Survivor Series 2022
Date: November 26, 2022
Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 15,609
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

It’s been a year since WWE had its first (main roster) WarGames match and believe it or not, the focus is on the Bloodline. This time around Sami Zayn has to prove his loyalty to the team, which is creating some drama. Other than that, we have Team Belair vs. Team Damage CTRL in the women’s version, which should be quite good as well. Let’s get to it.

The opening video, featuring Ozzy Osbourne, looks at WarGames because, well, what else would it look at?

Commentary welcomes us to the show and explains the rules of WarGames:

• 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.

• No it isn’t the original WarGames rules. Let it go already.

Team Belair vs. Team Damage CTRL

Belair: Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Mia Yim, Becky Lynch
Damage CTRL: Bayley, Dakota Kai, Iyo Sky, Nikki Cross, Rhea Ripley

Kai and Belair start things off with the former running away to get it going. Belair wrestles her to the mat before hitting a running shoulder as the slow pace starts. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker puts Kai down again and we talk about Belair’s recent interview with Sports Illustrated, which is as WARGAMES-y as you can get.

Kai gets in a shot of her own and they go into the second cage and try to make it all the way to first gear. A scorpion kick staggers Belair but she runs Kai over and sends her into the cage (as we now remember that they’re in a CAGE). Another toss into the cage leaves Kai down and it’s Sky unevening the odds. Sky and Belair take turns flipping around until Belair gets caught between the two of them in between the rings.

The villains take over on Belair in the corner until she double suplexes her way out of trouble. Asuka comes in to help Belair clean house and we get the big showdown with Sky. They both counter whips into the ropes until Asuka hits a running hip attack against said ropes. The running knee to the head puts Sky down again and Belair is back up with a gorilla press toss to Kai. Cross is in next but first it’s time for the weapons. Asuka gets the door slammed onto her head, leaving Cross to tornado DDT Belair.

With Belair and Asuka down, Cross whips them with her coat until Kai and Sky are up to get in their variety of choking. It’s Bliss coming in to even things up again and some dropkicks put Cross and Kai down. Belair gets back up and breaks a kendo stick but Kai and Sky use the full ones to cut her off. Cross sits on top of the cage as sticking and hair whipping ensue below. Naturally that means the big dive to take everyone out and yes Cross laughed the whole time.

Now it’s Bayley coming in so let’s grab some ladders. The fans want tables so Bayley obliges as the match has more or less stopped while she moves stuff around. Bayley sends Belair into the corner before putting her in between the rings again. A table shot to the ribs leaves Belair trapped until Yim is….released to grab more weapons. House is quickly cleaned, including Kai being rammed into the cage and kicked in the face over and over.

Cross chokes Yim and the people split off again as this really isn’t picking up. Some superplexes have everyone down and it’s Ripley coming in to complete Damage CTRL. House is quickly cleaned until everyone just kind of stands around (save for Ripley Prism Trapping Asuka) until Yim makes a random comeback on Ripley as the rest are in the other ring.

That’s broken up and it’s Lynch in to complete the field, meaning the match can officially be won. Lynch gets to clean house as the ans aren’t exactly on fire for this. That might be due to how slow everything is going since Lynch keeps messing with the trashcan instead of running around punching people or wrecking them all with a chair.

We get the big Lynch vs. Bayley showdown with Lynch easily getting the better of things. With Bayley stomped down, Lynch turns around to see Ripley for the really big showdown. A quick Riptide attempt is broken up but Bayley makes the save. Now Riptide can connect for two with Asuka making a save. The mist blinds Ripley but Bayley drops Asuka face first onto the turnbuckle.

Bayley beats Lynch down and declares herself as a role model more than The Man. The Rose Plant onto the steel between the rings gets two and it’s time for a bunch of people to go to the corner. Cross cuts Belair off to break up a seven person Tower Of Doom so a bunch of people crash down instead. Sky moonsaults off the top of the cage onto Yim and Belair (who is favoring her leg) to FINALLY wake up the crowd.

Everyone is down (cue the overhead camera shot) until Cross beats up Bliss. Cross shouts about how she hasn’t forgotten and handcuffs Bliss to…nothing as Bliss handcuffs herself to Cross instead. An electric chair onto a trashcan leaves them both down and we pause again. Ripley is back up to send Asuka into the cage but Yim is back up with a choke.

That means a big crash through the ladder and, say it with me, everyone is down again. Becky and Belair get the showdown Damage CTRL and Kai gets Manhandle Slammed. The KOD to Sky lets Belair put Kai on a table and send Bayley into the cage. Lynch drops a leg off the cage to put Kai through the table for the pin at 39:34.

Rating: C. Sweet goodness this was boring. As is the case with just about every modern incarnation of this match (in WWE, NXT or AEW) it went WAY too long as this was about 15-20 minutes longer than it needed to be. The longer time meant that there were far too many stretches where nothing went on as they were laying around waiting on someone to do something. There were good parts to it, but this needed to be WAY shorter with a lot more action than we got.

On Smackdown, with a hidden Jey Uso listening, Kevin Owens told Sami Zayn to turn on the Bloodline. With Owens gone, Jey asked if Sami had talked to anyone but Sami said he just got here. Then Sami cost Jey a match for the WarGames advantage, with commentary wondering if it was on purpose.

Roman Reigns makes sure Jey Uso is ready for WarGames. Jey is ready, but he doesn’t trust Sami after last night. He would take Sami out if Reigns gave the order, but Reigns tells him to be on the same page tonight. Reigns will know if Sami is telling the truth and wants Jey to focus. With Jey gone, Reigns looks worried and has Paul Heyman call Sami.

We recap Finn Balor vs. AJ Styles, which has been going on for a few months. Styles couldn’t deal with the Judgment Day’s numbers game, so he brought back the OC to even things up.

Finn Balor vs. AJ Styles

The rest of Judgment Day (minus Rhea Ripley) and the OC are here too. Of note: Cole talks about Dominik and Ripley invading Rey Mysterio’s home during Thanksgiving. Dominik better watch that or he’ll get arrested. They fight over arm control to start with Styles driving him up against the ropes for a clean break.

Back up and Balor takes him into the corner but his kick to the ribs is cut off. Styles starts going after the leg, including a shinbreaker which has Balor appealing to their past friendship. Balor manages to take him down though and stomp away, though he has to stop to favor the leg. A knee to the back gets two and we hit the abdominal stretch. Styles fights his way out and hits the running forearm, followed by the fireman’s carry backbreaker for two.

Another shot to the leg cuts Balor down but Dominik breaks up the Phenomenal Forearm. Everyone else brawls on the floor and fight into the crowd, leaving Balor to hit a Sling Blade on Styles. A charge is cut off though and Styles suplexes him into the corner. It’s too early for the Calf Crusher though as Balor manages a double stomp to leave Styles down. Balor’s back is all messed up from….something but he’s fine enough to try his own Styles Clash. That’s broken up, just like Styles’ Calf Crusher attempt.

Another double knockdown gives us a breather, followed by Balor’s own fireman’s carry backbreaker. 1916 is broken up though and Styles moonsaults into a Nightmare on Helms Street for two. Balor puts him back down but misses the Coup de Grace. Instead Styles grabs the Calf Crusher until Balor rams him head first into the mat to escape. Back up and they slug it out until Styles is sent to the apron, where the Phenomenal Forearm finishes Balor at 18:23.

Rating: B. There are matches where you know you’re going to see something good just based on who is out there. That was the case here and WWE was smart enough to give the two of them that much time. Styles hadn’t been doing so well in his battle against Judgment Day and you have to give him a win like this every so often to keep him looking strong. Good stuff here and a heck of a match between two talented stars.

Post match Styles yells at Balor a bit.

We recap Shotzi challenging Ronda Rousey for the SmackDown Women’s Title. Shotzi won a six way #1 contenders match but Rousey isn’t taking her incredibly seriously, though having Shayna Baszler help with a beatdown made it easier. Rousey and Baszler also injured Shotzi’s friend Raquel Rodriguez so things are personal.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Ronda Rousey vs. Shotzi

Rousey, with Baszler, is defending. Shotzi slugs away to start but gets flipped over. The ankle lock goes on until Shotzi sends her into the corner. Rousey is sent outside but Baszler takes Shotzi’s dive instead. Shotzi sends her into the steps and fires off some hard forearms back inside. A high crossbody is suplexed out of the air but Shotzi sweeps the leg. That doesn’t work for Rousey, who ties up the legs and they kind of lay around on the mat.

Back up and Shotzi nails a right hand to stun Rousey but gets sent outside. Shotzi takes out Baszler and sends her over the barricade, setting up a dive onto Rousey and Baszler at the same time. They beat the count back in and Shotzi goes up, only to get judo thrown down hard. Piper’s Pit and the armbar retain the title at 7:13.

Rating: C+. They were limited with what they could do here, as it’s hard to buy Shotzi as a threat to either the title or Rousey. Shotzi has all kinds of charisma but she hasn’t been presented as a major star, certainly not on Rousey’s level. For what we got here, things went well, though that was about as good as it was going to be.

Sami Zayn comes in to see Roman Reigns and admits that yes, he did talk to Kevin Owens. He didn’t tell Jey Uso about it because he didn’t want to put something extra on Jey’s plate before the WarGames advantage match. And Owens talked to him, saying he should turn on the Bloodline. Reigns gets that Owens and Zayn were friends but this is about his family, so whose side is Zayn on? Zayn says this is what he wants and he’s not turning on the Bloodline. That seems good enough for Reigns.

US Title: Bobby Lashley vs. Austin Theory vs. Seth Rollins

Rollins is defending. Lashley runs Theory over to start and Rollins sends Theory outside, leaving the other two to slug it out. Rollins slips away from a Hurt Lock attempt but Theory pulls Rollins outside for a ram into the barricade. Back in and Theory hammers away on Lashley, who fights up to beat on both of them. A DDT/Downward Spiral combination drops Rollins and Theory and the spinning Dominator hits Rollins as well.

Theory pulls the referee though and tries to grab a chair, which is easily blocked by Lashley. Rollins sends him into the steps though, allowing Theory to jump Rollins from behind. The steps hit Lashley as well and the rolling dropkick gets two on Rollins. A running elbow to the face gets the same and Theory talks a lot of trash. Rollins is back up with a Sling Blade, followed by a bunch of suicide dives to the other two.

That’s not enough as Rollins hits a big dive to take them both out again. Back in and Theory counters a dropkick into a powerbomb for two on Rollins and everyone is down. It’s Lashley up first to take over, meaning Theory uses a sleeper to…well attempt to break up the Hurt Lock. The save eventually works, leaving Rollins to Pedigree Lashley for two. The Phoenix splash misses though and Theory gives Lashley a running Blockbuster.

A Town Down is countered into the Hurt Lock but Theory flips backwards out of the corner. That’s broken up by Rollins’ frog splash so Lashley Hurt Locks both of them at once. With that broken up, Lashley’s spear misses in the corner so Rollins forearms Theory in the back of the head. Rollins uses Theory for a step up Stomp to Lashley and superplexes Theory. The Falcon Arrow is loaded up but Lashley spears Rollins, with Theory landing on him for the pin and the title at 14:50.

Rating: B. This got a good bit better by the end but it was only working so well for the most part. It needed to be about three minutes shorter to really work well. The whole feud was only so good in the first place and then the blowoff match, while good, hit a ceiling. Theory getting the win is nice to see, even if he had to steal the pin for the title.

Jey Uso tells Roman Reigns that he’s ready.

We recap the men’s WarGames match. Everyone hates the Bloodline, who isn’t sure if they can trust Sami Zayn. Now it’s time to see if he can prove himself.

Bloodline vs. Team Owens

Bloodline: Roman Reigns, Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, Solo Sikoa, Sami Zayn
Owens: Kevin Owens, Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, Ridge Holland, Butch

Butch and Jey start things off and they shout at each other from different rings for a good while. Jey finally gets into the other ring after about a minute of standing around. Butch takes him down without much trouble and cranks on the fingers (as he is known to do), which he then ties into the cage wall. Back up and Jey manages to send him into the cage, followed by a pop up neckbreaker.

Jey goes after the arm and sends it into the cage, only to have Butch stomp on the arm again. Butch gets in something close to a Kimura and it’s Ridge Holland in to give the good guys an advantage. Holland crushes Jey in the corner over and over and a high/low takes him down again. The Brutes start in on Jey’s arms for a bit of a unique strategy, including stereo jumping stomps to said arms. The clock runs down and a sitting Reigns instructs Sami to even things up.

Sami takes more than a minute to get to the ring, allowing Jey to get up and take over on the Brutes. Holland gets stomped between the rings and the fans seem to approve of Zayn. Double teaming cuts off Holland’s comeback but Butch gets up the cage to moonsault onto Jey and Zayn. Now Holland is able to fight up and actually take over until he misses a charge into the cage (thanks to Zayn pulling Jey out of the way).

Drew McIntyre is in next and beats up both villains without much trouble. Jey is sent into the cage over and over before a belly to belly sends Zayn into the corner. Drew: “I’M FEELING PRETTY UCEY RIGHT NOW!” Jey manages to knock Drew into the Tree of Woe but he sits up to send Jey crashing back down. There’s the Futureshock to Zayn but Jimmy Uso comes in to tie it up. That means it’s time for some tables, though Jey doesn’t want Zayn to help set them up.

Jimmy has to break it up as even more time is burned off. The Brutes are beaten down again though, with Butch being sent into the cage so a table can be set up in the corner. McIntyre fights up and avoids being sent through it as Kevin Owens unties things again. Owens brings in some chairs and plants Jimmy onto one, setting up the Cannonball to Jey. A chair is thrown at Jey and we get the Owens vs. Zayn staredown.

Holland, continuing to be useless, breaks it up by jumping Zayn, allowing Jimmy to deck Owens. Jimmy is put through a table though as Cole can’t remember who has the advantage at the moment. Solo Sikoa makes it 4-4 and gets to clean house, as tends to be the villains’ custom. The Samoan drop hits Holland and it’s an Owens vs. Sikoa staredown. They slug it out between the rings until Sikoa shrugs off a ram into the cage.

Some superkicks have the same lack of effect and Sikoa backdrops his way out of a powerbomb attempt. Sikoa goes over to slug it out with McIntyre with Sikoa getting the better of things, only to have the Umaga attack cut off. Sheamus completes Team Owens but Zayn holds the door shut in a smart move. Not that it matters as Sheamus slams it onto Zayn’s head and starts to clean house.

A double clothesline takes down some villains as Reigns is getting ready. Zayn is sent into the cage and the Brutes go after Zayn and the Usos for the big beatdown. White Noise hits Sikoa but it’s Reigns time so the match can officially begin. Naturally this means everyone gets up and we get the five on five staredown, making the last 28 minutes or so pretty much a formality. The fight is on and Reigns cleans house without much effort.

Sheamus cuts off a spear though and we get the quintuple ten (or more in some cases) forearms to the villains’ chests. McIntyre and Sheamus beat on Reigns and the Brogue Kick hits Sikoa. The distraction lets Reigns spear Sheamus but Butch makes the save. Zayn is back up to beat on Butch but Jey superkicks Zayn, presumably by mistake. A super 1D hits Butch for two with Holland making the save this time. Reigns spears Holland through the table in the corner but McIntyre is back up.

Sikoa saves Reigns from a powerbomb and Spinning Solo puts McIntyre through a table. Owens Stuns Sikoa for two so Reigns makes the save for a change. Reigns and Owens slug it out with Reigns hitting a Superman Punch. Owens is back with a Pop Up Powerbomb into the Stunner but Zayn grabs the referee at two. That leaves Owens staring at Zayn (who the fans like) but a superkick is cut off by a low blow. Zayn seems to know he has sealed his fate and Reigns looks up at him, leaving Zayn to Helluva Kick Owens. Jey adds the Superfly Splash for the pin at 38:32.

Rating: B. It’s good fight and as usual this was about the storytelling with Zayn and the Bloodline, but the same problems were there again. There is just SO MUCH waiting around for the match to really get going and it doesn’t feel like hatred. Instead, it feels like “how can we get these weapons spots in” rather than just beating each other up. Cut the match down by about fifteen minutes and it’s much better, but for now it’s just good rather than great.

Zayn is officially accepted into the team, with Jey giving him the big hug. Replays and posing end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. There were some good parts, but WarGames continues to be more of an idea that sounds great on paper rather than in execution. Two matches took about an hour and forty minutes and that does not leave much for the rest of the show. What we got was good and having Zayn get the big definitive Bloodline acceptance (which will absolutely last forever) was nice, but dang it took time to get there. I know Survivor Series has evolved beyond the traditional elimination tag format, but it would be nice to have this new format tweaked a bit, as it could make the show that much better.

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Smackdown
Date: January 12, 2024
Location: Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, Nebraska
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

We are just over two weeks away from the Royal Rumble and after last week’s rather boneheaded move, Roman Reigns is defending against AJ Styles, LA Knight and Randy Orton at the same time. Other than that, the Royal Rumbles could use some more entrants so we might get to cover a few names this week. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s triple threat #1 contenders match, which saw the Bloodline interfere for the no contest. Then the Royal Rumble title match was made a four way, shocking no one paying attention.

Grayson Waller vs. Cameron Grimes

Austin Theory is here with Waller. Hold on though as here is the Bloodline to jump Grimes from behind. Theory and Waller bail and we have no match.

Paul Heyman grabs the mic and mocks Nick Aldis for putting Roman Reigns in a four way match. Aldis pops in to say the match is on no matter what. As for tonight, it’s the Bloodline, including Roman Reigns, in a six man tag….despite Reigns not being here. The team can find a third entrant, but otherwise it’s handicap match a go-go.

Video on Angel and Humberto joining forces with Santos Escobar.

Post break Heyman says that Reigns isn’t here tonight so the team will have to find a replacement.

LWO vs. Angel/Humberto

Zelina Vega is here with the LWO and Santos Escobar is on commentary. The fight is on fast to start with the LWO sending them outside for the big double flip dives. Back in and Del Toro hammers away on Angel, setting up a springboard missile dropkick to the floor. A low bridge sends del Toro outside though and we take a break. We take a break and come back with a basement dropkick hitting del Toro for two.

Del Toro rolls over for the tag off to Wilde though and house is quickly cleaned. Angel crotches Wilde on top though and a double super gorilla press brings him back down. Humberto rolls Wilde into a powerbomb for two but Wilde is right back with a poisonrana. It’s back to del Toro for the big flip dive to the floor as Carlito comes out to jump Escobar. That leaves Wilde to roll Angel up, only to have Angel sit down on him and grab the rope for the pin at 9:58.

Rating: B-. The match got some time and it was the kind of entertaining spectacle that you would have expected. What mattered here was having four guys go nuts with one high spot after another and once the match got going, that is what they had. It keeps the feud going, and all we’re doing now is waiting for Rey Mysterio to get back so the real stuff can begin.

Carmelo Hayes is in Nick Aldis’ office where it sounds like contract negotiations are taking place. Hayes mentions the Royal Rumble but Nick Aldis and Austin Theory interrupt. That’s not cool with Hayes, so Aldis makes Hayes vs. Theory for tonight.

The LWO isn’t happy with their loss but Paul Heyman pops in to offer an apple in exchange for teaming with the Bloodline tonight. Carlito takes the apple but would rather fight Santos Escobar.

We look back at Kevin Owens becoming #1 contender to the US Title and knocking out Logan Paul after the match.

Logan Paul isn’t here tonight but sends in a video, threatening to sue Owens over an assault with a weapon. If Owens has the cast at the Rumble, his title shot is gone.

Tyler Bate and Butch are at a coffee shop, with Bate thinking they would make a good team going forward. Butch isn’t sure because the Brawling Brutes are in the past but Bate suggests that Butch find out what his name is going to be. Nothing is said but Butch is thinking about it.

Bianca Belair vs. Bayley

The rest of Damage CTRL is here with Bayley. They start fast so Bayley can take her down by the hair, which doesn’t have Belair happy. An exchange of clotheslines puts both of them down but Bayley is back up to wrap the arm around the rope. Belair isn’t having that and runs her over, only to get clotheslined in the back of the head. Some slams put Bayley down but she sends Belair throat first into the ropes. The threat of a quick KOD is broken up so Belair rams her into the buckle as we take a break.

Back with Bayley working on the arm but Belair manages a quick spinebuster. The comeback is on but Bayley ties her in the corner for a running knee. Bayley goes extra evil by tying Belair’s hair around the ropes….so Belair uses it as a rip wire in a creative spot. With the hair untied, Belair bends Bayley’s back around the post before slamming her ribs first into another post.

Back in and Belair hammers away in the corner, followed by a backbreaker for two. Belair throws her out of the corner and hits the handspring moonsault for two more. Bayley sends her into the corner again and drops the top rope elbow for her own near fall. A charging Belair is sent outside but she’s fine enough to nail a spear on the way back inside. The KOD finishes for Belair at 16:26.

Rating: B. As usual, these two have very good chemistry together and it was on display again here. Belair continues her march through Damage CTRL on the road to the title match while Bayley’s latest loss further damages her standing with the team. There is a good chance that Belair will get her shot against Sky at the Royal Rumble and that is not a bad idea given the story they’re telling.

Kevin Owens is down for the Royal Rumble, and offers to have Logan Paul on the Kevin Owens Show next week.

Damage CTRL is not pleased with Bayley but Dakota Kai gives her a pep talk.

Here are Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits for a chat. They’re not happy with the AOP and Karrion Kross, who have gotten into a fight they can’t win. The challenge is on but Kross and company pop up on screen to say this is a new era of pain. The team is officially dubbed the Final Testament but they don’t show up.

Pretty Deadly offers their services to Paul Heyman. He points out that it’s one spot instead of two and facepalms as they leave.

Video on Carmelo Hayes. Again: these quick hype packages on people Smackdown fans might not know are such a great idea.

Paul Heyman offers Bobby Lashley a chance to take out his aggression in the main event. Lashley says the only time he wants to be in the ring with the Bloodline is when he’s facing Roman Reigns.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Austin Theory

Grayson Waller is here with Theory. They trade headlocks to start until a dropkick puts Theory down. A thumb to the eye cuts Hayes off though and Theory elbows him in the face. Back up and Hayes ties him in the ropes for the Fade Away (springboard jump backwards into a Fameasser). A DDT onto the apron plants Theory again and we take a break. Back with Theory hitting the rolling dropkick but Hayes reverses a suplex to take him over instead.

An atomic drop into a springboard clothesline sets up a facebuster for two on Theory. A superkick looks to set up a Codebreaker but Theory puts him on top instead. What looks to be a super Spanish Fly doesn’t go right though and they both land on their heads, which is enough for the referee to stop it at around 8:55. The problem was Hayes’ foot got caught on the rope and he couldn’t flip forward, which brought Theory down as well.

Rating: C+. Ignoring the scary ending, this was another nice showcase for Hayes, who really can do some incredibly athletic things. At the same time though, there is always the chance that something like this could happen. Theory was his usual self here, but all that matters is both of them being ok after that really scary ending.

The medic checks on them and their limbs are all moving so it seems like a bad double bell ringing.

Paul Heyman says he couldn’t find anyone worthy of the Bloodline and he is NOT worried. Jimmy: “OG, I’M WORRIED!” Sikoa: “I’m not.” Jimmy: “If Solo’s not worried, I’m not worried!”

Bloodline vs. LA Knight/Randy Orton/AJ Styles

Hold on though as the Bloodline jumps Orton from behind with Sikoa hitting a Samoan Spike. Knight and Styles argue over who starts until Uso jumps Knight to get things going. A swinging neckbreaker puts Uso down and a running crotch attack to the back gets two. Sikoa comes in but gets clotheslined to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Styles in a nerve hold, followed by Sikoa’s running hip attack. Styles slugs away at Jimmy and it’s a double knockdown, meaning Sikoa can pull Knight away so there’s no tag. Knight is back up but Styles yells at him instead of tagging. Jimmy’s superkick misses Styles and hits Knight instead….but Orton is back (Heyman’s disgusted glare is great). The tag brings in Orton, who hits the hanging DDT and RKO to finish Jimmy at 11:42.

Rating: C+. Not much of a match here, with Orton coming in at the end and barely doing anything. That seems to be a trend with him lately and that is not a bad thing. The fans are going to cheer him no matter what so let him come out there, hit his two moves, and soak in the cheers. Other than that, it gets us one step closer to the Rumble and everything should work well, especially when Reigns gets back.

Post match the winners all hit their finishers on Sikoa and TripleBomb him through the announcers’ table to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This show did a nice job of covering a bunch of stuff, as everything is lading towards the Royal Rumble and that means all they have to do is get to the end of the month. There was nothing on here that you really needed to see, but it kept getting us closer to one o the most important shows of the year. The ans going nuts for Orton is always worth hearing though, and the Bloodline getting wrecked to end the show was a nice moment.

Results
Angel/Humberto b. LWO – Rollup to Wilde while grabbing the rope
Bianca Belair b. Bayley – KOD
Carmelo Hayes vs. Austin Theory went to a referee stoppage
LA Knight/AJ Styles/Randy Orton b. Bloodline – RKO to Uso

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Smackdown
Date: January 5, 2024
Location: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British, Columbia, Canada
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

It’s the first Smackdown of the year and in this case it’s New Year’s Revolution. The big main event will determine who challenges Roman Reigns for the World Title at the Royal Rumble. On top of that though, the Rock showed up on Raw and seemed to call out Reigns for a showdown. We almost have to, ahem, acknowledge that here so let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of the Rock’s return and line about Reigns.

Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman arrive, with Reigns literally laughing off a question about the Rock.

US Title #1 Contenders Tournament Finals: Kevin Owens vs. Santos Escobar

Escobar has Angel and Humberto with him and cue Logan Paul to join commentary. The bell rings and cue the LWO to take out Angel and Humberto, allowing Owens to hit a Cannonball and frog splash for a fast two as we take a break. Back with Escobar knocking Owens off the top and taking over on the bad hand.

Owens fights out and grabs a chinlock so Escobar is right back on the hand in a smart move. Escobar sends him hard into the barricade as the fans chant for Logan, who gets up to pose in a smart move. Back in and Owens catches Escobar coming off the top with an atomic drop into a DDT for a needed breather. Owens goes up top and Escobar is right there, only to get caught with the swinging superplex (Graves: “Logan, don’t ever try to superplex Kevin Owens.” Paul: “What happens?” Graves: “This.”).

We take another break and come back with Owens superkicking him out to the floor but the Swanton hits raised knees. Escobar snaps off a top rope hurricanrana for two, only to have Owens catch him on top with a super Regal Roll for two of his own. The Stunner is blocked so Owens hits a superkick but his pop up powerbomb is countered into another hurricanrana. The second powerbomb attempt works though and the Stunner sends Owens to the Royal Rumble at 16:49.

Rating: B. This got rolling near the end as they were trading moves and counters until Owens finally caught him with the big one. While there was the downside of Owens being the pretty obvious winner since the tournament started, it was nice to see the whole thing paid off with a good match. At the very least, we’ll get more of Owens and Paul taking awesome shots at each other for a few weeks until the title match at the Rumble.

Post match Paul congratulates Owens and mocks the idea of a Canadian being the US Champion. Paul brags about himself and gets dropped with a right hand.

Video on Randy Orton, who is in the #1 contenders match tonight.

Post break Austin Theory and Grayson Waller console Logan Paul but get in a shoving match with Cameron Grimes.

Here are Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits for a chat. Lashley talks about having a rough 2023 because he didn’t have the success he wanted. Then he hooked up with the Street Profits and things got better. The Profits talk about how they want the Tag Team Titles, while Lashley is going to enter the Royal Rumble. Cue Karrion Kross and Scarlett (now a brunette), plus Paul Ellering of all people. The AOP jump Lashley and the Profits from behind as the return that was all but revealed two weeks ago comes true.

Video on AJ Styles.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Iyo Sky vs. Michin

Michin is challenging and the seconds all stay in the back. They fight over a lockup to start until Sky flips away from her for a standoff. Sky takes her to the mat for a double stomp but Michin gets in a whip to the floor. There’s the big dive to drop the champ and we take a break. Back with Sky escaping a powerbomb but Michin’s gutwrench suplex gets two. A half crab sends Sky over to the rope so they head to the apron, where Sky snaps off a nasty German suplex.

Since it was just a German suplex on the apron, Michin is able to block Over The Moonsault and hit a dragon suplex for two. They go to the corner and it’s a super Styles Clash for a rather near fall, with Sky having to grab the rope. Michin misses another suicide dive though and the running knees in the corner set up Over The Moonsault to retain the title at 10:21.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure if there was much of a reason to believe Michin was going to win the title here but it was nice to see someone fresh getting into the title picture. Michin is a good hand who can work well with a lot of people and she did well enough here. It might not have been a great match, but for a title defense on a special show, it did exactly what it needed to do.

Paul Heyman is asked about the Rock and isn’t pleased with Rock inviting himself to the Head Of The Table. Rock has not received an invitation and is just trying to go viral, like John Cena, Brock Lesnar or Cody Rhodes, who like to interrupt Roman Reigns. CM Punk is back and talks about being an OG Paul Heyman Guy, but Heyman has upgraded from friend to advocate to Wise Man. Heyman promises Reigns will smash any of his opponents at the Royal Rumble to wrap things up, as he sounded a good bit shakier than usual here, which is exactly what he should have been doing.

Damage CTRL congratulates Iyo Sky on retaining her title and now the team wants the Women’s Tag Team Titles. And the Royal Rumble, but Bianca Belair comes in to say she’ll be in the Rumble and beat Bayley next week as a bonus.

Pretty Deadly vs. Butch/???

Butch’s mystery partner is….Tyler Bate from NXT. Bate and Wilson go to the mat to start with Bate flipping out of a headscissors and getting two off a rollup. Butch comes in for a basement dropkick to the back, followed by stereo running dives to take out Pretty Deadly on the floor.

We take a break and come back with Butch fighting out of a chinlock. That’s enough for the diving tag to Bate so house can be quickly cleaned. The airplane spin leaves Wilson down and the rebound lariat/German suplex combination puts him down again. Prince gets in a cheap shot but Wilson can’t grab what looked to be a Twist of Fate. A double Tyler Driver 97 finishes Wilson at 7:53.

Rating: C+. This was about bringing in Bate for his first match on Smackdown and it went well enough all things considered. I could go for Butch getting away from the Brawling Brutes and if he won’t be a singles star, pairing him with Bate is far from the worst idea. At the same time, it’s almost weird to see Pretty Deadly losing, but I’m sure they’ll be fine going forward with that kind of charisma.

Video on LA Knight.

Ashante Thee Adonis comes in to see Nick Aldis to say he’s a starving dog. Aldis says he doesn’t feel sorry for him but he has believed in Adonis since the beginning. He promises some ideas for him going forward.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

AJ Styles vs. LA Knight vs. Randy Orton

For the shot against Roman Reigns at the Royal Rumble. We’re joined in progress after a break with Knight being knocked into the corner but Styles takes Orton into another corner for the stomping. Knight is back with a running clothesline to put Styles on the floor, with Knight following to send both of them face first into the announcers’ table over and over.

Orton drops them both onto said table but Styles does it right back to him in a nice counter. The fans deem this awesome as Orton breaks up the Phenomenal Forearm and hits the hanging DDT. Knight breaks up the RKO though and Orton is sent into the steps. Styles dives onto Knight to leave them all down as we take a break.

Back with Styles hitting the basement forearm to Knight and knocking Orton out to the floor again. Orton fights back and sends Styles into the steps before taking over on Knight back inside. A quick BFT drops Orton but Styles breaks up the cover at the last second. Knight and Styles slug it out with Styles getting the better of it, setting up the springboard 450 for two. Orton is back in with the RKO to Styles but this time Knight (who got busted open somewhere in there) makes the save….and we’ve got the Bloodline. The big beatdown is on and we’ll call it a no contest at about 16:30 shown.

Rating: B-. Gah that ending took down what was turning into a good match. Knight did better than I would have expected here, as he was in there with bigger stars but more than held his own in a big match. Orton and Styles were their normal selves but their long breaks seem to have done good for both of them. That being said, we’re now going with Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman being dumb enough to think this idea is going to work?

Post match the beatdown is on, with Reigns and company laying waste to the other three. Nick Aldis comes out and tells Paul Heyman (the Bloodline can’t hear him) that Reigns has just earned himself a four way at the Royal Rumble.

Overall Rating: B-. The best thing I can say here is that it felt like things mattered, which is what this show needed to accomplish. The wrestling was good enough and the show flew by, though that ending felt more like Reigns and Heyman turning into morons for the sake of setting up a new title match. The rest of the show was good enough, but the main event mattered more than anything else and it left the show on a weaker note.

Results
Kevin Owens b. Santos Escobar – Stunner
Iyo Sky b. Michin – Over The Moonsault
Butch/Tyler Bate b. Pretty Deadly – Double Tyler Driver 97 to Wilson
AJ Styles vs. LA Knight vs. Randy Orton went to a no contest when the Bloodline interfered

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

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Smackdown
Date: December 22, 2023
Location: Resch Center, Green Bay, Wisconsin
Commentators: Michael Cole, Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

We’re taped this week for what might be the final Smackdown of the year. Things got interesting to end last week’s show as AJ Styles made his return to go after the Bloodline. At the same time though, he also went after LA Knight, which could have some Royal Rumble implications. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Roman Reigns returning and the challengers lining up, including the returning AJ Styles.

Here is Styles to get things going. Styles talks about how Randy Orton and LA Knight want to face Roman Reigns. He can’t blame them, but he’s at the front of the line to face Reigns. Cue Knight to say he gets Reigns first and the fans are going to be saying his name, but Styles can be first on Knight’s list.

Styles brings up Knight using Styles’ absence to get into the Crown Jewel title shot but here is Orton to interrupt. Orton says this ring is his home but Knight says the Bloodline hasn’t taken him out yet. Cue Nick Aldis to say the three of them can fight in two weeks for the Royal Rumble shot at Reigns. Works for Styles, who tells them both to stay away tonight when he faces Solo Sikoa.

Shotzi/Bianca Belair/Zelina Vega/Michin vs. Damage CTRL

This is Holiday Havoc, the Christmas themed street fight. It’s a big brawl to start with Belair dropkicking Sky into the corner to start. Bayley makes a save but Shotzi is back in with a present. That would be a chair but Bayley blocks the drop toehold onto said chair. Instead Shotzi uses the chair for a springboard dive onto Bayley.

Shotzi hits a big dive but the villains clear the ring with kendo sticks. Belair and Shotzi get their own sticks for their own house cleaning but it takes too long to set up a table. We take a break and come back with everyone down until Vega sends Sky outside. Belair sunset flips Bayley for two and a Doomsday Dropkick, with a trashcan over the head, drops Sky for the same.

Vega drops Sane but gets misted by Asuka, allowing the villains to go for some big boxes. Those contain…Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre, who wreck Sane and Asuka. Bayley gets caught with the KOD and Michin gives Sky Eat Defeat. The top rope backsplash through the table gives Michin the pin on Sky at 12:43.

Rating: B-. I can go or these goofy, completely out there matches and that’s what we had here. It was a fun, goofy match and that’s all it needed to be, though Michin is likely to get a one off title shot out of this. There are worse ways to go for her and throwing in the returns of Dawn and Fyre make this all the more interesting.

Jimmy Uso talks to Solo Sikoa about audibles as Roman Reigns looks annoyed. He wants Nick Aldis here now.

NXT North American Title: Butch vs. Dragon Lee

Lee is defending and works on the wrist to start. Butch punches him in the face but Lee manages a slingshot dropkick in the corner. The running dive to the floor is cut off though and we take a break with Lee in trouble. Back with Butch stomping on the hands until Lee snaps off a running hurricanrana over the top and out to the floor. They get back inside where Butch hits a sitout powerbomb for two, setting up a chop off.

Lee gets the better of things and hits his own sitout powerbomb for two of his own. Butch gets tied in the Tree of Woe but is fine enough snap Lee’s fingers. Since fingers aren’t needed, Lee hits the top rope double stomp for two. Butch’s Bitter End is countered as well and Operation Dragon retains the title at 9:46.

Rating: B-. More good stuff here with Lee getting to have another match against a more than capable opponent. That is more than you get most of the time and it worked well here. Lee’s status is growing more and more every week and the more title defenses he gets under his belt, the higher he’ll go. Good stuff here, though can we place find something else for Butch to do?

We recap the US Title #1 contenders tournament.

Paul Heyman brings Nick Aldis to Roman Reigns, who does not like Aldis booking matches without running them by Reigns first. Adam Pearce understood that, but Aldis says he’s the sharp end of the stick around here. Tonight, Solo Sikoa is facing AJ Styles and Sikoa will be fine. He’s a big boot who took care of John Cena in a way that even Reigns didn’t. Aldis is looking forward to getting to know Reigns better. This was good stuff from Aldis here, as he didn’t back down from Reigns and gives him a bit of a new adversary.

US Title #1 Contenders Tournament Semifinals: Kevin Owens vs. Carmelo Hayes

We get an insert interview from Logan Paul (these are GREAT ways to keep him involved when he’s not around) who says Hayes’ first win was impressive but now he has to face the DISGUSTING Kevin Owens. They lock up to start with Hayes taking him down for an early two. An exchange of near falls lets Hayes hit a dropkick and Owens seems impressed. Owens comes back with a right (as in still broken) hand, allowing Hayes to pull him out to the floor.

That’s fine with Owens, who sends Hayes into the steps as we take a break. Back with Hayes grabbing a slam, followed by an ax kick for two. A spinning faceplant gets the same but Owens puts him on top for a hanging DDT. They trade kicks to the face until Owens blasts him with a clothesline. Hayes manages a Codebreaker but Nothing But Net misses, allowing Owens to hit a pop up powerbomb for two more. The Swanton and Stunner send Owens to the finals at 10:20.

Rating: B-. That’s a fine way to get rid of Hayes, who came in and got a win on the main roster before losing to a bigger star. This wasn’t meant to bring Hayes up full time and they didn’t do anything they shouldn’t have done. At the same time, Owens has felt like the obvious winner of the tournament since the beginning so him in the finals was almost expected.

The OC comes in to see AJ Styles, who hasn’t been in touch. Karl Anderson asks if they’re good. Styles: “I don’t know. Are we?”

Karrion Kross promises to take away something else from other people. Of note: he seems to say the word “authors” and as the lights are lashing, two large men can be seen standing around him. Authors of Pain perhaps?

United States Title #1 Contenders Tournament Semifinals: Bobby Lashley vs. Santos Escobar

The Street Profits are here with Lashley, who starts fast with a running shoulder in the corner. Escobar manages to go up top but gets pulled out of the air and sent outside. We take a break and come back with Escobar hitting a suicide dive. The running knees in the corner connect twice in a row but Lashley fights his way out of a superplex attempt. Cue some men in masks to jump the Profits though, with the distraction letting Escobar grab a rollup for the pin at 8:19.

Rating: C+. That’s a smart move as not only did WWE need a way to get the almost unstoppable Lashley out of the way, but it also avoids the fans cheering for him over Kevin Owens in the finals. Escobar also seems to have some backup now and that could very well set up a nice six man tag against the LWO when Rey Mysterio is back.

Post match the masked men are revealed as Humberto Carrillo and Angel Garza.

Butch is upset by his loss but he lost to the better man. Pretty Deadly comes in to mock him and the fight is on, with Nick Aldis coming in to tell Butch to find a partner for two weeks from now. That sounds Sheamus-y.

Logan Paul isn’t impressed by his potential opponents. As usual, he’s at his best when he’s talking down to people and that was on high here.

Here’s what’s coming in two weeks. Earlier tonight, a graphic confirmed that next week will be a Best Of show.

AJ Styles vs. Solo Sikoa

Styles strikes away to start but gets dropped with a shot to the face. Sikoa is knocked outside for a knee from the apron, followed by a slingshot forearm as we take a break. Back with Sikoa hitting a backdrop and sending Styles back first into the post. Another whip sends Styles face first into the bottom buckle and the running Umaga attack makes it worse.

Styles fights back and drops him as well, setting up a Lionsault for two. The Phenomenal Blitz connects but Sikoa grabs a pop up Samoan drop for another near fall. A forearm to the face looks to set up the Phenomenal Forearm, which is countered into a missed Samoan Spike. Styles gets back up and hits the Phenomenal Forearm, only to have Roman Reigns run in for the DQ at 11:33.

Rating: C+. I’m a bit surprised that Styles didn’t get a pin here but he did have Sikoa in trouble until the screwy ending. What matters is that Styles is back in the ring and looked like his old self. I don’t know if he’ll win next week, but having Styles back in any role on the roster is going to be something that helps out quite a bit.

Post match Jimmy Uso comes in to help with the beatdown but Randy Orton and LA Knight make the save. The Bloodline is cleared out but the other three get in a fight to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a pretty nice show with some good action and quite a few returns. They’ve also set up a pretty stacked card for New Year’s Revolution, which should be a big time event to send us on to the Royal Rumble. You have to do well n the way to a Best Of show next week and they did well enough, though I wouldn’t call anything here worth going out of your way to see.

Results
Shotzi/Bianca Belair/Zelina Vega/Michin b. Damage CTRL – Top rope backsplash through at able to Sky
Dragon Lee b. Butch – Operation Dragon
Kevin Owens b. Carmelo Hayes – Stunner
Santos Escobar b. Bobby Lashley – Rollup
AJ Styles b. Solo Sikoa via DQ when Roman Reigns interfered

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

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Smackdown
Date: December 1, 2023
Location: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
Commentators: Michael Cole, Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

We’re done with Survivor Series and that means it is time to start getting ready for the Royal Rumble. As a result, we are likely to need a new challenger for Roman Reigns and wouldn’t you know it, Randy Orton happens to be here tonight. That should be enough, but we also have some Damage CTRL issues to cover. Let’s get to it.

Here is Survivor Series if you need a recap.

Here is Bianca Belair to get things going so we see a video on the women’s WarGames match. Belair thanks her teammates for helping her in WarGames but she’s not done with Damage CTRL. She wants her title back from Iyo Sky so here is Damage CTRL (minus Bayley) to interrupt. Dakota Kai says if Belair wants the title match, she’ll have to go through the entire team. That works for Belair, but here are Charlotte and Shotzi to interrupt. The brawl is on, with Damage CTRL being cleared out rather quickly.

Post break, Damage CTRL runs into Bayley, who needs to be out there tonight when Kairi Sane faces Bianca Belair. Bayley looks worried.

Butch vs. Bobby Lashley

Lashley has the Street Profits with him. Before the match, Lashley (who is rather popular) says this isn’t what Butch wants to do. Butch goes right after him and gets powered into the corner for his efforts. Back up and Butch dropkicks him to the floor for a dive off the apron and a knockdown.

We take a break and come back with Lashley snapping off a suplex. The high angle spinebuster puts Butch down again and Lashley sends him outside. The spear hits buckle though and Butch manages some enziguris. A standing Sliced Bread gives Butch two but Lashley is right back with a running powerslam for the same. There’s the spear to finish Butch at 8:08.

Rating: C+. I’m really not sure what they’re doing with Lashley here, as he’s one of the biggest stars in WWE but he’s just kind of there on Smackdown. You could easily swap him into a main event or title program and it wouldn’t be a problem, but here he is instead. On the other hand you have Butch, who is stuck without anyone to help him and not being able to do anything on his own. If that’s the case, just make him Pete Dunne again already.

Video on the men’s WarGames match.

Paul Heyman comes in to see Nick Aldis and asks about Randy Orton being here tonight. Aldis is planning to sign Orton to an exclusive Smackdown contract tonight, even if it costs him the entire Bloodline. If that doesn’t work for Heyman, what is he going to do about it? Heyman: “Anything it takes.”

A banged up Butch doesn’t know why Ridge Holland walked out last week but Pretty Deadly comes in to mock him. The fight is on, with Butch getting knocked down by the numbers’ game.

Video on Santos Escobar turning on the LWO.

Santos Escobar is ready to teach Joaquin Wilde a lesson.

Santos Escobar vs. Joaquin Wilde

Wilde starts fast and knocks him to the floor to start for a nice looking top rope flip dive. Back in and Escobar ties him in the Tree of Woe for a running dropkick to take over. Escobar cranks on the arm for a bit until Wilde fights up. A dropkick to the knee slows Escobar down and a rolling DDT gives Wilde two. Escobar isn’t having that though and runs him over, setting up the Phantom Driver for the pin at 3:59

Rating: C. Escobar’s rise continues and it makes perfect sense to have him take out some of the LWO. Granted you might not remember that Wilde is part of the team as he has barely been around in such a long time. The big showdown with Rey Mysterio is coming but WWE is doing a nice job of getting him ready on the way there.

Post match Escobar stays on Wilde but Dragon Lee runs in for the save.

Adam Pearce comes in to see Nick Aldis, because he has his own contract offer for Randy Orton.

Here is Logan Paul for his championship celebration. Paul has a message to everyone who has been against him to start: WHERE ARE YOU NOW? There are people backstage who hate that he’s so good and now he has the US Title. Now he wants some challengers and we are going to have a tournament to crown his new challenger. People involved include Santos Escobar, Dragon Lee, Karrion Kross, an unnamed NXT star, Austin Theory, Grayson Waller and Kevin Owens.

The tournament starts next week but here is Owens to interrupt. Owens insults Paul’s energy drink and says the nightmare is ending when he wins the US Title. Paul says six seconds is five more than he needs to KO Owens, who says this is his world. Cue Austin Theory and Grayson Waller (the latter being Owens’ opponent tonight) to run their mouths, earning a right hand from Owens.

Kevin Owens vs. Grayson Waller

Logan Paul is on commentary and Austin Theory is at ringside. Owens starts fast but Waller gets in a shot to the back of the head to take over. A superkick takes Owens down as Paul isn’t worried about the winner of the tournament. Waller’s middle rope elbow gets two but Owens is back with a suplex. It’s still too early for the Cannonball so they head outside, with Owens nailing a clothesline. A splash off the apron connects as well as commentary asks if Paul is ready for Owens. Paul: “Even if I’m not, I’m going to pretend I am.” Theory offers a distraction though and Owens’ hand is crushed in the steps.

We take a break and come back with Owens hitting a frog splash, only to bang up his hand in the process. Owens manages a DDT and superkicks Theory into the corner. Ow the Cannonball connects and a Swanton gets two. Waller goes after the hand to block the Stunner and we hit the armbar. With that broken up, Waller ties the hand in the corner and tries a running kick, which is reversed into a rollup to give Owens the pin at 10:50.

Rating: B-. There is something nice about having the match built around Owens’ hand injury and then going with a rollup rather than Owens hitting his finisher in spite of the injury. Owens winning the tournament is a very real possibility and he already has the match with Paul set up. If nothing else, the talking alone will be worth the whole thing.

Video on CM Punk’s return. He’ll be on Smackdown next week.

Bianca Belair vs. Kairi Sane

Charlotte and Shotzi are here too. We go to the back, where Bayley seems worried so Iyo Sky tells her to stay here instead. The rest of Damage CTRL goes to the ring and we’re ready to go. Belair runs her over to start and snaps off a dropkick to take over. Asuka offers a distraction so Charlotte does the same. Only Charlotte gets caught so she’s caught, but Asuka tries to come in. That’s too much for the referee, who ejects everyone else as we take a break.

Back with Sane cranking on something resembling a Boston crab, followed by a double arm choke. Belair fights up and snaps off some slams, setting up the handspring moonsault for two. Sane is back with a shot to the face and another forearm from the top gets two more. They go out to the floor, where Belair Glam Slams her onto the apron. Cue Bayley to go after Belair, only to have the Insane Elbow broken up. The KOD gives Belair the pin at 10:36.

Rating: B-. It’s nice to see two stories in a single match like this with Damage CTRL’s issues with Bayley, plus Belair having to fight through the entire team to get a title shot. That could open up more than a few doors and I’m interested in seeing where both of the stories go. Either way, Nice main event here, as Belair gets a win while Damage CTRL’s issues continue.

Here is Nick Aldis, with Adam Pearce next to him, to introduce Randy Orton. The fans are rather pleased to see Orton but the GM’s start fighting over him. Pearce offers Orton the winner of Jey Uso vs. Seth Rollins (Orton is intrigued) while Aldis counters with the guys that took Orton out (Orton is again intrigued). Cue Paul Heyman to interrupt, saying there will be no RKO’s this evening, nor will Orton get to make a decision tonight.

The Bloodline will make Orton’s decision for him, so here are Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa to interrupt. The fight is on with Orton being beaten down, only to have LA Knight run in for the save. Jimmy is left alone for the beating and the RKO, leaving Orton to pick up the contracts. Heyman: “GO TO RAW! YOU’RE SAFE ON RAW!” Orton signs with Smackdown and Heyman isn’t happy. Orton says Heyman needs to call Roman Reigns because daddy is back. Aldis celebrates with Orton, who drops him with an RKO. Heyman calls Reigns to end the show. I’ll take that over a long running back and forth ordeal over where Orton should sign.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a show that was going at a slower pace, which makes sense as they have almost two months before the Royal Rumble. That being said, Orton signing and the announcement of the tournament, plus Bayley and Damage CTRL’s issues continuing make for a pretty packed show. They can start really hammering home more for the Rumble in the next few weeks, though they’re off to a good enough start.

Results
Bobby Lashley b Butch – Spear
Santos Escobar b. Joaquin Wilde – Phantom Driver
Kevin Owens, b. Grayson Waller – Rollup
Bianca Belair b. Kairi Sane – KOD

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

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AND

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

NXT
Date: October 10, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph

Normally this is where I would start up the intro but I’m not sure if there is room given all of the special guest stars on the show. This very well may be the most stacked NXT in history as John Cena, Asuka, Cody Rhodes and Paul Heyman are all confirmed, with a potential Undertaker visit as well. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is Cody Rhodes to get things going. After soaking in some cheers, Rhodes talks about the Women’s Breakout Tournament. Since it has been so cool, we need to have a men’s tournament, meaning the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic will be returning at the conclusion of the men’s tournament! He’s not done though, as Shawn Michaels has made him the guest General Manager for the night!

Cue Ilja Dragunov to welcome Cody to the show and say how much he appreciates what Cody is bringing tonight. Now it’s Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio interrupting, with Dominik saying the people are here to see him. Dragunov wants to know why Dominik is here when no one likes him. Oh and Dragunov’s father used to work in a prison, so he knows how to turn Dominik into a puppy.

Dominik issues a challenge for the title tonight, but Cody thinks that means Dominik doesn’t want the North American Title on the line. Dragunov is ready to smash Dominik so Cody makes the title match. Oh and let’s have a special guest referee. It’s not Cody, but rather LA KNIGHT!

Asuka vs. Roxanne Perez

Shotzi comes out to join commentary as Perez gets in a quick takedown but has to duck a kick to the head. Perez grabs a headlock as Shotzi announces that she and Scarlett will be hosting night one of Halloween Havoc. Asuka fights out and the fans let Perez know that she f’d up. Perez knocks her to the floor but the dive is cut off with a forearm. A missile dropkick gives Asuka two and the Kawada Kicks rock Perez again.

An armbar goes on as Shotzi is almost giddy over getting to be back for Halloween. Perez grabs a Russian legsweep and Asuka is sent outside, where a suicide dive drops her again. A middle rope crossbody gets two on Asuka but she’s right back up with a kick to the ribs. The Asuka Lock goes on but Perez flips backwards to escape. Instead Asuka kicks her in the head for the pin at 6:05.

Rating: C+. This was an example of a veteran being better than an up and coming star but it was more one sided than it needed to be. Perez got in some offense but it felt like Asuka was toying with her before finishing things off at the end. Asuka is a bigger deal and still active in WWE, but it might not have been the best idea to have Perez look terrified of her.

Post match respect is shown but Kiana James runs in to jump Perez. Shotzi makes the save.

Gallus gets fired up.

Tyler Bate and Butch get fired up. Ridge Holland comes in to fire both of them up.

Tyler Bate/Brawling Brutes vs. Gallus

Pub Rules match, which appears to mean street fight. Gallus jumps them from being to start and the fight is on fast, with Booker saying it’s a fight instead of a match. Therefore, the weapons, including some pub items around ringside are rather logical. Butch stabs Joe’s finger with a dart and Holland trashcan lids Mark in the back. Holland isn’t done yet and blasts him with a fire extinguisher shot. Mark is put upside down in a trashcan so Bate can roll a bowling ball at his head.

Butch has hurt his leg on the floor and Joe headbutts him into the steps. Bate makes the save but gets dropped face first onto the apron. Gallus puts Butch through a table and we take a break. Back with Butch hitting the stomp onto Wolfgang’s arm, leaving everyone to stand up for the big slugout. Butch moonsaults down onto Mark as Joe and Wolfgang get caught in stereo airplane spins.

The good guys hit the stereo forearms to the chest, followed by stereo Bop And Bangs back inside. A German suplex gets two on Mark but Butch misses a slingshot dive. Instead Wolfgang hits a running flip dive in the general vicinity of Butch and Holland. Back in and Joe loads up a piledriver on Bate but instead turns it into a kind of standing Boston crab (that’s a new one).

Holland makes the save with a pool cue and the triple submissions have Gallus in trouble. All three are broken up and the fans are all approving. An enziguri/powerslam combination gets two on Butch so of course it’s table time. Holland backdrops Mark and Wolfgang outside but Joe is back in with a spinning high crossbody. All The Best For The Belles drops Butch but a mug to the face knocks Joe silly. A triple powerbomb through the table finishes Joe at 11:48.

Rating: B-. This was exactly as advertised and it worked well as a result. Sometimes you need to have two tams beat the fire out of each other and that’s what you got here. The standing Boston crab and triple powerbomb looked good and I had a lot of fun with this one. Good stuff here and I could go for more of Bate with the Brutes.

Video on Becky Lynch vs. Lyra Valkyria, focusing on their similar histories in Ireland and paths to WWE. We see clips of them training together and wrestling in the same rings for a rather nice bonus to their story. They’re set for the NXT Women’s Title match in two weeks on the first night of Halloween Havoc.

Tegan Nox interrupts Valkyria, who says Nox was so close to winning the title last night. Nox says that’s why Valkyria’s title match has to wait, which doesn’t sit well with Valkyria.

Here is John Cena for a fired up entrance as the fans are singing his theme song. Cena talks about how this place is often described as the future but look at what is going on around here. LA Knight is a referee, Cody Rhodes is in charge and we just turned the place into a pub (he’s still waiting on his pint). It is his honor to be allowed to share this space with these people tonight and he’s not unique in that case.

That’s why Cody Rhodes and LA Knight are here, but we pause or a THANK YOU CENA chant. He thanks the fans for creating an environment that the WWE stars want to visit. Yes they are Smackdown and Raw, but WE ARE NXT. Cena jumped at the chance to be here when Carmelo Hayes called because they both believe in hustle, loyalty and respect, but here is Bron Breakker to interrupt. The fans give him a BRON BREAKKER SUCKS chant and Cena (“I’ve heard this song before!

It’s so much cooler when the lyrics are changed!”) thinks this place has turned into a karaoke bar. Breakker says the people are here to see him, but Cena says everyone knows the business is in Breakker’s blood. Anyone can see that he is athletically gifted, but anyone can see that he lacks respect. Cena calls this a teachable moment because he’s excited for Breakker’s match tonight. The handshake is offered but Breakker drops Cena, only to miss the spear. The AA doesn’t work either as Breakker leaves.

Cody Rhodes runs into Tony D’Angelo and Stacks, who have a problem. They want their next challengers and suggest a tag team battle royal for the next title shot. Rhodes likes the idea and the title match can take place at Halloween Havoc. Everyone seems pleased.

Baron Corbin thinks Ilja Dragunov is ducking him and says everyone around him is all the same. LA Knight’s music cuts him off though and it’s time for a title match.

NXT Title: Ilja Dragunov vs. Dominik Mysterio

Only Dragunov is defending, Mysterio has Rhea Ripley in his corner and LA Knight is guest referee. Dragunov takes him down for a headlock to start but Dominik fights up and grabs one of his own. Ripley approves as Dominik slugs away, only to get chopped rather hard. That’s enough for Ripley to offer a distraction, meaning Dominik can get in a thumb to the eye to take over. We take a break and come back with Dragunov breaking up the Third Amigo.

The fans prefer the referee as Dragunov’s elbows give us a double knockdown. The 6 1 Line puts Dominik down and Dragunov grabs a waistlock to stay on the ribs. A suplex sends Dominik flying and Ripley is looking worried. Dominik manages his own chop in the corner and the fans think he has screwed up. Dragunov unloads on him in the corner but has to duck a quick 619 attempt.

A kick to the head rocks Dominik but he’s right back with the 619 (Vic: “This can’t be real.”) for two. Dragunov scores with a superplex, only to have Dominik roll out to the apron. That means a DDT can drop Dragunov onto said apron but he’s right back with the powerbomb. The H Bomb connects….and here is Finn Balor for a distraction. Knight gets rid of him so Ripley tries a belt shot to Dragunov. Trick Williams comes out to cut Ripley off, allowing Dragunov to hit Torpedo Moscow and retain at 11:58.

Rating: C+. This is a weird situation as there is very little reason to believe that Dominik can hang with Dragunov one on one. Therefore the interference was necessary, even if it made things that much more insane. That’s the right way to go here, as Dragunov needed another reason to believe that the title might be in danger. It’s good to see Dominik getting this far though and he was more than holding his own here. Knight was only around to do something in the end but the fans loved him, even if he took the focus away from the match more than once.

Post match Baron Corbin’s music hits but as he comes out, cue Dijak to kick Dragunov in the face. Dijak tells Corbin that he beat him to it.

John Cena and Carmelo Hayes share some respect in the back. Trick Williams comes in and Carmelo apologizes for not being there for him last week. Williams says it’s not the time for that because Cena is here. Cena: “You mean you can see me?” Williams and Hayes are going to get their titles back and Cena completes their catchphrase. With Hayes gone, Cena asks Williams if he’s ok, which he says he is. Williams does ask Cena when he knew it was his time. Cena: “Let’s talk.”

Earlier today, Paul Heyman tried to talk to Ava (who would be part of Roman Reigns’ family”.

Jade Cargill arrives and is greeted by Shawn Michaels.

Baron Corbin talks to Cody Rhodes in the back and requests a match with Ilja Dragunov or the title at Halloween Havoc. Instead, Cody makes it a triple threat with Corbin, Dijak and the winner of Carmelo Hayes vs. Bron Breakker. Baron isn’t happy, but Cody says booking isn’t easy.

Nathan Frazer and some others mock Dominik Mysterio for his loss. Rhea Ripley says Dominik is still champion so only his opinion matters.

Women’s Breakout Tournament First Round: Lola Vice vs. Dani Palmer

Elektra Lopez is here with Vice. They trade missed kicks to start and we get an early standoff. Vice takes her down into a headscissors and grinds away but Palmer fights up. Palmer tries a leapfrog but gets superkicked out of the air (that looked good). The running hip attack connects in the corner for two and the bodyscissors goes on. Palmer fights up and hits a middle rope spinning crossbody, only to miss a corkscrew moonsault (she landed on her feet). Vice pulls her into a triangle choke but Palmer flips over for two instead. Back up and Vice hits a kick to the head for the pin at 3:58.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t so much a back and forth match as much as a chance for both of them to get in a few of the things they’ve learned to do. That being said, both of them have talent to make them stand out. They’ll need some more seasoning though and that is going to take some time. Vice winning makes sense as she seems a bit further along, but Palmer looked fine out there as well.

We go to Chase U, where Thea Hail returns. Jacy Jayne told her to come back to class and she agreed, but only if Jacy came too. Jayne, in Chase U red and black, sits down as we hear about Halloween Havoc. The women start chattering and distract Chase (who even gets the location of this year’s Wrestlemania wrong). Then a student gets caught using his phone, sending Chase into a rant. Jayne gets yelled at as well, but she reveals that Chase and Duke Hudson are in next week’s tag team battle royal. Jayne says they’ll have so much fun.

Paul Heyman pops in as Bron Breakker is warming up. We get the hype speech, but Breakker says he doesn’t care who is in his way, because he’ll break them all. Breakker leaves and a pleased Heyman calls Roman Reigns.

We get the TV watching vignette, which reveals that he is the son of Brian Pillman. He talks about how many people talk about his dad, but he has no memories of him. His dad died when he was four and he doesn’t want to be a wrestler but there is no escaping this industry. Now he has to wreck havoc on this business, under the name of the man who really raised him. That man’s name was King, and so was his. Pillman Jr. looked so much like his dad here that it was hard to believe.

Various women come up to see Asuka until Tiffany Stratton interrupts, cutting off Fallon Henley in the process. Stratton tells Asuka to let her know if she needs anything and talks down to Henley again.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Bron Breakker

John Cena and Paul Heyman are here too. Heyman gives Breakker quite the hyped up entrance, as you kind of knew he would do. Carmelo ducks to start as the fans keep singing. Breakker is fine enough to powerslam him out of the air and it’s time for the hard shoulders in the corner. Back up and Carmelo scores with a springboard clothesline for a needed breather as we take a break.

We come back with Breakker cranking away on the ribs. Breakker misses a charge in the corner but grabs something like a top rope DDT onto the turnbuckle. A fireman’s carry gutbuster gives Breakker two more so he loads up Cena’s finishing sequence. Carmelo cuts off the Five Knuckle Shuffle with a superkick. A suplex cutter gives Carmelo two as Heyman is panicking.

Carmelo goes up but Breakker runs the corner and hits a….something like a facebuster for two more. The gorilla press powerslam gives Breakker another near fall so it’s time to go outside. Breakker grabs the steps but Cena takes them away, just as Solo Sikoa comes out to brawl with Cena. Back in and Nothing But Net finishes Breakker at 12:03.

Rating: B. These two have good chemistry together and that was on display here. It’s a power vs. speed match and that’s going to work almost every time. They beat each other up with everything else going on around them, though Hayes winning makes more sense. Breakker still feels like he’s treading water until he leaves for the main roster, but that has felt like the case for a long time now.

Post match Breakker spears Carmelo down and says there is only one bada** in all of WWE…..and here is Undertaker (Biker Edition) to interrupt. Breakker calls him an old timer (my goodness the Steiner is strong in that voice) and Undertaker says Breakker will have a future. It’s just not today. Breakker gets chokeslammed, and Undertaker says there is always someone bigger and badder. Undertaker hugs Carmelo to end the show. Of all the people to do that to, Breakker was the only option they had?

Overall Rating: B-. I’m really not sure what to think of this show as it was more about the guest stars than anything going on with the regular cast. They set things up for next week but this was about Cena, Heyman, and everyone else who popped up as guest stars. That made for one of the more unique shows NXT has ever had, though I’m not sure if that is a good thing. The show wasn’t about what was going on but rather who was here, which made for a not exactly great show. Good enough, but only the main event was on that higher level.

Results
Asuka b. Roxanne Perez – Kick to the head
Tyler Bate/Brawling Brutes b. Gallus – Triple powerbomb through a table to Joe Coffey
Ilja Dragunov b. Dominik Mysterio – Torpedo Moscow
Lola Vice b. Dani Palmer – Kick to the head
Carmelo Hayes b. Bron Breakker – Nothing But Net

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

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AND

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

NXT
Date: October 3, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re done with No Mercy and that means we are on the way to the two week spectacle that is Halloween Havoc. The big story is Ilja Dragunov taking the NXT Title from Carmelo Hayes, but Dominik Mysterio also lost the North American Title to Trick Williams. The latter has a rematch tonight and Rhea Ripley is back as well. Let’s get to it.

Here is No Mercy if you need a recap.

We open with a long rematch from No Mercy.

Here is Becky Lynch, arm no longer in a sling, to open things up. She’s still not medically cleared to compete, but neither if Tiffany Stratton after the beating she gave her. Now she’s thinking towards the future though, and that is the first night of Halloween Havoc. She knows she has Tegan Nox first, but here is Lyra Valkyria to interrupt.

Valkyria talks about Becky making her NXT debut in 2014 and it was the first episode of the show she ever saw. It made her start training and she can’t believe how far Becky has taken Irish wrestling. Valkyria would love a title shot but here is Indi Hartwell to say she never lost the title. Roxanne Perez comes out (with Becky doing a motion of “come on down”) and says she wants the title back too. Becky says we’ll just do a triple threat for the Halloween Havoc title shot.

We look at the NXT Women’s Breakout Tournament brackets:

Kelani Jordan
Izzy Dame

Arianna Grace
Jakara Jackson

Karmen Petrovic
Jaida Parker

Dani Palmer
Lola Vice

Tyler Bate/Butch vs. Gallus

Joe Coffey is here with Gallus. Butch takes Mark down to start but Wolfgang gets in a cheap shot from the apron to take over. Wolfgang comes in but Butch takes over on his arm, allowing the tag to Bate and a double arm stomp. A double arm snap puts Mark on the floor and a double Bop and Bang puts Wolfgang outside too as we take a break. Back with Butch hitting the ten forearms to Mark and then diving on Joe. Bate comes in for the airplane spin to Wolfgang as everything breaks down. Butch hits a moonsault to the floor and Bate adds a dive. Back in and double butterfly powerbomb finishes Mark at 10:06.

Rating: C+. This was more or less a squash as Gallus barely got in any major offense. That being said, losing to a team like British Strong Style is hardly a terrible result and Gallus going away a bit could be nice for the time being. At the very least, Bate and Butch going forward as a regular tag team has some serious potential.

Post match Gallus runs in for the beatdown but Ridge Holland makes the save.

Here is Ilja Dragunov for a chat (but first he slips on the ropes on the way in). After the MELO MISSED chant, Dragunov praises Carmelo Hayes and talks about how hard Hayes pushed him. This championship reign will be a symbol of unparalleled passion. Cue Trick Williams to interrupt, saying he’s here because he won a title at No Mercy too. Williams says he isn’t stopping, but here is a limping Carmelo Hayes to interrupt. Is he slipping or is Williams thanking Dragunov after Hayes praised him for months?

Hayes talks about his history with Williams and praises him for his title win. Defending the title is another level, which has Williams asking if Hayes thinks he can’t do it. Hayes says that’s not what he means but Dragunov asks what Hayes did mean. Dragunov says this was a champions’ conversation but Hayes says Williams needs to be focus on Dominik Mysterio.

Cue Dominik, with Williams saying he’s going to take Dominik out tonight. Dominik accuses Williams of being 6’4 and 240lbs, but he’s still in Hayes’ shadow. Hayes offers to have Williams’ back tonight but Williams says he’s going to do it himself, which Hayes seems to understand.

Indi Hartwell vs. Roxanne Perez vs. Lyra Valkyria

For a title shot at Becky Lynch, on commentary, in three weeks. Indi misses a double clothesline to start and gets sent outside. That leaves Valkyria and Perez to go to the mat, with Perez rolling her up for two. Hartwell is back in and sends Valkyria outside, leaving Perez to roll her up for two as well. Perez spins around her into a headscissors to the floor but Valkyria breaks up a dive. Valkyria’s dropkick through the ropes hits Perez but Indi blocks another one. Perez dives onto Valkyria, only to get dropped by Indi as we take a break.

Back with Perez hitting a high crossbody on Indi and dropkicking Valkyria into the corner. A Russian legsweep gets two on Valkyria and hammers away on Indi but Valkyria dropkicks both of them down. Valkyria suplexes Perez for two but she’s right back with a super hurricanrana for two. Cue Kiana James to pull Perez to the floor but Lynch drops her. That leaves Valkyria to hit a top rope splash for the pin on Indi at 11:54.

Rating: B-. It has felt like Valkyria has been ready to become the new breakout star in NXT for a long time now and giving her the title shot against Lynch on the big stage will be a major step for her. I’m not sure if she wins the title, but she at least gets a chance. Perez has established herself as a player so the loss doesn’t really hurt her. I still don’t quite get the appeal of Hartwell, but she was perfectly fine here for the most part.

Post match Tegan Nox comes out to point at both of them.

Carmelo Hayes runs into Bron Breakker, who asks where Trick Williams was when Hayes lost.

Ilja Dragunov gets his side plates on the NXT Title when Baron Corbin comes in to remind Dragunov that he beat him not too long ago. He’s coming for the title.

Blair Davenport vs. Gigi Dolin

Dolin jumps her from behind during their entrances as ringside is still full of smoke. Back in and the bell rings with Dolin hammering away but Davenport cuts her off. A kick to the back gives Davenport two and they head outside again. Davenport misses a chair shot ad the referee takes it away again back inside. The distraction lets Dolin grab a rollup for the pin at 3:48.

Rating: C. This didn’t have time to do much and they were trying to cram in a bunch of stuff at once. Davenport has hit quite the wall in recent months and this was another hit for her. She’s still good as a villain, but after feeling like she should have jumped up the ranks, she’s losing to Gigi Dolin in less than four minutes. The match was mainly a way to have Davenport get more annoyed, meaning this will continue.

We look at Roxanne Perez winning the Women’s Breakout Tournament last year.

Kiana James is tired of people hearing about Perez because she was in the tournament as well. If Perez wants to fight her, she has to win a match next week. Against Asuka.

We meet the roster of the Women’s Breakout Tournament.

Women’s Breakout Tournament First Round: Izzy Dame vs. Kelani Jordan

Jordan’s sunset flip attempt is blocked to start and Dame sends her throat first into the middle rope. Some shoulders in the corner keep Jordan in trouble and we hit the chinlock with the arm trapped. Dame grabs an over the shoulder backbreaker but Jordan slips out. A 619 armdrag sets up some dropkicks to put Dame down. Jordan hits a high crossbody for two but Dame boots her down for two. Back up and Jordan sends her into the corner, setting up a split legged moonsault for the pin at 4:57.

Rating: C. This wasn’t the smoothest match and while Jordan wasn’t great, she was the better of the two options. These tournaments have a tendency to be about one or two people and Jordan making a run would not be the biggest surprise. At the end of the day, the women’s division needs some fresh blood and we might be seeing it here.

Chase U runs into Thea Hail and Jacy Jayne, with Andre Chase offering to be in Hail’s corner for her tag match. Jayne: “So, like a chaperon?” Jayne thinks it’s not a bad idea and Hail goes along with it, despite some reservations.

We get another vignette of someone watching TV, this time with several second generation wrestlers included. We also see part of a reflection when the TV is turned off. This is the same vignette that aired at No Mercy, or at least close to it.

Thea Hail/Jacy Jayne vs. Lola Vice/Elektra Lopez

Chase U is here too. Hail mocks Vice and Lopez’s dancing entrance. Hail strikes away at Vice to start but Lopez gets in a cheap shot from the apron. The chinlock doesn’t last long for Vice as Hail is up with a dragon screw legwhip. Vice breaks up the tag though and knocks Jayne down on the apron. Hail gets over for the tag to Jayne without much trouble, meaning it’s a running neckbreaker for two on Vice. Back up and Vice gets in a shot of her own, allowing the tag to Lopez. That means a missed charge sends Lopez into the post and it’s back to Hail. A quick Kimura makes Lopez tap at 4:07. Chase U didn’t play a factor here.

Rating: C+. They kept this moving and Hail being all mature but still intense is an interesting hybrid. I can’t imagine this ends with anything but a big Chase U reunion (having it all be Hail’s psychology project would be hilarious), though it’s letting Hail grow a bit. She could only be the crazy student for so long and this is certainly a different way to go for her. If they can give us the big feel good ending, it should work out just fine.

Carmelo Hayes has requested a match with Bron Breakker next week. Oh, and he’ll have a special guest in his corner: John Cena.

Also next week: Cody Rhodes, with a big announcement. Hey did I mention NXT is going head to head with Dynamite next week?

North American Title: Dominik Mysterio vs. Trick Williams

Mysterio, with Rhea Ripley, is challenging in a No Mercy rematch. Williams shoulders and dropkicks him down to start as Ripley is not pleased. We take an early break and come back with the rest of Judgment Day coming to the ring so Dominik can score with a belly to back suplex. A middle rope corkscrew Swanton gives Dominik two and he chokes Williams on the rope.

Three Amigos are broken up and Williams hits a jumping neckbreaker for a breather. Williams hits a Rock Bottom but a distraction lets Dominik hit a DDT onto the belt for two. The 619 connects but the frog splash hits raised knees. Williams hits the running knee so here is JD McDonagh. He’s kneed down as well but Dominik gets the Money in the Bank briefcase. Balor gets in a belt shot and Dominik adds the frog splash to get the title back at 10:19.

Rating: C+. The match and arguably the result aren’t important here. What matters is NXT just made Trick Williams into a star in the last four days. Not only did he beat Dominik clean(ish) to win the title at No Mercy, but it took FIVE people and a belt shot to beat him here. Dominik is right back where he started while Williams is a star who will have a story with Carmelo Hayes coming out of this. Good stuff, and they made a star out of someone with potential.

Post match Paul Heyman pops up to say that since John Cena will be in Carmelo Hayes’ corner, Roman Reigns has told Heyman to be in Breakker’s corner next week. Well sure why not.

Overall Rating: B-. While the wrestling was very focused on the women’s division tonight, this was ALL about the announcements for next week (and maybe the title change too). WWE is going full blast against Dynamite next week and that is going to make for the biggest NXT in a long time. I’m curious to see how things go, but as for tonight, we had a good show coming off NXT, but it’s all about next week and they aren’t trying to hide it.

Results
Butch/Tyler Bate b. Gallus – Double butterfly powerbomb to Coffey
Lyra Valkyria b. Indi Hartwell and Roxanne Perez – Top rope splash to Valkyria
Gigi Dolin b. Blair Davenport – Rollup
Kelani Jordan b. Izzy Dame – Split legged moonsault
Thea Hail/Jacy Jayne b. Elektra Lopez/Lola Vice – Kimura to Vice
Dominik Mysterio b. Trick Williams – Frog splash

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

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AND

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

No Mercy 2023
Date: September 30, 2023
Location: Mechanics Bank Arena, Bakersfield, California
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

NXT is back on the road this week and the card is looking rather stacked. The two big matches this time around will see Becky Lynch defending the Women’s Title against Tiffany Stratton in an Extreme Rules match, plus Ilja Dragunov challenging Carmelo Hayes for the NXT Title. That should be enough to make this work so let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Kelani Jordan vs. Blair Davenport

Davenport grabs a headlock to start but Jordan snaps off a hurricanrana into a dropkick. Back up and Davenport grabs a slam and we hit a reverse chinlock. A Boston crab sends Jordan over to the ropes but she’s back up with the forearms to really wake up the crowd. Jordan grabs a springboard cutter for a double knockdown and an elbow puts Davenport down again. A sleeper has Davenport in more trouble but a ram into the corner breaks it up. Jordan’s split legged moonsault hits raised knees, allowing Davenport to hit a middle rope double stomp to the back. Something close to a Falcon Arrow finishes for Davenport at 6:35.

Rating: C. This was a nice showcase for Jordan, but the only way she was going to pull this off was with Gigi Dolin interfering. Jordan is someone who has potential to go somewhere once she gets some experience and develops a bit but we’re a long way from there. Davenport is still one of the bigger villains in the division, but she needs to get into a bigger feud sooner or later.

Post match Gigi Dolin runs in to go after Davenport.

The opening video sees someone putting a No Mercy cartridge into an N64 and a modernized version of the game’s intro. We get a character select screen (Complete with a dig diggity dig, dig diggity dog!) and most of the matches are selected and shown on the match screens ala the original game. This was AMAZING.

Bron Breakker vs. Baron Corbin

Breakker comes out with a dog head costume on for something that might have sounded better on paper. Corbin on the other hand comes out on a motorcycle. Breakker hits the big running flip dive to the floor and the brawl is on before the bell. They fight into the crowd with Corbin getting the better of things until Breakker knocks him back to ringside.

We pause for Breakker to beat up some cameramen, allowing Corbin to get in a few shots of his own. Corbin’ backsplash hits the announcers’ table by mistake though and they finally go inside. The bell rings and Breakker hammers away as we have no commentary for some reason. Corbin hits a middle rope clothesline and some forearms on the mat as they’re going with the slugout. Breakker powers him into the corner though and runs the corner for the super hurricanrana.

The gorilla press powerslam gets two but Corbin tells him to bring it and hammers away. The Recliner sends Corbin over to the ropes and he’s back with Deep Six for two. They slug it out again until Breakker hits a hard clothesline. The fight heads outside again and Corbin sends him through the announcers’ table to quite the positive response. Breakker pops back up with a spear and they head back inside….where Mr. Stone pops up for a distraction. That’s enough for Corbin to grab the End of Days for the pin at 9:35.

Rating: B. That was certainly an odd way to go, as I wouldn’t have bet on Breakker losing here. Then again I wouldn’t have bet on Corbin being treated as a good guy pretty much ever in WWE. As for the match, this was about two big, strong people hitting each other really hard until one of them couldn’t get up anymore. Granted it took some assistance for Corbin to put him away, but it was a heck of a fight.

Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams want to leave with their own titles tonight.

North American Title: Dominik Mysterio vs. Trick Williams

Mysterio is defending and Dragon Lee is guest referee. A dropkick before the bell gives Mysterio a fast two so it’s already time to yell at Lee. Williams follows him to the floor and throws him back inside as the fans want Mami. Back in and Mysterio kicks the rope for a low blow, followed by a dropkick to send Williams outside again. The chinlock doesn’t last long back inside so Mysterio snaps Williams throat first across the top.

Williams fights up though and a double clothesline leaves them both down. Mysterio hits the 619 but a superkick hits Lee by mistake. A neckbreaker drops Williams as another referee runs in for the near fall. Back up and Mysterio hits the other referee as well, followed by a crossbody to take Williams outside. Williams gets posted but avoids the frog splash, setting up a knee to drive the belt into Mysterio’s face. Lee counts the pin to give Williams the title at 9:40.

Rating: C+. This was one of those matches with all kinds of things going on, which will likely set up a rematch. What matters is giving Williams the big push as he has seemed to be ready for the chance. It’s an interesting way to go and now we get to see what he can do with the chance. Good for them for trying something with someone new, though I’m surprised that Mysterio lost here instead of on Raw.

We look at the dinner to set up the four way Tag Team Title match.

Joe Gacy tells Ava that the Schism is done and now he has to find his own way.

Tag Team Titles: Tony D’Angelo/Stacks vs. Bronco Nima/Lucien Price vs. Creed Brothers vs. Humberto Carrillo/Angel Garza

D’Angelo and Stacks are defending and it’s one fall to a finish. Scrypts is here with Nima and Price, who come to the ring on a bicycle and tricycle. The champs have a bunch of the family here for the entrance and we’re ready to go. They waste no time in going to the big brawl and commentary is already feeling sorry for the referee. Brutus hits the big dive to the floor to take some people out, only to get chopped back inside.

D’Angelo comes in and gets chopped by Garza and Carrillo but we pause as D’Angelo’s knee gives out. It’s off to Stacks for a running uppercut as D’Angelo is taken out. Stacks gets dropped by a high/low and a Gory Bomb/slingshot flipping cutter combination gives Carrillo two. Price comes in for a chinlock but Stacks fights up and gets over to Brutus for the tag. Brutus cleans house and ankle locks Garza as Julius suplexes everyone in sight.

Carrillo makes the save and we get the big staredown as D’Angelo comes back to the ring. The Creeds and the champs take the other four up top for a quadruple superplex and everyone is down again. Nima and Price are back up to clean house again and a power up powerslam gets two on D’Angelo. Garza and Carrillo are back in with some dropkicks but Brutus sends them to the floor for the springboard Brutus Ball. That leaves Price to get caught in Bada Boom Bada Bing to retain the titles at 12:05.

Rating: B-. This was fun as they had everyone get in there and go nuts at various times, with D’Angelo coming back in for the big moment later on making a cool moment. You also had the Creeds getting to show just how awesome they can be and it was all over the place for about twelve minutes. It was a bit messy for the most part, but that’s exactly how it should have gone.

We see the vignette from NXT of someone watching the Cincinnati Bengals and WCW, but he also watches various second generation wrestlers.

Carmelo Hayes is VERY proud of Trick Williams.

We recap Butch winning the Global Heritage Invitational to earn a Heritage Cup shot.

Heritage Cup: Butch vs. Noam Dar

Butch, with Tyler Bate, is challenging and Meta Four is here with Dar. Round one begins with the two of them going to the mat but neither can get much of an advantage. Back up and Dar doesn’t seem overly confident, with Butch pulling him down by the arm to make it worse. Butch cranks on the fingers and arm until the round ends, but Dar gets in a cheap shot after the bell.

Round two begins with Dar going after the arm and firing off a kick to the chest. Butch isn’t having that and scores with his own kicks in the corner. Another shot to the arm cuts Dar down again and Butch hits the ten forearms to the chest. The Meta Four offer a distraction though, allowing Oro Mensah to get in a cheap shot. Dar steals the pin and the fall at 2:30 of the round and 6:30 overall.

Round three begins with Dar hammering away but Butch backflips out of a German suplex attempt. Dar rolls to the floor so Butch moonsaults down onto him for the big crash. Back in and Dar kicks another moonsault out of the air but the Nova Roller misses. Butch hits the Bitter End for the pin to tie it up at 1:58 of the round and 9:10 overall.

Round four opens with Butch going after the arm and grabbing the cross armbreaker. That’s reversed into a triangle choke but Butch stacks it up for two and the break. Dar gets in another shot of his own, only to get pulled into Butch’s triangle choke. The clock runs out though and Dar survives without tapping.

Round five begins with both of them banged up but Butch unloads with chops to take over. The Bitter End is broken up and Dar hits him in the face for two. Butch catches him up top with a superplex and another near fall. Dar heads to the apron and grabs a brainbuster for a heck of a near fall and the fans get back into it. Butch snaps the finger as the round ends.

Round six (the final round) begins with Butch striking away but Mensah offers a distraction. The Nova Roller gives Dar two as Bate goes after the Meta Four. Butch hits a Tyler Driver 97 for two of his own but Dar pulls him into the kneebar. That’s reversed into the Bitter End for another near fall so the cross armbreaker goes on. Cue Gallus to go after Bate, allowing Joe Coffey to come in and hit Butch with All The Best For The Belles. Dar retains at 2:34 of the round and 18:51 overall.

Rating: B-. The action was good but egads we just spent a month on a tournament to find Dar, who has been champion for the better part of ever, a new challenger and never mind, as Dar retains anyway. He’s good at what he does but it’s ok to let him drop the title for a bit. The action was high quality as you would expect, but it’s really hard to stay interested in Dar’s title reign continuing.

We recap Ilja Dragunov vs. Carmelo Hayes for the NXT Title. Hayes retained over Dragunov at the Great American Bash but Trick Williams used a chair. Now Hayes needs to know he can win on his own.

NXT Title: Ilja Dragunov vs. Carmelo Hayes

Hayes is defending and has a special entrance with banners falling, featuring the name of everyone he’s beaten to retain the title. After the Big Match Intros, Dragunov sends him into the corner and strikes away to take over fast. Hayes gets in a few shots of his own but the springboard elbow misses. Instead Dragunov scores with the 61Line for the knockdown, setting up a backsplash for two.

Dragunov grabs a front facelock to keep Hayes in trouble, with a knee to the head knocking him silly again. The strike off goes to Dragunov but Hayes sends him into the corner and unloads with chops. Hayes knocks him down again but can’t follow up, meaning it’s time for a breather. Back up and they trade more strikes until Hayes nails a step up enziguri to drop Dragunov again.

A springboard bulldog (originally a DDT but Hayes changed it in mid-air after realizing it wasn’t going to work for a nice save) gives Hayes two but Dragunov is back up with some rolling German suplexes. The Constantine Special misses for Dragunov and Hayes grabs a spinning faceplant for two. Hayes unloads with stomps to the head until Dragunov slips out and hits a running knee.

Dragunov scores with a powerbomb and loads up Coast To Coast. Hayes tries to Codebreaker him out of the air but leaves it a bit short, allowing Dragunov to Death Valley Driver him into the corner. Now the Coast To Coast can connect for two and an H Bomb gets two more.

The middle rope H Bomb gives Dragunov another near fall and he’s stunned off the kickout. Torpedo Moscow cut off with a superkick to give Hayes a breather and they head to the apron. Hayes cutters him to the floor for the big crash and they head back inside, where Dragunov knocks him out of the air. A super H Bomb gives Dragunov the pin and the title at 21:07.

Rating: A-. This one pretty much blew their first match away and was two guys beating the fire out of each other. Dragunov is the more rugged brawler who dominated Hayes to start but Hayes eventually got into it with the speed and athleticism. It was a heck of a match, probably Hayes’ best ever, but it was time for Dragunov to get the big win.

Respect is shown post match.

Video on the Women’s Breakout Tournament.

We recap Tiffany Stratton challenging Becky Lynch for the Women’s Title. Lynch took the title from her but Stratton kept attacking the new champ. As a result, it’s Extreme Rules for the title.

Women’s Title: Becky Lynch vs. Tiffany Stratton

Lynch is defending and this is Extreme Rules. We get a look back at Lynch’s NXT career before she comes out with a shopping cart of weapons. They fight into the crowd (featuring a heck of a No Mercy sign modeled after the N64 game with modern stars) with Lynch getting the better of things until a forearm to the face slows her down. Lynch hits her with some kind of a necklace (from a fan) and Stratton is knocked back down the steps.

They get back to ringside where Stratton kendo sticks her down to take over. A basement dropkick gets two for Stratton so she grabs the toolbox. Stratton whips out a rather large wrench before switching to a hammer. Both of them miss a big swing and the hammer falls out to the floor. Stratton grabs a sidewalk slam for two but Lynch sends her into the corner. The Bexploder lets Lynch go up top for a missile dropkick and Stratton rolls outside. That’s fine with Lynch, who puts her in the shopping cart for a ram into the steps.

Back in and Lynch pours out a bunch of Barbies, with Stratton being dropped onto them for two. Stratton is back up with one heck of a trashcan lid shot to the head, followed by a non-lid shot to the ribs. A spinebuster onto the trashcan gives Stratton two but she takes a long time throwing in a bunch of chairs. Lynch fights back but gets powerbombed onto the steps. That doesn’t seem to matter very much as Lynch fights up and grabs a table, only to get knocked down again.

Stratton manages to lose Lynch as she sets up the table though, allowing Lynch to spray her with a fire extinguisher. Lynch whips out a barbed wire baseball bat but drops it before she can, uh, kill her. Stratton manages a hurricanrana and a double handspring elbow sends Lynch through the barricade.

With Lynch on the table, Stratton hits a Swanton to…actually not break the table in a nasty looking landing. Another Swanton connects for two back inside so Lynch rolls outside, only to miss a moonsault. The Manhandle Slam on the floor plants Stratton for two and Lynch is rather shocked. Stratton Regal rolls her onto the chairs but misses the Prettiest Moonsault Ever. The Manhandle Slam onto the chairs retains Lynch’s title at 20:20.

Rating: A-. Well that was awesome, as they beat the absolute fire out of each other. Stratton is so far beyond what she should be able to do at this level of experience and it’s not like losing to Lynch is some career killer. Lynch might not be what she was before but she can still more than bring it on the big stage. Great match here and one of Lynch’s best in a long time.

Lynch knows she was in a war.

Carmelo Hayes apologizes to Trick Williams for not getting to be double champs. Williams hugs him to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Those last two matches more than carried the show and made it more than worth a look. The opener was good too and the rest of the matches were good enough. This felt like it was following the old Takeover formula and while it wasn’t quite up to that level, the two main events were both great and this was a heck of a show. NXT has absolutely found itself and if they can keep that going, Halloween Havoc and Deadline should both be rather awesome.

Results
Blair Davenport b. Kelani Jordan – Falcon Arrow
Baron Corbin b. Bron Breakker – End Of Days
Trick Williams b. Dominik Mysterio – Jumping knee into the title belt to the face
Tony D’Angelo/Stacks b. Bronco Nima/Lucien Price, Creed Brothers and Humberto Carrillo/Angel Garza – Bada Boom Bada Bing to Price
Noam Dar b. Butch 2-1
Ilja Dragunov b. Carmelo Hayes – Super H Bomb
Becky Lynch b. Tiffany Stratton – Manhandle Slam onto a pile of chairs

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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NXT is back on the road as they head to California for No Mercy. This is the kind of thing that makes NXT feel like such a bigger deal as it is such a bigger stage than that little studio in Florida. The card happens to be stacked and it’s one of the better looking NXT cards that I have seen in a good while. That has been the case before but they have some more work to do. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Blair Davenport vs. Kelani Jordan

This was announced after NXT went off the air this week so there isn’t much of a build here. That being said, Davenport has been a monster heel in recent weeks and Jordan is someone who had been looking up to Dana Brooke before Brooke’s release. In other words, there isn’t much of a reason to believe this is going to be overly competitive, but there might be one reason to believe otherwise.

I’m going to go with what should be the obvious pick in Davenport, but I can’t shake the feeling that Gigi Dolin will interfere to cost Davenport the win in a big embarrassment. Dolin vs. Davenport has been set up for a long time now and it would be interesting to see Dolin get one back on Davenport after she attacked Dolin earlier this week. I’ll go with Davenport here, but a Dolin inspired upset wouldn’t shock me.

Bron Breakker vs. Baron Corbin

Sometimes you need to let two power guys beat the fire out of each other and that is what we are going to be seeing here. These two got the big go home segment to end this week’s NXT as they literally went through a wall during their fight. Corbin can do rather well when he is given the chance and having a fired up Breakker could do just that. Breakker could use the win too and I think you know where this is going.

There is no reason to buy Corbin winning here so I’ll take Breakker getting another big win over a stronger name. Breakker has been kind of floating for the last few weeks but having him beat Corbin up for a little while, survive some big moves and then win is a smart way to go. It might even be a fun match on the way there, but Breakker wins here, as there isn’t much of a reason for anything else to happen.

Tag Team Titles: Tony D’Angelo/Stacks(c) vs. Lucien Price/Bronco Nima vs. Creed Brothers vs. Humberto Carrillo/Angel Garza

As is the case with most title matches, this was set up through a nice Italian dinner. The tag division has started a nice little rebuild, but at the end of the day, the Creed Brothers feel like they’re that much better than anyone else. I’m not sure if that’s going to be enough to get them to win the titles though, as it’s hard to fathom the Creeds being in NXT that much longer.

For now, I’ll take the champions retaining, though there is a case to be made for giving the titles to anyone but the Creeds. Carrillo and Garza are a more experienced team and need something to make them feel more special, while Price and Nima could get a heck of a rub by winning the titles so soon into their run. The good thing with a four way is that you still have contenders coming out of the match as only one team gets beaten, and we’ll say the champs get to do said beating here.

Heritage Cup: Noam Dar(c) vs. Butch

This is the result of a nearly month long tournament to crown a new #1 contender and that makes things interesting. It’s kind of hard to imagine Butch coming up short after that long. The problem here could be having Tyler Bate in Butch’s corner, which feels like a way to set up some kind of screwy finish. At the same time, it’s hard to imagine it’s hard to imagine having another main roster star winning an NXT title.

That being said, having a tournament go on that long with Butch winning, only to lose here and keep the title on Dar doesn’t make a ton of sense. Dar has been either champion or right there next to it for months now and I don’t see the need to keep it on him. Butch has been needing a win to get himself back up and I’ll say he wins here, though I have quite the feeling that I’m wrong on this one.

North American Title: Dominik Mysterio(c) vs. Trick Williams

So this one is a bit more interesting as you have Williams replacing the suddenly released Mustafa Ali. Williams has felt like someone who is being groomed for the next big step up the ladder, with a Carmelo Hayes match feeling like it’s on the horizon. That being said, it would be a big deal to take the title from Mysterio, who is quite the big deal in his own right on the main roster.

I can’t imagine Mysterio losing here so we’ll go with him retaining the title. Williams is someone who could become a big deal rather quickly but Mysterio losing the title so soon doesn’t feel right. At the same time, Mysterio losing the title without Rhea Ripley being involved doesn’t feel right. Mysterio retains here, likely with some interference to keep Williams looking strong.

Women’s Title: Becky Lynch(c) vs. Tiffany Stratton

This is Extreme Rules and a rematch from earlier this month when Lynch took the title from Stratton. That makes things all the more interesting, as Lynch already has everything on Monday Night Raw and she isn’t going to be the champion long term. At the same time though, I’m not sure I can imagine her losing the title here. Stratton feels like she is going to be a big star, but I’m not sure we’re at that point yet.

I’m not feeling overly strong on this one, but I’ll take Lynch to retain here. Stratton certainly has a lot of the tools needed to step up sooner than later, but beating Lynch is one heck of an upgrade. There’s a chance that Stratton wins here, though I’ll go with Lynch retaining after a better fight than the previous edition. Lynch goes over here, but after getting quite the test from Stratton.

NXT Title: Carmelo Hayes(c) vs. Ilja Dragunov

This is a rematch from Hayes beating Dragunov at the Great American Bash where Dragunov was sent into a chair. That makes the question whether or not Hayes can win on his own here, and we could be in for a heck of a fight. Dragunov knows how to bring up the emotion with some outstanding near falls and selling the pain he’s going through, which should be the case again here. I’m just not sure how it’s going to end and that’s confusing.

I’ll go with….geez I guess Hayes here, as it doesn’t feel like he’s ready to lose the title here, but dang it’s hard to imagine Dragunov losing another big match. Hayes needs to win here to prove that he’s the big star and he has Williams waiting on him sooner or later. That match doesn’t necessarily need to be for the title, but for now we’ll say the title stays with Hayes after a better match than their first showdown.

Overall Thoughts

The more I look at this card, the better it’s looking. NXT has figured itself out in recent months and that has made it a good show to see again. Now they need to figure out how to make the big shows work, but the pieces are all there to have a successful night. I’m excited about this show and that’s a nice feeling to have, though having it actually be a good show is what matters most.

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NXT
Date: September 26, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s a big night as this is the go home show for this weekend’s No Mercy event. That means we need a new #1 contender to the Heritage Cup, with Butch and Joe Coffey facing off for the title shot. Other than that, we’ll get the final push towards everything on Saturday, which should be good. Let’s get to it.

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

Global Heritage Invitational Finals: Butch vs. Joe Coffey

The winner gets a Heritage Cup Title shot at Noam Dar (watching from a box with the Meta Four) and the rest of Gallus is here with Coffey. Butch takes him to the mat with a headlock to start before starting in on the arm. The stomp to the arm sets up a Fujiwara armbar but a Wolfgang distraction lets Coffey fight back. Butch flips out of a belly to back suplex and Gallus is ejected as we take a break.

Back with Butch working on the arm but Coffey knocks him down again. A German suplex drops Butch again but he’s back with an enziguri. Coffey stays up for a discus lariat to leave them both down. Coffey’s running headbutt sends Butch into the corner and All The Best For The Bells gets two. Butch is sent outside where he avoids a charge, sending Coffey into the steps. Back in and the Bitter End finishes for Butch at 12:41.

Rating: B. Butch is the better choice here as Coffey vs. Dar isn’t exactly a marquee matchup. There is always the chance of Butch winning the title and having him lose after winning this big, elaborate tournament would be a letdown. It’s still fun to watch Butch pick someone apart too and that is exactly what we got here in a good enough tournament final.

Dominik Mysterio, with a black eye, isn’t happy with having to defend against the winner of tonight’s triple threat on Saturday. First Adam Pearce is after him and now it’s Shawn Michaels.

Tony D’Angelo and Stacks are at their dinner and waiting on other tag teams to show up for their dinner. Los Lotharios are here first and get checked for weapons before they get to sit down. Angel Garza isn’t sure about the foot but they’re here for the titles anyway. Other teams are on the way.

Trick Williams vs. Joe Gacy

Ava is here with Gacy. Williams shoulders him down to start and scores with a dropkick. Gacy gets in a shot of his own and unloads with forearms on the mat. The chinlock goes on but Williams is right back up. A leg lariat puts Gacy down but he slips out of a slam and hits a corner elbow. The Upside Down is broken up though and Williams hits a running knee for the clean pin at 2:27. That’s an upset, especially at that speed.

Post match Williams says he’s behind Carmelo Hayes, but Hayes already has his title. Now Williams wants his own.

Blair Davenport doesn’t like Gigi Dolin jumping her from behind. She’s coming for her.

Chase U is worried about Thea Hail when they run into Jacy Jayne. They ask about Thea, who pops in with her new outfit. She’s happy with the new her but Chase U isn’t impressed. Jayne promises more.

Josh Briggs vs. Baron Corbin

Brooks Jensen and Fallon Henley are here too. They brawl to the floor to start with Briggs getting the better of things. Back in and Corbin hits a big boot to take over and hammers away. Briggs gets in a few shots but runs into End Of Days for the pin at 2:58.

Post match Corbin calls out Bron Breakker for No Mercy. Cue Breakker and the brawl is on with security breaking it up.

Trick Williams goes into Shawn Michaels’ office.

Long video on Becky Lynch vs. Tiffany Stratton, with Stratton saying she’s already sick of Lynch.

Lucien Price/Bronco Nima vs. Tank Ledger/Hank Walker

Ledger takes Nima into the corner to start and Ledger adds some running shots of his own. A slingshot splash gets two on Nima but he comes back with a heck of hook kick to the head. Price comes in for a running crotch attack on the rope but Ledger gets the tag and cleans house. Everything breaks down and the assisted Alabama Slam finishes Ledger at 2:48.

Blair Davenport jumps Gigi Dolin in her locker room.

Back to the dinner and Los Lotharios want the Tag Team Titles. The Creed Brothers come in and Brutus is already hungry. The Creeds make Mafia and Godfather references but some more people are coming.

Tyler Bate and Axiom are friends but they’re willing to fight for a title shot tonight. Trick Williams comes in to say the triple threat is now a four way. They’re cool with that.

Eddy Thorpe vs. Dijak

Strap match. They’re tied together and Dijak goes straight to the floor, with Thorpe diving onto him for the big crash. A middle rope dropkick takes Dijak down again but he knocks Thorpe into the corner to start the beating. Thorpe is sent outside for a crash and we take an early break.

Back with Thorpe slugging his way out of trouble and hitting a Cactus Clothesline. Dijak is fine enough to hit a chokeslam onto the apron and whips Thorpe into the barricade, where his family is watching. As his family is scared of what they’re seeing, Thorpe fights up and strikes away with the strap back inside, setting up a top rope elbow for the pin at 10:03.

Rating: C. As a normal match this was pretty good but as a strap match, it was nothing. Other than a few whippings, the strap meant nothing here and could have been completely dropped without missing much. Thorpe winning is a good moment for him and it should end their feud. Dijak continues to lose big matches, but at least he’s getting the chance.

Post match Dijak jumps Thorpe again as I guess this isn’t over. Thorpe is tied in the Tree of Woe for a whipping.

Blair Davenport interrupts an update on Gigi Dolin and warns Dolin to think twice about messing with her.

Dani Palmer vs. Thea Hail

Hail is basically dressed like Jacy Jayne (who is here as well), so Booker T. talks about Hannah Montana. Hail takes her down for a splash to the arm and the wristlock goes on. The Fujiwara armbar goes on but Palmer reverses into a rollup for two. Palmer drops her and goes up, only to miss the corkscrew moonsault. Hail grabs the Kimura for the tap at 2:10 to continue a string of short matches tonight.

Trick Williams comes up to Carmelo Hayes, who keeps texting while Williams talks about what he’s done tonight.

Barn Corbin and Bron Breakker get in another fight in the back.

Dragon Lee vs. Axiom vs. Trick Williams vs. Tyler Bate

For a North American Title shot at No Mercy. Williams gets knocked to the floor to start and Bate hits a big dive to take him out again. That leaves Lee to charge into Axiom’s elbow to the face, followed by a dropkick for a bonus. Axiom goes after the pile on the floor and Lee dives onto everyone. Back in and we get a three way submission, with only Axiom not in danger. Bate figures that out and breaks it up, leaving everyone free. Williams starts cleaning house (the fans approve), including a double flapjack to Bate and Axiom.

We take a break and come back with Axiom taking Bate down for two but Lee makes the save. Lee hits some corner dropkicks and a sitout powerbomb gets two on Bate. Williams clears out Axiom and hits a double Rock Bottom for two each on Bate and Lee. Bate is back up and airplane spins Lee and giant swings Axiom at the same time (of course he can) but Williams is back in and everyone is knocked down for a breather.

Lee knocks Axiom down again with a superkick and goes up top but Axiom catches him on top with a super Spanish Fly. The fans are VERY impressed but Williams comes back in. Lee headbutts Williams….and falls to the floor, leaving Williams to fall on Axiom for the pin at 10:42.

Rating: B. At some point you have to pull the trigger on someone new and that is what they did here with Williams. It makes things that much more interesting and I could go for seeing what he does against Mysterio. Williams has come a long, long way but at some point Lee and Axiom need to win something of their own. They’re both too good and getting such strong reactions that they almost have to try something with them. For now though, I’ll take Williams going to No Mercy.

Bronco Nima and Lucien Price, with Scrypts, arrive at the dinner and the champs make fun of Scrypts. Insults ensue and the four way title match is made.

Dominik Mysterio is ready for Trick Williams when Dragon Lee jumps him.

Carmelo Hayes is on his way to the ring when Trick Williams pops up. Hayes is proud of him and they’re both ready to win at No Mercy.

An unseen man is watching television, including the Cincinnati Bengals and WCW. Gee I wonder who that could be.

No Mercy rundown.

Here are Ilja Dragunov and Carmelo Hayes for the contract signing, with Dragunov almost hyperventilating over the sight for the belt. Hayes says there’s nothing left to say to each other so let’s just sign the deal. Dragunov talks about how Hayes is always in the wrong place at the wrong time, with Hayes saying it’s just like Dragunov at the Great American Bash.

Dragunov says Hayes took his best shot at the Bash and missed, which is why he needed the chair. Hayes talks about how being the champion isn’t about enduring pain but rather being undeniable and Him. He says that he’s different than everyone Dragunov has faced, like Wes Lee, Oro Mensah or….Trick Williams.

Dragunov knows Hayes just slipped up and signs the contract before saying Hayes can’t do anything at No Mercy. If Hayes wants to pus him to new limits, Hayes will find something he won’t forget for the rest of his life. Hayes signs as well and says the title is bigger than the two of them. He’s a beacon of hope for people who look like him. Dragunov can be champion, but he can’t do it better than Hayes.

One more thing: Dragon Lee will be guest referee for Dominik Mysterio vs. Trick Williams at No Mercy.

Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker are still fighting in the parking lot. A car is opened and Breakker’s spear hits the open door, allowing Corbin to unload on him. Breakker shrugs off a low blow and grabs a choke as the fight heads inside. They crash through the wall of Shawn Michaels’ office and security finally breaks it up to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show had one major job and that was to get me interested in No Mercy. With the show over, I’m a lot more interested in Saturday’s show than I was coming in and that makes this a big success. There were enough good matches here (along with some short ones) to get me interested and now if they can do well with a pretty stacked card, we should be in for a heck of a Saturday. Pretty awesome go home show here and I’m more into a show I didn’t care much about coming in.

Results
Butch b. Joe Coffey – Bitter End
Trick Williams b. Joe Gacy – Jumping knee
Baron Corbin b. Josh Briggs – End Of Days
Lucien Price/Bronco Nima b. Tank Ledger/Hank Walker – Assisted Alabama Slam to Ledger
Eddy Thorpe b. Dijak – Top rope elbow
Thea Hail b. Dani Palmer – Fujiwara armbar
Trick Williams b. Dragon Lee, Axiom and Tyler Bate – Williams fell on Axiom

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

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AND

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