Smackdown
Date: March 22, 2024
Location: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

We are just over two weeks away from Wrestlemania and that means things are going to be picking up around here. In this case that means we have Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes going face to face, which could make for a big moment even if the Rock isn’t here. Other than that we have Rey Mysterio vs. Santos Escobar, which should be quite the showdown. Let’s get to it.

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

Rey Mysterio vs. Santos Escobar

Their respective stables are banned from ringside. After the long recap of their relationship and split, Rey hammers away and drops Escobar with an elbow to the face. Rey slips a bit and comes up limping slightly, allowing Escobar to knock him off the top. Not that it matters as Rey hits a top rope hurricanrana into a baseball slide dropkick in the corner. Escobar is back with a running dropkick of his own, only to get headscissored out to the corner. The sliding splash connects for Rey and we take a break.

Back with Escobar hitting the running knees in the corner and tying him in the Tree of Woe. Rey breaks that up and sends him outside, setting up a dive off the post to the floor. Back in and another basement dropkick sets up a Lionsault for two on Escobar. Rey dropkicks him back to the floor for some rams into the announcers’ table, followed by a running seated senton into the timekeeper’s area. Escobar is thrown back in but a man in a Mysterio mask shows up to distract Rey. That lets Escobar hit his own 619 into the Phantom Driver for the pin at 12:34. It’s Dominik Mysterio, with the fans not being happy.

Rating: C+. That’s a surprise way to go and gives Dominik something to do after not being the biggest star in recent weeks. The Rey vs. Escobar feud is probably not done as we need the big LWO vs. Legado showdown, but for now we might be getting more from Rey vs. Dominik. It worked well last year, but it’s kind of a random twist after they haven’t interacted in a long time. As for the match, it’s always nice to have Rey back, but Escobar winning here should be a nice boost for him.

We look back at Bayley being beaten down by Damage CTRL, with Naomi’s save not working.

Bayley (in brighter clothes) thanks Naomi for her help last week but Naomi wants to take out Iyo Sky. Bianca Belair comes in and doesn’t buy what Bayley is saying after the last year plus. Belair and Bayley argue but Naomi walks off.

Post break Belair tries to convince Naomi that she’s right but Naomi is going to be out there fighting Damage CTRL. She wants Belair to help her, because Belair couldn’t do it on her own either.

Wrestlemania Tag Team Title Qualifying Match: Grayson Waller/Austin Theory vs. OC

Michin is here with the OC, who are now in two qualifying competitions for Tag Team Title shots over Wrestlemania weekend. Gallows and Theory start things off with Gallows launching him into the corner and hammering away. Anderson comes in and Theory/Waller are sent to the floor for a flip dive.

We take a break and come back with Gallows hitting a heck of a chokeslam on Waller, with Michin adding an armdrag on the floor. Anderson hits a flipping neckbreaker on Theory and grabs back to back spinebusters. The middle rope neckbreaker gets two on Waller but the Magic Killer is broken up. Waller grabs a rollup with feet on the ropes to pin Gallows at 6:54.

Rating: C. Not much to see here but they went the right way by not having the OC, who have barely done anything for months, go over. Waller and Theory might not be the biggest deal around at the moment but they deserve a chance to go to Wrestlemania over the OC. That being said, it’s nice to have the OC doing SOMETHING after just standing around for such a long time.

Video on Bron Breakker, including a bunch of his stats to make him look like even more of a physical freak.

Earlier today, Roman Reigns was on the Pat McAfee Show and talked about how he is the only one who didn’t have to go to Hollywood because it came to him.

Naomi vs. Iyo Sky

Non-title and Damage CTRL is here with Sky…or they would be if she was here. We cut to the back to see Sky attacking Bayley until officials break it up. Naomi kicks her into the corner to start but Sky slugs her way out of trouble, setting up a middle rope hurricanrana. A middle rope spinning kick to the face drops Sky though and something like a 619 bulldog gives Naomi two.

We take a break and come back with Sky being sent into the buckle, setting up a high crossbody. Something like a splits Banzai Drop (that’s a new one) gets two on Sky but she’s right back with the running Meteora in the corner. Naomi is fine enough to catch her on top for a superplex and they slug it out from their knees. Sky gets knocked down again and Naomi goes up, only to be distracted by Damage CTRL. That’s enough for Sky to pull her down and hit Over the Moonsault for the pin at 8:56.

Rating: B-. It’s always a good sign when a match ends and I want to see them do more, which was the case here. They were having a good match and Naomi was doing the more unique offense that makes her stand out. She’s been lacking that kind of a match since she returned to the company and it’s good to see her doing it again. On the other hand, Sky gets a nice win on the way to Wrestlemania, where Bayley is pretty clearly going to need some friends.

Post match the beatdown is on, including the mist, but Bianca Belair runs in for the save. The numbers game takes Belair down though and the villains stand tall.

Jade Cargill is officially on Smackdown with her first official

Post break Naomi is getting her eyes cleaned out when Tiffany Stratton comes in to say that’s a good look for her.

Kevin Owens is yelling at Nick Aldis when Pretty Deadly interrupts. Owens doesn’t like the interruption and wants a tag match next week, with Randy Orton popping up to be the partner (Pretty Deadly jumping when he appeared was great). Aldis makes the match and Owens punches both of Pretty Deadly at once to continue his running joke (Owens: “Hey Randy look I did it!”).

We see a video from AJ Styles’ house when LA Knight showed up for a brawl. The cops arrived and Knight was arrested, complete with footage from the police car as he’s taken away. Styles declined to press charges and Knight has been released.

Wrestlemania Tag Team Title Qualifying Match: Street Profits vs. AOP

The winners face Grayson Waller/Austin Theory next week for a spot in the Wrestlemania ladder match. All of their respective associates come out with them but only Paul Ellering sticks around. Dawkins goes after them to start but gets caught in the wrong corner. Akam fires off some knees but Dawkins is up with a dropkick to the floor. Ford tries a big flip dive but gets pulled out of the air and powerbombed into Dawkins as we take a break.

Back with Rezar hammering on Ford with some double stomping in the corner making it worse. Rezar comes back in but gets enziguried, allowing the diving tag off to Dawkins. The pace picks way up and the Silencer hits Akam but he slips out of a Doomsday Device. The Final Chapter connects but Dawkins makes the save. Ford gets out of the powerbomb/neckbreaker combination and small packages Rezar for the pin at 8:33.

Rating: C+. It wasn’t quite power vs. speed but the Profits had to keep things moving to take out the monsters. I’m a bit surprised that the AOP took a clean loss so soon after their return but the Profits are hardly some makeshift team. Ice match here and I wasn’t sure who was going to win, which is always a nice feeling.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Here is Roman Reigns, with Paul Heyman, for his big showdown with Cody Rhodes, with promises that everyone else will leave them alone. Reigns reiterates said promises, has the fans acknowledge him, and then brings out Rhodes, albeit after a break. With Rhodes here, Reigns gets right to the point by calling Rhodes a fool for aligning himself with various people.

Reigns talks about how Seth Rollins promised to be Rhodes’ shield, but they were in the Shield together. They might not have done good guy things, but they had a bond. Rhodes asks if Reigns remembers the first team to beat the Shield, offering a hint of their last names (he says Rhodes, which is a weird way of saying “Orton, Kane and Bryan”). Rhodes gets to the point and asks if he can trust Rollins. Instead though, he asks if Reigns can trust the Rock. Is the Tribal Chief in charge, or is it the Final Boss?

Reigns says Rhodes asked Rock the same thing because it’s all he has. Rhodes may be great but he’s the greatest #2 of all time, while Reigns is #1. Rhodes talks about how Reigns was raised in this business, just like him, and Reigns probably grew up wanting to be the next big star. Even if he’s the best #2, Rhodes is the one, so good luck at Wrestlemania.

Reigns isn’t going to accept a handshake and goes to leave, but snaps his fingers. Cue the Bloodline but before they get in the ring, here are Jey Uso and Seth Rollins to cut them off. A big staredown ends the show. They’re in a weird place with this feud as the story is ready to go and they have to fill in two more weeks before we get there. That doesn’t leave them much to do other than have these big talking segments. While it worked, we’re at the point where they need to have the match, which could make for some tricky matches over the next two weeks.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was about the big talking segment, plus a few other things, which went well enough. Most of the focus was on the Women’s Title match plus the double Damage CTRL stories. Those stories needed the time, but this wasn’t a show you really needed to see. It kept the stories moving forward but lacked any big, important moment. We’re in that weird lull before Wrestlemania where you know what you are going to see at the show and we just have to get there. That can lead to some slightly lesser shows, but it could have been a lot worse.

Results
Santos Escobar b. Rey Mysterio – Phantom Driver
Grayson Waller/Austin Theory b. OC – Rollup with feet on the ropes to Gallows
Iyo Sky b. Naomi – Over The Moonsault
Street Profits b. AOP – Small package to Rezar

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: March 15, 2024
Location: FedEx Forum, Memphis, Tennessee
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

The Rock is here again and that alone makes this feel important. With just over three weeks before Wrestlemania, the show is really starting to come together and there is a good chance that we’ll get a few more adjustments this week. That might include a battle of the Usos being set so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes agreeing to face the Bloodline at Wrestlemania with quite the set of stipulations. Rhodes slapped Rock to end the show, making things a lot more serious.

Here is the Rock to get things going. After a long introduction, Rock says he usually torches every city he’s in, but this week is different. He started his career right here in Memphis on Channel 5 (big pop for that) and then at the Big Top Flea Market. Rock was Flex Kavana back then (he doesn’t get it either but he went with it) and now he is back home. Since this is the home of the blues and country, we’re going to have a little song tonight.

With some musical accompaniment, Rock sits down for a song about what he’s going to be doing to Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes. Rock threatens to beat them both, maybe even with his fanny pack, but he might even go after Mama Rhodes. That leads him into a musical story about how Cody was conceived (complete with a Stardust picture) due to cheap condoms.

As for Rollins, yeah he’s weird but he’s not even as popular as his wife. We get a shot at Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant before mocking the Cody Crybabies. The song ends and the fans cheer for Rock, who just mocked all of them because evil Rock is too good to overcome. Rock talks about the slap from Cody and brings up Cody crying about being able to hand the title to his mother. That brings Rock to Mama Rhodes, with Rock promising to make Cody pay both nights at Wrestlemania.

The only belt Cody is going to get is a weightlifting belt that Rock pulls out, which he is going to use to beat Cody bloody. Then after Roman Reigns beats Cody, rock is going to hand it over to Mama Rhodes and say….what can I say except you’re welcome. If you smell what the final boss is cooking. This was pure Rock charisma and it’s no wonder that the fans were going nuts for him after every mean and horrible thing he said.

Wrestlemania Tag Team Title Qualifying Quarterfinals: Legado del Fantasma vs. LWO

Angel chops del Toro up against the rope to start and hands it off to Berto, who misses a charge into the corner. Wilde comes in for a double basement superkick, setting up the double running flip dives as we…don’t take a break for a change. A double elbow and assisted springboard moonsault gets two on Berto and now we take the break.

Back with Berto elbowing del Toro for two and knocking him into the corner. A double middle rope gorilla press slam gets two on del Toro but he’s right back with a Spanish Fly for a breather. Wilde comes in to clean house but Angel throws him into a kick to the ribs from Berto for the pin at 9:10.

Rating: C+. This is one of the good ideas of a series of qualifying matches like this one as you can throw a bunch of established feuds out there with fresh stakes. The match wasn’t anything break but having people flying around all over the place is always a good way to go. It’s the kind of thing that has worked forever in wrestling and it worked well again here.

Here is LA Knight for a chat. After taking the mic from Kayla Braxton, Knight talks about how he’s been looking for AJ Styles, who thinks Knight needs to be humbled. Well he’s standing right here, so why not come out here and humble him? There’s no Styles, which doesn’t shock Knight at all. Styles will go all the way to Australia but he can’t come to Memphis? Knight says if Styles can’t show up here, how about he shows up at Wrestlemania? We get the catchphrase and here is Styles to jump him with a chair and accept. This was checking off a box that was all set to go.

We look at Randy Orton attacking KSI and sending Logan Paul running last week.

Paul comes in to see Nick Aldis and wants to know what kind of punishment Orton is facing after last week. Aldis thinks Paul should request that apology in person, which Paul doesn’t like. How can he expect Aldis to do his job when he can’t even find Paul a Wrestlemania opponent? That’s a rookie mistake if I’ve ever heard of one.

Summerslam is coming to Cleveland.

A fired up Jimmy Uso accepts Jey Uso’s challenge for Wrestlemania.

Randy Orton vs. Grayson Waller

Austin Theory is here with Waller. Orton spends so much time posing that Waller gets annoyed but here is Logan Paul to interrupt/join commentary. Waller jumps him to start but Orton hammers away in the corner, only to be dumped outside. Orton takes over out there as well but stops to glare at Paul, allowing Waller to send him into the announcers’ table.

We take a break and come back with Orton fighting out of a cravate. Orton hits the powerslam and they go outside, where Waller is dropped onto the announcers’ table a few times. Theory’s distract fails and it’s the hanging DDT but Waller bails before the RKO. Instead Orton drops Theory and now the RKO can finish Waller at 7:37.

Rating: C. Not bad here as Orton was never going to be in any serious danger to Waller, even with Theory out there. We’re pretty clearly moving towards Paul vs. Orton, with Kevin Owens possibly involved as well, so keeping Orton looking strong over a goon is a good way to go. They didn’t have a great match or anything here, but they did what they needed to.

Post match the beatdown is on but Kevin Owens makes the save. Cue Nick Aldis to announce a triple threat match for the US Title, with Orton and Owens getting the title shots. Paul: “Oh no.”

We look at Bayley being thrown out of Damage CTRL on the way to her title shot at Wrestlemania.

Dakota Kai is ready to destroy Bayley before she can get to Iyo Sky at Wrestlemania. Damage CTRL runs the show.

Santos Escobar vs. Dragon Lee

The rest of Legado del Fantasma is here with Escobar. Lee wastes no time in knocking him to the floor for a running flip dive. A running hurricanrana takes Berto off the apron but Lee walks into the Phantom Driver for the pin at 1:58. Remember when Lee was the next big thing earlier this year?

Post match the beatdown is on but Carlito makes the save. He’s taken out as well but Rey Mysterio makes the real save. Mysterio issues the challenge to Escobar for next week and promises to slap the smile off his face.

Wrestlemania Tag Team Title Qualifying Quarterfinals: Pretty Deadly vs. New Catch Republic

Bate and Dunne take turns working on Wilson’s arm to start with Dunne shifting over to the fingers for some extra pain. Wilson manages to send Dunne outside though and Prince gets in a cheap shot to take over. Back in and Dunne fights out of trouble without much effort, allowing the tag to Bate for the house cleaning. The very spinning airplane spin has Prince in trouble and we take a break.

We come back with Bate muscling Wilson up with a suplex, allowing the tag back to Dunne to pick up the pace. Prince has to escape an armbar and it’s back to Bate for stereo kicks to the head in the corner. Wilson makes the save and everything breaks down, with the Republic being sent into the post. A middle rope bulldog/face plant combination gets two on Bate but Dunne is back up. The Birminghammer finish Prince at 13:11.

Rating: C+. Good match here with Pretty Deadly getting in more offense than I would have expected. This sends the Republic on to a match with Legado del Fantasma for a spot in the six way at Wrestlemania, which is quite the complicated setup. I’m not even sure how many quality teams there are for such a match, but at least we’ll have one smaller team in there for some impressive looking insanity.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Bayley vs. Dakota Kai

The rest of Damage CTRL is here with Kai. Bayley wastes no time in starting the beating but stops to glare at Damage CTRL. That’s enough for Kai to get in a slap, which earns her a drive into the corner. The fans chant for NXT’s Trick Williams for some reason as Bayley sends her face first into the apron to take over. Kai is down on the floor and gets surrounded by Damage CTRL as we take a break.

Back with Asuka offering a distraction so Kai can get in a standing double stomp out of the corner. Bayley knocks her off the top though and there’s the top rope elbow for two. Sane gets in another cheap shot though and it’s Kai kicking Bayley in the face. A powerbomb out of the corner plants Kai but Sky comes in with the belt for the staredown. Kai grabs Bayley’s leg and Sky decks Bayley for the DQ at 7:33.

Rating: C. That’s a bit of a weird way to go as you would think that Bayley could use a win on the way to Wrestlemania. Kai is fresh back in the ring after her injury but it’s not like she is anywhere near Bayley’s level in the first place. Damage CTRL coming in is a fine way to go, but I’m a bit surprised by the lack of Bayley getting a pin.

Post match the beatdown is on so here is Naomi, who gets beaten down as well. The fans chant for Bianca Belair but have to settle for Sky hitting Over The Moonsault to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Well you can’t say they didn’t get a lot done. This show had the rather snazzy opening from the Rock plus three Wrestlemania matches being announced. That’s quite the use of two hours and as usual, it shows that things can go well even when the wrestling was just ok. Wrestlemania is shaping up and now we have a few more weeks to really set things up for Philadelphia.

Results
Legado del Fantasma b. LWO – Kick to the ribs to Wilde
Randy Orton b. Grayson Waller – RKO
Santos Escobar b. Dragon Lee – Phantom Driver
New Catch Republic b. Pretty Deadly – Birminghammer to Prince
Bayley b. Dakota Kai via DQ when Iyo Sky interrupted

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: March 8, 2024
Location: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

We are in for a big one tonight as we have a major showdown between the Bloodline and Cody Rhodes/Seth Rollins. The latter will be answering a challenge for a tag match on night one of Wrestlemania, with the stipulations for Roman Reigns vs. Rhodes on the line. That should be enough to carry things this week so let’s get to it.

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

The opening video recaps the challenge for the tag match: if Rock/Reigns win, anything goes in Reigns vs. Rhodes, but if Rollins/Rhodes win, the Bloodline is barred from ringside.

The major parties arrived.

Here is US Champion Logan Paul to get things going. He talks about making his Wrestlemania debut in Dallas but seems to get a bit annoyed at the WHATing. Paul brags about his various accomplishments (including five star matches) and talks about all of the record business that he has brought to WWE. He is the secret sauce and business is booming.

You could say WWE is in its prime….and we have a Prime Hydration logo on the mat (a first for WWE). Cue Prime co-founder KSI for the photo-op but here is Randy Orton from behind with the threat of an RKO. Paul escapes but KSI gets dropped with said RKO instead. Orton tries some Prime and says it’s very good….before pouring it onto KSI.

WWE has reached 100 million YouTube subscribers. That’s not bad.

Randy Orton/Kevin Owens vs. Grayson Waller/Austin Theory

Owens headlocks Theory to start and gives a quick crotch chop to Waller on the apron. An armbar has Theory down, with Owens shouting that NO ONE LIKES Waller. Orton comes in and easily takes Waller into the corner for some rained down right hands. It’s back to Owens for the running corner clothesline but Theory clotheslines him outside as we take a break.

Back with Owens getting double suplexed but Theory tries an RKO for some reason. This goes as well as expected and Owens brings Orton back in to clean house. The hanging DDT plants Waller but the RKO is broken up. Owens comes back in and tosses Theory into an RKO to give Orton the pin at 9:47.

Rating: C. This wasn’t a great match but it was the kind of fun that opened the show up in a nice way. Orton and Owens aren’t going to be in any serious danger from Theory and Waller but it’s fun to see the villains getting beaten up. If nothing else, it’s nice to see one of those special RKO’s and Owens tossing Theory into one looked great.

Post match Logan Paul jumps Orton and Owens but Orton takes away the brass knuckles and sends Paul running (nearly punching Owens in the process but hitting the brakes in time).

We recap Dakota Kai turning on Bayley and sticking with Damage CTRL.

We get a sitdown interview with Bayley, who says she is hanging on by a thread. She isn’t sure what was real with Kai, who used her most vulnerable moments against her. Bayley did most of her things to get Damage CTRL to the top but now they have made the biggest mistake of their lives by underestimating her. She will do everything she can to break them.

Naomi is watching Bayley’s interview when Bianca Belair comes in. Belair says Bayley should only blame herself for what happened but Naomi feels bad for her. That wasn’t the nicest from Belair.

Karrion Kross vs. Bobby Lashley

Lashley is billed from Dallas, which I do not ever remember being the case before. Scarlett is the only person here with either of them so this is a bit more serious. Lashley knocks him into the corner to start but Kross punches his way out of trouble. A fisherman’s suplex drops Lashley but he’s right back with an overhead belly to belly to take it to the floor.

The ram into the post is loaded up, only to have Scarlett offer a distraction so Kross can post him instead as we take a break. Back with Lashley powering out of a cross armbreaker before being knocked outside. Lashley is fine enough to send him into the post but the Hurt Lock is broken up back inside. A spinebuster plants Kross instead…and the AOP run in to jump Lashley for the DQ at 8:39.

Rating: C. They were having a nice enough power brawl but this feud hasn’t been interesting since the beginning and now it’s continuing with a lame DQ finish. I hope this doesn’t carry on to Wrestlemania as there isn’t much to seeing these teams fighting over and over. Kross was looking better in here, but you’re only getting so far with what he’s being given.

Post match the Street Profits run in for the save. B Fab comes in to take out Scarlett but the AOP gets back up for the heel beatdown.

We look at Rey Mysterio returning last week to help Carlito beat Santos Escobar.

Dragon Lee runs into Legado del Fantasma, who mock him for thinking he’ll be the next Rey Mysterio. The future is Legado, not the LWO.

Tiffany Stratton vs. Michin

Stratton sends her into the corner to start before kicking out the leg so Michin goes face first into a turnbuckle. A belly to back suplex gives Stratton two but Michin manages a backdrop. The threat of a Styles Clash takes too long though and Stratton puts her down, setting up the Prettiest Moonsault Ever for the pin at 2:29. Pretty much a squash.

Video on AJ Styles vs. LA Knight, with Styles not liking how Knight has been all cocky and arrogant despite being under talented. Knight needs humbling and Styles is a phenomenal choice for the job.

Knight rants about Styles and beats on a TV with a chair. That might not have looked as impressive as he thought, but at least it didn’t involve the OC.

Tyler Bate is playing WWE2K24 but Pete Dunne wants to train. Bate leaves and Dunne plays as well. Must be that time of year again.

Angel vs. Dragon Lee

Most of Legado del Fantasma is here with Angel. Lee wastes no time in dropkicking him into the corner for some rapid fire stomping. Hold on though as Angel might have a bad knee, which is quite the ruse to sucker Lee in. Lee is knocked out to the floor and we take an early break. Back with Lee muscling him up for a sitout powerbomb and hitting a corner double stomp. The big flip dive to the floor takes out more of Legado but Angel kicks Lee in the face. Lee doesn’t seem to mind as he grabs a hurricanrana for the pin at 7:16.

Rating: C+. Lee hasn’t been around much lately and it was nice to have him back to do something like this. It’s also nice to see the LWO getting some momentum going, as we are on the way to the big six man tag, likely at Wrestlemania. For now though, it’s just a win over half of a low level tag team, but it’s better than nothing.

Post match Legado lays out Lee.

Damage CTRL mocks Bayley for getting beaten down last week and say it was always about Iyo Sky. Next week: Dakota Kai vs. Bayley.

Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes have escaped their locker room despite extra security. Nick Aldis and the hunt are afoot.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Here is the Bloodline for the big answer, with Rock getting his own entrance. Roman Reigns says greatness stands before you and shakes hands with the Rock, meaning you can acknowledge them. Cue Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins, coming through the crowd to interrupt as we take a break.

Back with the rest of the Bloodline on the floor and the four people who matter alone in the ring. Rhodes says he knows this is tense moment but he’s glad to be here. They should take the time to feel this as they’re here in a sold out Dallas, Texas. Rhodes has heard Rock’s challenge and wonders if he has the authority to make that stipulation. Last week, Rock acknowledged Reigns so how can he say that?

Rhodes is ready to answer but an angry Rock cuts him off, saying Rock acknowledged Reigns because that is what family does. Rock recaps the stipulations (basically if Bloodline are allowed at ringside or not for Reigns vs. Rhodes) but Rollins cuts him ff, saying we know the stakes. Rollins calls Rock Mr. Midlife Crisis and says Rock has already had his time, meaning he can’t have theirs.

The match is accepted, but Reigns says Rhodes must be an idiot (“You must be from Texas or something.”) for letting Rollins talk for him. Rock says he’ll do everything he can to make Rhodes lose and the World Heavyweight Championship go away because he is on the Board. If Rhodes loses, he never gets another shot (Rhodes seems nervous). Rock brings up Rhodes being one of three children, with a sister who was a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader and a brother who is a future Hall Of Famer. It’s also true that he is 20 years younger than his siblings, because he was a mistake. Rhodes slaps Rock to end the show.

That’s a big step forward as while I don’t think there was any drama about the match being accepted, Rhodes slapping Rock was an important moment. At the same time, Rock sounded rather angry if not a bit nervous here, which could play a big role once Wrestlemania is over if Reigns loses. They’re making this personal and that’s one of the best things you can do with a match like this. Another awesome segment here, and it’s making WrestleMania feel that much bigger.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a shot that was built around one thing and one thing only, which went rather well. The wrestling was pretty much completely skippable, depending on how much you enjoy Tiffany Stratton squashes. Bayley vs. Damage CTRL got some focus of its own, but this was about the main event story and that worked. There are some other things to get ready for Wrestlemania on the Smackdown side, but now we have what is likely going to be the Night One main event and that’s a big deal.

Results
Randy Orton/Kevin Owens b. Grayson Waller/Austin Theory – RKO to Theory
Bobby Lashley b. Karrion Kross via DQ when the AOP interfered
Tiffany Stratton b. Michin – Prettiest Moonsault Ever
Dragon Lee b. Angel – Hurricanrana

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

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

AND

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

Smackdown
Date: March 1, 2024
Location: Desert Diamond Arena, Glendale, Arizona
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

Elimination Chamber is over and now we have nothing left on the way to Wrestlemania. That is going to be clear this week as the Rock is back and will be around for the next few weeks. Rock still needs something to do at Wrestlemania and Cody Rhodes has issued a challenge for some point in the future. Maybe we find out something tonight so let’s get to it.

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

Elimination Chamber recap.

Here is the Bloodline, minus the Rock, to get things going. Reigns has the fans acknowledge him and it used to be louder, so he has them do it again. The fans want Rocky, so Reigns says get on his page or he is leaving. Reigns isn’t happy so he tells Paul Heyman to fire up the jet because we’re done here. Heyman says we can’t leave that soon because we have other business here. The Rock will be here soon but Reigns is not at all happy with the delay.

We take a break and come back with the Rock in person (and likely in a $500 shirt). Rock says Glendale is about ten miles from Phoenix and it makes sense for all of these people to be here from Phoenix. It turns out that Phoenix is the #1 city for meth and cocaine use so it all fits. FINALLY, your life has meaning because you cactus loving crackheads have a reason to live, because FINALLY the Rock has come back to Arizona.

It’s a great time because for the first time in a long while, professional wrestling is cool. In a word, it is electrifying and that is why everywhere WWE is going, the places are sold out. It’s because of the Rock, Roman Reigns and the Bloodline, with the fans seemingly agreeing. You know who isn’t cool? Cody Rhodes. If Cody wants to challenge the Rock, the answer is….no. The Rock knows that a lot of the women here want to go one on one with him and deal with his 22 inches. He means his arms of course, and he can’t believe Cody is so stupid as to challenge the Rock when he has Reigns to face.

The Bloodline has a counter offer for them: on night one of Wrestlemania, the Rock/Reigns vs. Seth Rollins/Rhodes. But it won’t be a regular match. If Rollins and Rhodes win, the Bloodline is barred from the main event of night two, with contracts signed to guarantee it. But if the Bloodline wins, Cody vs. Reigns is Bloodline Rules, meaning anything goes. Maybe Rock is guest referee and Solo Sikoa sings the National Anthem. Rock: “Sikoa has a h*** of a voice.” Fans: “SOLO!”

Or maybe Rock can bash Rhodes’ head in because it’s all fair. Rhodes and Rollins can show up next week in Dallas for an answer and Rhodes knows Rock is the boss on the board. If the challenge isn’t accepted (we pause for a HHH chant), Rhodes’ challenge is ended tragically. Rock loads up the catchphrase but Reigns grabs his arm (Heyman is terrified) and says he needs something. Reigns will do anything for his family, but he needs this one thing: acknowledge me.

Rock doesn’t look sure about that and takes off the sunglasses before acknowledging Reigns as the Tribal Chief. They hug and Heyman’s jaw is hanging open in a great visual. Rock: “This is family. Now go home and smoke some more crack.” He loads up the catchphrase, with Reigns turning it into “what the Bloodline is cooking”. Posing ensues and we’re finally done, nearly forty minutes into the show.

So yeah this was very long and they had me hooked the entire time. They were pressing all of the right buttons with the character stuff as the Rock is still one of the best heels of all time. Reigns interrupting Rock gave us some absolutely amazing facials from Heyman and Rock proclaiming his loyalty to Reigns was a big moment. They also set the stage for Wrestlemania, and Rhodes could get that huge Cinderella moment, provided Rock hasn’t turned himself into the most popular guy in the world again.

Austin Theory and Grayson Waller are looking at the end of the men’s Elimination Chamber match, when Randy Orton comes in to say that was hilarious. You know what else is funny? Orton taking one of them to the ring and trying to rip their head off! So which one is it going to be? They aren’t sure so Orton slaps Theory on the back and says see you out there. That’s going to make an entertaining match.

Tiffany Stratton vs. Naomi

Stratton flips around to start but Naomi runs her over and dances a bit. Neither is sure what time it is until Naomi sends her into the corner for a running dropkick. A facebuster gives Naomi two and Stratton rolls outside as we take a break. Back with Stratton hitting a running double stomp for two of her own but Naomi hits something like a hanging Pedigree onto the apron. They slug it out until Stratton hits a spinebuster for two more and they’re both down. Stratton goes to the eyes and sends her into the post though, setting up the Prettiest Moonsault Ever for the pin at 8:10.

Rating: C+. The best sign for Stratton’s future is that she already feels like she belongs on this show. There hasn’t been much of a transitional period as she came up to the main roster pretty much ready to go and hasn’t missed a step. She has the character stuff down and the in-ring work to back it up. While she might not be ready for the main event yet, she feels like an almost complete package just a few weeks in and that’s impressive.

Video on Bayley being thrown out of Damage CTRL and coming for Iyo Sky at Wrestlemania. Dakota Kai may or may not have sided with Bayley though, which evens the numbers up a bit.

Bayley/Dakota Kai vs. Kabuki Warriors

Non-title and this is Kai’s first match in about nine months. The Warriors jump Bayley to start and Sky shoves her off the top so Asuka can fire off the kicks. Bayley gets sent into the corner but manages to send the Warriors into each other. The crawl for the tag…doesn’t matter as Kai drops to the floor because it’s a ruse. Bayley goes after Kai but gets beaten down by the Warriors as this is thrown out somewhere around 4:30.

Rating: C. This wasn’t about the wrestling and there is nothing wrong with that. I’m also glad that they didn’t drag out the Kai turn, as it always felt like a strong possibility (at least) and I’d rather they just go with it. If nothing else, this means Bayley has time to recruit some friends and that opens up all kinds of doors.

Post match the beatdown is on with Kai posing with Damage CTRL.

Post break Damage CTRL is in the back and runs into Jade Cargill. Nothing happens though as Nick Aldis gets Jade out of there.

Bron Breakker vs. Xyon Quinn

Spear finishes Quinn at 6 seconds.

Video on Legado del Fantasma vs. LWO.

In Memory of Virgil.

Santos Escobar vs. Carlito

Street fight. They brawl to the floor to start and Carlito goes straight for a table. Carlito has to whip him into the steps though and then grabs a kendo stick, only to get taken down by a suicide dive. We take a break and come back with Escobar hitting the running knees, crushing Carlito, and the trashcan over his head, in the corner. Escobar’s dive is cut off by a chair though and Carlito puts the trashcan over him instead.

Some kendo stick shots have Escobar in more trouble and NOW we can get that table set up. That takes too long so Escobar gets in a knee to the face, only to get crotched on top. Cue Legado to help beat Carlito down for two so the LWO runs in to even things up. Legado gets the better of the fight but cue the returning Rey Mysterio, albeit still on crutches. As you might have guessed, that’s just a ruse as Mysterio takes out Legado, allowing Carlito to spit the apple at Escobar. The Backstabber into the 619 gives Carlito the pin at 11:14.

Rating: B-. Much like the previous match, this wasn’t about the wrestling but rather having Rey back for revenge. That was a cool moment and while they did the ruse with the crutches, they didn’t waste time on it. Good brawl, and it’s nice to see Carlito win something other than a tag match for a change.

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

The New Catch Republic want another Tag Team Title shot at Wrestlemania, but Nick Aldis says he and Adam Pearce have a plan for next week. LA Knight pops up and is looking for AJ Styles, but Aldis has told Styles to stay away this week. Knight has a chair waiting for Styles and there is nothing Aldis can do about it. Nice fire from Knight here.

Randy Orton vs. Austin Theory

Kevin Owens is on commentary and Grayson Waller is here too. Owens gets in a rather funny bit about how he’s smart for bundling his insurance (with Progressive Insurance, the show’s sponsor) but Theory and Waller are the kinds of idiots who pay for everything separately. Orton hammers away to start (with Owens counting along, including throwing in some French) before taking it outside.

Waller cuts off the rams into the announcers’ table (Owens is disappointed) and Theory drops Orton onto the table as we take a break. Back with Orton catching Theory on top for the superplex, only to slip and land feet first, with Theory flipping over anyway. Theory was either looking for something to grab or tried to turn it into a Blockbuster on the way down (major points if it’s the latter) but seems to be fine, with Orton snapping off the powerslam.

They go outside again and Orton drops both villains onto the announcers’ table (Owens: “DID YOU SEE HIM BOUNCE? I UNTIED HIS SHOE!”) for some nasty crashes. Back in and Theory counters the RKO by sending him into the post, setting up the Blockbuster for two. Theory forearms him in the head for two more and tries the rolling….oh never mind as he lands in the RKO to give Orton the pin at 9:16.

Rating: C+. This was the fun main event to close out and it went rather well. Orton is going to be over no matter what he is doing and beating up a midcard heel is always going to work. They didn’t have a great match or anything but Orton did his usual and Owens was a blast on commentary to really make it work.

Post match Theory goes after Orton but Owens runs in and gives Theory a Stunner (with a Scott Hall jump) and Orton RKO’s Waller. The good guys pose to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Before I get into this: yes, I’m aware none of the matches were rated that high and as I’ve said multiple times in this, the wrestling wasn’t the point tonight. This show was about cranking up the energy and setting the stage for Wrestlemania next month. They covered that in a lot of ways, with some of them taking place in the same segment.

We have the challenge for the big tag match at Wrestlemania, Mysterio back, Kai turning on Bayley and what could be the start of some big multiman match for the US Title with Owens and Orton being friendly. That’s all in addition to Rock being back to his old self and the tease of a bunch of stuff in the opening segment. WWE is on a roll right now and they know it, but more importantly you can feel it, which was the case this week.

Results
Tiffany Stratton b. Naomi – Prettiest Moonsault Ever
Bayley/Dakota Kai vs. Kabuki Warriors went to a no contest when Kai turned on Bayley
Bron Breakker b. Xyon Quinn – Spear
Carlito b. Santos Escobar – 619 from Rey Mysterio
Randy Orton b. Austin Theory – RKO

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: February 26, 2024
Location: SAP Center, San Jose, California
Commentators: Pat McAfee, Michael Cole

We have less than six weeks to go before Wrestlemania and after Elimination Chamber, two of the biggest matches for the show are officially set. Drew McIntyre and Becky Lynch won the Elimination Chamber matches, meaning they’re off to challenge Seth Rollins and Rhea Ripley respectively. Those matches are likely to get a lot of attention this week so let’s get to it.

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

People arrived earlier today.

Long Elimination Chamber recap.

Here is Dominik Mysterio in the ring, where he is immediately booed out of the building. Dominik brings out Rhea Ripley, who is far less booed. Ripley talks about how she may be from down under but she is always on top. Cue Becky Lynch to interrupt, saying she has come around to Wrestlemania to face Ripley. What a night they both had on Saturday and now Ripley can lose at Wrestlemania. Dominik: “Nobody talks to Mami that way.” Becky: “Shut your mouth you little kumquat.”

Lynch talks about everything Ripley has done, but she has done it too, while writing a bestselling book. Ripley: “You done? Cool.” Ripley says the man always thinks she does everything but behind every great man, there is a greater woman. With Ripley and Dominik gone, cue Nia Jax to jump Lynch from behind and lay her out. This was a tease of Lynch vs. Ripley tearing each other apart but we need Jax involved to start (likely before Lynch beats her soon) because reasons.

Post break, Jax says she should be going to Wrestlemania over Lynch. Tonight, Liv Morgan is getting ten times the beating she already gave Lynch.

Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Nakamura takes him up against the ropes to start but Zayn is right back with an armdrag into an armbar. They go outside with Zayn hitting a moonsault off the barricade but coming up holding his ribs as we take a break. Back with Zayn fighting up and striking away, setting up a Michinoku Driver for two. A tornado DDT sends Nakamura outside again but he’s right back in to cut off the dive.

We take another break and come back again with Zayn grabbing the Blue Thunder Bomb for two, meaning it’s time for frustration to set in. Nakamura knees him back down and sends Zayn outside, with a dive back inside barely bating the count. The Kinshasa misses though and Zayn hits the Helluva Kick to the back of the head. A regular Helluva Kick finishes for Zayn at 14:54.

Rating: B-. This is a good example of a match that was hurt by the breaks, as nearly half of the match was spent in commercials. It’s hard to get into the groove of things when you keep going to a break but Zayn gets a big win and moves on the Road To Wrestlemania. I’m not sure where he’s going, but if he wants a title match, is there anyone left but Gunther?

Video on Imperium vs. New Day, who have somehow been feuding for nearly two years. How is that possible?

Pat McAfee is in WWE2K24 and is rather pleased.

Chelsea Green vs. Raquel Rodriguez

Green says she is competing under protest here because Rodriguez stole her battle royal win last week. Then Rodriguez went all the way to Australia to lose? Green can make her loses here too. Rodriguez crosses a line that Green draws on the mat and starts fast, including a fall away slam. The Tejana Bomb finishes Green at 1:18.

Sami Zayn needed that win and says he is on his way to becoming a champion. Ludwig Kaiser, followed by Gunther, interrupt and the fans like that.

Cody Rhodes is ready for the Rock’s response to his challenge this week on Smackdown. As for tonight, he’s ready for Grayson Waller.

Here is Imperium for a chat. Gunther brags about retaining the title last week and says Jey Uso gave him a fight last week. Gunther got lucky and retained because no one is perfect, but he comes close. It is time to address his future, because there aren’t many left for him to beat. Who is he supposed to face at Wrestlemania?

Cue Judgment Day of all people, with Damian Priest saying they don’t sweat Gunther. Judgment Day is going to run the table at Wrestlemania, including winning the Intercontinental Title. Gunther wants to know who is coming for the title and Dominik Mysterio steps up. Dominik says the title belongs to the Judgment Day and Priest has to be held back from Gunther. I’m intrigued by this, but please not another multi-man ladder match. It’s a way to get the title off of Gunther without a loss, but my goodness please find anything but that.

Post break, Judgment Day runs into Rhea Ripley, who says they better know what they’re doing with Gunther. Dominik runs into Andrade, who is looking for his first opponent.

New Day vs. Imperium

Street fight and New Day have their hockey jerseys on. They waste no time in fighting to the entrance until we go down to ringside. Kingston’s table is cut off so New Day hit a flip dive over the top/dropkick through the ropes as we take a break. Back with the fight in the crowd before it goes back to the ring, where Woods gets chaired down. Woods is knocked outside but Kofi comes back in with a double high crossbody as house is cleaned. Kaiser gets a kendo stick to clean house but Kofi is back up. Vinci drops Kofi again and unloads on Woods with the stick as we take a break.

Back with New Day fighting back as well and loading up a table at ringside. Woods splashes Vinci through said table for two before throwing Kaiser back inside. The Midnight Hour is broken up and Kofi is sent crashing through a table at ringside. Woods is sent head first into a chair in the corner to give Kaiser the pin at 18:10.

Rating: B. While I’m still trying to get my head around the idea of these teams feuding for nearly two years, this was a good, hard hitting fight and that’s what it was supposed to be. I’m a bit surprised that New Day lost here but it sets Imperium up with maybe their biggest win on the main roster. New Day will be fine and Imperium could be on the way to a title shot down the line, with a good fight included.

Video on Grayson Waller.

Chad Gable comes in to see Adam Pearce and wants to challenge Gunther at Wrestlemania. Gunther reduced his daughter to tears last time and Gable wants it more than anyone else. Pearce considers this.

Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark vs. Indi Hartwell/Candice LeRae

Baszler and Stark are upset because Hartwell and LeRae got a title shot at Elimination. LeRae knocks Stark to the floor to start but Baszler cuts off a tornado DDT. A hard knee drops LeRae and Stark comes in to work on the arm. LeRae Codebreakers her way to freedom, allowing the tag off to Hartwell. Baszler tags herself in though and gets the Kirifuda Clutch to finish Hartwell at 2:48. As dominant as it should have been.

R-Truth made it to the show so here are DIY and Miz, the former of whom play into Truth thinking they’re DX. They have a plan to deal with Judgment Day.

Here is a rather happy Drew McIntyre for a chat. McIntyre: “We did it.” He thanks everyone for praying for his success and now he’s off to Wrestlemania. McIntyre is exhausted and hurt, having burst his eardrum in the Chamber. The doctor said he might not be at Wrestlemania, but he asked if the doctor thought he was CM Punk. McIntyre sits down ala Punk and calls out Seth Rollins for a chat.

Rollins answers and welcomes us to his show, before congratulating McIntyre. We get a recap of what McIntyre has been wanting to do since 2020 but Rollins is the one thing left in his way. McIntyre doesn’t see the point in playing to the fans and won’t care about Smackdown when he wins the title. They’ll have a great match at Wrestlemania where he wins the title, but until then, back off.

Rollins respects everything McIntyre said, but some risks are worth taking. He has played every possibility in his head over and over and McIntyre may be right. Rollins’ body may give out or the Bloodline might get to him, leaving McIntyre with an easy night at Wrestlemania. But what if McIntyre is wrong? There are things that are bigger than them, such as the title at taking out the Bloodline. At Wrestlemania, they’re going face to face for the title and may the best man win. Rollins was showing some fire here, but he needs to keep his feuds separate.

Nia Jax vs. Liv Morgan

Liv slugs away to start but gets knocked into the corner for a hip attack. The stretch muffler has Morgan screaming and Jax swings her into the corner. The apron legdrop misses though and Morgan hits a dive to take her down as we take a break. Back with Morgan snapping Jax’s throat across the top, setting up a middle rope Codebreaker for two. Jax headbutts her into the corner but misses a charge into the post. That sends Jax out to the floor, where Morgan is Samoan dropped against the post. Cue Becky Lynch to jump Jax for the DQ at 8:06.

Rating: C-. This didn’t have to make much of an impact due to the commercial break in the middle. Becky coming to get her win back over Jax is the right way to go as it clears everything else out for Wrestlemania. Lynch vs. Jax is likely taking place next week and that should wrap it up. For now though, Morgan didn’t get squashed and Jax seems to be ready to drop a bit so I’ll call it a positive.

Grayson Waller, with Austin Theory, is ready to disrespect Cody Rhodes like Rhodes did on Saturday. Unless I’m mistaken, Paul Heyman could be seen in the background.

Commentary acknowledges the passing of Ole Anderson at 81 years old.

Becky Lynch talks to Adam Pearce and gets Nia Jax next week. Liv Morgan comes in to yell at Lynch for interrupting, saying not everything has to be about her.

Jey Uso was ready to win the Intercontinental Title last week but Jimmy Uso interrupted. Drew McIntyre interrupts to say he gets what Jey is going through. From the bottom of his heart, Jey deserves this. The fight is on and is quickly broken up. Jey took that whole Jimmy interference last week better than I expected.

Grayson Waller vs. Cody Rhodes

Austin Theory is here with Waller. Rhodes takes him into the corner to start and hits the chops, only to get kneed in the face. A rather delayed vertical suplex puts Waller down again and Rhodes throws him over the top. We’re told Paul Heyman is backstage and we take an early break. Back with Rhodes having to dive onto Theory, allowing Waller to get in a shot of his own. The Cody Cutter into the Cross Rhodes finishes for Cody at 7:46.

Rating: C. Not much to see with this one and that’s how it should have been. There was no reason to believe that Waller was going to be a serious threat to Rhodes and they didn’t waste time trying to make you think otherwise. Rhodes gets to look dominant and move on to something with Heyman to wrap up the show, which is ok than the usual 15 minute main event.

Post match here is Paul Heyman, with Cody immediately grabbing a chair. Rhodes doesn’t care what is waiting on him here, but Heyman says Rhodes needs to get The Rock’s name out of his mouth. You don’t just say someone’s name and get a match….unless you’re the Rock and want to face Roman Reigns, but Cody screwed all that up. Heyman says withdraw the challenge to the Rock or else. Rhodes: “Or else what?”

Rhodes says he hasn’t talked trash about the Rock because he was a big fan. He came from a family where every meal they had was based on ticket sales and no one sold more tickets than the Rock. Rhodes grabs the chair again so Heyman has some private security get on the apron. Heyman asks if he can get in the ring but Rhodes isn’t having that.

The security gets in the ring and Rhodes says if anyone else gets in, he’s dropping them all. Heyman asks if that includes him, which it certainly does. Rhodes cleans house as Heyman calls the Rock and Roman Reigns. That’s fine with Rhodes, who is hunting the Bloodline. This was a bit of a long segment but Rhodes looked smart and fired up, which he needs to be on the Road To Wrestlemania.

Overall Rating: B-. The wrestling had some high spots this week but the focus was on the storytelling. Rhodes took it to a new level for his feud with Reigns, McIntyre and Rollins had a good segment and Gunther seems ready to face a bunch of potential challengers for the Intercontinental Title. That’s a lot to pack into a show, though most of the matches weren’t the strongest and they dragged things back down a bit. There is a long way before Wrestlemania though and this was a show that was taking some time to get places, as it should have.

Results
Sami Zayn b. Shinsuke Nakamura – Helluva Kick
Raquel Rodriguez b. Chelsea Green – Tejana Bomb
Imperium b. New Day – Woods was whipped into a chair
Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark b. Indi Hartwell/Candice LeRae – Kirifuda Clutch to Hartwell
Nia Jax b. Liv Morgan via DQ when Becky Lynch interfered
Cody Rhodes b. Grayson Waller – Cross Rhodes

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

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

AND

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

Elimination Chamber 2024
Date: February 24, 2024
Location: Optus Stadium, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re going international with this show and that means we are likely in for a rather hot crowd. As you can probably guess, this show is going to be focused on the namesake matches, which will help get us to Wrestlemania. Other than that, we have Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes on the Grayson Waller Effect, which should be interesting. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Women’s Tag Team Titles: Kabuki Warriors vs. Indi Hartwell/Candice LeRae

Australia’s Hartwell and LeRae are challenging and Hartwell gets quite the reaction (and mini bio from Cole). Hartwell and Sane start things off with the fans already chanting for Indi. Sane gets powered into the corner as they’re starting fairly slowly. A headlock doesn’t want for Sane as Hartwell shoves her off and kicks her down. LeRae comes in and gets two off a splash before being sent into Asuka’s boots in the corner. LeRae unloads on Asuka in the corner and hits her step up backsplash for two.

A sliding knee cuts LeRae off though and Sane’s top rope forearm has her down again. Hartwell gets knocked off the apron but LeRae manages to kick Asuka away and get over to Hartwell for the needed tag. Hartwell gets to clean house, including something of a body block to send Asuka outside. LeRae is back in with a Lionsault for two on Asuka with Sane making the save. Asuka suplexes Hartwell, who grabs a rollup for two (to a big reaction) before being knocked outside. That leaves LeRae to get knocked off the top and caught in a reverse DDT/Insane Elbow combination for the pin to retain at 8:41.

Rating: C. I don’t think there was that much drama over the idea of a title change, but this was about getting an Australian wrestler out there to start the show. That went rather well, with Hartwell getting the fans’ attention and firing them up even more than before. The Warriors never quite felt in jeopardy here, but that wasn’t exactly the point of the match. Nice enough opener and they didn’t do anything ridiculous.

Post match Hartwell gets the big ovation.

Several people arrived earlier.

Opening video, mainly focusing on Rhea Ripley.

More people arrived.

Women’s Elimination Chamber

The winner gets Rhea Ripley or Nia Jax at Wrestlemania. There is no word on how long the intervals are other than them being “regularly scheduled”. Naomi is in at #1 and Becky Lynch is in at #2 and they take their time to start. They trade shoulders with neither being able to get very far and then trade rollups for two each. That means a standoff before they slap hands and catch each others’ kicks. Lynch tries for the Disarm-Her but gets rolled into a failed Starstruck attempt instead.

They head outside, where Naomi sends her face first into the cage and then takes it back inside. Stereo crossbodies leave both of them down and it’s Tiffany Stratton (quite the crowd favorite, which even she acknowledges) in at #3. The handspring elbows have Naomi in trouble in the corner but Becky goes for the Disarm-Her. That’s broken up by Naomi’s high crossbody for a double near fall and everyone is down.

Stratton tries a double fireman’s carry but can’t keep them up, instead taking Lynch down on her own. The Prettiest Moonsault Ever is broken up so Naomi hits the split legged moonsault on Lynch but Stratton steals the cover for two. With everyone down, Liv Morgan is in at #4 and she sends Stratton into the sides of the pods over and over.

Morgan starts firing off a bunch of elbows in the corner, followed by a middle rope Codebreaker for two on Lynch. Naomi and Stratton go outside with Naomi sending her into the cage wall. Lynch joins them and Bexploders Stratton into the wall. The Disarm-Her, with Stratton’s arm going through the cage, has Stratton in trouble but the fall doesn’t count out there. Back in and Naomi climbs a pod and Blockbusters Morgan off the top, only to have Stratton roll Naomi up for the pin at 13:27.

Raquel Rodriguez is in at #5 and starts throwing people around, including a fall away slam over the top to Lynch and swinging Stratton into the cage. That leaves Rodriguez vs. Morgan, with the middle rope Codebreaker being blocked. Lynch is back in with a double DDT to put Rodriguez down but Stratton gets in a shot of her own to leave everyone on the mat for a bit. Bianca Belair is in at #6 and puts Stratton back in a pod before cleaning house.

Stratton comes back in and gets spinebustered for her efforts. That gives us the Rodriguez vs. Belair showdown with Belair’s crossbody being pulled out of the air. Rodriguez slips out of the KOD attempt but misses a charge and gets sent outside. Belair is pulled out with her and manages to reverse a slingshot suplex into a tornado DDT onto the cage floor. Belair fireman’s carries Rodriguez but gets sent outside again by Stratton.

Rodriguez is laid over the middle rope but Morgan comes flying off the top with a seated senton. Lynch and Morgan are both on top of a pod with Stratton shoving her off and onto Rodriguez. Stratton says it’s Tiffy Time and hits a crazy Swanton from off the pod and onto the pile to leave everyone but Morgan down again. That means Stratton gets to face Morgan on her own but the Prettiest Moonsault Ever is broken up. Instead, Morgan hits a middle rope Downward Spiral to get rid of Stratton (the fans do not approve) at 22:55 overall.

Rodriguez is back up and gets to clean some house, including a chokeslam to Morgan. The middle rope corkscrew splash crushes Morgan but Lynch pulls Rodriguez into the Disarm-Her. That’s broken up as well so Rodriguez powerbombs Morgan and Lynch at the same time. Belair is right back in with the KOD (and she barely got it on) to eliminate Rodriguez at 25:05 overall.

That leaves us with three and Belair takes over on both of them rather quickly. A double handspring moonsault hits Morgan and Lynch for two before they all head outside. Morgan gets swung into the cage but she’s back with a kick to send Belair face first into a pod. Lynch is back up but Belair catches her in the corner to rain down right hands.

Morgan powerbombs Belair down and then superplexes Lynch, who is still able to get her knees up to block Belair’s 450. Back up and Morgan counters the KOD with a knee to Belair’s face, followed by a Codebreaker to Lynch. Another KO doesn’t work on Lynch so Morgan rolls Belair up for the pin at 32:07 overall, only for the Manhandle Slam to pin Morgan and send Lynch to Wrestlemania at 32:15.

Rating: B. This took some time to get going but they didn’t just have Lynch run through everyone to get to the title match. In addition to Lynch, you had the good three way final, plus Stratton looking like a star. Stratton very well may have gotten the most out of this whole thing, as she had the fans behind her and more than lived up to the hype. The match might have gone a bit longer than it needed to, but this was Lynch’s coronation and it worked well.

Tag Team Titles: Judgment Day vs. New Catch Republic

The Republic (Graves: “Sounds like a place where my wife buys her clothes.”) is challenging and Dominik Mysterio is here with the champs. Bate and Dunne jump the champs before the bell, allowing Bate to hit a running shooting star press for an early two on Balor. Dunne comes in for a hard clothesline before cranking on Balor’s fingers. Bate adds a top rope flipping splash, only to have Priest come in and kick away.

Balor comes back in for a chinlock until Bate fights up but Dominik cuts that off. A backbreaker/legdrop combination hits Bate, but Balor manages to get over to Dunne anyway. House is quickly cleaned, including a middle rope moonsault to drop the champs on the floor. A clothesline/German suplex combination gets two on Balor but Bate can’t airplane spin Priest. Everything breaks down and now the spin (a long one at that) has Priest in trouble.

Dominik offers a distraction and that’s enough for an ejection. He won’t leave so Balor drops him, leaving Balor to Sling Blade Dunne. That doesn’t slow Dunne down that much though as he snaps Balor’s fingers, setting up the double Tyler Driver 97 for two, with Priest making the save. Dunne dives onto Priest, who plants him onto the apron. Back in and Balor hits 1916 for two on Bate but the Razor’s Edge is countered.

Bate rolls Priest up and it’s back to Dunne for some kicks to Priest’s head. Bop and Bang sets up the double Birminghammer for two on Priest, followed by some clubberin for good measure. Balor saves Priest from being slammed off the top and it’s a double chokeslam off the middle rope. The Coup de Grace to Dunne retains the titles at 17:26.

Rating: B-. The action was good but this went on longer than it needed to. I was waiting for this one to end more than once and then it just kept going longer and longer. A title change wasn’t completely out of the question here, but they needed to cut off about four minutes here to really make this work. Hopefully Bate and Dunne continue teaming, as the division could use them and they have done well in their time together.

It’s time for the Grayson Waller Effect, but first we have Austin Theory to insult Australian food. Waller comes out to not the strongest reaction but the fans do like him drinking beer out of shoes with a UFC fighter. After Waller plays up to the crowd a bit, he brings out his first guest in Seth Rollins. Then he brings out Cody Rhodes, with the entrances taking their sweet time.

With both of the guests sitting down, Waller pauses to acknowledge Roman Reigns. Waller gets right to the point: who does Rollins want to fight at Wrestlemania? Rollins instead offers a scoop: he is days away from being medically cleared to compete. Rollins talks about how he’s going to win and hits his catchphrases. Waller: “Cool story bro.” We move over to Cody, with Waller asking if Cody is selfish for not giving us Rock vs. Reigns at Wrestlemania.

Cody reiterates that he is a fan of the Rock before listing off the things that Rock would say if he was here. We confirm that there are in fact some Cody Crybabies in the crowd and then questions if the Rock is still the People’s Champion. Cody thinks that if Rollins made an announcement, he should too…and he challenges Rock to a singles match.

Rollins says he’ll be there with Cody when the match happens but Theory cuts them both off with an IT DOESN’T MATTER what you think to Cody. Theory loads up If Ya Smell but Rollins sends him through the set. Cody and Rollins drop the villains (Rollins even hits the Stomp) to wrap it up. This was really long to not say much, but Cody challenging Rock and Seth being physical again worked.

Video on the Men’s Elimination Chamber.

Men’s Elimination Chamber

For the shot against Seth Rollins at Wrestlemania, Logan Paul’s US Title isn’t on the line, and it’s Drew McIntyre in at #1 and LA Knight in at #2. McIntyre chops him into the corner and Knight is already staggering around. A running neckbreaker gets Knight out of trouble but McIntyre knocks him right back into the corner. The fans chant for CM Punk so McIntyre loads up a GTS, only to get reversed into a sunset flip backbreaker. Knight takes him outside for some rams into the pod and yes the fans are right there with the YEAH’s.

Audio goes out, presumably for some not nice crowd chants, but comes back for Knight to send McIntyre face first into another pod. Kevin Owens is in (less than five minutes, as opposed to more than six for the first pod in the women’s match) and hits a chokeslam, which is apparently at the request of a Make-A-Wish kid (that’s great). McIntyre fights up and puts Owens on the top and it goes as badly as it always does for anyone not named Owens.

Knight comes back up but gets slammed down, with Owens Codebreakering McIntyre and landing on Knight at the same time. Owens gets in front of Orton and mocks his post before kicking at Paul’s pod. Knight and Owens get together to try a double superplex on McIntyre, who high crossbodies both of them down.

Bobby Lashley is in at #4 and goes right after McIntyre, including ramming him into the cage. A suplex on the cage floor keeps McIntyre in trouble and Lashley’s spinebuster gets two. Owens is back up to knock Lashley down for two more and it’s Randy Orton in at #5 to drop Owens with the powerslam. The hanging DDT onto the cage floor knocks Owens silly but Orton can’t follow up. Lashley is back up with a spear to Knight, who rolls out to the cage floor. Knight drops McIntyre onto the pod as well but Orton suplexes Knight to leave both of them down.

Logan Paul is in at #6 (complete with messages he wrote onto his pod) but Owens jumps him to start and they are both shut into the pod to keep up the beating. They get out with Owens crotching Paul against a pod wall. Owens blasts Paul again but Lashley sends Owens through a pod. One heck of a spear drives Paul through another pod, only for Lashley to walk into McIntyre’s Claymore. Back in and another Claymore gives McIntyre the pin on Lashley at 21:28.

Knight stomps McIntyre down in the corner and then runs the corner to superplex McIntyre. BFT hits Orton and there’s another to McIntyre….but AJ Styles runs in through the open Chamber door to unload on Knight with a chair. The Styles Clash onto the chair lets McIntyre pin Knight at 24:25. Owens’ brainbuster onto the knee drops Paul and some cannonballs hit McIntyre and Orton.

The Swanton gives Owens two on Orton but McIntyre blocks another one with some raised knees. The Claymore is countered into a pop up powerbomb and there’s the Stunner to Paul. Orton is back up and gets superkicked, only to reverse the Stunner into the RKO to get rid of Owens at 28:00.

With Paul down, McIntyre and Orton have their big staredown but Orton wins a slugout. Paul sends Orton into the buckle, only to get crotched on top. McIntyre neckbreakers Orton but gets high crossbodied by Paul to leave everyone down. Paul is up first and whips out some brass knuckles but spends so long looking at them that Orton grabs the RKO for the elimination at 32:38.

We’re down to Orton vs. McIntyre, with the Futureshock and RKO both being blocked. The hanging DDT puts McIntyre down but he’s back with a spinebuster to cut off the RKO attempt. The Claymore is loaded up but Orton collapses before anything can launch. Orton is back up with an RKO….and here is Paul to knock him out with the brass knuckles. The mostly out cold McIntyre gets the pin at 36:56.

Rating: B. The star power helped here and made a rather long match feel important throughout. McIntyre felt like the right choice from the beginning but Orton winning wouldn’t have been crazy and Lashley is always worth a look. In addition to McIntyre vs. Rollins, this should set up Orton vs. Paul and Knight vs. Styles at Wrestlemania. That’s nice to see in one match.

Here is HHH to announce the attendance: 52,590.

We recap Rhea Ripley vs. Nia Jax. Ripley is the unstoppable home country champion and Jax is a monster. That’s about all you need to know here.

Raw Women’s Title: Nia Jax vs. Rhea Ripley

Ripley is defending and yes she gets the incredible reaction that you knew she was going to receive. Jax shoves her back to start so Ripley strikes away, including a running dropkick into the corner. Another shove sends Ripley into the corner and we go old school with a Stinkface. A legdrop to the back has Ripley in trouble but she kicks up from the mat for some creative offense.

Jax goes with the Stretch Muffler into a half crab, followed by a torture rack to stay on the ribs/back. Ripley slips out and grabs a guillotine choke, which is quickly broken up. A pair of powerbombs drop Ripley and Jax drops a leg to the back of the head for two. The Annihilator is broken up though and Ripley’s missile dropkick gets two. Jax grabs a Samoan drop but Ripley is back with a basement dropkick.

Ripley goes up and is brought back down with a super Samoan drop for another near fall. Jax gets knocked off the ropes this time and that means an Eddie dance frog splash to give Ripley two more. Riptide is broken up so let’s load up the announcers’ tables instead. Jax Samoan drops her onto said table and then adds a splash through it because that’s the kind of thing Jax does. Back in and the Annihilator gets two, leaving Jax shocked. Another Annihilator is broken up and a superplex brings Jax back own. A kick to the head sets up Riptide to retain the title at 14:38.

Rating: C. The ending was great, but there is only so much I can get out of offense built around the idea of Jax being really big. It was a bunch of Samoan drops and Annihilator attempts, which don’t quite make for the most thrilling match. If nothing else, how awesome would it have been if Ripley had kicked out of the Annihilator at two, Hulked up, and beat the fire out of Jax to win? That might not let Jax look strong though and we can’t have that, but hopefully this gets rid of Jax for the time being.

The long celebration and highlight package wrap us up.

Overall Rating: B. This was a weird one as the wrestling was mostly good to very good, but there was little in the way of drama. Lynch and McIntyre felt like pretty strong candidates to win the Chambers and Jax wasn’t beating Ripley if WWE wanted to get out of Australia alive. That didn’t leave much in the way of wondering who was winning, though that isn’t a terrible thing. It was a strong show that was missing that big moment to get it to the next level, though Ripley did everything she could to make it happen in the main event.

Results
Kabuki Warriors b. Indi Hartwell/Candice LeRae – Reverse DDT/Insane Elbow combination to LeRae
Becky Lynch won the Women’s Elimination Chamber last eliminating Liv Morgan
Judgment Day b. New Catch Republic – Coup de Grace to Dunne
Drew McIntyre won the Men’s Elimination Chamber last eliminating Randy Orton
Rhea Ripley b. Nia Jax – Riptide

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: February 16, 2024
Location: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Corey Graves

It’s another big show as we have the return of the Rock and Roman Reigns. Even if we don’t know what they are going to do, you know it is going to be something important and that is the right way to go. Other than that, we have more Elimination Chamber qualifying matches so let’s get to it.

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

The Rock arrived earlier today.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Kevin Owens vs. Dominik Mysterio

Before the match, Dominik brags about how Judgment Day is going to dominate the Elimination Chamber and he is going to complete the sweep. Owens wastes no time in knocking him out to the floor, followed by an armdrag to put him n the floor again. Back in and Dominik gets in a few shots, only to be clotheslined down to cut him off again.

They head outside together this time, with Owens hitting a right hand and sending him into the steps. Cue R-Truth to look at Owens though and Dominik takes over, including the slingshot hilo for two as we take a break. Back with Owens fighting out of a chinlock and firing off right hands. Owens stomps him down and hits the running backsplash on the floor, followed by the Cannonball back inside.

The frog splash gives Owens two (that’s almost a surprising kickout) but Dominik grabs an X Factor of all things. They trade two Amigos each but Dominik misses his own frog splash. Owens is back with the Swanton for two (geez Dominik is getting to look strong here), only to get caught with a 619 for two more. The frustrated Dominik tells Truth to get him a chair, with the distraction allowing Owens to grab the pop up powerbomb for the pin at 14:11.

Rating: B-. It is astounding to see how much better Dominik has gotten in the last year or so and this was another example. This was a solid back and forth match with Dominik more than holding up his end. Throw in the fans loudly booing him before the match and it was quite the overall performance. Good stuff here and I was surprised by how well it went.

Drew McIntyre is here and says he has to win the Elimination Chamber to go on and win the World Heavyweight Title at Wrestlemania. LA Knight comes in to say not so fast and is ready to add McIntyre’s name to that Wrestlemania tombstone on his shirt. Things have to be broken up in a hurry.

The Bloodline arrives.

Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne are ready to win the Tag Team Titles, but Bate thinks they need a team name. Dominik Mysterio comes in to say the Judgment Day will beat them at Elimination Chamber, so Bate says they can beat Dominik and R-Truth next week. I have no idea why they can make this stick but that’s how wrestling works.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Zelina Vega vs. Tiffany Stratton

Vega snaps off a hurricanrana to start before kicking Stratton out to the floor. An armdrag off the apron sets up a middle rope moonsault to Stratton. Cue Legado del Fantasma to ringside as we take a break. Back with Vega fighting out of a chinlock and the LWO coming out to even things up. Stratton cuts off a comeback attempt with an Alabama Slam but Vega cuts off the Prettiest Moonsault Ever. They head outside where Vega is rammed into the barricade, where Legado’s Elektra Lopez offers a distraction. That’s enough for Stratton to deck Vega and hit the Prettiest Moonsault Ever for the pin at 8:19.

Rating: C+. I could have seen this one going either way and that made things a bit more interesting. Vega was firing off the offense here and Stratton kept up with her throughout, which is a good sign in one of her first main roster matches. Stratton seems like she could be quite the star around here and the fact that she transitioned from NXT to Smackdown rather smoothly (at least to start) is already giving me hope for her future.

The OC comes in to see AJ Styles, with Karl Anderson saying Styles has forgotten where he came from. The two of them have to be held apart.

Damage CTRL is coming for Bayley at Wrestlemania.

AOP vs. Javier Bernal/Beau Morris

The rest of the Final Testament is here too. Akam throws Bernal down to start and everything breaks down, with the Super Collider (stereo powerbombs, with the non-AOP being rammed together before being slammed down) setting up a powerbomb/neckbreaker combination to finish Bernal at 1:02. Total destruction, as it should have been.

Logan Paul is ready to beat the Miz, win the Elimination Chamber and become a double champion at Wrestlemania.

We look at the Seth Rollins/Cody Rhodes segment from Raw.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: The Miz vs. Logan Paul

Non-title. Paul talks trash to start and is promptly knocked down for his efforts. Miz sends him to the apron, where Paul comes back in with a high crossbody. The standing moonsault doesn’t quite connect but Paul grabs a Regal Roll to put Miz down again. A splits splash gives Paul two but Miz fires off the chops. Paul knocks him right back down and hits a splash on the apron as we take a break.

Back with Miz slugging away and grabbing a Downward Spiral for two, followed by a Codebreaker out of the corner for the same. Miz tries the Figure Four but Paul grabs the ring skirt, leaving the referee distracted. That’s enough for Paul to poke Miz in the eye and hit his own Skull Crushing Finale for a rather near fall, meaning it’s time to get frustrated.

Miz’s Figure Four sends Paul over to the ropes and then out to the floor, where one of his goons hand him the brass knuckles. Miz breaks that up but Paul kicks the rope for a low blow on the way back in. The big right hand sets up something like an STO to give Paul the pin at 12:40.

Rating: B-. There is a history between these two and that made the match feel more important. Paul’s rise continues with another good match, though I could definitely go for less of his goons interfering. Ignoring that the people are interchangeable, it’s the same stuff so often and that gets rather dull. At least Paul won though, and the lineup inside the Chamber is strong enough that he can lose without taking a major hit.

Tiffany Stratton brags to Liv Morgan and Bianca Belair, the latter of whom isn’t impressed. Jade Cargill comes in to tell them all to shut up. Nick Aldis pops in and we pan over to see Bron Breakker next to a contract (not clear if it has been signed), just like Cargill’s (signing again not clear).

Paul Heyman is talking to Grayson Waller, who seems rather interested.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Naomi vs. Alba Fyre

Isla Dawn is here with Fyre, who takes Naomi down into the corner to start. Naomi slides up and slaps her in the face, setting up a splits splash for two. They go outside with Naomi hitting a bulldog onto the steps as we take a break. Back with Naomi sending her into the corner and hitting a high crossbody for two. Fyre is able to send her into the buckle though and a wheelbarrow faceplant gives Fyre two of her own. The Gory Bomb is countered though and an interfering Dawn is kicked down. A headscissors driver sets up a reverse Rings of Saturn finishes Fyre at 9:20.

Rating: C+. This was just a step above a squash for Naomi, who more or less rolled into the Chamber. It didn’t help that Fyre was a replacement after Shotzi’s injury, which is kind of a shame as she is more than talented enough to get a run of her own. If nothing else, let Fyre and Dawn win some tag matches, as they’re both just sitting around doing nothing at the moment.

Dakota Kai begs Bayley to protect her from Damage CTRL. Bayley isn’t sure because she doesn’t know who she can trust and says she can’t do this right now.

Nick Aldis announces that Bron Breakker has signed with Smackdown and brings him out to sign the contract live.

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

Here is the Bloodline for the big chat. After Roman Reigns says his catchphrase, he calls the fans in Salt Lake City idiots who don’t get how big this is. It’s the biggest night ever in WWE because tonight, the Rock is officially part of the Bloodline. Cue the Rock and the Hollywood is strong with this one. Following a break, Rock says this is an all time indoor attendance record for Utah. That’s right: the record for the largest collection of trailer park trash he has ever seen.

Rock loads up the FINALLY…..the people’s lives have meaning and they’ll have a story to tell their 50 wives. These people have brought out a side of the Rock that you haven’t seen in years but it has always been in here. You had the biggest Wrestlemania main event ever and you flushed it away for CODY. What is Cody’s story? He lost last year and now he wants a rematch.

Apply that to sports. Should the 49ers get a rematch after losing the Super Bowl? Michael Jordan crushed the Utah Jazz and they moved on to get back to the top but the people here don’t get it because they are spoiled entitled crybaby b******. The Bloodline’s story is just beginning but the people here DO NOT get to sing along with the Rock as he hits the catchphrase to end the show.

This cemented the Rock’s heel turn (I’m assuming him picking the 49ers losing to the Chiefs and the Jazz losing to the Bulls, both of which were rematches of recent finals, wasn’t a coincidence) and having him officially join the Bloodline while explaining the heel turn makes good sense.

Overall Rating: B. Much like Raw, this was about setting up a bunch of Elimination Chamber participants with one big segment included. The wrestling was good enough but what mattered here was how important things felt. That has been the case for the last few weeks as made things that much better. It was another good show where the big stuff felt important but the rest of the stuff was far from bad. Things will get even bigger after Elimination Chamber but they’re making that show feel important as well, which is a hard trick to make work.

Results
Kevin Owens b. Dominik Mysterio – Pop up powerbomb
Tiffany Stratton b. Zelina Vega – Prettiest Moonsault Ever
AOP b. Javier Bernal/Beau Morris – Powerbomb/neckbreaker combination to Bernal
Logan Paul b. The Miz – STO
Naomi b. Alba Fyre – Reverse Rings of Saturn

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: February 2, 2024
Location: Legacy Arena, Birmingham, Alabama
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

We’re done with the Royal Rumble and that means we are officially on the Road To Wrestlemania. That means we are going to need some decisions from the Royal Rumble winners, one of which will be announced tonight as Bayley makes her announcement. Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes are here as well so let’s get to it.

Here is the Royal Rumble if you need a recap.

The Bloodline arrives.

Long Royal Rumble recap.

Commentary welcomes us to the show. It’s a smart move to remind people that Barrett is a 5x Intercontinental Champion. A lot of people might not know that and it gives him some instant credibility.

Here is Logan Paul for a chat. He hates Alabama but has to praise Kevin Owens, who hurt him more than Floyd Mayweather Jr. Owens even made him bleed…..but then Owens still lost. Paul talks about how tough he is and mocks Seth Rollins and CM Punk’s recent injuries. He lists off some nicknames before getting interrupted by Owens himself. Owens talks about how much he liked hitting Paul, because hurting him was better than winning the title.

Paul says that was Owens’ one and only shot because he took the bait of the brass knuckles. Owens talks about how he’ll do anything to win a match, but he just got caught. Paul insults Owens’ smell, but Owens says he bathed in Prime (Paul’s energy drink) before he came out here. Either way, there’s no rematch, so Paul is off to find a better challenger.

Kevin Owens vs. Austin Theory

Logan Paul is on commentary and Grayson Waller is at ringside. They trade headlocks to start with Theory knocking him down and choking a bit, much to Paul’s approval. Owens is back up with a backsplash into a Cannonball but Theory backdrops him onto the apron. We take a break and come back with Owens fighting out of a chinlock. A knockdown sets up a missed Swanton so Theory hits a rolling Blockbuster for two. Back up and Paul slips in the brass knuckles but Owens takes them away. After dropping Waller, a right hand to Theory finishes for Owens at 10:48.

Rating: C+. It seems like Owens is staying in the title picture and this was a good way to get him back in the hunt after the bad loss. Sometimes it’s fine just to put someone out there and give them a win over a somewhat credible star and they did it just fine. Owens has bigger things coming, but this was about setting the table and that needed to be done.

Post match Owens chases Paul off.

We look back at Naomi returning in the women’s Royal Rumble.

Naomi has officially signed with Smackdown….and so has Tiffany Stratton, who slaps Michin and runs off.

Bianca Belair is trying to find out what she has to do to get a Wrestlemania title shot. Logan Paul interrupts and wants a match tonight, but gets into an argument with Belair.

Legado del Fantasma talks about their unbreakable bond. A toast is made.

Pretty Deadly vs. Tyler Bate/Pete Dunne vs. LWO vs. Legado del Fantasma

The winners face the winners of another four way on Raw, with the winners getting a Tag Team Title shot at Elimination Chamber. Bate works on Prince’s arm before handing it off to Dunne to do more of the same. Everything breaks down and Wilde is launched off the middle rope for the huge assisted dive onto a bunch of people.

We take a break and come back with Dunne getting the tag to clean house as everything breaks down. Zelina Vega holds the ropes so the LWO can hit stereo dives, followed by Vega diving onto Elektra Lopez. Pretty Deadly’s twin magic doesn’t work as Dunne snaps his fingers and the double Tyler Driver 97 finishes for Bate at 8:47.

Rating: C+. As usual, there is only so much you can do with this many people and so little time. Bate and Dunne are a good tag team and it’s nice to see WWE rebuilding their tag division. No one in here felt off and if there are four other teams on Raw (which there should be), you have quite a division between the two rosters. Having one set of titles helps that much, and there are some interesting possibilities for the Elimination Chamber title match.

We look at Bayley and Rhea Ripley arguing on Raw until Nia Jax interrupted and scared Bayley.

Damage CTRL, minus Bayley, doesn’t think much of Bayley, who happens to be listening from the other room. So she’s Batista with less tattoos?

Here is Bayley, with Damage CTRL, to talk about her Wrestlemania decision. She has done everything she can at Wrestlemania and her career has been a lot more downs than ups. The whole time though, she had her Damage CTRL friends with her because they’re family. The team laughs a bit but then gets serious when she turns around. She wants to be the best and that means beating the best, which brings her to Rhea Ripley.

Sometimes you have to do what your heart tells you to do, like proving people wrong when they said they were your friends. Bayley calls Damage CTRL out for laughing and drops some Japanese, which scares them a bit. She picked it up from all the talking they’ve done behind their back (they know the jig is up) and doesn’t get why they did this.

All she wanted was Damage CTRL to be the best….and they beat her down. Bayley whips out a pipe and cleans house before staring Iyo Sky down. With Sky bailing, Bayley makes the Wrestlemania challenge and the match seems on. That was good stuff as the villains knew the jig was up and didn’t bother wasting time getting to the point.

Final Testament vs. Bobby Lashley/Street Profits

It’s a brawl before the bell and Lashley is left alone to spinebuster Kross. The Hurt Lock is loaded up but Scarlett runs in, only to have B Fab make the save. Lashley spears Kross down and the villains leave. No match.

Bron Breakker is about to sign with Smackdown when Adam Pearce comes in to say he has an offer for him on Monday. Breakker is willing to listen and says he’ll see Pearce on Raw. Jade Cargill comes in to talk with Aldis, who throws Pearce out. Pearce says be careful of Double 0 Salesman.

Tiffany Stratton vs. Michin

Michin starts fast and grabs a suplex but Stratton pops up and takes her down without much trouble. Stratton asks what time it is as we take a break. Back with Michin hitting a heck of a slap and hammering away. An Alabama Slam gives Stratton two and it’s a Regal Roll into the Prettiest Moonsault Ever for the pin at 7:42.

Rating: C. This was a “hi, nice to meet you” match from Stratton as she beats someone the fans know well enough. Stratton is quite the athlete and got to showcase that here, though she’s going to need to do some of her promos to really make it work. For now it’s a nice start, but there is only so much you can get out of this kind of a presentation.

It’s time for Cody Rhodes’ decision, so here is the Bloodline, with Roman Reigns wanting some acknowledgment. Reigns talks about how Seth Rollins talked called his title the important title, but Reigns has beaten everyone who is going after that title. Rollins tried to carry the title and now he’s limping around. Sure Reigns wrestles ten times less than Rollins, but he makes ten times more. Do you want Rollins money or Tribal Chief money?

Cody Rhodes is an idiot and has values and all that, so Reigns isn’t begging him like the other guy. You can be the best #2 in the industry or take a crack at #1 again. After Reigns killed that promo, here is Cody to interrupt. Back from a break and Cody asks if we can do this more privately. Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso leave, allowing Cody to say he disagrees with Seth Rollins saying the WWE Title is the Hollywood Title.

Cody says that is the title Bruno Sammartino held and the title that was taken from his father’s hands. So what is finishing the story? Reigns has said everything around here belongs to him, so if finishing the story taking the title, or taking everything? Cody wants the title and is coming for Reigns…..but not at Wrestlemania.

Cody took counsel this week and one person knows him very well….and here’s the Rock (Reigns’ eyebrows popped up when the music hit). Cody and Rock shake hands, with Rock whispering something to Cody that makes him nod. Cody leaves and Rock stares Reigns down…as the show ends with nothing being said, but we do get a graphic for a Wrestlemania Press Event on Thursday.

Oh yeah this is going to get some people mad and I don’t quite get it. Cody has had his Wrestlemania main event. Against Reigns. For the title. In an NFL stadium. Rock is 53 years old and has a very complicated schedule. If this is the time to get that one big match out of him, you do it when you have the chance. Cody can have his (second) match with Reigns later and even then there’s no guarantee he’s getting the title. Rock vs. Reigns is he biggest match possible right now and if they can do it in front of 60,000+ in Philadelphia, it’s going to be an amazing moment.

Overall Rating: B. This show wasn’t about the wrestling but rather setting up the Wrestlemania title matches. Bayley vs. Sky won’t headline anything but it’s a solid middle of the pack match. Rock vs. Reigns is one of those dream matches that you get every so often and yeah, WWE is going to have to twist things around a lot for it to happen but maybe, just maybe, they have something else in mind for Cody, either at Wrestlemania or down the line. This wasn’t about what happened this week but rather setting things up for Philadelphia and that went really well.

Results
Kevin Owens b. Austin Theory – Right hand with brass knuckles
Tyler Bate/Pete Dunne b. Pretty Deadly, LWO and Legado del Fantasma – Double Tyler Driver 97 to Prince
Tiffany Stratton b. Michin – Prettiest Moonsault Ever

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

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AND

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

Royal Rumble 2024
Date: January 27, 2024
Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s the start of the Road To Wrestlemania and that should make for a huge night. The interesting ting about the Rumble is that we are only going to be in for a four match card, with the two Rumbles, a US Title match and the four way for the World Title. That should be more than enough for a good night so let’s get to it.

We open with a look at wrestlers arriving.

Hulk Hogan talks about how important this part of the country is to wrestling, as there are so many people from Florida who made a big difference in wrestling. Now it’s time for the Royal Rumble and the path to Wrestlemania, but you have to go through a lot to get there.

Just like last year, Pat McAfee returns as a surprise commentator and just like last year, Corey Graves is furious.

Women’s Royal Rumble

90 second intervals, Natalya is in at #1 and the returning Naomi is in at #2. We get a nice WELCOME BACK chant as Cole talks about Naomi winning the TNA Knockouts Title while she was gone from WWE. Natalya knocks her down but Naomi is quickly up for a hurricanrana. The basement dropkick drops Naomi and it’s Bayley in at #3. She’s quickly kicked into the corner and Naomi hits the Rear View. Natalya basement dropkicks both of them but Naomi drops them both for a breather.

Candice LeRae is in at #4 and steps on Naalya’s back with a Codebreaker to Bayley (and lands on Bayley in the process). TNA Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace (a powerhouse) is in at #5 and runs people over before hugging Naomi (who she defeated for the title). They immediately slug it out and Grace hits the Juggernaut Driver (pumphandle driver) to plant Naomi. Indi Hartwell is in at #6 and hits some clotheslines, followed by a spinebuster on Bayley. Hartwell and LeRae team up for a bit and even manage a sign point.

Asuka is in at #7 and Bayley gets rid of Hartwell for the first elimination. Ivy Nile is in at #8 and can’t pick up Naomi. Bayley invites Cole in from commentary, continuing their long lasting one sided feud. Katana Chance is in at #9 and goes after Asuka but gets suplexed by Grace. Nile and Grace grab stereo suplexes, with Naomi trying to put Asuka out instead. Bianca Belair is in at #10, giving us Natalya, Naomi, Bayley, LeRae, Grace, Asuka, Nile, Chance and Belair.

A double running Blockbuster plants Damage CTRL and Belair hammers at Chance in the corner (even though Chance is barely taller than the turnbuckle). More house is cleaned until Kairi Sane is in at #11 to complete Damage CTRL. Sane comes in with a top rope forearm to Belair and the trio goes after Belair. LeRae sends Sane and Asuka to the apron but doesn’t bother to eliminate them, meaning Damage CTRL puts her out instead. Tegan Nox is in at #12 and Natalya has to quickly save her.

A discus lariat hits Grace but Nox tosses Natalya, only to be eliminated by Bayley. Kayden Carter is in at #13 and Sane is sent over the top but she manages to keep her feet from touching in a crazy bit of athleticism. Then she’s knocked out a second later, with Asuka being eliminated as well (Bayley is livid). Chelsea Green is in at #14 and is almost eliminated just as fast as she was last year. Green holds on, leaving Belair and Grace to slug it out. They go to the apron, where Belair hits a KOD for the elimination.

Piper Niven is in at #15 and catches Green as she is sent over the top. With Green back in, Niven wrecks Chance as we get a really cool clock showing how long some people have been in. A bunch of people can’t manage to get rid of Niven and it’s Xia Li in at #16. With a grand total of nothing going on, Zelina Vega is in at #17. Vega manages a tornado DDT on Niven but no one gets tossed. Maxxine Dupri is in at #18 as this match is just death at the moment. Carter is tossed and it’s Nia Jax in at #19.

Li and Nile are quickly out and Green goes after Jax, who promptly mauls her. Green is knocked around like a ragdoll but isn’t eliminated as Shotzi is in at #20, with Green finally being on the floor but not eliminated. That gives us Naomi, Bayley, Chance, Belair, Green, Niven, Vega, Dupri, Jax and Shotzi. Niven crossbodies Jax down but Jax survives the big group elimination attempt.

Jax eliminates Niven and Chance is tossed out as well. Becky Lynch is in at #21 and that wakes the people up. She goes right after Jax, including the missile dropkick. Green comes back in and gets tossed out as Alba Fyre is in at #22. Fyre cleans some house but doesn’t get rid of anyone as Shayna Baszler is in at #23. Fyre plants Jax and it’s Valhalla (with antlers) in at #24….but R-Truth comes in to steal her spot. He is promptly tossed out by Jax, but Adam Pearce comes out to say Vahlalla is in…and she’s immediately eliminated by Jax.

Michin is in at #25 and immediately goes after Fyre, only to have Jax clean house again. Naomi hits a hanging faceplant to get rid of Fyre and Bayley yells at Cole again. Zoey Stark is in at #26 and missile dropkicks Michin. Stark kicks out Vega, who lands HARD on Fyre. Roxanne Perez (from NXT) is in at #27 and snaps off a running headscissors. She stops to point to the sign though and has to survive Bayley throwing her to the apron. Jax gets rid of Michin, Baslzer and Shotzi to clear out a lot of space.

Jade Cargill is in at #28 and yep that brings them up again. Cargill wastes no time in fireman’s carry slamming Jax and then single handedly tossing her out (Becky is STUNNED). Cargill misses a charge into the post and almost everyone is down as NXT’s Tiffany Stratton is in at #29. Stratton gets to show ff the gymnastics but can’t get anyone out as…..Liv Morgan is back at #30. Naomi, Bayley, Belair, Lynch, Stark, Perez, Cargill, Stratton and Morgan.

Stark and Perez are both out, leaving everyone to surround Stratton. And then they all pair off instead of going after her. Cargill and Belair hit stereo gorilla presses and then stare each other down to a REALLY big reaction. Bayley and Stratton break that up and the crowd goes back to mild.

Lynch can’t Manhandle Slam Cargill, who puts her on top instead. Cargill knocks out Becky and Naomi, leaving Stratton to hold on by Belair’s hair in a spot that made me cringe. Bayley kicks them both out and we’re down to Bayley, Cargill and Morgan. They all wind up on the apron with Bayley and Morgan getting kicked away. Morgan kicks Cargill in the face and hits an Oblivion to get rid of her, only to be kicked out by Bayley for the win at 1:05:00.

Rating: C+. The last 20 or so minutes made a huge difference here as this was REALLY weak to start. What mattered here was the star power in the last third as it made things that much better. Bayley is still dependable, Cargill looked like an absolute star, Grace had a great showing, Morgan still doesn’t feel like a star and Becky was just kind of there for the most part.

On the bad side though, one of the biggest problems with the women’s Rumble is there aren’t many feuds. You have title matches and little more for the women. That leaves people just having random fights and that doesn’t give you much to work with. It’s been a problem for these matches since they started and it was still the case here. The last bit saved it, but they need to find a way to pick things up throughout.

We recap the Smackdown World Title match. Roman Reigns beat LA Knight at Crown Jewel, albeit with help from the Bloodline. The Bloodline also took out AJ Styles back in September, so he wants revenge. Randy Orton is back too and wants the title, leaving Reigns to fight them all at once.

Smackdown World Title: Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton vs. AJ Styles vs. LA Knight

Reigns is defending and has Paul Heyman with him. All three go after Reigns and stomp him down in the corner without much trouble. Reigns is out on the floor so Knight takes over and sends Styles face first into the announcers’ table over and over. Orton comes over and drops Reigns onto the announcers’ table before doing the same to Knight. Back in and Orton sends Knight to the floor again, only to get chopped by Styles.

Knight comes back in and gets to take over on everyone but Reigns is back up to send Orton and Styles outside. Reigns fires off clotheslines to Knight in the corner before taking down the returning Styles and Orton. Knight ducks the Superman Punch and hammers on Reigns, including his own jumping clothesline. A DDT plants Orton and the powerslam does the same to Orton.

Knight plants Reigns again but Styles makes an accidental save. Styles’ fireman’s carry backbreaker hits Knight but bangs up his own knee in the process. The Styles Clash hits Reigns with Knight making the save this time. Styles loads up the Phenomenal Forearm but gets RKO’d down. Another RKO hits Knight and the Superman Punch is countered into the RKO….but Solo Sikoa pulls the referee out.

Sikoa gives Orton and Knight the Spike (leaving Knight on Orton for what would be a cover if there was a referee) but goes after Styles, only to go crashing through the barricade. Styles is back in for a Phenomenal Forearm and covers all three at once for two. With nothing else working, Styles grabs a chair and takes Reigns down. It works so well that he does the same thing to Knight but Reigns is up with a spear. Knight plants Reigns and hits the LA Elbow but the BFT is broken up, with Knight being shoved into the ropes to drop Styles. The spear hits Styles to retain at 19:31.

Rating: B-. This was a match where you pretty much knew how the ending was going to go and the question was more about whether Reigns was going to pin Styles or Knight. There was almost no way Reigns was going to lose here, and having the match go on second made it all the more clear. The action was good enough but far from a classic, as this was pretty much just a good version of what you knew it was going to be.

We recap Logan Paul defending the US Title against Kevin Owens. Paul is the loudmouthed champion and Owens doesn’t like an outsider being here as the new star. Therefore, after winning a tournament, Owens is ready to fight.

US Title: Kevin Owens vs. Logan Paul

Owens, with a bad hand, is challenging. They’re quickly on the floor with Owens sending him into the barricade. Back in and an elbow to the face sets up the backsplash for one as it’s all Owens early on. A release German suplex drops Paul again and they’re back on the floor, with Owens chopping away. Paul gets smart by sending the bad hand into the post, followed by a high crossbody back inside.

A Kimura starts in on the arm/hand before Paul switches over to an Octopus. With that broken up, Paul uppercuts him down and my goodness his chest is looking terrible. Owens comes back with a heck of a slap and an even harder clothesline drops Paul. Another backsplash hits raised knees but Owens grabs the fisherman’s buster onto the knee. Back to back Cannonballs connect and the frog splash connects as well.

Owens’ Swanton hits knees but Paul’s hits mat, meaning it’s time for a breather on the floor. Back in and the Buckshot Lariat hits Owens and a top rope splash gives Paul two. Paul loads up a superplex but spends too much time yelling about how no one can superplex Owens, allowing Owens to hit the swinging fisherman’s superplex. Paul’s big punch is cut off by a superkick but the Stunner is blocked.

Paul hits the right hand for two and Paul can’t believe the kickout. Cue one of Paul’s cronies who has to be ejected, leaving Owens and Paul to hit stereo clotheslines. Cue Grayson Waller and Austin Theory, with the latter slipping Paul the brass knuckles. Owens gets two off a rollup and Owens gets the knuckles away from Paul and knocks him silly for the….DQ as the referee sees the knuckles at 14:02. McAfee: “OH NOW THE REF HAS 20/20?”

Rating: B. I rather like the ending as Owens getting carried away and Paul needing to be saved to keep the title. The other good thing is that Paul gets to stay strong, as his stuff in the ring still looks great. It was a rather good back and forth match and they even found a smart way out of keeping Owens from taking a pin.

Post match Owens lays out Paul again.

Rumble By The Numbers.

Men’s Royal Rumble

90 second intervals, Jey Uso is in at #1 and Jimmy Uso is in at #2. Jey knocks him to the apron to start but it’s too early for an elimination. Jimmy is back with a knockdown of his own and Grayson Waller is in at #3. Waller talks all the way to the ring and says no one cares about the sibling rivalry. Jey superkicks him off the apron (not an elimination) but gets jumped by Jimmy. Waller and Jimmy beat Jey down and the returning Andrade is in at #4.

Running knees in the corner abound and Carmelo Hayes is in at #5. Hayes fires off some superkicks and circles around with Andrade and Jey. Waller tries to roll in but gets Codebreakered, setting up the elimination from Hayes. Shinsuke Nakamura is in at #6 and kicks Hayes into the corner as the fans sing Nakamura’s song. He fires off a bunch of kicks and it’s Santos Escobar in at #7.

Andrade and Escobar quickly knock everyone down and have a staredown, with Andrade not being sure at the hug. Escobar goes for the elimination but gets sent to the apron. Karrion Kross is in at #8 and forms a weird alliance with Jimmy. They don’t actually eliminate anyone of course and here is Dominik Mysterio in at #9. The entrances continue to fly by as Carlito it in at #10, giving us Jey, Jimmy, Andrade, Hayes, Nakamura, Escobar, Kross, Dominik and Carlito.

It’s time for an apple (the fans react) and the spitting of said apple saves Carlito from Escobar. Back up and Escobar is eliminated but Kross gives Carlito the Final Prayer. Bobby Lashley is in at #11 with some spears and a spinebuster until only Dominik is left standing. Another spar hits Dominik but Kross lets Lashley get in a free shot…which eliminates Carlito instead.

There’s a spear to Kross and Lashley dumps him as well. A bunch of people can’t get rid of Lashley but here are the AOP for a distraction. They don’t actually do anything but Hayes and Nakamura knock Lashley to the apron where Kross gets rid of him. Cue the Street Profits to help with the brawl to the back as Ludwig Kaiser is in at #12.

With nothing going on there, Austin Theory is in at #13. Ataxia hits Hayes but it’s not enough for the elimination. Hayes tries to get rid of Hayes as Finn Balor is in at #14. Balor tosses Hayes and joins up with Dominik to stomp Kaiser. Cody Rhodes is in at #15 and this should pick things up a bit. Rhodes tosses Theory and gets into it with Balor as Bronson Reed is in at #16. A double Samoan drop plants Dominik and Balor before Reed dumps out Andrade. We get the Cody vs. Nakamura showdown with Nakamura hitting a kick to the face and it’s Kofi Kingston in at #17.

Cody gets rid of Nakamura and then hammers on Jimmy as Kaiser can’t get rid of Kofi. Instead Kofi kicks Kaiser out for some revenge and it’s Gunther in at #18. After yelling at Kaiser for being eliminated, Gunther gets inside and chops away. A slam plants Reed but Kofi manages to send Gunther to the apron. Gunther wastes no time in shrugging that off and dumping Kofi, who never had the chance to do anything special.

Ivar is in at #19 (Cole: “He’s on a roll in the last month.” Ivar is 2-2 in the last month, with losses to Johnny Gargano and Akira Tozawa.) and gets in a showdown with Reed. Bron Breakker is in at #20, giving us Jey, Jimmy, Dominik, Balor, Rhodes, Reed, Gunther, Ivar and Breakker. Things start fast and it’s Breakker getting rid of Jimmy and Balor before having a showdown with Gunther (no mention of Breakker beating him in NXT). A gorilla press and spear drop Gunther and it’s Omos in at #21.

Omos takes his time getting in and tossed Reed, followed by Breakker getting rid of Ivar. We get the Breakker vs. Omos showdown….and Pat McAfee is in at #22, looking stunned. Breakker and Omos stare at McAfee, who teases eliminating himself, gets back in, and then does eliminate himself. McAfee: “HOW BIG IS THAT THING IN THERE???” Breakker dumps the distracted Omos but gets tossed by Dominik as JD McDonagh is in at #23.

Breakker spears McDonagh down on the floor and it’s R-Truth in at #24, throwing McDonagh inside…where Jey knocks him out. Truth gets on the apron for a tag as Gunther sleepers Dominik. For some reason Dominik DOES tag him in and house is cleaned, at least until Gunther kicks Truth in the face. Miz is in at #25 and teams up with Truth for a double hiptoss to Jey. Truth saves Dominik though and Damian Priest is in at #26. Priest wastes no time in throwing out Truth but only sends Miz to the apron. CM Punk is in at lucky #27 and IT’S CLOBBERIN TIME.

Punk gets to clean some house and eliminates Dominik but gets forearmed by Priest. Ricochet is in at #28 and is quickly sent to the apron by Priest. A springboard high crossbody hits Gunther but Priest takes Ricochet down again. Gunther chops Miz out and Drew McIntyre is in at #29. McIntyre sends Ricochet flying with a belly to belly and clotheslines Jey down.

Priest kicks away at McIntyre, who plants him with a spinebuster. Jey is back up with a superkick to McIntyre and another to send Gunther to the apron. Gunther breaks that up and dumps Jey and it’s….Sami Zayn in at #30. That gies us a final grouping of Rhodes, Gunther, Priest, Punk, Ricochet, McIntyre and Zayn.

McIntyre dumps Ricochet out and we’re down to six. A parade of secondary finishers puts everyone but Zayn down and there’s the Helluva Kick to McIntyre. Zayn gets rid of Priest but gets dumped by McIntyre and we’re down to McIntyre, Rhodes, Punk and Gunther.
A Cody Cutter hits Gunther but he clotheslines Rhodes to save himself. McIntyre kicks people down and is the only one standing, including another Claymore to Punk. He yells that it’s his time now and is promptly eliminated by Punk to get us down to three.

Gunther dropkicks Punk and Rhodes down before powerbombing Punk. Cody slips out and tries a Cody Cutter but gets sent onto the apron. Cody manages to pull Gunther to the apron and then out, meaning it’s Cody vs. Punk. They slug it out until a double clothesline leaves them laying. They slug it out from their knees and then again on their feet. Both finishers are broken up so Cody hits the Bionic Elbow.

Cross Rhodes is broken up again but Punk can’t toss him. Punk points at the sign and walks into Cross Rhodes but Cody can’t follow up. A quick GTS plants Cody and they’re both down again. Punk hits a Pedigree (McAfee: “If you know, you know.”) but another GTS is countered and Cody dumps him for the win at 1:08:20.

Rating: B-. This took its time to get going and had some moments but it never quite got into that next level. Cody going back to Wrestlemania is certainly a choice but it would be nice to have him do something other than going after Reigns. As for the rest of the match, you had Breakker looking like a killer and Dominik getting in some good moments. For the most part though, the match just wasn’t all that great with the crowd not being interesting. You can’t argue with the final two though and that’s what matters most in a match like this. It’s not a bad Rumble, but it’s certainly not a great one either.

Sign pointing, pyro and highlights take us out.

Overall Rating: B-. For a four match show with the Rumbles taking up almost two and a half hours, there is only so much you can complain about here. I’m still curious to see where things go for Wrestlemania, but Cody winning is kind of deflating. Anyway, it’s not an all time classic or anything, but it could have been much, much worse. Wrestlemania season is here and that’s all that matters, though they’re going to need something to get a big spark going.

Results
Bayley won the Women’s Royal Rumble last eliminating Liv Morgan
Roman Reigns b. AJ Styles, Randy Orton, LA Knight – Spear to Styles
Logan Paul b. Kevin Owens via DQ when Owens used brass knuckles
Cody Rhodes won the Men’s Royal Rumble last eliminating CM Punk

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

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AND

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Smackdown
Date: January 26, 2024
Location: Kaseya Center, Miami, Florida
Commentators: Corey Graves, Michael Cole

It’s the go home show for the Royal Rumble and that means it is time for the final push to the show. There’s a good chance we’ll get some more names added to the Royal Rumble matches, as there are less than twenty entrants out of the sixty spots in two matches. The Women’s Tag Team Titles are on the line tonight too so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s main event, with Roman Reigns jumping Randy Orton after the match but getting taken out with an RKO to end the show.

Here is Eladio Carrion, a rapper from Puerto Rico who has released a song called RKO, with the music video featuring Randy Orton. He wastes no time in bringing out Orton, who greets a fan on the way to the ring. Orton knows the fans are surprised he’s friends with Carrion but it’s time to get to serious business. That would be the Bloodline, because Roman Reigns has been World Champion for almost 1,300 days.

It’s almost unheard of and no one can stop him….except maybe Orton himself. After tomorrow at the Royal Rumble, he’ll be a fifteen time World Champion and that is the only number that matters. Cue AJ Styles, who was taken out by Solo Sikoa last week. He hasn’t forgotten about Orton though, because Orton has a receipt coming. Styles is going to step over Reigns, Orton and…cue LA Knight to interrupt.

The fans seem happy to see him, with Knight calling both of them dummy. Knight finds it interesting that he is the only one in tomorrow’s four way who has a match (against Sikoa) tonight. That’s because Paul Heyman sees him as the biggest threat but tomorrow he’s coming for the title and stepping over all of them. Styles Pele’s Orton to give him the promised receipt to wrap this up.

Carlito vs. Santos Escobar

The LWO and Legado del Fantasma are here too. Carlito hammers away in the corner to start but gets sent into the buckle. Escobar sends him out to the apron, with a Legado distraction letting him get knocked outside. We take a break and come back with Escobar getting two off a clothesline. A super hurricanrana takes Carlito down again and we hit the seated abdominal stretch.

Carlito fights up and hits a dropkick, followed by a rolling neckbreaker for two. The running knee lift and a clothesline put Escobar down and everyone gets in a brawl on the floor. Del Toro hits a huge dive and here is NXT’s Elektra Lopez (formerly part of Legado) to jump Zelina Vega, allowing Escobar to grab a rollup for the pin at 9:49.

Rating: C+. This was about giving Legado one more member to even things up with the LWO, but again this was all about keeping Escobar warm before his big showdown with Rey Mysterio, whenever it comes up. Escobar is being built up rather well and having Lopez around is only going to make things better for him.

Commentary talks about Raw moving to Netflix in January.

AJ Styles runs into Jimmy Uso and suggests that Styles help the Bloodline get rid of LA Knight tonight. Uso leaves and the OC comes in, with Styles saying don’t worry about it.

NXT GM Ava comes in to see Nick Aldis but Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits interrupt. Lashley gets to draw his Royal Rumble number when Legado del Fantasma come in. Escobar draws his number as well.

Video on Bayley, who creates history and is ready to do it again. Then she formed Damage CTRL and they’re taking over.

R-Truth draws a Royal Rumble number and thinks Nick Aldis is Adam Pearce.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Kabuki Warriors vs. Kayden Carter/Katana Chance

Carter/Chance are defending. Carter rolls Asuka up for two to start and it’s Chance hitting a slingshot hilo for two of her own. Chance takes both of them out with a slingshot dive to the floor and we take a break. Back with Chance in trouble but managing to send Sane outside. Carter comes back in and dives onto both Warriors to drop them on the floor.

A springboard spinning legdrop gets two on Asuka but she hands it back to Sane. Everything breaks down but the Insane Elbow hits raised boots. The Keg Stand gets two on Asuka, who breaks up the After Party. Asuka kicks Carter in the head though and the Insane Elbow gives us new champions at 9:03.

Rating: B-. This was a better match than I was expecting but at the end of the day, there was no reason to keep the titles on Carter and Chance. They were pretty much transitional champions but dropped the titles to one of the best teams the titles have ever seen. It was the right way to go and now we get to see where things go from here.

Paul Heyman tells Solo Sikoa to finish LA Knight. Sikoa: “Ok.” With Sikoa gone, Heyman hypes up the idea of Jimmy us winning the Royal Rumble.

Bayley and Bianca Belair draw their Royal Rumble numbers.

Here are Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits for a face to face showdown with the Final Testament. Lashley runs down their resume and calls the Testament out, with the team coming straight to the ring. Only Scarlet gets in the ring though, with Montez Ford calling the team scared. Karrion Kross says the fight isn’t happening tonight…but Lashley disagrees. Scarlet goes after Lashley’s eyes though and the Testament lays everyone out.

Jimmy Uso draws his Royal Rumble number. No yeet.

We look back at Logan Paul on the KO Show, with Paul further damaging Owens’ bad hand. Then they got in a fight at the Performance Center.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Austin Theory

Grayson Waller is here with Theory. A dropkick takes Theory down to start and a springboard spinning clothesline does it again. Theory gets in a cheap shot to put Hayes on the floor though and Waller adds a cheap shot as we take a break. Back with Hayes making a comeback and hitting something like a….reverse reverse DDT (as in Theory is facing up while Hayes is facing away from him). A spinning faceplant gives Hayes two but another Waller distraction sets up Ataxia (Theory loads him up for a powerbomb but flips him backwards into a faceplant). They trade rollups until Theory grabs the tights for the pin at 6:58.

Rating: C+. This was a way to make up after things went really badly two weeks ago. It’s good to see Hayes getting more reps on the show as he seems almost ready to move up to the main roster full time. It’s wouldn’t shock me to see him as a post Wrestlemania call up, but he has to get done with everything involving Trick Williams first. For now though, losing to Theory via cheating isn’t a bad thing and the match went well enough.

Post match Waller comes in for the beatdown but Trick Williams makes the save to a positive reaction. Things still aren’t great with Hayes and Williams though (it’s an NXT thing).

Royal Rumble rundown, with only four matches.

Eladio Carrion wants Randy Orton to win the title at the Rumble but the Bloodline comes in to scare him a bit.

LA Knight vs. Solo Sikoa

The Bloodline is here too. Sikoa takes him into the corner to start and hammers away but Knight gets smart by going after the leg. A stomp to the hand slows Sikoa down again and a ram into the steps makes it worse. Back in and a cheap shot takes Knight down again and we take a break.

We come back with Knight charging into a Samoan drop for two but getting a boot up in the corner. The middle rope bulldog takes Sikoa down again and Knight gets to slug away. A DDT only does so much to Sikoa so they crash out to the floor, where Knight can ram him into the announcers’ table over and over. Cue AJ Styles to take Knight out for the DQ at 8:40.

Rating: C+. Not exactly a great match here but I appreciate not giving Knight a pinfall loss, or a loss of any kind, before he head son to the Royal Rumble. It’s important to keep him strong, especially with the real possibility of Knight being there to take the pinfall. The match was a lot of punching and kicking, but Knight going after the hand made sense.

Post match Styles teases teaming with Jimmy Uso against Knight but goes after Uso instead. Cue Randy Orton to take out the Bloodline and hit an RKO on Styles to….not end the show, as LA Knight gives Orton the BFT to really end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a good enough show that focused on the World Title match, which is what it needed to be. There was nothing on here worth going out of your way to see but it also didn’t do anything that made me less interested in the Rumble. The Rumble is such a weird show in that there are only four matches on the card with two of them being a mixture of wrestlers from all three shows. That leaves the US Title match, which got time last week, and the World Title match, which got time this week. Nice, to the point show.

Results
Santos Escobar b. Carlito – Rollup
Kabuki Warriors b. Kayden Carter/Katana Chance – Insane Elbow to Carter
Austin Theory b. Carmelo Hayes – Rollup with tights
LA Knight b. Solo Sikoa via DQ when AJ Styles interfered

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

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AND

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