Smackdown
Date: May 30, 2025
Location: Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville, Tennessee
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

Somehow we are just over a week away from Money In The Bank and that means it is time to start getting the card finalized. That is likely going to included some more qualifying matches, which can be hit or miss around here. Other than that, the rest of the show needs some attention and as of Saturday Night’s Main Event last weekend, Cody Rhodes is back. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is hometown girl Bianca Belair for a chat. She’s so glad to be back after her injury and it’s time to get back where she belongs. This brings out Naomi, who wants to be Belair’s friend again. It was so bad that she went to Belair’s parents’ house and looked through one of Belair’s photo album. Belair brings up Naomi attacking Jade Cargill and promises worse if Naomi goes near her family again. Cue Cargill to take Naomi out but here is Nia Jax for the scheduled match.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Nia Jax vs. Naomi vs. Jade Cargill

We’re joined in progress with Jax crashing out to the floor, leaving Naomi to hit a running dropkick to Cargill in the corner. Jax is back in with a running hip attack to Cargill in the corner but Cargill is up with a fall away slam to Naomi. Back up and Jax plants both of them down, followed by a double legdrop. A singular version hits Naomi for two but she rolls through a Samoan drop for two of her own as we take a break.

Back with Jax and Naomi double teaming Cargill but Jax doesn’t like Naomi going for a cover. Cargill is back up with a spinebuster to Jax and Jaded to Naomi but Jax makes the charging save. A double high crossbody gives Jax two each and frustration is setting in. Jax hits a super Samoan drop on Naomi, with Jax diving in for the save. They go to the corner for a Tower Of Doom, setting up an Annihilator to Cargill. Naomi is right there to steal the rollup pin on Jax at 12:21.

Rating: B-. Naomi has been needing a win and this is as good of a way to make that happen as possible. I could actually go for her winning Money In The Bank as she is an interesting choice to have hanging around the title picture. This got a bit of time too and that was nice to see, though Cargill vs. Naomi needs to wrap up already. What is left for Cargill to do to her?

Solo Sikoa and company run into R-Truth, who is talking to Little Jimmy (hey he’s back….I think). Sikoa thinks it’s dumb JC Mateo gets in R-Truth’s face. R-Truth thinks Mateo is his son (of course) and wants to teach Sikoa’s “husky” son a lesson. Works for them, though Jacob Fatu has his own plans for tonight. That sounds painful.

Chelsea Green, holding up a mask to hide her broken nose, and the Secret Hervice stop Nick Aldis. Green demands that she be named US Champion to make up for her injury but Aldis says no. And that’s that.

Tiffany Stratton wants to see who wins the Money In The Bank briefcase because someone will try to cash in. Cue Naomi to say she’s coming for the title. Naomi leaves and Alexa bliss comes in to say she wants the title too.

We look at the four way for the NXT North American Title at Worlds Collide.

JC Mateo vs. R-Truth

Mateo powers him into the corner without much trouble to start but R-Truth is back with the flying shoulders. That’s cut off in a hurry and Mateo hits the standing moonsault. The ProtoBomb and Five Knuckle Shuffle actually hit Mateo, but he grabs the Tour Of The Islands for the pin at 2:19. That’s what it should have been.

Post match Solo Sikoa goes after R-Truth but Jimmy Uso makes the save with a chair. Mateo takes Uso out as well.

Here are the Street Profits for a chat. The division is on fire right now and they’re the ones leading the charge. Now the Wyatts are here? Cue Fraxiom to say they should get another shot but here are the Motor City Machine Guns, who say the Profits never beat them either. They’ll take a title shot too, but here is DIY, who claims a conspiracy against them. Ciampa (who is looking in INCREDIBLE shape here) wants a moment of silence for the tag division….and we’ve got Wyatts to wreck everyone.

Los Garza vs. Je’Von Evans/Rey Fenix

This is a preview for the NXT North American Title match at Worlds Collide, with champion Ethan Page on commentary. Fenix and Garza start things off with Fenix snapping off a running hurricanrana. Berto comes in and gets caught with a running kick to the head as we take a break. Back with Garza giving Evans a running knee in the corner, followed by a Gory Bomb/slingshot cutter combination for two. Evans fights up and gets over for the tag to Fenix so house can quickly be cleaned.

Everything breaks down and Evans makes a blind tag to come in with a springboard clothesline. Evans and Garza chop it out from their knees and then from their feet, until Garza grabs a slingshot sitout powerbomb for two. Fenix breaks up the double super gorilla press slam though and Evans hits a big flip dive to the floor to take all of them out. Page pops up and sends Fenix over the announcers’ table, earning a superkick from Evans. Back in and Evans drops Berto but Page shoves him off the top. Los Garza’s double spinning slam finishes Evans at 12:23.

Rating: B-. For a commercial for a match that has pretty much nothing to do with this show, this could have been a lot worse. Evans getting something close to a tryout on the main roster isn’t a surprise either as it is clear that WWE is rather high on him. The action here was good too, with the right team winning in the end.

We get a video from the Wyatts, with Uncle Howdy saying (I think) it’s time for them to get what is owed.

Zelina Vega vs. Alba Fyre

Non-title and Piper Niven/Chelsea Green are here with Fyre. Vega gets sent into the corner a few times to start but she comes back with some kicks to the ribs. A headscissors sends Fyre down again but she hits a shoulder to drop Vega. Back up and Vega hammers away in the corner but Green’s distraction cuts off the 619 attempt. Fyre hits a superkick and we take a break.

Back with Fyre hitting a gordbuster for two and grabbing the chinlock. Vega fights up and gets in a knockdown of her own, setting up the clothesline comeback. A running knee in the corner hits Fyre and the middle rope Meteora gets two. Stundog Millionaire drops Fyre again but she avoids a moonsault. Fyre’s Swanton gets two and Vega is sent outside, where Green takes the face protector off. Green hits Niven by mistake though, leaving Vega to grab the Code Red for the pin at 11:07.

Rating: B. I liked this one more than I was expecting to, if nothing else because it was an actual fresh match. It feels like Vega and Niven have fought multiple times so getting Fyre in there on her own was a good idea. Vega needs to move on to someone new, but it was nice to see her getting to complete the set of opponents here in a way.

Miz tells Carmelo Hayes to follow his instructions tonight but Hayes says he got here on his own talent. Hayes needs Miz to let Him be Him, which Miz doesn’t seem to like.

Giulia isn’t here to be the best, but to be indisputable. It doesn’t matter who she is facing, because they are just part of building her legacy.

Zelina Vega runs into Giulia, who seems interested in the Women’s US Title.

Here is Damian Priest for a chat. Priest talks about how he has fought on the streets before but here in wrestling, when you have a fight with someone, the match usually ends things. He and Drew McIntyre went on for over a year and that’s not normal. McIntyre is gone for a bit to heal up and Priest still hates him. The thing is, that was the old McIntyre in the cage and Priest was glad to see him.

As for Priest, he wants titles, starting with Jacob Fatu and the US Title. Priest respects Fatu, but not the crew that Fatu follows around. They’ll do their thing one day and Priest will be the champion. Priest goes to leave and here is Fatu for his match and the staredown on the way. That’s a good way to go as you can always get into a hoss fight.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Jacob Fatu vs. Andrade vs. Carmelo Hayes

Non-title and Miz is here with Hayes. Andrade and Fatu clear the ring to start fast, leaving Fatu to send Andrade to the apron. That earns Andrade a knock out to the floor so Hayes is back in to get dropped by Fatu as well. For some reason Miz thinks it’s a good idea to grab Fatu’s leg, with the distraction allowing Andrade to clothesline Hayes. Fatu crushes Miz against the barricade and we take a break.

Back with Fatu knocking Andrade into the corner but missing the running Umaga Attack. Andrade hits Fatu with the running knees in the corner but walks into La Mistica to give Hayes two. Back up and Andrade hits something like a middle rope reverse Spanish Fly for the double down.

Andrade’s double moonsault hits Fatu, with Hayes making the save. The three of them slug it out from their knees until some double teaming manages to send Fatu outside. That doesn’t work for Fatu, who brings them outside but misses a running Umaga attack through the barricade.

We take another break and come back with Andrade catching Hayes on top, only for Fatu to help with a super Spanish Fly. Fatu Swantons Hayes for two but Andrade hits the spinning back elbow for two of his own. Hayes’ springboard spinning clothesline gets two more with Fatu making the save this time. A Samoan drop drops Andrade but the triple jump moonsault misses for Fatu.

Nothing But Net gets two and Andrade and Hayes go into a pinfall reversal sequence. Back up and Andrade hits a spinning back elbow to drop Hayes and we get a three way breather. Fatu hits an implant DDT each and the triple jump moonsault to Andrade…but Solo Sikoa gets on the apron for some reason. JC Mateo joins him but here is Jimmy Uso to go after them. Andrade hits Hayes with the Message for the pin at 20:27.

Rating: B. Yeah this was good, partially because it got some time and partially because it gives us someone else in the ladder match while having Hayes and Miz continue their issues. Andrade can bring it when he is given the chance and that’s what we got to see here. I could go for him getting to do something more important and it seems that he is at least having a small chance.

LA Knight is ready for Money In The Bank because he’s going into his third straight Money In The Bank. Aleister Black comes in to say that win was partially his, but Knight is welcome.

Jacob Fatu wrecks a bunch of stuff backstage and tells Solo Sikoa that he doesn’t need help.

Worlds Collide rundown.

Money In The Bank rundown.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat. Rhodes talks about having to get through the loss at Wrestlemania XLI and asking a friend if he was a good champion. His friend said yes and Rhodes goes over what he did during his year with the title. This included his boss, the Final Boss, and of course John Cena. That gives us the dueling chants, with Rhodes talking about how Cena forced him to make a choice.

Rhodes isn’t sure if Cena will ruin wrestling, but Rhodes will never think twice about taking Cena out again. He apologizes for getting a bit worked up but he has a surprise. The fans chant for Jey Uso…so perhaps we should YEET. Cue Uso (who picks up a kid for the YEET dance and it’s still great) and we take a break. Back with Uso giving us an encore but here is Cena to interrupt. Cena calls them both Cena wannabes who want his money and fame but they won’t get it.

There is one person in WWE who has Cena’s hustle, loyalty and respect so here is Logan Paul. Cena says Paul doesn’t have to pay his dues because he is paying your mortgage. Paul asks what the fans are crying for because he could walk on water and people would say it’s because he can’t swim.

This is a special moment and the most important thing that anyone here in Tennessee will ever see. Paul should be the World Heavyweight Champion but Uso got lucky at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Rhodes had to cheat because that’s what Uso and Rhodes do. Paul on the other hand is a self made man and no one would have believed he would be teaming with Cena.

While Cena’s time is almost up, Paul’s time is now. Uso and Rhodes want to fight right now, who Rhodes suggesting that Paul is going to go polish Cena’s peacemaker. The brawl is on and the villains are quickly dispatched. Cena was bringing it a bit more here, as teaming with Paul is about as vile as you can get on this show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a strong edition of the show with a nice collection of in-ring work. Throw in a solid main event promo segment and I had a pretty nice time with the show. It was also a big push towards next week’s pay per view and it was a good effort towards making that show feel more important. I could still go for this show being back at two hours, but they can make it work like this on occasion.

Results
Naomi b. Jade Cargill and Nia Jax – Rollup to Jax
JC Mateo b. R-Truth – Tour Of The Islands
Los Garza b. Je’Von Evans/Rey Fenix – Double spinning slam to Evans
Zelina Vega b. Alba Fyre – Code Red
Andrade b. Jacob Fatu and Carmelo Hayes – The Message to Hayes

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

Smackdown
Date: May 23, 2025
Location: Enmarket Arena, Savannah, Georgia
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

It’s the night before Saturday Night’s Main Event, which is one heck of a card. It is big enough to feel like a bonus pay per view and this week’s show is likely going to be focused on building it up. Other than that, we have some spots in Money In The Bank to be filled, which should make for some good action. Let’s get to it.

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

Various people are coming to work, including Damian Priest, who jumps Drew McIntyre. Security breaks it up.

Here is Tiffany Stratton for a chat. She’s rather happy with what she has been doing lately and is looking forward to Money In The Bank, but no one better think twice about cashing in on her. Cue Alexa Bliss for a formal introduction before saying she needs that briefcase. She doesn’t know Stratton very well, so Stratton better pray that Bliss doesn’t win.

Cue Charlotte to brag about everything she’s done, save for winning Money In The Bank. She wants the spotlight back, but Charlotte calls her a hypocrite. Charlotte has called the briefcase a cheap way in, but it doesn’t matter because Charlotte and Bliss are a bit old school for her. Stratton is the upgraded version of the two of them and that doesn’t sit well.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Charlotte vs. Giulia vs. Zelina Vega

Non-title. They stare at each other to start and Charlotte knocks Vega outside. Back in and Vega gets sent flying with a fall away slam before Giulia takes Charlotte down. Some leg stomps and a neck twist have Charlotte in more trouble but she’s back up with a clothesline. Vega is back up to take both of them down and a moonsault to the floor drops them again.

We take a break and come back with Charlotte kicking Giulia off the apron. Giulia is back up with something like a Doomsday dropkick to Vega but Charlotte pops up with a high crossbody to the two of them. Charlotte moonsaults onto both of them for two but Giulia pulls Charlotte into the Rings Of Saturn. Vega breaks it up with a dropkick and hits a 619 but Charlotte drops Vega again. The Figure Eight has Giulia in trouble until Vega makes the save with the Meteora. Charlotte boots Vega down but Giulia comes in with a top rope double stomp for the save. The Northern Lights Bomb gives Giulia the pin on Vega at 13:31.

Rating: B. The second Vega was introduced as the third entrant, it was a question of whether Charlotte or Giulia would beat her. With all of the women they have available around here for this kind of a spot, they had no better option than the US Champion? The title has only been around for a few months and having losses like this isn’t going to help it. The match was good, but some better thinking would be appreciated.

DIY takes credit for the tag division coming together and doesn’t like other teams acting like they did it.

Zelina Vega is in the back and Chelsea Green mocks her. The ensuing brawl is quickly broken up by the Secret Hervice. B-Fab and Michin come in to say they want a fight tonight, with Nick Aldis making it happen.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Chris Sabin

Johnny Gargano and Alex Shelley are here too. Sabin works on an armdrag to start and grinds away at the arm. Ciampa breaks that up and stomps away in the corner but Sabin armdrags him out to the floor. Sabin goes after him so Ciampa throws in a jacket, setting up Willow’s Bell as we take a break.

Back with Sabin hitting a German suplex and a running shot to the face for two. They slug it out on the apron until Ciampa grabs a White Noise for two of his own. Back in and Sabin blocks the Fairy Tale Ending, with Ciampa favoring his knee. A springboard tornado DDT drops Ciampa so it’s time for Gargano and Shelley to get involved. Sabin dives onto DIY but cue Candice LeRae to rake Sabin’s eyes. Ciampa hits a running knee for the pin at 10:15.

Rating: B-. It’s so nice to have teams like DIY and the Guns who can be slotted in as singles stars if need be. That’s what we got here and it was a perfectly fine way to keep the feud going without doing the same match time after time. Having LeRae in the DIY fold would make perfect sense too, as it’s not like she has anything else going on.

Fraxiom is ready for the biggest night of their careers as they have a Tag Team Title shot.

We look back at John Cena’s heel turn and how he blames the fans for abusing him over the years.

Damian Priest is supposed to come out to talk about Drew McIntyre but they brawl to ringside instead. It’s broken up but Priest says he wants more, with the brawl continuing.

Jacob Fatu doesn’t know JC Mateo and doesn’t trust him. Solo Sikoa says use that aggression tonight. Sikoa wants Jimmy Uso back in the fold but Fatu doesn’t seem convinced by the two of them.

Alexa Bliss mocks Charlotte for losing.

Secret Hervice vs. B-Fab/Michin

B-Fab tries to slug away at Niven to start and gets nowhere as a result. Fyre comes in and Niven hits a backsplash to put B-Fab in early trouble. A Boss Man Slam gives Niven two but B-Fab gets up and brings in Michin to clean house. Chelsea Green gets on the apron but here is Zelina Vega to cut her off. Eat Defeat into a swinging faceplant from B-Fab finishes Fyre at 3:44.

Rating: C. So I guess we’re getting ready for another Vega vs. Green title match, which hopefully leads to Green getting the title back. Vega has gotten her big win but Green being her hilarious self is the better option. For now though, this was another attempt to make B-Fab a bigger deal and I’m not sure how likely that is to work.

The Street Profits are ready for Fraxiom and don’t like the suggestion that there is a better team. Jacob Fatu, Solo Sikoa and JC Mateo come back for some glaring.

Legado del Fantasma has a meeting to try to calm things down. Santos Escobar wants them ready for a six man tag at Worlds Collide on June 7. Berto still doesn’t seem convinced but drinks a toast. Not exactly with them, but close enough.

Jimmy Uso and Rey Fenix are ready.

Jacob Fatu/JC Mateo vs. Jimmy Uso/Rey Fenix

Jimmy and Fatu start things off but Mateo tags himself in, earning a glare from Fatu. Mateo takes over but Fatu tags himself in and gets hurricanranaed down by Fenix. Jimmy helps Fenix hit a springboard corkscrew dive and we take an early break. Back with Fatu hitting a running Umaga attack on Jimmy but Mateo can’t get a belly to back superplex. Instead Jimmy knocks him down and hits a Whisper In The Wind, giving us a diving tag to Fenix.

The pace is picked way up, with a 619 into a poisonrana getting two on Fatu. A pop up Samoan drop cuts Fenix off though and Mateo sends him flying, with Fenix sticking the landing. Jimmy tags himself in, leaving Fenix to dive onto Fatu, who pulls him out of the air. A spear drops Mateo so Sikoa offers a distraction. Jimmy isn’t interested, but it’s enough for Mateo to hit the Tour Of The Islands for the pin at 12:27.

Rating: B-. Nice stuff here for a pair of monsters who don’t get along and a makeshift team of Uso and Fenix. I’m curious about where this is going for Fatu, who is pretty clearly about to become one heck of a good guy, while the rest of the team won’t like that. It’s an interesting change of pace and the idea of Jimmy possibly being brought back in is…well that’s another thing that could be happening.

LA Knight is ready to go through Aleister Black and Shinsuke Nakamura to go to Money In The Bank. He’s tired of the darkness and is ready to BFT them into the light.

Here is R-Truth for a chat. John Cena is his childhood hero but he doesn’t recognize this Cena. The problem is power, because they used to be friends. The more power and fame Cena got though, the more disconnect he felt. They stopped talking and R-Truth felt like Cena was always annoyed at him. Maybe R-Truth thought he had done something wrong, but other people felt the same.

Cena is like Gollum from Lord Of The Rings, with his championship being his precious. He doesn’t believe Cena is happy, but maybe he can bring Cena back. If R-Truth wants to save wrestling, he has to save Cena, so he’ll beat the hustle, loyalty and respect back into Cena. If Cena wins, WE RIOT! This was the serious R-Truth for the first time in forever and he did exactly what he needed to do here. Good promo, even if he’s going to get massacred.

We look at Sami Zayn/CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins/Bron Breakker at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Video on Naomi vs. Jade Cargill vs. Nia Jax in next week’s Money In The Bank qualifying match.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. LA Knight vs. Aleister Black

They slug it out to start and Nakamura gets sent outside. Knight and Black seem cool with each other before locking up, with Knight grabbing his jumping neckbreaker. Nakamura breaks up Knight’s stomping in the corner and trades kicks with Black. Knight gets kneed down and we take a break.

Back with Nakamura sending Knight into the steps but Nakamura gets knocked outside. Black takes Knight down with a running flip dive but comes up holding his leg. Back in and Black misses a moonsault, allowing Knight to catch him with a DDT. Black is sent into the post but he catches Nakamura with Black Mass. That’s fine with Knight, who sends Black outside and steals the pin at 11:02.

Rating: B-. Knight needed a win like this, even if he didn’t do the damage in the first place. I can’t imagine him getting the briefcase, but he needs to get away from facing these same people for the US Title for a bit. He’s been there twice now and there is little left for him to do in that area. If he’s going to move up to the main event scene, this is as good of a chance as he is going to have.

Miz has gotten Carmelo Hayes a Money In The Bank qualifying match because he knows how important it can be to a wrestler’s career. Now he wants Hayes to follow his play calling, with Hayes seemingly being in on the idea.

Video on Jey Uso vs. Logan Paul.

Saturday Night’s Main Event rundown, with Zelina Vega defending against Chelsea Green added.

Nick Aldis tells Jacob Fatu that he’s in the final Money In The Bank qualifying match next week. Fatu actually says he loves Solo Sikoa.

Bianca Belair is back next week.

Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. Fraxiom

The Profits are defending and we get the Big Match Intros. Dawkins takes Axiom down by the arm to start so Frazer comes in for a headlock. That’s broken up and it’s off to Ford to work on the arm. Everything breaks down in a hurry and the champs are knocked outside for the dives. We take a break and come back with Dawkins pulling Axiom down into a chinlock.

Ford flips in and hits a running shoulder in the corner before handing it back to Dawkins. Barrett gets in a very insightful statement by saying that it’s not about hitting your best move, but rather taking away your opponent’s best move. That’s some incredibly logical thinking about how to dominate a match. Axiom gets in a knockdown though and hands it back to Frazer to pick up the pace.

A running shooting star hits Ford and Frazer head fakes him to hit a springboard missile dropkick (Barrett is VERY impressed). Frazer gets knocked down again though and we take another break. Back again with Axiom pulling Ford into a rear naked choke and Frazer guillotines Dawkins at the same time. Those are both broken up so Frazer takes Ford up top for the superplex and rolls into a brainbuster/superkick combination for two.

Dawkins cuts off a dive though and sends Frazer into the steps, meaning a Doomsday Blockbuster can hit Axiom. Frazer dives in for a save, meaning the Spanish Fly into the Phoenix splash plants Dawkins. Ford makes a save of his own and everyone is down. Cue DIY but the Motor City Machine Guns cut them off. Ford flip dives onto all of them, leaving Dawkins to spinebuster Frazer. Then the lights go out and the Wyatt Sicks are back. The brawl is on and it’s a double DQ at 21:08.

Rating: B. That’s certainly one way to get you out of the issue of having one of the teams lose. They were having another awesome match, as Fraxiom knows exactly how to do this kind of fast paced offense. The Wyatts being back is certainly a way to go, but at least they seem to have a target rather than just doing random stuff.

The Wyatts wreck everyone and Sister Abigail plants Gargano to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. I had a good time with this show as the action was solid and they made me more interested in Saturday Night’s Main Event. R-Truth’s promo was shockingly good and it fits with what they’re doing. Other than that, they set up some things for Money In The Bank and the rest of the card can come together after Saturday. Nice work this week, with the best part being that the show didn’t feel nearly as long, which has been a major issue in recent weeks.

Results
Giulia b. Zelina Vega and Charlotte – Northern Lights Bomb to Vega
Tommaso Ciampa b. Chris Sabin – Running knee
B-Fab/Michin b. Secret Hervice – Spinning faceplant to Fyre
Jacob Fatu/JC Mateo b. Rey Fenix/Jimmy Uso – Tour Of The Islands to Uso
LA Knight b. Aleister Black and Shinsuke Nakamura – Black Mass to Nakamura
Street Profits vs. Fraxiom went to a double DQ when the Wyatt Sicks interfered

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

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

Smackdown
Date: May 16, 2025
Location: First Horizon Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re done with Backlash and that means it is time to get ready for Money In The Bank. The show is in less than a month so it’s time to start getting ready with the qualifying matches. Other than that, John Cena is still the World Champion and that means he’ll need a new challenger sooner or later. Let’s get to it.

Here is Backlash if you need a recap.

We open with a long Backlash rematch.

Here are Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu, and Jeff Cobb for a chat. Sikoa introduces Cobb as JC and talks about how it’s time to bring everything back to the family. That starts tonight with him winning his Money In The Bank qualifying match. Fatu grabs the mic (the fans approve) and says don’t get it twisted: he brought the US Title back to the Family and he’s ready to deal with anyone coming after the title by himself.

Sikoa says he and JC get what he means and this is all to help Fatu. The title on his shoulder is proof of the love Sikoa has for him. Fatu begrudgingly says he loves Sikoa, who wants a bit more than that. Cue LA Knight to run in from behind and jump JC before running off again. At some point Knight needs to win something over one of these guys and I don’t see that happening anytime soon.

Michin and B-Fab want to win a briefcase and the titles but Chelsea Green and the Secret Hervice come in, with Green saying she’ll win the briefcase. Alexa Bliss pops in for some glaring. Green threatens to put tariffs on mediocrity and B-Fab and Michin are first.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Alexa Bliss vs. Chelsea Green vs. Michin

Green charges into a superkick to the floor to start and Michin blocks Bliss’ headscissors. Bliss rolls Michin up for two instead so Green yells at both of them, earning herself a double dropkick to the floor. Green is back up to knock both of them down and we take a break. Back with all three down before Michin gets up to knock them into the corner.

A Cannonball hits both of them for two each before everyone gets in a kick to the head. Green and Bliss slug it out until Michin cuts Bliss off. Back up and Bliss gives Michin a tornado DDT and Twisted Bliss gets two with Green making the save. The Unprettier hits Michin but Bliss pulls her away and hits the Sister Abigail DDT to pin Green at 9:03.

Rating: C+. Bliss is back and in a match where she has succeeded before, but at the same time, it’s still hard to get interested in her with the whole weird evil stuff. Otherwise, this was a match where I was hoping to see Green move on, and it would not surprise me to see her get into the match anyway. It would be a shame to see that incredible run she had over the last few months just end so quickly and it would surprise me if that wound up happening.

We look back at Fraxiom beating the Street Profits last week and then getting beaten up by DIY (who also attacked the Motor City Machine Guns).

Fraxiom vs. DIY

Ciampa takes Axiom down by the arm but Axiom is right back up so Frazer can come in for a kick to the face. Everything breaks down and Fraxiom hit some dive, only for Gargano to pull the rope down. Axiom crashes out to the floor and DIY gets in a double pat on the back as they take over. Back in and Gargano slams Axiom legs first into the ropes and we take a break.

We come back with Frazer coming in to clean house, with the running shooting star press getting two on Gargano. The Phoenix splash misses though and Gargano superkicks Frazer’s moonsault out of the air. The Fairy Tale Ending/superkick combination gets two on Frazer with Axiom making the save.

Project Ciampa gets the same on Frazer but Ciampa misses the running knee. A superkick/brainbuster combination plants Gargano for two, with Ciampa’s running knee making the save. Axiom and Gargano slug it out until Axiom tries to tie up the arms. Ciampa is back in to go for Axiom’s mask but Frazer makes the save. Frazer rolls Gargano up for the pin at 11:18.

Rating: B. Fraxiom’s rapid push continues and that is a fun thing to see. They already have some status from NXT and it’s nice to see them having such similar success around here. If nothing else, we might be in for a surprise title change when the rematch takes place. As usual, DIY can work with anyone and they can more than hang with a team as fast as Fraxiom.

Post match DIY jumps Fraxiom but the Motor City Machine Guns run in for the save.

Andrade gives Rey Fenix a pep talk before Fenix’s Money In The Bank qualifying match. Solo Sikoa and company come in to look for LA Knight.

The Street Profits applaud Fraxiom on their win and the title match is on for next week. Works for Fraxiom.

Wade Barrett had a sitdown interview with R-Truth earlier today. R-Truth says you can always depend on John Cena, who he calls a beacon of light. Barrett thinks this is crazy, as Cena attacked R-Truth at the Backlash press conference. R-Truth says that wasn’t the Cena he knew but if he has to beat Cena back to his senses, so be it. They’re fighting at Saturday Night’s Main Event. This continues to be one of the more interesting stories in WWE at the moment, just because it has been set up for such a long time now.

Damian Priest is sick of Drew McIntyre and wants him in a cage.

Carmelo Hayes, with the Miz, is ready to take out Aleister Black.

Aleister Black vs. Carmelo Hayes

Miz is here with Hayes. They grapple to start until Black shoulders him down, giving us a double nip up. The threat of Black Mass has Hayes bailing away, with Black sitting down at the same time. Miz offers a distraction though and Hayes takes over with a flip dive. We take a break and come back with Black kicking Hayes out to the floor.

Back in Black strikes away, including a dropkick to put him down again. Hayes gets in a spinning faceplant but Black kicks him in the face again. A German suplex gives Black two but Hayes grabs the suplex cutter for the same. Miz gets on the apron, which doesn’t sit well with Hayes, allowing Black to strike away again. Black Mass is loaded up, which draws Miz in for the DQ at 10:27.

Rating: C+. They’re in a bit of a weird place here as they’re teasing the idea of Black needing help against these two but that brings up a pair of problems. First of all, Black needs to be on his own rather than being part of a group, at least for a good while. At the same time, shouldn’t Black be able to handle them on his own? It doesn’t seem to be asking that much.

Post match Miz and Hayes lay Black out.

Alexa Bliss wants the Money In The Bank briefcase but stops to talk to Charlotte, who is outside of Nick Aldis’ office. Charlotte says they were never friends but Giulia walks out of the office. Aldis comes out and says Giulia is on Smackdown. Makes sense as there was no need for her to be in NXT for the long term.

We look at Tiffany Stratton cashing in her Money In The Bank briefcase to beat Nia Jax for the Women’s Title. Now Jax wants her title back.

Here is Drew McIntyre for a chat. The only thing in that video from Damian Priest that was true was all of the violence they have inflicted on each other. McIntyre has beaten Priest a few times now and Priest can’t let it go. The reality is that Priest has cost McIntyre over and over and this has to end, so he’ll see Priest in a cage next Saturday. As McIntyre goes to leave, he runs into Solo Sikoa and company on the way to the ring for Sikoa’s match. Simple and to the point here, which is what the feud needs. We’ve seen them fight enough already.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Solo Sikoa vs. Rey Fenix vs. Jimmy Uso

JC and Jacob Fatu are here with Sikoa, who drops Fenix to start. Uso and Fenix knock Sikoa outside though, leaving Fenix to kick Uso in the head. They chop it out until Fenix hits a springboard missile dropkick. Sikoa pulls Jimmy to the floor for a ram into the announcers’ table, only for Fenix to dive onto both of them. Back in and Spinning Solo plants Fenix before Rock Bottoming Uso onto the table.

We take a break and come back with Uso going up top, where Fenix catches him with a shot to the head. Uso superkicks Fenix out of the air but Sikoa drops Uso to give us a three way breather. Sikoa hits a pair of running Umaga Attacks in the corners but Uso superkicks him into a rollup from Fenix. Back up and Fenix’s rope walk kick to the face hits Uso. Cue Sikoa’s monsters to offer distractions though, allowing Sikoa to hit the Samoan Spike to pin Fenix at 13:07.

Rating: C+. It was nice to have a match with a bit more drama, as Sikoa has bragged about doing a lot of things but hasn’t been able to make the m happen. If nothing else, it’s nice to see him getting the chance to succeed, even if it isn’t likely going to go anywhere. At the same time, Fenix isn’t exactly on fire yet and that’s not a great sign for his future.

Post match LA Knight runs in for the brawl but Nick Aldis says it’s Knight vs. JC right now.

LA Knight vs. JC Mateo

Mateo is in street clothes and powers Knight down to start. Knight’s rollup doesn’t work at all so he grabs a headlock instead. With that broken up, Knight’s running shoulder gets him nowhere but a neckbreaker works a bit better. Knight hammers away in the corner but Mateo runs him over with an elbow to the face. A belly to belly is cut off and Knight is back with a middle rope bulldog.

Back up and Mateo suplexes him over the top for the big crash. We take a break and come back with Mateo hitting something like a spinebuster. Another overhead belly to belly sends Knight flying and Mateo grabs a waistlock. Back up and Mateo sends him outside, where Mateo posts himself by mistake.

Knight makes the comeback and hits a neckbreaker into a reverse DDT. Mateo is right back with the swinging belly to back suplex into a standing moonsault to leave them both down. Knight is back up but dives onto Sikoa and Fatu. That’s enough of a distraction for Mateo to grab the Tour Of The Islands (spinning reverse powerslam) for the pin at 15:24.

Rating: B-. This was a fine way to get Mateo off to a strong start, as he is another monster around Solo Sikoa, but nothing close to the rest. Mateo is more about technical skill and power, which isn’t something you see very often. Good start here, even if it meant that Knight had to take another loss.

Post match Mateo and company pose, with Fatu holding up the title not sitting so well.

We look back at Berto standing up to Santos Escobar.

Escobar talks to Angel and is willing to forgive Berto, but he needs Angel to find him.

Shinsuke Nakamura is not scared of Aleister Black and he is sharpening his katana into an unstoppable blade.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Tiffany Stratton runs into Jade Cargill, who wants the title. Stratton isn’t worried about Cargill getting the briefcase. Naomi can be seen watching in the background.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Nia Jax vs. Tiffany Stratton

Stratton is defending. They circle each other a few times to start before Jax goes with the power. That means Stratton can have her handspring cut off and Jax drops her onto the top rope. A running hip attack sends Stratton into the post and we take a break. Back with Stratton being sent hard into the post but avoiding another hip attack. A hurricanrana sends Jax into the post and a high crossbody gives Stratton two back inside.

Jax’s Samoan drop into a backsplash gets two so Stratton grabs a belly to belly for two. Jax sitout powerbombs her into a legdrop for two so she goes up. Stratton is right there to cut her off and a super small package gets two more. Cue Naomi with a chair but Jade Cargill cuts her off. That leaves Jax to hit the post and the Prettiest Moonsault Ever…gets two?

Jax shoves her off the top for a crash to the floor and it’s time to clear the announcers’ table. A Samoan drop onto the table plants Stratton and they head back inside. The Annihilator is loaded up but Stratton tries a powerbomb, only to pull Jax down onto her…for two as Stratton grabs the rope. Jax tries to bring in a chair but Stratton dropkicks it into her face. The Prettiest Moonsault Ever retains the title at 13:46.

Rating: B. They were rolling near the end there and it’s a big deal for Stratton to hopefully wrap things up with Jax. Beating the former champion without the briefcase helps and I can even forgive Stratton surviving a bigger than usual Annihilator. Odds are Jax will be in Money In The Bank, but as long as she doesn’t win, it should be a good enough deal for her in the short term.

Overall Rating: B-. The focus has definitely shifted hard towards Money In The Bank and that is a good thing. Without Cena here this week, there wasn’t much else to focus on so instead they built towards the ladder matches and Fraxiom vs. the Street Profits. Throw in a title match main event and the show worked out. Just please get us down to two hours again, as these longer shows are not doing it any favors.

Results
Alexa Bliss b. Chelsea Green and Michin – Sister Abigail DDT to Green
Fraxiom b. DIY – Rollup to Gargano
Aleister Black b. Carmelo Hayes via DQ when Miz interfered
Solo Sikoa b. Rey Fenix and Jimmy Uso – Samoan Spike to Fenix
JC Mateo b. LA Knight – Tour Of The Islands
Tiffany Stratton b. Nia Jax – Prettiest Moonsault Ever

Remember to check out my website at kbwrestlingreviews.com and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

Smackdown
Date: May 9, 2025
Location: Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

It’s the last show before tomorrow’s Backlash event and that means we might be getting one more match added to the pay per view card. Other than that, John Cena is in the house and that means we should be in for a little more hype up between Cena and Randy Orton. Let’s get to it.

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

Damian Priest is ready to get his US Title back but LA Knight comes in to say he wants the title. They’re willing to work together tonight though.

LA Knight/Damian Priest vs. Solo Sikoa/Jacob Fatu

Sikoa jumps Priest to start things fast but Priest runs him over without much trouble. A rebound lariat misses for Priest though and Sikoa bails to the floor, where Fatu offers a distraction. Knight and Priest argue until we take a break. Back with Priest fighting out of a chinlock but Sikoa knocks Knight off the apron in a smart move.

The Samoan drop gives Sikoa two and hands it off to Fatu, which the fans seem to like. Priest fights up and drops Sikoa, allowing the hot tag off to Knight to clean house. The spelling elbow hits Fatu and Knight loads up the top rope elbow, only for Priest to tag himself in. Knight does the same to break up the South Of Heaven and the BFT plants Sikoa for the pin at 10:08.

Rating: B-. Perfectly nice story advancement here and that’s what it needed to be. The story of the title match seems to be Knight and Priest needing to get together to beat Fatu but not being able to work together. This match showed how well it can work when they are on the same page, but that isn’t likely to be the case tomorrow.

Post match Fatu takes out Knight and Priest but gets Claymored by Drew McIntyre. My goodness McIntyre vs. Fatu one on one sounds glorious.

A rather pro-John Cena R-Truth is in the back (complete with a sign) when Jimmy Uso comes in to ask what he’s doing. R-Truth still isn’t convinced that Cena has really gone bad, leaving Uso confused.

Drew McIntyre isn’t sure why Damian Priest is getting a title shot when McIntyre already beat him at Wrestlemania. He doesn’t think much of Knight either, and Fatu being all gas and no brakes means he’s going to hit a wall at some point. That wall is McIntyre as the US Champion. Good stuff here from McIntyre, as usual.

We recap Chelsea Green’s recent issues.

Green and the Secret Hervice held a funeral for her title reign when Nick Aldis and Zelina Vega came in. The three of them imply that Vega has no friends, so Aldis made a tag match for later tonight.

Video on Aleister Black.

Chelsea Green/Piper Niven vs. Zelina Vega/???

Vega’s partner is….the returning Alexa Bliss. Yeah that works. Vega takes Niven down to start but gets caught with a release World’s Strongest Slam. It’s quickly off to Green, who misses a splash, allowing Vega to hit a double 619. Green is back up to cut off the tag though and Niven elbows Vega as we take a break.

Back with Niven cutting off the tag attempt again but Vega plants her with a DDT. The tag brings in Bliss to clean house, including a running Blockbuster for two on Green. Bliss catches her in the Tree Of Woe for a running dropkick and Twisted Bliss connects but Niven makes the save. Bliss’ superkick sends Niven into a Code Red but Niven rolls out to the floor. Vega takes out Niven and it’s a Sister Abigail DDT to finish Green at 8:17.

Rating: C+. It’s nice to have Bliss back and hopefully she can just be herself without all of the Wyatt Sicks stuff. She’s a big enough star on her own already and doesn’t need to do all of the supernatural nonsense on the side. If nothing else, there is always the chance that she could go after Vega for the title, which isn’t a bad idea for both of them.

Rey Fenix cuts Santos Escobar off because he already beat Escobar last week. Legado del Fantasma runs in to jump Fenix until agents and Andrade come in to clear things out.

We look at John Cena vs. Randy Orton in the Cell in 2014.

Here is Charlotte for a chat. She’s fresh off the greatest women’s match in Wrestlemania history and she took Tiffany Stratton to the limit. Now she’s here to announce her path back to the title. The fans aren’t pleased and she wants to know why they are so disrespectful to her. If they don’t lighten up, she’s leaving and never coming back to this town. Charlotte goes to leave but gets cut off by Jade Cargill, who is here for a #1 contenders match. Cargill even tells her to go to the back of the line, which isn’t likely to go well for her.

Post break, Charlotte goes to leave but Alexa Bliss is waiting in her car for a staredown.

Jade Cargill vs. Nia Jax

For a future Women’s Title match so here is Tiffany Stratton to watch from ringside. They trade lockups to start with Jax shoving her down. It works so well that she does it again so Cargill fires off her own running shoulder. The Samoan drop cuts Cargill off for two and we take a break.

Back with Cargill powering her up for her own Samoan drop (nicely done) and grabbing a regular suplex. Some superkicks into a spinebuster give Cargill two but Jax is back with a sitout powerbomb for the same. For some reason Jax goes up top but gets slammed down (there’s your reason), setting up Cargill’s frog splash for two more. A pump kick gives Cargill two more…and here is Naomi to jump Stratton at ringside. The distraction lets Jax run Cargill over and hit the Annihilator for the pin at 10:03.

Rating: B. This turned into a heck of a fight because Cargill was getting to show off her power stuff, which not many people can do with Jax. I was getting into seeing these two hammer on each other until one of them couldn’t get up. Unfortunately they had to go with the screwy ending, but at the end of the day, you can’t have Cargill take a clean fall and Jax needs to get the title shot.

Michin and B-Fab praise the Street Profits for their TLC match.

Here are the Street Profits for a chat. They’ve been the talk of the town in recent weeks and just had the greatest TLC match of all times (eh….) and it even involved a prosthetic leg. Cue Fraxiom to interrupt and say they’re happy to be here. Now they want a title shot, but the Profits are a bit shocked after Fraxiom has only been around for a few weeks.

Street Profits vs. Fraxiom

Non-title and we’re joined in progress with Dawkins (with his bad arm) flipping over Frazer. A headlock takeover takes Dawkins over with a headlock but he’s right back up to tackle Frazer onto the announcers’ table. Ford (with his bad ribs) comes in to take over on Frazer and it’s quickly back to Dawkins for a running splash.

Dawkins’ spinning splash in the corner gets two but Frazer spins up to hit a dive to the floor. Axiom hits his own dive and we take an early break. Back with Frazer and Dawkins making a double tag, with Ford hitting a hard clothesline to Axiom. The standing moonsault gives Ford two and it’s back to Frazer, who gets superkicked down.

Frazer fights back but gets caught in a Doomsday Blockbuster for two, with Axiom making the save. Axiom superkicks a diving Ford in the ribs and super Spanish Flies Dawkins down. Frazer adds the Phoenix splash but Ford dives in for the save, taking out Axiom as well. Ford kicks Frazer down, only to miss the frog splash and bang up the ribs again. A missile dropkick/legsweep combination finishes Ford at 13:32.

Rating: B. Fraxiom continues to have one good match after another and that was the case again here. It’s great to see them getting out there and doing their thing with the better teams, because there was nothing left to do in NXT. There’s a good chance we’ll see this again soon and I’ve heard far worse ideas.

Respect is shown post match.

Tiffany Stratton is looking for Naomi but finds Nia Jax instead. Jax is ready to win the title back, but Stratton is going to send her to the losers’ table with Charlotte.

Video on Gunther vs. Pat McAfee, including a long recap of how they got to Backlash.

Miz gives Carmelo Hayes a pep talk before he faces Aleister Black. Granted this one should go better, because Miz won’t be out of place like Hayes was last week.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Aleister Black

Miz is here with Hayes. Black chills in the corner to start before pulling him into a headlock. Back up and Hayes strikes away in the corner, earning him some glaring from Black. They head outside with Black hitting a middle rope moonsault but Hayes kicks him over the barricade.

We take a break and come back with Black hitting a running boot to the head to catch Hayes on top. One heck of a jumping knee to the head drops Hayes again and it’s time to trade forearms. Black gets the better of things and hits a springboard moonsault but Hayes knees out of a suplex. Back up and Black grabs a brainbuster for two so Miz gets on the apron. Black sends them together and rolls Hayes up for the pin at 9:11.

Rating: C+. I was expecting a bit more, as Black still has one of the coolest finishers in wrestling. That makes a heel collision and a rollup finish a bit less than optimal, especially so soon after Black returned. Not much to this one, but at least some of the spots before the ending were impressive.

Post match Black gives Miz Black Mass. That’s better.

Solo Sikoa says he and Jacob Fatu need a game plan, but Fatu just wants to wreck people. Sikoa: “Ok.”

The Motor City Machine Guns are proud of Fraxiom and they know they’ll face each other one day. DIY runs in and lays both of them out.

Los Garza vs. Rey Fenix/Andrade

Fenix cleans house to start fast, including a cradle for two on Garza. Berto comes in to take Fenix into the corner and a dropkick gets two. Fenix rolls over for the tag off to Andrade to take over without much trouble. We take a break and come back with Andrade grabbing a poisonrana on Berto, allowing a double tag. Fenix hits a quick rope walk kick to the head, plus a wristdrag, to take both of them down.

Andrade comes back in for a knockdown but gets kicked in the head by Berto to leave everyone on the mat. Berto is back up with a moonsault to Fenix with Andrade making a save. Fenix grabs a hurricanrana but gets reversed into a sunset flip, only for Escobar’s distraction to take the referee away. Fenix’s rope walk kick takes out Garza and Andrade hits the Message to pin Berto at 10:25.

Rating: B-. This was more fun stuff and that’s what you would expect from these four. It made for a good showcase of Fenix and Andrade, the latter of whom usually does well when he is given the chance. Los Garza might not win very often, but at least they look good while they are out there.

Post match Escobar yells at Los Garza, with Berto standing up to him and leaving on his own. Garza isn’t sure what to do.

Backlash rundown.

Here is John Cena for the big closing. After getting his corrected introduction, Cena says everyone’s childhood dies tomorrow. Randy Orton is not here tonight and that is because he took Cena’s advice from last week. Cena goes over his history with Orton and how much success they have had. If you are part of this generation, you have picked one of them over the other but tomorrow, everything ends.

Everyone has to pick one more time and the reality is Orton has been lying to himself for years. Orton has never been held accountable for any of failures. He is the greatest of all time at not living up to his potential. Cena is the greatest of all time at hustle. Orton is a Laz-E-Boy and coasts, which is what he describes as loyalty. Cena is the greatest of all time at being loyal.

Orton has to beg for respect because no one knows Bob Orton Sr. and the only thing Bob Orton Jr. ever accomplished was knocking up Orton’s mom. The only thing Randy has ever done is ride on Cena’s coattails. Tomorrow, Randy kills his own legend, by being just like his 2006 drug test (that gets a gasp): a FAILURE. Cena is the greatest of all time because he IS respect.

Someone in a mask comes in to try an RKO but gets caught with an AA. Then the real Orton comes in for an RKO to leave Cena laying. I’m not sure what to make of Cena’s promo, but given that it’s the last time he’ll probably ever talk about Orton (barring a rematch), he probably wanted to get in every line he had about him. I’m not sure the whole thing worked though, as this felt like something Cena would say as a hero rather than a villain.

Overall Rating: B-. As usual, this was a good example of how Smackdown does not need to be three hours. There is a strong go home show to Backlash in there somewhere with stuff being made for later, but a lot of it feels like filler because they had too much time to cover. It could have been a lot worse, but cutting this down by about 30-45 minutes would have been so much better. I’m fairly interested in Backlash and this show boosted it up a bit, so we’ll call it enough of a success.

Results
LA Knight/Damian Priest b. Solo Sikoa/Jacob Fatu – BFT to Sikoa
Alexa Bliss/Zelina Vega b. Chelsea Green/Piper Niven – Sister Abigail DDT to Green
Nia Jax b. Jade Cargill – Annihilator
Fraxiom b. Street Profits – Missile dropkick/legsweep combination to Ford
Aleister Black b. Carmelo Hayes – Black Mass
Rey Fenix/Andrade b. Los Garza – Message to Berto

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

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Smackdown
Date: May 2, 2025
Location: Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, Iowa
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re just over a week away from Backlash and that means it is time to fill up a lot of the card. The big Smackdown match is already set though as John Cena will defend against Randy Orton. That’s enough to carry the main event portion but we need something besides just that one match. Let’s get to it.

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

Damian Priest almost got in a fight with Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu but LA Knight (facing Priest for a US Title shot against Fatu later tonight) walks past.

Here is Knight for a chat. Knight lost the US Title to Fatu and his chance at a rematch and a lot of that was due to Sikoa. Priest didn’t help things and while Knight has no problem with him…and here is Priest to interrupt. Priest says Sikoa got involved but Knight is the one who lost his title at Wrestlemania. Knight did lose but he’s not getting a title shot because of Priest. That doesn’t work for Priest, but Knight says they don’t have a problem so far, though that might change. Priest wants a referee down here right now so let’s go.

Damian Priest vs. LA Knight

For a future US Title shot. We’re joined in progress with Knight working on the arm but Priest faceplants him down to cut that off. It’s too early for the BFT and Priest hits a superkick for two. Old School is broken up and Knight’s jumping neckbreaker gets two. The jumping elbow is countered into a choke, with Priest hitting a heck of a clothesline for two. A DDT plants Priest again and the jumping top rope elbow is good for another near fall.

We take a break and come back with Priest hitting a Razor’s Edge for two. The Broken Arrow connects and Priest goes up top, where Knight runs the corner and superplexes him back down for two more. They go to the floor where Priest hits a lifting Downward Spiral onto the apron but here is Solo Sikoa to go after Priest for the DQ at 11:02 shown.

Rating: B-. They were getting going rather well at the end there and I was wanting to see where it went. At the same time, it’s not overly surprising that it went to a DQ, as you don’t want either of them taking a fall. There is a good chance that the two of them, likely with Drew McIntyre, will be getting a title match in the near future. Like say at Backlash.

Post match Knight and Priest get together to beat Sikoa down. Cue Jacob Fatu though and the good guys are taken out rather quickly.

We look back at Fraxiom’s debut last week.

Fraxiom is ready to face Pretty Deadly tonight so here is Pretty Deadly to interrupt. The villains talk a bunch of fairly friendly trash and we’re ready to go.

Pretty Deadly vs. Fraxiom

Axiom and Wilson start things off with the latter working on a wristlock. It’s off to Frazer for a rather fast running kick to the face and he kicks Prince away without much trouble. Fraxiom is up with the string of dives and it’s time to crank on the arms back inside. Axiom is dropped onto Wilson’s feet though and the Clothesline From El (clever) drops him as we take a break. Back again with Axiom rolling over for the tag off to Frazer and it’s time to clean house. The running shooting star press gets two on Prince and the super Spanish fly puts Wilson down. Frazer’s Phoenix splash finishes at 9:30.

Rating: C+. Take two teams who can do some good stuff in the ring and it worked well for Fraxiom again here. Fraxiom continues to look good in their start on Smackdown, which comes with a pair of wins so far. Good stuff here, and odds are Fraxiom will be put into an actual story sooner or later, perhaps with one of the teams from last week’s TLC match.

Michin and B-Fab want the Women’s Tag Team Titles. The Secret Hervice brings in Chelsea Green, whose title was hijacked by the deep state. Green wants a recount but instead Nick Aldis has Piper Niven facing Zelina Vega. Maybe Niven can get the title shot and become champion! Green nearly faints.

We look at Randy Orton vs. John Cena at TLC 2013.

Here is Nia Jax, who is so happy the fans are glad she’s back. She’s here to get the Women’s Title back from Tiffany Stratton, so here is Stratton to interrupt. Stratton says this isn’t the same version of her who has been around for so long but she’s ready to fight anytime. Cue Naomi to interrupt and bring up the things that Stratton and Jax put her through. Naomi runs down Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill, the latter who comes out to go after Naomi in a frenzy. Nick Aldis comes out to make the tag match for later tonight.

Carmelo Hayes gives Miz a pep talk before he gets to face Aleister Black.

Aleister Black vs. The Miz

Black misses an early kick to the face to start but takes Miz down, only for Miz to knee his way out of trouble. The threat of another kick sends Miz outside and Black drops him again back inside. Miz is able to send Black into the ring board though and we take a break. Back with Miz knocking him to the floor again, followed by the short DDT for two back inside. The YES Kicks wake Black up and he hits Miz in the jaw to take over. The Skull Crushing Finale is countered with a cartwheel (sweet) but Carmelo Hayes offers a distraction. Back up and Black Mass takes Miz’s head off for the win at 9:30.

Rating: C+. What else were you expecting here? Other than maybe Black running through Miz, this was a perfectly fine way to go. Black got to show what he can do in the ring and hit his big finisher. That’s the big point of everything he does and it’s what made the most sense here. There is a good chance that Hayes is next for Black and there are far worse ideas.

Santos Escobar mocks Rey Fenix for losing to El Grande Americano, even as Rey Mysterio’s handpicked replacement. Escobar thinks he should be Mysterio’s replacement but Fenix would rather fight him tonight instead. Deal.

Zelina Vega vs. Piper Niven

Non-title and Alba Fyre and Chelsea Green are here with Niven. Vega kicks her own to start but Niven is right back to knock Vega outside. Something like a reverse powerbomb out of the corner drops Vega again and we take a break. Back with Niven swinging her around in a cobra clutch, only for Vega to come back with a Codebreaker.

Niven drops her for a backsplash but gets caught with a middle rope Meteora for two. Niven’s cannonball misses and Vega grabs a spinning DDT. The moonsault gets two on Niven but Green gets on the apron for a distraction. That doesn’t work either as Vega comes back with a jackknife rollup for the pin at 11:05.

Rating: C+. Having a match between two wrestlers with such different sizes is a hard way to go but they made it work well enough here. Vega getting the win is the right way to go and I’m glad to see her not losing so soon into her title reign. It wouldn’t surprise me to see her have another match with Chelsea Green, who will be fine as long as she can keep getting on camera.

Jacob Fatu is ready to fight so Nick Aldis gives him a triple threat match at Backlash against LA Knight and Damian Priest. Solo Sikoa brings up Drew McIntyre winning the match last week so Aldis makes it a four way. Sikoa says Aldis is screwing Fatu over, but Aldis says Sikoa is the one screwing Fatu. Good response there.

Here is Randy Orton for a chat. Orton talks about how he has seen John Cena for years and knows that Cena was a walking talking cartoon character during the PG Era. At the same time, Orton was doing everything he could to get to the top and talks about all of Cena’s obsession with merchandising which made him that much more money. Last week Cena said that he raised a bunch of children but the only thing he raised was the price of his merchandise so the parents had to work harder.

What happened to the loyalty and respect? Cena has promised to end the Orton Legacy but that isn’t going to happen. Orton sees Cena as the latest legend he has to kill and promises to punt his “Lego shaped head” through the St. Louis Arch. This was a fired up Orton and as sick as I’ve gotten of this feud over the years, my goodness this is feeling like a major showdown, with Orton bringing the emotion.

Nia Jax wants Naomi to stay out of her way in the main event. Naomi: “Sure.”

Randy Orton runs into R-Truth, who says Orton has no chance. Jimmy Uso comes in to say he’s got this and tells R-Truth to cool it with that. R-Truth

Rey Fenix vs. Santos Escobar

Fenix spins away from Escobar to start until Escobar wins a chop off and yells a lot. Back up and Fenix knocks him to the floor but Escobar is right back up with the big suicide dive. We take a break and come back with Escobar kicking him out of the corner. A slingshot hilo gets two but Fenix is quickly out of an armbar.

Fenix hits a double springboard moonsault for two but Escobar knees him in the face for a double down. Back up and Fenix gets sent into the corner for some running knees to the chest. Fenix is right back with a kick to the chest though and it’s a top rope Meteora for the pin on Escobar at 12:25.

Rating: B-. This was similar to the Fraxiom match, as the idea is to make Fenix look good as he’s still starting up his time on Smackdown. Unfortunately Fenix is in a weird spot as he had to be put into the Wrestlemania match in Rey Mysterio’s place and take his first loss. Wins like this one should give him a nice start to his comeback, which should go somewhere soon.

Tiffany Stratton and Jade Cargill bicker over the tag match. Next week though, Cargill is facing Nia Jax in a #1 contenders match.

We look back at last week’s TLC match with the Street Profits retaining the Tag Team Titles in an instant classic.

Santos Escobar yells at Los Garza for not being there when Andrade comes in. Escobar doesn’t like Andrade, who is still trying to get into Berto’s head.

Jade Cargill/Tiffany Stratton vs. Nia Jax/Naomi

It’s a big brawl as they start fast, with Jax sending Stratton into the barricade. We settle down to Naomi pulling on Cargill’s arms in the corner but Cargill is back up with a big boot. Jax drops Cargill from behind though and we take a break. Back with Jax crashing onto Cargill for two, allowing Naomi to come in and hammer away. Cargill manages a faceplant and gets the tag off to Stratton to clean house.

Jax cuts her off with a Samoan drop but Stratton gets the knees up to block Naomi’s split legged moonsault. Cargill comes back in for a fireman’s carry flapjack to Naomi and a chokeslam gets two. Jax runs Cargill over but Stratton is in for the save with a Swanton. A missed charge hits Naomi in the corner and Cargill powerbombs Jax out of the corner for the pin at 11:30.

Rating: C+. Cargill got to look good in the end with the powerbomb and staying in the ring for awhile gives her some extra ring time. That should help her a bit, and working with someone experienced like Naomi should help. This is at least a slightly different cast going after the title, even if it’s hard to buy Naomi in this spot after Cargill has beaten her so thoroughly.

Post match Cargill grabs the title but gets decked by Naomi, who holds up the title to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. I wasn’t feeling this show as much as it felt like the show designed to get ready for the other stuff. That being said, we’re coming off last week’s TLC match so taking a bit of a breather isn’t a bad thing. This wasn’t a terrible show or even a bad one, but it was the kind of week where a recap might be better than watching the whole thing.

Results
Damian Priest b. LA Knight via DQ when Solo Sikoa interfered
Fraxiom b. Pretty Deadly – Phoenix splash to Wilson
Aleister Black b. The Miz – Black Mass
Zelina Vega b. Piper Niven – Jackknife rollup
Rey Fenix b. Santos Escobar – Top rope Meteora
Jade Cargill/Tiffany Stratton b. Naomi/Nia Jax – Powerbomb to Jax

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

Smackdown
Date: April 25, 2025
Location: Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, Texas
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re done with Wrestlemania and that means it is time for things to get started again. That could go in a few different directions, but first of all we have a TLC match for the Smackdown Tag Team Titles as the Street Profits are defending against the Motor City Machine Guns and DIY. Other than that, there is a good chance we’ll hear from some of the new (and old) champions. Let’s get to it.

Here is Wrestlemania if you need a recap.

We open with a long Wrestlemania recap, I believe the same one from Raw.

Here is John Cena to get things going and yes, he again has issues with his ring introduction. Before he can say anything, Randy Orton interrupts and gets a rather lengthy entrance. Orton talks about how we are coming up on twenty five years to the day since they first shook hands. In all that time, Cena has not changed because he really was about hustle, loyalty and respect.

Now though, it’s clear that Cena has a void that needs to be filled. There have been all kinds of generations of children looking up to him and that has to mean something to him. Cena holds the record for the most wishes granted in the history of Make-A-Wish but Orton isn’t accepting that they were just numbers. Orton has figured out what Cena needs to fill that void: children. Imagine a bunch of square jawed, big forearmed like Cenas running around! It would make Cena a better man and make him grow up.

Cena accuses Orton of parent shaming him and says he doesn’t have kids because he has spent 25 years raising everyone else’s children. Cena: “Oh great. A six year old just gave me the finger. CLASSY!” That’s why he doesn’t have kids but Orton says they aren’t done yet. Cena has gone Hollywood but the reality is he has nothing without those fans. Orton has done a lot of things in WWE and is a piece of furniture. He is here to stay, but Cena is just a guest.

Cena says he used to think that same way but now he tries to do something else and the fans go for someone else. That is a dysfunctional relationship and pure manipulation from the fans. Orton calls himself stupid (Orton: “Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!”) for thinking he could come out here and make an impact on Cena in this bizarro world where Orton is good and Cena is bad. Wrestling has meant everything to Orton and his family for generations and it will provide for his family until Orton is put in the ground.

Cena is tired of hearing about this and says that the count between them is 17-14. When Cena leaves though, the counter freezes because Orton can win a title, but that puts his count at 1. He wants to erase the three generations of Cena’s family, which is enough for Orton to issue the challenge for a title match right now. Cena says no, but he’s willing to face him at Backlash in St. Louis.

That’s Orton’s hometown so Orton can spend the day with his family and come in at his best. That means when Orton fails, he has no excuses. Cena says this is as close to the title as Orton is going to get, and then he throws it at him to start the beating. The belt shot is loaded up but Orton ducks and hits the RKO. This was an exchange between two guys who have been tied together for twenty years so they didn’t have much new to say. That being said, they absolutely had to run this match one last time and having the dynamic reversed could be interesting.

Video on Fraxiom (Nathan Frazer/Axiom), former NXT Tag Team Champions who are officially on Smackdown. They’ve dominated the NXT tag team division for a long time now so it makes sense to move them up. There is nothing left for them to do in NXT.

Orton vs. Cena is set for Backlash.

Fraxiom vs. Los Garza

Fraxiom starts fast and clears the ring, setting up some dives to the floor to take Los Garza out. A low bridge sends Axiom outside though and we take an early break. Back with Frazer getting the hot tag to come in and pick up the pace. Frazer gets quite the running start for a forearm to Berto into a Sling Blade. Angel comes in off a blind tag to kick Frazer down and the villains take over. Axiom has to make a save before coming in to strike it out with Angel. They go up top where Axiom hits his super Spanish Fly, setting up Frazer’s 450 for the pin at 8:24.

Rating: B-. Pretty much a perfect start for Fraxiom on the main roster as they got to do what they do best and it worked here. Fraxiom works best when they are flying all over the place and going at a breakneck pace. Putting them in there with Los Garza is a good way to go and they were fun opponents for Fraxiom to start things off.

Here is Tiffany Stratton to brag about retaining her title. There were moments when she wasn’t sure what was going to happen, but she kept hearing that she would be the next Charlotte. The reality is there will only be one Tiffany Stratton. Cue Jade Cargill (oh dear) to interrupt, saying that while Stratton’s win was impressive, it just put a bigger target on her back. It’s time for Cargill to show why she’s here because it’s time to be a champion. Stratton is ready to go right now so get a referee. Cue said referee and we’re ready to go.

Tiffany Stratton vs. Jade Cargill

Non-title. Cargill grabs an early rollup for two so Stratton offers a handshake. That’s enough to pull Cargill into a headlock before an armdrag seems to annoy her. A backbreaker puts Stratton down but she’s right back up with a running hip attack in the ropes. Cargill rolls her up for two but gets caught with a handspring elbow in the corner for the same.

We take a break and come back with Stratton hitting a Regal Roll but slipping on the Prettiest Moonsault Ever. The distraction lets Cargill roll away and hit a sitout powerbomb for two. A basement dropkick gives Stratton two but Cargill is back up with a superplex. Cue Naomi to jump Cargill for the DQ at 10:14.

Rating: B-. Well you knew that wasn’t going to have a clean finish, as it shouldn’t as you don’t want either of them to take a loss here as it’s so soon after Wrestlemania. At the same time, Naomi coming after Cargill again so soon doesn’t quite fit, as Cargill won pretty definitively at Wrestlemania. Let Cargill move on, because she can only destroy Naomi so much.

Post match Naomi beats Cargill down until Stratton chases her off. Then Nia Jax returns, because THIS needs to happen again.

Here is Jacob Fatu, with Solo Sikoa, for a chat. Sikoa introduces Fatu and says he is the only one who wants him. The thing is, Fatu wouldn’t be here without Sikoa, because he brought Fatu here. He wouldn’t be the champion without….and Fatu takes the mic. Fatu says he was going to bring the title to the family with or without Sikoa and that’s what he has done. The title makes him America’s most wanted and a menace to society, but you better get in where you fit in.

Cue LA Knight to say that he dropped Fatu on his head and Fatu had to grab the rope. It can happen to anyone on any night but he wants the title back. Cue Drew McIntyre to say it is hard to be him: tall, dark, handsome and with big guns. He just went through a violent match at Wrestlemania and he just wants to say it was a pleasure to embarrass Damian Priest. The next plan was to challenge John Cena but Randy Orton cut the line again.

It’s always Nepo Wrestling Entertainment and speaking of which, hi Bloodline. McIntyre wants to fight the baddest champion around here but Knight says let him know when this mush mouth is done. McIntyre calls Knight’s latest title reign a joke. Knight says he would say something about McIntyre’s latest title reign but he can’t remember it. The challenge is on but cue Nick Aldis to say not so fast. Tonight, it’s McIntyre vs. Knight in a #1 contenders match. Having big names wanting title shots is just going to increase Fatu’s status and that is great to see.

Zelina Vega is ready to go big or go home tonight.

Women’s United States Title: Zelina Vega vs. Chelsea Green

Green, with the Secret Hervice, is defending. They start fast with Green being sent outside, where the Hervice takes Vega down. We take a break and come back with both of them down for a breather. Vega fights up with a spinning back elbow into the corner, setting up a middle rope Meteora for two. The 619 is broken up and the referee sees the Hervice interfering, which is enough for the double ejection. Vega grabs a Code Red for the pin and the title at 7:14.

Rating: C. I’m not sure on this one, but after Vega lost so many times already, it was time to either give her some gold or move on. I really don’t like Green, who has been outstanding in this role, to lose, but if it gives her something new to complain about, she should be fine. The match was nothing to see, but I’m going to need to see some fallout to see if this feels like a good idea.

We look at Carmelo Hayes winning the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal last week.

Miz is proud of Hayes winning and that’s why he sacrificed himself last week. Now, he has a gift for Hayes: a rather large Andre head necklace. Miz is so inspired that he wants to show everyone something in the ring.

Here is the Miz, in a snazzy white suit, for a chat. He has been a featured part of Wrestlemania since 2007 but this year, he was nowhere to be seen. Miz main evented Wrestlemania and successfully defended the title against John Cena, which even Cody Rhodes couldn’t do.

When Rey Mysterio was injured, Miz doesn’t get the spot but rather someone who has been here two weeks. When Kevin Owens got hurt, an internet meme got his spot instead. He is sick and tired of people showing up and getting his spot…and the lights go out. A bunch of candles are on the stage and Aleister Black is back, complete with riser and theme song. The fans say WELCOME BACK so Miz goes after him, only to get kicked in the head. Black coming back was hardly a surprise, but it’s going to depend on how he’s used. He has talent, but it isn’t going to matter if he’s totally unfocused again.

Bianca Belair has a few broken fingers from Wrestlemania but she is so proud of the match she had with Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky. Belair is fine with what Sky did at Wrestlemania but Ripley slid into a match where she didn’t belong. For now though, Belair is focused on healing so she can get back home on Smackdown.

Nia Jax doesn’t care about Naomi’s quest for revenge, but Naomi tells her to proceed with caution. Jax is confused.

LA Knight vs. Drew McIntyre

For a future US Title shot. They take turns taking each other down and showing off the double biceps to start. A belly to back suplex drops McIntyre for two but Knight is knocked off the apron and into the barricade for a crash. Back in and a shot to the ribs gives McIntyre two and he fires off some knees to keep Knight down.

Knight manages a snap suplex into a jumping neckbreaker out of the corner for two. They go outside with Knight sending him into the announcers’ table over and over. Back in and…cue Solo Sikoa to Samoan Spike Knight. McIntyre sees it and isn’t pleased but loads up the Claymore anymore. Cue Damian Priest to pull McIntyre out for the DQ at 9:24.

Rating: B-. Knight was hanging in there and thankfully he didn’t get pinned. In theory this should make McIntyre the #1 contender, but at the same time it wouldn’t surprise me to see Nick Aldis say “that’s not what I meant”, which wouldn’t be a terrible way to go. Otherwise, I again approve of Knight being in the ring with some bigger names, as he has earned that kind of a spot.

Post match the brawl is on, with Priest chokeslamming McIntyre through the announcers’ table. Priest and Knight get in an argument but Jacob Fatu shows up with a huge suicide dive to take both of them out. Fatu’s triple jump moonsaults leave everyone laying as he again looks like the biggest monster in the world.

We look at Bron Breakker becoming a Paul Heyman Guy.

R-Truth comes up to John Cena and offers his help anytime. Cena walks off without saying anything. Jimmy Uso comes in to ask when Cena changed (as apparently he hasn’t been watching for weeks). R-Truth says there are two sides to every story and he wants to be Cena when he grows up. Jimmy: “But you are grown up.” This is called “explaining the joke” and it’s not a good idea.

Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. Motor City Machine Guns vs. DIY

The Profits are defending in a TLC match. It’s a brawl to start (of course) and Dawkins gets to clean house with the ladder on the floor. Back in and the brawling continues, with Ciampa (sans beard for a WEIRD look) getting in some ladder shots of his own. Dawkins is tied in the Tree of Woe for some shots to the ribs before a bunch of people head outside. Ford hits a big flip dive onto a bunch of them and Shelley comes up favoring his arm.

Ford goes up but gets Downward Spiraled down by Gargano. Dawkins cuts Ciampa off and gives Gargano a Big Ending off the ladder for a crash to the floor. A brainbuster puts Shelley through an open chair but Dawkins blocks a double suplex onto a pair of chairs. Instead Dawkins hits the swinging butterfly suplex onto the chairs and Ford busts out the huge flip dive over the ropes for a Doomsday Blockbuster onto the pile.

A fan whips out a prosthetic leg for a bonus weapon and a ladder is bridged between the ring and the barricade. Shelley hits a big frog splash to put Dawkins through a table at ringside, followed by Ford hitting a huge running Swanton through Ciampa through a table on the floor. That doesn’t work for Ciampa, who is back up with an Air Raid Crash to send Ford through a ladder and a lot of people are down again.

Skull And Bones puts Gargano through a table, leaving Ciampa to go up top but the Guns move the ladder. Ciampa is hanging from the ladder so Dawkins goes up and spears him down, through a table because of course. Sabin and Gargano go up top with Sabin knocking him down but Ford springboards up the ladder. Gargano pulls him down though and ties him in the ladder for a superkick. Sabin and Gargano go up top but Ford climbs the SIDE of the ladder and knocks both of them down, allowing Ford to pull the titles down and retain at 22:52.

Rating: A-. Yeah I’d call this a winner. It was six guys beating the living daylights out of each other and just trying to go totally insane. That’s what we had here and it worked incredibly well. The ending was creative and Ford looked great in his win, which made for a solid ending. This wasn’t meant to be anything more than a long car crash and they did it very well. Leaving this on Wrestlemania was a great idea, as it gets to stand out on its own here rather than being on the packed Wrestlemania card. Awesome main event.

Overall Rating: B+. That main event alone is enough to carry a bunch of this show and it was pretty entertaining throughout. Orton and Cena’s segment was long and only so good, but at least it set up a big match in short order. The rest of the show was your usual collection of debuts, returns and surprises, with the big TLC main event to wrap it up. Rather great show, though I’m not sure they’ll be able to do this again next week.

Results
Fraxiom b. Los Garza – 450 to Angel
Jade Cargill b. Tiffany Stratton via DQ when Naomi interfered
Zelina Vega b. Chelsea Green – Code Red
Drew McIntyre b. LA Knight via DQ when Jacob Fatu interfered
Street Profits b. Motor City Machine Guns and DIY – Ford pulled down the titles

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

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Stand & Deliver 2025
Date: April 19, 2025
Location: T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, Nevada
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T., Corey Graves

It’s the biggest show of the year and the card is stacked enough. The show features a variety of matches and most of the titles are on the line. The main event is Je’Von Evans and Trick Williams challenging Oba Femi for the NXT Title. Since it’s Wrestlemania Weekend, there’s a ladder match in there too. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Gigi Dolin/Tatum Paxley vs. Fatal Influence vs. Meta Four vs. Roxanne Perez/Cora Jade

Elimination rules and the winners get a Women’s Tag Team Title shot on Tuesday. Perez is a bit scared to start with Legend, who knocks her into the corner for the tag off to Dolin. Legend comes in to hammer away and it’s already off to Jade as everything breaks down. Legend’s toss into Jackson’s sitout powerbomb gets two on Paxley with Dolin making the save. All eight get in to brawl and it’s time for the dives to the floor. Jade DDTs Jackson on the floor, leaving Perez to counter a powerbomb into Pop Rox to pin Jackson at 7:31.

Jade comes in for a running neckbreaker to Jayne…as Perez walks out. Dolin and Paxley get a double rollup to pin Jade at 9:33. We’re down to two and Paxley and Dolin get a double submission on Nyx, with Henley making the save. A running knee gets two on Dolin with Paxley making a save of her own. Henley is knocked outside and the Cemetery Drive finishes Jayne at 12:50.

Rating: C+. I can always go for the elimination rules to make things more interesting and they definitely helped here. Paxley and Dolin might not be likely to win the titles but they’re a fun team that the fans can get behind. The bigger story here is Perez walking out, which is likely going to see her move up to the main roster. It’s not like she has anything else to do around here.

The opening video looks at Las Vegas and how things have gone from nothing into gold. Now the thirst for that gold is as strong as ever. It’s all about winning the titles, with a look at the lineup, including the non-title match.

North American Title: Ricky Saints vs. Ethan Page

Saints is defending and starts fast with a jumping enziguri. The dancing Old School drops Page again but a tornado DDT is broken up. Page powerslams him onto the apron for a nasty crash and they go back inside. Some forearms to the back have Saints in more trouble and a suplex gets two. Saints fights up and knocks Page to the floor but a dive hits the announcers’ table.

The Boston crab goes on back inside but Saints escapes and fires off the shots to the face. That earns him a ram into the turnbuckle, followed by a suplex over the top for another nasty crash. Back in and a springboard tornado DDT cuts Page off but he slams Saints out of the corner for two more. Saints manages a spinning reverse DDT and goes up, where he gets caught by Page, only to come back with a powerbomb. Page knocks him down again though and hits the Ego’s Edge for a near fall. The Twisted Grin is blocked though and Saints hits the spear. Roshambo retains the title at 12:38.

Rating: B-. Saints continues to look good when he is given the chance out there and Page is a good choice for an opponent, as he can work well enough with anyone. This was Saints’ latest showcase as it’s clear that the company thinks pretty highly of him. That’s all this needed to be and the fans certainly liked it well enough.

Tag Team Titles: Fraxiom vs. Hank & Tank

Fraxiom is defending after Hank & Tank won a gauntlet match to get the shot. Axiom and Hank start things off with Hank not quite being able to keep up with him. Frazer comes in and gets double teamed down, setting up Tank’s backsplash for two. It’s back to Axiom as everything breaks down and Axiom hits a running kick to Hank for two more. A shot to the face wakes Hank up and he blasts Axiom with a clothesline.

Frazer comes back in for a rather fast running forearm into the running shooting star press for two. Hank fights out of a sleeper and hands it back to Tank to clean house. Everything breaks down again and the Golden Ratio hits Tank. Axiom takes out Hank with a dive on the floor, setting up a frog splash into a 450 for two more (that’s a bit of a stretch). Tank comes back in and an assisted splash hits Frazer for another near fall.

Frazer is sent outside so Hank tries a big suicide dive, only to crash onto the table (which doesn’t break). Back in and a high/low gets two on Tank followed by the super Spanish Fly into the phoenix splash for two with Hank diving in for the save. Frazer Sling Blades Hank but misses a phoenix splash. Tank dives onto Axiom as Hank hits a Boss Man Slam on Frazer. The powerslam/neckbreaker combination gives us new champions at 13:57.

Rating: B. Yeah this worked, with both teams doing rather well and the title change coming in a big upset. I’m not huge on Hank & Tank but they’ve been telling a story and have come a very long way. Fraxiom is likely on the way to the main roster, as there is absolutely nothing left for them to do in NXT. Let them be added to the Raw tag division, which needs the fresh blood.

Respect is shown post match as Fraxiom leaves.

Penn Jillette (of Penn and Teller fame) is here and talks about how some wrestlers don’t believe they can do magic. Cue Lexis King, with the Heritage Cup, who says he’s too much of an intellectual. The Cup is put in a cage and a curtain is pulled down. Then the Cup is replaced by Teller, who is yeeting.

Women’s North American Title: Sol Ruca vs. Izzi Dame vs. Kelani Jordan vs. Lola Vice vs. Thea Hail vs. Zaria

Ladder match for the vacant title. They waste no time in going for the ladders, with Jordan dropkicking one out of the ring. Dame drives Zaria into the steps with a ladder as Ruca gets one set up in the ring. Hail tornado DDTs Ruca to cut her down so Jordan comes up, with Vice pulling one leg away. That lets Jordan do the splits in the air but Zaria is back in with some spears. Dame ladders Zaria down and then suplexes her onto the ladder but Vice is back up.

Jordan takes her down and gets in some shots on the floor. One Of A Kind onto Zaria onto the ladder sends Zaria outside, leaving Jordan alone to climb the big ladder. That’s broken up and Vice starts striking away, only to have a spinning backfist hit ladder. Dame is back up to clean house, including a chokeslam to Jordan. Dame plants Ruca off the ladder and Hale plants Vice onto the ladder. Jordan is sent into a ladder and Hail goes up but Dame pulls the ladder away. A Kimura on top of the ladder has Dame in trouble and here is the Culling.

Hale is too far away from the title so Zaria tips the ladder over, sending Hale crashing onto the Culling. Ruca saves Zaria from getting crushed with the ladder (Graves: “Why?”) and a ladder is bridged into the standing one. Jordan and Ruca are shoved off the ladder so Zaria climbs, even with Vice on her back. That’s broken up and Jordan splashes Vice onto the bridged ladder.

The bridge is broken up and Ruca springboards up onto the ladder ala Shelton Benjamin. Zaria throws Jordan onto the pile at ringside and climbs up with Ruca. They slug it out on top of the ladder with Ruca getting knocked down. Then she pulls herself up to kick Zaria down, followed by something like Skinning The Cat onto the top of the ladder. Some Sol Snatchers drop various other people, allowing Ruca to get the title at 14:39.

Rating: B-. It’s a multi person ladder match so you know about what you’re going to get here. Ruca got to do all of her insane athletic stuff and wins in the end, though it still only means so much when it’s in a ladder match. As usual, it’s hard to really stand out in a match like this but they did enough big spots to keep things fun.

We look at the Kickoff Show match.

Gigi Dolin and Tatum Paxley are happy to get their title shot, no matter who the champions are next week.

We recap Darkstate vs. the D’Angelo Family. Darkstate has attacked various people including the Family, meaning it’s time for revenge. The video focuses on how much D’Angelo loves and needs the members of the Family. That doesn’t sound good, especially after D’Angelo and Stacks have been having issues lately.

Darkstate vs. D’Angelo Family

Cutler James is the odd Darkstater out and the brawl starts on the floor. D’Angelo winds up surrounded in the ring but he comes out fighting anyway. The rest of the Family make the save and it’s a Shatter Machine to James. We get the opening bell and it’s Lennox starting with Stacks. Crusifino comes in with a slingshot shoulder and it’s Griffin coming in to knock Crusifino outside.

A whip into the apron has Crusifino in more trouble and they go inside where Lennox can hit a faceplant for two. Crusifino gets in a shot of his own and Stacks gets the tag (which D’Angelo wanted) to clean house. Griffin knocks Stacks outside though and sends him flying into the timekeeper’s area. Back in and Lennox hits a spinebuster, setting up Shuggars’ bodyscissors, as D’Angelo is looking livid on the apron.

Stacks fights up and manages a tag to D’Angelo, who gets fired up to make the comeback. Some spinebusters ensue but the numbers game catches up with D’Angelo. Crusifino crashes out to the floor, leaving Lennox to Jackhammer D’Angelo for two. A top rope triplebomb gets two with Stacks making the save. Everything breaks down and Riz gets in a dive on the floor to help with the effort. Griffin gets planted for two but Stacks has an idea. Stacks busts out some crowbars but D’Angelo doesn’t want to do it that way.

Shuggars knees Stacks into D’Angelo but he’s back up for the save. Stacks and D’Angelo are fine enough but James gets one of the crowbars on the floor. The referee breaks that up and Stacks crowbars Shuggars. D’Angelo isn’t pleased but shoves Stacks away from a shot from behind. Stacks and D’Angelo hug….and Stacks kicks him low. The toss triplebomb finishes D’Angelo at 13:12.

Rating: B-. This was all about Stacks and that’s not a bad way to go. That’s what they have been teasing for weeks now and they finally pulled the trigger after a nice tease of not going there. I’m not sure what this means for the future of the Family, but Stacks leaving opens up some fresh doors. At the same time, Darkstate look like players around here and that’s a good opening for the next little while.

Hank & Tank are fired up over their win.

We recap the Women’s Title match, with Stephanie Vaquer defending against three challengers. Jaida Parker and Jordynne Grace fought an an inconclusive result and Giulia wants the title back.

Women’s Title: Jaida Parker vs. Jordynne Grace vs. Giulia vs. Stephanie Vaquer

Vaquer is defending. They start fast with Parker taking over but not being able to hit a double team on Grace and Vaquer. We get the big Giulia vs Vaquer staredown, which is broken up again. Grace and Vaquer have their own staredown, with Vaquer chopping away and having her springboard broken up. Giulia is back in to unload on Parker, including a pump kick for two. Parker is back up to shoulder away at Vaquer but the top rope tear drop is broken up.

Grace comes back in and puts Giulia and Vaquer in an electric chair (geez) and a double Doomsday Blockbuster from Parker (who almost landed on her head). Vaquer’s figure four necklock faceplant (BIG pop for that) is broken up by Grace, who powers her down and then hits a Jackhammer on Giulia. Grace suplexes Parker, who suplexes Giulia and they pair off. Giulia missile dropkicks Grace and it’s time for the slugout with Vaquer.

A headbutt staggers Vaquer, who is right back with another attempt at the figure four necklock faceplants. Instead Giulia hits a stomp but Parker is back with a running Blockbuster. Parker puts all three in the corner for a triple Tear Drop, meaning we get some high stepping. The quadruple submission goes on for some near taps, only for Vaquer to send everyone into the corner for some running shots.

A dragon screw legwhip gets two on Giulia and NOW the faceplants (the Devil’s Kiss, which is a lot easier to type) connect on all three challengers as the fans are WAY into this. The SVB is broken up and Giulia knees Vaquer outside. The Juggernaut Driver hits Giulia but Parker breaks it up with the Hipnotique. Parker comes up favoring her hip and gets rolled up for two. Another Hipnotique hits Giulia but Vaquer is back in with the SVB to Parker to retain at 16:30.

Rating: B. Vaquer gets another big win to keep her title, the showdown with Giulia is still on the table, Parker’s charisma is still incredible, and Grace is still really strong. This was throwing almost all of the top of the division into one match and that’s a good way to make things feel important. I’m good with Vaquer winning as she hasn’t been champion long and she still has a lot of singles matches ready to go in the near future.

Lexis King is looking for the Heritage Cup but can’t find anything.

A limping Stacks leaves but Luca Crusifino pops up to ask what was going on. Stacks says he’ll explain later and keep your phone on so Stacks can text him. With that, Stacks drives away, leaving Crusifino confused.

We recap the main event. Oba Femi is the monster NXT Champion, Trick Williams wants his title back, and Je’Von Evans is here too, despite not really being close to their level. Evans has gotten in some good verbal jabs to Williams though and Femi is sick of hearing from both of them.

NXT Title: Oba Femi vs. Je’Von Evans vs. Trick Williams

Femi is defending and Evans’ early attempt at a double springboard cutter is cut off. Femi runs both of them over but gets dropkicked out to the floor, with Williams offering a low bridge. Evans knocks Williams down again but Femi is back in to Samoan drop both of them at the same time. Femi knocks Williams down again, only to walk into a springboard clothesline from Evans. Williams gives Evans a Falcon Arrow for two and knocks Femi down for a bonus.

A neckbreaker puts Femi down again and Williams stares at Evans. They both jump at each other and crash with Williams getting two as commentary isn’t sure what they did. With the other two on the floor, Williams hits a big dive for the double knockdown. Evans is back up with a bottom rope moonsault to take Williams out, followed by a hurricanrana back inside. Femi is back inside too so Evans springboard flip dives onto both of them for two.

The Tower Of Doom brings everyone down and Femi is ready to get fired up. Some running shots in the corner rock Williams, who is right back with a spinning kick to the face. Evans makes the save and rolls Williams up for two, followed by a frog splash to Femi, who grabs him by the throat. The chokeslam is countered into a cutter for two and a standing Sliced Bread gives Evans two. Williams pulls Femi to the floor, where Femi drops him without much trouble.

Back in and Evans slams Femi, setting up the top rope cutter for two, with Williams being way too late trying to make a save. The referee gets bumped and Evans takes out Williams before countering the Fall From Grace. Femi is ticked off and sends Evans through the barricade, only to walk into a Rock Bottom through the announcers’ table.

Back in and the Trick Shot hits Evans but Femi holds the referee from getting back in. The referee kicks Femi away (oh that didn’t look good) but Femi dives in for the save anyway. Evans dives onto Femi but walks into the Trick Shot. Femi powerbombs Williams onto Evans and then hits a sitout powerbomb to Evans to retain at 16:48.

Rating: B+. I wasn’t wild on this match coming in but they left it all in the ring and had a heck of a showdown. Evans is an athletic freak and can do all kinds of impressive things in the ring. Williams was his usual impressive self, but there is something amazing about Femi activating Beast Mode and smashing everyone. That’s what we saw here and while I still could have gone for Williams vs. Femi, this was very good stuff.

Overall Rating: B. I would say this one exceeded expectations as I did not expect much from it coming in and they delivered rather well. The main event is very good and the rest of the show is good enough for a look. NXT needs a few more tweaks, but they had enough here to keep things going and there are stories set up for the next few weeks. Rather good show here and better than I was expecting.

Results
Tatum Paxley/Gigi Dolin b. Meta Four, Roxanne Perez/Cora Jade and Fatal Influence – Cemetery Drive to Jayne
Ricky Saints b. Ethan Page – Roshambo
Hank & Tank b. Fraxiom – Powerslam/neckbreaker combination to Frazer
Sol Ruca b. Izzi Dame, Kelani Jordan, Lola Vice, Thea Hail and Zaria – Ruca pulled down the title
Darkstate b. D’Angelo Family – Toss triplebomb to D’Angelo
Stephanie Vaquer b. Jaida Parker, Giulia and Jordynne Grace – SVB to Parker
Oba Femi b. Je’Von Evans and Trick Williams – Sitout powerbomb to Evans

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

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NXT
Date: April 15, 2025
Location: Capitol One Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T., Corey Graves

It’s the last show before Stand & Deliver and there are still some spots that need to be filled in. The main thing that needs to be done is filling in the final spots in the women’s ladder match, but there is always the chance that another match can be added. Other than that, the already announced card has some build to be done so let’s get to it.

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

Ethan Page vs. Eddy Thorpe vs. Lexis King vs. Wes Lee

Non-title and the winner gets a North American Title shot on Saturday, so here is Ricky Saints to join commentary. It’s a brawl to start until King gets triple teamed for an early beating. Thorpe drops all of them and a suplex gets two on King. Lee gets to take over for a bit and drops everyone but King avoids some charges to send everyone else into the corner.

Thorpe gets low bridged to the floor and a Codebreaker in the ropes gives King two on Lee. Back in and Lee puts everyone else down with a Tower Of Doom before a running shooting star press gets two on Page. Lee’s suicide dive hits King and Page sends Thorpe into Saints. That’s enough for Saints to get ejected and we take an early break.

Back with Page cleaning house and getting a Boston crab on King. Thorpe puts a crossface on King at the same time so Lee has to dive in to break up the tap. With the holds broken up, King gets caught in an electric chair, with Lee adding a Whisper In The Wind to take everyone out. Page and Lee slug it out until Thorpe Meteoras Lee, only to get caught with the Coronation. Page is right back up with the Twisted Grin to pin King at 12:21.

Rating: B. Fast paced and action packed opener here, with Page getting the title shot in the match that had already been set up. The good thing is that they had enough going on here to make you think there was a chance someone else could win, which is a nice bonus. Page makes the most sense though and it should make for a good title match.

Post match Page taunts Saints, who runs back in for a spear.

Jordynne Grace talks about starting out in wrestling and knowing she needed something else. This involved turning her body into a wall of muscle and becoming something that you couldn’t find anywhere else. She got to TNA and is now in WWE and knows what she has to do to win her first WWE title this weekend.

Various women talk about how they’re going to win the Women’s North American Title.

Women’s North American Title Qualifying Match: Tatum Paxley vs. Lola Vice

Gigi Dolin is here with Paxley. Vice takes her down to the mat to start but can’t get something like a crossface. Paxley reverses into an armbar but has to get out of a triangle choke. We take a break and come back with Vice cutting off a charge in the corner, setting up some rapid fire kicks. The running hip attack gets two on Paxley, who is right back with a running crossbody in the corner. Paxley catches her on top and pulls her down but the Psycho Trap is blocked. Instead, Vice hits the spinning backfist for the fast pin at 9:59.

Rating: C+. It feels like Vice hasn’t been around much lately and hopefully this is the start of something else for her. I’m not sure how likely she is to win the title, but at least she’s going to be on the show again. Paxley and Dolin are seemingly just a low level tag team at the moment and I don’t quite see a ton of upside there.

Giulia was tired of waiting for Stephanie Vaquer and she’s back for revenge and her title. Jaida Parker is confident but Giulia will show her how to take pain. Jordynne Grace is strong, but Giulia will introduce her to strong style.

The women’s division argues in the back so Ava makes a four way women’s tag match for Stand & Deliver, with the winner getting a Women’s Tag Team Title shot next week. Roxanne Perez needs a partner.

Tag Team Gauntlet Match

For the title shot at Stand & Deliver. Hank & Tank is in at #1 and Tyson DuPont/Tyriek Igwe are in at #2. Vic says this is the matchup that we have all been waiting for and…I really don’t think that’s true. Anyway Tank and DuPont lock up to start with DuPont taking over and handing it off to Igwe. That’s broken up and it’s back to Hank for the house cleaning, including the powerslam/neckbreaker combination to pin Igwe at 1:40.

The Culling is in at #3 with Hank & Tank taking it right to them. A running seated senton gets two on Jensen and we take a break. Back with Hank in trouble but getting in a clothesline to drop Vance. The referee doesn’t see the tag though and an assisted powerslam gets two on Hank. As tends to be the case, Hank breaks away rather shortly thereafter and the hot tag brings in Tank. House is cleaned but Tank gets caught in an electric chair. Jensen goes up but Tank powerslams him out of the air for the pin at 10:10 total.

The No Quarter Catch Crew are in at #4 and go right after the tired Hank & Tank. Heights grabs a chinlock but Tank jawbreaks his way to freedom, allowing Hank to come back in to make the comeback. Borne hits a big flip dive to take Hank & Tank down though and we take a break.

Back again with Heights suplexing Tank and hitting a crossbody for two. Hank pulls Borne outside though and Tank gets a rollup pin on Heights at 17:59. Josh Briggs and Yoshiki Inamura are in at #5 (the last team) and start hammering away on Hank. Everything breaks down and Hank & Tank pull themselves up, with Hank getting a quick small package to pin Briggs and win at 20:47.

Rating: C+. I still don’t care much for Hank & Tank but they did have a story here and it fits to see them coming back and beating so many teams who had beaten them. The fans are getting into them as well and it makes sense to have them get the shot here. It was a bunch of rollups and quick wins, but I’ll take it over a team being randomly thrown out there.

Evolve’s Kali Armstrong is ready for her main event but Ava teases that she has a surprise for the qualifying match for the final spot in the Women’s North American Title ladder match.

Oba Femi arrives….and Darkstate is following him.

Jaida Parker knows that looking the part isn’t the same as being the best. She knows the pressure and is ready to move up to the next level. She lost her best friend when her uncle passed away and she knows she can lose anyone. Now she just needs the big game situation.

The D’Angelo Family, minus Tony D’Angelo (as this was Stacks’ call) gets in a fight with Darkstate in the parking lot, which goes inside. Various weapons are used and some Evolve wrestlers are beaten up before they crash through a wall. A fire extinguisher goes off and Luca Crusifino is slammed onto a car. Cue D’Angelo himself with a crowbar to clear out Darkstate. Cops arrive and D’Angelo yells at Stacks for going over his head. D’Angelo has gotten the match set up for Stand & Deliver. Stacks understands that he went too far.

Stephanie Vaquer is ready for the biggest match of her life. We see her going back to her native Chile as champion and talking about how important this was for her.

Hank & Tank are ready to win and Fraxiom come in to say they’re ready.

Roxanne Perez has found a tag partner: herself! That doesn’t work for Ava, but Cora Jade comes in to tease being her partner.

Stand & Deliver rundown.

Andre Chase is scared about ruining Uriah Connors and Kale Dixon but Thea Hail comes in to say Chase didn’t ruin her. She’s ready to win the Women’s North American Title. This would have been a better surprise if Hail hadn’t been shown in a graphic before the break.

Women’s North American Title Qualifying Match: Karmen Petrovic vs. Thea Hail

Ashante Thee Adonis is here with Petrovic and they trade rollups to start. Petrovic gets knocked to the floor but cuts off Hail’s dive. Hail makes the comeback without much trouble and a spinning double underhook slam plants Petrovic. The Kimura finishes Petrovic at 2:41. That’s a great return, but it gets Hail into a ladder match, which doesn’t work as well.

Here is Trick Williams to say he’ll win the NXT Title. Cue Oba Femi to say that Williams is a broken record, saying the same things he has said for months. No one is singing along though, because the spotlight has moved on. Williams seems ready to fight but Je’Von Evans comes in to tell Williams to shut up. Evans says Williams is dismissed and turns his attention to the Rules. Evans has dropped Femi a few times lately and knows it is a matter of time before Femi goes up to the main roster.

Femi was a star at the University Of Alabama (Femi: “Roll Tide.”) but Evans is a kid from North Carolina and shouldn’t have gotten here. Femi says being champion means he is the top dog and Evans is a CHILD. Williams is ready to fight again and Evans is sent to the floor so the other two can brawl. Evans dives in to take both of them out though and holds up the title to end the show. This was about all you needed for a final push towards the title match, with Evans getting a chance to shine over the two much bigger stars.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a more active than usual go home show as they had a return with Hail and some matches being added. Other than that, we had a few more qualifying matches, because it’s Wrestlemania season so there will be qualifying matches everywhere. Finally though, you had the usual final push towards the show and I’m more interested in seeing Stand & Deliver than I was coming in so call it well done.

Results
Ethan Page b. Eddy Thorpe, Lexis King and Wes Lee – Twisted Grin to King
Lola Vice b. Tatum Paxley – Spinning backfist
Hank & Tank won a tag team gauntlet match last eliminating Josh Briggs/Yoshiki Inamura
Thea Hail b. Karmen Petrovic – Kimura

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

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NXT
Date: April 8, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Corey Graves, Booker T.

We are less than two weeks away from Stand & Deliver and this week’s show is going to be focused on the main event. In this case we have a six man tag between the three people involved in the Stand & Deliver main event and the debuting Dark State. That could go in a variety of ways so let’s get to it.

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

Stephanie Vaquer will announce her opponent for Stand & Deliver after this match.

Jordynne Grace vs. Jaida Parker

Stephanie Vaquer is on commentary. They get in a fight to start and head outside for some rams into the apron. Back in and Grace hits a Death Valley Driver for two before heading out to the apron. Neither can drop the other so Parker hits a TKO onto the top rope. A Blockbuster gives Parker two and she sits on Grace in the corner (setting up that high step, which is an awesome signature taunt).

We take a break and come back with Parker blocking a sunset bomb but getting caught in….well Grace loaded her up for a Tombstone but flipped her backwards onto her back (that was cool). Grace drops her face first onto the turnbuckle and gets two off a neckbreaker. The Juggernaut Driver is blocked so Grace sends her to the floor, where a suicide dive doesn’t work as her foot gets caught in the ropes. Thankfully she’s ok as Parker slaps Vaquer, who swings and hits Grace by mistake. That’s enough for the referee to throw it out at 10:03.

Rating: B-. As much as I like both of them, my goodness I do not want another triple threat over Wrestlemania Weekend. They are hammering those things into the ground this year and that’s where it seems we’re going with this one too. Parker continues to feel like a star and if she can back it up in the ring, they have something special with her. Grace isn’t exactly bad either, but please don’t just throw them both in there with Vaquer.

Post match the brawl stays on but Giulia makes her return and helps Vaquer clear the ring. Then Giulia lays out Vaquer and holds up the title. Vaquer never announcers her challenger.

We look back at Ricky Saints winning the North American Title last week in a star making performance, only to be taken out by Ethan Page after the match.

Swipe Right interrupt Hank & Tank and offer them advice after their match tonight. Hank: “We’re not that desperate…are we?” Tank: “No Hank.”

The Culling wants the North American Title back but Shawn Spears says he is happy with what he did and it’s time for the rest of the team to succeed.

Fraxiom vs. Swipe Right

Non-title and Swipe Right (Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes) are the heel pretty boy team from Evolve. Smokes dropkicks Axiom off the apron to start and Baylor comes in for a Hennig necksnap on Frazer. Back up and Axiom helps clear the ring, with Fraxiom hitting stereo dives to the floor. Axiom hammers away on Baylor in the corner but Smokes comes in off a blind tag and hits a spear.

A springboard X Factor gives Baylor two as Graves busts out a Julius Smokes reference for your obscure independent wrestling name drop of the week. Frazer comes back in and hits a running shooting star press but gets kneed in the face. An assisted swinging double underhook neckbreaker drops Frazer but Axiom is back in to clean house. The super Spanish Fly into the Phoenix splash finishes Smokes at 5:12.

Rating: B-. For a pair of rookies who are from the most minor of minor league shows, Swipe Right looked pretty good in there against one of the best teams going today. This was a rather nice performance from the newcomers and while they might not be ready to move up, they certainly made a nice first impression. That’s a good thing to see, though I’m almost worried about who is coming for the titles next.

Fatal Influence bickers over who will get the Women’s North American Title.

Women’s North American Title Qualifying Match: Sol Ruca vs. Jazmyn Nyx

The rest of Fatal Influence and Zaria are here too. Ruca starts fast by fighting out of a headlock and sending her into the corner. A suplex into something like a moonsault Meteora gives Ruca two but a springboard splash hits raised boots. Nyx stomps away and grabs a fisherman’s suplex for two. A running knee gives Nyx two more but Ruca is back with a spinning belly to back faceplant. Ruca’s running knee gets two but Henley offers a distraction, allowing Nyx to kick Ruca in the face for two. Back up and the Sol Snatcher finishes Nyx at 5:04.

Rating: C+. Fatal Influence is starting to fall apart and that isn’t the best sign for their future. Other than that, Ruca moving on is a good idea to go with, as having her hit the Sol Snatcher off a ladder should be fun. I’m not sure if she’s going to win the title, but it’s nice to see her getting a win in a match that matters in some way.

Je’Von Evans is coming for the NXT Title but tonight, he’s taking out Dark State.

Giulia wants a rematch with Stephanie Vaquer at Stand & Deliver.

Culling vs. Hank & Tank

Hank & Tank start fast to clean house until we settle down with Tank working on Jensen’s arm. Vance breaks it up though and Jensen comes back with a neckbreaker for two. Tank fights out of the chinlock and Hank gets the tag to fight back. Everything breaks down though and Vance sends Hank into the barricade. Hank is right back up and misses a Swanton, setting up a top rope knee/Dominator combination to give Vance the pin at 3:26.

Rating: C. Not much to see here but the point was giving the Culling a win. Hank & Tank are flailing, which very well could lead to something changing for them in the near future. Other than that, neither of these teams feel like they’re coming for the Tag Team Titles, but that didn’t seem to be the goal here anyway.

Here is Ricky Saints for a chat. Saints appreciates the reception and says the revolution will be televised again. He’s happy with his win but he’s not pleased with Ethan Page. Saints gets that Page isn’t ok with someone showing him up so get out here right now. Instead it’s Lexis King, who says he loves gold…and here is Eddy Thorpe to interrupt.

Thorpe wants a title, and it should be the one that represents the land stolen from his people. Cue Wes Lee, who says he was the best champion the title has ever seen so the conversation starts with him. Starks is ready for any of them but here is Page to drop him. The four challengers get in a brawl and Lee hits a big flip dive to take them out.

Ava, Robert Stone and Stevie Turner are in the back when Stephanie Vaquer comes in. She wants to face everyone at Stand & Deliver, so it’s a four way with Giulia, Jordynne Grace and Jaida Parker. As they somehow get bigger than a triple threat.

Trick Williams is ready to get the NXT Title back and he’s not sweating Dark State.

Wes Lee vs. Yoshiki Inamura

Tyson DuPont, Tyriek Igwe and Josh Briggs are here too. Lee kicks him in the face to start fast but gets dropped with a running shoulder. Some choking on the ropes has Inamura down again but it’s too early for a 450. Inamura strikes away in the corner and muscles him up for a fisherman’s suplex. Lee fights up and takes out Briggs but Inamura pulls him out of the air for a spinning slam. Briggs goes after DuPont though and Lee hits the Cardiac Kick for the pin at 3:54.

Rating: C+. Neither of these two have much going on at the moment but Lee could at least be in the running for the North American Title shot. I still don’t get the appeal of Inamura, who hasn’t done much in his time around here and has only had some flashes of interest. Maybe that changes in the future but for now, he’s just kind of there without doing much.

Oba Femi is ready to wreck Dark State and keep his title at Stand & Deliver.

Women’s North American Title Qualifying Match: Izzi Dame vs. Wren Sinclair

The Culling and the No Quarter Catch Crew are here too. Dame drives her into the corner to start so Sinclair grabs a wristlock. A rollup gives Sinclair two but the octopus is broken up rather quickly. Dame hits a clothesline and hammers away, setting up a crossface chickenwing. Sinclair fights up and hits some clotheslines for two, followed by a crucifix for the same. Back up and Dame grabs a Sky High for the quick pin at 4:28.

Rating: C. Not much to see here, with Dame being another name without much chance to win, though it would be a nice surprise. The Culling is having a good night here and that’s a nice thing to see, as the team is at least getting a chance. Sinclair is still good in the ring but she isn’t exactly doing much lately, which is another annoying thing to see.

A bunch of women are in Ava’s office and she announces a last chance qualifying match for the Women’s North American title match.

Uriah Connors and Kale Dixon finally get Andre Chase to agree to help them. Hank & Tank come in but run into the Street Profits, who tell them to be themselves. The Profits want them in next week’s gauntlet match for a Tag Team Title shot at Stand & Deliver.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Dark State vs. Je’Von Evans/Oba Femi/Trick Williams

Dark State charges the ring and the fight is on, with Dion Lennox starting against Oba Femi. Lennox sends him into the corner so Cutler James can come in for a clothesline. Williams comes in to go after Saquon Shugars, who pulls him down by the hair. A jumping neckbreaker hits Shugars but James comes in for a sleeper on Williams.

James slams him down but gets hit with a heck of a backdrop. Williams chops away at Shugars in the corner and hands it off to Evans, who snaps off a hurricanrana. Everything breaks down and Dark State is knocked to the floor, giving us a standoff as we take a break. Back with Evans hitting a springboard high crossbody on Shugars but Cutler comes in with a clothesline.

Lennox grabs a chinlock and the villains take turns beating on Evans. An elbow misses though and Evans hits an enziguri, allowing the tag off to Femi. House is cleaned until Shugars is tossed Williams, meaning the brawl is on. Evans hits a frog splash for two on Lennox as Williams and Femi fight up the aisle. A triple bomb, with Shugars diving off the top to put Evans down (cool) is good for the pin at 13:33.

Rating: B. For a team of people who came from pretty much nowhere with little success before this, Dark State did rather well here. That finish had quite the impact and I liked what they were doing together. They have the D’Angelo Family to deal with and this makes their feud that much more interesting as they had a strong in-ring debut here. The other three brawling into a fight isn’t a big surprise, but this was more about Dark State and they did well.

Post match Stacks pops up on the screen to issue the challenge for a fight in the parking lot next week. Well that ups the danger significantly.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was more about setting up things for Stand & Deliver, with matches being made and some qualifying matches being covered. That being said, the show isn’t feeling like the most must see card as all of the multi-person matches don’t really come off as special. Stand & Deliver is supposed to be the biggest show of the year and that doesn’t often mean a bunch of matches with all kinds of people running around. It should be good, but it doesn’t feel special and that’s not a positive thing at all.

Results
Jordynne Grace vs. Jaida Parker went to a double DQ when Stephanie Vaquer interfered
Fraxiom b. Swipe Right – Phoenix splash to Smokes
Sol Ruca b. Jazmyn Nyx – Sol Snatcher
Culling b. Hank & Tank – Top rope knee/Dominator combination to Hank
Wes Lee b. Yoshiki Inamura – Cardiac Kick
Izzi Dame b. Wren Sinclair – Sky High
Dark State b. Oba Femi/Trick Williams/Je’Von Evans – Triple Bomb to Evans

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

NXT
Date: April 1, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T., Corey Graves

It’s another title show as Shawn Spears is defending the North American Title against Ricky Saints. Other than that, we need to find out some of the matches for Stand & Deliver as we are just over two weeks away from the biggest show of the year. There is a good chance that we find out some of those matches this week 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 for a chat with Ava. After Ava praises her for her recent efforts, she announces that Vaquer has agreed to vacate the Women’s North American Title. Therefore, the new champion will be crowned in a six woman ladder match at Stand & Deliver (ERG), with qualifying matches beginning tonight.

Hold on though as Vaquer says she will give up the title if she gets to pick the challenger for the Women’s Title. Cue Jordynne Grace, who says she wants us to have the title match the fans are demanding. Cue Jaida Parker, who says she dropped Grace last week, but Grace brings up Parker losing to Vaquer last week. The brawl is on, with Grace LAUNCHING one of them over the top. Parker backs off a bit and a match seems likely. As usual, Parker feels like a star and that is going to take her places.

Trick Williams wants to face Oba Femi at Stand & Deliver.

Femi arrives and is ready to deal with Williams tonight.

The women’s locker room bickers over the ladder match.

Women’s North American Title Qualifying Match: Zaria vs. Lash Legend

Zaria actually loses a test of strength to start but gets her over with a sunset flip. They chop it out, with Legend’s getting quite the response. Legend knocks her down again but Zaria grabs a victory roll for two. Back up and a pump kick sends Zaria outside, where a lot of bickering ensues as we take a break.

We come back with Legend getting frustrated as Zaria makes the comeback, including a kick to the face in the corner. Zaria’s middle rope crossbody is pulled out of the air but she reverses a powerbomb into a hurricanrana. A German suplex drops Legend again but she’s right back with a chokeslam for two. Zaria is back up with a spear and the F5 finishes at 11:45.

Rating: C. Maybe I’m missing something with Zaria but there isn’t much to her that is keeping me interested at the moment. She’s a powerhouse but that’s not really making her stand out. At the same time, Legend has come a VERY long way and looked like a star here. I could have gone for her winning, which is something I never would have bet on just a year or so ago.

Josh Briggs and Yoshiki Inamura want to get to Stand & Deliver but Wes Lee, Tyriek Igwe and Tyson DuPont interrupt. Arguing ensues and Inamura challenges Lee. Game seems to be on.

Kelani Jordan seems interested in getting into the ladder match but Roxanne Perez comes in to say she wants to win the title so she’ll have every women’s title in NXT. Ava puts them in a qualifying match tonight.

The D’Angelo Family has gone looking for information on Dark State. They have found out the members: Dion Lennox, Osiris Griffin, Cutler James, Saquon Shugars. We get mini bios on them, most of which involve college athletics and intelligence. Tony D’Angelo sees potential in them, but has to calm Stacks down. The last plan Stacks put together didn’t go so well, but Stacks says he trusts D’Angelo. Tension seems to be high. This was a creative way to introduce the members rather than just having commentary say what’s going on.

Hank And Tank have new gear, courtesy of Pretty Deadly, but they’re not sure it’s the right look.

The members of the Culling want Shawn Spears to succeed tonight.

No Quarter Catch Crew vs. Hank And Tank

Hank And Tank are in their regular gear rather than the Pretty Deadly attire. Evolve’s Swipe Right is sitting in the front row as we hear about some bad weather in the area. Borne can’t get very far with Tank to start so Heights comes in to grind away on a headlock. It’s back to Borne, who gets taken down for a Pretty Deadly style double team.

Heights comes back in but Borne makes a quick blind tag and clotheslines Hank to the floor. Back in and the chinlock doesn’t last long and Hank gets over for the tag to Tank to pick up the pace. A spinebuster gets two on Heights with Borne making the save. Everything breaks down and Borne has to break up a Pretty Deadly Spilled Milk. A TKO/DDT combination finishes Tank at 5:38.

Rating: C+. Hank And Tank continue to do very little for me so it was nice to see them lose here. That being said, it did seem like they were trying to find something with the Pretty Deadly impressions so maybe some changes are coming. I could go for more of the Crew, with Heights continuing to look good in there. Borne is as well, which is a nice little bonus.

Here is Trick Williams to say that he is still the man around here. No matter what Oba Femi has said, there is nothing stopping Williams from getting back to the top of the mountain. Cue Je’Von Evans to interrupt, but Williams says the adults are talking. Evans asks Williams when he knew it was his time (which is what Williams asked John Cena, launching his singles run), which must sound familiar.

Evans wants the #1 spot but he doesn’t have to step out of anyone’s shadow to do it. Williams says Evens has no idea what it’s like to be the champion. Evans: “You ain’t Trick Williams. You’re Carmelo Hayes.” That gets Williams’ attention, with Evans saying this is the exact same stuff that Hayes told Williams last year. Evans brings up dropping Oba Femi, which brings Femi out to tell Evans to say it to his face. Evans talks about getting so close to winning at Deadline and threatens to jump Femi again.

Williams isn’t interested but Femi tells him to shut up. Femi says the now belongs to him and Williams tells Evans to get out. Femi says Williams is talking too much so here is Ava to announce….the triple threat title match for Stand & Deliver (erg). Williams decks Evans but gets knocked to the floor, only for the lights to go out and Dark State to appear. Femi tells them to bring it so here they come to beat him down. Evans and Williams are laid out too.

Andre Chase is banged up and has a cracked rib, which has no timetable for recovery. He doesn’t have a ride home, but Uriah Connors and Kale Dixon show up with a wheelchair to help him out. Chase thinks they might not be so bad after all but they back up when they see Jaida Parker and Jordynne Grace fighting.

Fraxiom kind of mocks Hank And Tank over their Pretty Deadly stuff, but Axiom wishes he and Frazer were such close friends. Swipe Right (Ricky Smokes/Brad Baylor) come in to ask for a match against Fraxiom. Frazer accepts but Axiom isn’t impressed. Swipe Right are more interested in Roxanne Perez walking by, calling her a smoke show.

Women’s North American Title Qualifying Match: Roxanne Perez vs. Kelani Jordan

They lock up to start with Jordan taking her down into a headscissors. That’s broken up and Jordan flips to her feet as we take an early break. Back with Perez slamming her head first into the mat and flipping over her for an exchange of glaring. Jordan drapes her over the middle rope for a handstand spinning Fameasser (that was impressive) for two. Perez gets in a rake to the eyes though and Jordan is sent shoulder first into the post.

A big stomp onto the arm has Jordan in more trouble and Perez stays on the arm. Jordan gets two off a rollup but the kickout sends her arm into the buckle. Perez hits a northern lights suplex onto the arm for two and we take another break. Back again with Jordan getting in a kick but missing One Of A Kind. Perez’s cartwheel knee to the head (ouch) gets two but Jordan plants her with a DDT. One Of A Kind connects to put Perez away at 14:41.

Rating: B. Good stuff here with Jordan having to work hard to overcome the odds in the end. That’s the kind of win she has been needing lately and it’s a good sign for her future. I’m not sure if she’s going to win the title but at least she got a nice win on the way there. Perez very well may be on her way out of NXT, as she seems ready to be called up to the main roster.

Stevie Turner apologizes to Ava for Swipe Right but Robert Stone brings up the matches announced for Stand & Deliver. Ava is more worried about Dark State so she puts three of them in a six man against Oba Femi, Je’Von Evans and Trick Williams.

Ricky Saints isn’t worried about what Shawn Spears has been saying about his past. Tonight is about the future, when he wins the North American Title.

Zaria wants Sol Ruca out there with her at Stand & Deliver. Kelani Jordan comes in to say she’s winning the ladder match but Zaria isn’t impressed. Ruca says she’ll win….and Zaria doesn’t like that either.

Dark State is down for next week’s match but says no one is safe.

North American Title: Ricky Saints vs. Shawn Spears

Spears, with the Culling, is defending and goes straight to the floor to start. Saints is right there with a dive to take him down and hammers away to start fast. Back in and Saints hits a nice dropkick before unloading with right hands in the corner. Saints hits something like a dancing Old School off the barricade, including kissing his fingers and putting them on the forehead of a VERY happy fan.

We take a break and come back with Spears sending him hard into the corner. Saints catches him on top though and slugs away, setting up a top rope Jackhammer of all things, leaving both of them down. Back up and Saints strikes away, setting up a heck of a spinebuster for two.

It’s back to the floor for a tornado DDT off the apron to plant Spears again. Izzi Dame slips Spears the belt though and a shot to the face gets two. Spears loads up the C4 but Saints reverses into one of his own. Saints takes out the Culling and hits a spear into the Roshambo is good for the title at 10:17.

Rating: B-. This might not have been a great match but it was an absolute star making performance from Saints, who not only won the match and the title but showed all kinds of fire on the way. That’s what is going to make him into a bigger deal and it worked very well here. Saints is instantly a player and this will make people notice him. Great stuff for Saints here and I was impressed.

Post match Saints celebrates with the title but Ethan Page runs in to take him out.

Overall Rating: B. Good show this week as they set up stuff for Stand & Deliver (as annoying as some of it may be) and had a big moment in the end. This was the show that NXT has been needing and they made it work here, with a lot of stuff taking place in the span of two hours. You can tell that things are picking up for the biggest time of the year, which is exactly what needed to happen.

Results
Zaria b. Lash Legend – F5
No Quarter Catch Crew b. Hank And Tank – DDT/TKO combination to Tank
Kelani Jordan b. Roxanne Perez – One Of A Kind
Ricky Saints b. Shawn Spears – Roshambo

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