Smackdown
Date: June 28, 2024
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re in the World’s Most Famous Arena and it could be interesting to see what that means for the new version of WWE. The big story coming out of last week’s show is the debut of Jacob Fatu as the Bloodline is looking stronger than ever. That could make for some serious trouble for Cody Rhodes/Kevin Owens/Randy Orton, who are facing the Bloodline at Money In The Bank. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look back at last week’s Bloodline ordeal, with Solo Sikoa suggesting that Roman Reigns isn’t coming back and then the debut of Jacob Fatu as a wrecking ball.

The Bloodline, minus Jacob Fatu, arrives. Paul Heyman asks where Fatu is but gets no answer as Solo Sikoa and the Tongans come to the ring for a chat. Cody Rhodes, Kevin Owens and Randy Orton aren’t far behind and the brawl is on. Owens hits a huge Swanton off some equipment to put Sikoa through a table as Nick Aldis and security come out to break it up. Hot start to the show here.

Post break Aldis can’t get the good guys out of the ring so they beat up security. With security gone, threats are made to the Bloodline. Rhodes talks about how this arena deserves a World Title shot but instead he has to deal with something he ended at Wrestlemania. When he looks at Solo Sikoa, he doesn’t see a Tribal Chief, but rather a seat filler. That was a good line.

Post break, we look back at what we just saw.

Nick Aldis has the Cody Rhodes/Kevin Owens/Randy Orton leave the arena.

Women’s Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Jade Cargill vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Candice LeRae

Cargill shrugs off some double teaming attempts to start and neckbreakers both of them. A superkick sends Stratton outside and Cargill throws LeRae onto her for the big crash. Cue Nia Jax and we take a break. Back with Bianca Belair at ringside as well and Cargill fighting out of trouble. Stratton avoids a charge to send Cargill outside, where Belair cuts off Jax’s stalking. Cue Indi Hartwell to post Cargill, allowing LeRae to grab a rollup for two on Stratton. Not that it matters as Stratton is back up with the Prettiest Moonsault Ever to finish LeRae at 9:08.

Rating: C+. They kept this moving and had a good way to avoid Cargill winning while moving Stratton forward. It wasn’t exactly a game changing performance from any of them, but it did what it needed to do on the way to the match that matters. Stratton is certainly a contender to win the briefcase and that is exactly where she should be right now.

Bayley and Naomi find Stratton annoying and wonder what happens if Naomi wins Money In The Bank. Blair Davenport comes in to mock Bayley, with Naomi swearing vengeance.

The Pride comes in to see Nick Aldis, who says they can’t fight the Bloodline tonight but they might be able to do it next week. Pretty Deadly returns and suggest a musical but get a match with the Pride instead.

Solo Sikoa tells Paul Heyman that Jacob Fatu isn’t here but tonight, Heyman is officially becoming his wise man.

Men’s Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Santos Escobar vs. LA Knight vs. Logan Paul

Non-title and Paul brings Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton (who helped beat the New York Knicks) to show New York what a real winner looks like (with the feed cutting, suggesting a lot of swearing). It’s a brawl to start with Knight getting double teamed down. Paul and Escobar tease a fight but Knight is up again, only to get dropped again. Escobar gets sent outside, leaving Paul to plant Knight and take over. Paul dives onto Knight but gets taken out by Escobar as we take a break.

Back with Escobar hitting a super hurricanrana for two with Paul making a save. Knight slugs away on Paul and DDTs Escobar for two. Knight’s spelling elbow is cut off by Escobar so Knight slams him down for the elbow instead. Escobar is back up with a Phantom Driver to Knight, leaving Paul to make the save this time. Knight German superplexes Escobar off the top so Paul drops a Swanton for…two. Haliburton loads up the knuckles but New York Knicks’ star Jalen Brunson jumps the barricade for a staredown. The distraction lets Knight roll Paul up for the pin at 12:22.

Rating: B-. The NBA stars were a nice touch and made the match/show feel a bit more important. Other than that, this should get Knight into the ladder match, where Paul can cheat him out of the win and likely set up a title match at Summerslam. Escobar not being the designated victim was a nice surprise, but this was all about Knight vs. Paul.

Post match everyone but Escobar has a staredown, with the villains leaving.

Baron Corbin talks to Apollo Crews, who is happy that Santos Escobar has no chance of being Mr. Money In The Bank. Carmelo Hayes comes in to brag about how he’ll win Money In The Bank.

We get a tribute video to Sika.

Andrade talks about what it would mean to win Money In The Bank.

Women’s Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Blair Davenport vs. Naomi vs. Indi Hartwell

Naomi dropkicks them both down to start but a double crossbody is cut off. Davenport tries to get the pin but Hartwell doesn’t like it, meaning the alliance lasts all of 18 seconds. They go outside with Davenport taking the other two down as we take a break. Back with Naomi making Hartwell DDT Davenport to leave everyone down for a breather. Naomi hits a spinning middle rope kick to the head to put Davenport down before hitting some running forearms in the corner.

Hartwell gets in a shot of her own and covers both of them for two, with commentary not quite getting why. Back up and they all trade forearms until Naomi knocks Davenport down in the corner. The split legged moonsault misses though and they head outside, with Jade Cargill coming out to jump Hartwell as payback for earlier. Naomi’s Bubba Bomb into a rollup finishes Hartwell at 9:28.

Rating: C. I wasn’t feeling this one as it didn’t exactly come off as smooth, with some of the spots just not quite clicking. It’s also a bit much to have the qualifying matches be triple threats, as the novelty, or whatever novelty there might be, wearing off quickly. Not the worst match, but it didn’t exactly work.

DIY is ready for their Tag Team Title shot next week. Austin Theory comes in to say he and Grayson Waller will win next week, but Johnny Gargano suggests that Waller is only in this for himself. Waller comes in to jump Gargano but Theory gets him out of there.

Here is the Bloodline for an acknowledgment ceremony. Paul Heyman handles the induction but Solo Sikoa cuts him off and says he’s introducing the newest member of the Bloodline: Jacob Fatu, Sikoa’s personal enforcer. Sikoa has the Tongans and Fatu acknowledge him, which goes rather quickly. That leaves Heyman, who is rather hesitant. He loads up the lei and says he acknowledges….that Sikoa IS NOT his Tribal Chief.

Sikoa Samoan Spikes Heyman and Fatu adds the top headbutt before a TripleBomb (with Fatu as Reigns) puts Heyman through the announcers’ table. Fatu gives Sikoa the lei to end the show. The countdown to Reigns’ return continues and now we pretty firmly know which side Heyman is going to be on. I believe that’s called the battle lines being drawn.

Overall Rating: B-. The opener and ending segment were the good parts of the show, with the rest being more things that needed to be covered rather than all that interesting on its own. That is only going to get you so far and while the show wasn’t bad, it was being carried by the Bloodline. Hopefully next week is better, as while this wasn’t terrible, it was beneath what Smackdown, and WWE in general, has been doing lately.

Results
Tiffany Stratton b. Jade Cargill and Candice LeRae – Prettiest Moonsault Ever to LeRae
LA Knight b. Logan Paul and Santos Escobar – Rollup to Paul
Naomi b. Blair Davenport and Indi Hartwell – Rollup to Hartwell

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

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Smackdown
Date: June 21, 2024
Location: Allstate Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

It’s time for the return to one of the bigger cities and as you might expect, that means CM Punk is here for a special appearance. We’re getting closer and closer to Punk being able to return to the ring and it would not surprise me to see the recently departed Drew McIntyre show up to go after him here. Let’s get to it.

Here is Clash At The Castle if you need a recap

We open with a look at CM Punk costing Drew McIntyre the Raw World Title at Clash At The Castle. This led to McIntyre quitting WWE the following Monday on Raw.

The fans chant for CM Punk and here he is to get things going. Punk talks about the pressure of live TV and doing it in your hometown is even more pressure. It is even harder to make a promise to your hometown and then have to deliver. He gets nervous every time he hears that static and “LIKE MUSSOLINI” (there’s your Cornette reference) and it always works. Punk brings up promising to win the WWE Title at Money In The Bank 2011 and he lived up to the pressure.

Drew McIntyre couldn’t do that and now McIntyre has quit….and here is Paul Heyman to interrupt, with Punk giving a pretty great surprised reaction. Heyman says this isn’t about disrespect before talking about how hot it is out there and in here. Punk sat next to his children at the Hall Of Fame induction when he was still the wise man to Roman Reigns. The fans chant for Reigns, with Punk saying Heyman is the only person who can get away with hijacking his promo like this.

Heyman gets in and we get a rather emotional hug in a nice moment. The reason Heyman is here is that he heard a radio shot host say that Chicago is Punk’s town and Solo Sikoa doesn’t like that. If Punk doesn’t get out here right now, the Bloodline is coming for him and the extra security is here for the Wyatts rather than a bunch of ticked off Samoans. Heyman is here out of respect to try and keep Punk safe but Punk isn’t worried.

Cue the Bloodline, with Sikoa saying either pay respect to him or never be medically cleared. Punk asks Heyman what he wants to do if Punk does him this favor. Heyman: “Take me with you?” The fans rather approve of that idea so Punk acknowledges….that he is looking at a bunch of fake a** Usos (Heyman buries his face in his hands). Punk: “And a phone cosplay Tribal Chief.”

The fight is teased but Cody Rhodes runs in with a pair of baseball bats and the Bloodline runs. Cody says Sikoa fashions himself as the Head Of The Table (Sikoa: “You d*** right.”) but Cody has already beaten one Head Of The Table. The challenge is on for tonight. This was a long opening segment but dang Punk and Heyman being together again, even for a few moments, felt special. Heyman continues to nail it as the person who is scared of all the changes and just wants Roman Reigns back to make everything better but has to deal with the terror that is the Bloodline.

Jade Cargill talks to Bianca Belair and says that while tonight is about Money In The Bank, they need their Tag Team Titles back. Works for Belair.

Randy Orton and Kevin Owens offer to have Cody Rhodes’ back tonight but Rhodes says he has a plan

Women’s Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Bianca Belair vs. Michin vs. Chelsea Green

Green gets caught between the other two and battered about the head and shoulders to start. She’s fine enough to cut off a flipping Belair and everyone heads outside, where Belair decks Michin by mistake. Green hits a dive onto both of them and we take a break. Back with Green going up but getting double belly to back superplexed down again. Michin and Belair slug it out until Michin gets two off a sunset flip. Eat Defeat sends Belair outside and the Styles Clash hits Green for two. Belair is back in with the KOD to Michin but Green sends her outside and steals the pin at 7:24.

Rating: C+. I can go for more of Green on TV as she is becoming one of the more entertaining things about WWE as of late. She’s had the character stuff down but the last few weeks have shown more and more of her in-ring talents. She’s not likely to win the briefcase, but it’s rather nice to see her getting a win here.

Blair Davenport comes in to see Bayley and promises to not only win Money In The Bank, but also cash in on her.

Solo Sikoa tells Paul Heyman to tell Kevin Owens and Randy Orton that the Tongans are going to….something, as the audio goes mute. Heyman goes to do it, but Sikoa says they need to have a talk when he gets back.

Grayson Waller is ready for his Money In The Bank qualifying match while Austin Theory is at home. DIY comes up to mock him….and a garage door opens. CM Punk is laying on the ground and Drew McIntyre, with his hands bloody, is standing over him. McIntyre carries the unconscious Punk into the arena and drops him onto the stage before stealing a bracelet or a watch. Nick Aldis comes out with referees but McIntyre shoves him as well. Punk is taken out on a stretcher. This is feeling more and more like a featured match at Summerslam and I’m more than down for that.

Men’s Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Tama Tonga vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Randy Orton

Apparently the message that Sikoa gave to Heyman was to make sure Kevin Owens and Randy Orton don’t qualify for Money In The Bank. Makes sense. They fight heads outside fast but Hayes saves Tonga from being dropped onto the announcers’ table. That doesn’t last long as Orton drops both of them onto the table and we take a break. Back with Tonga elbowing Hayes down and hitting him in the face for two.

We hit the chinlock as the fans want Orton back but have to settle for Hayes fighting back to his feet. A facebuster gives Hayes two but a springboard….something is countered into a spinning backbreaker. Orton is back in for the powerslam on Tonga and there’s the superplex for two on Hayes. A poke to the eyes staggers Tonga and Hayes hits Orton with the First 48. Orton is back up with the double hanging DDT but here is Tonga Loa for a distraction. Kevin Owens runs out to cut him off, only to have Hayes roll Orton up for the pin at 9:36.

Rating: C+. Much like Green, I’ll take Hayes getting a win of any kind. What matters here is that Hayes didn’t take a pin. He’s felt like a target practice dummy since he debuted on the main roster and while stealing a pin on Orton isn’t a big game changer, it’s better than looking up at the lights again. Hayes could be something, but he needs to win to make that a reality.

We look at the Wyatt Sicks debut on Raw.

Here is LA Knight for a chat and he gets right to the point: he wants Logan Paul and the US Title out here right now. There is no Paul, which doesn’t work for Knight, as he is tired of Paul no showing everywhere. Next week there’s no running because they’re going head to head (with Santos Escobar) in a Money In The Bank qualifying match.

Then Knight can beat him, win the briefcase, and then beat Paul again to win the US Title. Cue Escobar to interrupt, saying he doesn’t like this disrespect. Escobar comes after Knight, who lays him out with the BFT. Cue Paul to jump Knight from behind and knock him cold with the big right hand. Pretty to the point here, with Knight’s match likely coming at Summerslam, which could be weird in Paul’s hometown.

Men’s Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Grayson Waller vs. Andrade vs. Kevin Owens

Hold on though as the Tongans jump Owens during his entrance, with Randy Orton running in for the save. Owens of course says he can fight so the bell rings, with Andrade clearing the ring to start. The limping Owens fights back and they fight to the apron, where Owens clotheslines Andrade into the ring. Andrade is right back with a running sunset bomb to send Waller to the floor and we take a break.

Back with Andrade cleaning house, including the running knees to both of them in the corner. Owens fights up but walks into a double Downward Spiral from Waller. An A-Town Down attempt is broken up so Waller kicks Owens in the bad leg. Andrade and Waller go into the corner but Owens powerbombs both of them down. The Swanton gets two on Andrade so Owens drops him with a Stunner. Waller breaks it up and goes after the knee, only to walk into the Message to give Andrade the pin at 9:54.

Rating: C+. They’re going in some interesting directions with Money In The Bank and that is nice to see. Andrade is someone else who has been looking for something to do since his return and while this isn’t likely his big break, it’s a nice enough spot for him for the time being. Owens has more important things going on and Waller is already a tag champion so let Andrade have the spot instead.

We look at Cody Rhodes retaining the WWE Title against AJ Styles at Clash At The Castle.

Tiffany Stratton mocks Michin for her loss, with Nia Jax running in to jump Michin from behind.

CM Punk is staying overnight in a hospital and Drew McIntyre will be at Raw.

Cody Rhodes vs. Solo Sikoa

Non-title. Before the match, we cut to Paul Heyman telling Solo Sikoa that he has done his bidding. However, this goes against some of Roman Reigns’ bidding, as Reigns had said that CM Punk was off limits. Punk is personal to Heyman and Cody Rhodes is only supposed to be in check. Sikoa cuts him off and says Roman isn’t coming back. Heyman is devastated and asks what that could mean as Sikoa leaves, only to follow him to ringside. Rhodes takes the brawl to the floor to start and whips Sikoa into the steps. Not that it matters as the Tongas come in for the DQ at 1:41.

Post match Randy Orton and (the limping) Kevin Owens come in for the save and lay out the Tongans, leaving Sikoa backed into a corner. Sikoa begs off….but then starts to smile. JACOB FATU debuts and cleans house with superkicks, setting up a Samoan drop to put Owens onto the steps. Rhodes gets speared through the barricade and drops Cody onto the apron. A Superfly Splash from the top through the announcers’ table crushes Cody and Fatu poses with the Bloodline to end the show.

Of note: commentary did a great job here of selling that Fatu is the crazy member of the family and put him over as the most dangerous of them all. That’s how you use commentary to make someone feel important and catch the fans who might not know him up in a hurry. Well done there, as that’s the kind of thing that can really boost up a first impression.

Overall Rating: B. This was a VERY story heavy show and it seems that they’re turning their attention towards the bigger matches at Summerslam. I’m curious to see where all of that goes and the Bloodline stuff is the icing on the whole cake. They were moving things forward this week and that made for an interesting show which has me wondering where the stories are going. Good show here, and the bigger stuff is on the way.

Results
Chelsea Green b. Bianca Belair and Michin – KOD to Michin
Carmelo Hayes b. Tama Tonga and Randy Orton – Rollup to Orton
Andrade b. Grayson Waller and Kevin Owens – The Message to Waller
Cody Rhodes b. Solo Sikoa via DQ when the Tongans interfered

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

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AND

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

Smackdown
Date: June 14, 2024
Location: OVO Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

We’re in Scotland for the first time and we are less than a day away from Clash At The Castle. As usual, the show is mostly set but there is always the chance that something else could be added. The big story on the blue side is AJ Styles vs. Cody Rhodes in an I Quit match and odds are we’ll be hearing more about it this week. And of course the Bloodline, so let’s get to it.

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

Naomi vs. Chelsea Green

Bayley is here with Naomi and Piper Niven is here with Green. Before the match, Green brags about how the two of them will be Women’s Champion tomorrow but the fans would rather ask if Bayley will be their girl. Naomi loads up a running shot to the face but stops for a slap instead, which granted is the same thing but a bit less impactful. A running dropkick in the corner works a bit better but Green gets in a shot of her own and we take a break.

Back with Naomi fighting out of a chinlock but getting her knee dropkicked out for her efforts. Naomi fights up again and hits a springboard spinning kick to the head, followed by a high crossbody for two. Back up and Green pulls her off the top, setting up a missile dropkick for two of her own. Green tries a rollup with feet on the ropes so Bayley shoves them off, which isn’t cool with Niven. Not that it matters as Naomi uses the distraction to grab a rollup for the pin at 9:26.

Rating: C+. You don’t get to see Green with this kind of offense very often and it was cool for a change. She’s better in the ring than she is given credit for but when you can play a character that well, it can often be overlooked. Naomi gets a win to boost her up a bit and we could be in for something else from her after Clash is over.

We look at Apollo Crews being attacked last week.

Baron Corbin is in Nick Aldis’ office and is thankful for a chance, but Legado del Fantasma comes in. Corbin leaves and Aldis isn’t happy with Legado for attacking Crews last week. The team is being fined, but Santos Escobar will just beat up Crews tonight anyway.

Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair are ready for their two challengers at Clash.

It’s time for the Grayson Waller Effect (following the latest QR codes), with Austin Theory right next to him of course. Theory wants to know where the plants are but apparently Scotland is too depressing for them. We get right to the guests this week, with DIY joining the show. They waste no time in clearing out a bunch of the set (including the one chair for the two guests) and DIY accuses Theory of being Waller’s secretary.

Waller insists that they’re friends and he would take a bullet for him, but we see a clip of Waller pulling Theory in the way of a dive. DIY wants a title shot, but that’s not going to happen right now. Instead Gargano talks to Theory, saying he’s know Theory for a long time and he can’t stand what he’s seeing. Gargano blames Waller and the fight is on, with DIY clearing the ring.

We look at the Bloodline wrecking the Street Profits and Kevin Owens last week.

The Profits tell Owens that they have his back tonight.

Bayley and Naomi run into Blair Davenport in the back but nothing comes of it. Bayley thanks Naomi for being there when Chelsea Green comes in. The distraction lets Piper Niven come in to wreck both of them.

Santos Escobar vs. Apollo Crews

The rest of Legado del Fantasma is here with Escobar. Crews starts fast with a belly to belly but gets sent to the apron, where Legado offers a distraction. Escobar dropkicks him to the floor but here is Baron Corbin to chase off Legado (minus Elektra Lopez). Crews grabs a gorilla press into a standing moonsault for two as we take a break.

Back with Escobar hitting a slingshot hilo for two of his own and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for the same. Crews makes a comeback with a clothesline into a nip up, only to get kneed out of the air. A quick Death Valley Driver gives Crews two but cue Legado for a distraction. Corbin goes to deal with them, allowing Lopez to offer a distraction. Escobar gets the rollup pin at 9:01.

Rating: C+. Every time I see Crews out there, it astounds me more and more that he isn’t a bigger star. His lack of charisma isn’t helping him, but my goodness that kind of look and athleticism should have some kind of a role. For now though, Escobar gets a win to keep himself around, though Legado needs something else to do. Like feuding with….Corbin?

Long recap of Cody Rhodes vs. AJ Styles.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat. A few weeks ago, he thought AJ Styles was actually going to retire. No one wants to be THAT guy, as in the one who sticks around too long and is trying to have one more match. Unfortunately, that is exactly what Styles is starting to look like. We pause for some singing fans before Rhodes won’t say the words I Quit. Cue Styles, with the OC, to say Rhodes gets worked up pretty easily.

Rhodes says Styles can get a lot closer, while leaving Horace and Jasper (there’s a reference I didn’t expect tonight) behind. The fans sing about Rhodes again and we get a graphic showing the sound level in one of those cool little things you would never get in the old days. Styles talks about how hard it was to get to WWE, while Rhodes quit when things got hard around here. Just like he quit New Japan and Ring Of Honor! Then he started a company (the fans gasp) and quit that too!

Rhodes talks about making some big decisions in his career, including walking away from a bunch of companies (there’s one he won’t say). He gambled on himself and this title shows you that he won. Styles quit when he pretended to be Mark Henry for a night to get a title shot. Rhodes will make him quit, with Styles saying it was so easy to make Rhodes say it. Styles: “I can’t quit being phenomenal.” He’s ready to do whatever it takes to beat Rhodes. This was an intense exchange and it’s the kind of match where the result being fairly clear shouldn’t hurt things.

The Bloodline jumps the Street Profits but are cleared out before Kevin Owens can get there.

Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark are ready to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Nia Jax vs. Michin

Tiffany Stratton is on commentary. Michin strikes away before the bell and does it again after the bell, with Eat Defeat sending Jax outside. Stratton offers a distraction but gets beaten up, allowing Jax to run Michin over. The Annihilator finishes for Jax at 1:23. Anything involving more Stratton, even Jax, is a good thing.

Kevin Owens says the Street Profits won’t be able to be there tonight.

Logan Paul was at the Classic Tetris World Championships and lost to a bunch of 14 year olds.

Paul returns home…and finds LA Knight chilling in his pool. Paul tells him to get out, with Knight getting up, picking up his clothes, and saying he’ll see Paul next week in Chicago. As expected, Paul wonders how Knight got through the security.

Carmelo Hayes isn’t sure what he just watched but knows that Knight’s line was lame. He’s ready to be Mr. Money In The Bank and he’ll qualify next week.

Nick Aldis bars the Tonga’s from ringside for the main event. Paul Heyman tells Solo Sikoa that if he loses, he loses his leadership. Sikoa says that if he loses, he’s coming after Heyman. Panicking ensues.

Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn get quite the reception and promise to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Clash At The Castle rundown.

Solo Sikoa vs. Kevin Owens

Paul Heyman is here with Sikoa. It’s a big brawl to start with Owens knocking him to the floor and taking out the Prime stand. Owens hits a running clothesline and the frog splash off the apron as we take a break. Back with Sikoa bailing to the floor to avoid the Cannonball. Sikoa takes over with a shot to the face and the running hip attack in the corner.

Owens grabs a quick DDT though and some rapid fire stomping has Sikoa in trouble. Sikoa catches him on top but makes the mistake of trying a superplex, allowing Owens to fight out and hit a tornado DDT. An exchange of superkicks goes to Owens, who hits a Cannonball into a Swanton for two. They fight to the apron, where Sikoa hits a backdrop and we take a break.

Back again with Owens knocking Sikoa off the top and hitting the frog splash for two. Some Spinning Solos give Sikoa two each but Owens grabs a quick Stunner. Heyman puts the foot on the rope for the save and Owens is immediately out there to attempt to kill him. That’s broken up with a Samoan Spike, followed by another to finish Owens at 16:40.

Rating: B. You know what you’re going to get in a match like this and it worked out rather well. Owens is at his best when he is fighting from underneath and has to get in his shots where he can. We got exactly that here, with Heyman out there fearing for his life, which he does as well as anyone. Good stuff here, with Sikoa getting a nice win to show he can still do it.

Post match the Tongas run in for the beatdown but Randy Orton returns for the save. A bunch of RKO’s end the show. Yeah that works.

Overall Rating: B-. WWE has figured out how they want to do things and how to put whatever people and stories they have going on into the formula. There was very little here that felt new or different but it was still a rather solid two hours. Clash is the big show of course, but this was a good way to get things primed up without wasting two hours.

Results
Naomi b. Chelsea Green – Rollup
Santos Escobar b. Apollo Crews – Rollup
Nia Jax b. Michin – Annihilator
Solo Sikoa b. Kevin Owens – Samoan Spike

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

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

AND

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

Smackdown
Date: May 24, 2024
Location: Jeddah Super Dome, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Corey Graves

We’re in Saudi Arabia with a taped show before tomorrow’s King And Queen Of The Ring. That should make for an interesting show, as we find out the other finalists in both tournaments. WWE has never run a regular TV show from the country before but the crowd should be into things. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look at where Jeddah is in Saudi Arabia. They did that with Backlash and it’s a nice idea.

We see an announcement from earlier this week, with HHH saying that the winners of the King and Queen Of The Ring tournaments will receive World Title shots at Summerslam.

Queen Of The Ring Tournament Semifinals: Bianca Belair vs. Nia Jax

Lyra Valkyria, facing the winner in the finals, is watching from ringside. Jax powers her down to start but Belair is back up with some running shoulders. Some right hands in the corner rock Jax, who misses a charge and goes shoulder first into the post. Belair adds a big slingshot dive and we take a break.

Back with Belair in trouble and Jax crowning herself with a very small crown. Jax goes after the possibly injured knee with a Stretch Muffler but Belair slips out. A Samoan drop plants Belair for two instead but she’s fine enough to get up top or a high crossbody. The knee is banged up on the landing so Jax knocks her down again. The Annihilator is teased but Belair is right back up with a powerbomb out of the corner for two. Belair’s knee won’t let her get the KOD and a backsplash sets up the Annihilator to finish Belair at 11:15.

Rating: C+. They told a story here with the knee and that was good enough for what they needed to do. Jax going against Lyra Valkyria in the finals is a fine way to go, with Valkyria having her David vs. Goliath match. Jax has run through a bunch of stars on the way there (or escaping against Jade Cargill) so she makes sense for the spot in the finals.

Post match Jax talks about buzzing through people, promising to do the same thing to Valkyria tomorrow. She says “buzz/buzzed through” about five times in a minute.

Post break Bianca Belair’s knee is banged up when Tiffany Stratton comes in to call her a loser. With Tiffany Stratton gone, Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae come in to mock her as well. Jade Cargill scares them off and a match is teased.

Here is A-Town Down Under for the Grayson Waller Effect. They waste no time in teasing LA Knight as their guest but Carmelo Hayes interrupts. Hayes thinks they were talking about himself instead of Knight, with Waller agreeing that Hayes is a better guest. The three of them mock various veterans such as Knight, Bobby Lashley and Baron Corbin until Knight interrupts. The beating is on but the Street Profits run in for the save. Sounds six manish.

Video on Blair Davenport.

Street Profits/LA Knight vs. Carmelo Hayes/A-Town Down Under

Hayes and Ford trade wristlocks to start until it’s off to Dawkins for a facebuster. Knight comes in so Hayes bails over to the corner for the tag to Theory. Knight fights out of some cheating and hands it back to Dawkins for an enziguri in the corner. A quick dropkick sends Knight outside and Hayes knocks him down again as we take a break.

Back with Dawkins pulling Hayes out of the air and hitting a t-bone suplex. The tag brings Knight back in to clean house, including the rapid fire stomps in the corner. Hayes blocks the BFT and hits the First 48 as everything breaks down. Knight drives Hayes over the announcers’ table, leaving Ford to frog splash Waller for the pin at 9:10.

Rating: C+. I can always go for a good six man tag as it lets extra people get in the ring without getting too messy. The Profits get a boost and might be in line for another title shot down the line, which is a good way to keep them strong. At the same time you have Knight vs. Hayes coming up, which is a match both of them need to win. Nice stuff here as they covered a few stories at once.

Yesterday at the King And Queen Of The Ring Kickoff, Logan Paul gave up his brass knuckles.

Cody Rhodes runs into Randy Orton and wishes him luck in the King Of The Ring. Randy: “Thanks Code Man.” Orton is apparently confused, as that’s Cody Rhodes, not Cody Lambert.

Summerslam in 2026 is going to be two nights. We don’t know where Summerslam 2025 is going to be, but we know the 2026 schedule.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat but Logan Paul interrupts before he can say a word. Paul says he’s smarter than Cody but he doesn’t need brass knuckles to win the title tomorrow. Cody accuses him of being a cosplaying scared little kid and thinks Paul is carrying another set of brass knuckles. Apparently Michael Cole has the only set of knuckles Paul has ever had, but Cody suggests Paul get checked by a referee.

Paul says check Cody first, with the referee saying Cody is clean. Paul on the other hand has brass knuckles, but says these aren’t even his pants. That makes Paul leave, saying he doesn’t need them to win anyway. Cody cuts him off and says the knuckles are the difference between them. Paul will do anything to win but Cody wants to be the best. He believes Paul is a wrestler but until he gives it his all, he’ll never be on Cody’s level. Giving Paul something to think about is interesting, as that could be some long term seed planting.

Randy Orton is ready for Tama Tonga and isn’t worried about facing the numbers advantage from the Bloodline.

Bayley runs into Nia Jax, who tells her to keep the title clean until Summerslam.

The Street Profits want the Tag Team Titles but DIY come in to say they want the titles. Tommaso Ciampa even pours out the cup.

Bayley vs. Chelsea Green

Non-title and Piper Niven is here with Green. An early shot staggers Bayley and Green hits a missile dropkick for two. Bayley is sent outside early and we take a quick break. Back with Green getting two off a Rough Ryder but Bayley hits the Rose Plant for the pin at 4:44. We might have seen a minute and a half of the match.

Post match Niven wrecks Bayley.

AJ Styles asks Nick Aldis for one more World Title shot but Aldis can’t do it. Styles has to earn the shot and that takes time. Styles says he doesn’t have time, but Aldis can’t help.

Video on Andrade, who is ready to show us who he is.

Legado del Fantasma doesn’t like Andrade.

Paul Heyman talks to Solo Sikoa and reminds him that Tanga Loa isn’t here tonight due to travel restrictions. Sikoa says he knows he’s bringing dangerous people into the Bloodline, but he’s in charge until Roman Reigns comes back. If Heyman has problems with that, he needs to fix them himself. Heyman brings up a problem with Tama Tonga, who pops up and scares Heyman half to death. Tama is ready to win the King Of The Ring.

King And Queen Of The Ring rundown.

King Of The Ring Semifinals: Randy Orton vs. Tama Tonga

Gunther is watching in the front row and Solo Sikoa/Paul Heyman are here too. Tonga slugs away in the corner to start but Orton is back with a fall away slam. They head outside where Tonga flips out of a drop onto the announcers’ table and takes out Orton’s knee as we take a break.

Back with Tonga working on the knee, including another shot to set up a sleeper. Orton breaks that up with a drive into the corner but Tonga grabs it again. Another break lets Orton snap off the powerslam but the knee gives out again. The hanging DDT is countered with a backdrop to the floor, where Orton drops Tonga onto the announcers’ table. Back in and the hanging DDT connects but Sikoa gets up on the apron. That’s broken up in a hurry and the RKO gives Orton the pin at 11:07.

Rating: B-. While I’m not surprised that Orton won, I’m a bit surprised that he won that way. Tonga losing clean so soon is a little weird, though losing to Orton is hardly some career killer. There was no way it would be Gunther vs. Tonga for the finals though, so it was more a matter of how Orton would get there rather than how he would get there.

Post match Sikoa jumps Orton but Kevin Owens runs in for the save.

Overall Rating: B-. The wrestling wasn’t quite as hot this week but it helped that the show had a list of things it needed to accomplish. This show took care of the two tournament finals and the Women’s Tag Team Title match (on the apparently two hour long Kickoff Show, because that’s a thing) while also setting up some things for later. In other words, it’s a WWE show under the HHH formula and as a result, it went pretty well. Tomorrow is what matters, and for once this show had a direct hand in setting that up.

Results
Nia Jax b. Bianca Belair – Annihilator
LA Knight/Street Profits b. A-Town Down Under/Carmelo Hayes – Frog splash to Waller
Bayley b. Chelsea Green – Rose Plant
Randy Orton b. Tama Tonga – RKO

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

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Smackdown
Date: May 17, 2024
Location: VyStar Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

We are just over a week away from King And Queen Of The Ring and that means it is time to start getting ready for the tournament finals. Other than that, we need to get ready for the World Title match between Cody Rhodes and Logan Paul, meaning it’s time for a contract signing. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a King And Queen Of The Ring recap.

Queen Of The Ring Quarterfinals: Bianca Belair vs. Tiffany Stratton

Belair powers her into the corner a few times to start but Stratton gets smart by pulling her down by the hair. Back up and Belair runs her over with a shoulder, followed by a gutbuster. A standing moonsault gives Belair two and Stratton is sent outside, where she uses the hair to pull Belair down again. Belair is sent knee first into the steps and we take a break.

Back with Stratton grabbing an Indian Deathlock and bridging up to stay on the bad knee. Belair makes the rope and the knee is ok enough to snap off a fall away slam. The KOD is countered and Belair puts her down for two of her own. A handspring elbow is countered into a German suplex to plant Stratton again. With nothing else working, Stratton goes evil by raking the eyes and taking out the knee again. The Prettiest Moonsault Ever is blocked though and Belair grabs the KOD for the win at 13:24.

Rating: B. It’s almost weird seeing Stratton lose when she is looking like such a star, but at the same time, Belair is on a different level and has been one of the biggest stars in WWE for a long time. I could very easily see her winning the wold thing and it wouldn’t be a shock. Stratton’s big moment is coming though, as I would be rather surprised if she wasn’t Women’s Champion before the end of the year.

Post match Belair says her knee is banged up but nothing is stopping her.

We look at Logan Paul being named as Cody Rhodes’ next challenger.

Logan Paul runs into LA Knight and tensions flare.

Jade Cargill is ready for the irresistible force because Nia Jax is just standing in her way. Bianca Belair comes in and they’re ready to face each other if we get there.

We look back at Solo Sikoa telling Paul Heyman that Roman Reigns has put Solo in charge of the Bloodline.

Tama Tonga is ready to go and makes various noises as he leaves the Bloodline’s locker room. Paul Heyman asks Solo Sikoa if he talked to him today. Solo: “All the time wise man. All the time.”

LA Knight is ready for Tama Tonga. Carmelo Hayes comes in to offer Knight the chance to welcome him to Smackdown. Knight isn’t impressed and hits his catchphrase before telling Hayes to go play somewhere.

King Of The Ring Quarterfinals: Tama Tonga vs. LA Knight

The Bloodline is here with Tonga. The fight is on to start with Knight hammering away but getting clotheslined down for his efforts. A backdrop gets Knight out of trouble and there’s a running knee in the corner to rock Tama. Solo Sikoa offers a distraction though and Tama hits a running shot in the corner.

We take a break and come back with Tama hitting a basement clothesline but missing a top rope splash. Knight clotheslines him to the floor and rams Tama face first into the apron over and over. Back in and Tonga Loa pulls Tama back to the floor, earning himself a dropkick through the ropes. That’s enough of a distraction for Tama to grab the jumping Downward Spiral for the pin at 8:50.

Rating: C+. Knight winning here didn’t feel like the strongest bet as Tama is being kept strong, meaning a deep run is more likely. The only way I could have seen Knight moving forward was off a DQ or something similar, but giving him the pinfall win makes more sense. At some point Knight needs to win something though, as the fans are only going to stay behind so many big losses.

Post break Knight isn’t happy with the numbers game from the Bloodline and runs into Carmelo Hayes, who mocks him for the loss. Shoving ensues.

Here is Nick Aldis for the Logan Paul/Cody Rhodes contract signing. Paul comes to the ring with his entourage while Rhodes is on his own. Rhodes says thirty two years ago today, right here in Jacksonville, WarGames 1992 took place. He knows this because he’s a fan, while Paul is just passing through. Paul needs to step aside and leave that US Title in good hands on the way out. Paul says he’s heard this since the beginning and he’s here to sign a contract. The fans are all over Paul, who calls them a horrible crowd.

Paul looks to sign, but then tears the deal up. His lawyer brings out his own contract, saying it’s just for the WWE Title and not the US Title. Aldis won’t stand for this but Rhodes tells Aldis that he’s got this. With that, Aldis leaves and Paul signs, saying Rhodes hasn’t earned a US Title shot. Rhodes calls him a human hat rack and promises that Mike Tyson is going to knock Paul’s brother out next weekend. The brawl is on and Rhodes clears Paul out before sending one of the entourage through a table. The fans hate Paul and love Rhodes so this was a hot segment.

Nia Jax isn’t scared of Jade Cargill.

Queen Of The Ring Quarterfinals: Nia Jax vs. Jade Cargill

Nia shoulders her down to start but misses a backsplash. They’re on the floor rather quickly, with Nia yelling at Jade’s daughter in the front row. The fired up Jade sends her into the announcers’ table but gets sent into the timekeeper’s area. Jax grabs a chair but Jade takes it away and hits her with it for the DQ at 2:10. That was their “get Jade out of the tournament free” card but dang did it feel rather lame.

Post match the brawl is on with referees having to break it up.

DIY vs. Angel/Berto

The rest of Legado del Fantasma is here with Angel/Berto and A-Town Down Under is on commentary. Gargano hurricanranas and armdrags Berto to start and it’s off to Ciampa for a clothesline. DIY hit stereo slingshot dives and the villains are down on the floor. Angel low bridges Ciampa to the floor though and we take a break. Back with Ciampa enziguring his way to freedom but Gargano gets pulled off the apron. The Garza Special (Gory Bomb/flipping cutter combination) gets two on Ciampa but he manages to knock Garza back anyway. The hot tag brings in Gargano to clean house until Elektra Lopez grabs his foot. That’s enough for an ejection, leaving DIY to hit Meet In The Middle for the pin on Berto at 8:37.

Rating: C. I like DIY from their NXT days but there isn’t much to them here. They’re the definition of “just kind of there”, with some ok matches and nothing memorable about them whatsoever. Nothing makes them stand out and while they’ll probably get the PPV title match, it’s going to be really hard to get invested in the match. They need something other than “we work hard” because the rest of the division is rapidly passing them by.

Commentary talks about the weird QR codes and see a clip from a therapist, I believe the same one from the Bray Wyatt White Rabbit clips, asking someone if they’re ok since their last session. Graves even mentions remembering what happened the last time the QR codes started popping up.

AJ Styles isn’t sure where he goes next after back to back losses. Next week, he’s going to Nick Aldis and find out where he goes from here.

Bayley is asked about the Queen Of The Ring but Piper Niven and Chelsea Green interrupt. Chelsea blames Bayley for Niven’s loss but Bayley will face Chelsea next week instead.

King Of The Ring Quarterfinals: Randy Orton vs. Carmelo Hayes

They take their time to start until Hayes gets in a single shot, which has Orton less than pleased. Orton sends him into the post a few times and then over the top for the crash to the floor. Hayes avoids being dropped onto the announcers’ table, poses on the table, and then gets dropped onto it. Orton does it again and we take a break.

Back with Hayes working on the leg until Orton makes the clothesline comeback. Hayes avoids the powerslam though and Orton tweaks the knee again to slow things back down. The second attempt connects to give Orton two but Hayes hits the First 48 for the same. Nothing But Net misses though and Orton grabs the hanging DDT. The RKO is countered so Hayes tries a springboard, only to dive into the RKO for the pin at 10:27.

Rating: B-. They’re giving Hayes the “he’s losing but he’s losing to top stars” treatment, which sounds good on paper but he’s going to need to beat some people eventually. Corbin was a good start last week, but he can’t have that be his one big win for the next several months. Other than that, Hayes did a good job here against a legend before ultimately falling, which isn’t a bad way to spend your fourth week on Smackdown.

The Bloodline comes out for the staredown but Orton says he isn’t scared because he is Randy Freaking Orton. An RKO is promised to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The tournaments have been good to WWE TV in recent weeks as they have allowed the shows to be built up with one strong match after another. Save for a two minute Cargill vs. Jax match, that was the situation again here as the tournament semifinals are both set for next week. Add in a hot contract signing and what should be one of the last steps before the QR stuff is revealed and we should be getting somewhere. Solid show here, and if have something better than the DIY match, it goes even higher.

Results
Bianca Belair b. Tiffany Stratton – KOD
Tama Tonga b. LA Knight – Jumping Downward Spiral
Nia Jax b. Jade Cargill via DQ when Cargill used a chair
DIY b. Angel/Berto – Meet In The Middle to Berto
Randy Orton b. Carmelo Hayes – RKO

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

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AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: April 22, 2024
Location: Schottenstein Arena, Columbus, Ohio
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

It’s the last Raw before the Draft and that means things are going to be shaken up again. We are also about two weeks away from Backlash and we have a big main event on the Raw side as Jey Uso will challenge Damian Priest for the World Heavyweight Championship. On top of that, we need a new Women’s World Champion so it’s battle royal time. Let’s get to it.

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

Michael Cole and Pat McAfee are in the ring to start things off and announce that the battle royal will be the main event.

We look at Rhea Ripley vacating the Women’s Title last week to set up the battle royal.

Here is Jey Uso to get things going. He’s ready for Backlash but here is Damian Priest to cut him off. Priest says this whole YEET thing suits Uso and he brings up their history together. Last year, Uso gave him such a beating that Priest came up to him in the locker room and said he earned his respect. They went out drinking that night and Jey said they were next.

The reality is that Priest was next, and he is now. Uso is just the first person to be fed to Priest to make him look good. Priest goes to leave but Uso asks if that is all Priest sees him as. Uso praises him for winning the title but Priest is being fed to him because Uso is becoming the next World Champion. Cue JD McDonagh so Uso throws the superkick, which hits Priest. McDonagh begs forgiveness as Uso leaves.

Raw Tag Team Titles: DIY vs. Awesome Truth

Awesome Truth is defending. R-Truth armdrags Gargano into an armbar to start and it’s quickly off to Miz. Gargano kicks him away and brings in Ciampa, who is quickly caught in a Figure Four. With that broken up, Ciampa bails to the floor so Gargano dives onto R-Truth as we take a break.

Back with R-Truth hitting a sitout gordbuster and handing it back to Miz. Ciampa wastes no time in kneeing him out of the air, only for Miz to get in a shot of his own. The tag brings in R-Truth to pick up the pace, at least until Gargano superkicks him into a Pedigree for two. Meet In The Middle hits R-Truth but Miz pulls Gargano out at two, setting up the Truth Crushing Finale to retain at 10:06.

Rating: C. Awesome Truth isn’t exactly out there to have instant classics but they work well enough to get by. They needed to get their first win like this and it went well, as DIY are great choices for such opponents. At the same time, DIY needs to win something already, but I’m not sure I can imagine it happening anytime soon.

Post match Ciampa isn’t happy and won’t shake hands (Gargano did).

JD McDonagh begs Damian Priest for forgiveness when Dominik Mysterio comes in. He’s banged up and can’t team with McDonagh tonight, so he’s gotten Santos Escobar to do it instead. The rest of the team isn’t thrilled.

Here is Gunther, with Imperium, for a chat. Gunther talks about elevating the Intercontinental Title to never before seen heights and that left a big target on his back. That weight has been lifted off his back, so he thanks Sami Zayn for allowing him to become the hunter again.

We are in a new era and now he is entering the King Of The Ring tournament, which will allow him to decide which title to come after. Cue New Day to interrupt, with Xavier Woods saying that since he is the reigning King Of The Ring, Gunther is A USURPER! Woods is going to become a two time King Of The Ring but Gunther says he will elevate the crown by winning the tournament. New Day brings up Gunther losing the title and a tag match is made.

Imperium vs. New Day

Kaiser drives Kingston into the corner to start so it’s off to Vinci, who gets chopped into trouble. Everything breaks down and Imperium manages to clear the ring as we take a break. We come back with Woods getting the tag and firing off some clotheslines. A running crotch attack against the ropes/dropkick through the ropes hits Imperium but Vinci blasts Kingston with a clothesline for two. The Imperium Bomb is broken up and the UpUpDownDown finishes Vinci at 9:14.

Rating: C+. Nice match as usual between these teams, though hearing that it was going to happen again didn’t exactly get my interest. They’ve fought so many times that it is hard to get interested again. Odds are this is not going to sit well with Gunther, who has been tired of Imperium screwing up more than once. New Day getting a win helps them a bit, but they still need something new.

Post match Gunther is livid and leaves Imperium in the ring. Kaiser then jumps Vinci and leaves him laying. Security breaks it up but Kaiser hits a running dropkick to send him into the steps. Kaiser walks to the back, where Gunther is waiting for him in approval.

Andrade recaps his issues with the Judgment Day, saying he is no one’s servant. Now he is their biggest problem.

We look at the United Kingdom tour.

Here is Drew McIntyre to sit down (McIntyre: “Don’t shoot up my kilt you perv.”). He doesn’t get why people chant for CM Punk every time he’s out there when Punk doesn’t care for any of them. After saying if you say WHAT you French kiss your sister (Fans: “WHAT!” McIntyre: “You guys are sick.”), McIntyre talks about how Punk cost him everything at Wrestlemania. Now it’s on to the King of the Ring but here is Sheamus to interrupt.

Sheamus says McIntyre cost himself everything at Wrestlemania when his family was there supporting him. They have traveled the world together but a one armed Punk beat McIntyre up. Sheamus says McIntyre needs to get Punk’s name out of his head but McIntyre calls out Sheamus for gaining weight while he was gone. Sheamus: “I can lose the weight but you can’t lose stupid.” They argue over what people say about Sheamus’ weight but McIntyre promises to watch Sheamus’ back (in a bit of an ominous way). We’ve done this before, though McIntyre and Sheamus doing anything together is good to see.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sheamus

Or McIntyre vs. Sheamus according to Cole (which he does correct after a break). Nakamura strikes away to start and knocks him to the apron before choking in the corner. McIntyre leans over to McAfee and talks about how this company is succeeding due to the work of people like Sheamus.

A hard shot puts Nakamura down (McIntyre approves) and we hit the forearms to the chest. The rather banged up Nakamura is sent outside but he comes back with a kick to the head. Nakamura knees him in the back of the head and we take a break. Back with Sheamus hitting the Irish Curse and a top rope clothesline gets two.

Sheamus misses a charge into the corner and gets caught with the sliding German suplex, setting up Nakamura’s sliding German suplex. The chinlock doesn’t last long and Sheamus manages a super White Noise for two more. The Brogue Kick misses so Sheamus knees him down for another near fall. Nakamura slips out of the High Cross but walks into the Brogue Kick to give Sheamus the pin at 11:18.

Rating: B. This is the kind of match that Sheamus needed to really show that he’s back. The match was about taking two hard hitting stars and letting them beat the fire out of each other for awhile. Odds are we’ll be seeing something between Sheamus and McIntyre, so it’s nice to see Sheamus getting a nice boost on the way there.

McIntyre applauds Sheamus’ efforts.

We recap Sami Zayn defeating Chad Gable last week, resulting in Gable snapping on him in a rather violent way.

Zayn says he is angry and hurt but he’s biting his tongue. He’ll be listening for Gable’s explanation later tonight. Bronson Reed comes in to say he’s a bigger problem than Gable. Zayn says anytime, anyplace. Then Reed jumps him.

Here are Chad Gable and the Alpha Academy for a chat, but first we see a clip from the Pat McAfee Show, with Charles Barkley talking about how he didn’t like what Gable did to Sami Zayn. Gable says Zayn is having a rough week but what he did to Zayn was justified. Gable talks about last week’s main event and how big of a deal it was. That was important enough, but then Zayn put the title in front of his face.

That would set some people off, but Gable gave him his moment. Then Zayn celebrated with his wife despite knowing Gable was standing right there. Gable should have been at Wrestlemania in front of his family but he has been training a bunch of losers. He gets on Akira Tozawa for losing too often, Maxxine Dupri for being dumb and Otis for being a huge disappointment. From now on, it’s all about Gable, with everyone here helping him. Gable wants to hear them say it, with Otis reluctantly agreeing. That’s a perfectly acceptable explanation, but it seems like we are looking at a slow burn heel turn for Otis.

Dominik Mysterio, with his arm in a sling, comes up to Ricochet, who cuts him off and doesn’t want to hear Mysterio’s threats. Tonight he’ll take out JD McDonagh in a tag match and then do it again in their match for Speed. Ricochet leaves and Liv Morgan comes in for a staring from Mysterio.

Nia Jax promises to win the title tonight.

Ricochet/Andrade vs. JD McDonagh/Santos Escobar

Dominik Mysterio is here with McDonagh/Escobar. Ricochet knocks Escobar into the corner to start and hits a quick elbow for two. Back up and Ricochet cranks on the neck before snapping off an anklescissors. McDonagh comes in to elbow Ricochet in the face for two before dropping him with a hard belly to back suplex. The fans tell Dominik to shave his mustache and don’t like it when he trips Ricochet up, allowing Escobar to get in a cheap shot.

We take a break and come back with Ricochet fighting out of the corner. It’s back to Andrade for some dragon screw legwhips into the running knees in the corner to Escobar. Ricochet comes in with the springboard clothesline into the running shooting star press for two. Escobar and Ricochet collide for a double knockdown so it’s Andrade coming in for the two Amigos. McDonagh makes the save and all four head up. Andrade knocks McDonagh down and Escobar snaps off a super hurricanrana to send Ricochet….right onto McDonagh. Andrade grabs the Shadow to finish McDonagh at 11:54.

Rating: C. This had its moments with the athleticism and flips, but they weren’t exactly gelling in a lot of ways. Some of the stuff was looking a bit messy and at the same time, the match was kind of confusing as Ricochet and Andrade aren’t a regular team and Escobar is a replacement. Andrade’s push continues though, and he might be in line for something bigger if he stays on this path.

Post match Damian Priest runs in to take out Ricochet and Andrade. Priest says he doesn’t need McDonagh and Escobar but they need him.

Video on Zoey Stark.

Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell are asked about being all evil when they’re interrupted by a fight between Liv Morgan and Nia Jax. Becky Lynch comes in and steals the microphone. She goes towards the ring and runs into Maxxine Dupri, who gets a quick pep talk. Lynch goes back to walking and says she’ll be waiting for Rhea Ripley whenever she gets back.

Raw Women’s Title: Battle Royal

Becky Lynch, Indi Hartwell, Candice LeRae, Shayna Baszler, Nia Jax, Liv Morgan, Zoey Stark, Natalya, Kayden Carter, Katana Chance, Piper Niven, Chelsea Green, Ivy Nile, Maxxine Dupri

For the vacant title. Niven and Jax slug it out to start but can’t get very far. Lynch has to get back inside and Natalya is sent to the apron for an early elimination tease. We slow down a bit until Dupri dumps out LeRae for the first elimination. Dupri gets rid of Hartwell too and we take an early break.

Back with Carter and Chance getting to clean some house until Baszler and Stark get rid of both of them. Nia tosses Nile into the post for the elimination but Dupri fires off some kicks. Then Jax eliminates her as well, with the fans not being pleased. Niven gets low bridged to the apron and Lynch kicks her out. That’s not cool with Niven, who pulls Lynch outside (not eliminated) and crushes her against the steps.

Niven loads up the announcers’ table but stops to pull Jax outside (not eliminated). That’s fine with Jax, who chokeslams and Samoan drops Niven onto Lynch. As this is going on, Natalya eliminates Green but the referee misses it, allowing Green to get back in. We take another break and come back again with Lynch still mostly done on the floor. Green and Natalya brawl on the apron until Stark kicks Green out.

Natalya is knocked out as well, leaving us with Morgan, Jax, Stark, Baszler and the out of it Lynch. Jax punches Stark and Baszler out as Lynch is pulling herself back inside. Morgan kicks away at Jax and it’s a Codebreaker/neckbreaker combination to Jax to put all three of them down. Jax is back up with some Samoan drops and sends them both to the apron. A double Stunner slows Jax down but she suplexes both of them at the same time.

Jax goes up and gets knocked to the apron, where a Codebreaker and middle rope Fameasser get rid of her. We’re down to Lynch vs. Morgan, with Lynch knocking her to the apron. Morgan pulls her through the ropes to the same apron and they fight over a suplex. That doesn’t work so it’s a Manhandle Slam to give Lynch the win and the title at 21:47.

Rating: B-. This got a lot of time and they got us to the end with multiple viable options. Jax, Morgan and Lynch were the three most likely choices to win and they went with the best of those three. Lynch definitely feels like a safe pick and there is nothing wrong with that given the circumstances. Good main event here and it felt like a big moment, as it should have.

Lynch celebrates in the crowd (including hugging a lot of young girls in a nice moment) to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. There was enough good action here and the ending felt important. The interesting part to me here was that the show focused on King & Queen of the Ring and Backlash, but the Draft was barely ever mentioned. That makes a lot of sense as there is only so much you can do with previewing something as random as the Draft. The next two shows are going to be interesting, but this show was mainly about getting ready for the next few big events. There are quite a few of them coming up, so getting this kind of night in helped them a bit.

Results
Awesome Truth b. DIY – Truth Crushing Finale to Gargano
New Day b. Imperium – UpUpDownDown to Vinci
Sheamus b. Shinsuke Nakamura – Brogue Kick
Ricochet/Andrade b. JD McDonagh/Santos Escobar – Shadow to McDonagh
Becky Lynch won a battle royal last eliminating Liv Morgan

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: April 15, 2024
Location: Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We’re getting back to normal this week as Wrestlemania is now getting more firmly in the rear view mirror. Last week saw Jey Uso become the new #1 contender to Damian Priest so odds are we’ll be hearing more from them this time. The main event is a big one though as hometown boy Sami Zayn will be defending the Intercontinental Title against Chad Gable. Let’s get to it.

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

Earlier today, people who work here came to work.

Here is Rhea Ripley to get things going and her arm is in a sling. She looks very upset and gets right to the point: she’s out for a few months and has to vacate the Women’s World Title. Ripley blames the Liv Morgan Revenge Tour and promises to come back and have to be put in jail to avoid killing Morgan. Cue Morgan, with security having to hold them apart. Ripley beats up one of the guards.

Post break the Judgment Day gives Ripley a hug and tell her to come back and make Morgan regret it.

Sheamus vs. Ivar

Sheamus, complete with his old theme music, is in shorts now instead of his regular gear. Hitting Ivar doesn’t get very far so they go up top, with Sheamus muscling him up for a super White Noise. We take a break and come back with Sheamus hitting a powerslam, setting up the ten forearms. Ivar kicks Sheamus in the head and hits the top rope splash for two but Sheamus fights out of the corner. A running knee sets up the Brogue Kick to finish Ivar at 8:18.

Rating: C+. Sheamus is back at what he does best by hitting people really hard until the match is over. He’s the definition of a simple character and that is not a bad thing. That’s what he did here against someone who can slug right back with him. If nothing else, having the old theme back freshens things up a bit, which is long overdue.

Video on Chad Gable vs. Sami Zayn.

Here is HHH for a chat, with Pat McAfee making a Terry Ryzing reference. HHH talks about how hot the crowd is tonight before talking about how many changes happened at Wrestlemania. This included the Tag Team Titles changing hands so let’s bring out Awesome Truth. We get a long bit of praise for the champs before HHH (with Adam Pearce) unveils the new World Tag Team Titles.

R-Truth thinks HHH is a magician because those titles just appeared! He doesn’t trust magicians after Little Jimmy…..so he knows that’s really Tommaso Ciampa! Miz calms things down a bit and talks about being in Montreal, thinking the fans want Sami Zayn. Miz explains the idea to R-Truth in French….and that just works. HHH: “Can I just go please?” He swaps the titles, shakes their hands, and wishes Pearce luck before leaving. Pearce isn’t pleased but let’s get to the triple threat #1 contenders match.

I like the new titles (they’re gold, but for some reason they look like WWE themed pizzas) but this felt like a segment designed to have R-Truth out there doing his wacky stuff. That is still entertaining, though it came off a bit forced here. Either way, the new titles are definitely an improvement over the rather dated previous versions.

New Day vs. Creed Brothers vs. DIY

During New Day’s entrance (complete with Xavier Woods doing Buff Bagwell’s strut and pose), we get a weird graphic to interrupt the signal but it isn’t acknowledged. Brutus powers Woods and Ciampa around to start, setting up a double clothesline. We hear about Brutus ripping the handles off microwaves when he was in school as the Creeds’ stereo suplexes are broken up. The Creeds cut off DIY’s dives so New Day hit dives of their own as we take a break.

Back with Julius and Ciampa slugging it out, with Julius getting the better of things. Trouble In Paradise is blocked as everything breaks down again. Project Ciampa gets two on Kofi but the Fairy Tale Ending is broken up. Woods comes in with a tornado DDT and the Honor Roll before having to drop Brutus. The Creeds are back up to clean house, including a pair of double suplexes for a double near fall. Back up and the Brutus Ball is broken up, leaving Woods to hit a top rope elbow on Julius. That takes too long though and DIY hits Meet In The Middle on Woods for the pin at 10:32.

Rating: C+. That was certainly a triple threat tag match for a future title shot and I’m not sure what else they were expecting. There’s not much to see here outside of the normal, expected stuff. DIY getting the shot is fine as they have a connection to the champs and are just enough of a threat to possibly take the belts.

We look at Jey Uso becoming the #1 contender last week.

Drew McIntyre won’t say anything about it but seems livid.

Ivy Nile/Maxxine Dupri vs. Candice LeRae/Indi Hartwell

Nile takes Hartwell down to start and hands it off to Dupri for a high crossbody. A fisherman’s suplex gives Dupri two but she stops to yell at LeRae, allowing Hartwell to get in a clothesline. LeRae comes in to stomp away but Hartwell offers a distraction, with Dupri grabbing a DDT. Hartwell offers a distraction though and the referee doesn’t see the tag. That means Hartwell can come in with a big boot to give LeRae the pin at 3:36.

Rating: C-. This story has been going for a few weeks now and while it has been progressing, it isn’t very interesting. Hartwell and LeRae feel like the bottom rung of the division and trying to make them into more of a thing isn’t exactly working. Dupri still needs so much ring time to get better and having her in these short matches on Raw isn’t doing her much good.

Video on Damian Priest’s rise to the top of WWE.

Priest tells the Judgment Day to keep focused even if Rhea Ripley is hurt. Tonight, JD McDonagh and Dominik Mysterio need to deal with Andrade while Finn Balor needs to take out Jey Uso.

Earlier today, Chad Gable was training with the Creed Brothers in the ring. He’s trained Sami Zayn, but that means he knows Zayn’s weaknesses too.

Dominik Mysterio vs. Andrade

JD McDonagh is here with Mysterio. Andrade starts fast with the corner chops into a crossbody but Dominik is fine enough to reverse the third Amigo. McDonagh offers a distraction though and Dominik gets in a cheap shot as we take a break. Back with Andrade hitting the running knees in the corner, only to miss the moonsault. They head to the apron with Dominik hitting a Canadian (or “this country” according to McAfee) Destroyer for two, only for Andrade to come back with the Message for the pin at 8:40.

Rating: C. They lost me a good bit near the end, with a Canadian Destroyer on the apron being such a nothing part of the match. That really should be a bigger deal but the match was over about thirty seconds later. Other than that, Andrade just isn’t clicking for whatever reason. Maybe he needs someone to talk for him, but there’s a piece missing and it’s holding him back.

Post match McDonagh comes in for the beatdown on Andrade with Ricochet making the save.

We look at Tama Tonga joining the Bloodline and taking out Jimmy Uso.

Jey Uso isn’t sure what’s going on but he told Jimmy to come with him. Enough of that though, as he has Finn Balor tonight.

Piper Niven/Chelsea Green vs. Katana Chance/Kayden Carter

Niven runs both of them over to start so it’s off to Green. Carter has some better luck and works on the arm before putting Green in a fireman’s carry. Chance comes off the top, jumps off Green’s back and…is pulled out of the air by Niven. A fall away slam sends Chance flying and a basement crossbody crushes Carter to give Green the pin at 2:11.

We look back at the opening segment.

Liv Morgan says this is karma for Rhea Ripley injuring her and says this is just the beginning of her Revenge Tour. The ending will be her winning the Women’s World Title.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat. He’s glad to be on Raw despite being a Smackdown guy (don’t worry because he’s not going anywhere) but we can’t talk about Wrestlemania forever. We are on our way to Backlash where this title will be on the line, but he does want to thank Seth Rollins for being his shield at Wrestlemania. The Rock had something to say yesterday when he talked about the training he did, with Cody knowing that Rock has more in him. That brings him to the Bloodline, and here is someone who knows them very well.

Cue Jey Uso, with Cole being amazed at how much McAfee gets into the dance. Cody welcomes Jey and says he’d love to have Jey’s back like Jey had his. Jey appreciates the offer but wants to do this on his own, which Cody understands. Cody: “Until we yeet again.”

Nia Jax doesn’t care about Rhea Ripley and is ready to win the Women’s World Title.

Jey Uso vs. Finn Balor

Balor runs in from behind to jump Jey before the bell and we start fast. The loud chop in the corner has Jey wincing around the ring before Balor sends him to the apron. Some right hands knock Jey outside and we take an early break. Back with Jey hitting an enziguri to leave both of them down, followed by the dancing right hands. The Samoan drop gives Jey two but Balor rakes the eyes to take over again. The Sling Blade looks to set up the Coup de Grace but Jey rolls away, setting up the spear. Jey drops the Superfly Splash for the clean pin at 9:12.

Rating: B-. This was the “here’s a win for Jey to get him ready for the World Title match”. While Jey isn’t likely to win, he’s just close enough that you could buy a fluke win and that’s not a bad thing. Jey has been in enough big matches on his own that something could come of this, though the Bloodline is going to be looming. For now though, a win over Balor means a lot for him, especially when it’s completely clean.

Post match Damian Priest comes out for the staredown but here are Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh to run in for the beatdown on Jey. They head outside and Jey manages to whip two of them together and escape through the crowd. We follow Jey through the concourse (where he shoves a fan away for trying to get in front of him for a video).

Jey runs into Sami Zayn, who is looking up at the building. This is where he saw his first show, and now he’s headlining. We follow Zayn into the arena and he comes through the crowd with a Canadian flag wrapped around his shoulders. Jey leaving until Zayn came into the arena was one long tracking shot and my goodness that was great.

Chad Gable is coming to the ring but runs into Bronson Reed, who is waiting for the winner.

Intercontinental Title: Chad Gable vs. Sami Zayn

Zayn is defending and gets the hometown reception during the Big Match Intros. Gable easily wrestles him down to the mat to start but Zayn takes it to the floor. Zayn’s tease of a dive lets him bounce back into the middle as we take a break. Back with Zayn trying to run the corner but Gable drops him down, with Zayn favoring his knee. The top rope headbutt gives Gable two and Gable works on the knee.

That’s broken up and Zayn hits a middle rope elbow to the head as McAfee keeps trying to speak French. Zayn knocks him to the floor and hits an Arabian moonsault as we take another break. Back again with Gable hitting a super Angle Slam and they’re both down. Gable is up with some rolling German suplexes, only to have Zayn reverse into his own string of German suplexes.

They trade standing switches until Zayn puts him down again for another double breather. Gable charges into the corner but gets caught with the exploder, only to have the Helluva Kick countered into the ankle lock. Zayn tries to reverse into a Sharpshooter (of course) but the ankle gives out before he can pull it on. The ankle lock goes on again, only to have Zayn roll out. The Helluva Kick (limping version) retains the title at 17:24.

Rating: B. Good main event here with Zayn getting the clean win to help make up for some of his loss to Roman Reigns here last year. In theory this should wrap things up with Gable and move Zayn on to Bronson Reed, though it makes me wonder what is next for Gable. It’s a shame to see him drop back down after doing some rather good stuff in recent weeks, but that’s pretty normal for him around here.

Post match Zayn celebrates…and Gable jumps him from behind. Gable puts on an ankle lock in the corner and Zayn is in agony to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. They shifted back towards a much more normal Raw this week, though the Draft coming up in two weeks is going to change everything again. What mattered here was starting to set things up for Backlash and we have one match set with some more looking likely. You can’t keep up the Wrestlemania season energy all year but they did enough here to keep the show interesting, which is all you can do after such a big time ends. Nice enough show this week.

Results
Sheamus b. Ivar – Brogue Kick
DIY b. New Day and Creed Brothers – Meet In The Middle to Woods
Indi Hartwell/Candice LeRae b. Maxxine Dupri/Ivy Nile – Big boot to Dupri
Andrade b. Dominik Mysterio – Message
Piper Niven/Chelsea Green b. Katana Chance/Kayden Carter – Basement crossbody to Carter
Jey Uso b. Finn Balor – Superfly Splash
Sami Zayn b. Chad Gable – Helluva Kick

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Wrestlemania XL Night One
Date: April 6, 2024
Location: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Pat McAfee, Corey Graves, Michael Cole
National Anthem: Coco Jones

We have arrived. It’s time for the biggest show of the year and in this case, the main event of night one is going to have an impact on that of night two. We have Cody Rhodes/Seth Rollins teaming up with the Bloodline, with the winners determining the stipulations for Rhodes’ title shot against Roman Reigns. Other than that, Rhea Ripley defends the Raw Women’s Title against Becky Lynch. Let’s get to it.

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

There is a new Then, Now and Forever video, which is rather awesome looking and has a lot of blue.

Coco Jones sings the National Anthem, which is a big change from decades of America the Beautiful.

Michael Cole welcomes us to the show and talks about the main event.

The opening video talks about the greatness of Philadelphia before moving on to the greatness that is Wrestlemania. Alas no Sylvester Stallone, but we’ll have to settle for Meek Mill.

Here is HHH (er sorry: Paul “Triple H” Levesque) for the big opening. He loves this stuff and welcomes us to the show. End of appearance.

We recap Becky Lynch challenging Rhea Ripley for the Raw Women’s Title. Lynch was the biggest star in the world and needs to prove that she still has it against Ripley, who is the best in the world right now. I’ve heard worse ideas.

Raw Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley vs. Becky Lynch

Ripley is defending and is played to the ring by Motionless In White. Lynch counters this by….having strep throat. Ouch. Ripley shoves her into the corner to start but Lynch snaps the arm over the ropes to go after the previously injured wrist. They head outside for a bit, with Ripley firing off shoulders in the corner back inside. A suplex gives Ripley two and she stomps Lynch down, setting up an Eddie frog splash.

The dance takes too long though, allowing Lynch to grab a top rope armdrag. A tornado DDT plants Ripley and Lynch drapes her over the ropes for the middle rope legdrop to the back. Back in and Ripley faceplants Lynch to take over and a knee to the face gets two. Riptide is blocked though and Lynch goes for the cross armbreaker, which is….eventually broken up with three straight powerbombs.

The arm is ok enough for Ripley to kick Lynch in the face for two, setting up the exchange of strikes. Ripley misses a charge into the post and Lynch grabs the Disarm-Her in the corner. That’s reversed into the Prism Trap with a bodyscissors but Lynch stacks her up for two instead. Riptide is reversed into a release Manhandle Slam for two and Lynch is getting frustrated. Another Disarm-Her attempt is countered into the Riptide for two and now it’s Ripley’s turn to be stunned.

They go up top where Lynch grabs a superplex and floats over into the Disarm-Her. That’s countered into an electric chair and they fall over the top to the floor without breaking it up. The electric chair drop onto the floor has Lynch crashing down hard, followed by a frog splash for two back inside. Back up and they head to the top again, where Lynch’s super Manhandle Slam is blocked. Instead it’s a Riptide onto the buckle (that’s a new one) into the regular Riptide to retain the title at 17:08.

Rating: B. This felt like both a rather good match as well as an official passing of the torch. While Ripley had been the biggest star in the women’s division for a good while, she needed to beat the biggest women’s star ever to cement her status. It was a heck of a fight and Lynch certainly made it interesting, but this was about Ripley getting her big title defense and it worked well. Heck of an opener here.

Pretty Deadly preview the six team ladder match, complete with impressions of the teams. These two are always hilarious because they lean into the cheese that hard.

Tag Team Titles: Judgment Day vs. Awesome Truth vs. DIY vs. New Day vs. Austin Theory/Grayson Waller vs. New Catch Republic

Judgment Day is defending in a ladder match, with the two sets of titles hanging up in different places (that sounds splitty to me). They’re going rapid fire with the entrances for obvious reasons, but they go so fast that the Awesome Truth’s graphics are still up for New Catch Republic, with commentary mocking the production team as a result. Xavier Woods is in Consequences Creed gear, which is rather appropriate here.

It’s a big brawl to start (of course) and a bunch of people go after Priest, leaving Theory and Waller to climb a ladder each. That’s broken up as well with a bunch of people going up in a less than successful attempt. The champs come back in and wreck people until Bate torture racks Balor and a ladder for an upside down airplane spin. You know, because he can do that. The Republic goes up top on the ladder at ringside and moonsault down onto a pile of people each.

Back in and Bate goes up so Priest Razor’s Edges Dunne into the ladder for a big double crash down. Miz gets double teamed so Truth….stands on the apron and begs for the tag. Naturally Miz gets away and makes the diving tag, allowing Truth to use initiate John Cena’s finishing sequence on Balor.

The crowd counts the pin off the AA so Truth thinks he won but DIY is back in. Truth has Johnny Gargano tune up the band (because Truth thinks he’s Shawn Michaels) and it’s a superkick to Priest, setting up Ciampa’s Fairy Tale Ending. DIY and Awesome Truth decide to go after a title each but Theory and Waller make the save…and win the Smackdown Tag Team Titles at 7:31.

New Day cuts off Theory from going for the other belts before the Republic throws Waller off a ladder and through another one at ringside (Waller held onto his belt of course). DIY clean house and load up some tables at ringside (oh dear), with Truth setting up another one on another side. New Day is back in and set Ciampa on another bridged ladder, with Woods hitting the Limit Break.

Kofi goes up and Trust Falls onto a bunch of people on the floor but Theory cuts off Woods’ climb. The Republic breaks that up and the Birminghammer drops Theory again. A slingshot DDT through a table takes out Gargano and Dunne, leaving Ciampa to hit an Air Raid Crash off the ladder to plant Bate.

Truth goes up but cue JD McDonagh to pull him down and help Balor climb up. New Day isn’t having that and chairs Balor down, setting up a toss to send McDonagh through the tables. Priest comes back in to wreck New Day until Miz cuts him off. Priest chokeslams Miz down as the ladder is breaking underneath them. A fresh ladder is brought in, with Truth AA’ing Priest to the floor, leaving Truth to climb the ladder and get the belts for the win at 17:32.

Rating: C+. It was a six way tag team ladder match with twelve people involved, plus McDonagh interfering. There is only so much you’re going to be able to get out of a mess like this and they did about as well as possible. It’s a fun match with some big crashes, but the titles being split is what matters most here. I’m not sure they needed to be, but I’ll take this over two people with so many belts at once.

Olympic gold medal winning wrestler Jordan Burroughs is here.

We recap Rey Mysterio/Andrade vs. Dominik Mysterio/Santos Escobar. Rey and Escobar have been feuding since Escobar turned on him in November but Dominik got involved to teach his father a lesson again. Both of them have partners so let’s have a tag match.

Rey Mysterio/Andrade vs. Santos Escobar/Dominik Mysterio

The LWO and Legado del Fantasma are here too. Rey snaps off a headscissors to Escobar to start and it’s quickly off to Dominik. Everything breaks down in a hurry with the villains being sent outside. Andrade goes up so Rey sits on his shoulders and they dive onto the floor for a double crossbody while still being attached. Back in and Dominik breaks up the 619 before sending Rey outside again.

Escobar takes over on the floor and it’s a slingshot hilo to give Dominik two back inside. Dominik elbows him down for two more and a double basement dropkick gives Escobar the same. The seated abdominal stretch goes on as commentary talks about Carlito being unhappy with not being Andrade’s partner here. Rey Code Reds his way to freedom and the tag brings in Andrade to clean house.

Andrade’s running knees hit Dominik in the corner but he neckbreakers his way out of trouble. Rey comes in to beat up on the now legal Escobar as everything breaks down. Some Legado interference lets Escobar hit a super hurricanrana. Everyone else gets in a fight at ringside, including Wilde’s insane slingshot dive to the floor. Dominik grabs a chair but two rather large men in masks grab both the chair and Dominik, who is sent inside. Andrade takes out Dominik, leaving Rey to hit a top rope splash to pin Escobar at 11:00.

Rating: C+. I’m a little surprised that Rey beat Dominik (albeit indirectly this time) for the second year in a row but at least Andrade seems to be getting a push. Carlito might not be happy with it though and that opens up a door. If nothing else, this might be the end of Rey vs. Escobar, which is kind of a shame as Escobar felt like he had potential.

The masked men are former Philadelphia Eagles Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson.

We recap Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso. It’s a battle of the twins, with the two of them being so close for so long until Jimmy decided to side with the Bloodline against Jey. This included Jimmy costing Jey the World Title at Summerslam….and now the match is taking place eight months later.

Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso

Jey is rapped to the ring by Lil Wayne and then dives onto Jimmy to start the brawl before the bell. They get back inside for the bell and Jey hits the big dive to drop him again. Back in and a high crossbody gives Jey two but Jimmy grabs something close to a pop up Samoan drop (it doesn’t quite land). Jimmy slowly kicks him down, then does it again a few more times. The Superfly Splash misses so Jey hits a superkick of his own.

They slug it out (YEET/NO YEET) before trading jumping enziguris. An exchange of superkicks goes to Jey, with Jimmy being knocked into the corner. Jey kicks him down and loads up another big one but Jimmy begs off. Jimmy apologizes and Jey (eventually) accepts it, earning the cheap superkick from Jimmy in the process. The Superfly Splash gives Jimmy two but Jey hits a spear into his own Superfly Splash for the pin at 11:09

Rating: D. Oh yeah that didn’t work. Its a mixture of a few problems, starting with the fact that they wrestle such similar styles. You can only get so much out of that many kicks to the face and then a lame fake apology. The other problem is there was zero reason to believe Jimmy was going to win. In the time since Summerslam, Jey has turned into a solid midcard star who can be taken seriously. On the other hand, Jimmy is little more than a comedy goof most of the time.

This is a match that made sense on paper, but it needed to be a much more physical brawl and it needed to come about seven months earlier. As it is, it was a match that should have been a good brawl but instead it felt like “ok they’re having their match so they can say they did it at Wrestlemania.” This was a really bad miss and that’s a shame.

Ad for WWE Experience in Saudi Arabia. This was LOUDLY booed in the stadium.

We recap the Kabuki Warriors vs. Naomi/Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill, which is pretty much “these three women are amazing together” and Damage CTRL are little more than designated victims.

Naomi/Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill vs. Damage CTRL

Damage CTRL have a bunch of Japanese women dancing before their entrance, while the other three all step off a scissor lift for individual entrances. This includes Cargill, who has hacked off a lot of her hair. Naomi sends Asuka into the corner to start but gets caught by Sane, who sends her outside. The top rope elbow to the floor hits a standing Naomi and it’s back inside so Asuka can hit Naomi in the face a few times.

Naomi kicks her way to freedom and hands it off to Belair as they’re saving Cargill for the big moment. Belair grabs a vertical suplex while marching around the ring, because of course she can do that. A handspring moonsault hits all three villains for two but Kai cuts off the tag to Cargill.

The running knee gives Asuka two on Belair but she’s right back up to hand it off to Cargill for the big reaction. House is quickly cleaned and an over the shoulder piledriver plants Sane. Everything breaks down and Belair hits the hair whip on Asuka (you could hear that crack at the top of the stadium and my goodness it’s amazing). The KOD drops Asuka and Jaded finishes Kai at 8:05.

Rating: C+. The match was never in doubt and they did this exactly as they should have. This was 100% about Jade getting the big tag at the end and cleaning house to win, which they nailed to perfection. They didn’t risk her doing anything dumb or having the chance to get exposed, making this about as well done as it could have been. Perfect presentation, good enough match.

Post match the winners get the big hero pose and that is something WWE is going to want to push for a good while.

We recap Gunther vs. Sami Zayn for the former’s Intercontinental Title. Gunther is pretty much the most dominant champion of all time and Zayn isn’t sure if he still has it. Chad Gable has given him a heck of a pep talk and training to help him believe in himself, as Zayn is still worried about failing again. Now Zayn is fired up and that’s a threat to Gunther and the title.

Zayn is in the back with his wife and son, the latter of whom believes he can do it. His family leaves and Chad Gable comes in to say he believes in Zayn too, but Zayn is on his own tonight. Oh and he owes Gable a favor later. Zayn does the long walk towards the ring and runs into Kevin Owens, who gives him a big hug. Just play the Rocky theme already. Or one of the catchiest themes in wrestling history.

Intercontinental Title: Sami Zayn vs. Gunther

Gunther is defending and Zayn’s wife is in the front row. Commentary is all over with the Rocky references, even saying that Zayn fights great but Gunther is a great fighter. Zayn ducks an early chop and strikes away but gets caught with a German suplex. A big boot drops Zayn again and Gunther lays him on top for the boot choke. Back up and Gunther fires off the chops but Zayn unloads with rights and lefts.

A half and half suplex drops Gunther but he’s back up with a big clothesline. It’s to early for the powerbomb though and Zayn grabs the tornado DDT. The Blue Thunder Bomb is countered and Gunther pulls him into the sleeper in the middle of the ring. With Zayn getting close to the ropes, Gunther drops him with a German suplex. Zayn manages the exploder into the corner but Gunther dropkicks him into the corner.

The powerbomb gives Gunther two and now he’s looking frustrated. Gunther clotheslines him hard again and hits two more powerbombs for two, meaning it’s time to yell at Zayn’s wife. Another powerbomb puts Zayn down and it’s a top rope splash to make it worse. Gunther does it again and still won’t cover, instead yelling at Zayn’s wife again. That’s somehow enough to wake Zayn up so Gunther goes up top again, allowing Zayn to hit a Helluva Kick. The brainbuster onto the buckle sets up a pair of Helluva Kicks to give Zayn the pin and the title in the big upset at 15:05.

Rating: A-. Maybe it’s that I’m a big Rocky fan but they nailed every bit of this. Gunther had been the unstoppable monster for so long and Zayn is about as perfect of an underdog as you can get in today’s wrestling. It was a great story, a heck of a match and an incredible moment when Zayn FINALLY beat Gunther. After such a long reign, Gunther is going to be just fine as he moves up to the main event scene. This was about as perfect as it could have been and I loved it quite a bit.

Here’s a four minute video on how great Wrestlemania really is. I kept waiting for this to go somewhere and it just didn’t.

Pat McAfee recaps the ending of the Rey Mysterio match earlier, complete with telestrator.

Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis thank the fans for the attendance of 72,543.

Celebrities are here.

Wrestlemania Sunday rundown.

We recap the Rock/Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes/Seth Rollins. Rock has returned and joined forces with Reigns as we have something of a Rhodes vs. Anoa’i Family war, plus the combined efforts to dethrone Reigns at any cost. Rock has made it very personal with Cody, even bringing Cody’s mother into things. The deal here is that while Cody has a shot against Reigns set, the stipulations will be set in the tag match. If the Bloodline wins, it’s anything goes tomorrow, but if Cody/Rollins win, it will be a normal match with the Bloodline barred from ringside.

The Rock/Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes/Seth Rollins

The entrances are incredibly long, with Rollins wearing something that could be described as clothes and Rock having a theme of reaching his final form and walking through a flaming Brahma Bull logo (while carrying the People’s Title which was given to him at the Hall Of Fame). From the start of the recaps to the opening bell (including Big Match Intros): about 25 minutes.

The bell rings and the four of them stare at each other for about a minute and a half until Reigns and Rollins start things off, with the first contact coming over two and a half minutes in. Reigns powers him down without much trouble but Rollins kicks him in the ribs. Cody comes in for some jabs which don’t get him very far. Rollins tags himself back in and NOW Rock wants in. The slow, dramatic tag does in fact bring him in and the fans are rather pleased with Rock.

Rollins gets shoved down again and hammers away, setting up the running clothesline out of the corner. It’s off to Cody and the fans are behind Rock again. They fight over a lockup and don’t get very far until Rhodes takes him into the corner and strikes away. Some double teaming has Rock in trouble as commentary talks about whether or not the Rock needed to save WWE.

All four get in for another showdown and now it’s time to go outside for a brawl. Rock tells the referee that he’s fired if he counts while they’re on the floor before brawling with Rollins in the crowd. Cody and Reigns fight up to the stage where a suplex drops Reigns again. Rock spits some water in Rollins’ face and Cody is thrown off the ramp (not that far mind you) for a crash. Rollins sends Rock back inside but Reigns takes out Rollins’ knee to turn things around.

Back in and Rock starts going after the bad knee before it’s Reigns coming in to kick at the knee as well. A half crab stays on the knee, followed by a whip into the steps on the floor. They go back inside where Rollins is whipped hard into the buckle, allowing Reigns to fire off the hard clotheslines. The Superman Punch is countered into a neckbreaker but Rock isn’t about to let the tag go through that quickly.

A low blow hits Rollins, with the referee having to apologize to Cody for not being able to do anything about it. Rollins fights back again and sends Reigns outside…where Reigns can cut off the diving tag attempt. Rock grabs the eternally awful Sharpshooter so Cody comes in with the big slap for the break. Rollins hits a superkick and a Stomp but can’t follow up because of the knee.

The tag brings in Cody a few seconds later and house is quickly cleaned. There’s the powerslam into the Disaster Kick to put Reigns down and the Cody Cutter gets two. Another Disaster Kick is countered with the Superman Punch and Reigns is not happy about his nose being cut. The spear misses and a top rope Cody Cutter…is more like a top rope elbow to the jaw instead.

Either way it puts Reigns down for a frog splash to give Rollins two. Rollins’ stomp is countered with a powerbomb for two but Cody is back in for the superkick party. The Stomp into Cross Rhodes gets two with Rock pulling the referee out. A low blow into the spear gives Reigns two on Cody and Rock is ticked. Reigns grabs the guillotine and Rock even holds Cody’s legs down until Rollins is back in with a stomp for the save.

Rock sends Rollins outside and gets the tag (because we need tags again) before bringing out the MAMA RHODES belt. Said Mama Rhodes (at ringside) yells at Rock but Cody knocks the belt away. The Bionic Elbow connects with Rock, who is right back with the spinebuster. The People’s Elbow is countered with the Cody Cutter, only to have Reigns break up Cross Rhodes.

Back up and Reigns’ spear hits Rock by mistake, setting up stereo Pedigrees for two. Rollins dives onto Reigns outside and the other two load up the announcers’ table. Rock gets the better of things and loads up a Rock Bottom but Rollins grabs Cody’s leg, meaning Cody can hit a Rock Bottom through the table. Reigns spears Rollins through the barricade and everyone is down.

It’s Reigns back up with the apron boot to Cody but Cody slugs his way to Cross Rhodes. Another Cross Rhodes connects but Rock hits him in the back with the weightlifting belt. A spear from Reigns sets up the Rock Bottom and People’s Elbow to give Rock the pin at 44:33(!). Cole: “Cody is screwed.”

Rating: C+. The match was good but e pluribus gads they went way too long. This is a match where you could cut out probably close to twenty minutes without missing much. The first twenty minutes barely had anything going on and then they went into the long heat segment on Rollins. Things picked way up near the end though and they did the right ending, but after a long show with the cold, this match felt WAY longer than it needed to be. What matters though is setting up Cody’s darkest hour as he is up against the wall and might need to assemble the Avengers (perhaps with some outside help) to FINALLY beat Reigns.

The winners celebrate and Cody/Rollins know they’re in trouble.

The big highlight package takes us out.

Overall Rating: B-. This is going to be a show where the experience of watching it live is going to be very different than watching it at home. The cold weather was a major factor in this as I spent most of the show trying to stay warm and that makes the show a lot less fun to watch. As for the show itself, you had a good opener, a heck of an Intercontinental Title match and the big epic main event but the rest of the show was lacking in quality. Only the Usos match was bad (and a lot of that was due to how we got here) but it certainly wasn’t a top level Wrestlemania. Overall, pretty good with some great high points, though it wasn’t able to get over the hump.

Results
Rhea Ripley b. Becky Lynch – Riptide
Austin Theory/Grayson Waller and Awesome Truth won the six way tag team ladder match
Rey Mysterio/Andrade b. Dominik Mysterio/Santos Escobar – Frog splash to Escobar
Jey Uso b. Jimmy Uso – Superfly Splash
Jade Cargill/Bianca Belair/Naomi b. Damage CTRL – Jaded to Kai
Sami Zayn b. Gunther – Helluva Kick
The Rock/Roman Reigns b. Cody Rhodes/Seth Rollins – People’s Elbow to Rhodes

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: April 1, 2024
Location: Barclays Center, New York City, New York
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

It’s the last Raw before Wrestlemania and the big names are in town. This week will see the Rock and Roman Reigns both in the building and there is fallout to face. Last week, the Rock attacked Cody Rhodes and left him bloody, apparently on the others from Reigns himself. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the end of last week’s show, with Rock attacking Rhodes and leaving him a bloody mess.

Here is the Rock to get things going. Rock brags about making Cody bleed last week, just like he promised he would. Then he put his blood all over that weight belt, just like he told Mama Rhodes that he would. Rock brings up the Cody Crybabies and we see some footage from TikTok, showing children crying over Rock beating Rhodes up.

Rock says there are time when people have to beat up people like Rhodes when he’s talking s***. You’re feeling the energy right now because professional wrestling is cool, and he’s the reason the ratings have skyrocketed. This crowd is now part of the highest gate in Raw history and FINALLY the Rock has come back to Brooklyn….but he didn’t come alone.

Cue he Bloodline, with Reigns eventually getting to the ring to not be happy with the fans chanting YEET. Reigns apologizes to the Rock for the fans and thanks Rock for helping st up Bloodline Rules at Wrestlemania. Then it’s going to be time to feast, but here is Seth Rollins through the crowd to interrupt.

Rollins says he’s ready for a fight and wants one tonight, but Reigns doesn’t seem convinced. Rollins talks about this being the biggest Raw ever and wants to fight the Rock tonight. Or how about Reigns instead. They can even name the stipulations! Rock says no, but Solo Sikoa says yes, with Rock making it Bloodline Rules. The Rock just literally did a promo where he bragged about making children cry. Yes, he is the best heel going today.

Rhea Ripley was on the MMA Hour earlier today when Becky Lynch came into the studio. Insults were thrown and Lynch had to be escorted out.

Lynch is here tonight to finish what she started earlier today.

DIY/New Day vs. Judgment Day

Of note: commentary mentions that the ladder match will not end until BOTH sets of titles are pulled down. Judgment Day gets sent to the floor to start but it’s Balor taking over on Gargano in the corner. Gargano fights out of trouble and hands it off to Ciampa to pick up the pace with running corner clotheslines. Kofi picks up the pace with a top rope shot to McDonagh’s head, allowing Woods to come in with a bottom rope DDT. Dominik makes the save and everything breaks down, with Gargano hitting a dive (and landing rather nastily. Back in and Priest cleans house, including a chokeslam and Razor’s Edge to pin Ciampa at 4:53.

Rating: C+. This was a good way to get a lot of people into the ring before WrestleMania and it worked well enough. Judgment Day got to look dominant, even though getting a pin has little to do with gaining momentum towards climbing a ladder. Thankfully commentary didn’t mention that, meaning things might finally be changing for the better around here.

Rock says he has things going tonight as Roman reigns is off to write Paul Heyman’s induction speech for the Hall Of Fame this Friday.

Chad Gable is training Sami Zayn for his Wrestlemania match. Gable jumps him from behind (in a training way) and Zayn taps to a sleeper. Zayn says he doesn’t get what he’s thinking by having Gable run him into the ground this soon before Wrestlemania. Gable talks about how Zayn is good enough but he needs the hunger. Zayn says he’s afraid of losing and letting people down but it’s enough to get him fired up again. The training continues and it goes much better this time around. Rocky III it is and that isn’t a bad thing.

Judgment Day is ready for Wrestlemania but DO NOT like it when Legado del Fantasma come in. Damian Priest tells Dominik to get rid of him and Rhea Ripley tells Dominik to work on the communication stuff.

Sami Zayn vs. Bronson Reed

Rematch from last week where Reed scored the upset. Zayn takes him down with a crucifix for two to start but gets chopped up against the ropes. A clothesline puts Reed on the floor and Zayn follows with the big flip dive to the floor. Back in and Zayn hits some middle rope elbows to the head, only to dive into a release Rock Bottom. Reed takes him up top but Zayn manages a sunset bomb for two.

For some reason Zayn tries a fireman’s carry, which fails so badly that he earns the Death valley Driver from Reed for two. We take a break and come back with Zayn fighting out of a nerve hold and managing to knock the monster down. Cue Gunther to drag Chad Gable to the stage though, apparently after quite the beating. Zayn goes to save Gable as Gunther leaves, only to come back and beat up Zayn for the DQ at we’ll say 12:00 (the bell never rang).

Rating: C+. This is a good example of a match where they could have done an actual finish before Zayn went up the ramp for the angle. Gunther going after Gable makes perfect sense and it worked well enough, with fans hopefully wanting to see Zayn fight back and defeat Gunther to win the title and get some revenge. Or Gunther will smash someone else as he has done time after time.

Post match Gunther chops Zayn down to leave him laying and steps on his chest.

Jey Uso runs into Lil Wayne in the back and invites him to Wrestlemania. Deal.

The Rock’s grandmother will be inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame.

Indi Hartwell/Candice LeRae vs. Ivy Nile/Maxxine Dupri

Hartwell takes over on Dupri to start and hands it off to LeRae, who sends her into the corner. A small package gives Dupri two and it’s off to Nile to clean house. A running boot in the corner hits Hartwell but LeRae shoves her off the top. Hartwell doesn’t like it so Dupri dropkicks the villains into each other and steals the pin at 3:35.

Rating: C. This was pretty much an angle rather than a match and that isn’t a bad thing. Dupri still can’t do much of anything in the ring but that is to be expected given her experience level. At the same time, odds are this sets up either a Hartwell heel turn or the team splitting, with the latter being the better choice. For now though, Dupri gets the slightest bit of retribution, which is quite the win for her.

Jey Uso tells Seth Rollins that he has his back in the main event tonight. Rollins seems to approve.

Drew McIntyre is in a funeral home and uses CM Punk’s song lyrics to launch into a speech about how he’s going to close the casket on Seth Rollins’ World Title reign. Amen.

Ivar vs. Ricochet

No Valhalla with Ivar here. Ricochet headscissors him out to the floor to start but gets dropped onto the apron for a crash as we take an early break. Back with Ivar missing a running crossbody against the ring screen, allowing Ricochet to hit a running flip dive for the big knockdown.

A springboard clothesline hits Ivar back inside and there’s the running shooting star press for two. For some reason Ricochet tries a fireman’s carry and it fails miserably, allowing Ivar to kick him in the face. A tiger bomb gives Ivar two but he misses a Bronco Buster. Somehow Ricochet manages a fall away slam into the 630 for the pin at 10:05.

Rating: B. This was the match where two people who aren’t going to be involved with Wrestlemania are sent out on Raw for the sake of filling in time without risking a match this weekend. That being said, they had one heck of a power vs. speed match, with Ricochet getting to do all kinds of things out there as he certainly can do. If he keeps that up, there is a good chance he’ll get moved up the card again, as he is certainly capable of hanging on a higher level.

Damian Priest is watching and wonders why Ricochet hasn’t been dealt with yet. They’re ready to get rid of him in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Andrade comes in and Dominik offers him a spot in Judgment Day if he’ll get rid of Ricochet. Works for Andrade but Rhea Ripley has to go deal with Becky Lynch.

Here is Becky Lynch to demand that Rhea Ripley come finish this. Cue Adam Pearce who says not tonight, but Ripley comes out anyway and the fight is on. It’s broken up rather quickly as well but Becky dives off the top to take them out again.

Damage CTRL brags about their bigness.

Clash At The Castle is back on June 15, location to be announced tomorrow.

Adam Pearce has to split up Rhea Ripley and Becky Lynch again.

Damage CTRL vs. Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark/Tegan Nox

Damage CTRL jump them to start and the beating is on with Nox being taken into the wrong corner. The non-Damage CTRL team fights up and kick them to the floor, with Stark hitting a dive as we take a break. Back with Stark hitting a springboard missile dropkick for two on Sane. A quick shot gives Sane a breather and she brings in Kai to get chokeslammed by Kai. Everything breaks down and Nox misses her running reverse Cannonball, setting up the assisted Insane Elbow to give Sane the pin at 8:57.

Rating: C. You know how there are several women’s matches where they don’t get much time and some of that time is cut off by a commercial break. Damage CTRL had more trouble here than I would have expected but at least they won in the end. It was a nice little warmup for the Wrestlemania six woman tag, though I was expecting more of a squash here.

Wrestlemania rundowns, now with the cards set for both nights.

Seth Rollins says he took this match with Solo Sikoa because he is always going pedal to the metal, but he always has a plan b. He runs into Drew McIntyre and says he isn’t dead yet. McIntyre: “Yet.”

Seth Rollins vs. Solo Sikoa

Non-title and anything goes. They fight straight to the floor where Sikoa misses a charge into the steps. Sikoa sends him into the barricade but Rollins is back with some chairs thrown at Sikoa’s head. A DDT onto an open chair plants Sikoa and it’s already table time. That takes too long though and Sikoa hits a super Samoan drop through the table as we take a break.

Back with Rollins sending him into the steps and then hitting Sikoa in the head with said steps. Another table is set up inside but again it takes too long, allowing Sikoa to load up another Samoan drop. This time Rollins reverses into a powerbomb through the able, followed by the Stomp.

Cue Jimmy Uso to go after Rollins but Jey Uso comes out for the brawl. They head up the ramp and here’s the Rock to jump Jey. Rock goes after Rollins but here is Cody Rhodes to get some revenge on Rock instead. The double team is on but Roman reigns comes out from underneath the ring as the fans chant for CM Punk. The Bloodline gets in the big beatdown and stop for a hug before Rock pulls out the weightlifting belt. That means it’s time to go a whipping, with Sikoa holding Rhodes’ arms so Rock can get in some free shots. Rock and Reigns pose to end the show as we’ll say the match was thrown out at around 15:00.

Rating: C+. I was surprised that they had this much time before a fairly obvious ending though that isn’t a bad thing. If nothing else, Rollins has not been in a match on television in a good while so letting him shake off a bit of the ring rust is a good thing. For now though, the Bloodline gets in another beating and Rhodes has one more time to overcome at Wrestlemania, which could be quite the feat at this point.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was always going to be tricky, as it was a final push towards Wrestlemania while also not wanting to shake things up too much before Wrestlemania. They did that well enough and I’m primed up for the show, though they were only going to be able to get in so much here with so little time left. Good show overall, though none of this is going to matter once this weekend starts up.

Results
Judgment Day b. DIY/New Day – Razor’s Edge to Ciampa
Sami Zayn b. Bronson Reed via DQ when Gunther interfered
Ivy Nile/Maxxine Dupri b. Candice LeRae/Indi Hartwell – Rollup to Hartwell
Ricochet b. Ivar – 630
Damage CTRL b. Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark/Tegan Nox – Assisted Insane Elbow to Nox
Solo Sikoa vs. Seth Rollins went to a no contest

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

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AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: March 25, 2024
Location: Allstate Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We are less than two weeks away from Wrestlemania and that means things are mostly together for the show. In this case though we have a special attraction as Chicago’s own CM Punk is here for a special appearance. Other than that, we might even get something else added to Wrestlemania. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Cody Rhodes going face to face with Roman Reigns but both of them had backup, leading to a standoff to end the show.

Here is Cody Rhodes to get things going. Rhodes talks about how we are in that weird place before Wrestlemania and that means all the talk is done. After a quick hello to Pat McAfee and Michael Cole, Rhodes talks about his meting with Reigns on Smackdown. The thing is, when Rhodes makes a promise, he tends to keep it. The other night a fan asked him to be the best man at his wedding so he’s going to do it, and pay for the bachelor party. He’s going to a five year old’s birthday and he’s sending the Wrestling Club to Wrestlemania (both nights).

Rhodes is here because the champ isn’t and he is going to Wrestlemania because he won the Royal Rumble twice in a row. After last year, he knows he can’t do it alone and asks the fans if they will ride with him. If Rhodes is going to point at the sign, he wants everyone to do it with him…and here is the Rock (unadvertised) to interrupt.

The fans are rather impressed and we get a rather long staredown. The CM PUNK chants start up and Rock puts his hands behind his back. He leans in and whispers something to Rhodes before getting out of the ring and heading up the aisle. Cody seems very confused and we take a break. Rock didn’t say a word that we could hear. That’s an interesting way to go and there is a very good chance we’ll get more on this later, either tonight or on Smackdown.

Post break Rock is asked what he said to Rhodes. Rock says go ask him.

Judgment Day is tired of Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh not carrying their weight but Damian Priest has a plan to get an advantage at Wrestlemania.

Ricochet vs. JD McDonagh

Dominik Mysterio is here with McDonagh. Ricochet wastes no time in kicking him outside, setting up the early dive as we take a break. Back with McDonagh sending him hard into the corner and grabbing a waistlock. The standing moonsault misses though and Ricochet hits an elbow for the double knockdown. Ricochet is back up with the springboard clothesline and a standing shooting star gets two. McDonagh manages a Spanish Fly for two of his own and he takes Ricochet up top, only to get super poisonranaed back down.

The Recoil connects but Dominik puts a foot on the rope. Ricochet’s springboard 450 hits raised knees though and we take a break. Back with McDonagh getting two off a sitout powerbomb and tries the Devlin Slide, which is reversed into a Canadian Destroyer (McAfee LOSES IT over that). Dominik offers another distraction and gets ejected, leaving Ricochet to hit the shooting star press on a standing McDonagh (dang) for the pin at 14:20.

Rating: B-. The Ricochet reheating continues and that is not the worst thing. There is always a place for someone who can fly as well as he can and it was a great showcase. At the same time, Judgment Day is having some trouble and it is not likely going to go well for McDonagh and Mysterio. For now though, nice match, with Ricochet doing some insane stuff, including that finish.

Here is CM Punk and yeah the fans seem to remember him. Punk talks about how glad he is to be here and to answer some questions, yes he is going to be at Wrestlemania. No his elbow isn’t great yet but his mouth works. He wishes Wrestlemania was here in Chicago (“Hint hint.”) and wonders about some roles he could have at Wrestlemania. Punk talks to Pat McAfee and says he isn’t a daily listener (Punk: “I listen to the Experience and the Drive Thru.”) but Roman Reigns was a guest on McAfee’s show.

Punk knows he’ll see Reigns one day, along with Seth Rollins (who wears high heels and is now taller than Punk) and the Rock, who hasn’t said a word to him since he’s been back. Then there is Drew McIntyre, who Punk wants out here like a man. Cue McIntyre (Punk demands his song be turned off) and Punk wants him in the ring. McIntyre calls this divine intervention and brings up the “INJURE CM PUNK” line on his shirt.

Punk says he’s never had to put another man’s name on a shirt to sell it. That makes McIntyre take the shirt off, revealing the CM Punk grave shirt instead. McIntyre: “For someone who is all about straightedge and doesn’t drink or do drugs, you spend a lot of time in rehab.” McIntyre says he went into the Elimination Chamber and got hurt but thinking about Punk inspired him to win. Punk says come in here and say that to his good ear. He even lays down so McIntyre can get in but McIntyre sits down on the announcers’ table (McIntyre: “Don’t shoot up my kilt you perv.”) and says he was the chosen one.

Punk wants to know who chose him, though McIntyre moves on and offers him the spot as guest commentator when he wins the World Heavyweight Championship. Cue Seth Rollins to interrupt and he immediately has the staredown with Punk. Rollins says this is his show, but Punk says this is his city. We get a quick poll about Punk being on commentary at Wrestlemania but the fans want him to be a referee.

Rollins points at the bad arm and says that’s Punk’s counting arm. Punk drops to the mat and counts three with his good (left) arm, though he doesn’t think he could be fair with these two “dips****.” McIntyre: “PG brother.” Rollins: “You want to know what I think Punk?” Punk: “Nope.” Rollins finds that appropriate because he doesn’t think anything of Punk, which is funny because he doesn’t need Punk to have a moment at Wrestlemania.

The way things are going for Punk, this is the closest he’s coming to being a World Champion again, so Rollins needs Punk to stay out of his way. Punk is in for commentary, because he’s the only thing that could make these two interesting. He goes to leave but McIntyre says cut the music because Punk doesn’t get the last word since he’s not even in the match. McIntyre rants about Punk but gets kicked by Rollins, setting up the Stomp to wrap it up.

This was OUTSTANDING stuff as you had McIntyre and Punk throwing one bomb after another at each other and being really entertaining. Then Rollins came in and while it fit, it really illustrated how much of a third wheel he feels like in this story. While that’s better than being the fourth wheel in the Cody vs. Rock/Reigns story, he is pretty much only here because Punk can’t wrestle. Thankfully this was more serious Rollins, but he was in over his head with these two.

The best thing about this is it felt like the three of them were given minimal instructions on what to say and just filled in the gaps themselves. That often makes for the best segments, as you had people who know how to talk doing so very well and making me want to see whatever they do next. Punk is about two months into rehab as well and his feuds with both are still hot, so they’ve already survived a lot of the gap of Punk being on the shelf. Heck of a segment here.

Shinsuke Nakamura is ready for Jey Uso.

Ivy Nile vs. Candice LeRae

Maxxine Dupri and Indi Hartwell are at ringside. Nile starts fast and hammers away but Candice is back up to send her outside. Hold on though as Candice is holding her knee, seemingly for Hartwell to cheat…but she doesn’t. Instead Nile charges back in and gets rolled up (with feet on the ropes) to give Candice the pin at 1:54.

New Day and DIY argue over how dumb their names are. Awesome Truth comes in to say the match will be awesome, though R-Truth thinks this is New Day vs. DX. Oh and he thinks Pat McAfee is JBL.

New Day vs. DIY

Awesome Truth is on commentary. Kofi and Ciampa go to the mat to start but Gargano is in with a clothesline. R-Truth is happy to see Shawn Michaels in there (just go with it) as Gargano is taken into the corner for the Unicorn Stampede. Gargano is sent outside and we take a break. Back with Ciampa hitting running corner clotheslines, setting up some running kicks to Kofi in the corner. Gargano hits a suicide dive but cue Judgment Day for the DQ at 6:26. Not enough shown to rate but they were just warming up anyway.

Post match the beatdown is on with Truth going nuts on commentary, even as Miz gets in and is taken out. Judgment Day surrounds Truth (who insists we go to a break) and beats him down as well, leaving the champs to stand tall.

Cody Rhodes won’t repeat what Rock said but will say it was a promise Rock can’t keep.

Gunther isn’t worried about what Sami Zayn said last week because they were empty words. We are in Chicago tonight and the people here don’t believe Sami can beat him. Sami can’t beat Bronson Reed tonight either.

Andrade vs. Givanni Vinci

Vinci wastes no time in sending him into the ropes but Andrade chills in the ropes. Andrade knocks him outside for the moonsault, followed by the double moonsault for two back inside. A running boot staggers Vinci but he runs Andrade over as we take a break. We come back with Andrade grabbing some dragon screw legwhips and the running knees in the corner get two. Vinci hits a heck of a clothesline but Andrade elbows him in the head. A lifting double underhook swinging suplex (The Message) finishes for Andrade at 7:10.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have much time to go anywhere here and the break didn’t make it any better. As is always the case, there is little that can be done when a match barely breaks seven minutes and about half of that is spent in commercial. Andrade still needs something to do, but winning matches is always a good start.

Here is Rhea Ripley, with Dominik Mysterio, for a chat. She wants more attention and feels that Becky Lynch is fighting everyone else and not paying attention to her. Ripley could have gotten Lynch’s attention by attacking her during a match but instead Ripley is being respectful. We’re so close to Wrestlemania and Lynch should be paying more attention, so here is Lynch to interrupt.

Lynch talks about how she is here when Ripley is fresh rather than waiting for her to finish a twenty minute match. She couldn’t do that, mainly because Ripley never wrestles on Raw anyway. Ripley doesn’t need to wrestle before the biggest match of her career because all she has to do is post a video online and these freaks will eat it up. Lynch says they have different interpretations of what it means to be a champion.

To Lynch, it’s all about working hard to be the best and the long game is about skill, merit and survival. It’s about being able to fight back when the chips are down and you’re not the chosen one anymore. At Wrestlemania, she is going to give Ripley a new experience. Ripley gets that Lynch is a survivor who has been through everything, but Lynch is really a cockroach: hard to kill but not impossible.

Ripley wants Lynch to survive just enough though, so she can sit on her couch with her daughter and call Ripley Mami. Lynch calls that Ripley’s one pass to mention her daughter and goes into a rather serious rant about how she regrets her father not getting to meet her daughter. It might be a joke to Ripley but it is not a joke to her. There is no going back and at Wrestlemania, neither of them will ever be the same again.

We get the staredown but Ripley backs off. Dominik gets between then so Lynch drops him, meaning the fight with Ripley is on. Ripley kicks her down and sends Lynch into the post and goes to check on Dominik. Lynch dives off the steps onto both of them until Dominik tries to break it up. That goes as well as can be expected until referees get in there to hold them apart.

This was the segment that the match needed as Ripley has been getting so over with the fans as of late that they needed something to even the odds a bit. Having Ripley out there with Dominik is always going to make the fans think less of her, but bringing up Lynch’s daughter was the clincher. The key here was they are turning Lynch back into The Man, and that version of her is a threat to Ripley. While Ripley is the bigger deal right now, a fired up Lynch is one of the scariest things in WWE and that could make for a heck of a showdown.

Chad Gable comes up to Sami Zayn and tries to apologize for last week but Sami doesn’t need to hear it. No one believes he can beat Gunther so tonight he’ll go beat Bronson Reed. Gable says don’t worry about Gunther tonight because Reed will take him out. Sami needs to focus, which Sami says is right. He appreciates what Gable said and they shake hands.

Sami Zayn vs. Bronson Reed

Reed runs him over with a shoulder to start but Sami sends his charge out to the floor. The big flip dive takes Reed down again but a high crossbody is pulled out of the air back inside. Reed runs him over again and hits a heck of a chop in the corner to send Sami outside. The running shoulder off the apron hits Sami again and we take a break.

Back with Sami fighting out of a chinlock and managing to knock Reed down for a change. Cue Gunther for a distraction though, which makes Sami think he can Blue Thunder Bomb Reed. For some reason Sami tries a slam, earning that crushing from Reed. Sami manages a tornado DDT but stops to look at Gunther, meaning the Helluva Kick misses. The Tsunami finishes for Reed at 9:31.

Rating: C. This was more storytelling than wrestling and that is not a bad thing. What matters here is Gunther getting into Sami’s head before their title match at Wrestlemania, where Sami will hopefully be able to remain focused and get everything together. I’m not sure if he’s going to win the title, but they’re telling a nice story on the way there.

Jey Uso is fired up (shocking I know) about facing Shinsuke Nakamura. The Bloodline pops in and Jimmy Uso says “no yeet”.

Chad Gable comes up to Sami Zayn in the back, where Sami is ranting about how Gunther is in his head. Gable says Sami needs a different approach to Wrestlemania and if Sami wants to do that, they can talk.

We look back at the Rock/Cody Rhodes segment.

Seth Rollins comes up to Jey Uso, saying something doesn’t feel right. He has Jey’s back tonight.

Jey Uso vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Jey knocks him to the floor to start but the suicide dive is cut off by a boot to the head. Back in and Jey is sent into the post, setting up some running knees to put Jey on the floor as we take a break. We come back with Jey slugging away and hitting an enziguri but getting caught with the sliding German suplex. Nakamura shrugs off a superkick and hits a running knee…and we have the Bloodline. Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso run in to cut them off but here is Drew McIntyre to jump Rollins. Everyone else brawls off and a superkick into the spear finishes for Uso at 7:34.

Rating: C+. The match itself was little more than a backdrop for everything taking place at ringside and in this case that’s ok. Jey gets another win on the way to Wrestlemania while Nakamura….geez remember when he was main eventing a pay per view about six months ago? You would think there might be some more value for him than this, though I’m not sure what that would be.

We cut to the back where Rhodes is brawling with the Bloodline when the Rock comes in to jump him. Rock hits him with a trashcan to the head and empties a toolbox onto him before they go outside into the rain. Rock kicks him around and shouts at Rhodes to get up because Rock is the Final Boss. He shouts at the people to look at his hero and yells at Mama Rhodes before throwing Cody into the side of his own bus.

Rock talks to the camera and says it didn’t have to be like this. All of this is happening because of Rhodes, who is busted open as Rock sends him into the bus door again. Rock pulls off a weight belt with MAMA RHODES written on it and rubs the blood onto it, saying Cody is going to learn about hard times at Wrestlemania. He tells Mama Rhodes to look at her son one more time to end the show.

There’s a reason the Rock is the kind of legend that he has become. You can take away the Hollywood stuff and the catchphrases and all those other things. Underneath it all, the Rock knows how to be a wrestler and a wrestling personality. This was an old school beatdown that is going to make Rhodes fight back and FINALLY slay the beast that is Roman Reigns before very possibly getting his hands on the Rock one on one later this year. It’s a case of the night being the darkest before the dawn, with the dawn seeming likely for Philadelphia. Awesome segment here, with Rock turning serious when he needs to.

Overall Rating: A-. Yes, I’m aware that none of the matches came close to that high of a rating and I would hope that you get that the in-ring part of this show was the least important aspect. This show was ALL about making the big matches at Wrestlemania feel like must see events and that worked in spades. I want to see McIntyre vs. Rollins, Cody vs. the Bloodline and Ripley vs. Lynch a heck of a lot more than I did coming into this week. That was the point of this Raw and WWE turned the volume way up the whole night through. Excellent show this week as the wrestling was the stuff in between the important parts.

Results
Ricochet b. JD McDonagh – Shooting star press
Candice LeRae b. Ivy Nile – Rollup with feet on the ropes
New Day vs. DIY went to a no contest when Judgment Day interfered
Andrade b. Giovanni Vinci – The Message
Bronson Reed b. Sami Zayn – Tsunami
Jey Uso b. Shinsuke Nakamura – Spear

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