Smackdown
Date: November 22, 2024
Location: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re just over a week away from Survivor Series and the card still needs some help. Right now we have the women’s WarGames match and the Raw World Title match set, but the men’s WarGames match still needs an extra name. Maybe that, plus some other things, get set up this week so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap, focusing on Roman Reigns and company needing help against the Bloodline.

Here are the Bloodline and Bronson Reed to get things going. Solo Sikoa does his usual thing and requests that Roman Reigns meet him in the ring tonight to accept terms of surrender. Then Reigns and the Usos can acknowledge him. And that’s that for a fast opening sequence.

Women’s United States Title Tournament First Round: Bianca Belair vs. Chelsea Green vs. Blair Davenport

They trade rollups to start until Green clotheslines Davenport out to the floor. Green’s middle rope sunset flip gets two on Belair, who is back up with a slingshot dive to drop Green outside. Davenport is back up with a shot of her own though and we take a break. Back with Green hitting a Rough Ryder on Belair but getting stomped down by Davenport.

Belair suplexes Davenport for two with Green making the save, earning herself some shoulders in the corner. Green superplexes Davenport, who gets crushed by Belair’s 450, with Green’s stolen cover only getting two. We cut to the back where someone has knocked Jade Cargill through the windshield of a car, which is enough for Belair to run off to help her. The Unprettier gives Green the pin on Davenport at 9:50.

Rating: C+. Green advancing is nice to see as there is a chance that she could wind up winning the title in a nice surprise. Other than that, this was more about the Cargill attack, which could lead into something interesting with WarGames right around the corner. Other than that, Davenport was pretty much just there to take the fall, which is about all she’s doing at the moment anyway.

Post break Belair gets in the ambulance with Cargill as Bayley and Naomi aren’t sure what to do. It still isn’t clear who attacked Cargill.

United States Title: LA Knight vs. Santos Escobar

Escobar, with the rest of Legado del Fantasma, is challenging. Hold on though as we get a video from Shinsuke Nakamura, talking about how Knight is scared of everything and this is the beginning of his end. Escobar jumps Knight from behind to start fast and knocks him to the floor for the slingshot dive.

We take a break and come back with Escobar kicking Knight in the head for two, setting up the seated armbar. Knight fights up and hits the slingshot shoulder before grabbing the jumping neckbreaker for two. The jumping top rope elbow is loaded up but cue Nakamura for a distraction. Escobar takes Knight down and hits a frog splash but doesn’t cover. Instead the Phantom Driver is loaded up but Knight reverses into the BFT for the pin at 8:04.

Rating: C. They kept this short and to the point, as Knight gets to add another win to his resume. Nakamura is coming for Knight soon enough though and there is a good chance that we’ll be seeing it at Survivor Series or Saturday Night’s Main Event. For now though, Knight gets a quick boost, with a nice counter to let him retain the title.

Post match Nakamura runs in and lays Knight out.

We look back at Tommaso Ciampa costing the Street Profits their Tag Team Title shot.

Johnny Gargano asks the Motor City Machine Guns for a Tag Team Title shot but they think the Street Profits deserve another shot. The Profits come in and don’t think much of Ciampa. All this did was show me that the Profits are giants compared to Gargano and the Guns.

Nia Jax doesn’t know anything about who attacked Jade Cargill.

Cody Rhodes is told Kevin Owens isn’t here but doesn’t buy it.

Here is Rhodes for a chat. Rhodes doesn’t believe that Kevin Owens isn’t here so cue Owens (in a sleeveless tuxedo shirt) to say he deserves the Rhodes suit treatment (as Rhodes is in workout gear rather than his usual suit). Owens doesn’t get why Rhodes is upset when everything is his fault. Rhodes is ready to fight as Owens comes to ringside to rant about how Rhodes teamed with Roman Reigns after Owens spent years fighting the Bloodline.

Reigns needed help and Rhodes teamed with him so everything is his fault. Rhodes goes on a rant about how this is all on Owens, who always has to self sabotage himself. Owens has all of the accolades and is a great star but he doesn’t realize it. Rhodes beat him at Bash In Berlin because, as always, Owens couldn’t pull the trigger. He pulled the trigger later, but it was on the wrong guy.

Rhodes issues the challenge for Saturday Night’s Main Event but Owens gives him the “on my time” response. Owens says he hates Rhodes, though Rhodes says Owens hates himself. Rhodes won’t wait to cross any line when they finally fight. This was a good laying out of the whole story and Rhodes was selling the emotion rather well.

Roman Reigns, the Usos and Sami Zayn aren’t sure what to do for WarGames. Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins’ names are floated but Reigns shuts them down. Reigns says the four of them can do it themselves so Zayn is in, but wants to know what the plan is going to be. Even Reigns doesn’t know this time.

Cody Rhodes is storming through the back and doesn’t like Carmelo Hayes saying Rhodes had that coming. Shoving ensues.

Bayley/Naomi vs. Tiffany Stratton/Candice LeRae

Nia Jax is here with the villains. Naomi slugs away at Stratton to start and snaps off a running hurricanrana. That means Stratton needs a breather on the floor, with Jax’s distraction letting LeRae get in a cheap shot. Bayley is in with a dive onto Stratton and we take an early breather. Back with Bayley in trouble and Stratton drawing Naomi in to cut off a tag attempt. LeRae and Stratton get in an argument though, with LeRae having to make another save. Bayley fights up but Jax pulls Naomi off the apron for the DQ at 7:46.

Rating: C. This was more about the villains arguing than anything else, which is a big deal with WarGames just over a week away. I’m not sure what to expect from the match, but having Jax get involved here to avoid someone take a fall is a good idea. They weren’t given the chance to do much here but it kept the bigger story moving well enough.

Post match the beatdown is on but Iyo Sky runs in for the save. Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez come in to jump Sky but Rhea Ripley runs in with the kendo stick to clean house.

Montez Ford vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Ciampa misses a charge into the corner to start and Ford hammers away, setting up a quick dropkick for two. Back up and Ciampa hits a knee to the ribs, only to be sent to the floor for the big flip dive. A hard knee to the face sends Ford off the apron though and we take a break. Back with Ford powerbombing him out of the corner and grabbing a belly to back suplex. The standing moonsault gives Ford two, with Ciampa’s swinging neckbreaker getting the same. The Fairy Tale Ending is cut off but Ciampa knees Ford out of the air. Ciampa tries the Fairy Tale Ending again, only for Ford to reverse into a cradle for the pin at 7:52.

Rating: C+. They packed in a good bit of offense here and it made for a good enough match, though I’m a bit surprised that Ciampa lost clean so soon after his recent rampage. One would think that it would lead to Ciampa doing something better but maybe it leads to DIY splitting and moving n to something better. Ford continues to look good on his own, though he seems to be sticking with the tag team for the time being.

Post match Ciampa stays on Ford but Angelo Dawkins and Johnny Gargano run in to break it up. Ciampa shoves Gargano down so the Motor City Machine Guns run in to really break it up. Ciampa asks Gargano whose team he is on.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Here is the Bloodline to get the answer from Roman Reigns and company. Cue Reigns, the Usos and Sami Zayn for the big showdown but Solo Sikoa says he still loves all four of them. If they join the Bloodline, the team can run the company for decades. Reigns has no fifth man and no wise man, so join the team or die where you stand….and Paul Heyman is back (in a red shirt with no tie). There is no way to do WarGames 5-4 because that math does not make sense to the Wise Man.

That’s why he has a fifth man….and CM Punk is back. The big brawl is on with the Bloodline being cleared out, leaving Reigns and Punk to have a big staredown, with Heyman between them for the awesome visual. The fans think this is awesome and…well yeah. It was going to be Punk, Rollins or on a long shot, Lesnar, and Punk is the (arguably) the most interesting of them all.

Overall Rating: B. This was a show where the wrestling was nowhere near as important as the talking and it worked well. The point of this show was the big ending with Punk and Heyman returning, but the Rhodes/Owens segment worked well too. They did a nice job of making things more interesting for Survivor Series and probably some other shows, and that’s the kind of show that can be the most interesting around. Good stuff here, with the big angle at the end being what the match needed.

Results
Chelsea Green b. Bianca Belair and Blair Davenport – Unprettier to Davenport
LA Knight b. Santos Escobar – BFT
Bayley/Naomi b. Tiffany Stratton/Candice LeRae via DQ when Nia Jax interfered
Montez Ford b. Tommaso Ciampa – Cradle

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Smackdown
Date: November 15, 2024
Location: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re closing in on Survivor Series and for the most part, the men’s WarGames match is set. Both versions of the Bloodline need a fifth member though and there is a chance we’ll hear more about that tonight. The rest of the card could use some building of its own and the Tag Team Titles and Women’s Title are both on the line as well. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Cody Rhodes to get things going, albeit in what appear to be fighting clothes rather than his usual suit. Rhodes gets right to the point by calling out Kevin Owens but, after a few requests, he gets Nick Aldis instead. Aldis gets that this is different as Owens has injured Randy Orton because he’ll use the piledriver. Owens crossed a line last week and until they figure this out, Owens cannot be here.

Rhodes says this is exactly what Owens wants because he wants to handle this. Aldis knows this isn’t about money but rather Owens not being allowed to run the asylum. The idea of dealing with this “internally” doesn’t work for Rhodes, who wants Aldis to put himself in Rhodes’ shoes. Owens is telling everyone that what happened to Orton is Rhodes’ fault. Everything that has happened to Orton is because of Rhodes and he isn’t going to let Owens get away with this. The ball is in Aldis’ court, but Rhodes isn’t going to wait long.

The Usos and Sami Zayn are here and Roman Reigns is on the way. They still need a fifth member and Zayn thinks he might know someone.

Women’s US Title Tournament First Round: Bayley vs. B-Fab vs. Candice LeRae

Bayley gets knocked to the floor to start and B-Fab slams LeRae for an early two. A double clothesline drops Bayley and LeRae and we take an early break. Back with Bayley dropping an elbow on B-Fab but LeRae makes the save to leave everyone down. A triple clothesline puts them all down again before LeRae Codebreakers Bayley and lands on B-Fab for two each.

They go to the corner to load up a Tower Of Doom but LeRae reverses into a high crossbody for another near fall. B-Fab neckbreakers Bayley but walks into the Bayley To Belly with LeRae having to make a save. A half nelson slam plants Bayley but B-Fab has to send LeRae outside, allowing Bayley to steal the rollup for the pin at 9:54.

Rating: B-. The action was good but I could go for a long break from these triple threat qualifying matches. We just got done with some of them on Raw and here they are again on the blue side. B-Fab got to showcase herself here and LeRae has moved up rather well in the last few weeks, but this was about Bayley, who is by far the biggest star of the three.

We’ve got brackets for the tournament, with the finals at Saturday Night’s Main Event (that’s the kind of thing that makes the show feel important so well done).

Bayley

Bianca Belair
Chelsea Green
Blair Davenport

Jade Cargill
Michin
Piper Niven

Naomi
Tiffany Stratton
Elektra Lopez

Not a bad lineup, but you might not want to reveal that Naomi is in the midcard title tournament when she has a shot at the main title.

Sami Zayn is talking to LA Knight.

The Rock was on the Tonight Show, where he hit Jimmy Fallon with a pillow.

B-Fab tells the Street Profits to go win when Chelsea Green and Piper Niven came in to mock her for her loss. Michin, with her kendo stick, interrupts.

Here is LA Knight for a US Title open challenge. Before we get a challenger, he gets something out of the way: he isn’t getting involved in WarGames because he has his own thing going on. We get some Logan Paul insults and here is Legado del Fantasma to interrupt, with Santos Escobar to ask if Paul can say something cool. Escobar thinks he’ll win the title, but Knight sees Berto staring at him like he’s covered in barbecue sauce, so we have a challenger.

US Title: LA Knight vs. Berto

Berto is challenging and jumps Knight before the bell and we take a break. Back with Knight jumping to the top but getting shoved off so Berto can hit a missile dropkick for two. The chinlock goes on but Knight fights up and rams him into the announcers’ table a few times to take over. Back in and Berto hits a springboard kick to the face for two but a moonsault hits raised feet. Knight knocks him off the top and does his jumping top rope elbow, setting up the BFT to retain at 4:00.

Rating: C. I like the idea of having Knight get in the ring for a quick win, which is all he needed to do. It’s not like Berto was going to be a serious challenger and as Knight said, he’s already beaten Santos Escobar so there’s no need in going there again. Now just find Knight a fresh challenger.

Post match Shinsuke Nakamura returns and lays out Knight. That would be a fresh challenger.

The Usos and Sami Zayn go to see Roman Reigns. Post break Reigns comes in and Zayn says they don’t have a fifth guy. Jey Uso says make the call, but the Bloodline comes into the arena to interrupt.

Here is the Bloodline for a chat but Reigns and company interrupt. The brawl is on with Jey hitting a big dive but there’s too much Jacob Fatu. Reigns saves Zayn from the Samoan Spike with the spear to Sikoa, leaving Zayn to hit his own dive. Fatu is up for the showdown with Reigns…and Bronson Reed runs in to drop Reigns. The Usos and Zayn’s save attempt is easily thwarted and Reed hits the Tsunami on Jimmy.

Reigns tries to fight back but gets caught with the Samoan Spike. Fatu’s moonsault and Reed’s Tsunami leaves Reigns laying. The Bloodline leaves and Reigns is told to “make the call”. This was a heck of a segment, with Reed being the kind of monster who can put the Bloodline over the top. Reigns and company are going to need some help and since that almost has to be Seth Rollins, the drama will be rather high.

Kevin Owens has posted a video to social media, showing that he is in Milwaukee but was not allowed into the arena. Then Nick Aldis called him because Cody Rhodes wants him there next week. Owens will be there for himself because he loves Utah. Just remember though: he’s doing what people want him to do.

Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. Motor City Machine Guns

The Guns are defending. Sabin and the rather serious Ford start things off and trade rollups for some early twos. Back up and Sabin offers a handshake before taking Ford down into an armbar. Shelley comes in with a dropkick for two but Dawkins takes him to the floor for a heck of a Pounce over the announcers’ table. We take an early break and come back with Sabin getting the tag for a middle rope hurricanrana. Everything breaks down and a missile dropkick/Downward Spiral combination gets two on Ford. Dawkins is back in for the ave but Tommaso Ciampa comes in to jump Ford for the DQ at 7:57.

Rating: C+. This was stating to cook before the ending, which was the right call. The Profits really shouldn’t have been taking another fall but you also don’t want the Guns to lose so soon. Ciampa going a bit nuts and likely getting involved in a triple threat match for the titles is not a bad idea, though Ciampa is probably going to go on his own sooner than later.

Post match Ciampa wrecks a bunch of people until Johnny Gargano comes in to calm him down. Ciampa shoves Gargano and leaves, ranting about how he wants the titles.

Bayley gives Naomi a pep talk and tells her to watch out for Iyo Sky. Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill come in to tell Naomi to win.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Women’s Title: Naomi vs. Nia Jax

Naomi is challenging and is quickly knocked down with raw power. Back up and Naomi strikes away but can’t get very far, instead being knocked down for a chinlock. Naomi gets elbowed in the face and Jax hits a heck of a headbutt. The posing takes too much time though and Naomi knocks her to the floor for a break.

Back with Jax flattening her for two more but the half crab is broken up. Naomi fights up with some kicks to the face and the Rear View gets two. A pop up Samoan drop cuts Naomi off but the Annihilator is broken up. Naomi’s big dive to the floor connects as we cut to the back, where Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez have taken out Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill.

Cue Tiffany Stratton for a cheap shot to Naomi though, allowing Jax to drop a leg. The Annihilator is broken up so Jax tries a middle rope powerslam, which is reverses into a super small package for two. Cue Bayley to take out Stratton and Naomi’s split legged moonsault gets two more. Now it’s Candice LeRae to post Bayley, with the super Samoan drop and Annihilator retaining the title at 12:13.

Rating: B-. There was a lot going on here but it tied together well enough, with the WarGames ramifications being about as obvious as you could get. That’s not a bad thing either, as I could go for a group of mostly thrown together stories and feuds being locked in a big steel box. On top of that, Jax gets a nice win and is ready to move on to something else, likely after Survivor Series.

A banged up Roman Reigns calls Paul Heyman…whose number is no longer in service. Reigns is crushed, even dropping his phone, to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Oh yeah now this is more like it, with all kinds of stuff going on and a bunch of things happening. You had a big brawling segment in the middle and a bunch of stories leaving me interested. That’s the best feeling you can have coming out of a television show and if the coming weeks can come close to this, we’ll be in for a heck of a Survivor Series. Pretty great show this week, and one of the better WWE TV shows in a good while.

Results
Bayley b. B-Fab and Candice LeRae – Rollup to B-Fab
LA Knight b. Berto – BFT
Street Profits b. Motor City Machine Guns via DQ when Tommaso Ciampa interfered
Nia Jax b. Naomi – Annihilator

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

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Smackdown
Date: November 8, 2024
Location: KeyBank Center, Buffalo, New York
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re closing in on Survivor Series and that means the Bloodline is going to need some opponents. As luck would have it, Sami Zayn is here to talk to Roman Reigns and that means we could be in for a big showdown, albeit mainly with talking rather than physicality. Let’s get to it.

Here is Crown Jewel if you need a recap.

Crown Jewel recap, focusing on the Bloodline beating Roman Reigns and the Usos, plus Sami Zayn having issues with Reigns after the match.

Here are Roman Reigns and Jimmy Uso to get things going but Jey Uso cuts off Reigns’ request for acknowledgment. Jey thinks there has been a lot of misunderstanding going on and he’d like Reigns to listen to Sami Zayn, who joins everyone else. Reigns isn’t impressed as Zayn says the kick to the face at Crown Jewel was an accident. It’s been a long time since they’ve been here together but when it was the four of them for just a minute, it was special. It felt like Zayn was with family and he knows reigns felt it too.

On some level, Reigns wants all of this back. The opposite of love is indifference, and Zayn thinks Reigns still loves him. They can run everything back, but Zayn needs an apology…for Jey. With Jey standing there, Reigns apologizes….for letting Reigns waste his time with this. Zayn isn’t family, so Reigns wants Solo Sikoa out here right now. That makes Zayn leave but Jacob Fatu pops up on screen to say that Sikoa is the Tribal Chief. It’s on Sikoa’s time, so Reigns will acknowledge him. This feels like the latest “will they/won’t they” moment, but they need to get the match set up already.

Post break the Usos want talk to Reigns, who isn’t interested. Reigns wants to know why Zayn is so important. Jey says that was Reigns’ one pass, but otherwise, Jey is out. Reigns sends Jimmy after his brother.

Bayley vs. Candice LeRae

LeRae wastes no time in knocking Bayley down for a step up enziguri. Bayley shrugs that off and hits a basement lariat for a quick two, only to have her neck snapped over the ropes. We take a break and come back with Bayley fighting out of a Muta Lock before they fight up to the corner. Bayley gets knocked off the top so LeRae hits a missile dropkick, which is shrugged off for a hard clothesline. Bayley’s Stunner over the middle rope sets up a swinging side slam for two. LeRae feigns a knee injury but Bayley reverses the nefarious rollup into a cradle for the pin at 7:59.

Rating: C. I liked the ending as Bayley used her brain to cut off the cheating, but the rest of the match was pretty basic. LeRae is only so good in the ring and it was slowing Bayley down a bit here. Bayley needs something else to do and even commentary was pointing out that she wasn’t part of the title hunt.

Johnny Gargano comes up to the Motor City Machine Guns and is glad that they’re here. Have fun punching Grayson Waller in the face! The Guns leave and Tommaso Ciampa comes in to yell at Gargano for not being serious enough. DIY wants the titles back but Randy Orton storms past them and heads to the ring.

Here is Randy Orton, with a voice so raspy his dad would be jealous, to demand Kevin Owens get out here right now. That’s just what Orton gets and the fight is on in a hurry. Owens quickly gets the better of things and hits a piledriver, which has commentary panicking. Everyone checks on Orton as Owens leaves through the crowd. Orton even gets taken out on a stretcher as Cody Rhodes is here to check on him. Rhodes gets in the ambulance with Orton.

Pretty Deadly vs. DIY

Ciampa jumps Prince at the bell and the beating is on, with Prince being rammed into the announcers’ table over and over. Prince is sent hard into the steps and the Fairy Tale Ending finishes at 1:37. Neither of the partners ever tagged in.

Video on the European tour.

We look at Tiffany Stratton’s attempted Money In The Bank cash-in costing Nia Jax at Crown Jewel.

Candice LeRae runs into Tiffany Stratton in the back and mocks her for being upset over her loss to Bayley. Nia Jax comes into yell at Stratton for putting them in a tag match but Stratton says it’s part of her plan. LeRae brings up Stratton’s plan at Crown Jewel and Jax says this better work.

Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill vs. Tiffany Stratton/Nia Jax

Non-title. Stratton yells at Cargill to start and slaps her in the face, which does not seem to be the best idea. Cargill easily knocks her into the corner and it’s off to Jax for a Samoan drop as we take a break. Back with a split screen congratulating Golden Corral on hiring veterans. The full screen sees Cargill reversing a suplex into one to drop Jax and it’s Belair coming in to clean house.

Belair hammers away in the corner and it’s back to Jax, who is too big for the KOD. Instead it’s a middle rope G9 for two on Belair as Cargill makes the save. Jax runs Cargill over but Belair hits a spear on Stratton. Cue Candice LeRae to shove Belair off the top so cue Naomi to jump LeRae. The distraction lets Cargill kick Jax down and Belair to hit the KOD to finish Stratton at 9:28.

Rating: C+. I do like it when a bunch of stuff comes together to make a match feel more detailed. That’s what we had here, with LeRae getting involved after what happened earlier. Jax and Stratton keep having trouble and those are going to come to a head. It would be nice to have that happen already so we can get rid of the briefcase, but that’s not how WWE tends to roll.

Motor City Machine Guns vs. A-Town Down Under

Non-title. Theory knocks Shelley into the corner to start but it’s quickly off to Sabin, who armdrags Waller into an armbar. Stereo kicks to the chest/back get two on Waller, who gets in a shot of his own for a breather as we take a break. Back with Waller knocking Shelley down for two and talking a lot of trash as he hammers away.

A missed charge in the corner allows Sabin to come back in and slug away, setting up a missile dropkick to send Waller outside. Back in and a missile dropkick/Downward Spiral combination plants Theory for two but Waller is back in with a jumping Downward Spiral of his own. The middle rope elbow misses though and Skull & Bones finishes for Shelley at 10:29.

Rating: C+. Perfectly nice win here as the Guns make it clear that they’re able to beat another regular team. They were in trouble, fought back and won clean. That’s a simple, effective way to make a team look good and it worked for the Guns here. It’s not like A-Town Down Under is going to lose anything from a match like this anyway.

We look at Cody Rhodes beating Gunther at Crown Jewel.

DIY come up to the Motor City Machine Guns and say they want the titles back but the Street Profits come in to say they’re getting the title shot next week. Works for the Guns. Not so much for the Profits.

Nick Aldis is happy with what the women’s division has done around here so he has something new: the Women’s United States Title. Fair enough, though Raw likely introducing their own version is going to flood the title picture even more.

Here is the Bloodline for Solo Sikoa’s acknowledgment ceremony. Roman Reigns joins them to say he doesn’t acknowledge Sikoa but instead to offer a challenge for the undisputed spot as Tribal Chief. Sikoa laughs him off because Reigns can’t be a chief without a tribe. Instead Sikoa offers the challenge for a five on five WarGames, with Sami Zayn as his fifth partner. Cue Zayn, with Reigns turning to look at him and getting jumped by the Bloodline.

The Usos run in for the save and get dropped as well. Sikoa tells Zayn to come to the ring so he slides in…and intentionally kicks Sikoa in the face instead. Zayn helps Reigns take out Fatu and the spear hits Sikoa. Reigns nods at Zayn and the Usos do the One pose. Zayn does it as well….and Reigns joins in to end the show. I’m assuming it’s going to be 4-4 rather than 5-5, as adding another entrant each would seem stupid at this point. I don’t think this was much of a surprise as they didn’t have many other options for WarGames, but it’s nice to actually have it announced with only about three weeks before Survivor Series.

Overall Rating: C+. It wasn’t my favorite show, but this did a good job of getting things ready for Survivor Series. You’ll like WarGames and probably Cody Rhodes vs. Kevin Owens, along with whatever they have with the women’s division. Things are starting to come together, but it would be nice if they had done things a bit more interesting here. Some better matches would have helped too, as there is only so much you can get out of the latest Bloodline episode.

Results
Bayley b. Candice LeRae – Cradle
DIY b. Pretty Deadly – Fairy Tale Ending to Prince
Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill b. Tiffany Stratton/Nia Jax – KOD to Stratton
Motor City Machine Guns b. A-Town Down Under – Skull & Bones to Waller

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

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Crown Jewel 2024
Date: November 2, 2024
Location: Mohammed Abdo Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re back in Saudi Arabia and the focus this time is on champion vs. champion. The Raw and Smackdown World Champions, both men’s and women’s, will face off in a match or a belt that they don’t get to take with them, but they do get a ring. That’s not the strongest buildup but the Bloodline is at it again. Let’s get to it.

A bunch of people came to work today.

The opening video is a look at how prestigious everything is, with the focus on the champion vs. champion matches.

Bloodline vs. Roman Reigns/Usos

Roman and Jimmy come out together, with Jey getting his own full on entrance (Jimmy approves, Roman not so much). Jey and Tama start things off with Tama pounding him down without much effort. It’s off to Jimmy to take over, with a double elbow hitting Tama. Fatu comes in and gets kicked out tot he floor so things can reset a bit. Back in Jey armbars Tama as Reigns wants the tag. Jey tags in Jimmy instead, with Jimmy trying to calm him down, even during a double headbutt.

More bickering allows Tama to go after the knee to bring Jimmy down. Jimmy gets beaten own in the corner but manages to get over to Jey to pick up the pace. That doesn’t last long either, as Jey gets sent into the corner, where Sikoa gets in a headbutt from the apron. The nerve hold goes on before it’s back to Tama for a slingshot hilo. Jey fights up again and brings in Roman, who slugs it out with Sikoa.

The clotheslines have Sikoa down and a Superman Punch makes him do it again. The spear is cut off though and the Samoan Spike gets…two, as it seemed to be three with Jimmy making a slightly late save. Jey comes back in to superkick Fatu to the floor and there’s another Superman Punch to Sikoa. Tama offers a distraction though and the referee gets taken out. Fatu headbutts Reigns and runs him over, setting up the moonsault. A pair of Samoan Spikes finishes Reigns at 16:37.

Rating: B-. I’m a bit surprised by Sikoa getting the pin and getting it fairly easily, but this was more about setting up the next chapter at WarGames. The Usos and Reigns were outnumbered here and that is going to have to be remedied sooner than later. Good match or the most part though, even with Jey’s issues costing the team a bit.

Post match the Bloodline does their pose but Reigns fights up, only to get beaten down again. The TripleBomb through the announcers’ table is broken up so the chair is loaded around Jey’s neck in the corner. Cue Sami Zayn (who slowly walks to the ring, which for some reason paralyzes the Bloodline, who was ready to destroy Jey and then just don’t). Sami teases hugging Sikoa but suplexes him instead. Sikoa is surrounded on all sides but Zayn and Reigns accidentally hit each other, allowing Sikoa to escape. Jimmy yells at Zayn as Reigns is still down. Again, this is just a big pit stop on the way to WarGames.

We get some sitdown interviews with Gunther (who promises to choke Cody Rhodes out) and Cody Rhodes (who promises to win) about their match later.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Piper Niven/Chelsea Green vs. Damage CTRL vs. Meta Four vs. Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill

Belair and Cargill are defending. Sky and Belair start fast and Belair grabs a delayed vertical suplex but misses a handspring moonsault. They trade some flips until Green comes in and takes a beating in the corner. Now Belair’s handspring moonsault connects for two and it’s off to Cargill. Legend comes in and slams Green before glaring Cargill back to the corner.

Jackson steps up onto Legend’s shoulders for a flipping backsplash and hits a running hip attack in the corner. Sane tags herself in and hits a middle rope forearm before handing it back to Sky. Sane’s catapult to send Sky into the corner doesn’t quite work so Sky slams Jackson down instead. It’s off to Niven to run Sky over before Legend and Cargill have the big slugout.

Everyone winds up on the floor so Green teases a dive, which has to be caught by Niven. Sky hits a dive and Jackson hits one of her own, followed by Belair hitting a Cactus Clothesline on Legend. Back in and Jaded hits Green but Damage CTRL makes the save. Meta Four is back up to clean house, including a toss sitout powerbomb. We hit the parade of secondary finishers but Cargill escapes the Unprettier. Niven Vader Bombs Green by mistake and a Doomsday Device (geez) finishes Niven to retain at 12:00.

Rating: C+. They got a bit of time here and the match was boosted up a bit as a result. I was expecting a title change here but Belair and Cargill retaining is hardly a bad thing. They’re becoming more dominant champions and that is something you need rather than having the titles bounce around all the time.

We recap Bronson Reed vs. Seth Rollins. Reed injured Rollins a few months back and put him action. Rollins is back and wants revenge so they’ve been fighting a bunch.

Seth Rollins vs. Bronson Reed

The brawl starts on the ramp and Rollins can’t get very far. They go to ringside and Rollins is driven into the timekeeper’s area. The fight heads inside for the opening bell and Reed hits an early Tsunami but goes up again instead of covering. Rollins rolls away and hits a quick Stomp for two as they’re starting fast. Rollins’ sunset flip is countered with a sitdown splash for two and things slow down a lot.

Back up and Rollins’ attempt at a slam doesn’t work but he counters a powerbomb into a DDT (that looked great) to leave the both down. A middle rope clothesline staggers Reed but he catches Rollins on top. That’s broken up with a headbutt and Rollins drops a frog splash for two. Reed is back up with a Death Valley Driver for two but Rollins slaps him in the face, saying Reed should have finished him when he can. They had outside where Rollins gets in a shot of his own, setting up the Stomp on the steps. Back in and another Stomp finishes Reed at 12:20.

Rating: B-. Gah I’m not sure about that, as Reed needed the win a lot more than Rollins. I’m not saying Reed is done, but that’s not going to do him any favors as a monster taking a loss can be rather damaging. Rollins is hardly a low level star, but I would have stretched Reed’s dominance out just a bit longer.

We recap Liv Morgan vs. Nia Jax for the Women’s Crown Jewel Title. Basically the idea is Tiffany Stratton is going to cash in on someone but we’re not sure whom.

Women’s Crown Jewel Title: Liv Morgan vs. Nia Jax

We get the Big Match Intros and Morgan plays keep away to start. That only lasts so long as Morgan gets in a few shots, which just seem to annoy Jax. The running shoulder in the corner misses for Jax but she hits a quick super Samoan drop. Jax goes up for the Annihilator but gets countered into a sunset bomb.

Cue Tiffany Stratton, only to have Jax shout her down before the cash in. Morgan gets two off a crucifix so Stratton tries it again, only for Raquel Rodriguez to break it up. A middle rope Codebreaker gives Morgan two and they’re both down for a bit. Jax yells at Stratton on the floor and the big fight is on, with Jax running Morgan over. Dominik Mysterio slides the briefcase in for a distraction though, allowing a quick Oblivion to give Morgan the pin at 8:14.

Rating: C+. This was a good bit better than I was expecting as they played to their strengths rather than trying to have it be a straight match. That being said, I’m once again completely done with the Money In The Bank stuff, as the “THIS IS IT! SHE’S CASHING OH NEVER MIND!” for months on end lost its charm years ago. That was on full display here and I was sick of seeing

HHH comes in for the title presentation.

We recap Kevin Owens vs. Randy Orton. Owens feels like Orton (and Cody Rhodes) betrayed him by siding with Roman Reigns, causing Owens to turn of both of them. Owens doesn’t want to hurt someone he claims to be his friends but he’s willing to do what he has to. Orton just wants revenge.

Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens

Owens hits him with a chair before the bell and they fight on the floor. Owens drops him onto the announcers’ table and takes the chair inside to keep up the beating. The referee tries to break it up and gets a Stunner as referees and agents come down. Orton gets the chair and hits Owens with it, followed by the hanging DDT. Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis come in so Orton RKOs Pearce. Owens gets up and they fight into the crowd, where Owens uses something metal to knock him onto a table. An elbow off the stage crushes Orton again. They’re both left laying and no match.

US Title: LA Knight vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Andrade

Knight is defending and lets the challengers beat each other up to start. That doesn’t last long as Hayes knocks them outside. Knight sends Hayes into the announcers’ table a few times and adds the slingshot shoulder to Andrade. Back in and Andrade fights up, including the running knees to Hayes in the corner.

One heck of a moonsault to the floor drops Knight, only for Knight to cut him off with a dive. Back in and Knight can’t BFT Hayes only to get caught with the First 48. Hayes knocks Andrade down for two as well an everyone needs a breather. Andrade drops Knight for two and takes Hayes up top for a super fall away slam. Knight goes up and hits the double top rope elbow for two more. It’s Hayes up this time with Nothing But Net to Andrade but Knight is right back with the BFT to retain at 8:57.

Rating: B-. This was a good TV match and that’s all it needed to be. Knight gets another win and it’s no like either of the other two are really hurt by the loss. It’s time to end Andrade and Hayes’ series though, as it’s gone on long enough. They need to do something new and Knight needs a fresh challenger as well.

We recap Gunther vs. Cody Rhodes. They both want to be the best and prove that they’re better and have gotten physical a few times. Time for a match.

Men’s Crown Jewel Title: Cody Rhodes vs. Gunther

Feeling out process to start with Gunther getting the better of some grappling. Rhodes reverses into an armbar to take Gunther down. That’s reversed into a headlock as they’re taking their time to start here. Rhodes fights up to escape and the fans approve as we’re somehow five minutes in. The chops are blocked and Cody goes for the Flip Flop And Fly, only for a big chop to cut him off.

A drop down uppercut works a bit better for Cody but he has to break up a sleeper attempt. Gunther takes him outside for a big chop and slams him on the floor for a breather. Back in and Gunther gets the better of a slugout before slowly chopping Cody down to the floor again. Cody shrugs off a slam and catches Gunther on top as the fans deem this awesome. A top rope superplex brings Gunther down and they’re both down.

Cody gets fired up and hits the Bionic Elbow (the fans chant Dusty), setting up a Cody Cutter for two. The Disaster Kick is countered into the Boston crab before Gunther switches to the sleeper. That’s escaped so Cody hits a quick Cross Rhodes and they’re both down. Back up and Gunther hits the powerbomb for two but he makes the mistake of slapping Cody in the corner. That fires Cody up and he grabs a quick Cross Rhodes for another near fall. Another Cross Rhodes is blocked so Cody goes up for the Cody Cutter, only to get pulled into the sleeper. That’s reversed into a rollup to give Cody the pin at 23:00.

Rating: B+. I don’t think anyone was expecting this to be anything less than very good and they hit that point. It was a clean match with Cody catching him in the end and that’s perfectly fine. The good thing here is that it was basically a match either could afford to lose, but unfortunately Cody doesn’t really gain much from the win. Still though, best match on the show by a wide margin.

Post match Gunther shakes Cody’s hand and we get the big presentation of the title, with HHH and Liv Morgan coming out to celebrate, with some government officials joining them.

Overall Rating: B-. One of the good things about modern WWE is you won’t get many truly bad matches or shows and that was the case here. I wasn’t overly interested in a lot of what they had going on but nothing on the show was anything close to terrible. The main event was very good and some of the other stuff worked well enough. The biggest issue here was a lack of anything impactful happening, but Survivor Series can handle that later this month. Not exactly a must see show, but there are worse options out there.

Results
Bloodline b. Roman Reigns/Usos – Samoan Spike to Reigns
Jade Cargill/Bianca Belair b. Damage CTRL, Piper Niven/Chelsea Green and Meta Four – Doomsday Device to Niven
Seth Rollins b. Bronson Reed – Stomp
Liv Morgan b. Nia Jax – Oblivion
LA Knight b. Andrade and Carmelo Hayes – BFT to Hayes
Cody Rhodes b. Gunther – Rollup

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I’m not sure how to act like I’m interested in this show as there just very much here that I want to see. The show’s main matches are designed around titles that are going to be kept on display at the WWE Experience in Saudi Arabia while the Bloodline match seems to be more about getting us ready or Survivor Series. That doesn’t leave much to get excited about but maybe I can talk my way there. Let’s get to it.

Seth Rollins vs. Bronson Reed

This is all about Rollins getting revenge on Reed for attacking him a few months ago, resulting in Rollins being left out of action. They’ve been fighting since Rollins got back and this week saw Reed damage Rollins’ ribs. That should make for a big fight, as Rollins is often good at coming back from big odds to win in the end. That is of course assuming it’s the way they go.

I think I’ll take Reed to win here, as he can go a long way with beating Rollins and getting the biggest victory of his career. On the other hand, a Rollins win really diminishes Reed, who is getting over as a monster. There is some potential to this one though and it’s probably the match I’m looking forward to the most. They could do something good here and hopefully it sees Reed getting a heck of an upgrade.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill(c) vs. Piper Niven/Chelsea Green vs. Meta Four vs. Damage CTRL

I’m not sure how they managed to make it work but WWE has put together something resembling a women’s tag division. It doesn’t have a bunch of depth, but this feels like something better than what they’ve been doing in recent years. For now, I’ll certainly take that, as we could be getting something going with these belts after trying to make it work forever.

As for a winner….I almost want to say Meta Four but I’ll go with a pick I expect to be wrong and says Green/Niven. Damage CTRL feels like it’s been done and Belair/Cargill can lose the titles without taking much damage as a result. Meta Four winning could give them quite the elevation, but Green has more than earned some kind of a reward after everything she’s done so I’ll take a wild shot with them.

US Title: LA Knight(c) vs. Andrade vs. Carmelo Hayes

This hasn’t been the smoothest build as Knight has felt like a villain throughout most of it, but he’s just kind of a jerk in general so it’s not the biggest switch. Andrade and Hayes have been fighting for months so giving both of them a title shot works as well. That means the title could go in a number of ways, but as you might have guessed, I can’t picture it going in more than one.

I’ll go with Knight to retain here, as there is little reason to think he’s only going to be the champion for about three months. Hayes and Andrade are both capable challengers, but this feels like a way for Knight to beat both of them at once and get to brag about it. That’s the best way to go, as Knight should be holding the title for a lot longer. Just find something else for the other two do from here though, as it’s time to move on.

Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens

This is a grudge match as Owens is mad about Orton and Cody Rhodes being willing to work with Roman Reigns after all the years of battling against him. It’s kind of an interesting long form look at how some people aren’t going to be forgiving after everything that has taken place. You don’t get that kind of an idea very often but it’s working well here, as it rather suits Owens.

This one shouldn’t be that complicated as Owens is going to have to go after Rhodes at some point, so he’ll nee to beat Orton on the way there. I’m not seeing any reason for Orton to win here, as Owens has a bigger story going on. You can easily reheat for his major match with Orton down the line. For now though, this needs to be Owens wrecking Orton, which he is certainly capable of doing.

Bloodline vs. Roman Reigns/Usos

At least Reigns and the Usos don’t have some kind of special name yet. This is another match where it feels like we’re just having to get through this on the way to the bigger story later on. The Usos and Reigns are back together and trying to fight off the new Bloodline, which is probably not going to go that well for them just yet. The big issue they’re facing is probably the main point of the story coming up.

In case it’s somehow unclear, this is going to be the Bloodline, who will likely win thanks to their numbers advantage. Reigns and the Usos are going to need a fourth and there shouldn’t be much of a secret about who that’s going to be. Until Sami Zayn can join them though, Reigns and the Usos are going to be in trouble and that will result in a loss here, likely thanks to Jacob Fatu (or whoever doesn’t wrestle).

Women’s Crown Jewel Title: Nia Jax vs. Liv Morgan

I can’t believe they’re actually going through this this, as it doesn’t see that even Rhea Ripley being healthy wouldn’t have shaken this up. The only good thing here is the tease of Tiffany Stratton cashing in the Money In The Bank briefcase as it opens up some actual stakes which could matter after this show is over. That isn’t enough to make me want to see the match, but it does help things out a bit.

I’ll take Jax to win here, as Morgan beating her (even as she has before) is more than a stretch. At the same time, I don’t think Stratton will successfully cash in, as WWE likes to tease something like that so much. Ultimately though, Jax continues her path of destruction as we continue to wait for someone to challenger her. Like Jade Cargill in a few months maybe.

Men’s Crown Jewel Title: Gunther vs. Cody Rhodes

Odds are this headlines (it’s this or the six man) and I’m still not able to get into it. This is the kind of match that should be headlining a big pay per view with some real stakes but, instead, it’s the old Battle For Brand Supremacy style match and that’s not something that has worked most o the time. It really isn’t here, as both of them feel like they’re just getting through this to move on to something else.

Give me Gunther to win here I guess, as Rhodes could have some kind of interference to cut him off (Owens springs to mind). The wrestling itself should be good, but it still feels rather dumb to have one of them lose for the sake of a ring (because they don’t even take the belt with them). I really could go with a better reason for them to be fighting, but I’ll go with Gunther collecting another piece of hardware with the win.

Overall Thoughts

The more I think about this show, the more I’m thinking it’s just a show that we have to get through before we get on to Survivor Series. I get that it’s all about making the Saudis happy and all that jazz, but dang could they come up with something a bit more interesting to make us sit through instead? For now, I’m sure the wrestling will be adequate at worst, but I’m looking forward to moving on to anything else.

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Smackdown
Date: November 1, 2024
Location: Barclays Center, New York City, New York
Commentators: Corey Graves, Michael Cole

We’re taped from last week as tomorrow is Crown Jewel in all of its glory. That means it is time to give us the final hammering home before the pay per view, including the big push towards the Bloodline vs. whatever the other team is called, which was announced earlier this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Nia Jax to get things going. She wants the Crown Jewel Title and she tends to get what she wants. The last time she was in Saudi Arabia, she wanted to become Queen Of The Ring and that’s what happened. She’s going to win the Crown Jewel Title and Morgan will be crying on the floor.

Cue Morgan, with Raquel Rodriguez and Dominik Mysterio, to talk about how she won in Saudi Arabia too. Morgan beat her the last time they fought but here is Tiffany Stratton to interrupt. She promises to cash in, but she’s not sure which one it will be. Maybe something could change her mind though: if she takes Morgan’s title, does Dominik come with it? She could use a little dirty in her life (Dominik shakes his head no). Morgan thinks Stratton has enough dirty in her life and the fight is on, with a call for a referee. Adding some stakes, even if they’re not guaranteed, to the Crown Jewel match helps so much.

Liv Morgan vs. Tiffany Stratton

Non-title and joined in progress with Morgan taking her to the floor for some rams into various things. Back in and a dropkick sends Stratton into the corner so she grabs the briefcase. Nia Jax pops up on the apron but Morgan uses the distraction to grab a rollup (with trunks) for the pin at 2:27 shown.

Post match Nia gives Morgan the Annihilator.

We look back at Kevin Owens vs. Randy Orton being made for Crown Jewel.

Owens has sent in a video saying he doesn’t want to fight Orton because he never wanted to hurt him. Now he’s going to hurt Orton like Orton hurt him.

Street Profits vs. Pretty Deadly

B-Fab is here with the Profits. Pretty Deadly has Playbills for their upcoming musical and talk to Lin Manuel Miranda (of Hamilton fame) in a likely smart move. The villains jump the Profits before the bell and it’s Ford getting knocked into the corner, with Prince getting to dance a bit. Wilson comes in for some stomping of his own but Ford slips away and brings in Dawkins to clean house without much trouble. A middle rope Codebreaker cuts Dawkins down but B-Fab cuts off the choking and slams Prince. The Doomsday Blockbuster finishes Wilson at 4:01.

Rating: C. Pretty Deadly has fallen pretty far in the last few months as they have very little to do save for talking about their musical, which doesn’t exactly seem likely for some big payoff. The Profits are stuck in this weird place where they’re good enough to challenge for the titles but have lost so many big matches that it doesn’t seem likely. They need to figure something out though, because this is only going to hold out for so long.

Nia Jax isn’t happy with Tiffany Stratton, who says it’s all part of the plan. Bayley and Naomi aren’t convinced.

Naomi/Bayley vs. Indi Hartwell/Candice LeRae

Hartwell pounds Bayley down to start and then punches her in the face for a bonus. LeRae adds a dive off the apron to drop Bayley again and we take a break. Back with Bayley fighting out of a chinlock and hitting some knees to Hartwell in the corner. Naomi comes in to slug away on LeRae, including a middle rope splits splash for two with Hartwell making the save. Everything breaks down and the Bayley To Belly hits Hartwell, but LeRae is back up with the Lionsault to Bayley. That’s not worth a count though as Naomi is legal, meaning she hits the Rear View for the pin at 8:50.

Rating: C. As usual, there is only so much you can get out of a match with so much missing, but they were trying well enough. I’m not sure how much drama there was in the match as Bayley and Naomi are much bigger stars, plus the whole Hartwell is released thing. If nothing else, I’m surprised LeRae took the fall, but it only makes so much of a difference.

We look at the recent Bloodline situations, resulting in the Usos joining forces with Roman Reigns to fight the villains.

Here are Jimmy Uso and Roman Reigns to officially clear the air with Jey Uso. Jimmy says he and his brother made up and it’s time for Roman to make everything ok of they’ll lose at Crown Jewel. Cue Jey Uso, who wastes no time in taking off the sunglasses. He gets right to the point in saying that this is about him getting back at Solo Sikoa. This isn’t ok with all three of them yet because he remembers how Reigns treated him.

There was physical, mental and emotional damage, but now they have to show the next generations that it’s family above all. Reigns isn’t going to be the boss though and they’re all equals right now. Reigns can keep going that way or he can act like Jey’s cousin and they’ll be together at Crown Jewel. Jey looks at him as Reigns thinks about it….and says YEET to quite the reaction. Jimmy and Jey hold up the fingers and Reigns joins the pose to blow the roof off the place.

The Motor City Machine Guns are in the back when A-Town Down Under interrupts them. The villains invite them to be on the Grayson Waller Effect next week and the champs are in.

Iyo Sky vs. Bianca Belair vs. Lash Legend vs. Piper Niven

Their respective partners are here too. They pair off to start with Belair hammering on Niven and avoiding a charge in the corner. Niven runs Belair over as Legend drops Sky onto the apron. Back in and Legend and Niven hit a double clothesline for a double knockdown. Niven breaks up Sky’s Asai moonsault but gets taken out by Belair. Legend and Niven drop Belair though and we take a break.

Back with Niven hitting a backsplash for two on Sky, with Legend stealing the cover. Belair comes back in with a high crossbody to both of the, followed by a spinebuster to Niven. Legend takes out Belair but Sky is back in to hit both villains in the corner. Niven and Sky go up but get Tower of Doomed back down by Belair.

Legend plants Belair but Chelsea Green makes the save as the brawl breaks out on the floor. Back in and Niven backsplashes Legend and piledrives Belair. Legend cuts off the basement crossbody as Cargill cleans house on the floor. The KOD hits Legend but Sky comes in with Over The Moonsault to hit Belair and steals the pin on Legend at 12:04.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of formula that tends to work best for these matches as it was a bunch of people going nuts and trying to get in as much stuff as they could. That made for an entertaining match and I had a good time with it, especially when you add in all of the others on the floor. Good stuff here, even if it means almost nothing for the title match.

Cody Rhodes asks Randy Orton to save him a piece of Kevin Owens.

Andrade, Carmelo Hayes and LA Knight are ready for the triple threat for the US Title.

Crown Jewel rundown.

Solo Sikoa isn’t happy with Roman Reigns and the Usos being together again and promises to take them out.

Randy Orton/Cody Rhodes vs. Imperium

Cody and Gunther get things going…and we’ll make that Kaiser instead before anything happens. A gordbuster sends Kaiser outside and Rhodes hits a big dive as we take an early break. Back with Gunther kicking Rhodes down so Kaiser can hammer away. The double kicks in the corner have Rhodes in more trouble and Kaiser grabs the chinlock.

That’s switched into an abdominal stretch until Rhodes hiptosses his way to freedom. A double clothesline leaves both of them own and Rhodes is able to hand it off to Orton. The hanging DDT hits Gunther but he blocks the RKO. Rhodes and Kaiser come back in to slug it out, with a Cody Cutter connecting. The RKO and Cross Rhodes finish Kaiser off at 10:14.

Rating: C+. They could only do so much here as the question was more about which one would pin Kaiser for the win. What matters here is giving us just a taste of Gunther vs. Rhodes, which is what they pulled off, but at the same time, their showdown doesn’t feel that important. This helped the match a bit, but it was facing quite the ceiling.

Post match Kevin Owens runs in with a chair to Orton as Gunther chokes Rhodes out to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. I am not feeling Crown Jewel in the slightest and this didn’t do much to help things out. The best thing here was the addition of teasing a cash in for the women’s match, as it at least gives the match some bigger stakes. The Bloodline match isn’t that much better, as it’s clearly just a warmup for WarGames. That’s the problem with Crown Jewel in general: it feels like a show that we have to get through to get to the important stuff and that’s not great. This show boosted it a bit, but it could only go so far.

Results
Liv Morgan b. Tiffany Stratton – Rollup with trunks
Street Profits b. Pretty Deadly – Doomsday Blockbuster to Wilson
Bayley/Naomi b. Indi Hartwell/Candice LeRae – Rear View to LeRae
Iyo Sky b. Lash Legend, Bianca Belair and Piper Niven – KOD to Legend
Cody Rhodes/Randy Orton b. Imperium – Cross Rhodes to Kaiser

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: October 28, 2024
Location: Giant Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

It’s the last Raw before Crown Jewel and that means we get to hear about the entirely and completely important Crown Jewel Titles. Other than that, the Usos are back together with Roman Reigns after the Bloodline went too far last week. There is a good chance that we’ll hear some more about that this week so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the Bloodline and Jey Uso costing each other titles last week.

Here is Jey Uso for a chat. After recapping what he’s done over the last week, Jey brings out Jimmy Uso, as the only person he wants to talk to. Jimmy says he’s here to say thank you because they need to be together to take down the Bloodline. Jey cuts him off though, saying they’re not the ones either.

Jey hasn’t seen him since Wrestlemania but now no one gets them confused because Jey is the former Intercontinental Champion. He’s won titles, but none of them top being Jimmy’s twin brother. They still have things to work out but they can be the USOS. Jimmy invites Jey to Smackdown to make things right with Roman Reigns, which Jey accepts. Cue the Bloodline to interrupt but the Usos fights their way out of a beating and clear the ring. Good reunion here, but it’s the next step in a very long story.

Post break, Adam Pearce is on the phone with Nick Aldis and yells about the Bloodline being here. Judgment Day comes in to ask which former World Champion Dominik Mysterio will be facing. Pearce doesn’t have time for this so it can be Damian Priest. Mysterio says he has this.

Sheamus vs. Ludwig Kaiser

They slug it out to start and fight into the corner with Sheamus getting the better of things. That heads out to the floor, with Kaiser grabbing a guillotine but getting driven into the steps. We take an early break and come back with Sheamus hitting the ten forearms on the apron. Sheamus hammers away in the corner but gets powerbombed down, only to say COME ON when Kaiser starts punching him. Some hard shots from Sheamus set up the Brogue Kick to pin Kaiser at 9:46.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have much time here due to the break and it’s a little strange to see this feud picked up again when it was mainly going back in the early summer. That being said, there is absolutely some value in building up Sheamus to challenge Bron Breakker for the Intercontinental Title in a hoss feud. It has some stories built in and that should be good enough if they go in that direction.

Rhea Ripley is sick of Raquel Rodriguez and her betrayal. All Ripley wants is the title back and nothing can stop her.

Sami Zayn talks to Jey Uso and can’t believe what he’s seeing. Solo Sikoa wasn’t the one who was getting in his head for years and Jey could just be his own may. Jey says Sami wouldn’t understand because he isn’t family. Oh that was harsh.

Gunther doesn’t think much of Cody Rhodes and is ready for a tag match on Smackdown.

Zelina Vega vs. Ivy Nile

The LWO and American Made are both here too. They start fast with Vega sending her outside for a Meteora off the apron as we take an early break. Back with Vega getting two off a moonsault (not much contact there). Nile is back with a German suplex for two but Vega is back with a Code Red. The guys get in a brawl on the floor though and the distraction lets Nile hit a swinging Rock Bottom for the pin at 6:28. Not enough shown to rate but it was short and not exactly great.

Jimmy Uso is ok with Sami Zayn not being family.

Here is Seth Rollins for a chat. He’s ready to go to war with a monster at Crown Jewel because a part of him that has been gone for a long time is back. Bronson Reed pops up on screen to say he promised that he wouldn’t wreck anything in the arena, but he’s out in the parking lot. Rollins comes out for the brawl, where Reed shrugs off a Stomp onto the hood of a car. They go into the back of a truck and Reed hits a Death Valley Driver through some tables to leave Rollins laying. That’s either a way to write the match off of the crowded card or to give Reed a way to injure Rollins again.

We recap Miz and R-Truth brawling, which drew out the Wyatt Six to attack Paul Ellering.

Miz tried to get away from the Final Testament but they weren’t letting that happen.

R-Truth was with the Alpha Academy when Miz came up to try to make amends. That earns him a shot to the face, with R-Truth saying good luck with the Wyatts. R-Truth runs into Pete Dunne, who he calls Butch. It’s rather funny when R-Truth gets it.

Tag Team Title #1 Contenders Tournament Finals: LWO vs. War Raiders vs. New Day

Kofi and Lee dropkick Ivar to start but he crushes Lee in the corner for two. Erik comes in to knee Rey to the floor and the ring is cleared early on as we take a break. Back with Erik crushing Woods but Rey fights up and knocks Erik outside. Woods is back in but refuses to tag Kingston, with commentary talking about Woods being the “quarterback” of the team. Now Kingston comes in and his a Boom Drop. Woods hits a dive to the floor and Kingston dives onto them again as we take a break.

Back again with Rey kicking Kingston in the head and bringing Lee in to pick up the pace. The double stomp out of the Tree of Woe hits Kingston before Lee, Kingston and Erik go up at the same time. That’s broken up and Lee powerbombs Kingston for two with Woods making the save. Kingston loads up Daylight but Woods would rather dive onto Lee. Cue Chad Gable to pull Rey to the floor for an ankle lock, leaving the Raiders to hit the German suplex/springboard clothesline to pin Kingston at 17:34.

Rating: B. I would have bet on the LWO getting the win here but good idea of pulling the trigger with the Raiders. They’re an established team and a pair of monsters so why not see if they can get the gold again. If nothing else, Judgment Day isn’t doing a thing with the belts so moving them on to a more traditional team is a good idea.

Seth Rollins is off getting medical treatment at a facility.

Miz’s advice for the Final Testament regarding the Wyatt Sicks: run. That doesn’t work for Karrion Kross, who wants Miz to take Bo Dallas out.

The Usos are going to leave but see Sami Zayn talking to Solo Sikoa. Jimmy says he told Jey all they had was family, with Jey agreeing. Now usually this isn’t something that winds up being what it seems, but Jimmy is often presented as stupid so it kind of fits.

Damian Priest vs. Dominik Mysterio

Mysterio is here on his own. Priest starts fast and knocks him to the floor without much effort. Dominik manages a posting to take over though and we go to an early break. Back with Priest breaking up the Third Amigo and hitting a hard clothesline for two. Priest gets sent outside though and here is Liv Morgan for a distraction so Carlito and JD McDonagh can come in for some cheap shots. Priest beats them up with a chair but Dominik grabs a rollup with tights for the pin at 8:58.

Rating: C. This felt like a way to keep Priest’s issues with Judgment Day going until he can move on to a feud with Gunther and there are worse ideas. Priest lost because there were three people helping Mysterio, who had to cheat as well. If nothing else, the idea of Mysterio getting built up towards a World Title match could have quite the reactions, as the fans still love to boo him out of every arena.

Post match Priest wrecks Dominik and Carlito to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Maybe it’s the lack of any time left or realizing that it’s not working, but the lack of focus on the Crown Jewel Titles made this so much more enjoyable. WWE might have known that the idea was lame from the beginning but it’s nit to get the focus off of them for a night. Other than that, you had some things st up for the post Crown Jewel shows as Survivor Series is on the way. Not a great show, but it got some things done.

Results
Sheamus b. Ludwig Kaiser – Brogue Kick
Ivy Nile b. Zelina Vega – Swinging Rock Bottom
War Raiders b. New Day and LWO – German suplex/springboard clothesline combination to Kingston
Dominik Mysterio b. Damien Priest – Rollup with tights

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

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Smackdown
Date: October 25, 2024
Location: Barclays Center, New York City, New York
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re just over a week away from Crown Jewel and the big story this week is that Raw World Champion Gunther will be here to confront Smackdown World Champion Coy Rhodes. The problem is they’re going to have to find a way around the low stakes that come with the Crown Jewel Title. Other than that, the Bloodline will likely get its usual focus. Let’s get to it.

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

Randy Orton gets this week’s walk through the back to the Gorilla Position…where he stops to talk to HHH in a conversation we can’t hear. With that done, Orton hits the ring and wants to know why he can’t face Kevin Owens. Since Nick Aldis has said it was above his pay grade, he wants HHH out here right now to make the match, because otherwise it feels like HHH is protecting Owens. Cue HHH, who guesses we have to do this. Orton thinks HHH is protecting Owens, but the match isn’t going to happen.

HHH says he’s trying to protect Orton, which gets a gasp from the crowd. Orton drops to a knee next to the ropes before HHH talks about how Owens will turn on anyone at any time. HHH: “You know what that’s like, you do.” But then Owens trusted Orton and Cody Rhodes and HHH is worried. Orton just came back from 18 months away and Orton could put him away permanently.

Orton didn’t want Paul Levesque out here, but rather the guy who broke into Orton’s home with a sledgehammer and threw him through a window. He wants to be allowed to handle this the same way they have for years, right in this ring. The fans are behind it and HHH hopes they know what they’re wanting. HHH makes the match at Crown Jewel. That’s a big time match and they needed to make it feel special.

Long recap of Carmelo Hayes vs. Andrade.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Andrade

It’s the rubber match with the series tied at 3-3 so LA Knight is guest referee. This is also billed as Game 7, which is fine for a sports metaphor but sounds really weird in wrestling. Knight is wearing the US Title as he counts two off Andrade’s early rollup. Back up and Hayes uses Knight as a shield to get in a cheap shot (Knight doesn’t approve) but Andrade sends him out to the floor. The big flip dive over the top takes Hayes out on the floor and we take a break.

Back with Andrade hitting the springboard flipping reverse Spanish Fly, only for Hayes to hit the spinning faceplant for the same. Andrade gets his own rollup but the kickout sends him onto Knight. That means Hayes’ rollup doesn’t get a count so Andrade hits Two Amigos, with the third being reversed into a suplex cutter. Knight doesn’t feel like counting and instead pulls Hayes outside and sends him over the announcers’ table. Both of them get BFT’s and Knight throws it out at 9:46.

Rating: B-. The action was good while it lasted but this was more about setting up the triple threat match which has been the pretty obvious goal for a good while now. That’s not a bad thing, though Knight has been acting rather heelish lately. He certainly isn’t going to turn or do anything insane like that, but there is very little heroic in what he has been doing.

Post match Knight declares himself the winner. Cole and Graves are split on the decision.

Nia Jax is annoyed that Tiffany Stratton was gone last week and has gotten Candice LeRae to take her place. Stratton isn’t pleased.

Nick Aldis yells at LA Knight and makes a triple threat match at Crown Jewel. Aldis didn’t say it was a title match but I’d guess that’s implied.

Naomi vs. Candice LeRae

Indi Hartwell is here with LeRae, who works on the arm to start but Naomi easily powers out. An ax kick gives Naomi two but LeRae is back with a Downward Spiral onto the apron. We take a break and come back with a frustrated LeRae hammering on Naomi and grabbing the neck crank. Naomi fights up and hits a quick hanging faceplant for two, followed by a springboard spinning kick to the face for the same. LeRae’s neckbreaker out of the corner sends Naomi outside, where Hartwell gets in a posting. Cue Bayley to take out Hartwell, leaving Naomi to hit a Bubba Bomb for the pin at 8:54.

Rating: C. They didn’t have much time to do anything here as, again, the match was cut off by the break. Otherwise, this was something of a makeup for last week, as LeRae got the big upset so Naomi needed to get a win back (even if she didn’t get pinned last week). I can go for more of LeRae, but she still doesn’t feel like she is ready to jump up to the next level.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat, but Gunther interrupts his entrance. Gunther asks Cody what he wants to talk about, but Cody says it should be obvious. Gunther apologizes for bringing Cody’s daughter into this because that wasn’t necessary. He finds it interesting that Cody keeps trying to do something for someone else. Wrestlemania was about making Dusty Rhodes happy and then he wanted the John Cena schedule to live up to Cena’s reputation.

If you take everything out of this, what does Cody want from this match? Cody says you can’t take the people out of this and he grants them their WHOA, which Gunther cut off. Where was Gunther yesterday and the day before that? Cody was in Las Vegas promoting Wrestlemania while Gunther couldn’t bother getting out of bed.

Gunther says he gets the same requests but has the guts to say no to everyone. On the other hand, Cody has to keep saying yes because if he stops saying yes, his story is over. That makes Cody a gutless champion and secondary to him. Cody says that his career is based on guts, which is what it takes to do this, and the fight is on. Ludwig Kaiser comes in for the brawl but Randy Orton makes the save. This was the best segment in the build to the match yet, but egads it still feels like something we have to get through rather than an interesting match.

We recap the Bloodline beating down Roman Reigns and Jimmy Uso to end last week’s show, then going to Raw to cost Jey Uso the Intercontinental Title.

The three GM’s are in the back to announce that Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill will be defending the Women’s Tag Team Titles in a four way against Chelsea Green/Piper Niven, Meta Four and Damage CTRL at Crown Jewel.

Motor City Machine Guns vs. DIY

For a future Tag Team Title shot and commentary goes over Shelley’s influence on the current generation. Sabin comes in off a blind tag and the Dream Sequence gets two on Ciampa. Gargano comes in for a jawbreaker into a basement dropkick for two and it’s already back to Ciampa. The Guns hit their own Meet In The Middle on the apron but Gargano hits the slingshot spear, meaning it’s the DIY double applause as we take a break.

Back with Sabin fighting out of trouble and a Downward Spiral/missile dropkick combination gets two. Gargano’s rolling kick to the head hits Sabin and there’s a running knee to give Ciampa two of his own. Meet In The Middle is broken up and Gargano superkicks Ciampa by mistake, meaning Skull & Bones can finish Gargano at 11:20.

Rating: B. This is how you build up a team, as the Guns get another win over some former champions in a good match. The Guns have hit the ground running here and it wouldn’t surprise me to see them getting a title shot at Crown Jewel. At the same time, commentary was putting the team over hard, as they were explaining the Guns’ history and telling stories about them. That’s a great bonus and has helped so much.

Post match here is the Bloodline and post break, Solo Sikoa demands acknowledgment. The OTC chants get on Sikoa’s nerves and the Guns introduces themselves. The Guns are ready anyplace anytime, so Sikoa says let’s do it right now. Nick Aldis says no but Shelley says if the Bloodline wants to do it, now, let’s do it.

Tag Team Titles: Bloodline vs. Motor City Machine Guns

The Guns are challenging and knock the champs outside, only for the dives to be cut off as we take a break. Back with the fans wanting Roman (Reigns) and Shelley fighting back. Sikoa gets on the apron but here is Jimmy Uso to cut him off. Jacob Fatu joins Fatu in the beatdown but here is Roman Reigns to help brawl the villains to the back. We’re down to two on two and Sabin dropkicks Tama down, only to walk into a spinebuster. The referee is bumped so the Tongas grab chairs but here is Jey Uso to take Loa out with a superkick and a spear. Skull & Bones gives us new champions at 7:25.

Rating: C+. Remember how I said the previous match is how you make stars? This was the upgraded version, as the Guns don’t just hit the ground running but score another major win in the process. The match was little more than a backdrop for the big fight with the Bloodlines and there is nothing wrong with that. Awesome moment here and the kind of insanity that worked, as the Bloodline was already playing with a big advantage.

Post match the Guns leave and Jimmy comes back. Jey isn’t sure about this but we get the big hug for the reunion to end the show (Guns vs. Usos at say the Rumble works fine for me). This was a huge moment as the road now turns to Survivor Series and WarGames, but the good guys are going to need one more name. Either that’s a random new member of the team, or they might need an Honorary Uce.

Overall Rating: B. This was a show where it felt like they turned on the jets, with a big angle to start, two matches set for Crown Jewel, a title change and the big reunion at the end. That’s a heck of an episode and I was caring about things like I haven’t in a little while. The Guns winning is a great thing to see, but the Usos being back together (for now) is the big step in the main story and that’s the really important part. Pretty strong show this week.

Results
Carmelo Hayes vs. Andrade went to a no contest
Naomi b. Candice LeRae – Bubba Bomb
Motor City Machine Guns b. DIY – Skull & Bones to Gargano
Motor City Machine Guns b. Bloodline – Skull & Bones to Tama

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

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Smackdown
Date: October 18, 2024
Location: Colonial Life Arena, Columbia, South Carolina
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

We’re getting closer to Crown Jewel and the show is going to need something more than just the World Champions clashing. That might be remedied though as earlier today, WWE confirmed that they had signed the Motor City Machine Guns, with a debut likely for this show. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Jimmy Uso and Roman Reigns agreeing that they need help, only for Jey Uso to turn Jimmy down on Raw.

Here is the Bloodline to get things going, with Solo Sikoa ignoring the OTC chants and telling the fans to acknowledge him. Sikoa says they are the present and the future and Roman Reigns can’t do anything about it. Jey Uso doesn’t want anything to do with it either, because No Yeet. The beatdowns to Reigns will continue unless he acknowledges Sikoa by the end of the night.

Cue Jey Uso through the crowd to interrupt, saying that he still cares about Sikoa. Jimmy and Reigns aren’t here yet so he’s here to talk about what Sikoa is doing to the family. Jey left to become his own man and now he’s the Intercontinental Champion. Sikoa says he’s trying to unite the family but Jey needs to stop calling him little brother, because he’s the Tribal Chief. So is Jey in or out? Jey asks why the Tongans and Jacob Fatu are here if Sikoa is trying to unite the family. With that, Jey says it’ll be different the next time they meet and he leaves in peace. Sikoa showing up on Raw during Jey’s title match wouldn’t shock me.

Street Profits vs. DIY vs. Pretty Deadly

This is the first of two triple threats with the winners facing off next week for a Tag Team Title match. Ford dropkicks Ciampa down for two to start but Prince suckers Ciampa into a shot from Wilson. That doesn’t work for Ford, who hits a big flip dive, only for Ciampa to knee him down for two. Pretty Deadly takes over on Ciampa though and we take a break.

Back with Ford splashing Ciampa for two with Gargano making the save. Dawkins launches Ciampa into a belly to back to give Ford two but Spilled Milk is broken up. Ford gets crotched on top but he pops back up with a Doomsday Blockbuster to Prince…but DIY is back in with Meet In The Middle to steal the pin (as Ford was pinning the illegal Prince) at 8:11.

Rating: B-. Pretty much a nonstop action match here and that’s what you want in something like this. Let them go out there and tear the house down in the first match of the show, with DIY being smart to steal the win in the end. Odds are they’ll be seeing the Motor City Machine Guns next week and they could be fine victims to set up a Crown Jewel title match.

Roman Reigns and Jimmy Uso arrive but run into Jey Uso. Jey goes to walk by the but Reigns says he’s proud of the title win. Jey: “No Yeet.” And he walks away, with Reigns saying he told us so. It’s so nice to have Jey actually remembering what happened to him and not forgiving his family, as that wouldn’t make sense for him.

Nia Jax is annoyed that Tiffany Stratton is sick, but Nick Aldis says find a new partner. Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell come in to say they’ll do it, with LeRae getting the spot.

Piper Niven vs. Lash Legend

Chelsea Green and Jakara Jackson are here too. Niven runs her over to start but misses a splash, allowing Legend to kick her in the face. Back up and Niven misses a Cannonball but Legend can’t manage a fireman’s carry. She can however manage a slam and, after avoiding a Vader Bomb, hit her kind of weird over the back faceplant for the pin at 2:58.

Jimmy Uso comes to see Roman Reigns and says he should talk to Jey Uso. Reigns says we tried Jimmy’s way so now we’ll try Reigns’ way. He’s going to acknowledge Solo Sikoa.

Here is Cody Rhodes to greet the fans and talk about the Crown Jewel Championships. It’s not about the last one or the next one but about the first one. What if we saw Harley Race vs. Bruno Sammartino or Ric Flair vs. Verne Gagne or Goldberg vs. Steve Austin? Now we’ll see one of those matches in Saudi Arabia but he’s not going to disparage Gunther.

Why does he think he’s leaving Crown Jewel as champion? Well look at this thing! Rhodes is here to fight for people like his daughter and he wants Gunther here next week to ask what he wants to talk about. Rhodes is one of the best going today but even he can’t make this stupid thing sound interesting.

We look back at Kevin Owens’ path of rage.

Owens has sent in a video talking about how things have never felt as bad as they do right now. It’s unfair that he’s been asked to stay away after what he did to Cody Rhodes, as how many worse things have happened around here? How appreciated is he by WWE? He can’t get around what Randy Orton did to him by picking Cody Rhodes over him. Owens isn’t sure when or if he can come back.

Orton tells Nick Aldis that he wants Kevin Owens at Crown Jewel but Aldis says he can’t do it. That’s coming from up above, so Orton says he knows who he needs to talk to.

A-Town Down Under vs. Legado del Fantasma vs. Motor City Machine Guns

This is the other qualifying match for next week and the Guns are Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley, a team who had tremendous success in TNA (where they were multiple time Tag Team Champions and both World Champion). Sabin gets sent into the corner to start but comes back with a high crossbody to Angel and Waller. Sabin’s big dive takes out a bunch of people on the floor but Waller hits him in the face as we take an early break.

Back with Legado hitting some stereo moonsaults to the floor but the Guns drop A-Town Down Under. Legado clears the other villains out, only for the Guns to hit the Dream Sequence (a rapid fire string of kicks, capped off with a running basement dropkick). Skull And Bones (neckbreaker​/top rope splash combination) finishes Berto at 8:23.

Rating: C+. The triple threat aspect gave me the slightest wonder if the Guns wouldn’t win here but thankfully sanity prevailed. The fans seemed to at least somewhat know them and that’s a good way to start them out. They very well might be in for a big upset at Crown Jewel for the titles, but they had to start somewhere and this is as good as anything else they could have done in their first week.

Carmelo Hayes and Andrade get in a fight in the back.

Naomi/Bayley vs. Nia Jax/Candice LeRae

Jax wastes no time in sending Bayley to the corner for the running hip attack. It’s already off to LeRae, who gets taken into the wrong corner so Naomi can come in to take over. Naomi walks on Jax’s back but gets sent flying onto her face for two. We take a break and come back with Bayley and LeRae both coming in so the former can take over. LeRae gets dropped face first onto the buckle and a sunset bomb into the corner gives Bayley two. Jax is sent to the floor for a dive from Naomi, leaving LeRae to drop Bayley. A top rope Lionsault gives LeRae the big upset pin at 7:35.

Rating: C. This “take a break in a short match” is happening more and more often lately and it’s starting to drive me crazy. I know the commercials are what matter more than anything else because it brings the company money, but dang it gets annoying to have nearly half of a match gone to a commercial. It takes all o the energy out of a match and makes it feel like it’s divided in two, which isn’t good when they only had so much time in the first place.

Next week is match #7 between Carmelo Hayes and Andrade so LA Knight is guest referee because he can’t stand either of them.

Here is Roman Reigns to acknowledge Solo Sikoa. Reigns has the fans acknowledge him and here is Sikoa to interrupt. Reigns says the family is divided and broken but he told his father that he could fix this. He wants titles, paydays and abundance from the heavens. Sikoa says Reigns can fix this by acknowledging him as his Tribal Chief, or else. Reigns: “OR ELSE WHAT?” Sikoa says that’s proof that Reigns has never changed, so Sikoa won’t change either. Cue the Bloodline, having attacked Jimmy Uso. Reigns tries to fight them off but gets dropped with a low blow. The Bloodline poses over Reigns to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. I had a bit more fun with this one, though that might be due to having the Guns show up and get a nice win. Other than that, the Bloodline is starting to heat back up and that should mean another big moment with WarGames about six weeks away. The Crown Jewel Title matches are still horrible, but that’s not on the wrestlers who have nothing to talk about. A good show this week, but there are still problems to be solved.

Results
DIY b. Street Profits and Pretty Deadly – Meet In The Middle to Wilson
Lash Legend b. Piper Niven – Over the back faceplant
Motor City Machine Guns b. A-Town Down Under and Legado del Fantasma – Skull and Bones to Berto
Candice LeRae/Nia Jax b. Bayley/Naomi – Springboard moonsault to Bayley

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

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AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Bad Blood 2024
Date: October 5, 2024
Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

For reasons I’m still not clear on, Bad Blood is back after a twenty year hiatus. In this case it’s once again about the Cell, with Drew McIntyre and CM Punk being locked inside to presumably wrap up their feud for good. Other than that, Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns are teaming up to face the Bloodline. Let’s get to it.

The opening video is a mini movie with HHH and Cody Rhodes in a parking lot talking about their plans for the evening, with HHH saying text Roman Reigns if you get in trouble. Then Rhodes and someone named Metro are sitting in a car watching the arena, apparently for the last several weeks. After a look at the bigger matches, Rhodes and Metro agree that it’s time and go inside. This was….certainly a thing.

Rhodes and Metro (last name Boomin) arrive in a banged up Ford.

Here are your hosts for the evening: Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill and Naomi. Their offering at the moment: announcing that the Cell is lowering.

Drew McIntyre vs. CM Punk

Inside the Cell. They take their time staring at each other until McIntyre knocks him into the corner and hammers away. McIntyre sends him outside but gets whipped into the Cell to give Punk a breather. A table is pulled out but McIntyre knocks him down and grabs a wrench from a toolbox. The big shot only hits post though so McIntyre rips the legs off a table. Punk takes them away and chokes before sending McIntyre back first onto the bottom of the table.

They head back outside where McIntyre hits a quick Claymore for a needed breather. Punk is busted open and McIntyre certainly seems to like that. The steps to the head have Punk in more trouble and McIntyre says Punk’s wife is going to leave him. Back in and the wrench is dug into the cut on Punk’s head before another table is pulled in. Punk manages a running knee in the corner though and goes up top for an ax handle to the head.

A top rope wrench to the head is countered into a suplex to send Punk flying as the fans approve. The threat of a Claymore sends Punk outside, where he finds a toolbox to bash McIntyre in the head (the blood is gushing, with Graves making a Muta Scale reference). Two more toolbox shots to the head have McIntyre rocked and the GTS…sends him rolling out to the floor. Back in and Punk grabs a not exactly great Sharpshooter but McIntyre gets in a wrench shot.

We actually pause for the referee to wipe the blood off of McIntyre’s face and they slug it out again. McIntyre gets the better of things and suplexes Punk off the apron and through a table. It’s McIntyre up first but he has a lot of trouble getting the steps inside the ring. The delay lets Punk hit a quick GTS for two and they’re both down again. McIntyre is able to come back with White Noise onto the steps for two and another double down.

Punk manages a quick Anaconda Vice but McIntyre grabs the wrench…which Punk takes away and smashes onto McIntyre’s head. McIntyre begs off and catches Punk with a low blow to put them down again. Back up and McIntyre pours a bag of beads, like in the bracelet, onto Punk’s head. The Claymore is loaded up but McIntyre misses and lands BACK FIRST ONTO THE EDGE OF THE STEPS for the terrifying crash (I’m hoping he accidentally left it short because if that was the plan that man needs help.). Punk pours the beads into McIntyre’s mouth and hits the GTS (with a chain around his knee) for the win at 31:15.

Rating: A. Sweet goodness that was a war and Punk survived rather than won. After that, you almost have to imagine Punk gets into the World Title scene sooner than later, as there isn’t much else for him to do at the moment. As for the match, they did some good stuff with the wrenches to make it feel all the more violent and bloodthirsty. What matters here though is they wrapped up the feud with a fight befitting the Cell, which hasn’t always been the case for a long time.

Post match Punk slams the door and walks out but collapses in the aisle, with the medics coming out to give him oxygen. Punk pulls that off and walks out again.

We recap Bayley challenging Nia Jax for the Smackdown Women’s Title. Jax beat her for the title at Summerslam and Bayley wants the title back. Tiffany Stratton is lurking around with the Money In The Bank briefcase.

We go to the VIP suite where the hosts talk about various legends who are in the background and awkwardly talk about the rest of the show.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bayley vs. Nia Jax

Jax is defending and they run around a bit first, only for Jax to hit a hard clothesline. The running hip attack in the corner sets up a leglock of all things and even commentary isn’t sure what to make of that. Bayley gets up and slides between legs before sending Jax outside. A slingshot legdrop hits Jax but it’s to early for a suicide dive. Instead Bayley hits a baseball slide dropkick and hammers away on the floor but the suicide dive only kind of bounces off of Jax.

Back in and Jax runs her over, only for Bayley to break up the Annihilator. Bayley’s powerbomb out of the corner is countered into something like a hurricanrana (ok more like Jax pulled her forward but that could have been worse). A Bayley To Belly plants Bayley for two but Bayley is back with a sunset bomb, with Jax landing on Bayley’s leg in the process. The top rope elbow his Jax, who bails out to the floor for a breather.

Back in and Jax runs her over again, only to charge into a Samoan drop of all things to give Bayley two. Jax crushes the referee though….and it’s Tiffy Time. Stratton drops Bayley with the briefcase and wakes up the referee, but Jax does an Undertaker situp. That’s enough for Stratton to bail, only for her to throw the briefcase at Bayley for a distraction. Jax plants Bayley and hits the Annihilator for the pin at 14:12.

Rating: C-. This really didn’t work as Jax was trying some different things but couldn’t make them go well. It didn’t help that Bayley felt like a lame duck challenger throughout and the cash-in tease was treated as a bigger deal. They both need to move on, though I’m not sure who is supposed to be next to come after Jax’s title.

Xavier Woods gets to play a Dragon Ball game early.

We recap Finn Balor vs. Damian Priest. Balor turned on Priest at Summerslam and kicked him out of Judgment Day so Priest has been on a path of revenge, leading up to tonight.

Finn Balor vs. Damian Priest

Priest chops him hard into the corner and then punches him in another as the beating is on in a hurry. Balor gets in a shot of his own though and fires off the Kawada kicks, followed by some jumping stomps. Priest pops right back up for the big staredown, only for Balor to elbow him back down. Back up and a right hand rocks Balor so hard that commentary is nearly cringing, but Balor is able to grab a spinning Russian legsweep for a near fall.

Priest hits some more loud right hands, setting up a spinning kick to the head and a clothesline for two. The Pele kick gives Balor a breather but Priest is right back with a Razor’s Edge to send Balor outside. Something close to a Pounce sends Balor onto the announcers’ table and Priest drops him onto the apron.

Cue Carlito for a distraction though, allowing JD McDonagh to come in for a cheap shot. The Coup de Grace gets two and Priest takes out the rest of the team. South Of Heaven is countered into a rollup for two and Balor hits a top rope double stomp to the back. That doesn’t work either though and Priest hits South Of Heaven for the pin at 12:50.

Rating: C+. This was ok enough but not exactly great, with Priest just shrugging off the interference and winning. That’s the way the ending should have gone, but it was never exactly a dramatic match on the way there. I’m not sure what is next for Priest, though it’s hard to imagine Judgment Day being big time players that much longer from this point.

Here is HHH for a big announcement, complete with a pedestal labeled Crown Jewel and something covered up. HHH talks about his time in WCW when he was “terra ryzing” WCW and here are are with 16,092 in attendance. In four weeks, WWE will be returning to Saudi Arabia for Crown Jewel in the beginning of a new era.

There will be an annual event at Crown Jewel, where the two World Champions (both men and women) will face off in non-title matches. However, there will be a definitive winner for both, with the winner being named the Crown Jewel Champion, which is the title underneath the sheet (and is gigantic).

Cue Gunther to interrupt, saying he’s looking forward to winning the title in four weeks. Gunther laughs off the idea of Sami Zayn taking the title from him on Monday before moving on to the legends who are already here. This would mean Goldberg, who really isn’t one of Gunther’s childhood heroes. How could anyone be impressed with a one trick pony like Goldberg? Gunther looks over at Goldberg’s son and says he hopes Goldberg is a better father than he is a wrestler. Goldberg comes over the barricade and security breaks it up, only for Sami Zayn to run in and brawl with Gunther to the back. HHH and Goldberg pose.

There was a lot here and neither of it is overly positive. This is the same thing they did with the Battle For Brand Supremacy for years and all that does is make one champion look weak. I’m sure the Saudis requested something like this so WWE is stuck but that doesn’t make it much better. Other than that…sweet goodness can we just move on from Goldberg against these big stars? Have him beat up some midcard goof (Finn Balor or someone) and get his nostalgia pop so we can not have to sit through another wasted World Title match.

Various legends are here.

Back to the VIP suite where Chelsea Green shows up and smells bad. Piper Niven is willing to stay though.

Raw Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley vs. Liv Morgan

Ripley is challenging and Dominik Mysterio is locked in a shark cage. Hold on though as Ripley says Dominik is scared of heights too so raise that cage! Ripley knocks her to the floor to start but gets sent into the steps after looking up at Dominik for a bit too long. A dragon screw legwhip over the ropes keeps Ripley in trouble and it’s a half crab to make it worse.

That’s broken up and Ripley slugs away, only to have her leg taken out again. The leg is rammed into the apron and a spinning kick to the head staggers Ripley. Morgan hits a sunset bomb into the barricade and a middle rope Codebreaker connects back inside. Oblivion is broken up with a roll through (would have been better without the bad leg), only for Morgan to snap off a crucifix bomb for two more.

Ripley is back up with a toss powerbomb but Dominik has managed to open the shark cage door. The frog splash sets up the Prism Trap but Morgan rolls out to the floor. Morgan gets sent into the barricade, followed by the Riptide on the outside. Dominik teases climbing down…but winds up hanging upside down by his foot. Rather than finishing Morgan, Ripley grabs a kendo stick and, after wishing herself a happy birthday, beats on him with the stick. Cue Raquel Rodriguez of all people to jump Ripley for the DQ at 14:30.

Rating: C-. That ending was all kinds of messy and it hurt things badly, though they weren’t doing well in the first place. At the end of the day, it’s just not that easy to buy Morgan as a threat against Ripley, even if Ripley is hurt. Rodriguez should be a lot better as she can match up physically with Morgan, but they need to let Ripley get the win, crush Dominik, and move WAY on because this feud is running out of steam in a hurry.

Post match Rodriguez puts Morgan on top of Ripley, presumably for a pin, which makes me wonder if the DQ wasn’t the planned finish.

We recap Roman Reigns/Cody Rhodes vs. the Bloodline. Reigns and Rhodes are sick of them and are teaming up to get rid of them, with Reigns saying he’s coming for the title after it’s over.

Bloodline vs. Cody Rhodes/Roman Reigns

Rhodes is played to the ring by the Arkansas Pine Bluff marching band, who played his song during a college football game a few weeks back. Not to be outdone, Reigns has his own band playing him out. Cody and Fatu start things off with the early Disaster Kick being shrugged off. It’s (slowly) off to Reigns vs. Sikoa, with Reigns hammering away in the corner.

Sikoa headbutts him down but gets clotheslined outside, meaning Fatu comes in to glare at Reigns. That’s enough of a distraction for Sikoa to deck Reigns and start the headbutting. Sikoa hits the running Umaga Attack, followed by Fatu hitting his own. Fatu misses a charge and goes head first into the post though and it’s back to Rhodes for the Flip Flop and Fly. The Cody Cutter puts Fatu down but a Sikoa distraction lets him come back with a pop up Samoan drop.

Things slow back down with Fatu getting to hammer away, including a double wishbone with Sikoa. Fatu grabs a nerve hold to keep Rhodes in trouble and then does it again for a bonus. Rhodes fights up and manages to drop Fatu, which is enough for the tag back to Reigns for the house cleaning. The Samoan Spike is countered into a crucifix of all things to give Reigns two, followed by a Superman Punch of the same.

Rhodes whips Fatu into the steps before avoiding a charge, sending Fatu through the barricade. Some superkicks put Fatu onto the announcers’ table and a splash off the post puts him through it. Now it’s Reigns getting to clean house but cue the Tonga’s, allowing Sikoa to hit a spear for two. Cue a guy in a hoodie to superkick the Tongas because Jimmy Uso is back. That’s enough for Reigns to spear Sikoa down for the pin at 25:43.

Rating: B-. This match felt like a car that kept stalling before finally turning on just enough to get you where you needed to go. It desperately needed about eight minutes cut off as the heat segments on Rhodes weren’t working. Fatu feels like a beast but Sikoa just isn’t quite living up to the same hype. The Uso reveal was good and it was a nice moment, but this was a long main event at the end of a not so great show and it felt like that the whole way.

Post match Reigns and Jimmy hug and reigns has a brief staredown with Cody before leaving. The Bloodline is back up and jumps Cody though, with Jimmy saying they should go back for the save. Reigns thinks about it before going back in and cleaning house. With the Bloodline gone, Reigns picks up the title and hands it back to Rhodes for some applause. Rhodes holds up the title….and the Rock is here (with the People’s Champion belt and someone from his team reaching their arm around the edge of the screen to film it from behind). The Rock glares at Reigns, seems to count to three (I’m guessing because he pinned Cody at Wrestlemania) and walks out to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The opener is an instant classic (partially because it was the ONLY Cell match on the card rather than one of two or three) and the main event is enough to get by, but this was a two match show and the rest of the card falls off a cliff outside of those two. Balor vs. Priest was acceptable enough, but sweet goodness those Women’s Title matches did not work, with the Crown Jewel announcement being about on the same level. It’s not a terrible show, but the Cell match is the only thing worth seeing in the slightest.

Results
CM Punk b. Drew McIntyre – GTS with a chain
Nia Jax b. Bayley – Annihilator
Damian Priest b. Finn Balor – South Of Heaven
Rhea Ripley b. Liv Morgan via DQ when Raquel Rodriguez interfered
Roman Reigns/Cody Rhodes b. Bloodline – Spear to Sikoa

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