Monday Night Raw
Date: November 24, 2025
Location: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

It’s the last Raw before Survivor Series and that means we’re going to be seeing the final push towards WarGames. The main matches are pretty much entirely set but there is always room for one last build. We might even focus on some of the non-WarGames matches this week, which isn’t a bad idea. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the setup of the men’s WarGames match, with Drew McIntyre, Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar being added in the last week and a half.

Here is Roman Reigns to get things going. He says his catchphrase but here is Cody Rhodes for a staredown, complete with his own catchphrase. Rhodes says Reigns is a man of his word and the last time it was for a match. This time though, it’s for war. Rhodes wants to know what’s in this for Reigns, who says it’s Rhodes who is brand new to this fight. They don’t like each other or know each other very well, but Reigns knows they both care about family.

A lot of this team is his family and before they were on his team, they were in his Bloodline. He’s been invested in them for a long time and he’s here to see that investment through. Rhodes: “Understood.” He welcomes Reigns to his team, which doesn’t sit well with Reigns. Cue CM Punk, who hits his own catchphrase and tells the crowd to acknowledge them. Punk remembers teaming with Reigns before and Reigns remembers Punk ruining his life. That’s kind of true, but Punk says if Reigns stabs Punk in his back this Saturday, he’d stab his family in the back.

Rhodes tries to cool it down but Punk doesn’t like Rhodes saying it’s his show, because this is Monday Night Raw on Netflix. Cody can be the quarter back on Friday but on Monday, he’s the champ. Reigns finds this ridiculous and says that he hates Paul Heyman and the Vision more than he hates the two of them. If we’re being honest, that title (he doesn’t specify which) would look better on his shoulder. Reigns goes to leave and Punk asks who Reigns was talking to. Reigns says that’s for them to figure out and leaves. That last exchange was rather good, though this felt like some forced drama.

Paul Heyman is in the back with the Vision and tries to get Drew McIntyre to take tonight’s tag match for the WarGames advantage seriously. Logan Paul mocks the idea that the partner is going to be Brock Lesnar but Heyman warns Paul about what happens if Lesnar’s name comes out of the wrong mouth. Instead, Paul will be McIntyre’s partner, which Paul calls a wise choice.

Last Time Is Now Tournament Quarterfinals: Gunther vs. Carmelo Hayes

Hayes pounds him into the corner to start, which is broken up with raw power. A running shoulder drops Hayes and Gunther actually gets on the buckle to mock the crowd. That earns him a powerbomb out of the corner and a springboard DDT gives Hayes two. One heck of a chop cuts Hayes off though and we take a break.

We come back with Hayes managing a quick sleeper, which Gunther reverses into one of his own. That’s escaped with a backflip and Hayes is right back with the sleeper. Gunther powers out again and they trade chops until Hayes knocks him down. A butterfly suplex sends Hayes flying but he’s right back with a DDT to counter the powerbomb (that was nice) as we take another break.

We come back again with Hayes grabbing a quick First 48 but Nothing But Net is cut off. Gunther chops the post by mistake so Hayes tries a springboard DDT, which pretty much completely misses (which commentary acknowledges). Instead, Hayes hits a running flip dive onto Gunther’s back for a big crash.

Gunther tries the powerbomb but gets reversed into a heck of a tornado DDT off the barricade. Back in and Hayes grabs La Mistica but misses Nothing But Net. The big clothesline into the powerbomb gives Gunther two and the fans are losing it on these near falls. Gunther elbows him in the head over and over, setting up the powerbomb for the pin at 17:25.

Rating: B+. There was no reason to believe that Hayes was going to win here but they had me believing that it was possible. That’s a sign that something is going right and I was pulled into everything they were doing here. Hayes has found something as a good guy and a definitive win over Miz in their feud should help. On the other hand though, this seems to be Gunther’s tournament to lose at the moment, which shouldn’t be surprising.

Cody Rhodes/CM Punk/Roman Reigns are still arguing when the Usos come up to say tonight’s advantage match is a tag match. They happen to be the best tag team ever so……we seem to have a solution! They leave and Reigns tells Punk and Rhodes to fix this.

Here is Dominik Mysterio for a chat. He promises to end John Cena’s retirement tour in his hometown this weekend, continuing to prove that he is the greatest Mysterio of all time. Mysterio brings up that Cena isn’t here tonight but cue Cena’s music….and it’s a mini Santa, complete with a mini Stu the Cameraman.

Mini Cena (or John Weena according to Barrett) can’t do the slide underneath the bottom rope so he has to go for the ropes. Mysterio insults Cena, who calls him the worst Mysterio of all time. Mysterio seems to say that’s not what Cena is supposed to say but Cena challenges him for a fight…and then gets kicked in the chest. That means it’s time for a Shuffle, a 619 and a frog splash, only for Rey Mysterio to interrupt and chase him off.

Rey Mysterio vs. JD McDonagh

Finn Balor is here with McDonagh. We’re joined in progress with Mysterio backdropping him down and hammering away in the corner. That’s broken up and McDonagh drops him face first onto the buckle to take over. McDonagh stomps him down and grabs a chinlock, with the fans being rather behind Mysterio. McDonagh lets go and poses on the ropes, allowing Mysterio to send him outside.

That’s fine with McDonagh, who drops him onto the announcers’ table as we take a break. We come back with Mysterio in trouble but managing to send McDonagh into the post for a big crash. The top rope seated senton connects for Mysterio and he kicks McDonagh in the head for two. The 619 is countered into a Spanish Fly for two and they both need a breather. Balor tries to get up for a distraction so Mysterio sends McDonagh into him. The 619 and springboard splash give Mysterio the pin at 10:24.

Rating: B-. Mysterio continues to be able to look good against just about anyone in the ring and that was the case again here. It helps that McDonagh has been rapidly improving in recent weeks and it made for a pretty nice match here. The ending was a bit flat, but at least Mysterio gets a win before what should be a major showdown with Dominik in the near future.

Post match Balor goes after Mysterio, who manages to slip away.

Adam Pearce tells Raquel Rodriguez that she’s in the title mix. New Day comes in to complain about what’s going on with the Tag Team Titles but Pearce snaps. Apparently Dragon Lee and AJ Styles want to give them a title shot next week. Grayson Waller is so happy that he gives Pearce a wig.

Brock Lesnar arrives.

Here is a ticked off Becky Lynch for a chat. After a break, her WarGames team joins her before she goes on a rant about how the decision of last week’s title match will be overturned and she will be champion again. While that was a mistake, AJ Lee made a bigger mistake last week and now she’s making an even bigger mistake by locking herself in a cage.

Lynch has assembled the greatest team in the history of WarGames. She brags about how she’s put together all of these people, including Asuka, who she has beaten nine out of ten times, and Jax, who has great bones. Lynch doesn’t have to wear a mask like Rotten Rhea Ripley, which brings out the other team. AJ Lee talks about how the old her would jump Lynch and break her apart, but unlike Lynch, she bites instead of barking.

Ripley gets the mic and starts swinging rather than talking and the brawl is on. Ripley and company clear the ring, with Sky hitting a hue moonsault to the ring, sending Lynch running off. Pretty standard brawling segment, but Lynch was basically doing a straight up Trump impression without the voice and it was hilarious.

Last Time Is Now Tournament Quarterfinals: Penta vs. Solo Sikoa

Penta kicks away to start but they’re quickly on the floor. Sikoa manages to send him over the barricade, with Penta popping back up for a hurricanrana from said barricade. We take an early break and come back with….the match having been stopped as Penta was injured on the hurricanrana. Sikoa wins at around 4:50, with nowhere near enough shown to rate.

We see a woman’s finger circling a glass and a graphic says FOUR DAYS. It looks to be in the same font as Wrestlemania’s logo.

Maxxine Dupri can’t believe she won the title and calls Natalya. Before that happens, various women come up for some threatening glares. Adam Pearce has to come get her out of trouble.

Stephanie Vaquer is mad at Nikki Bella for betraying her and swears vengeance. See you at Survivor Series.

Survivor Series rundown.

Usos vs. Logan Paul/Drew McIntyre

For the WarGames advantage. Jimmy knocks Paul into the corner to start and sends him to the floor as we take an early break. We come back with Paul still in trouble, with Jey stomping away and sending him into the corner. A running splash connects but Paul fights out of trouble. McIntyre comes in for a slugout with Jey, who manages a needed suplex.

Paul cuts Jimmy of before the tag though, as he continues to be wise beyond his years. McIntyre takes Jey outside for a toss over the announcers’ table and we take another break. We come back again with Jey getting double suplexed, with both McIntyre and Paul doing nip ups. McIntyre charges into some boots in the corner though and the needed tag brings in Jimmy for the parade of superkicks.

Paul manages a Blockbuster for two, only for Jimmy to drop him with a spear. Everything breaks down and here’s the Vision, but cue Cody Rhodes and CM Punk to even it up. The brawl ensues on the floor but Jey hits a big dive to take them down. That’s enough for Paul to roll Jimmy up for the pin at 17:02.

Rating: C+. This felt long (might have been stretched to help after the injury finished the previous match early) and it didn’t have much of a doubt about the eventual result. At the end of the day, WarGames is almost always going to have the villains in control and given the lineups, it would be insanity to go in a different direction here. Not a bad match, but dropping five minutes would have been nice.

Post match the brawl is on with Roman Reigns coming in to clean house. The staredown is on and the credits roll, but cue Brock Lesnar, who actually falls down during his entrance and flips backwards (live TV people). The villains get on the apron and the big brawl ensues to end the show.

Overall Rating: B- This show started off strong and then hit a wall around halfway through. The big problem with a show like this is a hard one to get around: the main event, and big story, was about getting the advantage in a match on Saturday. It makes for little more than a big preview, with little actually being changed for Survivor Series. It’s good enough, but outside of the really good Gunther vs. Hayes match and maybe the opener, it’s not worth a look.

Results
Gunther b. Carmelo Hayes – Powerbomb
Rey Mysterio b. JD McDonagh – Springboard splash
Solo Sikoa b. Penta via doctor stoppage
Drew McIntyre/Logan Paul b. Usos – Rollup to Jimmy

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

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Survivor Series 2013
Date: November 24, 2013
Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 13,500
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, John Bradshaw Layfield

It’s the final show before the 2014 edition and for the most part I have no idea what happens here. If I remember right it’s something about Orton and then Reigns destroying a bunch of people. It kind of amazes me how easy the last year is to forget while I could snap off the main event of almost every PPV 2005 or so. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Miz vs. Kofi Kingston

Kofi won’t shake hands to start but eventually gives in after a few seconds. Kingston tries to speed things up with his leapfrogs before a crucifix gets two. A backslide gets two more but Kofi charges into an atomic drop. Both guys miss finishers but Kofi kicks him in the face and clotheslines him out to the floor. There’s a suicide dive for good measure and we take a break. Back with Kofi holding a chinlock for a change but Miz fights up with a big boot to take over.

Another boot to the face gets two and Miz puts on a chinlock. Back up and Kofi hits a quick standing double stomp before speeding things up with his dropkicks. There’s the Boom Drop but Trouble in Paradise misses. SOS connects for two and a high cross body gets the same as Miz is reeling. Kofi kicks him in the chest a few times before countering a Skull Crushing Finale attempt into a rollup, only to have Miz counter into a rollup of his own for the pin.

Rating: C. Nice match here as Kofi kept things moving until Miz finally caught him going for one too many big moves. Kingston is a guy that can move around as fast as anyone else and put on an entertaining match with almost anyone. Miz was looking sharp here too, even though I’d like him to drop that Figure Four nonsense. It didn’t work for him then and it still doesn’t today.

The show itself opens with HHH and Stephanie rather than an opening video. They guarantee no physical interference in any match tonight. Not a single one. Assuming Boston is ready, here’s the opening match.

After an opening video about the flame of survival in us all that is. As usual this transitions into a video about the main events.

Rey Mysterio/Goldust/Cody Rhodes/Usos vs. Shield/Real Americans

Elimination match of course. This is Mysterio’s return from yet another injury. Ambrose is US Champion and Cody and Goldust are Tag Team Champions, having taken the belts from Reigns and Rollins recently. Before the match, Colter rips on Americans for Twerking and even gives us a demonstration. David Ortiz gets insulted a bit as well until Cody Rhodes cuts him off and Twerks a bit as well.

Rhodes and Ambrose get things going with Rhodes nailing him with a right hand. Dean comes back with a clothesline but argues with the referee, allowing Cody to roll him up for a quick elimination. Everything breaks down for a bit with the Usos nailing all four remaining opponents. Each Uso dives on a team and the good guys are in full control.

We settle down to Cody suplexing Seth for two. Off to Goldust to a huge reaction but Swagger comes in off a blind tag and runs Goldust over. Cesaro snaps Goldust’s arm over the top rope before coming in to work on the ribs. Swagger gets two off a powerslam as Cole screws up Survivor Series history, saying that Andre won the first Survivor Series match (it was the first main event). Cesaro jumps over Swagger’s shoulders for a double stomp and slaps on a chinlock.

Back up and Goldust grabs a DDT to put both guys down. Goldust has to elbow all of his opponents before hitting a sunset bomb on Cesaro, only to have Swagger come in first. The Vader Bomb hits raised boots though and the hot tag brings in Mysterio. A quick 619 sets up a superkick from Jimmy and the Superfly Splash from Jey to make it 5-3.

Cesaro comes in immediately with Swiss Death for two on Jey. Both Usos get Swung and Cesaro is the most over person in the match. His reward: a sunset from Cody for another elimination. It’s Reigns in now to run over Jey and stomp away in the corner. Rollins comes in with an elbow for two before it’s back to Reigns to work on the arm. Cole mistakenly says the Shield has developed rivalries over the years but JBL points out that they’ve only been around a year. Cole: “Well you know what I mean.” JBL: “No not really.”

Jey finally gets over for the hot tag to Jimmy who takes Reigns down with a Samoan drop. The running Umaga attack gets two but Roman blocks the splash with his knees and nails the spear to make it 4-2. Cody comes in with a missile dropkick to Rollins as things speed up. The moonsault press gets two but the Disaster Kick is caught in midair. Rollins gets countered into Cross Rhodes but makes a blind tag, allowing Reigns to spear Cody for the elimination.

Jey sends Reigns into the barricade but misses a high cross body back inside. Rollins makes another quick tag to come in for a Curb Stomp and it’s down to Mysterio/Goldust vs. Reigns/Rollins. Rey is quickly taken down by Rollins but he comes back with a kick to the head for two. The advantage is short lived though as Rey gets tied in the Tree of Woe for a running dropkick to the ribs. Reigns throws him out to the floor with ease but the spear hits the post by mistake.

It’s quickly back to Rollins who dropkicks Goldust off the apron, only to get caught in a rollup for a fast pin. It’s Reigns vs. Goldust/Mysterio but Seth gets in some cheap shots on Mysterio before he leaves. Rey sends a charging Reigns into the buckle and tags in Goldust to clean house. A spinebuster plants Reigns and Goldust hammers away in the corner. Goldust nails a powerslam and spinning cross body for two each but a bulldog is countered into a spear for another pin. So it’s Mysterio vs. Reigns and the 619 is broken up with a huge spear to give Reigns the pin.

Rating: C. The match was boring to start but picked up a lot when Reigns was unleashed. This was the star making performance that started Reigns’ push to the moon which would be driven even higher when he broke the elimination record in the Royal Rumble. The match itself wasn’t much to see but those spears looked great.

HHH, Kane and Stephanie are in the back when Orton comes in. He wants to make sure everyone is on the same page after he demanded respect from the Authority on Monday. HHH wants to know if that’s just making sure everything is ok or if Orton is asking them to save him tonight. We get the usual Face of the WWE speech but Stephanie tells him to go prove it.

Intercontinental Title: Big E. Langston vs. Curtis Axel

Langston took the title from Axel on Monday and this is the rematch. Axel puts on a headlock but gets taken down with pure power. With that not working, Curtis starts going after the arm for almost the same result. Big E. busts out a leapfrog before just running Axel over. A running splash in the corner crushes Axel again and a clothesline gets two.

They head outside for a few seconds with Axel knocking Langston off the apron to get his first advantage. Back in and Curtis puts on a chinlock before Langston fights up with a big belly to belly. The Warrior Splash connects but Axel grabs a quick PerfectPlex for two. Back up and the Big Ending retain the title with ease.

Rating: D+. This was far less of a match and more of a formality. Langston was getting a solid push around this time until they suddenly pulled the plug on him. Axel has the same result, though at least he got to be in a tag team. Hopefully Langston can get somewhere with the New Day stuff but I won’t get my hopes up.

Post match Big E. talks about being in Boston but doesn’t want to look like he’s pandering to the people here in Boston. However, this feels like when the Boston Red Sox won the World Series.

AJ gives the True Divas a big pep talk but they don’t buy into it. Rosa Mendes: “Do you think you’re better than all of us.” AJ: “Yes?” Kaitlyn goes on a rant about all the horrible things AJ has done but AJ says this is about Total Divas not wanting any of them. The champ’s (AJ) advice for the night: start your own show by stealing this one.

Total Divas vs. True Divas

Total Divas: Bella Twins, Natalya, Funkadactyls, Jojo, Eva Marie

True Divas: AJ Lee, Tamina Snuka, Summer Rae, Rosa Mendes, Alicia Fox, Aksana, Kaitlyn

Elimination tag and let’s get this over with. Fox works over Naomi in the corner to start and slams her down for one. She puts Naomi on top but gets elbowed down, setting up a split legged moonsault to get rid of Fox. Rosa comes in and avoids the Rear View before it’s off to Cameron. This can’t go well. A double split legdrop from the Funkadactyls gets two on Mendes as we hear about the Total Divas having personalities.

Rosa sends a charging Cameron into the middle buckle for a pin. Mendes dances but turns into a Bella Buster from Nikki for another elimination. Summer comes in wearing orange and blue for a dance off with Nikki. Summer does the splits and gets dropkicked to make it 6-4 for the Total Divas. Eva Marie comes in and is booed out of the building. Kaitlyn doesn’t like her either and ends her with a quick gutbuster to make it 5-4. Naomi comes in but takes a gutbuster of her own for the pin. Tied at four now with Brie throwing Kaitlyn down for two.

Kaitlyn misses a spear and gets caught by a bad looking missile dropkick for another pin. I’m not leaving out anything on play by play here. These falls are just going that fast. AJ kicks Brie from behind, allowing Aksana to hit a bad spinebuster to eliminate Brie. A Rack Attack ends Aksana about 10 seconds later and we’re down to AJ/Tamina vs. Nikki/Natalya/Jojo. Tamina comes in to lay Nikki out with headbutts and Nikki is nice enough to smile through half of the beating.

Nikki gets thrown into Natalya and it’s off to Jojo, who has almost no in ring experience. Jojo nails a quick cross body and a rollup gets two before Tamina just kicks her head off. A Samoan drop plants Jojo and AJ comes in for the pin. The announcers say it’s 2-1 because Nikki Bella is that forgettable. Tamina charges into Natalya in the corner but misses the Superfly Splash, allowing Natalya to hook the Sharpshooter for the elimination. AJ comes in and gets nailed by Nikki because she wasn’t eliminated, setting up another Sharpshooter so the Total Divas can win.

Rating: F. This won Worst Match of the Year and it’s really easy to see why. It was clear that they had no idea how to do more than a few spots and had to fly through this match as fast as they could. I can’t stand these messes but the fans hating Eva Marie made up for it a bit. In case this wasn’t enough for you, there was a REMATCH the next night!

Orton asks referee Charles Robinson to help him out tonight but Robinson says he’ll do what the Authority told him to do.

Expert panel time but Ryback’s music cuts them off. Ryback says his favorite Survivor Series memory is shutting up all those old timers. He can intimidate anyone here but that doesn’t make him a bully. It’s open challenge time so let’s have a Wrestlemania rematch.

Ryback vs. Mark Henry

This is another return for Henry. They fight over a lockup to start and Ryback talks even more trash. Henry casually shoves him across the ring so Ryback goes after the knee for two. Ryback slams him down but misses a charge into the post. Maybe the GOLDBERG chants messed with his head. Mark gets down on all fours for some JYD headbutts before a powerslam gets two. The World’s Strongest Slam is countered into a spinebuster and Ryback takes down the straps. Ryback’s Meat Hook is countered with a cross body and now the World’s Strongest Slam is enough for the pin.

Rating: D. I can’t remember the last time I saw such a worthless set of back to back matches. Henry looked fatter than ever and Ryback’s collapse continues. At the end of the day the guy has come back so many times that it’s really hard to care. The fact that he’s anything but the Hall of Pain era Henry makes things even worse.

We recap Cena vs. Del Rio. Cena had to leave due to a bad arm but came back to take the World Heavyweight Championship from Del Rio like the main event jobber that he was. This is the rematch and Del Rio is going after the arm. Of course.

World Heavyweight Championship: John Cena vs. Alberto Del Rio

Cena is the defending hometown boy so the split chants begin. They fight over a headlock to start until Del hiptosses him down for a headlock and some of the most obvious spot calls I’ve ever seen. Back up and Del Rio steps on Cena’s head before a snap suplex gets two. Cena powers out of an armbar but Del Rio sends him outside and into the steps. They head back inside and the arm work continues along with the slow pace.

Cena fights up again but misses a charge into the buckle to keep Del Rio in control. Alberto avoids a shoulder block and Cena falls outside again so Del Rio can stay on the arm. A clothesline gets two on the champ and we hit another armbar. Del Rio talks about doing two things to Cena because he’s really bad at spot calling. Cena powers up again and hits a clothesline, only to walk into a Backstabber for two.

Alberto goes up but dives into a dropkick to put both guys down again. Back up and the ProtoBomb looks to set up the Shuffle but Cena takes too long, allowing Del Rio to score with a DDT. Alberto misses a charge of his own though and both guys are down again. The champ’s finishing sequence is countered yet again into a German suplex so he opts for a tornado DDT for two. The enziguri knocks Cena off the top and the dueling chants begin again.

Del Rio puts him in the Tree of Woe but his charge hits the post by mistake. There’s the top rope Fameasser for two and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker gets the same for Del Rio. Alberto calls for the cross armbreaker and gets a huge SI chant. Cena rolls through into the STF though, sending Del Rio rolling over to the ropes. The low superkick gets two on John and his belly to back neckbreaker gets the same for the champ. Cena’s cross body is countered into the armbreaker but he counters up into a powerbomb. Back up and the AA retains Cena’s title.

Rating: B. Del Rio is basically the new Chris Jericho: he’ll win the title every now and then, but he’s little more than cannon fodder for Cena. I have no reason to believe that Cena is going to tap out to the armbreaker and every time Del Rio went for the hold it felt like a waste of time. Alberto’s style makes perfect sense for him, but it’s a waste of time against Cena. The match was good, but the ending was never once in doubt.

Santino and Truth play with toys, only to be joined by Los Matadores, El Torito, Fandango and Johnny Ace.

We recap the Wyatts vs. Bryan/Punk. Bray saw both of them as heroes that needed to be destroyed so he crushed Bryan’s head and went after Punk in general. Bryan came out for the save and we’ve got a tag match. The tag line makes it a bit better: the Wyatts vs. the Beard/the Best.

CM Punk/Daniel Bryan vs. Wyatt Family

Bray holds up the lantern and says Abigail told him Punk and Bryan would be tough as nails. She was right. Bryan kicks at Rowan’s leg to start and is quickly shoved down. More kicks to the leg send Rowan into the good corner for a tag from Punk. The fans are very pleased with the tattooed hero but Erick drives him into the other corner to take over. Off to Harper as the Family starts taking turns working over Punk’s ribs.

Rowan slaps on a bearhug but Punk slips out of a suplex and tags in Bryan. Their combined forces can’t suplex Rowan though so he sends both guys flying at the same time. Things settle down until Punk and Bryan start kicking away in the corner and now they can suplex Rowan down. Naturally the announcers are debating if Rowan is like Michael Myers or not.

Back to Harper but Punk easily drives him back into the corner as well. A double dropkick sets up Bryan’s YES Kicks and we go old school with a Hart Attack for two. Punk gets distracted by Erick though, allowing Harper to kick Punk’s head off and tag in the other freak. A backbreaker gets two for Rowan and it’s back to Luke for the Gator Roll. Rowan starts talking to the mask on the post as Luke gets two off the Michinoku Driver.

Rowan comes back in and charges into a boot in the corner, followed by a tornado DDT (way too common a move anymore). There’s the hot tag to Bryan who comes in with all of his usual stuff. Luke gets kicked to the floor for the FLYING GOAT. Back in and the missile dropkick gets two but the big YES Kick is caught in a powerbomb. Bryan counters into a hurricanrana but Luke counters it’s top rope cousin into a super sitout powerbomb for a very close two.

Everything breaks down and Rowan throws Punk out to the floor. A splash gets two on Bryan as things settle back down. Harper runs Bryan over and chokes with the boot before catapulting him throat first into the rope. Daniel fights back until Erick catches him in a half nelson suplex. The monster gets too confident though and goes after Punk, only to get kicked in the head. The hot tag brings in Punk to clean house again but he dives on Rowan and Wyatt instead of Harper. Back in and the top rope elbow gets two on Luke but Rowan breaks up the GTS. That earns him a running knee and the GTS ends Harper.

Rating: B-. The fans thought it was awesome but it never got past solid for me. Bryan and Punk are the kind of super team that you put in there to fight monsters like these, but at the end of the day it doesn’t matter until they fight the master himself. At least Harper and Rowan are still good enough to have a good match and look like real threats.

Bray teases getting in but backs down as you would expect.

Cena is getting his arm looked at with the Authority next to him. Orton comes in and isn’t pleased so Cena leaves them to their chat.

We recap Big Show vs. Randy Orton. Big Show was basically blackmailed into being the Authority’s monster until lawsuits were threatened and Big Show was given anything he wanted. Rather than money, job security, or a piece of the WWE, he wanted a single WWE Title shot. This went on for months and felt like it would never end, setting up a match that no one wanted to see.

WWE Title: Big Show vs. Randy Orton

Champion Orton immediately bails to the floor before going back in and getting shoved out again. Randy heads back in again and takes one of the loudest chops I’ve ever heard. Show tries to claw Orton up from the floor but gets his throat snapped across the top rope. A big shoulder gives Show two but Orton finally scores with a dropkick.

We hit the front facelock as the crowd goes silent again. Instead Orton shifts to a horrible sleeper until Show suplexes him down. Orton rolls outside to avoid a chokeslam so Show sends him into the steps. Back in and Show tries to go up for some reason, allowing the champ to crotch him down and nail the Elevated DDT. He takes too long setting up the RKO though and eats a chokeslam for two.

Show loads up the KO but Orton bails outside, bumping into the referee’s knee in the process. They head into the crowd to keep up the beating, including a KO Punch to knock Orton silly on the floor. We’re about to have a new champion and of course here’s the Authority. The distraction lets Orton nail an RKO, setting up a Punt to retain the title.

Rating: D. This is basically poor man’s version of Del Rio vs. Cena. The ending was never in doubt as there was no way they were putting the belt on Show, but the match was really dull and boring throughout. This was the culmination of a terribly dull story and thankfully they moved on to anything better, like Cena vs. Orton. That’s a fresh idea right?

Orton celebrates but Cena comes out and holds up his own belt to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This show was a rollercoaster. The first part was just kind of there, then it went straight down, then up for Cena/Bryan/Punk, then down through a hole for the finish. October/November is just a horrible time for the company every year and this is probably the low point for the Survivor Series. There are far worse shows, but man alive this show felt worthless. It’s just not an interesting show and felt like it could have been any given B show rather than the second longest PPV ever. That’s a bad sign for a show this important.

Ratings Comparison

The Miz vs. Kofi Kingston

Original: B-

Redo: C

Real Americans/Shield vs. Cody Rhodes/Goldust/Rey Mysterio/Usos

Original: B-

Redo: C

Curtis Axel vs. Big E. Langston

Original: D+

Redo: D+

Total Divas vs. True Divas

Original: D-

Redo: F

Mark Henry vs. Ryback

Original: D

Redo: D

Alberto Del Rio vs. John Cena

Original: D+

Redo: B

Wyatt Family vs. CM Punk/Daniel Bryan

Original: B

Redo: B-

Big Show vs. Randy Orton

Original: D-

Redo: D

Overall Rating

Original: D+

Redo: C-

Dang I really didn’t like Del Rio back then.

Here’s the original review if you’re interested:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2013/11/24/survivor-series-2013-they-had-me-for-a-bit/

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

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

AND

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

Survivor Series 2012
Date: November 18, 2012
Location: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Attendance: 8,500
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, John Bradshaw Layfield

So this is another redo as for some reason I thought doing most of the shows that ended in a 2 was a good idea. This show had quite a few problems up and down the card but there is quite the special moment at the end that might be worth another look. Other than that, we have Team Punk vs. Team Foley, the latter of which has no Foley. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: 3MB vs. Team Co-Bro

That would be Heath Slater/Jinder Mahal (with the very skinny Drew McIntyre) vs. Santino Marella/Zack Ryder and this is quite the time capsule match. Ryder and Mahal start things off with Ryder snapping off an armdrag to take over. Marella comes in for an armdrag into an armbar to Slater and it’s right back to Ryder. McIntyre grabs Slater from the floor so he can avoid a dropkick but Ryder gets over to Santino for the hot tag.

Slater cuts that out rather quickly and the villains take over in the corner. A neckbreaker gives Mahal two and Slater grabs the chinlock. With that broken up, Santino backdrops his way out of trouble and hands it back to Ryder to clean house. The Broski Boot hits Mahal but Slater makes the save as everything breaks down. McIntyre gets in a cheap shot from the steps though and it’s a full nelson to give Mahal the pin at 6:12.

Rating: C. Not much to this one and that’s about how it should have been. These matches are designed to get the fans into the show and they kept it short and to the point. It’s not like Co-Bro was likely going anywhere and 3MB….well they were bigger than Co-Bro at least. Not exactly a good match, but it did its job well enough.

The opening video looks at the history of Survivor Series before shifting into a look at this year’s big stories.

Team Clay vs. Team Tensai

Brodus Clay, Justin Gabriel, Rey Mysterio, Sin Cara, Tyson Kidd
Tensai, Primo, Epico, Prime Time Players

This is a bonus match and there is nothing wrong with that. Kidd and Epico get things going with Epico fighting out of a headlock. Kidd’s jackknife rollup gets two as commentary ignores the match to talk about Jerry Lawler facing the Rock in his first match. Epico’s armdrag doesn’t get very far so Gabriel comes in for two off a moonsault. Rey comes in for a basement dropkick for two of his own but it’s off to Young as commentary remembers to talk about the match.

It’s off to Cara to take Primo down before running up the corner for a spinning high crossbody. A sunset bomb gets two on Primo but he’s back with a shot to the face, allowing the tag off to Tensai. It’s off to Titus, who awkwardly picks Cara up and holds him for a shot from Primo. An enziguri to Tensai finally gets Cara out of trouble and it’s Clay coming in to clean house. Primo and Epico are sent outside and we hit a parade of dives until we’re left with Clay vs. Tensai. Clay tries an exploder suplex but drops Tensai on his face instead. Back up and Tensai runs him over, setting up a running backsplash for the elimination at 8:25.

Gabriel comes back in and gets dropped, allowing Titus to come in for a weird looking abdominal stretch. Tensai comes back in and misses a backsplash, allowing Gabriel to roll him up for the pin at 10:20. Gabriel can’t follow up though and gets choked by Titus as the beating continues. Commentary talks about various famous debuts at Survivor Series and Epico grabs a chinlock. Gabriel gets up and hands it off to Kidd, who gets sent into the barricade as the crowd is almost eerily silent. Titus misses a running big boot though and Kidd rolls him up for the pin at 13:49.

Despite still winning, the good guys keep getting beaten up as Young jumps Kidd this time around. Kidd slips out of a belly to back suplex though and grabs the Sharpshooter to get rid of Epico at 14:58. Cole: “One of Bret Hart’s relatives using his move to eliminate someone at the Survivor Series!” JBL: “I’m sure Bret will be mad about that too.”

Primo goes up but gets dropkicked out of the air, allowing the tag back to Mysterio. A kick to the head gets two on Primo and Rey knocks him off the top, setting up the missed 619. Primo’s Backstabber is blocked and Rey cradles him for the pin at 17:29. That leaves Young alone, meaning it’s a 619 to set up a parade of finishers, capped off by Rey’s top rope splash for the pin at 18:25.

Rating: C-. I like the idea of throwing a bunch of people on the show to get them some extra time, but could you make it a little more interesting? Things picked up a bit once Rey got in there and showed some fire, but the fifteen minutes leading up to that were mostly dull. While it’s not a bad match, it’s a good bit longer than it needed to be and mostly boring, which isn’t a good way to start a show.

Survivors: Rey Mysterio, Justin Gabriel, Sin Cara, Tyson Kidd

Kaitlyn is on her way to the ring for her Divas Title match when (I believe) Aksana, in a blonde wig, jumps her. Champion Eve Torres comes in to say she hopes Kaitlyn is ok, so Kaitlyn shoves her down and says the same thing.

Divas Title: Kaitlyn vs. Eve Torres

Eve is defending and commentary actually DOES ITS JOB by explaining that Kaitlyn was attacked in the same way at Night Of Champions, resulting in Eve taking her place and winning the title. And now that a rather odd moment is cleared up, Kaitlyn throws the wig at Eve and we start fast. Kaitlyn pounds away on the mat and kicks her to the floor as commentary goes into the Raw vs. Smackdown (non) issues, with Cole having no idea what JBL is talking about.

Eve isn’t allowed to run through the crowd so she kicks away back inside. Choking in the corner has Kaitlyn in more trouble and Eve manages to add a regal style wave. A figure four necklock goes on as commentary compares Eve to Kate Middleton. Kaitlyn makes the rope and knocks her outside again, followed by a hard shoulder back inside. A gutbuster gives Kaitlyn two but Eve grabs the ring skirt and they crash out to the floor. Back in and Eve’s suplex neckbreaker retains at 6:59.

Rating: C. This was a weird period for the women’s division as they weren’t exactly good yet but they were so much better than they were at their worst that things are at least decent. Eve was one of the better stars of her era and Kaitlyn had enough fire to get people to want her to win the title. Not an awful match, and at least better than the previous one.

We look at the pre-show, where Alberto Del Rio called Dolph Ziggler his team captain, even though Ziggler will be eliminated fast. A team wide argument ensued.

Team Foley is arguing as well but believe it or not, Foley gives them a pep talk to calm them down. Eventually everyone but Randy Orton gets together for a BANG BANG. Orton to Foley: “I hate you.” Foley: “That means he’s ready.”

US Title: R-Truth vs. Antonio Cesaro

Cesaro is defending and before the match, mocks America for having anything to be thankful for this year. Well except for having him as the US Champion of course. We hear about various foreign US Champions, which has JBL annoyed that he wasn’t included. Cole: “Do you even listen to me?” Truth rolls him up for two to start and then punches at the wrist Cesaro holds up to avoid some right hands.

Cesaro knocks him into the corner and hits a kick to the head, followed by the armbar. With that broken up, Cesaro stomps him in the chest for two and we hit the waistlock. Commentary gets in a big argument about rugby as Truth fights up, gets waistlocked again, fights up and gets waistlocked again. Truth gets out (again) and hits a side kick, only to miss the ax kick. Cesaro uppercuts him and hits the Neutralizer to retain at 6:57.

Rating: C-. This didn’t exactly lift the show up off the ground as a good chunk of it was Cesaro holding him in a waistlock. Cesaro felt like a monster around this point and you could see what a lot of fans saw in him. At the same time, there was no reason to believe that Truth was going to take the title here and it showed pretty badly.

We recap Vickie Guerrero playing voicemails from AJ Lee where she was conflicted about her relationship with John Cena. Lee says they were edited together and Dolph Ziggler and Cena got involved as well. This Lee soap opera/melodrama felt like it went on forever.

Here is Lee, who has promised to reveal something about Vickie for a change. She has seen Vickie accusing her of having an inappropriate relationship with John Cena but thinks AJ is hiding something. Cue Vickie to yell about Lee, who produces a photo of Vickie and Ricardo Rodriguez sharing burritos. Then it’s Vickie and JR sharing barbecue sauce.

Vickie is livid and Lee thinks it’s because of her guilt. Next up: Vickie (in a leopard print swimsuit) dancing with Brodus Clay. They threaten each other but understand that they can’t hurt each other. Cue Tamina (looking almost unrecognizable compared to most of her career) to lay Lee out.

Paul Heyman isn’t worried about tonight’s main event and doesn’t like accusations that CM Punk has to cheat to win. While John Cena is chasing AJ Lee, Punk is the first man to beat Ryback. Punk is the best of the three and the best in the world.

We recap Sheamus challenging Big Show for the Smackdown World Title. Show beat him for the title last month and now Sheamus is back, with the battle over the Brogue Kick vs. the KO Punch. Show has also attacked Sheamus’ friend William Regal to make this even more personal.

SmackDown World Title: Big Show vs. Sheamus

Show is defending. Sheamus slugs away to start and tries to get Show to chase him in a smart move. That only works for so long though as Show hits a clothesline and chops away in the corner. A shot to the leg puts Show down though and Sheamus hammers away in the ropes. There are the forearms to the chest but Show bails outside before the Brogue Kick can connect.

Back in and Sheamus goes up, only to be speared out of the air in a nasty looking crash. Show slowly hammers away as commentary AGAIN talks about great moments in Survivor Series’ history. Sheamus gets sent hard into the buckle but manages to snap Show’s throat across the top. A single big boot cuts that off though and a big elbow gives Show two. We hit the quickly broken nerve hold before Show knocks him down for two more.

Sheamus comes back with a sleeper for a bit before slugging away, only to miss a charge into the post. Show loads up the Vader Bomb but Sheamus is up with an electric chair for two as the fans are WAY into this stuff. The KO Punch misses and Sheamus drops him with a running ax handle. White Noise gives Sheamus two but Show pulls the referee in the way of the Brogue Kick. Sheamus checks on the referee but Show is up with the KO Punch for the pin from another referee at 14:45.

Rating: B. This a was a fight and that is what it needed to be. It was in the Sting vs. Vader formula, with Sheamus slugging away at the giant and getting knocked back down again and again. The fans got behind Sheamus and wanted to see him take out the dragon and that is exactly the point of the match. Heck of a match here and by far the best thing on the show.

Post match the referee switches the result to a DQ. Sheamus is back up with a chair and UNLOADS on Show with about twenty shots. As Show begs off, Sheamus hits him with the Brogue Kick to leave him laying.

Team Ziggler vs. Team Foley

Ziggler: Dolph Ziggler, Alberto Del Rio, David Otunga, Wade Barrett, Damien Sandow
Foley: Randy Orton, Daniel Bryan, Kane, Kofi Kingston, Miz

This match had so many lineup changes (injuries, other matches being changed) that it barely resembles what they were going for in the first place (Team Punk vs. Team Foley). Kingston rolls Otunga up for two at the bell and sends him outside as commentary keeps making legal jokes. Back in and Kofi starts in on the arm before handing it off to Danielson for more of the same. Otunga slams his way out of trouble and brings in Sandow (hopefully allowing Otunga to fix his trunks, which are out of place), who hits the Elbow of Disdain.

Danielson fights out of a chinlock and hits a running dropkick in the corner. The YES Kicks rock Sandow again as commentary talks about Mike Tyson (they are all over the place tonight and even Lawler calls JBL out on it here). Sandow tries to walk out but gets pulled back in by Kane, who hits a chokeslam to get rid of Sandow at 3:06. We pause for Kane and Bryan to argue though, allowing Ziggler to hit the Zig Zag on Kane for the elimination at 3:45.

Orton wins an argument with Miz over who gets to punch Ziggler, followed by a slingshot suplex for two. Kofi comes in for a heck of a monkey flip for two and it’s off to Barrett to miss a charge at Bryan in the corner. Del Rio gets in a cheap shot so Barrett can kick Bryan to the floor. Back in and Otunga gets to work on the arm but he stops to pose. That’s enough for the YES Lock to make Otunga tap at 7:09.

Del Rio comes in to kick away before Bryan sends him crashing out to the floor. Back in and Kofi strikes away at Del Rio, setting up the Boom Drop. Del Rio fights his way out of trouble though and hands it off to Barrett for a tilt-a-whirl slam. The Bull Hammer gets rid of Kofi at 9:41 and it’s 3-3.

Orton comes in to send Barrett into the corner but charges into a boot to the face. A suplex puts Barrett down and Bryan comes back in to kick away in the corner. The YES Kicks don’t work so well this time as Barrett clotheslines him out to the floor. Del Rio comes back in and fights out of the YES Lock, setting up the cross armbreaker for the tap at 12:36.

Miz comes in for the first time and actually takes over, allowing Orton to stomp on Del Rio for a change. That’s broken up as well and it’s back to Ziggler for the chinlock. Of course Orton knows just how to fight out of one of those and knocks Ziggler down for a breather. The hot(ish) tag brings Miz back in to unload on Barrett in the corner, setting up the running clothesline. The top rope ax handle staggers Barrett and, after escaping a pumphandle slam, Miz hits the Skull Crushing finale for the elimination at 16:03.

So that leaves us with Miz/Orton vs. Ziggler/Del Rio and Miz’s DDT gets two on Del Rio. Del Rio’s German suplex gets the same but Miz pulls him off the middle rope for a crash. Del Rio sends him right back into the corner though and hits a running enziguri to get rid of Miz at 17:13.

Orton comes in and gets distracted by Ziggler, allowing Del Rio to kick him down for two. That doesn’t last long as Orton is back up for the clothesline comeback, plus the powerslam. A Ricardo Rodriguez distraction lets Del Rio drop Orton for two more, leaving Foley to beat up Rodriguez. Ziggler has to break up an RKO attempt but dropkicks Del Rio by mistake, leaving Orton to send Ziggler into the post. The RKO drops Del Rio for the pin at 20:57 and we’re down to Orton vs. Ziggler.

Another RKO is blocked and Ziggler hits the Zig Zag for two. The Fameasser misses and Orton plants him with the hanging DDT. There’s no cover though, as instead Orton loads up the Punt. As usual though it takes WAY too long, allowing Ziggler to hit a superkick for the final pin at 23:40.

Rating: B-. I don’t remember liking this one very much at first but that might have been due to all of the twists and turns to get to the match. Watching it back years later and….yeah it’s just kind of good. There is a bunch of star power and the wrestling is more than acceptable, but other than beating up Rodriguez, Foley added nothing here.

This is a match that feels like it could have been a lot better if they went with the original plan, but things got so twisted around and messed up that everything was lost in the switch. Not a bad match at all, but I felt like I needed a ten minute recap and a flow chart to figure out how we got here.

Fans want to see Rock vs. various people at the Royal Rumble. My goodness the nightmare days of Tout.

We recap CM Punk defending the Raw World Title against John Cena and Ryback. Cena was supposed to get the title shot inside the Cell last month but was injured and gave Ryback the shot instead. Ryback got cheated by rogue referee Brad Maddox (who wanted to make a name for himself in a story that bombed rather badly) so tonight, Punk defends against both of them at once.

Raw World Title: John Cena vs. Ryback vs. CM Punk

Punk, with Paul Heyman, is defending and oddly enough, comes out second. Cena chases Punk around on the floor to start until Ryback takes Cena’s place. Back in and Cena and Ryback get in an argument over who gets to beat up Punk in the corner. Ryback gets the better of things by driving Punk’s head into the mat over and over until Cena gives Punk a running bulldog. With Punk down on the floor, Cena and Ryback are left to escape finishers.

Punk is back in with a suplex on Ryback but Cena clears him out and suplexes Ryback as well for two. We hit the chinlock on Ryback until Punk is back in for the save to send Cena outside. Ryback goes back to the power and drives Punk into the corner for the shoulders to the ribs. Cena is back in and gets DDTed to give Punk two so we can get a breather. Ryback hits a running powerslam on Punk but gets ProtoBombed….and pops right up.

Cena drops Ryback again, only to have Punk pull him outside for a hard whip into the steps. Back in and Ryback beats on Punk for a change until Cena breaks up Shell Shock. The STF has Ryback in trouble but Punk makes the save with a top rope elbow. It’s Ryback up first and he tosses both of them to the floor for some big crashes. The not-Rybacks fight out of a double suplex and instead double suplex Ryback through the announcers’ table.

Back in and Cena initiates the finishing sequence but Punk breaks it up with the GTS for a rather close two. The AA gives Cena the same so Punk kicks away as we can hear the Spanish commentary in the background. Cena pulls him back into the STF but Ryback is back in for another save. There’s the Meat Hook to Punk, with Cole declaring that there is nothing stopping Ryback now.

Shell Shock connects but Cena breaks up the pin. That earns Cena his own Shell Shock…but three guys in black run in to jump Ryback. Cole recognizes them as Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins from NXT (ignore that Ambrose never wrestled on NXT TV) as theyput Ryback through a table. Punk pins the still out Cena to retain at 17:58.

Rating: B. This was the usual main event style triple threat match and that means it worked rather well. What matters here is having a way to keep the title on Punk and it certainly was a surprise way to do so. The interference came out of nowhere and that is the kind of finish that leaves a lot more going on for the future. Ryback losing again isn’t going to do much for his future, but Punk retaining is the bigger story as he gets a step closer to the showdown with Rock in January. Good main event here though, with all three working hard.

Replays take us out.

Overall Rating: B-. This starts out rather slow but the last three matches are more than enough to carry things over the line. The ending here is what matters more than anything else though as WWE gets a brand new main event crop of talent, which is not something you see every day. Punk seems like he is going to be losing when he faces Rock at the Rumble, but at least we are getting something fresh to keep things going. Good show here, though it could have used something better in the first hour or so.

Ratings Comparison

3MB vs. Team Co-Bro

Original: C-
2013 Redo: D+
2023 Redo: C

Team Clay vs. Team Tensai

Original: B-
2013 Redo: C
Redo: C-

Kaitlyn vs. Eve Torres

Original: D-
2013 Redo: D
Redo: C

R-Truth vs. Antonio Cesaro

Original: D
2013 Redo: D
Redo: C-

Sheamus vs. Big Show

Original: C-
2013 Redo: C
Redo: B

Team Ziggler vs. Team Foley

Original: C-
2013 Redo: C-
Redo: B-

Ryback vs. John Cena vs. CM Punk

Original: B-
2013 Redo: C+
Redo: B

Overall Rating

Original: D+
2013 Redo: D
Redo: B-

I’m not usually stunned by my old ratings but WOW. This show might not have been great but it wasn’t that bad. Dang how miserable was I back then?

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

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

AND

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

Survivor Series 2011
Date: November 20, 2011
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Attendance: 16,749
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, Booker T

This show is all about the Rock. Seriously, that’s it. The main event is Rock/Cena vs. Awesome Truth in Rock’s first match in seven years. They totally gave away the announcement of the match before the announcement on Raw but they were trying at leat. This show didn’t sell that well for reasons we’ll get to later. Let’s get to it.

The whole history thing starts us off again, as always. Take a guess as to what the opening video is about.

John Laurinitis welcomes us to the show. That’s all he says so this was a minute wasted, brought to you by one of the Dynamic Dudes.

US Title: Dolph Ziggler vs. John Morrison

Morrison lost FOREVER, then won a match on Raw after Mason Ryan helped, and gets a title match as a result. This was during a bad period where Ziggler had a rock cover of his song which didn’t work at all. Feeling out process to start and the fans want RYDER. This was when Ryder was white hot but WWE decided that crushing him for the sake of Kane and Jack Swagger. Ziggler gets taken down by the arm as the announcers talk about Ryder.

The fans now think this is boring so Dolph jumps over John in the corner and hits a dropkick to take over. Off to a headlock by the champion as the fans still want Ryder. Dolph gets thrown to the floor and Morrison hits a big corkscrew dive to take the champ out. Vickie offers an annoying distraction and Ziggler takes over back inside. Ziggler takes Morrison down and nips up in a good athletic display before hooking a near Crossface.

As the fans chant the same thing I’d expect to hear for the entire show, Ziggler stands around a lot. Morrison misses a charge in the corner and Dolph hits a reverse powerslam for two. The sleeper doesn’t go on and Morrison starts speeding things up with clotheslines and a leg lariat. That gets two and so does a rollup with tights for Ziggler. Morrison kicks Dolph in the head for two and a half and they trade sleepers.

The fans seem to be more behind Ziggler but it’s New York so that’s not shocking. John hits a spinning DDT for two as Vickie puts Dolph’s foot on the rope, which earns her an ejection. Morrison misses a running knee and they rapidly trade near falls. The Flying Chuck misses for Morrison and it’s a Fameasser…..for two. Wow I thought that was it. The running knee hits Ziggler in the face but Starship Pain hits Ziggler’s knees. Zig Zag retains the title.

Rating: B-. I dug this match a lot, annoying crowd aside. Sometimes there’s nothing better you can do than throw two talented guys out there for ten minutes and let them have fun. Ziggler is more or less in the same spot he’s in a year later which is annoying but it’s the way of life in the WWE. Morrison would be gone in eight days which almost knew was coming.

Post match Vickie gets our attention as only she can and hands the mic to Ziggler who says he’d hate to have to follow what you just saw. He says it’s not showing off it you can back it up every night. As Ziggler celebrates, here’s Ryder…who is immediately beaten down. Ryder comes back and hits the Rough Ryder to send Ziggler running. They probably should have changed the title here, but I’m not sure they were sure they wanted to go with Ryder yet or not.

Divas Title: Eve Torres vs. Beth Phoenix

Beth is defending and this is a lumberjill match. Beth catches a cross body and just drops Eve like she doesn’t care. Eve kicks her down and does her STUPID dancing moonsault but Beth rolls to the floor and calls it stupid. Good for her! Back in and the moonsault hits anyway for two. Eve gets sent to the apron and has to kick away Natalya, allowing the champion to take over.

Off to a reverse chinlock for a bit before Eve counters a wheelbarrow suplex to send Beth into the middle turnbuckle. Eve hits a kick to the face but a rolling flip hits knees. The Glam Slam is countered and Eve hooks a freaky kind of Octopus Hold before shifting to a modified triangle choke. Eve has to chase off some evil chicks but manages to kick Beth in the head. The moonsault gets broken up though and the Glam Slam off the middle rope retains Beth’s title.

Rating: C. Not terrible here and the ending looked awesome. I loved Beth and Natalya’s heel run together as they HATED the stupid Barbie stuff that chicks like Kelly and Eve were doing because it’s almost embarrassing at times. This particular match started slow but once it picked up it got a lot better.

Otunga comes in to annoy Punk and says Cole deserves an apology from some attack by Punk. Punk says let me go become world champion first.

Rock is in the back and he’s got a mic. He talks about MSG (no FINALLY for some reason) and being here in the 70s, watching his grandfather fighting for the world title. Then in the 80s he hung out with Andre the Giant in the locker room. Then in 1996 he debuted in the WWF, and despite having a hideous outfit and the worst haircut known to man (his words), the fans chanted his name. That’s correct actually and they didn’t even tell him to die. Rock runs us through his history of catchphrases and title wins, with the most important being him becoming the People’s Champion.

There’s FINALLY and he has to stop for a chant. He does his stupid boots catchphrase before moving on to his partner: John Cena. The fans think Cena sucks but Rock talks about the things that have happened in MSG like Ali vs. Frazier. Then he sings some Frank Sinatra and asks the fans to sing with him. It’s on tonight and that’s about it. This is what the fans wanted and he could have had them say anything he wanted here. That’s what Rock is great at and it worked.

Team Barrett vs. Team Orton

Wade Barrett, Cody Rhodes, Jack Swagger, Hunico, Dolph Ziggler

Randy Orton, Kofi Kingston, Sheamus, Mason Ryan, Sin Cara

Ziggler is subbing for an injured Christian. There’s no real reason for most of these guys other than needing four midcard faces and heels to fill out the teams. Cody is IC Champion. Kofi and Bourne are tag champions here but Bourne is on a Wellness violation. Kofi and Ziggler start things off with Ziggler hitting a quick elbow to take Kofi down. The reverse powerslam is countered and Dolph gets one off a dropkick.

Kofi’s SOS is countered so it’s a forearm to take Dolph down instead. There’s the tag to Orton and an RKO eliminates Ziggler quickly. To be fair he had a match earlier so this isn’t a bad thing for him. Barrett has a huddle on the floor with his team but Orton wants to fight some more. Back in and it’s most of Team Orton to clear the ring before Kofi and Cara try stereo flip dives. Cara, being the klutz that he is at this point, trips on the top rope and rips his knee apart, putting him in the shelf for the next seven months.

The match stops for a few moments as we’re told Cara is eliminated. We get back to normal and it’s Cody vs. Randy now. Orton grabs the arm and it’s off to Ryan. Prepare for a trainwreck. Ryan hits some very basic stuff including a knee to the chest before Cody bails to the floor. Hunico gets the tag but Ryan has to literally pull him in. Off to Kofi whose tights look like they have the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man on them if you don’t look too long.

Kofi misses a charge in the corner and it’s off to Barrett for a chinlock. Back up and it’s a double clothesline to put them both right back down. Double tag brings in Hunico vs. Ryan with the latter hitting a series of backbreakers and a fallaway slam. Hunico gets gorilla press dropped into the corner for a tag to Cody. There’s the Disaster Kick and the Cross Rhodes (POP) for the pin and elimination.

Off to Sheamus vs. Cody now with the Pale One quickly getting annoyed. He pounds Rhodes down in the corner and hits the ten forearms in the ropes, which they tried to name some Irish word. It lasted about two weeks before they realized it speaks for itself pretty well. Cody tries to low bridge Sheamus but Sheamus lands on the apron. Barrett decks the Irishman and Hunico comes in with a springboard dropkick to the knee.

Cole starts talking about Shawn Michaels for no apparent reason as Sheamus takes out Hunico’s knee as well. Off to Kofi who chops Barrett down a lot but gets kicked in the face after having to deal with Swagger. Upon further review, that IS the Stay Puft Man on Kofi’s trunks. With Barrett mostly dead from the kick, the Wasteland eliminates Kofi. It’s Orton and Sheamus vs. Swagger, Barrett, Hunico and Rhodes.

Orton comes in and tries the Elevated DDT, but Wade drops him to the floor where Hunico hits a suicide dive to take Orton out. Swagger comes in to pound on Orton a bit before Cody comes in for a release gordbuster. That gets two and it’s off to a chinlock for a bit. A bulldog by Cody is easily countered and it’s hot tag to Sheamus. The Pale One pounds on Swagger and hits the top rope shoulder and the Irish Curse. Swagger escapes the High Cross so Sheamus drops knees on his head, drawing a DQ when the referee gets to five. They were really trying to keep Sheamus strong here and that mostly worked.

Before Sheamus leaves, he takes Swagger’s head off with a Brogue Kick. Orton gets the easy pin and it’s 3-1. Rhodes comes in and stomps a spent Orton down in the corner but Orton comes back with some clotheslines. There’s the powerslam to Rhodes followed by the Elevated DDT. Randy has to chase off Barrett so Hunico gets a blind tag. He springboards right into the RKO for the elimination to make it 2-1, but Rhodes distracts Orton into the Wasteland to give Barrett the final pin.

Rating: B. This is your usual good formula based Survivor Series match with Orton and Barrett getting to advance their feud and not having Orton lose any face at all. The rest of the teams didn’t mean much but Kofi is perfect for matches like this: he’s got the resume to make him look like a threat but he never steals anyone’s thunder. Good match.

The Bellas hit on Alberto when Ace comes up. Del Rio isn’t worried about Punk tonight. Ace texts someone.

Don’t be a bully!

The ring is reenforced for the next match after Big Show and Henry broke the ring at Vengeance. That’s why the rematch is happening here tonight.

Smackdown World Title: Mark Henry vs. Big Show

Henry is defending. They trade the big dramatic shoves to start and Henry gets shoved to the floor. Back in and Show takes it to the mat which goes a lot better than you would expect it to. If that’s not shocking enough, Show armdrags Henry to the floor. Henry stalls in the corner before going after Show’s knee. Mark lays on the leg a bit and drops some elbows. I think the fans are chanting boring, likely due to New York fans being ridiculous.

A clothesline puts Show down but Show comes back with a DDT for two. Now the fans want Daniel Bryan, who has an MITB case at this point. Show shoulders Henry down and calls for the chokeslam, but Henry kicks him in the knee and hits the World’s Strongest Slam for two. A splash gets the same and Henry is getting frustrated. Booker sums up what Henry should do: give him another World’s Strongest Slam. I’ve never gotten why wrestlers don’t do that. Just because a finisher doesn’t work, it doesn’t mean a second or third won’t work.

The fans want Undertaker as the guys go to the floor. Show gets posted and then tackled through part of the barricade. That finally gets the fans’ attention on the match instead of on guys who aren’t here. Show barely makes it back into the ring in time but he manages to break up another superplex attempt. He busts out a superkick of all things to knock down Henry and draw an HBK chant.

Big Show goes up top (uh oh) and even though he takes forever, he hits a top rope elbow on Henry…..for two. Why do a huge spot like that if it doesn’t end the match? Now it’s a Randy Savage chant. Show loads up the WMD, but Henry kicks him low for the FREAKING LAME DQ to retain the title.

Rating: C+. There’s something awesome about two huge guys beating the tar out of each other and that’s what we got here. Henry was AWESOME in 2011 and made for a great world champion, which is the last thing most people expected. That elbow was great, but to have the match end the way it did sucked. Show would beat Henry the next month, only to have Bryan cash in and win the title 45 seconds later.

Post match Henry tries to Pillmanize Show’s ankle again but Show gets out of the way and knocks Henry out cold. The fans chant for Bryan but no such Goatface appears. Show wraps the chair around Henry’s ankle instead and drops a leg on the chair to break Henry’s ankle.

Barrett says that the world title is next for him but Awesome Truth comes in and demands respect. Truth talks about an argument he had with some pigeons. The pigeons said nothing though, because pigeons don’t talk. Crazy Truth was great.

The New York National Guard is here.

We recap Punk vs. Del Rio. Del Rio cashed in MITB at Summerslam after Punk won, Cena beat Del Rio at Vengeance, Del Rio won a threeway with Punk and Cena in the Cell, tonight is the rematch from Summerslam, if you call that a match.

Raw World Title: CM Punk vs. Alberto Del Rio

Alberto is defending. Del Rio has Ricardo Rodriguez introduce him, so CM Punk brings out his own ring announcer: HOWARD FREAKING FINKEL! Round one goes to Punk. Howard waddles out and seems genuinely choked up by the reaction he gets. The fans want ice cream which is a thing he said he wanted in his own image. Feeling out process to start as Punk does his headlock so he can call spots to Del Rio.

Now the fans chant for Colt Cabana. Man these guys just won’t stop. Punk cranks on the arm a bit and Alberto hides on the floor. Back in and Punk knees him down in the corner and hits a dropkick to send the champ back to the floor. There’s the suicide dive from Punk and it’s back in to work on the arm. Alberto sends him into the ropes where Ricardo gets in a shot, allowing Del Rio to take over.

Alberto comes in off the top with an elbow to the head for two and it’s off to the arm for the champion. Both guys have arm finishers which isn’t something you often see. Punk fights out of the hold but can’t hook the GTS as Del Rio hooks a DDT on the arm. The champ drops knees on the arm and we hit about the 8^th armbar of the match. Punk breaks that one as well but charges into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two.

CM ducks a charge to send Alberto to the floor and things slow down again. Back in and Punk makes a comeback with a lot of strikes to the head and a neckbreaker for two. The knee in the corner and bulldog get the same but Alberto counters the GTS into a Backstabber for two. A running enziguri in the corner gets a VERY close two on Punk and now it’s Alberto that’s frustrated.

Del Rio loads up a superplex in the corner but Punk knocks him off and loads up the Macho Elbow but gets crotched. Alberto gets in a hard kick to the arm but misses a charge into the post while Punk is still on top. Now the Macho Elbow hits to a big pop but it only gets two. The crowd is really getting into these kickouts now. Punk shouts for the GTS but Alberto counters it for the third time. The armbreaker is escaped but Punk’s high kick misses as well and there’s the armbreaker on full.

After getting as close to tapping as a face is going to, Punk gets his feet in the ropes. Del Rio escapes the GTS for the fourth time because the arm isn’t there. Punk kicks Ricardo in the face and gets rolled up with trunks for two. The high kick gets two for CM so he immediately puts on the Vice and wins Del Rio is in big trouble. He grabs at Punk’s face (realistic, nice) but has to tap and Punk wins the title.

Rating: A. I don’t remember liking this as well the first time but this was a really good match. Del Rio seemed like a real threat to keep the title here as Punk’s arm just wasn’t going to be able to do hit the GTS. The Vice is a little more realistic and I can live with him being able to do that so even the ending is ok. This was a very solid match, but the problem with the story overall is the title changes happening so rapidly.

In short, Del Rio getting two title reigns and Cena getting one out of all this didn’t need to happen. Punk could have won at Summerslam, beaten Del Rio cashing in here, and things would have been much stronger. But hey, that would mean MITB would be interesting instead of there for a shock value and we can’t have that.

Finkel does the “and NEEEEEEEEEEEEEW” WWE Champion call. Punk is the new WWE Champion having won it in the middle of Madison Square Garden and The Fink got to tell the people about it. Is there a cooler moment in wrestling? No, there isn’t.

Punk celebrates for a long time post match. As I’m writing this (November 7, 2012), he’s STILL champion.

Austin has yet another DVD.

We recap Awesome Truth vs. Rock/Cena. Cena had beaten up both guys before a tag match was made for this show. He was told he could pick ANYONE he wanted as a partner so he picked The Great One. Pay no attention to the PPV ad that played at the end of HIAC and advertised the match before Cena officially picked his partner. Basically the only way Awesome Truth (Miz/R-Truth) can win is to have Rock and Cena implode. Other than that we’re looking at a squash.

Awesome Truth vs. The Rock/John Cena

Rock is going to start as Cena is off to kiss the widow of Arnold Skaaland. Miz gets to face Rock to start and the Great One grabs a quick headlock. Rock snaps off some GREAT armdrags and gets two off La Magistral (it’s an armtrap cradle) on Miz. Awesome Truth huddles on the floor and Cena looks impressed. Truth wants to fight Rock now and Rock says Just Bring It. The fans do the Cena dueling chants before Rock hits a fisherman’s suplex on Truth, but Cena is going after Miz, meaning no count.

Now Miz wants to get back in and he wants it to be with Cena. Given how Rock looked, that’s a wise choice. Cena quickly takes over with snapmares, a monkey flip (!!) and a dropkick. The fans boo him out of the building and tell him he still sucks. Off to Truth who walks into Cena’s finishing sequence but Cena tells Rock that he can’t see Cena. They stare each other down, allowing Truth to nail Cena (Rock saw it coming and didn’t do anything) to give the guys with no chance the advantage.

Truth and Miz take a few turns on Cena before Truth hooks a chinlock. Cena gets thrown to the floor by Truth which gets two back in the ring. Back to a leg choke by Truth as the fans want Rocky. Off to Miz who counters an AA into a short DDT for two. The fans seem to be into Miz as he hits his running clothesline in the corner. Truth hooks a front facelock to kill a few moments and it’s back to Miz who gets two off a clothesline.

The spinning legdrop gets two for Truth as the crowd is waiting to explode for Rock’s hot tag. Truth goes up for a cross body but Cena rolls through. His AA attempt is countered into a sitout gordbuster for two and it’s back to Miz. Miz hits a pair of boots to the face of Cena but the third is countered into the STF. Truth makes a quick save and Rock is content to stand on the apron. Cena grabs a quick AA on Truth but Miz knocks Rock off the apron to tease the crowd even further.

Truth drops Rock on the barricade to keep him down as Cena gets put in another chinlock. A double flapjack gets two on Cena and it’s back to the front facelock by Truth. Truth’s second legdrop misses There’s the real hot tag to Rock and house is cleaned in a hurry. Miz gets put in the Survivor Series Sharpshooter but Truth saves as everything breaks down. With Cena and Truth on the floor, Miz goes off on Rock but charges into a spinebuster. The People’s Elbow returns and Rock gets the pin on Miz.

Rating: B. What else were you expecting here? This is one that has indeed changed over time as we knew Rock would have a great match with Cena at Wrestlemania. The match itself was formula stuff which is perfectly fine and all that it should have been. Rock making the save was the right call and there’s almost no complaints at all here. Good match but it didn’t need to happen, which we’ll get to in a bit.

Cena leaves so Rock can have him moment, but Rock calls him back in. Cena’s posing gets booed, Rock’s gets cheered. Rock lays out Cena with a Rock Bottom to end the show.

Overall Rating: A. This is an AWESOME show with a great world title match and a solid main event. The problem was it didn’t sell that well and it’s really clear why: the main event was a bad idea. The whole idea of Rock vs. Cena at Mania was that it was Rock’s first match in 8 years. Well now it’s Rock’s first match in about five months and for what? Rock and Cena had beaten up both guys one on two leading up to the match. There was no doubt as to who was going to win and nothing was on the line, so why watch the match? There was no reason and not a lot of people did. Still though, great show and worth seeing.

That’s the end of the Survivor Series Redo Count-Up and it really was fun to do this. A lot of the shows were about the same the second time around, but one thing is very clear: I was freaking WORDY back in the day. All of these reviews were shorter this time around and that’s probably better. Anyway, I’ll be back for the Rumble, Wrestlemania and Summerslam versions of these. Thanks for reading and supporting me all these years to the point where I can do another set of these. I really appreciate you all.

Ratings Comparison

Dolph Ziggler vs. John Morrison

Original: B-

Redo: B-

Beth Phoenix vs. Eve Torres

Original: C

Redo: C

Team Barrett vs. Team Orton

Original: B-

Redo: B

Big Show vs. Mark Henry

Original: B-

Redo: C+

CM Punk vs. Alberto Del Rio

Original: C+

Redo: A

The Rock/John Cena vs. Awesome Truth

Original: B

Redo: B

Overall Rating

Original: B

Redo: A

The World Title really changed things for me here. Still a great show though.

Here’s the original review if you’re interested:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2011/11/20/survivor-series-2011-rock-still-has-it/

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: November 17, 2025
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Joe Tessitore

So we’re back home for WWE, but the bigger deal is that it is the last Raw appearance for John Cena, who happens to be the new Intercontinental Champion. Other than that, we need to find out who he will be facing in his final match, which is taking place in less than a month. WarGames also has to continue its build so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of John Cena’s last appearance in Boston last week, where he won the Intercontinental Title for the first time.

Here is Cena to an absolute roar and the fans sing him to the ring in a great moment. Cena gets the big introduction, which is appropriate as this is his final Raw. He says that while he appreciates the enthusiasm, it is the fans who deserve the thanks. There is a special feeling here because this is the city that can make or break careers. This is the last time that they can be together on this show…and here is Dominik Mysterio to interrupt.

The fans are not pleased to see Mysterio, who says no one wants to hear what Cena has to say. Last week, Cena was handed a title shot, just like he has been handed everything else. He wants his rematch and Cena is willing to oblige, but Mysterio wants it on his terms. The fans tell Mysterio to shut up in a certain way, but Cena says it’s “CHOCKO FUN CUP”.

Mysterio wants the rematch at Survivor Series and Cena is in. As for tonight though, Cena is going to have one more match and challenges Mysterio, which draws out the rest of the Judgment Day. Cena is ready to fight and the beatdown is on, but Sheamus and then Rey Mysterio run in for the save. The good guys clear the ring, allowing Cena to issue the six man challenge.

John Cena/Sheamus/Rey Mysterio vs. Judgment Day

We’re joined in progress with Sheamus in trouble as Balor chokes on the ropes. A slingshot hilo gives McDonagh two but Sheamus gets in a shot of his own, allowing the much needed tag off to Rey. House is cleaned but Dominik breaks up the 619 attempt, somehow making the fans hate him even more.

We take a break and come back with Rey managing to crotch McDonagh on top. That’s enough for the much needed tag to Cena as everything breaks down. A Sling Blade hits Sheamus and Cena is dropped as well, setting up a moonsault into a Coup de Grace. Rey and Sheamus make the save, setting up triple ten forearms to the villains’ chests. A triple Shuffle (with Sheamus switching places with Cena so Cena can be in the middle) sets up the AA to McDonagh for the pin at 11:34.

Rating: B. While the action was good, it was absolutely not the point of the match here. This was all about Cena getting to do this one more time and it was basically a house show main event as a result. It really is the end of an era and while it might not exactly be important at the moment, it was an entertaining match with the fans loving it all the way.

We look at Drew McIntyre joining the Vision’s WarGames team on Smackdown.

Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis are in the back to complain about Paul Heyman bringing McIntyre out of suspension on Smackdown. Cue Heyman, who says that everything he did was within the rules and regulations. If they think they’re mad over his fourth pick, he has something even worse as the fifth pick. They see the name on his contract and aren’t pleased. Pearce: “This is going to be fun.”

During the break, Judgment Day got into a fight with a comedian and some New York Giants.

We look back at Nikki Bella turning on Stephanie Vaquer last week.

Here is Vaquer for a chat but Bella jumps her on the stage. Bella says she didn’t come back to sit on the sidelines and cheer for Vaquer. She’s here to take the division, and the title, back.

We look at the build to the women’s WarGames match.

Bayley and Lyra Valkyria are in the back when the Kabuki Warriors come in. They want Bayley to be on their WarGames team, which has her laughing at them for a firm no. Valkyria is rather proud of Bayley, who asks if Valkyria is five.

Last Time Is Now Tournament First Round: Solo Sikoa vs. ???

Tama Tonga is with Sikoa, who is facing…Dolph Ziggler! And yes that’s what he’s being called rather than Nic Nemeth, as he is currently known in TNA. Ziggler’s right hands don’t work as Sikoa runs him over, which starts up some rather loud pro ZIGGLER chants. Ziggler knocks him down for the jumping elbow before an STF sends Sikoa to the ropes. Another knockdown sets up the top rope elbow to give Ziggler two as we take a break.

We come back with Sikoa missing the running Umaga Attack, allowing Ziggler to hit a quick DDT for two. The Zig Zag is countered into the Spinning Solo for two more. Sikoa can’t hit the Samoan Spike though and it’s the Zig Zag to give Ziggler a near fall. Back up and another Zig Zag attempt is blocked, allowing Sikoa to hit a massive Samoan Spike for the pin at 8:55.

Rating: B. Ziggler is likely only back for a one off appearance, which is fine, as the fans were going nuts with everything he did. On top of that, they had a rather nice back and forth match, with Sikoa benefiting from being out there with another veteran. Sikoa needed another win too, as he hasn’t had much success of note recently.

Video on Je’Von Evans, a high flier from NXT.

Here is Alexa Bliss, who hasn’t been able to get in touch with Charlotte all weekend. After everything they’ve been through, Charlotte isn’t willing to talk to her? Everyone told her to stay away from Charlotte but Bliss wouldn’t listen. She knows who Charlotte is inside but now Charlotte might prove her wrong.

That’s not what a best friend should do but here are the Kabuki Warriors, Nia Jax and Lash Legend to interrupt. They don’t think much of Bliss (including mocking her sparkly pants) and the beatdown is teased, with Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky running in to even it up a lot. Cue Charlotte with a kendo stick for the save and it seems that everything is cool.

Survivor Series rundown.

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

Lynch is defending and trash talks Dupri during the Big Match Intros. As a bonus, Lynch gets in an argument with the referee at the bell, allowing Dupri to hit a big boot for two. Dupri goes up but gets slammed off the top for the crash. A backbreaker sends Dupri outside and we take a break. We come back with Dupri kicking her down and then grabbing a suplex for two.

A legdrop gets two on Lynch and Dupri takes the straps down to hammer away. Lynch grabs a cross armbreaker, which is reversed into an ankle lock to put Lynch in big trouble. That’s broken up and Lynch’s Manhandle Slam gets two, with Dupri putting her foot on the rope. Lynch gets in the referee’s face again but this time referee Jessika Carr shoves her finger away and says worry about Dupri. That includes sending Dupri outside so Lynch can go unhook a turnbuckle pad…but AJ Lee is back. The distraction lets Dupri hit a high crossbody for the pin and the title at 9:45.

Rating: B-. When this whole thing started, it felt like something where we would just get done with it because Dupri was nothing more than a goof in over her head. However, she’s done remarkably well in the whole thing and I actually don’t hate it. While I don’t think Dupri is the next big thing, it’s a good way to give her a hot start to what could be a serious run. Nice job here.

Last Time Is Now Tournament First Round: Gunther vs. Je’Von Evans

This is Gunther’s first match since Summerslam. The much smaller Evans tries to move around to start but can only get so far. Gunther gets in a big chop to put him down and we take a break. We come back with Evans hitting a dropkick but a second is countered into a Boston crab. That’s broken up so Gunther goes right back to the back with a hard forearm. Evans is able to get in a superkick and Gunther’s powerbomb is countered into a hurricanrana. Gunther is sent outside but his suicide dive is countered into a hard ram into the apron.

We take another break and come back again with Evans grabbing a Stundog Millionaire. That’s enough to send Gunther outside for a suicide dive, followed by a high crossbody back inside. One heck of a frog splash gets two back inside but Gunther knocks a top rope cutter out of the air. The powerbomb gives Gunther two and the sleeper finishes Evans off at 15:12.

Rating: B+. Ok I might have been wrong about Evans, as he has grown on me at a remarkable rate. The best thing about him is he knows how to wrestle like a smaller guy, meaning he’s doing more than just impressive athletics. Since he isn’t that big, it’s easy to sympathize with him and he leans into that style. At the same time, Gunther’s selling here was great, as he was giving reactions of “what the heck was that” as he staggered around. I had a really good time with this and Evans is a serious prospect.

Maxxine Dupri, with AJ Lee, is so proud of her win. Lee is happy with someone standing up to a bully but the Alpha Academy comes in to celebrate with Dupri. As Lee is a bit scared, Rhea Ripley comes in to ask if Lee has time to talk. She sure does.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Here are Paul Heyman and his WarGames team for a chat. Heyman introduces the team (Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, Logan Paul and Drew McIntyre) before talking about all of the teams he has led to the ring for WarGames over the years. Cue CM Punk, the Usos and Cody Rhodes to interrupt and the brawl is on. Punk and Paul slug it out in the ring with Punk taking over…and Brock Lesnar is back.

House is cleaned in a hurry, but of course Roman Reigns is back as well. Reigns and Lesnar have the big staredown and Lesnar is sent outside but Reed jumps Reigns from behind. The Tsunami is broken up and the NYPD come out to break it up, even with Reigns spearing Reed through the barricade to end the show. Red hot closing segment here, and nice job of having Reigns there as a secondary surprise rather than saving it for the closing of next week’s show.

Overall Rating: A-. Dang what a show here, with nothing close to bad, a bunch of rather good matches, a nice surprise with Reigns coming out and the big special opener. It’s a rare instance when WWE brings out the big guns on the special stage like this but it worked out so well here. This was one of the better WWE shows I’ve seen in a VERY long time

Results
John Cena/Sheamus/Rey Mysterio b. Judgment Day – Attitude Adjustment to McDonagh
Solo Sikoa b. Dolph Ziggler – Samoan Spike
Maxxine Dupri b. Becky Lynch – High crossbody
Gunther b. Je’Von Evans – Sleeper

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

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

Survivor Series 2007
Date: November 18, 2007
Location: American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
Attendance: 12,500
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield, Jerry Lawler, Jim Ross, Tazz, Joey Styles

It is pretty rare when you have a true one match card but that is what we have here, as Batista is defending the Smackdown World Title against the Undertaker inside the Cell. There might be a few other things going on here, but that has been treated as the be all and end all of the show, as it should be. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at the history of the Survivor Series before we move on to this year’s preview.

ECW World Title: Miz vs. John Morrison vs. CM Punk

Punk is defending and for the sake of sanity, I’ll only refer to him as champion. It’s a brawl to start with Punk getting double teamed down into the corner. Morrison catapults Punk into the corner but he comes out with a middle rope crossbody. Punk knocks Miz to the floor but the springboard clothesline is broken up to put Punk down again. Miz breaks up Punk’s springboard with a shot to the floor though and it’s a camel clutch to Punk.

That means Morrison comes in for the save, setting up a backbreaker into a neckbreaker to drop Punk again. A suplex from the apron gets two on Miz but he is right back with a running corner clothesline. Punk is back in with a hurricanrana to send Morrison into Miz for a powerbomb and a near fall. The running knee in the corner sets up the corner bulldog to give Punk two on Miz and a double underhook backbreaker onto the knee gets the same. Morrison is back up to go after Miz, only to be sent outside. That leaves Punk to GTS Miz and retain.

Rating: C+. Miz and Morrison’s rise continues as the two of them have become rather dependable on ECW, and now elsewhere. It makes sense to give them the Tag Team Titles and now we should be seeing even more of them. This was a good way to get the show going as Punk has to work to retain and Miz and Morrison have come far enough that they didn’t seem like cannon fodder.

We look at MVP turning on Matt Hardy, costing the two of them the Tag Team Titles.

MVP says Matt will not be wrestling tonight because he can’t walk. He is tired of being Matt’s latest crutch and he is better than any of his opponents tonight.

Beth Phoenix/Melina/Jillian Hall/Layla/Victoria vs. Kelly Kelly/Michelle McCool/Mickie James/Maria/Torrie Wilson

One fall to a finish rather than elimination rules. Michelle suplexes Victoria to start and then kicks her in the face for two. Torrie comes in and gets swung into the side slam, only to come back with a suplex. It’s off to Jillian vs. Kelly, with the latter grabbing a rollup for two of her own. Phoenix comes in and plants Maria but a missed charge allows the hot tag to James to clean house. Everything breaks down and Mickie hits the Long Kiss Goodnight to finish Melina.

Rating: D+. What else were you expecting here? It was a bunch of the good women vs. the bad women and there is only so much you’re going to get from a match like that. They didn’t have time to do anything and given some of the skill levels of the women involved, that is not a bad idea. The positive sign is that the women are making progress, but a lot of them still aren’t ready to be in a match like this. Leave this thing to Raw.

William Regal and Coach are ready to see Hornswoggle get crushed by Great Khali.

Randy Orton is ready to disappoint everyone and break the Heart Break Kid.

Shawn Michaels wants revenge. And the title.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Lance Cade/Trevor Murdoch vs. Hardcore Holly/Cody Rhodes

Holly and Rhodes are challenging. Rhodes and Cade start things off with Cade grabbing a hiptoss for some early celebrating. A sunset flip gives Cody one and the headlock goes on. That just earns Cody a backbreaker to cut him off so it’s off to Murdoch for a change. Cody takes him into the corner and it’s Holly coming in to forearm away. The hanging kick to the low abdomen has Cade in trouble and the champs need a breather on the floor.

Back in and it’s an atomic drop into a running boot to Holly’s face as Murdoch takes over again. Cade atomic drops Murdoch into a legdrop on Cody for two more and we’re off to the chinlock. Holly suplexes his way out of trouble but Cade is right there with a clothesline. The second atomic drop/legdrop misses though and it’s Cody coming in to very little reaction to clean house. Everything breaks down and Murdoch Code Reds Cody to retain.

Rating: C-. This would have been fine on any given Raw, meaning it was a pretty disappointing pay per view match. Cade and Murdoch are fine as champions and Rhodes and Holly are getting there as a veteran/rookie team, but they aren’t ready for this kind of a match on pay per view. It was far from bad, but this match was sent out there to die and I think WWE knew that was going to happen.

Team HHH, which is down a man due to Matt Hardy’s knee injury, is ready for Team Umaga. Rey Mysterio talks about being an underdog, but that has never been Kane’s thing. Kane brings up the Katie Vick incident (and goes into details). Then Jeff Hardy reminds HHH of the time he put Jeff in the hospital. HHH: “Uh, my bad.” HHH says this is the night when they can come together and do something terrible, so let’s go do it.

Team Umaga vs. Team HHH

Umaga, Mr. Kennedy, Finlay, Big Daddy V, MVP
HHH, Jeff Hardy, Kane, Rey Mysterio

Matt Striker is here with Big Daddy V. Rey and Kennedy get things going and it’s an early exchange of arm cranking. A running headscissors takes Kennedy down and a Code Red gives Rey two (so based on the previous match, Trevor Murdoch is better at Code Redding than Rey Mysterio). Hardy comes in and gets blasted by Kennedy so MVP comes in for a front facelock.

It’s off to V and the big beatdown ensues, only to have Hardy dive over for the tag to Kane. V belly to belly suplexes him down but Kane is right back up with a top rope clothesline. That doesn’t seem to bother V though as he hits a pair of drops (Samoan and elbow) for the elimination. HHH comes in to slug away on V but a clothesline puts him straight down. Umaga comes in with a belly to belly of his own but misses the middle rope headbutt.

That means Rey can come back in and the basement dropkick gets a quick two. The 619 into the springboard seated senton for two more but the springboard crossbody is countered into a wicked release Rock Bottom. The Samoan Spike gets rid of Rey and it’s 5-2. Kennedy tags himself in for some reason and misses a charge into the corner. Hardy misses the slingshot dropkick in the corner though and it’s MVP coming in with a chinlock. MVP misses a running kick though and the Twist of Fate gives Hardy a fast elimination.

HHH comes back in for a clothesline on Kennedy and the spinebuster follows. V comes in for the save but elbows Kennedy by mistake, allowing HHH to steal the pin. That doesn’t work for V, who pulls HHH outside and posts Hardy for a bonus. Back in and a double DDT plants V and HHH evens it up at 2-2.

Finlay starts dropping elbows on HHH before dropping some elbows on HHH. Back up and HHH makes it over for the tag without much effort and Hardy comes in with the slingshot dropkick in the corner. The Whisper in the Wind hit Finlay and the mule kick hits Umaga, allowing HHH to come back in. There’s the spinebuster to Finlay and the Pedigree leaves us with HHH/Hardy vs. Umaga. HHH avoids the running hip attack in the corner and it’s the Pedigree into the Swanton for the final pin.

Rating: B-. Not one of the all time classic Survivor Series matches but they set up HHH and Hardy as a pair of buzzsaws to run through the rest of the team. The HHH vs. Umaga feud has been pretty much decided multiple times now so the ending wasn’t exactly in doubt. This was more or less the Raw main event and it could have been worse, but I could have gone for a lot better for the one elimination match on the show.

We get a preview of Batista vs. Undertaker with a look at their Cell match in Smackdown vs. Raw 2008. Why Batista is wearing a Tag Team Title to the ring isn’t clear.

Vince McMahon sits down with Hornswoggle to explain why he made the match with Great Khali for tonight. Some people think that it is because Vince hates him, but it is really because he wants Hornswoggle to rise up like the McMahons do. Vince has been an underdog against Time Warner and the US government and he won. Now go win against Great Khali.

Great Khali vs. Hornswoggle

Shane McMahon comes out to introduce Vince McMahon and then Hornswoggle for some family flavor. We even get an old school explanation of the rules as the fans want Shaquille O’Neal (in the front row) to help Hornswoggle, but Vince grabs the mic and says he doesn’t care what the fans want. Hornswoggle kicks the knee and then dropkicks Runjin Singh through the ropes. The green mist sets up some right hands but Khali chases Hornswoggle off. The distraction lets Hornswoggle grab the shillelagh but Vince takes it away. Khali loads up the Vice Grip, only to have Finlay come in for the DQ.

Rating: D. What is there to say about something like this? The match was a segment instead of anything competitive and that is all it was ever going to be. At the end of the day, the Hornswoggle/Vince story has run out of steam and adding Finlay into the mix isn’t likely to make things that much better. Maybe they can shift things around, but Vince needs to be on to something else.

Post match Finlay destroys Khali with the shillelagh and a low blow, allowing Hornswoggle to escape.

Wrestlemania XXIV is in Orlando.

We recap Randy Orton vs. Shawn Michaels for the Raw World Title. Michaels came back in September and went after Orton, who had put him on the shelf. Orton kept getting superkicked but got disqualified last month. Now Michaels wants revenge but can’t use the superkick. If he does, the match is instantly over, but if Orton tries to get disqualified, he loses the title.

Raw World Title: Randy Orton vs. Shawn Michaels

Michaels is challenging and we even get a weapons check. Feeling out process with Michaels grabbing a cravate of all things to start. Orton can’t even slam his way out of the cravate but he can drive Shawn into the corner for some right hands. Michaels is right back with a choke on the back before switching to a front facelock as you can feel the anger and hatred here.

Back up and Orton is sent outside, with Shawn hitting an Asai moonsault to take him down. They get back inside with Shawn grabbing a…..wait for it…..Sharpshooter. Orton makes the rope and gets in a poke to the eye, setting up the hanging DDT for two. Shawn fights up and slugs it out, setting up the forearm. More right hands have Orton in trouble but he’s right back with a dropkick for two.

Some slams give Michaels a breather and the top rope elbow looks to set up Sweet Chin Music. That’s a head fake though and they trade some rollups for two each. Michaels grabs a Crossface instead but Orton gets a foot on the rope. The backbreaker cuts Michaels off again but he counters the Punt into an ankle lock of all things. The grapevine goes on in the middle, only to have Orton kick his way to freedom. Michaels’ Figure Four attempt is countered with a kick into the post so he teases the superkick but gets RKOed to retain Orton’s title.

Rating: B. Pretty good here, but the amount of stipulations they had going on made it a little difficult to believe that they were going to change the title here. Shawn not using the superkick at the end looked a bit awkward though and the ending only worked so well. They had a good match otherwise though, which has to be expected when it’s Shawn vs. Orton getting time.

Post match Orton talks trash to Shawn and gets superkicked.

SAVE US!

The Cell is lowered.

We recap Batista vs. Undertaker for Batista’s Smackdown World Title. They’ve fought several times this year and Batista finally beat him for the first time last month. Now it’s the big final showdown inside the Cell.

Smackdown World Title: Batista vs. Undertaker

Batista is defending inside the Cell. They start fast with Batista hitting a hard clothesline but having to elbow his way out of a chokeslam attempt. Undertaker punches him into the corner and hits Snake Eyes into the running big boot. The chair is brought in but Batista spears him down. Undertaker’s clothesline gets two this time and they head outside with Undertaker hammering away.

A face rake against the Cell sets up a chair to the throat has Batista in a lot of trouble so Undertaker chairs him in the ribs for two. Old School is countered into a spinebuster (that was cool) for a delayed two and it’s time to slug it out again. Batista’s running powerslam gets two and they head outside with Undertaker getting blasted with a clothesline. Undertaker is fine enough to whip him into the steps and now a chair to the head has Batista busted open.

Old School is broken up again and Batista hits a superplex but Undertaker pulls him into the triangle choke. Since we’re in the Cell, the rope breaks the hold (erg) and they head outside again. This time Batista hits him in the face with the steps and now Undertaker is busted open too. Back in and a chokeslam gives Undertaker two but the Tombstone is countered into another spinebuster for another near fall.

It’s table time, with Batista tossing him through it for two more. The Batista Bomb onto the steps is countered into a backdrop onto the steps. Undertaker plants him with the chokeslam for two, followed by another onto the steps….and a cameraman breaks it up. That’s because the cameraman is Edge, who cameras Undertaker in the head. A Conchairto on the steps knocks Undertaker silly and Edge puts Batista (who saw nothing) on top to retain.

Rating: B+. These two beat the heck out of each other and it felt like a war, with the Edge interference being a great surprise to give them a back door out of the match. What mattered here is they kept things high impact here, which is exactly what these two do best. Let them go in there and hit all their power stuff until one of them can’t get up, which granted was due to some help in this case. You can all but guarantee the triple threat next month and that is a fresh way to go, so nicely done.

Post match, Edge takes Undertaker down again and leaves to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The main events carry the show, but there is a really big gap between the top of the card and everything else. Even the third biggest match on the show doesn’t feel that important as the whole show was built around Batista vs. Undertaker. The show was a fun enough watch, but outside of the main event, it doesn’t feel like a lot of this matters in the long run.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: November 10, 2025
Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Joe Tessitore

With less than two months to go in the year, it’s time to focus on John Cena, as we’re in his hometown of Boston. That means the start of the Last Time Is Now tournament, which should make for quite the situation. We could be in for some interesting showdowns, but the Women’s Tag Team Titles are on the line as well. Let’s get to it.

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

A lot of people came to work today.

Here is HHH in the ring to get things going. He talks about how many different things you have to be able to do to be a success in this business. There is one person who is on the top of that list, and that is someone who was a box office attraction, who left it in the ring every night and could be ruthless on the mic. That man did everything to make this business as big as possible because he loves it so much so here he is, meaning it’s quite the thunderous reaction for John Cena.

After quite the reception, Cena talks about how this is a huge group effort around here and how everyone makes it work. So it’s the Last Time, but now we get to see what he wants to do in his last run. That brings us to Saturday Night’s Main Event, which is going to feature WWE vs. NXT matches because Cena wants the younger stars to get the chance he got back in 2002.

Finally though, he wanted to come to Boston one more time. He saw his first WW censored show in the old Boston Garden and now he gets to be in the new Garden on the way out. This brings out Dominik Mysterio to interrupt, with something to say to HHH in Spanish. Mysterio brags about being a great Intercontinental Champion and his celebration was interrupted. Now he’s interrupting an old man’s celebration, but Cena tries to calm things down. Mysterio says let the grown men settle things and speak when spoken to or it’s going to get physical. Fans: “YOU CENSORED UP!”

Cena says Mysterio has screwed up because he is invincible in this city tonight. Wrong place, wrong time, wrong guy. Out of the respect that Cena has for Rey Mysterio, he’s going to let Dominik walk away. Dominik gets in his face and HHH says he agrees with the people’s thoughts on what Dominik did. HHH calls out Dominik for saying any time, any place and any era.

Therefore, let’s do this right now, for the Intercontinental Title. Dominik knows he’s screwed up and it’s great. That would be the case for everything here, as this is all about giving Cena one big moment in his hometown on his way out and it shouldn’t have been anything more than a massive tribute, with Mysterio getting to be the kind of slimy heel that he does so well.

Intercontinental Title: Dominik Mysterio vs. John Cena

Cena is challenging and we’re joined in progress with Cena fighting back, sending Mysterio bailing out to the floor. Mysterio goes to leave but Cena sends him back, only to be whipped into the steps. That lets Mysterio pose in the ring as Cena gets up, with the dive to beat the count being rather well received. Three Amigos don’t do much to Cena, who tries the AA but gets caught with a DDT as we take a break.

We come back with Cena making another comeback but getting sent into the post for his efforts. That lets Mysterio take down the turnbuckle pad and grab a chair as it’s replaced. Mysterio does the Eddie Guerrero chair deal….but Cena lays down too, with the chair between them.

With that not working, Mysterio gets up but gets caught in the AA. The referee gets bumped so Cena grabs the STF for the tap, which no one sees. Mysterio grabs the belt but walks into the AA for two from a second referee. Back up and Mysterio hits a quick 619, setting up the frog splash. That’s rolled through into an AA to give Cena the pin and the title at 12:19 shown.

Rating: B-. Sure why not. Cena gets to win the one title that he has never won before after Mysterio had the belt for the better part of seven months. It’s not going to be a long reign and Cena can either put someone over or vacate the title (not the best option). This was about giving Cena’s hometown fans one big moment and as a special event, that’s fine given the circumstances.

Post match Cena thanks the fans for letting the champ be here one last time.

Post break Cena gets a big reception in the back, including telling Rey Mysterio that Dominik is a good kid. Cody Rhodes pops up for a handshake and everything is cool with them.

We look back at last week with Logan Paul joining up with the Vision to lay out CM Punk.

Veterans Day video.

Last Time Is Now Tournament First Round: Rusev vs. Damian Priest

Priest is coming in with a bad eye. Rusev is back in the trunks instead of the shorts and he starts fast by hammering Priest down in the corner. Priest’s shot to the face doesn’t get him very far as Rusev spinwheel kicks him right back down. Priest is sent outside and we take a quick break.

We come back with Priest slugging away, including the Broken Arrow for two. Back up and Rusev gets two off a clothesline but Priest is getting fired up. An exchange of kicks goes to Priest, who hits the Old School crossbody. Rusev goes for the banged up eye though and the Machka Kick finishes Priest at 8:49.

Rating: C+. Rusev needed a win to get some momentum back and it’s nice to see someone with some more history with Cena moving forward. Priest has the injury to hold him back a bit so it’s not like he’s getting squashed. He needs a win of his own though, and while it shouldn’t have come here, it should come at some point soon.

AJ Styles and Dragon Lee are looking for some new challengers. Adam Pearce will work on that but for now, do they have a team name? Lee suggests Dragons With Style…but Styles says they’ll work on that. With Styles and Lee gone, Maxxine Dupri comes in to say she’s ready for Becky Lynch. Pearce says the title match is on for next week. With Pearce gone, Lynch pops in to deck Dupri in the face, saying she’ll never be ready.

Commentary plays with the new LJN figures.

Here is CM Punk for a chat. He’s ticked off and wants to call out a douche bag right before he has the chance to interrupt. We’re in Boston so he’s here for a fight with Logan Paul. If Paul has his eyes on Punk’s belt, Punk is going to have his boot on Paul’s neck. Cue Paul, who talks about how he has been hit in the face by Floyd Mayweather Jr., but that was nothing compared to getting hit with the Tsunami last week.

That has opened Paul’s eyes to a whole new Vision, who comes out to join him. Heyman rips into Punk, talking about how Punk could only be more unlikable if his name was AJ Lee. Punk laughs that off, saying AJ would take them all out but he has to do it himself. Cue Jey Uso to even things up a bit and Cody Rhodes joins them as well, with the fans singing Kingdom until the brawl is on. Punk goes after Heyman but Logan makes the save, only to get sent into the barricade. Rhodes chairs Breakker down and Punk gets in a chair shot to Reed’s back. The bad guys are cleared out.

We look at Lash Legend moving up to the main roster on Smackdown to join forces with Nia Jax, who beat Charlotte. Later in the night, Asuka misted Charlotte to make it even worse.

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

Vaquer, with Nikki Bella, is defending and Roxanne Perez is here with Rodriguez. Vaquer gets powered into the corner to start and a shot to the face puts her down again. A rollup gives Vaquer two and she hurricanranas Rodriguez into the ropes. The Devil’s Kiss is blocked though and Rodriguez sends her face first into the buckle, setting up a heck of a clothesline for two.

We take a break and come back with Vaquer sending her outside, followed by some strikes to the head back inside. A high crossbody hits Rodriguez and Vaquer sends her into the corner for the running knees. The SVB is blocked though and Rodriguez runs her over again. The Tejana Bomb is blocked as well though, with Rodriguez being sent into the corner.

More running knees are countered into a powerbomb to give Rodriguez two so Perez tries to interfere. Bella cuts that off, only for Rodriguez to fall away slam Vaquer. The spinning Vader Bomb misses though and it’s the Devi’s Kiss into the corkscrew moonsault to retain the title at 10:33.

Rating: B-. There were a few rocky points here but Vaquer getting to slay a giant is a good thing to see. Vaquer and Bella have been dealing with the Judgment Day for a few weeks now so it makes sense to have Vaquer beat Rodriguez and move on to something else. Unfortunately, that is likely to be Bella and I can’t imagine being less interested in something than that.

Post match Perez jumps Vaquer but gets knocked outside by Bella. Vaquer and Bella pose and Bella does indeed hit her with the belt for the big heel turn, which he fans seem to….like? Or at least respond to quite strongly.

CM Punk, Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes want the Vision and they want them in a certain way. Punk: “REGAL!” Cue William Regal to announce WarGames, with Adam Pearce confirming it.

Last Time Is Now Tournament First Round: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sheamus

Sheamus grabs a headlock to start and powers him out of the corner. The Dublin Smile has Nakamura in more trouble but he tells Sheamus to COME ON. Nakamura ties him in the ropes for the middle rope knee but Sheamus is right back with a slam onto the apron. We take a break and come back with Sheamus hitting a Regal Roll and signaling that he wants the title. Nakamura catches him on top though and it’s a superplex for two.

Some knees to the head rock Sheamus and he seems annoyed by the kicks to the chest. Sheamus tells Nakamura to hit him harder and they slug it out. The Irish Curse has Nakamura in trouble and there are the ten forearms to the chest. The Brogue Kick is countered with a Sling Blade but Sheamus knees him out of the air for two. A super White Noise is countered into a sunset bomb and Nakamura kicks him in the face. Sheamus doesn’t like that though and hits the Brogue Kick for the pin at 10:54.

Rating: B-. Take two hard hitters and give them ten minutes to beat the fire out of each other. Again, Sheamus moving forward makes more sense as he has a deeper history with Cena, including with the Intercontinental Title now a factor. While I can’t imagine Sheamus winning the whole thing, it’s another member of Cena’s rogues gallery being near the final, which is all you need.

We get some more tournament matches announced for next week:

Je’Von Evans vs. Gunther
Solo Sikoa vs. ???

Adam Pearce sees the name but says we’ll just have to see who Sikoa is facing.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Charlotte/Alexa Bliss vs. Kabuki Warriors

The Warriors are challenging. It’s a brawl to start with Bliss striking away at Sane to take over. Charlotte tags herself in but misses a big boot, instead settling for a slingshot rollup for two instead. Asuka’s running hip attack misses but Sane tags herself in for a top rope forearm. Sane is sent to the apron though and it’s a big boot to put her on the floor. Bliss misses a dropkick and gets forearmed down as we take a break.

We come back with Bliss hitting a double DDT, allowing Charlotte to come back in with a double high crossbody. Charlotte chops away, followed by a flipping clothesline to put Asuka down. Despite taking forever to set it up, Charlotte hits a moonsault onto both of them for a near fall. The Empress Impact is countered into a suplex but Asuka reverses Natural Selection into the Asuka Lock.

That’s reversed into a rollup for two, only for Sane to pull Bliss to the floor before the tag. Asuka’s cross armbreaker is countered into a Liontamer, which is reversed into a rollup for two. Charlotte boots her down and grabs the Figure Four, with Bliss adding the Sister Abigail DDT to Sane. Cue Nia Jax and Lash Legend to break up the Figure Eight and take out Bliss, leaving Sane to hit the assisted Insane Elbow to pin Charlotte for the titles at 10:15.

Rating: B. I like the ending, as it feels like something of an actual division coming together. You have multiple teams with reasons to dislike each other and that has been missing for a long time now. I’m not sure if I have any reason to believe that it’s going to last, but I’ll take it for a little while at the very least.

Post match Bliss goes after Jax but gets dropped by Jax and Legend. The Warriors get back in for the double beatdown but Iyo Sky runs in for the save as you might as well get William Regal out here already. Legend forearms Sky down though and the big beatdown is on until Rhea Ripley is back for the real save. Sane gets Razor’s Edged down onto the pile and Ripley issues the official WarGames challenge to end the show. Yeah there it is, and it’s better than nothing if we just have to do the match.

Overall Rating: B+. Oh yeah this was more like it, with the focus being a lot tighter this week. They had Cena, the Cena tournament, the Women’s Title stuff and the WarGames matches being set up. It’s quite a bit to put into a show, but they did a really good job of making those things feel important. That’s one of the things that made it feel like an old NXT, as it came off like whatever you’re seeing is the most important thing in the world at the moment. Really solid show this week as we’re getting into some big stuff in the coming weeks.

Results
John Cena b. Dominik Mysterio – Attitude Adjustment
Rusev b. Damian Priest – Machka Kick
Stephanie Vaquer b. Raquel Rodriguez – Corkscrew moonsault
Sheamus b. Shinsuke Nakamura – Brogue Kick
Kabuki Warriors b. Charlotte/Alexa Bliss – Assisted Insane Elbow to Charlotte

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Monday Night Raw
Date: November 3, 2025
Location: Rio Rancho Events Center, Rio Rancho, New Mexico
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

In something we don’t get to say very often, we’re in New Mexico and in this case we have a new World Champion in the form of CM Punk. After defeating Jey Uso to win the vacant title at Saturday Night’s Main Event, it’s time for Punk to get some fresh challengers. Those very well may be coming this week so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of CM Punk winning the title at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Here is Punk to get things going. After his usual intro, Punk is stopped by a YOU DESERVE IT chant, with Punk saying that we’ll get to the difference between “deserved” and “earned”. Punk thanks AJ Lee (with a lot of positive adjectives) before saying the fans deserve it for being by his side. He also thanks Jey Uso for the match and the fight, and he appreciates Uso for being a real main eventer. Yeet. Punk hopes they can still be friends but he gets if they can’t.

Instead, Punk doesn’t know how long he’ll have around here so he’s got to hold onto the title for as long as he can. There is no Seth Rollins with a briefcase coming to steal the title so he does the Rollins spin the title over his head bit. Punk knows there is a target on him and knows that the locker room is waiting on him. He brings up names like Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker before saying he wants to test himself.

That means facing people like AJ Styles, Dominik Mysterio, JD McDonagh, Finn Balor, Sheamus and of course John Cena. Punk knows Cena doesn’t have a long time left but he’s here for a good time, so come try to be an eighteen time World Champion. Cue the returning Logan Paul to interrupt and Punk nearly loses it, with a great “NOT HIM!”.

Punk suggests that Paul go after the US Title on Smackdown (“I hear it’s lovely this time of year.”) before Paul talks about how he’s like a great car. Punk is like an old, beaten up Honda Civic but here is the Vision to interrupt. Heyman isn’t impressed by what he sees in front of him and says Bron Breakker is at the front of the line. Punk has been champion for two days, which is four hundred and thirty two days shy of then they were World Champion together. As for Paul, he needs to get to steppin, but Paul says he was here first so the Vision should have gotten out here faster.

Breakker takes the mic, saying they’ve been waiting for weeks after taking out Seth Rollins and waiting for a new champion to be crowned. Breakker is coming for what belongs to him because Punk is keeping it warm for him. The two of them should get out of the ring before he whips them like a dog. Punk says it’s time to fight so Paul can either fight with him or get out. Naturally Paul goes to leave but is cut off by the Vision, with Breakker shoving him down. The Vision beats Punk down and Paul actually gets in, with Reed crushing him with a Tsunami. Punk comes in with a chair to make the save.

This was a long segment, but it set the stage for where things are at the moment. Punk is the new top star around here (now officially) and he’s going to be a fighting champion, as a good guy should be a lot of the time. That deserves some time to talk and Paul being set up as a challenger is fine, as Punk is going to need someone to come after him until Bron Breakker is really ready.

Nikki Bella/Stephanie Vaquer vs. Judgment Day

Perez backs Bella into the ropes to start so they trade places, with Bella blocking a big slap. Bella works on the arm before Rodriguez comes in to take Bella into the corner. It’s quickly off to Vaquer for the staredown with Rodriguez, who muscles her up for a suplex. Vaquer slips out of that and kicks her in the face, followed by a snap suplex to Perez. Everything breaks down and, after a hip bump, Vaquer and Bella dive off the apron to drop the villains as we take a break.

We come back with Bella getting knocked down and Perez adding a Lionsault. Bella manages to tornado DDT her way out of the corner to drop Rodriguez, allowing the tag off to Vaquer. Rodriguez’s knee is taken out but the STB is blocked. A high crossbody gives Vaquer two and it’s off to Perez, who gets caught in the Devil’s Kiss. Bella hits the Rack Attack 2.0 but Rodriguez makes the save. Vaquer takes Rodriguez to the apron but can’t hit the Devil’s Kiss. Instead Rodriguez drops her onto the apron and hits Bella in the face, setting up Pop Rox to give Perez the pin at 12:46.

Rating: C. Bella’s comeback continues to feel like little more than a thing that is happening, as she feels like a relic of the past. While she’s far from some kind of terrible disaster, she isn’t quite hanging in there that well with the bigger stars. If nothing else, it seems like one of the two villains will be getting a shot at Vaquer sooner than later, which is fairly long overdue.

We look at the announcement of the John Cena The Last Time Is Now tournament for the right to face Cena in his final match.

Adam Pearce has a tumbler to determine some first round matches.

CM Punk runs into Jey Uso, who was thinking about helping Punk earlier. Punk asks if he’s talking to Jey Uso or Little Roman. Uso says they can take care of the Vision tonight and a tag match seems to be set.

Penta vs. El Grande Americano

Rayo and Bravo are here with Grande. Penta snaps off a headscissors to start but Grande cuts off another one with a faceplant. Grande goes after the mask but gets suplexes for two instead. They fight to the apron and strike it out until Grande reverses a Canadian Destroyer with a backdrop and we take a break.

We come back with Penta fighting out of trouble but the Canadian Destroyer is blocked. Instead Penta kicks him in the head for two and they strike it out, with Penta sending him outside. The big flip dive connects but Bravo trips him down, earning an ejection. The distraction lets Rayo load up Grande’s mask but Penta plants him down. Rayo gets caught catching him on top and gets ejected, allowing Penta to hit a big dive. Grande’s diving headbutt is superkicked away and the middle rope Canadian Destroyer finishes Grande at 10:24.

Rating: C+. I’m a bit surprised to see Americano lose, but to be fair the whole story has lost a lot of steam due to Chad Gable being hurt. It was also a lot more fun when the lackeys were more mysterious and just popping up rather than being there all the time, but that’s another story. Either way, good for Penta to get a win, which he has been needing more of lately.

The Kabuki Warriors are tired of the lack of respect for Asuka, who is the true legend. They’re ready to show their dominance over the tag division.

Here is Dominik Mysterio for a chat to quite the reaction. Mysterio brags about his greatness…and Rey Mysterio is back. Rey doesn’t like Dominik calling himself the greatest luchador of all time. What about El Santo? Blue Demon? Or EDDIE GUERRERO? Is Dominik better than they are?

Dominik certainly thinks so, but he knows he’s better than Rey. That’s too far for Rey, who isn’t going to let Dominik disrespect lucha libre. Rey isn’t having this and wants to stand up for lucha libre, saying as long as he’s around, Dominik will not be the greatest ever. The brawl is on and Dominik bails away. Well the match is all but guaranteed and this month’s pay per view is in Rey’s hometown. Yeah that should work.

Lyra Valkyria makes sure everything is ok with Bayley after the Kabuki Warriors attacked Charlotte and Alexa Bliss after last week’s match.

Here is Becky Lynch on the announcers’ table, saying she has a lot to get off her chest. She has been going through a lot in the last few weeks. Her hot husband is injured at home, the Vision has lost their minds, and now she has a crooked referee obsessed with holding her down.

On top of all that though, there’s Maxxine Dupri, who the fans have believing that she’s actually good. Dupri can go train with anyone she wants and it won’t matter because Lynch is just that much better. Lynch goes to leave but runs into the Kabuki Warriors, with Asuka having quite the staredown. A paranoid and near snapping Lynch carrying the feud is a good idea, as the more Dupri is out there, the quicker the charm will wear off.

Kabuki Warriors vs. Lyra Valkyria/Bayley

Asuka takes Valkyria down to start but misses a running kick, allowing Valkyria to nip up. A basement dropkick gives Valkyria two and it’s off to Bayley vs. Sane. Bayley quickly takes over and plants Sane before Valkyria comes in for the near fall. A dive misses though and Asuka suplexes Valkyria on the floor as we take a break.

We come back with Bayley getting the tag to clean house, including a Thesz press to hammer on Asuka. The twisting Stunner over the middle rope rocks Asuka again and a middle rope elbow to a standing Asuka’s back gets two. Sane comes back in to knee Bayley off the apron, only to get Bayley To Bellied for two back inside.

A sunset bomb sends Sane into the corner for Valkyria’s guillotine legdrop and a near fall. Sane is able to catch Valkyria on top for a double stomp and Bayley has to make a save. Valkyria is back with a backbreaker so Bayley’s riddle rope elbow can get two, as Asuka makes the save. Asuka takes Bayley down and loads up the reverse DDT but Bayley is back up. Valkyria is rammed into Bayley though and the Asuka Lock finishes Valkyria at 14:07.

Rating: B. They were working hard here and the Warriors get a win on their way towards the Tag Team Title shot. Valkyria and Bayley are a team who work well half the time at best and that was the case here, though it wasn’t their fault for once. I’m curious as to where that’s going, mainly because they’ve dropped the ridiculous multiple personalities deal go away.

Post match Charlotte and Alexa Bliss run in to chase the Warriors off.

JD McDonagh and Finn Balor are ready to get their Tag Team Titles back when Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez come in to give them a pep talk. Dominik Mysterio comes in and complains about Rey Mysterio, with Balor not being happy about Dominik’s lack of focus on what matters. The women won’t listen either and blame Dominik for costing them the titles in the first place.

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

Styles and Lee are challenging and get jumped to start fast in the corner as Dominik Mysterio, at ringside, approves. Lee gets put on top but he comes back with a high crossbody to put Baylor down. A running hurricanrana over the top pulls McDonagh off the apron, only for Balor to come back with a basement dropkick for two.

We’re already in the chinlock but Lee fights up with a sitout powerbomb. Styles comes in to take over in the corner and hits a big dive to the floor as we take a break. We come back with Lee coming in to clean house until a Sling Blade cuts him off. The shotgun dropkick sets up a missed Coup de Grace so Balor hits a quick Nightmare On Helm Street. Styles comes back in to strike away on McDonagh, who accidentally takes out Dominik Mysterio.

The Coup de Grace hits McDonagh by mistake and it’s a Phenomenal Forearm for two with Balor making the save. Balor and Mysterio stop for a chat, with Mysterio loading up a belt shot. Cue Sheamus to cut that off before Styles can get hit but the distraction lets a shillelagh shot knock Styles sill for two, with Lee making the save. Sheamus beats up Mysterio and Lee hits a big running flip dive to take Balor out. The Styles Clash to McDonagh retains the titles at 10:32.

Rating: B+. Dang I got into that one, as they were going nuts with the near falls and false finishes. Sheamus interfering and going after Mysterio gives me hope that he could try for the Intercontinental Title again, as that is quite the story if we ever get to the title change. On the other hand you have Styles and Lee, who pretty clearly aren’t a long term team, but they’re doing fine for a quick thing as Styles heads out.

Nikki Bella apologizes to Stephanie Vaquer for their loss, as well as Vaquer having to defend against Raquel Rodriguez next week. As usual, this leads to praise of Bella, who continues to be one of the most annoying humans anytime she speaks.

Paul Heyman comes up to see Jey Uso, who was always his favorite member of the Bloodline. That’s why Heyman can’t understand why Uso would ever team with CM Punk. Uso says Punk faced him man to man, which Uso respects. He doesn’t care what anyone says about him but Heyman talks about how it is now open warfare with everyone involving the Vision. Heyman thinks Uso has a vision all of his own, so good luck tonight.

Adam Pearce announces some first round matches for next week in the John Cena tournament:

Rusev vs. Damian Priest
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sheamus

CM Punk/Jey Uso vs. The Vision

Paul Heyman is here with the Vision. Uso strikes away at Reed to start and Punk comes in with a top rope ax handle on the arm. Reed isn’t having that and powers Punk into the corner so Breakker can come in for a rather strong backdrop. It’s back to Uso for a double belly to back suplex to Breakker and a superkick to Reed. The villains are sent outside for a big dive to take them down and we take a break.

We come back with Punk in trouble and Breakker coming in to shoulder him in the corner. Breakker misses a running knee though and crashes out to the floor, only to come back in for a Shatter Machine of all things to Punk. Uso has to make the save, leaving Punk to slip out of a gorilla press and grab a neckbreaker. The tag brings in Uso to go after Reed, including the dancing spit punch. Well slap but close enough. The spear hits Reed, with Breakker making the save this time. Punk’s top rope clothesline hits Breakker, as does a slingshot dive to the floor. Everyone goes outside and it’s a double countout at 10:15.

Rating: B-. In a way I like the result, as you don’t want to have the villains lose but Punk shouldn’t be taking a loss, either directly or indirectly, two days after getting the title back. The action was good enough as well, as Uso continues to feel like a main eventer, though Breakker continues to feel like the future.

Post match the brawl is on and Reed is put on the announcers’ table, only for Breakker to come back with the Super Spear to Uso. Punk makes the save with a chair but the Vision grabs chairs of their own. Cue Logan Paul…who takes Punk out with the brass knuckles and stands tall with the Vision. He even hands the knuckles to Heyman to end the show. Eh I can go with it, as the team is kind of weird without a singles star to go with the tag team.

Overall Rating: B+. This show had a rather good mixture of wrestling and talking, with Punk’s promo setting the stage for where things were going and the Paul stuff at the end being an intriguing move. At the same time, you had the pretty awesome Tag Team Title match and some other entertaining matches included. I’m liking where a lot of this is going, especially with WarGames being visible if you squint hard enough with three and a half weeks left.

Results
Judgment Day b. Nikki Bella/Stephanie Vaquer – Pop Rox to Bella
Penta b. El Grande Americano – Middle rope Canadian Destroyer
Kabuki Warriors b. Lyra Valkyria/Bayley – Asuka Lock to Valkyria
Dragon Lee/AJ Styles b. Judgment Day – Styles Clash to McDonagh
CM Punk/Jey Uso vs. The Vision went to a double countout

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

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Saturday Night’s Main Event XLI
Date: November 1, 2025
Location: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

It’s a big show this time as we have the Raw World Title needing to be decided following Seth Rollins’ injury. Other than that, the Smackdown World Title is on the line as Drew McIntyre gets another shot at Cody Rhodes. The Intercontinental and Smackdown Women’s Titles are both on the line as well so let’s get to it.

The opening video features flashbacks to the original series before shifting to look at tonight’s edition.

Smackdown World Title: Cody Rhodes vs. Drew McIntyre

Rhodes is defending and can lose the title via countout or DQ. We get the Big Match Intros and McIntyre insists on being introduced as the REAL American Dream in a great bit of trolling. Rhodes slugs away to start and McIntyre heads outside to slow things back down. Back in and McIntyre tries to send Rhodes into the referee, which McIntyre thinks should be a DQ. McIntyre bites his head and Rhodes stomps away, which has him almost shoving the referee in frustration.

That’s enough of a distraction for McIntyre to get in a cheap shot from behind and post Rhodes for a bonus. Back in and an elbow drops Rhodes before McIntyre sends him flying with a suplex. McIntyre goes up top and gets superplexed down and…the stream freezes for a few moments. We come back with Rhodes winning a slugout and hitting the Disaster Kick.

The Cody Cutter connects (though it looked like McIntyre tried to counter) for two but McIntyre is back with a spinebuster and sitout powerbomb for two of his own. With frustration setting in, McIntyre grabs the title, which he throws to Rhodes. That’s not enough to get Rhodes to snap as he throws the title away, only to get Claymored for two. They head outside where McIntyre can’t hit another Claymore but can knock him off the apron and through the announcers’ table for a heck of a crash.

Back in and another Claymore misses so Rhodes tries to climb the corner, only to bang up his knee. The knee is fine enough to hit the Cody Cutter for two (the first one must have been a botch) before the referee gets bumped. McIntyre grabs the title, which is knocked away, and it’s a double crossbody to leave everyone down. They both crawl for the belt, with Rhodes giving him a DDT onto it for the knockout. Cross Rhodes retains the title at 18:43.

Rating: B. Good, hard fought match here, which is what you want to see out of these two. They had something interesting with the idea of Rhodes being in more danger than usual. The fans were into what they were doing and it felt like the title was in jeopardy a few times. Rhodes is likely gearing up for his feud with Randy Orton over the title and this was a great way to give him a boost on the way there.

We recap Jade Cargill challenging Tiffany Stratton for the Smackdown Women’s Title. Stratton beat her once but Cargill came back and turned evil, even injuring Stratton’s knee on the way here.

Nick Aldis makes sure that Stratton is good to go, which she insists she is.

Various celebrities are here.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Jade Cargill vs. Tiffany Stratton

Stratton is defending and slugs away to start fast. That earns her a quick chokeslam but Cargill misses a charge into the corner. Cargill is fine enough to catch her on top as Stratton gets caught in the Tree Of Woe. Some cranking on the knee has Stratton down on the floor and Cargill is not impressed. Stratton is able to send her into the steps for a breather and then drops her off the top inside. The Swanton hits Cargill for two but she’s right back with a fall away slam. It works so well that she does it two more times for another near fall. A pair of powerbombs puts Stratton down and Jaded gives Cargill the title at 5:32.

Rating: C+. This was built around the idea of Stratton’s knee being banged up and that’s a fine way to go. It turned into Cargill smashing through the injured Stratton, who got in a flurry to start but then just got overwhelmed. That’s a good way to end Stratton’s long reign, as she was beaten by someone she couldn’t stop. There are already people set to come after Cargill, including a likely soon to return Bianca Belair. This was how the title change should have gone down and it worked rather well.

Saturday Night’s Main Event is back in Montreal on January 24.

Intercontinental Title: Dominik Mysterio vs. Penta vs. Rusev

Mysterio is defending and gets knocked to the floor to start fast. Rusev dropkicks Penta for two and then powerbombs Mysterio, allowing him to sneer a lot. They fight to the floor where Mysterio posts Rusev before Penta flip dives onto both of them. Back in and Penta’s slingshot dropkick hits Mysterio in the corner, with Rusev pulling Penta outside for a ram into the barricade.

Mysterio gets dropped onto the announcers’ table, allowing Rusev to tell the title that he’s coming. Back in and Rusev chokes on the ropes but Penta breaks up the Accolade attempt. The Backstabber out of the corner gives Penta two on Rusev and some basement superkicks make it worse. Rusev shrugs that off and hits the swinging release Rock Bottom for two of his own. With Penta down in the corner, Mysterio grabs a chair and throws it to Rusev…apparently forgetting that it’s No DQ.

Rusev wrecks Mysterio with the chair but Penta kicks it into Rusev’s face. A springboard tornado DDT plants Rusev for two but he’s back with an Alabama Slam. Back up and the Penta Driver plants Rusev, only to have him pop back up and superkick Penta out of the air. The Accolade goes on and the bell rings….but there was no tap out. Mysterio rang the bell for the save, which earns him quite the beating. Rusev gets sent into the steps though and Penta grabs the bell hammer, which accidentally hits Rusev. Mysterio takes Penta out and frog splashes Rusev to retain at 12:37.

Rating: B-. There is something awesome about Mysterio’s “What if Honky Tonk Man was just a little bit smarter?” title reign. On paper, Mysterio should be getting wrecked in every title match but he’s just smart enough to find a way out. That’s all he needs to do, and he’s already approaching seven months as champion. It might not be great, but it makes sense and it’s working well enough, even as Rusev takes yet another fall.

We get a preview of a big interview with John Cena, which will be released in full in the coming weeks.

Cena narrates a video announcing a sixteen man tournament (The Last Time Is Now Tournament) to earn the right to be his final opponent. There will be entries from all three brands and maybe even some surprises.

We recap Jey Uso vs. CM Punk for the vacant Raw World Title. Punk earned the shot against Seth Rollins, who got hurt, so Uso won a battle royal to earn the shot. They’re friends, but they both need to be champion.

Raw World Title: CM Punk vs. Jey Uso

For the vacant title so of course they do the Big Match Intros. They take their time to start with Punk backing him into the corner and they go into the grappling. Uso rolls him up for a quick two before Punk grabs his headlock for the trademark SHOUTING IN HIS OPPONENT’S ear. Apparently the advice is “try to escape the GTS by going to the floor” before Punk takes him down for some elbows.

Punk’s neckbreaker drops Uso (after they seem to both try one at once for a weird visual) and they chop it out. Uso knocks him into the corner but the spear is countered with a front facelock and another neckbreaker gives Punk two. Back up and they slug it out with Uso getting the better of things. A quick GTS sends Uso outside though and Punk sends him back in, with Uso being smart enough to go towards the ropes. Punk grabs a suplex for two but Uso breaks up a superplex attempt.

Uso misses a dive off the top but starts hammering away, setting up the running Umaga Attack. Another is cut off so Uso hits a superkick and the spear into the Superfly Splash for a near fall. Punk catches him on top for a top rope superplex and they’re both down again. Back up and they slug it out until Punk takes over, including a leg lariat. Uso superkicks him out to the floor for a suicide dive and they’re both down for a breather.

Uso is back with a spear through the barricade but the Superfly Splash hits knees. Another GTS gives Punk two but Uso hits his own GTS. Punk hits an awful spear for two more and is back with a GTS. Another is attempted but Punk collapses, with Uso pulling him into the sleeper. That’s reversed into the Anaconda Vice so Uso makes the ropes. Another Vice attempt is countered into a rollup and Uso is back with some superkicks. Uso charges into a knee to the head though and a pair of GTS’s give Punk the pin and the title at 20:58.

Rating: B+. There were only so many ways to go after Rollins’ injury and Punk winning the title on a pretty big stage is the best option they have. Punk gets to show that he still has it without having a Money In The Bank cash-in waiting on him. At the same time, there are several people who could come for the title, including LA Knight, Sami Zayn and eventually Bron Breakker. It wound up being a rather good match as well, with Uso giving everything he could before falling in the end. Nice stuff here, with a limited amount of ways to go given the circumstances.

Punk celebrates as Uso looks up at him to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show was entertaining and less than two hours so they certainly got in and out without wasting time. At the same time, the show really didn’t feel that important. None of the stories came off like they were overly important, even with a pair of World Titles on the line. Punk vs. Rollins would have felt bigger, but there just wasn’t much to see here that kept me engaged. It’s a good show due to the action, but hopefully they have something a bit better on the way to Survivor Series, because they’ll need the upgrade.

Results
Cody Rhodes b. Drew McIntyre – Cross Rhodes
Jade Cargill b. Tiffany Stratton – Jaded
Dominik Mysterio b. Penta and Rusev – Frog splash to Rusev
CM Punk b. Jey Uso – GTS

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: October 27, 2025
Location: Honda Center, Anaheim, California
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

Things are cranking up around here again as we have Saturday Night’s Main Event, surprisingly enough coming up this Saturday. That show is going to feature CM Punk vs. Jey Uso for the vacant World Title, which is more than enough for the Raw side of the card. As for tonight, the Women’s Tag Team Titles are on the line. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Jey Uso winning the battle royal last week, earning himself the right to face CM Punk for the title this weekend.

The title is in the ring and here is Jey Uso for a chat. He talks about how there are two #1 contenders and now it’s time to get the title back. It’s four letters and one word…but here is CM Punk to interrupt. The song ends and Punk runs it back, which doesn’t have Uso looking happy. Punk talks about how they’re friends and he glad to see Uso finally listening to himself for a change. He’s not listening to Jimmy or Roman but that makes it complicated for Punk. See, Punk tries to put himself in his opponent’s shoes but he’s never been in Jey’s place before.

Last week, Jey won the battle royal and Punk knows he has what it takes. How far is Jey willing to go to get the title back? Punk needs the title back as well and on Saturday, Jey is going to be in a situation where YEETing isn’t enough. So how far is he willing to go? Jey talks about how he’s been in the deep waters before and he knows that Punk is going to be trying to make him out to be the bad guy. Well screw Punk and they’ll see each other on Saturday. There was only so much here, as there is only so much of a story, but serious Jey is a good thing.

We look at Judgment Day losing the Tag Team Titles last week.

Dominik Mysterio is worried about facing either Rusev or Penta at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Raquel Rodriguez calls him a serial cheater (Roxanne Perez’s jaw drops) and the rest of the team isn’t listening. Mysterio calls someone and says he needs help.

Rusev vs. Penta

For an Intercontinental Title shot at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Rusev jumps him to start fast but gets sent outside for the big running flip dive. Back in and the threat of a Canadian Destroyer sends Rusev back to the floor, where he knocks Penta over. They get back inside for a running splash to Penta in the corner, only for him to come back with a Backstabber. The first two times outside weren’t enough so they head to the floor again, this time with Penta going face first into the steps.

We take a break and come back with Penta fighting out of a bearhug and kicking Rusev in the face. The slingshot dropkick in the corner connects and Penta kicks him down again for two. Penta goes up but gets kicked out of the air to give Rusev two, with some frustration thrown in as a bonus. The Accolade is countered into the Penta Driver for a VERY close two and they’re both down. Cue all three Grande Americanos to jump them both for the double DQ at 9:56.

Rating: B-. I get what they’re doing here but this is one of the ideas that keeps coming up in wrestling and….dang it I can’t bring myself to hate it. At the end of the day, it takes an incredibly dumb heel to make this happen over and over and, well, Mysterio fits the description. It sets up the match well enough and as dumb as it is, it makes sense for Mysterio to think this would work.

Post match Rusev isn’t happy and clears out Americano’s goons, but they’re able to save him from the Canadian Destroyer. Penta and Rusev stare at each other.

LA Knight talks about how he came up short last week and it’s hard to keep the drive going. He doesn’t have the title around his waist right now but CM Punk and Jey Uso are on the way to Saturday Night’s Main Event. Sometimes he gets used to doing the hard thing because he doesn’t know how to quit. He’s coming for whomever wins on Saturday and he’ll have the title around his waist when he’s asked about it next time.

Bron Breakker thinks he and Bronson Reed should have been in the battle royal last week and want an explanation from Paul Heyman. After thinking for a bit, Heyman says the two of them wrecking everyone in the battle royal would have left Adam Pearce hating them. Instead, they should take out the one other man who wants the World Title (unnamed) and after he’s gone, the path to the title is clear. Breakker wants Heyman to get a match with that person….but Heyman has already done that. And of course it’s LA Knight.

We look back at ten years of Asuka on the main roster, with a slow and quiet version of her theme song in the background, which makes it sound rather creepy.

Judgment Day comes up to Adam Pearce and want a rematch for the Tag Team Titles. Balor is a bit calmer than McDonagh but Pearce says they’re already busy tonight. One of them gets to fight Sheamus tonight and Pearce lets them pick. McDonagh says he’ll do it (Balor looks surprised) and Balor says after that, they can come after the Tag Team Titles.

Nikki Bella vs. Roxanne Perez

Raquel Rodriguez is here too. Bella grabs a quick sunset flip for two and then slaps Perez in the face, which means we need to pause for a second. Back up and a dropkick staggers Perez again but she pulls Bella down and hammers away. Bella fights back until Rodriguez gets in a cheap shot to cut her off.

We take a break and come back with Perez getting two off a Lionsault and hammering away. Perez even mocks the pushups, which brings Bella back with some forearms of her own. A double faceplant leaves them both down and Bella is up first, with Perez having to block the Rack Attack 2.0. Bella escapes a sleeper and spinebusters her for two but Rodriguez offers a distraction. Perez gets caught with her feet on the ropes before avoiding a charge into the corner. Pop Rox gives Perez the pin at 11:17.

Rating: C+. I’m trying to care about having Bella back but it’s just not clicking. She feels like a relic of the past and a lot of what she does in the ring really doesn’t work very well. It’s not that she’s bad but it doesn’t feel important to have her out there. Maybe it works as a one off, but having her around full time is a bit hard to care about week after week.

Post match Rodriguez drops Bella again until Stephanie Vaquer makes the save. Vaquer and Rodriguez stare at each other with Bella popping up behind them. The villains leave.

We look at Bayley challenging Alexa Bliss and Charlotte for the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Lyra Valkyria runs into the Kabuki Warriors, with Asuka yelling about how Valkyria and Bayley have a title shot. The Warriors leave and Bayley pops in with a matching jacket for Valkyria. Bayley asks what if they lose but Valkyria asks what if they win. They even get a handshake down.

Jey Uso runs into Jimmy Uso, who isn’t happy with Jey throwing him out of the battle royal last week. Jimmy thinks Jey might have been worried about him and threw him out as a result.

LA Knight vs. Bron Breakker

Bronson Reed and Paul Heyman are here with Breakker. Knight gets driven into the corner to start but fights his way out, setting up some right hands in the corner. Breakker runs him over with a heck of a clothesline but Knight is back with a high crossbody. Knight gets two off a sunset flip and stomps him down in the corner, followed by a running knee.

We take a break and come back with Breakker hitting a running knee before suplexing Knight over the top for a big crash. A big running shoulder drops Knight on the floor and we hit the chinlock back inside. Knight fights up and slugs away before the jumping neckbreaker puts Breakker down. There’s the powerslam and a jumping elbow to Breakker so Knight goes up.

Breakker’s attempt at a super Frankensteiner doesn’t work as he crashes down instead (ouch). With Breakker ok, he goes up top, where Knight jumps to the top for the superplex. Reed offers a distraction but Breakker misses a charge into the post. They go outside with Knight sending him into the announcers’ table, followed by the reverse DDT back inside. Knight goes up but Breakker nips up and, after Knight jumps over him, the Super Spear finishes for Breakker at 13:35.

Rating: B+. This was a heck of a match and I got way into what they were doing. I wasn’t sure how it was going to end but what matters the most is Breakker’s rise to the top continues. There is a good reason to believe that he’ll be World Champion soon enough and racking up wins like this will only help him. Knight was doing well out there too and it made for a pretty awesome fight.

Adam Pearce finds Dominik Mysterio with the Grande Americanos. Believe it or not, it’s a triple threat at Saturday Night’s Main Event with Penta and Rusev. Mysterio: “No hablo ingles?”

Jimmy Uso runs into Jey Uso, who seems to apologize for throwing him out of the battle royal last week. Everything seems ok.

JD McDonagh vs. Sheamus

Finn Balor is here with McDonagh. Sheamus takes him into the corner and pounds away with the forearms to the back. A big backdrop takes McDonagh down and we get the Dublin Smile. McDonagh gets in a shot of his own and walks over Sheamus’ back, earning himself a clothesline to the floor. Balor breaks up the ten forearms so Sheamus clotheslines both of them off the apron.

We take a break and come back with Sheamus fighting out of a chinlock but McDonagh sends him outside for an Asai moonsault. Back in and McDonagh hits a 450 for two and it’s time for Sheamus to fight up. The Irish Curse plants McDonagh and now the ten forearms connect. The Brogue Kick is cut off by a running knee but Sheamus is right back with the High Cross. Balor puts the foot on the rope though and it’s time for Sheamus to go after him. McDonagh’s save attempt is sent crashing into the barricade but Balor gets in a shillelagh shot. That’s enough for McDonagh to hit a super Spanish Fly for the pin at 13:39.

Rating: B. Another good match here, which is always fun to see. Sheamus has been around for a long time but when he is given the chance, he can more than hang with anyone. That’s what we got here, with McDonagh looking rather awesome in his own right. The finish looked great too, as it’s nice for a smaller wrestler to not use a 450 or frog splash or something similar for a change.

We look at Becky Lynch losing to Maxxine Dupri via DQ last week.

Dupri is ready to get her title shot, but first she wants to talk to a friend and make sure she’s in the right place. Adam Pearce says it’s official…eventually.

Charlotte and Alexa Bliss are ready to retain the Women’s Tag Team Titles. The Kabuki Warriors interrupt and accuse Charlotte of being evil. Charlotte says she has changed and they would love to give the Warriors a title shot. Kairi Sane whips out a threatening umbrella until Asuka calls her off.

Saturday Night’s Main Event rundown.

Dragon Lee and AJ Styles are with Adam Pearce when Judgment Day interrupt. They want their rematch for the titles and the champs agree, with the match being set for next week.

A poker chip spins around and reveals “2026”. Ok then.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Charlotte/Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley/Lyra Valkyria

Bliss and Charlotte are defending with Bliss grabbing an early headlock on Bayley. Charlotte comes in for a clothesline so it’s off to Valkyria for an exchange of wristlocks. Bayley’s distraction doesn’t work and Charlotte kicks her in the face as the Fireflies are out. Valkyria kicks Charlotte outside though and a dropkick through the ropes puts her down as we take a break.

We come back with Valkyria grabbing a rocking horse on Bliss before handing it off to Bayley. A G9 gets two but Bliss is back with a double DDT. That’s enough for the tag back to Charlotte, who comes in with a great looking high crossbody. A clothesline and fall away slam drop Valkyria and Bayley is thrown next to her. The moonsault his both of them for two on Valkyria but Bayley is back up with a Bayley To Belly for two.

Bliss comes in off a blind tag and gets two off the Sister Abigail DDT, with Bayley making a last second save. Valkyria pulls Bliss out of the air for Nightwing and we seem to have a wardrobe issue (or something went wrong, with Bliss looking like she was helping Valkyria with an issue). Charlotte kicks Bayley in the head and grabs the Figure Eight (without the leg going over Bayley’s horizontal leg but oh well). Valkyria grabs Bayley’s hand to block the tap (why Bayley can’t tap with the other hand isn’t clear) but Bliss is in with the Twisted Bliss. Stereo Natural Selections retain the titles at 13:11.

Rating: B+. They were rolling near the end there and they’ve got something with Charlotte and Bliss as champions. What matters the most is that they feel like the big stars in the division. That’s what the division has been needing for a long time now and unfortunately this likely means one of them is going to be stricken with malaria in the next week or two. For now though, at least they had another awesome match, which tends to be their style.

Post match the replays are broken up by the Kabuki Warriors running in to jump the champs. Bayley protects Valkyria and the Warriors bail.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a show where the best parts were what took place in the ring, as a lot of the storytelling aspects were only so good. You can tell that the Seth Rollins injury messed things up a lot, as there isn’t much of a personal issue between Punk and Uso. Other than that, it feels like they’re trying to get through Saturday and then move on to everything else, which makes sense given how fast the big story had to be set up. The wrestling carried this show rather far tonight though, and that’s a great way to spend a Monday night.

Results
Rusev vs. Penta went to a double DQ when Los Grande Americanos interfered
Bron Breakker b. LA Knight – Super Spear
Roxanne Perez b. Nikki Bella – Pop Rox
JD McDonagh b. Sheamus – Super Spanish Fly
Charlotte/Alexa Bliss b. Bayley/Lyra Valkyria – Double pin

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

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