AAA On FOX
Date: May 16, 2026
Location: Auditorio General Jose Maria Arteaga, Queretaro, Mexico
Commentators: Corey Graves, Rey Mysterio, John Bradshaw Layfield

We’re two weeks away from Noche de los Grandes and the likely main event is set, with the battle of the Grande Americanos. Other than that, we have the issues between Pagano and Psycho Clown, both among themselves and with the War Raiders. That could go in a variety of directions so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Tokyo Bad Boys vs. Money Machine vs. La Parka/Mr. Iguana vs. NGD

The Boys are Kento/Takuma, Machine is Oro/Plata and NGD are Forastero/Sanson. Oro and Sanson start things off with an exchange of arm cranking until Sanson takes over. Forastero comes in for a triangle choke but Oro manages a hurricanrana to escape. Plata comes in and gets superkicked down but Takuma tags himself in. The Boys double hiptoss Plata but Iguana comes in for a running hurricanrana.

Parka launches Takuma into the air for a big crash but he’s right back with a tornado DDT to put Parka down. Everything breaks down (yep) and Parka gets double teamed but Money Machine is up with some dives to the floor. Takuma hits a big corkscrew dive and Parka follows with a middle rope moonsault. Iguana comes back in with the stuffed iguana, which is used to pull him face first into the buckle. A hurricanrana gives Iguana two and Parka is back in with a springboard crossbody to Forastero. The Bone Breaker finishes for Parka at 10:09.

Rating: B-. You knew what you were going to get with this match and that’s not a bad thing. There were a lot of people flying around and it made for a bit of a mess, but that’s all this was supposed to be. The flips and dives were entertaining and the fans are still into Iguana so it was pretty much a layup. An athletic layup mind you but a layup.

Post match the War Raiders come in and wreck people.

Dorian Roldan can’t get a meeting with his mom about being the new GM, but does find Texano Jr. who basically tells him to scram.

TripleMania will be a two night event. First night’s location still to be announced.

We look at Rey Fenix beating Laredo Kid two weeks ago.

Post match, Fenix said the fans loved that and wanted another shot at the title. Kid called him jealous of Penta, but Fenix said he was proud of his brother. Anyway, the title match is set for next week.

Galeno vs. Drago/Chris Carter

Galeno runs them both over for daring to double team him to start and throws them outside. Back in and Galeno backdrops Drago over the top and punches him in the face on the way down (that was awesome). Cue Omos to watch as the Galeno Special (kind of a spike double arm DDT) is enough for the double pin. Galeno looked good here and that backdrop punch was great.

We look at last week’s brawl with Bayley and Lola Vice saving La Catalina from Las Toxicas.

The six woman tag is set for Noche de los Grandes.

Cibernetico wants to be GM and Dorian Roldan is nervous.

Creed Brothers vs. El Fiscal/Aerostar

Julius takes over on Fiscal to start but Fiscal takes over on Brutus’ arm. Aerostar does the same and gets gorilla pressed into a splash onto Brutus for two. It’s back to Julius, who gets knocked to the floor and the Creeds get to catch a diving Aerostar. They also slam him onto the apron for a huge crash and Brutus steps on Aerostar’s head back inside.

The neck crank doesn’t last long so it’s back to Brutus for a hard shot to the face. The referee has to check on Aerostar, who flips out of a belly to back suplex and gets over to Fiscal to fight back. Fiscal sends the Creeds outside for a big dive and Aerostar hits a springboard dive of his own. Back in and Aerostar gets caught in the ropes, meaning it’s a powerbomb into an ankle lock for the quick tap at 7:20.

Rating: C+. This was a bit more like a regular tag match, as the Creed Brothers got to actually have some success for a change. They’re not exactly the best team on the main roster, but at least they have something to do here at the moment. If nothing else, they’re worth having around for the sake of offering a different style around here and that should serve them well.

Post match the beatdown is on until Los Americanos run in for the save. The Original El Grande Americano runs in to go after Bravo’s mask but El Grande Americano runs in for the save. Well kind of, as he can’t touch Original and has to wait for Rayo to jump Original, allowing Americano to go after the Creeds. Original calls this his house (the fans approve) and the match is going to be about Mexican pride. The match is going to have to work, but Americano’s work building this up has been excellent.

Overall Rating: B. The best thing I can say about this show is it has me wanting to see Noche de los Grandes. They’ve built up the main event very well and the six woman tag should be good. As usual, this show flies by and it has me wanting to see where things go next. Solid effort here, with more than enough stories that I want to see keep going to call it a success.

Results
Mr. Iguana/La Parka b. NGD, Money Machine and Tokyo Bad Boys – Bone Breaker to Forastero
Galeno b. Drago/Chris Carter – Double pin
Creed Brothers b. El Fiscal/Aerostar – Ankle lock to Aerostar

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

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: May 11, 2026
Location: Food City Center, Knoxville, Tennessee
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re done with Backlash and Roman Reigns is still World Champion but he might not be done with Jacob Fatu. While Reigns retained the title, Fatu attacked him again after the match and left him laying. Other than that, we are on the way to Saturday Night’s Main Event in less than two weeks so let’s get to it.

Here is Backlash if you need a recap.

Backlash recap.

Roman Reigns arrives and meets with Adam Pearce, who says Jacob Fatu isn’t here. Reigns asks for his title, which is apparently held for him at the venue. With the title back, Reigns wants Fatu fired, but that won’t be happening. Reigns says he brought Fatu in so he’ll be the one taking him out. With that, Reigns heads into his dressing room.

Here is the Vision for a chat. Paul Heyman insults the “inbred” fans and moves on to Seth Rollins, who was defeated at Backlash. Rollins is never going to be ready for a vision over any of the team. Bron Breakker defeated Rollins, and now we move on to the Tag Team Champions. Austin Theory says the Street Profits need the titles because Bianca Belair can’t pay the bills anymore.

On top of that there is Joe Hendry…and here are the Profits to interrupt. After Montez Ford sucks up to the Knoxville crowd, he makes it clear: they still want the titles. Logan Paul says the only thing Ford has done in the last six months organize a baby shower. Logan says Belair is better than Ford (he nods) and the Vision is ready but as he says his name, here is Hendry to sing about getting him fired. And now, for the scheduled six man.

The Vision vs. Street Profits/Joe Hendry

We’re joined in progress with Dawkins in trouble but he brings in Ford for a change. Breakker comes in as well though and hits a crazy fast clothesline, followed by a suplex for two. Ford gets launched into Paul’s uppercut for two but he’s able to get over to Hendry. That goes just as badly as Breakker takes over on him as we take a break.

We come back with Hendry suplexing his way out of trouble and bringing Ford back in to clean house. The big flip dive connects on the floor but Breakker is back up. Dawkins is sent outside for the big running spear but Seth Rollins pops up to clothesline Breakker. Back in and Dawkins gets the quick rollup pin on Theory at 9:17.

Rating: C+. This was in fact a six man with some interference to wrap it up. I’d bet on the Profits getting the title shot either at Saturday Night’s Main Event or Clash In Italy, though I’m not sure where that leaves Hendry. He seems to be mainly dealing with Paul, which is kind of weird while Paul is in a tag team. Rollins vs. Breakker is clearly not done though, so expect some kind of a big violent rematch and then a third match down the line.

Post match Rollins helps up a skeptical Dawkins, who gets speared by Breakker anyway. Ford isn’t happy at all.

The Original El Grande Americano introduces Bruto and Julio to Adam Pearce but Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan come in. Morgan isn’t impressed and Mysterio says Americano isn’t even a real luchador. Americano isn’t happy but Pearce gives him a AAA Mega Title shot. With that out of the way, Los Garza come in to say they’re looking for an opportunity on Raw. Pearce is interested.

Here is Penta, who heard what Ethan Page has been saying about him. He wants Page to say it to his face so here is Page to interrupt. Page says he would love to say it to his face but there’s a mask and paint covering it up. Instead, Page stands here with nothing hiding his face (save for the glasses of course) and is from the greatest country in the world.

Penta is ready to fight right now but Page points out that he’s not in wrestling gear. Page says that both he and the title both deserve a bigger spotlight, like say at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Penta seems ready to agree but here is Rusev to interrupt instead. Rusev doesn’t like Penta but Page tries to cut him off.

Apparently Page doesn’t want to skip the line, but Je’Von Evans went to see Adam Pearce and asked for a title shot over Rusev. Evans even asked why Rusev can get a title shot when he can’t beat Evans in the first place. This brings out Evans, who denies saying all of that but gets shoved into Rusev. Penta takes out Page on the floor while Evans clears Rusev out and hits a suicide dive. Back in and Page and Penta both do the latter’s strut. You know why this worked? You had four people who all want the same thing and they’re jockeying for it. That’s always going to work in wrestling.

Je’Von Evans vs. Rusev

We’re joined in progress with Rusev firing off some shots to the face and back. Rusev slowly knocks him around and then puts him on top. Evans gets in a shot of his own and a dropkick gets him out of trouble. A springboard hurricanrana has Rusev in trouble but the suicide dive is broken up. Rusev tosses Evans onto the announcers’ table and we take a break.

We come back with Rusev yelling at Evans, who fires off a clothesline. A spinning kick to the head in the corner has Rusev in trouble but he gets in some more forearms to the back. Rusev kicks him down for two but the Accolade is blocked. Evans gets in a kick to the floor for a great looking no hands dive. The OG Cutter finishes Rusev for the clean pin at 10:22.

Rating: B. They had me wondering what was going to happen here, as it was hard to imagine Evans actually beating Rusev. That being said, the match followed a well done story with Evans fighting through the pain and coming from behind to win. They’re going to mess around and turn this guy into a star, which is exactly what should be happening with someone that talented.

Video on the AAA Mega Title.

Asuka comes up to hug Iyo Sky and wants Sky to take her place. They have a big hug and a smiling Asuka leaves, taking her bag with her. So that seems to be it for Asuka for the most part.

Here are Brie Bella and Paige, who are here to answer the challenge from the Judgment Day. Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez come out, with Perez talking about how she was asked to take on the Bellas’ legacy. How dare the Bellas set the bar that low? Bella says the low bar would be Liv Morgan, and the only person who is that disappointed is Perez’s MOM.

Rodriguez calms things down and mocks Paige, who is just waiting for her next disaster. The fight is on, with Liv Morgan running in to help so the villains can stand tall. Well mainly Rodriguez stands tall but her friends stand next to her. Please change the titles, as I do not have the vocabulary to express how uninterested I am in Paige and Bella as a team. Also Bella insulting Perez’s mom? Come on.

Jimmy Uso talks to Roman Reigns about dealing with Jacob Fatu. Reigns says Fatu has to acknowledge him because they had a contract. Uso still isn’t sure about it.

Video on Dominik Mysterio as AAA Mega Champion.

Rhea Ripley NXT Origins video.

Iyo Sky vs. Sol Ruca

Feeling out process to start as commentary explains that they don’t know much about what Asuka is doing but she seems to be stepping away a bit. Ruca slams her down and surfs on Sky’s back but Sky dropkicks her out of a handstand. Sky is sent outside, where she avoids a step up moonsault and hurricanranas Ruca down.

Something like an apron 619 hits Sky though and a springboards corkscrew crossbody connects as we take a break. We come back with Sky hitting a super Spanish Fly for two, leaving both of them down. Ruca is back up with a fireman’s carry swung into a sitout powerbomb for two of her own.

Sky missile dropkicks her into the corner but misses the Bullet Train Attack. Ruca sends her into the corner again, where a cartwheel DDT plants Sky for two more. That leaves Ruca stunned for a change so Sky sends her into the corner for the Bullet Train Attack. Over The Moonsault hits raised knees though and the Sol Snatcher….misses as Sky stops short (on purpose), catching Ruca in a crucifix to give Sky the pin at 12:27.

Rating: B-. That ending was great as I thought they had botched it at first but it was really just well timed. Sky basically caught the younger Ruca going for a big move and pinned her, which is what a veteran should be doing. At the same time, I’m not wild on Ruca taking a fall like this, especially not when she seems to be gearing up to face Becky Lynch.

Post match, respect is shown.

We look at Jacob Fatu attacking Roman Reigns after their match at Backlash.

Jey Uso is waiting on Fatu when Jimmy Uso comes up. Reigns said that was terrible but Fatu has to acknowledge him.

We recap the announcement of the John Cena Classic, which is apparently a fan voted competition where wins and losses might not matter. We still have no details on when or where this will take place.

Saturday Night’s Main Event rundown, with the Street Profits challenging for the Tag Team Titles and Penta defending the Intercontinental Title against Ethan Page.

The Profits are happy with the news but Seth Rollins interrupt. If they want the titles, Rollins thinks they need to talk, but Ford says there is no “we” between the three of them. Rollins apologizes, though Ford doesn’t trust him and says they don’t need his help. Dawkins looks at Rollins and walks off.

Iyo Sky congratulates Sol Ruca and says they’ll meet again. Ruca says she looks forward to it and Sky parts in peace. Becky Lynch comes up to mock Ruca.

Here is Oba Femi for an open challenge but Adam Pearce interrupts….because no one has answered the challenge. Therefore, there is no challenge, which does not sit well with Femi. He goes to the back and kidnaps Los Garza (who were sitting with some random women) to bring them to the ring. They’re in street clothes but we have a referee anyway.

Oba Femi vs. Los Garza

Femi hits some running elbows in the corner and tosses Angel over Berto. With Angel on the floor, Berto gets tossed as well, setting up the Fall From Grace to finish Berto at 50 seconds.

The Original El Grande Americano wants the AAA Mega Title.

JD McDonagh is walking Dominik Mysterio to the ring when Finn Balor jumps McDonagh from behind. Balor says Mysterio has to do this on his own.

AAA Mega Title: Dominik Mysterio vs. Original El Grande Americano

Mysterio is defending. Americano starts fast with a springboard armdrag into a bridging northern lights suplex for two. The armbar keeps Mysterio in trouble but he sends Americano crashing over the top and out to the floor. We take a break and come back with Americano hitting an Angle Slam, followed by a moonsault for two.

Mysterio is right back up with a Michinoku Driver for two of his own but Americano sends him flying into the corner. A dragon suplex gives Americano two more so here are Los Americanos for a distraction. Mysterio’s tornado DDT gets two but Los Hermanos Americanos come out for a distraction. El Grande Americano offers a distraction of his own, allowing Mysterio to hit a 619 into the frog splash to retain at 9:15.

Rating: B. This was how a match between the two of them should have gone, with all kinds of people running in to screw with it. Mysterio’s big matches work best with all of the gaga going around and that’s what we had here. The battle of the Americanos is a huge story in Mexico and while it doesn’t mean as much here, at least they’re getting to do something with all of the talent that they have.

The Vision is sick of Joe Hendry, with Logan Paul threatening to cut his ear off if he has to listen to Hendry’s song about him. And they leave, with a woman in the front seat of their car that might have been Maxxine Dupri.

Here are Roman Reigns and Jimmy Uso for the acknowledgment ceremony. After Reigns’ catchphrase, Jacob Fatu arrives, with Jey Uso trying to talk him out of the likely violence. That earns Jey a headbutt, with Fatu saying that Reigns is going to have to beat the acknowledgment out of him. Jimmy tries to calm Fatu down and gets beaten up in the aisle for his efforts.

Fatu hits the ring and the fight is on, with Reigns managing to knock him down and grab a chair. The big beatdown is on but the spear is cut off by a superkick. Fatu gets the Tongan Death Grip and sends Reigns outside for the suicide dive. With Reigns down, Fatu shouts about how Reigns left his family for dead. The announcers’ table is loaded up but Reigns hits a Superman Punch.

A second edition is countered into the Tongan Death Grip, followed by a powerbomb through the table. Fatu holds up the title to…well just tease ending the show actually as he runs back to Umaga Attack Reigns and the Usos through the barricade. Now the show ends with the Bloodline laid out. I’m not wild on the feud continuing after Reigns beat him at Backlash, but that’s a good way to show that Fatu is still a threat.

Overall Rating: B. This was a solid show, though it did show that Backlash was little more than a pit stop and not any kind of a game changer. A lot of the feuds are just continuing forward, which makes me think that Reigns vs. Fatu should have been a double DQ or something. Other than that, I liked the wrestling well enough and Saturday Night’s Main Event is already being set up. They have to do it that fast with just a twelve day turnaround, but at least they’re off to a good start.

Results
Street Profits/Joe Hendry b. The Vision – Theory
Je’Von Evans b. Rusev – OG Cutter
Iyo Sky b. Sol Ruca – Crucifix
Oba Femi b. Los Garza – Fall From Grace to Berto
Dominik Mysterio b. Original El Grande Americano – Frog splash

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

WWE World
Date: April 19, 2026
Location: Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Jeremy Borash, Jose Manuel Guillen, Roberto Figueroa, Robert Stone

Well they did this on the first day of WWE World and I guess we’re doing it again to close things out. This is basically just background noise and a chance to have some live matches while the WWE World convention is going on and this time they happen to be broadcast with commentary. Let’s get to it.

Creed Brothers vs. LWO

Brutus and Wilde start things off with Wilde teasing him with a shirt like a bull. That doesn’t work so del Toro comes in for a double knockdown and an assisted moonsault connects. It’s off to Julius, who is quickly headscissored and dropkicked. Brutus comes back in to take over on Wilde for the first time and knocks del Toro off the apron as well.

Julius slams Brutus onto Wilde for two but he crawls through the lets and gets the tag off to del Toro. House is quickly cleaned and a moonsault gets two, with Brutus making the save. Everything breaks down and the LWO hit stereo suicide dives, followed by a top rope splash for the pin on Brutus at 8:00.

Rating: C+. This has been your latest reminder that the Creeds are indeed employed and I’m a bit surprised that they got a chance here. It’s not that they’re a bad team but they haven’t gotten to do anything for such a long time that it’s easy to forget they exist. The LWO is good for your regular high flying pair and the match wasn’t bad at all.

Erik vs. Psycho Clown

This is part of a pretty hot feud in AAA. They actually go technical to start before trading the big clotheslines. The running clotheslines in the corner don’t get anywhere until Erik is knocked outside. Clown gives chase and gets cut off on the way back in, as tends to be the case when chase is give.

The reverse chinlock goes on for a bit before Erik just hammers away with right hands. That’s enough for Clown to fight up and kick him in the head in the corner, followed by an air raid crash for two. Erik is back up with a spinebuster for two but a full nelson slam is blocked. Clown knocks him outside for a suicide dive and the frog splash finishes at 8:48.

Rating: B. This was a match where they had no reason to go this hard and they wound up having a heck of a match, with both guys working incredibly hard. That’s all this could have been and it’s not a surprise that one of the biggest stars in AAA beat half of a tag team. Still though, heck of a hoss fight here that completely exceeded expectations.

Fallon Henley vs. Jaida Parker

They go with the grappling to start and Henley accuses her of pulling hair. That’s not working so Henley takes her down and sits on her back for some riding. Back up and Parker knocks her into the corner before firing off some big shots to the face. Henley fights back and mocks Parker’s high stepping pose, earning herself a slam. The Tear Drop connects for Parker but the Hipnotique is cut off. The second attempt connects though and it’s Deja Vu to pin Henley at 7:04.

Rating: C. Parker continues to feel like an absolute star in the making. She has that X factor to her and you can see the charisma in her eyes. If she can get the in-ring side of things down (and she’s getting better), the sky is the limit for her. Henley did her usual stuff here and was perfectly fine as well.

Myles Borne/Shiloh Hill vs. Los Americanos

Borne and Rayo start things off with Borne winning an exchange of shoulders. Bravo comes in for the double team striking but everything breaks down with Hill helping make the save. Rayo gets crotched against the post and Bravo gets the same treatment on the rope. Borne grabs a very delayed vertical suplex and hands it off to Hill, who actually drop Rayo.

The Americanos take over on Hill and snap his legs, with Rayo suddenly having a three foot tag rope. That doesn’t work and Bravo accidentally drops Bravo before missing a flag assisted top rope splash. The tag brings in Bourne to clean house and everything breaks down, with Hill coming back inside. The loaded up headbutt knocks Hill silly for the pin at 10:00.

Rating: B-. The fact that a mostly makeshift team had me wondering who was going to win is a good sign. Borne not taking the fall is nice to see and at least Los Americanos cheated to get the win. I’ve seen others do that hand off suplex before and it’s still rather impressive. Nice match here to wrap things up.

Overall Rating: B-. This was fun to see and it more than accomplished its goal. These matches weren’t going to be anything important and there wasn’t much in the way of star power. The matches were meant to be live wrestling for the sake of live wrestling and it worked out well, with Clown vs. Erik being far better than I would have expected.

Results
LWO b. Creed Brothers – Top rope splash to Brutus
Psycho Clown b. Erik – Frog splash
Jaida Parker b. Fallon Henley – Deja Vu
Los Americanos b. Shiloh Hill/Myles Borne – Loaded headbutt to Hill

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

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: January 26, 2026
Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re coming up on the Royal Rumble this weekend, though you might not have noticed it as the build for the show has only been so strong. Maybe it was due to this past weekend’s Saturday Night’s Main Event, but the show hasn’t felt overly important and is lacking some focus. Hopefully they fix that up tonight as they’re out of time. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is AJ Styles to welcome us to the show. There is a man backstage who says that is the last time he’ll get to say that and his name is Gunther. That isn’t how Styles sees it going though, because while this is going to be the year that he retires, there is a lot that he still wants to do. He wants to wrestle some people one more time and he wants to be World Champion one more time.

Gunther might be good, but he isn’t phenomenal and here is CM Punk to interrupt. Punk talks about how they have known each other for twenty years and have been everywhere from friends to rivals, but now they have respect between each other. Punk isn’t sure about Styles putting everything on the line in WWE, which Styles thinks means Punk doesn’t think he can win.

That’s not what Punk meant, but it’s a huge gamble and if it goes badly, they can never face each other in a WWE ring. Styles knows Punk isn’t trying to be disrespectful but that’s how it’s coming off, especially since Styles knows he can beat him. The challenge is thrown out for tonight, with Punk thinking they should just have it be for the title. It seems to be on.

Saturday Night’s Main Event recap.

Stephanie Vaquer/Rhea Ripley/Iyo Sky vs. Liv Morgan/Roxanne Perez/Raquel Rodriguez

That’s a stacked lineup. Perez and Sky start things off with Sky getting taken into the corner for some stomping from Morgan. Rodriguez adds a string of elbows but it’s off to Vaquer to fight back. A legdrop gets two on Morgan but it’s too early for the SVB. The Devil’s Kiss doesn’t get very far as Rodriguez makes the save and we take an early break.

We come back with Perez’s double springboard moonsault getting two on Vaquer. Back up and a shot to the face cuts Perez off, only for Morgan to pull Ripley off the apron. The distracted Ripley gets sent into the steps but Vaquer backbreakers her way out of trouble. Sky comes in (as a woman can be heard saying “excuse me”) and house is cleaned, including a hard kick to Perez. The Bullet Train sets up a butterfly backbreaker to put Perez down but Morgan is back in for a double Russian legsweep on Sky.

Oblivion doesn’t work and Sky kicks her way over to Ripley for the big tag. A Razor’s Edge sends Morgan into Perez but Riptide is broken up. Morgan hits a springboard tornado DDT to drop Ripley as everything breaks down. Vaquer escapes the Tejana Bomb and hits a big dive onto Rodriguez on the floor. That leaves Ripley to block Oblivion but Perez tags herself in. Sky missile dropkicks Perez and Riptide finishes Perez at 12:55.

Rating: B. They had a pretty action packed match here with most of the big stars in the women’s division in one match. That’s a nice way to go, with Ripley getting the win to pop the crowd. I’m not sure where it goes from here, though at least Ripley and Sky already have challengers set and Vaquer vs. Rodriguez is all but set.

We look back at Finn Balor vs. CM Punk from last week.

Balor comes up to Punk in the back and says Punk was part of the most memorable night of his career. He thanks Punk for last week, but Punk says it takes two to tango. Punk isn’t the best in the world unless he beats the best in the world and there aren’t many people left like them in WWE. Balor should think about what he wants his legacy to be. If he wants to be champion again, maybe he should ditch Judgment Day, because hanging around Dominik Mysterio isn’t helping things. If Balor wants another shot, win the Rumble and come see him in Vegas. Balor is thinking about things.

There’s a HHH version of WWE2K26.

Here is the Vision for a chat. After overcoming the booing fans, Paul Heyman says they are here to boost the star power on this show, even in this second class city. Heyman introduces everyone on the team and we go through some of the issues the Vision has been having with Adam Pearce as of late. Cue Pearce, with Heyman asking the crowd to boo him and flip him off.

Pearce apologizes and Bron Breakker’s suspension is officially lifted and he’s in the Rumble. Pearce: “What else do you need?” Heyman offers a handshake and Pearce praises him before putting the rest of the Vision in the Rumble as well (Heyman is VERY confused). As for Austin Theory, he might have won last week if not for brass knuckles so tonight, he gets to face Rey Mysterio one on one. And we’ll do that right now.

Rey Mysterio vs. Austin Theory

Penta and Dragon Lee are here with Mysterio. We’re joined in progress after a break with Theory running him over with a hard elbow to the mask. Theory knocks him down again and we hit the chinlock, with Mysterio getting up rather quickly. Mysterio fights up and sends him to the floor, where Penta and Lee have to be chased away. That lets Mysterio drop Theory again and we take a break.

We come back with Mysterio in trouble but he avoids a charge in the corner. Theory punches a springboard out of the air and Ataxia gets two. Mysterio gets in a knockdown of his own and it’s time for the seconds to get in a fight on the floor. That’s broken up but Theory gets in a Stomp for the pin at 9:12. I’m not sure but it looked like Mysterio was banged up there at the end.

Rating: C+. It wasn’t bad and I do like Theory getting some wins. If they want to get rid of his negative reputation, this is the kind of thing that he needs to do. They need to keep it up though and that’s always the tricky part. For now though, they’re at least going in the right direction. Now hopefully Mysterio isn’t actually hurt.

Post match the Vision wrecks everyone, including a big spear to Penta.

IMG Credit: WWE

Natalya explains that she’s crushing Maxxine Dupri and implies she wants Becky Lynch’s title. I’d settle for just not having to listen to Natalya talk.

Raquel Rodriguez is screaming for Stephanie Vaquer but Bayley and Lyra Valkyria get annoyed at her for being loud. Vaquer comes in for the brawl.

Roman Reigns is back at the Royal Rumble.

Earlier today, Michael Cole had a sitdown interview with Gunther, who says there is nothing for him to gain with just beating Styles again. Now he has something to gain, as he can end Styles’ career. Styles wanted one more moment, but now the moment he’s going to give the fans is seeing him give up in his final match. He’s getting rid of all these old timers….and just how long is Cole going to keep chasing one more moment? Gunther could end him right now but he wants Cole there at the Royal Rumble to announce the end of Styles’ career. Gunther as the half charming/half menacing villain is a good way to go.

Video on CM Punk vs. AJ Styles.

Adam Pearce is happy about a phone call when Finn Balor comes in to declare for the Royal Rumble. Pearce says the Rumble is full but Balor says this isn’t over. Balor leaves and runs into Liv Morgan, who wants to know what is up with Balor and CM Punk. Last week Punk treated Balor like a participation trophy and the Judgment Day is his real family. Balor says this isn’t so straightforward.

IMG Credit: WWE

Alpha Academy vs. Los Americanos vs. Creed Brothers vs. New Day

For a future Tag Team Title shot so Jey Uso is here while Grayson Waller is here with New Day. Bravo takes over on Kingston’s arm to start and Rayo comes in for a double shoulder. Tozawa comes in to fight back but Brutus’ Brutus Ball wipes out the pile. Otis is sent into the steps and we take an early break. We come back with Woods sending Tozawa into the corner and dropping Kingston onto him for two.

Cole can’t remember which Americano is which so Graves tells him “Rayo Red, Bravo Blue. I’m the Miss Rachel of luchadors out here.” Bravo comes in for the spinning torture rack and Cole thinks that reminds him of someone. Otis comes in to clean house, including the Caterpillar for two on Brutus. Tozawa adds a double DDT and a German suplex as the fans are starting to get pleased with this. Waller crotches Tozawa on top but Otis is back up to wreck people. Tozawa’s top rope backsplash finishes Julius at 10:42.

Rating: C. Well, we couldn’t get a top level team winning so we’ll go with the comedy goofs instead. The tag division has been flaming death for months now and this is the best they can do? The match was another mess with so many people out there that you can only get so much out of any of them. It’s an ok enough match, but my goodness how is this the best possible result?

Becky Lynch mocks Jackie Redmond’s Toronto Maple Leafs jacket and talks about Natalya attacking Mid Maxxine. The same thing happened to her with Loser Lyra but now Lynch is in the Royal Rumble so she’s going on to win. The Kabuki Warriors come in and say they’re in the Rumble, but Lynch blames Asuka for the loss at WarGames. They’ll see each other in the Rumble.

Je’Von Evans comes up to AJ Styles and says he’d love to see him on the retirement tour. Styles likes that idea but Evans doesn’t seem certain it’s happening. At least Evans seems ok after last week.

Stephanie Vaquer requests a fight with Raquel Rodriguez so Adam Pearce grants it for next week.

Royal Rumble rundown.

The Vision plans for the Royal Rumble and talk about how one of them should be their focus. Logan Paul thinks it should be Bron Breakker and the team agrees. Good talk.

Oba Femi is official for the Royal Ruble. Well that makes sense.

Raw World Title: CM Punk vs. AJ Styles

Punk is defending. Feeling out process to start and Styles has to escape a GTS attempt, with Punk having to get out of a Calf Crusher as well. Punk bails away before resetting things a bit, only to get knocked outside in a hurry. A sliding knee connects for Styles and we take a break.

We come back with Punk hitting the running knee in the corner, setting up the running bulldog. A Shining Wizard gives Punk two and he strikes away but the GTS is countered into the fireman’s carry neckbreaker. Styles takes him up top but the superplex is broken up. Punk gets the Anaconda Vice but it’s broken up pretty quickly.

Another Shining Wizard is countered into a failed Styles Clash attempt and they head outside. Punk grabs a GTS on the floor and they both make it back inside at nine. The Styles Clash connects for two and they need a breather. Back up and they strike it out until Styles hits a Pele Kick. Another Styles Clash is countered into a GTS attempt…and Finn Balor runs in to dropkick Punk for the DQ at 18:10.

Rating: B+. It was rather good and they did a nice job with the surprise ending as I was expecting Gunther instead. They had to do something like this with the ending as a title change seemed unlikely, though Styles losing here didn’t make sense either. Odds are this sets up Balor vs. Punk at the Rumble, which is a good enough match, if you ignore Punk beating him last week. Either way, very good match here, which was somehow their first singles match in over twenty years.

Balor beats Punk up with some running dropkicks against the barricade and a pair of Coup de Graces to end the show. The fans don’t care much, and that’s not overly surprising as we’ve already seen Punk vs. Balor. This wasn’t much of a reason to see it again.

Overall Rating: C. The more I think about the ending to the main event, the less I like it. The whole thing feels rushed together, which is pretty much how the whole Rumble build has felt. Maybe it was due to having two big shows in eight days or maybe it’s due to the Rumbles feeling wide open, but this Saturday’s show doesn’t feel huge. This week’s show was designed to make it feel better and while that worked to an extent, it really wasn’t a strong episode. It’s not bad and the main event is good, but dang the Rumble needed more than this.

Results
Rhea Ripley/Iyo Sky/Stephanie Vaquer b. Liv Morgan/Roxanne Perez/Raquel Rodriguez – Riptide to Perez
Austin Theory b. Rey Mysterio – Stomp
Alpha Academy b. Los Americanos, New Day and Creed Brothers – Top rope backsplash to Julius
CM Punk b. AJ Styles via DQ when Finn Balor interfered

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

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: July 21, 2025
Location: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re closing in on Summerslam and the big issue is Roman Reigns, who returned last week after his latest months long hiatus. Reigns is going after Paul Heyman and company, which doesn’t include Seth Rollins at the moment. We still need to build some things up for Summerslam as well so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap looks at last week’s gauntlet match and the return of Roman Reigns.

Judgment Day arrives and AJ Styles is the valet, though he tosses the key over his shoulder.

Here is CM Punk to get things going. He’s happy to be here tonight and talks about his goals in WWE. This includes main eventing Wrestlemania, which he’s done, but he also wants to be World Champion. Last week he won a gauntlet match to become #1 contender to face Gunther at Summerslam. Punk knows Gunther is one of the best in the world and promises to give it everything he has. Gunther is a monster but he is CM PUNK.

This brings out Gunther, who is drowned out by the crowd for a long time. Gunther says they’re both here to win titles and make money. Gunther knows he has a big ego, but unlike Punk, his isn’t based on the fans. That’s worthless, so his is based on results. Punk listed off all of Gunther’s accolades and Gunther knows that he’s that good. At least Punk will have the fans chanting for him. That leaves Punk with something to think about. The story here was fine but they didn’t get the big line it felt like they were looking for in the whole thing.

Stephanie Vaquer is asked about the Secret Hervice. Naomi comes int to say she’s the champ, which Vaquer seems to know. Naomi is ready for her triple threat at Summerslam and then beat Vaquer at Clash In Paris. Vaquer doesn’t seem impressed.

Sheamus vs. Rusev

The threat of a Brogue Kick sends Rusev bailing to the floor early and Sheamus rams him into the barricade. Back in and Rusev catches him with a kick to the head before it’s time to slug it out. A clothesline puts Sheamus down again but he’s back up with one of his own. Some more shots put Rusev on the floor and Sheamus goes up, slips off the top, then goes up again for a clothesline. After mocking his slip, Sheamus walks into a fall away slam over the announcers’ table.

We take a break and come back with Sheamus winning a slugout. The Irish Curse and ten forearms to the chest rock Rusev but he counters the Brogue Kick into a powerbomb for two. Rusev’s superkick is cut off with a knee to the face for two and they’re both down. Sheamus pulls himself to the top but dives into a superkick, setting up the Accolade.

Rusev rips at his face but can’t keep Sheamus away from the ropes for the break. Naturally Sheamus tells him to bring it, even as Rusev stomps him down. Back up and Sheamus fights back but Rusev goes to unhook the turnbuckle. That earns him a ram into said turnbuckle (how Rusev beat Sheamus three weeks ago), setting up the Brogue Kick for the win at 12:51.

Rating: B-. They beat each other up rather well and odds are we’ll get a trilogy match between them sooner or ladder. Rusev is already feeling like he’s in the middle of the card, which is where Sheamus has been for a long time now. It’s a good example of the two of them beating each other up and that’s exactly what it should have been.

El Grade Americano speaks some heavily accented Spanish but Dragon Lee comes in to say Americano is fake. Americano calls Lee basura (trash) and the fight is on.

Trailer for WWE Unreal.

Lyra Valkyria comes up to Bayley and is stunned that she has gotten then a Women’s Tag Team Title shot tonight. Bayley says forget about what has happened and just focus on tonight. Valkyria is a bit stunned.

New Day vs. LWO vs. Creed Brothers

For a future Tag Team Title shot. Brutus throws Wilde around to start before it’s off to Julius for a double suplex to New Day. Back up and Woods cleans house and struts, setting up the Unicorn Stampede (not stomp Cole) on Julius. We take a break and come back with del Toro cleaning house, allowing the tag off to Wilde running through everyone.

A backslide to Woods and a cradle to Kingston at the same time (that was awesome) gets two each but Ivy Nile shoves Wilde doe. Cue Dragon Lee so El Grande Americano comes out to cut him off, which the Creeds don’t like. Del Toro hits a bit dive and Wilde rolls Kingston up for the pin at 9:31.

Rating: B-. This was better than I was expecting and it’s a nice result, with the LWO being some unlikely challengers. That being said, there is always room for a talented luchador team and that’s what we got here. If nothing else, New Day getting to be all depressed again should be a better use of their time.

The Kabuki Warriors want the Women’s Tag Team Titles back and Iyo Sky will retain the Women’s Title. The Warriors leave and Stephanie Vaquer comes in to say she’s ready for Sky. They’re ready to face each other in Paris but Sky wants to fight tonight. Vaquer is in.

We look at Paul Heyman turning on Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania.

Adam Pearce wants Dominik Mysterio to go get his injury evaluated but he has to go help Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez. Mysterio turns around and AJ Styles is a janitor (because that’s just something you can do) so Mysterio runs off. Styles keeps cleaning and tells New Day to be careful of the wet floor. New Day loses it over everything being weird around here lately and thinks it’s time to change things. Grayson Waller comes in to say that Austin Theory is hurt so he’s a free agent to join the team. New Day seems intrigued.

Here is Becky Lynch for a chat. She should be in New York City for the premiere of Happy Gilmore 2 but instead she’s here in Houston. She can’t believe Lyra Valkyria is being so selfish to need two titles. Granted it’s not the same as when she was Becky Two Belts, but for now she wants Valkyria out here.

Cue Valkyria, with Lynch saying that Summerslam is Valkyria’s last shot at the title. That’s fine with Valkyria, who wants no countouts or disqualifications. Works for Lynch, who rants about how Valkyria better now respect the match and her. Lynch wants a handshake but Valkyria is ready for the cheap shot and plants Lynch with a manhandle slam. I’m sure that won’t be a problem at all.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Judgment Day vs. Bayley/Lyra Valkyria

Judgment Day, with Dominik Mysterio, is defending. Rodriguez shoves Bayley down to start but Bayley pops up for a slap to the head. Valkyria comes in but Rodriguez suplexes both of them down in quite the feat. It’s off to Perez for some shots of her own but Rodriguez comes in and gets kicked in the face. Bayley seems more interested in cheering than tagging in, allowing Perez to get in a neck snap across the top.

We take a break and come back with Rodriguez hitting a slingshot Jackhammer into Perez’s moonsault for two. Valkyria fights back and brings in Bayley for the sunset bomb into the corner. Rodriguez comes back in for another slingshot Jackhammer into the moonsault but Bayley gets her knees up. Corey Graves’ chair breaks at ringside as Valkyria hits a top rope ax kick for two on Perez.

They fight up to the top and Valkyria powerbombs her down so Bayley can hit the top rope elbow. Rodriguez breaks up the cover so Bayley throws Valkyria at her. Mysterio’s distraction lets Perez roll Bayley up for two, leaving Rodriguez to kick Mysterio in the face by mistake. Back in and medics come out to check on Mysterio and yeah of course it’s AJ Styles. Cue Becky Lynch to send Valkyria into the steps but Bayley rolls Perez up for two. Rodriguez tags herself in and hits a quick Tejana Bomb for the pin at 13:48.

Rating: B. The idea here was that Bayley and Valkyria weren’t clear in what they were doing, as Bayley might have wanted to cost Valkyria but she might have wanted to win the titles as well. The drama at the end was good and Styles having another costume was funny for a nice bonus. Lynch costing Valkyria is a good way to go so it made perfect sense.

Sami Zayn is ready to get his revenge on Karrion Kross.

Dominik Mysterio is looking for AJ Styles but finds Judgment Day, who tell him to calm down. Adam Pearce comes in to tell Mysterio that he’s either getting evaluated tonight or he’s losing the Intercontinental Title. Balor: “Get some lollipops!”

Sami Zayn vs. Karrion Kross

Kross slugs away to start and takes over on the banged up Zayn. Back up and Zayn fights out, including a bunch of right hands in the corner. A clothesline puts Kross on the floor, setting up the Arabian moonsault to drop Kross again. The ribs are banged up though and Kross goes after them as we take a break. We come back with Kross staying on the ribs as the Fireflies are out for some reason.

Kross gets in a shot of his own and climbs the corner for the tornado DDT and a near fall. Zayn gets caught on top, only to come out with a sunset bomb. With both of them down, Scarlett whips out the steel pipe but can’t hand it off at the moment. Zayn exploders Kross into the corner, which is enough for Scarlett to hand off the pipe. Scarlett grabs the leg, which is enough for the referee to get distracted. Kross hits Zayn with the pipe for the pin at 10:04.

Rating: C+. This felt like a step in a bigger story, as Zayn is going to have to do something to get Kross off his back once and for all. You can’t do much when you have banged up ribs so Zayn was limited with what he could do. It was a good enough match, with Zayn selling like few others can do, but Kross winning makes sense in this spot. And he even took a bump!

Adam Pearce and AJ Styles ask about Dominik Mysterio’s status but Mysterio jumps Styles from behind. Mysterio will see Styles at Summerslam.

Iyo Sky vs. Stephanie Vaquer

Feeling out process to start with neither of them getting very far early on. Vaquer smiles before they trade double arm cranks. They lock hands and roll around a bit until Vaquer vets a cross arm choke. That’s broken up so they trade rollups for two each. Back up and they slug it out, with Sky grabbing a rollup for two more. Vaquer spins around into a rollup before Sky dropkicks her to the floor.

A big suicide dive takes Vaquer out again and we take a break. We come back with Sky possibly hurting her leg as she comes off the top. The double underhook Codebreaker gets two on Sky but she pulls Vaquer into the crossface. With that broken up, Sky hits a 619 into a headscissors driver onto the apron. Back up and Sky’s Asai moonsault connects and she stomps on Vaquer’s ribs back inside.

Vaquer avoids the running knees in the corner but Sky German suplexes her down. A sunset bomb to the floor is blocked though and Vaquer grabs a quick Devil’s Kiss on the apron. Another one connects inside for two and the running knees connect in the corner. Sky is fine enough to hit her own SVB for two and the Bullet Train connects in the corner. Vaquer manages a reverse superplex to drop Sky on her face and they’re both down…so here is the Secret Hervice. Vaquer fights them off but Chelsea Green runs in to jump Vaquer for the DQ at 15:08.

Rating: B+. It’s still amazing that Vaquer has been in WWE for so little time and already feels like she belongs on top of the division. She was going move for move with Sky here and it felt like a big match, which thankfully didn’t have a finish. They had some expectations here and wound up going beyond them, which is rather impressive.

Post match Vaquer and Sky fight the three of them off but Naomi comes in from behind and sends Sky into Vaquer. The big beatdown is on until Rhea Ripley runs in for the save (to a ROAR). Ripley, Sky and Vaquer clear the ring.

Summerslam rundown.

Here are Paul Heyman, Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker before Roman Reigns comes to the ring. Before Heyman can get very far though, here is Reigns, which doesn’t sit well with the villains. After the very lengthy entrance, Heyman says he never wants to be disrespectful or rude…and we pause for some crowd chanting. Heyman mocks the Texas fans and gets to the point: Seth Rollins is injured for a long time and that means there is a leadership spot available. They’re always better together than apart, but first Reigns asks the fans to acknowledge him. Heyman does the pose but Reigns says Heyman isn’t a wise man anymore. Reigns: “You’re just a dumba**.” Bron Breakker is ready to jump Reigns, who says Heyman will turn on him one day too.

Reigns has head a lot of people trying to take credit for the Tribal Chief but the only reason that happens is the people still acknowledge him. Heyman helped Reigns become the champion but the Usos, Solo Sikoa and even Sami Zayn helped him keep the title. Then he lost the title one day, but he went home to help raise the future Bloodline. The team is family, though Heyman only sees them as another wrestling faction.

What really bothers Reigns is that he made Heyman part of the family and then betrayed the family for a “best friend”. Heyman is the one who ruined the Bloodline, which has Breakker wanting the mic. Breakker says Reigns was a big deal five years ago. Breakker knows Heyman won’t turn on him because he has value in this place. Reigns is worthless while Breakker is the big dog around here.

So Reigns can do what he does best and leave. Reigns says he didn’t hear any of that because the mic wasn’t working. He throws Breakker the mic and hits the Superman Punch before going after Reed. Breakker is back up with a spear to Reigns but Jey Uso comes in for the save to a crazy reaction. Uso and Reigns hit stereo spears to clear the ring to end the show. You could do Reigns vs. Breakker but I’d save that for down the line. Do the tag match and play it safe.

Overall Rating: B. Good show here, which focused on getting us ready for Summerslam. That was in addition to a pretty good collection of wrestling and a nice exchange between Reigns and Heyman to end the show. They needed this kind of a show that helped get us ready for the pay per view and they made it come together well. Next week is going to be a tricky one, but at least this week was a success.

Results
Sheamus b. Rusev – Brogue Kick
LWO b. Creed Brothers and New Day – Rollup to Kingston
Judgment Day b. Lyra Valkyria/Bayley – Tejana Bomb to Bayley
Karrion Kross b. Sami Zayn – Pipe to the ribs
Stephanie Vaquer b. Iyo Sky via DQ when Chelsea Green interfered

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: June 9, 2025
Location: PHX Arena, Phoenix, Arena
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We’re done with Money In The Bank and Seth Rollins and Naomi have the briefcases. That means we could be having some cash-ins teased soon, with Gunther challenging Jey Uso for the World Title tonight being a legitimate possibility. We’re also ready to start up on the King and Queen Of The Ring qualifying matches so let’s get to it.

Here is Money In The Bank if you need a recap.

Various people came to work today, including Becky Lynch in a Ms. Rachel shirt (if you have young kids, that probably either makes you smile or glare).

We get a long Worlds Collide and Money In The Bank recap.

Here is John Cena, who insists on his special entrance. Cena says that the fans teach him something every time they open their mouths. At Money In The Bank, Cena learned that the truth is a lie. The fans wanted a sideshow comedian whose greatest achievement is pretending to be him. These people are all spineless keyboard warriors and armchair activists with no real power to change anything.

R-Truth is a gimmick that the fans will spit out in a year and not care about at all. This is his farewell tour and he has limited time left. We run down the number of dates he has left, which leaves him at 19. If you want to accomplish something, send him competition instead of the class clown. Every time someone has come to him, he has shut their mouth and beaten his best….and here is CM Punk to interrupt.

Punk asks if Cena is comfortable because he has a lot to say. He’s comfortable with having this conversation with his fists but one way or another, he’ll get through this. Punk thinks it’s ironic that Cena wants to ruin wrestling and Punk is the one defending the establishment. That’s not what he’s doing, because he isn’t standing for TKO or defending the billionaires. Instead, he’s here to defend the people. Is Cena mad because he was picked by the establishment but not the people?

Cena has said that he hasn’t had real competition, but he’s stolen the title from the best WWE has. Punk is here because the people are his boss and if they want the truth, they’re going to get Ron Killings. They are all just spokes on the wheel and it’s time Cena learned that too. That starts by Punk taking the title from Cena’s shoulders. Remember when they locked up at Elimination Chamber?

Punk felt it then, just like when Seth Rollins gave him a Stomp. Cena said I’M SORRY because he knows what he’s doing is wrong. That title is corrupting him and even though Punk didn’t want to get it when he came here. Now though, Punk is going to have to become the monster to stop the monster. Punk counts 18 dates left after tonight and he’ll let Cena pick the date he takes the title from him.

If Cena is more Boston Red Sox than New York Yankees, he’ll do it tonight. Cena says Punk is on but not here, because Punk is going to have to follow him to Saudi Arabia at Night Of Champions (Punk has been VERY vocal about not wanting to do those shows). Punk seems in but here are Seth Rollins and company to hold up the briefcase.

There was a lot going on here but anything involving Cena and Punk together is a great way to go. At the same time, Punk feels like someone who could take the title from Cena given their history together. I do like the idea of tying it in with Punk’s known issues about Saudi Arabia, so the whole thing has a few different angles at the same time.

AJ Styles vs. Chad Gable

The Creeds are here with Gable. Feeling out process to start until Styles hits the drop down into the dropkick to send Gable outside. Gable is ready for a dive though and takes out the legs as we take a break. Back with Styles getting in a shot of his own but a nasty German suplex puts him back down. The top rope headbutt gives Gable two but Styles catches him on the top. That’s fine with Gable who gets the ankle lock, which is reversed into a quick Styles Clash for the pin at 7:57.

Rating: C+. It’s good to see Styles getting a win and for once, there is something reassuring about what is next for Gable. It made for a nice opener, even though they didn’t have much time to set things up. Styles could be getting ready to go after the Intercontinental Title and that means he needs some wins like this one.

Roxanne Perez comes up to Liv Morgan in the back to pitch an alliance to help win the Women’s Title for Judgment Day. Morgan isn’t interested and blows her off.

Queen Of The Ring First Round: Liv Morgan vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Roxanne Perez vs. Kairi Sane

Ripley picks up Morgan to start but gets knocked down, with Sand taking down Morgan and Perez at the same time. Ripley gets back up for the staredown but Morgan breaks it up. Perez saves Morgan, who gets kicked in the head by Ripley. The Riptide is broken up by Perez and Ripley is sent out to the floor.

Sane gets tossed onto her for the big crash and we take a break. Back with Morgan hitting a Codebreaker on Ripley and taking Sane up top. Ripley powerbombs the villains down but walks into a top rope forearm from Sane. Back up and Sane hits a quick sitout Stunner for two on Ripley with Morgan and Perez making the save.

Sane is kicked to the floor but Ripley pulls herself up and goes after Perez and Morgan. Ripley headbutts sane and blocks Morgan’s Oblivion. Riptide connects but Raquel Rodriguez breaks up the pin. Sane dives onto both of them and then drops the Insane Elbow on Morgan…but Perez steals the pin at 12:48.

Rating: B. As much as I never need to see that “steal the pin” ending again, this was a heck of a match with quite a bit of action throughout. Perez going forward is a smart way to advance both her status on the main roster and the issues with Judgment Day. At the same time, Ripley needs something fresh, as she is starting to feel pretty ice cold. As hard as that might be to fathom, that needs to change.

Video on Worlds Collide.

Video on Nikki Bella.

Bella introduces herself to various women backstage and exchanges terms of respect with Kairi Sane.

Here is Becky Lynch for a chat. She isn’t sure where her YOU DESERVE IT chants are and lists off her various accomplishments. Lynch has raised the status of the Intercontinental Title just by winning it. On Saturday, Lyra Valkyria injured Lynch’s shoulder and Lynch, just trying to finish their issues, asked Valkyria to put the title on her waist. Then that crazy bird lady tried to kill her!

Lynch wants Valkyria out here to raise her hand properly so here is Valkyria, who Lynch says has that crazy look in her eyes again. Cue the returning Bayley from behind to jump her, sending Lynch bailing. That’s a good way to go as Bayley is a fresh opponent for Lynch, which Valkyria was cheated out of the title.

Commentary argues about what they just saw but R-Truth climbs onto the announcers’ table. Killings says don’t let anyone ever tell you that you don’t matter. They heard and they understood so he is back because of these people. He’s back and while the people love R-Truth, he can be funny all the time. Or too forgiving all the time, but not him.

He’s not a side show or a gimmick…and he takes some scissors out to cut his hair off. The truth has set him free and he is Ron The Truth Killings, so put some respect on his name. And with that he walks out through the crowd. I have no idea what is next for him, but it better be something special after a pretty awesome promo that showed a VERY different side of Killings.

Finn Balor isn’t sure why Dominik Mysterio is getting a match in the King Of The Ring. Mysterio makes sure Balor is cool with it, with JD McDonagh saying he and Balor are going to win the Tag Team Titles. Roxanne Perez comes in to celebrate her own win but Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez come in to not be pleased with her. Balor approves. As the clubhouse continues to turn.

Video on Mr. Iguana from AAA.

Seth Rollins give Bron Breakker a pep talk before his match.

King Of The Ring First Round: Dominik Mysterio vs. Sami Zayn vs. Bron Breakker vs. Penta

Non-title. Penta and Mysterio go to the floor to start, leaving Zayn to hammer on Breakker in the corner. Breakker is right back up with a running clothesline to Mysterio and we take a break. Back with Breakker suplexing Penta so all three others go after Breakker at the same time. Mysterio’s rollup gets two on Penta but Zayn is back up for the corner climbing tornado DDT.

Zayn dives onto Breakker on the floor so Penta dives onto Zayn, setting up Mysterio’s suicide DDT. Breakker hits his clothesline off the apron to crush Mysterio and we take another break. Back again with Breakker running the corner for a super Frankensteiner and then catching Penta with a jumping knee.

Breakker’s gorilla press is countered into a DDT for two and Mysterio is back in. Zayn gets caught with Two Amigos but reverses the third into a Blue Thunder Bomb for his own near fall. Back up and Penta Sacrifices Zayn’s arm and hits the Penta Driver, with Mysterio stealing the two. Breakker is back up and takes the straps down, allowing him to run around the ring to spear Penta. Cue LA Knight of all people with a BFT to Breakker, leaving Zayn to exploder Mysterio into the corner. The Helluva Kick gives Zayn the pin on Mysterio at 17:06.

Rating: B-. This got a lot of time and while it felt really similar to the four way for the Intercontinental Title at Wrestlemania (which only had Finn Balor in Zayn’s place), Zayn winning was a surprise. The match felt like it was designed for Breakker to win as he is known to smash through almost anyone. Zayn winning the whole thing is certainly an option and that is quite the interesting option.

AJ Styles isn’t happy with Seth Rollins sending Paul Heyman to threaten him last week. If you threaten Styles, he’ll hit you in the mouth and he’ll go tell Rollins that himself.

New Day is not happy with being asked who is next for their Tag Team Titles. Instead you should be thanking God for them being champions.

Video on Asuka, who is back next week after about a year away. I’m hoping this wasn’t meant to be a surprise as her name was listed in the graphics earlier in the night.

Here is Nikki Bella to thank us for having her back. She gets to the point, which is Evolution II taking place next month. Bella talks about the various women who will be around for the show and all of the talent we have here (including Stephanie “Vaquay”), which brings out a furious Liv Morgan. She isn’t happy with Bella not mentioning her and goes off about all of her accomplishments.

Morgan knows that Bella is scared of her because Morgan would have beaten her if Bella was still around. Morgan brings up that at least she has a man, unlike Bella. That makes Bella laugh, and she asks who Morgan’s man belongs to. Bella goes to leave but comes back when Morgan calls her a reality Diva. The Oblivion leaves Bella laying. Bella being in the ring again at Evolution seems like a layup, and it wouldn’t stun me to see her sister show up to try and win the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

John Cena vs. CM Punk is set for Night Of Champions.

Raw World Title: Jey Uso vs. Gunther

Gunther is challenging. Uso starts fast and tries some early sleepers, with Gunther bailing to the floor as we take an early break. Back with Uso hitting a high crossbody but coming up favoring his ribs, which gives Gunther a target. Gunther rips Uso’s shirt off and goes after the bad ribs with some knees to the back. A suplex drops Uso again and it’s time to rip the tape off as well. They go to the floor with a German suplex dropping Uso again and we take another break.

Back again with Uso winning a battle over a suplex and striking away. The enziguri rocks Gunther again and they go to the apron, with Uso knocking Gunther out to the floor. Gunther pulls him down again though and tries the top rope splash, which hits raised knees. Back in and the spear sets up the Superfly Splash for two on Gunther, leaving them both down.

The powerbomb is countered into a hurricanrana and Uso hits a superkick. Uso gets the sleeper but gets caught with a backbreaker. Gunther’s powerbomb gets two and he hits his own spear for two. Uso can’t get the sleeper but he can hit a spear. The Superfly Splash misses and Gunther grabs a choke, even pulling it back to the middle.

Uso fights up but gets pulled back down, with Gunther letting go for some reason. Back up and Uso grabs his own sleeper, which is countered into the elbows to the head. Gunther elbows him in the head and gets the sleeper again to finally finish Uso and win the title at 22:01.

Rating: B-. They were really starting to get me here, but then the sleepers just kept going and took a lot of the energy out of the thing. That being said, I was rather stunned by the ending, as it felt like a situation where something big was going to happen to end the match. Instead, Gunther just won clean in a major moment. I’m not sure where this is leading, but there are certainly options available. Just try to find something other than the sleeper whenever we get there.

Gunther celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. Sweet goodness what a show. You had some very good action, some great talking and a major title change to wrap it up. This was one of the times where the show felt red hot again and has me wondering what is going to happen next. That isn’t a feeling that happens very often and dang did it work here. Awesome show, both for tonight and for the future.

Results
AJ Styles b. Chad Gable – Styles Clash
Roxanne Perez b. Rhea Ripley, Liv Morgan and Kairi Sane – Rollup to Sane
Sami Zayn b. Dominik Mysterio, Penta and Bron Breakker – Helluva Kick to Mysterio
Gunther b. Jey Uso – Sleeper

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: May 26, 2025
Location: Yuengling Center, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Pat McAfee, Michael Cole

We’re done with Saturday Night’s Main Event, which saw the return of Cody Rhodes and a huge tag match likely being set up for Money In The Bank. The show is coming up in less than two weeks and this week is going to be qualifying matches. There are some other matches either already set or likely to be set so let’s get to it.

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

Saturday Night’s Main Event recap.

Here are Seth Rollins, Paul Heyman and Bron Breakker, now with Bronson Reed, to get things going. Heyman brags about this being the future of wrestling, as these are going to be the men who main event Wrestlemania XLV. The fans chant for CM Punk, who isn’t here tonight, thanks to Reed. Heyman praises Reed as a monster who took Punk out on his own at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

That brings Heyman to Rollins, who is everything he names himself as being. Rollins very slowly talks about how this is the vision, and his vision. The fans do not like Rollins and tell him he sold out, but he doesn’t know who he sold out to. Himself? The fans swear at him a lot, though he points out that five minutes ago, they were singing his song.

Sami Zayn and CM Punk cost him the World Heavyweight Championship, but Rollins has a better idea. He is going to qualify for Money In The Bank and take the title whenever he wants. That’s true power, which he has because he is a visionary. I’d assume the team is going to be called The Vision and while I’ve heard worse, you know what name they should be going with in the end.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Penta vs. Dragon Lee vs. Chad Gable

Gable is sent to the floor to start, leaving Lee to send Penta into the corner for a running boot to the face. Some running dropkicks connect in the corner but Gable is back with a t-bone suplex. Penta is back up and takes Gable down, followed by a superkick to an upside down Lee in the corner.

A package piledriver/Gory Bomb combination sends Gable and Lee to the floor (with Gable landing on his head), followed by the big flip dive to the floor. We take a break and come back with Gable taking over on the floor, where El Hijo del Vikingo is not happy in the crowd. Lee hits a SCARY dive to take Penta out on the announcers’ table as Gable goes after Vikingo.

Back in and Lee hits the sitout powerbomb for two on Gable, who German suplexes both of them at once. A moonsault gives Gable two on Penta and he goes up again, but Vikingo breaks it up. Lee hits his super double stomp but Penta gives him a Canadian Destroyer. The Penta Driver finishes Gable at 10:03.

Rating: B-. Penta makes the most sense here, as he has been teasing that Intercontinental level run for a long time now. While he isn’t likely to win the briefcase, he’s someone who can do some kind of a big spot and steal a good chunk of the show. El Grande Americano will likely get involved somehow, and that’s all he needs to be doing, especially with the mask involved.

We go to the Judgment Day clubhouse, where Roxanne Perez gives Dominik Mysterio some chicken tenders and rubs his shoulders. Liv Morgan is back though and does NOT like this. She is off to qualify for Money In The Bank, with Perez looking all innocent. They’re not wasting time with this one and it should be fun.

We get the Memorial Day video, as narrated by Cody Rhodes.

Akira Tozawa vs. Rusev

Tozawa, with Maxxine Dupri, comes right at him to start for no logical reason. Rusev shrugs it off and hits the running superkick, setting up the Accolade for the win at 54 seconds. That’s all it should have been.

Post match Rusev won’t let go but Sheamus comes out for the save. That’s better than having random matches for both of them.

Comedians Bert Kreischer and Tom Segura, promote their shows on Netflix but Bert runs off. Bert calls Tom over to meet the War Raiders and do the WAR chant. Tom isn’t impressed. Neither am I, as Kreischer seems to be as entertaining as a bad infection.

Sami Zayn is upset but Jey Uso comes in and tells him to win Money In The Bank. Handshakes abound.

Tag Team Titles: War Raiders vs. New Day vs. Creed Brothers

The brawl is on before the bell with the Raiders clearing the ring, allowing Erik to slam Ivar onto the pile. Back in and Woods saves Kingston from a powerbomb and Erik gets double teamed into the barricade. The villains are in control as we take a break. Back with Woods hitting a top rope double stomp between Erik’s shoulders.

Erik fights up and hits a right hand to Woods, allowing the tag to Ivar. House is quickly cleaned and Ivar wrecks everyone. Ivar stacks Kingston and Brutus up for a splash and everyone but the Raiders are sent outside. Back in and a superplex brings Erik down and Woods adds the Limit Break. Ivar’s top rope splash hits Woods, with Kingston and the Creeds making a save.

Kingston’s Trouble In Paradise misses so the Creeds take Erik down. Ivar’s double handspring elbow drops the Creeds but Brutus is back up with a Brutus Ball to the floor. Ivar sends Kingston into the ring wall and hits a crossbody to crush him again. Back in and Julius hits a step up knee to knock Ivar off the top but Woods rolls him up with tights to retain at 9:49.

Rating: B-. I’m kind of astounded by how ice cold the tag division is at this point and this didn’t help things. It was just a triple threat match with the Raiders getting to look dominant until New Day cheated to win. There’s nowhere for them to go right now as there are no other teams to come after the titles right now, but I guess this is about as featured as the titles are going to get.

Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez run into Iyo Sky and Kairi Sane. Morgan mocks both of them, so Sane issues the challenge for later.

Here is Jey Uso for a chat. Uso recaps recent issues…and gets cut off by Gunther. He wastes no time in congratulating the Usos for being in WWE for fifteen years and for Uso’s first successful title defense. Gunther did not expect Uso to hold the title this long. Uso’s long term plan seems to be to take care of his friends at a moment’s notice, which is a great thing for a friend but a terrible idea for a champion.

The reality is that Uso might not be smart enough to get what it takes to keep the title. That’s why Gunther is going to relieve him of the champion. Uso says that’s enough because he is tired of everyone saying his days are numbered. In two weeks, Uso is going to fight for the people’s support and keep his title. Good stuff here, but it felt like a rerun of the build to Wrestlemania.

Cody Rhodes has a new podcast with his wife Brandi as the first guest.

Liv Morgan vs. Kairi Sane

They grapple around to start until Morgan takes her into the corner for some stomping. Sane fights up and headscissors her into the ropes, setting up a heck of a running forearm to the chest. Morgan is back up with a big knockdown on the floor though and we take a break. Back with Sane breaking up the Three Amigos and hitting a top rope fist (basically a Phenomenal Forearm without the springboard).

A rather painful looking leglock goes on but Morgan slips out and hits a middle rope Codebreaker for two as the fans are getting back into this. Morgan grabs a Backstabber for two but Sane rolls her up out of the corner for the same. Sane goes up but here is Dominik Mysterio for a distraction, allowing Roxanne Perez to shove her off. Raquel Rodriguez yells at Perez as Sane counters Oblivion into a rollup for the pin at 10:58.

Rating: C+. It’s good that last week’s loss doesn’t seem to have impacted Sane very much and there is a chance that this was designed to boost her back up. That’s the secondary story though, as the big deal here is going to be Morgan wanting to massacre Perez for various reasons. That should set things up for the future, as it could go in a variety of different ways.

Rhea Ripley is ready to win Money In The Bank, which is somehow her first ladder match.

Liv Morgan yells at Roxanne Perez…and blames Raquel Rodriguez as well.

Here is Lyra Valkyria for a chat. She wishes she was here to talk about new competition but Becky Lynch has whined and complained and gotten another shot at the Women’s Intercontinental Title. Normally, Valkyria beats someone between the ropes and moves on, but Lynch came out here, with her ego still high, and acted like she won the match. She’s like a rat with a piece of cheese and Valkyria couldn’t let her do it.

Valkyria is ready to hurt her at Money In The Bank but here is Lynch, looking a bit stunned, to interrupt. Lynch can’t believe Valkyria claimed Lynch is the one who made this personal. The reality is that after Backlash, Lynch went home with her hot husband and Valkyria went to the hospital with her fiance. Valkyria calls Lynch’s husband the best thing about her and Lynch says she made Valkyria what she is today. That doesn’t work for Valkyria, because people are talking about her for her win at Backlash.

Lynch has to calm herself down and offers a stipulation: if Valkyria beats her, she can never challenge for the title again. Valkyria says that’s fine, because she beat Lynch at Backlash with her eyes closed. Lynch wasn’t done though, because she wants Valkyria to raise her hand after Lynch wins. That’s fine with Valkyria, who will always raise the hand of someone who beats her. That just hasn’t been Lynch yet. Valkyria is trying so hard with these promos but there is only so much you can do against an all time talker like Lynch. Odds are Lynch wins at Money In The Bank, though I said the same about Backlash and was very wrong.

Karrion Kross, with Scarlett, stop Sami Zayn, who has no time for this. Kross says Zayn won’t win the title, but Zayn says he’ll deal with Kross later. It seemed that New Day was in the back, possibly talking to Grayson Waller (though you couldn’t see his face).

We run down the Money In The Bank card.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Seth Rollins vs. Sami Zayn vs. Finn Balor

Balor chops away at Zayn to start so Zayn dives onto Rollins on the floor. Back in and Rollins drops Zayn with a clothesline but Balor hits a double DDT for two. We take a break and come back with Balor hammering on Zayn as Rollins is on the floor. Zayn fights up and hits the Arabian moonsault to take them both out.

Back in and Rollins puts Zayn on top, where Zayn snaps off a sunset bomb. Balor escapes a Pedigree attempt and goes up, where Zayn superplexes him down. Rollins hits a heck of a frog splash for two and we take another break. We come back again with Zayn in trouble and Rollins agreeing to team up with Balor to go after him.

Balor superplexes Zayn for two but Rollins is back up to Pedigree both of them for two each. Zayn knocks Balor down for two and can’t believe the kickout, leaving Rollins to slap Zayn in the corner over and over. The Exploder sends Rollins into the corner but Balor cuts off the Helluva Kick. The shotgun dropkick sends Rollins and Zayn into the corner but the Coup de Grace misses.

A Stomp hits Balor and a Helluva Kick hits Rollins…and Bron Breakker pulls the referee out. Cue Jey Uso to go after Breakker and Bronson Reed but Rollins offers a distraction. Breakker spears Zayn but here is Dominik Mysterio to slide Balor a chair. That lets Rollins Stomp Balor onto the chair for the pin at 19:38.

Rating: B. They had some options for the winner here, but the result was going to be Balor taking the pin one way or another. That’s just what he does these days (and for several days now) and there is no reason to believe it’s going to change. At the same time, Rollins gets to move closer to the title, but I would be stunned if he actually wins the briefcase with so many people wanting to keep him from regaining power.

Post match CM Punk runs in for a GTS to Rollins, with Reed and Breakker chasing him off to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Money In The Bank season is so tough to get through most of the time as it is a bunch of qualifying matches to get ready for a glorified #1 contenders match. That was the focus of this week’s show, though they did enough to set up some other stories to keep it interesting. Unfortunately there is also the ice cold tag division in the middle of the show, which didn’t do it much favors. This show did enough to keep things interesting, but dang I can’t wait for those ladder matches to be over so we can move on to something else.

Results
Penta b. Dragon Lee and Chad Gable – Penta Driver to Gable
Rusev b. Akira Tozawa – Accolade
New Day b. Creed Brothers and War Raiders – Rollup with tights to Brutus
Kairi Sane b. Liv Morgan – Rollup
Seth Rollins b. Finn Balor and Sami Zayn – Stomp onto a chair to Balor

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: May 12, 2025
Location: KFC Yum Center, Louisville, Kentucky
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We’re done with Backlash and only so much changed. The big story on Raw would be Gunther smashing though Pat McAfee, but we’re coming up on Saturday Night’s Main Event where Jey Uso will defend the World Title against Logan Paul. Other than that, CM Punk is back and the good guys are coming after Paul Heyman and company. Let’s get to it.

Here is Backlash if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of last week’s main event, with CM Punk saving Jey Uso and Sami Zayn from Bron Breakker and Seth Rollins.

Here is Punk for a chat. It’s great to be alive in Louisville and he sees this place as home. He’s ticked off at a lot of people, to the point where it’s easier to remember the ones he’s not mat at right now. The worst of them all though is himself, because he trusted Paul Heyman. People, including Jey Uso tried to warn him about Heyman and Punk thought it was ok.

We all know how this ends, because we’ve been here before. He’s going to get his hands around Heyman’s neck and then get the Temu CM Punk Seth Rollins. Cue Heyman (Punk: “Come on Penguin, where you at?”) to storm part of the way to the ring, with Punk wanting an explanation as Heyman’s last words. Cue Rollins and Bron Breakker (Punk: “You’re just a song kid, that’s all you are. At some point, the bell’s gotta ring.”), with Rollins saying Punk is the one who betrayed Heyman.

The reality is that Heyman believed in Punk but now Punk is the reason Rollins isn’t World Champion. Punk swears Rollins will never be champion as long as he’s on two feet, so Rollins says Punk always wants to be a martyr. That can be arranged, so Breakker comes into the ring. Rollins gets in as well but here are Sami Zayn and Jey Uso to make the save. Odds are this sets up a tag match, but there are a lot of different options to pick from and that is a good place to be.

We recap El Grande Americano interfering to cost Penta the Intercontinental Title at Backlash.

Pat McAfee joins commentary.

Penta vs. Chad Gable

Penta jumps him to start but gets knocked down as we hear about El Grande Americano touring Mexico at the moment. Gable goes for the mask, which fires Penta up enough for the comeback. Penta knocks him to the floor but a dive is knocked out of the air. Gable declares that LUCHA LIBRE SUCKS and we take a break.

Back with Penta hitting a superkick for a breather but Gable grabs a German suplex. The Swan Dive is countered into a Codebreaker (nice) for two and they’re both down. The Backstabber out of the corner is countered and Gable hits the moonsault. Back up and Penta cuts him off with a superkick but the Sacrifice is reversed into an ankle lock. That’s reversed into an exchange of rollups for two each until Penta gets taken up top. Gable spends too much time arguing though and gets knocked down for a middle rope Canadian Destroyer and the pin at 8:03.

Rating: B-. This is how you get someone back on track as Penta gets a nice win and that’s all he needs to do. He beat Gable without any major issues and while El Grande Americano is the real story, this helps set Penta up for the big showdown in a little while. Penta still feels like a player around here and that is a great sign for his future.

Dominik Mysterio kind of accuses Finn Balor of almost costing him the Intercontinental Title but everything is ok.

We look at Gunther vs. Pat McAfee from Backlash, with Gunther eventually overwhelming him. Gunther did show respect to McAfee after the match.

McAfee gets an ovation from the Raw crowd and Michael Cole thanks him. He’s banged up but knows he was in a huge fight.

Sami Zayn/CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins/Bron Breakker is set for Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Zayn and Punk are ready for the match, though Punk is worried about trusting anyone. Zayn understands that but says it was the same when Punk teamed with them at WarGames and that went well. Punk agrees and they’ll do this.

War Raiders vs. Creed Brothers

New Day is on commentary. Ivar starts fast on Brutus and the slam sends Ivar onto him. Julius comes in to help knock Erik into the corner for the double teaming. Erik fights out of the corner but Ivar is knocked off the apron so there’s no tag. Julius suplexes Erik on the floor for a crash (New Day approves) as we take a break.

Back with Ivar giving Julius the seated senton out of the corner, setting up a Bronco Buster. Ivar goes up but gets superplexed down into Brutus’ moonsault for two. It’s back to Erik to clean house, including driving Ivar into Julius in the corner. New Day gives the match some mocking applause before Brutus hits an Angle Slam on Ivar. A double belly to back gets two on Ivar with Erik making the save. The Doomsault is loaded up but Kingston breaks it up, allowing the Brutus Ball to finish Ivar at 10:19.

Rating: B-. Normally I would ask what in the world happened to the tag division but it’s an obvious answer: the same thing that has happened to it time after time. The titles do not feel important in the slightest and instead come off as just something that happens to be there. New Day is cold again and a rematch with the War Raiders isn’t going to reignite anything.

Seth Rollins talks to Bron Breakker and says Sami Zayn and CM Punk probably think they got one up on them out there. They have no idea what Rollins is capable of. He wants Breakker to do one more thing, which he whispers to Breakker. Rollins: “Have some fun.”

We look at Logan Paul attacking Jey Uso after last week’s show went off the air.

Paul says he wants the World Title.

Paul vs. Uso is set for Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Here is Uso, who does his full entrance, plus an encore. Uso knows that he has a big target on his big back so he’s going to get something off his big chest. He’s been hearing Logan Paul talking about how Uso has a glass jaw. Well at Saturday Night’s Main Event…and here’s Gunther to interrupt.

Gunther says they met at Wrestlemania and Uso reminds him of the tap out. With that out of the way, Gunther says he knows Uso is out of his element because he’s not a natural champion. That’s what Gunther is, and he’ll prove it on June 9, when he challenges the winner of Uso and Paul (which Uso already knew, thanks to Adam Pearce).

Gunther hopes that it’s Uso so he can remind Uso of his place. That makes Uso take his glasses off and go into a rant about how THIS is his place. He’s going to walk into June 9 as champion and walk out the same way. Uso can do the fired up response rather well, even if that’s quite the spoiler for Saturday Night’s Main Event (which granted, might not have had much doubt in the first place).

Iyo Sky is ready to teach Roxanne Perez and Giulia respect.

Commentary pays tribute to Sabu. That had to be done.

Ludwig Kaiser is in the back…but Bron Breakker has attacked Jey Uso.

Finn Balor vs. AJ Styles

Judgment Day (minus Dominik Mysterio) is here with Balor. Styles quickly takes him down to start and they pop up for some glaring. Balor can’t spin out of a wristlock but does pull him into a headlock as the early wrestling continues. Back up and the drop down dropkick sends Balor outside for a breather.

We take a break and come back with Balor hammering away in the corner but a snap suplex takes him down. Balor chops away and knocks Styles down again, allowing some jumping stomps. Styles fights out of an abdominal stretch and comes back with the sliding forearm. A superplex drops Balor and we take another break.

Back with Styles winning a slugout and grabbing the Calf Crusher. Balor makes the rope but the leg gives out again, meaning the Calf Crusher goes on again. That’s broken up so a not quite normal Styles Clash gets two. Carlito gets on the apron for a distraction so McDonagh can interfere. This doesn’t go well either but Balor is back up with 1916 for two. Cue Penta to take out Judgment Day, leaving Styles to hit the Phenomenal Forearm for the pin at 16:54.

Rating: B. Oh like this wasn’t going to be really good. These are two people who can work well with anyone and they know each other from their time in the ring over the years. They got time and had a reason to fight each other so they wound up having a heck of a match. Good stuff here, which should not be a surprise at all.

We look at Lyra Valkyria retaining the Women’s Intercontinental Title over Becky Lynch in an upset at Backlash.

Here is Lynch, sitting on the top rope, for a chat. She talks about Lyra Valkyria attacking her character in recent weeks and then gave her the match of her life. Now Valkyria matters more than she ever has before and it isn’t even close. After the bell rang after the match though, it was an alarm going off to tell her how much she has been manipulated. She walked away from the crowd for about a year because of the backlash from the people.

The people carried her into the main event of Wrestlemania because they were in this together. Then something happened though, because she became a success, while all of these people are failures. One of her friends asked if she missed doing this and she missed being in the ring, but she didn’t miss listening to the people lie to her. She didn’t have to live up to expectations so from now on, she is whatever the people say she is. Greedy? Angry? Sure! What everyone accuses her of being backstage is what she is going to be. This was the big heel turn explanation and Lynch sold the heck out of it.

Rusev is still ready to hurt people and fulfill his purpose.

Akira Tozawa wants Rusev but he’s too injured. Sheamus comes in to request, and receive, a match with Grayson Waller next week.

Roxanne Perez/Giulia vs. Rhea Ripley/Iyo Sky

Sky and Perez go straight to the slugout to start but Giulia comes in for some running shots in the corner. Perez gets in a cheap shot from the apron so Ripley comes in for quite the dropkick. That’s not enough for a tag though and Sky flips around, only to have Ripley pulled off the apron. Ripley chases Perez around the ring but has to catch a diving Giulia, allowing Perez to dropkick Ripley into the post. Sky hits a dive of her own and we take a break.

Back with Sky flying maring Perez away and making the diving tag off to Ripley to clean house. A toss Razor’s Edge into a basement dropkick gets two on Perez. They go up top where a super Razor’s Edge is countered into a super hurricanrana and Ripley is in trouble for a change. Giulia comes in for some shots of her own before it’s back to Perez for a rear naked choke. That’s broken up and it’s back to Sky for the missile dropkick.

A double stomp to Giulia sets up Over The Moonsault for two with Perez making the save. Everything breaks down and Ripley tosses Sky into Perez for a knockdown. Giulia trips Ripley on the apron and butterfly superplexes Sky. The northern lights bomb gives Giulia two with Ripley (not Perez Cole, even if they’re dressed alike) making the save. Perez high crossbodies Giulia by mistake and Riptide finishes at 14:02.

Rating: B-. This was the stacked tag main event and while it was good, I was a bit disappointed with the thing. They didn’t have any kind of big moment and the result more or less kills Giulia and Perez’s status. Sky vs. Ripley is the big singles match down the line, but this doesn’t leave much for the villains to do at the moment.

Post match the winners pose but Ripley looks at the title to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This didn’t feel like a fallout show from Backlash, but that’s mainly because there wasn’t much fallout to cover. The big Raw match was Gunther beating up a commentator, along with the Women’s Intercontinental Title and the champion wasn’t even here. That doesn’t leave much to talk about so they focused on Saturday Night’s Main Event instead. I liked what we got here, and the upcoming special is feeling, well, special.

Results
Penta b. Chad Gable – Middle rope Canadian Destroyer
Creed Brothers b. War Raiders – Brutus Ball to Ivar
AJ Styles b. Finn Balor – Phenomenal Forearm
Rhea Ripley/Iyo Sky b. Roxanne Perez/Giulia – Riptide to Giulia

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: April 7, 2025
Location: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We’re back in America for Raw and we have less than two weeks to go from Wrestlemania. That means it is likely going to be centered around the idea of hyping up the matches that have already been made. There is still time to add some new things to the card though and we might get some of that tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

After we see a lot of people come to work, we get a recap of last week’s Women’s Title match, with Iyo Sky vs. Rhea Ripley going to a double DQ when special referee Bianca Belair was knocked down multiple times.

Here is Adam Pearce, with the Women’s Title, to get things going. Champion Iyo Sky and scheduled Wrestlemania challenger Bianca Belair are brought out, followed by Rhea Ripley (with Pearce saying she is part of Judgment Day, with Cole pointing out how wrong that has been for months). Pearce takes the blame for last week and then announces the triple threat match for the title at Wrestlemania. He even has the contract but Belair says she would have been annoyed at this a few weeks ago.

Then everything happened and she is happy that Ripley is being added to the match. Belair has been through everything so she’s ready to go through Ripley to get the title back. Ripley mocks Belair as Belair signs and then gets the contract shoved at her, with Ripley signing as well. Sky gets annoyed and hits a springboard dropkick to knock both of them down. She signs as well and then leaves with the title. The story makes enough sense but geez I could go for less multi person matches.

A four way Intercontinental Title match has been set for Wrestlemania (case in point about the multi person matches) between Bron Breakker, Penta, Finn Balor and Dominik Mysterio.

Balor isn’t thrilled with the idea of Mysterio being in the match but Liv Morgan says it ups the chances of the title coming back to Judgment Day. Balor seems to agree but suggests that Mysterio doesn’t have what it takes to win at Wrestlemania.

Women’s Intercontinental Title: Bayley vs. Lyra Valkyria

Valkyria is defending. They grapple around to start with Valkyria getting an armbar as Bayley is getting frustrated early on. A rollup is countered into another armbar but Bayley ties up Valkyria’s arm for a rollup and a near fall. Back up and Bayley knees her in the face but can’t get the sunset bomb into the corner. Valkyria ties her up with a rocking horse before tying up the arms for a cradle and two.

Bayley gets sent to the floor for a hard dropkick through the ropes, followed by a high crossbody back inside. We take a break and come back with the exchange of forearms until Bayley sends her to the apron. A Stunner over the ropes sends Valkyria outside for the running dropkick under the corner. Bayley misses a suicide dive but grabs a Bayley To Belly on the floor.

They both beat the count and Valkyria hits an enziguri into a not great gutwrench powerbomb for two. Bayley knees her in the head for the same and now the sunset bomb into the corner connects. Back up and Valkyria hits a tornado DDT into a fisherman’s suplex for two more. Bayley counters a dropkick into a Boston crab on the bad back but lets go when Valkyria won’t give up. The Rose Plant is countered into a rollup to give Valkyria the pin at 13:24.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of win that Valkyria needed and points for actually bringing up Bayley beating her back in February. I didn’t think they would actually remember it but they did get there (eventually). I’m not sure if Bayley needs to turn heel after all this, but her frustrations are building up. Just find a good way for it to go if that is where things have to head, as otherwise it won’t have much of an impact.

Post match Bayley slaps away the handshake and goes to leave but comes back to give Valkyria a hug.

Bert Kreischer, a comedian, has a Netflix special coming up but American Made interrupts. Chad Gable thinks Kreischer wants to watch them do well but he’s not sure about this. The Alpha Academy comes in so Otis and Kreischer can rip their shirts off.

AJ Styles is ready to embarrass Logan Paul at Wrestlemania but Karrion Kross, with Scarlett, interrupts. Kross asks about what happened to the other AJ Styles, which has Styles annoyed. Styles isn’t sure what’s up with Kross and this “other” Styles, so he’ll see about a match between them next week.

LWO vs. El Grande Americano/Creed Brothers

Nice reaction for the Americano. Brutus takes del Toro down to start and runs him over with a shoulder. Wilde comes in to take Brutus down for an assisted moonsault. It’s off to Julius, who gets caught in a cross armbreaker as everything breaks down. The LWO send them into various corners and then outside for the big running flip dives. Back in and the villains hit three superplexes to take over as we go to a break.

We come back with Lee giving Julius the top rope double stomp in the Tree of Woe. Del Toro comes in to take over on Brutus, including a hurricanrana into the corner. A Swanton hits Brutus and a dive takes out Julius so it’s off to Americano for a change. That means a quick Doomsday Blockbuster attempt, which Americano reverses into a belly to belly.

Lee powerbombs Americano but gets caught with a shooting star press out of nowhere. Wilde hits a big flip dive to take Brutus out, followed by del Toro’s big corkscrew flip dive. Hold on though as Ivy Nile hands Americano something to load into his mask. A headbutt knocks Rey Mysterio to the floor and another knocks Lee off the top. Americano hits a swan dive for the pin at 10:16.

Rating: B. This was a bunch of people getting to do their insane stuff until the ending, which was a good way to keep the Americano stuff going. They’re not hiding what they’re going for with Americano and as usual with Ga…whomever is underneath that mask, it is rather entertaining stuff. I’m not sure where it’s going, but it’s working so far.

We look back at Gunther mauling Jimmy Uso last week in a great beatdown to make the feud with Jey Uso a lot more personal.

HHH Hall Of Fame video, this time on DX.

Here is Gunther for a chat, with the fans not being happy with having him around. Before he can say anything though, here is Jey Uso to interrupt. Gunther takes his jacket off but Jey knocks the microphone out of his hand. Jey slowly takes his sunglasses off and throws them away before getting a mic. He says Gunther has a mother (Gunther confirms this) and asks what they talk about. Do they talk about family stuff? Like about their family and what they had for dinner and such.

Jey has a mother too and this week he had to tell her about her oldest son (Jimmy) in a hospital bed. Jey’s mom asked “why didn’t you protect him Joshua”. The reality is he is afraid of Gunther, who had the drop on him the whole time. Gunther attacked Jimmy while Jey was tied to the ropes and now Jimmy’s blood is on Jey’s hands.

That had Jey scared, but then in his darkest moment, a light bulb went off. He realized that he isn’t afraid of Gunther anymore (big reaction for that) and before Wrestlemania, Gunther needs to hug and kiss his family. Jey is going to pray that the Lord forgive him for the man that he is about to become. He’s getting revenge for himself and his family and the title. Jey throws the mic at Gunther, who looks a bit unnerved for the first time. Uso knocked this out of the park, as he tends to do. I’m not sure if he’s going to win the title, but I’m starting to want him to.

We recap CM Punk unveiling his favor to Paul Heyman and Roman Reigns: Heyman will be in Punk’s corner at Wrestlemania. That’s some mind games and very in line for Punk.

Natalya and Maxxine Dupri are ready for their chance to go to Wrestlemania.

Rey Mysterio wants El Grande Americano at Wrestlemania and the match is set.

Tag Team Titles: New Day vs. War Raiders

The Raiders are defending and comedian Tony Hinchcliffe is on commentary. Kofi gets sent outside to start but jumps over Erik in the corner. That just earns him a slam, with Woods getting one of his own. Ivar slams Kofi again, setting up Erik slamming Ivar onto Kofi for a big crash. Kofi gets sent outside again and crushed against the barricade as we take a break.

Back with Ivar fighting out of the corner so Erik can come in and clean house. A big spinebuster hits Kofi and a pop up powerslam makes it worse. War Machine hits Kofi but Woods makes a diving save. Woods tries to bring in a chair but Ivar takes it away and hits him with it for the DQ at 7:48.

Rating: C+. I’m still not feeling what they’re doing with New Day as of late as having them win the titles again, which they almost have to at some point, doesn’t feel that important. Maybe they have something else for them in the future, but almost none of this feels like the big part without Big E. Maybe he shows up sooner or later, but otherwise, it feels like a filler story.

Post match Kofi hits a HARD chair shot to Ivar and New Day beats up Erik. The chair is put up in the corner and Erik goes head first into it, followed by Ivar being sent into the timekeeper’s area. A Pillmanization of Erik’s previously injured neck is loaded up but agents break it up.

We get a long video on John Cena vs. Cody Rhodes, which really does feel like a bigger showdown after the last few weeks. This even gets the music video treatment.

Penta vs. Dominik Mysterio

Carlito is here with Mysterio, who gets driven into the corner. Mysterio knocks him down and hammers away, with a kick to the chest in the corner knocking Penta down. The fans are all over Mysterio, who puts his hands over his ears for a bit before dropping Penta again. Penta comes out with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and a dive to the floor to take out Mysterio and Carlito.

We take a break and come back with Mysterio rolling the Three Amigos for two. The 619 is cut off and a slingshot dropkick hits Mysterio in the corner. Mysterio snaps off a Canadian Destroyer into a 619 but the frog splash hits raised knees. The Sacrifice into the Penta Driver finishes Mysterio at 9:02.

Rating: B-. Mysterio was working harder than usual here and it wound up being good stuff, though the camera work felt like they were trying something different here. What matters is getting Penta back on his winning ways after last week’s loss. Penta still feels like something special and I could go for seeing him in the Intercontinental Title match at Wrestlemania.

Post match Judgment Day beats on Penta but Bron Breakker makes the save and wrecks everyone (including an AMAZING Super Spear to Carlito). Then Finn Balor pops in to take out Mysterio.

Here is Paul Heyman for a chat. First and foremost, he will always be loyal to Roman Reigns. Second, he will always be loyal to his best friend, CM Punk. He will never be disloyal to either of them, so let’s get one thing perfectly clear…and here is Seth Rollins to interrupt. After doing his introduction, Rollins brings up Heyman talking about loyalty. But who is he loyal to? Rollins doesn’t think it’s either of them, before talking about Reigns using Heyman as a glorified errand boy.

Heyman seems to brush this off but Rollins brings up Reigns leaving after last week’s Wrestlemania. He didn’t take Heyman with him either, instead leaving him in the hands of Solo Sikoa and company. Did Reigns come to Heyman’s rescue? Heyman admits that he didn’t, with Rollins talking about how Reigns left Heyman to be attacked in front of his hometown and family. Punk wasn’t there either, just like he didn’t take Heyman with him when he walked out ten years ago.

The two of them love to reminisce about WarGames but who was the first choice for that team? Heyman has to admit that it was Rollins, who says “stop me when I’m telling lies”. Punk was the last choice and he joined the team to get a favor from Heyman. The reality is that Heyman should step out of this and let the three of them battle it out. Heyman won’t do that, but Rollins says it’s for Heyman’s own good. Rollins would love to do it right now, which has Heyman a bit nervous. Or angry? Something negative.

Rollins says it’s one quick stomp, because no one is here to save him. Punk usually says that it’s about making money rather than making friends, so how much is Heyman worth? Rollins shoves him and asks how much Heyman is worth. Heyman finally snaps and says don’t put your hands on him, which earns him a shove into the corner. Cue Punk and the brawl is on, with the fighting going on outside. Rollins is sent into the steps but avoids what might have been a Stomp from Punk.

Instead Rollins hits one of his own inside and tries one to Heyman, but misses on purpose. Rollins says Heyman owes him a favor, leaving Heyman looking confused to end the show. This story is all about mind games and loyalty, which could make for quite the moment when someone turns on someone else. Setting it up as more about longstanding issues is an interesting way to go and I’m getting more into this week by week. Rollins still feels like a third wheel, but him trying to get to Heyman is a good way to use him.

Overall Rating: B. This was the kind of show that was focused on pushing the Gunther/Uso feud and the triple threat stuff at the end. They also added three matches to Wrestlemania, which is quite the way to spend a single night. Hopefully they can keep this going for the last three shows before Wrestlemania, as Wrestlemania still needs some work to get it over the finish line.

Results
Lyra Valkyria b. Bayley – Rollup
El Grande Americano/Creed Brothers b. LWO – Swan dive to del Toro
New Day b. Viking Raiders via DQ when Ivar used a chair
Penta b. Dominik Mysterio – Penta Driver

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: March 17, 2025
Location: Forest National, Brussels, Belgium
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re still in Europe and that means the show is airing live around the world on Netflix. That makes for an interesting setup but there is something a bit more interesting than that on top. The big story this week is John Cena returning and hopefully explaining his attack on Cody Rhodes. The fact that Rhodes is here too should help so let’s get to it.

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

Commentary hypes up the card and says we should give John Cena the chance to explain himself.

We look back at Cena’s heel turn with Cody Rhodes’ promo from last week narrating.

Here is Cena to get things going and the fans are not pleased with him. Cena has the regular gear on and holds up the Last Time Is Now towel but is much more stoic than usual with far less energy. The dueling chants begin and Cena takes the microphone, which he drops and teases leaving but stops. Cena finally gives a quote about how you shouldn’t have to look outside yourself for approval.

The fans keep booing and Cena says this is making it so easy for him. Cena says that for twenty five years, he has been in an abusive relationship. The people have spent all these years bullying him into being his puppet and expecting him to do it with a smile on his face. The fans are not pleased with this and let him know (the censoring takes a second to catch up), which Cena calls “so very classy”. Cena: “I am not a babyface. I am not a heel. I’m a human being.”

Everyone has been awful to him and it has been the same noise for twenty five years (eh more like twenty but close enough). The fans have let him know that he wasn’t worthy of his attention so he changed himself, but it wasn’t enough. Then he worked hard like he always did and he did nothing but win and they still didn’t like him. Cena says the only thing he can do is leave, which is something that has never been done before, which gets some cheers.

One last time, Cena tries to do something nice for them and YOU RUIN IT JUST LIKE YOU RUIN EVERYTHING. Just like tonight, it’s two seconds of being great but that’s never enough! The fans sing the Goodbye Song and Cena goes into a rant about how everything has always been about what the fans get. No one ever asked how he was feeling so they get what they deserve, which is NOTHING. The fans don’t get a new look or new music because the look is his, just like the voice on his theme song.

The only thing you get is a long look in the mirror to see how bad people have been to him for twenty five years. Cena mocks the WE WANT CODY chant before pointing out some LET’S GO CENA chanters. Those people are the worst of them all because they have done nothing but steal from him. You steal his moments and times and made him the punchline of a stupid invisible joke for FIFTEEN YEARS AND IT IS NOT FUNNY!

These people wear words like hustle, loyalty and respect but he lives them every day. You think you can buy the idea of “never give up”? He is the embodiment of the idea and these people use him as an excuse for their pathetic failures of a life. Each of them, including the kid in Cena gear in the front row, is part of a TOXIC RELATIONSHIP. Cena: “I’m breaking up with you. I’m done. I’m breaking up with every single person. You’re dumped. I don’t care about you and you don’t matter to me.”

Cue Cody Rhodes to an absolute roar, leaving Cena just shaking his head. Rhodes says everyone, including himself, was willing to hear Cena out. Cena said everyone gave him their worst but they have also given him their best for twenty five years. They did that because Cena could do that and carry it. Cena: “Listen kid…” Rhodes: “ENOUGH! It certainly isn’t kid. It’s WWE Champion.”

Rhodes was looking forward to going toe to toe to Cena week to week but this version better not show up at Wrestlemania. He already took Cena’s best shot so he’ll send Cena to retirement early. At Wrestlemania, he wants the real Cena, not this whiny b****. Rhodes leaves (no music) and poses on the stage with the title before leaving. Cena drops the mic and goes to leave, earning a reprise of the Goodbye Song. He goes up the aisle, teases a pose, and then walks away.

This went on for the better part of half an hour and it didn’t feel real. After so many years of the same kind of stuff from Cena, it was so strange to see him just unleashing all of this venom. It worked very well and told Cena’s story, with Cena intentionally talking down to everyone watching. That’s what it should have been and while it’s going to take some time to process, my goodness did it work well, with the fans being furious with him the whole time. Rhodes’ stuff was fine, but this was ALL about Cena, as fans have been waiting a very long time for this.

Michael Cole goes on a rant about what Cena just said and credits the fans for everything that Cena has. Cole: “Cena is an irrational p***k.” Corey Graves says we don’t have to like it but there’s going to be a fight at Wrestlemania.

The main event is for the Intercontinental Title so we look at some classic Wrestlemania matches, including Savage vs. Steamboat. Yeah that still holds up.

Penta vs. Ludwig Kaiser

No DQ and they slug it out to start until Penta knocks him to the floor. A missed charge sends Penta into the timekeeper’s area but Penta walks the barricade for a hurricanrana into the apron (thankfully Kaiser stood there while Penta was coming at him). Penta hits a big running flip dive over the top and they strike it out on the announcers’ table. Kaiser goes to the eyes and hits a Death Valley Driver onto the table as we take a break.

Back with Penta hitting a high crossbody and a Backstabber to put Kaiser down. Kaiser gets in another Death Valley Driver and they go outside, where Penta backdrops him onto the announcers’ table. Back in and they strike it out until Kaiser gets two off a neckbreaker. Kaiser demands that Penta fear him and hits a loud chair shot to the back. He demands that Penta say he’s scared but Penta reverses into the Sacrifice.

Penta grabs a chair so Kaiser backs off and says Penta wins. Then Kaiser rakes the eyes and takes the chair, only to get it superkicked into his face. Penta does it again and hits a middle rope Canadian Destroyer onto the chair (ignore that Penta landed on it instead of him), setting up the Penta Driver for the pin at 13:53.

Rating: B. The thing that catches my attention here is how few weapons they used here. Other than the announcers’ table, the chair was the only thing involved. Rather than using a bunch of weapons, they told a story with Kaiser becoming obsessed with breaking Penta but not being able to do it. Penta gets a big win and can move on, possibly into a title feud.

Post match Penta thanks the fans and says he’s coming for the Intercontinental Title. There you go.

Dakota Kai comes to the ring. Of note: Karrion Kross could be seen talking to Dominik Mysterio.

We go to the Judgment Day clubhouse where the team wishes each other luck when Dominik comes in. Balor thanks him for getting an Intercontinental Title shot tonight. Dominik has an idea of adding someone new to the team (Liv Morgan doesn’t think this is the right time) like say, Penta. Balor is NOT pleased and calls Dominik a snake. With Balor gone, Dominik says he didn’t know Penta wanted the Intercontinental Title. Carlito: “You don’t watch the show do you?” Points for a funny line.

Dakota Kai vs. Ivy Nile

Chad Gable and the rest of American Made are here too. Kai knocks her into the corner to start but what looks like an RKO is shoved away. Nile hammers away but charges into some shots to the face. Kai fights back with a boot in the corner and another out to the floor, only for Gable to offer a distraction. Back up and Nile hits something like a swinging Rock Bottom for two but here is the LWO to go after the Creeds. Gable is chased out of the arena and the running boot in the corner into the GTK finishes for Kai at 2:49.

Adam Pearce is here to emcee the contract signing between Iyo Sky and Bianca Belair. Sky says she won’t be disrespected again because she is the Women’s World Champion. She signs to get us halfway done. Belair says if Sky thought that was disrespectful, Sky doesn’t know her at all. Belair signs as well…and here is Rhea Ripley to interrupt.

Ripley gets in Belair’s face but says she’s just here to watch. Ripley isn’t pleased and gets shoved by Bianca, only for Ripley to put Belair on the table. A powerbomb sends Sky onto Belair….and Ripley signs the contract as well before taking it with her. This continues the wrestling tradition of THIS ISN’T HOW CONTRACTS WORK.

Jey Uso is ready to face Gunther….and then he runs into Gunther. Arguing and shoving ensues but security breaks it up.

Jey Uso vs. Austin Theory

Grayson Waller is here with Theory, who gets speared for the pin at 30 seconds.

Post match Uso tries a dive onto the villains but doesn’t quite clear the rope, thankfully being ok as he lands on the apron. Gunther comes in for the sleeper but Uso fights out and the brawl is on. Uso takes the title off of Gunther, who gets it back and bails. Yeeting ensues. Gunther continues to feel secondary to a lot of things around here and that’s not a great sign.

Video on Bron Breakker vs. Finn Balor.

Adam Pearce yells at Rhea Ripley about the contract, saying it’s like talking to a child. Ripley gives the contract back and wants in the match but here is Bianca Belair to jump her. Iyo Sky joins in and all three of them fight each other. Pearce and a single referee come in to break it up, which seems inefficient.

Creed Brothers vs. LWO

Brutus is knocked to the floor to start as Graves suggests that last week’s masked luchador could have been Del Wilkes or Tom Brandi. Julius comes in with a hard clothesline and we take a break. Back with Mysterio coming in to clean house but Julius gets in a backbreaker. Mysterio hits a DDT and Lee takes out Brutus, leaving Mysterio to hit a 619 into the springboard splash for the pin at 5:47. Not enough shown to rate but it was about getting Mysterio in the ring, which is fine.

Post match the masked luchador comes in to jump the LWO, including some German suplexes. Security chases him off.

We look back at last week’s main event with Roman Reigns attacking Seth Rollins, costing CM Punk a match. Reigns then took Punk out as well, mainly due to Paul Heyman checking on Punk.

Here is Rollins (in far more normal attire) for a chat. We get a VERY extended WHOA period from the crowd, Rollins hits his catchphrase and praises the people. The fans chant for CM Punk and then Roman Reigns but Rollins finds it impressive that Reigns still can’t come up with a plan without his Wise Man. Reigns had everything figured out but he forgot one more detail, with the fans against chanting for Punk.

Rollins says this is like the good old days, as he has to clean up Reigns’ mess. This Friday, they’ll be in the same place on Smackdown and he’ll get in between the two of them. That’s for a few days from now though, so how about the fans sing his song one more time before the main event? And they do. Rollins didn’t say much here but it was mainly about saying “we’ll do something that actually matters on Friday”.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

AJ Styles doesn’t think Logan Paul belongs around here but here are Karrion Kross and Scarlett to interrupt. Kross thinks Styles might be mad at himself so Styles goes to leave. Kross gets him to stay and asks how long Styles took to get to WWE. It didn’t take Paul 17 years to get to WWE, but Styles says this isn’t working. Kross, after Styles leaves: “I think it’s working.”

Bron Breakker stares down Penta in the back but nothing is said/done.

HHH Hall Of Fame video.

Intercontinental Title: Finn Balor vs. Bron Breakker

Breakker is defending. Balor’s headlock doesn’t get him very far to start as Breakker powers things into the corner without much trouble. They go to the floor with Breakker doing his big run around the ropes, only to get caught with the Sling Blade. We take a break and come back with Balor spinning into a Russian legsweep for two. Some trash talk gets Breakker mad and he snaps off a suplex. The suplex powerslam connects but here is the Judgment Day for a distraction.

Balor plants him for two but Breakker is right back up to knock him outside. The clothesline from the apron onto the announcers’ table crushes Balor, with Breakker staying down too. Back in and a Sling Blade drops Breakker again, with a dropkick into the corner, only to miss the Coup de Grace. The Super Spear hits the buckle but Breakker hits the gorilla press powerslam for two. Balor goes up top but gets crotched, only for the Judgment Day to offer a distraction. That’s broken up and it’s the super Frankensteiner into the Super Spear to retain the title at 12:32.

Rating: B. Balor not winning isn’t the biggest surprise as he just doesn’t do that in big matches. What matters the most here is that Breakker gets a nice win on his way to a potential Wrestlemania showdown with Penta. The Judgment Day’s woes continue and now we get to see where this goes as things keep falling apart. For now though, we have a Breakker vs. Penta match coming and that has me interested.

Post match Judgment Day goes after Breakker but Penta runs in for the save. Penta holds up the title but hands it to Breakker for the staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a rather unique show, with the one big thing dominating the rest, though most of the rest was good enough. That being said, this was ALL about the Cena segment, which fans have been waiting on and it certainly delivered (albeit going a bit long). The fans were invested though and that should make for a great Road To Wrestlemania on the way to the huge showdown. Cena sounded like a star and I want to see where it goes, which suggests that they’re doing something right.

Other than that, you have the rest of the show, with Penta of all people feeling like the biggest story. That’s a good sign, as Penta has not even been around for three months and is already in a prominent role. There is a good chance that he’ll get a title match either at or just before Wrestlemania, which opens up some interesting possibilities. The Women’s Title match is likely all but set as well, along with Jey Uso doing his thing. Naturally Cena was the big story here, but the rest held up well enough. Couple that with another red hot crowd and this was a rather nice show.

Results
Penta b. Ludwig Kaiser – Penta Driver
Dakota Kai b. Ivy Nile – GTK
Jey Uso b. Austin Theory – Spear
LWO b. Creed Brothers – Springboard splash to Julius
Bron Breakker b. Finn Balor – Super Spear

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

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