NXT
Date: November 4, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re coming up on the New York City shows, which are going to be all about titles. That means it’s time to get ready for the shows, including getting some title matches set. Ricky Saints is already having to deal with Trick Williams and has a Last Man Standing match set for the NXT Title. Let’s get to it.

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

Lola Vice/The Culling vs. Fatal Influence

Paxley and Jayne forearm it out to start before it’s off to Vice for a cross armbreaker to Reid. That’s broken up rather quickly and it’s back to Paxley, who gets kicked in the back of the head. Vice comes back in and kicks Henley down for two as everything breaks down. Paxley and Vice hit running hip attacks in the corner and dance a bit, though Dame isn’t interested in joining in as we take a break.

We come back with Fatal Influence going after Vice, with Jayne’s running knee getting two. Vice fights up and brings Paxley in to clean house. Paxley misses a 450 though and Reid gets in a cheap shot. Dame makes the save and everything breaks down again. Paxley is almost shoved into Dame but stops herself, only for Dame to shove her down and take the Rolling Encore to give Jayne the pin at 10:37.

Rating: C+. This continues the question of whether or not Dame really is Paxley’s friend and that makes for some interesting developments down the line. Other than that, it seems that that Fatal Influence isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, as I’m now curious to see just where it goes. In other words, nice job in one match.

Earlier today, El Grande Americano wasn’t happy with not having his own locker room and picked up Josh Briggs’ bag. Briggs came in and challenged him to a regular match, with Americano accepting.

Lei Ying Lee is ticked off at Kelani Jordan for hitting Jordynne Grace with the title last week. Prepare for the title.

Kendal Grey is happy with beating Lash Legend when Kelani Jordan interrupted. Jordan tells Grey and her friends to listen to what she’s about to say.

Here is Kelani Jordan for a chat. She doesn’t understand why people are booing her when they cheer Dominik Mysterio to do the same. Yeah she took her chance to win the Knockouts Title and gets booed, while Lola Vice goes to AAA every week and gets cheered. The women who are jealous of her are the women who can’t keep up with her in the ring. Like Jordynne Grace!

The same people who booed Grace are now up in arms about Jordan cheating. She’s sitting out at Gold Rush because no one, including Lei Ying Lee, is worthy of her time. Call her disloyal all you want, because you’ll still call her champion. Best promo she’s ever had here, mainly because it didn’t sound completely scripted.

OTM is back to chase everything but Chase U comes in to say they want a fight. Andre Chase comes in to calm them down, saying going after OTM isn’t a good idea.

Josh Briggs vs. El Grande Americano

Non-title and Rayo/Bravo are here too. Briggs shoulders him down to start as the fans are WAY behind Americano here. Americano pops up and grabs an armbar, including a handstand into a hammerlock to an even more positive reaction. Back up and a big boot drops Americano as Jasper Troy is in the crowd.

We take a break and come back with Americano getting tied in the Tree Of Woe but the lackeys cut off an unmasking attempt. Americano is back up with some chops and a Blockbuster to send Briggs outside. The dive connects and the fans approve, though Briggs’ big forearm cuts that off. Cue Tavion Heights for a distraction, allowing the lackeys to hit Briggs with a double Backstabber. Americano cranks on Briggs’ back for the tap at 10:51.

Rating: C. The reaction to Americano was rather interesting as the fans were all over everything that he was doing. It should at least make things more interesting when he has to defend against Troy (who did nothing here), as the heel vs. heel setup was going to be weird. They should be able to make it work, though this match wasn’t anything worth seeing.

Ava tells Kelani Jordan that she’ll be defending the title at Gold Rush. Tyra Mae Steele comes up to take issue with Jordan and gets a match tonight.

Myles Borne wants Ricky Saints to save him a piece of Trick Williams. Works for Saints.

Chelsea Green and Ethan Page have won the AAA Mixed Tag Team Titles.

We get a split screen interview with Trick Williams and Ricky Saints. Williams says Saints can’t handle the pressure as champion but Saints brings up beating Williams at Halloween Havoc. That messed with Williams, who can’t handle being in second place. Saints says Williams has had one foot in and one foot out of NXT since Saints got here because he views it as a security blanket.

On the other hand, Saints winning the title is the culmination of him working hard while Williams takes everything for granted. Williams says Saints thinks like a fan and the title belongs to a real star. They’re ready to fight right now and the brawl is on, with Williams getting in a pipe shot to put him down.

Women’s Speed Title #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Zaria vs. Wren Sinclair

Sol Ruca and Kendal Grey are here too. They trade early rollups to start until Zaria gets two off a backbreaker. Sinclair goes for the arm, including a Black Widow. That’s broken up so it’s time to start on the leg but Zaria is back up with some running clotheslines. We have less than a minute left and Zaria powers out, setting up the spear. An F5 gives Zaria the win at 2:30.

Kelani Jordan vs. Tyra Mae Steele

Non-title. They roll around to start with Steele powering out of an armbar. An exchange of cartwheels leaves Jordan a bit shaken up so she grabs the rope for an early near fall. A surfboard has Jordan in trouble but she’s able to post Steele’s arm. Said arm is cranked over the rope and the armbar goes on back inside. Back up and Steele hits a kind of reverse Angle Slam for two but Jordan casually slams her down. One Of A Kind finishes Steele at 4:54.

Rating: C+. Steele is an interesting case as she is absolutely a prospect, but she needs to build up some experience. This wasn’t exactly a great match, but she was able to stick to her strengths and keep getting her feet wet. I’m curious to see where she’s going, even if there was no reason for her to be a major threat to Jordan yet.

Post match Santino Marella pops up on screen to announce that Jordan is defending the title at Gold Rush against Jordynne Grace and Lei Ying Lee. Jordan is not pleased.

Sol Ruca is almost cleared to get back in the ring but she wants to have her rematch at Gold Rush. Unfortunately it’s uncertain if she’ll be ready in time, but here is Fatal Influence to interrupt. Jacy Jayne wants her rematch at Gold Rush as well, with the argument ensuing. Ava has other things to take care of though and leaves.

Je’Von Evans vs. Saquon Shugars

The rest of Darkstate is here too and Evans hits a big dive to take Shugars out before the bell. Shugars grabs a headlock inside and counters a hurricanrana into an atomic drop (that was cool). A backbreaker gives Shugars two and then a backbreaker gives Shugars two. Evans gets knocked into the corner but sends Shugars outside for a big dive. Darkstate offers a distraction though and Shugars knees him into the barricade as we take a break.

We come back with Evans kicking his way out of trouble but Shugars gives him a suplex. The basement dropkick gives Shugars two but some slaps to the face just annoy Evans. A rather snappy German suplex puts Shugars down and Evans sends him outside for the big dive. Back in and a spinning kick to the head gives Evans two but Shugars catches him in a torture rack. That’s flipped into a faceplant, only for Evans to come back with a pair of cutters. Evans deals with a quick distraction and hits the spinning top rope splash for the pin at 13:33

Rating: B. Evans has turned into one of the more reliable stars around here and it’s interesting to see what he does week to week. At the same time, Shugars got to do well enough in one of his first singles match. Evans and Leon Slater are likely going to get the Tag Team Title shot at Gold Rush so this was a fine way to keep things moving.

Blake Monroe wants her first title defense in New York but Ava says if Sol Ruca is available, she gets the shot. Monroe is off for an interview with her better half next week.

Tatum Paxley apologizes to Izzi Dame for the loss but Dame tells her to slow down and avoid the mistakes, because they want the title around for a long time. Paxley understands but has one more thing to do next week first.

Here are Chelsea Green and Ethan Page for their big celebration. Page knows that everyone hates them because they say something and then do it. Like when they promised to win the AAA Mixed Tag Team Titles and then did it, as they knew they would. Green brags about their success as well and Page is ready to defend the titles. They’re ready to celebrate, including with a giant cake.

Green wishes Joe Hendry would appear so they both get ready to jump him as he comes out of the cake. Cue Hendry through the entrance, saying the direct approach can be best. Hendry wants the AAA Mixed Tag Team Titles so here is Thea Hail, out of the cake (and wish her own Hendry style song) to be his partner. Page and Green get caked to end the show. The fake out with the cake was great and a match like this writes itself.

Overall Rating: C+. Well I’m more interested in seeing Gold Rush than I was before so things are starting to go in the right direction. What matters the most is getting the fans ready for the show and this week did a nice job of setting that up. The wrestling itself was fine enough, though it’s the show to get you to watch the really big show, which means it is likely to only be so important. Overall fine, but not exactly worth a look this time.

Results
Fatal Influence b. Culling/Lola Vice – Rolling Encore to Dame
El Grande Americano b. Josh Briggs – Back crank
Zaria b. Wren Sinclair – F5
Kelani Jordan b. Tyra Mae Steele – One Of A Kind
Je’Von Evans b. Saquon Shugars – Spinning top rope splash

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nikki Bella/Stephanie Vaquer vs. Judgment Day

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

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

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

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

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

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

Penta vs. El Grande Americano

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kabuki Warriors vs. Lyra Valkyria/Bayley

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rusev vs. Damian Priest
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sheamus

CM Punk/Jey Uso vs. The Vision

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rusev vs. Penta

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nikki Bella vs. Roxanne Perez

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LA Knight vs. Bron Breakker

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

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

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

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

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

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

JD McDonagh vs. Sheamus

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

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

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

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

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

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

Saturday Night’s Main Event rundown.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Halloween Havoc 2025
Date: October 25, 2025
Location: Findlay Toyota Center, Prescott Valley, Arizona
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph

It’s another special and in this case we have a theme which can be quite fun if done right. In this case we have a pair of themed matches, with the Day Of The Dead match for the North American Title and a Broken Rules match for the Tag Team Titles. That’s in addition to all of the usual shenanigans so let’s get to it.

The opening video shows the Arizona desert, where things get all the creepier at night. This shifts into a standard look at the show’s card, as usual.

The set has the rather awesome graveyard theme again, which makes things look that much better.

Leon Slater/Je’Von Evans vs. Mr. Iguana/La Parka

Slater and Evans dance to Iguana’s entrance and…yeah fair enough. Evans works on Parka’s arm to start and gets hit in the face for his efforts. They forearm it out until Evans grabs a springboard armdrag. Parka sticks the landing and kicks him away, only for Evans to come back with a springboard hurricanrana. Iguana and Slater come in with Iguana being knocked down for his dead animal pose.

Back up and a hurricanrana takes Slater down and Iguana flips up into a seated pose, which has Slater confused. Evans comes back in and helps plant Iguana, meaning it’s time for some dancing. Iguana enziguris Slater and brings Parka back in as the fast pace continues. The lizard is thrown at Slater, meaning a game of hot potato breaks out. Iguana hits a big flip dive, followed by Parka’s top rope moonsault to take all of them down.

Back in and Evans gets slammed down, setting up a Paradise Lock for Parka’s dropkick. Evans finally suplexes his way out of trouble and brings Slater back in to pick up the pace. A neckbreaker gets two on Iguana and it’s already back to Evans, who drops him for two more. Iguana’s cross armbreaker goes on but Evans powerbombs him into the corner for the break. Evans and Parka strike it out, with Parker being knocked over to Iguana for another tag.

Slater knocks Iguana into the corner so Parka comes back in, only to get knocked out of the air. A slingshot ax kick hits Parka in the ropes and Slater’s big running flip dive takes both of them out at once. One heck of a frog splash gives Slater two….but Slater and Evans are distracted by Iguana’s lizard. Slater knocks Iguana away so Iguana hits him with the lizard in a funny bit. Parka adds a kind of spinning brainbuster for two and things slow down. Iguana takes Slater down again but Evans and Iguana miss springboard cutters at the same time. Evans and Parka fight to the floor, leaving Slater to hit his Swanton 450 for the pin at 17:56.

Rating: B. This was the right choice for the opener, as they went out and got to do all of their big spots, which made for a fun start to the show. As usual, Slater and Evans can do some incredible stuff and the fans love the weirdness that is Iguana. Parka fight the Halloween theme perfectly and it worked as a result.

Sol Ruca gets to be ringside for the Women’s North American Title match tonight but she can’t wrestle. Zaria says it’s ok and promises Ruca will keep the title. Tatum Paxley and Izzi Dame come in, with Dame saying she’s not convinced.

We recap El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. vs. Ethan Page for the North American Title. Page has been mocking Wagner, Wagner wanted a fight, it’s a Day Of The Dead match, which basically means street fight.

North American Title: Ethan Page vs. El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr.

Day Of The Dead match with Page defending. They slug it out to start until Wagner sends him outside for a dive. That means a chair to Page’s back (and a loud one at that), followed by a nice missile dropkick for two back inside. Page gets tied up in the Paradise Lock and a chair is dropkicked into his back for two. Wagner chairs and trashcans him in the back but Page is able to flip him off the top.

The Confidence Breaker with a trashcan lid gets two and Page unloads with the lid. Page sends him outside to keep up the beating, including some choking with a piece of a skeleton. Wagner is sent into a table leg and then whipped into a pair of corners with a chair each for two.

Page isn’t happy with these kickouts and starts ripping at the mask in frustration. The top half of the mask is ripped off and Wagner is shaking in anger. Wagner makes his comeback and strikes away, including a rope walk Codebreaker for two. A trashcan shot sets up a Coast To Coast for two on Page, who manages to send Wagner into a chair in the corner.

Ego’s Edge onto the trashcan gets two so Page goes up, with Wagner pulling him down with a super hurricanrana onto an open chair (YEOWCH!) for another near fall. A moonsault gives Wagner two more and the table is set up, but Page fights out of the corner. The mask is twisted around Wagner’s face to blind him so Page throws powder in his eyes for a bonus. A super Twisted Grin through the table retains the title at 18:23.

Rating: B. These guys beat the fire out of each other and Wagner’s comeback in the end worked well. This one felt like a more personal feud and rivalry and that made for a better brawl between the two of them. Page is turning into quite the player with his title reign and his status has gone up as a result.

Kelani Jordan is in her own locker room when Jordynne Grace (dressed as Velma from Scooby-Doo) comes in. She says Jordan has crossed a line and is acting like she’s untouchable but Jordan doesn’t see it that way. Grace thinks she’ll stick around and suggests she’ll come after the Knockouts Title. Jordan says her reign makes the title more important so Grace slaps her in the face.

On November 18 and 25, it’s Gold Rush, with titles from Evolve, TNA, AAA and NXT being defended in New York.

Women’s North American Title: Blake Monroe vs. Zaria

Zaria is defending in Sol Ruca’s place (with Ruca at ringside). It’s a brawl to start with Zaria getting the better of things but Monroe slips out of a slam. A choke doesn’t work for Monroe as Zaria drops her face first onto the buckle. Back up and Monroe gets in a shot of her own, allowing her to rake the eyes over the rope.

Monroe starts in on the arm but a double arm DDT is blocked. Zaria muscles her over with something like a Samoan drop and we hit a torture rack. Somehow Monroe manages to reverse into a cross armbreaker, which is broken up with the usual powerbomb. For some reason the fans start chanting for Booker T. before the women collide and crash out to the floor. Zaria’s arm is banged up so she slams it into the steps…and Ruca sends her into the post, which fixes the problem.

Back in and Zaria’s F5 is countered into a cross armbreaker. That’s escaped so Monroe hits a running knee for two. Monroe grabs her hair pick but Zaria spears her down for two more. They go outside, where Monroe trips over Ruca’s cane to knock her down. Zaria drops Monroe inside and checks on Ruca, allowing Monroe to grab a DDT on the floor. Back in and the double arm DDT gives Monroe the pin and the title at 11:05.

Rating: C+. I am still not feeling it with Zaria and that was the case again here. The result was the only logical option here as Monroe has already lost enough big matches. Let her win something for a change and throw a wrench into Zaria and Ruca’s friendship. That isn’t going to go well for the two of them while Monroe needed the win. Good storytelling, ok match.

Wren Sinclair is explaining Lash Legend’s recent actions to Kendal Grey and Karmen Petrovic. Charlie Dempsey is on the phone and asks about the No Quarter Catch Crew but Sinclair says the phone is messing up and cuts it off. Legend comes in to talk down to Grey and promises to take the title on NXT.

Women’s Title: Tatum Paxley vs. Jacy Jayne

Jayne, with Fatal Influence, is defending and the Culling is here with Paxley. They fight over wrist control to start with Paxley’s headscissors attempt being shoved away. Paxley knocks her down and ties up the hands and legs at the same time. A step up enziguri sends Jayne outside but she’s able to catapult Paxley throat first into the bottom of the ring structure to take over.

Fatal Influence gets in some choking from the floor and a Cannonball gives Jayne two. A triangle choke goes on but Paxley breaks it up and slugs away. Jayne isn’t having that and knocks her down for two more. The chinlock goes on for a big until Paxley fights up and strikes away, with a fisherman’s suplex getting another near fall. Paxley takes too much time going up and gets crotched down, allowing Jayne to grab a super backbreaker.

Shawn Spears puts the foot on the rope though and it’s time for the groups to brawl on the floor. Everyone is ejected and Jayne isn’t sure what she’s supposed to do now. The answer seems to be knee Paxley in the face for two but the Rolling Encore misses. Paxley is back up with her own Rolling Encore, followed by a 450 for two more.

Jayne is sent outside and dropped onto the apron but comes back with a superkick. They forearm it out until they both hit running boots to leave them both down. Cue the Culling and Fatal Influence again to distract the referee. Izzi Dame loads up the belt and teases swinging at Paxley but gets dropped with Jayne’s Rolling Encore. The Cemetery Drive gives Paxley pin and the title at 16:28.

Rating: B-. I’m surprised they actually pulled the trigger as Jayne was starting to roll with her title reign, but there is something to be said about Paxley getting the shock title win. She fits into the Halloween theme and then gets to basically do the same thing Jayne did when she won the belt. Throw in the Dame drama and this was a nice packaging.

Post match Dame sits on the floor while the Culling celebrates with Paxley. Dame gets in the ring and celebrates with them.

Myles Borne complains to Ava about Josh Briggs. She’ll figure it out and is ready to give Borne a match with Briggs but Tavion Heights comes in to say he should be facing Briggs instead. Ava puts them against each other instead, and they seem to be ok with it.

Deadline is coming on December 6.

Tag Team Titles: Darkstate vs. Hardys

The Hardys are defending in a Broken Rules match, meaning all four members of Darkstate can be involved. It’s a brawl to start and a double DDT gets an early two on Griffin. Jeff’s middle rope splash gets two on Lennox but the numbers cut the Hardys off. The Hardys are back up with chairs and Griffin is sent outside, with his legs crashing into a table. Jeff puts him through the table but James and Shugars take over on Matt outside.

Some ladder shots get the Hardys out of trouble, allowing Jeff to set up more tables as Matt beats on James. Shugars and James are put through the tables but Griffin and Lennox are back up for the save. Lennox kendo sticks Matt down inside and Jeff is slammed through a trashcan. Matt is powerbombed into a ladder in the corner and a 3D gives Lennox two. Jeff comes back in for the save with a pair of kendo sticks but Lennox breaks that up.

They go outside with the Hardys being sent into the timekeeper’s area in some rather nasty crashes. Back in and it’s a Twisting Stunner into the Twist of Fate to drop Griffin. The Swanton gets two, as does the Plot Twist to Lennox and we settle down again. The Hardys go outside and set up some tables, which can’t end well.

Jeff climbs to the top of the ladder and crashes through the tables as Griffin moves. Back in and Lennox spinebusters Matt for two but Matt is back up with another table. Matt gets tied in the Tree Of Woe and it’s a Doomsday Device from a ladder on the floor through a table to pin Jeff for the titles at 19:08.

Rating: B. The Hardys can do this kind of match in their sleep and it’s nice to see Darkstate get the titles back. There was no reason for the Hardys to be long term champions and it makes Darkstate feel like a bigger deal to beat the legend. This is what it should have been, though dang it went on for awhile. Trim a few seconds down and it’s better, but it’s still good as it lasts.

Leon Slater and Je’Von Evans aren’t happy with Darkstate winning and talk about the numbers game. Evans thinks they should win the Tag Team Titles. Slater is in…as soon as he can get free.

El Grande Americano is ready to face either winner of the Speed tournament.

NXT Title: Ricky Saints vs. Trick Williams

Saints is defending. Williams jumps him to start fast and hits a hard dropkick. Saints is sent outside and rammed into the announcers’ table, which Williams very slowly loads up. That’s enough for Saints to get away though and hammer on Williams back inside. Saints is sent over the top so Williams can dance a bit, allowing Saints to hit him with a running forearm.

They head outside again with Saints being sent into a variety of things, followed by a sidekick for two back inside. A flapjack gives Williams two and a Blockbuster connects for the same, followed by a front facelock. Some suplexes drop Saints until he’s able to hit one of his own for a needed breather.

Williams neckbreakers him for two more but Saints, who is busted open, grabs a flapjack. Old School into a Russian legsweep puts Williams down but he avoids a moonsault. A Boston crab has Saints in trouble, followed by a Rock Bottom for two. Back up and Saints grabs a crossface, with Williams making it to the rope.

They go outside with Williams grabbing the title but Saints kicks him in the face. Saints is quickly put through the announcers’ table, followed by the Trick Shot for two. A rebound lariat drops Williams, allowing Saints to get a breather. Saints gets something like a Stundog Millionaire, followed by a spear. The springboard tornado DDT retains the title at 16:48.

Rating: B-. Here’s the thing: it’s not a bad match and they went back and forth for a pretty long time, but there wasn’t enough of a story to make this work. They didn’t even have a recap before the match because…well because there wasn’t anything to talk about. It needed more of a story and reason for them to be fighting, as this didn’t feel important in the slightest.

Tatum Paxley and the Culling are rather pleased with their title win to wrap up the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a weird case where the action was good throughout with nothing being bad, but it could not have felt much less important. The main event felt like it belonged at the start of the second hour of a regular TV show and even the title changes didn’t come off as big deals. It’s a fine show and the Halloween Havoc theme was good, but it didn’t feel big in the slightest.

Results
Leon Slater/Je’Von Evans b. La Parka/Mr. Iguana – Swanton 450 to Iguana
Ethan Page b. El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. – Super Twisted Grin through a table
Blake Monroe b. Zaria – Double arm DDT
Tatum Paxley b. Jacy Jayne – Cemetery Drive
Darkstate b. Hardys – Doomsday Device to Jeff through a table
Ricky Saints b. Trick Williams – Spear

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: September 29, 2025
Location: Lenovo Center, Raleigh, North Carolina
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re getting closer to Crown Jewel and that means it’s time to continue focusing on the non-title matches between the World Champions. Other than that, we do have at least one title match tonight as Dominik Mysterio defends the Intercontinental Title against Rusev. We also have a Tornado Tag match so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Asuka attacking Iyo Sky last week and having Kairi Sane help destroy her to end the show.

Here is a ticked off Rhea Ripley to get things going. She knew this would happen with Asuka so the Kabuki Warriors can come get her. Instead, here is Iyo Sky, who looks near tears. Sky admits that Ripley was right about the Kabuki Warriors, but they are Sky’s family and she still loves them.

Cue the Warriors on the screen, with Asuka’s comments (in English and Japanese) being about how she’s mad at Sky for turning to Ripley instead of her family. Asuka is willing to forgive her though, if Sky will just apologize, but it’s too late for Ripley. Back in the ring, Ripley says she’s been betrayed by family before and wants Sky on her side. Sky isn’t sure and says she needs time before leaving.

Cue the Warriors to jump Ripley from behind. Sky isn’t sure what to do but eventually runs in for the save, throwing Asuka off of Ripley. Sane gets between them and Asuka blows the mist in Sky’s face. Ripley is back up but the numbers get the better of her (including what appeared to be Asuka’s kick missing), as the Warriors send her into some posts. Sane drops the Insane Elbow and the Warriors stand tall. This is still one of the better stories in WWE today.

Intercontinental Title: Rusev vs. Dominik Mysterio

Rusev is challenging and Mysterio is on his own. Judgment Day leaves Mysterio alone and Rusev starts throwing him around, followed by a right hand to make it worse. A low bridge sends Rusev outside and we take a break. We come back with Rusev missing a charge in the corner, allowing Mysterio to hit a slingshot hilo for one. The fans are behind Mysterio but a 619 attempt is cut off with a heck of a clothesline.

Mysterio hits a dropkick to the back though and now the 619 can connect. The frog splash misses though and Rusev’s Machka Kick gets two. The referee gets distracted so Mysterio grabs the title, which he throws to Rusev and falls down ala Eddie Guerrero. That’s not going to work for the referee (who saw Mysterio fall on his own), but the distraction lets Mysterio get in a low blow for a rollup with tights to retain at 8:53.

Rating: B-. The match itself was whatever, but this was all about Mysterio being the biggest hero in the world. The fans were absolutely going nuts here and it was very interesting to see the crowd embracing Mysterio like this. He’s not a good guy yet, but when the turn does happen, he’s going to be an even bigger star.

Earlier tonight, LA Knight and Adam Pearce argued about Knight’s refereeing abilities. Knight wants a title shot at Seth Rollins but New Day comes in to say they should get a Tag Team Title shot. Knight and Pearce aren’t interested and the former is ready to face Kofi Kingston tonight. Pearce is in.

Video on Seth Rollins vs. Cody Rhodes, as they started as enemies a very long time ago. Rhodes had to leave to become a bigger star, while Rollins took over in his absence. Then Rhodes returned and won their feud, which Rollins hates. More on this later.

We recap Bayley being nice to Lyra Valkyria last week and then going insane after the match.

Bayley, in a Valkyria shirt, comes up to Valkyria in the back and talks about how great things went last week. She wants Bayley out there with her tonight but that can’t happen.

Bayley vs. Raquel Rodriguez

Roxanne Perez is with Rodriguez. Bayley is a bit tentative to start but knocks Rodriguez into the corner for some right hands. A headlock takeover is thrown away but Bayley manages a Stunner over the middle rope. Bayley’s suicide dive connects and her diving dropkick under the ropes connects as well.

A hurricanrana off the apron is pulled out of the air though and Rodriguez sends her crashing into the barricade. We take a break and come back with Bayley’s top rope Swanton connecting for two. Rodriguez runs her over again but gets caught in a Figure Four. The referee checks with Rodriguez but Perez rakes Bayley’s eyes for the save. The big boot and Tejana Bomb finish for Rodriguez at 10:24.

Rating: C+. As interested as I am in the Kabuki Warriors vs. Rhea Ripley/Iyo Sky story, I’m rather torn on this one. At the end of the day, the idea is that Bayley is all over the place, but there is only so much to get out of the thing if Bayley is losing like this. Rodriguez has felt like a big deal in recent weeks, but she barely feels important. That needs to change, as she’s too good to just be in stuff like this, but at least she won.

Post match the beatdown is on again but Lyra Valkyria runs in for the save. Bayley laughs a lot and then screams that Valkyria GOT THEM. Bayley grabs her by the head, says COME ON YOU IDIOT, LET’S GET THEM, and has Valkyria very confused.

Jimmy Uso asks Jey Uso where he was last week when he needed help. Jey says he didn’t help because it was LA Knight out there, who cost them at Wrestlepalooza. Why did Jimmy help Knight? Jey talks about how you need to worry about yourself and brings up that Jimmy has never been World Champion. Jey seems to walk that back a bit and they’re ready for tonight.

Kairi Sane comes in to check on the still misted Iyo Sky, saying they can still be a family. Sky says leave her alone but has a photo of herself with Sane and Asuka.

LA Knight vs. Kofi Kingston

They jaw at each other to start and Kingston goes after him, earning a neckbreaker from Knight. Kingston goes to the throat and grabs an armbar, which is broken up rather quickly. Knight sends him into the ropes and they head outside, with Woods offering a distraction. Kingston gets in a dropkick through the ropes and posts Knight as we take a break.

We come back with Kingston tripping him down and heading up top for a shot to the head. Woods gets in a cheap shot but Knight fights up and slugs away. They head outside with Knight sending him into the barricade, followed by a slingshot shoulder back inside. Woods gets involved again though, with Kingston getting two off a rollup. Knight pops back up and spins into the BFT for the pin at 10:21.

Rating: C+. What has happened to New Day? They are one of the most successful teams of all time and they could not feel much less important. Kingston is one of the most successful and decorated stars in WWE history but this is the best thing he can do. I’m not sure how everything has gone this badly but it’s getting sad to see.

Maxxine Dupri and Akira Tozawa are interrupted by Becky Lynch, who doesn’t think much of Dupri. Lynch does her usual “Sports Illustrated is saying it” but Dupri brings up AJ Lee. That earns Tozawa and Dupri a beating, with Seth Rollins saying he has to deal with something.

Here is Rollins, but he’s cut off by chants for CM Punk, Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes. Rollins says that he is 0-3 to Rhodes but it doesn’t bother him because it doesn’t matter. Those matches were in the past and now it’s time to find the future of the industry at Crown Jewel. The match is to determine the future of the industry and some people actually want Rhodes. Some people actually want Rhodes to be the quarter back of WWE and….are they crazy?

Rollins talks about everything he’s done around here and you still cheer for Rhodes. Cue Rhodes to interrupt, saying that the people are really the ones who control everything. He brings up the Vision showing up on Smackdown and how that was probably Paul Heyman’s doing. So who is in charge of the Vision? Rollins says every decision, including the team being on Smackdown, goes through him. Rhodes asks if Rollins allowed Heyman to handle Brock Lesnar’s introduction. Rollins: “Every decision runs through me.”

The fans disagree and Rollins is annoyed so Rhodes brings it back to Crown Jewel. Where are they going to be in twenty years? Will they be in the chairs back there reminiscing? Either way, Rollins offered his hand to Rhodes at Wrestlemania XL despite all of their issues. Rollins tells him to shut up because they were never friends and Rhodes was just a means to an end.

Rollins is going to cleanse the timeline and forget their history. There is only one person set to lead them into the future and that is Rollins. The promo from Rollins was good and it told a story, but I absolutely cannot get into this Crown Jewel Title stuff. WWE has made it clear that it means absolutely nothing once the show is over and yet we have to hear about it over and over.

Rhea Ripley checks on the still blue Iyo Sky. They’re set for a tag match against the Kabuki Warriors at Crown Jewel, and yes Ripley can trust her.

AJ Styles/Dragon Lee vs. Los Americanos

Before the match, Lee talks about how much he likes teaming with Styles and is the #1 contender for the AAA Mega Title. Styles brings up having a match at Crown Jewel, where thanks to the fans, he gets to BEAT UP JOHN CENA. Anyway, El Grande Americano is here with Los Americanos (Bravo and Rio), as Bravo (who is so obviously Tyler Bate that there’s no point in the mask) starts fast on Lee.

We take a break and come back with Bravo’s super hurricanrana being blocked. The top rope double stomp sets up the diving tag to Styles and the fans approve. Everything breaks down and Styles cleans house, including a dive onto El Grande Americano. The Phenomenal Forearm sends Rio to the floor and Lee tosses Bravo into the Styles Clash for the pin at 7:25.

Rating: C+. There is something interesting about having this many Americanos around. If nothing else, it’s giving some wrestlers something else to do and it’s making things a bit better. At the same time, it keeps the main one out of the ring a bit and that’s going to give him some longevity. Styles and Lee don’t feel like a long term team, but they’re fine for beating up Americano’s minions.

Video on Crown Jewel.

Stephanie Vaquer is ready for Tiffany Stratton at Crown Jewel. Cue Stratton to say she respects Vaquer, but she’s been champion for 268 days. Someone brand new isn’t going to come in and shake things up.

The Vision is in the back, with Seth Rollins not looking confident that he can beat Seth Rollins, even with Paul Heyman offering some reassurances.

Usos vs. Vision

Texas Tornado match so Jey dives onto the Vision to start fast. Breakker shoulders Jey in the corner to start but Jimmy makes the save. The Usos slug away on Reed but Breakker is back up to take over on Jey again. Jey breaks up the dive onto the announcers’ table but Reed is there to send Jey into the steps. The Jagged Edge through the announcers’ table is broken up so Breakker is right there with a heck of a jumping clothesline to send Jimmy through the table.

We take a break and come back with Jimmy still down at ringside while Jey gets beaten up inside. A big running clothesline puts him down again but Jimmy is back up for the save. The Usos are stacked up for a double Tsunami….and Roman Reigns is back with a chair for the save. A bunch of chair shots have Reed down and some more put Breakker in trouble. Superkicks and stereo Superfly Splashes are good for the pin on Breakker at 12:48.

Rating: B. The big thing that stands out to me here is how much Breakker and Reed work together as a team. They have chemistry together and are feeling like a regular team rather than just Seth Rollins’ minions. At the same time, Reigns getting involved is the big deal, as you can see WarGames starting to come together from here.

Post match Reigns and Jey have a chat, with Jey saying he’ll smash them all and everything seems cool as Jimmy looks on to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The Crown Jewel season is causing me a lot of issues as usual, as it’s just hard to get interested in what they’re doing on top. The matches don’t feel overly important, but thankfully there is some stuff in there to fill in the gaps. I like the Usos/Vision stuff and Mysterio had a great showing here. Overall it’s not bad, but I’ll be glad when we move on to something else.

Results
Dominik Mysterio b. Rusev – Rollup with tights
Raquel Rodriguez b. Bayley – Tejana Bomb
LA Knight b. Kofi Kingston – BFT
AJ Styles/Dragon Lee b. Los Americanos – Styles Clash to Bravo
Usos b. Vision – Double Superfly Splash to Breakker

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: September 22, 2025
Location: Ford Center, Evansville, Indiana
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We are done with Wrestlepalooza and it was certainly a big time event. The big story on the Raw side saw CM Punk and AJ Lee defeat Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch, plus Stephanie Vaquer becoming the new Raw Women’s Champion. We’re on our way to Crown Jewel, meaning it’s time to do the champion vs. champion deal again. Let’s get to it.

Here is Wrestlepalooza if you need a recap.

We open with a long Wrestlepalooza recap.

Here is Cody Rhodes to get things going. He holds up the Crown Jewel ring and says he’d love to win another one but here is Seth Rollins to interrupt. Rollins has been looking forward to Crown Jewel so they can go face to face. Rollins knows a lot of people don’t like him but he wants to know what Rhodes things of him. Rhodes says it’s complicated but it shouldn’t be. He knows that Rollins has been making some questionable decisions as of late but he respects Rollins.

Rhodes is ready to win another ring, but Rollins holds up his watch, which was a present from Rhodes after Wrestlemania XL. This is the first time he’s worn it since then and now he wants to know if it was a real gift or a token gesture. Rhodes has talked about being the quarterback around here but what does that make Rollins? Does Rhodes think he’s just better?

The Vision is about the future of the industry and what it means, with Rollins as the tip of the spear. Rhodes can be the quarterback, but he’s Rollins’ quarterback. If Rhodes doesn’t accept that, things will go badly. Rhodes brings up that Rollins has never beaten him and leaves, with Rollins not looking happy. The Vision is there to cut Rhodes off, but they step aside. I always forget how boring this period is and this was no exception, as it’s for a prize that means nothing and which will not be mentioned for most of the year.

Jimmy Uso comes up to Jey Uso in the back and is looking for a rematch with the Vision, but Jey has already got a match tonight with LA Knight. Jimmy isn’t sure if that’s a good idea and thinks Jey and Knight should cool off, but Jey blames their loss at Wrestlepalooza on Knight. And the Vision would have taken Knight out if Jimmy hadn’t tagged with him last week. Jey says he isn’t blaming Jimmy and they’ll deal with the Vision after Knight.

New Day/Grayson Waller vs. War Raiders/Penta

No DQ. New Day and Waller are sent to the floor to start but they move before the dive. Back in and Kingston takes over on Erik, with Waller coming in with a kendo stick shot. Erik drops Waller on the floor so Woods slaps him in the back of the head. Erik: “ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?” Penta is back up with the big flip dive and we take a break.

We come back with Penta clearing the ring but being put on a table. Kingston goes up and drops down onto Penta (which the camera misses so we have to see it on the replay), leaving them both down. Back in and Erik powerbombs New Day at the same time, leaving Ivar to miss the Doomsault. Ivar is fine enough to hit a sitout powerbomb onto the apron but Woods is there with a kendo stick. Penta is back up and Kingston goes through the table but Waller catches Penta on top. That’s fine with Penta, who hits a super Canadian Destroyer for the pin at 10:17.

Rating: B-. I liked it well enough, though this story continues to feel ice cold. They’re still doing things, but it feels like something that has been going on for a long time now with nothing really happening. That is probably going to be the case for a few more weeks and I’m not sure where it goes from there. At least Penta gets another win, which is a nice thing to see.

Dominik Mysterio is panicking over Rusev but Finn Balor asks about the Mysterio who was all confident. Balor suggests asking El Grande Americano, but he’s not here this week. Balor and JD McDonagh are both busy, though Roxanne Perez talks McDonagh into helping him. It’s for the team though, not for Mysterio. Apparently Mysterio has already gotten McDonagh vs. Rusev set for later.

Bayley (in a jacket that CM Punk wore at Wrestlepalooza) comes up to Lyra Valkyria and thanks her for last week. Valkyria brings up Bayley screaming at her last week but Bayley thinks she’s joking. She wants Valkyria in her corner tonight and a confused Valkyria eventually agrees. Bayley: “NO TAKEBACKS!”

Adam Pearce brings out Stephanie Vaquer for her first comments as Women’s Champion. Vaquer thanks the people who helped her get here, including her father, who is in the crowd. She talks about what the title means and all the sacrifices she has made to get here. Pearce explains the Crown Jewel match coming up, with Vaquer saying she’ll be there. Well, that certainly was an appearance by the new champion.

Video on Brock Lesnar destroying John Cena.

Nikki Bella and Rhea Ripley congratulate Stephanie Vaquer on her win, but the Kabuki Warriors interrupt. Asuka isn’t impressed with Vaquer and seems to get a match with Ripley. Of note: there are three people in the back working on something and not acknowledging this whatsoever. They don’t mean anything, but it’s still a funny visual.

Roxanne Perez vs. Bayley

Raquel Rodriguez and Lyra Valkyria are here too. Perez hammers away in the corner to start but Bayley is right back with her own knockdown. The basement clothesline gives Bayley two but Perez starts in on the leg. Bayley gets tied in the Tree Of Woe for a stomp to said leg and we take a break.

We come back with Bayley dropping a middle rope elbow but getting caught on top. They head outside with Perez hitting Pop Rox to lay Bayley out, which is good for a nine count. Rodriguez pulls Bayley outside for a big boot, which draws Valkyria (with her massive blue shoes) over for the brawl. Valkyria posts Rodriguez but gets dropped with a suicide dive from Perez. Back in and Bayley starts to snap, and it’s the Bayley To Belly into the Roseplant for the pin at 10:46.

Rating: B-. This was another good one as Bayley continues to be a bit loony but the good thing is I’m curious to see where it goes. They aren’t exactly hiding what she’s doing and it isn’t some mystery deal, so now we get to see what happens as Valkyria tries to make sense of the thing. Perez is still a valuable asset to have around, as she can work well with anyone in the ring and that’s very good to have around.

Post match Valkyria goes in to celebrate with Bayley, who shoves her down and yells a lot as the split personalities are all over the place.

Cody Rhodes runs into Jimmy Uso, who wants him to talk to Jey. Rhodes will see what he can do.

Post break Rhodes goes to see Jey, who insists that he’s good. Rhodes says he knows what it can be like to fall off the top and says Jey’s family and friends are there for him. Jey thanks him for that but glares a bit as Rhodes leaves. That’s intriguing, as Jey continues to tease going to the dark side.

JD McDonagh vs. Rusev

McDonagh throws some chops in the start and gets knocked back as a result. Rusev chases him outside and then hits a big backdrop before they go to the floor again. This time McDonagh manages to send him into the steps and post, followed by the Asai moonsault. We take a break and come back with McDonagh hitting a jawbreaker into a slingshot corkscrew dive. A running knee drops Rusev and a nice moonsault gives McDonagh two. Rusev pops up and shrugs off the offense, setting up the Machka Kick. The Accolade makes McDonagh tap at 10:34.

Rating: C+. McDonagh wrestling as the straight up good guy is a weird thing to see but what matters is that this should set up Rusev for the title match. Rusev needs something to do and now we get to see how Mysterio gets to escape, assuming he can. That’s in addition to the big Finn Balor factor, as he’s hardly happy with everything Mysterio is doing.

Post match Mysterio stands there while Rusev keeps the hold on so Finn Balor makes the save.

Iyo Sky tries to talk Asuka out of the match with Rhea Ripley but Asuka is doing it anyway. Sky wants Kairi Sane to talk to her about it but Sane says Asuka is why they’re here so they must listen to her.

LA Knight talks about trying to keep order on Saturday and if Jey Uso needs help with that, it can be a BFT tonight.

Jey Uso vs. LA Knight

Uso slugs away to start and elbows him in the face to put Knight down. A charge misses in the corner though and Knight hits the jumping neckbreaker. Knight low bridges him to the floor but misses a dropkick through the ropes, allowing Uso to hit a clothesline as we take a break. We come back with Knight hitting a superplex but Uso fights back.

Uso avoids a Burning Hammer and blocking a jumping neckbreaker to send Knight outside. The suicide dive connects and a superkick gives Uso two. Knight knocks him back down and hits the top rope elbow but cue the Vision, with Knight having to take them out. The distraction lets Uso hit a spear into the Superfly Splash for the pin at 8:40.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have much time to make this work but the ending is likely going to keep things going in a few ways. Jey vs. Knight is already a story and you have the Usos vs. the Vision at the same time. There is a good chance that those stories are going to cross soon enough and then we get to see where it goes in Australia.

Post match Jey leaves but gets cut off by Jimmy Uso, who wants to go after the Vision. Jimmy goes to the ring by himself with a chair, with Paul Heyman calling the team off.

Becky Lynch is venting about Cody Rhodes but Seth Rollins doesn’t really listen. She doesn’t like what Rhodes has been saying about her, including calling her lovely. Rollins keeps looking at the watch as Lynch keeps going, eventually promising to make an example out of Rhodes.

Iyo Sky comes up to Rhea Ripley, who is sorry for the loss at Wrestlepalooza. Sky wants her to be careful around Asuka, with Sky saying Asuka is family.

We look at Stephanie McMahon being announced for the Hall Of Fame. Yeah fair enough.

Video on Los Grande Americanos, who are back after being believed to be gone. They will take over WWE.

Maxxine Dupri asks Adam Pearce for a match. Pearce says he’ll think about it, but AJ Styles and Dragon Lee come in to say they want to deal with the Americanos. Pearce is in on this one.

Asuka vs. Rhea Ripley

Kairi Sane is here too. Asuka kicks at the leg to start but gets dropped with a nasty German suplex. We take an early break and come back with Asuka sending her to the apron and hitting a dragon screw legwhip. Ripley fires off some clotheslines and a belly to back faceplant, followed by a running dropkick. A northern lights suplex gives Ripley two but Asuka goes back to the knee. Ripley boots her out to the floor though and hits a running flip dive as we take another break.

We come back with Ripley fighting out of an ankle lock. Ripley puts her on top for a superplex and the big crash leaves them both down. Back up and Ripley kicks her in the face and hits a Razor’s Edge toss, followed by a hard knee for two. Asuka gets back up and strikes her out to the floor with a big kick to the head. Sane teases getting involved and Asuka tells her to do it, where Sane teases some cheating but doesn’t do it.

Instead Asuka sends Ripley into the announcers’ table and counters a kick to the head with a kneebar back inside. Asuka lets that go and grabs a German suplex before heading up top. Ripley dropkicks her out of the air (that looked great) heads up top, only to jump into a dropkick (that looked great). Sane teases interfering but gets knocked down, leaving Ripley to roll Asuka up for the pin at 17:14.

Rating: B+. This was a hard hitting, back and forth match between two women who can work very well together. It was turning into a question of how they were going to have one of them lose. The idea here seems to be Asuka using her authority over Iyo Sky and Kairi Sane and now we’ll get to see where that goes. What matters here though is that it’s a rather awesome main event and Ripley gets a big win, which she has been needing.

Post match Asuka blows blue mist into Ripley’s face. Sane eventually helps with the beatdown but Iyo Sky runs in to try and calm things down. Asuka kicks Sane down and orders Sane to attack, which she does. The Empress Impact drops Ripley and Sane gives Sky an Insane Elbow (against her will) to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. I liked a lot of the wrestling here, with the main event being a highlight, but at the same time egads the Crown Jewel stuff is already dragging the show down. It feels so unimportant and there is almost no way around the whole issue. Hopefully the rest of the card carries the slack, as otherwise we could be in for a very long few weeks on the way to the pay per view.

Results
Penta/War Raiders b. New Day/Grayson Waller – Super Canadian Destroyer to Waller
Bayley b. Roxanne Perez – Roseplant
Rusev b. JD McDonagh – Accolade
Jey Uso b. LA Knight – Superfly Splash
Rhea Ripley b. Asuka – Small package

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: September 15, 2025
Location: MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Corey Graves

It’s the last Raw before Wrestlepalooza and we’re on an hour earlier, likely to avoid the second Monday Night Football game of the evening. John Cena is here tonight and we’re fairly close to his hometown, so things should be interesting. Other than that, AJ Lee and CM Punk are here to meet up with Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of the Vision beating down LA Knight and Jimmy Uso, with Jey Uso making the save, only to take Knight out as well as he’s getting a bit more devilish.

The Usos arrive and Knight goes after him. Jimmy Uso and Adam Pearce break it up, with Pearce threatening fines if this keeps going.

Here is John Cena to a hero’s welcome. Cena talks about how he spent a lot of time in this city, playing football at Springfield College. He played on the offensive line, meaning he never got his name in the paper and he would get beaten up every day and then have to come back the next day and do it again. That’s what got him ready for WWE and now he’s here in front of friends and family.

After saying hi to his niece (on her birthday) and saying he’ll see her this week, Cena talks about getting ready to face Brock Lesnar at Wrestlepalooza. He’s done that more than a few times and it’s really hard, so maybe he should consider backing out of the match because he’s only got six appearances left.

We get a THANK YOU CENA chant and that’s why he’s saying yes to Lesnar. He has never fought one battle backstage because he’s always fighting in front of these people. Of course he’s scared of Lesnar but he’s taking the fight to the Beast because that’s what he does. This was a good speech (and you could tell how special it was for Cena), but it still feels like Cena and Lesnar are on different planets on the way to the match.

We go to Adam Pearce’s office where Jey Uso and LA Knight are still arguing. Pearce wants to keep things calm so he asks Knight to pick his partner against the Vision. He’ll take Jimmy Uso, which doesn’t sit well with Jey.

Roxanne Perez vs. Lyra Valkyria

They go with the grappling to start before Valkyria slams her down to take over. Perez gets a rather nifty rollup for two but Valkyria is back with a crossbody. She seems to be favoring her back though, allowing Raquel Rodriguez to trip her down. That’s enough to get Rodriguez ejected, leaving Valkyria to kick Perez to the floor.

Back in and Perez trips her off the top for a nasty crash, followed by some screaming pounding as we take a break. We come back with Valkyria hitting a sitout powerbomb for two. Perez cuts her off on top and grabs the crossface, only for Valkyria to power up into Nightwing for the pin at 9:06.

Rating: C+. This was the kind of comeback win that Valkyria needs as she hasn’t been doing much lately and was coming off a loss. It’s a weird way to go with Valkyria trading wins, though I’ll take her getting back on track this fast. The real story is still with Bayley though and that’s going to be….I have no idea yet.

Post match Rodriguez comes back in for the beatdown but Bayley returns for the save. Bayley runs over and hugs the commentators and ring announcer as Valkyria is stunned. This is giving me 3 Faces Of Foley vibes.

Stephanie Vaquer and Iyo Sky have signed the contract for Wrestlepalooza and show respect before the title match. The Kabuki Warriors come in and Asuka wants Vaquer to face….Kairi Sane tonight. Adam Pearce makes the match and Sane does some shadow boxing in a hilarious moment.

LA Knight comes in to see Jimmy Uso and wants to make sure Jimmy won’t screw him over like Jey Uso. Jimmy says Knight has put him in a tough spot and he’ll need to find another partner.

Kofi Kingston vs. Penta

Xavier Woods and Grayson Waller are here with Kingston. Penta starts fast and knocks him out to the floor, only for Kingston to kick him down. The Shadows Over Hell drops Penta again and we take a break. We come back with Penta hitting the handstand dropkick in the corner for two.

Penta hits one of the loudest chops I’ve heard in a bit but Kingston is back with a knockdown for two. Trouble In Paradise is blocked by a superkick (which doesn’t exactly connect) and they trade strikes to the face for a double down. Woods offers a distraction so Waller can come in, only for Penta to come back with a springboard Canadian Destroyer for the pin at 7:32.

Rating: B-. Much like Valkyria, Penta needed a win like this as he doesn’t have much much going on in the way of momentum. It’s nice to see him getting a win with a cool finish, which he hit in a unique way. I’m not sure what New Day is doing at the moment, but that’s been the case for a long, long time now.

Jey Uso is on the phone and saying he has some issues. Jimmy Uso comes in and asks who was on the phone. Jey brushes that off and says Jimmy has to turn LA Knight down for tonight. That doesn’t work for Jimmy but Jey talks about how they have the Vision at Wrestlepalooza. Jimmy tells him to change his tone, because there’s no ula fala around his neck.

Post break, Jimmy tells La Knight that he’s in. Works for Knight.

Here are Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch for a chat. The fans chant for CM Punk and Rollins says that as a result, he’s ignoring them. Rollins addresses the fans on Netflix and then introduces Lynch, who wants to talk to AJ Lee and Punk in person, because unlike Punk, she doesn’t insult people behind their backs.

Cue Lee and Punk, the latter of whom introduces himself as her husband. Punk talks about how he’s known for his talking and asks which one is the team captain. They can’t even get on the same page and we had to listen to two bad songs. He has no problem with putting Cult Of Personality on the shelf and lighting it up with his wife (AJ seems to say “good job”). The fans get on Rollins so Lynch stands up for him, before Rollins says he’s going to give Punk credit (Punk’s eyes bugging out is funny).

Rollins says AJ Lee is the best decision Punk has ever made (Punk seems to agree). Fans: “NO ONE LIKES YOU!” Lynch: “I like him!” Rollins means in Punk’s personal life, because bringing AJ in is a bad professional move. AJ calls Rollins “sweet cheeks” and says Rollins started this by using Lynch as a human shield. Punk has said he cared about himself, his wife and the title.

Lynch brings up Lee having a bad neck (as she mentioned in her book) and points out Punk got into a blood feud over a bracelet with his wife’s name on it. That makes AJ a liability instead of an asset. AJ: “Well Becky thank you for reading my book. I didn’t read yours.” It’s true that she has a bad neck, but seeing Lynch’s “constipated face” made her see red. Lee: “I’m a Puerto Rican from New Jersey. Sometimes I shank a chick.” She’s ready to hurt Lynch, but Rollins calls Lee “little girl”. Fans: “SHE WILL KILL YOU!”

Rollins brings up Lee and Punk both leaving and suggests Punk will leave her too. That’s good for a slap to the face, with Rollins saying he would never put his hands on a woman. He knows someone who would though….but Lynch bails. Lynch says Rollins got them into this and leaves, but it’s a ruse to get Punk to chase Rollins, leaving Lynch to Manhandle Slam Lee. She throws in a slap to Punk for a bonus. This was a long segment and they only said a few interesting things, but the fans and the one liners were both great and carried the thing to the finish line.

Video on Worlds Collide, including Dominik Mysterio winning the AAA Mega Title.

Mysterio doesn’t want to talk about El Grande Americano because he is the Mega Intercontinental Champion. Hold on though as there is sounds of a fracas and we run over to see New Day having attacked Penta with a chair. The War Raiders run in to chase New Day Off.

Dragon Lee vs. El Grande Americano

Lee starts fast with a shotgun dropkick but Americano fights up without much trouble. A TKO gets two on Lee and Americano hammers away, including a crazy loud chop. Lee is right back up with a hurricanrana to the floor so Americano lays on the announcers’ table. Lee gets a running start for a running flip dive to crush him again as we take a break.

We come back with an exchange of loud chops until Lee grabs a sitout powerbomb. Lee’s top rope Tree of Woe double stomp gets two but cue another Americano for a cheap shot though, which draws out AJ Styles to give chase. Styles takes out the other Americano but a third pops up for a tornado DDT to take drop Styles on the floor. The distraction lets the original grab a choke with knees in Lee’s back for the win at 10:14.

Rating: C+. The best thing I can say about the Americano story is that I’m curious about where it’s going. Having the original Americano replaced and then having multiple clones going out there as well is interesting, though we could be waiting a good while before we get any kind of a reveal.

Americano is confused but rolls with it.

Lyra Valkyria is about to go talk to Bayley about what happened but hears a lot of shouting. She goes inside and Bayley is alone, leaving Valkyria even more confused. Bayley says she might have been changing or had company but Valkyria just barged in (she did knock). Oh yeah this is Bayley being all wacky, though how surprising was her return if she had a private dressing room with a name plate ready.

Rhea Ripley tells Stephanie Vaquer that she’s coming for the next champion. Works for Vaquer.

Stephanie Vaquer vs. Kairi Sane

They go to the mat to start with Vaquer winning the grappling, only for Sane to plant her down for a fast two. Sane tries a sunset bomb but gets double stomped as we take a break. We come back with Vaquer dropkicking her away and hitting the running knees in the corner.

The SVB is broken up though and Sane hits a forearm, setting up the top rope double stomp. A dragon screw legwhip out of the corner takes out Vaquer’s knee but she’s fine enough to come back with a big dive to the floor. The Devil’s Kiss rocks Sane back inside and the SVB finishes at 12:02.

Rating: B-. Vaquer is on the way to a title match on Saturday so it’s nice to see her getting a win to boost her up on the way there. At the same time, Sane deserves some credit for what she has been doing, as her mannerisms have been outstanding as of late. It helps that it was a good match too, which shouldn’t be much of a surprise given the participants.

Post match Asuka glares at Vaquer but Iyo Sky runs in to break it up. Asuka bails and Sky and Vaquer shake hands.

The Vision is ready for the Usos on Saturday and Jimmy Uso and LA Knight tonight.

Iyo Sky asks the Kabuki Warriors to let her do this by herself, with Asuka (who is being held back by Sane) angrily agreeing.

Wrestlepalooza rundown.

The Judgment Day toasts Dominik Mysterio for winning the AAA Mega Title but Finn Balor isn’t sure about the victory lap. He points out Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez having a rough night but Rodriguez says it’s ok. Balor still doesn’t buy the whole deal with El Grande Americano again and leaves. Rusev comes in and offers a handshake but Mysterio says his hands are full. Rusev wants the Intercontinental Title.

LA Knight/Jimmy Uso vs. Vision

Uso chops away at Breakker to start and Knight comes in to punch Reed down. The running hip attack connects for Uso and a double clothesline sends Breakker outside as we take a break. We come back with Reed pulling on Uso’s hair and Breakker adding an overhead belly to belly. Uso manages a boot to the face and hits a Whisper In The Wind, which is enough for the tag off to Knight.

A jumping neckbreaker takes Breakker down but he’s right back with a jumping knee to the face. Everything breaks down and Knight’s top rope elbow into the Superfly Splash gets two on Reed, with Breakker making the save. A dive to the floor is cut off but Reed gets speared back inside. Breakker drops Knight on the floor and Reed cuts off the Superfly Splash, setting up the Jagged Edge for the pin on Uso at 12:03.

Rating: C+. I don’t think the result was ever in any real doubt here as a makeshift team shouldn’t be beating the top heel team. What matters the most is getting the Vision to look strong, but at the same time, Knight and the Usos aren’t exactly getting along. That sounds like we’re going to be seeing a match of some sort in Australia next month and this week was a step there.

Post match the beatdown stays on until Jey Uso runs in with the chair for the save. Reed knocks the chair away but gets sent outside. Knight picks the chair up but Jey looks at him. Knight shakes Jey’s hand….and then lays him out with the BFT to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This show did a nice job of setting up the pay per view, as there was quite a lot to cover. Most of the matches got some time and that’s nice to see, especially with so little time left. The wrestling was decent enough, but the focus here was on getting ready for Saturday and I’m more interested in the show than I was coming in. I’d call that a success.

Results
Lyra Valkyria b. Roxanne Perez – Nightwing
Penta b. Kofi Kingston – Springboard Canadian Destroyer
El Grande Americano b. Dragon Lee – Choke with knees in the back
Stephanie Vaquer b. Kairi Sane – SVB
Vision b. Jimmy Uso/LA Knight – Jagged Edge to Uso

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

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

Worlds Collide: Las Vegas
Date: September 12, 2025
Location: Cox Pavilion At The Thomas & Mack Center, Paradise, Nevada
Commentators: Corey Graves, Konnan, John Bradshaw Layfield

We’re doing another WWE/AAA crossover show and in this case, Dominik Mysterio is getting another World Title shot, this time on his own. That’s quite the drawing card, though the rest of the show looks good enough. The previous edition was a lot of fun in Mexico so now we get to see what happens in the United States. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at AAA’s success since being purchased by WWE, including TripleMania. Now they’re in Las Vegas so of course there’s a bit of a gambling theme.

HHH, Shawn Michaels and Undertaker are here.

Various wrestlers arrive. These clips were shown on Smackdown.

The dignitaries are in the ring for the Mexican national anthem. Lilian Garcia does the American version.

Here is Penta for a chat. Penta, in Spanish, seems to fire up the crowd and talk about the importance of Mexican wrestling in the United States. After more enthusiastic shouting, Penta hits his catchphrase and holds up a Mexican flag.

Laredo Kid/La Parka/Mascarita Sagrada/Octagon Jr. vs. LWO/Mini Abismo Negro/Lince Dorado

Dorado and Octagon start things off as they trade some missed kicks to start. An exchange of headscissors take both of them down and we get a standoff/handshake. Del Toro and Kid come in with Kid hitting him in the face, followed by a running clothesline in the corner. Del Toro is taken up top but sticks the landing on a super hurricanrana. A standing Spanish Fly gives del Toro and Wilde comes in for a standing moonsault and a near fall.

Kid gives him kind of a reverse sitout powerbomb to take over and it’s off to Parka for a dance off. Parka avoids a charge in the corner and dances some more, setting up something like a spinning AA. Sagrada and Negro come in, with Sagrada snapping off a springboard armdrag. Dorado comes back in and gets sent into the corner, allowing Octagon and Kid to hit back to back middle rope twisting moonsaults for two. A kick to the head puts Kid down though and del Toro is back in with a slingshot splash.

An electric chair splash to the back gets two on Kid as Konnan lists off Kid’s resume. Negro (barely taller than the top rope) comes in for a pop up powerslam and Kid can’t get a springboard hurricanrana, instead crashing down. Back up and a running hurricanrana works a bit better, as Kid is able to bring in Sagrada for a very spinning headscissors to the floor. Sagrada clears the ring and snaps off a top rope hurricanrana to put Negro down. Back in and Octagon comes in but del Toro comes in as well to strike it out.

Octagon gets caught in the Tree of Woe for a Coast To Coast from del Toro. Dorado’s shooting star press gets two and Sagrada grabs an octopus on Negro, with everyone else making a save. Everything breaks down and Dorada gives Parka the Golden Rewind, leaving Octagon to dive onto both of them. Del Toro dives on all of them and then Kid does the same thing. Wilde hits his huge slingshot dive, leaving Sagrada to grab a spinning rollup for the pin on Negro at 18:05.

Rating: B. Yeah this was a blast with everyone getting to go nuts and show off for a long time. They weren’t trying to do anything other than let the people go nuts and that worked well. It’s the kind of match that is always going to work as it was designed to be a sample platter of what AAA can do. Fun stuff here, as it should have been.

Rey Mysterio is interrupted by Dominik Mysterio, who says he’s going to become the Mega Champion. Rey even agrees to put the title around his waist if he wins, with a big emphasis on IF. Finn Balor comes in to say Dominik needs to prove himself tonight, alone. Balor even leaves with the interviewer (who happens to be his wife). This aired on Smackdown as well.

We recap Natalya vs. Faby Apache. They were in a triple threat match at TripleMania and didn’t get along so now it’s time to fight for a future title shot.

Natalya vs. Faby Apache

For a future Reina de Reinas title shot. They go to the grappling to start until Apache drops her with an elbow. Natalya’s discus lariat gets two and she fires off the shoulders in the corner. Natalya plants her down and starts in on the leg, including the surfboard. With that broken up, Apache shrugs off some clotheslines and hits a hurricanrana.

A high crossbody and knee to the face give Apache two and she tries a cross armbreaker. Apache’s bodyscissors turns into a slugout and she even adds a front facelock. With that not working, Apache switches to an ankle lock, followed by a hard forearm to the face for two. Apache teases a Sharpshooter but gets reversed into a rollup for the pin at 9:12.

Rating: B-. This was a bit different from Natalya and that is one of the best things that she can do. The biggest problem with Natalya is that she does a lot of the same stuff and that gets dull in a hurry. That wasn’t so much the case here and it made for a much more entertaining match. Apache did her part too as they were beating the heck out of each other here. Nice match and better than I was expecting.

We get the Saudi Arabia Wrestlemania announcement and the booing is audible.

New Day was ready to win the Tag Team Titles but Woods was injured by Penta. He had to have surgery on his head but risked DEATH by being here anyway, where Grayson Waller will be taking his place. Waller insists that interviewer Chuey Martinez sign the petition to ban the Canadian Destroyer.

AAA Tag Team Titles: Kofi Kingston/Grayson Waller vs. Pagano/Psycho Clown

Pagano/Clown are defending and Clown chases Waller to the floor to start. Back in and Waller tries to pick up the pace, which is fine with Clown, who actually gets pulled into a forearm. Kingston and Pagano come in with Pagano snapping off a belly to belly. Clown comes in to help with the stomping but gets sent into the corner. Waller forearms away on Clown in the corner and we get something like the old Unicorn Stampede.

Pagano gets knocked off the apron so Clown has no one to tag when he fights out (as tends to be the case). A jumping knee to the face gets two on Clown before Kingston and Waller go up…and then hop down to pummel away. Kingston grabs a choke and Clown taps, but it doesn’t seem to have been intentional so Kingston sends him into the corner instead.

Clown fights out of the corner and hits a crossbody, followed by an enziguri to bring in Pagano. Everything breaks down and the champs hit some running dives before Clown….rips part of his own mask off, which freaks Woods out and sends him running. Stereo Canadian Destroyers drop Waller and Kingston, followed by la majistral to give Clown the pin to retain at 16:53.

Rating: B-. This was a good enough match, but the problem boils down to it’s only so good when you have Kingston and a filler partner rather than his usual partner. New Day challenging for the titles would have been a much bigger deal, but as it was, there wasn’t exactly much doubt about the winners. What we got was good, but Woods being in there would have been a lot better.

Post match Pagano and Clown are interviewed by the Wyatt Sicks interfere and lay them out. The huge beatdown ensues, with Pagano and Clown being put through tables. The Wyatts hold up the AAA titles and the fans seem to like it.

We recap Lola Vice/Mr. Iguana vs. Judgment Day. They were in a six person tag at TripleMania (with a slightly adjusted lineup) and got into a brawl so now it’s time to do it with one less person each.

Lola Vice/Mr. Iguana vs. Judgment Day

Raquel Rodriguez is here with Judgment Day. Balor takes Iguana down by the arm to start but Iguana flips around and sits down, which has the fans approving. Balor goes to grab a bag but Iguana takes it away and throws it underneath the ring. Back in and a hurricanrana drops Balor so it’s off to Vice, who scares Balor into the corner. Perez comes in and gets chased outside, allowing Vice to run her over back inside.

The cross armbreaker is blocked so Vice switches to the strikes into the corner. Vice’s running hip attack is broken up by Balor so Vice hits a dive onto both of them. Back in and Iguana’s high crossbody gets two on Balor, only for Rodriguez to drop Iguana onto the apron to cut him off. Balor slows the pace down and chokes on the ropes….but the Balor puppet pops out from underneath the ring. Even Balor freaks out and Iguana gets in a shot, allowing the tag back to Vice to pick up the pace.

Now the hip attack can hit Perez, followed by a Saito suplex for two. Perez is right back up and hits a Lionsault for two before taking Vice up. Iguana throws Yesca at Perez though and Balor brings in his own bag. Balor gets up with his own puppet and it’s time for…well actually a Sling Blade to Iguana. Balor ties his puppet around his neck and teases the Coup de Grace but Vice breaks it up. Yesca is thrown at the puppet, leaving Iguana to hit a dive. Vice spinning backfists Perez for the pin at 12:00.

Rating: C+. The point here was to showcase Vice and Iguana and that worked rather well. Vice is quite possibly on her way to being the NXT Women’s Champion and Iguana is going to sell a ton of merchandise. Balor played right into the whole thing with the puppet deal and it was a fun match with everything going about as it should have.

We recap the Latin American Title four way. El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. won the title at TripleMania and now a bunch of people are coming for the title. That’s about it.

Latin American Title: El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. vs. Ethan Page vs. JD McDonagh vs. Dragon Lee

Wagner is defending (Page’s NXT North American Title isn’t on the line). Lee and McDonagh fight to the floor to start, leaving Wagner to hammer on Page in the corner. Back in and Lee sends Page into the corner and drop toeholds McDonagh into page. A running dropkick hits both villains and Wagner is back in, only to get taken down by McDonagh. The big Asai moonsault drops Page and Lee on the floor before McDonagh kicks away at Wagner.

Page is back in to throw McDonagh at Wagner (that worked) before hitting a running Codebreaker for two on Lee. The chinlock doesn’t last long as the other two come back in, with a series of strikes to the face knocking everyone silly. McDonagh headbutts Page…who falls onto McDonagh for two.

Lee is back up with a running hurricanrana to Wagner and a big sitout powerbomb for two on McDonagh. Wagner pulls Page to the floor so Lee flip dives onto both of them. Back in and a super Spanish Fly gives McDonagh two but Page is back with the Twisted Grin. Wagner cuts that off wit h a Swanton and Wagner Drivers McDonagh to retain at 9:56.

Rating: B. This was a sprint match as you had all four of them going nuts and throwing out everything they could in the time they had. That made for quite the entertaining spectacle and I had a good time with everything they were doing. This felt like a match where anyone could have picked up the title and the drama made things a lot more entertaining.

We recap the main event. Dominik Mysterio came close to winning the title in a four way at TripleMania and now it’s time for him to get a one on one shot as he wants to prove he’s the best Mysterio ever.

AAA Mega Title: Dominik Mysterio vs. El Hijo del Vikingo

Vikingo is defending (Mysterio’s Intercontinental Title isn’t on the line) and the fans really do not like him despite him being the good guy coming in. After the Big Match Intros, the trade some kicks to start before Vikingo takes him down and ties up an arm and a leg. Vikingo stands up while still holding on, only for Mysterio to reverse into a rollup for two. Mysterio is sent outside and taken down with a dive but he cuts Vikingo off with a hot shot back inside.

Vikingo gets whipped into the steps and we settle down a bit back inside. Mysterio stomps away and hits the slingshot hilo for two. Back up and the champion hits a basement superkick but gets crotched on top. Hold on though as Mysterio needs to go and pose with the belt before grabbing the chinlock. Vikingo fights up and hits a missile dropkick, followed by the running knees in the corner.

Another missile dropkick is powerbombed out of the air for a big crash but the 619 is blocked. Vikingo’s spinning faceplant sets up a 450 for two so here is the Judgment Day to uneven things a bit. Mysterio puts on the mask and Balor offers him the foreign object, but here is Dragon Lee to help things out a bit.

Rey Mysterio comes out with a chair to help chase Judgment Day off, leaving Vikingo to hit the 630. Cue El Grande Americano to break up the cover and now the 619 connects. Dominik hits the frog splash but another referee runs in to count two. Vikingo goes for Americano’s mask, allowing Americano to slip Dominik the foreign object. The mask is loaded up for the running headbutt, followed by a frog splash to make Dominik champion at 18:23.

Rating: B. I had fun with this and the result is the right choice. The fans have pretty obviously rejected Vikingo so go with someone who can get some heat as champion without having the fans turn on him. Yeah it’s more of the WWE takeover, but it’s hard to argue with someone getting the kind of reception Vikingo has been receiving. Just go with what needs to be done, as Dominik is more than capable of hanging at this level.

Post match Rey comes back out and hands Dominik the title but Dominik insists that Rey put it around his waist. Rey begrudgingly does it and Dominik kicks him out as the Judgment Day comes in to celebrate. El Grand Americano gets in for a hug as well and Judgment Day doesn’t seem overly pleased to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This was another good time, with the action working, nothing being bad, a hot crowd and just about everything working. Dominik Mysterio is going to get all kinds of mileage out of winning the title and there were enough things set up to have another show like this down the line. WWE has figured out the formula for these shows and this was another very fun offering.

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

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: September 8, 2025
Location: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Corey Graves

So the big deal coming out of Smackdown is the return of AJ Lee, who is back to help her husband CM Punk against Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins. That should all but guarantee a mixed tag at Wrestlepalooza and there is a good chance we’ll get something out of the four of them here. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Rollins/Lynch vs. Punk, with Lee showing up on Smackdown in Chicago to the hero’s welcome for the big save.

Lynch doesn’t want a camera on her.

Corey Graves references Wade Barrett being on vacation, which surprises him as he heard something about Barrett being exiled over the weekend. Points for referencing rumors.

Here is Jey Uso to get things going, with Jimmy Uso popping up next to him for the entrance. The team comes out and we get an encore of the entrance as the fans are glad to have them back together. Jey brings up the Vision, or in particular, the Bronnies. Cue Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker, with Breakker being so annoyed that he can barely speak. Reed has to hold him back and wants the fans to acknowledge their Tribal Thief. Reed promises revenge for what happened to Paul Heyman but Jimmy calls them PB&J&J Security.

They mock Heyman, including calling him the Orca (which pops Jimmy), but then get to the point: the tag match is set for Wrestlepalooza. The Usos are ready to fight right now but here is LA Knight to brawl with Reed and Breakker. That doesn’t go so well so the Usos are right there with the stereo dives for the save. The good guys clear the ring, with Knight shoving Reed into Jey by mistake. The villains bail, but Jey and Knight get in an argument.

LA Knight argues with Adam Pearce and says if he wanted to go after Jey, he would have done it on his own. He wants one of the Bron’s tonight, and he’ll even take LeBron James, Bronnie Jr. or Charles Bronson. It doesn’t even matter if he wins or loses, because he just wants to get his hands on one of them.

AJ Styles vs. El Grande Americano

Styles dropkicks Americano through the ropes and hammers away on the floor before going inside. A running clothesline sends Americano right back to the floor and we get the opening bell. Tessitore: “After all that, we get a bell!”. The Phenomenal Forearm is loaded up but here is another Americano to grab the leg, allowing the original Americano to send Styles into the steps.

We take a break and come back with Americano grabbing a chinlock and then putting on a front facelock. That’s broken up and Styles suplexes him into the corner, followed by a torture rack bomb for two. Americano grabs his hand and runs the corner for a Blockbuster (that was nice) for two. Styles slips out of what looked like a Styles Clash but the other Americano gets on the apron. Cue Dragon Lee to take out the other Americano, leaving Styles to roll the original into the Styles Clash for the pin at 9:00.

Rating: B-. Americano (the original) had some impressive spots in there and the ending sequence, with Styles rolling through into the Clash looked very good. I’m curious to see where this multiple Americanos goes, as it’s an interesting story and the reveals of who is underneath the masks could go in a few ways. Nice match here, and it’s nice to see Styles getting a pin.

Nikki Bella interrupts Iyo Sky and Adam Pearce. Stephanie Vaquer is apparently out of the contract signing but she’ll be around for the title match at Wrestlepalooza. The Kabuki Warriors interrupt and Bella isn’t happy, saying she was talking to Sky. Asuka vs. Bella is set up for tonight. Sky shakes her head.

Video on AJ Lee.

Lyra Valkyria vs. Raquel Rodriguez

Roxanne Perez is here too. Valkyria kicks at the leg to start and gets swung around by the neck for her efforts. Back up and Valkyria kicks her out to the floor but Rodriguez knocks her out of the air. The twisting Vader Bomb crushes Valkyria for two and we take a break. We come back with Valkyria getting two off a sunset flip but getting caught in something like a Boston crab (with Rodriguez laying on Valkyria’s back and pulling on her legs).

That’s broken up and Valkyria hits something like a jawbreaker, followed by a tornado DDT for two. Rodriguez is back up with a slingshot Jackhammer (or close to it) for two of her own. A slightly delayed sunset bomb plants Rodriguez for two but Valkyria’s back won’t let her get a fireman’s carry. Perez interferes and gets taken out but Rodriguez catches her on top and hits a Tejana Bomb for the pin at 12:41.

Rating: C+. You could see Rodriguez getting tired near the end, which makes you wonder why you would put her out there in a match like this. I’m still not liking Valkyria losing this much, but at least she has whatever is coming with Bayley next. Rodriguez getting a win is a good thing, though maybe find a better style for her.

Penta and the War Raiders exchange pleasantries but Penta talks to Adam Pearce, saying he wants the Intercontinental Title. Pearce doesn’t say no but Rusev comes in to say he wants a title shot. Penta gets in his face and a match is made official.

AJ Styles thanks Dragon Lee when Jimmy Uso comes in, looking for Jey. Cue Jey, who is ready to leave, but Jimmy says they need to be there for LA Knight vs. Bronson Reed. Jey isn’t happy with Knight and says this is about them. Jimmy says Jey is sounding like Roman Reigns, with Jey saying sounding like himself isn’t working. Jey leaves.

Here is AJ Lee, wearing the Women’s Intercontinental Title. Lee says in case you weren’t here ten years ago and were confused as to why your millennial parents were very excited on Friday, here name is AJ Lee and she is your favorite wrestler’s favorite wrestler. She’s David Starr? She retired ten years ago and hung up her Chuck Taylors and thought she would never wear jean shorts that were two sizes too small.

During the ten years away, she went on a mental health journey (we pause for a THERAPY chant) and things were going well….but then things started changing. She can live with the idea of her husband fighting Seth Rollins or Drew McIntyre, but it’s a different thing when he’s in the ring with someone like Becky Lynch. Lee thought they would get along as they’re both rebels, leaders and bestselling authors, though yes she did do it first. But then Lynch had to go and motorboat her Lee’s husband and….here is Lynch to interrupt.

Lynch says this isn’t about Lee’s husband and she rants about how great she really is. The fans boo and Lynch says she’ll have to go to therapy after this. Fans: “THERAPY!” Lee: “I have some names I can give you.” She forgot she was wearing the title and Lynch takes her sunglasses off, revealing a black eye. Lee: “Was that from one of my tiny fists?” Lee lays the title down for her but Lynch insists that she isn’t a chicken. Lynch: “You listen to me, you Jersey trashbag weirdo.”

Lynch says this had nothing to do with Lee until CM Punk got involved, but where is he? She brings out Seth Rollins instead, who says that Lee can give Lynch the title back. Lee says Lynch can come get it, while risking another black eye, or she can agree to a mixed tag. Rollins says he’s going to come in and get the title (Lee: “Thanks for mansplaining that. Everyone loves that.”) but Lee jumps in front of it.

Cue CM Punk to go after Rollins, who escapes and agrees to the match at Wrestlepalooza. Lee kisses the title and throws it to Lynch. This was Lee’s big return speech and she absolutely still has the adorkable nature that makes her stand out. It comes off as her being herself and while I can absolutely see why it doesn’t work for everyone, it makes her feel as authentic as anyone in WWE most of the time.

Bayley talks about how she needs to make this better because Lyra Valkyria was the last person she wanted to hurt. She’s hurt a lot of people over the years but they deserved it, so she isn’t sure how Valkyria can forgive her when she can’t forgive herself. The voices start talking to her again but she insists she’ll make it right.

Penta vs. Rusev

Rusev shrugs off some chops to start and hammers away, followed by a hard clothesline. Penta is able to send him into the corner and grabs a Backstabber for a fast two. They head outside with Rusev missing a charge into the steps and we take a break. We come back with Penta hitting a Sling Blade but here are New Day and Grayson Waller for a distraction. The distraction lets Rusev grab Penta, who escapes and hits a big flip dive onto Kofi Kingston and Waller. Back in and a quick Code Red gives Penta two so he goes up, only to dive into the Machka Kick for the pin at 8:36.

Rating: C+. The interference helped, but Penta losing again isn’t a great sign. Rusev is about what he’s been for most of his time in WWE, meaning that he’s good at what he does, but it’s only so interesting. Penta feels like he has a lot more potential, but feuding with New Day and Waller isn’t a great path.

We look back at John Cena vs. Sami Zayn on Smackdown, with Brock Lesnar running in to lay both of them out.

Jimmy Uso comes in to see LA Knight, who explains that what happened earlier was an accident. Uso seems to accept it and says they have beef with the Vision tonight. Knight says there is no WE because the Usos keep costing him. If Uso wants to help, don’t help, because Knight is doing this himself.

Nikki Bella vs. Asuka

Bella rolls her up for two to start as Kairi Sane is rather pleased on the floor. Back up and Asuka pops off a knee to the face before she chokes a bit in the corner. A forearm and spinebuster give Bella two but Asuka bails out to the floor. Asuka hides behind Sane and kicks Bella down as we take a break. We come back with Bella avoiding a middle rope kick to the face and hitting one of her own. Asuka hits her in the head but can’t get the Asuka Lock. Instead Bella is back with an Alabama Slam for two but Asuka kicks her in the head. The Empress Impact sets up the Asuka Lock and Bella taps at 10:20.

Rating: C. Asuka was carrying things here as it’s clear that Bella is pretty much limited to just her signature stuff. It’s far from the worst match, but egads Bella feels so wedged into everything these days and it’s rough to watch. Thankfully she didn’t win here, though I was more than a bit terrified of where this was going.

Judgment Day is happy with Raquel Rodriguez’s win and are ready for Roxanne Perez to do it next week. Dominik Mysterio comes in, saying he’s been getting ready for his AAA Mega Title shot this Friday. Was he off with El Grande Americano? The team thinks Americano wants something in return, but Mysterio says it wouldn’t happen if they didn’t get banned last week. Mysterio storms off, with Perez off to talk to him.

The Kabuki Warriors come up to Nikki Bella, who doesn’t think much of them. Rhea Ripley comes up and asks if there’s a problem. Ripley asks about Iyo Sky and Asuka leaves, with Sane staying until Asuka summons her. Sane has been a gem in these segments.

LA Knight vs. Bronson Reed

Bron Breakker is here too. Knight slugs away to start and gets knocked outside. Back in and Reed misses a sitdown splash, allowing Knight to clothesline away. One heck of a clothesline drops Knight and the pace slows, with Reed doing the Roman Reigns point. Back up and Knight knocks him to the floor for a dropkick through the ropes, followed by a quick posting.

We take a break and come back with Reed choking away on the ropes but he misses a charge into the buckle. Knight stomps away in the corner but gets dumped over the top for a big crash. Reed misses a charge though and gets caught with a dive off the barricade. Back in and Reed runs him over but misses a splash, allowing Knight to drop the top rope elbow. Breakker’s distraction breaks up the BFT though and the Jagged Edge finishes Knight at 11:36.

Rating: B-. Good match here, with Reed using the numbers game to win again. That’s the kind of thing that makes sense, as you can have various people show up after the match. Knight needs to win some more matches though, as while he’s in the main event scene, he’s mostly just the jobber to the stars at the moment.

Post match the beatdown is on but Jimmy Uso runs in for the save. That fails miserably but Jey Uso is back for the real save. Jey gets Super Speared down though and the Tsunami is loaded up. Knight makes the save with a chair…and Jey spears him down to end the show. Well that shakes things up a bit.

Overall Rating: B-. The Uso attack at the end is a good idea and very well could set up a bit match with Knight sooner or later. Other than that you had the rather awesome AJ Lee segment to set up the mixed tag. Wrestlepalooza is looking rather stacked and I’m wanting to see what we get there, with this show being a good way to help getting it ready. Just tweak some things here and there and this show is much better, but it did a nice job of getting the pay per view ready.

Results
AJ Styles b. El Grande Americano – Styles Clash
Raquel Rodriguez b. Lyra Valkyria – Tejana Bomb
Rusev b. Penta – Machka Kick
Asuka b. Nikki Bella – Asuka Lock
Bronson Reed b. LA Knight – Jagged Edge

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

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: September 1, 2025
Location: La Defense Arena, Paris, France
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Michael Cole

We’re still in Paris after yesterday’s Clash and that means it’s time to start the build towards Wrestlepalooza. While you can pretty much pencil in the John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar showdown, they’re going to need something else to fill in the gaps. With less than three weeks before the show, those gaps can be filled starting this week so let’s get to it.

Here is Clash In Paris if you need a recap.

We still have the awesome Eiffel Tower set.

Long Clash In Paris recap.

CM Punk is waiting for Seth Rollins to arrive after getting screwed out of the title. Adam Pearce is fine with it.

Here is Jey Uso to get things going. Uso isn’t happy and says he isn’t going to run it back tonight. He has some medical tape around his waist but he is running last night back. The Vision attacked both he and Roman Reigns and you never put your hands on his family. Uso wants the Vision out here right now but gets LA Knight instead. Knight says he should be the World Heavyweight Champion but instead he stands here a loser, just like Uso.

Some people claim that Uso lives in his cousin’s shadow. Knight doesn’t know anything about that, but Seth Rollins lives in his wife’s shadow. They could have taken Rollins out last night and the three challengers could have fought it out, but Uso screwed that up because he doesn’t understand. Knight is sick and tired of being left laying and not being World Heavyweight Champion. If Uso doesn’t get that, Knight can get him up to speed real quick.

Cue Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker to interrupt with Knight being ready to go. Breakker says that the only thing we should be concerned about is Paul Heyman’s health after Roman Reigns choked him out. The fans chant for Reigns but Breakker says it means that Heyman isn’t here to tell them what to do. Reed brags about the beating they gave Reigns because the vision didn’t include him. It doesn’t include Knight and Uso either, so they’re next. Knight says he and Uso can do this later so the tag match seems set for tonight.

We recap the issues between Iyo Sky and the Kabuki Warriors.

Sky tries to make peace with the Warriors and….it seems to work.

Judgment Day vs. Kabuki Warriors

Asuka and Perez start things off with Asuka knocking her to the floor. It’s already off to Rodriguez, who gets pulled into a quick choke. The Octopus hold is quickly escaped so it’s off to Sane for some double kicks. The choke over the ropes has Rodriguez in more trouble and it’s back to Perez, who gets taken down with a headscissors. That’s broken up though and Perez takes Sane outside for a whip into the barricade.

We take a break and come back with Perez splashing Sane in the corner. That’s broken up and it’s back to Asuka to strike away until Rodriguez hits a clothesline. Perez adds a spinning knee to the back of the head before Sane and Rodriguez fight to the floor. The Asuka Lock is countered into a rollup for two before Asuka hip attacks Rodriguez back outside. Perez can’t hit Pop Rox and they seem to get a bit lost, with Asuka’s spinwheel kick barely making contact. The Asuka Lock finishes Perez at 10:40.

Rating: B-. I’m wondering if something went wrong in the end there because the match was sharp for the first ten minutes and then absolutely fell apart at the end. It wouldn’t surprise me if Perez was hurt as she was stumbling a bit before the weird spinwheel kick. Either way, good match otherwise and if someone was hurt at the end, the last few moments are more than excusable.

Adam Pearce announces that it’s Stephanie Vaquer vs. Iyo Sky for the title in three weeks at Wrestlepalooza.

Finn Balor vs. Dragon Lee

JD McDonagh is here with Balor. The fans are rather into this as Balor takes him down by the arm to start. Balor drops him with an elbow to the face but Lee is back with a springboard wristdrag out of the corner. The slingshot dropkick gets two and Balor is sent to the floor for the running flip dive as we take a break. We come back with Lee fighting out of a headlock and kicking Balor in the face. The sitout powerbomb gives Lee two but Balor pulls him off the top. The Coup de Grace finishes Lee at 9:48.

Rating: B-. Pretty simple and to the point here with Balor getting a nice reception. I’m not sure what he is going to be doing anytime soon, save for maybe feuding with Dominik Mysterio, but at least he’s still that smooth in the ring. On the other hand you have Lee, who has sunk incredibly far at a remarkable rate. I’m not sure if it was the unrealistic expectations or the pressure on him, but it hasn’t worked to say the least.

Nikki Bella meets Iyo Sky but the Kabuki Warriors interrupt. Bella isn’t pleased and leaves, with the Warriors saying they helped Sky win at Summerslam so they’ll see her at Wrestlepalooza. Sky doesn’t seem happy.

Dominik Mysterio wants Judgment Day to help him against AJ Styles but Adam Pearce bans them from ringside.

New Day/Grayson Waller vs. War Raiders/Penta

Penta sends Waller and Kingston to the apron to start but it’s too early to Canadian Destroy Woods. The Raiders take the villains down on the floor and Penta adds a dive as we take a break. We come back with Erik in trouble and Woods getting to strut a bit. Erik fights his way out of trouble and brings Ivar in to fire off the seated splashes in the corner. Waller avoids one of said splashes though and everything breaks down. Waller tries his rolling Stunner and gets knocked silly. A belly to back suplex/splash combination crushes Woods and the Canadian Destroyer finishes at 8:48.

Rating: C+. New Day and the Raiders just feel like they’re nothing at this point, even with New Day’s rather funny heel antics. There is no heat for either team and they come and go (when the Raiders are actually around that is) without much changing. It’s nice to see Penta win, but this was a pretty cold match for some prominent names.

Rhea Ripley wants the Women’s Title back but the Kabuki Warriors interrupt. They don’t want her around Iyo Sky but Ripley doesn’t get what’s so bad about it. Asuka says stay away from Sky and repeats her name before pushing Ripley. That doesn’t work for Ripley but Asuka leaves, even as Kairi Sane isn’t sure what to do.

Roxanne Perez asks Adam Pearce why she’s not in the Wrestlepalooza title match. Pearce points out that she and Raquel Rodriguez just lost but he’ll think about it after Wrestlepalooza. Lyra Valkyria comes in and gets into an argument with Rodriguez and Perez. Judgment Day leaves and Pearce tells Valkyria that Bayley will be back soon. Valkyria: “That’s it? That’s all you’ve got?” She wants a match with Judgment Day so Pearce makes it for next week. Uncertain hand gestures ensue.

Intercontinental Title: AJ Styles vs. Dominik Mysterio

Styles is challenging and gets a crazy strong reception. Strong enough that it’s STILL GOING after a break, with Styles just soaking it in. Mysterio jumps him to start and the bell rings, with Styles fighting back to send Mysterio outside. The big dive connects and we take an early break.

We come back with Styles striking away, including the sliding forearm to set up the fireman’s carry backbreaker for two. A headscissors out of the corner sends Styles to the floor and Mysterio drops him with a baseball slide. Mysterio’s hurricanrana is countered into a powerbomb onto the announcers’ table though and we take another break. We come back again with an exchange of forearms until Styles grabs a neckbreaker for two.

The Styles Clash is countered into the Mullet O Matic (oh that’s amazing) for two and Styles is sent into the post. The Michinoku Driver gives Mysterio two more and the Three Amigos into the frog splash gets the same. Back up and a quick Styles Clash connects but Mysterio gets a boot on the rope. The Phenomenal Forearm is loaded up but cue El Grande Americano with the loaded headbutt to the ribs. Mysterio drops the frog splash to retain at 16:05.

Rating: B. Odds are this moves us into Styles vs. Americano, which is an interesting change of pace. At the same time, Mysterio is going to need a fresh challenger and there are more than a few names available. For now though, Mysterio outsmarts the veteran again, which is a pretty nice accomplishment. Not as nice as that ovation Styles received, but still good.

We look back at Roman Reigns beating Bronson Reed last night but getting laid out by the Vision after the match.

LA Knight is ready to do whatever it takes to get the World Heavyweight Title. If that means going through Jey Uso, so be it. Cue Uso, who says they’ll make this work and loads up the catchphrase, but Knight says the four letters, one word is YEAH.

Rhea Ripley is with CM Punk in the back but Adam Pearce comes in to say Seth Rollins is in the building. Pearce doesn’t know how, but Punk is going to go handle him. Pearce: “And what does that mean?”

Video on Rusev, who is happy with his win with his win over Sheamus.

Here is CM Punk for a chat. He wants Seth Rollins out here right now and gets Rollins…….’ wife. Becky Lynch says she might not be the man Punk was looking for but she’s the man he’s dealing with her. Punk says he’s not doing this and wants Rollins out here but Lynch isn’t going to let him leave. Lynch has heard Punk berate Rollins, who is the greatest man she has ever known.

Punk calls Rollins a coward, but Lynch says that Rollins is everything Punk isn’t. Lynch: “He’s hot, he’s jacked.” Punk: “You’re delusional.” Lynch: “He doesn’t interrupt me.” Punk isn’t the voice of the voiceless but the poster child of apathy. These people didn’t get her to the main event of Wrestlemania because she did it herself. She goes on about how she and her husband are in the middle of a revolution.

Rollins is a visionary, a revolutionary (Punk covers his ears) and she’s the greatest ever so Punk needs to get out of the ring. The fans chant for AJ Lee and Lynch has to remind them that AJ doesn’t work here. Punk doesn’t think much of that but reminds her that 30,000 people think he’s the best in the world. They chant his name no matter where he is or what he does but he didn’t see Lynch and Rollins on all of the recent live events. Rollins hides behind everyone, including his wife, who may be the Man but she married a bum.

Cue Rollins on the stage so Punk goes around Lynch, with Rollins leaving. Lynch gets in a heck of a slap and then slaps him in the shoulders a bunch before calling Punk pathetic. Punk promises to make her regret that and leaves, with Lynch says she already does because of all the grease on her hands. Lynch mocks Punk as he leaves but Punk can’t bring himself to do anything about it and storms off. This was very good as Lynch can hang with Punk on the mic, but dang they better deliver AJ Lee after all this, as no one, even Rhea Ripley, would feel as important.

Post break Punk is leaving but gets cut off by Adam Pearce. Rollins has left but Punk asks where Smackdown is this week. That would be….Chicago, and Punk is very pleased. Pearce, not so much.

Jey Uso/LA Knight vs. Bronson Reed/Bron Breakker

It’s a brawl to start with Reed dropping Knight with a headbutt. Breakker works on Uso’s bad ribs and we take an early break. We come back with the ribs still in trouble but Uso gets over for the tag to Knight. House is cleaned until Breakker offers a distraction, with Knight being sent outside for a whip into the steps. The fans chant for Reigns as Knight is taken back inside for an overhead belly to belly.

Knight fights up but Breakker pulls him down into the chinlock. Back up and Reed charges into an elbow in the corner, allowing Knight to knock him down. Uso comes back in to clean house, including the running Umaga Attack to Breakker. The spear drops Breakker again but the Superfly Splash is broken up. Reed takes Knight down on the floor and Uso comes back in, where Breakker gives him the Super Spear for the pin at 14:01.

Rating: B-. There is something fun about watching monsters like Breakker and Reed run through people like Uso and Knight. Breakker and Uso have put together a nice rivalry and it fits to see Breakker pin him again. The vision is getting to be more dominant and I’m not sure who is next to come after them, though Roman Reigns will be back in a few months, likely for WarGames.

Post match the beatdown is on again, with Knight’s save being cut off by a Super Spear. Another one drops Uso and the Tsunami connects but Jimmy Uso runs in with a chair for the save. Usos vs. Breakker/Reed works for me.

Overall Rating: B. The crowd helped carry this one and the talking segments were just as good to back up some solid enough wrestling. There are different directions possible for the bigger stories, but Punk vs. Rollins (hopefully only one more time) and Usos vs. Reed/Breakker should be great. Throw in the possibility of AJ Lee coming back to a massive reaction to face Lynch and it’s all the more interesting. Good show here, with the crowd being their usual awesome selves.

Results
Kabuki Warriors b. Judgment Day – Asuka Lock to Perez
Finn Balor b. Dragon Lee – Coup de Grace
Penta/War Raiders b. New Day/Grayson Waller – Canadian Destroyer to Woods
Dominik Mysterio b. AJ Styles – Frog splash
Bron Breakker/Bronson Reed b. Jey Uso/LA Knight – Super Spear to Uso

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

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