AAA On FOX
Date: April 11, 2026
Location: Gimnasio Olimpico Juan de la Barrera, Mexico City, Mexico
Commentators: Corey Graves, Rey Mysterio, John Bradshaw Layfield

We’re back to a fresh show after last week’s taped post-Rey de Reyes event. This week is big enough, as we have Flammer’s Reina de Reinas celebration, but the bigger deal is Penta defending the Intercontinental Title for the first time in AAA. That’s quite the big deal and that has me interested so let’s get to it.

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

We’re starting with Flammer’s record setting Reina de Reinas celebration, with the other members of Las Toxicas handling her introduction. We get a video on her title reign, with various comments from celebrities/wrestlers praising the accomplishments. Back in the arena, Flammer says she doesn’t know these people but they’re beneath her.

She beat Bayley and others, but she also wants to thank the Mexican women she stepped on to get here. She has beaten everyone and her coronation will never end. We cut to a pink car and La Catalina is here. This gets quite the reaction and she praises Flammer, but says Flammer has never faced someone like her. Flammer is sent into the cake and gets cleared out as Catalina looks at the title. Catalina was in CMLL as of about two weeks ago so this is quite the fast turnaround.

Octagon vs. Original El Grande Americano

They trade legsweeps and get a near fall each until Americano chops him into the corner. Octagon climbs the corner for a dropkick and nails the suicide dive to the floor. An Asai moonsault misses though and Americano hits a running shoulder. Back in and Americano teases going after the mask but Octagon gives him an enziguri. Something like a top rope Vader Bomb hits raised boots and Americano suplexes him into the corner. Americano misses the moonsault but ties up the legs and takes off Octagon’s mask. The ankle lock makes Octagon tap at 5:28.

Rating: C+. They only had so much time here and the bigger deal was Americano going after the mask. That’s quite the big deal in lucha libre and Rey Mysterio was NOT cool with it on commentary. At the same time, this seems like a setup for the mask vs. mask match with the other El Grande Americano and that should be good.

Post match some singers are interviewed by Americano goes after them. He goes after the interviewer as well and here is El Grande Americano for the brawl. Security can only keep them apart for so long as the fans certainly approve.

Intercontinental Title: El Hijo del Vikingo vs. Penta

Vikingo, with Dorian Roldan, is challenging. They trade poses to start until Vikingo has to elbow his way out of a waistlock. Penta kicks him in the ribs to break up a handstand but Viking grabs a headscissors out to the floor. Vikingo’s dive is cut off with a gorilla press onto the announcers’ table but he hits a dropkick off of said table to put Penta down again.

Back in and Penta gets superkicked for two and Vikingo bites Penta’s boot. Penta is right back up with a reverse Sling Blade as the fans are way into this. The Penta Driver is blocked and Vikingo ties him in the ropes for a top rope double stomp. They forearm it out from their knees and then their feet until Penta’s dropkick breaks up a handspring. Vikingo sends him into the corner for the running knees but the inverted 450 is countered into a powerbomb for two (sweet).

They head out to the apron for the exchange of chops until Vikingo snaps off a poisonrana. A running shooting star hits Penta again but here are the battling Americanos again. Penta uses the distraction to hit a dive and a Penta Driver gets two. Roldan pulls Penta’s leg and gets ejected but Vikingo grabs the belt. Cue Mini Vikingo to to take it away though, allowing Penta to hit the springboard Mexican Destroyer to retain at 13:39.

Rating: B. They had a hot match here, which shouldn’t be a surprise whatsoever. As you might have guessed, this was much more about getting the title on a AAA show rather than having the title be in any kind of jeopardy. That’s perfectly fine as Vikingo is a big deal and this checked pretty much all of the necessary boxes.

Post match the Vikingos stare at each other again but here are Los Americanos to keep up their brawl on the floor. They head inside and break away from security but are finally held apart. Americano says this has to end and it should be eye for eye, tooth for tooth and mask vs. mask. Original seemed to be in to wrap things up.

Overall Rating: B-. This was more of an angle heavy show with the Americanos stuff getting some red hot crowd reactions. The main event was good and the Flammer/Catalina stuff served its purpose. This show wasn’t so much about what was happening here but rather what it was setting up, which is a fine way to go every so often. Good enough show here, with the crowd going nuts over the Americanos stuff.

Results
Original El Grande Americano b. Octagon – Ankle lock
Penta b. El Hijo del Vikingo – Springboard Mexican Destroyer

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

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Stand & Deliver 2026
Date: April 4, 2026
Location: The Factory At The District, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s the biggest NXT show of the year and this time around it’s on the road, outside of Orlando. For a bit of a twist, this year’s show is also not taking place over Wrestlemania Weekend, which should give it a bit more focus. There are a few multi challenger title matches taking place this year so let’s get to it.

IMG Credit: WWE

Kickoff Show: Birthright vs. Hank & Tank/Shiloh Hill/EK Prosper/Wren Sinclair

The brawl is on before the bell and Connors is powered into the corner to officially get things going. Tank picks Stacks up and throws him over the top onto the pile at ringside for the big crash. Dempsey comes in to uppercut away on Hank and the rest of the team takes out the other good guys. Hank fights out of that and brings Sinclair in to chop away at Grace. Dempsey has to break up the Final Wrench and the women hit stereo faceplants.

Prosper (the new name for Eli Knight) comes in to clean house but Grace’s distraction causes him to get shoved out to the floor. Sinclair chops away at Dempsey and gives him a suplex as everything breaks down again, with commentary having no clue who is legal. Prosper hits a crazy double springboard moonsault onto the floor, leaving Hank & Tank to crush Dempsey. Hill’s pop up neckbreaker gets the pin at 6:33.

Rating: C+. This was exactly what it needed to be, as they didn’t overstay their welcome but still had a fast paced match to start the night. No one really had time to stand out but Prosper did well in the time he had. The match was a nice little bonus that didn’t hurt anything, which is all you need from a Kickoff Show match.

Here is Shawn Michaels to introduce Sexyy Red as the show’s host.

The opening video looks at St. Louis as the gateway to the west. It turns into a regular look at the card and we’re ready to go.

We recap the Women’s Title match. Jacy Jayne needed a challenger but Kendal Grey and Lola Vice went to a double finish so it’s a triple threat. I’ll take that over Jayne interfering to set up a triple threat like a moron.

IMG Credit: WWE

Women’s Title: Lola Vice vs. Kendal Grey vs. Jacy Jayne

Jayne, with Fatal Influence, is defending and Wren Sinclair is here with Grey. Jayne shoves both of them to start but gets sent outside, leaving the other two to grapple. Back in and Jayne rolls them both up for two each with Grey being knocked outside. Everyone gets back inside and it’s a double dropkick to put Vice and Jayne back inside. Jayne pulls Grey outside and sends her into the steps.

Vice hits Jayne with a running seated senton off the apron and takes Jayne back inside. A distraction lets Jayne get in a kick to the back and a backbreaker gets two. Grey is back in so Jayne sends both of them into the corner for a cannonball and Vice is sent outside. Jayne gives Grey a facebuster into a clothesline for two but Vice tries to come back in. That earns her a neckbreaker over the rope to put her outside again, leaving Jayne to kick Grey back down.

Back in and something like a Tower Of Doom doesn’t quite work and it’s Vice up to strike away at Grey. The running hip attacks hit Grey and Jayne but Grey is back with a German suplexes to Grace. The straps come down and Grey snaps off the German suplexes, only for Jayne to knee her down for two more.

Vice drops Jayne for two but gets sent outside, leaving Grey to ankle lock Jayne (as the screen goes black over and over). Back in and the strikes are on with Grey putting Jayne down, only to have Vice put the foot on the rope. Fatal Influence offers a distraction so Sinclair chases them off, leaving Vice to choke Grey, who flips over. With that broken up, Jayne hits a hard shot to knock Grey outside. That allows Vice to hit the spinning backfist to take out Jayne for the pin and the title at 16:16.

Rating: B. This got rolling near the end as they didn’t stop with the intensity and energy. Vice almost had to win here as she had come close so many times without actually getting over the finish line. Grey’s time will come and Jayne very well may be on her way up to the main roster, so this was the right way to go all around.

Evolve’s Kali Armstrong (a powerhouse) is coming to NXT.

IMG Credit: WWE

Tag Team Titles: Los Americanos vs. Vanity Project

The Project, with Jackson Drake, is defending and El Grande Americano is here with Los Americanos. Bravo armdrags Smokes down to start and fires off some right hands. Rayo tags himself in and Smokes gets crotched on the post. It’s off to Baylor, who gets taken down for some double knees to the ribs.

Bravo is back in to hammer away in the corner but Smokes’ distraction lets Baylor take over for the first time. That doesn’t last long as Bravo escapes for the tag to Rayo, whose top rope moonsault gets two on Baylor. Smokes gets a blind tag though and hits a spear for two of his own, only for Rayo to hit a sunset bomb. Baylor is right back in with a brainbuster onto the knee for two.

That doesn’t last long and it’s Bravo getting the tag for a high crossbody. The spinning torture rack is broken up so Bravo suplexes both of them at once. A spinning hangman’s neckbreaker gets two and Rayo comes in for a Michinoku Driver/dropkick combination. Smokes cuts him off though and the Super Swipe (assisted swinging Rock Bottom) gets two on Rayo. It’s time to go after the mask but Rayo snaps off an X Plex for two. Americano lets Bravo load up the mask but the Project cuts him off with an assisted DDT for a rather near fall.

Smokes unloads Bravo’s mask though and knees Rayo outside. That doesn’t last long as it’s a super hurricanrana into a frog splash for a rather close two and everything breaks down again. Bop and Bang puts Smokes down and the Bigger End hits Baylor. Americano cuts off an interfering Drake on the floor but Baylor hits a flipping dive. Drake gets in a cheap shot to Bravo though and it’s a top rope double stomp/reverse DDT combination to retain at 13:28.

Rating: B-. This wound up being a lot more entertaining than I was expecting, with the Project being able to hang with a more experienced team. The Americano stuff is still such over the top goofiness that it wound up working. I wasn’t buying a title change, but at least they had a good time on the way there.

We look back at the Kickoff Show match.

Shiloh Hill and Tatum Paxley are happy over their recent success. Sexyy Red comes in and Paxley is excited, but Ricky Saints comes in and isn’t impressed.

We recap Zaria vs. Sol Ruca. They were partners but Ruca wound up having a lot more success, despite trying to help Zaria. This led to jealousy and Zaria turned on her, setting up this match, even though the issue continues to be “Zaria never wins anything”.

IMG Credit: WWE

Zaria vs. Sol Ruca

Ruca charges in to jump Zaria and start fast. A basement superkick puts Zaria down but she sends Ruca throat first into the rope. Ruca is sent outside, where she’s able to kick Zaria to the floor. Zaria is right back up with a fireman’s carry drop onto the steps, followed by a backdrop back inside. A superkick knocks Zaria out of the air but she’s right back with a fall away slam for two.

Zaria’s curb stomp gets two but Ruca escapes a choke in the corner. A super hurricanrana sends Zaria flying and they slug it out with Ruca getting the better of things, including some elbows to the face. Ruca’s middle rope dropkick hits Zaria and a clothesline lets them crash out to the floor. Back in and the Sol Snatcher is broken up with a superkick but they go outside onto the steel ramp.

Ruca escapes a chokeslam and Sol Snatches Zaria onto the steel. Zaria gets up so Ruca hits a second Sol Snatcher for two back inside. Another springboard earns Ruca a spear and Zaria grabs the F5 for two more. We pause for a potential reunion but Zaria headbutts her a bunch of times. The fireman’s carry is taken to the middle rope but Ruca hits a super X Factor into another Sol Snatcher for the pin at 13:08.

Rating: B. It was a good fight and Ruca pinned her clean, which is another devastating loss for Zaria. As was the case coming into this, she just hadn’t won anything and that’s not a good sign. I’m not sure what is left for her around here, though Ruca can move up to either the title picture or just on to the main roster. They had a good match, though I’m not sure on the result.

Lola vice is happy with her win and there is going to be a celebration on NXT. Sexyy Red comes in for some dancing.

IMG Credit: WWE

North American Title: Johnny Gargano vs. Myles Borne

Gargano, with Candice LeRae, is challenging. The idea is Gargano is in a horrible rut so he’s back here in an attempt to recapture his old success. The bigger Borne shoves him down to start and works on an early armbar. A running shoulder puts Gargano down and he just lays there (as he’s been doing on Smackdown) but it’s a ruse to hit a dropkick to send Borne outside.

Borne tries to get back inside, where a fired up Gargano clotheslines him outside. An Angle Slam into the post cuts Gargano off and Borne whips him hard into the corner back inside. A powerslam gives Borne two and he bends Gargano’s spine over the knee. Back up and Gargano is able to avoid a charge into the post, setting up the slingshot spear for two. Gargano’s cranking on the arm is broken up though and Borne hammers away with right hands in the corner.

That’s reversed into the Cheeky Nandos kick and a sunset bomb gives Gargano two. Naturally Gargano hits the suicide dive but Borne gives him a super powerslam for two back inside. A dropkick and German suplex rock Gargano, who charges into a Death Valley Driver onto the knee. That sends Gargano out to the ramp, where Borne catches him with a diving clothesline.

Gargano is right back with a DDT and One Final Beat but Borne counters the Gargano Escape into Borne Again for two. Borne’s Boston Crab attempt is countered into a rollup for two and LeRae gets in a cheap shot. The Gargano Escape has the bad arm in trouble but he crawls over to the rope. Another One Final Beat is blocked though and it’s a slingshot Borne Again into Borne Again to retain the title at 14:34.

Rating: B. This was a way to give Borne some more credibility and it worked fine. Borne had to beat a former NXT Champion and main roster star, which he did in a big way. It was nice to have the old Gargano back, even for one night, and I’m not sure where he’s going on Smackdown. Borne gets to move on to his next challenger though, which is what he should be doing.

Post match respect seems to be shown but Dion Lennox runs in to chair Borne down.

Sol Ruca says that was her hardest match yet and now she’s coming after the gold. Izzi Dame comes in to say not so fast and a match seems to be set.

We recap the Women’s North American Title match. Tatum Paxley finally finished the feud with Izzi Dame but Blake Monroe, the former champion, stole the title to set up this fight.

IMG Credit: WWE

Women’s North American Title: Blake Monroe vs. Tatum Paxley

Monroe is challenging despite coming in with the belt itself. Paxley jumps her to start and hits a knee to the face, followed by a Gory Stretch into a painful looking stretch. That’s broken up and Monroe takes her down to hammer away for a change. Paxley sends her into the corner for a running crossbody to the ribs but Monroe catches her on the top. The anklescissors brings Paxley crashing down, with her shoulder getting banged up in the process.

Naturally Monroe is right on the shoulder, though she makes sure to shove Paxley around a bit as well. A Crossface has Paxley in more trouble but she’s able to get up for a jumping enziguri. Paxley hits a German suplex into another enziguri, followed by a flipping Fameasser for two. A superkick drops Monroe but Paxley can’t immediately follow up. Instead they kick away at each other from the mat, with Paxley getting the better of things

Paxley puts her on top for a superplex rolled into a suplex but Monroe is right back up. Another suplex cuts Monroe off so she heads to the apron, where she grabs a sunset bomb to Paxley. The comeback is cut off again though and Monroe gets in a belt shot for a rather near fall. Paxley is sent into an exposed turnbuckle and a DDT gives Monroe two. Monroe is shocked but Paxley is right back with the Cemetery Drive for the retaining pin at 13:20.

Rating: B-. Paxley was coming off like a superhero here and it was fun to see her getting to do that for a change. I’m not sure how long she’s going to be on this sort of a roll, but you can’t argue how well it’s going at the moment. The division needs some fresh stars so why not see how far it can go? It’s not like there are several better options at the moment.

Saquon Shuggars isn’t happy with Dion Lennox getting another shot, but things calm down a bit as Lennox has a plan for all of them.

Video on Josh Briggs vs. Keanu Carver vs. Jasper Troy before their triple threat on Tuesday.

Here’s what’s coming on next week’s show.

Tatum Paxley celebrates with her friends. The Vanity Project comes up and doesn’t get it, but Blake Monroe wants to talk to them. They seem to get that.

We recap Joe Hendry defending the NXT Title in a four way. Ricky Saints and Ethan Page are reluctant partners who want the title back, while Tony D’Angelo wants his first title reign. Go.

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT Title: Joe Hendry vs. Ricky Saints vs. Ethan Page vs. Tony D’Angelo

Hendry is defending and it’s one fall to a finish. After the Big Match Intros, Hendry and D’Angelo clear out the villains to start but they’re right back up. Hendry gets to clean house and drops Page onto D’Angelo for a big crash. The delayed suplex gets two on Saints but Page is back in with a big boot to Hendry.

With D’Angelo on the floor, Page and Saints start double teaming Hendry, meaning we get some double posing. A double suplex drops Hendry again but page and Saints argue over the cover. They get back together to put D’Angelo on the floor again and it’s a TKO to Hendry, with Page and Saints getting a double near fall. Page and Saints try a PowerPlex to Hendry but Page’s top rope splash hits Saints (Page: “SORRY!”).

D’Angelo is back in with a spear but gets knocked back down, leaving all four needing a breather. D’Angelo’s spinebuster drops Hendry but Page and Saints are back up to plant D’Angelo on the floor. That just lets Hendry hit a big dive onto the two of them but the Standing Ovation is broken up back inside. Hendry gets to clean house with fall away slams but D’Angelo is back in with suplexes of his own.

D’Angelo spears Hendry down twice in a row but Saints grabs a chair and takes over. Page doesn’t like this though and the alliance finally breaks down, with Page putting him through the cover of the announcers’ table. D’Angelo spears both of them off the steps and through the table (with the candy flying). Back in and D’Angelo spears Hendry, setting up the spinebuster for the pin and the title at 16:03.

Rating: B. Another fast paced match here, with what was the most logical ending. I’m really not sure I can imagine Hendry staying in NXT that much longer as putting him on the main roster is hardly the craziest idea. If nothing else, it gives the fans someone new to cheer for, while D’Angelo gets his chance to run as a big star. Saints and Page were always going to turn on each other and this was a good enough way to make it happen. Solid main event here, though it never got to that higher level.

D’Angelo celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This was kind of a toned down version of the old Takeovers, with a bunch of good stuff and nothing resembling a bad match. While it didn’t have anything great like you would get in the Takeover days, it felt like a big night and I liked what we got out of the whole thing. This is basically the season finale for NXT and we’ll pick things up again on Tuesday with some fresh blood on top, which could mean some new names on the main roster. That’s what happens in a place like NXT and maybe this was setting up for the future. Or maybe it was just a pretty awesome show.

Results
Hank & Tank/Shiloh Hill/EK Prosper/Wren Sinclair b. Birthright – Belly to back neckbreaker to Dempsey
Lola Vice b. Kendal Grey and Jacy Jayne – Spinning backfist to Jayne
Vanity Project b. Los Americanos – Top rope double stomp/reverse DDT combination to Bravo
Sol Ruca b. Zaria – Sol Snatcher
Myles Borne b. Johnny Gargano – Borne Again
Tatum Paxley b. Blake Monroe – Cemetery Drive
Tony D’Angelo b. Joe Hendry, Ricky Saints and Ethan Page – Spinebuster to Hendry

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

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

Rey de Reyes 2026 Night Two
Date: March 21, 2026
Location: Auditorio GNP Seguros, Puebla, Mexico
Commentators: John Bradshaw Layfield, Rey Mysterio, Corey Graves

We’re back to another part of this show and this time it’s about some gold rather than a really big sword. The Tag Team Titles are on the line as Psycho Clown and Pagano are defending against the War Raiders. Other than that, we have a mixed six person tag, which should be a lot of fun. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video talks about iron sharpening iron and the iron will you need in this ring. We also look back at last week and look forward to this week.

Money Machine/La Hiedra vs. Lola Vice/Mr. Iguana/Rey Fenix

Fenix and Oro start things off with a run of the ropes, as Fenix keeps leapfrogging him. Oro gets sent back into his corner so Vice is in to hit Hiedra in the head. Iguana comes in to take over on Money Machine but the stuffed iguana is intercepted. A backbreaker/spinning top rope splash combination hits Iguana and they stop to beat up the stuffed version.

It’s off to Vice to send Hiedra into the corner for the running hip attack as everything breaks down. Hiedra is back up with a Stunner into a hip attack of her own, followed by a Downward Spiral. She makes the mistake of going to yell at Iguana though and gets caught in a double swinging faceplant. It’s back to Fenix to clean house with the rapid fire kicks, plus a super inverted Spanish Fly for two on Oro. Vice dives onto Hiedra and Iguana hits a big dive off the top to the floor. The Fenix Driver finishes Oro at 9:41.

Rating: B-. This was the fun opener that I was expecting as Vice and Iguana are a blast together, with the others more than pulling their weight. Fenix was in there as well to add all of the high flying stuff and that’s always worth a look. Good stuff here, with the fans digging what they were getting.

Post match Chelsea Green pops up to say she never lost her Mixed Tag Team Title, so acknowledge her as your champion. Anything involving more Green is a good thing.

We recap the Tag Team Title match, with the War Raiders showing up but Pagano and Psycho Clown not being ready to roll over for them.

Tag Team Titles: War Raiders vs. Pagano/Psycho Clown

The Raiders are challenging. It’s a brawl to start with the Raiders taking Clown out. Pagano manages to fight back and gets an Air Raid Crash to Erik but gets knocked off the top. Ivar crushes Pagano against the steps and hammers away back inside. Erik’s big knee gets two and Erik slams Ivar onto Pagano for two more. Pagano kicks his way out of the corner though and it’s back to Clown, who is healthy enough to start fighting back.

Everything breaks down and Clown hits a running dive to take out Erik on the floor. Back in and Clown gets knocked into the wrong corner, with Ivar being driven into his face. Pagano comes in again to make the save and it’s a missile dropkick into an Emerald Flosion for two on Erik. Pagano and Erik strike it out until Ivar is back in with a spinning kick to the face.

The Doomsault connects, with Clown having to dive off the top for the save. Everyone pulls themselves up and Clown pulls off his mask to reveal a red version. The champs win a slugout and Pagano hits a top rope legdrop for two. Back up and Pagano accidentally elbows Clown, only to have them go after the Raiders instead of each other. The double brawl is on and the referee is shoved down, which is a double DQ at 13:29.

Rating: B. This was exactly the kind of fight you would have expected from these teams and that was great to see. It’s a good example of not trying to overthink things, as this was about two big power teams beating the daylights out of each other. I like the ending as well, as that could set up a big physical rematch down the line.

Post match the brawl is on again and they grab chairs and kendo sticks to make it better. Security breaks it up.

El Ojo is trying to regroup after last week, with Dorian Roldan on the phone with his mom. After getting her out of the way, Roldan has to convince El Hijo del Vikingo that he should focus on winning the Intercontinental Title.

It’s time for the presentation of the sword to El Grande Americano. With the Roldans in the ring, 2010 winner Chessman, 2015 winner Texano Jr., and 1999 winner Cibernetico come out with their big swords. Now it’s time for this year’s winner, El Grande Americano, with JBL hating him all the way to the ring.

Americano greets everyone and thanks the fans for everything before praising the three previous winners. He talks about the respect he has for lucha libre and thanks Marisela Pena, as well as the fans. It’s about carrying the pride of Mexico and it isn’t about where you were born, because the pride of Mexico is about the culture.

Cue Dominik Mysterio (JBL approves) to actually shake hands and suggest that they have the title match right now. Americano chases Mysterio off but here is the Original El Grande Americano to jump Americano from behind. The beating is on with Americano being sent into various things and Original ripping at the mask. Los Americanos run in for the save but Original steals the sword to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. This was a heck of a show with two good matches and a big angle to wrap it up. As has been the case since it started airing weekly, AAA is an easy show to watch and the English commentary has helped it a lot. This was a rather good show and it flew by, which is always nice to see. Heck of a show here and I want to see what happens next week.

Results
Rey Fenix/Mr. Iguana/Lola Vice b. Money Machine/La Hiedra – Fenix Driver to Oro
War Raiders vs. Pagano/Psycho Clown went to a double DQ when both teams shoved the referee

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

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: March 16, 2026
Location: Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s Steve Austin Day and odds are that isn’t going to mean much for this show. We’re about a month away from Wrestlemania and the show is needing a shot in the arm. We might get some of that this week as Brock Lesnar is here to hopefully address his Wrestlemania challenge. Let’s get to it.

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

The masked men storm ringside to start things off and Seth Rollins is in the ring. Rollins gets right to the point: he created the Vision and he will be the one to destroy it. He doesn’t care which member you are, but if you stand next to Paul Heyman, you are marked for death. Rollins is the one who attacked Paul Heyman and….here is Heyman, looking like he just fell out of a bus. Rollins is ready to destroy Heyman, who says he wouldn’t miss this for the world. Everyone knows that the rule is FAFO. Heyman: “FAFO. FAFO. FAF….5.”

And here is Brock Lesnar, which has Rollins’ goons surrounding him. Lesnar takes off his hat and wrecks the masked men until he’s alone with Rollins….and here is Oba Femi. Even Lesnar isn’t sure about this one and Femi stares him down. The Fall From Grace immediately plants Lesnar (Cole: “HOLY S***!”) and Femi steps on Lesnar’s chest while pointing to the Wrestlemania sign. Well that works, but DANG Femi better be ready.

We look at last week’s CM Punk showdown with the Usos, who are not happy with how Punk has been talking about Roman Reigns. Punk didn’t back down and got hit in the face for his efforts.

We look at El Grande Americano winning the AAA Rey de Reyes tournament over the weekend. You should check out AAA if you haven’t (it airs on WWE’s Youtube page) as it’s one of the better weekly series going today.

Original El Grande Americano vs. El Grande Americano

Los Americanos are here with Americano. Original hits a quick rolling Liger Kick and crabs an armbar over the top rope. The lackeys get involved for a distraction, allowing Americano to send Original into the post. Original is able to reverse a slingshot into a northern lights suplex for two and they chop it out. A suplex sends Americano over the top onto the other two and we take a break.

We come back with Original grabbing a backdrop but needing a breather. Original’s rolling kick to the head sets up some rolling German suplexes but Americano sends him to the apron. That lets Original take out Rayo and then Bravo, only for Americano to grab his weird Death Valley Driver variant for two. A big kick to the chest rocks Original again and Death Valley Driver gets two more.

Original manages a suplex into the corner and the ankle lock goes on, with Americano making the rope. The rolling Chaos Theory suplex drops Original but the referee is with Rayo. Original Cactus Clotheslines him outside, allowing Bravo to load up Americano’s mask. Original’s Swan Dive knocks himself out and Americano gets the pin at 9:55.

Rating: C+. This was a fine enough match, but dang they need to have the inevitable mask vs. mask match down in Mexico. The fans there are eating up everything these two are doing and it would be great to see them get the chance to show off on the big stage. If nothing else, it’s nice to have them getting something else rather than fall down the ladder by being themselves.

Roman Reigns arrives and runs into the Usos. Reigns says there are consequences for what you say and he grabs the camera, saying his fans should be offended by what CM Punk said. Over Wrestlemania Weekend, Punk belongs to him. He’ll catch up with the Usos later.

We look back at Judgment Day turning on Finn Balor last week.

Liv Morgan says this has been her plan since the day she joined Judgment Day. She only put up with Balor for his relationship with Dominik Mysterio and it has been a pleasure watching Balor fall from grace. It made her sick to call him family every week so they took something out of his playbook. The team is on to bigger and better things, like her beating Stephanie Vaquer for the title at Wrestlemania.

We look at Dominik Mysterio retaining the AAA Mega Title on Saturday, though he isn’t medically cleared for tonight.

The Usos talk to Roman Reigns about how he should deal with CM Punk. He’s heard the part time thing all the time but he doesn’t care because it’s about his wife and children. Reigns will get his apology later tonight.

Women’s Intercontinental Title: AJ Lee vs. Bayley

Lee is defending and gets powered into the corner to start. Some quick rollups give Lee two each but Bayley trips her down. Lee kicks her out to the floor and lets Bayley come back in, where Lee grabs a flipping armbar. Bayley gets out and sends her outside for a change as we take a break.

We come back with Lee reversing a suplex into a crossbody before also reversing the Bayley To Belly. A spinwheel kick gives Lee two and a Standing Sliced Bread drops Bayley again. The Shining Wizard is countered into a half crab but Lee gets out, only to be kneed in the face for some near falls. The Rose Plant is blocked so Bayley goes with the Bayley To Belly for two instead. They slap it out from their knees until the Shining Wizard rocks Bayley. The Black Widow is countered into a side slam but Bayley misses the top rope. Now the Black Widow goes on and Bayley taps at 10:32.

Rating: C+. This is the kind of win that does a lot of good for Lee. She isn’t likely to be around here, champion or not, for very long but she can still beat some of this generation one on one. That’s what Lee did here with a clean win over a big modern name. Bayley is absolutely set and can lose something like this without being hurt so it’s not like there is much of a downside.

JD McDonagh isn’t happy that Dominik Mysterio isn’t getting his Intercontinental Title shot but Mysterio isn’t cleared. Penta comes up and thanks Adam Pearce, who argues with McDonagh some more.

Back from a break and Becky Lynch is attacking AJ Lee in the aisle. Referees try to break it up but Lynch drops Lee with a belt shot to the head.

We look at Randy Orton turning on Cody Rhodes on Smackdown and laying him out on Smackdown.

Here is Penta for a chat before his Intercontinental Title defense. He wants to be a fighting champion because this title is for everyone. And we have a challenger.

Intercontinental Title: Penta vs. Dragon Lee

Penta is defending and we’re joined in progress with the two of them going to the mat. Lee gets up and does Penta’s strut and then dropkicks him into the corner. Penta is back with a chop of his own, followed by the slingshot dropkick to send Lee outside. Lee is able to get back up for a running flip dive, only for Penta to come back with one of his own. Back in and Penta’s high crossbody gets two and we take a break.

We come back with the two of them slugging it out until Lee manages a Styles Clash for two. A quick Penta Driver gives Penta two more but Lee kicks him out to the floor. One heck of a running flip dive knocks Penta over the announcers’ table and the fans are way into this. Back in and Operation Dragon gives Lee a very close two but Penta is right back up with the Mexican Destroyer for the pin at 11:48.

Rating: B. Yeah this worked as they did the fast paced, non-stop action match that you would want them to do. It worked very well, with that flip dive from Lee looking outstanding. This was about Penta getting in the ring and getting a nice win, with Lee getting to do his thing as well. Very entertaining match.

Post match respect is shown.

The Vision tells Paul Heyman that they’re coming for Seth Rollins but an anxious Heyman says that’s a bad idea. They need power to do what they want and that means getting the Tag Team Titles. Go do something to get the Usos’ attention. Austin Theory is off to do just that, with Logan Paul saying consider it done.

Maxxine Dupri vs. Nattie

Nattie wrestles her down with ease to start and it’s time for some choking in the ropes. Dupri gets tied in the Tree Of Woe for more choking and Nattie grabs a rear naked choke. That’s reversed into the ankle lock, followed by a kick to put Nattie down. A fisherman’s suplex lets Dupri take the straps down for a step up legdrop and a near fall. Nattie is right back with a knockdown of her own though and the Sharpshooter makes Dupri tap at 4:20.

Rating: C. This was about what you would expect from these two, as Dupri showed off her athleticism and spammed the heck out of the ankle lock. Nattie’s whole point is about proving that Dupri isn’t ready and she got so show some of that tonight. Odds are this feud isn’t over yet, which is quite the shame at the moment.

Post match Nattie says the Dungeon is alive.

Randy Orton is on the phone with someone about what he did on Friday, saying he’ll see you soon. Orton stops for an interview with Michael Cole…but he’s changed his mind and isn’t doing it. He will say this though: he had a conversation with someone who has a brain and they made him understand who and what he is. The reality is Orton is a killer and wrestling has more than one royal family.

Je’Von Evans comes up to Dragon Lee, who is banged up from his match. Kofi Kingston pops in to tell Evans to hang out with the right people. Kingston insults Lee and that’s enough for Evans to give him a no. Grayson Waller says he doesn’t get what they see in Evans, but Kingston says that’s how people feel about Waller. Cue Danhausen to say he should join the New Day because they can have curse cereal. He does the New Day Dance but gets a no, so YOU ARE CURSED, with Kingston and Waller arguing over which one got it.

Stephanie Vaquer vs. Raquel Rodriguez

Non-title and Liv Morgan is here with Rodriguez. Vaquer gets shouldered down to start so she grabs a rolling cradle for two. A big clothesline hits Vaquer and we’re already in the chinlock. That’s broken up just as fast and Vaquer escapes a powerbomb attempt. Vaquer’s running dropkick sends Rodriguez outside, where she launches Vaquer face first into the post. That leave Vaquer’s eyes bugging out as we take a break.

We come back with Vaquer being knocked to the apron, where she gets up top for a high crossbody. Vaquer starts in on the leg and hits the running knees in the corner. Rodriguez is able to block the Devil’s Kiss and a suplex cutter puts Vaquer down. The Vader Bomb elbow misses though and now the Devil’s Kiss works.

Morgan gets up for a distraction but here is Iyo Sky to go after her. Rodriguez is up with a shoulder to put Sky over the announcers’ table but Vaquer superkicks Rodriguez and throws Morgan into the timekeeper’s area. Back in and Vaquer tries a high crossbody, which is reversed into a powerslam. The Tejana Bomb is loaded up but Vaquer reverses into a rollup for the pin at 10:06.

Rating: B-. The interference got a bit messy at the end but Vaquer gets to look solid in a win on the way to Wrestlemania. It is hard to imagine Vaquer retaining the title at Wrestlemania but she needed a chance to get back in the fans’ mind. Sky wanting to destroy Morgan is an interesting side story and I like where this is going.

Lyra Valkyria tries to talk to Bayley about her Wrestlemania prospects but Bayley cuts her off. The idea is for them to do it together but the Kabuki Warriors come in, with Asuka blaming them for her recent loss. Revenge is teased. Of note: the Vision was shown in the background, talking to a woman I believe was Maxxine Dupri.

We look back at Oba Femi laying out Brock Lesnar and their Wrestlemania match is set.

The Usos run into LA Knight, who wants to take out the Vision as well. As for Roman Reigns, it’s Family business and Knight needs to mind his own business. Knight respects the idea but he doesn’t want the Bloodline coming back.

Here is Roman Reigns for a chat. Reigns hits the catchphrase and says the fans know who closes this show. The thing is Phil gets a little confused because this is Monday and this is Reigns’ show so come on out here. Punk comes out and takes his sweet time circling the ring until Reigns welcomes him to his show. Punk says Reigns keeps calling him Phil when it’s supposed to be an insult.

That’s a friends and family thing and he should call Reigns “Titi Tiaki” or whatever his real name is. Punk certainly isn’t going to call him Joe because that’s insulting to a real Samoan named Joe that he loves very much. Reigns hasn’t sent any Samoans after Punk but he has told them to do whatever they need to do. Punk shows the proof that this is his show by asking how good it feels to be alive in San Antonio.

Punk knows he has already won because he is in Reigns’ head, though the fans chanting for Reigns cuts him off a bit. Reigns says the fans are calling Punk out, with Punk saying that he called Reigns out last week because he wasn’t here. Reigns says that he’s heard the part timer thing for years and if Punk wants to know what the top stars do, go ask his wife. That’s enough for Reigns to leave, but Punk cuts him off, saying Punk decides when he leaves on this show.

Punk promises him a GTS at Wrestlemania so Reigns says he didn’t want to go here. Everyone knows Punk is great on the mic but he can’t phase Reigns, who is the most successful star Punk has ever faced. At the end of the day, the truth is Punk isn’t stronger, faster or anything than Reigns. He isn’t even as good looking as Reigns. Punk is a try hard because he’s….old.

That’s enough for Punk to hit him with a right hand so agents come out to stop him, with Reigns laughing. With a ticked off Punk being escorted out, Reigns looks into the camera and talks about making Punk snap with one word. This feud is working for the simple reason (one of many) that you can believe these two do not like each other at all. It’s making these exchanges feel genuine and it comes off like a Wrestlemania main event, which is a job well done.

The show is dedicated to Davey Coates, the international tour manager who passed away last week.

Overall Rating: C+. This show illustrated the same thing as the last few weeks of Smackdown: outside of a few things, this company doesn’t feel like it’s in Wrestlemania mode. The main event segment was great and Femi vs. Lesnar could be awesome, but a good bit of the rest of the stuff is just kind of there. Some of it is good and could be worth your time in Las Vegas, but it isn’t making me hyped for the show. They need more of a feeling that this is what matters more than anything else and I’m not sure they can make that feel effective with about a month to go.

Results
El Grande Americano b. Original El Grande Americano – Swan Dive
AJ Lee b. Bayley – Black Widow
Penta b. Dragon Lee – Mexican Destroyer
Nattie b. Maxxine Dupri – Sharpshooter
Stephanie Vaquer b. Raquel Rodriguez – Rollup

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

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Rey de Reyes 2026 Night One
Date: March 14, 2026
Location: Auditorio GNP Seguros, Puebla, Mexico
Commentators: John Bradshaw Layfield, Rey Mysterio, Corey Graves

It’s the first of three weeks of one of the biggest AAA shows of the year and they’re starting fast. This week features both the Rey de Reyes finals, plus Dominik Mysterio defending the Mega Title against El Hijo del Vikingo, with some special stipulations. That’s in addition to a Women’s Title match so let’s get to it.

The opening video talks about what it takes to be the best and earn the crown. Or sword in this case.

Commentary sends best wishes to Konnan, who has been having some health issues.

Here is Rey Fenix to get things going. He loves being here and promises surprises for everyone. That includes his favorite wrestler, and his brother, which brings out Penta. I mean, he was already announced for the show so it’s not a surprise but close enough. Fenix even holds the rope open for him in a nice moment before going to leave, but Penta tells him to stay.

Penta greets the crowd and teases a Lucha Brothers reunion, perhaps at TripleMania. They’re the best team in the universe and they’ll be back together. Fenix leaves and Penta talks about some of the legends that have won the Rey de Reyes tournament over the years. Penta talks about how winning the Intercontinental Title is about everyone here and he wants a challenger from Mexico to step up. You could tell how much this meant for Penta and that’s rather cool to see.

Reina de Reinas Title: Flammer vs. ???

It’s open challenge time with Flammer defending against….Bayley. Ok that’s a nice surprise. Bayley headlocks her down to start and they grapple around a bit, with Flammer slipping away. Bayley takes her to the floor for a quick beating but Flammer sweeps the leg and hits a suicide dive. Back in and Flammer pounds away before grabbing the chinlock. That doesn’t last long as Bayley is back up with a running neckbreaker.

The Twisting Stunner over the ropes gives Bayley two and she knees Flammer in the face. Flammer kicks her out of the corner though and rips a pad off the turnbuckle but has to escape the Rose Plant. Bayley gets tied in the ropes for a springboard legdrop but is fine enough to hit a middle rope elbow to the back. A Codebreaker out of the corner gives Flammer two, only for Bayley to knock her down. Cue Las Toxicas for a distraction, allowing Flammer to send her into the ropes. The running dropkick against the ropes retains the title at 11:38.

Rating: B-. And that’s a great way to use a star like Bayley, as she got cheated out of the win and Flammer gets one of the biggest victories of her career. The win gives Flammer the record for longest reign in the title’s history, which is quite the accomplishment. I don’t quite get the star power out of her, but this kind of a win is always going to help.

Video on the Rey de Reyes tournament and what it has meant over the years. This year, the winner even gets a Mega Title shot in addition to the really big sword.

Rey de Reyes: Santos Escobar vs. Original El Grande Americano vs. El Grande Americano vs. La Parka

One fall and for the sake of simplicity, I’ll call them “Original” and “Americano” respectively. The bell rings twice for some reason and it’s already off to Original vs. Americano. Escobar makes the fans wait even longer though, with Parka coming back in to break it up. The fans call Original IMPOSTER as he sends Parka out to the apron. A dropkick sends Original to the floor and Escobar dumps Parka as well.

Americano is back in to hammer on Escobar but Parka is back in to clean house. Parka moonsaults down onto the other three and a spinning torture rack bomb drops Original for two back inside. Original is back up to start working on Parka’s arm and a top rope clothesline drops him for two. Escobar is back in and Original takes over on him as well, with Americano coming back in to the crowd’s delight.

Escobar gets the other three in the corners for some running knees and a superkick gets two on Parka. Americano tells Escobar to bring it though and clears him out, meaning it’s time for the showdown with Original. Escobar breaks it up again and gets his ankle locked, with Americano doing his weird camel clutch to Parka. Both of those are broken up so Escobar takes Parka up top for a superplex and a near fall.

Original German suplexes Parka and Escobar so here is Americano to hammer away. A super Spanish Fly drops Original, with Escobar adding a superkick mid-flip (cool) for two. Original and Americano take the other two down and they both load up the masks. Stereo headbutts leave both of them down and Parka frog splashes Americano for two. Parka and Escobar clothesline each other and everyone is down.

Original and Americano brawl to the back, which JBL points out as being rather dumb. Escobar grabs a chair but gets suplexed for two instead. Parka misses a moonsault and gets faceplanted onto the chair for two. Cue Americano, who points to Los Americanos beating up the Original in a sky box. Escobar avoids a charge in the corner and gets two off a rollup with tights. Cue El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. to stop Escobar from grabbing a chair though, allowing Americano to hit the running headbutt for the pin and the tournament at 19:00.

Rating: B+. This was pretty much non-stop action and the fans were WAY into everything Americano was doing. They’ve got a hot feud here and a mask vs. mask match is about as perfect of a blowoff as you can get. Putting Americano into the Mega Title picture is what the fans want and it comes after an awesome four way. Rather good stuff here, as they did not stop throughout.

Post match Americano laughs at the Original, who has been handcuffed to a railing in the box.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Mega Title: El Hijo del Vikingo vs. Dominik Mysterio

Vikingo, with Dorian Roldan, is challenging and cannot challenge again if he loses. If Mysterio wins, he has to leave Mexico. It’s also No DQ so they both grab an early kendo stick. Vikingo dropkicks him into the corner and ties him in the ropes for a running low dropkick. Some legsweeps put Mysterio down and a chair is tossed at his head (Rey: “Maybe after that hit he’ll recognize me as his father.”).

Vikingo sends him into the steps and a running flip dive knocks Mysterio out of a chair for the big crash. Back in and Vikingo puts a trashcan over Mysterio’s head and unloads with a kendo stick for two. Mysterio fights back and knocks him down for the slingshot hilo but Vikingo blocks the Three Amigos. Instead it’s a Michinoku Driver for two on Vikingo, with Roldan making the save.

Cue Omos for a distraction, allowing Vikingo to get two off a rollup. Omos pulls a trashcan away from Mysterio and throws it back at him, allowing Vikingo to hit a top rope double stomp for two. Vikingo puts on the title but misses a frog splash, only for Omos to break up the 619. There’s a big chokeslam to Mysterio but here is Mini Vikingo to break up the 630. Mysterio goes low to save Mini from Omos and some chair shots put Omos down. The 619 and frog splash retain the title at 12:55.

Rating: B. The key thing here is they didn’t go long, as this was more about just getting everything in and leaving before they overstayed their welcome. The big two promotions could absolutely learn something from that as it made things so much better here. Mysterio retaining is a great way to go, as he is thriving here and it would be insane to take him out of Mexico.

Post match Mysterio celebrates and you can hear Rey having to keep himself from cheering for his son (that’s nice).

Overall Rating: B+. As usual, I had a great time with this as everyone was working hard and you can get into everything rather easily. The tournament final was a blast and the main event was fun, with Bayley being a nice surprise. They knew this was the big show and they did well with it, though good luck following up on it in the coming weeks. AAA continues to be among the best weekly series and that was absolutely the case again here.

Results
Flammer b. Bayley – Running dropkick against the ropes
El Grande Americano b. Original El Grande Americano, La Parka and Santos Escobar – Running headbutt to Original
Dominik Mysterio b. El Hijo del Vikingo – Frog splash

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

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AAA On FOX
Date: March 7, 2026
Location: Showcenter Complex, Monterrey, Mexico
Commentators: Rey Mysterio, John Bradshaw Layfield, Corey Graves

We’re a week away from Rey de Reyes and that means we has one more qualifying match for the show’s namesake four way. Other than that, Dominik Mysterio still has his hands full dealing with El Hijo de Vikingo and El Ojo. This show continues to be a lot of fun and hopefully that continues here. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at the Original El Grande Americano attacking Pimpinela Escarlata last week, with El Grande Americano going on to qualify for Rey de Reyes later in the show.

Opening sequence.

El Hijo del Vikingo vs. Dinamico

Dorian Roldan and Omos are here with Vikingo and Mysterio doesn’t know much about Dinamico, which isn’t a good sign. Or he’s the AAA version of Goldberg. Vikingo dropkicks him into the corner to start and hits a rather loud chop. A dropkick to the back of the head gets two but Dinamico manages to pick him up for a helicopter bomb.

Back up and Vikingo drops him with a clothesline, followed by a top rope Codebreaker for two. A top rope double stomp in the ropes gives Vikingo two but Dinamico hits a rolling cutter. That’s enough to send Vikingo outside, where a suicide dive takes him down again. Back in and something like a wheelbarrow driver gives Vikingo two and a weird wheelbarrow suplex gets the same. Vikingo drives him into the corner and hits the 630 for the win at 6:50.

Rating: C+. Dinamico was basically a warm body here but at least he got in a bit of offense, which helped somewhat. It wasn’t entirely a squash, but this was of course all about Vikingo looking like a big star. I liked it well enough, as Vikingo is already on his way to something rather big.

Post match Dominik Mysterio pops up on the screen to say next week will be different when he shows Vikingo something new.

Video on Flammer, the longest reigning Reina de Reinas champion in history. Therefore, say it with me, at Rey de Reyes, it’s an open challenge.

Rey de Reyes Qualifying Match: Mr. Iguana vs. Abismo Negro vs. Santos Escobar vs. Psycho Clown

We start with a series of knockdowns, with Negro spinning Iguana down for two. Clown sunset flips Negro for two and sends him outside for a big dive. That leaves Iguana to throw his stuffed iguana to Escobar for a dropkick. Back in and Escobar beats up Iguana, followed by a superkick to Clown for two. Iguana distracts Clown and goes up top for a hurricanrana….into an armdrag without hitting the ground (GEEZ) to drop Negro. Even commentary sounds impressed by that and I can’t blame them.

Clown is up with a dive of his own but gets beaten up by a stuffed iguana. That lets Mr. Iguana go up top, with Clown pulling him out of the air with a powerslam for two. Negro is back in to load up a Tombstone but cue El Fiscal to go after him. The two of them brawl out into the crowd, leaving Clown to give Escobar the Psycho Driver. For some reason he doesn’t cover though and here are the War Raiders to go after Clown. Pagano runs in with a kendo stick for the save and Iguana hurricanranas Escobar for two. Escobar goes to the eyes though and hits a kneeling Tombstone for the pin at 9:59.

Rating: B-. This was another wild four way to set up what should be one heck of a four way in a few weeks. What matters the most here is that they had an exciting match, with the finals being something that could go in a variety of ways. The interferences made sense here, though that hurricanrana armdrag was something else.

Rey de Reyes rundown.

Psycho Clown and Pagano head to the back…and Murder Clown is missing. Psycho blames Pagano for not keeping an eye on him but Pagano points out that he came to the ring to help. Psycho even accuses Pagano of being involved in this but things calm down as they hear a noise. It’s….Murder, who was in the bathroom with his headphones on. Everything is fine.

Original El Grande Americano vs. La Parka

The fans are WAY behind Parka here and the early dancing makes it even worse. Parka shoulders him down and dances again before grabbing a headlock. They trade rollups for two each until Americano misses an armdrag, meaning dancing can ensue again. Back up and Americano hammers away but has to bail outside to avoid a moonsault. Parka follows him to the floor and gets dropped knee first onto the announcers’ table. Americano starts in on the knee back inside, with said knee being wrapped around the post.

Commentary hypes up the Mega Title match, with Mysterio saying he’d be fine with his son losing, which is quite the funny line. Americano works on the leg some more and stomps him down in the corner. Another dragon screw legwhip has Parka in more trouble so Americano goes for the mask. That’s enough to fire Parka up and he gets two off a backslide.

They slug it out until Parka starts the clothesline comeback. A half and half suplex gets two on Americano, who is right back with a rolling Liger kick. Americano is right back on the leg but somehow Parka is able to hit a super Spanish Fly for two more. The ankle lock is broken up, as is the Bone Breaker, leaving Americano to twist the mask around. Rolling Chaos Theory pins Parka at 14:06.

Rating: B-. The match got some time and worked well enough, though Parka’s selling of the knee was spotty at best. There’s only so much value in working on the knee if the person with a bad knee is able to hit a super Spanish Fly. The good thing is that Americano is hated around here and AAA is smart to run with the heat that he has.

Post match Santos Escobar and El Grande Americano come out for a four way staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was basically a big preview for Rey de Reyes and that worked out well. It’s going to take place over the next three editions of the weekly show and that should be more than good enough to carry things. As usual, the show is a breezy watch and you can keep track of the stories with ease. Commentary helps a lot, as the three of them work well together and can explain the stories well. Nice stuff here, with the big shows starting next week.

Results
El Hijo del Vikingo b. Dinamico – 630
Santos Escobar b. Abismo Negro, Psycho Clown and Mr. Iguana – Kneeling Tombstone to Iguana
Original El Grande Americano b. La Parka – Rolling Chaos Theory

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: March 2, 2026
Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re officially out of big stops before Wrestlemania as we are done with Elimination Chamber and the Wrestlemania title matches are set, at least for now. That leaves us with about six weeks before Wrestlemania and we have a title match to get through here, as Penta challenges Dominik Mysterio for the Intercontinental Title. Let’s get to it.

Here is Elimination Chamber if you need a recap.

Long recap of Elimination Chamber.

Here is the Vision to get things going and Paul Heyman is not happy. Heyman says this is where someone is supposed to welcome us to the show but they are here to talk about Seth Rollins, who returned at Elimination Chamber. Rollins is the single biggest thief…and we pause for the fans to sing.

Heyman talks about how he can’t stand that song before talking about how Rollins keeps stealing the main event of Wrestlemania from people who don’t deserve it. He threatens Rollins before handing it off to Austin Theory, who says Rollins stole the victory from Logan Paul. That leaves Paul to talk about how the last person to eliminate three straight people in the Chamber was Brock Lesnar because that is the kind of company he keeps.

Paul threatens to hold the show hostage until Rollins gets out here but here are Adam Pearce and security to cut him off. Pearce says this can’t happen because Rollins isn’t cleared to compete, but here is a masked man over the barricade. Security gives chase and here’s another masked man to draw out Paul. A third masked man draws Theory away and Heyman suddenly realizes he’s all alone.

Cue another masked man, this one through the entrance, but a fifth pops up from behind and unmasks as Rollins. A Roman Reigns style chair shot to the back puts Heyman down and Rollins hits a Stomp. Cole says that was Heyman getting his a** stomped out but I’m pretty sure it was his head. Rollins leaves through the crowd and medics come in to check on Heyman, who is bleeding from the mouth.

Post break we watch what we saw before the break and Heyman is taken away in an ambulance but Jimmy Uso pops out of a car to jump Austin Theory, apparently believing that the Vision attacked Jey Uso. With Theory down, Jimmy goes to the cab of the ambulance…and LA Knight drives it away.

IMG Credit: WWE

Gunther vs. Dragon Lee

Lee jumps him in the aisle and hits a dropkick through the ropes. Gunther is back with a great looking backdrop into the timekeeper’s area and we take a break. We come back with the match joined in progress with Gunther slowly hammering away, including going after the mask a bit. Some choking on the ropes has Lee in more trouble but he fights back with some kicks and manages to knock him outside. A dropkick connects with Gunther again but Gunther chops the heck out of him and we take a break.

We come back with Lee chopping away and hitting some running clotheslines. Gunther goes for the mask again but gets kicked in the head, allowing Lee to hit the running dropkick in the corner. Operation Dragon is countered into something like an Emerald Flosion for two and we slow back down. The powerbomb plants Lee again but Gunther picks him up at two. They head outside for an apron powerbomb and then another onto the announcers’ table, leaving Lee looking mostly done on the floor.

That’s good for an eight before Gunther tries another powerbomb, which is countered into a Code Red. Lee is back up with a suicide dive to knock Gunther over the table and Operation Dragon gets nine as Gunther beats the count. Back in and Lee actually drops him with a clothesline but Gunther pulls him into the sleeper. Gunther isn’t playing here and rips the mask off (with the camera getting a clear shot of the uncovered face) so Lee immediately taps at 12:22.

Rating: B-. Lee still being alive after those powerbombs might have been a stretch and I’m rather sick of the “rip the luchador’s mask off” finish, but they hit another gear there at one point. If you’ve got me thinking there was a chance for Lee to actually beat Gunther (even by countout), something is going right. I liked this way more than I was expecting and that is nice to see.

Asuka yells at Kairi Sane over not winning the Elimination Chamber but Sane says Asuka complimented her last week. That earns Sane even more yelling before Asuka leaves. AJ Lee comes up to check on Sane, who is almost in a trance (Lee: “Blink twice if you need anything.”) until Asuka shouts for her.

Demolition is going into the Hall Of Fame. That’s about as overdue as you can get.

IMG Credit: WWE

Here is AJ Lee for a chat. She’s back to do more than snatch the hair off of Becky Lynch’s big head. She thanks the fans for having her back and remembering her when others wanted her to be forgotten. Now she’s the Women’s Intercontinental Champion after beating Lynch and having the scars to prove it. She’s exactly who she thought she was and Wrestlemania is in front of her. We’re not waiting for then though and she’s going to be a fighting champion. She mentioned a bunch of women she wants to fight so come at her.

Earlier today, Penta ran into the Original El Grande Americano, who wished him bueno suerte. Americano wants the first shot when Penta wins the Intercontinental Title, with Penta saying cero miedo. With Penta gone, Los Americanos came in, with an argument over which of them is the real version. Apparently they’re fighting at Rey de Reyes, but Original wants to fight one of them tonight.

IMG Credit: WWE

Liv Morgan talks about being ready to face Stephanie Vaquer and prove herself again. Morgan lists off her resume and is ready to take the title at Wrestlemania.

Original El Grande Americano vs. Rayo Americano

The other Americanos are here too. Grande goes after the arm to start but Rayo fights back, almost out of desperation. La majistral gives Grande two and a frustrated Rayo bails to the floor. Bravo dances a bit for a distraction but Grande knocks Rayo outside for a flip dive off the apron. Another distraction lets Rayo post Grande though and we take a break.

We come back with Grande hitting a rolling kick to the head, followed by something like a reverse Angle Slam. The ankle lock goes on but Rayo flips him into the corner. Rayo goes up top, where Grande belly to belly superplexes him back down. Grande tries for the mask so Bravo offers a distraction, allowing Americano to hit the (presumably) loaded headbutt. Rayo’s Swan Dive gets two so he goes after Grande’s mask, which has Grande fighting back. Americano’s interference doesn’t work so it’s a rolling Chaos Theory to give Grande the pin at 10:07.

Rating: B-. This whole Americanos thing is some of the goofiest stuff I’ve seen WWE do in a long time but what matters the most is hitting a big blowoff. Doing that at Rey de Reyes has me wondering just how crazy they’re going, because it could be a lot of fun. The wrestling itself is good, but put this in front of the right audience and a mask vs. mask match could be excellent.

Penta is ready to win the Intercontinental Title.

We look at Oba Femi wrecking Miz on Smackdown.

Here is Rusev on the announcers’ table to call out Femi for a fight right now. Cue Femi, who says come in here and make something happen. They go face to face and actually slug it out with Femi getting the better of things to clear Rusev out.

Bayley and Lyra Valkyria talk about having a bad run lately but Valkyria wants to make sure Bayley gets to Wrestlemania. Valkyria suggests the Women’s Intercontinental Title but Bayley says she cost Valkyria a title match already so they should both go. They get to Adam Pearce’s office but Iyo Sky is walking out at the same time.

Jimmy Uso vs. Austin Theory

Uso jumps him to start but gets dropped with a spinning right hand. Back up and Uso knocks him to the floor for the suicide dive and it’s time for the announcers’ table. A superkick puts Theory on the table but Uso has to dive on Logan Paul. Theory gets back in and the double teaming is enough for the DQ at 2:40.

Post match Jey Uso is already back to make the save, complete with crutches.

Adam Pearce is on the phone with Nick Aldis but runs into Danhausen. He has some demands, like a Hall Of Fame induction, his face on the trucks, and something about a camera boy. The paper is wet as he dropped it in a toilet so Pearce isn’t pleased. Judgment Day comes in (Pearce is off to drink) and Danhausen doesn’t know JD McDonagh’s name. They don’t like him, with Dominik Mysterio saying that no, he can’t have the Intercontinental Title. That earns Mysterio a CURSE and Mysterio is gone.

Here is Rhea Ripley, with Iyo Sky, for a chat. Ripley talks about how bad things have been for the two of them, but then everything changed on Saturday. She thanks Sky for being everything to her and getting her out of a dark place. Sky is proud of her and says she’ll be ok on Raw, while Ripley can go win the title at Wrestlemania. Ripley looks into the camera and says she’ll be at Smackdown and leaving Wrestlemania as champion.

IMG Credit: WWE

Intercontinental Title: Penta vs. Dominik Mysterio

Mysterio, with Judgment Day, is defending. They start fast with an exchange of kicks and Penta sends him to the floor for the early running flip dive. We take a fast break and come back with Penta kicking him in the back of the head for two. Mysterio grabs an Edge-O-Matic (which I believe he has named the Mullet-O-Matic) for two and they go to the apron, where Penta gets planted with a DDT for two. Penta tries to kick back but gets sent to the floor for a big step up dive. A running crossbody sends Penta over the barricade and we take another break.

We come back with Penta kicking away in the corner, including the slingshot dropkick for two. The Backstabber out of the corner gets two more but Penta charges into a Michinoku Driver. The 619 connects but Mysterio dives into the Sacrifice. A Penta Driver gets two more and a ticked off Penta stomps away in the corner.

The charge misses into the post though and Penta has hurt his shoulder. Mysterio tells McDonagh to get the bell hammer but Balor cuts it off, saying Mysterio needs to do it himself. Penta’s big running flip dive takes Judgment Day out and the Mexican Destroyer gives us a new champion at 16:25.

Rating: B-. This was kind of a slow paced match for awhile but Penta getting the big upset win is a great thing. He’s been the kind of guy who has been around the title picture for a long time but hasn’t won anything, so it’s nice to see it actually happen. Mysterio feuding with Balor is a fine way to go, especially if he gets the title back so Balor can get a big win of his own. It’s not like Mysterio is going to lose his heat anytime soon.

We see a clip from after Elimination Chamber, where Nick Aldis had to be held back from Drew McIntyre. As a result, McIntyre is defending against Cody Rhodes this Friday on Smackdown. McIntyre came out to yell and Aldis even took his jacket off before being held back.

Here is Roman Reigns for a chat and after a break, he hits the catchphrase but gets cut off by CM Punk. He does the one finger and points out that he’s acknowledging Roman, which is all Reigns wants. Reigns brings up a tweet he sent out about Punk, who says he isn’t bothered by it because he doesn’t get mad at what people say about him on podcasts and such. Punk says he’s got to put up with Reigns’ bulls*** for seven weeks and the first stop on the Road To Wrestlemania is here in Indianapolis.

This is where the Shield debuted because Punk brought them up. Reigns: “You brought the other two. Not me.” Punk talks about how he’s under Reigns’ skin and it’s translucent because he can see right through Reigns. It’s true that Reigns hates him but what Phil is missing is that if he didn’t have the title, Reigns would be indifferent to him. Punk is back to entertain the 38-40 year old virgins who still live with their parents. Or maybe to sell some t-shirts and draw a house in Chicago. But being champion?

That’s above Punk’s pay grade because he’s a liar. Reigns says Phil has people believing that he’s a locker room leader who has some great time. Every second that Punk is b******* and moaning back there, Reigns’ cousins are telling him about it because Punk is just a punk a** b****. When Reigns wins the title, he’s putting Punk on a John Cena retirement tour. Then Punk can go down to NXT to teach these people how to do what they do and then they’ll come up to the main roster where Reigns smashes them.

Reigns goes to leave but Punk stops him, saying they have to cover some things. Punk wants to know what Reigns means by “we” because Reigns is all alone. There are no more Samoans or even a wise man because Punk took the wise man away. Reigns is the one chasing him because Punk runs things around here.

Yeah he’s hanging out with Reigns’ cousins and the reality is Reigns can’t get it done by himself. Punk doesn’t care if Reigns doesn’t love him but Reigns will respect him. That puts Reigns on the list, because he’s not just getting beaten but he’s getting buried. Then he won’t be all alone anymore, because Punk is going to bury him next to his father. Punk leaves and Reigns is not happy with how personal that just went.

This worked rather well, as it had me wondering how much of this was a story and how much was two people airing some grievances. I want to see where it’s going from here and I have no idea how the Wrestlemania match is going to go, which is one of the best feelings you can have for a match, especially one of the biggest of the year.

Overall Rating: B+. You may like where things are going for Wrestlemania or you may not. What matters is that WWE seems to have a card in mind with a month and a half to go. Right now you have the four main singles title matches and there is a good chance you can pencil in Usos vs. Vision and Rollins vs. possibly Brock Lesnar. This show did some serious work to get us there and I’ve heard worse cards. It would be nice to have Smackdown doing the same, which very well maybe the case this Friday. Raw did well this week, though there is still a long time before Wrestlemania.

Results
Gunther b. Dragon Lee – Sleeper
Original El Grande Americano b. Rayo Americano – Rolling Chaos Theory
Jimmy Uso b. Austin Theory via DQ when Logan Paul interfered
Penta b. Dominik Mysterio – Mexican Destroyer

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

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

AAA On FOX
Date: February 28, 2026
Location: Showcenter Complex, Monterrey, Mexico
Commentators: Corey Graves, Rey Mysterio, John Bradshaw Layfield

We’re getting really close to Rey de Reyes and that means there is time for another qualifying match. That’s what we’ll be getting this week and the lineup is, uh, something. Other than that, odds are we get some more on El Hijo de Vikingo vs. Dominik Mysterio so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s Mega Title contract signing, which resulted in a fight between the two Grande Americanos.

Here is Extra Crispy El Grande Americano to get things going, with commentary arguing over which one is the original. The fans are certainly happy to have him back and he talks about how happy he is to be here with his people in Monterrey. We need to talk about that shorty fraud, who stole his name and can’t even speak Spanish. This is Mexico and he wants to find out if the impostor can speak it at all.

We go to the back, where Pimpinela Escarlata goes to the Original’s locker room. Original speaks some horrible Spanish while Escarlata offers him food with cheese, which he doesn’t seem to understand. Escarlata goes into the locker room to call him a fake and gets beaten down. Grande Americano, the one in the ring, doesn’t seem pleased.

We look back at TJP losing to Laredo Kid last week but beating him down after the match.

Jack Cartwheel vs. Dragon Lee

For a Cruiserweight Title shot. They go with the grappling to start, with JBL saying they remind him of the Acolytes back in the day. Lee avoids an early moonsault but gets kicked into the ropes. A kick to the ribs cuts Cartwheel off but he’s back with a crucifix bomb for two. Cartwheel tries something from the apron and gets kicked to the floor, setting up a running flip dive.

Back in and Lee charges into a Spanish Fly for two but Lee flips him into a sitout powerbomb for the same. Cartwheel is right back with a poisonrana and a springboard phoenix splash for two. Lee gets up for a Styles Clash and two of his own, followed by the top rope double stomp. Operation Dragon finishes Cartwheel at 8:18.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of simple formula of taking two guys and fly through the match with the two of them going nuts. It’s the kind of high flying, fast paced match that is always going to work and they got to look good in the time they had. Lee is someone who has been pretty regularly presented by WWE so a title change isn’t the craziest concept.

Post match Lee says he can win the title but here is TJP to interrupt saying that won’t be easy. Laredo Kid comes out and goes after TJP but hits Lee by mistake. The brawl is on, with Jack Cartwheel getting back into things and standing tall with the title.

A doctor gives an update on Pimpinela Escarlata and it doesn’t sound good.

El Ojo doesn’t seem on the same page over Omos winning Rey de Reyes and El Hijo de Vikingo winning the Mega Title because they would have to face each other. Dorian Roldan says this is part of a big plan.

Pimpinela Escarlata is being taken away in an ambulance and asks El Grade Americano to take his place. FOR MEXICO.

Rey de Reyes Qualifying Match: Ethan Page vs. Omos vs. Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. vs. El Grande Americano

Non-title and Page freaks out over Americano being in the match. He goes out and sits in the front row so Omos tells the other two to bring it. Things are indeed brought and are promptly shrugged off with giant power. Americano’s armbar is broken up with a slam and now Page comes in to offer a partnership with Omos. That lasts about ten seconds before Omos kicks him in the face and shrugs off a double suplex attempt.

Wagner is whipped hard into the corner and a side slam drops Americano. A big boot gets two on Wagner and Page makes the save, which he immediately regrets. Omos picks up the two masked men and boots Page at the same time before leaving all of them down at once. Page goes outside again so Omos gives…well he follows him and cuts off Americano’s dive.

Wagner hits a dive of his own to stagger Omos and some triple teaming actually knocks him down. Back in and Wagner’s frog splash hits Page and Americano at the same time for two. Page and Wagner slug it out with Page getting the better of things and going for the mask. Americano is back up to take over on Page, with a middle rope clothesline connecting.

Omos is back in (JBL: “Eat him Omos! Eat him!”) so Americano goes after him, only to get kind of grazed with a right hand. Wagner and Americano get together to throw Omos outside before slugging it out in the middle. A Death Valley Driver plants Wagner and Page grabs the cover for two. Back up and the Wagner Driver hits Page, with Santos Escobar popping up to pull the referee.

Escobar and Wagner brawl off, leaving Page and Americano to fight on the apron to quite the reaction. Omos is back to grab both of them by the throat but here are Los Americanos to handcuff Omos to the post in a smart move. Back in and Americano gets the weird camel clutch to make Page tap but the referee got bumped somewhere in there.

Cue the Original El Grande Americano with Pimpinela Escarlata’s hat. That’s enough of a distraction for Page to grab a powerbomb for two on Americano. The Original grabs a chair but La Parka runs in to take it away and beat Original with it instead. Back in and Americano’s running headbutt catches Page for the pin at 18:02.

Rating: B+. Well dang that wound up being awesome. This was an Attitude Era style melee with everyone going nuts and all kinds of people getting involved. That can go in a variety of ways but it was very entertaining stuff here, with things going as wild and insane as you would want. The fans were with it the entire time too and I had a great time with this whole thing.

Overall Rating: B. Every week, this show becomes more and more entertaining as it is different enough from what WWE is doing despite WWE stars showing up here. The main event was a lot of fun and Rey de Reyes is looking rather good as a result. Hopefully AAA goes nuts again with the big pay per view, which could be a blast if they keep up this pace.

Results
Dragon Lee b. Jack Cartwheel – Operation Dragon
El Grande Americano b. Ethan Page, Omos and Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. – Running headbutt to Page

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

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

AAA On Fox
Date: February 21, 2026
Location: Auditorio José María Arteaga, Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico
Commentators: Corey Graves, John Bradshaw Layfield, Rey Mysterio

We’re getting closer to Rey de Reyes and the show’s namesake match is starting to come together. At the same time, we are getting ready for the Mega Title match as Dominik Mysterio will defend against El Hijo de Vikingo. That could wind up getting a lot more interesting rather soon so let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at Dominik Mysterio vs. El Hijo de Vikingo, setting up their title match at Rey de Reyes.

Opening sequence.

Here is Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr., (in purple, likely a shot at Santos Escobar) who says there is someone who wants his Latin American Title. He gets right to the point in challenging them to come out here and see him face to face (even though you can’t see his face but I think you get the point).

Latin American Title: Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. vs. Belcegor

Belcegor is challenging and starts fast with a dropkick and clothesline. A hanging swinging neckbreaker drops Wagner again but he’s right back up with a headbutt. The running kick in the corner sets up a Death Valley Driver to give Wagner two and a spinning powerbomb gives him three at 2:35.

Post match Wagner calls out Santos Escobar for a fight right now. Escobar pops up on screen, saying it’s going to happen when he wants and on his terms.

We look back at TJ Perkins becoming #1 contender for the Cruiserweight Title.

Cruiserweight Title: TJ Perkins vs. Laredo Kid

Kid is defending and they fight over wrist control to start. Perkins spins out of a headscissors and they pop up to their feet for a staredown. A headscissors sends Perkins outside, where he drops Kid face first onto the apron. Back in and Kid gets dropkicked out of the air, followed by some boot scrapes in the corner.

The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by a dropkick to send Perkins outside. There’s the expected dive before Kid throws him back inside for a running forearm in the corner. Perkins tries a rollup while grabbing the ropes but gets caught, allowing Kid to reverse a victory roll into a cradle to retain at 5:23 (even though it seemed Kid was pulling the tights and Perkins had the rope in time).

Rating: C+. They didn’t have the time to go very far here and that hurt things a bit, as it was more about the last few moments than anything else. The title only feels so important, partially as it seems Kid is such a dominant champion. Perkins was a fine choice for a challenger, but the ending suggests that this is far from over.

Post match Perkins jumps Kid and sends him into the steps. Perkins hammers him onto those steps and adds a running belt shot, followed by a curb stomp.

Video on Abismo Negro Jr. vs. El Fiscal. These two hate each other and Fiscal is the son of the original Abismo Negro, while Negro has no blood relation. Violence has ensued and it’s time to fight.

Abismo Negro Jr. vs. El Fiscal

They slug it out to start and head outside, with both of them being whipped into the steps. Back up and Fiscal hammers away against the announcers’ table, which is apparently enough for the DQ at 2:33.

Post match the beatdown stays on until security breaks it up. Abismo gets in a cheap shot to take Fiscal down so Fiscal goes after security as well. The fight is on again before eventually being broken up. This was good, with the video making it feel like a personal issue between two people who want to fight.

El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. is leaving when Santos Escobar jumps him and rides off on his motorcycle.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Here are El Hijo del Vikingo (with Dorian Roldan and Omos) and Dominik Mysterio to sign the Rey de Reyes contract. Roldan asks Mysterio for his proposal but Mysterio says he’s going to be champion for a long time, even breaking Vikingo’s record. The rule is that if Mysterio wins, Vikingo cannot challenge for the title again, period. Vikingo says that he’s only going to need one match and if he wins, Mysterio leaves Mexico forever. And it’s going to be No DQ.

Vikingo signs and Mysterio (who is actually left handed) signs as well, with Vikingo calling him an idiot. We see a video of Vikingo in a hospital (impersonating a doctor) and going in to see Mini Vikingo. The regular Vikingo pulls out Mini’s IV and turns his bed over, saying that’s going to be Mysterio at Rey de Reyes. Back in the ring, Mysterio isn’t impressed and wants to fight, but Omos gets in his way. Cue El Grande Americano with a chair to Omos’ back, which doesn’t do anything. Mysterio and Americano leave but here is the Original El Grande Americano to jump Americano. Mysterio watches the beatdown go on to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. There was very little in the way of wrestling this week, but the show ran less than fifty minutes and it covered quite a bit of stuff. The best thing I can say about this series thus far is that while I don’t know who a lot of these people are or how we got here, I haven’t been confused about anything. They’re telling the stories well and I want to see where a lot of this stuff goes. This is an easy watch and different enough from the usual WWE stuff, which is more than enough to keep it around.

Results
Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. b. Belcegor – Spinning powerbomb
Laredo Kid b. TJ Perkins – Rollup while holding tights
Abismo Negro Jr. b. El Fiscal via DQ when Fiscal attacked him on the floor

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

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: February 16, 2026
Location: FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re less than two weeks away from the Elimination Chamber and that means it is time to continue the qualification process. Other than that, CM Punk is having some issues with Finn Balor, who is going to be challenging him for the World Title at Elimination Chamber, which happens to be in Punk’s hometown of Chicago. Let’s get to it.

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

Here are the Usos to get things going but the Vision cut them off. Logan Paul brags about selling the most valuable Pokemon card in the world last night for $16 million. Paul insults the city and Heyman asks for some footage from last week, which saw the masked man attack the team and get chased off. Cue Adam Pearce to say we can go talk about this backstage in his office but Austin Theory yells about how he was supposed to have won his qualifying match last week.

Heyman wants Bronson Reed in the Chamber and Pearce gives him a qualifying match next week but here is LA Knight to interrupt. Knight gets to the point by praying that Reed gets into the Chamber so he can kick Reed over and over. After everything Reed put him through….Paul: “You mean like the car he put you through???” Knight doesn’t want them to leave and if the Usos (oh yeah they’re still in the crowd) are interested, a six man sounds interesting. The match is official for right now.

Usos/LA Knight vs. Vision

We’re joined in progress with Paul in the corner so Knight can stomp away. A kick to the face lets Paul get away for the tag to Theory but Jimmy is right in to start on the arm. The Usos elbow Theory down for two and it’s back to Knight, who gets taken into the wrong corner. Paul drops an elbow for two and the villains take turns beating on Knight, including Reed hitting a running splash.

We take a break and come back with Reed’s backsplash getting two and Jimmy having to make a save. Another backsplash misses though and Jey comes in to clean house. Everything breaks down and Reed drives Knight through the barricade. Paul knocks Jey down for two but Jey is back with a superkick. A double superkick gets two on Paul with Reed making the save. Reed’s big dive to the floor takes out the Usos and it’s the big right hand to Jimmy. The Tsunami finishes for Reed at 12:14.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of thing that you need to do every so often to keep the Vision looking strong. The team is supposed to be a big deal and they need to beat some top names every so often. If nothing else, there is always the chance that we get the Vision going after the Tag Team Titles, which isn’t a bad idea either.

Post match Paul brags about the win but the Masked Man runs in to knock him cold with a Stomp before running through the crowd.

Adam Pearce is shown a crate, which says DELIVER TO WWE, DO NOT OPEN UNTIL 2/28/26. Pearce’s name isn’t on it so he wants it sent to Smackdown. Los Americanos pop up (with the minions listening to the crate) while the main one isn’t happy with the Original Grande Americano getting an Elimination Chamber qualifying match. Grande wants the Intercontinental Title, so Pearce gives him a chance tonight to get a title shot. That works for everyone, including the exasperated Pearce. The crate is certainly intriguing and could go in a lot of directions.

Asuka, Bayley and Nattie are ready for their qualifying match.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Asuka vs. Bayley vs. Nattie

Nattie is sent outside to start and Bayley’s basement clothesline hits Asuka, who is up before the cover. Back in and Nattie strikes away at Asuka, who kicks her in the head. Bayley’s sunset bomb into the corner sends Asuka outside, where Nattie catapults Bayley into the post and we take a break.

We come back with Bayley tying Nattie in the Tree Of Woe for the running elbow. Bayley pulls Asuka off the top for two and the three of them forearm it out from their knees. Nattie is sent outside, leaving Bayley to drop a top rope elbow for two on Asuka. Back in and Nattie powerbombs Asuka for two, setting up the Sharpshooter. Bayley breaks that up with a running knee but gets pulled into the Asuka Lock for the tap at 10:18.

Rating: C+. Asuka winning is fine as Nattie is already feeling like someone who is just kind of here as well. The Chamber is something that can have a bunch of people thrown in and while Asuka doesn’t feel like a real threat to win, she does add some credibility. As for Bayley….I have no idea where she goes from here and that isn’t a good thing.

Post match Maxxine Dupri runs in to beat down Nattie but they’re held apart.

Adam Pearce offers Oba Femi a Raw contract, which has Femi intrigued. He’d like some time to think about it, which is fine with Pearce. As Femi goes to leave, he runs into Rusev and sneering ensues.

IMG Credit: WWE

We get a sitdown interview with Michael Cole talking to Liv Morgan but Dominik Mysterio joins in. Morgan talks about going to Wrestlemania but Stephanie Vaquer comes in as well. Vaquer rants in Spanish and Mysterio replies in Spanish as well. Vaquer seems to say that her belt is the one that matters the most and then leaves. Morgan cries and leaves with Mysterio without saying anything of note. That’s interesting, as Morgan vs. Vaquer seems to be a legitimate option.

Here is CM Punk for a chat. Apparently the office is not happy with him right now because he is jeopardizing the main event of Wrestlemania. Sports franchise can qualify for the postseason but it doesn’t mean they can skip regular season games. A few weeks ago, Finn Balor got a World Title shot and he lost, but now he has earned another shot with the beating that comes with it. Punk wants to be a fighting champion because he is the best in the world…and here is Balor to interrupt.

Cue Dominik Mysterio and the returning JD McDonagh so Punk knows he’s in trouble. Balor says it’s ok though because they’re not here for a fight. Balor talks about training with the best wrestlers around the world to be the best in the world. He showed up on Raw and beat Roman Reigns on his first night so the best in the world is staring at Punk. At Elimination Chamber, he isn’t jeopardizing the main event of Wrestlemania, because he’s making it better. Punk talks about Balor being the best in the world….or how he used to be the best.

There was no Judgment Day around him when he was wrestling around the world because Balor used to mean something. Judgment Day is dragging Balor down to their level. Mysterio has two titles that he never defends and McDongah’s head is so big he needs help getting in the ring. Fans: “BOBBLEHEAD!” Punk: “I’ll allow it.”

Punk says he’s going to do something stupid and turns his back on the team, with Balor holding the other two back. With no violence, Punk says Balor doesn’t need the two of them to prove himself. Punk walks out and throws the mic at Balor, who looks confused. This was hammering the point home pretty clear, and I could go with Balor getting a singles push as a good guy for a change.

Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky are both ready for the Elimination Chamber and are ready to keep their Women’s Tag Team Titles on the way. They want Nia Jax and Lash Legend as well. The Kabuki Warriors come in though, with Kairi Sane saying it’s over because Asuka is in the Chamber. They’ll make sure Ripley and Sky (the latter of whom still has to qualify) don’t win, with Asuka yelling about how the two of them aren’t ready for the Chamber.

El Grande Americano vs. ???

Los Americans are here with El Grande and the opponent is…Penta. Yeah that works. Penta blocks a chop to start and they chop it out until a heck of a superkick rocks Grande. A Backstabber puts him down again but they clothesline each other for a double down. We take a break and come back with Grande escaping the Penta Driver and grabbing the modified camel clutch.

That’s broken up and Grande hits a Death Valley Driver for two. Grande goes up but gets pulled into the Penta Driver for a rather near fall. The running headbutt connects for two and Rayo gets up for a distraction, meaning the dancing Bravo can offer the steel plate. Hold on though as someone pulls Bravo underneath the ring and the Original El Grande Americano comes out from underneath the ring to take out Los Americanos. The springboard Canadian Destroyer finishes Grande at 7:57.

Rating: B-. Penta was a good choice for the title shot as he’s had a history of going after the Intercontinental Title so it’s certainly not stretching thing much. On the other hand, the question is where the mask vs. mask match is going to take place between the Americanos. That very well could be a Wrestlemania match, but putting it on Elimination Chamber makes sense as well. Either way, it’s something that could go well, as it’s certainly a big story at the moment.

Post match Penta and the Original show respect. Penta leaves and the Original beats up Grande, including the Rolling Chaos Theory. Original goes for the mask but Los Americanos make the save.

Raquel Rodriguez offers to take Liv Morgan somewhere to calm her down a bit. That leaves JD McDonagh to ask what Finn Balor is doing. Dominik Mysterio is ignored as Balor and McDonagh have an intense debate (not quite an argument) about McDonagh helping, but Balor wants to do it on his own. The two of them leave and Mysterio says he still has a match tonight.

IMG Credit: WWE

Here is AJ Lee for a chat. Last week, she became the #1 contender to the Women’s Intercontinental Title. Becky Lynch showed her that this is serious business by smashing Lee’s face into the post. Lee hasn’t had a singles match in over ten years and things looked different back then. There was one pink butterfly title to fight over and Lee made that title matter by fighting for it.

There is a women’s division before her and after her and that is her gift to everyone. She still wants to face the division of today but for now, it’s just Lynch. Lee gave her a ten year head start and Lynch still hasn’t caught up. For now, Lee is ready to move into Wrestlemania with the title. She’s ready to give Lynch a beating right now though so here is Lynch (or Becky Boo Boo as Lee calls her) to interrupt.

Lynch laughs at the idea of Lee winning a title and says it’s more about Lee getting the retirement match that she never deserved. Lee’s real gift was leaving WWE, because Lynch has spent ten years making history while Lee has been making comic books. After Elimination Chamber, Lee can dictate a new comic book (from her full body cast) about their fight and maybe that one will sell. Lee offers her the first swing but Lynch can’t bring herself to do it. She knows the game that Lee is playing and leaves, saying she doesn’t fight in Memphis. Good stuff here, as Lee can bring the intensity when she needs to.

Adam Pearce runs into the Vision, with Austin Theory yelling at Pearce for not dealing with the Masked Man. Paul Heyman wants the Masked Man stopped, but Pearce says the Masked Man is a problem for Pearce too. Bronson Reed says he’s ready to solve the problem for the team. No problem.

Video on AJ Styles…who is getting a special tribute next week. That sounds like a Hall Of Fame announcement.

Gunther, Je’Von Evans and Dominik Mysterio are ready for their qualifying match.

IMG Credit: WWE

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Je’Von Evans vs. Gunther vs. Dominik Mysterio

Non-title. Mysterio takes his time getting in so Evans goes after Gunther, who throws him down without much trouble. Mysterio tries to go after Evans, earning a heck of a glare from Gunther. Evans fires off some dropkicks but gets pulled into a Boston crab. That’s broken up by Mysterio, who gets chopped into next week by Gunther. Evans is back up but gets taken down by a chop, leaving Gunther to send Mysterio hard into the barricade.

That works so well that Gunther does it again but Evans is back up with a heck of a dive to drop Gunther. We take a break and come back with Gunther down and Mysterio putting the ring bell hammer on the steps. The 619 is loaded up but Gunther pulls Mysterio into the sleeper. That’s broken up but Evans punches Mysterio into the corner. Evans plants Mysterio but has to fight out of Gunther’s sleeper.

A hurricanrana gives Evans two so Gunther just drops him with a clothesline. The powerbomb gets two on Evans and Gunther chops Mysterio down again. Evans kicks Mysterio down and drops Gunther with a running knee for two. The sleeper to Evans is broken up but the OG Cutter is countered into said sleeper. Mysterio breaks it up with a frog splash but the 619 is dropped with a hard clothesline.

The hammer is grabbed so Gunther sleepers Mysterio, which is broken up from a sleeper by Evans. That’s broken up and Gunther grabs the hammer, but here is Dragon Lee with a bell shot to put Gunther down. Mysterio hits the 619 to Evans but misses the frog splash. The OG Cutter sends Evans to the Chamber at 14:32.

Rating: B. I liked this one a good bit, though I could have gone without the champion taking a pin. Granted they didn’t have much of another option in this match as Gunther certainly can’t take a pin here. Either way, it’s interesting to see Evans getting this kind of a chance, as he could be quite the spectacle in the Chamber, which is a big start for someone still so new.

Overall Rating: B. This is around the time where things need to get serious and that is working out pretty well. You can see some of the bigger stories coming together with the Chamber next week and Wrestlemania in about two months. This show had good action but the focus was more on the talking to back it up. I had some hope for the future after this show and that is a great thing at the right time. There’s a long way to go before Wrestlemania, but at least they’re off to a nice start from this point.

Results
Vision b. Usos/LA Knight – Tsunami to Jimmy
Asuka b. Bayley and Nattie – Asuka Lock to Bayley
Penta b. El Grande Americano – Springboard Canadian Destroyer
Je’Von Evans b. Gunther and Dominik Mysterio – OG Cutter to Mysterio

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