Monday Night Raw
Date: January 20, 2025
Location: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Michael Cole

We’re less than a week away from Saturday Night’s Main Event and less than two weeks away from the Royal Rumble. That means both shows are going to need a push, with Jey Uso challenging Gunther already set for this coming Saturday. Odds are we get some more set up for that and the Rumble tonight so let’s get to it.

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

Nia Jax jumped Rhea Ripley on the way into the building. I guess we’re doing this again.

Here is Jey Uso to get things going. After a long intro, Uso declares that he is now in this city but here is Gunther to interrupt. Gunther isn’t impressed, with Uso saying that he’s going to beat him and hang the World Heavyweight Title in his room. Gunther: “You really are a funny little man.”

Uso has talked about how he bets on himself every day and that had Gunther interested. Then he saw Uso coming out here and acting like a complete dork or a company mascot. Right now, Gunther might as well be fighting Jimmy Uso, which doesn’t have Jey happy. How long will Jey bet on himself?

Until Cody Rhodes or Roman Reigns need him? He is nothing more than a useful idiot and he doesn’t even realize it. Gunther promises to expose him on Saturday. Jey agrees that he is a mascot and the people here are his team. They ride with him and they’ll be there Saturday when he wins the title. Gunther is going to respect him because Jey is the one who main evented Wrestlemania. The fight is on and Jey superkicks him out to the floor. There isn’t much in the way of drama for the match, but this is a fine story to tell.

New Day runs into JBL, who they’re sure will understand them. JBL is the guest commentator for their match against Rey Mysterio tonight and pay him off. Kofi Kingston brings up JBL cutting the dead weight of Ron Simmons from the APA and JBL gets it. You have Big E. with all that muscle and charisma and everyone loves him and that leaves people to cheer Kingston….I guess. New Day isn’t impressed.

Bayley says she is officially back on Raw and ready for Nia Jax tonight. And she’s in the Women’s Royal Rumble. Jax comes in and…her mic isn’t on at first but says she’s going to win the Royal Rumble. Violence is teased but nothing comes of it.

Rey Mysterio vs. Kofi Kingston

JBL is on commentary and Xavier Woods is here with Kingston. Hold on though as New Day comes out in street clothes and say cut the music. Kingston is starting to get annoyed with all of this and wants his money back from JBL. Now it’s time for the match, and Kingston is going to wrestle like this. Kingston knocks him into the corner as JBL says he has to be behind Mysterio for the only time ever.

A running shoulder drops Mysterio as JBL says he had a 98.7 degree ever when he lost his retirement match to Mysterio. Mysterio gets sent face first into the apron and Kingston stomps away in the corner as the beating begins. A sunset bomb doesn’t work for Mysterio but he sends Kingston into the steps as we take a break. Back with Kingston working on the arm and taking Mysterio up top. That’s broken up, only for Mysterio to miss a springboard high crossbody.

A basement dropkick gives Mysterio two but Kingston’s top rope splash to the back gets the same. Mysterio fights back but gets tripped by Woods, who is knocked off the apron. The 619 connects but a slingshot splash hits Kingston’s raised knees. Kingston tries what looks to be the SOS, only for Mysterio to reverse into a cradle for the pin at 10:30.

Rating: B-. Maybe not a great match here, but I kind of like Kingston losing. The key to the New Day deal is that they are completely in denial about what happened with Big E. and no one (save for Wade Barrett so far) is on their side. All they have to do is talk about that again and maybe find someone who agrees with them and they’ll be fine. It’s a weird way to go, but it works.

Post match the beatdown is on but the LWO runs in for the save. New Day bails but comes back in to take out Joaquin Wilde.

We look back at Penta’s debut.

American Made isn’t happy with what happened last week and promise to win a bunch of titles. Chad Gable has someone to help him master lucha libre: Dominik Mysterio.

We look at Wade Barrett winning the first season of NXT nearly fifteen years ago in this arena.

Here is Sami Zayn for a chat. He’s in the Royal Rumble and that’s because it’s time for him to move into the top level of WWE. Zayn has done a lot of great things and he has had a great life and career. The difference between himself and the top stars is a World Title. He doesn’t need one to validate his career but 14 year old him wants a World Title and he is going to take it.

Cue Kevin Owens (uh oh) and Zayn looks like he’s seeing a ghost. Zayn says he knew it was a matter of time before Owens showed up, so how does he want to do this. Owens isn’t sure what he means and talks about Zayn teaming with Roman Reigns. Owens didn’t get it at first, but it makes sense because Zayn is a good guy.

They are closer than brothers and the one thing they haven’t done is main event Wrestlemania against each other. That can happen because Zayn can win the Royal Rumble and Owens can beat Cody Rhodes. Owens has Zayn’s back and he knows Zayn will have him if he needs it. That’s enough for Owens to leave and Zayn looks confused. It’s been done to death, but you know things are getting serious when these two get together.

Sheamus is ready to win the Intercontinental Title because it is the one title he has never won and it drew him to WWE in the first place. Bron Breakker comes in to hold up the title and says this is as close as Sheamus is getting to it. On Saturday, he’s going to beat him like an old man. Sheamus shoves him away and Breakker laughs.

In Memory Of Bob Uecker.

Bayley vs. Nia Jax

Roxanne Perez from NXT is in the front row. Bayley hammers away in the corner to start and grabs a DDT for an early two. Jax isn’t having that and headbutts her in the chest for two of her own to take over. Another knockdown sets up a release Rock Bottom out of the corner to plant Bayley again. Bayley breaks up the Annihilator though and knocks Jax outside, setting up an argument with Perez.

That’s enough for Perez to be dragged out by security and we take a break. Back with Bayley dropping an elbow for two and they fight to the apron, with Bayley hitting a sunset bomb into the post. Bayley’s Annihilator and a middle rope elbow get two each but Jax sends her into the corner for a running shoulder.

Bayley gets sent shoulder first into the post but the Annihilator is broken up again. They go up top and another sunset bomb gives Bayley two, setting up the best looking top rope elbow she’s had in a bit for the same. The pop up Samoan drop and a backsplash crush Bayley and the Annihilator finishes her off at 15:19.

Rating: B. They work enough together and that helps the fact that I’ve seen this match far too often. It’s a weird way to go to have Bayley move over to Raw and then lose in her first match, though Jax is getting ready for another showdown with Rhea Ripley. Kind of a strange way to go but the match was good.

Post match Rhea Ripley, still banged up, comes out for the brawl with Jax, with Jax getting in a splash. Security can’t break it up and the fight heads outside with Ripley knocking her through the barricade. Ripley gets the mic and issues the challenge for Saturday Night’s Main Event.

We look back at Damian Priest beating Finn Balor last week.

Chad Gable is in the back with the Judgment Day and talks about learning the secret arts of lucha libre from Dominik Mysterio. He gets the members’ names wrong and leaves, with the rest of the team (minus Balor) being sure Balor will like it. Liv Morgan and Mysterio seem to be ok, with Morgan having an idea.

We look at Lyra Valkyria winning the inaugural Women’s Intercontinental Title last week.

We get the annual Martin Luther King Jr. video.

We look at the Notre Dame football coach talking about being a big wrestling fan.

Sami Zayn comes up to Seth Rollins and says he appreciates their talk last week. Rollins is glad to hear it but they’ll both throw the other out of the Royal Rumble. Karrion Kross is shown smiling in the back.

Penta vs. Pete Dunne

We hear about their history in Rev Pro as they strike it out to start. Penta gets the better of things but Dunne goes after his fingers, which doesn’t go well as Dunne works on the fingers. Back up and Dunne tries a moonsault out of the corner but gets superkicked out of the air for his efforts. Penta gets knocked onto the apron though and we take a break.

Back with Penta hitting a reverse Sling Blade int a slingshot dropkick in the corner. A Death Valley Driver plants Dunne for two and a Canadian Destroyer sends him crashing out to the floor. One heck of a running flip dive to the floor hits Dunne but he’s fine enough to work on the fingers back inside. Penta backbreakers his way to freedom and it’s the Sacrifice to leave Dunne in more trouble. The Penta Driver finishes at 10:01.

Rating: B-. Penta has another good match and looks successful with the win. That’s all this should have been, if not a bit shorter, as Penta has hit the ground running on Raw. I could go for seeing something more from him, and WWE certainly seems to know there is something to him. Another solid match here, with Penta likely in for another one next week.

Logan Paul thinks it must suck to hate him because he’s just so good at everything. Why should WWE be any different? He makes his Raw debut next week.

Here is CM Punk for a chat in the crowd. After hitting his catchphrase, Punk is asked about the various ways to get to the main event of Wrestlemania. We hear about the stacked Royal Rumble field, so why is this one different? Punk says it’s because of history, like the history he made when he won the first main event of Raw on Netflix. He’ll make that same kind of history in two weeks, which is when the lights and pressure are on the most.

That is when he is at his best and he can’t see John Cena throwing him out. Roman Reigns needed his help at WarGames and he isn’t worried about anyone, from Sami Zayn to Drew McIntyre to Hulk Hogan (Jackie Redmond’s jaw dropped at that one). At the Royal Rumble, he’s settling debts and calling in a favor if he needs to. This felt like Punk was told “you’ve got two and a half minutes, talk about the Royal Rumble” and it worked fine. The Hogan line alone was gold, if nothing else for Jackie’s reaction.

Pure Fusion Collective vs. Damage CTRL

Baszler and Kai start things off before it’s quickly off to Stark for a great looking springboard missile dropkick. The villains take turns beating on her until Baszler grabs a choke. That’s broken up in short order and it’s Sky coming in to pick up the pace. The top rope dropkick hits Stark and the Bullet Train Attack gets two. Sonya Deville’s distraction slows things down though and Stark plants Sky. Baszler hits a running knee for two with Kai making the save. Sky knocks Baszler down again and hits Over The Moonsault for the win at 6:34.

Rating: C. Not much to this one, partially due to not having a ton of time. It doesn’t help that it feels like these teams have been feuding for a good while without getting very far. They might have something with the whole attack on Kairi Sane, but that might take some time to come up again.

Saturday Night’s Main Event rundown.

Video on Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre.

Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre

They shove each other to start before running the ropes. Rollins jumps over him but gets dropped with a shoulder to slow things back down. A Sling Blade puts McIntyre own on the floor though and Rollins is right there with the suicide dives. The third is countered into an overhead belly to belly suplex onto the announcers’ table though and we take a break. Back with Rollins in trouble but managing a victory roll for two.

A suplex is broken up and McIntyre is sent into the post a few times. Rollins wraps the arm around said post and hits a top rope knee to the head for two. A Swanton gets two more and Rollins takes him up for the superplex. McIntyre reverses into a Falcon Arrow for two but the Claymore misses. The Stomp is countered into a spinebuster for two but Rollins is back with a Falcon Arrow of his own.

The Pedigree doesn’t work for Rollins as McIntyre powers out and hits a hard clothesline. McIntyre goes up but dives into a crossface on the bad arm. The rope is grabbed for the save so Rollins yells a lot, only to get caught in a Futureshock for two. McIntyre slowly hits a clothesline but tries a second, allowing Rollins to roll him up for the pin at 17:00.

Rating: B. These two work well together and they’re two of the top stars on Raw at the moment. It was nice to see Rollins get a win back after last week and it isn’t like a loss is going to do much damage so close to the Royal Rumble. That match should change just about everything for everyone and this was a good way for two people to close out a show with a strong match.

Post match McIntyre attacks Rollins but here is Sami Zayn for the save. McIntyre headbutts Zayn down and goes after Rollins again, with Zayn’s Helluva Kick accidentally hitting Rollins. McIntyre leaves and Rollins stares at Zayn, who tries to calm things down as we go off the air.

Overall Rating: B. This was just over two and a half hours and that’s a nice enough sweet spot for the show thus far. Going three hours for a regular show doesn’t feel like the best idea so downsizing things a bit has been a nice treat. The Royal Rumble is in about two weeks and then everything is going to boost up into a higher gear. For now though, it’s another good Raw with solid action and enough things being moved forward at the right time.

Results
Rey Mysterio b. Kofi Kingston – Rollup
Nia Jax b. Bayley – Annihilator
Penta b. Pete Dunne – Penta Driver
Damage CTRL b. Pure Fusion Collective – Over The Moonsault to Baszler
Seth Rollins b. Drew McIntyre – Rollup

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: January 13, 2025
Location: SAP Center, San Jose, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We’re done with the big pomp and circumstance show last week and that means it is time to start getting on with the normal stuff. That’s what we’re going to be doing this week, along with getting ready for the Royal Rumble. Some of the names have already been filled in and now we get to do even more. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of last week.

CM Punk arrives in the back and does a hand to his ear before coming to the ring (with Michael Cole making fun of his Chicago Blackhawks). Punk gets into the ring and he thanks everyone who has been fighting the wildfires in southern California. With that out of the way, Punk brings up the Royal Rumble, where he came back last year but tore his triceps in the process. He thought his career was fading away and he couldn’t see (that’s a John Cena you can’t see me taunt) his dreams, but now he sees the Wrestlemania sign.

As for someone you can’t see, John Cena has declared himself for the Royal Rumble and now so has Punk himself. Then he’s going to win and point to the sign on the way to Wrestlemania….and here is Seth Rollins to interrupt (Punk isn’t happy, asking why it can’t be Rhea Ripley). Rollins says if he wasn’t a man of his word, all he would be is Punk. That gets a “but I’m still the winner right?” from Punk, but Rollins really isn’t pleased.

Rollins has lost all kinds of matches over his career but last week was the worst loss of his career. Rollins is ready to throw Punk out of the Royal Rumble and win, which Punk thinks is an easy way out since he couldn’t get a pin. Cue Drew McIntyre and Punk can’t believe this. McIntyre can’t believe someone could actually get worse, but Punk brings up what he did to McIntyre inside the Cell. Actually McIntyre was talking about Rollins, who says McIntyre can get in the ring and take a beating from him instead.

They all argue and Punk is ready to fight, with Rollins taking his jacket off. McIntyre comes towards the ring but then says no because he has no reason to do that. The bigger problem is Roman Reigns is playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers, so he’s going to have to step up again and get the title before Reigns. Now that Reigns already has the “falafel”, it’s a matter of time before he wants the title again. McIntyre is in the Rumble too so he can keep Reigns from getting it. These three work so well together and having them all tie into a few stories makes things that much more interesting.

Chad Gable vs. ???

This is Gable vs. the best luchador that Adam Pearce can find and of course it’s Penta, which to be fair they didn’t exactly try to hide. Cole: “It was the worst kept secret in the business!” The fans are rather happy to see Penta who poses a lot before taking Gable down. Gable wrestles up and it’s a standoff as the fans are way behind Penta. A dive is loaded up but Gable cuts him off with a high angle suplex for two.

Gable hammers away in the corner but gets caught with a Cheeky Nandos Kick. The German suplex drops Penta on the apron and Gable starts in on the leg, which is wrapped around the post. Gable misses a swan dive though and gets sent to the floor, with Penta hitting a big running flip dive to the floor. Back in and a high crossbody gets two on Gable, who goes back to the leg to slow him down. The ankle lock goes on but Penta pulls him into the arm snap (the Sacrifice) and the Penta Driver (pumphandle driver) for the pin at 13:26.

Rating: B. Yeah this was a heck of a debut, with Penta feeling far more like a solo star than he ever felt in AEW. The fans were ready for him and he was presented as a major deal, which certainly made for a big impact. Penta worked hard here and Gable an work well with anyone, making this a very nice start to Penta’s new run in WWE.

Post match Penta thanks the fans in English and Spanish, saying this was a dream come true to be in his new home. This is the new Netflix Era, but it is the Penta Era as well. The fans are WAY into this as he does the catchphrase.

Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez come in to see most of Judgment Day and they aren’t happy with Finn Balor. They talk about revenge and here is Dominik Mysterio with flowers for Morgan. She’s not mad at all, but he can go grab their bags from the car anyway. She throws the flowers to Carlito and says put them somewhere nice. Dominik: “I don’t think she’s mad at all.” Balor: “Man, you’ve got a lot to learn.” McDonagh is off to get a rematch for the Tag Team Titles. Mysterio as the confused goof is still great.

Sheamus vs. Ludwig Kaiser

They strike it out to start and go to the floor to trade chops. Back in and the ten forearms to the chest are broken up so Kaiser can kick him into the barricade. We take a break and come back with Sheamus fighting up to hit the ten forearms. Kaiser goes to get the shillelagh but Sheamus knees him in the face for two instead. Back up and Kaiser manages a knockdown of his own before loading up a Brogue Kick. That doesn’t work either and Sheamus hits his own for the pin at 9:26.

Rating: B-. This is where Sheamus tends to shine, as they just had two people beat each other up for the better part of ten minutes. That’s all it needed to be, with Sheamus likely moving back into the Intercontinental Title scene. It’s a perfect spot for him, as he can easily be put into that spot with a win or two, which is exactly what he did here.

Post match Sheamus gets in a staredown with Bron Breakker (in the crowd) and shoving ensues.

Seth Rollins is ready to face Drew McIntyre next week. As Rollins goes to leave, he runs into Sami Zayn, who says he is here to talk if Rollins needs someone. Rollins thinks Zayn must have had a great week last week when Roman Reigns won Tribal Combat, which doesn’t sit well with Zayn.

Karrion Kross rants to Miz about the Wyatt Sicks being moved to Smackdown. Sami Zayn comes in to talk to Adam Pearce but Kross stops him, saying he found Zayn’s talk with Seth Rollins interesting. Miz says that if we’re talking about World Champions, we don’t need to worry about Zayn. That doesn’t work with Zayn, who is going to get a match with Miz tonight. Kross seems to approve, and laughs at Miz saying “we” have to deal with Zayn.

Here is Gunther for a chat. Gunther was impressed with the presentation last week but there were a lot of people arguing over things like being the Best In The World and being the Tribal Chief. The title is the only thing that matters and here is Jey Uso to interrupt. Jey is willing to come after that title and he’ll do it at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Gunther isn’t impressed and even though Jey is funny, he isn’t on Gunther’s level. The title match is on though. Gunther goes to leave but Jey cuts him off, saying that everything Gunther said is true. It’s true that Jey isn’t supposed to be here but he has bet on himself and is still trying to earn that respect. That’s what he’ll do at Saturday Night’s Main Event. That doesn’t feel like a major match, but I’m not sure it’s supposed to do anything more than get Gunther into a title match here rather than at the Royal Rumble.

Video on Lyra Valkyria vs. Dakota Kai.

Women’s Intercontinental Title: Dakota Kai vs. Lyra Valkyria

For the inaugural title and we get some Big Match Intros. Feeling out process to start as commentary compares this to various important men’s Intercontinental Champions. Valkyria sends her outside but a dive is cut off. Instead it’s a nasty suplex to send Kai outside and we take a break.

Back with Valkyria cranking on the arms and kicking her away for two. Kai’s scorpion kick is countered into a powerbomb which is countered into a hurricanrana. The Kairorpactor gets two on Valkyria but she’s back with a running sitout powerbomb for two. Back up and the GTK connects on Valkyria, who rolls outside for the save. Kai misses the running kick in the corner though and gets caught in something like a running Randy Orton backbreaker. The Nightwing makes Valkyria the first champion at 8:27.

Rating: B-. I could have sen this one going either way so having Valkyria win is certainly not a crazy pick. She’s been looking for that big win since she got to the main roster and this more than counts. Kai was already a lot further than anyone would have reasonably expected her to get in the tournament so this is hardly some terrible loss. Good match here, but the moment of the title win is the important part.

Post match Adam Pearce presents Valkyria with the title and we get a hug of respect.

Miz vs. Sami Zayn

Miz takes him into the corner and hammers away before mocking Zayn’s theme music. A quick ax handle gets Zayn out of trouble but Miz elbows him down. More mockery ensues but Zayn hammers away to cut if off. Zayn suplexes him down for two and grabs a quickly broken full nelson. Back up and the Helluva Kick into the Blue Thunder Bomb finishes Miz at 4:08.

Rating: C+. I like the short run time here, as sometimes there is just no reason for a match to go that long. Zayn is the bigger deal right now and he defeated Miz without stretching things out longer than they needed to go. Perfectly nice match here, especially with the rare moment of Zayn winning with the Blue Thunder Bomb.

Also set for Saturday Night’s Main Event: Bron Breakker defends the Intercontinental Title against Sheamus.

Here is Rhea Ripley to brag about being Women’s Champion again. She’s back on top and even though she sounds like a broken record, here she is. Cue Nia Jax to interrupt, saying she’s here as part of the transfer window and can’t take listening to this anymore. She’s going to win the Royal Rumble and take whichever title she wants.

Tiffany Stratton might think she’s at the top, Ripley might think she’s on top, and Bayley, at ringside….why is she here? Bayley reminds Jax that she’s from here so Jax throws in some more mocking, which is enough for Bayley to get in the ring. This might not be Bayley’s show but it is her city and the fight is on. Jax shoves both of them down but a quick double team sends Jax bailing. Hopefully this isn’t a long term thing, as Ripley has already beaten Jax enough times.

Here’s what’s coming next week, including New Day returning to the ring and an appearance by JBL.

Video on Damien Priest vs. Finn Balor.

Damian Priest vs. Finn Balor

Street Fight and Balor jumps him from behind with a kendo stick to start fast. Priest is back up with his own stick shots and a flapjack puts Balor down. The lifting Downward Spiral sends Balor face first onto the announcers’ table and it’s time for a less talkative table. They fight into the crowd where Balor beats on him with a trashcan.

Priest hits him with the same thing and they go into another part of the crowd, where Balor gets in a chair shot. The fight heads up into the fans and a Falcon Arrow sends Balor crashing through a table. We take a break and come back with Priest in the ring and Balor being taken out on a stretcher. That doesn’t work for Priest, who wheels Balor down the aisle and into the ring (nice visual), for a heck of a clothesline.

Carlito and JD McDonagh runs in for the beatdown and Balor gets a near fall. Another table is loaded up but the War Raiders run in for the save, leaving it one on one again. Balor unloads with a bunch of chair shots but Priest gets in South Of Heaven for two. Back up and Balor double stomps him through a table on the floor but Priest gets in a drive through the barricade. Priest razor’s Edges him through a table and another South Of Heaven gives Priest the pin at 17:16.

Rating: B. This felt like a run of the mill street fight but then they cranked it up to another level to make it work that well. That’s all I can ask for out of something like this and it made for a good showdown. It should be the final match between the two of them as Priest got the big win, which hopefully wraps things up. Nice hard hitting brawl here and that’s all you could want out of it.

Overall Rating: B. This worked rather well and part of that was due to the show going just over two and a half hours. It prevented the show from feeling like it was stretched out for the sake of extending the show, and that made things so much better. That’s a nice change of pace and I liked what we got on the show, with a solid Penta debut and a good main event, plus some big additions to the Royal Rumble. Positive show this week as we get closer to the normal.

Results
Penta b. Chad Gable – Penta Driver
Sheamus b. Ludwig Kaiser – Brogue Kick
Lyra Valkyria b. Dakota Kai – Nightwing
Sami Zayn b. The Miz – Blue Thunder Bomb
Damian Priest b. Finn Balor – South Of Heaven

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: December 16, 2024
Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re done with Saturday Night’s Main Event and there wasn’t much of a change on the Raw side. Gunther is still the World Heavyweight Champion and we are officially on the road to the first Raw on Netflix. This week will see a pair of title matches as both the Intercontinental and Tag Team Titles are on the line. Let’s get to it.

Here is Saturday Night’s Main Event if you need a recap.

We open with a quick Saturday Night’s Main Event recap and a preview for tonight.

Here is CM Punk to get things going. Punk: “Careful. Some people might get mad if you chant my name.” A few weeks ago, he told Seth Rollins that he doesn’t think about him while Rollins always thinks about Punk. While Punk is out here talking to his people, he knows that the stupid music is going to play and he’s going to come tiptoeing out here like Liberace (who Punk loves) but wearing Elton John sunglasses doesn’t make him Elton John. Just like growing up wanting to be CM Punk doesn’t make you CM Punk.

If Rollins wants Punk to be the bad guy, that’s fine. There are no such thing as bad students but just bad teachers, because 16 year old Rollins is Punk’s failure. If Punk still wants that lesson he can come and get it, but the last person who did that was Drew McIntyre. Punk has the fans chant his name, which has driven Rollins nuts for years.

Cue Rollins in the crowd, saying he’s taking a good hard look at Punk. Rollins: “Nah, even from out here, you’re still an a******.” Punk: “You still belong out there with all of the other CM Punk fans.” Rollins talks about carrying the company while Punk was gone and this “fan” has more Wrestlemania main events than Punk ever will. The fight is on with referees and security barely being able to break them up. They get into the crowd and brawl some more. Good segment here, which should set up a big match between them down the line.

The Judgment Day gives Finn Balor a pep talk but Balor wants to know where they were at Saturday Night’s Main Event. They praise him instead and things seem cool….but Balor sneers as some of the team leaves.

Seth Rollins yells at Adam Pearce to make the match with CM Punk as soon as possible. That sends Pearce away, with Drew McIntyre popping in to say that Rollins told him to get over it. Well Roman Reigns seems to be on the way back up to the top and they need to stop this. Rollins says he already stopped Reigns and did it with Jey Uso and Sami Zayn by his side. They’re his friends but the jury is still out on McIntyre. For now though, Rollins is off to do what McIntyre never could: beat Punk.

Intercontinental Title: Bron Breakker vs. Ludwig Kaiser

Breakker is defending and drives him into the corner to start for a quick overhead belly to belly. For some reason Kaiser slaps him in the face and the beating continues, with Kaiser being sent outside as we take a break. Back with Breakker hammering away in the corner, with the fans being rather behind him. Kaiser starts to go after the arm to limited avail but a ram into the corner works a bit better.

Breakker sends him outside though and the apron clothesline over the announcers’ table rocks Kaiser again. They get back in and Kaiser goes after the arm again, allowing him to stomp away on the mat. The arm is wrapped around the rope for a running dropkick in the corner and we take another break.

Back again with Kaiser going after the arm again to cut off a comeback bid. The armbar goes on again but Breakker is up with a jumping knee for a breather. The top rope Frankensteiner gives Breakker two but the spear is countered into the Kaiser Roll for two more. Kaiser sends him outside to try Breakker’s running dropkick, only for Breakker to cut him off with a running shoulder. Back in and a gutbuster into the super spear retains the title at 18:15.

Rating: B-. Nice match here, with Kaiser working on the arm to slow Breakker down but Breakker was just too much to overcome. The idea of Breakker just muscling through everyone is a good way to go, but he is starting to put a bit more together to make himself more well rounded. It helps when the fans are getting into him, as that could be the sign of Breakker moving up the card in a hurry, likely on the good side.

Rey Mysterio doesn’t want New Day in the locker room, saying they crossed the line. It would be better for them if they found another place to change, but they don’t want to be in that locker room anyway.

We look at Cody Rhodes retaining over Kevin Owens at Saturday Night’s Main Event but Owens laid him out with a package piledriver after the show. Rhodes has a cervical injury but it’s not clear how long he’ll be out.

The War Raiders talk about how they’re back after their injuries and they’re ready to get the titles.

Adam Pearce announces CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins for the Raw debut on Netflix.

Here are Dominik Mysterio, Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez for a chat. The fans boo a lot but Rodriguez has brought a bullhorn so Morgan can brag about how great she has been as champion. Morgan is ready to lead WWE into the future but here is Rhea Ripley to interrupt. This has gone on lone enough and it’s time to finish it for good. Ripley is officially the #1 contender and she is ready to get the title back. Then Morgan will only have her little “chicken tender sl*t.” That’s a great insult.

Seth Rollins is being asked about his match with CM Punk when Drew McIntyre comes storming up from behind. Before McIntyre can get to him though, Sami Zayn jumps McIntyre and the fight has to be broken up.

Miz tries to get away from the Final Testament but Karrion Kross does not accept that. This whole thing with the Wyatt Sicks isn’t over because it is time to take the first step against them. That’s why Miz is going to fight Dexter Lumis one on one next week. Paul Ellering says Miz has saved him twice so Miz owes the team. Kross reminds Miz that he is a 22 time champion so he can do this. With Miz gone, Kross says Miz is going to have to learn what happens if you make a deal with the devil.

Women’s Intercontinental Title Tournament First Round: Zoey Stark vs. Kayden Carter vs. Raquel Rodriguez

Rodriguez throws them around to start and gets an early two on Carter. Stark breaks it up and sends Carter outside, followed by a DDT to Rodriguez. Back in and Carter sends Rodriguez outside, leaving Stark to hit a basement superkick for two. With the other two outside, Carter hits a quick corkscrew dive through the ropes and we take a break.

Back with Carter tying up Rodriguez’s legs and hitting a fisherman’s neckbreaker on Stark at the same time. That’s broken up and Stark hits a dive out to the floor, only to get powered over the top by Rodriguez. Carter’s springboard basement dropkick gets two on Rodriguez, who is back up with a fall away slam to Stark. The twisting Vader Bomb hits Carter but Stark is back in to break up the Tejana Bomb. A not exactly smooth Z360 finishes Carter to advance Stark at 9:20.

Rating: C+. They were trying here, with Stark being a bit of a surprise winner, but there were a few not so great spots in there. Rodriguez felt like the more logical choice for the winner here but going with Stark shakes things up a bit. Carter doesn’t get to do this on her own very much and she worked fairly well here.

R-Truth is talking to the Alpha Academy and refers to Pete Dunne as Butch again. Cue Dunne to yell at R-Truth but American Made comes in to mock what the Alpha Academy has become. Chad Gable is sick of the entire team and it’s time to finish them off, starting with Akira Tozawa.

We see a weird red symbol with a slash going through it. The circle was round. Like a zero. Like Penta El Zero Miedo perhaps?

New Day has their bags ready to go but the Pure Fusion Collective has crushed Kairi Sane’s arm in an anvil case. Damage CTRL runs in for the save.

Tag Team Titles: War Raiders vs. Judgment Day

Judgment Day is defending. McDonagh kicks away at Ivar to start and gets knocked outside without much effort. Erik comes in to slam Ivar onto McDonagh and we take an early break. Back with McDonagh still in trouble but Ivar gets taken into the corner. That’s broken up in short order and Erik comes in to start cleaning house.

Erik drops McDonagh with a forearm and sends him outside but Balor cuts off a dive. The champs send Erik into the steps and then do it again as we take another break. Back again with Erik still in trouble but he’s able to get over for the tag to Ivar without much trouble. Ivar takes too long to go up though and gets crotched by Balor. McDonagh tries to pull Ivar down but gets caught with a super World’s Strongest Slam for two.

Balor breaks up the War Machine and McDonagh gives Erik the headbutt. There’s the Sling Blade to Erik as well with the moonsault into the Coup de Grace connecting. Ivar makes the save so McDonagh brings in a chair. That’s a distraction so Balor can grab one of his own….but Damian Priest grabs it as well. The War Machine gives us new champions at 16:10.

Rating: B. This was the feel good moment that the show needed and I was wanting to see the Raiders pull it off. Commentary was making a big point out of the idea that the Judgment Day were rather horrible champions who never defended the belts. Ivar getting the win as the hometown star was a good choice and the match worked rather well. Nice job here, with the title change that needed to happen.

Overall Rating: B. This was a show without a ton of matches but the two title matches combined for almost thirty five minutes and the title change felt like a big moment. The other important part was adding the Punk vs. Rollins match to the Netflix premiere, as the show is instantly feeling bigger. The two hour run time worked well here, as the show never felt like it was dragging in the slightest. That’s nice to see for any show and it made for a nice week here, with the title change feeling rather nice. Good show here, with the big one coming in just a few weeks.

Results
Bron Breakker b. Ludwig Kaiser – Super Spear
Zoey Stark b. Kayden Carter and Raquel Rodriguez – Z360 to Carter
War Raiders b. Judgment Day – War Machine to Balor

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: December 2, 2024
Location: Angel Of The Winds Arena, Everett, Washington
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Joe Tessitore

We’re done with Survivor Series and on the way to Saturday Night’s Main Event in less than two weeks. Gunther is still the World Heavyweight Champion and that means he is going to need a new challenger for the title. Other than that, it’s the ten year anniversary of the New Day but things are not going well. Let’s get to it.

Here is Survivor Series if you need a recap.

We open with a Survivor Series recap.

CM Punk is on his way to the ring but stops to shake hands with Jey Uso and Sami Zayn. With that out of the way, here is Punk for a chat. Punk left WWE for a bit after Bad Blood but now he’s back and knows where he wants to go. Maybe he gets there through the Royal Rumble or Elimination Chamber…but here is Seth Rollins to interrupt. They stare each other down until Rollins says he should have knocked Punk out the day Punk came back.

A lot has happened in the year since Punk came back but the last time they saw each other, Rollins had pity on him. Now it’s time to rectify those problems and there is nothing between them but air and hatred. Punk says he is long past running races he didn’t know he was in. Six months ago, Rollins was champ but now he has nothing Punk wants. Rollins thinks about Punk for six months while Punk never thinks about him at all.

That’s enough for Rollins, who shoves him down but here are Zayn and Uso to break it up. Uso and Punk leave, with Rollins asking Zayn why he teamed with Reigns when they aren’t even family. Zayn cuts him off and says he asked Rollins to be on the team, but Rollins is too stubborn. Rollins says Zayn wanted to help Reigns get back to power, but Zayn says Rollins created the monster by hitting Reigns in the back with a chair ten years ago. Rollins: “You did the same d*** thing!”

Reigns hasn’t changed and Zayn is being really stupid. Zayn challenges him for tonight and Rollins is down. This was the latest big dramatic moment and the important part is they did a great job of explaining the motivations. It’s a story that weaves through years and impacts a lot of people and you can see how it is coming together. That’s hard to do and WWE is making it work really well.

After Survivor Series, Damian Priest and Finn Balor got in a fight in the parking lot. More of Judgment Day came in and beat Priest down.

Balor isn’t happy with Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan for not getting their jobs done. He’s taken care of things and they better do it too, including Morgan defending her title against Iyo Sky at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Damage CTRL vs. Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez

Morgan has a bad back and Rodriguez has a banged up elbow. Sky gets sent to the floor to start but Sane is back with a flipping neckbreaker out of the corner. That lets Sky come back in for a German suplex to Morgan and a headscissors to Rodriguez. A missile dropkick sets up the Insane Elbow for two and there’s a dive to Morgan. Rodriguez kicks Sane in the face and the Tejana Bomb finishes at 3:59.

Rating: C+. They kept this fast and to the point and that is a good thing, as it made for a more exciting match. Damage CTRL can do that kind of match very well and Rodriguez was good for the power game. It was a fun sprint of a match with Rodriguez getting to show that she can still run through people if given the chance.

Post match Rodriguez goes after Damage CTRL again but Rhea Ripley (no mask) comes in for the brawl. Morgan gets up again though and Ripley is sent eye first into the announcers’ table.

Finn Balor and Dominik Mysterio interrupt Gunther, with Balor saying Gunther owes him a title shot because that’s two times he’s helped him beat Damian Priest. Gunther isn’t convinced, but he’d be glad to beat up Dominik tonight.

Women’s Intercontinental Title Tournament First Round: Dakota Kai vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Katana Chance

Kai kicks Baszler out to the floor to start and follows her out, only to be taken out by Carter. We take a break and come back with Kai kicking Baszler down for two. Chance is back up with a hurricanrana to pull Kai off the top and onto Baszler for two each. A DDT sends Chance outside but Baszler knees Kai for her own near fall. Baszler knees Chance to the floor, only for her to come back in with a 450. Kai grabs a fireman’s carry kick to the head to pin Baszler at 7:40.

Rating: C+. Another fast paced match here with everyone moving around and something of a surprise winner in Kai. Baszler winning would have made sense but it was nice to see Kai getting a chance for a change. Chance was flying around as well and did well, but Kai going forward is good stuff.

We get a long video on the New Day’s history, though things aren’t going great these days.

Here is Adam Pearce to host the New Day’s ten year anniversary, complete with some New Day memorabilia, including the giant Booty-O’s box from Wrestlemania XXXII. Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods come to the ring and we get a NEW DAY ROCKS chant. Woods talks about how this is more than they could ever dream of and thanks the fans. Kingston says he never believed this would happen and it couldn’t have happened without the fans.

Woods says that they’re about to tell you isn’t the fans’ fault. Kingston teases the break up but here is Big E. to interrupt. You can see how emotional it is for him to be back but he wishes he was here under different circumstances. Seeing Kingston and Woods arguing has troubled him deep. Ten years ago, Kingston was considering retirement and Woods was frustrated. Then the two of them were there when he was in a neck brace making sure it was ok.

Big E. was the first person to be there when Woods won King of the Ring and left tears on his shoulder. That’s why Big E. is going to be here every week to remind them who they are by serving as their manager. Woods: “Now? Now you want to come back?” Where was Big E. when they were fighting for months. Woods: “E, you left us.” Big E.: “I broke my neck!” Kingston: “YOU LEFT US! You broke your neck. So what?”

Steve Austin, Kurt Angle and Edge broke their necks and came back without even having family to come back to. As big and strong as Big E. is, he could have been back here sooner. Big E. pleads his case about everything he’s been doing with the doctors but Woods says he was back in nine months after tearing his Achilles. If Big E. cared, he would have been back a long time ago, but Big E. chose his new life and girlfriend over him. Woods calls Big E. a burden because everyone says they miss him so much.

Kingston says it’s always been “we before me” but Big E. is all about himself. He’s never going to be medically cleared so get back to your desk where you belong. They’ll call if they need him. Big E. isn’t throwing this away and says they can fix this but the two of them won’t do it. Big E. slowly leaves and Kingston says it’s just them.

Well that was heartbreaking, as I didn’t think they would ever actually do it. I’m not sure how long this is going to last, but if they ever do a reunion, it could be one heck of a reaction. For now though, I just kind of want to be sad. I know a lot of people are sick of New Day or never liked them in the first place and I get that, but dang that’s a long time to be together and then split up.

Karrion Kross talks about how the Wyatt Sicks went too far last week when they went Nikki Cross after Scarlett. They started this fire and he’s going to end it.

Dominik Mysterio vs. Gunther

Non-title. Gunther puts him onto the apron for a pat on the head and a big boot to the floor. Dominik switches places though and hits a dive as we take a break. Back with Gunther holding a Boston crab, with Dominik going straight to the ropes. Gunther’s sleeper is broken up with a low blow and a 619 into the frog splash gets two. The fans are behind Dominik but it’s cut off with a bit boot into the powerbomb for the pin at 6:29. Not enough shown to rate but Gunther shrugging off Dominik’s offense and pinning him made sense.

Post match Finn Balor runs in to jump Gunther for three Coup de Grace’s.

Pete Dunne is ready to hurt R-Truth over calling him Butch, but we run over to see Jey Uso having been attacked.

Pete Dunne vs. R-Truth

Dunne knocks him down to start and goes after the arm before slowly kicking away. The fans chant BUTCH, with the distraction letting R-Truth grab a rollup for the pin at 1:53. Barrett thinks R-Truth is a master manipulator and…maybe?

Ludwig Kaiser interrupts Bron Breakker, saying he’s coming for the Intercontinental Title. Breakker likes a challenge and after a heck of a match on Saturday, he’ll talk to Adam Pearce. Just get out of Gunther’s shadow sooner, because Gunther’s stock is going down. That makes Kaiser think.

Adam Pearce won’t say who attacked Jey Uso but Sami Zayn seems to think it was Seth Rollins (without saying his name).

Finn Balor wants to know when he’s getting a World Title match so Adam Pearce makes it for Saturday Night’s Main Event. First though, Balor has another title match next week, opponent to be named.

Seth Rollins vs. Sami Zayn

Zayn sends him to the floor to start and does his bounce back into the middle as we take an early break. Back with Zayn hitting a Blue Thunder Bomb for two but the Helluva Kick is cut off with a superkick. Zayn is knocked to the floor, where he says he knows it was Rollins. That earns him a ram into the steps but Zayn is back with a kick to the face. Zayn grabs a chair and says Rollins did it but Rollins says it wasn’t him. Rollins suggests that it was Punk, which makes Zayn throw down the chair and get rolled up for the pin at 9:20.

Rating: B-. They didn’t have much time here but it was more about the story than anything else. As usual, Zayn tries to be the peacemaker in the whole thing and gets distracted, causing him to lose. That’s about all you can expect from Zayn these days, but it would be nice to see him turn it on and make a serious run for a change.

Rollins leaves but Drew McIntyre is back to kick Zayn in the face. In theory, there’s your attacker.

Overall Rating: B. The wrestling was pretty mediocre this week but the storytelling was more than enough to make up for it. Between some matches being set up for Saturday Night’s Main Event and the pretty gut wrenching New Day segment, I want to see where these things are going and it could make for some good stuff going forward. You can see where a lot of these stories are going and that’s a great thing to see as we’re gearing up for the big season.

Results
Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez b. Damage CTRL – Tejana Bomb to Sane
Dakota Kai b. Shayna Baszler and Katana Chance – Fireman’s carry kick to Baszler
Gunther b. Dominik Mysterio – Powerbomb
R-Truth b. Pete Dunne – Rollup
Seth Rollins b. Sami Zayn – Small package

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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Survivor Series 2024
Date: November 30, 2024
Location: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Commentators: Corey Graves, Michael Cole

It’s WarGames night and that should be enough to carry the evening. In this case we have the men’s and women’s version, but there are also three title matches to fill out the card. That should be more than enough, as the card is looking rather excellent all things considered. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks a the two WarGames matches, with the other matches not really being important enough to warrant much time.

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.

The cage is lowered.

Women’s WarGames

Naomi, Iyo Sky, Bayley, Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair
Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, Nia Jax, Tiffany Stratton, Candice LeRae

Bayley is a last second replacement for the possibly injured Jade Cargill. Jax and Bayley start things off with Bayley bouncing off of her but being smart enough to avoid a charge. They go between the ring where Bayley loudly calls for an elbow and is then elbowed in the face. Bayley takes her into the other ring and goes up for a super hurricanrana before taking off some weird shoulder pad to whip Jax.

That gets taken away and a running hip attack sends Bayley back into the first ring. Jax runs her over and it’s Naomi, wearing a freaking birthday hat, is in, albeit after grabbing some weapons (including a toilet seat). Naomi steps on her in the back then slides under a clothesline and helps double team Jax down. Jax gets the kendo stick but is knocked into the corner, where the toilet seat is put on her face for the Stinkface.

Jax gets double backdropped and it’s…well it was going to be Tiffany Stratton but Candice LeRae comes out of the cage instead. Some chair shots put Bayley and Naomi down and the slow beating begins. LeRae lays Bayley over some open chairs for a Lionsault and it’s Belair coming in (after getting a trashcan, a fire extinguisher, a table and a chair) to even things up. Belair drops LeRae onto the turnbuckle and puts Jax into the corner.

A dropkick sends a chair into Jax’s face in the corner (she was nice enough to hold it) and Tiffany Stratton is in to give the villains the advantage again. A handspring elbow connects and a middle rope G9 hits Belair. Naomi takes a chair from Jax and knocks her down with some not so great chair shots. Sky is in next and grabs a painted trashcan, which she uses a string to tie around her back. That’s broken up though with LeRae cutting her off, leaving the trashcan on top of the cage.

Sky and Stratton take turns flipping around until Sky chairs her down. Jax is back up to run Sky over and it’s Raquel Rodriguez coming in to a limited reaction. After taking her required time to bring in weapons, Bayley and Belair jump Rodriguez. Jax breaks that up and the villains wreck everyone until Ripley (in red for once, plus a horned mask) is in to complete her team. Naomi is back up with a double Rear View and almost everyone lays around a lot.

Rodriguez and Jax get beaten up in the corner and Ripley headbutts Jax down, leaving her as the only person standing. Morgan is in to complete the field and brings in a baseball bat, with Ripley taking the mask off, revealing black eye paint. Morgan’s big swing misses and the beatdown is on but Jax makes the save. Ripley is held for a bunch of bat shots to the ribs and the handcuffs are brought out, with Ripley managing to fight them off.

Sky and Bayley make the save and it’s a parade of shots to the face to put people down. Bayley gets caught with a Samoan drop as Sky and Stratton climb to the top of the cage. They both do flip dives (Sky with the trashcan) and everyone is down. Stratton pulls out the briefcase and teases a cash in but Sky makes the save with a fire extinguisher. Rodriguez is handcuffed in the corner and Belair drops LeRae face first onto the turnbuckle.

A legdrop gets two on Belair but Jax gets powerbombed through a table. Morgan grabs a baseball bat for some shots but Belair takes it away. A quick Oblivion onto a chair hits Bayley but Rodriguez saves Morgan from Riptide. Morgan’s Codebreaker sends a chair into Ripley’s face before they go up top. Ripley powers her up into a super Riptide through the table and Morgan is done at 38:03.

Rating: C-. They had some moments which worked, but my goodness this did not work very well. It was a mixture of a lot of blown spots, people standing around waiting for their spots, too many weapons, and just too much time overall. This is a match that would have been far better as a run of the mill Survivor Series elimination match, if nothing else as it would suit the styles better. Just way too long here and too much standing around waiting or screwing up stuff that didn’t need to be so complicated. This was possibly the weakest WWE WarGames match yet and that’s not nice to see.

We recap LA Knight defending the US Title against Shinsuke Nakamura, who returned and attacked Knight to jump back into the title picture. Mist was blown too and Knight was partially blinded.

US Title: LA Knight vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Knight is defending and Nakamura has a very Samurai style entrance. Nakamura strikes away to start but Knight is back up with the stomping in the corner. A middle rope elbow to the back gives Knight two but Nakamura elbows him in the face. Nakamura’s basement dropkick rocks Knight but he ducks a spinning kick to the face.

The torture rack slam plants Nakamura and Knight puts him up top, where it’s an overhead belly to back superplex to drop Knight on his face. Knight knocks him back down though and hits the jumping top rope elbow…for no cover. Instead Nakamura rolls between the rings and grabs a reverse DDT onto the steel plate. Kinshasa gives Nakamura the title back at 9:52.

Rating: B-. I can go with the result, as either of them coming out with the title would have gone well enough. Nakamura coming back to lose wouldn’t have made a ton of sense, but it’s still a bit surprising that Knight lost the title so soon. For now though, it’s the right way to go and odds are the feud isn’t over yet.

Alpha Academy sell t-shirts, but Otis has forgotten his pants.

We recap the Intercontinental Title triple threat. Sheamus wants the one title he’s never had, Ludwig Kaiser wants to prove himself, and Bron Breakker wants to fight everyone.

Intercontinental Title: Bron Breakker vs. Sheamus vs. Ludwig Kaiser

Breakker is defending. Kaiser is sent outside fast to start and grabs a chair but Breakker knocks him down. Breakker gets in a shot to Sheamus’ knee but Kaiser is back up to put the chair in the corner. Sheamus and Breakker hammer away on Kaiser in the corner but he cuts off both of them with running dropkicks on the floor. Breakker flies in with a shoulder to drop Kaiser though and then runs Sheamus over for a bonus.

Sheamus gets hammered down as well and Breakker does the Scott Steiner pushups back inside. Back up and Sheamus knocks him down but Kaiser is right there to take Sheamus to the floor. A powerbomb is broken up and Breakker hits a huge clothesline from the apron onto the announcers’ table to take both of them out. Breakker sends Sheamus over the barricade, where he rises up for some forearms to their chests.

The double clothesline off the barricade has Sheamus in control but Kaiser grabs the shillelagh. Sheamus drops him with ease and goes inside to slug it out with Breakker. The Celtic Cross gives Sheamus two but Breakker is back with the Frankensteiner. Sheamus avoids a charge into the chair in the corner though and the Brogue Kick connects, only for Kaiser to pull the referee out.

Kaiser unloads on him with the shillelagh but Sheamus is back with the knee to the face for two. Kaiser hits a Regal Roll on Sheamus and hits him in the bad ribs, setting up the wind up DDT. Breakker spears the heck out of Kaiser and does it again to Sheamus for the pin at 14:22.

Rating: B+. This was what I wanted out of a match like this, with Breakker looking like an absolute freak of nature. I could have seen any of them leaving with the title here and that is a great feeling to have on the way in. Sheamus almost has to win the title one day just to pay off the buildup, but for now it’s Breakker’s time and that’s what it should be. Heck of a match here.

We recap Gunther defending the Raw World Title against Damian Priest. This is more about the wrestler vs. the brawler, with Priest getting inside of Gunther’s had by messing with his confidence.

Raw World Title: Damian Priest vs. Gunther

Gunther is defending. They go technical to start with Priest grabbing an armbar and knocking him outside. Back in and Priest fires off some kicks, followed by a faceplant but Priest’s shoulder gives out on him so Gunther can have an opening. Gunther starts in on on the arm and takes it outside for some rams into various things. Back in and Gunther slowly starts kicking away at the arm, seemingly being happy that he is getting to take the fans out of this.

The double arm crank has Priest screaming but he fights up and scores with a kick to he head. Back up and Priest hits the running elbow in the corner into the lifting Downward Spiral for two with just the one arm. The arm gives out on the Razor’s Edge attempt though and Gunther grabs a sleeper. That’s broken up so Priest hits a super hurricanrana into the Razor’s Edge for two.

South Of Heaven is loaded up but the arm gives out, allowing Gunther to grab a Kimura. Priest gets over to the rope for the save but Gunther knows Priest is in trouble. Gunther takes his time going after him, allowing Priest to come back with a clothesline for a delayed two. Priest goes up top but has to shove Gunther down, only to crash out to the floor. Cue Finn Balor with a Coup de Grace off the steps to crush Priest, allowing Gunther to grab the sleeper for the win at 19:13.

Rating: B-. It was good enough but the ending being almost the same as the one from Summerslam didn’t help things. You can only get so much out of doing something so similar, but this does at least get Gunther past Priest and on to whomever is next. That’s a good thing to accomplish, as Priest can have his big blowoff with Balor once and for all.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

We get NFL style intros for the participants in the main event.

We recap the men’s WarGames match. The new Bloodline is running roughshod over Smackdown so Roman Reigns, the Usos and Sami Zayn have risen up to fight them. The Bloodline got Bronson Reed to help them, so Reigns called Paul Heyman to get CM Punk’s help. The idea is that if the Bloodline isn’t stopped here, they can’t be stopped.

Men’s WarGames

Bloodline/Bronson Reed
Roman Reigns, Usos, CM Punk, Sami Zayn,

Jey and Tama start things off and they take their time going after each other. Jey starts swinging away but misses an enziguri, allowing Tama to hit a sliding lariat into a powerslam. The slingshot hilo connects and Tama hits a splash before going for a cover out of instinct. Another basement lariat misses and Jey hits the running Umaga Attack in the corner. Bronson Reed is in next and he grabs a bunch of chairs, with Jey throwing them at Reed.

Some of them stagger Reed but he knocks another out of the air. Tama is back up and Jey gets dropped, with Reed hitting a big backsplash. Jey gets crushed again but it’s Jimmy Uso coming in to even things up. Jimmy doesn’t even bother with weapons but starts striking away and runs both of them over. Tama is sent into the cage and the Usos hammer away in the corner. Reed is sent into the cage as well and it’s….Jacob Fatu in on Solo Sikoa’s orders.

As he tends to do, Fatu wrecks everything in sight (well everything not on his team at least), including running Jimmy over. Jey is held up and taken down with a flipping slam and it’s all Bloodline. CM Punk is ready to enter, but Roman Reigns cuts him off and has Sami Zayn go in instead. Zayn hammers on Reed in the corner and stomps on him in between the rings. Fatu pulls a high crossbody out of the air but Jimmy hits a superkick to make the save, setting up the big hug with Zayn.

Fatu’s implant DDT plants Jimmy though and the Bloodline is in control as Tonga Loa comes in. Some tables are thrown in and the Bloodline slowly hammers away as the pace lowers a lot. Fatu hits a springboard moonsault and Jimmy is sent into the cage. Roman Reigns is ready to come in but CM Punk walks in front of him to even the score again. Punk looks back at Reigns, who shakes his head, before Punk grabs a toolbox. A bunch of toolbox shots to the head stagger the Bloodline and Fatu is dropped onto the toolbox…but he pops up and hits the Samoan drop to plant Punk.

Zayn is beaten in the corner and it’s Solo Sikoa in to complete the Bloodline. Sikoa slams the door onto Zayn’s head and then does the same thing to the Usos. A chain is brought in and the Usos are stacked up for Fatu’s double springboard moonsault. The Tsunami crushes Zayn as Sikoa is rather pleased. Punk tries to get up but gets beaten down, leaving Sikoa to use the chain to lock the door (Sikoa: “HEY ROMAN! YOU AIN’T GETTING IN HERE!”).

Reigns comes to the cage but can’t get in through the door so he climbs the wall and punches away to get inside, even diving onto all five at once. All ten get up and Reigns goes to glare at Punk. Cue Paul Heyman to say work together…and sure we’ll do that. We get the ten way slugout between the rings with the Bloodline getting beaten down. The Usos hit stereo Superfly Splashes on the Tongas.

Fatu and Sikoa wreck the Usos and go to slug it out with Reigns and Punk. Reigns ducks the Samoan Spike and spears Punk by mistake, allowing Sikoa to hit the Samoan Spike for two. Reed hits the Death Valley Driver but Fatu messes up the springboard moonsault and hurts his knee. Reigns is back up with a low blow to Fatu and a spear to Sikoa but Reed hits a superkick. Reed puts him on the table and climbs the cage (uh oh) but Punk makes the save, leaving Reed to crash through the table (which exploded).

Fatu breaks up the big handshake but gets Superman Punches. Sikoa hits a pair of Samoan Spikes but Jey makes the save, suddenly remembering that he’s in the match. The Usos superkick Fatu and give him the 1D, followed by Zayn’s Blue Thunder Bomb to Tama. Jimmy goes all the way to the top of the cage and, eventually, hits a Superfly Splash to drive Fatu through the table. Sikoa is left alone, leaving him t turn down the chance of acknowledging Reigns. A parade of finishers into the spear gives Reigns the pin at 41:55.

Rating: B. As usual, this match was far longer than it needed to be, but they didn’t rely on the weapons nearly as much as they did in the opener. At the same time, there was way too much laying around waiting to get something else going. That meant making the match go longer than it needed to and that is the case with almost every WarGames match. The ending felt like a pretty strong closing of the door on Sikoa, but there is a very good chance that the story could keep going. For now though, the good guys needed a win and then got one.

Post match Reigns and Punk show respect and Punk hugs Heyman, saying he’ll ask for the favor one day. Works for Heyman. The winners pose together to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. As usual, this show was built around two matches but in this case only one of them worked. The main event was rather good while the opener was pretty weak. The good thing is the three matches in between boosted up the rest of the card, making a good show that was done in about three and a half hours. The heroes won in the two major matches, which is a nice feeling at a bigger show. Good stuff here, with the main event working as well as it could have given the circumstances.

Results
Naomi, Iyo Sky, Bayley, Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair b. Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, Nia Jax, Tiffany Stratton, Candice LeRae – Super Riptide through a table to Morgan
Shinsuke Nakamura b. LA Knight – Kinshasa
Bron Breakker b. Sheamus and Ludwig Kaiser – Spear to Sheamus
Gunther b. Damian Priest – Sleeper
Roman Reigns/Usos/Sami Zayn/CM Punk b. Bloodline/Bronson Reed – Spear to Sikoa

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It’s time to go north of the border as we’re in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada for the match and as has been the case for a few years now, the show is centered around WarGames. We have a men’s and women’s edition, with the men’s centered around the Bloodline civil war, with CM Punk and Paul Heyman being added in to really spice things up. That should be enough to make the show work so let’s get to it.

Intercontinental Title: Bron Breakker(c) vs. Sheamus vs. Ludwig Kaiser

This is the continuing saga of Sheamus trying to finally win the Intercontinental Title, which has been set up for years now before WWE actually pulls the trigger. That opens up the possibility of WWE going there this time around, though I’m not sure if that is what they’re going to do. Breakker holding onto the title is certainly a possibility, but Kaiser has been ding some very nice work recently as well.

I think I’ll go with Breakker retaining here as you don’t want him losing the title again so soon, but at the same time, I wouldn’t be stunned to see Kaiser steal the belt. Sheamus almost has to win the title at some point, which could make for a heck of a WrestleMania moment if that is where they want to go. For now though, I’ll take Breakker to retain, as it’s the best option at the moment.

United States Title: LA Knight(c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Here we have the other midcard title match, which is a bit less complicated, as Nakamura returned and went after the title, even misting Knight in the eyes. Knight isn’t happy and is ready to fight, as is Nakamura most of the time. Knight is in a weird place as he’s a fighting champion but this feud was just kind of dropped into place out of nowhere with little connection between them. On the other hand, Nakamura has been gone for months so he needs something to do.

I’m not sure what to do here but I’ll go with Knight retaining the title, possibly via DQ, as I don’t think this is it for the two of them. Knight shouldn’t be losing the title so soon but Nakamura shouldn’t be losing his first big match back. We’ll say Nakamura mists Knight again for the DQ to set up a rematch where Knight can go over clean, but for now they do something to extend the story.

Raw World Title: Gunther(c) vs. Damian Priest

This is a rematch from Summerslam where Gunther beat Priest for the title, albeit with help from Finn Balor. This time around it should be a bit more of a straight up match, though in this case Priest is getting inside Gunther’s head. Gunther seems to be questioning whether he can actually beat Priest, who has shown that he is capable of winning a fight rather than a match.

That being said, I can’t imagine the title changes here, as Gunther seems poised for some major matches going forward. We’ve already seen Priest having a major run with the belt so he can lose here to give Gunther the clean (well likely cleaner) win that he didn’t get at Summerslam. I’m not sure what is next for Priest at the moment, but he doesn’t need to get the title back. Yet.

Women’s WarGames

Now we get to the focal point of the show, as a pair of ragtag groups come together in the biggest team match that WWE has all year. Bayley is a last minute replacement for the (possibly) injured Jade Cargill and that has the radar going up. Someone attacked Cargill and there is a good chance that the attacker will be revealed during the match. That very well may cost the team, and odds are that’s where this goes.

I’ll take Team Jax to win here, likely through some kind of betrayal when the attacker reveals themselves. Bianca Belair herself would be a likely way to go (likely, not necessarily logical), with Naomi possibly taking the fall. Either way, this is going to be about what happened to Cargill and odds are we find out a big piece of that puzzle this week, especially with the last minute change having to take place.

Men’s WarGames

This is the big one though, as CM Punk and Paul Heyman are back to help cut off the Bloodline once and for all. I’m not sure how that is going to go, but at the end of the day it is going to be the latest chapter in the big drama. Heyman very well could turn on Reigns or they could fight off the Bloodline again. Either way, we could be in for something rather big, which is the point of the whole thing.

I think I’ll go with Reigns and company winning here, just because the team has been beaten down so many times lately. At some point they have to win something back and beating the Bloodline in WarGames would be a good place to start. I’m not sure where it goes from here, but for now, the Bloodline takes a loss, likely with one of the Tongas getting pinned to help preserve Sikoa’s status.

Overall Thoughts

This show is absolutely stacked, with three title matches and a pair of WarGames matches. That’s a pretty good lineup for one night and I want to see how it goes. We’re getting into the interesting time in WWE’s calendar as we have this, then two weeks before Saturday Night’s Main Event and then it is time to get ready for the Royal Rumble. This show is both part of the end and part of the beginning and the pieces are there for a rather awesome show if everything goes as planned.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: November 25, 2024
Location: Desert Diamond Arena, Glendale, Arizona
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Joe Tessitore

We are less than a week away from Survivor Series and as of now, we have three matches officially set for the show. That means we are probably going to need some new matches announced, but World Heavyweight Champion Gunther defending against Damian Priest will likely get some attention of its own. Let’s get to it.

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

We get a quick preview of the night.

Here is Gunther for an in-ring chat. After a look back at Damian Priest taking him out backstage last week, Gunther is asked about Priest’s claims that Gunther’s confidence is slipping lately. Before Gunther can reply, cue Priest to interrupt, saying it’s time for Gunther to brag about how he can do anything. Priest says that he is Gunther’s problem and now the problem is taking the title. What happens to the Ring General when he loses to a street guy?

Gunther hits him with the microphone and the fight is on, but they go outside where Priest takes over. The Razor’s Edge sends Gunther through the announcers’ table as Gunther is taken out again. They’re making Priest look like a threat to Gunther and that’s how the buildup needs to go.

Jade Cargill is officially out of WarGames due to her injuries.

Bianca Belair and Naomi aren’t sure who can replace Cargill. Iyo Sky suggests Kairi Sane but the two of them want Bayley. Rhea Ripley comes in to say she doesn’t care, as long as they stay away from Liv Morgan. Belair isn’t impressed with the “leadership” on Team Ripley.

LWO vs. American Made

Tornado tag. Mysterio gets knocked down to start so the Creeds can take over on Lee in the corner. Back up and Mysterio helps take Julius out so a springboard moonsault can get two on Brutus. Lee and Brutus go to the corner, with Julius running the corner to superplex Lee back down. Mysterio’s attempt at a 619 is cut off with a clothesline and we take an early break.

Back with Julius running Mysterio over again and hitting a 450 for two with Lee making the save. Operation Dragon gets two with Brutus making a save of his own. A double superplex is loaded up but Mysterio cuts it off with a 619 to the legs, setting up a double top rope double stomp from Lee. The referee almost gets crushed in the corner but here is Chad Gable to twist Mysterio’s mask around. Julius grabs a rollup for the pin at 10:46.

Rating: C+. They were smart to have the match be all action as it plays to the LWO’s strengths, though this feud hasn’t played to many strengths at all. It’s just kind of been there over the last few weeks and that isn’t making me want to see them stay at it. The ending at least gives the Creeds a win for a change, but it’s only going to get them so far.

We look at the social media impact of CM Punk and Paul Heyman returning on Smackdown.

R-Truth comes in to the Judgment Day’s clubhouse and says they’re not a family anymore. Finn Balor throws him out, but R-Truth says Thanksgiving is off (that was funny). With R-Truth gone, Balor rants about the team’s recent issues but they can turn it around. They don’t have any leaders, but if they listen to him, it will be ok.

Bron Breakker vs. Ludwig Kaiser

Non-title. Breakker powers him into the corner and then runs Kaiser over with the clothesline. The big run around the ring to set up the spear only hitting the announcers’ table though and we take a break. Back with Kaiser working on the banged up ribs with a seated abdominal stretch. Breakker fights out and hits a powerslam into the super Frankensteiner. The spear is cut off with a kick to the face though…and here is Sheamus to jump Kaiser for the DQ at 8:52.

Rating: C+. Yeah that was the most logical way to go here and you can probably pencil in a triple threat for the Intercontinental Title sooner than later. While I would rather have the title match be one on one, there is at least a story here and all three have a reason to want the match. As for this one, Kaiser continues to look good when he is given the chance, as he is better than the average lackey. Breakker on the other hand is an athletic freak, with the explosiveness on that spear looking great.

Post match Breakker and Sheamus have to be held apart.

Post break, all three have to be held apart. The triple threat for the title is confirmed for Survivor Series.

Long recap of Paul Heyman bringing back CM Punk to be the final member of Team Reigns at Survivor Series.

Sami Zayn and the Usos are in the back and they think they can trust Punk, who will sit down with Roman Reigns on Smackdown.

Tag Team Titles: War Raiders vs. Judgment Day

The Raiders are challenging and Erik runs the Judgment Day early without much trouble. The champs get knocked down again and we take an early break. Back with Balor working on Ivar’s neck with a front facelock as Ivar is rather energetic on the apron. McDonagh comes in with a slingshot moonsault and it’s back to Balor for the stomping.

A missed charge allows the tag off to Ivar though and house is quickly cleaned. The spinning kick drops McDonagh but here is the rest o Judgment Day for a distraction. The War Machine connects but Dominik Mysterio puts the foot on the rope. Balor grabs a rollup to retain the titles at 9:52.

Rating: C+. Pretty standard tag match here though it was nice to see the champions actually defending the belts for a change. They almost never do that, which commentary pointed out. At the same time, the Raiders already lose their big shot, but at least they had some nice wins on the way here. They should be fine with that kind of power offense.

We look at New Day’s ten years together.

New Day is ready to get back to where they need to be.

New Day vs. Alpha Academy

New Day can’t even agree on who should start and it’s Woods being knocked into the corner for the Caterpillar. The top rope backsplash gives Tozawa the pin on Woods at 1:46. The team is hitting rock bottom and that’s what needs to happen.

Post match, arguing ensues and Kofi talks about how he’s done everything for Woods. That’s why Woods didn’t get to call the shots: he’s too reckless. Woods takes credit for Kofi becoming World Champion but Kofi says the reason Woods has never won the World Title is he isn’t good enough. They’re about to fight but agree to see each other at the reunion next week. Dang it’s weird to see these guys doing this and dang I’m not sure what’s going to happen at that reunion.

Miz sends the Final Testament off to find the Wyatt Sicks. They all leave, and Nikki Cross pops up to scare Scarlett.

Post break the Final Testament and Miz are back, with Scarlett freaking out. Karrion Kross will deal with it.

Before the show started, General Manager Adam Pearce announced the Women’s Intercontinental Title, with a tournament starting up next week.

Survivor Series rundown, with LA Knight defending the US Title against Shinsuke Nakamura also added.

Nia Jax is ready to squash Bianca Belair.

The Bloodline is impressed by Roman Reigns scoring CM Punk, but that’s the last one they’re getting. On Smackdown, Jacob Fatu will smash Jey Uso to get the WarGames advantage.

Nia Jax vs. Bianca Belair

Non-title WarGames advantage match. Jax starts fast and hits a running splash in the corner to take over. Belair fights up and flips over her though, setting up a dropkick out to the floor. Jax sends her into the barricade though and we take a break. Back with Jax missing a sitdown splash in the corner and missing a charge into the past. A legdrop works a good bit better though and a middle rope version gets two.

The Annihilator is broken up so Jax heads to the top, where Belair gorilla presses her own (geez). A Samoan drop sets up another failed Annihilator attempt (with a turnbuckle pad being exposed somewhere in there) so they head outside. Jax drops her onto the announcers’ table and opts for the countout but cue Bayley to send Jax into the exposed buckle. Belair adds a 450 for the win at 11:08.

Rating: B-. Jax’s dominance was on display here and it made for a solid enough main event. The Bayley part at the end is interesting, as it makes me wonder if she might have had something to do with Cargill being attacked in the first place. The assist also protects Jax from taking a clean fall so this was well put together all around.

Overall Rating: B-. None of the matches were worth going out of your way to see here, but what mattered the most was having Survivor Series get a big push. The women’s WarGames has its advantage, Gunther vs. Priest got a nice boost and two more title matches were set. That’s an efficient two hours and the show is looking better as a result, Solid work here and Survivor Series has some potential.

Results
American Made b. LWO – Rollup to Mysterio
Ludwig Kaiser b. Bron Breakker via DQ when Sheamus interfered
Judgment Day b. War Raiders – Rollup to Ivar
Alpha Academy b. New Day – Top rope backsplash to Woods
Bianca Belair b. Nia Jax – 450

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Monday Night Raw
Date: November 18, 2024
Location: Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re taped from the same venue as last week and the big story continues to be the build towards Survivor Series. The Raw side seems to be heading towards a women’s WarGames match and the lineup should be firmed up a bit more this week. Other than that, the men’s side is likely approaching its final form as well, with only one star left to be added. Let’s get to it.

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

Here are Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez to get things going. Morgan knows Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill are gunning for her, so she has backup in the form of Nia Jax, Candice LeRae and Tiffany Stratton. Jax gets right to the point: she doesn’t think anything of Morgan and Rodriguez, but she thinks about Belair, Cargill and Naomi a lot.

Cue the trio, with Iyo Sky joining them. They need a fifth member…and here is the returning Rhea Ripley (in a protective mask), to shout WARGAMES and deck Morgan. Sky’s moonsault clears out some villains and the villains are dispatched. That got to the point and if Ripley is available, she was the only possible choice for the fifth spot.

We look back at the big Bloodline vs. Roman Reigns and company brawl on Smackdown, with Bronson Reed seemingly joining the Bloodline’s WarGames team.

LWO vs. American Made

That would be Zelina Vega/Rey Mysterio vs. Ivy Nile/Chad Gable with the women brawling out to the floor to start. That leaves Gable to whip Mysterio chest first into the buckle for two but Mysterio headscissors him out to the floor. Vega comes back in to kick Nile down into the corner but Three Amigos are broken up and we take a break.

Back with Vega still in trouble but fighting out of a chinlock. The comeback allows the tag off to Mysterio to pick up the pace on Gable. That’s broken up as well though and Gable plants Mysterio with a DDT. Vega comes in for a pop up hurricanrana to Gable though, leaving Mysterio to hit the 619. The springboard splash finishes for Mysterio at 9:59.

Rating: C+. The LWO actually gets a win for a change and American Made takes a loss, as some things never change. It seems that Gable and company are not exactly doing well at the moment and I’m not sure how much longer they’ll be around. At the same time, it might be a good idea for Gable to get away from teams for a bit, as he’s kind of done the same thing for a long time now.

Post match Gable yells at American Made, who pose with him.

Finn Balor calms Liv Morgan down and sends Carlito and Dominik Mysterio after the War Raiders. JD McDonagh needs to talk to Balor.

Miz brags about fooling the Wyatt Sicks last week, leading to the Final Testament’s beatdown. It could relaunch the Marine franchise!

We recap Damian Priest getting in Gunther’s head and taking out Ludwig Kaiser.

Gunther tells Kaiser to go make a name for himself. Then Gunther goes after Priest with a pipe but Priest lays him out, saying Gunther may be the Ring General, but Priest is king in the streets.

Intercontinental Title: Sheamus vs. Bron Breakker

Breakker is defending. They stare each other down to start and slug it out to the floor, with Breakker taking over. Back in and a quick Irish Curse gets Sheamus out of trouble but Breakker knocks him outside again. The jumping clothesline from the apron onto the announcers’ table connects and we take a break.

Back with Breakker knocking him to the floor and hitting a top rope shoulder to drop him again. Breakker tells him to quit while he has a chance but Sheamus tells him to bring it on and gets in a knockdown of his own. A backdrop sends Sheamus to the apron, where he gets in the ten forearms to the chest.

Breakker knocks him down again and goes up, only to get pulled down with a super White Noise or two more. This time it’s Sheamus going up, with Breakker Frankensteinering him back down. Sheamus’ knee cuts the spear off for two but another spear attempt connects, with Sheamus rolling outside. Breakker tries another one…but here is Ludwig Kaiser to deck him for the DQ at 13:33.

Rating: B. This was right in Sheamus’ wheelhouse as he is at his best when it’s about beating the fire out of each other. Breakker is more than capable of holding his own in that kind of a power match and it worked well here. The Kaiser interference does tie into Sheamus telling him to do his own thing and three way match could be interesting.

Post match Kaiser lays both of them out again.

Sami Zayn and the Usos again try to get Seth Rollins to join WarGames, but it’s a no from Rollins due to the Roman Reigns problem. Tonight, he’s going to take out Bronson Reed.

Video on Dakota Kai, who returned from her latest injury last week.

The women’s WarGames match is official.

Judgment Day vs. War Raiders

Ivar slams Carlito to start and Erik slams Ivar onto him for two. Ivar has to fight out of the wrong corner and hands it back to Erik, who is knocked outside. Mysterio hits a dive to drop Erik and we take an early break. Back with Mysterio hitting the slingshot hilo but Erik fights up and hands it back to Ivar. House is quickly cleaned, including the Bronco Buster to crush Mysterio. Ivar tosses Mysterio at Carlito (that’s effective) and the War Machine finishes Carlito at 9:38.

Rating: C+. That’s a classic way to set up the already established title match and it worked well here. The Raiders get to run through the lower level Judgment Day team and look like a threat to the champs. It wouldn’t surprise me to see the Raiders get the belts back when they get the chance and this was a good way to help set it up.

Post match Finn Balor and JD McDonagh jump the Raiders and leave them laying.

The Wyatt Sicks hack the feed and promise revenge on Miz for not accepting their offer of help out of the pit.

Video on Lyra Valkyria.

Kofi Kingston isn’t sure what is going on with Xavier Woods, who comes up and talks about what Karrion Kross said (that the team is dead and New Day is the only ones who don’t know it). Otis (who had been talking to Kingston) tries to calm him down but Woods snaps at him and a tag match is set for next week.

Seth Rollins vs. Bronson Reed

The bell rings so here is the Bloodline, with Sami Zayn and the Usos popping up to brawl them into the crowd. Reed is knocked to the floor and Rollins hits a dive as we take an early break. Back with Reed knocking him around ringside and getting in a whip over the barricade. They get back inside where Reed knocks him right back to the floor, setting up the flip dive off the apron.

This time Rollins is able to ram him head first into the steps a few times, setting up a springboard knee to the head. Reed grabs a quick powerbomb for two and we take another break. Back again with Rollins powerbombing him out of the corner to leave them both down.

A Lionsault and springboard Swanton get one on Reed so Rollins gets in a low superkick. The frog splash gets two but Reed is back with a brainbuster for two of his own. Rollins is ok enough to roll away from a Tsunami attempt and now a superkick into the Pedigree gets two. The Stomp connects and Rollins goes up but cue Solo Sikoa for a distraction. Reed hits a Death Valley Driver and the Tsunami for the pin at 17:38.

Rating: B. Reed needed this win and continues his rather strong push, even after losing to Rollins at Crown Jewel. Rollins threw a lot at Reed here but couldn’t put him away, which is a simple way to make a monster look strong. At the same time, this could set up Rollins as the last member of WarGames, even if he isn’t thrilled with being on the team. I’m no sure who else it could be, so for now at least it’s going well.

Overall Rating: B. This was the show that got a focus on what is either already locked in for Survivor Series or is all but set. The WarGames matches are all but set and Priest vs. Gunther should be good for a featured match. They’re doing a nice job of making me want to see what they have at Survivor Series and this made for solid stepping stone there. The show could use another match or two and that can be set up in the next few days, but the big stuff is ready.

Results
LWO b. American Made – Springboard splash to Gable
Bron Breakker b. Sheamus via DQ when Ludwig Kaiser interfered
War Raiders b. Judgment Day – War Machine to Carlito
Bronson Reed b. Seth Rollins – Tsunami

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: November 11, 2024
Location: Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re back stateside and there are less than three weeks to go before Survivor Series. After last week’s main event, Damian Priest is the new #1 contender to Gunther’s World Heavyweight Championship. There is a good chance that match is announced sooner than later, maybe even tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Gunther for a chat, with commentary confirming that he will defend against Damian Priest at Survivor Series. After reminding us that he is still the champion, Gunther wants and receives Priest in the ring. Priest wants him to say these things to his face, guessing that it’s not going to be so nice.

Gunther doesn’t think much of this but Priest says he knows he can beat Gunther, because Finn Balor won’t be there to help him again. Priest reminds Gunther of the loss to Cody Rhodes and Gunther is not looking happy. Cue Ludwig Kaiser to remind us that Gunther has beaten Priest before. Priest drops Kaiser but Gunther bails. The match was ready to go and having it at Survivor Series is a fine way to go.

Damage CTRL is ready to fight…and it helps that Dakota Kai is back.

Veterans Day video.

Kofi Kingston apologizes to R-Truth for not having his back last week and kind of blames Xavier Woods. Cue Woods, but R-Truth mentions Pete Dunne by his old name, which brings Dunne in. The result is Dunne vs. Kingston later tonight.

Damage CTRL vs. Pure Fusion Collective

Sane flips over Deville to start but gets caught in a suplex. Sky comes in to trip Deville down and Sane kicks her out to the floor, only to get caught with a cheap shot. We take a break and come back with Kai coming in to take over on Baszler. A half crab on the bad leg slows her down but Sane comes in off the top for the save. Everything breaks down and Kai kicks Baszler, setting up Over The Moonsault for the pin at 9:27.

Rating: C+. This match did a nice job with a few things, ranging from bringing Kai back with a nice showing and also letting Sky get a win on the way to her title shot. That’s a nice way to get through a match with about ten minutes and a break in the middle. If nothing else, having Damage CTRL being more than a tag team is a good idea too, as they work better as a trio.

Long recap of the Original Bloodline reunion on Smackdown, with Sami Zayn being back in the fold.

Sami Zayn and the Usos are back but need a fifth member for WarGames. Zayn might know someone, with Jey being a bit unsure.

Kofi Kingston vs. Pete Dunne

Xavier Woods is here with Kingston. Dunne gets sent into the corner to start but Kofi flips over him and hits a dropkick to the floor. The flipping dive to the floor takes Dunne out and we take a break. Back with Dunne slowly hammering away until a kick to the face cuts him off. A top rope splash to the back hits Dunne but he knocks Kingston out of the air. Woods gets in a cheap shot though and Kingston isn’t happy, with the distraction letting Dunne hit the Bitter End for the pin at 8:55.

Rating: B-. As you might have guessed, two talented wrestlers who had the chance to showcase themselves worked well. Kingston and Dunne are the kind of stars who are able to work well with anyone and sometimes you just need a nice wrestling match. In this case there was the Woods aspect as well so it even had some longer term consequences. Much like the opener, that’s a nice use of television time.

Post match Kingston shoves Woods away.

We look at Iyo Sky becoming #1 contender last week.

Finn Balor yells at Dominik Mysterio for letting Damian Priest becoming the new #1 contender. They have to be held back, with more of the team saying they’re ready to teach the War Raiders a lesson.

Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill are ready for their title defense tonight.

Here is Bronson Reed, who acknowledges that Seth Rollins is great but brings up taking Rollins out last week. Cue Rollins and the fight is on, with the start in the ring and the latter heading outside. Reed hits a big dive to take out Rollins and security but it’s not quite broken up as we take a break.

Post break Rollins demands another match and Adam Pearce grants it for next week. Sami Zayn comes in and wants Rollins in WarGames. Zayn brings up Rollins’ history with Roman Reigns, but Rollins thinks Zayn is out of his mind. He knows what Reigns is all about and Rollins isn’t going to help him in any way. The answer is no.

Damian Priest vs. Ludwig Kaiser

Priest hammers away to start but misses a charge, allowing Kaiser to tie him in the corner. The running dropkick rocks Priest again and we take a break. Back with Kaiser forearming away but getting dropped with a quick Broken Arrow. Priest strikes away and hits the lifting Downward Spiral for two but has to fight out of a windup DDT. The ear clap sets up South Of Heaven for the clean pin at 7:33.

Rating: C+. This was about giving Priest a nice win on the way to his match with Gunther and it worked well enough. Beating Kaiser has become a tradition for Gunther’s opponents and that isn’t a bad way to go. Priest doesn’t need much of a build, but this went about as well as it was going to all things considered.

Post match Gunther comes out for a nervous looking staredown.

We look at Sheamus and Bron Breakker going to a draw on Speed.

Breakker doesn’t like Sheamus, who interrupts and wants an Intercontinental Title shot next week. Breakker didn’t understand a word of that but Sheamus can have a title shot next week. With Sheamus gone, Jey Uso comes in to talk to Breakker.

The Miz is back but has no information for the Final Testament. That doesn’t work for Karrion Kross, but Miz says he has seen the error of his way. Kross grabs Miz and the AOP drags him to the ring, where Kross says this doesn’t add up. He wants the Wyatt Sicks so here they are, with Miz chairing Erick Rowan down. The Final Testament cleans house and the Wyatts are left laying. Uncle Howdy laughs.

Seth Rollins is leaving….but Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu are here. Sikoa wants Rollins on his team, with Rollins saying he wants to stomp Roman Reigns’ head down. That being said, he also doesn’t want to team with a wannabe Reigns.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez vs. Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill

Belair and Cargill are defending and Morgan goes to the mat with Belair to start. The fight goes to Belair and she hammers away in the corner, only to get pulled down by the hair. Morgan hits a dropkick off the steps and we take an early break. Back with Cargill getting a tag to clean house and spinning Morgan down with a faceplant for two with Rodriguez making the save. Rodriguez and Cargill kick each other in the face but here are Nia Jax and Tiffany Stratton to go after Cargill. That’s enough for Rodriguez to get two as Naomi (Why are these people here?) comes in to go after Jax. The KOD to Morgan retains the titles at 7:28.

Rating: B-. There was a lot going on here with a lot of people getting involved. It’s nice to see some of these stories starting to intertwine, though Morgan losing a fall was a bit annoying. Granted a lot of this is due to Rhea Ripley being gone, but her feud with Morgan needed a break.

Post match Jax jumps the champs but Iyo Sky comes in to help fight the villains off. The heroes stand tall to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. They covered a good amount of stuff on here, with the Gunther vs. Priest match being set up as the big deal. Other than that you had all of the insanity with the Women’s Titles and the teases of who could be the fifth members in WarGames. I’m wanting to see where some of these things are going and that’s a good sign on the way towards the pay per view.

Results
Damage CTRL b. Pure Fusion Collective – Over The Moonsault to Baszler
Pete Dunne b. Kofi Kingston – Bitter End
Damian Priest b. Ludwig Kaiser – South Of Heaven
Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill b. Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez – KOD to Morgan

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: October 21, 2024
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re closing in on Crown Jewel and the show is going to need some help. At the moment, the only things announced for the show are the two Crown Jewel Title matches and those aren’t exactly setting things on fire. Maybe we can boost things up this week, with the Intercontinental Title being on the line as well. Let’s get to it.

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

Various people came to work, including Bronson Reed, with Seth Rollins attacking him but quickly being separated.

Here is Rollins in the ring and calling out Reed for a fight right now. Reed plows through security so Rollins hits a dive, with Adam Pearce’s security not being able to hold them apart again. Reed knocks him down but it’s too early for the Tsunami. Security is taken out again but the Tsunami off the barricade only hits announcers’ table.

Damage CTRL is ready for Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson but Liv Morgan, with Raquel Rodriguez, interrupts to say she’s taking out Nia Jax at Crown Jewel. Damage CTRL is ready for a fight tonight and one seems to be on. Morgan, who isn’t that big in the first place, towered over Damage CTRL.

Video on Jey Uso vs. Bron Breakker.

Apparently Samantha Irvin has left WWE and Lilian Garcia is back. That’s out of nowhere and is kind of a downgrade.

Tag Team Titles #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: New Day vs. Authors Of Pain

The rest of the Final Testament is here too. Kofi headlocks Akam to start and it’s off to Woods for a basement clothesline. It’s off to Rezar to knock Kofi outside for a beating though and here is Miz to watch as we take a break. Back with Kofi coming back in to take over on Akam. The Boom Drop connects but Rezar fights back up, only for R-Truth to come in and take out Miz. The distraction lets Kofi grab a rollup for the pin at 9:37.

Rating: C+. This was one which could have gone either way and it gives New Day a bit of a bridge to the next step in their issues. The team is still good enough to hang in there in a match like this and possibly even get the title shot, but things are not going to go well or them. At the same time, it’s another loss for the Final Testament, who still do not have the best track record.

Post match Miz and the Final Testament beats R-Truth down. Kofi wants to go help but Woods holds him back. The beatdown is on but the Wyatts are back to wreck the villains and brawl with them into the crowd. Miz is left alone in the ring….and it’s Uncle Howdy behind him. Paul Ellering takes the Mandible Claw for him.

Bronson Reed and Seth Rollins brawl in the back again.

We recap Jey Uso’s issues with the Bloodline and Roman Reigns/Jimmy Uso on Smackdown.

Jey says what happened on Smackdown is what it is, but tonight it’s about retaining the Intercontinental Title.

Raquel Rodriguez says Rhea Ripley isn’t getting any kind of revenge on Liv Morgan. Ripley cost them the Women’s Tag Team Titles and now Ripley needs to walk away. Since Ripley won’t end this though, Rodriguez will.

Damage CTRL vs. Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez

Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson are at ringside. Damage CTRL strikes away on Rodriguez to start and some double dropkicks have her in trouble. Back up and Rodriguez backdrops Sane over the corner (for a nasty landing but Sane saved it) before Rodriguez picks both of them up with ease. A double elbow misses though and Sky gets two off a rollup. Rodriguez drops Sky with a hard shot of her own though and we take a break.

Back with Sane escaping an over the shoulder backbreaker. Sky comes back in to clean house, including a dragon screw legwhip to Rodriguez and a springboard dropkick to send Morgan into the corner. Sane’s pop up elbow gets two with Rodriguez having to make a save. Rodriguez misses a charge into the post with Sky following her out to the floor. Sky goes after Jackson and Legend, with the latter decking her for the DQ at 12:13.

Rating: C. The Jackson and Legend run continues as they are likely set up for another big match with Damage CTRL. That isn’t the most appealing match, but I definitely do approve of the idea of having more teams to go after the titles. There hasn’t been much of a division in a long time so this is at least a step in the right direction.

Post match Damage CTRL gets laid out the four villains have a staredown. Cue Rhea Ripley, with Legend and Jackson bailing. Rodriguez goes after Ripley and is quickly taken out, only for Morgan to hit a quick Codebreaker. That earns her a knee to the face and Ripley grabs the Prism Trap. A dropkick cuts Rodriguez off again but Dominik Mysterio runs in to break up the Riptide. That earns Dominik a Prism Trap of his own with Dominik having to bail out to the floor. This was a good way to make Ripley look awesome again, which is overdue.

Bronson Reed and Seth Rollins get into it AGAIN but Adam Pearce yells at them, saying they can fight at Crown Jewel. They could have just asked and saved a bunch of time.

The War Raiders burn their viking armor and are ready to get the gold back.

Judgment Day has a meeting in the clubhouse and Finn Balor is worried about Damian Priest. The idea of Dominik Mysterio getting a World Title shot is floated, with Carlito laughing about the concept. Carlito is asked what he does around here, but he’ll go take care of something.

Tag Team Titles #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: LWO vs. American Made

The rest of the LWO and Chad Gable/Ivy Nile are here too. Lee chops away at Julius and it’s quickly off to Rey for two off a headscissors. Brutus comes in to whip Rey hard into the corner, meaning it’s time to take the straps down. Everything breaks down in a hurry and Lee hits a heck of a suicide dive as we take a break.

Back with Julius suplexing Lex down and grabbing a chinlock. Lee fights up and sends him into the corner, allowing the tag off to Rey for a tornado DDT. It’s back to Brutus to take Rey down setting up back to back moonsaults to give Julius two. Lee ties Julius in the Tree Of Woe for the top rope double stomp. Everything breaks down and the 619 into Lee’s frog splash is good for the pin at 10:59.

Rating: C+. Maybe it’s Dragon Lee not being interesting but I could not get into this one. The match felt long and it’s hard to imagine that either of them are going to win the title match next week. For now though, it’s a perfectly fine match between two teams who aren’t exactly lighting the world on fire.

Adam Pearce promises Damage CTRL that he’ll take care of this. Carlito comes in to suggest that Dominik Mysterio gets to challenge Gunther next. Pearce cracks up and says Dominik has done NOTHING. Carlito begs, so Pearce says if Dominik can beat a former World Champion next week, he’ll think about it.

Bron Breakker is ready to get the Intercontinental Title back.

Gunther doesn’t think Cody Rhodes bringing up his (as in Cody’s daughter) was necessary because the Crown Jewel Title is a big enough prize. Rhodes is a great champion, but his title’s legacy has long since been established. Gunther will be at Smackdown on Friday…but here is Damian Priest to say he has no issues with Gunther. His issues were with Judgment Day but those are done, so next up, he wants his title back. Priest is willing to earn it, and he’ll even wait for Gunther to be done with Crown Jewel. Gunther doesn’t seem impressed.

Intercontinental Title: Bron Breakker vs. Jey Uso

Breakker is challenging. We get the Big Match Intros and Uso wastes no time in knocking Breakker to the floor as we take a break less than a minute in. Back with Breakker ramming him into the post, followed by a backbreaker for two. A standing moonsault gives Breakker two more but Uso fights back with some right hands. Uso goes up top but gets pulled down with a super Frankensteiner as we take another break.

Back again with Uso getting in a knockdown for a needed breather and they both have to pull themselves up. Cue the Bloodline and some front row tickets so Uso goes outside to yell, allowing Breakker to get in some cheap shots. Uso has to superkicks the Tongas down and Breakker spears Solo Sikoa by mistake. That brings Jacob Fatu over the barricade so Breakker takes down the straps and the fans REALLY like this.

Uso cuts that off with a dive onto both of them but the Superfly Splash hits raised knees. The spear is cut off by a pair of superkicks and Uso hits own spear. The Superfly Splash connects for two so the Tongas gets back on the apron. Adam Pearce and company come down to break it up but the distraction lets Fatu get in a superkick to Uso. A Samoan drop onto the announcers’ table leaves Uso laying and another spear gives Breakker the title back at 19:35.

Rating: B. They weren’t exactly hiding where this was going from the second that Uso showed up on Smackdown last week. That’s not a bad thing either, as I would rather have a logical but predictable moment rather than something that makes no sense and is there for the sake of shock value. The other benefit here is that it shows there are still short title reigns in WWE. One of the criticisms is that it’s hard to believe a title reign can end shortly but here is something to show that isn’t guaranteed. That’s important.

Overall Rating: C+. The title change was big and they set up a grudge match for Crown Jewel, but this show was lacking something throughout. Maybe it was the focus being on setting up a #1 contenders match for next week, but long stretches of this show did not feel overly interesting. It wasn’t a bad show by any means, though it let me with a bit of a ho-hum feeling.

Results
New Day b. Authors Of Pain – Rollup to Rezar
Damage CTRL b. Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez via DQ when Lash Legend interfered
LWO b. American Made – Frog splash to Julius
Bron Breakker b. Jey Uso – Spear

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

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

AND

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