Monday Night Raw
Date: February 2, 2026
Location: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re done with the Royal Rumble and Monday Night Raw has both of the winners (I think?). Liv Morgan and Roman Reigns won the Royal Rumbles on Saturday and are guaranteed spots at Wrestlemania. Other than that, we have less than a month to go before the Elimination Chamber, where everything else will be decided. Let’s get to it.

Here is the Royal Rumble if you need a recap.

We open with a ticked off Bron Breakker saying he’s going to wreck the entire show in exchange for Adam Pearce wrecking his Royal Rumble. The Vision comes out to calm things down, with Paul Heyman taking the microphone (the fans approve) to complain about Pearce. How could Pearce not know who the masked man is when he approves the visas?

Breakker wants Pearce out here right now so here is Pearce, who points out that the last masked man around here was Austin Theory. Pearce says Breakker can keep his job but here is LA Knight from behind to chair Logan Paul and Austin Theory down, escaping through the crowd before he gets mauled.

Long Royal Rumble recap.

Je’Von Evans vs. El Grande Americano

Rayo and Bravo are here too. Evans knocks him into the corner to start and snaps off some very high dropkicks. They head outside with Evans getting sent into the barricade and they’re right back inside. One heck of a no hands dive drops Americano again but Rayo offers a distraction, allowing Grande to send Evans arm first into the post.

We take a break and come back with Evans striking away but getting cut off with some chops. A spinning kick to the back and another to the mask drop Americano but Evans can’t follow up. Evans gets to the corner and springboards into something like a camel clutch. That’s escaped as well and a springboard flip dive gives Evans two. Rayo offers a distraction so Bravo can shove Evans off the top, meaning it’s time to load up the mask. Cue the Original Grande Americano for a distraction though, meaning the OG Cutter can finish for Evans at 12:03.

Rating: B. There was no way this was going to be anything but the other El Grande Americano getting involved and that’s not a bad thing. They’ve got at least a little something interesting here, with Evans getting the win at the same time. This is the kind of totally goofy, ridiculous wrestling angle which can be a lot of fun, as was the case here.

We look at some recent NXT names (and Royce Keys) in the Royal Rumble.

Here is AJ Styles……’ music, with Gunther doing Styles’ intro (including the little bounce that Styles did to make this even better) before switching to his own music. The fans are not pleased, as Gunther has to wait a bit before saying that AJ Styles found out what happens when you step into the ring with the career killer. Cue Dragon Lee with an enziguri and one heck of a suicide dive. Gunther gets posted and dropkicked over the barricade, but picks up the ring bell to cut off a dive. The sleeper goes on but officials break it up, only for Gunther to put it on again and hang Lee off the apron.

We recap the Vision taking out LA Knight two months ago.

Paul Heyman comes up to Adam Pearce and requests/demands LA Knight vs. Bron Breakker tonight, but Pearce says he can’t do it because “he” was just walked out of the building for disrupting the show. If Heyman knows what’s good for him, he’ll have Breakker do the same. Heyman reminds Pearce that this is Philadelphia but Pearce takes off his glasses and says FAFO.

Post break, Bron Breakker storms out, much to the worry of Paul Heyman.

The War Raiders are in the ring for a match…and here is Oba Femi instead. Femi wrecks both of them with no trouble and leaves them laying in seconds. Yeah I’d say that worked.

Video on Finn Balor, who talks about his respect never being returned around here and always being taken for granted. That was the case during his time in Belfast, but then he didn’t get a chance to be in the Royal Rumble. He still wants the World Title.

Here are the Bellas. They’re glad to be back, as this is their first time on Raw in seven years. Brie is back in the ring and they want the Women’s Tag Team Titles. That’s it. They just leave.

The Alpha Academy meet comedian Bert Kreischer and Maxxine Dupri comes in. Next week, she’s going to make Natalya tap out. The men take their shirts off, as is Kreischer’s custom.

Bronson Reed vs. Penta

Reed runs him over to start and yells a lot. Penta gets sent into the corner for more yelling but he comes back with a dropkick. The springboard is pulled out of the air but Penta gets out of the powerslam. A dropkick sends Reed outside and there’s the big no hands flip dive. We take a break and come back with Penta in trouble again, allowing Reed to stand on his chest. Penta avoids a splash though and is back up with a springboard tornado DDT for two.

Reed is right back with a powerbomb into a powerslam for two but Penta Backstabs him down. Austin Theory gets up on the apron so Penta takes him out, with the referee getting bumped in the process. Penta hits a big dive to the floor, only to charge into the Jagged Edge. The Tsunami connects….but there is no referee. Reed grabs a chair but here is LA Knight with a BFT onto a chair. The Vision gives chase and Reed can’t beat the count at 12:54.

Rating: B-. I liked this, as they kept Penta looking strong enough that this wasn’t quite a slip on a banana peel win. Penta had to deal with the Vision so that Reed could hit the Tsunami and then interference from Knight gave him the win. No one but Knight really comes off looking great, but at least neither of them took a pin when they didn’t need to. As usual, Knight is great at causing chaos and it worked again here, which shouldn’t be a surprise.

We recap Stephanie Vaquer vs. Raquel Rodriguez for the former’s Women’s Title.

IMG Credit: WWE

Here is Women’s Royal Rumble winner Dominik Mysterio to announce that he is in fact, back. He introduces Liv Morgan, who jumps into his arms to kiss him. The fans tell Morgan that she deserves it and yeah she knows. You are now in the presence of the greatest Royal Rumble winner of all time and she’s not sure who she’s facing at Wrestlemania. She’ll even be at Smackdown to find out for sure. The one thing she does know is that we’re getting a new Women’s Champion tonight, so here is the heavily praised Raquel Rodriguez.

After the big entrance, we get the important question: why did Morgan eliminate her? Morgan backtracks and says that a win for the Judgment Day is a win for all. Rodriguez can buy that, but wants Morgan in the back for the title match so she can win the title on her own. Works for Morgan, who leaves with Mysterio.

IMG Credit: WWE

Raw Women’s Title: Stephanie Vaquer vs. Raquel Rodriguez

Rodriguez is challenging in a street fight and unloads with shots to the face in the corner. A big clothesline sets up a slingshot suplex for two on Vaquer as the champ is in trouble early. Vaquer is back with a kick to the head, followed by a knee to the chest. The big dive to the floor drops Rodriguez again and it’s time for a table. That takes too long though and Rodriguez gets to put up the table, followed by a powerbomb to send Vaquer through as we take a break.

We come back with Rodriguez missing a chair shot and getting kendo sticked down. Rodriguez staggers around but grabs the top of the announcers’ table to hit her in the face. The Tejana Bomb is countered so Rodriguez settles for ramming her into the post instead. The chair is wedged in the corner but of course Vaquer reverses…and the chair falls out before the collision anyway.

Some kendo stick shots look to set up the Devil’s Kiss but Rodriguez powers up. A superkick gives Vaquer two, only for Rodriguez to knock her down again. That means it’s time to throw in a bunch of chairs, with Vaquer getting tossed onto them. The corkscrew Vader Bomb misses though and the Devil’s Kiss onto the chairs have Rodriguez staggered. They go outside where another’ Devil’s Kiss onto the steps puts Rodriguez down and sends us to another break.

We come back again with Vaquer putting a trashcan over Rodriguez’s head, setting up the running knees for two. Rodriguez kicks her back down for two more and it’s time for another table. The Tejana Bomb is escaped so Rodriguez runs her over. Cue Liv Morgan to try and hand Rodriguez the title but Vaquer sends Rodriguez into the chair in the corner.

Vaquer kicks her onto the table and here is Roxanne Perez, who is knocked through a table at ringside. Rodriguez catches Vaquer on top, where a super Tejana Bomb is countered into a super hurricanrana through the table for a not so great crash (as the table barely broke). The corkscrew moonsault retains the title at 21:34.

Rating: B-. It was a violent match and some of the spots were good, but I was rather sick of what they were doing by the end. It also felt like they were just repeating a bunch of the same weapons over and over, which dragged it down a bit. This needed to be shorter, though Vaquer winning should further the issues between Morgan and Rodriguez.

We look at Finn Balor’s path through NXT in a clip which aired last week on NXT.

Roman Reigns arrives over two hours into the show and here he is in person. The fans are certainly happy with him and he talks about the various things he’s done in this city over the years. This includes the first Royal Rumble he won, and the fans didn’t exactly like him then. So now that he’s won it again, the question is who he should go after. He’d like the fans’ input, and they are pretty firmly in the CM Punk camp.

This brings out Punk (to an absolute roar) and Reigns takes his jacket off. First though, Punk looks into the camera to threaten Finn Balor, which doesn’t sit well with Reigns. Punk gets down to business and while he could listen to Drew McIntyre get booed all day, he thinks the fans have made their point clear. At the same time, he thinks Reigns has made his mind up with the easy pick of McIntyre.

Reigns calls him Phil and says McIntyre is a big guy who had Punk crying over a plastic bracelet. Punk talks about the beating he gave McIntyre in the Cell, with Reigns saying he beat McIntyre for three years straight. Punk asks how many of Reigns’ cousins it took to beat him, but Reigns says his family is the reason Punk had a place to come back to in the first place. That doesn’t work for Punk, who brings up Reigns manipulating a bunch of people, including saying that his vacations are just letting people get a chance.

No one is trying to follow in his footsteps. A long time ago, Punk was champion for 434 days with Paul Heyman by his side. It was Reigns who followed in Punk’s footsteps and just because Reigns did it longer doesn’t mean he did it better. Punk chooses to go to so many different countries, just like he chose to bring the Shield to the main roster. Reigns is choosing right because he knows he can beat McIntyre but he can’t beat Punk on his best day. Maybe Reigns wants to take the easy way, but he can also take door #2 and climb Mt. Everest on his own.

Reigns says Punk is making all these towns because he took a ten year vacation. The idea that Reigns learned from Punk is laughable, because the only thing he learned from Phil is what not to do. When Punk wanted to come back, who do you think they came to? He got signed back because Reigns signed off on him, but then Punk went on his best friend’s podcast and ran his mouth to make everything harder on him.

Then Punk came back, stole his wise man and tried to make him look like a young boy at WarGames. He’s picking Punk because he hates him, and at Wrestlemania Punk will acknowledge him. Outstanding stuff here, with Cole having to say “that was a pipe bomb” because nothing is allowed to be its own thing these days. That being said, these two just sold me on seeing them fight and I don’t want to wait two and a half months for it to happen.

Overall Rating: B+. This wasn’t an overly wrestling heavy show but that wasn’t the point this time. Instead, this was about starting the Road To Wrestlemania and the main event segment was an absolute home run. The wrestling was good enough, but for the most part, it wasn’t the focus here. That’s ok for a show like this, as there was more than enough to carry the rest. Couple the main event segment with the Vision’s issues and Oba Femi looking like an absolute beast and they’ve got something cooking here. The big question is can they sustain that for two and a half months, but at least they’re starting well.

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

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

Royal Rumble 2026
Date: January 31, 2026
Location: Riyadh Season Stadium At KAFD, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Commentators: Wade Barrett,

We’re overseas for the show and that means it’s time for the Road To Wrestlemania to begin. I’m not sure what that is going to mean this year as the Rumbles are not feeling quite as important as years past. In addition though, Sami Zayn is challenging for the World Title and AJ Styles is facing Gunther in what might be Styles’ retirement match. Let’s get to it.

The opening video is narrated by HHH and talks about how people can move up the ladder in one night. This is a decision and it means going to Wrestlemania.

IMG Credit: WWE

Women’s Royal Rumble

90 second intervals, Charlotte is in at #1 and, surprise, Alexa Bliss is in at #2. They start tentatively until Bliss teases Sister Abigail. With that out of the way, the two of them pose together until Kiana James is in at #3. James gets double teamed down, including a spike DDT, and it’s Nia Jax in at #4. Jax wrecks both of them and James adds a double splash for some yelling. Ivy Nile is in at #5 and gets to suplex some people but can’t pick Jax up.

Lola Vice is in at #6 and kicks away, followed by the running hip attack in the corner. Jax cuts that off and does her own hip shake but everyone goes after Jax on the ropes. Candice LeRae is in at #7 and tornado DDTs Charlotte before helping Jax. The pile breaks up and it’s Jordynne Grace in at #8. Grace tosses Vice, Nile and LeRae in a hurry but gets taken into the corner by Jax. The Stinkface is on before Jax goes after Charlotte and Bliss. The two of them put Jax on the apron and Charlotte boots Jax out but Bliss is pulled out too. Bliss is distraught and Becky Lynch is in at #9.

Charlotte and Lynch slug it out and Charlotte’s missed big boot almost gets her eliminated. They fight to the floor (not eliminated) but get back inside as Sol Ruca is in at #10. That gives us Charlotte, James, Grace, Lynch and Ruca. A springboard double clothesline drops Charlotte and Lynch, with the latter getting up for a standoff. Roxanne Perez is in at #11 and gets to clean some house before slapping it out with Lynch. Maxxine Dupri is in at #12 and gets to kick away, even taking the straps down. A step up Fameasser hits James but Dupri stops to glare at the entrance…..and then Natalya is in at #13.

Natalya and Dupri strike it out until Lynch tosses Dupri, only to get eliminated by Natalya in something of an upset. Liv Morgan is in at #14 and hits a quick Oblivion. Things slow down a bit and it’s Lash Legend in at #15 for her own house cleaning. At least she gets in a point to the sign and actually tosses Grace. Zelina Vega is in at #16 and picks up the pace a bit, only to get dropped by Legend.

Raquel Rodriguez is in at #17, meaning all three women in the Judgment Day are now active. James is sent to the apron, with Perez and Morgan offering a distraction. Rodriguez adds a big boot for the elimination but the trio saves Charlotte for some reason. Chelsea Green is in at #18 and tries to team up with the Judgment Day. Alba Fyre (not an entrant) runs in for the save and is quickly clotheslined out. That leaves Green to get dropped on the top rope and Giulia is in at #19.

Green is sent over the top but lands on Fyre’s back, allowing Fyre to crawl her to safety. Iyo Sky is in at #20, giving us Charlotte, Ruca, Perez, Natalya, Morgan, Legend, Vega, Rodriguez, Green, Giulia and Sky. Asuka is in at #21 and takes her sweet time getting inside before teaming with Giulia to go after Sky. That doesn’t work as Asuka kicks Giulia by mistake and it’s Rhea Ripley in at #22.

Giulia gets rid of Vega and Ripley knocks out Green (and Fyre, again) before blocking Pop Rox. Perez is tossed with a Razor’s Edge and Bayley is in at #23. She trips Ruca up on the apron but Ruca does a handstand and then pulls herself up by the feet in a nice save. Bayley and Charlotte chop it out until NXT Women’s Champion Jacy Jayne is in at #24. Jayne gets in more wrecking than most and Morgan eliminates Natalya. Nikki Bella is in at #25 to quite the reaction, with Cole explaining that she’s a part of pop culture.

Lyra Valkyria is in at #26 and kicks Morgan in the head before helping Bayley get rid of Giulia. Kelani Jordan (NXT) is in at #27 and hits a quick phoenix splash. Kairi Sane is in at #28 as the ring is WAY too full. Asuka has to grab Sane’s arms to save herself (with some painful looking contorting) but Sky knocks Sane into Asuka for the elimination. Sky knocks Sane out as well and it’s Brie Bella in at #29.

The kicks are fired off and Daniel Bryan is once again the most popular star in WWE. Tiffany Stratton is in at #30, giving us Charlotte, Ruca, Morgan, Legend, Nikki, Brie, Jayne, Jordan, Legend, Sky, Ripley, Stratton, Bayley, Rodriguez and Valkyria (I think). The Bellas send Rodriguez into the corner and we get a staredown with Bayley and Valkyria. Double hurricanranas get rid of Valkyria and Bayley to get us down to twelve. Jayne kicks Jordan out but gets caught with the Sol Snatcher so Ruca can dump her out as well.

Legend dumps both Bellas at once, with the fans NOT being pleased. Charlotte and Legend chop it out on the apron and Legend boots her out for quite the upset. We’re down to Sky, Ripley, Rodriguez, Morgan, Legend, Stratton and Ruca. Legend and Sky both go over but wind up on the apron, where Sky grabs a leglock of all things. One heck of a boot to the face gets rid of Sky and we’re down to six.

Ripley stares Legend down and they get in a slugout, with Legend actually kicking her to the mat. Rodriguez gets up for the staredown with Legend and knocks her into the ropes, where Ripley gets the big elimination (with Legend getting a huge pop). Rodriguez hits a SCARY Tejana Bomb to send Ripley onto the apron (cringe) for the elimination and Morgan dumps Rodriguez in quite the mean move.

We’re down to Stratton, Ruca and Morgan with Stratton hitting Morgan with the Prettiest Moonsault Ever. Morgan pops up to try Oblivion but Ruca gives them both a Sol Snatcher. They all crash over the top but manage a triple skinning the cat (cool) and land on the apron. The Sol Snatcher doesn’t work for Ruca and she’s out, followed by an Oblivion to give Morgan the win at 1:06:13.

Rating: B. This started really boring and then picked WAY up around Jordynne Grace’s entry. It got a lot better with a lot of hard work (albeit with some laying around, as is always the case) and I like Morgan getting the win. At some point you have to go there as she’s finished in second place time after time. Legend got the Diesel style run of smashing through a lot of people and that’s a very bright sign for her future. I was into this way more than I expected to be by the end so it was a nice job all around.

Post match the referee has to remind Morgan to point at the sign….and dang that looks like a lot of empty seats. I’m hoping that’s just a trick of the light or something because otherwise, dang that’s terrible.

We recap AJ Styles vs. Gunther. The idea is Styles is planning to retire this year, but Gunther cheated him out of a recent win. Therefore, Styles is putting his career on the line here against the man who has finished off Goldberg and John Cena in the last year.

AJ Styles vs. Gunther

Styles grabs a headlock to start and that goes absolutely nowhere. Some shots to the leg don’t slow Gunther down as he grabs his own headlock to grind away. A big boot puts Styles on the floor and Gunther sends him hard into the announcers’ table. Styles’ looks to be cut open and more chops have him in more trouble.

The Pele Kick puts Gunther down though and Styles’ fireman’s carry backbreaker gets two. One heck of a clothesline cuts Styles off again for two and Gunther blocks a Calf Crusher. The powerbomb gets two but Styles is back with the Calf Crusher in the middle of the ring. This time it’s countered with the sleeper but Styles reverses into one of his own. Gunther gets out to the floor and that means the slingshot forearm to put him down again.

Back in and the springboard 450 sets up the Styles Clash for two and Styles is stunned. They get back up and Gunther kicks him low, setting up the powerbomb for two. Gunther chops the living daylights out of him in the corner and Styles even goes down, only to pull himself up. Styles strikes away but gets pulled into the sleeper. He fights up and gets close…until he’s out and Gunther wins at 24:04.

Rating: B. Well, it’s interesting to see Gunther actually make someone retire, as the previous two instances were both him pinning someone who had already announced they were done anyway. It’s another case of Gunther calling his shot and then doing it, which is a good way to go, though I’m not sure what is next for him. You can only retire so many people before it needs to get you somewhere, and I don’t know where that goes. At least Gunther feels like a big villain though, and Styles got to go out with a good enough match.

Post match Styles gets the big sendoff of respect. He teases taking the gloves off but puts them back on for the pose instead.

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown World Title: Drew McIntyre vs. Sami Zayn

McIntyre is defending and catches an early kick to the ribs. That means Zayn is shoved down and slowly stomped but manages to send McIntyre outside. The dive connects but Zayn bangs up his back, meaning McIntyre has an opening. Back in and McIntyre slowly starts working on the back, including taking Zayn up top.

That lets Zayn hit a sunset bomb to take McIntyre down but he can’t hit the Blue Thunder Bomb. Said Blue Thunder Bomb connects for two a few seconds later and McIntyre misses the Claymore. The super Air Raid Crash gets two so McIntyre grabs three straight Futureshocks for two.

Back up and Zayn misses a desperation Helluva Kick and gets Claymored for two more. The Helluva Kick does connect for a rather near fall, mainly due to the back giving out. They head outside with McIntyre dropping him onto the announcers’ table to wear the back out even more. Back in and Zayn somehow pulls himself up for a Helluva Kick, only to walk into a Claymore. One more Claymore retains the title at 16:09.

Rating: C+. I really wasn’t feeling this one as even Zayn’s hope spots didn’t feel huge. They just kind of came and went without much going on. The Helluva Kick got a decent near fall, but then McIntyre just beat him clean. I’m not saying Zayn should have won the title here, but I was hoping for something closer to Randy Orton vs. Jeff Hardy from 2008 rather than…this. It’s not a terrible match, though it certainly wasn’t living up to the hype.

Earlier today, Paul Heyman yelled at Adam Pearce for Bron Breakker being #2 in the Royal Rumble.

IMG Credit: WWE

Men’s Royal Rumble

90 second intervals and Oba Femi is in at #1 and Bron Breakker is in at #2. Hold on though as a hooded man jumps Breakker and gives him a Stomp on the floor. Breakker is sent inside and clotheslined out in about three seconds as the hooded man leaves. Solo Sikoa is in at #3 and Femi jumps him to start fast. The running uppercut connects in the corner but Femi is sent shoulder first into the post.

Rey Mysterio is in at #4 and can’t give Sikoa an early 619. Instead Femi boots Sikoa down with Mysterio crashing as well and Rusev is in at #5. Some dropkicks stagger Femi but Mysterio cuts him off. Femi knocks Rusev out and shrugs off a 619 before knocking Mysterio out. Matt Cardona is in at #6 and is out just as fast. Damian Priest is in at #7 and hits a running shoulder, only for Femi to knock him down. A superkick puts Femi into the corner, where he pulls Priest out of the air. Some spinning kicks rock Femi and a clothesline puts him down as Je’Von Evans is in at #8.

Evans’ OG Cutter is blocked by Femi but he’s back to kick Priest down. Mr. Iguana is in at #9 and takes Evans down, including some shots from the stuffed iguana. An enziguri just annoys Femi and Priest chokeslams Iguana and the iguana. Trick Williams is in at #10, giving us Femi, Priest, Evans, Iguana and Williams, the latter of whom eliminated Iguana/iguana.

The four in the ring pair off and it’s Cody Rhodes in at #11. House is quickly cleaned, including the Cody Cutter, and El Grande Americano is in at #12. The loaded mask takes Evans down….and the ORIGINAL El Grande Americano is in at #13. They do the staredown with Original tossing out the replacement and Williams dumping the Original. Rhodes gets rid of Williams and POWERHOUSE HOBBS…..whose name graphic changes to ROYCE KEYS is in at #14.

Keys gets rid of Priest almost immediately tosses Priest out for quite the debut. Austin Theory is in at #15 and starts slugging away, with Bronson Reed in at #16 to give him some backup. Ilja Dragunov is in at #17 and goes after Rhodes without getting very far. La Parka of all people is in at #18 and Cole reveals the result of a match he’s in which hasn’t aired yet so thanks for the spoiler. Dragon Lee is in at #19 and adds another body to the rapidly filling ring.

With nothing else going on, Logan Paul is in at #20, giving us Femi, Evans, Rhodes, Keys, Theory, Reed, Dragunov, Parka, Lee and Paul. The Vision gets together to toss Keys, Lee and Parka until LA Knight is in at #21. The Vision jumps him but Knight manages to get rid of Theory, followed by a BFT and clothesline to eliminate Reed. Brock Lesnar, with Paul Heyman, is in at #22 and it’s Suplex City time. Femi is the only one left standing…and Miz is in at #23.

More suplexes abound and Dragunov is out, leaving us with Femi vs. Lesnar again. They stare at each other some more until Rey Fenix is in at #24. Lesnar suplexes Femi and tosses Fenix before telling Femi to bring it again. Femi goes after Paul and gets tossed by Lesnar (no shame there), leaving Paul to get suplexed. Jey Uso is in at #25…and Rhodes and Knight toss Lesnar out. Huh. Uso comes in, hits a superkick, runs it back, and gets cut off by Roman Reigns being in at #26.

That means Uso tries to run it back AGAIN, thankfully earning himself a punch to the face. Reigns fires off the Superman Punches and spears Miz, followed by the elimination. Rhodes and Reigns have their big staredown and Jacob Fatu is in at #27. Rhodes teases a dive but gets punched in the face and beaten up on the floor before both of them get inside. Fatu gets punched down and Reigns/Uso give Rhodes a 1D.

Penta is in at #28 and kicks at Fatu but gets powerslammed by Knight. Rhodes Disaster Kicks Knight out and it’s Randy Orton in at #29. The snap powerslam hits Uso and the fans sing Orton’s song. The double hanging DDT drops Penta and Uso, followed by an RKO to Paul and Penta. The clock ticks down and it’s Gunther in at #30 to annoy the crowd all over again, though he does at least limp to the ring. That gives us a final grouping of Evans, Rhodes, Paul, Uso, Reigns, Fatu, Penta, Orton and Gunther.

Evans kicks away at Orton and dives into the RKO for the elimination. Penta does his handstand in the corner and gets tossed out by Gunther. That earns Gunther an RKO and it’s time for Rhodes and Orton to double team him. The Cody Cutter accidentally hits Orton so Rhodes is set over the top….and Drew McIntyre runs in to Claymore him out. Fatu is tossed but Uso spears Reigns down.

The elimination is reversed though and Uso is out, leaving us with Reigns, Orton, Paul and Gunther. Reigns dumps Paul and Gunther dumps Orton to get us down to two. Reigns backdrops Gunther to the apron but he blocks the Superman Punch and comes back in for the sleeper. That’s broken up and it’s a spear to send Reigns to Wrestlemania at

Rating: B-. It was ok, but they didn’t exactly stick the landing. There was some good stuff in the beginning with Femi looking dominant and then some big names coming in, but once Lesnar got eliminated, it felt like the top stars were just tossed one after another without much going on. I liked some of the surprises (Knight, the other Americano, Keys) though and they teased some interesting stuff. The problem here really came down to no one being a favorite and Reigns getting the win almost in a “well, let’s just go with him” way. Not a terrible Rumble, but a decent sized letdown in the end.

Reigns celebrates for awhile to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This felt like the “play it safe” Rumble, with the World Title match not meaning much, Gunther doing his same old (but good) stuff and Reigns getting back towards the main event scene. I do rather like Morgan winning though, as she has more than earned her spot at or near the top of the division. This wasn’t the worst Rumble by far, but it didn’t have anything you really need to see either. Hopefully they have something better for Wrestlemania though, because this level isn’t quite good enough for the biggest show of the year.

Results
Liv Morgan won the Women’s Royal Rumble last eliminating Tiffany Stratton
Gunther b. AJ Styles – Sleeper
Drew McIntyre b. Sami Zayn – Claymore
Roman Reigns won the Men’s Royal Rumble last eliminating Gunther

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

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

It’s that time of year again and…I’m really not sure how. This has been one of the most under the radar builds to the Royal Rumble that I can ever remember, as there is just not much in the way of hype. Neither Rumble really feels like it has a heavy favorite, which is odd as there is a pretty stacked field on the men’s side. That doesn’t mean the show will be bad, but it means they’re fighting an uphill battle. Let’s get to it.

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown World Title: Drew McIntyre(c) vs. Sami Zayn

This is an interesting way to start as it could go either way. Normally this would feel like the token title defense for the champion at the Royal Rumble, where titles rarely (but occasionally) change hands. However, we’re over in Saudi Arabia this year and that means we could be in for a surprise with Zayn. Throw in his all time horrible record against McIntyre and this has all of the makings.

That being said, I’m just not sure I can picture them actually going with the title change here. It would fee like something of a rush, as Zayn hasn’t been built up for that kind of a major title win. I’ll go with Zayn winning the match but not the title, likely through some kind of a DQ etc. Either that or McIntyre pins him and gets quite the heel reaction. I can’t picture Zayn winning the title, but we’ll say he does win the match without becoming champion.

Gunther vs. AJ Styles

Here we have what might be the hardest match to call on the whole show. The idea here is simple: Styles is putting his career on the line and Gunther has a history of ending legends’ careers. Gunther already cheated to beat Styles in a recent match and now we get to see what happens when he has to do it again with some bigger stakes. This is a situation that could go either way and that’s interesting.

Unfortunately I think I’ll take the safe route and say that Styles rides off into the sunset here. While I would like to see Styles get his big retirement year, there is something to be said about Gunther cutting his legs off and wrapping things up early instead. That’s so different than what we saw with John Cena last year and it could be a lot of fun to see Gunther take someone’s career away from them rather than wrapping up their career after they had announced their retirement. I would love to see Styles win, and he might, but I’ll go with Gunther here.

IMG Credit: WWE

Women’s Royal Rumble

And here we reach the point of “I have no idea”. Both of the Rumbles are wide open this year and that makes for an interesting situation. We could be in for something out of nowhere or it could be one of the relatively safe picks. At the same time, there is always the chance of someone returning as a surprise entrant, as there are only 17 names confirmed as of the day before the show. That’s a lot of options and I’m not sure where to go.

That being said, the other day someone suggested a name and it’s sounding more and more like a possibility: the returning Bianca Belair. She’s been out of action since last year’s WrestleMania (over nine months ago) but the good thing is she’s a big enough star that she could be dropped right back into this spot. While that would be similar to what Charlotte did last year, I’m not sure what better option there really is right now.

IMG Credit: WWE

Men’s Royal Rumble

We’ll wrap it up here and once again, heck if I know who to pick with this one. There are 18 entrants confirmed for this one and while you can write off a lot of them, none of the remaining options really feels like a surefire winner. That makes for a bit of a confusing match, but at the same time it’s what makes the Rumble feel that much more important. So who wins?

While there are options like Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, Cody Rhodes and (the likely) returning Chris Jericho, I’ll go with what feels like a safe pick and say Bron Breakker. He got the big title shot against CM Punk earlier this year and came up just short, so there is something to be said about giving him the big win at WrestleMania to really crown him as the next big thing. That might be what we are seeing, but I have pretty much no confidence in this one.

Overall Thoughts

This is a show that really could go either way and that’s making me nervous. You really could go in a bunch of different directions and that opens up options, but it makes me wonder just how bad those choices could be. Since there is no runaway option for either Rumble, it could make for what feels like a dumb result. Hopefully they make it work, because the build to this show certainly hasn’t felt great.

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

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Royal Rumble 2025
Date: February 1, 2025
Location: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
Attendance: 70,343
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett, Pat McAfee

It’s time for the first ever February Royal Rumble and we’re in a stadium to make things even bigger. That makes things all the more interesting and the show definitely has a big time feeling. This will also mark John Cena’s final Royal so the stakes are even higher than usual. Let’s get to it.

I was in the stadium for this show, sitting in the upper deck with the entrance on my right.

Various people advertised for the show did in fact show up.

Stephanie McMahon joins us for a special welcome and tells us just how big this show really is.

The opening video is, shockingly enough, narrated by Pat McAfee, who praises Indianapolis for its heart and grit and sports legacy, which is now getting in on the Royal Rumble. This switches into the usual “this is about going to Wrestlemania” and it just feels awesome. We even get a brief intro to the Royal Rumble concept, which is a smart idea for new fans.

Women’s Royal Rumble

2 minute intervals and Iyo Sky is in at #1 and Liv Morgan is in at #2. This is also the debut of the AWESOME info graphics on the screen, which includes things like past winners, times, current people involved and what’s on the line etc. That is an OUTSTANDING addition, especially for a match this chaotic and gives it a “real sports feel”. Sky blocks an early Oblivion attempt and they fight up against the ropes to no avail. Roxanne Perez is in at #3 and manages to knock both of them down.

Lyra Valkyria is in at #4 (The graphics tell us that there are four active, zero eliminated and the next entrant will be #5. That is going to be VERY helpful when things get crazy and my goodness it’s awesome to see) and takes over on Perez but has to pause to fix her top. Morgan is smart enough to knock her down so the wardrobe can be fixed (with a referee running over to help). Chelsea Green is in at #5 to send Morgan to the apron and then points at the sign.

That earns her a big group beatdown and it’s B-Fab in at #6. Everyone goes up against the ropes to no avail and it’s Ivy Nile in at #7. Suplexes (and rhythmic YOU SUCK chants) ensue, including a double to Green and B-Fab. Zoey Stark is in at #8 and hits a top rope swinging neckbreaker to drop Perez. Morgan almost gets Green out but she hangs on despite a flurry of kicks.

Lash Legend is in at #9 and gets to clean house with the big power displays. Legend and B-Fab kick each other down at the same time and Green gets rid of B-Fab for the first elimination. Bianca Belair is in at #10, giving us a grouping of Sky, Morgan, Perez, Valkyria, Green, Nile, Stark, Legend and Belair. That means Belair gets to show off for a bit until Shayna Baszler is in at #11. Baszler gets to take out some arms until Valkyria kicks her in the head. Nile tosses Valkyria as we continue the tradition of midcard champions having less than great luck in these things.

Bayley is in at #12 and cleans a bit of house before getting into a staredown with Sky. They seem to decide to work together until Sonya Deville is in at #13. The Pure Fusion Collective (Deville/Stark/Baszler in case you’re not one of the 18 people who don’t remember them) starts taking over but doesn’t eliminate anyone. Maxxine Dupri is in at #14 and gets stared down by the Collective, who are taken down as well. Dupri German suplexes Nile and actually kicks her out to quite the reaction. The celebration takes too long though and the Collective gets rid of Dupri.

Naomi is in at #15 and Blockbusters Green before slowing down a bit. The Collective is tossed out in a row and the ring is cleared WAY out in a hurry. Jaida Parker is in at #16 and gets in a Tear Drop in the corner to crush Green. Parker, Legend, Naomi and Belair have a four way staredown so Green tries to get involved, which goes as badly as you would expect. Legend kicks Parker in the face and gets tossed by Green, only to run into Belair and Naomi.

Piper Niven is in at #16 and Green wants her help, meaning hiding behind Niven, who slams Naomi. Niven accidentally knocks Green out though and it’s time to scream a lot. Natalya is in at #17 and drops Perez but can’t get her out. Jordynne Grace is in at #18 to quite the reaction and gets sent to the apron but manages to get back inside and knock Parker out. Grace Death Valley Drivers Niven to a heck of a reaction and it’s time to have a staredown with Naomi (they have a history in TNA).

Instead they hug and start beating people up until Michin is in at #20. That gives us a grouping of Sky, Morgan, Perez, Belair, Bayley, Naomi, Niven, Natalya, Grace and Michin. Niven Piper Drivers Michin to knock her silly….and Alexa Bliss is back at #21 to a ROAR. This lets commentary get in a bunch of shots at dirt sheets, who swore that Bliss wasn’t going to be back. Bliss and Bayley have a big staredown and it’s Zelina Vega in at #22.

That means people can pair off again with little going on until Candice LeRae comes in at #23. Things slow down again and it’s Stephanie Vaquer in at #24 and feeling like she’s one of the biggest stars in the match the second she hits the ring. A springboard crossbody connects and the Devil’s Kiss makes it even better. Trish Stratus returns at #25 and gets to clean a bit of house before being knocked down.

Raquel Rodriguez is in at #26 and immediately helps her friend Morgan. That means a Codebreaker to get rid of Natalya, followed by another one to get rid of Bliss (the fans are NOT happy). Charlotte makes her big return at #27 (of course) and gets to clean house, including knocking out Michin. Charlotte manages to suplex Vaquer and Grace before dumping Niven (yep it’s happening) but gets dropped by Morgan and Rodriguez.

Giulia is in at #28 and headbutts Grace out as Nia Jax is in at #29. Jax immediately tosses Vega and LeRae is out too. Stratus slugs away at Jax, including the licking hand chop. Jax tosses her as well though and it’s Nikki Bella making the big return at #30. That gives us a final grouping of Sky, Morgan, Perez, Belair, Bayley, Naomi, Vaquer, Rodriguez, Charlotte, Giulia, Jax and Bella. Everyone gets together to go after Jax, who shoves them all away.

Vaquer has to hang on with her feet danging but Jax tosses Vaquer, Sky, Belair, Naomi, Rodriguez and Morgan in the span of about fifteen seconds. Bella hits a spear but can’t get rid of Giulia. Charlotte, Perez and Giulia fight on the apron with Perez knocking Giulia into the post for an elimination. Bella forearms Bayley out but gets tossed by Jax, leaving us with Charlotte, Jax and Perez. Charlotte and Perez go after Jax, who gets sent over the top and crashes out. A big boot is enough to get rid of Perez to give Charlotte the win at 1:10:16.

Rating: C. There were some fun moments in here, but this took WAY too long to really get going. There were a lot of times when there was nothing going on between the entrances and it was just sitting around waiting for the next big name to come in. Throw in the ridiculous “Jax eliminates a bunch of people” feeling like you’re having a battle royal with toys and it’s time to go to bed and this was a rough sit. It’s far from terrible, but rather dull and that’s not a great thing. Oh and well done Charlotte on coming back after over a year away and just beating the entire division in one match. That’s very nice of you.

Time to sign point!

Godfather, Mickie James and Kurt Angle are here.

We recap DIY vs. the Motor City Machine Guns. The Guns showed up and won the Tag Team Titles in their third match but DIY turned heel to cheat them out of the titles. Now it’s 2/3 falls for the titles.

Tag Team Titles: Motor City Machine Guns vs. DIY

The Guns are challenging in at 2/3 falls match. Ciampa and Sabin start things off with a Gargano distraction letting Ciampa grab an early Willow’s Bell for two. Gargano comes in to take over but Sabin knocks him away. Ciampa comes back in and gets kicked into the corner where….there is no tag but Gargano comes in anyway. Shelley goes after Gargano anyway and walks into a jumping knee from Ciampa for the first fall at 3:23 in a brilliant heel move.

The second fall starts with Shelley still in trouble and the champs taking turns beating him down. Shelley kicks his way out and goes over for a tag but Ciampa breaks it up in a great move. Back in and the tag does bring in Sabin but the referee doesn’t see it (that will always work). A Shatter Machine drops Shelley for two, who then cuts off the slingshot spear, allowing the tag to Sabin. Everything breaks down and Sabin hits a big springboard dive to take out the villains on the floor.

Back in and a tornado DDT drops Gargano, followed by Skull & Bones for the pin on Gargano at 9:09. Everything breaks down (again) and the Fairy Tale Ending/superkick combination gets two on Shelley. Sabin is back up with an assisted powerbomb/Sliced Bread combination for two on Ciampa, with Gargano shoving Sabin in for the save. Skull & Bones is loaded up but cue a masked man to distract the referee, allowing Angelo Dawkins to crutch Shelley in the back. Meet In The Middle retains the titles at 14:03 (as Gargano looks confused but he’ll take it).

Rating: B-. The action was good and I loved the ending to the first fall, but my goodness I felt bad for them out there. The fans just did not care and the match might as well have been a junior high dance recital. It was far from bad and the action was fine, but the ending was lame and the fans were just not interested whatsoever.

Post match Dawkins and the masked man (Angelo Dawkins of course) jump DIY.

We look at Pat McAfee’s NFL career in this building.

Some fans get special tickets.

Ron Simmons, Rick Steiner and Rob Van Dam are here.

We recap Cody Rhodes defending the Smackdown World Title against Kevin Owens. Rhodes teamed with Roman Reigns, which Owens saw as a betrayal after his war with Reigns and the Bloodline. Owens then attacked Randy Orton and put him on the shelf. Then Owens got cheated out of winning the title (allegedly) at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Owens then laid Rhodes out with a package piledriver and stole the Winged Eagle title. Therefore, it’s time for a ladder match for the title.

Smackdown World Title: Kevin Owens vs. Cody Rhodes

Owens is challenging in a ladder match and comes out wearing a “Canadian Dream, Son Of A Security Systems Technician” shirt because Owens is awesome. They start fast with the brawling and head outside, with Rhodes being sent into the ladder. Owens beats on him with a kendo stick and they fight into the crowd with Rhodes getting the better of things. They go back to ringside with Rhodes having to cut off a climb and sending Owens hard into the ladder.

Rhodes goes up but gets knocked down with a miniature ladder. Owens teases a splash off the mini ladder but gets back down, apparently not in the high risk business. Rhodes is up with the little ladder to the ribs, followed by a toss into the face. Rhodes drops him on the mini ladder and goes up, with Owens pulling him away to leave Rhodes hanging in the air. He gets back to the ladder but gets pulled down into a powerbomb for a hard crash.

They head outside with the big ladder being pulled out but Rhodes rips a rung off the bottom. That winds up going onto Rhodes’ head and Owens plants him again. The ladder is knocked down and turned on its side, where Owens loads up a package piledriver. Rhodes manages to avoid a bad case of death by countering into a backdrop and they’re both down. Back up and Owens sets up a bridged ladder but Rhodes catches him on top.

For some reason Rhodes tries a superplex and gets superplex onto the bridged ladder for the crazy landing. Cue a bunch of referees, plus Nick Aldis and Sami Zayn, to check on both of them. Owens is up first and goes after Rhodes, who sends him into the ladder to bust Owens open. Rhodes gets all fired up and they go outside, with Owens hitting him low for the save. Another package piledriver is loaded up but Rhodes reverses into the Alabama Slam through the bridged ladder. Owens is DONE and Rhodes retains the titles at 25:06.

Rating: B+ This felt like it was going to be a war and then that’s exactly what they delivered. These guys beat the living daylights out of each other and it felt like they were out for blood with the title just being a detail. That’s what makes a match feel great and they pulled it off here, with an absolute fight and one of the best matches Rhodes has ever had. Unfortunately this is the kind of match that ruined Owens’ neck over the years, but yeow it was entertaining in the process.

Rumble By The Numbers.

Men’s Royal Rumble

Two minute intervals with Rey Mysterio in at #1 and Penta in at #2. They stare at each other to start, with Penta doing CERO MIEDO. A running hurricanrana sends Penta to the apron but he gets back in with only one foot touching. They get back inside with Chad Gable in at #3 and suplexing Mysterio to the apron. The luchadors get together on Gable until Carmelo Hayes is in at #4. Hayes and Gable get together to fight back and take over until Santos Escobar is in at #5.

Escobar gives Mysterio a 619 but runs into Penta, who is quickly caught in a Canadian Destroyer. Mysterio is back up with a 619 to Escobar but can’t get him out. Everyone is down and it’s Otis in at #6 to clean house, but the Caterpillar is cut off by Gable’s ankle lock. One heck of a slap to the face rocks Gable, who manages a German suplex to Otis. Bron Breakker is in at #7 to quite the reaction.

The spear cuts Hayes in half and he’s out in a hurry, followed by the super Frankensteiner to Gable. Another spear hits Escobar and he’s out as well. Akira Tozawa is in at #8 but spends too much time posing and gets jumped by a departing Carmelo Hayes. Tozawa is taken to the back, where Triple H sends streamer IShowSpeed into the Rumble in his place, which is apparently something that he can just do. Speed actually eliminates Otis and then gets hit with a massive spear from Breakker. That’s it for Speed, even with Otis catching him on the way down.

Sheamus is in at #9 and forearms Gable and Breakker from the apron before he even gets inside. He does get inside and knocks Mysterio down as Jimmy Uso is in at #10. That gives us Mysterio, Penta, Gable, Breakker, Sheamus and Uso as the ring isn’t getting as clogged as it did in the women’s edition. Andrade is in at #11 and kicks away before going up top, where he is cut off by Penta.

Jacob Fatu is in at #12 and this is about to get violent. A double Samoan drop takes down Mysterio and Penta, with Gable, Mysterio and Andrade being tossed. Then it’s a Breakker vs. Fatu staredown, which has the fans rather interested. That’s broken up before anything can happen and it’s Ludwig Kaiser in at #13. And then he’s out in just a few seconds. Breakker manages to stay alive and Miz is in at #14.

Miz almost gets rid of Breakker but does manage to hit Penta with a super hurricanrana. Fatu shrugs off a kick to the head and counters Miz’s springboard (because Miz did a springboard) with a Samoan drop. TNA World Champion Joe Hendry is in at #15 and gives Miz the fall away slam. The Standing Ovation plants Miz again but Fatu runs Hendry over with a shoulder. And none of that matters as Roman Reigns is in at #16 and Miz and Sheamus are quickly out.

Hendry gets in a kick to the ribs but a single spear cuts him down and he’s out as well. Breakker is up with a spear to Reigns, though it’s way too early to dump him, as Reigns tosses Breakker instead. Uso is out as well and we get the Reigns vs. Fatu showdown. Reigns puts him down and Drew McIntyre is in at #17. McIntyre wins a slugout with Reigns and Fatu gets up to help with the stomping.

Finn Balor is in at #18 and gets taken down in the corner for a double teaming from Reigns and Penta of all people. Shinsuke Nakamura is in at #19 and gets in a staredown with Penta. That doesn’t go anywhere as Penta hits a running step up Canadian Destroyer on Fatu. Balor throws Penta out and it’s Jey Uso in at #20, giving us Fatu, Reigns, McIntyre, Balor, Nakamura and Uso. Nakamura is quickly tossed by Uso but replaced as AJ Styles is in at #21.

Styles drops Uso and it’s a staredown with Fatu, who has done quite a few of those so far. A big backdrop takes Styles down and McIntyre helps hammer on him until Braun Strowman is in at #22 (who was recently taken out by Fatu in a big beatdown). Strowman goes right at it with Fatu and actually throws him out, leaving Fatu to freak out at ringside. Back in and Strowman gets jumped by McIntyre and it’s John Cena in at #23 to really send the fans into a frenzy.

Fatu keeps glaring as he leaves and low bridges Strowman out. Balor is AA’d out and Reigns gives McIntyre a spear, allowing him to stare at Cena. The fans are definitely into that but CM Punk is in at #24. They stare at each other and nothing happens as Seth Rollins is in at #25. Rollins immediately goes after Punk before trying to clothesline McIntyre out. Punk breaks that up by going after Rollins and it’s Dominik Mysterio in at #26. Reigns isn’t having any of his nonsense and hits a Samoan drop, followed by some choking in the corner.

Sami Zayn is in at #27 and Helluva Kicks Zayn before switching off to Punk. Damian Priest is in at #28 and chokeslams the heck out of Mysterio, which is enough for the elimination. LA Knight is in at #29 and jumps over Styles for the elbow to Cena. A neckbreaker takes Styles down and Knight slugs it out with Uso. Knight hits a belly to back slam to put Uso down before McIntyre tries to toss Zayn. Uso’s superkick puts Zayn out by mistake and Uso actually takes the blame.

Logan Paul is in at #30, giving us a final grouping of Reigns, McIntyre, Uso, Styles, Cena, Punk, Rollins, Priest, Knight and Paul. The star power is certainly on display here. Priest knocks McIntyre out and Knight tries to get rid of Paul. Instead Paul jumps from the apron to the announcers’ table to save himself. Knight BFT’s Priest and throws him out, leaving us with eight.

Styles loads up the Phenomenal Forearm but Paul pulls him down and gets rid of him, leaving us with Reigns, Uso, Cena, Punk, Rollins and Paul. Rollins is up with a superkick to Punk and the Superman Punch into the Stomp plants Cena. That leaves us with the big Reigns vs. Rollins showdown and they…shove each other a lot. Reigns tries to clothesline Rollins out but Punk is up to toss both of then.

Paul sneaks up and throws Punk out, leaving us with a three way staredown on the floor. Rollins Stomps Reigns on the floor and then brawls with Punk until they’re separated. That’s fine with Rollins, who Stomps Reigns onto the steps for a bonus. That leaves us with Cena, Paul and Uso, who we suddenly remember are in the match. The double AA is broken up and it’s a superkick to knock Paul off Cena’s shoulders, allowing Cena to knock him out. That leaves us with Cena and Uso for quite the final two.

They stare each other down and then slug it out with Cena firing off the running shoulders. The ProtoBomb sets up the Shuffle but Uso is back up with a superkick. The spear drops Cena again but he’s able to knock Uso out to the apron. Cena joins him on the apron and a superkick has him very staggered. The AA is escaped though and Uso slips back inside to shove Cena out for the upset win at 1:20:10.

Rating: A-. This was all about the star power and the drama, which went along with one of the biggest surprise winners in Rumble history. That’s a great way to make someone into a bigger star and Uso has certainly earned the chance. The segment with Punk and Rollins and Reigns and Cena was outstanding and pure drama, leaving me wondering about where everything was going to go. That’s on top of the pretty great opening part to the match, which built up so well. I had a great time with this match and the hour and twenty minutes flew by. Great Rumble.

Post match Cena shows respect and leaves Uso to celebrate on his own to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show was a better Women’s Royal Rumble away from being great, but as it is, it’s just rather good. As usual, the Royal Rumble is all about the show’s namesake shows and the men’s version is more than enough to carry the night. The women’s version brings it down, with the ladder match being more than enough to pick up some slack. It’s a rather good show, but dang it could have been that much better.

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

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Royal Rumble 2024
Date: January 27, 2024
Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
Attendance: 48,044
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s time for the look back at last year’s show which set up one of the biggest WWE events of all time. This show is designed to set up the main events of WrestleMania LX and that means it is time for Roman Reigns to get a new challenger. Speaking of Reigns, he is defending the title in a four way match. Let’s get to it.

Today, various people scheduled for the show did in fact come to the show.

Hulk Hogan narrates a video about how important this area is to wrestling. You have to be RUMBLE READY because it is time to start the Road To Wrestlemania.

Earlier today: even more people came to work.

Pat McAfee comes out for commentary, with Corey Graves going on a hilarious rant about how much he hates this happening two years in a row.

Women’s Royal Rumble

90 second intervals, Natalya is in at #1 and Naomi (in a surprise return) is in at #2. We get a handshake to start before Natalya takes her down, only to have the step over dropkick cut off. They hit stereo crossbodies and Bayley is in at #3. The Rear View puts Natalya down and Naomi drops Bayley, only to have them sit there so Natalya can hit a double basement dropkick (that looked awful). Candice LeRae is in at #4 and gets in a few shots to leave everyone down.

TNA Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace is in at #5 and doesn’t get much of a reaction but she looks like a star. Grace cleans house and you can tell McAfee is impressed. We get a hug between Naomi and Grace (who beat Naomi to win the title) and the brawl is on. That doesn’t mean any eliminations yet though as Indi Hartwell is in at #6. LeRae and Hartwell team up as Cole says that we’ve never had two winners in a Royal Rumble, save for that time when we did.

Asuka is in at #7 and teams up with Bayley, who looks rather nervous. Hartwell and Asuka go to the apron with Bayley getting rid of Hartwell for the first elimination. Ivy Nile is in at #8 and impresses McAfee with her rather impressive strength. Katana Chance is in at #9 and anklescissors LeRae. Nile and Grace have a delayed suplex off before Nile hits a loud enziguri.

Bianca Belair is in at #10 and the place is rather impressed. We have Natalya, Naomi, Bayley, LeRae, Grace, Asuka, Nile, Chance and Belair, with the latter getting to clean some house, including a double Blockbuster to Bayley and Asuka. As usual, Belair gets to show off for a bit until Kairi Sane is in at #11 to give us three members of Damage CTRL. The three of them get to beat up various people but not actually toss anyone as the ring is getting way too full. LeRae sends Asuka and Sane to the apron, only to have Bayley make the save and toss LeRae in a big crash.

Tegan Nox is in at #12 and wrecks some people but Grace cuts her off. Natalya makes the save and gives Grace a discus lariat. Natalya goes to throw Nox out but gets tossed instead, with Bayley getting rid of Nox as well, leaving them both stunned on the floor. Katana Chance is in at #13 and is so distraught at losing the Women’s Tag Team Titles last night that she stops to dance.

Sane is sent over the top and one of her feet touches and she tries to hang on to the apron, only to fall down for the elimination (I’m not sure if that was the plan). Asuka is kicked out a few seconds later and Bayley yells at the rest of the team for being eliminated. Chelsea Green is in at #14 and is immediately sent to the apron twice in a row before hitting a Zig Zag on Belair. We get the Grace vs. Belair slugout and they go to the apron, where Belair hits a KOD for the elimination.

Piper Niven is in at #15 and catches Green as we get a set of nifty time counters for various entrants. A bunch of people get together to beat on Niven and it’s Xia Li in at #16. Li racks Green, who kicks at Niven by mistake for a not so great result. Zelina Vega is in at #17 and has what must be some weird cosplay deal. Vega gives Niven a tornado DDT as there are far too many people in there and the pace has slowed down a lot. Maxxine Dupri is in at #18 and does her SHOOSH before dropping to the mat to hide from Niven.

Vega and Belair team up for a Code Red to put Niven down. A bunch of people can’t get rid of Niven, who eliminates Carter. Nia Jax is in at #19 so Li goes after her, only to get knocked out in a hurry. Nile is out as well and Niven accidentally splashes Green. Jax does it in purpose and then gets rammed into Green in the corner for a funny bit. A bunch of people go after Jax, who then charges at Niven, with Green getting crushed between them. Naomi hits a springboard enziguri to Jax who, say it with me, falls onto Green as well.

Shotzi is in at #20, giving us Naomi, Bayley, Belair, Chance, Green, Niven, Vega, Dupri, Jax and Shotzi as the ring is WAY too full again. A bunch of people get together to go after Jax, who shrugs them off. Bayley gets rid of Dupri and Jax tosses Green and Niven. Chance is tossed out onto the pile as well and it’s Becky Lynch in at #21.

Lynch goes right after Jax and DDT’s Vega and Shotzi at the same time. She throws Jax into Bayley as Green is back in, apparently not being thrown out. Lynch knocks her out without much trouble so that was nothing, especially after her hilarious bit earlier. Alba Fyre is in at #22 and hits a double Gory Bomb on Shotzi and Vega. Ignore that Vega didn’t actually hit anything on the way down. With no one else out, Shayna Baszler is in at #23 to start going after arms.

Valhalla is in at #24….and here is R-Truth to take her place and enter the match by mistake. Jax throws him out anyway as Adam Pearce is here to say Valhalla is in and R-Truth is out. Then Jax throws Valhalla out without much trouble. Michin is in at #25 and goes after Fyre before Rock Bottoming Bayley onto Baszler. Naomi is up with a hanging Pedigree to get rid of Fyre as things slow down again.

Zoey Stark is in at #26 with a missile dropkick on Michin. The brawling continues, with Baszler blocking a hurricanrana fr Vega, who is kicked out in a heap. NXT’s Roxanne Perez is in at #27 and snaps off a headscissors on Stark. Bayley jumps Perez but can’t get rid of her as Jax throws out Baszler and Michin. Shotzi is tossed out and Jax is the only one left standing…..but Jade Cargill is in at #28. She gets one heck of a reaction and slugs it out with Jax, whom she picks up for a one armed Widowmaker. Cargill throws Jax out and even Lynch realizes that was awesome.

Cargill’s charge hits the post though and everyone is down as Tiffany Stratton is in at #29. She immediately flip dives onto a bunch of people and hits an Alabama Slam on Perez. The returning Liv Morgan is in at #30, giving us a final grouping of Naomi, Bayley, Belair, Vega, Lynch, Stark, Perez, Cargill, Stratton and Morgan. The pace is picked up until Stark kicks Morgan in the face, only to get knocked out without much trouble.

Stratton kicks Perez out so everyone surrounds her, only to split off and start the brawls. Cargill and Belair have stereo gorilla presses and then drop Morgan and Lynch for the mega showdown (the fans approve). Naomi gets spinebustered by Cargill, who tosses Lynch and Naomi in quite the moment.

Morgan and Belair are sent to the apron, with Stratton being pulled out with them. A Codebreaker staggers Stratton but she grabs Belair’s hair for the save. Bayley kicks both of them out, leaving us with Bayley, Cargill and Morgan. They all wind up on the apron and Morgan eliminates Cargill, only to get kicked out by Bayley for the win at 1:04:57.

Rating: C+. This was only so interesting as there isn’t quite enough depth to get all the way to thirty entrants in this kind of thing. The top spots were good with Bayley getting a long awaited win, but other than that there were some long stretches which were needing something better. Get rid of some of the dead spots in the middle and it’s better, but this only got so far.

Come to St. Petersburg!

We recap the four way for the Smackdown World Title. Roman Reigns pinned LA Knight about two years ago so now Knight, Randy Orton and AJ Styles want the title.

Smackdown World Title: Randy Orton vs. AJ Styles vs. LA Knight vs. Roman Reigns

Reigns, with Paul Heyman, is defending. We get a long staredown to start before all of the challengers go after Reigns in a smart move. Styles and Knight get in a fight of their own though, leaving Orton and Reigns to brawl out to the floor. Knight and Styles join them, with Knight sending Styles face first into the announcers’ table. Orton drops Reigns onto the same table and then goes after Knight as it’s time to switch off.

Knight gets the better of things, only to miss a charge and get dropped onto the table for a big crash. Orton takes Reigns back inside for the circle stomp before stopping to powerslam Styles. Knight is back in to stomp Orton down though as the back and forth start continues. Orton and Styles go outside, leaving Reigns to clothesline Knight in the corner. Reigns drops Styles as well and the fans certainly seem to approve.

It’s Knight getting back up with a DDT to Reigns and a slam to Orton, setting up a middle rope bulldog. The jumping superplex brings Styles back down and there’s the BFT to Reigns to get the crowd up again, only for Styles to make the save. Styles fights up and strikes away with the Styles Clash hitting Reigns for two and Knight making the save this time. Back up and Reigns tries the Superman Punch but Orton RKOs him out of the air in a sweet counter for another near fall, with Solo Sikoa pulling the referee out.

Sikoa isn’t done as he Samoan Spikes Orton and Knight before stacking Knight onto Orton (which doesn’t seem overly bright). The running Umaga Attack against the barricade misses Styles though and Sikoa is down. Styles comes back in with a Phenomenal Forearm to knock Reigns onto the other two before getting a triple cover for two, even though that normally means the first person getting a cover (Knight in this case) wins.

Styles grabs a chair and beats on Reigns, then does the same to Knight. Orton breaks that up with a low blow but gets speared out to the floor. Knight goes after Reigns but the BFT is broken up, which breaks up the Styles Clash as well. With Knight down, the spear to Styles retains the title at 19:24.

Rating: B. Rather nice stuff here with everyone going in there and trying hard, with the time flying by. Reigns winning wasn’t exactly in doubt with a milestone Wrestlemania on the horizon, but at least he had to put in the work to get there. If nothing else, it’s nice to see the other three getting a chance, as it has been awhile for most of them.

We recap Logan Paul defending the US Title against Kevin Owens. Paul is the rather braggadocios US Champion while Owens is here o shut him up. They’ve taken turns attacking each other and Paul has injured Owens’ hands.

United States Title: Kevin Owens vs. Logan Paul

Paul is defending and offers a handshake but Owens chops him down instead. They’re quickly on the floor and Owens sends him hard into the barricade. Back in and a rather big chop sets up a release German suplex, meaning it’s time to go back outside. Owens drops a backsplash but Paul gets smart by going after the bad hand. Back in again and a high crossbody takes Owens down.

An armbar goes on but Owens elbows his way out of an Octopus. With nothing else working, Paul goes simple by punching Owens’ bad hand. Paul misses a 619 though, allowing Owens to hit a hard clothesline. Another backsplash hits raised knees though, as I continue to love watching someone learn during a match. Back up and Owens stomps away in the corner, setting up a pair of Cannonballs. The frog splash connects but a Swanton hits Paul’s raised knees.

Paul misses a Swanton of his own though, only to hit a Buckshot Lariat. A frog splash gives Paul two but he tries a superplex, which you just do not do to Owens. The swinging superplex gives Owens two but the Stunner is blocked. Paul’s big right hand drops Owens for a near fall and now it’s Paul’s turn to be shocked.

One of Paul’s goons tries to bring in some brass knuckles but the referee cuts it off and has said goon ejected. Cue A-Town Down Under for a distraction though and Paul gets the brass knuckles…which Owens takes away and uses to knock Paul out. The referee sees said knuckles though (McAfee: Oh NOW the referee has 20/20!”) and that’s a DQ at 14:01.

Rating: B. It was a good fight and there is something to be said about a bit of a twist ending rather than Paul just getting the pin. If nothing else, Owens is at his best when he’s upset about something and the ending should fit in well. Paul gets to keep bragging about being champion too and that is good for just about everyone. Well mainly Paul but you get the idea.

Post match Owens puts Paul through the announcers’ table. Then he takes a cough drop.

Hulk Hogan really wants you to come to St. Petersburg.

Elimination Chamber is in Australia.

Wrestlemania is in 70 days.

The attendance is 48,044, a new stadium record. Uh, yay.

Rumble By The Numbers!

30 entrants
1,310 entrants
34 winners
2.6% have won
20 have gone on to win the title at Wrestlemania
1 woman to enter at #1 and win
20 eliminations for Ripley all time, a record
1:01:08, Ripley’s record time in the Rumble
1:11:40, Gunther’s record time in the Rumble
60% of the winners have come from the last ten entrants
#30 has produced the most winners (5)
3 who have won consecutive Royal Rumbles
3 wins for Steve Austin, a record
3rd time Tampa will host the Royal Rumble (1995/2021)
8 eliminations for Shayna Baszler, the most in a single women’s match
9 two time winners
13 eliminations in one men’s Rumble by Brock Lesnar
Natalya is one of four women to compete in all women’s Rumbles
45 eliminations by Kane over 18 Rumbles, both records
3,653 days since CM Punk has been in a Royal Rumble
34,000,000 social media engagements for the Logan Paul vs. Ricochet clip from last year
9 people have won their first World Title off a Royal Rumble win
60% of winners from the last five years have won the World Title at Wrestlemania

Men’s Royal Rumble

90 second intervals and Jey Uso is in at #1 and Jimmy Uso is in at #2. They stare each other down to start until Jimmy is punched out to the apron. That’s not enough for an elimination as Jimmy is back in to strike away, but the jumping enziguri misses. Jey superkicks Jimmy down but the Superfly Splash hits raised knees to leave them both needing a breather. Grayson Waller is in at #3 and naturally he runs his mouth about how awesome he is. Jey knocks him of the apron before he can get in, only to come in and team up with Jimmy for some double teaming.

Andrade returns at #4 and cleans house (or as much as you can with two heels in the ring) but can’t get rid of anyone. Carmelo Hayes is in at #5 and we get a three way staredown with Hayes, Andrade and Jey. That’s broken up and Hayes gets rid of Waller without much effort. Shinsuke Nakamura is in at #6 and the fans sing his song. Jimmy seems to approve and gets kicked in the head as a result. The freshly heel Santos Escobar is in at #7 and we get straight to a showdown with Andrade. They hug and pose but Andrade isn’t interested in a Legado del Fantasma pose.

Karrion Kross is in at #8 and everyone goes to the general brawling. With that not going anywhere, Dominik Mysterio is in at #9 and the fans are not happy. It takes a good while for him to get in and he is quickly taken into a corner for some not so near eliminations. Carlito is in at #10, giving us Jey, Jimmy, Andrade, Hayes, Nakamura, Escobar, Kross, Mysterio and Carlito at the one third mark. Carlito goes after Escobar who bails to the floor, leaving Carlito to load up the apple. Escobar gets it in the face and is then tossed out to clear some of the ring.

Bobby Lashley is in at #11 and starts throwing some not great looking spears. One of them is enough to get rid of Kross so here are the AOP for a distraction, allowing Kross to pull Lashley out for the elimination. The big bawl is on with the Street Profits running out to even things up. They all go up the aisle and brawl to the back as Ludwig Kaiser is in at #12. He goes after Dominik for a bit of a weird one and everyone pairs off until Austin Theory is in at #13. The flipping Downward Spiral plants Jey and more brawling ensues as we need someone to clear the ring a bit.

Finn Balor is in at #14 and Hayes is tossed in a hurry. Cody Rhodes is in at #15 and this should pick things up a bit. The Cody Cutter gets rid of Theory but Balor takes Rhodes down and they slug it out. Bronson Reed is in at #16 and gets rid of Andrade. Nakamura and Rhodes slug it out with Nakamura hitting a spinning kick to the face as Kofi Kingston is in at #17. A Disaster Kick and Cross Rhodes get rid of Nakamura and Kaiser is out shortly thereafter.

Gunther is in at #18 and chopping ensues, setting up the staredown with Gunther. That’s broken up and Kingston gets Gunther out to the apron, earning Kingston an elimination (no special save this time). Ivar is in a #19 and hits a powerslam, setting up the slugout with Reed. NXT’s Bron Breakker is in at #20, giving us Jey, Jimmy, Mysterio, Balor, Rhodes, Reed, Gunther, Ivar and Breakker.

A spear immediately hits Jimmy and a running clothesline gets rid of him. Another spear gets rid of Balor and it’s time for Gunther vs. Breakker, which has the fans’ interest. Gunther slips out of the gorilla press but Breakker gives him the spear to quite the reaction. Omos is in at #21 and takes his sweet time getting to the ring. House is quickly cleaned and Reed is knocked out with a big boot. Breakker spears a springboarding Ivar out of the air and gets rid of him before staring up at Omos.

Pat McAfee is in at #22 and looks more than a bit surprised at the news. He sees Omos and Breakker waiting on him and eliminates himself in a funny moment. McAfee has claimed that he didn’t know this was coming and I’d believe it. McAfee: “HOW BIG IS THAT THING IN THERE????” Breakker dumps Omos and Mysterio knocks Breakker out (after a star making performance), with Cole and Graves making up trash talk that Breakker said about Omos.

JD McDonagh is in at #23 and gets speared by Breakker on the floor before he can get in. Cody and Gunther fight some more as R-Truth is in at #24 (the same number he entered the women’s match in for a nice touch). He throws McDonagh in so McDonagh can be properly eliminated, only to stand on the apron or a tag to Mysterio. Naturally Mysterio tags him in (because) and he goes after Omos to little avail.

Miz is in at #25 for an Awesome Truth reunion but Truth saves Mysterio. Gunther breaks that up and Mysterio gives Miz a 619 as Damian Priest is in at #26. Truth is out in a hurry and Priest cleans house, including South Of Heaven to Gunther. CM Punk is in at #27 and gets to do a bunch of running knees in the corner. Mysterio is tossed but Priest decks Punk with a discus forearm.

Ricochet is in at #28 and gets to fly around a bit as Gunther tosses Miz. Drew McIntyre is in at #29 to make things a bit bigger. A bit of house is cleaned, including a heck of an overhead belly to belly to Ricochet. Jey superkicks Gunther almost to the apron but gets pulled out himself to end a rather long run. Sami Zayn is in at #30, giving us a final grouping of Rhodes, Gunther, Priest, Punk, Ricochet, McIntyre and Zayn. The pace picks up as Zayn goes after McIntyre, who recently beat him up pretty badly.

Priest avoids being tossed out but Ricochet can’t do the same as we’re down to six. A variety of suplexes and kicks ensue until Sami gets rid of Priest, only to be dumped by McIntyre. We’re down to Rhodes, Punk, Gunther and McIntyre and everyone needs a breather as Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns watch from a sky box. Gunther and Rhodes pair off as McIntyre chops away at Punk in the corner.

The Cody Cutter seems to wake Gunther up as he hits a hard clothesline to Rhodes. We get the McIntyre vs. Gunther staredown but they go back to what they were doing instead of fighting. A neckbreaker puts Punk down but the Claymore misses. The GTS is blocked and it’s the Glasgow Kiss to drop Punk again. Gunther sleepers Rhodes but gets Claymored by McIntyre. Another Claymore hits Rhodes and McIntyre is the only one standing.

There’s a Claymore to Punk to complete the set but McIntyre would rather yell at Punk than get him out. That’s enough for Punk to toss McIntyre, who looks absolutely crushed. Gunther dropkicks Punk and gives him a powerbomb before sending Rhodes to the apron. Rhodes pulls Gunther to the apron as well though and Gunther is out, leaving us with two. They slug it out and then slug it out some more with Punk getting the better of things.

Rhodes gets in a powerslam but the Cody Cutter is countered into some rolling German suplexes. That’s broken up but so is Cross Rhodes, allowing Punk to put him on the apron. Back in and Cross Rhodes connects, only for Punk to get in a desperation GTS. Punk gets him out to the apron but Rhodes is right back in, meaning it’s a Pedigree to take him down again. Another GTS is blocked though and Rhodes throws him out for the win at 1:08:16.

Rating: A-. This was a heck of a Rumble with some entertaining spots throughout and a bunch of good stuff. The last bit felt epic and, despite Punk’s big injury (as he tore his tricep while fighting McIntyre), the final two had a heck of a showdown. Cody winning is the right call as he is on the way to his destiny in Philadelphia and he had to get there from here. I liked this one a lot as they kept things moving and I wasn’t bored at all.

Rhodes celebrates for a good while and points at Roman Reigns in the sky box (yeah don’t bother teasing that Rollins stuff as there is zero point in this case). Reigns holds up the title and looks a bit nervous.

The big highlight package wraps us up.

Overall Rating: B+. The Women’s Royal Rumble was the only thing close to a weak spot and even then it was good enough. The rest of the show was one hit after another as we are starting to get exactly what we need out of WWE. I liked this a good bit and you can feel the energy around here, which is rather nice to see. Heck of a show here, with Wrestlemania on the horizon as the really big prize.

Ratings Comparison

Women’s Royal Rumble

Original: C+
Redo: C+

Roman Reigns vs. AJ Styles vs. LA Knight vs. Randy Orton

Original: B-
Redo: B

Kevin Owens vs. Logan Paul

Original: B
Redo: B

Men’s Royal Rumble

Original: B-
Redo: A-

Overall Rating

Original: B-
Redo: B+

I totally shortchanged the Men’s Royal Rumble the first time around as it’s way better than that.

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

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AND

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Monday Night Raw
Date: January 5, 2026
Location: Barclays Center, New York City, New York
Commentators: Corey Graves, Michael Cole

It’s a new year and we have a special show here, as this is a crossover with Stranger Things. That’s going to be a huge night, as we have three title matches, including CM Punk defending against Bron Breakker. There’s also that whole Royal Rumble thing in less than a month so let’s get to it.

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

The Stranger Things vibe is strong here, as the screen turns Upside Down and commentary gets out of a radio van from the Stranger Things radio station. And no, I’m not going to list off every Stranger Things reference, as it could make for a very long night.

IMG Credit: WWE

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Rhea Ripley/Iyo Sky vs. Kabuki Warriors

The Warriors are defending and we start fast with the champions being sent outside for the running flip dive from Ripley. We take a break and come back with Ripley missing a second flip dive off the apron, allowing the Warriors to kick her down inside. Ripley throws her way out of trouble though and it’s off to Sky to Sling Blade Asuka. Sky gets draped over the top though and a top rope knee to the back gives Sane two.

We take another break and come back again with Sky getting bent around in a Liontamer. Sky gets twisted too far though and kicks Sane in the ribs, allowing the tag back to Ripley. House is quickly cleaned with Ripley hitting a Razor’s Edge into a missile dropkick. Ripley gets kicked by Asuka and the ankle lock goes on. She gets up but Asuka traps the leg for a German suplex (Ripley: “OH S***!”) and the Warriors fire off the kicks. The assisted Insane Elbow gets two, with Sky making the save. Sky kicks Asuka into the Riptide from Ripley, setting up Over The Moonsault for the pin and the titles at 16:29.

Rating: B. This is the right call as they set the match up as a big deal and then paid it off with the title change. Ripley and Sky have been needing to get another big win sooner or later and this is about as big as you can get. Sky continues to establish herself as one of the top stars in the division and Ripley gets back to some success, which she’s been needing for a good while.

Video on CM Punk.

Adam Pearce congratulates the new champions on their win. With the two of them gone, Gunther comes in but Pearce tells him that a lot of people are watching. He asks that Gunther show some respect out there, with Gunther not sounding impressed.

Here is Gunther for a chat. Gunther has been asked to show respect, but what about respect for him? He brings up making John Cena tap out but here is AJ Styles to interrupt. Gunther immediately cuts him off though, saying Styles is punching above his weight. He’s the man who made Cena tap out like a little B****, so what is little AJ going to do about it? Gunther gives him a You Can’t See Me so Styles slaps him in the face. They get in each others’ faces and Styles says that’s what he thought.

Video on Maxxine Dupri vs. Becky Lynch.

Ivy Nile tells Adam Pearce she is not going to the back of the line. Gunther and AJ Styles storm in, saying they want to fight. The match is set for next week.

Women’s Intercontinental Title: Becky Lynch vs. Maxxine Dupri

Dupri is defending and we get a Stranger Things intro, saying this is Chapter Three: It’s Not Just Her Saying It. They take turns backing each other into the corner and Lynch knocks her into the corner to take over. A Thesz press lets Dupri hammer away and we take an early break. We come back with Dupri fighting out of trouble and hitting a running knee to the head. Dupri loads up a backslide but then drops down, leaving commentary unsure what that was supposed to be.

A high crossbody misses for Dupri and the threat of an ankle lock sends Lynch over to the ropes. Lynch misses a middle rope legdrop in the ropes though and gets caught in the ankle lock. The Disarm-Her is reversed into the ankle lock, which Lynch reverses into a DDT for two. Lynch’s ankle lock is broken up and Dupri suplexes her into a high crossbody for two. Lynch catches her on top but Dupri rolls into another ankle lock. This time though Lynch stacks her up and grabs the rope to get the title back at 10:35.

Rating: B-. It had to happen sooner or later and that’s ok. What matters the most here is that Dupri has gone from pretty much a joke to someone who looks like she can hang in there with bigger names. There is zero shame in losing to Lynch, who is simply on a higher level than Dupri. I’m not sure what is next for either of them, but this would be a fine enough way to close the story.

Video on Oba Femi.

Long preview of Unreal Season 2.

Here are the Usos for a chat in the crowd. They’re glad to be back as tag team royalty and they’re ready to face any team anytime. Jey calls this a warning shot.

Here is Stephanie Vaquer, in a walking boot, for an in-ring chat. She’s happy with everything that happened in 2025, but her biggest dream come true was winning the title on her shoulder. She wants to face everyone because she is the best in the world…and here is Raquel Rodriguez to jump her from behind. Rodriguez works on the leg and hits a Tejana Bomb but Adam Pearce prevents the Pillmanization.

Post break we see what happened pre-break….and Rodriguez jumps Vaquer again.

We look back at Penta saving Rey Mysterio from the Vision.

Dragon Lee and Mysterio reaffirm their friendship. Penta comes in and says he isn’t going to let the Vision do that to Mysterio. They respect lucha libre and have cero miedo.

Lyra Valkyria vs. Liv Morgan

Bayley and Roxanne Perez are here too. Morgan knocks her down to start and smiles a lot but Valkyria is back up with a takedown. A bridging northern lights suplex gives Valkyria two and she kicks Morgan out to the floor. Valkyria gets kicked into the floor just as fast though and we take a break.

We come back with stereo clotheslines connecting for a double down. Back up and they trade forearms until Valkyria gets in a tornado DDT. A crucifix gives Morgan two but Valkyria rolls her up for the same. Nightwing is loaded up but Morgan reverses into a Codebreaker. Perez gets in a cheap shot and then goes after Bayley, who chases her to the back. The distraction lets Morgan grab Oblivion for the pin at 8:55.

Rating: B-. It’s good to have Morgan back in the ring and it seems like she hasn’t missed a step. There were some nice shenanigans in this match to kill some time and let Morgan keep her breath and such. The ending isn’t likely going to go well for Bayley and Valkyria but this was more about Morgan than anything else.

CM Punk isn’t worried about the spear because if he’s the underdog, Bron Breakker will underestimate him.

Raw World Title: CM Punk vs. Bron Breakker

Breakker, with Paul Heyman, is defending. Punk grabs a headlock to start and cranks on the arm, including a takedown. Breakker catches him with a powerslam though and we take an early break. We come back with Breakker slamming him down again and hammering away with right hands. Another throw drops Punk again and he is looking rather rocked.

Some trash talk wakes Punk up though and he strikes away but the GTS is escaped. Breakker’s fireman’s carry gutbuster gets two but the running spear around the ring is cut off with a clothesline. We take a break and come back with Breakker not being able to hit the super Frankensteiner and crashing backwards. Punk’s top rope elbow gets two so he goes back up, where a super Frankensteiner brings him back down for two.

The gorilla press is countered into a DDT for two and they slug it out. Punk knocks him down but goes after a distraction Heyman. Cue the Vision for a distraction, allowing Theory to hit a Stomp. Cue Dragon Lee, Penta and Rey Mysterio to brawl with the Vision, leaving Breakker’s spear to hit the post. The GTS gets two and dang they had me on that one. Punk hits a piledriver for two so he tries the GTS, which is reversed into a Fujiwara armbar.

That’s reversed into the Anaconda Vice but Breakker powers up and hits a hard clothesline for two. Breakker tries a GTS but Punk reverses into the STF. Heyman gets on the apron for a distraction though and gets punched in the face, only for Breakker’s spear to miss. Punk tries a suicide dive, which is punched out of the air for a nasty landing. Breakker knocks him onto the announcers’ table for the big elbow from the top, through said table in a nasty crash. Back in and the spear is kneed away and the GTS gives Punk the pin at 26:45.

Rating: A-. There were multiple times in there when I wasn’t sure who was going to win and there is no better feeling to have in a match. They did a great job of having Breakker look like a monster with Punk just barely surviving, including NOT having Breakker hit the spear, which can be saved for later. Awesome match here as Punk still has it and Breakker’s time will come one day.

Punk celebrates to end the show, including dropping the title in a funny bit, to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. The main event is more than enough to carry the show, but the opener worked well too and the other matches were more than fine. They also set some things up for the future, with Styles vs. Gunther being quite the main event for next week. This felt like a huge show and they paid it off with a pair of title changes and an outstanding main event. The build to the Royal Rumble can really start next week, as they had to get this big one out of the way. As luck would have it, they did that very well.

Results
Rhea Ripley/Iyo Sky b. Kabuki Warriors – Over The Moonsault to Asuka
Becky Lynch b. Maxxine Dupri – Rollup while holding rope
Liv Morgan b. Lyra Valkyria – Oblivion
CM Punk b. Bron Breakker – GTS

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: December 29, 2025
Location: Kia Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re wrapping up the year right here with the show before we get to the big show next week. That could mean a few different things but hopefully this one can end the year on a high note. If nothing else we’re live again and now we get to see where things go on the still long road to the Royal Rumble. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at Austin Theory seemingly having a successful audition with the Vision last week.

IMG Credit: WWE

Here is the Vision to get things going. After some CM PUNK chants, Paul Heyman talks about how you’re looking at the future Wrestlemania main eventers right in front of you. We get some OTC chants, with Heyman thanking the fans for their irrelevant opinions. That brings Heyman to Austin Theory, who says he has a lot to talk about, starting with Bron Breakker.

Heyman explains that the goal of the team is bigger than that of any member, but here is Punk to interrupt. Punk says Theory is already drinking gallons of the Kool-Aid but he’s here to talk to Breakker. The title match is already set for next week and yeah he could come down there and get beaten up, but then there’s no title match next week. Punk comes to the ring and actually gets inside, where he asks Bron (“Kid”) what he has.

Breakker is ready to take Punk out because he’s tired of being called the future because he is the now. Everyone is waiting for Breakker to fall apart but go find someone like him. Go find someone with so little experience who has taken wrestling over and is as much of a dog. Yeah he came from a wrestling family but it just put more pressure on him. While Punk was on the indies, Breakker was on the field with the Baltimore Ravens. Next week, Breakker is going to put Punk in the ground and take the title.

Punk says Breakker is more ready than anyone back there, but Punk isn’t ready. If Breakker wants the title, which Punk lays on the mat, pick it up, because it’s heavier than Breakker believes. He’s not ready to let it go and stop coming into these sold out arenas and say how great it is to be alive on a Monday night in Orlando, Florida. They aren’t the same and that’s because one of them is CM Punk. One day someone is going to beat him for this but it won’t be Breakker on January 5. Punk was bringing the fire here and as usual, it’s where he shines.

Raquel Rodriguez promises no tricks in tonight’s title match. Liv Morgan comes in and says Judgment Day needs the win tonight, especially with Dominik Mysterio out for a bit. Roxanne Perez comes in and agrees they want Rodriguez to win the title, though Rodriguez doesn’t need luck.

IMG Credit: WWE

Women’s Title: Nikki Bella vs. Raquel Rodriguez vs. Stephanie Vaquer

Vaquer is defending and rolls Rodriguez up for an early two. Bella breaks up an early Devil’s Kiss attempt and Vaquer is knocked outside. A running dropkick on the floor has Vaquer in more trouble and we take a break. We come back with Rodriguez pulling Bella’s high crossbody out of the air, setting up a fall away slam. A Gory Stretch goes on and Rodriguez leans her forward for two. Bella is back in and Rodriguez has to break up the Devil’s Kiss so Bella snaps Rodriguez’s leg on the rope.

A high crossbody hits Rodriguez but Bella sends Vaquer into the post. Bella puts Rodriguez in an STF (Fans: “THANK YOU CENA!”) but Rodriguez twists it into a leglock, with Vaquer adding a double Devil’s Kiss. Vaquer twists Rodriguez’s knee out of the corner but Rodriguez is able to knock both of them down again.

We take another break and come back with Bella sunset bombing the other two down for two each. Vaquer’s double underhook faceplant into a Codebreaker gets two on Bella with Rodriguez making the save. Rodriguez counters a tornado DDT but gets small packaged for two instead. Back up and Rodriguez tries a double Tejana Bomb but Vaquer slips out and sends Rodriguez outside. That’s enough for Vaquer to steal the pin on Bella and retain at 17:05.

Rating: B. I liked the match well enough, but this needs to be it for Bella getting title shots. She did well enough with two others out there, but it’s just over by this point. Vaquer has beaten her multiple times now and while I could go for more of Vaquer facing Rodriguez, it needs to be without Bella. There is a place for Bella in modern WWE, but it shouldn’t be such a prominent one.

Gunther reminds us that he made John Cena tap out but R-Truth comes in to say the disrespect has to stop. Saying it over and over again makes him a piece of…and R-Truth whispers something in Gunther’s ear, which Gunther doesn’t like. Gunther takes this as a challenge and the match is set.

Here are the Kabuki Warriors to brag about beating Rhea Ripley last week. Iyo Sky never should have attacked Kairi Sane, but Asuka cuts Sane off. Cue Ripley and Sky for the brawl, with Sky being sent into the announcers’ table. She’s back up to save Ripley from the assisted Insane Elbow though and Sane has to escape Riptide. Instead the Warriors both get kicked outside to send them running.

Rey Mysterio runs into CM Punk and says he has some backup for tonight. Punk approves.

Gunther vs. R-Truth

R-Truth jumps him to start but gets dropped with a quick chop. The pace slows way down and Gunther chops him again, only to take too long doing You Can’t See Me. Some shoulders stagger Gunther but he kicks R-Truth in the face. The powerbomb gets two as he picks R-Truth up so the sleeper can get the tap at 3:29.

Rating: C. That’s exactly what it should have been as Gunther barely broke a sweat here. They’re setting up the idea that someone is going to have to step up to Gunther sooner than later and that’s going to be the next bit feud. R-Truth is the kind of person who can get beaten up and get some heat on Gunther in the process and it worked well here.

Jey Uso isn’t sure about this but Jimmy Uso gives him a pep talk.

Video on Oba Femi.

Je’Von Evans runs into AJ Styles and Dragon Lee, who praise him for the match at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Wherever Evans winds up, let them know so they can run it back. Evans appreciates this but runs into Los Americanos. El Grande Americano speaks a lot of Spanish, though Evans doesn’t understand.

Paul Heyman officially welcomes Austin Theory to the Vision, and they officially have each others’ backs. Heyman even sends Logan Paul to the ring with Theory for some quality time together.

IMG Credit: WWE

Rey Mysterio vs. Austin Theory

Logan Paul is here with Theory, who powers Mysterio into the corner to start. A backbreaker just wakes Mysterio up a bit and the middle rope hurricanrana drops Theory. That’s fine with Theory, who elbows Mysterio in the face to cut him off. Theory sends him hard into the post and we take a break. We come back with Mysterio hitting a top rope seated senton into the running headscissors. Theory tries something like a torture rack but gets spun into a DDT for two. The 619 is loaded up but Paul jumps Mysterio for the DQ at 7:30.

Rating: C+. Well, at least he didn’t get pinned, though this was hardly the best sign for Theory’s future. It plays off the idea of the Vision having Theory’s back and he dominated a good chunk of the match, though that’s only so encouraging. Hopefully there is something more for Theory than being the team’s whipping boy, as he has more potential than that.

Post match the beatdown is on but Penta returns for the ring clearing save.

Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky are ready to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles next week.

Here is Maxxine Dupri for a chat. She thanks the fans for helping her get this far and brags about making Becky Lynch tap out last week. Now she’s ready to defend her title next week but here is Lynch to interrupt. The ONLY thing she tapped out on was living in Orlando, but the fans should cheer for having her.

Dupri threatens to make her tap out again but Lynch says she isn’t here to start a fight. She’s here to give Dupri cr…cred…..CREDIT, for working so hard. Dupri has gotten a tiny bit better but that’s not going to be enough. Dupri laughs it off and says next week, everyone, maybe even Sports Illustrated, is going to be saying Lynch tapped out. That’s WAY too far for Lynch, who talks about how people and publications say she’s so great. Next week, it’s time to find out what Dupri is, because Lynch already knows. Dupri’s upward mobility over the last few months deserves some kind of an award.

Trick Williams meets with Adam Pearce, who seems interested in having Williams around. Williams leaves him his card when Bayley and Lyra Valkyria come in to say they want the Women’s Tag Team Titles. Pearce mentions Judgment Day getting the title shot and Bayley snaps, calling Pearce a bald idiot. Valkyria seems to think they have a deal but Pearce wants a drink. Pearce continues to be outstanding in this role.

Tag Team Titles: AJ Styles/Dragon Lee vs. Usos

The Usos are challenging. Styles knocks Jey into the corner to start and hits him in the face a few times. The champs send Jey outside and Jimmy is tossed out to join him as we take a break. We come back with Jey getting a cheap shot to Styles but not looking happy about it. Lee comes in and grabs a hurricanrana on Jimmy, followed by a sitout powerbomb for two on Jey.

Back up and Lee is knocked outside, with Jimmy loading up the announcers’ table. Styles is knocked onto said table and we take another break. We come back with Lee in trouble but managing to knock Jimmy into the Tree Of Woe. The top rope double stomp drops Jimmy and it’s back to Styles to clean house. A backbreaker drops Jey but he powers out of the Styles Clash.

The superkick hits Lee and a spear drops Styles, setting up Jimmy’s Superfly Splash for two. Everything breaks down and Jey misses a charge and hits the post. Lee hits the big running flip dive to knock Jimmy onto the announcers’ table (that looked good), leaving Styles to Pele Jey. The Styles Clash gets two so Styles loads up another, only for Jimmy to make the save. Styles loads up the Phenomenal Forearm but gets superkicked out of the air. 1D hits Lee for the pin and the titles at 18:43.

Rating: B+. Good stuff here, as the Usos get back to the top while Styles and Lee, who were never going to be a long term team, get to end their reign with a nice match. I’m not sure how long the Usos are going to be champions, but at least they got a win to boost them back up. It helps that the Usos can still more than go in the ring and Styles/Lee had chemistry together. I liked this and they did the right thing.

Overall Rating: B. One of the good things about modern WWE is they have made the non-World Titles feel a lot more important. No the Raw Tag Team Titles aren’t on the top of the list, but the main event did at least come off as something that mattered. It made for a better show and things were set up for the future as well. I wasn’t expecting much coming into this show and it wound up working, which is always a nice surprise.

Results
Stephanie Vaquer b. Nikki Bella and Raquel Rodriguez – Tejana Bomb to Bella
Gunther b. R-Truth – Sleeper
Rey Mysterio b. Austin Theory via DQ when Logan Paul interfered
Usos b. AJ Styles/Dragon Lee – 1D to Lee

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

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: December 22, 2025
Location: Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re on a taped show this week for the sake of the holidays, which hopefully doesn’t make much of a difference. It’s one of the last shows of the year and we are building towards CM Punk defending the World Title against Bron Breakker on the first January show. That should be enough to carry us for a few weeks so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the end of last week’s Raw, with Austin Theory being revealed as the masked man and Bron Breakker spearing CM Punk to wrap things up.

Theory comes up to Paul Heyman in the back to explain why he was wearing the mask last week. He made a lot of bad decisions but then he saw the Vision taking what they wanted. That’s what Theory does now and he’d love to take the opportunity and help out. Heyman: “Interesting. Very interesting.” And he walks off.

Rhea Ripley apologizes to Iyo Sky for her getting hurt last week and asks Sky to stay in the back for this. Sky isn’t happy but agrees after a hug.

IMG Credit: WWE

Rhea Ripley vs. Asuka

Kairi Sane is here with Asuka. Ripley jumps her to start fast and sends Asuka flying before unloading with right hands. It’s too early for Riptide as Asuka bails out to the floor. That’s fine with Ripley, who sends her into the barricade but a Sane distraction cuts Ripley off, allowing Asuka to take over.

We take a break and come back with Asuka kneeing her in the face for one before firing off the kicks. A backslide gives Ripley two and she elbows Asuka down. Asuka distracts the referee though and kicks away at the chest, only for Ripley to grab a belly to back faceplant. They trade kicks to the head and they’re both down for a breather. We take another break and come back again with the Prism Trap being reversed, allowing Asuka to kick her in the head for two.

Ripley slips out of a superplex attempt and hits a Cheeky Nandos kick into an electric chair faceplant for two. They head out to the apron where Asuka gets in a German suplex but Ripley superkicks her out of the air. The Cannonball off the apron connects so Ripley goes up, only to have Sane pull her down. Cue Iyo Sky to chase her off, allowing Asuka to grab a rollup with trunks for the pin at 17:55.

Rating: B. They had a physical fight here, which isn’t a surprise in the slightest. There might be something interesting to the idea of Sky not listening to Ripley. They’ve got an actual feud going here and that should make for a big title match, likely on the first Raw of the year. While I could go for less of Ripley losing, at least she got cheated here.

The Vision isn’t sure about Austin Theory but Paul Heyman talks about how far they have come in a year. The two of them don’t have much of an argument with that, so Heyman switches out Bron Breakker for Theory in the main event.

We look back at Gunther’s big speech last week, as he reminded the fans that he made John Cena give up.

IMG Credit: WWE

Here is…well it was supposed to be Maxxine Dupri but instead it’s Becky Lynch for a chat. She talks about how she’s had issues with Maxxine Dupri and thinks someone is against her. Lynch went to the heads of Netflix and they told her to go to Miserable Michigan. She hasn’t seen a single rapid in Grand Rapids, which is very misleading.

We hear about the Sports Illustrated ranking but here is Maxxine Dupri to interrupt. Dupri beat Lynch more than once and she’s willing to do it again because she is the Intercontinental Champion. Lynch is too busy complaining about everything though and it doesn’t make her look like the greatest of all time. It makes her look like someone whose best years are behind her, and that’s enough for Lynch to drop Dupri. That’s reversed into an ankle lock and Lynch taps.

We look back at Nikki Bella interrupting the Women’s Title match last week.

Adam Pearce talks to Je’Von Evans, saying they can talk about his future after Evans’ match. Stephanie Vaquer comes in to request and receive a triple threat title defense against Nikki Bella and Raquel Rodriguez next week.

The Usos are fired up about being back in the tag division and get a Tag Team Title shot next week.

IMG Credit: WWE

Je’Von Evans vs. Rayo Americano

The other Americanos are here with Rayo. Evans flips away from him to start and hips up into a dropkick to take over. Rayo gets in a shot of his own though and starts on the arm, which earns him a hurricanrana out to the floor. Naturally that means a heck of a big dive for Evans and we take a break.

We come back with Rayo grabbing a chinlock as Graves says Rayo trained with Mil Mascaras. Evans gets up and hits a knee to the face, followed by the springboard clothesline for two. Bravo cheap shots Evans from the floor though and a Michinoku Driver gives Rayo two of his own. A slap to the face just wakes Evans up though and he comes back with a spinning kick to the head. The OG Cutter (top rope cutter) finishes Rayo at 9:53.

Rating: B-. This was a way for Evans to get out there and show what he can do on the bigger stage. There’s no real secret to the fact that he is either going to be the next big thing in NXT or just move up to the main roster. Letting him have a win like this helps move him in the right direction and he looked good in the process.

Post match Evans runs away from a beating.

AJ Styles and Dragon Lee are used to facing the best so they’re ready for the Usos next week.

Bron Breakker is ready for CM Punk and wants the real version to show up. Either way, Breakker wins the title on January 5. If Punk is just here to make money, Breakker hopes he cashed his checks, because after January 5, Punk will be broke.

Here is Nikki Bella for a chat. She is the most famous person in the arena, as she’s a Hall Of Famer and a former champion. But what would Michigan know about champions? Maybe if they were Ohio State, they would know better. She’s ready to win the title back next week because she is a big deal everywhere.

IMG Credit: WWE

Bayley vs. Roxanne Perez

Lyra Valkyria and Liv Morgan are here too. Perez rolls away from her to start to increase the frustration before shoving Bayley up against the ropes. A Bayley To Belly out of nowhere gets two and Perez sends her outside. Bayley’s dive is cut off but Perez slips out of a fireman’s carry and takes out Bayley’s knee. The knee is wrapped around the post a few times and we take a break.

We come back with Bayley still in trouble and Perez working on the leg. Bayley kicks her away but bangs up the leg a bit more in the process. The Thesz press lets Bayley hammer away as Raquel Rodriguez is out here to watch as well. Valkyria and Rodriguez get into it on the floor as Perez gets two off a spinning faceplant.

Morgan offers a distraction so Perez can send Bayley into an exposed buckle but Rodriguez gets on the apron for some reason. Morgan pulls her down for an argument and Valkyria dives onto both of them. That’s not enough as Valkyria slaps Bayley in the face to trigger the real comeback, including double knees in the corner. The top rope elbow finishes Perez at 10:40.

Rating: B-. Bayley getting more fired up and aggressive isn’t a bad thing to see as she has been needing something of a spark in recent weeks. Other than that, we have the issues among the Judgment Day, which could lead to quite the interesting development. If nothing else, it’s nice to see a non-title story where the women are allowed to develop a bit and it’s working here.

Here’s what’s coming on January 5.

Bronson Reed tells Austin Theory to follow his lead. Theory has the same idea, but in reverse.

The Judgment Day women argue, with Raquel Rodriguez saying she has to prepare for her title match.

IMG Credit: WWE

Here is Gunther for a chat. The fans are all over him, though Gunther doesn’t seem to mind laughing about it. Before he says anything, he goes outside and poses on the announcers’ table. Back inside and the fans get on him again, with Gunther saying they shouldn’t be mad at him. They should be mad at the one who tapped out like a little…and here is CM Punk to get in Gunther’s face. Gunther goes to leave, but does stop for a You Can’t See Me. Rey Mysterio comes out to glare at Gunther as well.

Post break, Gunther runs into AJ Styles, who says Gunther doesn’t know when to shut up. Gunther: “Guess I don’t.”

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Austin Theory/Bronson Reed vs. CM Punk/Rey Mysterio

Paul Heyman is here too. Theory sends Mysterio into the corner to start but Punk comes in off a blind tag. Punk knocks him into the corner but Theory is right back up with a running elbow to the face. The rolling dropkick puts Punk down and we take an early break. We come back with Theory stomping on Punk’s hand before slapping on the chinlock. It’s off to Reed for a neck crank of his own, followed by a headbutt to keep Punk in trouble.

The running backsplash misses though and it’s Mysterio coming in, much to the crowd’s delight. The pace picks up, including a running seated senton off the apron as we take a break. We come back with Reed knocking Mysterio down again and dropping the backsplash for two. Theory comes back in to stomp away and a snap suplex gets two more. The sitout bulldog gets Mysterio out of trouble and it’s Punk coming in to go after Theory.

Punk strikes away, including the springboard clothesline for two, followed by the running knee in the corner. Mysterio loads up the 619 but Theory is there to cut off the 619. Mysterio connects with one to Theory instead and the slingshot splash gets two. Everything breaks down and Mysterio kicks Theory down, only to get crotched on top. The Stomp gives Theory the pin at 18:17.

Rating: B. Pretty solid and by the book main event tag match here as Theory gets to solidify himself as someone to take a bit more seriously. I have no reason to believe that’s going to last, but at least they started off by doing the right thing. Punk already has his own thing going with Bron Breakker so Mysterio was a fine choice to help make Theory look good.

Post match Bron Breakker runs in with the spear to cut Punk down and end the show.

Overall Rating: B. There was a good bit of solid wrestling this week, though it didn’t feel like a lot really happened. It was more a show that just kept things in their current place, which is acceptable, though not exactly must see content. That’s kind of perfect for a show taking place over the holiday week, as we have the big show coming up in two weeks and this was mainly designed to help set up the next two weeks. Good enough show here, but you really didn’t need to see it.

Results
Asuka b. Rhea Ripley – Rollup with trunks
Je’Von Evans b. Rayo Americano – OG Cutter
Bayley b. Roxanne Perez – Top rope elbow
Austin Theory/Bronson Reed b. CM Punk/Rey Mysterio – Stomp to Mysterio

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

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: December 1, 2025
Location: Desert Diamond Arena, Glendale, Arizona
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Joe Tessitore

We’re done with Survivor Series, which was a good night for the villains. While the good group of women won WarGames, the Vision took the main event and Dominik Mysterio regained the Intercontinental Title from John Cena. This week’s show is going to be focused on the Last Time Is Now Tournament semifinals so let’s get to it.

Here is Survivor Series if you need a recap.

Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett are in the crowd to open the show and throw us to a long recap of Survivor Series.

Various people arrive, including Solo Sikoa, who isn’t pleased with Jacob Fatu’s picture being on a truck.

Here are Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky to get things going. They won at WarGames, but now they want revenge. Sky calls out Asuka but gets Charlotte and Alexa Bliss instead. Bliss says she heard them wanting the Women’s Tag Team Titles and they’re going to need Ripley and Sky to take a step back. They’re cool with Ripley and Sky but yeah not yet. Ripley says they need to go to the back of the line, but a match is set up for later tonight.

Adam Pearce is in the back and makes the women’s tag official, only to be interrupted by Ivy Nile. She wants to face Maxxine Dupri, with Pearce suggesting that it will happen eventually. Paul Heyman and Bron Breakker show up and Pearce isn’t happy. Heyman doesn’t like being accused of sending in the masked man at WarGames (he’s guilty of everything else, but not that). Now though, he wants to talk about Breakker pinning CM Punk, which Pearce is willing to talk about in his office.

We look at John Cena vs. CM Punk, with Punk saying he knows he was Cena’s greatest rival. He’s certainly in the running.

Last Time Is Now Tournament Semifinals: Jey Uso vs. LA Knight

Uso misses a charge to start and they stare at each other. Knight gets knocked into the corner, where he avoids the running Umaga Attack as commentary says the women’s tag is official. Were they just not paying attention when that was confirmed five minutes ago? Anyway, Knight misses a Razor Ramon’s discus punch and gets sent outside for the big suicide dive.

We take a break and come back with the two of them on the top and crashing out to the floor. Uso is back up with a kick to the head but Knight grabs a Burning Hammer for two. The spear gives Uso two and they’re both down again. Uso goes up and gets superplexed down, only to hit a quick superkick. The Superfly Splash connects but Knight reverses into a rollup for the pin at 9:42.

Rating: B. This got going near the end and I was surprised by the result, as I was all but sure this was going to be Uso winning to face Gunther. At the same time, it’s great to see Knight getting a clean pin, which is the kind of thing that can boost him up a long way. Solid match here and I could have gone with more of it.

Post match Knight leaves and a distraught Uso breaks stuff. Uh oh.

Bayley and Lyra Valkyria want a Tag team Title shot but Adam Pearce says we’ll figure that out after the main event. The Kabuki Warriors come up, with Asuka mocking Bayley for not getting what she wants while Charlotte does. Sane wraps the green chain around Bayley, who isn’t happy.

Here is Judgment Day for a chat, with Dominik Mysterio showing off the John Cena side plates on the Intercontinental Title. Mysterio brags about beating the greatest of all time, so he’s the Greatest Mysterio of all time. It makes him the greatest luchador of all time and the King of the luchadores. He thanks Judgment Day for their help, including Liv Morgan, who gets her own entrance (you can see the fans stand up, as it’s a big deal to have her back).

She says the people didn’t see her coming back but neither did John Cena. Mysterio talks about how they played the one ace up their sleeve and got his title and Morgan back. Morgan says Judgment Day runs Monday Night Raw, slaps Mysterio again, and jumps into his arms.

We get a rather intense video of Maxxine Dupri training in Natalya’s dungeon. Natalya makes her tap a few times and tells her to get out of the ring but Dupri wants to keep going. Natalya approves.

Adam Pearce talks to a referee about the masked man at Survivor Series. Pearce knows it can’t be Seth Rollins so he wants the referee to see if he can find anything out and report back.

Tag Team Titles: AJ Styles/Dragon Lee vs. New Day

New Day, with Grayson Waller, is challenging. Styles gets jumped to start fast, with Woods sending him into the corner for a beating from Kingston. A monkey flip sends Styles flying but he knocks Kingston into the corner. The slingshot dropkick connects for Lee, who follows it up with a big dive to the floor. We take a break and come back with Woods and Styles both getting tags.

Styles strikes away, including the basement forearm, but Kingston is back in for a wheelbarrow faceplant Fameasser combination for two (that was cool). A quick Calf Crusher is broken up by Woods and a sitout powerbomb gives Lee two. Operation Dragon is blocked though and Woods comes back in to strike away. A hiptoss puts Lee in the Tree Of Woe, leaving Woods to dive on Styles. Back in and Lee kicks Kingston into the Styles Clash and dives onto everyone else, leaving Styles to get the retaining pin at 9:04.

Rating: B. What has happened to New Day? They were one of the most successful teams of all time but now they are coming off as the most “well they’re here too” things I’ve seen in a long time. The heel turn has absolutely not worked but I’m not sure how well a simple turn back would work. They absolutely need something though, because this is somehow getting worse every week.

We look at Stephanie Vaquer retaining the Women’s Title against Nikki Bella.

Vaquer says she’s ready for her next challenger so here is Liv Morgan to says he’s back. Yeah they have to go there sooner than later.

Here is the Vision for a chat. Paul Heyman gives a shoutout to Brock Lesnar and Drew McIntyre before moving on to the three people still in the ring. Bronson Reed Tsunamied everyone on the other side. Logan Paul is the biggest mainstream star on the face of the earth (Paul’s eyes going side to side during this is great). And shoutout to WWE executives, who have made CM Punk vs. Bron Breakker for the January 5 Raw in Brooklyn.

The fans chant for Punk but Breakker says he’s upset tonight. It’s not because of where he is or because of the masked man, but rather how easy it was to pin Punk at Survivor Series. He thought he was going to have to dig deeper than ever and go to a level he’s never reached before. Then he found out that Punk is just a soft a** b****. Punk is no different than any veteran who has lived off of past greatness, just like Seth Rollins.

The reality is Punk isn’t even the biggest star in his own house, and we pause for a Punk chant. Breakker is ready for a fight in Brooklyn because Punk tried to break his neck at Survivor Series. He’s coming for everything in January and wants to take every great memory he’s ever had.

Last year at Wrestlemania, Punk came up to him and said let’s see if you can cut a promo with the big dogs. Well consider the promo cut because he’s going to leave Punk looking up at the lights and realizing that he’s not as good as Bron Breakker, the real best in the world. Well. That worked. I’m not sure what else there is to say there. Breakker just cut the promo of his life and it feels like Punk is about to get crushed in every possible way.

Jey Uso doesn’t have anything to say and says people in his head need to get out. The only person he has to blame is the one looking back in the mirror. Roman Reigns said it best: those titles look the best on Reigns’ shoulders, not Jey’s.

Last Time Is Now Tournament Semifinals: Gunther vs. Solo Sikoa

Talla Tonga is here with Sikoa. Gunther grabs a lockup to start but gets backed up against the ropes. The threat of a chop has Sikoa ducking so Gunther slaps on a headlock instead. An exchange of shoulders goes to Sikoa but Gunther knocks him hard out to the floor, leaving Sikoa looking rocked as we take a break.

We come back with Sikoa hammering on the back but not being able to slam him. Gunther tries a slam of his own, with Sikoa falling on him for two. Sikoa goes up and gets caught with a chop, meaning it’s a superplex to leave both of them down. They collide again and then chop it out, followed by an exchange of kicks to the face. Sikoa gets in a Samoan Spike and they’re both down again as we take a second break.

We come back with Sikoa hitting the running Umaga Attack in the corner but Gunther drops him with a clothesline. Another big clothesline gets two but Gunther has to block the Samoan Spike. Instead Sikoa grabs the Samoan Spike for two so Gunther stuns him with some chops. Spinning Solo cuts the comeback off and a Superfly Splash gets two, with the fans being impressed by the kickout. Gunther reverses the Samoan Spike into a sleeper and then a German suplex, with Sikoa pulling the turnbuckle pad off.

Tonga gets knocked off the apron but Gunther goes after him and gets kicked in the face. The referee sees Tonga holding Gunther, who kicks Tonga low and slams Sikoa’s thumb into the apron. Back in and a low blow stops Sikoa, setting up a powerbomb to give Gunther the pin at 17:52.

Rating: B+. These guys beat the fire out of each other and it was great to see. Sikoa can wrestle a physical style when he’s given the chance and they had a heck of a fight. Gunther is at his best when he activates his version of Beast Mode and gets to a point where he isn’t going to be stopped. That’s what we got here and Sikoa was hanging in there with him for a very long time. Awesome match here and a heck of a lot better than I was expecting.

Post match LA Knight gets in the ring to talk some trash. The finals are set for Smackdown.

We get the women’s version of the Wrestlemania promo, with the women at a bar in a casino.

The referee doesn’t have any information on the masked man. Adam Pearce says keep him posted but AJ Styles and Dragon Lee come up to say they want another title defense next week. Maybe against the War Raiders. Pearce makes the match.

Here’s what’s coming next week, including Rey Mysterio vs. Finn Balor.

Mysterio is sick of Dominik and he’s ready to go through Judgment Day one at a time. There’s a chance he might even come after the Intercontinental Title. Logan Paul comes in to say that sounds crazy, with Mysterio saying that Paul might be the only person worse than Dominik. Paul mocks Mysterio’s height and says the Intercontinental Title belongs to the Vision, so step down. Mysterio asks who is going to stop him, with Paul issuing some threats. That earns him a slap to the face so here is security to break it up. I’ve heard worse ideas.

Charlotte/Alexa Bliss vs. Rhea Ripley/Iyo Sky

Sky rolls Charlotte up to start fast and gives her a double stomp as we take an early break. We come back with Bliss forearming away at Ripley, who snatches her up into the Prism Trap. That’s reversed with a ramp into Charlotte, with Ripley holding up her arms in an “oh well”. Sky comes back in with a 619 to the back and Ripley’s running knee gets two.

The Bullet Train missed in the corner and Bliss gets in a knockdown, allowing the big tags off to Charlotte and Ripley. They fight over some waistlocks before trading the shots to the face. Charlotte gets in the Downward Spiral into the corner but Ripley pops up with an enziguri (that looked awesome) and we take a break. We come back with Sky hitting some running knees to Charlotte, allowing Ripley to come back in.

What looks like a powerbomb doesn’t work as Ripley falls down, with the second attempt resulting in a Razor’s Edge to Charlotte. Sky adds a missile dropkick but Riptide is countered into a DDT. Charlotte superkicks her into a DDT from Bliss but Twisted Bliss hits raised knees. Sky comes back in but charges into a boot to the face.

Natural Selection and the Sister Abigail DDT plant Sky, with Ripley making a save. Bliss slips out of another Razor’s Edge so Ripley headbutts her into Riptide. Over The Moonsault connects but Charlotte drives Ripley into the cover for the save. Everyone is down and cue the Kabuki Warriors to jump both of them for the double DQ at 14:32.

Rating: B. Sweet goodness I cannot stand that finish. How can villains be so stupid to never get that this won’t work? It’s something that plagues all kinds of villains around the wrestling world and here we are again. That’s a shame too as it came at the end of a pretty strong match, with the Ripley vs. Charlotte showdowns feeling huge. Both teams worked well together and I liked what we were getting until the lame ending.

Post match the beatdown is on but Lyra Valkyria and Bayley run in for the save. The big brawl is on and here is Liv Morgan, along with Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez to wreck everyone. Perez and Rodriguez pose with the titles and Morgan says she’s back to end the show. That was a bit better than I was expecting, though hopefully this doesn’t result in some messy group match.

Overall Rating: A-. Give the main event a better main event and the show would have been one of the best Raw’s in a long time. They moved stories forward, the wrestling was rather good throughout, and the Breakker promo was outstanding to cap it off. Awesome show here, and hopefully they can keep up the momentum as they’re wrapping up the year.

Results
LA Knight b. Jey Uso – Crucifix
AJ Styles/Dragon Lee b. New Day – Styles Clash to Kingston
Gunther b. Solo Sikoa – Powerbomb
Rhea Ripley/Iyo Sky vs. Charlotte/Alexa Bliss went to a double DQ when the Kabuki Warriors interfered

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

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

Survivor Series 2025
Date: November 29, 2025
Location: Petco Park, San Diego, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

It’s back to the stadium for this show as we’re in for one of the bigger nights of the year. As usual, the show is built around the two WarGames matches, which should be more than enough to carry the show. Those matches are going to take up nearly two hours combined when you add in entrances, meaning the other two matches can only have so much impact. Let’s get to it.

The opening video actually looks at all four matches on the card. Naturally WarGames gets the most attention, but it’s nice to see something else getting even a bit of attention.

Since we’re going to have two of them, here are the WarGames rules:

Two wrestlers start and fight for five minutes.

After five minutes, the team with the advantage (as determined before the match) gets a three minute advantage.

The teams alternate until all ten are in and then it’s first pin/submission to win.

Team Ripley vs. Team Lynch

Rhea Ripley, Charlotte, Alexa Bliss, AJ Lee, Iyo Sky
Becky Lynch, Lash Legend, Nia Jax, Asuka, Nia Jax

Charlotte (in gear inspired by a girl battling cancer) and Asuka start things off, which should be a nice way to go. Of note, there are no shark cages near the entrances and the other wrestlers are staying in the back until their turn comes. They lock up to start with Charlotte getting the better of things and grabbing the figure four neck rolls. Back up and Asuka gets her into the ropes to fire off the kicks but Charlotte knocks her back down. They slug it out in another ring until Asuka knocks her off the top.

Sky is in to give Charlotte and company the advantage (the timing isn’t quite on but I’ve seen worse), bringing in a trashcan lid. And yes, there is an advertisement on the trashcan lid, because WWE managed to find a company to pay them to be associated with trash. Sky takes over on Asuka, despite slipping on a springboard attempt. The Bullet Train with the trashcan lid hits Asuka in the corner and Sky crushes her head against the metal plate.

Becky Lynch is in to even things up and thankfully she brings her kendo stick with her rather than looking underneath the ring over and over. Sky is taken down but Charlotte wants no part of Lynch’s offer of peace. Charlotte and Lynch both hit exploders before slugging it out again as we actually hear about FCW for a bit. Lynch takes over on Charlotte and yells about being the best ever until Bliss is in to get the advantage back.

Some dragon screw legwhips have the villains down, setting up the double Natural Selections. Sky is back up as well so she can help Charlotte and Bliss with the beatings. Charlotte gets to step on Lynch’s face and brag about her own greatness in a nice moment. Sane is here to even things up, though she takes her sweet time and shows off the chain she’s bringing with her.

Charlotte and company get tied together with the chain for a triple dropkick, which frees them so the villains can pose. Heaven forbid that when the other three were tied together, Asuka or Lynch or Sane, I don’t know, beat on them with a chair or something. Anyway, Lee is in to make the save and go after Lynch, including the Shining Wizard. The rest of the team gets up to continue the fight but Jax is in to even things up again.

Naturally that means a bunch of running hip attacks against the cage but Sky climbs the cage. That earns her a hard powerbomb and a lot of choking ensues until Ripley is in, again carrying a bunch of weapons but also doing her full entrance. Ripley cleans house with the kendo sticks and uses Sky to crush Sane in a trashcan.

Jax runs them over so Bliss makes a save until Legend is in to complete the fields, meaning first fall wins. Legend gets to wreck people, including a chokeslam to Charlotte. Ripley gets up for the monster showdown and kicks Legend in the head for a staggering. Legend’s pump kick gets two on Ripley but a headbutt looks to set up Riptide. Jax breaks that up so she and Legend can powerbomb Bliss and Charlotte into the cage for two. Lynch’s Manhandle Slam gets two on Lee with Sky making the save.

Sky is tossed into the rest of her team and the Kabuki Special with a chain drops her again. Ripley has to make a save this time but she’s left alone. Charlotte saves Ripley from the mist, which hits Legend by mistake though and Sky goes up top. Ripley lifts Lee up so she can hand Sky the (sponsored) trashcan to hit the big dive. Lynch is alone this time and tries to escape, only to get pulled into the Black Widow for the tap at 40:52.

Rating: C+. It was definitely better than last year, though that’s only so much of an accomplishment. The match is still too long, though they toned the weapons WAY down this year, including the time spent searching for them, and it helped a good bit. I still don’t know why this needed to be a WarGames match when a Survivor Series match would have fit better, but at least they took some steps in the right direction.

We recap John Cena defending the Intercontinental Title against Dominik Mysterio. Cena, who has this and one more match left, took the title from Mysterio, who wants a rematch on his home turf. Naturally Cena is in.

Intercontinental Title: John Cena vs. Dominik Mysterio

Cena is defending in his last PPV match and Raquel Rodriguez/Roxanne Perez are here with Mysterio. The first music stops playing and the fans are already going nuts, with WWE being smart to wait and let the buzz build before hitting Cena’s music. Cena’s entrance takes a bit longer than usual, as you can tell this means a lot to him. After the Big Match Intros, Cena takes him down with a headlock takeover but Perez gets in some interference.

Mysterio takes over with a good shot to the head and gets in some taunting to the crowd. Rodriguez’s cheap shot lets Mysterio get two and Three Amigos connect for the same. Cena knocks him outside but the women’s distraction lets Mysterio get in another knockdown. A hurricanrana off the barricade doesn’t work as it almost turns into a powerbomb, with Mysterio holding his shoulder.

The medics come out to check on him but the women use the distraction to hit a Tejana Bomb into Pop Rox. Mysterio pops back up for a 619 and the referee is living, ejecting Rodriguez and Perez. Cena makes the comeback and initiates the finishing sequence but Mysterio escapes the AA. That’s fine with Cena, who pulls him into the STF, with Mysterio having to make the rope.

Mysterio unzips his boot so Cena pulls it off, setting up another 619. The frog splash gets two, as does a quick AA from Cena. A slugout goes to Cena, who accidentally shoulders the referee to the floor. Cue Finn Balor and JD McDonagh to break up the STF but Cena gives them a double AA (because he can do that). Mysterio misses a belt shot and walks into another AA…but Liv Morgan is back. She hits Mysterio in the face and jumps on Cena, only to kick him low. The 619 and frog splash give Mysterio the title back at 16:48.

Rating: B-. Yeah this was fun, and they made the right call. Cena had to drop the title at some point and, assuming Gunther is winning the tournament, it makes a lot more sense to let Mysterio get this kind of a win. They were flying through this despite having some time, but I can go for some insanity here as it’s hard to fathom Mysterio being able to beat Cena one on one (or even close to it). Mysterio can brag about this for the better part of ever and that’s the right idea in this situation.

Post match Mysterio and Morgan celebrate together. With the two of them gone, Cena gets the big sendoff and thanks the camera.

Raw Women’s Title: Nikki Bella vs. Stephanie Vaquer

Vaquer is defending. Bella jumps her from behind to start fast but Vaquer is right back with a ram into the buckle. They head outside with Bella being sent into the announcers’ table but misses a kneedrop onto the apron. Bella fires off some forearms as commentary tries to hype up Bella’s career from the Divas era.

A facebuster and running faceplant give Bella two before she grabs a spinebuster. Vaquer belly to back suplexes her way out of trouble but Bella slips away from the Devil’s Kiss. Instead it’s a Russian legsweep into quite the rollup for two on Bella. The dragon screw legwhip out of the corner sets up the SVB for two but Bella breaks up the corkscrew moonsault.

The Rack Attack 2.0 gives Bella two as Vaquer gets a foot on the rope. They go back outside and this time the kneedrop on the apron connects for Vaquer. Bella is sent onto the announcers’ table for the Devil’s Kiss, with commentary having to be careful about commentating on the visuals. Back in and the regular Devil’s Kiss keeps Bella in trouble, setting up the corkscrew moonsault to retain at 12:23.

Rating: C+. It might not have been a classic, but at least there were no terrible moments in there. Bella might not be on the level of the modern stars, but she’s better than the mess that took place last time. Vaquer winning is nice to see as well, as she’s still the kind of star who could become a big deal if she’s given the chance, which she’s starting to get.

New Day and Grayson Waller talk about WWE Supercard in a completely natural way.

We look at Dominik Mysterio beating John Cena.

We look at the Last Time Is Now Tournament.

Tonight’s attendance: 46,016.

We recap the men’s WarGames match, which is basically Paul Heyman’s Vision and some hired guns vs. everyone who hates Heyman. It’s certainly star studded and that’s making this feel like a major showdown.

Team Reigns vs. Team Vision

Roman Reigns, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso
Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, Logan Paul, Drew McIntyre, Brock Lesnar

Punk (going over the top of the cage, as a hero should) and Breakker start things off with Breakker powering him around. Back up and Punk gets in a leg lariat, followed by some kicks to the leg. The top rope ax handle doesn’t exactly work for Punk though as Breakker snaps off a suplex. Punk’s middle rope clothesline connects but here is McIntyre for the first advantage.

Punk tries to fight both of them off but walks into a Claymore. A double ram into the cage has Punk down even more and the slow beating continues. Rhodes is in to even things up and dives off the cage to take McIntyre down. The Cody Cutter connects but Rhodes accidentally elbows Punk (bleeding) in the face. Things are smoothed over as Punk plays Hart in a Hart Attack to McIntyre.

That’s not it as Breakker gets caught with a Doomsday Device, with Breakker taking a TERRIFYING landing on the back of his head (you can hear the fear in Barrett’s voice as he wants Breakker checked on immediately). Breakker disappears for a bit as medics make sure he can still move and it’s a Bionic Elbow from Punk to McIntyre.

Paul is in with a chair (first weapon) as Breakker is somehow walking again. Rhodes and Paul go to the top of the cage and slug it out, with Paul getting the better of things. A double suplex drops Rhodes again and it’s Jimmy Uso in to even things up. Jimmy even gets smart by ramming the door onto Breakker’s head and grabbing a table. The Whisper In The Wind connects on Paul and Breakker but McIntyre breaks it up.

The super Frankensteiner drops Rhodes as the fans want someone to use the table. Reed is in for another advantage and it’s time for the Tsunamis. Rhodes is crushed against the cage and Punk is slammed into it as well. Jey Uso is in to tie it up again and thankfully he at least jogs down the aisle rather than doing his full entrance. The 1D connects and let’s run that entrance theme back. Naturally this lets Jey sit on top of the cage for a bit because that’s what you do in WARGAMES. Barrett: “People shouldn’t be having this much fun inside WarGames.”

And here is Lesnar, with Heyman, to complete the team. German suplexes and F5’s abound and Lesnar goes to wait on the steps because here comes Reigns. Lesnar starts the fight and counters a Superman Punch into an F5 through the announcers’ table. Lesnar throws Reigns inside and the bell officially rings. Another F5 gets two on Reigns with Rhodes making the save.

Cross Rhodes hits Lesnar but Paul makes the save this time. Paul loads up the brass knuckles and knocks Rhodes silly but Reigns is there to spear him down. Reigns gets the knuckles and fires off the Superman Punch, followed by a spear to Breakker. Another spear sends Lesnar (holding Jey) through a table in the corner and Breakker spears Jimmy.

McIntyre hits Rhodes low, leaving Breakker to spear Rhodes (Breakker: “YOU WILL NEVER BE AS GREAT AS A STEINER!”). Punk makes the save…and we’ve got a masked man, who kicks Punk down and hits a Stomp. Breakker puts the straps back up and then takes them down again (that will always work), setting up the Super Spear to pin Punk at 39:25.

Rating: B. This felt much more like a war and notice that they did it with far fewer weapons than usual. The masked man is certainly an interesting way to go, but what matters the most is that Breakker got the pin. It feels like we’re in a countdown before Breakker wins his first World Title, which thankfully can happen because he didn’t break his neck. I liked this well enough, and it sets up some stuff going forward. Nice job.

Post match everyone else leaves so Punk, Rhodes and Reigns can look at each other. Reigns goes to leave and says he and Rhodes are never teaming again to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Despite having all the star power in the main event (with the women’s match not being far behind), I kept thinking “this is it?” There wasn’t much to the show with four matches, including two which only felt so important. It’s definitely not a bad show and the main event was good, but it didn’t have that big bang to it that these shows need to have. That being said, I do like that it clocked in at around three hours, so it definitely didn’t overstay its welcome. Not a bad show, but they’ve done a lot better before.

Results
Team Ripley b. Team Lynch – Black Widow to Lynch
Dominik Mysterio b. John Cena – Frog splash
Stephanie Vaquer b. Nikki Bella – Corkscrew moonsault
Team Vision b. Team Reigns – Super Spear to Punk

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

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