Wrestlemania XXXVII Night One
Date: April 10, 2021
Location: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
Attendance: 25,675
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Samoa Joe, Byron Saxton
America the Beautiful: Bebe Rexha

This is somewhere in between a Performance Center Wrestlemania and the regular version, as the show is taking place in front of a limited capacity audience. That alone is worth a look and now it is time for a Wrestlemania style show. The main event for the first night is Bianca Belair challenging Sasha Banks for the Smackdown Women’s Title. Let’s get to it.

No Kickoff Show matches (on either night) this year, which is a little weird to see.

The huge pirate ship set looks awesome, as WWE knows how to use what is available to them.

Here is Vince McMahon, with the roster behind him on the stage, to talk about how bad things have been over the last year. As we emerge from this pandemic, WWE would like to thank the fans for sticking with them and WELCOME TO WRESTLEMANIA! Very nice and you know it’s a big moment when the boss is out there for something like this.

Bebe Rexha, with a guitar player, singe America the Beautiful.

The opening video talks about how the WWE Universe has waited a long time to get back here, and now they are back for the spectacle and the passion. Wrestlemania is back in business (there’s a tagline for you). Tonight we will see an event that is bigger than the history of history.

That line is so bad that the voiceover from last year (with a bad Jack Sparrow impression) takes over to say this is a continuation from last year with wrestlers fighting for immortality. Now let’s drop some realness (as the kids say, because apparently kids say that), because tonight we continue a decades old spectacle.

That sets up the Wrestlemania highlight package, but first we need to thank the fans, including those in a commemorative chair or watching tonight on Peacock. The course has been corrected and this can’t be stopped. Sparrow voiceover: “Now how’s that for a cold open?” The original voiceover wants a big finish though so how about this: WELCOME TO WRESTLEMANIA!

Commentary welcomes us to the show….which is being delayed due to a weather delay, because of course it is. The fans bust out the ponchos and start heading for the concourses as this is quite the change of plans. With nothing else going on, commentary talks about Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley getting to start the show but since we have some time to fill, we’re going to get some special interviewers backstage.

Shane McMahon talks about how he hasn’t been bullying Braun Strowman and is ready to take him out tonight. MVP and Bobby Lashley interrupt to say that tonight will be the crowning moment of the Almighty Era. Drew McIntyre only understands violence and tonight, Lashley is going to give him that. McIntyre pops in and says Mother Nature can’t save Lashley so let’s do it back here.

MVP and Lashley are taken out and McIntyre talks about how he is trying to keep his emotions together and won’t lose it last year. Last year they were at the Performance Center and he won the WWE Title, lost it for three weeks and got it back, but now the weather is trying to hold him back again. Lashley is losing the title tonight. You can tell that McIntyre isn’t comfortable improving.

The Kickoff Show panel talks about how important the show is.

New Day is fired up about having the crowd back and you can’t feel that feeling until you feel it. They accepted AJ Styles and Omos’ challenge because they are fighting champions and don’t care how big or phenomenal their challengers are. No one can hang with them and here is Big E. to glare at interviewer Kevin Patrick, plus hype up how great the rest of the team is. It nearly turns into a sermon, as Patrick seems a bit scared.

Cole dubs the show Wrestlerainia but seems to be alone in that one.

Braun Strowman says he’s ready to get out there and destroy Shane McMahon for the sake of everyone who has ever been bullied. This isn’t going to be pretty or technical, because Shane is going to be beaten into an inch of his life. Tonight, he’s proving that bullies do not win.

The Kickoff Show panel talks about Vince McMahon’s speech.

Kevin Owens, rocking that KO Mania V shirt, takes the microphone from Kevin Patrick to talk about his history with Sami Zayn. They have known each other for almost twenty years and they started wrestling each other all over. One time they wrestled each other in front of 23 people in Owens’ hometown. They went to New York City, to Peru and around the world, but in those twenty years, no two people were talked down to by “industry experts” like they were.

Now they are here and tomorrow night they get to do it again at Wrestlemania. It has never been this big or this important but this isn’t the Sami that he has known. That’s ok though, because in the end, this is Wrestlemania and it’s Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens. Tomorrow night, Owens is Stunning some sense back into Zayn and if Logan Paul wants to try something, he’ll be in the ring. To the point, eloquent, and it told the story of their match. This stuff can be done with zero scripting and if the people can handle that, I have no idea why they aren’t given the chance.

Michael Cole and Samoa Joe, in ponchos, hype up the show being on in less than five minutes. In a good note for the two of them, Byron Saxton’s microphone has died.

Bianca Belair isn’t nervous but she knows she is getting in the ring with Sasha Banks. Belair doesn’t run from competition so tonight, she is proving that she is the best. Not too bad here.

Seth Rollins can’t remember Kevin Patrick’s name (Rollins: “It’s Mike right?”) but he loves the chaos of Wrestlemania. He isn’t happy with hearing about Zazaro Swinging him a record number of times but it was probably to help Zazaro springboard to a new level. Tonight the clouds will clear and the sun will shine down on the new Mr. Wrestlemania.

Miz and John Morrison aren’t worried about Bad Bunny and Damian Priest because they’re stars. BE JEALOUS!

The Kickoff Show panel gives us one more quick hype.

Now this is kind of interesting, because the Peacock version of the show has the weather delay with the promos as its own video (which is billed as the start of the show). Vince’s speech and America the Beautiful are on the regular video of the show and there is no mention of the delay, though the video with the delay references Vince’s speech. Because WWE.

Speaking of Because WWE, the opening video is on both the weather delay video and the regular Wrestlemania video.

Since we can’t just GET ON WITH IT ALREADY (and because the fans need to get back in their seats), here are hosts Titus O’Neil and Hulk Hogan, with the latter not getting the most positive reaction. Titus is fired up to be in his hometown and the WWE Universe is bringing the energy that they need. After one year, one month and one day, we are back live! Hogan doesn’t think the fans heard him so Titus says it again to a stronger reaction. They hype up the opening match with the Hurt Lock vs. the Claymore and wonder what happens when the Hulkamaniacs run wild for TWO NIGHTS!

We recap Bobby Lashley defending the WWE Title against Drew McIntyre. Miz cashed in Money in the Bank against McIntyre and won the title, only to lose it to Lashley eight days later (which was about as obvious of a result as you could have, as there was no way Miz was going to Wrestlemania as champion). McIntyre is getting his rematch, with Lashley trying to have the roster take McIntyre out before the show. That didn’t work, and now it is time for the showdown.

Raw World Title: Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley

Lashley, with MVP, is defending. They fight over the power lockup to start until Lashley runs him over with a shoulder. The overhead belly to belly works a bit better for McIntyre, who throws in a bit of a crude gesture. Some shoving goes to McIntyre but Lashley hits him in the face to cut that off. A running clothesline takes Lashley to the floor, where he is fine enough to drive McIntyre into the barricade a few times.

Back in and a neckbreaker gives Lashley one (because McIntyre doesn’t wait for two) before he sends McIntyre into the corner. The charge takes too long though and the arm goes into the post. A Codebreaker to the arm sets up a failed cross armbreaker attempt so McIntyre goes with some clotheslines instead. There’s the overhead belly to belly and then another one has Lashley in more trouble (as we see commentary standing at ringside for some reason, likely weather related).

The Futureshock is blocked though and Lashley hits the spinning Dominator for two of his own. McIntyre gets planted with the big spinebuster for two more but he’s right back with the reverse Alabama Slam. They go up top with the superplex being broken up so McIntyre puts on a Kimura up there instead. Lashley knocks him out so McIntyre does the situp toss back down (that always looks cool).

Back up and Lashley hits another spinebuster but, after a few seconds (good), McIntyre nips up for the staredown. Another belly to belly sends Lashley down again and now the Futureshock can connect. McIntyre isn’t done though as he rolls two more Futureshocks for two so it’s time to load up the Claymore. Lashley bails outside to avoid the whole kick in the face thing, only to have McIntyre hit a big running flip dive to the floor to take out Lashley and MVP at the same time.

Back in and the Hurt Lock is blocked so Lashley sends him flying again with a suplex. The Downward Spiral looks to set up the Hurt Lock again but McIntyre rams him into the corner for the break. A third spinebuster is countered into the Kimura, which is broken up as well for another double knockdown. McIntyre wins a slugout but MVP offers a distraction, allowing Lashley to duck the Claymore. The Hurt Lock goes on and McIntyre is in trouble, with even the flip out of the corner not breaking it up. McIntyre finally passes out to retain Lashley’s title at 18:21.

Rating: B. This was the heavyweight slugfest style match as you had two big men beating on each other until one of them couldn’t keep going. It was hard hitting, it was a heck of a fight, and it was about who could stay on their feet. That’s how you open the show and it felt Wrestlemania worthy, even if the ending wasn’t the best thing. Heck of an effort here though and this one stuck with me even over the last year.

Titus O’Neil is backstage with the NWO (Hogan/Hall/Nash/Syxx) and offers them a spot on Ding Dong Hello. She’ll settle for a Too Sweet, but only Hall and Syxx take her up on it before leaving. I forgot how good Bayley was as a heel.

Tag Team Turmoil

Five teams and the winners get a Women’s Tag Team Title shot tomorrow night. Lana/Naomi are in at #1 (they both like to dance) and Billie Kay/Carmella (after Kay FINALLY found a partner to pay off her amazing resume deal) are in at #2, with Kay not being exactly great at trying to match Carmella’s more suggestive entrances (but there was nothing for her to do in WWE because reasons). Carmella takes Lana into the corner to start and beats her down, only to have Lana slip away from Kay.

The hot tag brings in Naomi for the pull someone’s face into the back of her tights (because WE’RE HAVING FUN) before handing it back to Lana. This proves to be a bad idea as Lana can’t time kicking Kay down so Kay rolls Naomi up (with an assist from Carmella) for the elimination at 2:19.

The Riott Squad (Liv Morgan/Ruby Riott) are in at #3 with Morgan kicking Kay in the face (take notes Lana). Kay manages to put her down in the corner so though so Carmella can do her moonwalk into the dropkick. That doesn’t last long as Morgan fights up and hits a Codebreaker, only to hold Kay on top. Riott adds a top rope backsplash for the pin at 4:58 (total) but Carmella superkicks Morgan down after the fall.

Dana Brooke/Mandy Rose are in at #4, with Mandy infamously slipping on the ramp (edited out here, because WWE doesn’t make mistakes). An early Blockbuster drops Dana but she’s right back with a running flip neckbreaker for two. Riott grabs a sunset flip for the same and it’s Morgan coming in to pick up the pace. A Codebreaker into the Riott Kick gets two with Brooke having to make the save.

Rose gets in a kick to the ribs in the corner though Rose slips on the middle rope. Brooke slaps Rose in a rather personal area for a tag (sure why not) before a superplex drops Morgan. Not that it matters though as Morgan reverses into a small package for the pin at 9:17. After the ring announcer says the Riott Squad was eliminated and then issues a correction, Natalya and Tamina complete the field at #5.

Morgan rolls Natalya up for two but it’s off to Tamina for a sitout powerbomb. Tamina gets taken into the corner though and it’s the Codebreaker into the backsplash for two, because Tamina doesn’t get pinned you see. The superkick sends Morgan outside and there’s the Hart Attack to Riott. The Sharpshooter is loaded up but Natalya hands it off to Tamina for the Superfly Splash and the final pin at 14:06.

Rating: D. Egads man. The Women’s Tag Team Titles have been good for about three months out of the nearly three years they have been around and that is the case again here. Natalya and Tamina are about as interesting as the dogcatcher and the The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, but they need to go over the Riott Squad, Kay and Brooke/Rose, because of course they do. This match was frustrating and bad on top of that, as you have a bunch of thrown together teams (and the Riott Squad) fighting for a shot against another thrown together/oddball team. Just drop the titles already.

Get vaccinated!

We recap Seth Rollins vs. Cesaro. Rollins got swung around a bunch of times so he pointed out that Cesaro had never had a Wrestlemania Moment (whatever definition we’re using for it this year) in the form of some campaign ads of who you should approve of more. The match was set up as a result, with Cesaro wanting his big shot.

Seth Rollins vs. Cesaro

Cesaro hits a running uppercut to start and knocks Rollins to the apron for a bonus. There’s a knee lift but Rollins snaps the arm across the top rope to take over. Back in and Cesaro’s superplex is countered into a Buckle Bomb for two as Rollins turns up the sneering. The top rope superplex into the Falcon Arrow gives Rollins two but Cesaro is back up with another uppercut.

The Swing (you knew that was coming) sets up the Sharpshooter but Rollins makes the rope. Rollins drops him again and hits a corkscrew frog splash (that’s a new one) for two of his own. Cesaro is right back up with a Neutralizer for two, setting up the shocked kickout face. Another attempt is countered into a quick Pedigree to give Rollins his own near fall and they’re both down (as long as he doesn’t start countering Pedigrees, we should be ok).

Rollins shouts about how he survived the Neutralizer and the Swing, setting up a missed running kick to the face. That’s fine with Rollins, who swings his leg back and kicks Cesaro in the back of the head instead (cool). The Stomp is countered into the uppercut so now it’s the torture rack swing (with no hands, because THAT’S SOMETHING ELSE HE CAN DO). The 23 rotation Swing sets up another Neutralizer for the pin on Rollins at 11:27.

Rating: B-. They got the result right as there was no way Cesaro was coming back from losing after everything Rollins said about him. The problem is that if this was going to mean anything, it needed to come about six years earlier. I’m happy to see Cesaro get his win, but it’s really hard to buy that it is going to mean anything beyond maybe the next few weeks. Good match though, which shouldn’t be a surprise given who was in there.

We look at Jey Uso winning the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, plus Robert Roode/Dolph Ziggler retaining the Smackdown Tag Team Titles, last night on Smackdown.

Ziggler and Roode pick AJ Styles and Omos to take the Raw Tag Team Titles from New Day.

Raw Tag Team Titles: New Day vs. AJ Styles/Omos

New Day (Xavier Woods/Kofi Kingston) is defending and this is Omos’ in-ring debut. Kofi and Omos start but Woods chants at Styles and gets him to start instead. Styles can’t get the Calf Crusher early on so they trade rollups instead. A belly to back suplex sends AJ face first onto the mat and it’s time for some Francesca from Woods. That’s enough for Woods to come in and grab a headlock, allowing him to shout about how they are cutting the ring in half. Styles fights up and tries to get over for the tag but Woods realizes that could cause a variety of damage.

Woods drags him back to the corner before sending Styles to the floor, setting up a dropkick through the ropes. Kofi keeps Styles down and a springboard splash to the back gets two. UpUpDownDown is loaded up but Styles kicks his way out and crawls over to Omos for the tag, despite Woods’ protests.

The tag brings in Omos (Kofi: “YOU GOT THIS WOODS!”) and Woods’ kicks have no effect. Kofi’s top rope chop is pulled out of the air and a backbreaker has Woods’ back bent over Omos’ knee. A side slam drops Woods again and Styles comes back in with a Phenomenal Forearm off of Omos’ shoulders to knock Woods silly as this isn’t going well for the champs. A standing Sky High sets up the pin with one foot to finish Kofi for the titles at 9:45.

Rating: C. The match might not have been the best, but the story it told worked well. What mattered here was having Omos look like an unstoppable monster and they nailed every bit of that side. What they didn’t nail was the part where Styles, who could probably beat either member of New Day with a limited amount of trouble, was treated like Jesse to Omos’ Festus. The Omos stuff worked, but the Styles half really didn’t work.

Styles sits on Omos’ shoulders for the cool visual after the match.

GET VACCINATED!

The cage is lowered.

We recap Shane McMahon vs. Braun Strowman. Shane decided that Strowman was stupid and bullied him for the beat you over the head story of the show. Then Shane slimed him (as poured green goo over him) but their match at Fastlane was postponed to here due to Shane’s knee injury. This story was dumb and designed to put the focus on Shane, because of course it was.

Shane McMahon vs. Braun Strowman

Inside a cage with pinfall, submission or escape and Jerry Lawler joins commentary. As Lawler makes every joke about Strowman being stupid that he can think of, Jaxson Ryker and Elias (Shane’s goons) jump Strowman with chairs on the floor. A chair is thrown in with Strowman so the beatdown can be on. Strowman takes the chair away but Shane kicks him in the leg and takes over again because he’s Shane McMahon.

Shane’s escape attempt doesn’t work so he punches and kicks Strowman down in the corner. Another escape attempt is broken up but this time Shane pulls a piece of sheet metal off the top and beats Strowman down with that instead. Strowman fights up again and hits him in the face, with Shane being nice enough to sell for a few seconds. The running powerslam is loaded up but the knee gives out, allowing Shane to send him face first into the cage.

A DDT drops Strowman and Coast To Coast hits Strowman in the ribs. Shane goes for the climb so here are Ryker and Elias to help him over but Strowman knocks them off the cage. That makes Shane fall back inside too but of course he’s fine enough to get up again. This time Strowman follows, only to find a well placed toolbox (at least there would be a reason to have that up there) and knock Strowman off.

That’s enough for Shane to get over the top, where Strowman grabs him by the hand and then rip the cage open (that’s a new one) to pull him back inside. Strowman pulls him to the top of the cage and throws him down for the huge crash. Instead of climbing out though, Strowman climbs down, gives a speech about how this is for everyone who has ever been called stupid. The running powerslam finishes Shane at 11:26.

Rating: D. I for one enjoyed seeing the Shane McMahon Show here, as this was giving me Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax at Wrestlemania XXXIV vibes. This should have been Shane getting in a few shots off the interference and then being crushed like an old can. Instead, it was Shane beating on Strowman and getting in all of his stuff before Strowman beat him up to win. As usual, it was about Shane first and then everyone else, because that’s the Wrestlemania tradition we need to continue.

Here are some fireworks as the cage is raised.

Commentary talks about the Hall of Fame induction but Bayley interrupts, saying she can do Cole’s job better. She throws us to the induction ceremony video, with various people talking about how great this is.

Here is this year’s class:

JBL (long overdue)

William Shatner (not here but at least he did some stuff in wrestling before)

Bella Twins (who can’t quite do their dance in those dresses)

Jushin Thunder Liger (not here but he should be in every Hall of Fame)

Titus O’Neil (Warrior Award, as the man is a saint)

British Bulldog (again, how was he not already in)

NWO (yeah they’ll do as headliners)

Wrestlemania XXXVIII is in Texas.

Bad Bunny/Damian Priest vs. Miz/John Morrison

Booker T. is on commentary. Bunny is one of the hottest rappers in the world and a lifelong WWE fan. He performed his song about Booker T. so Miz and John Morrison wanted some collaboration. That wasn’t happening, so they broke his DJ’s equipment. Bunny eliminated them from the Royal Rumble and then picked up Damian Priest as a partner, setting up the big showdown. Miz and Morrison also destroyed Bunny’s really expensive car to make it…well material rather than personal in this case.

As for tonight, an army of bunnies hop to the ring, albeit with ears (and a head) falling off, leaving the rest of them to hold their big bunny heads on, because that’s how WWE does things. Miz and Morrison show up to do their Hey Hey Hop Hop rap live, which was a catchy song. On the other hand, Bunny rides into the stadium on the top of a semi truck for a pretty cool entrance.

Priest backs Miz into the corner to start but Miz wants Bunny instead. That’s exactly what he gets, with Bunny looking more comfortable than I would have expected. Miz sticks his chin out so Bunny hits him in the face (Morrison: “Rabbits are lucky! That was luck!”) before another right hand knocks him into the corner. The frustration is on so Bunny tackles him down and hammers away. Miz gets a bit more serious but this time Bunny grabs an armdrag.

Morrison isn’t happy and tells Miz to act like they’re the best tag team of the 21^st century. A rather spinning headscissors takes Miz down again so Morrison comes in for a change. That means a headbutt to send him into the corner and a running elbow….is elbowed out of the air to put Bunny in trouble for the first time. The pace slows down a bit as Miz gets to mock Bunny and then rip at his face. Bunny fights out of a chinlock but Miz hits the big boot to cut him off again.

Another shot knocks Bunny to the floor and Morrison busts out a Spinarooni, meaning Booker gets in his catchphrase. Priest makes the mistake of looking at the crowd and gets knocked down by Miz, allowing Bunny to get dragged back into the corner. Bunny gets a boot up in the corner though and a tornado DDT out of the corner gives him a breather. That’s enough for the tag to Priest to start cleaning house, including the toss suplex to send Miz into Morrison.

The South of Heaven chokeslam gets two on Miz as everything breaks down. Stereo head claps set up stereo Broken Arrows for two on Miz and Morrison with the villains rolling outside. Of course that means the big dive from Bunny but Priest gets knocked down back inside. Morrison pulls Bunny to the floor, where Bunny hits a Canadian Destroyer to leave Miz stunned. Back in and a Doomsday crossbody finishes Miz at 15:03.

Rating: B. It was longer than it needed to be and Bunny selling the first ten minutes was certainly a choice, but this was WAY up there on the celebrity match list. Bunny clearly put in some effort and time as he looked good with the stuff he was doing out there. It was more him doing moves than wrestling a match but for a one off, this was a very successful debut. Bunny is the celebrity and is going to get the attention because he is the reason the match is taking place, but he more than delivered here and it was a very impressive showing.

We look back at Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley from earlier in the night.

Here’s what’s coming tomorrow night.

We recap Sasha Banks vs. Bianca Belair for the Smackdown Women’s Title. Belair won the Royal Rumble and gets to challenge for the title, with both of them talking about how they’re the rest best around here. This was a simple story but it was set up well, with Belair being treated as the next big thing but needing to conquer the current big thing.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks

Belair is challenging and we get the Big Match Intros. They fight over the lockup to start until Banks pulls her down, only to have Belair nip up. Belair takes Banks down instead but has to bail out of a standing moonsault. Banks sends her to the apron for a neck snap across the top and a ram into the post, setting up Banks’ big dive to the floor. That’s fine with Belair, who catches said dive and gorilla presses Banks for a walk up the steps (that’s not normal, at all).

Back in and Banks gets in a few shots of her own, setting up some rights and lefts on the mat. The double arm crank keeps Belair down so let’s hit the wide shot to show off the SNICKERS logos. Banks goes up top so Belair brings her right back down with the big crash. They head outside where Banks uses the hair to pull Belair into the post, only to miss the running knees against the barricade.

Back in and Belair grabs a VERY delayed suplex, complete with a slingshot and muscling Banks back up before taking Banks back for the double knockdown. Banks is up first and grabs the hair, which is used to pull her into a clothesline from Belair. A standing shooting star hits Banks and a release Glam Slam drops her again. Belair’s 450 only hits knees though and they’re both down again. Back up and Belair is fine enough to hit a pair of powerbombs for two, meaning they’re down again.

This time it’s Banks up first with a double springboard tornado DDT (that was cool), with the kickout leaving her stunned. The frog splash (with Cole thinking it was a Meteora) gets two on Belair and now frustration is setting in. They head outside with Banks sending her into the steps before taking it back inside for the Bank Statement. Belair looks more scared than hurt and it’s made even worse as Banks rolls into the middle. You don’t do that to Belair, who rolls forward to make the ropes for the break.

Belair drives her into the corner with straight power but can’t hit a Stratusphere. Instead Banks gets her into the Tree of Woe but misses the Alberto double stomp. Now Belair can hit her 450 for two, meaning it’s her time to scream in shock. The KOD is loaded up but Banks sticks the landing, so Belair is done playing. The big whip with the hair rocks Banks and now the KOD gives Belair the pin and the title 17:27. Ignore Cole shouting about a kickout.

Rating: B. There was a lot more laying around in this one than I thought but they did a good job with Banks’ natural skills vs. Belair’s power/athleticism. This was making me think of Asuka taking the NXT Women’s Title from Bayley back in 2016, as Bayley was great but Asuka was that much better and overwhelmed her. Very good match and the first time a women’s singles match has headlined the show to give it the historical aspect.

The big celebration is on to end the show, complete with Belair’s family in the front row for a nice touch.

Overall Rating: B-. Overall the show is good, but there are some rather part parts that hold it back. You can only get so far with stuff like the Tag Team Turmoil match and the cage match, which both dragged on and didn’t seem to be the hottest stories in the first place. Other than that, it is the same problem as last year: having the show split in half takes away the feeling of this being the biggest show of the year. I get why they’re doing it, but egads it doesn’t feel as special. The good matches here are more than enough to carry it, but this is far from a classic.

Ratings Comparison

Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley

Original: B-

Redo: B

Tag Team Turmoil

Original: D

Redo: D

Cesaro vs. Seth Rollins

Original: C+

Redo: B-

AJ Styles/Omos vs. New Day

Original: C+

Redo: C

Braun Strowman vs. Shane McMahon

Original: D

Redo: D

Miz/John Morrison vs. Bad Bunny/Damian Priest

Original: C

Redo: B

Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks

Original: B

Redo: B

Overall Rating

Original: B-

Redo: B-

Almost everything is about the same save for Bad Bunny/Priest, which is better than I remembered.

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

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

AND

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

Smackdown
Date: April 4, 2025
Location: Allstate Arena, Rosemont, Illinois
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re back stateside and that means it is time to really hit the gas on the build to Wrestlemania. Most of the show is either set or all but set but there is still time to build some things up for the big weekend. This week we are on CM Punk’s home turf, which should make for some interesting moments. Let’s get to it.

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

After seeing some people come to work, we recap last week’s contract match between CM Punk, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns for the Night One main event of Wrestlemania.

Here is Punk to the eruption you would expect. Punk gets the big entrance and poses on the barricade for a bit as you know this is a special night for him. He says he doesn’t know where to begin but talks about the Chicago audience and steals the camera to show them. With the camera back where it should be, Punk talks about how it is his goal to make new fans anywhere he goes.

Tonight though, he wants to thank the fans here in Chicago because he has always been told he isn’t supposed to be here. Now though, he’s not sure if you’ve heard it, but he’s in the main event of Wrestlemania. Punk has taken all kinds of steps throughout his career, including being on John Cena’s gangster call at Wrestlemania in this very building, but everyone said he wasn’t supposed to be here. Now though, he’s right here in his hometown and he has to thank his beautiful wife first.

After an AJ LEE chant, we get a Larry the dog reference and now the hard work begins. He is getting ready for Wrestlemania but here is Paul Heyman to interrupt. Heyman apologizes for being late and he says it was no disrespect to this city or his best friend, the best in the world, CM Punk. The fans (and Punk) chant ECW and Heyman can’t help but smile. Heyman says that Punk belongs here and he belongs in the main event of Wrestlemania.

The last time they were int his ring together, Heyman asked Punk to take him with him. Then the Bloodline attacked Heyman and put him out longer than any time when he wasn’t fired. Punk was considering leaving after Hell In A Cell but Heyman begged him to come back at WarGames. For now though, Heyman has one favor to ask him: let him know what the favor he owes Punk is going to be. Punk says it’s going to involve Roman Reigns, so he’ll tell them both to their face.

Nathan Frazer vs. Rey Fenix

This is Fenix’s debut. They fight over wrist control to start and Fenix sends him into the ropes to a nice reaction. A spinning kick to the head gives Fenix some near falls but Frazer sends him outside for a dive. Back up and Fenix hits a big middle rope dive to the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Frazer running the corner for a superplex into a suplex neckbreaker for two. Frazer misses his Phoenix splash so Fenix runs the ropes for a kick to the face, setting up an over the shoulder tombstone (Fire Driver) for two. A kick to the head sets up the spinning Muscle Buster (Mexican Muscle Buster) for the pin at 8:17.

Rating: B-. It was a good debut with the two of them getting to do enough stuff to make Fenix look like a star. Fenix is the kind of guy who can do some great high flying stuff and he got to showcase himself well. I’m not sure if it did as well as Penta, but Fenix is a different kind of high flier who is going to get over with a different style.

Post match Fenix says he has a history here in Chicago and this was a big step. He did it with passion and rage and now he is happy to say that he is WWE.

Legado del Fantasma thinks Fenix would fit in well, though Berto says he is better than Fenix. Santos Escobar says go prove it.

Drew McIntyre, with an eye patch, says no one cares about Damian Priest unless he’s feasting off of McIntyre’s scraps. That’s what he did last year at Wrestlemania and this year at the Elimination Chamber. Then last week he put McIntyre through a windshield, resulting in his eye injury. McIntyre swears vengeance.

We look back at Jacob Fatu attacking LA Knight and Braun Strowman last week.

Strowman is ready to crush Fatu in a Last Man Standing match. Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga come in to laugh at the concept, but Knight comes in to make fun of Tonga’s weird noises.

LA Knight vs. Tama Tonga

Non-title and Solo Sikoa is here too. Knight slugs away to start and drops him with an elbow but gets sent into the corner. A belly to back suplex drops Knight, who comes right back with some rams into the buckle. Knight even hits his own running Umaga attack before taking Tonga outside for the rams onto the announcers’ table.

Sikoa offers a distraction though and Knight gets knocked off the apron as we take a break. Back with Tonga hitting a heck of a clothesline for two but he misses a middle rope elbow. Knight grabs a neckbreaker out of the corner and hits a powerslam, setting up the jumping elbow. BFT is broken up and Knight has to deal with Sikoa. Now BFT can connect to finish Tonga at 9:12.

Rating: C+. This was a nice win for Knight, who gets to beat both Tonga, even with Sikoa’s help. That’s the kind of win that he needs every so often, as Knight is still supposed to be better than most people on his level. There is a good chance that he loses the title at Wrestlemania, but it’s nice to see him getting a win here to set him up a bit better.

Paul Heyman is in the parking lot and says no matter what CM Punk wants, the answer is yes. A car arrives and it’s….Seth Rollins, which has Heyman disappointed. Rollins wants to see Roman Reigns when he arrives.

We get the smoke vignette again but this time it looks like someone with coins over their eyes.

Here is Charlotte for a chat but before she can say anything, Tiffany Stratton interrupts. Wade Barrett is serving as moderator and introduces both of them, with Charlotte saying the mixed reaction is power. Charlotte is asked why she chose Stratton and if she still thinks it is the right idea. She talks about how she wanted to prove the smartest fans wrong, including those here in Chicago. Stratton: “Did she get her WOO in?”

Stratton talks about how Charlotte’s real competition is in the crowd. The saddest thing is that if Charlotte breaks all of the records, she’ll always be second to her dad. Charlotte says Stratton is saying the same things that her opponents have been saying for the last ten years, but the fans boo her out of the building.

Stratton says Charlotte was in her dad’s basement drinking at 25 years old while Stratton is the Women’s Champion at 25. Stratton calls her a nepo baby, but Charlotte says “Nepo Queen”. We get a not so veiled reference to Charlotte’s divorces (Stratton: “What is it? 0-3?”) and Stratton bails, with Charlotte asking why Kaiser is in her DM’s. Stratton no sells the line and leaves, which is nice to see as she owned Charlotte here and left her ranting.

Nick Aldis announces a women’s Tag Team gauntlet match for next week (Raw teams will be included), with the winners getting a title shot at Wrestlemania.

Motor City Machine Guns vs. DIY

For a title shot at the Street Profits, who are here as well. Gargano and Sabin trade wrist control to start before Ciampa comes in. That means an armdrag to take him down just as fast and everything breaks down. Shelley chases Ciampa on the floor and gets caught on the way back in. We take a break and come back with Sabin hitting a high crossbody onto both of them. A tornado DDT drops Ciampa and a big suicide dive takes out the villains again.

Back in and double basement superkicks drop Ciampa but Gargano breaks up the Skull & Bones. A turnbuckle pad is taken off and Ciampa knees Sabin for two. The superkick/Fairy Tale Ending combination gets two on Sabin with Shelley having to make the save. Meet In The Middle doesn’t work and it’s the Dream Sequence to Ciampa. Skull & Bones is cut off again but Ciampa’s rollup with feet on the ropes is cut off. Instead Sabin avoids a charge to send Ciampa into the exposed buckle and gets a rollup for the pin at 9:01.

Rating: B. The more I see from these two, the more amazed I am at how badly their Royal Rumble match went. They had another good match here and you would think that they are capable of doing it anytime they want. For now, it sets up the Guns for their rematch, though I’m still expecting a big multi team mess at Wrestlemania.

Post match the Guns have a staredown with the Profits.

The Miz and Carmelo Hayes mock Pretty Deadly for losing in their hometown last week. Pretty Deadly doesn’t think much of Miz and make fun of his acting record. Miz isn’t impressed and shouts the catchphrase as a match seems likely.

B-Fab vs. Naomi

Michin is here with B-Fab. Hold on though as Jade Cargill jumps Naomi in the aisle before the bell. Naomi gets in the ring and the bell rings so B-Fab hits a clothesline. A spinning kick in the corner drops Naomi and B-Fab gets to hammer away even more. B-Fab hits a Rock Bottom for two but another kick misses in the corner. Naomi grabs her arms and pulls her into a one knee Codebreaker for the pin at 2:05.

Post match Naomi calls out Cargill, who runs in with a pump kick. Nick Aldis comes out to make Naomi vs. Cargill at Wrestlemania. Why? Cargill has crushed her every time so why should I believe it’s going to be any different?

Damian Priest calls out Drew McIntyre for being distracted time after time and Priest took advantage. Then McIntyre cost him his chances at going to Wrestlemania so next week he wants McIntyre face to face.

Another HHH Hall Of Fame video, focusing on his time in Evolution.

Here is a rather upset Nick Aldis to make an announcement. There is a reason we say “don’t try this at home” and he brings out Kevin Owens, in a snazzy Bret Hart jacket, for a chat. Owens talks about doing this for twenty five years but there is a price to pay for doing things how he does them. Now it seems like it is his turn and after the last few months of issues, he needs neck surgery.

The timing couldn’t be worse and it means he won’t be facing Randy Orton at Wrestlemania. He doesn’t know when he’ll be back but he will never take this for granted. Owens even shakes Aldis’ hand and goes to leave but here is Orton to interrupt. Orton goes to get in the ring but Owens bails, leaving Aldis to say Orton doesn’t have a Wrestlemania match. The RKO lays out Aldis. I’ll believe Owens isn’t wrestling at Wrestlemania when it doesn’t happen, but hopefully it’s not an actual injury.

Our classic Wrestlemania moment: the first one.

Jacob Fatu vs. Braun Strowman

Last Man Standing and the winner gets a US Title shot at Wrestlemania. The brawl is on in the aisle with Strowman getting the better of things. They get inside where Fatu breaks out of the running powerslam and puts him down. The triple jump moonsault connects and Fatu hits a second to send Strowman outside.

We take a break and come back with Strowman dropping him for a change, meaning it’s time for a table. That takes too long (it often does) and Fatu is back up with a big suicide dive. Strowman beats the count so Fatu posts him, only to charge into a chair to the head. That’s good for five before Strowman gets a running start and knocks him through the barricade.

We take another break and come back with the two of them fighting in the crowd, where Strowman suplexes him through a table. They get back inside, where the table is set up in the corner. Strowman takes too much time getting up though and the running Umaga attack sends him through said table. Only Fatu can beat the count and Strowman is done at 15:12.

Rating: B-. Maybe it was the two commercials but I couldn’t get into this one. The problem here is Strowman has been beaten up by Fatu over and over again so there wasn’t much of a reason to believe Strowman would pull it off here. It was a good, hard hitting match but it never got to the level that these things can reach.

We recap the John Cena/Cody Rhodes segment from Raw, with Rhodes laying Cena out.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Paul Heyman says Roman Reigns will be here soon. After the break, Reigns arrives.

Reigns comes to the ring (and he makes great time for once), with a somewhat nervous Heyman behind him. After hitting the catchphrase, Reigns asks Heyman if “he” is here and acknowledges that it’s CM Punk. Reigns wants to know about the favor but first, he wants to share a secret with Chicago. The reality is that Punk would not be back here without him.

Reigns mocks the idea that people cheer for Punk because they’re both from Chicago before asking for some chants of his own. He wants Punk out here right now to find out about this favor. Instead, here is Seth Rollins to interrupt and he hits his catchphrase as well. Rollins wouldn’t miss this for anything and wants to know about the favor as well. Rollins rants about Punk being in the main event of Wrestlemania, which he blames on Reigns for not stopping him when he had the chance.

Reigns says that he made a promise to Heyman and he keeps his word. He called Punk out here but got Rollins instead, but Rollins wants to know about the favor as well. Cue Punk, who says this is about promises being made and promises being kept. Punk talks about meeting Heyman at 4400 Shepherdsville Road (OVW) in Louisville, Kentucky and how Heyman knew that Punk would be a star. Heyman said that when Punk main evented Wrestlemania, force WWE to deal with them.

That is what Punk is going to do to Reigns now, as he wants Heyman in his corner at Wrestlemania. Reigns is a bit stunned and laughs off the idea, saying he saved Heyman. Even if he let Heyman do it, he knows Heyman wouldn’t and tells Heyman to let Punk down gently. Instead, Heyman looks at Reigns and starts crying. Reigns gets serious and says to tell Punk no but Heyman doesn’t say anything. Heyman says no….to Reigns, which has Rollins laughing. Reigns yells at Heyman and gets taken down with a GTS. Punk stares Rollins away to end the show.

That’s an interesting way to go for the Favor, as Reigns’ success has been built on the idea of Heyman giving him the mental side of things. Getting under Reigns’ skin has been his downfall before and Punk capitalizing on it makes sense. At the same time, my goodness does Rollins feel like a total afterthought in this whole thing. I had forgotten he was there and it was annoying to remember it after he showed up again.

Overall Rating: B-. As has been the case in recent weeks, this show wasn’t about the wrestling, even though it wasn’t that bad this week. Instead, this was about pushing things forward for the matches that have either already been set up or are likely to be set up in the near future. I’m not wild on some of what we got, but it’s nice to be able to see the Wrestlemania card coming together. Now just make things more interesting, which is what we’ll be doing in the next few weeks. That was the case here and it went fairly well, though the lack of a focus on action can be a bit annoying.

Results
Rey Fenix b. Nathan Frazer – Mexican Muscle Buster
LA Knight b. Tama Tonga – BFT
Motor City Machine Guns b. DIY – Rollup to Ciampa
Naomi b. B-Fab – Codebreaker
Jacob Fatu b. Braun Strowman when Strowman could not answer the ten count

 

 

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

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

 

Elimination Chamber 2018
Date: February 25, 2018
Location: T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, Nevada
Attendance: 15,126
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Jonathan Coachman

We’re on the way to Wrestlemania XXXIV and that means we need to crown Roman Reigns as the #1 contender all over again. Brock Lesnar is waiting for the winner at Wrestlemania and you know how much WWE loves that match. Other than that, the Raw Women’s Title is also on the line in the Elimination Chamber. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Gallows And Anderson vs. Miztourage

For those of you who have forgotten, that would be Curtis Axel/Bo Dallas. Axel grabs a headlock and then a front facelock on Anderson to start. Some right hands keep Anderson in trouble so it’s off to Gallows, who dubs Axel a nerd and hammers away. It’s back to Anderson, who gets punched by Dallas a few times to take over again. Anderson gets in his HI YAH kick but misses a blind tag, meaning he gets shoved off the top as we take a break.

Back with Anderson still in trouble with the Tourage taking turns pounding away in the corner. A belly to back suplex gets Anderson out of trouble though and it’s…not enough to bring Gallows back in. The running boot to the face is though, with Gallows getting to clean house. It’s already back to Anderson, who gets taken down, but manages to send Dallas into the ropes to crotch Axel on top. The Magic Killer finishes Axel at 8:50.

Rating: C. It was a total run of the mill match, but this is what I want in a Kickoff Show match. They got in, had one match, and then got out before they overstayed their welcome. Yeah it could have been on any given house show, but that also means you’re just kind of warming the fans up rather than giving them some big match. Perfectly fine match, though it does show why the tag division isn’t exactly memorable around this time.

The opening video looks at this show being one of the last major stops on the way to Wrestlemania, with the winners getting a guaranteed spot on the show. Normally I would mock the idea of wrestlers having no path to Wrestlemania, but that was exactly what they would wind up doing with John Cena this year.

We recap the Women’s Elimination Chamber, which was announced by Stephanie McMahon (of course) as the next big thing the women are getting to do for the first time. There is also tension between Bayley and Sasha Banks, who are both in the match anyway. Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville are friends too, but they’re on a bit better page.

Raw Women’s Title: Women’s Elimination Chamber

Alexa Bliss is defending and this is the first ever women’s edition of the match. Sonya Deville is in at #1 and Bayley is in at #2 to get things going with five minute intervals. Deville wrestles her to the mat without much trouble to start as Bayley isn’t quite on that level. Bayley gets smart by sending her into the buckles instead, even throwing in a glare at Bliss.

Deville gets in a shot of her own though and catapults Bayley into the Chamber wall, which Bayley manages to grab in a cool counter. Back in and Bayley misses an elbow and things get to reset a little bit. Bayley knocks her onto the floor for the big elbow and two before grabbing the chinlock.

Mandy Rose is in at #3 so Bayley goes after her, even managing to knock Deville back as well. The numbers game starts to get the better of Bayley though and Deville spears her down before a double ram into the wall gets two. Rose drops her for two more and Deville has to yell at the referee. Bayley gets sent into the cage again and it’s Sasha Banks in at #4 to give us something of a tag match.

Banks starts fast by sending Rose into the pod over and over but Deville is back up. Deville drops Banks for two and is the only one left standing as Bliss is looking nervous in her pod. Bayley and Banks are back up to send Deville into various hard things but Rose drops Banks to even things up again. A faceplant drops Banks but for some reason Rose doesn’t cover, allowing Banks to pull her into the Bank Statement for the elimination at 13:53.

Mickie James is in at #5 and cleans house, including a double clothesline to Bayley and Banks. Bayley gets dropped with a neckbreaker and then flapjacks Banks into a nipup. A hurricanrana takes Deville down on the outside and a heck of a kick to the face drops Banks. For some reason James climbs the cage and, after kicking Bayley down, hits a super Thesz press from the top of the pod to pin Deville at 17:34.

Banks is right back up with a Backstabber into the Bayley To Belly to plant James though and we’re down to three at 17:59. Bliss panics in her pod as Bayley and Banks are fine with sitting around waiting for Bliss to come in. Bliss is in at #6 to complete the field so she tries to hide in the pod, then climbs up the Chamber wall. The other two go after her and all three wind up on top of a pod…where Banks kicks Bayley down (and the fans approve). Bliss tries to beg off from Banks, who is jumped by Bayley, allowing Bliss to jump Bayley for a change.

Bayley fights up with a suplex but gets tackled into the corner by Banks in short order. Banks gets tied in the Tree Of Woe so Bayley can stomp away, only to get superplexed by Bliss. A frog splash to Bayley gives Banks two and everyone is down again. Back up and Banks sends Bayley into the buckle but takes too long, allowing Bayley to hit a super Bayley To Belly as there are way too many B’s in this match. Bliss (See what I mean?) takes care of that by rolling Bayley up for the elimination at 25:32 and we’re down to two.

Bliss takes her time getting up and Twisted Bliss hits raised knees. Banks misses a running boot though and gets her leg caught in the wall, allowing Bliss to take her down again. That’s not enough for Bliss, who goes up for Twisted Bliss from the top of the pod to the floor. The falls only count inside though and Banks is able to get a quick Bank Statement. That’s broken up so Banks starts to climb, only to be sent into the pod. A top rope hanging DDT retains Bliss’ title at 29:37.

Rating: B-. It took some time to get going but the three two person teams (James and Bliss were close enough) were a nice way to tie things together. Bliss surviving over both Banks and Bayley is believable with the two of them fighting, but she felt like she escaped rather than surviving. It’s good enough, even if it never quite got into that next level. For a first edition though, it worked.

Post match Bliss can’t believe she won and says the win means everything to her. She says this is about every girl and woman in the audience who ever dreamed big. This proves you can be whatever you want to be so dare to dream and dream big. She’s looking out at the people and the reality is…none of them will ever accomplish their dreams. Tonight, she proved that no one is better than her and she just won, despite no one believing in her. Bliss was laying it on thick and it felt like the turn was coming, though it still worked.

Braun Strowman is waiting to get inside the Chamber. Oh geez I had forgotten about the “wrestlers use their own phones for promos” period.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Titus Worldwide vs. The Bar

Titus Worldwide (Titus O’Neil and Apollo (hold the Crews) with Dana Brooke) is challenging after beating the Bar in a non-title match. The Bar jumps them before the bell but get clotheslined for their efforts. Apollo hits a big dive to the floor (thankfully not injuring himself on Sheamus’ mohawk as he’s in his Taxi Driver phase) and the match officially starts. Cesaro seems to be favoring his leg as Apollo hits a top rope splash for two. Back up and Apollo gets sent outside and we settle down a bit.

Cesaro grabs the chinlock before handing it back to Sheamus for an armbar. That’s broken up so Cesaro grabs a front facelock, which is broken up as well. Sheamus is right there to cut off the tag again though and the armbar goes on again (he’s nothing if not consistent). Cesaro grabs another chinlock, which is broken up, but Sheamus is right there to break up another tag attempt.

Sheamus cheap shots O’Neil off the apron but misses a charge into the post, allowing the diving tag off to O’Neil. Some big boots give O’Neil two but Cesaro leapfrogs him for a blind tag to Sheamus. That doesn’t work either as O’Neil pulls Sheamus out of the air for Clash Of The Titus. Apollo hits a dive onto the champs and a high crossbody gets two on Sheamus. Cesaro takes out Apollo’s knee though and it’s a White Noise/springboard spinning uppercut combination to retain the titles at 10:04.

Rating: C. This was little more than an extended Raw match as Titus Worldwide didn’t feel like the most serious challengers. They were a fun enough team, but that’s not enough to beat the rather serious Bar. The match was fine, but I’m not sure how much drama there was about a title change.

We recap Asuka vs. Nia Jax. Asuka is going to Wrestlemania after winning the Royal Rumble but Jax is going after her. If Jax wins, she’s added to the Wrestlemania title match.

Jax crushes an Asuka match in the back.

We look at Asuka’s undefeated streak, which is now in danger. This gets a rather good deal of time, breaking down the streak in a Rumble By The Numbers style.

Nia Jax vs. Asuka

There is still something creepy about Asuka’s match showing up on the Titantron at the start of her entrance. Asuka starts fast with a dropkick but gets dropped with a single headbutt. As tends to be her custom, Asuka is right back up to go after her again, only to be knocked down again. A knee to the back cuts Asuka down again and a backbreaker has her in more trouble. The running elbow gets a delayed two and Jax shrugs off a kneebar attempt. Asuka comes back with a quick guillotine, which is muscled up into a Jackhammer for another power counter.

Back up and Asuka fires off some kicks, only to get countered into the Samoan drop as this is one sided so far. The big legdrop misses though and a sliding kick gives Asuka two. Some more strikes put Jax on her knee, where she screams, only to be shut up by a running kick to the face. Jax catches her on top but Asuka grabs a sunset bomb for a huge crash. A missed charge sends Jax’s shoulder into the post and we hit the cross armbreaker. That’s broken up with a powerbomb into the corner as the fans are getting more into this. Jax picks her up for a powerbomb but Asuka reverses into a victory roll for the pin at 8:11.

Rating: B-. This was a good example of telling a story in a match as Asuka wasn’t getting anywhere with her usual stuff. She was up against a different kind of opponent and had to find openings where she could to win. I liked the match a lot more than I was expecting to and that’s always nice to see.

Post match Jax beats up Asuka again, including a spear through the barricade.

Alexa Bliss is happy with what just happened to Asuka. No one is ready for Alexa.

Asuka is helped out. It feels like there is a lot of time filler on this show.

Roman Reigns (mixed reaction) is asked about some recent comments. Reigns: “Do I look like the kind of guy who cares what Paul Heyman has to say?” He’s not worried about Brock Lesnar, but tonight he’s winning the Elimination Chamber and going to Wrestlemania to take Lesnar out.

We recap Bray Wyatt vs. Matt Hardy. Wyatt beat Hardy, who became Broken/Woken and started talking about various weird things, as they both tended to do. This gives us creepy Wyatt vs. Broken Matt, which is as odd as you can get.

Bray Wyatt vs. Matt Hardy

Hardy makes his entrance, then the lights go out and Wyatt appears in the ring…but only Hardy’s robe is left. We get a Hardy voiceover promising to make Wyatt obsolete, with Hardy singing some of Jeff Hardy’s Obsolete song. Wyatt goes looking for Hardy, who appears on the steps and the fight is on, including the opening bell.

Hardy wastes no time in knocking him down but Wyatt does his upside down lean in the corner. That earns Wyatt some applause, with the fans joining in. A DDT drops Hardy for two but Wyatt is back up for the running crossbody. Wyatt knocks him down again and we hit the chinlock as commentary makes various jokes to mostly ignore the match. The fans are clearly distracted by something else as the chinlock continues.

The hold is broken up and they head to the apron for a slugout, with Hardy being knocked out to the floor. Wyatt plants him again out there for two back inside and he’s….I guess frustrated? Hardy gets a boot up in the corner though and a tornado DDT drops Wyatt for two. The Side Effect connects for the same and the middle rope elbow to the back of the head staggers Wyatt again.

Wyatt is frustrated enough that he hits the release Rock Bottom into the backsplash for two of his own. The fans chant for Rusev as this match just keeps going, though Wyatt missing a middle rope backsplash brings them back to reality. Well as realistic as this is going to be. Sister Abigail is loaded up but Hardy reverses into the Twist Of Fate for the win at 9:56.

Rating: D. This was a great illustration of why the Broken/Woken stuff did not work in WWE. The appeal of this stuff in TNA was that everything was so low budget that it could be the focal point. Here though you have something as grand as the Elimination Chamber and bigger stars, which make this feel really low rent and, in short, stupid. The match wasn’t very good either, making this quite the chore.

We recap Ronda Rousey debuting last month at the Royal Rumble in a pretty awesome moment. Well, minus all of the bad smiling and awkward sign pointing.

Various wrestlers talk about how tough and awesome Rousey really is.

Here is Raw General Manager Kurt Angle for Rousey’s official contract signing, joined by Raw Commissioner (because each show needed TWO bosses) Stephanie McMahon and HHH. McMahon and HHH talk about how great Rousey is and how no one has been a bigger deal since Angle himself. Rousey comes out and looks more serious than in her debut, which is a nice upgrade.

Rousey says she can’t believe she’s here and talks about how much this means to her, only to have the fans’ ROUSEY chants cut her off. She thanks Roddy Piper for being her inspiration and hopes she can make his family proud. HHH gets down to business and asks if Rousey wants any perks in her contract, but Rousey wants to be treated like anyone else. The only thing she wanted is an invite to Wrestlemania, but she’ll also be having her first match at Wrestlemania.

Rousey is about to sign, but Angle says he’s in awe of HHH and McMahon. They’ve been talking about Rousey for a long time now, because they wanted to manipulate and humiliate her after what she did to them at Wrestlemania 31. Angle: “Isn’t that what you said Hunter? Three years in the making and now we own the b****?” HHH cuts that off in a hurry and tries to get Rousey back to her dreams while saying Angle has the flu.

With the guys gone, McMahon has Rousey almost ready to sign, but Angle pops up to say McMahon had been calling Rousey a has been. The death stare is back and so is HHH, who has to save his wife’s life. McMahon leaves so Rousey puts HHH through the table, earning herself the big slap. Then….Rousey just lets her leave before signing. This was pretty long, but it set up the obvious mixed tag for Rousey’s debut at Wrestlemania.

Commentary talks about what we just saw.

Fastlane rundown.

John Cena is worried about having no path to Wrestlemania, continuing one of the dumbest ideas in wrestling.

We recap the men’s Elimination Chamber, which is all about getting to go to Wrestlemania and challenge Brock Lesnar. This year’s edition has seven people, because a structure literally designed for six people has to be changed due to reasons of WWE being screwy. All of them want to win, but there isn’t much hiding that this is going to be Roman Reigns.

Men’s Elimination Chamber

Before we get going, Elias has to promise that he’s going to Wrestlemania, albeit in song form. The fans do seem to like the WALK WITH ELIAS deal and he’s entering last for an advantage. The song is dedicated to himself, because Las Vegas doesn’t get a song. The fans aren’t appreciative so Elias threatens to go sit in his pod. Then he sings anyway, because that’s what a heel would do.

Braun Strowman FINALLY interrupts as the entrances continue, along with the filler. After a good ten minutes of entrances, including Strowman scaring Miz from inside his pod in a funny bit, Miz Rollins is in at #1, Seth Rollins is in at #2 and Finn Balor is in at #3 to actually start this off (in a Wrestlemania preview) with five minute intervals.

Miz suggests an early alliance with Rollins to go after Balor and gets nowhere. Balor isn’t interested in teaming up with Miz either, but he’ll team up with Rollins to go after Miz in a funny bit. Miz is quickly thrown over the top and the alliance ends with Rollins grabbing a rollup for two. A dropkick cuts Rollins down and a basement version drops Miz again. Rollins kicks Balor down for two and it’s off to an exchange of rollups for two each. Balor gets caught in a backbreaker and a springboard clothesline takes Miz down again. There’s the Falcon Arrow for two on Miz, who landed hard on his shoulder.

Rollins hits a double Blockbuster for two each and it’s John Cena in at #4, even sticking his tongue out at Rollins in a weird look. They stare each other down before the fight is on, with Cena beating up Rollins and Miz at the same time. Balor gets back up but it’s Rollins knocking all of them into a corner for a string of running forearms. Cena isn’t having that and fireman’s Rollins and Balor at the same time. Both of them escape the AA though and Miz neckbreakers Rollins for two. Cena and Rollins both hit superplexes and everyone is down, with Roman Reigns coming in at #5.

Reigns gets to hammer away a bit before getting in a showdown with Rollins. They’re rammed into each other though and Miz DDTs Rollins for a fast two. Miz is the only one standing and he eventually starts firing off YES Kicks to all of the others before focusing on Reigns. This goes as well as you might have expected but the comeback is cut off by Balor. Reigns powerbombs him straight down and gets in a Samoan drop for two on Cena.

Braun Strowman is in at #6 and it’s a staredown with Reigns, only for Strowman to go after everyone else. Rollins and Cena get suplexed at the same time before Strowman literally throws Balor around. Miz climbs the Chamber wall…and Strowman goes right after him for some rams into the wall. Then Miz is thrown onto a pile in the ring for quite the visual. Everyone is down and Strowman is waiting on Elias, the only person left to enter. The running powerslam gets rid of the Miz for our first elimination at 20:18.

Elias comes in at #7 to complete the field but realizes that Strowman is waiting on him. Everyone but Elias goes after Strowman and they get together for a Shield Bomb for two. The AA gets one, followed by the spear, Stomp and Coup de Grace but everyone (save for the podded Elias) brawls, leaving Strowman down instead. Elias comes in to cover everyone not named Strowman and then takes turns beating on most of the people. A top rope elbow gets two on Rollins and the spinning powerbomb hits Reigns for the same.

Strowman misses a charge into the post but Elias can’t electric chair him up. That means the powerslam can get rid of Elias at 25:52. Rollins knees Strowman down and Cena goes up, only to dive into a powerslam to give Strowman another elimination at 27:23. Strowman and Balor slug it out, with Balor getting some boots up in the corner. Balor is back up with a Coup de Graces to Reigns but Strowman powerslams Balor at 30:40.

We’re down to three so Reigns and Rollins agree to team up against the monster, which doesn’t get the reaction you might expect. Strowman gets low bridged out to the floor for a ram into the Chamber wall. Then Rollins, like a schnook, turns on Reigns with a Buckle Bomb but Reigns Superman Punches him down. Strowman is back up and chases Rollins up a pod but gets pulled down with Reigns’ Samoan drop. Ever the slightly crazy man, Rollins drops a frog splash off the pod for two and Reigns gets back in. That’s fine with Strowman, who dropkicks him to the floor and powerslams Rollins for the pin at 36:33.

We’re down to two and Strowman invites Reigns to “COME GET THESE HANDS BOY!” Reigns gets shoved out to the floor but escapes a powerslam and sends him into the wall. The big dive over the top hits Strowman, but it doesn’t look as good when they’re at the same height. Strowman gets knocked through the pod but doesn’t stay down long, allowing Reigns to hit a Superman Punch as the fans aren’t pleased. Another Superman Punch sets up a blocked spear so Reigns hits a third Superman Punch. Two spears finish Strowman to send Reigns to Wrestlemania at 40:11.

Rating: B-. And there it is. Strowman gets to be this big dominant force in the Chamber and has the all time performance, which would be a clean sweep in any other Chamber, but instead, Reigns wins AGAIN. That was the problem for WWE at this point as it was ALL about Reigns. John Cena was in this match and was a complete afterthought, along with other multiple former World Champions. But it sets up Reigns for another Lesnar match and that’s all that matters.

Post match Strowman powerslams Reigns and sends him through a pod to end the show. Now in theory this would set up some kind of Reigns vs. Strowman showdown, but nah, as Strowman would spend a few weeks beating up Elias before going to Wrestlemania where he would pick a ten year old out of the crowd to win the Tag Team Titles. Which he would then forfeit. Then he would win Money In The Bank. And lose the cash-in when Lesnar interfered. Then he would lose to Lesnar for the vacant title. But at least he ALMOST got to beat Reigns here right?

Overall Rating: C-. I was kind of looking forward to seeing this show again as this period isn’t the most fondly remembered. After a few years away, I was wondering if it really was as bad as remembered and….it’s really just dull. There is nothing on here that is must see, with the two Chamber matches being the highlights. Even those matches were just ok, as Bliss keeps the title and Reigns gets to move on to his next destiny Wrestlemania main event. The rest of the show is completely skippable (save for MAYBE the contract signing) with nothing you need to see. I’m glad to be away from this era, as it lives down to its legacy.

 

 

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

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

Smackdown
Date: March 28, 2025
Location: 02 Arena, London, England
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re still in Europe and this time around we’re in a rather big location. The major attraction this week is actually a contract signing between CM Punk, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, which should make for some fireworks. Other than that, Braun Strowman is getting a US Title shot, which might attract some attention. Let’s get to it.

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

Various people came to work today.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat. Naturally the fans sing his song before Cody asks what they want to talk about. We get the dueling John Cena chants before they switch back to singing (positively) about Rhodes. He’s ready for Wrestlemania but on Monday, he and Cena will be face to face in the same arena.

Cue Randy Orton to interrupt and the fans get to sing again. Orton says he isn’t the sentimental type, but for the sake of London, he looks at Rhodes and can’t believe the man he has become. He remembers Rhodes in his early 20s, working harder than anyone but Rhodes realized that he needed to go somewhere else to grow. That took some guts, which Rhodes displayed again when he was facing Seth Rollins inside of the Cell and again when he beat Roman Reigns.

That was the end of the story, but now Rhodes is in another story. Orton respects him and loves him and he’s very proud. Now though, it is time for Wrestlemania and Orton is going to kick Kevin Owens’ head off. After Wrestlemania though, Orton is going to come after Rhodes and the title, but he’s going to look Rhodes in the eye and say he’s coming for this. Cue Drew McIntyre to interrupt, saying he is sick of these nepo babies.

Orton has been back and took more time off, because people talk about McIntyre’s five minute World Title reign than Orton’s entire comeback. That’s why Wrestlemania should be McIntyre vs. Rhodes, but Damian Priest screwed that up. If Rhodes survives Cena, McIntyre is the one taking the title from him. The reality is that Orton looks great on the outside, but his back is hanging on by a thread. Orton tries a quick RKO but McIntyre bails out to the floor. This isn’t so much adding something new to Wrestlemania, but it’s teasing something for after Wrestlemania, which is important as well.

Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. Pretty Deadly

The Profits are defending. Dawkins headlocks Prince to start but it’s quickly off to Ford, who gets double hiptossed down. We take an early break and come back with Ford knocking Prince down and handing it back to Dawkins. A whip into the corner crotches Ford on top though and everything breaks down. Dawkins grabs a spinebuster to set up the frog splash but Ford hits the illegal Wilson, meaning Ford can get a rollup for two. A four way collision lets Pretty Deadly hit Spilled Milk on Dawkins with Ford making the save. The Doomsday Blockbuster retains the titles at 7:56.

Rating: C+. Pretty Deadly was getting to be more serious tonight in their home country and it was nice to see them getting to do something like this. They weren’t about to win the titles but the fans liked them and were into the match. There are a bunch of teams going for the belts at the moment and I hope that doesn’t result in a ladder match at Wrestlemania.

Earlier today, the Green Administration annoyed Zelina Vega and Kayden Carter/Katana Chance, with a tag match being set for tonight.

Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart, as in the match from Wrestlemania XIII, is going into the Hall Of Fame. That’s a new concept.

Kayden Carter/Katana Chance vs. Piper Niven/Alba Fyre

Chelsea Green is here with Niven and Fyre. Carter and Chance take Fyre down to start for a basement dropkick to the head. Fyre is sent outside for a pop up crossbody but Niven is back with a running crossbody. We take a break and come back with Carter fighting back, including a springboard spinning legdrop for two on Fyre. Niven accidentally crushes Fyre with a backsplash but Carter manages to Samoan drop Niven for a breather. Everything breaks down but Green offers a distraction to break up the After Party. The Piper Driver finishes Carter at 7:01.

Rating: C. You need to give the new evil team a win or two and that’s what we got here. Chance and Carter aren’t a great team but they’re good enough that people know who they are. It might not have been a great match, but it was the kind that set things off in the right direction for Niven and Fyre.

Post match the beatdown is on so Zelina Vega runs in to clear the ring, only for the numbers game to catch up with her.

US Title: Braun Strowman vs. LA Knight

Knight is defending and gets shoved down to start. A belly to back suplex isn’t happening for Knight so Strowman runs him over for two. Strowman gets low bridged to the floor, where he easily cuts Knight off with a big boot. We take a break and come back with Strowman charging into a boot in the corner to give Knight a needed breather.

Knight sends him into the corner and now the belly to back suplex connects. The jumping elbow gets two on Strowman but the BFT is easily blocked. Strowman knocks him to the floor for the train but Jacob Fatu jumps Strowman for the DQ at 6:19. Not enough shown to rate but they didn’t get very far into it anyway.

Post match Fatu easily takes both of them out, with the running hip attacks rocking Strowman in the corner. The Moonsault makes it even worse.

Jimmy Uso is fired up after slapping Gunther on Raw because he knows that Jey Uso can beat Gunther at Wrestlemania. He runs into Miz and Carmelo Hayes, the former of whose insults set up a match tonight.

Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga yell at Jacob Fatu for what he just did, but Fatu isn’t having any of that. Fatu promises to be the last man standing with Strowman and promises to bring the US Title home to the family. He’ll do it with or without Sikoa.

Naomi talks about being someone who always wants to do the right thing. This includes taking out Jade Cargill last year. How can Cargill just show up out of nowhere and take Naomi’s place? Naomi has been an influence on people for the last ten years but now she’s tired of being just another third wheel. Moving forward, if Cargill will continue to be in her way, proceed with caution.

Cargill is looking for Naomi, who hasn’t been seen here. B-Fab and Michin come in to know Cargill will give Naomi what she has coming.

We see a shadowy person with smoke and Roman numerals popping up.

Michin vs. Charlotte

B-Fab is here with Michin….and they’re both jumped by Naomi before Charlotte comes to the ring. Cue Jade Cargill to chase Naomi off, with B-Fab having to be taken out. Charlotte comes out and has a staredown with Cargill on the way. The bell rings and Charlotte gets an early two as we take a slightly less early break.

Back with Michin fighting out of a chinlock and managing a tornado DDT for two. Charlotte kicks her in the head but Michin manages a sitout powerbomb for another near fall. The cannonball sets up Eat Defeat for two as Charlotte gets her foot on the rope, which has Michin annoyed. Charlotte gets up and goes after the leg, with the Figure Eight getting the fast tap at 7:39.

Rating: C+. Michin got in some offense here but there was no reason for her to be a serious threat to Charlotte, who is on her way to another title match at Wrestlemania. Let Michin shine a bit, then have Charlotte win in the end. That’s all this needed to be and they made it work well enough.

Tiffany Stratton mocks Charlotte’s insults to her last week, because that little girl is going to retain the Women’s Title over Charlotte at Wrestlemania.

We look at HHH’s entrances over the years.

Randy Orton vs. Drew McIntyre

Orton grabs a quickly broken headlock to start and McIntyre starts in on the back. McIntyre gets sent into the corner for some right hands and his shoulder goes into the post. They go outside, where Orton drops him onto the announcers’ table. We take a break and come back with McIntyre working on the arm but Orton fights up and makes the clothesline comeback. The powerslam looks to set up the hanging DDT but McIntyre snaps the throat across the top. Orton fights back but cue Kevin Owens for a distraction. McIntyre hits the Claymore for the pin at 7:56.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t exactly their World Title matches from a few years ago but there is only so much you can do with about eight minutes. Owens coming out for the distraction is fine and gives McIntyre one of his bigger wins in a bit. That’s what he has been needing, even if it seems like he is heading for a showdown with Damian Priest at Wrestlemania.

Post match Owens goes after Orton but can’t hit the package piledriver on the announcers’ table. The Punt is loaded up but Owens gets away.

The orange luchador is confirmed to be Rey Fenix, who will debut next week.

Jimmy Uso vs. The Miz

Uso starts fast and hammers away but Miz is back up with some knees to the back. The running boot misses though and Uso clotheslines him to the floor. Another shot takes Miz into the timekeeper’s area and we take a break. Back with Uso fighting up and striking away, only to get caught with a short arm clothesline. The DDT gives Miz two and the Yes Kicks connect. Uso is right back with a quick superkick and the Superfly Splash finishes at 7:52.

Rating: C. Another fairly short match tonight, with Uso getting some momentum before his likely destruction at the hands of Gunther on Raw. Miz is the perfect choice to give Uso a singles win as he’s been a made man for so long. Uso might not have much of a chance against Gunther, but at least he’s being built up well.

Post match Uso promises to take Gunther out on Raw.

Drew McIntyre meets a singer and goes to leave but runs into Damian Priest in the parking lot. The brawl is on and Priest chokeslams him through the windshield of a car. With Priest gone, CM Punk walks by and I managed to avoid a “real glass” joke.

We look back at the John Cena/Cody Rhodes segment from Raw.

Here is Nick Aldis to run the main event contract signing. Roman Reigns, with Paul Heyman, comes out first and appreciates the fans chanting his name. Even Heyman gets in on the act and Reigns is basking in his own glory. Reigns signs the contract and seems to think his night is done but here is Seth Rollins to interrupt.

Rollins talks about their history in this building and how they are on the same mission. Reigns points out that THEY died a long time ago, but Rollins points out the evil that is CM Punk. When Reigns had the chance to take Punk out, he let it go, which is why Rollins has to clean up Reigns’ mess again. Rollins signs as well, giving us two out of three.

This brings out Punk, who says he has come here to chew bubblegum and sign a contract, but he is all out of bubblegum. Punk starts looking through the contract, which has Reigns annoyed. Reigns: “Go to page four. Clause five. Come on junior this is TV today.” Heyman goes over to Punk and says he knows what Punk is looking for….and it’s in there: the match will be closing the show, making Punk a Wrestlemania main eventer.

Punk starts crying but Rollins snaps, shouting about how Punk doesn’t deserve it. Rollins blames Heyman and Reigns for letting this happen but Punk thanks the fans here and in Louisville, Kentucky for making this happen. Reigns wants the thanks for making this happen so the fans chant his name again. Punk thanks him as well, signs, and says he’ll see him in the main event of Wrestlemania….but that’s not the favor that he is owed.

Like him or not, Punk being in the main event of Wrestlemania is far from a stretch. It’s a genuinely emotional moment for him and that’s a great thing to see. The favor aspect makes things more intriguing, and Punk’s delivery of that line made me a lot more interested.

Overall Rating: B-. As is usually the case for Wrestlemania season, the wrestling wasn’t the point here. This was about getting things ready for the show, with the contract signing giving the match the big fight feel that it needs. This was a solid enough show, with stories advancing in some very nice ways. Now just keep it up for a few more weeks and everything will go on fine.

Results
Street Profits b. Pretty Deadly – Doomsday Blockbuster to Wilson
Piper Niven/Alba Fyre b. Kayden Carter/Katana Chance – Piper Driver to Carter
Braun Strowman b. LA Knight when Jacob Fatu interfered
Charlotte b. Michin – Figure Eight
Drew McIntyre b. Randy Orton – Claymore
Jimmy Uso b. The Miz – Superfly Splash

 

 

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

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

 

Smackdown
Date: March 21, 2025
Location: Unipol Arena, Bologna, Italy
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

The European excursion continues as we roll into Italy. We’re less than a month away from Wrestlemania and that means we should start to see some more of the show coming together again this week. CM Punk, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns are all here this week so there is a chance things will get nuts. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Randy Orton to get things going but before he can get a word out, Kevin Owns interrupts him. Owens apologizes for everything he did to Orton, saying only Cody Rhodes and Sami Zayn deserved what happened to them. Orton can understand the idea of letting anger make you do things you’ll regret so if Orton can forgive him, Owens can forgive him.

Last week, Owens saved Carmelo Hayes to prevent Orton from becoming his old self. They should be looking to the future, so why not winning the Tag Team Titles at Wrestlemania? Orton says he should go beat Owens up right now and after thinking about it…yeah Owens deserves a kick in the head. It used to be “Fight Owens Fight” but now it’s “b**** Owens b****.”

Orton hears voices in his head, they counsel him, they understand, and they’re telling him to kick Owens’ head off at Wrestlemania. The match doesn’t seem to be officially set but this was as quick and to the point as you could get, with Owens realizing he may have bitten off more than he can chew.

Damian Priest/Jimmy Uso vs. Drew McIntyre/Shinsuke Nakamura

Priest and McIntyre start brawling in the aisle before the bell with the other two joining in. They get inside with Uso hammering away at McIntyre, who suplexes him out of the corner to cut that off. The fans chant something that I can’t make out but it seems against McIntyre. Uso fights back but gets pulled to the floor for a kick from Nakamura.

Back in and Nakamura hits a running knee, followed by another in the corner. McIntyre adds a suplex as the fans are chanting for Uso. The armbar has Uso in more trouble but he Samoan drops his way to freedom. A jumping enziguri puts Nakamura down and the needed tag brings in Priest to clean house. The Old School crossbody hits Nakamura and a clothesline gets two. Uso cuts off McIntyre and South Of Heaven finishes Nakamura at 7:43.

Rating: C+. Uso and Nakamura are kind of floating around at the moment but Priest vs. McIntyre is all but penciled in for Wrestlemania at this point. That’s the kind of match which could go a long way for Priest, though it feels like a bit of a letdown for McIntyre at the moment. The match itself was seemingly just a way to get them on the show and there are worse ideas.

Post match McIntyre jumps Priest, promising that the beatings will be on sight every time. Priest’s head is rammed into the mat and McIntyre adds a Claymore.

LA Knight says he has Braun Strowman’s back against Jacob Fatu. Strowman says that the match is now for a US Title shot and he sees the title as his ticket to Wrestlemania. Works for Knight.

We look at Tiffany Stratton and Charlotte’s wild brawl last week.

We get a split screen interview between Charlotte and Stratton, with Charlotte cutting off Stratton, saying the Queen goes first. Stratton is always trying to be like Charlotte because that’s what everyone has to do. Stratton thinks that because she’s a blonde and can do a backflip, she can be the next Charlotte. Back in the day, Charlotte was one of her biggest supporters, but Charlotte mocks the idea of ever being in Stratton’s corner. Stratton promises to win at Wrestlemania, which Charlotte finds funny. Stratton better win at Wrestlemania, or she’s the latest victim of Charlotte’s never ending dominance.

Jacob Fatu vs. Braun Strowman

For a future US Title shot. Strowman powers him into the corner to start and then knocks him to the floor. Back in and Strowman kicks him in the head but the charge around the ring only to miss a charge over the announcer’s table. Strowman’s head is sent into various things but a whip sends Fatu’s knees into the steps.

They get back inside, where Fatu hits a running clothesline and then tells Strowman to get up. Then why did you knock him down? Strowman fights out of a neck crank so Fatu Samoan drops him into a backsplash for two. Strowman is back up with a running clothesline in the corner and a spinebuster but Solo Sikoa runs in for the (rather unwise) DQ at 9:21.

Rating: B-. It was another hoss match between these two, but there is only so much to be gained from Strowman winning like this. After Fatu smashed him at Saturday Night’s Main Event, Strowman is either going to have to pin Fatu at some point (which isn’t a good idea) or he’s always going to be behind him in the feud. They are at least mixing it up with the title aspect, though seeing Fatu win the title seems like a rather strong outcome as well.

Post match Fatu is mad but helps with the beatdown anyway. LA Knight runs in for the save.

Post break, in the back, Fatu yells at Sikoa and Tama Tonga, with Sikoa saying it looked like Fatu needed help. Fatu tells him to watch it.

Piper Niven vs. Zelina Vega

Chelsea Green and Alba Fyre are here with Niven. Vega tries to run the ropes to start but has to slip off of Niven’s shoulders. Some choking works a bit better for Vega and she hammers away in the corner, only to get distracted to send us to a break. Back with Niven knocking her down to cut off a comeback and sending Vega hard into the corner.

A gorilla press is countered into a choke though, with Vega switching into something like an octopus hold. The Code Red is blocked so Vega grabs a tornado DDT for two instead. The 619 connects, only for Fyre to offer a distraction. Niven hits a crossbody for the win at 12:15.

Rating: C. This feels like the start of something for Vega, as she is going up against a lot of odds on her way to a title match. It might take some time to get her to that match and she might need some help on the way, but it does seem like they have set things up. Hopefully it winds up working, as Vega certainly needs the boost.

We get a long recap of John Cena’s big explanation and response from Cody Rhodes on Raw. It still feels so weird hearing those things coming from Cena’s mouth.

Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens is set for Wrestlemania.

Jade Cargill is ready to show Liv Morgan what she gets for trying her. After that, it’s time for revenge on Naomi.

We get the A/4 logo again.

Liv Morgan vs. Jade Cargill

Raquel Rodriguez is here with Morgan. Cargill kicks her down to start but goes after Rodriguez, only to cut off a sneaking Morgan for a ram into the barricade. Morgan tries to leave but is quickly dragged back as Cargill isn’t up for the whole retreating thing. Back in and a powerbomb gives Cargill two but another Rodriguez distraction lets Morgan get in a cheap shot to take over.

We take a break and come back with Cargill fighting out of a chinlock to drive Morgan into the corner. Morgan is fine enough to hit Three Amigos but Oblivion is countered into a German suplex. Cargill plants her with a spinebuster and something like an F5 does it again. Cue Naomi for a belt shot though (the Rodriguez distraction helped) and Oblivion finishes Cargill (her first pinfall loss in WWE) at 10:11.

Rating: B-. That’s an interesting way to go as you wouldn’t expect Cargill to lose a fall, especially in what wasn’t a heavily hyped up match. That being said, it does make Naomi look like that much bigger of a deal as she has cost Cargill something else. I’m not entirely interested in seeing them fight, but at least they’re doing something a bit different with Naomi.

Post match Naomi stays on Cargill, including a hanging Pedigree and a knock onto the announcers’ table.

We look back at Drew McIntyre attacking Damian Priest after their tag match earlier.

McIntyre says he has explained his issues with Priest and mocks Priest’s voice. He’ll see Priest in London next week…and then runs into Seth Rollins, who stares at him.

We look at the Street Profits winning the Tag Team Titles last week.

Here are the Profits, who say this is long overdue. They had been doubting themselves for a bit but these titles made everything worth it. They’re proud that they can count on their brothers but here is Legado del Fantasma to interrupt. Santos Escobar says they’re coming for the titles but here is Pretty Deadly to interrupt. They’re the #1 contenders and Legado needs to step aside, but Escobar says that is NOT happening. The Profits know Pretty Deadly have their shot but Legado wants to fight tonight so let’s do it.

We get the orange luchador vignette again, which is pretty clearly Rey Fenix.

Street Profits vs. Los Garza

Non-title. We’re joined in progress with Angel in trouble and Ford hitting a running knee to the face. Berto comes in to knock Ford down and a double basement superkick drops him again. Angel ties Ford in the Tree of Woe so stomping can ensue but a quick head fake and a dive brings Dawkins back in to pick up the pace. A low bridge drops Dawkins to the floor though and we take a break.

Back with Dawkins fighting out of a double arm crank but getting dropkicked down just as fast. Berto plants Dawkins again and the Gory Bomb/flipping cutter gets two, with Ford having to make the save. Dawkins finally gets in a shot of his own and it’s back to Ford to take over. Ford has to flip out of a super double gorilla press attempt and a superplex gets two on Garza. Dawkins hits his own flip dive and Ford’s frog splash is good for the pin at 14:32.

Rating: C+. This got more time than I was expecting and it wound up being a good enough, back and forth match. Los Garza aren’t likely to move up the ranks very far, but they’re good enough to make someone else look better in the ring. The division on Smackdown has gotten that much better, though I’m really hoping we don’t get some big ladder match at Wrestlemania.

HHH Hall Of Fame video.

Pretty Deadly runs into DIY, who offer to help them win the titles next week in exchange for a title shot. Pretty Deadly: “NO BOY!” The Motor City Machine Guns pop up to gloat.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Here is Roman Reigns, with Paul Heyman, for a chat. CM Punk took him out at the Royal Rumble so Reigns took him out on Raw. Seth Rollins tried to kill him so Reigns tried to kill him. He’ll be out here if anyone has anything to say to him so here is Rollins in person. After a lot of the fans singing Rollins’ theme song, Rollins says Reigns should have let him finish Punk off because Punk is that dangerous.

The reality is Rollins and Reigns cannot coexist in the same place at the same time. They should write another chapter in their story but here is Punk to interrupt. Punk says neither of them have beaten him without the other’s help. Reigns was tossed out of the Royal Rumble where it was every man for himself. That was after Punk saved Reigns’ family at WarGames, and he’s still owed a favor of course.

Punk dives on Reigns and the fight starts fast, with Rollins getting involved as well. Referees break it up and Punk points to the Wrestlemania sign (Heyman: “NO!”), leaving Rollins to fight with Reigns. Rollins breaks away and points at the sign before going after Punk. Reigns drops both of them with the steps and points as well, with the brawl having to be broken up again to end the show. I’m not big on triple threats, but they’ve done a good job of making me want to see these three fight. There is a reason for them to want to get at each other and that makes for a much better story.

Overall Rating: B-. The crowd wasn’t as hot as it was last week but they were certainly there enough to keep up the interest. This show was more about getting things ready for Wrestlemania and they added one match, with another being all but confirmed. That’s a good way to go, along with some other things being pushed forward. Wrestlemania is starting to come together, and other shows like this should help it along even more.

Results
Damian Priest/Jimmy Uso b. Drew McIntyre/Shinsuke Nakamura – South Of Heaven to Nakamura
Braun Strowman b. Jacob Fatu via DQ when Solo Sikoa interfered
Piper Niven b. Zelina Vega – Crossbody
Liv Morgan b. Jade Cargill – Oblivion
Street Profits b. Los Garza – Frog splash to Berto

 

 

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

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

 

Smackdown
Date: March 7, 2025
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

It’s pretty rare that you see an event take place which turns WWE completely upside down, but that is what we are dealing with following Elimination Chamber. John Cena turned evil for the first time in over twenty years and there are a lot of people who are less than thrilled with the whole thing. There is a good chance we’ll be dealing with that here, plus the US Title is on the line as LA Knight gets his rematch against Shinsuke Nakamura. Let’s get to it.

Here is Elimination Chamber if you need a recap.

Earlier today, as people were coming to work, Drew McIntyre jumped Damian Priest.

Elimination Chamber recap, though we don’t see the Cena beatdown.

Here is Randy Orton to get things going. Orton talks about how crazy things have been lately but ever since he started, John Cena has always been at the top. Now though, he’s just a bottom for Rock, which gives a new meaning to the term “Rock Bottom”. That brings him to Kevin Owens, with Orton admiring the wrestler but not liking the person. Orton thinks Owens’ jealousy has destroyed him, like Owens’ jealousy made him try to destroy Cody Rhodes and Sami Zayn.

That brings us back to Orton, who had to come back from a career ending surgery. Owens was trying to give Zayn such a career ending injury at Elimination Chamber. That’s what brought Orton out, and he was hearing those voices for the first time in many years. Now he’s ready to prove that Pat McAfee is the second best punter in WWE. This was a very serious and fired up Orton, which you don’t see very often.

Chelsea Green yells at Nick Aldis about her title match tonight but Tiffany Stratton doesn’t want to hear it. Piper Niven accuses Stratton of censorship and gets a match tonight as a result.

Tiffany Stratton vs. Piper Niven

Non-title. Stratton jumps over her to start and tells Niven to come on, earning herself a big shoulder. Niven’s backsplash misses and Stratton hits a basement dropkick but Niven sends her to the floor. The flip dive off the apron wipes Stratton out and we take an early break. Back with Stratton firing off some clotheslines and a handspring elbow in the corner. Another basement dropkick gives Stratton another two and the Swanton connects for another near fall. Niven powers her down and loads up the Vader Bomb, only to miss so Stratton can nail the Prettiest Moonsault Ever for the pin at 7:43.

Rating: C+. Well, the fans are responding to Stratton a bit more positively so things are at least going in the right direction. It’s another example of the simple, classic story here with Stratton having to find a way around the monster. That worked out well, though the buzzsaw that is Charlotte is still waiting for her at Wrestlemania.

Post match Charlotte runs in and takes out Stratton’s knee, setting up the Figure eight to make it even worse.

Nick Aldis explains the issues in the tag division and yes he does have a chart to explain the whole story (which is actually rather helpful). The solution: a #1 contenders match this week and the Street Profits (not in the #1 contenders match) get their title shot next week.

Motor City Machine Guns vs. Pretty Deadly vs. Los Garza

For the #1 contendership. Angel tags himself in to start and is immediately dropkicked by Wilson but Garza TAKES OFF HIS PANTS and all six get in to brawl. Pretty Deadly and the Guns are kicked to the floor, setting up the stereo dives from Los Garza as we take a break. Back with Shelley taking Pretty Deadly down, allowing the tag off to Sabin, who catches Berto with a tornado DDT for two. Everything breaks down and we hit the parade of knockdowns until Sabin hits a dive onto a bunch of people. Skull & Bones is loaded up but Prince reverses into a backslide for the clean pin on Sabin at 7:06.

Rating: B-. There was a lot of action for such little time, especially when you factor out the break. Pretty Deadly winning isn’t the biggest shock but them winning clean certainly is, as that is just not something that happens. This sets up some interesting possibilities, which is a nice sign for the division. There are several stories going on at once, though the reactions to them are only so strong thus far.

We look back at Jade Cargill returning at Elimination Chamber and beating Naomi down.

We look at some reactions to John Cena’s turn.

Here is Bianca Belair for a chat. She should be on top of the world because she is on the way to Wrestlemania but two of her best friends are fighting. Belair doesn’t believe that Naomi did this and Jade Cargill won’t talk to her so she needs some answers from Naomi right now. Cue Naomi, who says she and Belair need to get their Tag Team Titles back. Belair flat out asks Naomi if she did it but Naomi goes on a rant about how Cargill took advantage of Cargill or not. She doesn’t say yes or no so Belair wants a flat out answer. Naomi admits that she did it and Belair is in tears.

Naomi said she did it for Belair, who says they are done and walks out. As Belair leaves, Naomi gets angrier and says she should have pushed Cargill sooner and harder. Naomi: “YOU UNGRATEFUL B****!” Cue Jade Cargill, who shares a quick look with Belair (whose face seems to say “do what you have to do, I’m out”) and Naomi is quickly destroyed again. Naomi as a villain is an interesting way to go, but she doesn’t seem to be the new big bad or anything close to it.

We look at the issues between Drew McIntyre and Damian Priest.

McIntyre blames Priest for costing him the chance to be the World Champion at Wrestlemania.

We look at Cody Rhodes surprising Lex Luger with an induction into the WWE Hall Of Fame. Unfortunately, we don’t get any Summerslam 1993 balloons.

Charlotte talks about how the women’s division is soft but B-Fab comes in to say no one is interested in bowing down to her. The challenge is issued for next week. I’m not a big fan of Charlotte, but B-Fab is going to get massacred here, and that’s what should happen.

Braun Strowman vs. Solo Sikoa

Sikoa bounces off of Strowman to start and is knocked to the floor for his efforts. The ensuing charge sends Strowman into the steps though and Sikoa adds a running Umaga attack as we take a break. Back with Sikoa managing a Samoan drop, allowing him to stop for some posing. Another Umaga attack connects but Sikoa takes too long loading up a third one, allowing Strowman to run him over. Strowman hits the running powerslam but Tama Tonga comes in for the DQ at 6:56.

Rating: C+. Again, there was only so much that could be done with so little time but Sikoa was wrestling more of a power style here, which worked well for him. The ending was a good thing to see as you don’t need Strowman losing another match. I’m not sure how far Strowman can go against the evil group, but at least he looked dominant enough at different parts of the match.

Post match Strowman clears the ring but here is Jacob Fatu for the big showdown. The brawl is on with Strowman getting the better of things to start, only to be sent over the barricade. They fight over to the tech area and Strowman slips out of a Samoan drop, setting up a chokeslam through a table (and through the water bottles). Fatu gets up and backs away anyway.

LA Knight is ready to face Shinsuke Nakamura and get the US Title back. All it takes is one BFT to put Nakamura back to factory settings and it’s time to give Old Glory a better representation than it’s had lately.

Chelsea Green yells at Piper Niven for not being ready for the street fight. Zelina Vega comes in to say she’s coming for whomever comes out as Women’s US Champion tonight.

Women’s US Title: Chelsea Green vs. Michin

Green is defending in a street fight (and yes she is dressed as Cactus Jack from the 2000 Royal Rumble because she is that awesome) and has Piper Niven with her. Michin on the other hand is in an Eagles jersey and brings the weapons with her to start slugging away before the bell. They get inside for said bell and Green gets drop toeholded face first into an open chair. It’s already time for a table (yeah you knew that was coming) and we take a break.

Back with Michin spraying her with a fire extinguisher and loading up another table, only for Niven to break it up. Green manages to go Coast To Coast but cue B-Fab to beat on Niven on the floor. Michin fights up with kendo stick and hammers away. A Cannonball crushes a trashcan against Green for two and now the table is brought in.

Eat Defeat sends Green onto the table, which breaks before anything happens. Michin hits a top rope backsplash onto Green onto the broken table but someone in a hoodie (those freaking hoodies) pulls Green out. A kick to the head rocks Michin and it’s Alba Fyre, apparently now part of Green’s team. Fyre hits a Canadian Destroyer onto a chair and Green retains at 10:03.

Rating: B-. This was the usual street fight style match but what matters in the end was about having Fyre joining the team. With Isla Dawn gone, it’s nice to see Fyre having something to do, as she’s far too talented to be left off the shows. If nothing else, Green continues to be awesome, with the Jack cosplay being outstanding.

Santos Escobar isn’t happy with Los Garza. Andrade comes in to seemingly recruit Berto.

TKO is launching a boxing promotion in partnership with Saudi Arabia.

We get the long look at the John Cena turn.

Here is Cody Rhodes (with a HORRIBLE looking eye) for a chat. Rhodes talks about how he didn’t see what happened at Elimination Chamber coming. John Cena turned on him after earning the title shot at Wrestlemania. Rhodes spent two years driving Cena around to learn everything he could.

Now though, Cena has given up and, with Rhodes trying to keep his composure, he talks about how Cena had acted like his friend. Then at some point, Cena said the title was going to get heavier every day and now Cena believes that he is the last of his kind. Now the title has never felt lighter so if Cena wants some, come get some. This was the fired up Cody that it had to be and it worked well enough.

Miz pitches Nick Aldis an interview with Cody Rhodes next week on Melo Don’t MizTV. Carmelo Hayes comes in to mock Randy Orton, who pops up and gets a match with Hayes next week.

Saturday Night’s Main Event is back on May 24.

Drew McIntyre vs. Jimmy Uso

Jimmy jumps him to start and knocks McIntyre to the floor, where a dive is cut off with a right hand. A quick charge sends McIntyre over the announcers’ table and we take a break. Back with Jimmy hitting a Samoan drop and nailing the running Umaga attack. A superkick gives Jimmy two but the Superfly Splash misses. The Claymore finishes Jimmy at 7:16.

Rating: C+. This was a win that McIntyre has been missing after something of a string of losses and it evens things up after his loss to Uso a few weeks back. That’s all this needed to be, as McIntyre is likely on to bigger and better things in the near future. Jimmy still needs something to do, and a loss like this isn’t the best sign for his immediate future.

Post match Damian Priest runs in to jump McIntyre. Security can’t quite keep them apart and Priest gets in a few more shots.

Shinsuke Nakamura is ready to finish LA Knight for good.

Video on DIY vs. the Street Profits for the Tag Team Titles next week.

DIY is ready to retain the titles next week because they are the best team. They hold a moment of silence for the Street Profits, with Byron Saxton screwing it up.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

US Title: LA Knight vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Knight is defending and knees him down to start but Knight is back up with some right hands. They go to the floor, with Nakamura hitting a running knee to take over again. The sliding German suplex drops Knight again but Knight knocks him outside, this time for a baseball slide.

We take a break and come back with Knight hitting his jumping neckbreaker into a powerslam into the jumping elbow for two. Nakamura cuts off the superplex attempt though and hits a nasty belly to back superplex for another near fall. Kinshasa is cut off so Nakamura goes up, only for Knight to run the ropes for the superplex. There’s the top rope elbow but Nakamura heads outside to grab a chair.

The referee takes that away so Nakamura tries the mist, which hits the referee by mistake. Knight’s rollup gets no count so Nakamura kicks him in the head again and a Meiko Satomura Scorpio Rising connects. Nakamura grabs the chair again but gets caught with the BFT, meaning another referee can run in to count the pin and give Knight the title back at 11:10.

Rating: B-. They did a nice job with the fake out of having the rollup with the referee down, only to have Knight get the title back anyway. It’s a bit of a weird way to go as Nakamura only won the title a few months ago and now Knight has it back. That’s good for Knight though, as he was kind of floating around without much to do. It’s a big win for him and hopefully he gets to have a bit of a better reign this time around.

The big celebration ends the show.

Overall Rating: B-. It wasn’t a great show but they had to deal with the huge moment from Elimination Chamber. You can only get so far with that without having Cena or the Rock here, but that’s going to be saved for a bigger moment down the line. The title change at the end was a big deal and we got some emotional promos. You can see a lot of Wrestlemania coming from here and this show took some steps in getting it ready. Now just take those next steps in the coming weeks and things should go well.

Results
Tiffany Stratton b. Piper Niven – Prettiest Moonsault Ever
Pretty Deadly b. Motor City Machine Guns and Los Garza – Backslide to Sabin
Braun Strowman b. Solo Sikoa via DQ when Tama Tonga interfered
Chelsea Green b. Michin – Canadian Destroyer onto a chair
Drew McIntyre b. Jimmy Uso – Claymore
LA Knight b. Shinsuke Nakamura – BFT onto a chair

 

 

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

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

 

Smackdown
Date: February 28, 2025
Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

It’s the night before Elimination Chamber and that means we need one last push towards the show. Odds are that is going to include more of Cody Rhodes being unsure about whether or not he should accept the Rock’s offer, plus some final pushes towards the Elimination Chamber matches. That could make for an interesting enough show so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of Rock telling Cody Rhodes that he wants Cody’s soul.

Cody Rhodes arrives and is told he has a private locker room, courtesy of the Final Boss.

Here is Trish Stratus in a Maple Leafs jersey to get things going, just in case the fans didn’t love her enough. She gets rather emotional at the THANK YOU TRISH chants and then says “it’s the jersey isn’t it”. Trish asks what year it is when we have Lilian Garcia introducing her, the Rock is back and she’s wrestling in her hometown.

Stratus talks about how it’s a generational thing because the dad of a young girl in the front row probably had her poster on the wall. Tomorrow will be the first time her kids will see her wrestle live and here is her partner, Tiffany Stratton (also in a Leafs jersey). They declare it Trishy Time and then take the jerseys off and throw them into the crowd.

Cue Chelsea Green and Piper Niven (yes, she is dressed as the Mountie) to interrupt, with Green talking about how honored she is to represent the better country of America. Stratton makes the challenge and Stratus thinks it’s a good idea so get a referee out here right now. This was Stratton going for more of a pure hero and it could have gone far worse. Have her adjust her talking style and focus more on her athleticism and it could work.

Chelsea Green vs. Tiffany Stratton

Non-title. We’re joined in progress with Green getting two off an enziguri and grabbing a chinlock. Stratton gets out and hits some clotheslines, followed by the spinebuster for two. Green’s Rough Ryder gets two but Stratton hits a quick dropkick. Niven breaks up the Prettiest Moonsault Ever so Stratton hits a dive, only for Candice LeRae and Nia Jax to jump Stratus. Jax pulls Stratton to the floor for the DQ at 3:13 shown.

Rating: C. They didn’t have time to do much here but thankfully it was a DQ rather than having one of the champions lose. At the same time, this was Stratton’s debut as a more clean cut hero and that might have warranted a pinfall, albeit not over Green. Odds are she can get that at Elimination Chamber, but this is a match that could have probably been a big segment instead.

Post match the beatdown is on but Stratus makes the save and the villains skedaddle.

Nick Aldis announces a one night tournament for the #1 contendership to the US Title. This feels rather unnecessary and like little more than a way to fill in time.

Jacob Fatu isn’t happy with Solo Sikoa, who thinks Fatu should bring the US Title home to the family. Fatu seems pleased.

Cody Rhodes’ dressing room has a bunch of alcohol and what I assume is sushi. R-Truth is here and thinks it might be worth selling out for, with Rhodes telling him to help himself. R-Truth is glad Rhodes isn’t being shellfish.

US Title #1 Contenders Qualifying Match: Jacob Fatu vs. Andrade

Fatu runs him over with a shoulder to start but Andrade gets in a low bridge. A hurricanrana sets up a big moonsault to the floor and we take a break. Back with Andrade hitting a poisonrana and they’re both down. Fatu is back up to run Andrade over, only for Andrade to hit a boot to the head in the corner. The double jump moonsault gets two on Fatu as the fans declare this awesome. Back up and a sunset flip is blocked as Fatu sits on his chest, setting up an implant DDT. The triple jump moonsault gives Fatu the pin at 8:22.

Rating: B. This is where you can have fun with some people you might not have expected to see together and it wound up going well. They had good chemistry together and that made for a nice match here. Fatu gets to beat someone else but he certainly didn’t smash Andrade, which he shouldn’t be doing given what Andrade has done before.

We recap the Street Profits being all violent and aggressive as of late.

Earlier today, the Profits refused to apologize to Legado del Fantasma and Nick Aldis had to break it up.

Los Garza vs. Street Profits

Or not as DIY and the Motor City Machine Guns run in for the big brawl. No match.

Drew McIntyre comes up to Cody Rhodes and talks about how they would do anything to get to the top. Rhodes has a chance to jump up there and McIntyre looks forward to finding out that Rhodes sold out a long time ago.

Video on John Cena going to the Elimination Chamber…and Drew McIntyre comes into the arena, saying cut it off. McIntyre says Cena is going to become a hypocrite, just like he did when he decided he was in the Elimination Chamber. He sits on the announcers’ table and says it would be interested in seeing what 2010 Cena would think of modern Cena.

First up, Cena would make a bad joke about the bald spot that needs its own zip code but here is Damian Priest to interrupt. Priest: “R-Truth makes more sense than you do!” McIntyre says he was screwed over last year, including at Wrestlemania. The reality is that McIntyre won the World Title but was so obsessed with CM Punk that Priest was able to cash in Money In The Bank. McIntyre (sat in Punk’s signature style): “I am not obsessed with CM Punk.”

Priest is ready to beat McIntyre at Elimination Chamber and reminds McIntyre that be dropped him the last time they were here. McIntyre is ready to let Priest try to do it again but here is Seth Rollins to interrupt. Rollins talks about how this place was looking fun so he had to come in and join the party. He blames McIntyre’s terrible Money In The Bank cash in for not winning the World Heavyweight Title last year and gets in Priest’s face.

Cue CM Punk to interrupt, saying that Rollins looks like an oven mitt (close enough) and he’ll Rollins tomorrow night. He doesn’t have any issue with Priest, but he’s ready to take him out in the Elimination Chamber. That leaves the other guy who is obsessed with him, but Punk is obsessed with going to Wrestlemania. Someone asked him if he would be willing to sell his soul to get to the top and they’re all dealing with serious Punk tomorrow.

Punk calls out John Cena for having his retirement tour and not showing up but the other three say they’re ready to take him out. McIntyre will just complain on the internet if he loses…and here is Cena….’s music, with Logan Paul coming out instead. Paul makes it clear that Cena doesn’t care about Canada before mocking Rollins, who is dressed like he lost a bet. There is a Priest standing in the ring but he is still the answer to WWE’s prayers. Paul calls out Punk, who chases him away. This was the “a bunch of people talk to each other” and it worked well.

We go to the Kickoff Show, where a bunch of women got in a brawl.

US Title #1 Contenders Qualifying Match: LA Knight vs. Santos Escobar

Knight drives him into the corner to start before Escobar bounces out of a headscissors. A Side Effect looks to set up Knight’s jumping top rope elbow but Escobar gets up instead. Knight sends him outside, where Escobar gets in a whip to the steps as we take a break. Back with the two of them striking away until Knight plants him down with a neckbreaker.

Escobar’s armbar doesn’t get him very far as Knight is back with some clotheslines into a jumping elbow drop. A missed charge sends Knight into the corner, setting up a top rope hurricanrana. Escobar goes up top, only to dive into the BFT (and a nice one at that) to give Knight the pin at 11:16.

Rating: B-. Another nice back and forth match here with Knight getting the win, as he should have given his recent issues with Shinsuke Nakamura. Escobar is another example of someone who can work well with almost anyone in the ring and that’s a good way to make Knight look better. I’m not sure if Knight is getting the title shot, but he would make the most sense of all of the options.

Here is Sami Zayn for a chat. He knows there is a long history between himself and Kevin Owens, so he wants Owens out here right now. They can say their final piece to each other and that’s it before tomorrow. We cut to Owens in an empty stadium (the location for tomorrow’s show) where he can talk about how they have never had a bigger match.

Owens promises to watch Zayn’s family suffer after tomorrow because this is all Zayn’s fault. Zayn says he is nervous, but it’s because of what he will do to Owens. He brings up the names of Owens’ parents (that gets Owens serious) and says it’s on tomorrow. Owens says he’ll see Zayn tomorrow to wrap it up. As usual, these two feel important together and that will be the case again tomorrow.

Carmelo Hayes says he won’t need the Miz tonight. With Hayes gone, Cody Rhodes comes in and Miz asks him what he’s going to do. Rhodes isn’t sure, but Miz talks about how Rhodes could be so much more in Hollywood if he takes the deal.

US Title #1 Contenders Qualifying Match: Carmelo Hayes vs. Braun Strowman

Strowman throws him around to start and they go outside, but here is Tama Tonga for a distraction. Cue Solo Sikoa with a chair to Strowman’s back for no effect so Strowman takes the chair. Hayes drops to the mat though and the referee sees Strowman holding the chair, which is enough for the DQ at 1:27. Well that was quick.

Post match Strowman powerbombs Tonga.

Naomi, Bayley and Bianca Belair are ready to fight in their six woman tag tonight.

Bayley/Naomi/Bianca Belair vs. Roxanne Perez/Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez

Naomi and Morgan slug it out to start with Naomi kicking her into the corner without much trouble. All six get in for the slugout until Bayley drops Morgan with a suicide dive. Another dive lets her point at the sign and we take a break. Back with Bayley bulldogging Rodriguez out of the corner, allowing Belair to come back in. Belair muscles Rodriguez up for a suplex and the standing moonsault gets two.

Everything breaks down and Naomi gives Rodriguez a hanging Pedigree on the apron, followed by a swinging kick to Perez. Bayley hits the top rope elbow on Perez before Naomi and Raquel crash out to the floor. The Bayley To Belly is broken up and Perez goes after Bayley’s knee, setting up the Pop Rox for the pin at 8:52.

Rating: C+. Perez gets another win and that is a good sign for her future. I could go for seeing more of what she is going to get to do, as she is more than ready for the main roster. While she isn’t likely going to win the Chamber, WWE is giving her a strong push to start and that could go a long way.

Post match Alexa Bliss runs in to lay Perez out. The Wyatt Sicks logo pops up because we just have to do that for some reason.

Charlotte is ready for Tiffany Stratton at Wrestlemania.

Travis Scott will be at Elimination Chamber.

Elimination Chamber rundown.

Shinsuke Nakamura promises to make an example out of whomever challenges him next.

Jacob Fatu is ready to smash the other two.

Jacob Fatu vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. LA Knight

For a future US Title shot. Fatu stomps on Knight in the corner and glares at Hayes for daring to stop him. Knight gets back up to knock Fatu outside and hits an elbow on Hayes, only to get pulled outside by Fatu. Hayes joins them and Fatu misses a big charge into the timekeeper’s area as we take a break.

Back with Fatu in control again and taking turns knocking both of them down. Hayes manages a springboard DDT to Fatu, who just screams at him before hitting the pop up Samoan drop. A BFT hits Fatu but Hayes is back up with the First 48 for two on Knight. Back up and Hayes is thrown outside onto Fatu, who sends him into the steps. Knight hits a nice spinning dive to send Fatu into the steps but Hayes is back with Nothing But Net. Fatu pops up for a Swanton to break up the cover and hits the triple jump moonsault, only for Knight to steal the pin at 12:18.

Rating: B. They were working here with Hayes being there as a way to give Knight the pin without beating Fatu. What matters the most here is that Knight is getting his title match at some point, though I’m not sure we needed to have a tournament to set that up. Either way, Knight winning the title back isn’t out of the question, and he looked good on the way there.

CM Punk asks Cody Rhodes what the Rock could possibly offer him, though Punk says he’s glad he never got that offer.

Here is Michael Cole for an in-ring chat with Rhodes. Cole gets right to the point, saying that Rhodes has the chance to sell out tomorrow night. The Rhodes that Cole has known for twenty years wouldn’t do it but this is a different Rock. Cole goes over what Rhodes could get out of this, including a limited schedule, a bunch of money, and a big red truck, with Rhodes’ name and logo on it, which rolls into the arena.

Rock pops up on screen with his own version of the truck, saying he knows Rhodes is going to do the right thing. He brings up talking to Dusty Rhodes in the hope that Cody will do the right thing and let the Rock have what he wants. Rock busts out a weightlifting belt labeled “Cody’s Soul” with the date of June 11, 2015, the date Dusty died. He’ll see Cody tomorrow for the decision.

Cody is unsure to end the show. It helped to have this laid out a bit more as that helps explain why Cody might want to take the deal, but it’s still hard to believe he’ll do it. That being said, it very well may be the point, as Rock might have someone else ready to take him up on the offer.

Overall Rating: C+. This third hour is dragging the show down and that was on clear display here. It felt like there was a lot on here for the sake of filling in time, with the whole tournament thing feeling like it was just added in. On the positive side, the wrestling itself was good and they fleshed out the Cody deal a lot more. That being said, it’s really hard to get interested in whatever the Rock is talking about as this version of him isn’t making good TV. Get him mad and things are better, but for now it’s a lot of waiting to get to the better stuff. Not a bad show, but dang getting back to two hours sounds great.

Results
Tiffany Stratton b. Chelsea Green via DQ when Nia Jax interfered
Jacob Fatu b. Andrade – Triple jump moonsault
LA Knight b. Santos Escobar – BFT
Carmelo Hayes b. Braun Strowman via DQ when Strowman was accused of using a chair
Roxanne Perez/Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez b. Bayley/Naomi/Bianca Belair – Pop Rox to Bayley
LA Knight b. Jacob Fatu and Carmelo Hayes – Triple jump moonsault to Hayes

 

 

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

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

 

One-Sided Beatdowns
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Paul E. Dangerously, Lance Russell, Joey Styles, Vince McMahon, Jim Cornette, Tony Schiavone, Michael Cole, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves, Kevin Sullivan, Tommy Dreamer, Todd Grisham

So this is something that WWE put together on the Vault, which is basically a 40 minute collection of squash matches. That is the kind of thing which can make for some fun violence, as some of those squashed can be all kinds of entertaining. I’m going into this mostly blind so this should be good. Let’s get to it.

Little bit of a weird thing here: on YouTube, the identifications on some of the matches are all over the place, with Big E. being listed instead of Sid Vicious, a match with Bayley on commentary listing her in the match and some other names being nowhere near close. No idea what’s up with that.

From Monday Night Raw, December 10, 2001.

Hardcore Title: Undertaker vs. Spike Dudley

Undertaker is defending and Spike throws in a bunch of weapons before the bell, with Undertaker swatting a trashcan out of the air. Undertaker doesn’t care so Spike goes and sits on his motorcycle, which is enough to start the destruction. The beating begins on the floor and Spike is thrown inside for a hard right to the head.

Spike is tied in the Tree of Woe (which Lawler seems to have never heard of before) but he gets out for a low blow. Some trashcan lids to the head just annoy Undertaker, who smashes him in the head with the same lid. Undertaker drives a forearm over Spike’s face and the Last Ride onto a trashcan retains at 2:36. This wasn’t quite one sided but ticked off Undertaker can be most enjoyable.

Post match Undertaker chokeslams him over the top and out to the floor (OUCH).

From WCW Main Event, August 27, 1989.

Sid Vicious vs. Lee Scott

Sid hits a big clothesline and the fans are just going nuts for him. A gorilla press to the floor lets Sid throw him back inside. The helicopter slam sets up the powerbomb to complete the destruction at 1:30. This was GREAT as Sid absolutely massacred him.

From ECW On Sci Fi, August 1, 2006.

Kurt Angle vs. Brooklyn Brawler

Commentary doesn’t think much of Brawler’s chances. The ankle lock sends Brawler straight to the ropes to start so Angle beats him up there instead. A headbutt and ankle lock finish Brawler at 1:10.

From Monday Night Raw, June 19, 1995.

Shawn Michaels vs. Gus Kantarrakis

The name graphic has two R’s in the latter’s name but everything else I can find shows just one. Not a good sign when even the company can’t bother getting your name right. Michaels shoulders him down to start and runs the ropes…but has to stop and pick him up. They get back up and Michaels hits another shoulder so he can ride on Gus’ back for the comedy.

Michaels gets Gus to chase him on the floor and then has a seat in the front row. Gus’ cheap shot doesn’t work as commentary ignores the match to talk about celebrity news. Back in and Gus manages a right hand to the ribs and slows Michaels down but he easily sends Gus outside. A suplex on the floor has Gus in more trouble and the superkick knocks him silly out there as well. Back in and the fans want it one more time so Michaels basically Weekend At Bernie’s him into another superkick for the pin at 4:20.

Rating: C. Gus was another level of useless here as he had a weird look and Michaels was almost wrestling himself at times. That being said, this was the goofy Michaels who felt like a star no matter what he was doing and there was no way to avoid putting the title on him next year.

From WCW TV, May 10, 1986.

Midnight Express vs. Mulkey Brothers

Naturally Jim Cornette is here with the Express and even jumps on commentary. Condrey backdrops Randy to start as Cornette says tomorrow is Mother’s Day so he loves Mama Cornette…and wants his allowance. Randy is taken outside and suplexed onto the concrete before Bill comes in, only to be tossed outside as well. Back in and Bill’s face is rubbed into the mat as Cornette calls out Dusty Rhodes and Magnum TA.

A belly to back superplex plants Bill again as Cornette WILL NOT SHUT UP, which is what made him a legend. Bill is sent hard into the corner and a butterfly suplex gives Eaton one, as he pulls Bill up over and over. Randy comes in and actually scores with some punches to Condrey, who suplexes him right back down. A good looking top rope elbow hits Randy and Condrey finally finishes with what would be better known as the Skull Crushing Finale at 4:53.

Rating: C+. The Midnights turned the tag team squash into an art form and the Mulkeys were some of the best targets they could have had. It wouldn’t have been right to leave the Midnights off of something like this as they really were great at what they did. Throw in Cornette ranting at everyone he could think of and it was a lot of fun.

From Monday Nitro, June 1, 1998.

US Title: Goldberg vs. La Parka

Goldberg is defending, gets hit in the head with a chair before the bell, and runs through him with the spear and Jackhammer to retain at 28 seconds. Well you knew Goldberg was going to be on this show.

From Monday Night Raw, July 25, 2016.

Braun Strowman vs. James Ellsworth

Ellsworth hides in the corner at the bell and then thinks it’s a good idea to come up swinging. Strowman throws him into the corner and hits a big boot to the chest, setting up a running splash. A reverse chokeslam finishes Ellsworth at 1:10. Yeah that worked.

From WCW TV, December 16, 1989.

Steiner Brothers vs. Cactus Jack Manson/Rick Fargo

Rick (Steiner, in case you thought Fargo mattered) backs Manson up against the ropes and then slaps the fire out of him. Believe it or not, Jack is kind of into the pain so Scott comes in for a backdrop. Manson fights up with an elbow for two but Scott knocks him outside rather quickly.

Back in and it’s off to Fargo and I don’t see this going well. Scott suplexes him down with ease and a super fall away slam drops Fargo again. We cut to some shots of the crowd and come back to Rick neck cranking Fargo, followed by some riding on the mat. Back up and the Steiner Line puts Fargo down again, setting up the Frankensteiner for the pin at 4:46.

Rating: C-. This was there for the sake of having the Steiners and Jack in the same match but there wasn’t much to it. The Steiners could beat up just about anyone and that’s what they did here. It just wasn’t that entertaining and was more about name value, but I can go with something like this on a big compilation.

From NXT, August 3, 2016.

Asuka vs. Aliyah

Bayley is on commentary but Asuka offers her a seat on the ramp to watch closer. Asuka snapmares Aliyah down as the fans sing for Bayley, whose confidence has been wrecked by Asuka taking the Women’s Title from her. A hip attack drops Aliyah again and Asuka chokes her in the ropes while looking down at Bayley. Another hip attack in the ropes drops Aliyah again and Asuka kicks her out of the air for two, with Asuka pulling her up. A Buzzsaw Kick sets up the Asuka Lock for the tap at 2:28. Nice story advancement with the squash.

From Sunday Night Heat, October 28, 2004.

Tyson Tomko vs. Shawn Riddick

Tomko powers him into the corner to start and hits a spinebuster before hammering away. Some forearms on the mat have Riddick in more trouble and Tomko throws him outside. Tomko isn’t having any of this comeback and kicks Riddick outside, which is enough for the referee to call it at 1:48. Riddick was bumping like crazy here.

From Superstars, February 6, 1993.

Beverly Brothers vs. Bob East/Pete Christie

The Brothers beat on the first one before handing it off to the second one. As we get a look at the latest WWF Magazine, the Brothers hit the Shaker Heights Spike (a flapjack into a faceplant) but the guy over rotates and comes down HARD on his head, thankfully for the pin at 1:28. That was on highlight reels for a good while and could have been a lot worse.

From WCW TV, March 3, 1990.

Kevin Sullivan/Buzz Sawyer vs. Robbie Idol/Zan Panzer

Sawyer is a known nutjob who takes over on Idol. Sullivan comes in for some chops and stomps Idol in the face. It’s back to Sawyer for more chopping before it’s off to Panzer, which makes Sawyer laugh. Sawyer sits on Panzer’s neck as we hear about various upcoming house shows. Sullivan ties Idol in the Tree Of Woe for the running knee and Sawyer, looking a bit nuts (understatement), adds his great top rope splash. Naturally Sawyer pulls him up at two and hits another splash but pulls him up again…and the referee disqualifies Sawyer at 4:13. For what? Beating him up too much?

Rating: C. Not great ending aside, this was another destruction with those splashes looking great. At the same time, Sullivan and his Slaughterhouse (also including Cactus Jack) never did much for me and that was the case again here. They’re a perfectly fine midcard monster team and that’s about it, which only gets them so far.

Post match Sawyer beats him up some more and Sullivan leaves, with a bunch of wrestlers having to come drag Sawyer off of Idol. They can’t quite do it though, instead picking BOTH of them up at once for a unique visual to wrap it up.

Overall Rating: B. I had a GREAT time with this and it is the kind of thing that shows just how much the people running the channel appreciate wrestling. They mixed in a huge variety here and some of them were incredibly entertaining. Just a great little package of fun stuff and worth a look if you want something to the point and exactly as advertised, with nothing breaking five minutes.

 

 

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

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

Smackdown
Date: February 7, 2025
Location: FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re done with the Royal Rumble and that means Jey Uso and Charlotte have a choice to make. Having won their respective Royal Rumbles, they get to choose their Wrestlemania title matches, though we could be waiting a long time before we get there. Other than that, Cody Rhodes is still WWE Champion and is going to need some new challengers. Let’s get to it.

Here is the Royal Rumble if you need a recap.

A bunch of people came to work today.

Long Royal Rumble recap.

Here is Jey Uso, naturally coming through the crowd, for a chat. Just like on Raw, we get a YEET encore because the fans demand one. He’s on his way to the main event of Wrestlemania but he has some decisions to make. On Raw, he talked to Gunther so tonight, he would like Cody Rhodes to come out here.

Cue Cody, who knows what Uso wants to talk about, and we pan out to show the Wrestlemania sign. Uso has choices to make, but Cody talks about the various medical issues he is having at the moment. They can go hit Beal street together to have some fun, but it will be the last time if Uso chooses him.

We get a handshake, but here are Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga to interrupt. Fatu says Cody took the title from his family and now it is time to get it back. That doesn’t mean Jey though, and the fight is on, with the good guys clearing the ring. We probably won’t have an answer anytime soon, but at least we got a nice tease here.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Bianca Belair vs. Piper Niven

Naomi and Chelsea Green are here too. Belair wastes no time in slugging away in the corner before low bridging her out to the floor. That’s fine with Niven, who hits a crossbody against the barricade and a backsplash as we take a break. Back with Niven blocking the KOD and getting two off a Boss Man Slam. The Cannonball connects and a Vader Bomb gives Niven two but Belair avoids a charge in the corner. Now the KOD can finish Niven off at 8:04.

Rating: C+. Belair throwing Niven around is awesome to see and even though we’ve seen it a few times, it still works so well. Belair very well could be in a title match at Wrestlemania and hopefully it is a singles match rather than for the Women’s Tag Team Titles. Not a great match or anything, but it did what it needed to do.

Carmelo Hayes interrupts new Smackdown stars Kayden Carter and Katana Chance before being told how he is going to face another Raw star tonight. That would be Akira Tozawa, which Hayes thinks will be a layup. He could use one.

Here is DIY for a chat. They brag about beating the Motor City Machine Guns twice in one night and now it’s time for a moment of silence for the Guns. Cue Pretty Deadly to interrupt, with Pretty Deadly annoying the champs. Nick Aldis comes in to make a non-title match, but if Pretty Deadly wins, they get a future title shot.

Pretty Deadly vs. DIY

Non-title, Pretty Deadly get a title shot if they win, and DIY is in street clothes. Ciampa stomps Prince in the corner to start but misses a charge into the corner, allowing Wilson to come in and clean house. Everything breaks down and a Codebreaker out of the corner gives Prince two. Ciampa tries a rollup while grabbing the ropes but Wilson breaks it up, allowing Prince to grab a rollup, and the rope, for the upset pin at 2:59. Nice result here, as the division getting bigger is a good thing.

Miz tries to suck up to Andrade, who isn’t impressed. Cody Rhodes comes in and isn’t impressed either. Miz suggests that Jey Us might be turning on Cody, which has him thinking a bit.

John Cena is set for the Elimination Chamber.

Here is Drew McIntyre, who is officially back on Smackdown. He slept in his own bed in Nashville and realized that he is a jacked and handsome man. McIntyre is a product of his own atmosphere, which is due to Raw being so toxic. He’s here for Cody and the WWE Championship but Jimmy Uso interrupts, saying McIntyre sounds like an ex girlfriend. McIntyre: “I’m cool Jey. I mean Jimmy.”

That doesn’t mean much to Jimmy, who is ready for their Elimination Chamber qualifying match. Cue LA Knight, the other person in the match, who says there is nothing wrong with crying if something gets to you and it doesn’t make you any less of a man (amen). McIntyre whining is one of those things you can guarantee in life though and it’s time to beat him up. Yeah.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Drew McIntyre vs. Jimmy Uso vs. LA Knight

We’re joined in progress with McIntyre getting stomped down in the corner but the other two get in a fight of their own. McIntyre fights up and takes both of them down but they all go outside. Knight rams McIntyre into the announcers’ table over and over again as we take a break.

Back with Jimmy breaking up McIntyre’s superplex and tying him up in the Tree of Woe for some stomping. Naturally McIntyre pops up for a superplex to both of them, leaving all three down. Knight plants McIntyre and drops the top rope elbow for two, with Jimmy making the save. McIntyre spinebusters Knight for two before Knight tries the BFT on Jimmy. That’s broken up with a Claymore though and McIntyre pins Knight at 12:41.

Rating: B-. Gah I could go for not seeing Knight take the loss, but McIntyre in the main event scene is a good thing to see. McIntyre continues to be one of the best things about WWE at the moment though and it is nice to see him heading back into the title scene. Other than that, Jimmy can find something else to do, though I’m not sure what that is.

Braun Strowman interrupts Damian Priest. They’re in an Elimination Chamber qualifying match next week with Jacob Fatu and they argue a bit first.

We look at Kevin Owens attacking Sami Zayn on Raw.

From his car, Owens can’t believe that Zayn didn’t help him but did help Roman Reigns at the Royal Rumble. Makes sense, at least from him.

Akira Tozawa vs. Carmelo Hayes

Tozawa jumps him to start and hits a middle rope hurricanrana. We take an early break and come back with Hayes working on an armbar. The spinning faceplant gives Hayes two and Tozawa is up with a knockdown of his own. A sunset bomb gives Tozawa two but Hayes his him in the face. Nothing But Net finishes Tozawa off at 7:32.

Rating: C. It might have been a bit longer than it needed to be, but dang it is nice to see Hayes get a win other than a countout. What matters the most here is that Hayes gets some elevation, as having him lose over and over again stops meaning anything after a bit. This isn’t going to fix him, but it’s better than getting pinned again.

We look at Roman Reigns being attacked by Seth Rollins after they were both eliminated from the Royal Rumble.

Jerry Lawler is here.

R-Truth is checking on Akira Tozawa but then drops him upon seeing Jey Uso. R-Truth thinks Jey won King Of The Ring but Cody Rhodes comes in, with Jey still not being sure who he is facing at Wrestlemania.

Here is Charlotte for a chat. She hears money when people boo her because everyone is obsessed with her. Of course she came back and won the Royal Rumble because she’s just that great. Now it’s her time, which is why she has been on all three shows this week. Cue Tiffany Stratton to interrupt, saying she’s a big Charlotte fan but look at how big WWE has gotten with Charlotte gone.

Charlotte says Stratton can speak when spoken to, but Stratton wants Charlotte to pick her for Wrestlemania. Charlotte says Stratton can beg her but here are Nia Jax and Candice LeRae to interrupt. Jax is getting a title shot next week so Charlotte says she’ll be here to watch. Cue Alexa Bliss to interrupt and after a break, here we go.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Candice LeRae vs. Alexa Bliss

Bliss shoves her down to start and hits some knees to the ribs. LeRae knees her in the back though and grabs a backbreaker to slow Bliss down. They fight to the apron with Bliss being knocked to the floor. We take a break and come back with LeRae cranking on the arms. Bliss fights up and hits some knees to the back, only to get neckbreakered over the ropes. They fight over a small package until Bliss grabs an Abigail DDT for the pin at 10:41.

Rating: C. Bliss being back is nice but at the end of the day, she’s only so good in the ring and it holds her down. At the same time, having her still doing stuff with the Wyatt inspired deal is a bit annoying and has me worried. It was a lot to take before and now we get to see just how well it is going to go again, assuming that is what takes place.

Chelsea Green is ready to qualify next week but B-Fab, Michin and Zelina Vega come in to say they want the Women’s US Title.

The Street Profits interfered at the Royal Rumble because they want the Tag Team Titles back.

The Motor City Machine Guns are ready for the Profits to try and kick them out of their yard. Los Garza comes in and argue as well, with Santos Escobar making the tag match for next week.

Video on Damian Priest vs. Jacob Fatu vs. Braun Strowman next week.

Cody Rhodes/Jey Uso vs. Tama Tonga/Jacob Fatu

Tonga slips out of Cody’s suplex to start and it’s quickly off to Fatu for a backsplash. We take a break and come back with Fatu staying on Rhodes, who avoids Tonga’s charge in the corner. The tag brings in Uso to clean house The running Umaga Attack gets two on Tonga as everything breaks down.

We settle down to Us getting double elbowed in the face and the Samoan drop puts him down again. A double clothesline gets Uso out of trouble though an it’s back to Rhodes to clean house. Rhodes goes up top but gets shoved down by Fatu. Uso pulls Fatu to the floor and hits a dive, leaving Rhodes to hit Cross Rhodes for the pin on Tonga at 11:04.

Rating: B-. I was expecting this to be a bit longer but I’ll take what I can get here. Fatu being in there with bigger names, including the WWE Champion, is a good sign for his future. Other than that, Rhodes gets a nice win over someone with some status, though I’m not sure what is going on with the former Bloodline at the moment. They need something to do and that could take some time to set up.

Post mach Solo Sikoa runs in to Samoan Spike Rhodes to end the show. That might help.

Overall Rating: C+. We’re reaching the point where the three hour time span is hurting the show, as it’s becoming less fun and just feeling long most weeks. That was the case here, as it felt like the show was being stretched out to cover the time, which held Raw back for years. It was still good, but this feels like a show which could have been great if it was an hour shorter. It’s not good to copy Raw’s formula for so long, but at least they should only have a few more months of this schedule.

Results
Bianca Belair b. Piper Niven – KOD
Pretty Deadly b. DIY – Rollup to Ciampa while holding the rope
Drew McIntyre b. LA Knight and Jimmy Uso – Claymore to Knight
Carmelo Hayes b. Akira Tozawa – Nothing But Net
Alexa Bliss b. Candice LeRae – Abigail DDT
Cody Rhodes/Jey Uso b. Tama Tonga/Jacob Fatu – Cross Rhodes to Tonga

 

 

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

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

AND

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

 

Saturday Night’s Main Event #38
Date: January 25, 2025
Location: Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We’re back with another of these just over a month after the big return in December. The card isn’t quite as big this time around, though there are multiple title matches and some interesting showdowns. It’s going to be a bit more tricky as the Royal Rumble is next week so there was only so much to offer here. Let’s get to it.

Joe Tessitore welcomes us to the show, including a bunch of people, such as Ted DiBiase, arriving.

Dig that opening sequence.

Tessitore and Jesse Ventura (in a Public Enemy hat) are on the podium and Jesse can’t believe that Texas can’t handle some Minnesota weather. Jesse is interested in the Intercontinental Title match and he’ll be on commentary for that one.

Raw Women’s Title: Nia Jax vs. Rhea Ripley

Ripley is defending and gets decked during the Big Match Intros so we start fast. A dropkick and tornado DDT put Jax on the floor and there’s a flip dive from the apron as we’re starting fast. Jax is right back with a pop up headbutt though and Ripley is rocked again. A super Samoan drop gives Jax two and we take an early break.

Back with Ripley striking away but not being able to grab a springboard hurricanrana. Instead it’s a Code Red for two on Jax, with the fans sounding impressed. Another Samoan drop cuts Ripley off again though and a middle rope legdrop gets two. The Annihilator is loaded up but Ripley is right there with a powerbomb out of the corner for the massive crash. Jax blocks the Prism Trap but gets sent outside, where Ripley hits a heck of a dive to take her out. Back in and Jax runs her over, setting up an Annihilator to the back, but somehow Ripley electric chairs her down. The Riptide retains the title at 10:38.

Rating: B. This was a different kind of Ripley, as she was having to fight from underneath and didn’t go with just the power game. Instead she was mixing in some more athletic stuff and it made for a nice change of pace. Jax was good as well, as she played quite the monster for Ripley to slay. Good stuff here, almost in a weird version of Sting/Vader.

Alundra Blayze and Mark Henry are here.

Intercontinental Title: Bron Breakker vs. Sheamus

Sheamus is challenging and Jesse Ventura is on commentary. Ventura thinks Breakker is physically impressive, but since he’s a Steiner, 2+2=5. Even Ventura has to laugh at the ensuing Steiner Math jokes. They fight over a lockup to start until Sheamus takes him into the corner as Jesse gives us a history of the “WWF” Intercontinental Title.

Breakker fights back with a suplex and runs the ropes to knocks Sheamus outside. Sheamus is fine enough to cut off a charge and send Breakker into the timekeeper’s area. The ten forearms are broken up and Breakker spears a diving Sheamus out of the air (that looked GREAT) and we take a break. Back with Sheamus wanting Breakker to fight before dropping him with a jumping knee for two.

Now the sixteen forearms can connect and the Celtic Cross gets two more. Breakker is right back with the gorilla press powerslam for two of his own as Ventura seems to be having a good time. Sheamus flips himself up to the top but Breakker runs the corner for the super Frankensteiner. The super spear is cut off with a Brogue Kick for two, with the foot on the rope, with Ventura going on a rant about how the referee shouldn’t have counted three (he didn’t seem to). Another Brogue Kick misses though and Breakker hits an ugly spear to retain at 11:29.

Rating: B-. I’m no sure if they’re ever going to do it, but my goodness they are setting up one heck of a moment if Sheamus ever wins the title. For now, it was another hoss fight, though it felt a bit off for some reason. They weren’t quite clicking, even with that outstanding spear on the floor. Ventura wasn’t quite as hot as he was last month, but he’s still more than good enough to warrant a spot like this.

Video on Shawn Michaels.

Ted DiBiase, Dory Funk Jr. and Jim Duggan are here.

Here is Shawn Michaels, who says he is sweating through his clothes, for the contract signing between Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens. Michaels promises to get the job done when Nick Aldis couldn’t and brings both of them out. They stare each other down rather than sitting, but Michaels isn’t having this. Michaels says he has to get the signatures and Rhodes signs without saying a word.

Owens (in a CODY SUCKS EGGS shirt) teases signing but doesn’t do it, instead talking about how Rhodes accused him of always taking the easy way out. That’s not what he did at Bash In Berlin, but Rhodes is the one who quit when things got tough. Rhodes: “ENOUGH!” He is done dealing with Owens trying to justify himself and wants to find out who he is facing at Wrestlemania.

Owens still won’t sign and goes on a rant about how he is taking everything he has deserved for the last ten years. Michaels says Owens sounds jealous, which leaves Owens incredulous. Owens thinks Michaels is jealous because he’s bringing more prestige to the title than Michaels ever did. The only one who is going to LOSE HIS SMILE is Rhodes and Owens signs.

Now Michaels needs them to hand over the titles and hang them above the ring (presumably they’ll be moved before the Rumble and not left hanging there until WWE is in San Antonio again). The titles are hung and Michaels wishes both of them good luck. Owens decks Rhodes so Michaels shoves him, leaving Owens to try the package piledriver. Rhodes breaks that up and Michaels hits Sweet Chin Music to leave Owens on the floor. That was an intense segment and Michaels was the perfect choice here, though having him drop Owens might not have been the best idea.

Video on Braun Strowman vs. Jacob Fatu.

Fatu rants about how violent he can be.

Jacob Fatu vs. Braun Strowman

Strowman shoves him around to start and hits a hard shoulder, followed by an elbow to the face. A missed charge sends Strowman outside though and Fatu scores with a suicide dive as we take a break. Back with Strowman hitting a sidewalk slam and a running big boot drops Fatu again.

A big beal sends Fatu outside and there’s the running shoulder to send him into the barricade. Another shot sends Fatu flying over the announcers’ table but a third is countered into a Samoan drop onto the table. Back in and six straight running Umaga Attacks have Strowman on another planet so the referee cuts Fatu off. Fatu shoves the referee to the floor and the match is thrown out at 8:30.

Rating: B-. As a match it wasn’t anything great as Strowman as moving rather slowly, but as an angle to get Fatu over as a monster, this was a smashing success. Fatu took Strowman’s big shots and shrugged them off before wrecking Strowman in the end. This is going to make Fatu look like that much more of a monster and my goodness it worked.

Post match Fatu beats on him even more, followed by taking out security. Strowman is bleeding from the mouth and Fatu hits a moonsault to make it even worse. Tama Tonga comes out to try to calm Fatu down but Fatu hits another moonsault. Fatu finally leaves, with the fans giving him quite the cheers. Then Fatu goes back in for another moonsault. This was outstanding.

The Brainbusters are here.

Joe Tessitore and Jesse Ventura recap the night, with Ventura praising Jacob Fatu.

Royal Rumble rundown.

IShowSpeed will be live streaming at the Royal Rumble. Ok then.

Raw World Title: Jey Uso vs. Gunther

Gunther is defending and since Uso spends too long giving his glasses away, gets kicked in the head to start. Uso tries to hammer away but gets sat on top for a big chop to the floor. We take a break and come back with Gunther hitting a heck of a clothesline as Uso can’t get anything going.

Uso actually gets the better of a chop off but Gunther runs him over again without much effort. The chinlock goes on but Uso powers out and hits a needed Samoan drop. Gunther is right back with the dropkick into the powerbomb for two and a kick to the head sends us to a break.

Back with Uso hitting a superkick and avoiding another dropkick in the corner. Gunther fights up and hammers away in the corner, only to get powerbombed back down for two. The spear gives Uso two more and another spear into the Superfly Splash gets another near fall as the fans are losing it over these near falls. Gunther has had it with this and hits the powerbomb to retain at 17:12.

Rating: B. This felt like a good house show main event, as it wasn’t so much about the drama of a potential title change but rather seeing Gunther have to work to survive. Uso is a perfectly good choice for this kind of title shot, as he is so over with the fans but still an underdog so the loss isn’t really going to hurt him. Good main event here, with Uso looking solid in defeat.

We get what might be a look of respect to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a heck of a show as Saturday Night’s Main Event is off to a great return with the first two episodes. What mattered here was that you had big time matches, putting this just a step below a pay per view level card. For what is essentially a bonus show, I had a good time, with Fatu’s insanity owning the night. Check this out if you get the chance, as it was quite good.

Results
Rhea Ripley b. Nia Jax – Riptide
Bron Breakker b. Sheamus – Super spear
Braun Strowman b. Jacob Fatu when Fatu shoved the referee
Gunther b. Jey Uso – Powerbomb

 

 

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

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

AND

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