the floor, where Stratus has to cut off an invading Layla.

Stratus hits a Chick Kick on McCool and Morrison knocks Ziggler outside, setting up the Starship Pain to the floor. Snooki comes in for a handspring elbow and cartwheels over for a falling splash and the pin on McCool at 3:17. Snooki might have been in the ring for thirty seconds, which I believe is about thirty seconds more than Layla was legal.

Rating: D+. This was designed to have Snooki and WWE appear on various Hollywood shows and TMZ. That’s all it was going to be and while Snooki seemed to be putting in the effort, it wasn’t exactly much to see. Then again they were only out there for a few minutes so it couldn’t get that bad. Just not something that held much interest outside of the celebrity involvement, which is acceptable enough.

Tonight’s entertainment record for the building: 71,617. This is about 9,000 lower than a college football game, which isn’t entertainment and WWE isn’t a sport, at least for the sake of their record this time around.

We recap the Raw World Title match, which is one of the better videos WWE has ever done. Miz is standing with his back to the camera watching a bunch of monitors, showing videos jumping between clips of classic main eventers and Miz’s slow rise up WWE. Eventually he won the World Title (hi Miz Girl) and we see his face, with the song kicking in to say that he can’t stop now and you can keep hating him.

Miz talks about how you can hate him for what he is, which he’d rather be over something he isn’t. Like him or not, he’s the face of the WWE and he’s not stopping. Here’s the thing: no, Miz isn’t an all time star in the ring. No, he isn’t the best heel ever. No, he doesn’t feel like he belongs in the main event of Wrestlemania. The problem with that? He made it here, after starting with the wrestling equivalent of American Idol.

Miz put in the work and got SO MUCH FURTHER than anyone would have ever believed possible. That deserves all kinds of praise and while he’s a third wheel here, he’s defending the World Title in the main event of Wrestlemania. Not bad for a guy who wasn’t a wrestler or whatever the insults are about him this week.

Raw World Title: The Miz vs. John Cena

Miz, with Alex Riley, is defending and Cena got his shot by winning the Elimination Chamber. As a bonus, Miz and Riley walk through a series of balloons that spell out AWESOME and you can tell Miz is fired up. Cena’s Wrestlemania entrance is being sung out by a gospel choir, complete with a prayer over clips of Cena growing up and eventually becoming the huge star.

After the Big Match Intros, Cena shoves him down and grabs a hiptoss before we calm down a bit. Miz is able to knock him into the corner and stomp away, followed by the running corner clothesline. Cena grabs a gutwrench suplex and the top rope Fameasser for two each, only to miss a charge into the corner. Miz kicks him down for two and avoids the flying shoulder to send Cena outside.

Back in and Cena fires off the shoulders, which actually connect this time, followed by the Shuffle. It’s too early for the AA though and Miz’s short DDT gets two. A turnbuckle pad is pulled off so the referee replaces it, meaning a Cena small package doesn’t get a count. The pad is still not on but Cena blocks a ram into the buckle and grabs the STF. Miz makes the rope so Riley sends Cena into the buckle, setting up the Skull Crushing Finale for two.

The referee gets bumped, just before Cena hits the AA, meaning there’s still no count. Riley comes in with a briefcase (he has a briefcase) shot to give Miz two so Miz grabs the briefcase, only to hit Riley by mistake. They go outside and Cena clotheslines Miz over the barricade. That’s not enough as Cena tackles Miz over another barricade, with Miz’s head bouncing off the concrete (yes he had a concussion and no he doesn’t remember anything about the match). They’re both down and it’s a double countout at 14:40.

The fans are not pleased but here is the Rock…who is cut off by an email from the Raw General Manager. JR and Lawler both offer to read the email but Rock has them sit down. Rock reads the email, which starts with “I think” but Rock doesn’t seem to care. As the host of this show, Rock is restarting this match, No DQ (Lawler should be ticked off as Rock didn’t get involved earlier but we can just add that to the dumb things about that mess). The bell rings, Cena throws Miz back inside, Rock gives Cena a Rock Bottom, Miz retains at 19:40 total.

Rating: D-. And no. They were trying with some of the shenanigans to get Miz in there, but it was a stupid finish, despite the legitimate concussion. Have Miz get disqualified for cheating or something, but come up with something a bit better than this. The ending didn’t help either, as having Rock just come out and restart the match came out of nowhere, though I guess it’s better than the GM overturning a match. Miz was trying but the chemistry wasn’t there and the ending was awful, so there was only so much they could do, which didn’t wind up working.

Post match Miz is clearly somewhere over Pluto but Rock goes in to beat him up anyway. The spinebuster sets up the People’s Elbow and Rock celebrates to end the show. Cena wouldn’t be happy and the next night, Rock vs. Cena would be set up for a year later, which they actually stuck to, much to my shock, and yeah the build was incredible, despite a not so great start.

The long highlight package wraps us up.

Overall Rating: C-. There are parts of this show that work, with Mysterio vs. Rhodes, Punk vs. Orton and of course the HHH vs. Undertaker match, but that’s not enough to overcome the gaping holes that are the main event and Lawler vs. Cole. Rock didn’t do much here, save for the stuff at the end and that’s not exactly enough. The show isn’t the worst Wrestlemania ever, but it has two really big problems and those are enough to bring it down. Just watch some selected matches here and move on, because it’s not a great Wrestlemania.

Ratings Comparison

Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan

Original: N/A
2013 Redo: N/A
2015 Redo: N/A
2026 Redo: C+

Battle Royal

Original: N/A
2013 Redo: N/A
2015 Redo: N/A
2026 Redo: D+

Edge vs. Alberto Del Rio

Original: C+
2013 Redo: C+
2015 Redo: C+
2026 Redo: C+

Cody Rhodes vs. Rey Mysterio

Original: B
2013 Redo: B-
2015 Redo: B
2026 Redo: B

Corre vs. Kane/Santino Marella/Kofi Kingston/Big Show

Original: N/A
2013 Redo: N/A
2015 Redo: N/A
2026 Red: N/A

CM Punk vs. Randy Orton

Original: B-
2013 Redo: B
2015 Redo: B-
2026 Redo: B

Michael Cole vs. Jerry Lawler

Original: C
2013 Redo: D-
2015 Redo: D
2026 Redo: -F

Undertaker vs. HHH

Original: B
2013 Redo: B
2015 Redo: A-
2025 Redo: B+

Snooki/Trish Stratus/John Morrison vs. Dolph Ziggler/Laycool

Original: N/A
2013 Redo: D+
2015 Redo: D
2026 Redo: D+

Miz vs. John Cena

Original: C-
2013 Redo: D-
2015 Redo: D-
2026 Redo: D-

Overall Rating

Original: C-
2013 Redo: D
2015 Redo: C-
2026 Redo: C-

Yeah pretty much the same as last time, which is a rarity.

 

 

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

My favorite TNA match ever…and some other stuff.

 

https://411mania.com/wrestling/halls-tna-lockdown-2005-review/

AAA On FOX
Date: April 4, 2026
Location: Show Center Complex, Monterrey, Mexico
Commentators: John Bradshaw Layfield, Corey Graves, Rey Mysterio

We’re finally done with Rey de Reyes and it’s time to start doing something new around here. In this case that means we have some title matches coming up, including new Rey de Reyes El Grande Americano challenging Dominik Mysterio for the Mega Title. That should be enough to carry things for a bit, but hopefully there is some more to keep things interesting. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long Rey de Reyes recap.

Tokyo Bad Boys vs. Lince Dorado/El Mesias/Mecha Wolf

The Boys are Nobu, Takuma and Kento. Dorado offers Nobu a handshake to start and kicks him in the ribs but Nobu is back with a dropkick. The other Boys get in some slaps from the apron and it’s off to Wolf vs. Takuma. Wolf tries to pick up the pace but gets kicked down, with Takuma being rather fired up.

It’s off to Mesias, with JBL sounding rather pleased on commentary. Some triple teaming slows Mesias down and it’s a triple dropkick to make it worse. That’s shrugged off and Mesias clears the ring in a hurry before it’s Kento getting back inside. Mesias and Wolf hit some clotheslines in the corner, setting up Mesias’ powerslam for two. Wolf suplexes him into a kind of snap Jackhammer (commentary isn’t sure what to call it either) for two more.

Dorado gets in on the near falls with a Backstabber before Mesias hits a sliding lariat for another two. A kick to the face just seems to annoy Kento though and he enziguris Mesias to escape. Nobu is back in to strike away and Takuma adds a missile dropkick to put Mesias outside. Back up and Nobu gets double gorilla pressed onto Mesias, followed by a dive and top rope moonsault onto the other two.

The fans approve of the Boys, including Nobu suplexing Mesias for two more. Mesias is back with a double spear and a powerbomb to Takuma but Kento gets in a clothesline. Dorado hits a double Golden Rewind and a big flipping dive, leaving Mesias to Downward Spiral Takuma for the pin at 11:12.

Rating: B. Mesias was like a big statue who happened to be able to move a bit, though he looked so much different than anyone else out there that it made up for his mobility issues. The other guys were flying all over the place, with the Boys showing off some great speed and athleticism. This was all about getting in as much stuff as they could and it worked better than I would have bet on. Good stuff.

Earlier this week, Nathan Frazer was trying to learn Spanish to come to the show. Axiom came in and it turns out they’re on different teams tonight. They seem cool with it though.

Reina de Reinas: Sussy Love vs. Flammer

Flammer is defending and, after the Big Match Intros, throws her down with ease. Love cuts off a kick so Flammer hits her in the face in a change of pace. Flammer gets tied in the ropes so Love hits a quick springboard elbow. With Flammer on the floor, Love tries to pull her back in by the hair, which doesn’t quite work as Flammer gets in a neck snap. Back in and Flammer grabs a camel clutch but Love is back up with some crossbodies. A German suplex connects for Love and a middle rope moonsault gets two. Flammer is right back with a Codebreaker though and a running dropkick against the ropes retains the title at 4:08.

Rating: C+. They only had so much time here and while I was expecting Love to potentially steal the title right before Flammer’s big celebration, that wasn’t exactly the case. Instead this was Flammer shutting Love down and winning in pretty dominant fashion. Love wasn’t bad, but that wasn’t the point of a match like this one.

Video on Penta agreeing to defend the Intercontinental Title against El Hijo del Vikingo.

Penta talks about all of the changes that have taken place over the last year, which have mainly centered around WWE buying AAA. He loves being a part of the rise of a Mexican wrestling company but would love to see his brother win some gold of his own. The only way to pay the fans back for believing in him is to defend the Intercontinental Title in Mexico and he’s ready to do it against Vikingo. Catchphrases ensue.

Nathan Frazer/Charlie Dempsey/Tristan Angels vs. Elio LeFleur/Dorian Van Dux/Axiom

Angels and Dux (pronounced Dukes) are from Evolve and this is UK vs. Europe. Dempsey and Axiom start things off with Axiom taking him down to work on the arms. That’s reversed into quite the variety of arm cranking from Dempsey, who gets reversed into an Octopus. Dempsey makes the rope so Axiom grabs a suplex to send it off to Frazer for the big partner showdown.

We don’t actually get the fight as Angels tags himself in and gets taken down by Dux’s hurricanrana. LeFleur dives in to take Angels down again but Frazer flips over him in the corner. Frazer and LeFleur trade some flips until Frazer scores with a dropkick. Angels comes in for a suplex and stomps LeFleur out of the corner. Dempsey comes in for two off a wheelbarrow suplex but LeFleur pulls Frazer out of the air with a neckbreaker (nicely done).

A rolling tag brings in the rather muscular Dux to clean house, with a cutter getting two on Angels. Dempsey butterfly superplexes Dux for two, with LeFleur’s diving splash making the save. NOW we get the Fraxiom battle, with Frazer hitting a superkick, only for Axiom to superkick his moonsault out of the air.

Frazer kicks him down again and goes up, where Axiom is waiting with a super Spanish Fly. Angels makes the save and everything breaks down with a parade of knockdowns to leave everyone down. Dux throws Axiom over the top onto Frazer and Dempsey, leaving LeFleur to give Angels a headscissors driver for the pin at 11:54.

Rating: B+. Take two teams, let them go nuts for about twelve minutes. That’s exactly as this was advertised and then it wound up going well. I had a great time with this, which went all over the place and even gave us the teased Fraxiom fight. What matters the most is having everyone get in some stuff and show off, which is what we got here. I want to see more of the people I hadn’t seen much before and that’s a rather nice bonus to the entertaining action.

Flammer promises a big celebration next week to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. It was a total throwaway show with pretty much nothing going on as far as plot points, but dang it was fun with the action we got instead. This was all about the two six man tags, with Flammer’s match being entertaining as well. It’s absolutely not a show that you need to see, but dang it’s a fun sit for under an hour.

Results
Lince Dorado/El Mesias/Mecha Wolf b. Tokyo Bad Boys – Downward Spiral to Takuma
Flammer b. Sussy Love – Running dropkick against the ropes
Elio LeFleur/Dorian Van Dux/Axiom b. Nathan Frazer/Charlie Dempsey/Tristan Angels – Headscissor driver to Angels

 

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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Stand & Deliver 2026
Date: April 4, 2026
Location: The Factory At The District, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s the biggest NXT show of the year and this time around it’s on the road, outside of Orlando. For a bit of a twist, this year’s show is also not taking place over Wrestlemania Weekend, which should give it a bit more focus. There are a few multi challenger title matches taking place this year so let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Birthright vs. Hank & Tank/Shiloh Hill/EK Prosper/Wren Sinclair

The brawl is on before the bell and Connors is powered into the corner to officially get things going. Tank picks Stacks up and throws him over the top onto the pile at ringside for the big crash. Dempsey comes in to uppercut away on Hank and the rest of the team takes out the other good guys. Hank fights out of that and brings Sinclair in to chop away at Grace. Dempsey has to break up the Final Wrench and the women hit stereo faceplants.

Prosper (the new name for Eli Knight) comes in to clean house but Grace’s distraction causes him to get shoved out to the floor. Sinclair chops away at Dempsey and gives him a suplex as everything breaks down again, with commentary having no clue who is legal. Prosper hits a crazy double springboard moonsault onto the floor, leaving Hank & Tank to crush Dempsey. Hill’s pop up neckbreaker gets the pin at 6:33.

Rating: C+. This was exactly what it needed to be, as they didn’t overstay their welcome but still had a fast paced match to start the night. No one really had time to stand out but Prosper did well in the time he had. The match was a nice little bonus that didn’t hurt anything, which is all you need from a Kickoff Show match.

Here is Shawn Michaels to introduce Sexyy Red as the show’s host.

The opening video looks at St. Louis as the gateway to the west. It turns into a regular look at the card and we’re ready to go.

We recap the Women’s Title match. Jacy Jayne needed a challenger but Kendal Grey and Lola Vice went to a double finish so it’s a triple threat. I’ll take that over Jayne interfering to set up a triple threat like a moron.

Women’s Title: Lola Vice vs. Kendal Grey vs. Jacy Jayne

Jayne, with Fatal Influence, is defending and Wren Sinclair is here with Grey. Jayne shoves both of them to start but gets sent outside, leaving the other two to grapple. Back in and Jayne rolls them both up for two each with Grey being knocked outside. Everyone gets back inside and it’s a double dropkick to put Vice and Jayne back inside. Jayne pulls Grey outside and sends her into the steps.

Vice hits Jayne with a running seated senton off the apron and takes Jayne back inside. A distraction lets Jayne get in a kick to the back and a backbreaker gets two. Grey is back in so Jayne sends both of them into the corner for a cannonball and Vice is sent outside. Jayne gives Grey a facebuster into a clothesline for two but Vice tries to come back in. That earns her a neckbreaker over the rope to put her outside again, leaving Jayne to kick Grey back down.

Back in and something like a Tower Of Doom doesn’t quite work and it’s Vice up to strike away at Grey. The running hip attacks hit Grey and Jayne but Grey is back with a German suplexes to Grace. The straps come down and Grey snaps off the German suplexes, only for Jayne to knee her down for two more.

Vice drops Jayne for two but gets sent outside, leaving Grey to ankle lock Jayne (as the screen goes black over and over). Back in and the strikes are on with Grey putting Jayne down, only to have Vice put the foot on the rope. Fatal Influence offers a distraction so Sinclair chases them off, leaving Vice to choke Grey, who flips over. With that broken up, Jayne hits a hard shot to knock Grey outside. That allows Vice to hit the spinning backfist to take out Jayne for the pin and the title at 16:16.

Rating: B. This got rolling near the end as they didn’t stop with the intensity and energy. Vice almost had to win here as she had come close so many times without actually getting over the finish line. Grey’s time will come and Jayne very well may be on her way up to the main roster, so this was the right way to go all around.

Evolve’s Kali Armstrong (a powerhouse) is coming to NXT.

Tag Team Titles: Los Americanos vs. Vanity Project

The Project, with Jackson Drake, is defending and El Grande Americano is here with Los Americanos. Bravo armdrags Smokes down to start and fires off some right hands. Rayo tags himself in and Smokes gets crotched on the post. It’s off to Baylor, who gets taken down for some double knees to the ribs.

Bravo is back in to hammer away in the corner but Smokes’ distraction lets Baylor take over for the first time. That doesn’t last long as Bravo escapes for the tag to Rayo, whose top rope moonsault gets two on Baylor. Smokes gets a blind tag though and hits a spear for two of his own, only for Rayo to hit a sunset bomb. Baylor is right back in with a brainbuster onto the knee for two.

That doesn’t last long and it’s Bravo getting the tag for a high crossbody. The spinning torture rack is broken up so Bravo suplexes both of them at once. A spinning hangman’s neckbreaker gets two and Rayo comes in for a Michinoku Driver/dropkick combination. Smokes cuts him off though and the Super Swipe (assisted swinging Rock Bottom) gets two on Rayo. It’s time to go after the mask but Rayo snaps off an X Plex for two. Americano lets Bravo load up the mask but the Project cuts him off with an assisted DDT for a rather near fall.

Smokes unloads Bravo’s mask though and knees Rayo outside. That doesn’t last long as it’s a super hurricanrana into a frog splash for a rather close two and everything breaks down again. Bop and Bang puts Smokes down and the Bigger End hits Baylor. Americano cuts off an interfering Drake on the floor but Baylor hits a flipping dive. Drake gets in a cheap shot to Bravo though and it’s a top rope double stomp/reverse DDT combination to retain at 13:28.

Rating: B-. This wound up being a lot more entertaining than I was expecting, with the Project being able to hang with a more experienced team. The Americano stuff is still such over the top goofiness that it wound up working. I wasn’t buying a title change, but at least they had a good time on the way there.

We look back at the Kickoff Show match.

Shiloh Hill and Tatum Paxley are happy over their recent success. Sexyy Red comes in and Paxley is excited, but Ricky Saints comes in and isn’t impressed.

We recap Zaria vs. Sol Ruca. They were partners but Ruca wound up having a lot more success, despite trying to help Zaria. This led to jealousy and Zaria turned on her, setting up this match, even though the issue continues to be “Zaria never wins anything”.

Zaria vs. Sol Ruca

Ruca charges in to jump Zaria and start fast. A basement superkick puts Zaria down but she sends Ruca throat first into the rope. Ruca is sent outside, where she’s able to kick Zaria to the floor. Zaria is right back up with a fireman’s carry drop onto the steps, followed by a backdrop back inside. A superkick knocks Zaria out of the air but she’s right back with a fall away slam for two.

Zaria’s curb stomp gets two but Ruca escapes a choke in the corner. A super hurricanrana sends Zaria flying and they slug it out with Ruca getting the better of things, including some elbows to the face. Ruca’s middle rope dropkick hits Zaria and a clothesline lets them crash out to the floor. Back in and the Sol Snatcher is broken up with a superkick but they go outside onto the steel ramp.

Ruca escapes a chokeslam and Sol Snatches Zaria onto the steel. Zaria gets up so Ruca hits a second Sol Snatcher for two back inside. Another springboard earns Ruca a spear and Zaria grabs the F5 for two more. We pause for a potential reunion but Zaria headbutts her a bunch of times. The fireman’s carry is taken to the middle rope but Ruca hits a super X Factor into another Sol Snatcher for the pin at 13:08.

Rating: B. It was a good fight and Ruca pinned her clean, which is another devastating loss for Zaria. As was the case coming into this, she just hadn’t won anything and that’s not a good sign. I’m not sure what is left for her around here, though Ruca can move up to either the title picture or just on to the main roster. They had a good match, though I’m not sure on the result.

Lola vice is happy with her win and there is going to be a celebration on NXT. Sexyy Red comes in for some dancing.

North American Title: Johnny Gargano vs. Myles Borne

Gargano, with Candice LeRae, is challenging. The idea is Gargano is in a horrible rut so he’s back here in an attempt to recapture his old success. The bigger Borne shoves him down to start and works on an early armbar. A running shoulder puts Gargano down and he just lays there (as he’s been doing on Smackdown) but it’s a ruse to hit a dropkick to send Borne outside.

Borne tries to get back inside, where a fired up Gargano clotheslines him outside. An Angle Slam into the post cuts Gargano off and Borne whips him hard into the corner back inside. A powerslam gives Borne two and he bends Gargano’s spine over the knee. Back up and Gargano is able to avoid a charge into the post, setting up the slingshot spear for two. Gargano’s cranking on the arm is broken up though and Borne hammers away with right hands in the corner.

That’s reversed into the Cheeky Nandos kick and a sunset bomb gives Gargano two. Naturally Gargano hits the suicide dive but Borne gives him a super powerslam for two back inside. A dropkick and German suplex rock Gargano, who charges into a Death Valley Driver onto the knee. That sends Gargano out to the ramp, where Borne catches him with a diving clothesline.

Gargano is right back with a DDT and One Final Beat but Borne counters the Gargano Escape into Borne Again for two. Borne’s Boston Crab attempt is countered into a rollup for two and LeRae gets in a cheap shot. The Gargano Escape has the bad arm in trouble but he crawls over to the rope. Another One Final Beat is blocked though and it’s a slingshot Borne Again into Borne Again to retain the title at 14:34.

Rating: B. This was a way to give Borne some more credibility and it worked fine. Borne had to beat a former NXT Champion and main roster star, which he did in a big way. It was nice to have the old Gargano back, even for one night, and I’m not sure where he’s going on Smackdown. Borne gets to move on to his next challenger though, which is what he should be doing.

Post match respect seems to be shown but Dion Lennox runs in to chair Borne down.

Sol Ruca says that was her hardest match yet and now she’s coming after the gold. Izzi Dame comes in to say not so fast and a match seems to be set.

We recap the Women’s North American Title match. Tatum Paxley finally finished the feud with Izzi Dame but Blake Monroe, the former champion, stole the title to set up this fight.

Women’s North American Title: Blake Monroe vs. Tatum Paxley

Monroe is challenging despite coming in with the belt itself. Paxley jumps her to start and hits a knee to the face, followed by a Gory Stretch into a painful looking stretch. That’s broken up and Monroe takes her down to hammer away for a change. Paxley sends her into the corner for a running crossbody to the ribs but Monroe catches her on the top. The anklescissors brings Paxley crashing down, with her shoulder getting banged up in the process.

Naturally Monroe is right on the shoulder, though she makes sure to shove Paxley around a bit as well. A Crossface has Paxley in more trouble but she’s able to get up for a jumping enziguri. Paxley hits a German suplex into another enziguri, followed by a flipping Fameasser for two. A superkick drops Monroe but Paxley can’t immediately follow up. Instead they kick away at each other from the mat, with Paxley getting the better of things

Paxley puts her on top for a superplex rolled into a suplex but Monroe is right back up. Another suplex cuts Monroe off so she heads to the apron, where she grabs a sunset bomb to Paxley. The comeback is cut off again though and Monroe gets in a belt shot for a rather near fall. Paxley is sent into an exposed turnbuckle and a DDT gives Monroe two. Monroe is shocked but Paxley is right back with the Cemetery Drive for the retaining pin at 13:20.

Rating: B-. Paxley was coming off like a superhero here and it was fun to see her getting to do that for a change. I’m not sure how long she’s going to be on this sort of a roll, but you can’t argue how well it’s going at the moment. The division needs some fresh stars so why not see how far it can go? It’s not like there are several better options at the moment.

Saquon Shuggars isn’t happy with Dion Lennox getting another shot, but things calm down a bit as Lennox has a plan for all of them.

Video on Josh Briggs vs. Keanu Carver vs. Jasper Troy before their triple threat on Tuesday.

Here’s what’s coming on next week’s show.

Tatum Paxley celebrates with her friends. The Vanity Project comes up and doesn’t get it, but Blake Monroe wants to talk to them. They seem to get that.

We recap Joe Hendry defending the NXT Title in a four way. Ricky Saints and Ethan Page are reluctant partners who want the title back, while Tony D’Angelo wants his first title reign. Go.

NXT Title: Joe Hendry vs. Ricky Saints vs. Ethan Page vs. Tony D’Angelo

Hendry is defending and it’s one fall to a finish. After the Big Match Intros, Hendry and D’Angelo clear out the villains to start but they’re right back up. Hendry gets to clean house and drops Page onto D’Angelo for a big crash. The delayed suplex gets two on Saints but Page is back in with a big boot to Hendry.

With D’Angelo on the floor, Page and Saints start double teaming Hendry, meaning we get some double posing. A double suplex drops Hendry again but page and Saints argue over the cover. They get back together to put D’Angelo on the floor again and it’s a TKO to Hendry, with Page and Saints getting a double near fall. Page and Saints try a PowerPlex to Hendry but Page’s top rope splash hits Saints (Page: “SORRY!”).

D’Angelo is back in with a spear but gets knocked back down, leaving all four needing a breather. D’Angelo’s spinebuster drops Hendry but Page and Saints are back up to plant D’Angelo on the floor. That just lets Hendry hit a big dive onto the two of them but the Standing Ovation is broken up back inside. Hendry gets to clean house with fall away slams but D’Angelo is back in with suplexes of his own.

D’Angelo spears Hendry down twice in a row but Saints grabs a chair and takes over. Page doesn’t like this though and the alliance finally breaks down, with Page putting him through the cover of the announcers’ table. D’Angelo spears both of them off the steps and through the table (with the candy flying). Back in and D’Angelo spears Hendry, setting up the spinebuster for the pin and the title at 16:03.

Rating: B. Another fast paced match here, with what was the most logical ending. I’m really not sure I can imagine Hendry staying in NXT that much longer as putting him on the main roster is hardly the craziest idea. If nothing else, it gives the fans someone new to cheer for, while D’Angelo gets his chance to run as a big star. Saints and Page were always going to turn on each other and this was a good enough way to make it happen. Solid main event here, though it never got to that higher level.

D’Angelo celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This was kind of a toned down version of the old Takeovers, with a bunch of good stuff and nothing resembling a bad match. While it didn’t have anything great like you would get in the Takeover days, it felt like a big night and I liked what we got out of the whole thing. This is basically the season finale for NXT and we’ll pick things up again on Tuesday with some fresh blood on top, which could mean some new names on the main roster. That’s what happens in a place like NXT and maybe this was setting up for the future. Or maybe it was just a pretty awesome show.

Results
Hank & Tank/Shiloh Hill/EK Prosper/Wren Sinclair b. Birthright – Belly to back neckbreaker to Dempsey
Lola Vice b. Kendal Grey and Jacy Jayne – Spinning backfist to Jayne
Vanity Project b. Los Americanos – Top rope double stomp/reverse DDT combination to Bravo
Sol Ruca b. Zaria – Sol Snatcher
Myles Borne b. Johnny Gargano – Borne Again
Tatum Paxley b. Blake Monroe – Cemetery Drive
Tony D’Angelo b. Joe Hendry, Ricky Saints and Ethan Page – Spinebuster to Hendry

 

 

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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This is a bit of a change to the usual schedule as the show has been moved from its traditional Wrestlemania Weekend spot, which in a way does put more focus on the show. It’s now the biggest wrestling show of the weekend and it gets its of day for a change of pace. The card is still the most important of the year for NXT so hopefully they make it work. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Hank & Tank/Shiloh Hill/EK Prosper/Wren Sinclair vs. Birthright

Prosper is the new name for Eli Knight because wrestling is weird. This is a rare pre-show match featuring a stable which isn’t exactly feeling like the biggest deal but the other side is quite the mixed grouping. For a match that isn’t likely to get much time and mainly be little more than a way to warm up the audience, it should be a fun way to go and that’s all it needs to be.

Since it’s just a Kickoff Show match, I’ll take the good guys to win here, as it is the kind of win that can wake the fans up a bit and watch an annoying heel group take a loss. At the same time, Birthright isn’t exactly doing well thus far, but it kind of fits well with the people on the team. Maybe they’ll win to give them the tiniest bit of momentum, but I’ll go with the heroes to win here.

Tag Team Titles: Vanity Project(c) vs. Los Americanos

This is one of those ideas that makes all the sense in the world and it should be a nice, basic storytelling device. The Project is a team with very little status in NXT, to the point where they literally fell into some wins. That is something that needs to be developed, even if it is a couple of clueless guys who manage to pull off some upsets. Hence how we’ve gotten here.

Los Americanos are here to make the champs look good, which they will do as the Project retains. It’s a simple idea and something that could go rather well, albeit after a fun match. Los Americanos are a joke everyone gets but they can still do well enough in the ring to make this work. Either way, they’re losing to the Project here, as WWE seems to see a lot in the inept champs.

Women’s North American Title: Tatum Paxley(c) vs. Blake Monroe

I’m already not sure which way to go here, as this one really could go either way. Monroe is a former champion but really doesn’t seem to have gotten very far. She’s ok at what she does, but there isn’t much that really makes her stand out. Winning the title back could help that, but I’m not sure what she is supposed to do then. At the same time you have Paxley, who has turned into something of a breakout star.

I’ll go with Paxley to retain here, though I’m not how sure I am about the pick. Ultimately, Paxley feels like she has the bigger upside as she is just now breaking out on her own. Monroe comes off more like someone who is pretty much exactly what you’ll get out of her no matter what, which doesn’t leave much in the way of development. Paxley winning makes more sense, though it’s far from a guarantee.

North American Title: Myles Borne(c) vs. Johnny Gargano

This is your Special Guest Star match of the show and there are far worse choices. Borne has really blossomed in the last few months and become one of the more reliable midcard hands in NXT. At the same time, he’s still relatively new as champion and there aren’t many better ways to boost him up than by having him defend the title against the most successful (or at least most prolific) champion in history.

I don’t see any reason to expect a title change here, though there is always the chance that Gargano gets the belt back to boost him up a bit. At the same time, that would be a heck of a demotion for him, even if he hasn’t felt like the biggest star on Smackdown. Borne could get a lot out of the win though and we’ll go with him doing just that, as he should given how well things have been going for him in recent months.

Sol Ruca vs. Zaria

Here we have the classic “they were friends and partners but one got jealous” feud, which is something that has worked for years in wrestling and will work well enough for these two. Ultimately though, the problem comes down to one issue: Zaria has never really won anything. Ruca feels like she is on the verge of becoming a much bigger star, but that doesn’t leave much for Zaria to do. That’s where this match comes in.

Unless WWE is just cutting bait on Zaria, she has every reason in the world to win here. Ruca has already won titles and appeared on the main roster. She is more than ready to move on to something bigger. On the other hand you have Zaria, who needs to win SOMETHING and there is no reason to wait on it here. Zaria absolutely needs this one more and I think she’ll get it.

Women’s Title: Jacy Jayne(c) vs. Kendal Grey vs. Lola Vice

Now we get into the complicated stuff as I could see this one going any way. On one hand you have Vice, who has been built up as a big deal time after time but lost every shot. Then you have Grey, who is pretty clearly in line to become a top star in the division before moving up to do the same thing on the main roster. Finally you have Jayne, who has overcome the odds time after time. So where does that leave us?

While my first instinct is to say that Jayne wins here and shocks the audience again, I think I’ll actually take Vice here. At some point, she needs to actually win a singles title and I’ll go with her finally getting some (non AAA Mixed) gold. It’s the match that I’m the least confident in on the entire card, but Vice needs his one more than the other two. Grey will have her time, but it isn’t going to come here.

NXT Title: Joe Hendry(c) vs. Ricky Saints vs. Ethan Page vs. Tony D’Angelo

Finally we have this one, which in a way feels like a souped up triple threat rather than a four way. Saints and Page are basically functioning as a team, though it feels more like a matter of time before they stab each other in the back. Granted that doesn’t mean they’re going to split up for good, but thinking of them as one person makes things a bit less complicated. It just doesn’t really make me any more sure about who is leaving with the title.

I can’t imagine Saints or Page leaving (as much as I could go for Page regaining the title), so that leaves us with two options. D’Angelo has been hunting for the title and it’s pretty much the only thing that he hasn’t won in NXT. That being said, I just can’t imagine Hendry losing the title here, so I’ll take Hendry to retain, likely pinning Page or Saints, and having a singles showdown with D’Angelo later. I could absolutely see D’Angelo winning here, but I’ll officially say Hendry retains.

Overall Thoughts

This show has the potential to be quite the success, though there isn’t a match on the card that feels must see. The good thing is that it very well could be a case of the sum of its parts being better than the individual pieces, and we could be in for a solid night. It’s an experiment which could go rather well and I’m curious to see what NXT can do with this kind of a chance to shine on its own.

 

 

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

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Smackdown
Date: April 3, 2026
Location: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Joe Tessitore

We could be in for a big one here, as we are in Randy Orton’s hometown and Orton has teased what we’ll be finding out who has been calling him lately. That opens up a bunch of options, but hopefully it gets the fans to actually boo him. Unfortunately, the whole “it’s Orton’s hometown” might make that difficult. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Stephanie McMahon slapping Cody Rhodes on Raw, warning him that he needs to wake up before Randy Orton knocks him into tomorrow.

Here is Orton to quite the hometown reception. After picking something off the microphone, Orton talks about how this is his hometown, but he’s not doing it for everyone here. He’s doing this for the six people right here in the front row, meaning his family. At Wrestlemania, Orton is winning his fifteenth World Title and bringing it back to St. Louis while Rhodes loses empty handed.

Rhodes gave him permission to listen to the voices and now Rhodes has no idea what is waiting for him. Orton saw him at the Garden with Stephanie McMahon on Raw and McMahon was absolutely right about what this is going to mean. Cue Rhodes for the fight and beats Orton down in the corner….but Pat McAfee comes in and kicks him low. Yes that McAfee.

The big beatdown is on, with Orton beating on Rhodes with a chair while McAfee insults the St. Louis sports teams. McAfee talks about how he said he felt WWE passed him by but Orton called him to talk about how things should be. The reality is that McAfee is sick of modern wrestling and watching 5’5 guys have an Iron Man match while RANDY ORTON is available.

There are tickets still available for Wrestlemania while Orton is on the card and we’re coming off the lowest rated Smackdown in a long time. Rhodes is leading this company in the wrong direction and at Wrestlemania, Orton is going to save it. The beating continues with McAfee confirming that he’s been the one on the phone and the villains leave as Nick Aldis and company come in.

We see them going back through the gorilla position as Rhodes is helped up. I have absolutely no idea how this is seen as their best option, as the idea is McAfee is standing up for the good old days? As in the McAfee who has been the biggest WWE cheerleader imaginable? It doesn’t make much sense and the fans really weren’t booing Orton at all (shocking in his hometown) so I have no idea what this accomplished.

Post break Orton and McAfee leave in McAfee’s truck (which is of course a Dodge Ram, which is the big logo in the middle of the ring).

Rhea Ripley vs. Michin

B-Fab is here with Michin. Ripley powers her into the corner to start and here is Jade Cargill as Ripley hits a fall away slam. Michin’s German suplex takes Ripley down and Michin hammers away as we take a break. We come back with Ripley still in trouble but she fights up with some clotheslines. The belly to back faceplant sets up a basement dropkick and a not great Razor’s Edge. The running knee gives Ripley two but Michin is back with a poisonrana. A sitout powerbomb gives Michin two but Ripley knocks her down again. The Prism Trap finishes Michin at 9:15.

Rating: C. This was WAY too much offense from Michin, as the win didn’t make Ripley feel like a big star ready to come after Cargill but rather made her look a lot weaker. At the end of the day, Michin and B-Fab have been made to look rather ineffective in recent months and Ripley should be running through either of them. I’m not sure what they were thinking here and Ripley’s finisher did look good, but this wasn’t the right way to go.

Post match the villains are in for the beatdown but Iyo Sky runs in for the save as the numbers even up a bit.

Matt Cardona is getting his wrist looked at when Aleister Black and Zelina come in. Black suggests that Cardona deserved this and a match is set for tonight.

Solo Sikoa says Uncle Howdy wants to fight for the lantern tonight but Sikoa isn’t letting the lantern out of his sight. So who is stepping up? Tama Tonga asks why they’re fighting for the lantern when it’s so much of a problem. Sikoa tells him to go face Howdy and don’t screw this up.

Rhea Ripley is glad to have Iyo Sky here because she needed backup and they are bloody unstoppable.

Tama Tonga vs. Uncle Howdy

Howdy pounds him into the corner to start but Tonga is back with some right hands and headbutts in the ropes. We take a break and come back with Tonga mocking Howdy but diving into the Mandible Claw. That’s broken up and here comes Sikoa, which is enough of a distraction for Sister Abigail to finish Tonga at 7:15.

Rating: C+. There was barely any time here and the point of the match was to further the issues between Tonga and Sikoa more than anything else. At the same time, this feud has been going on for a long time now so it’s time to wrap it up already. I’d rather they do something like this than have a huge showdown at Wrestlemania, though that might still be happening.

Post match Sikoa and Tonga argue over the lantern but Howdy gets it back.

Kit Wilson is complaining about his bad luck to Miz, who insists there is no curse. They run into R-Truth, who is insisting on how water in the hot tub in the new Judgment Day clubhouse. Wilson and Miz don’t like him because he keeps getting lucky despite never taking anything seriously. They want him to take one thing seriously….and Truth accepts their challenge for a Tag Team Title shot tonight. Granted they didn’t ask, but they’ll take it. Miz/Wilson: “Master, inspire, zone-in.”

So we…wait. Master, inspire, zone-in. In today’s “I’m an idiot”, I never before realized that spelled MIZ.

Jacob Fatu is ready for Drew McIntyre. Yes he has a criminal past, but he’s ready to get violent at Wrestlemania.

Sami Zayn talks to Nick Aldis and is ready for the US Title celebration…but Trick Williams’ music kicks him off.

Here is Williams, along with rapper Lil Yachty. Williams talks about how he brought out his own star power because he’s ready to take out the ginger at Wrestlemania. He doesn’t want any ginger ale, ginger tea or ginger snaps. For now, he wants Zayn’s pyro (which Zayn was so happy about), which goes off, but comes complete with Zayn interrupting

Zayn thinks Williams is getting a bit too excited and that he’s never been about the over the top reactions. At Wrestlemania, he’s going to humble Williams’ a**. Zayn: “I think ginger snap is pretty upset.” Williams says he’s the reason Zayn won the US Title, which brings out Carmelo Hayes to interrupt. Hayes says he and Williams have a long history and they’ll deal with that later. Zayn did something last week that Hayes didn’t like and Hayes isn’t letting Zayn get into the endzone after Hayes did the work.

The fans here want Melo instead of Zayn and he wants his rematch. Zayn says he thinks the world of Hayes, but the Wrestlemania match is set. They’ll just have to do this after Wrestlemania. Williams: “AWW COME ON GINGER ALE!” Zayn says he thinks he had Hayes beat last week but we’ll never know because Williams got involved.

The reality is Zayn has called out a bunch of people for taking advantage of things. Hayes tells Zayn to do the right thing so Zayn eventually agrees to the rematch tonight. Works for Hayes, who leaves. Williams says “Ginger Snap” could have said that a long time ago so Zayn clotheslines him to the floor. Williams continues to have so much charisma and comes off as such a star.

Solo Sikoa yells at Tama Tonga about losing the lantern but Tonga wants the team to get back to getting all the titles. Sikoa agrees and says they should finish the Wyatts and then get back to business. Tonga agrees and they seem good.

Aleister Black vs. Matt Cardona

Zelina is here with Black, who gets armdragged down. That banged up Cardona’s bad arm though and he can’t hit a backdrop. Black goes after the arm and takes over, including a legsweep to knock Cardona off the apron. We take a break and come back with Cardona fighting back, but Black escapes a double underhook….something. A neckbreaker drops Black and the Reboot gives Cardona two. Cardona manages a double underhook powerbomb for two but Black goes after the arm again. Black Mass takes Cardona out at 9:51.

Rating: C+. You’re only going to get so far with Black against an injured Cardona, as Black is treated like a much bigger star most of the time. If nothing else, Black Mass is something that can wipe out anyone and it looked good again here. I’m not sure how far Cardona is going on Smackdown but he’s fine enough in this role.

Bayley and Lyra Valkyria don’t think Charlotte and Alexa Bliss are real friends as they haven’t been through the same issues.

R-Truth talks to Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae, who are ready to get back to normal at Stand & Deliver. The two of them leave and Damian Priest comes in to ask why R-Truth gave a random team their first title defense. R-Truth: “They’re cursed!” And he thinks Asuka did it! Priest points out that Asuka is on Raw, but R-Truth says it was the little girl with the facepaint running around. Priest: “….you mean Danhausen???” Anyway, R-Truth thinks it should be an easy title defense and Priest eventually gives in.

Drew McIntyre talks about how he had everything ready for him but then Jacob Fatu ruined it all. Fatu is just a filthy convict and he’s only here because of his family. You can’t outrun your past and next week, McIntyre is showing everyone who Fatu really is.

Charlotte/Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley/Lyra Valkyria

Valkyria takes Charlotte down to start fast but Charlotte sends her into the corner. Bliss comes in with a less than smooth tornado DDT and we take an early break. We come back with Valkyria still in trouble. A crossbody gets her out of trouble and it’s back to Bayley to take over on Charlotte.

Bayley knees her in the head and Valkyria helps knock Charlotte off the top. The top rope elbow gives Bayley two on Charlotte and it’s back to Valkyrie, who dives into the Figure Eight. Bayley breaks that up and Valkyria pulls Bliss out of the air. Nightwing is broken up though and Bliss tries the Sister Abigail. That’s blocked as well so Bliss hits her running Blockbuster to pin Valkyria at 10:30.

Rating: B-. This got better near the end and I’ll take this over another big run in and everything falling apart. The story makes sense for the titles and the division at the moment, though the title match has the potential to be quite the mess. Bayley and Valkyria still feel like underdogs, but hopefully they can do something other than just take the fall at Wrestlemania.

Post match the Irresistible Forces run in to beat down both teams.

Miz and Kit Wilson are ready for their match and Miz insists that there is no curse. Danhausen pops in with his jar of teeth, saying he’ll be at ringside with them tonight. Wilson calls him a spooky little goblin and toxic. Danhausen says he can come to the ring with them and uncurse them, which has Wilson interested. Miz isn’t having this but Danhausen disappears.

Tag Team Titles: Miz/Kit Wilson vs. Damian Priest/R-Truth

Miz and Wilson are challenging. R-Truth takes over on Wilson to start so it’s off to Miz, who gets caught in the Cena finishing sequence. Miz breaks that up and sends him outside for a running elbow from Wilson as we take a break. We come back with R-Truth escaping a Skull Crushing Finale attempt and handing it off to Priest. Everything breaks down and Priest drops Wilson on the floor.

Back in and Miz and R-Truth clothesline each other…and here is Danhausen. He gets on the apron to offer Miz a tag but Miz isn’t doing this. R-Truth however will dive over to tag Danhausen in (Priest is lost watching this) so Miz glares at him…and the referee gets cursed by mistake. Miz loads up the Skull Crushing Finale on Miz but the lights go out and Danhausen escapes. Miz hits the Skull Crushing Finale on R-Truth but the referee suffers a crippling injury at two. South Of Heaven pins Miz (with the referee using his good arm to count) at 9:47.

Rating: B-. This was a case where the match itself was nothing special or even notable, but it was a lot of fun because they rolled with the joke. The Curse thing is working well and while it might not last very long (though it could), they’re getting a lot of value out of the thing. Hopefully Miz and Wilson interact with him some more, because it’s working rather well thus far.

Post match here is Cody Rhodes to take out Kit Wilson and yell about how he got dressed up to find out who Randy Orton has been talking to. It was Pat McAfee, which would be like the Third Man being Disco Inferno instead of Hulk Hogan. McAfee is a stoner, grifter and Logan Paul without muscles and he has a receipt coming and can kiss Rhodes’ a**. If you don’t like that, fire him. It sure worked out for you the last time.

He needs to be a bad guy to beat Orton but he doesn’t know if he can do that anymore. Rhodes talks about every record WWE has been setting with him on top. Yes he was wrestling Roman Reigns and John Cena but they were wrestling him too. Now the voices are talking to him, but you don’t want to hear what they’re saying. Rhodes was showing fire here but this whole story is just spiraling right now and it might need to be reset hard before Wrestlemania.

We look at Roman Reigns and CM Punk on Raw.

Wrestlemania rundown.

Classic Wrestlemania Moment: Kevin Owens vs. Steve Austin. Yeah that qualifies.

US Title: Sami Zayn vs. Carmelo Hayes

Zayn is defending and Trick Williams/Lil Yachty are at ringside. Hayes blocks an early leapfrog attempt and hits a dropkick, followed by some chops in the corner. Zayn fights up and hits a clothesline, only for Hayes to hit a springboard clothesline of his own. The Fadeaway connects for Hayes and the running flip dive to the floor takes Zayn out. Hayes comes up holding his leg though and we take a break.

We come back with Hayes’ leg banged up and Zayn hammering away in the corner. Hayes is able to get in a knockdown of his own but the First 48 is blocked. Zayn exploders him into the corner but charges into a superkick. A top rope splash gives Hayes two, only for Zayn to reverse into a rollup for two of his own. The Blue Thunder Bomb is countered and Hayes goes up, where he misses Nothing But Net. The referee checks on the bad leg…but Zayn fires off the Helluva Kick for the pin to retain at 10:55.

Rating: B-. That ending feels like a step towards Zayn going evil, which wouldn’t be the biggest surprise. He wants to go to Wrestlemania no matter what and that’s what he seems to be doing after that win. The match worked out well enough, though I’m hoping Hayes finds a way onto Wrestlemania somewhere.

Post match Yachty gets in to promise that Williams will win. Williams jumps Zayn and lays him out with the Trick Shot. The villains pose to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This is a situation where the overall rating could have been just about anything and it would have been appropriate. The thing here is there are two sides to this show: the Orton/Rhodes/McAfee stuff and everything else. For the most part, the “everything else” wasn’t exactly thrilling, but it was ok. The US Title stuff has my attention and R-Truth/Danhausen were rather funny. While some of the matches were just ok (or misguided in the opener), they were acceptable enough to a bit closer to Wrestlemania. It’s not great, but it’s ok enough.

The problem though is the show doesn’t end there. I have absolutely no idea what WWE was expecting out of the McAfee reveal/segment, but it just did not work. Orton has been cheered since the beginning of this story and…well why wouldn’t he be? Rhodes told him to go all aggressive and evil and that’s exactly what Orton has done. Orton is easy to cheer and while Rhodes has his fans, it’s really hard to get more excited about Rhodes right now. We’ve covered him as champion for a long time now and Orton would feel fresh.

Unfortunately that brings us to the issue of how we’re getting here. Unless there is some wacky double turn coming, the match at Wrestlemania could be an absolute circus. I really do not know what they are going for here and unfortunately I’m not sure I can believe WWE knows either. This was the kind of train wreck segment that really seemed to go opposite how WWE was hoping and I have no idea how to get around that situation. Not a great show overall, but the opening segment and the rest of the show are on different planets.

Results
Rhea Ripley b. Michin – Prism Trap
Uncle Howdy b. Tama Tonga – Mandible Claw
Aleister Black b. Matt Cardona – Black Mass
Charlotte/Alexa Bliss b. Bayley/Lyra Valkyria – Running Blockbuster to Valkyria
Damian Priest/R-Truth b. Kit Wilson/Miz – South Of Heaven to Miz
Sami Zayn b. Carmelo Hayes – Helluva Kick

 

 

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

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Collision
Date: April 2, 2026
Location: Canada Life Center, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness, Excalibur

It’s a rare Thursday night show and it would be nice to see this show be treated as something special for a change. There are some big names set for the card and I could go for seeing some of those stars in action for the week. That includes an open challenge for the TBS Title so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Jon Moxley vs. Anthony Bowens

Non-title Eliminator match. Moxley shoves him in the face to start so Bowens is right back up to fire off some right hands. Forearms and elbows have Moxley in more trouble but he slugs away against the ropes. A spinning faceplant drops Moxley though and Bowens clotheslines him to the floor. They go to the mat for some grappling and then trade right hands in the corner.

Bowens follows him to the floor, where Moxley takes it into the crowd with Bowens sending him into a wall. We take a break and come back with Moxley working on the arm, apparently after Bowens was sent into…something metal during the break. Bowens gets up for a superkick and they’re both down for a breather. A top rope superplex drops Moxley and Bowens grabs a spinning DDT out of the corner for two more.

Moxley manages a cross armbreaker, which Bowens escapes pretty quickly. They go outside again, where Bowens’ chair shots only hit various metal objects. Back in and Bowens drops him with a trio of discus forearms…but Moxley snatches him into a bulldog choke. Bowens is in trouble so Moxley throws him into the Death Rider for the pin at 14:58.

Rating: B-. Good enough opener here, though I had a bit of a problem buying Bowens hanging in there for fifteen minutes against Moxley. It’s not some totally ridiculous result, but it felt like Moxley could have put him away faster. Either way, there’s a good chance this will tie into Bowens wanting to join the Opps, which would at least be something to do.

Post match Will Ospreay runs in to Hidden Blade Moxley. Ospreay grabs a chair but the Death Riders run in to get Moxley out. Ospreay says Moxley usually has Claudio Castagnoli do his dirty work but at Forbidden Door, Moxley did it himself. They’ll be facing off at Dynasty, but Ospreay wants the Continental Title on the line so no one is allowed at ringside and he gets twenty minutes to do all the damage he can. Moxley doesn’t really answer…but Tony Khan makes it official via Tony Schiavone.

The Don Callis Family is ready for a tag match, even though Kyle Fletcher is injured. Kazuchika Okada says the replacement will be better than Konosuke Takeshita anyway.

Megan Bayne/Lena Kross vs. Kristara/Ava Lawless

Non-title. Bayne throws Kristara down without much trouble and adds an overhead belly to belly suplex. The champs hit stereo fall away slams and some running boots in the corner rock Lawless. For some reason Kristara fights back so it’s Divine Intervention to finish her at 2:28. Total squash.

Jon Moxley, with the Death Riders, isn’t surprised by Will Ospreay’s actions and Ospreay should expect no mercy. Ospreay is going to beat himself.

The Hurt Syndicate is back and they could use another member. All that matters is they’re back in business. Yeah I could go for them being back.

TBS Title: Willow Nightingale vs. ???

Nightingale is defending against…Hikaru Shida, who hasn’t wrestled here since November 2024. Feeling out process to start with Nightingale running her over but getting dropped by a shoulder. A running knee in the corner hits Nightingale and we hit the one armed camel clutch. That’s broken up and Nightingale runs her over with a Pounce and then drops Shida again on the floor.

We take a break and come back with Shida knocking her off the apron before setting up a chair. A running charge off of said chair connects and Shida throws her back inside for a top rope Meteora. Nightingale grabs a Death Valley Driver for two but misses the moonsault, allowing Shida to hit a pair of running knees for two each. A backslide out of nowhere retains the title at 9:35.

Rating: B-. The match was completely decent, with Shida being back as a nice surprise. With Toni Storm gone, the division is going to need some fresh blood and this might be the right way to go. Shida is someone with quite the resume in AEW so why not see what she can do in the spot? Nightingale gets a nice win of her own and her singles run continues to go rather well.

Post match Shida pulls out her kendo stick and teases swinging but everything is cool.

FTR vs. Mo Jabari/London Lightning

Non-title. Harwood drives Lightning into the corner to start and takes him down. Some chops and a clothesline have Lightning in trouble and he gets sent to the apron. A slingshot shoulder drops Harwood though and Jabari comes in. That’s fine with Wheeler, who takes Jabari into the corner for some clubberin. Jabari actually fights his way out and kicks both of them down, allowing the tag to Lightning. He tries to cover Harwood, who kicks out immediately and grabs the Shatter Machine to pin Jabari at 2:50.

Post match Christian Cage and Adam Copeland show up with chairs in hand to take out security and get inside for the brawl. The Impaler hits Wheeler but Stokely breaks up the Conchairto. One of the security guards takes it instead, which seems rather mean.

The Brawling Birds and Mina Shirakawa are happy with their win on Dynamite but Jamie Hayter wants Thekla at Dynasty. Shirakawa wants quite the beating.

Juice Robinson vs. Tommaso Ciampa

They trade headlocks to start until Robinson grabs a quick atomic drop. Another atomic drop lets Robinson send him face first into the buckle over and over, followed by the left hands. Ciampa heads to the floor and pulls Robinson face first into the apron to take over. Robinson is right back up with a slingshot dive but Ciampa sends him into the announcers’ table as we take a break.

We come back with Robinson getting fired up and winning an exchange of headbutts. A spinebuster drops Ciampa and Robinson strikes him down in the corner. Ciampa is able to send him to the apron for a running knee to the floor and they crash into the barricade. Back in and Robinson scores with a Cannonball into something like a Jackhammer for two.

Ciampa slips out of a powerbomb though and gets in a low blow, setting up the Willow’s Bell for two more. Robinson fights out of the corner and grabs a powerbomb (a nice one too) for two of his own. The forward DDT is blocked though and Ciampa hits a pair of running knees to the head for the pin at 13:56.

Rating: B. Ciampa’s hot run in AEW continues as he is getting to show what he can do in the ring, especially against good opponents. Robinson is someone who can work well and he’s playing it a bit more serious since his return, which made for a good match here. Now just find something bigger for Ciampa to do to capitalize on this streak.

Isiah Kassidy says he’s forced to change due to Marq Quen being injured. He wants an opportunity.

Darby Allin is ready for Andrade El Idolo when Brody King and Jack Perry come in. King and Perry talk about their history with Allin but they agree to team with him to face the Don Callis Family on Dynamite. Perry seems obsessed with Allin setting him on fire. Dude of all the dumb things Allin has done, that’s the one that sticks with you?

Don Callis Family vs. Rascalz

Andrade El Idolo/Mark Davis for the Family and Myron Reed is the odd Rascal out. The Family jumps them on the floor before the bell, much to Don Callis’, on commentary, happiness. The Rascalz are send inside, where they score with some dropkicks, setting up stereo suicide dives. Xavier and Davis get inside for the opening bell and some double teaming, including a Motor City Machine Guns Dream Sequence, has Davis in trouble.

Andrade gets in a cheap shot though and Davis adds a backsplash to take over. Andrade comes in and gets knocked outside, where he elbows Xavier’s dive out of the air. We pause for Andrade to take a photo with a fan and take a break. We come back with Andrade grabbing a chinlock as commentary talks about how the team is vicious and delicious. Come on, leave Norton and Bagwell out of this.

Andrade sends him into the corner but charges into a superkick, allowing Wentz to come back in and strike away. A bunch of kicks to the face set up a spinning high crossbody for two. Wentz blocks the piledriver and gets two off a hurricanrana. Everything breaks down and the Hot Fire Flame hits raised knees. Andrade takes out Xavier on the floor and it’s the piledriver to knock Wentz silly. The DM gives Andrade the pin at 10:48.

Rating: B-. The Rascalz seem to be a team who exists to make others look good in defeat, which isn’t the worst thing to see. At the same time, the Family team only means so much as the group is thrown into all kinds of pairings. It isn’t like there is a regular two man team, though Davis and that piledriver looked rather good.

Post match the Family leaves and here are more of the team to jump the Rascalz. Myron Reed comes in for the save and hits a big running flip dive. Apparently Kazuchika Okada was in for the beatdown to prove that he’s a better friend to Kyle Fletcher than Konosuke Takeshita. This company is WAY too obsessed with friendship angles.

Dogs/Death Riders vs. Conglomeration/Mistico/Kevin Knight

Tornado tag with Clark Connors/David Finlay/Claudio Castagnoli/Wheeler Yuta for the former team. The villains jump them on the floor to start fast until Castagnoli throws Mistico inside to start the real match. Mistico slips out of a gorilla press and grabs a rather spinning wristdrag. The Dogs pull Mistico outside but Cassidy cuts off a dive, allowing Knight to hit a big dive of his own.

Back in and the Dogs drop Knight and Cassidy, leaving Mistico to get double teamed by the Riders. Mistico manages a running hurricanrana to send Castagnoli outside, leaving Knight to frog splash Yuta for two. We take a break and come back with Cassidy in trouble in the corner but he manages to take them all out. The Dogs are back in but a suplex is countered into a Stundog Millionaire. Strong is back in to help clean house and Mistico adds a top rope hurricanrana to Castagnoli.

Mistico’s springboard hurricanrana hits Yuta and we hit the parade of knockdowns until Knight’s springboard clothesline gets two on Castagnoli. Finlay Dominators Knight into a spear from Connors but Strong is back in for the save. A triple Stronghold goes on but Castagnoli breaks up two of them.

The boots to the face don’t break up Strong’s though, as he comes up with chops instead. Most of the people head outside and Yuta hits a running knee to Knight. Mistico sunset bombs Castagnoli for two but he’s back up for the Swing. The Fastball Special misses and Mistico gets Castagnoli in La Mistica. Knight hits the UFO Splash to pin Yuta at 15:05.

Rating: B. This was completely insane throughout with all action and that made for a fun match. At the same time, I’m not sure why this needed to be tornado rules other than AEW thought it would be more entertaining that way. I’m also not sure why the Dogs need to lose again, though at least it was Yuta taking the fall here instead of one of them. What else is Yuta supposed to be there for anyway?

Overall Rating: B. The best thing about this show is it felt more like an episode of Dynamite, which is a good sign given the special time slot. There is no reason to make this show feel normal and they did a nice job of putting bigger names and stars out there this week. It would be nice to continue that when Collision is back in its regular spot, but I’ll take it for one week at least.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Anthony Bowens – Death Rider
Megan Bayne/Lena Kross b. Kristara/Ava Lawless – Divine Intervention to Lawless
Willow Nightingale b. Hikaru Shida – Backslide
FTR b. Mo Jabari/London Lightning – Shatter Machine to Jabari
Tommaso Ciampa b. Juice Robinson – Running knee
Don Callis Family b. Rascalz – DM to Wentz
Conglomeration/Kevin Knight/Mistico b. Dogs/Death Riders – UFO Splash to Yuta

 

 

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