Monday Night Raw – August 17, 2026: In Which Things Happen In A Good Way

Monday Night Raw
Date: August 17, 2026
Location: KeyBank Center, Buffalo, New York
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re on the way to Saturday Night’s Main Event and the big story here is Solo Sikoa being forced to come back to the Bloodline after losing to Jey Uso last week. Other than that, we have a tournament going on to determine who challenges Roman Reigns on Raw in Mexico City in a few weeks. Reigns is at least here tonight so let’s get to it.

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

Here is Stephanie Vaquer to get things going. She gets right to the point of calling out Liv Morgan for a fight so here are all three women of the Judgment Day. Morgan mocks Becky Lynch being worried about Morgan mocking the women who came before her. Why should Morgan care about any of them?

Morgan brings up the beatings she has given to Vaquer, who wants to fight anyway. Judgment Day gets in the ring and lays her out but Vaquer sends Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez to the floor. A superkick hits Morgan but the other two are back in to jump Vaquer again. Cue Becky Lynch for the save until she gets in a shoving match with Vaquer. That lets Morgan post Lynch and Vaquer is laid out again. They’ll need a third but a six woman tag could go well for Saturday Night’s Main Event.

The Bloodline arrives, including a rather reluctant Solo Sikoa. They run into LA Knight, who isn’t happy but they keep walking anyway because Roman Reigns is waiting.

Je’Von Evans vs. JD McDonagh

This is an impromptu match that was set up during the break. Evans knocks him outside to start but Dominik Mysterio trips Evans so McDonagh can stomp away. That earns McDonagh another trip to the floor, with Evans clotheslining him into the timekeeper’s area. The big running dive sends McDonagh into a wheeled chair for a huge crash. Mysterio offers another distraction though and McDonagh wraps the knee around the post as we take a break.

We come back with Evans fighting up again and hitting a spinning kick to the back. McDonagh gets in a headbutt into the brainbuster for two and can’t believe the kickout. Evans loads up….something from the inside to the announcers’ table but settles for avoiding a moonsault instead. The OG Cutter gives Evans the pin at 9:17.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure what Evans was teasing to the table near the end but thankfully he went with something that worked a lot better instead. Evans continues to be one of the easiest people in the world to get behind and it worked again here. Nice job here, though it feels like a countdown to the next Big Cass beating.

Post match indeed here is Big Cass to lay Evans out again. Cass goes to leave but Evans says no no no. He asks if that’s all Cass has so Cass lumbers back to the ring, where Evans gets in a dive. Evans hammers away until Mysterio posts him,

We recap the lucha tournament, with Rey Fenix and El Fiscal (the Prosecutor) ready for their first round match.

#1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Rey Fenix vs. El Fiscal

Fenix’s AAA Cruiserweight Title isn’t on the line. They run the ropes to start with Fenix getting the better of things off a dropkick. Fiscal is right back with a spinning rather high crossbody and they both go up top. That means some headbutts can knock Fiscal down for a really big springboard dive as we take a break. We come back with Fiscal hitting a discus lariat but not being able to get in his spinning Tombstone. Fenix sends him into the corner though and comes out with the Mexican MuscleBuster for the pin at 9:03.

Rating: C+. This was completely fine with both guys getting to do their high flying. Fenix is a rather talented started who can make almost anything work, including the flying around like this. Fenix winning makes sense, as it wouldn’t stun me to see him vs. Penta in the finals. Fiscal is a good star in his own right, but he’s not on the same star power level as Fenix.

Roxanne Perez still wants the Women’s Title when Becky Lynch comes in. Perez tells her to stay away, but Lynch says she’s always here when Perez is going for the title, which she seems to be doing next week.

Lyra Valkyria can’t believe she’s not getting anything after taking Bayley out. It’s all about Sol Ruca, who can’t do anything impressive because Valkyria could do all of them. Ruca isn’t just surfing part her, and then she’s getting her title back.

Sol Ruca vs. Lyra Valkyria

Valkyria grabs a headlock and headscissors on the mat to start, with Ruca headstanding her way out. Some cranks on the arm have Ruca down but she’s able to knock Valkyria outside. The moonsault connects but Valkyria knocks her back down again. A springboard is broken up back inside and we take a break.

We come back with Ruca fighting out of trouble again and hitting a knee out of the corner. The middle rope dropkick connects with Valkyria for two and they’re both down again. Back up and Valkyria cuts her off with a nasty neckbreaker across the rope, setting up the top rope ax kick for two. Ruca gets backbreakered out of the corner but manages to escape Nightwing. A tornado DDT sets up the Sol Snatcher for the pin on Valkyria at 10:48.

Rating: B-. I’m more than a bit surprised that Valkyria lost here, as she seemed to be being built up for something bigger down the line. At the same time, Ruca getting a win is a good thing as she could easily be rebuilt back into title contention. If nothing else, it feels like a matter of time before she’s in the main title picture and a clean win, with the Sol Snatcher looking smoother and smoother, is a good start.

The Usos come up to Jacob Fatu, with Jey bragging about beating Solo Sikoa when Fatu couldn’t.

Austin Theory and Maxxine Dupri are rather happy with how badly the Alpha Academy has been destroyed. Bron Breakker is asked about Oba Femi and says anything he has to say to Femi, he’ll say to his face.

And with that, Breakker comes to the ring and immediately calls Femi out. Instead he gets Bron Breakker, who says he knows what is wise and unwise. One thing that is wise is to find out who is the future of WWE. Breakker: “How about you tell me Paul?” This brings out Femi, who says that Brock Lesnar was the future, but even he knew who the future is now. That would be Femi himself, and if Breakker has a problem with that, do something about it.

Breakker is ready to go but Heyman says if Breakker takes a step towards Femi, he takes a permanent step away from Heyman. This is a publicly traded company and you don’t just have this kind of a fight for free. We promote this match to be the biggest it can possibly be, which is why Heyman has already gotten it signed for Sunday Night’s Main Event. Breakker goes to leave and Heyman gives Femi a friendly handshake (which Femi accepts), leaving Breakker not sure what’s going on. Heyman: “That’s good business!” That handshake is interesting as you never know what Heyman has going on.

Dragon Lee is ready for El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr.

El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. is ready to win to honor his family.

#1 Contenders Tournament: Dragon Lee vs. El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr.

Lee grabs a headlock to start and grinds away until Wagner sends him into the corner. That earns Lee a hard chop into a running forearm and the Death Valley Driver. Some tilt-a-whirl backbreakers have Lee in trouble and the big flip dive off the apron takes him out again. Back in and Lee charges into a superkick for two and we take a break.

We come back with Lee hitting his own superkick and a tornado DDT to send Wagner outside. The big running flip dive connects for Lee and they trade some rather loud chops back inside. Lee sends him into the corner for the Tree Of Woe double stomp so Wagner plants him back down. A frog splash gives Wagner two more but the Wagner Driver is broken up. Operation Dragon gives Lee the pin at 11:05.

Rating: B-. This got better as it went, though I still don’t quite get the appeal of Wagner. He’s a bigger guy than a lot of the people in AAA but he’s just kind of there for the most part. Lee isn’t exactly a top star, but he is someone who has been presented as a much bigger deal. His match with Fenix next week should go rather well too.

Intercontinental Title: Rey Mysterio vs. Chad Gable

Gable is defending and Mysterio takes him down to start fast and Gable seems to think twice about things. Mysterio sends him into the corner for the right hands and manages to launch him into the post. The running hurricanrana off the apron drops Gable again and we…don’t take a break, but we do get a big DiGiorno ad on the screen for a bit. Mysterio goes back in but gets suplexed out of the air, allowing Mysterio to go after the leg.

With that broken up, Gable goes with an upside down Gory Stretch until Mysterio powers out. Gable’s charge hits the post but he’s fine enough to hit a cliffhanger DDT. The Swan Dive (Cole: “For the retention!”) gets two so Mysterio is right back with a diving DDT for the same. They go up top again with Mysterio trying a super hurricanrana but getting reversed into a super spinning Angle Slam for two in a heck of a false finish.

Mysterio tries a 619, which is reversed into an ankle lock, which is countered with a roll into the corner. The 619 hits in the corner and a regular version connects, with the fans going absolutely nuts. The top rope splash hits knees though and the ankle lock is on again. That’s reversed into a cradle but Gable reverses into one of his own to retain at 13:19.

Rating: B+. This started off slowly but they were absolutely rocking by the end. They had me actually wondering if the title change was happening but it was a huge win for Gable, who won clean. Awesome match here and one of the best back and forth showcases I’ve seen on Raw in a good while.

Here are Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu for the Solo Sikoa presentation. Cue the rather enthusiastic Usos and Sikoa looking like he’s ready to walk to the gallows. Reigns says it was about three years ago when Reigns beat him on the premiere on Netflix and we go into a package of Sikoa mocking Reigns and the Bloodline for years.

Back in the arena, Reigns takes off Sikoa’s sunglasses and stomps on them, before asking why Sikoa isn’t begging Reigns for forgiveness. Fatu then superkicks and Tongan Death Grips Sikoa, with Reigns shouting ENOUGH to break it up. Reigns says Sikoa needs to lay there for a bit because he has something else to do. He praises the Usos for their success and calls them made men, and if you disrespect them, you disrespect him. The Usos get some special black flower necklaces before Reigns goes back to Sikoa.

Cue LA Knight to clear the Usos but but Reigns and Fatu take him down. Reigns tells Sikoa to finish him but Sikoa Samoan Spikes Reigns instead to blow the roof off the place. Knight and Sikoa clear out the Usos (again) as Fatu just stands back and watches. Reigns is back up and tries a Superman Punch but gets caught in a BFT.

Sikoa and Knight fist bump as Fatu again just stands there (remember Reigns told him to leave Knight alone) to wrap everything up. While I’m not wild on the stipulation from last week just being ignored, it’s the kind of thing that has to happen as Knight is basically the top opponent to the Bloodline. He needs some help, and Sikoa fits that rather well.

Overall Rating: B+. The main event angle and match both worked very well and you had more than enough good going on in the midcard to keep up the pace. We’re pretty clearly moving towards Penta getting the title shot against Reigns in Mexico City, followed by the big showdown with Knight in…sometime after that. This did a rather nice job of getting us closer to those shows though, along with the Women’s Title picture getting that much better. Strong show here, with Sunday Night coming up soon.

Results
Je’Von Evans b. JD McDonagh – OG Cutter
Rey Fenix b. El Fiscal – Mexican MuscleBuster
Sol Ruca b. Lyra Valkyria – Sol Snatcher
Dragon Lee b. El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. – Operation Dragon
Chad Gable b. Rey Mysterio – Rollup

 

 

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

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AAA On FOX – June 20, 2026: Bad Taste (Includes Full Show)

AAA On FOX
Date: June 20, 2026
Location: Foro GNP Seguros, Merida, Mexico
Commentators: Rey Mysterio, John Bradshaw Layfield, Corey Graves

After last week’s rather down show, we’re up for something a bit bigger here as both Mega Champion Dominik Mysterio and El Grande Americano are here. That should be enough to carry the show as we are on the long road to TripleMania. It should be interesting to see what is next for Americano after his star making performance last month so let’s get to it.

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

As usual various people arrive and I’m not sure why El Grande Americano is carrying a duck.

El Ojo vs. Mini Vikingo/El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr.

Dorian Roldan is here with El Ojo and for the sake of simplicity, we’ll go with “Vikingo” for El Hijo del Vikingo” and “Mini” for Mini Vikingo. Wagner books Vikingo down to start and a dropkick to the back of the head gets two. Vikingo goes to the eyes though and gets two off a rollup with his feet on the ropes. A rip at the Wagner’s mask just wakes Wagner up as he grabs a powerslam and hands it off to Mini.

The flipping and spinning abound but Vikingo gets in a knockdown to cut off the momentum. Omos comes in to choke Mini on the top rope and Roldan even gets in a cheap shot. Some surprisingly fast elbow drops crush Mini and it’s back to Vikingo, who gets taken down with a super hurricanrana. Wagner comes back in to clean house but Vikingo hits a running Meteora in the corner. Mini is back up with a springboard crucifix bomb for the fluke pin on Vikingo at 6:36.

Rating: C+. The shocked face from Mini is a great look and it was rather fascinating to see him be the kryptonite to a star like Vikingo. Odds are this sets him up for the big underdog title shot where Vikingo smashes him but that’s still a great boost for him. The match was also an impressive showing from Omos, who was moving out there in a way you don’t often see from him.

Post match El Ojo comes back in to clear the winners out and the beating is on. Omos grabs the steps but Galeno runs in for the failed save attempt.

Dominik Mysterio says that a lot of things have changed around here but he is still the Mega Champion. He is still the king of the luchadors and he is going to TripleMania.

Psycho Clown is walking in the back…and that’s it. I’m not sure if that was supposed to air at that point.

Video on Rey Fenix winning the Cruiserweight Title.

Cruiserweight Title: Lince Dorado vs. Laredo Kid vs. Rey Fenix

Fenix is defending. Kid snaps off some hurricanranas to take over early on and a Michinoku Driver gets two on Dorado. With Kid knocked down, Fenix rolls Dorado up for two but Kid is back up to pull Fenix outside. Kid’s big dive to the floor takes the other two down, followed by a corkscrew splash for two on Dorado. Back up and Dorado scratches Kid’s back into a Backstabber for two but Fenix is back in with a springboard armdrag.

Fenix is hits his running top rope kick to the head and a huge dive to the floor hits Dorado. Everyone gets back inside and Dorado rolls Fenix up for two. Kid hits a double running Blockbuster for a double two but Dorado is back up with a super hurricanrana to Fenix. Kid knocks Dorado into the announcers’ table but his frog splash hits Fenix’s raised knees. The Mexican MuscleBuster retains the title at 11:11.

Rating: B. This was a rather traditional three way cruiserweight match with everyone flying around and doing their thing to a rather entertaining degree. I’ll take that pretty much every time and it was fun to see them flying all over the place. Fenix gets his first defense in AAA down and it should make for the start of a long reign.

Rey Mysterio is backstage and congratulates Fenix on his win before saying that he is in talks for Fenix to defend his title in WWE. That’s not all though as next week, the NXT Women’s Title is on the line here as Lola Vice defends against La Hiedra. There has also been talks of bringing in a former WWE World Champion who has never wrestled here before but the deal is not official just yet. More on that next week.

Video on the mask vs. mask match between Los Grande Americanos which somehow exceeded expectations.

Here is El Grande Americano to a hero’s welcome and he takes a good while to get inside, as he has quite a few fans to greet. He is happy with his win as he showed everyone what AAA is all about but he didn’t do it alone. Americano thanks the fans and the people who helped him in the match. The people here lifted him up when he was down and this win was for them and all of the people in Mexico.

But what’s next? He has won Rey de Reyes and the mask, so now he wants the Mega Title. That brings him to Dominik Mysterio but here is NXT’s Karmen Petrovic of all people. Americano invites her in but here are a bunch of guys (including Daga, Los Garza and NXT’s Bronco Nima) to lay Americano out.

They all unzip their jackets to reveal Los Perros del Mal (a former heel stable who haven’t been around in eight or nine years) shirts to end the show. Americano’s welcome was great, though I’m not sure how big of a surprise it was that he wants the title that he earned a shot at by winning Rey de Reyes. Still though, this should tied him over until his big title win at TripleMania.

Overall Rating: C+. I liked the ending, but this was kind of a disappointing show overall. The big selling points here were the returns of Americano and Dominik Mysterio. While the former went fine, the latter was absolutely nothing and could have been done on any show. The matches were good but the Dominik thing felt like a bait and switch, as I kept waiting on him to actually show up and it was just nothing. It’s a good show for the most part but that one thing left a bad taste in my mouth.

Results
Mini Vikingo/El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. b. El Ojo – Springboard crucifix bomb to Vikingo
Rey Fenix b. Laredo Kid and Lince Dorado – Mexican MuscleBuster to Kid

 

 

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

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AAA On FOX – January 24, 2026: The Sequel’s Quite As Good (Includes Full Show)

AAA On FOX
Date: January 24, 2026
Location: Gimnasio Olimpico Juan de la Barrera, Mexico City, Mexico
Commentators: Corey Graves, John Bradshaw Layfield, Rey Mysterio

It’s the second week of the show after last week’s premiere. The big story coming out of last week was El Hijo del Vikingo becoming the new #1 contender to the Mega Title, at least partially due to an assist from Omos. There is a good chance that is going to lead to a major showdown in the near future so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Cruiserweight Title: Laredo Kid vs. Mini Vikingo vs. Octagon Jr.

Kid is defending and we get the handshakes to start. Vikingo flips around to start and an assisted dropkick puts Kid on the floor. That doesn’t last long as Vikingo winds up in an electric chair, with Kid hitting a big suicide dive to take Vikingo down in a crash. Back in and Kid strikes it out with Octagon until Octagon grabs a springboard anklescissors. Vikingo is back in and gets crucifix bombed for two more.

Kid takes Vikingo up top for a gorilla press…and just kind of drops him for a nasty crash (you can tell Mysterio didn’t like that) and a near fall. Back up and Vikingo dives onto Kid on the floor, only to get cuttered from the apron by Octagon. A super headscissors gives Octagon two on Vikingo, who grabs a poisonrana to Kid. The Meteora misses in the corner though and Kid’s super Spanish Fly pins Vikingo to retain at 6:54.

Rating: B-. This was a lot of high flying with everyone looking decent, but it felt more like the three of them just doing moves until someone won. That’s not the best way to put together a match but at least it was entertaining. Vikingo was being treated as some big newcomer and while he’s athletic, there wasn’t much to him to stand out. Good enough opener, but nothing you haven’t seen done far better elsewhere.

El Fantasma is here so we recap his son, Santos Escobar, returning last week to take out El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr.

Latin American Title: El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. vs. Mecha Wolf

Wolf is challenging. Wagner knocks him outside to start but misses a dive off the apron, allowing Wolf to hit a running dive. Back in and Wagner hits him in the back of the head to put Wolf back on the floor. The big running flip dive connects and a spinning sitout powerbomb gives Wagner two. Wolf is fine enough to hit a running knee for two but gets dropped with a discus lariat. The Wagner Driver retains the title at 4:44.

Rating: C+. I’m still not sure I get the appeal of Wagner. I know he’s part of a big wrestling family in Mexico, but that isn’t making me care about him very much thus far. At least he has someone coming after his title and he has a story going on, though hopefully he gets to stand out a bit more in the match with Escobar.

Post match Wagner calls out Santos Escobar, telling him to come get the title.

We get a sitdown interview with Penta. He was ready to reform the Lucha Bros here where they started but the injury stopped the plans. After a year on Raw, the best is yet to come. With that being said, he has an announcement about this year’s Rey de Reyes tournament: it’s taking place, and the winner gets a Mega Title shot. There will be four fatal four way matches, with the winners facing off in the finals. The first will be between Jack Cartwheel, Aerostar, Apollo Crews and La Parka and the big announcement is that Penta will present the winner with the sword (the regular prize for the winner). And yes that’s the big reveal.

La Hiedra comes up to Mr. Iguana and hits on him, but Lola Vice interrupts. Vice hits on him as well and the women don’t like each other. Pimpinela Escarlata comes in and is disappointed she doesn’t get a kiss, but does give Iguana a referee shirt. I’m thinking that’s a match for next week.

Tag Team Titles: Psycho Clown/Pagano vs. Tokyo Bad Boys vs. Motor City Machine Guns vs. Nueva Generacion Dinamita

Clown/Pagano are defending and this is one fall to a finish. Clown takes Kento (partner of Takuma in the Bad Boys) down with a headscissors to start but Shelley tags himself in to face Forastero (partner of Sanson in Dinamita). Shelley takes over and they trade chops, only for Pagano to tag himself in. Takuma knocks Pagano down but a running Blockbuster gives Pagano two.

A cutter connects as well but Sabin and Sanson tag themselves in. Sabin’s crucifix gets two and a dropkick sends Sanson into the corner for a tag back to Clown. The Guns and champions have a staredown but all four are pulled to the floor to start the brawling. We cut to the back where Panic Clown has been attacked and come back to Dinamita double kicking Kento down for two. Forastero’s top rope double stomp hits the arm but it’s quickly back to Takuma.

A shooting star press gives Takuma two and he knocks the Guns down as well. Shelley comes in and the Guns get to start the double teaming on Kento, which actually only works so well as Kento suplexes Sabin. Pagano is back in with a double Blockbuster to the Bad Boys but Shelley tags himself back in for the Dream Sequence to Kento. Sabin’s suicide dive hits a pile on the floor but the champs cut off the Bad Boys for stereo Psycho Drivers. Clown pins Kento to retain the titles at 12:40.

Rating: B-. As usual, there is only so much you can do with eight people in the match at once, including so many blind tags and people running all over the place. Pagano and Clown have been featured on a few AAA shows from WWE and it’s pretty obvious that they’re a big deal around here. It’s also nice to remember that the Guns exist, as they’ve been away from WWE TV for a good while now. Maybe try getting them back to television already.

Post match Pagano and Psycho see Panic Clown being taken away in an ambulance to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Last week’s show was more about the big debut for the show, while this week felt like it was more about getting fans used to the bigger names. This show featured three title matches and a big announcement for the Rey de Reyes tournament. I’m still not sure why having Penta presenting the sword is that big of a deal, but AAA seems to think it is. The good thing is that this show still came off as something important, even if it was just a bunch of successful title defenses. It was less than an hour and featured dome important stars, so nice job on a second week of the show.

Results
Laredo Kid b. Mini Vikingo and Octagon Jr. – Super Spanish Fly to Vikingo
El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. b. Mecha Wolf – Wagner Driver
Psycho Clown/Pagano b. Tokyo Bad Boys, Motor City Machine Guns and Nueva Generacion Dinamita – Psycho Driver to Kento

 

 

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

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AAA Alianzas – November 22, 2025: In Any Language

AAA Alianzas
Date: November 22, 2025
Location: Gimnasio Olimpico Juan de la Barrera, Mexico City, Mexico
Commentator: Jose Manuel Guillen

This appears to be a show that airs about once a month or so and in this case, it was broadcast on the WWE YouTube channel. That’s enough to get me to watch the show, though apparently commentary is entirely in Spanish. I’m not sure what this is going to mean or how much I’ll understand but the name of the show means Alliances, so expect some kind of a team deal. Let’s get to it.

Note that I do not follow the regular AAA shows nor do I understand more than a tiny bit of Spanish so I apologize in advance for any storyline or character points that I miss.

We open with a recap of El Hijo del Vikingo saying he’s the best and being interrupted by El Grande Americano, leading to a brawl. We also see Dominik Mysterio beating Dragon Lee to retain the Mega Title at Heroes Inmortales. Later, the Wyatt Sicks attacked Pagano and Psycho Clown and Chelsea Green and Ethan Page became the Mixed Tag Team Champions.

Mysterio and Americano, partners later tonight, share a bag of popcorn.

A team called El Ojo (the Eye) gets what seems to be instructions from their manager (I believe it’s Dorian Roldan).

We get the traditional tribute to Antonio Pena.

Je’Von Evans vs. Axiom vs. Octagon Jr.

For a future Cruiserweight Title shot, with champion Laredo Kid on commentary. Octagon gets knocked down to start but gets back up for a rollup on Axiom. Commentary talks about John Cena and Smackdown as they trade missed dropkicks for a triple staredown. A dropkick and springboard armdrag send Evans outside and Axiom follows it up with a running hurricanrana to Octagon.

Evans is back in to send Axiom outside, only to get hurricanranaed by Octagon. Back up and Octagon hits a running corkscrew dive to take both of them out on the floor, followed by a slingshot corkscrew splash for two on Axiom. The corkscrewing continues with a high crossbody for two on Evans as Axiom makes the save. This time it’s Axiom hitting the big dive to the floor to take both of them out as the fans approve.

Back in and Evans is knocked down, followed by a Codebreaker to Axiom, leaving all of them needing a breather. Octagon’s 450 mostly misses Evans but gets two anyway, with Axiom breaking it up. Evans hits a heck of a no hands dive onto Octagon on the floor, followed by a great frog splash for two on Axiom.

Back in and Axiom kicks Octagon down and backslides Evans for two. A superkick gets two more on Octagon, who catches Axiom on top. The tabletop superplex drops Axiom for another two with Evans making the save this time. Axiom’s super Spanish Fly hits Octagon but Evans cuts off the Golden Ratio, using Octagon as a launchpad for a cutter. The top rope cutter gives Evans the pin on Axiom at 12:12.

Rating: B. This is straight out of a bunch of promotion’s playbooks, as you take athletic wrestlers and let them fly around the ring for a bit to start the show. It’s worked well for years and will continue to do so for a long time. Evans continues to rack up experience, which is only going to help him in the end. Axiom is already fairly seasoned and can hang in there with anyone, with Octagon being more than good in his own right. Rather fun opener here.

Post match Kid gets in the ring for a respectful handshake and staredown.

Dominik Mysterio and El Grande Americano are in the back, with Mysterio holding up some Gringos Locos masks.

El Ojo vs. Psycho Circus/Pagano

No DQ and Dorian Roldan is here with El Ojo (El Mesias, Mecha Wolf, Forastero, Sanson) and Psycho Circus is Psycho Clown/Murder Clown/Dave The Clown). The Clowns clear the ring to start and we settle down to Pagano striking away at (I believe) Wolf, including a springboard cutter. Pagano whips out the weapons but gets taken down by the quick dive, allowing everyone to grab weapons for the big brawl.

The Clowns get the better of things and Murder takes over with cookie sheet. That earns him a big group beatdown, including stomps and kendo stick shots. Murder is right back with a double Samoan drop and the crushes Mesias, allowing the needed tag off to Psycho. Everything breaks down again and we hit more dives, meaning it’s table time. Dave takes out Psycho by mistake and Mesias gives Dave a Backstabber.

Pagano’s middle rope Codebreaker takes Mesias down and Murder chokebombs Wolf. Sanson comes back in to clean house until Psycho sunset flips Forastero for two. Forastero and Sanson take Psycho up top for a double superplex, which naturally is turned into a Tower Of Doom. Some top rope splashes ensue and everyone is down for a needed breather. The clowns hit their dives (mostly) and it’s Psycho with a super Spanish Fly onto some chairs to pin Sanson at 12:08.

Rating: B-. Kind of like the opener, you knew what you were going to get with the people involved. They didn’t bother trying to do anything but have a violent fight here and from what I’ve seen, that tends to go with the Clowns’ strengths. The Clowns have felt like a big deal around here for a long time and having them face what seems to be a top heel stable is always going to work.

Post match the Clowns brag about their win but Bo Dallas pops up on screen and accepts a challenge for a match against the Wyatt Sicks at Guerrera de Titantes. It seems to be a Carnival Of Carnage, which doesn’t sound pleasant.

Dragon Lee talks to El Hijo del Vikingo about their tag match tonight but Vikingo doesn’t seem interested.

Mixed Tag Team Titles: Lola Vice/Mr. Iguana vs. Chelsea Green/Ethan Page

Green and Page are defending and the champs run them over to start fast. Some stereo hurricanranas take Green and Page down though and Vice rams her hips into Green’s head. Vice even blows a kiss to Iguana, who isn’t sure what to do. A snap suplex drops green and it’s off to the men, with Iguana pulling out his namesake. Page cuts that off with a powerslam out of the corner and kicks Iguana in the face for a bonus.

Another powerslam attempt is countered into a tornado DDT and the tag brings in Vice to kick away at Green. The running hip attack in the corner gets two, with Page making the save. Everything breaks down and Iguana hits a springboard hurricanrana to take out Page on the floor. The referee goes down and Green brings in a kendo stick. Vice takes it away but so does Page, and a hard shot knocks Iguana (who was protecting Vice) out for the pin at 7:02.

Rating: C+. Green and Page are some of the most entertaining people in wrestling today and they got to showcase some of that here. At the same time, Iguana and Vice were able to do their thing, with the fans approving. These titles are almost guaranteed to be a bit less than serious, so Green and Page annoying the fans until someone knocks them off is a good way to go.

Post match El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. runs in for the brawl with Page. Green gets in a cheap shot though and Page beats him down.

Dominik Mysterio/El Grande Americano vs. Dragon Lee/El Hijo del Vikingo

Mysterio and Americano are the clear crowd favorites here. Lee and Mysterio start things off with Lee snapping off a running hurricanrana. Vikingo comes in to cut off a charge into the corner so it’s off to Americano, who shoves Vikingo down. Americano’s armdrag into a hammerlock has the fans singing (again) and Americano does a handstand, complete with claps of his feet.

That’s broken up and Lee hits a running dropkick but Vikingo won’t let him use the big dive. Vikingo does his own dive and NOW Lee can bust out the flipping dive. Lee and Vikingo nearly get in a fight on the floor, allowing Mysterio and Americano to hit stereo baseball slides. Back in and Mysterio dropkicks Lee outside again and some rolling suplexes make it worse. Vikingo gets the tag to take over on Mysterio, but Lee tags himself in out of frustration.

Lee’s top rope double stomp in the Tree Of Woe gets two and it’s back to an annoyed Vikingo. A Michinoku Driver gets Mysterio out of trouble and Americano comes in for the comeback. Americano hits a springboard Blockbuster (nice) into something like White Noise for two on Lee.

Vikingo goes up but Lee is sent into him for a crotching so Americano covers Lee, with Vikingo firing off a 450 for the save. Unfortunately that hits Lee, who is right back with Operation Dragon for two on Mysterio. Lee dives over for the tag and of course Vikingo pulls his arm back and even knocks Lee out. The 619 sets up Americano’s running headbutt to finish Lee at 17:01.

Rating: B. The fact that I can’t understand the promos or the backstory but knew the story they were telling in the match means they were doing something right. The action was there as well, with everyone working hard and putting in a good match that the fans liked. I got into this and it felt like a big time main event, so well done all around.

Post match Mysterio brags about their win and says they’re the best in the world. Cue the reunited Lucha Bros, who seem to disagree, and say something about chicken nuggets. This seems to be a challenge for Guerra de Titantes on December 20 in Guadalajara. Mysterio and Americano seem to be in to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. I had a good time with this show, which certainly felt like a WWE formatted show at times. I could get a nice enough idea of what was going on here, which is quite the feat when the show is in an entirely different language. This was definitely a faster paced style, but the show was entertaining and kept my attention for almost two hours. Nice job, and something I could go for more of if WWE wants to do some more special broadcasts.

Results
Je’Von Evans b. Octagon and Axiom – Top rope cutter to Axiom
Psycho Circus/Pagano b. El Ojo – Super Spanish Fly onto chairs to Sanson
Ethan Page/Chelsea Green b. Mr. Iguana/Lola Vice – Kendo stick shot to Iguana
El Grande Americano/Dominik Mysterio b. Dragon Lee/El Hijo del Vikingo – Running headbutt to Lee

 

 

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WWE X AAA Worlds Collide: Las Vegas: On Our Side

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.

 

 

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