Monday Night Raw
Date: December 30, 2024
Location: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

It’s the last show of the year and that means we are also wrapping up the show’s run on cable. After this week’s show, Monday Night Raw moves to Netflix so it is quite the farewell to the USA Network. There is a good chance that we are going to get a heck of a tribute here so let’s get to it.

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

Commentary previews the show.

Here is the New Day to get things going and the fans are not pleased. The fans won’t let them talk until Kofi finally says they don’t have much time…an Jey Uso interrupts. We get the full entrance through the crowd and Xavier Woods thinks the fans like Uso. That earns him more booing, with Woods being stunned that he can’t even talk to Jey. After a good while, Uso says New Day sucks and the chant sends the two of them to the back.

Before Jey can say much, the Bloodline pops up on screen to say Jey should have stuck with them instead of going back to Roman Reigns. Next week, Solo Sikoa will become the official Tribal Chief and everyone will acknowledge him. Then Drew McIntyre comes through the crowd to jump Uso. The Claymore takes too long to set up though and Uso hits a superkick. The Glasgow Kiss puts Jey down and, after teasing leaving, McIntyre runs back in for the Claymore. As usual, it’s impressive to see how many stories can weave together and move from one to another.

Chad Gable and American Made are ready to stop the Alpha Academy.

Otis vs. Chad Gable

Both of their teams are here too. Otis starts fast with the power and knocks Gable outside. Back in and Gable punches him down in the corner before avoiding a charge into the post. Gable starts in on the leg but misses a swan dive, meaning Otis is able to get mad. A corner splash sets up the Caterpillar for two, leaving the women to brawl on the floor.

The ankle lock has Otis in trouble but he kicks Gable out to the floor. The Creeds come in to little avail, with Otis throwing Gable at them. Otis’ ankle lock is broken up for a German suplex but he takes Gable down again. Ivy Nile’s interference lets Gable get the ankle lock with the grapevine an Otis taps at 9:20.

Rating: C+. This was about Otis having to fight off everyone at once and that was going to keep everyone busy. Gable winning should wrap up the story for good and now Gable and his cronies need something else to do. The feud hasn’t been bad, but it’s time to move on and find something else for everyone involved.

Video on Rhea Ripley, who wants her title back. Meanwhile, Liv Morgan is laughing about hurting Ripley and finishing her for good.

Judgment Day has plans for Rhea Ripley and the War Raiders. Finn Balor wishes Raquel Rodriguez luck.

R-Truth vs. Pete Dunne

Dunne jumps R-Truth before the match and beats him down. No match.

Dakota Kai is ready to beat Shayna Baszler and Iyo Sky is ready to beat Lyra Valkyria.

Women’s Intercontinental Title Tournament Semifinals: Dakota Kai vs. Zoey Stark

They go to the apron to start with Stark getting the better of things and posing a lot as we take an early break. Back with Kai making a comeback and hitting the Kairopractor. The Dakota Kick in the corner sets up a running boot for two but Stark knees her in the face. A basement superkick gives Stark two but she springboards into a superkick. The fireman’s carry kick to the head finishes Stark at 8:20.

Rating: B-. They were starting to roll near the end there with Kai getting a bit of an upset win. It very well could set up a Damage CTRL final and that should be a good way to go if they are going in that direction. For now though, good stuff and Kai looked sharper out there than she has before. If she can keep upping her game like this, she has quite the potential.

We get a highlight video on the history of Monday Night Raw, which thankfully doesn’t leave out people who now wrestle elsewhere.

Judgment Day vs. Damian Priest/War Raiders

Priest goes after Balor to start but it’s quickly off to McDonagh, who gets dropped by Erik. The Raiders quickly clean house and the villains are knocked off the apron for a crash into the announcers’ table as we take a break. Back with Balor chinlocking Erik, who fights up and hands it off to Ivar to clean house. Everything breaks down and it’s Priest coming in to wreck the villains again. South Of Heaven is escaped and Dominik takes out Priest’s knee. The Razor’s Edge is broken up as well but South Of Heaven finishes Dominik at 9:12.

Rating: C. Pretty standard six man here with Priest turning it up in the end to win for the team. As usual, Priest looks good in the ring and feels like a star but can’t quite get his hands on Balor in the big moment. There’s a good chance the blow that off at the Royal Rumble or somewhere before then, and that could be a good one.

Adam Pearce gives Jey Uso a match with Drew McIntyre next week.

We get another look at the mysterious symbol, which now turns into a design of a mask, which is definitely Penta El Zero Miedo.

Here is Ludwig Kaiser for a chat. He is the real star and European elegance, so he wants Bron Breakker out here right now. Cue Sheamus to beat Kaiser down instead

Rey Mysterio gives Otis a pep talk. With the Alpha Academy gone, New Day comes up to mock Mysterio for being a locker room leader. Mysterio issues a challenge for a match and New Day mocks him, but seems to accept.

Women’s Intercontinental Title Tournament Semifinals: Lyra Valkyria vs. Iyo Sky

Valkyria strikes away to start but Sky avoids a kick to the head. Sky gets pulled into a rocking horse hold before Valkyria puts her on top for a dragon screw legwhip. We take a break and come back with Sky hitting a missile dropkick but taking too long to set up Over The Moonsault. A suplex gives Valkyria two as Dakota Kai is watching from a sky box.

Sky’s bridging German suplex gets two so Valkyria puts her down for the same, meaning it’s time to look frustrated. Sky takes her up top for a super hurricanrana and now she gets to be stunned at a kickout. With Valkyria out on the floor, Sky busts out a moonsault but comes up favoring her knee. Over The Moonsault bangs up the knee again though and Valkyria rolls her up with a bridge for the pin at 11:46.

Rating: B. I was expecting this to be good but I didn’t think it would get this high up there, with both of them exceeding expectations. They also took a nice turn here with Valkyria winning over Sky, as doing the Damage CTRL match wouldn’t have been as interesting. This was a rather nice surprise and I’m glad to see Valkyria getting a win like this for a change.

Video on next week’s Tribal Combat.

Here are Seth Rollins and CM Punk to go face to face. They trade some insults before Rollins gets to the point by bringing up Punk leaving and then coming back to get the credit. Punk talks about respecting the pioneers because they have all of the arrows in his back. He liked being here but he didn’t like the person running the place.

Next week, he’s bringing a bunch of arrows n putting them down Rollins’ throat. Rollins calls Punk a cancer that will be cut out next week when Rollins burns him to the ground. The big staredown wraps up the show. They’re at the point where all they have left to do is fight and that’s coming at the perfect time.

Overall Rating: B-. They were in a weird spot here as this show was all about setting up next week, which is where the real stuff happens. It was also the last Raw on USA, which meant that it was kind of a finale but also kind of not as the show is continuing next week, just in a different place. The tournament matches were both good and the staredown at the end was intense, which is all this needed to be. Good show here, but next week is the one that really matters.

Results
Chad Gable b. Otis – Ankle lock
Dakota Kai b. Zoey Stark – Fireman’s carry kick to the head
Damian Priest/War Raiders b. Judgment Day – South Of Heaven to Mysterio
Lyra Valkyria b. Iyo Sky – Bridging rollup

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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Saturday Night’s Main Event #37
Date: December 14, 2024
Location: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Jesse Ventura, Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

This show is back after more than 18 years and in this case, the card might be the biggest of all time with basically a pay per view quality show. There are two World Title matches and the inaugural Women’s United States Champion will be crowned. The show is also in prime time (well for a Saturday night) so this could be a big deal. Let’s get to it.

After a quick opening to this year’s show, we get a retro look at the show, with a bunch of clips from the 80s and 90s.

The opening video featured modern clips to classic commentary, which is quite the way to go. We even get the still shot of Cody Rhodes next to the logo.

Jesse Ventura joins Joe Tessitore (yes he has the feather boa and the snake skin jacket) and he isn’t impressed with Cody Rhodes.

If that’s not enough, Pat McAfee is back (as are the red, white and blue ropes).

Sami Zayn vs. Drew McIntyre

Zayn starts fast and hammers away in the corner before a clothesline sends him to the floor. The Arabian moonsault hits McIntyre and Zayn knocks him over the top again. A slingshot dive is pulled out of the air though and McIntyre tosses him over the announcers’ table. We take a break and come back with McIntyre tossing him by the neck but charging into a boot in the corner.

The Helluva Kick is blocked though and a spinebuster into a sitout powerbomb gives McIntyre two. A super White Noise is countered into a sunset bomb to give Zayn two and they’re both down. Back up and the Claymore is blocked with Zayn hitting the Blue Thunder Bomb for two more. The threat of a Helluva Kick sends McIntyre outside but he comes back in to catch Zayn with the Claymore for the pin at 10:04.

Rating: B. They got going here and were having a hard hitting back and forth match, which shouldn’t be a surprise given who was in there. McIntyre seems to be on a revenge quest and that should make for an interesting story. If nothing else, McIntyre might cross paths with Roman Reigns sooner than later and that could be a rather different way to go.

Tito Santana, Rich Hering (worked backstage) and Jimmy Hart are all here.

Raw Women’s Title: Iyo Sky vs. Liv Morgan

Sky is challenging and flips away from her to start. A running dropkick puts Morgan down and a flapjack does it again for two. Sky sends her outside for a springboard moonsault and we take an early break. Back with Sky hitting a dive to the floor, followed by a missile dropkick for two.

Morgan is back with a Codebreaker for two of her own but Sky rolls some German suplexes for another near fall. Sky tries another springboard but slips, allowing Morgan to hit another Codebreaker for two. An enziguri staggers Morgan and Sky pulls her into a knee to the face for two more. Over The Moonsault hits raised knees though and Oblivion retains the title at 9:09.

Rating: C+. This could have been worse as they started to slip a bit near the middle but got it together well enough. It’s a bit weird to see Morgan beat Sky clean but it’s not the biggest stretch in the world. For now though, good enough match here, even if it’s weird to see a serious Women’s Title match on this show.

Post match Morgan (with a rather banged up nose) is cut off by Rhea Ripley for a big staredown.

Raw World Title: Gunther vs. Finn Balor vs. Damian Priest

Gunther is defending. They start fast with Gunther going after Balor and then headbutting Priest. Balor rolls Gunther up to block a powerbomb attempt but gets punched out to the floor. Priest elbows Gunther out to the apron and then to the floor, with a big flip dive just barely clearing the ropes (Priest banged into them a bit) as we take an early break.

Back with Gunther booting both of them down and looking rather fired up. Priest is back up with chops and running elbows in the corner as McAfee randomly congratulates the Heisman Trophy winner, with Cole having to point out that people are talking about Saturday Night’s Main Event. Something close to Old School hits Gunther and Priest’s lifting Downward Spiral gets two on Balor. Priest knocks Balor outside but gets choked by Gunther, only to power out.

The South Of Heaven connects but Balor is in with the standing reverse DDT. Balor dropkicks Priest into the corner, only for Gunther to break up the Coup de Grace. A Razor’s Edge out of the corner hits Gunther and the Coup de Grace makes it worse, with Priest having to make the save. Gunther rolls outside and Priest hits South Of Heaven, with Gunther making a save with a grab of the hair. The sleeper has Priest in trouble on the floor and a powerbomb onto the steps drops him again. Back in and Gunther dropkicks Balor into the powerbomb to retain at 11:18.

Rating: B. This got rolling by the end and Gunther gets a nice win to look like the monster that he can be. The last few seconds with Gunther powering Priest down and running over Balor made him look that much better. Heck of a fight here and Gunther is looking like his old self, which is nice to see.

Jesse Ventura is impressed with Liv Morgan.

Women’s US Title: Chelsea Green vs. Michin

For the inaugural title and Green has little pictures of herself attached to her gear (which has the half tights/half trunks for an old Zack Ryder look. Michin gets sent to the floor to start but cuts off a charge with a slap. Niven offers a distraction though and Green takes over again as we take a break.

Back with Michin hitting a tornado DDT for two but Green sends her outside. The big dive only hits Niven though, allowing Michin to flip dive off the apron. Eat Defeat drops Niven on the floor but Green kicks her in the face. Another Eat Defeat gives Michin two, with Green getting a boot on the rope. Back up and Niven offers a distraction, allowing Green to flip onto Michin for the Unprettier for the pin and the title at 8:08.

Rating: C. There were some rough parts in there (the Eat Defeat to Green didn’t work at all) but that was a monster reaction to Green finally winning a singles title. She has put in the work and gotten the fans behind her, which is quite the sign of respect. I’m not sure how Green is going to do as champion, but she got the important win here and she earned the spot.

Greg Valentine and Koko B. Ware are both here.

Jesse Ventura joins commentary and says that his snake skin used to be Damien.

We recap Kevin Owens challenging Cody Rhodes for the WWE Title. Owens spent four years fighting the Bloodline but then Rhodes teamed with them. That doesn’t work with Owens, who thinks Rhodes turned his back on him. Now Owens has hurt Randy Orton and wants to do the same to Rhodes.

Smackdown World Title: Cody Rhodes vs. Kevin Owens

Rhodes is defending and has a bad ankle coming in. Owens drops to the floor to start as is his custom but Rhodes is right there after him. Back in and Rhodes sends him to the floor but comes up favoring his ankle, which has Ventura wondering how bright of an idea that really was. Owens is back up to knock him down and drops Rhodes onto the announcers’ table as we take a break. Back with Owens hitting a Swanton for two (Jesse: “GET ON THE LEG!”) but Rhodes snaps off the powerslam.

Rhodes stops to pose, with Jesse saying “feed off of them all you want, win the d*** match”, because he’s really good at commentary. The Disaster Kick gets two and they go outside, where Owens gets caught with an RKO onto the announcers’ table. Back in and the Cody Cutter gets two on Owens but Rhodes takes him up, only to get caught with the swinging superplex for two. And yes, Ventura thinks there was a slow count, as is tradition.

Back up and the referee gets bumped so Owens’s Stunner doesn’t get a count. Ventura is losing it on commentary over the lack of a referee as another comes down to count two. Another Cody Cutter hits the second referee So Owens grabs a chair, only to get caught with the Cody Cutter. Cross Rhodes onto the chair gets the three (with the original referee counting from the floor) to retain at 12:03.

Rating: B. This was a good main event to close the show and while there was only a sliver of a reason to believe that Owens was going to win the title, they did some nice stuff with the ref bumps to make you wonder where it was going. That being said, Ventura absolutely stole the show here and I can’t imagine people were expecting him to be THAT good. He’s a great example of someone who just gets wrestling (telling Cody to try and win the match is a perfectly logical point) and he was a lot more than just a special nostalgia act. Anyway, nice main event here, feeling like a solid house show finale.

Jesse says the pleasure was all his in a classy move to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. For a free special on network television, this couldn’t have gone much better. Even the worst match was watchable enough, but above all else, the show was fun. Everyone seemed fired up to be there and I can see this being a nice regular quarterly feature. It doesn’t need to be something they do more often than that and odds are the novelty will wear off, but dang this was a heck of a way to start with a pay per view level card. Nice job here, and Ventura managed to steal the show.

Results
Drew McIntyre b. Sami Zayn – Claymore
Liv Morgan b. Iyo Sky – Oblivion
Gunther b. Damian Priest and Finn Balor – Powerbomb to Balor
Chelsea Green b. Michin – Unprettier
Cody Rhodes b. Kevin Owens – Cross Rhodes onto a chair

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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Survivor Series 2024
Date: November 30, 2024
Location: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Commentators: Corey Graves, Michael Cole

It’s WarGames night and that should be enough to carry the evening. In this case we have the men’s and women’s version, but there are also three title matches to fill out the card. That should be more than enough, as the card is looking rather excellent all things considered. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks a the two WarGames matches, with the other matches not really being important enough to warrant much time.

Since we’re going to have two of them, here are the WarGames rules:

• Two wrestlers start and fight for five minutes.

• After five minutes, the team with the advantage (as determined before the match) gets a three minute advantage.

• The teams alternate until all ten are in and then it’s first pin/submission to win.

The cage is lowered.

Women’s WarGames

Naomi, Iyo Sky, Bayley, Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair
Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, Nia Jax, Tiffany Stratton, Candice LeRae

Bayley is a last second replacement for the possibly injured Jade Cargill. Jax and Bayley start things off with Bayley bouncing off of her but being smart enough to avoid a charge. They go between the ring where Bayley loudly calls for an elbow and is then elbowed in the face. Bayley takes her into the other ring and goes up for a super hurricanrana before taking off some weird shoulder pad to whip Jax.

That gets taken away and a running hip attack sends Bayley back into the first ring. Jax runs her over and it’s Naomi, wearing a freaking birthday hat, is in, albeit after grabbing some weapons (including a toilet seat). Naomi steps on her in the back then slides under a clothesline and helps double team Jax down. Jax gets the kendo stick but is knocked into the corner, where the toilet seat is put on her face for the Stinkface.

Jax gets double backdropped and it’s…well it was going to be Tiffany Stratton but Candice LeRae comes out of the cage instead. Some chair shots put Bayley and Naomi down and the slow beating begins. LeRae lays Bayley over some open chairs for a Lionsault and it’s Belair coming in (after getting a trashcan, a fire extinguisher, a table and a chair) to even things up. Belair drops LeRae onto the turnbuckle and puts Jax into the corner.

A dropkick sends a chair into Jax’s face in the corner (she was nice enough to hold it) and Tiffany Stratton is in to give the villains the advantage again. A handspring elbow connects and a middle rope G9 hits Belair. Naomi takes a chair from Jax and knocks her down with some not so great chair shots. Sky is in next and grabs a painted trashcan, which she uses a string to tie around her back. That’s broken up though with LeRae cutting her off, leaving the trashcan on top of the cage.

Sky and Stratton take turns flipping around until Sky chairs her down. Jax is back up to run Sky over and it’s Raquel Rodriguez coming in to a limited reaction. After taking her required time to bring in weapons, Bayley and Belair jump Rodriguez. Jax breaks that up and the villains wreck everyone until Ripley (in red for once, plus a horned mask) is in to complete her team. Naomi is back up with a double Rear View and almost everyone lays around a lot.

Rodriguez and Jax get beaten up in the corner and Ripley headbutts Jax down, leaving her as the only person standing. Morgan is in to complete the field and brings in a baseball bat, with Ripley taking the mask off, revealing black eye paint. Morgan’s big swing misses and the beatdown is on but Jax makes the save. Ripley is held for a bunch of bat shots to the ribs and the handcuffs are brought out, with Ripley managing to fight them off.

Sky and Bayley make the save and it’s a parade of shots to the face to put people down. Bayley gets caught with a Samoan drop as Sky and Stratton climb to the top of the cage. They both do flip dives (Sky with the trashcan) and everyone is down. Stratton pulls out the briefcase and teases a cash in but Sky makes the save with a fire extinguisher. Rodriguez is handcuffed in the corner and Belair drops LeRae face first onto the turnbuckle.

A legdrop gets two on Belair but Jax gets powerbombed through a table. Morgan grabs a baseball bat for some shots but Belair takes it away. A quick Oblivion onto a chair hits Bayley but Rodriguez saves Morgan from Riptide. Morgan’s Codebreaker sends a chair into Ripley’s face before they go up top. Ripley powers her up into a super Riptide through the table and Morgan is done at 38:03.

Rating: C-. They had some moments which worked, but my goodness this did not work very well. It was a mixture of a lot of blown spots, people standing around waiting for their spots, too many weapons, and just too much time overall. This is a match that would have been far better as a run of the mill Survivor Series elimination match, if nothing else as it would suit the styles better. Just way too long here and too much standing around waiting or screwing up stuff that didn’t need to be so complicated. This was possibly the weakest WWE WarGames match yet and that’s not nice to see.

We recap LA Knight defending the US Title against Shinsuke Nakamura, who returned and attacked Knight to jump back into the title picture. Mist was blown too and Knight was partially blinded.

US Title: LA Knight vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Knight is defending and Nakamura has a very Samurai style entrance. Nakamura strikes away to start but Knight is back up with the stomping in the corner. A middle rope elbow to the back gives Knight two but Nakamura elbows him in the face. Nakamura’s basement dropkick rocks Knight but he ducks a spinning kick to the face.

The torture rack slam plants Nakamura and Knight puts him up top, where it’s an overhead belly to back superplex to drop Knight on his face. Knight knocks him back down though and hits the jumping top rope elbow…for no cover. Instead Nakamura rolls between the rings and grabs a reverse DDT onto the steel plate. Kinshasa gives Nakamura the title back at 9:52.

Rating: B-. I can go with the result, as either of them coming out with the title would have gone well enough. Nakamura coming back to lose wouldn’t have made a ton of sense, but it’s still a bit surprising that Knight lost the title so soon. For now though, it’s the right way to go and odds are the feud isn’t over yet.

Alpha Academy sell t-shirts, but Otis has forgotten his pants.

We recap the Intercontinental Title triple threat. Sheamus wants the one title he’s never had, Ludwig Kaiser wants to prove himself, and Bron Breakker wants to fight everyone.

Intercontinental Title: Bron Breakker vs. Sheamus vs. Ludwig Kaiser

Breakker is defending. Kaiser is sent outside fast to start and grabs a chair but Breakker knocks him down. Breakker gets in a shot to Sheamus’ knee but Kaiser is back up to put the chair in the corner. Sheamus and Breakker hammer away on Kaiser in the corner but he cuts off both of them with running dropkicks on the floor. Breakker flies in with a shoulder to drop Kaiser though and then runs Sheamus over for a bonus.

Sheamus gets hammered down as well and Breakker does the Scott Steiner pushups back inside. Back up and Sheamus knocks him down but Kaiser is right there to take Sheamus to the floor. A powerbomb is broken up and Breakker hits a huge clothesline from the apron onto the announcers’ table to take both of them out. Breakker sends Sheamus over the barricade, where he rises up for some forearms to their chests.

The double clothesline off the barricade has Sheamus in control but Kaiser grabs the shillelagh. Sheamus drops him with ease and goes inside to slug it out with Breakker. The Celtic Cross gives Sheamus two but Breakker is back with the Frankensteiner. Sheamus avoids a charge into the chair in the corner though and the Brogue Kick connects, only for Kaiser to pull the referee out.

Kaiser unloads on him with the shillelagh but Sheamus is back with the knee to the face for two. Kaiser hits a Regal Roll on Sheamus and hits him in the bad ribs, setting up the wind up DDT. Breakker spears the heck out of Kaiser and does it again to Sheamus for the pin at 14:22.

Rating: B+. This was what I wanted out of a match like this, with Breakker looking like an absolute freak of nature. I could have seen any of them leaving with the title here and that is a great feeling to have on the way in. Sheamus almost has to win the title one day just to pay off the buildup, but for now it’s Breakker’s time and that’s what it should be. Heck of a match here.

We recap Gunther defending the Raw World Title against Damian Priest. This is more about the wrestler vs. the brawler, with Priest getting inside of Gunther’s had by messing with his confidence.

Raw World Title: Damian Priest vs. Gunther

Gunther is defending. They go technical to start with Priest grabbing an armbar and knocking him outside. Back in and Priest fires off some kicks, followed by a faceplant but Priest’s shoulder gives out on him so Gunther can have an opening. Gunther starts in on on the arm and takes it outside for some rams into various things. Back in and Gunther slowly starts kicking away at the arm, seemingly being happy that he is getting to take the fans out of this.

The double arm crank has Priest screaming but he fights up and scores with a kick to he head. Back up and Priest hits the running elbow in the corner into the lifting Downward Spiral for two with just the one arm. The arm gives out on the Razor’s Edge attempt though and Gunther grabs a sleeper. That’s broken up so Priest hits a super hurricanrana into the Razor’s Edge for two.

South Of Heaven is loaded up but the arm gives out, allowing Gunther to grab a Kimura. Priest gets over to the rope for the save but Gunther knows Priest is in trouble. Gunther takes his time going after him, allowing Priest to come back with a clothesline for a delayed two. Priest goes up top but has to shove Gunther down, only to crash out to the floor. Cue Finn Balor with a Coup de Grace off the steps to crush Priest, allowing Gunther to grab the sleeper for the win at 19:13.

Rating: B-. It was good enough but the ending being almost the same as the one from Summerslam didn’t help things. You can only get so much out of doing something so similar, but this does at least get Gunther past Priest and on to whomever is next. That’s a good thing to accomplish, as Priest can have his big blowoff with Balor once and for all.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

We get NFL style intros for the participants in the main event.

We recap the men’s WarGames match. The new Bloodline is running roughshod over Smackdown so Roman Reigns, the Usos and Sami Zayn have risen up to fight them. The Bloodline got Bronson Reed to help them, so Reigns called Paul Heyman to get CM Punk’s help. The idea is that if the Bloodline isn’t stopped here, they can’t be stopped.

Men’s WarGames

Bloodline/Bronson Reed
Roman Reigns, Usos, CM Punk, Sami Zayn,

Jey and Tama start things off and they take their time going after each other. Jey starts swinging away but misses an enziguri, allowing Tama to hit a sliding lariat into a powerslam. The slingshot hilo connects and Tama hits a splash before going for a cover out of instinct. Another basement lariat misses and Jey hits the running Umaga Attack in the corner. Bronson Reed is in next and he grabs a bunch of chairs, with Jey throwing them at Reed.

Some of them stagger Reed but he knocks another out of the air. Tama is back up and Jey gets dropped, with Reed hitting a big backsplash. Jey gets crushed again but it’s Jimmy Uso coming in to even things up. Jimmy doesn’t even bother with weapons but starts striking away and runs both of them over. Tama is sent into the cage and the Usos hammer away in the corner. Reed is sent into the cage as well and it’s….Jacob Fatu in on Solo Sikoa’s orders.

As he tends to do, Fatu wrecks everything in sight (well everything not on his team at least), including running Jimmy over. Jey is held up and taken down with a flipping slam and it’s all Bloodline. CM Punk is ready to enter, but Roman Reigns cuts him off and has Sami Zayn go in instead. Zayn hammers on Reed in the corner and stomps on him in between the rings. Fatu pulls a high crossbody out of the air but Jimmy hits a superkick to make the save, setting up the big hug with Zayn.

Fatu’s implant DDT plants Jimmy though and the Bloodline is in control as Tonga Loa comes in. Some tables are thrown in and the Bloodline slowly hammers away as the pace lowers a lot. Fatu hits a springboard moonsault and Jimmy is sent into the cage. Roman Reigns is ready to come in but CM Punk walks in front of him to even the score again. Punk looks back at Reigns, who shakes his head, before Punk grabs a toolbox. A bunch of toolbox shots to the head stagger the Bloodline and Fatu is dropped onto the toolbox…but he pops up and hits the Samoan drop to plant Punk.

Zayn is beaten in the corner and it’s Solo Sikoa in to complete the Bloodline. Sikoa slams the door onto Zayn’s head and then does the same thing to the Usos. A chain is brought in and the Usos are stacked up for Fatu’s double springboard moonsault. The Tsunami crushes Zayn as Sikoa is rather pleased. Punk tries to get up but gets beaten down, leaving Sikoa to use the chain to lock the door (Sikoa: “HEY ROMAN! YOU AIN’T GETTING IN HERE!”).

Reigns comes to the cage but can’t get in through the door so he climbs the wall and punches away to get inside, even diving onto all five at once. All ten get up and Reigns goes to glare at Punk. Cue Paul Heyman to say work together…and sure we’ll do that. We get the ten way slugout between the rings with the Bloodline getting beaten down. The Usos hit stereo Superfly Splashes on the Tongas.

Fatu and Sikoa wreck the Usos and go to slug it out with Reigns and Punk. Reigns ducks the Samoan Spike and spears Punk by mistake, allowing Sikoa to hit the Samoan Spike for two. Reed hits the Death Valley Driver but Fatu messes up the springboard moonsault and hurts his knee. Reigns is back up with a low blow to Fatu and a spear to Sikoa but Reed hits a superkick. Reed puts him on the table and climbs the cage (uh oh) but Punk makes the save, leaving Reed to crash through the table (which exploded).

Fatu breaks up the big handshake but gets Superman Punches. Sikoa hits a pair of Samoan Spikes but Jey makes the save, suddenly remembering that he’s in the match. The Usos superkick Fatu and give him the 1D, followed by Zayn’s Blue Thunder Bomb to Tama. Jimmy goes all the way to the top of the cage and, eventually, hits a Superfly Splash to drive Fatu through the table. Sikoa is left alone, leaving him t turn down the chance of acknowledging Reigns. A parade of finishers into the spear gives Reigns the pin at 41:55.

Rating: B. As usual, this match was far longer than it needed to be, but they didn’t rely on the weapons nearly as much as they did in the opener. At the same time, there was way too much laying around waiting to get something else going. That meant making the match go longer than it needed to and that is the case with almost every WarGames match. The ending felt like a pretty strong closing of the door on Sikoa, but there is a very good chance that the story could keep going. For now though, the good guys needed a win and then got one.

Post match Reigns and Punk show respect and Punk hugs Heyman, saying he’ll ask for the favor one day. Works for Heyman. The winners pose together to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. As usual, this show was built around two matches but in this case only one of them worked. The main event was rather good while the opener was pretty weak. The good thing is the three matches in between boosted up the rest of the card, making a good show that was done in about three and a half hours. The heroes won in the two major matches, which is a nice feeling at a bigger show. Good stuff here, with the main event working as well as it could have given the circumstances.

Results
Naomi, Iyo Sky, Bayley, Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair b. Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, Nia Jax, Tiffany Stratton, Candice LeRae – Super Riptide through a table to Morgan
Shinsuke Nakamura b. LA Knight – Kinshasa
Bron Breakker b. Sheamus and Ludwig Kaiser – Spear to Sheamus
Gunther b. Damian Priest – Sleeper
Roman Reigns/Usos/Sami Zayn/CM Punk b. Bloodline/Bronson Reed – Spear to Sikoa

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Survivor Series 2023
Date: November 25, 2023
Location: Allstate Arena, Rosemont, Illinois
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

So believe it or not, the focus is going to be on WarGames and in this case it means the good guys need one more star to help fight off Judgment Day. In theory that is going to be Randy Orton, who has been gone for about a year and a half and isn’t quite back yet. Other than that, Damage CTRL is facing another ragtag group of women so let’s get to it.

It’s almost weird to see the old Then Now Together Forever intro after the change at Wrestlemania XL.

The opening video focuses on WarGames, because what else was it going to be?

The cage is lowered.

WarGames recap:

• Two wrestlers start and fight for five minutes.

• After five minutes, the team with the advantage (as determined before the match) gets a three minute advantage.

• The teams alternate until all ten are in and then it’s first pin/submission to win.

Women’s WarGames

Charlotte, Bianca Belair, Becky Lynch, Shotzi
Bayley, Iyo Sky, Asuka, Kairi Sane

Lynch and Bayley start things off with Lynch sending her into the cage, only to get sent into the buckle. Bayley catches Lynch going up top but Lynch rolls over her and they slug it out. Lynch’s exploder sends her flying but Bayley gets in a ram into the cage. They go between the rings so Bayley can get in a suplex as they’re certainly going with the violence to start. The fight goes into the other ring and Lynch sends her into the cage a few times.

The Disarm-Her goes on but here is Dakota Kai with a kendo stick through the cage to break it up. That’s enough for Bayley to take over and it’s Shotzi coming in, with a ram of the door onto Bayley’s head, to take over. Naturally that means a bunch of chairs and weapons are thrown in, because THE BIG DOUBLE CAGE isn’t enough. Shotzi sets up the chair and Bayley has to climb the cage to get away from some rather painful swings.

They all go up the cage and ram each other into the steel until Bayley crashes down. Stereo forearms from the to take her down again but it’s Iyo Sky coming in to tie it up, complete with a chain. For some reason Lynch and Shotzi don’t see her coming and get beaten down, as WarGames seems to make people a bit slow. A springboard double missile dropkick puts Lynch and Shotzi down again and Bayley is back up. Lynch gets double superplexed down for a crash but Shotzi fights out of the corner, allowing Belair to come in.

Belair whips with the hair and the fans rather approve. A spinebuster puts Bayley down but she and grab the braids, only to get suplexed down. Lynch and Shotzi are back in with a guillotine legdrop and top rope splash before Kairi Sane is in to even things up. Well eventually that is, as she takes her sweet time getting a trashcan lid and then headscissoring Belair anyway.

The sliding forearm against the cage sends Belair into the cage before it’s time to bury Shotzi under some chairs. The pop up elbow drop crushes Shotzi but Belair is back to throw Sane onto Bayley and Sky. Charlotte comes in to complete her team and Sky is sent crashing into the cage. Naturally the fans want tables but have to settle for a top rope double Natural Selection (which Graves has to point out to Cole, who realizes his mistake in a funny bit) to Bayley and Sane.

Charlotte starts climbing the cage but Sky, with a chain, gets o her shoulders and gets all the way to the top. Sky drops the chain to Kai, who ties it around a trashcan so Sky can pull it up (that was clever). Sky puts the trashcan over her head and dives onto the pile (she LOVES that spot), who were nice enough to stand there while Sky took forever to get ready (fair enough). Asuka is in to complete the field and she has some colored kendo sticks. And a table. And a fire extinguisher.

Therefore, a good minute after her clock ended, Asuka gets in and WarGames officially begins. Damage CTRL all grab weapons to hammer on the others, with Lynch and Belair being tied together with the chain like they’re in an old western. Shotzi is back up but gets misted by Asuka to cut her right back down. Lynch is put inside the trashcan and dropkicked down for two and it’s time to set up a table. Belair and Lynch come back with powerbombs out of the corner though and Charlotte goes all the way up top for the huge moonsault to wipe out everyone.

We get the big staredown between Lynch and Charlotte, who hug for the rather positive reaction. The Figure Eight and cross armbreaker go on but Sane is up for the save. Shotzi is back up to drop Asuka for two with Bayley making a save of her own. Bayley Rose Plants Lynch but gets caught with a Sliced Bread from Shotzi. Belair is up with the fire extinguisher and Charlotte spears Bayley. The KOD hits Bayley as well and the super Manhandle Slam through a table finishes her off at 33:37.

Rating: B. It had the carnage and violence with the weapons, but there is always a lack of intensity to these matches that hold them back. Part of it stems from the people coming to the ring but then pausing to get their weapons. Other than that, it was the usual WWE WarGames: a lot of brawling and hitting other people with weapons, with the cage mainly being there to jump off of rather than for violence, which is more than a bit odd.

The winners pose on top of the cage.

Chelsea Green, Piper Niven and the Alpha Academy are enjoying some Ruffles when Pretty Deadly come in to argue over whether they’re chips or crisps. R-Truth comes in to say they’re Ruffles.

Sami Zayn tells Jey Uso that Randy Orton, the last member of their team, isn’t here yet. Jey isn’t surprised and takes the blame because the Bloodline injured him two years ago. Sami says it’s not his fault and things seem to be ok.

We recap Miz challenging Gunther for the Intercontinental Title. Gunther is the longest reigning champion and doesn’t think much of Miz, who wants the title back. To say Miz has no chance here would be an understatement.

Intercontinental Title: Miz vs. Gunther

Gunther is defending and commentary spends his entrance talking about how he is almost unbeatable, even giving Miz’s long shot betting odds. Miz kicks at the leg to start and a chop just annoys Gunther. A much better chop puts Miz down but he’s back up with more chops and some left hands in the corner to actually take over. Gunther gives chase but gets his leg wrapped around the post to slow him down.

The Figure Four around the post stays on the leg, though it’s good enough to boot Miz out of the air back inside. Gunther slows things down a bit and chops away to drop Miz again. A release German suplex sends Miz flying and a big boot lets Gunther pose as the dominance is on. Back up and Miz strikes away at the knee again, with a shinbreaker slowing Gunther down. Some kicks to the chest stagger Gunther into the corner and a tornado DDT gets two.

The Skull Crushing Finale is blocked though and Gunther grabs his powerbomb for his own near fall. The sleeper goes on so Miz goes to the corner, pulling the turnbuckle off in the process. A low blow into the Skull Crushing Finale gets two (with Cole letting us know that “MIZ IS GONNA DO IT!” to ruin the moment) and Miz is shocked. The fans want to see it again but Miz gets caught in the sleeper. That’s reversed into a ram into the buckle so Miz can roll him up for two (with a Bret Hart vs. Roddy Piper reference), only to get blasted with a clothesline. The top rope splash into the Boston crab retains the title at 12:19.

Rating: B-. This was about as good as it was going to be as there was just no reason to believe that Miz was going to win. Even his big near fall was only so good, as pretty much no one was on Gunther’s level at this time. Miz going after the leg to slow Gunther down was a good story, as Miz can still wrestle a fine match given the chance. It was a good match, but there was just not much drama and that held it back.

Judgment Day is ready for WarGames and is rather pleased that Randy Orton doesn’t seem to be here. Even if he shows up, he might poison the other team and Judgment Day wins anyway.

We recap Dragon Lee vs. Santos Escobar. This stems from Escobar turning on Rey Mysterio and the LWO, so Lee is standing up for the team (replacing Carlito, who was also injured by Escobar). Pretty simple story here and that’s not a bad thing.

Santos Escobar vs. Dragon Lee

Escobar forearms away to start and stomps him down, setting up a quick backbreaker for two. Some running knees in the corner send Lee outside, where he has to escape having his leg crushed in the steps. A running hurricanrana off the apron sends Escobar outside and there’s the big running flip dive.

Back in and Escobar kicks him in the head, setting up a super hurricanrana for two. Like any good rudo, Escobar goes after the mask but Lee is fine enough to tie him in the tree of woe for thee double stomp. Back up and Escobar hits a heck of a superkick but Lee muscles him up into a sitout powerbomb for two. Escobar shrugs that off and his a Canadian Destroyer, followed by the Phantom Driver for the pin at 8:20.

Rating: C+. WWE was doing what they could to make Lee into a bigger deal around this time but it was only going to get so far when he kept losing. Escobar was running through the LWO on his way to a showdown with Rey Mysterio whenever Mysterio got back and he had to beat Lee on the way there. This wasn’t a great match, but it kept Escobar looking strong and it’s nice to have something other than a title or WarGames mach on the show.

New Day is here with a Slim Jim car.

We recap Zoey Stark challenging Rhea Ripley for the Raw Women’s Title. Stark is the new tough star and Ripley needs a fresh victim so the match is on.

Raw Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley vs. Zoey Stark

Ripley is defending and Stark actually double legs her down to hammer away to start. A dropkick sends Ripley outside and there’s the dive off the top to take her down again. Back in and a missile dropkick continues Stark’s hot start but Ripley headbutts her into the next county to cut that off in a hurry. Stark is right back with a DDT onto the apron and a springboard corkscrew senton gets two. They go outside again with Ripley dropping her onto the apron and then sending her into the post to really take over.

Ripley cranks on both arms back inside and then stomps her down before taking Stark up top. What looks to be a super chokeslam is countered into…I have no idea what Stark was doing there but she gets two and screams a lot. Ripley elbows and kicks her in the face, setting up a belly to back faceplant. Riptide is countered though and Stark hits a running knee for two. The Z360 is blocked as well and now Riptide can connect to retain the title at 9:16.

Rating: C. This got a bit sloppy after that whole thing off the top, as even commentary didn’t seem sure about what was going on. Other than that, it was Ripley against someone who only felt like so much of a threat. That’s part of the problem with someone becoming as big of a star as Ripley: you can only have so many realistic challengers to her and that is becoming an issue here.

Randy Orton still isn’t here and Jey Uso still blames himself.

We recap the men’s WarGames match. Judgment Day is the big monster heel stable on Raw and a bunch of people are sick of them, so violence ensued and the match is on. Drew McIntyre is in with Judgment Day for the sake of getting his hands on Jey Uso in a cage. It still isn’t clear if Randy Orton will be here, as he hasn’t been around in about a year and a half at this point.

Men’s WarGames

Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins, Jey Uso, Sami Zayn, Randy Orton
Damian Priest, Finn Balor, Dominik Mysterio, JD McDonagh, Drew McIntyre

McIntyre and Priest stare each other down on the stage as Balor goes to start with Rollins (who doesn’t have a Randy Orton here yet). They start fast with Rollins diving over the ropes to jump Balor and hammer away. The fight is quickly on and Rollins sends him into the cage a few times and they change rings, where Balor escapes a buckle bomb. Balor sends him into the cage to take over and there’s a Sling Blade to drop Rollins again as a CM PUNK chant starts up.

A superkick gives Rollins a breather but Balor backdrops him onto the plate between the rings. The Coup de Grace misses though and Rollins grabs a quick Sling Blade. Rollins drops him again and it’s JD McDonagh to uneven things, albeit a good bit less than five minutes into the match. Rollins kicks him on the way in but gets hit with a kendo stick for his efforts.

Balor and McDonagh take turns choking with the kendo sticks but Rollins sends McDonagh into the other ring. That’s broken up in a hurry and a middle rope kendo stick to the back puts Rollins down again. Jey Uso is in next (McIntyre gives him a death stare) and chairs McDonagh down before firing off the YEET punches. The dancing spit punch puts Balor down but McDonagh is back up with a running Spanish Fly.

Rollins makes the save and hammers on Balor in the corner as the clock runs down. McIntyre is ready to get in and go after Uso but Priest cuts him off, saying they stick to the plan. Rollins and Uso jump him as he comes in but the other two make the save, allowing Priest to whip out a baton and take over. Priest hits some running shoulders in the corner, followed by a lifting Downward Spiral to Rollins.

A top rope flip dive takes out Rollins and Uso and Balor chairs Uso in the back. Sami Zayn comes in to even the sides, and takes his sweet time doing so. McDonagh, ever the nitwit, swings a kendo stick at Zayn, who takes it away and blasts him with it instead. The table is thrown in, which the fans find UCEY. Zayn is fired up as he stomps away, setting up a Blue Thunder Bomb to Balor. With the villains down, Zayn goes up and grabs a pipe, which is used on various opponents in rather painful ways.

A kendo stick to the back rocks Balor and Zayn throws the stick out of the cage, possibly by accident. McIntyre is in and throws Rollins and Zayn around without much effort. That leaves McIntyre to finally go into the other ring with Uso, who slugs away but gets dropped by a neckbreaker. The rest of Judgment Day is back up to hammer away, but McIntyre’s Claymore runs into a superkick from Uso.

A 1D puts McIntyre down and Cody Rhodes is in, with Cole immediately going into the Dusty Rhodes tribute. Cole: “Cody also invented a big event in this city as well!” And we move on. Rhodes cleans house and suplexes Balor onto McDonagh for a crash. It’s bullrope time (of course) and Rollins joins Rhodes in taking out Balor and McDonagh. Dominik Mysterio is in to complete the Judgment Day and gives Rhodes Two Amigos…and then realizes he’s surrounded.

The big group beatdown has the fans rather pleased and a table being set up in the corner makes them even happier. The rest of the villains save Mysterio and the fans chant for Orton. That’s switched to Punk, followed by silence as McIntyre and Priest hit a triple chokeslam (and a good one at that). McDonagh adds a moonsault, Balor hits the Coup de Grace and Mysterio drops the frog splash.

Priest Razor’s Edges Rollins through a table and the clock ends….but there’s no Orton. Instead here is Rhea Ripley with Priest’s Money In The Bank briefcase, which for some reason is enough to bring Orton out (no cash-in) and egads the fans are happy to see him. Orton gets in the cage (no weapons) and slams the door, which bounces back open in a funny bit. House is quickly cleaned, mainly because Judgment Day comes at him one at a time.

McIntyre gets in a shot on Orton and the big beatdown is on. Everyone else is back up for the save and Orton and company hit quintuple hanging DDTs. Orton teases an RKO to Uso but Uso superkicks Priest to save Orton instead. The RKO drops Mysterio and it’s a parade of finishers to the villains. Everyone goes after McDonagh, who tries to escape but Zayn and Rollins follow him up top. With Orton on the mat, Zayn and Rollins throw McDonagh into an RKO, leaving Rhodes to Cross Rhodes Priest for the pin at 34:22.

Rating: B+. I liked this one a bit more than the women’s version, mainly because it felt more like a fight rather than a big series of weapons spots. The pop when Orton came out was insane and it made things feel special. You don’t see that kind of thing very often and the whole thing was about as violent as this is going to get. Seeing Mysterio and Mysterio get beaten down was a good way to go and this felt like an all-star team coming together to take out a mostly unified opposition. Solid main event here, and while it wasn’t a classic WarGames match, it was good by WWE standards.

The good guys celebrate, the copyright notice comes up….and the impossible happens as CM Punk is back for the first time in almost ten years. The fans take over the IT’S CLOBBERIN TIME and Punk hugs a bunch of fans. This was an absolutely insane moment that I never thought I would see. Even after Punk left AEW, it was hard to fathom and yet here it was. Great way to end the show and dang it worked.

A long recap ends the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show was centered around two matches and those matches both delivered. The other three were just filler to get us from one big match to the next and that’s a fine way to go. The big stories here were the double returns at the end and those worked rather well. It helps that the show was less than three hours from start to finish so they didn’t waste any time. Good show here, with the special moment at the end being worth a look.

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It’s time to go north of the border as we’re in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada for the match and as has been the case for a few years now, the show is centered around WarGames. We have a men’s and women’s edition, with the men’s centered around the Bloodline civil war, with CM Punk and Paul Heyman being added in to really spice things up. That should be enough to make the show work so let’s get to it.

Intercontinental Title: Bron Breakker(c) vs. Sheamus vs. Ludwig Kaiser

This is the continuing saga of Sheamus trying to finally win the Intercontinental Title, which has been set up for years now before WWE actually pulls the trigger. That opens up the possibility of WWE going there this time around, though I’m not sure if that is what they’re going to do. Breakker holding onto the title is certainly a possibility, but Kaiser has been ding some very nice work recently as well.

I think I’ll go with Breakker retaining here as you don’t want him losing the title again so soon, but at the same time, I wouldn’t be stunned to see Kaiser steal the belt. Sheamus almost has to win the title at some point, which could make for a heck of a WrestleMania moment if that is where they want to go. For now though, I’ll take Breakker to retain, as it’s the best option at the moment.

United States Title: LA Knight(c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Here we have the other midcard title match, which is a bit less complicated, as Nakamura returned and went after the title, even misting Knight in the eyes. Knight isn’t happy and is ready to fight, as is Nakamura most of the time. Knight is in a weird place as he’s a fighting champion but this feud was just kind of dropped into place out of nowhere with little connection between them. On the other hand, Nakamura has been gone for months so he needs something to do.

I’m not sure what to do here but I’ll go with Knight retaining the title, possibly via DQ, as I don’t think this is it for the two of them. Knight shouldn’t be losing the title so soon but Nakamura shouldn’t be losing his first big match back. We’ll say Nakamura mists Knight again for the DQ to set up a rematch where Knight can go over clean, but for now they do something to extend the story.

Raw World Title: Gunther(c) vs. Damian Priest

This is a rematch from Summerslam where Gunther beat Priest for the title, albeit with help from Finn Balor. This time around it should be a bit more of a straight up match, though in this case Priest is getting inside Gunther’s head. Gunther seems to be questioning whether he can actually beat Priest, who has shown that he is capable of winning a fight rather than a match.

That being said, I can’t imagine the title changes here, as Gunther seems poised for some major matches going forward. We’ve already seen Priest having a major run with the belt so he can lose here to give Gunther the clean (well likely cleaner) win that he didn’t get at Summerslam. I’m not sure what is next for Priest at the moment, but he doesn’t need to get the title back. Yet.

Women’s WarGames

Now we get to the focal point of the show, as a pair of ragtag groups come together in the biggest team match that WWE has all year. Bayley is a last minute replacement for the (possibly) injured Jade Cargill and that has the radar going up. Someone attacked Cargill and there is a good chance that the attacker will be revealed during the match. That very well may cost the team, and odds are that’s where this goes.

I’ll take Team Jax to win here, likely through some kind of betrayal when the attacker reveals themselves. Bianca Belair herself would be a likely way to go (likely, not necessarily logical), with Naomi possibly taking the fall. Either way, this is going to be about what happened to Cargill and odds are we find out a big piece of that puzzle this week, especially with the last minute change having to take place.

Men’s WarGames

This is the big one though, as CM Punk and Paul Heyman are back to help cut off the Bloodline once and for all. I’m not sure how that is going to go, but at the end of the day it is going to be the latest chapter in the big drama. Heyman very well could turn on Reigns or they could fight off the Bloodline again. Either way, we could be in for something rather big, which is the point of the whole thing.

I think I’ll go with Reigns and company winning here, just because the team has been beaten down so many times lately. At some point they have to win something back and beating the Bloodline in WarGames would be a good place to start. I’m not sure where it goes from here, but for now, the Bloodline takes a loss, likely with one of the Tongas getting pinned to help preserve Sikoa’s status.

Overall Thoughts

This show is absolutely stacked, with three title matches and a pair of WarGames matches. That’s a pretty good lineup for one night and I want to see how it goes. We’re getting into the interesting time in WWE’s calendar as we have this, then two weeks before Saturday Night’s Main Event and then it is time to get ready for the Royal Rumble. This show is both part of the end and part of the beginning and the pieces are there for a rather awesome show if everything goes as planned.

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: November 29, 2024
Location: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s the go home show for Survivor Series and we’re taped after last week’s show. This week still has some implications for the pay per view as we’re going to need a replacement for the injured Jade Cargill in WarGames. That and the rest of the show will probably get some featured time so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of CM Punk and Paul Heyman returning to save Roman Reigns and company last week.

Here is Team Rhea Ripley, now with Bayley replacing Jade Cargill, for a chat. Ripley talks about how the team isn’t a bunch of friends, but they all have someone they want to get their hands on in WarGames. The rest of the team (Naomi, Bayley, Iyo Sky and Bianca Belair) agree but Team Liv Morgan interrupts.

Nia Jax brings up all of the other team’s past issues, with Morgan accusing Bayley of attacking Jade Cargill. Ripley cuts her off and says Morgan is going to have to face her. Various threats are made and the brawl is on in thee aisle. And on the stage. Some in the ring too. Security and referees make the save. Bayley makes as much sense as anyone else but there is always the chance that she’s up to something nefarious

Andrade vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Nakamura, now with some face paint, strikes away in the corner but gets taken down with a middle rope crossbody. That doesn’t get him very far as Nakamura hammers away again but Nakamura kicks him down, with the fans being rather pleased. Nakamura goes up and gets knocked to the floor with a springboard dropkick, setting up a moonsault to drop him again.

We take a break and come back with Andrade elbowing him in the face and grabbing a dragon screw legwhip. Nakamura catches him on top but gets elbowed down, setting up the double moonsault for two. Andrade misses a shot to the face but ducks Kinshasa, setting up the spinning backfist to the face for two more. Two Amigos connect, with the third suplex sending Nakamura into the corner. The running knees in the corner miss, with Nakamura pulling them turnbuckle off to make the crash even worse. Kinshasa finishes for Nakamura at 10:34.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of win that Nakamura needed to show that he’s still quite the threat, including possibly being able to take out LA Knight at Survivor Series. That’s the right way to present him and the match worked here, with Andrade putting in some effort. Nakamura looking good was the point though and him winning the title isn’t out of the question.

Post match LA Knight runs in to jump Nakamura but gets mist in the face.

Nick Aldis bans the Bloodline from ringside for Jacob Fatu’s WarGames advantage match.

Tommaso Ciampa rants at Johnny Gargano about how things have changed and now he wants to get the Tag Team Titles back. Gargano has one more week to figure this out or it’s Ciampa’s way.

Kevin Owens explains his history with the Bloodline, with everything he’s been through, only for his former friend, Cody Rhodes, to TEAM WITH ROMAN REIGNS. Now it’s time for revenge, with the title match being set for Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Cody Rhodes vs. Carmelo Hayes

Non-title. Before the match, Hayes says Owens was right about Rhodes turning his back on his friends. Who needs enemies when you have friends like Rhodes? They lock up to start before trading rollups for two each. Hayes manages to knock him to the floor and then gets in a dropkick to the knee on the way back in. Rhodes is fine enough to hit a Disaster Kick and we take a break.

Back with Rhodes hitting a delayed superplex but Hayes grabs a spinning faceplant for two. Rhodes goes in a new direction with a running powerslam into a Figure Four, with Hayes making the ropes in a hurry. Hayes goes for the knee and breaks up the Disaster Kick but has to get out of a Cross Rhodes attempt. The Cody Cutter works better and now Cross Rhodes finishes Hayes at 11:17.

Rating: B. They started slowly but the pace picked up and it turned into a nice, fast match near the end. That’s all it needed to be, with Hayes being a good enough test for Rhodes. With Saturday Night’s Main Event coming up for Rhodes, he’s going to need to get in the ring time and Hayes has been needing something to do anyway.

Earlier this week, Paul Heyman held a sitdown interview with Roman Reigns and CM Punk. Naturally Punk showed up late to get on Reigns’ nerves, eventually showing up to say he’s here for Heyman rather than Reigns. That doesn’t work for Reigns, who doesn’t like anything about Punk.

Heyman says it’s over without Punk, and if Punk doesn’t help, he’ll be next for the Bloodline. United, at best, they survive. Punk still doesn’t care about Reigns but he’s here to avenge Heyman. If Reigns wants to revisit this after Survivor Series one on one, Punk is all ears. For now though, their wise man owes Punk a favor. Punk leaves and Reigns asks Heyman about the favor. Heyman will tell him if they get through WarGames. Well that’s ominous, and now we get to see where it goes from here. In other words, more good drama.

Women’s United States Title Tournament First Round: Piper Niven vs. Michin vs. Lash Legend

Chelsea Green is here with Niven, who gets hit in the face to start. Niven is fine enough to faceplant Michin and splash her for two with Legend making the save. A dropkick sends Niven to the floor and Michin sends Legend outside with a hurricanrana. That means a Lionsault to take the other two down but here is B-Fab to cut off an interfering Green. Legend kicks the distracted Niven in the face and we take a break.

Back with Niven hitting Michin with a cannonball and Legend having to make a save. Legend backbreakers Michin and chokeslams Niven for two (that was impressive), followed by a powerbomb for two on Michin. A super Piper Driver is broken up and Niven misses a middle rope backsplash misses, allowing Legend to hit the Lash Extension. Michin comes off the top for the save though and steals the pin at 10:19.

Rating: B-. As has been the case recently, Legend got to showcase her power here and it worked very well, with her throwing Niven around being rather impressive. Michin’s rise up the ranks continues and she is a dark horse to win the title. Niven was good as the monster to offer some issues, but Michin winning was a good way to go.

LA Knight is still ready for Shinsuke Nakamura, mist or no mist.

Survivor Series rundown.

Sami Zayn and Jimmy Uso give Jey Uso a pep talk but Nick Aldis says it’s one on one.

Jey Uso vs. Jacob Fatu

For the WarGames advantage. Fatu shoulders him down to start and chokes in the corner. Back up and a running clothesline sends Fatu outside, where he tosses Jey into and over various things. We take a break and come back with Jey fighting out of a nerve hold and sending him into the corner. Fatu misses a charge into the post, setting up the running Umaga Attack for two.

Back up and Fatu plants him down, setting up a handspring moonsault for two of his own. The pop up Samoan drop gets two more but a Swanton hits raised knees. The Superfly Splash gives Jey two and Fatu rolls outside, with a suicide dive knocking him over the announcers’ table. Fatu Samoan drops him onto the announcers’ able (THUD), setting up the springboard moonsault for the pin at 13:49.

Rating: B-. This is what it should have been, as Fatu was making his singles debut and got to smash his way through someone with quite the level of success. Beating Uso feels like a big deal and it even has an impact on WarGames. This was a great way to get Fatu in the ring on his own for the first time and he more than held up his end.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a heck of a show, with nothing but good matches and an intense as heck Reigns/Punk/Heyman segment. I want to see what is going to happen at Survivor Series and that is a great feeling to have less than a day before the event. WWE is getting really good at hitting their stride before their big shows and they are doing it again here with an awesome Smackdown before Survivor Series.

Results
Shinsuke Nakamura b. Andrade – Kinshasa
Cody Rhodes b. Carmelo Hayes – Cross Rhodes
Michin b. Piper Niven and Lash Legend – Lash Extension to Niven
Jacob Fatu b. Jey Uso – Springboard moonsault

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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Survivor Series 2022
Date: November 26, 2022
Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 15,609
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

It’s been a year since WWE had its first (main roster) WarGames match and believe it or not, the focus is on the Bloodline. This time around Sami Zayn has to prove his loyalty to the team, which is creating some drama. Other than that, we have Team Belair vs. Team Damage CTRL in the women’s version, which should be quite good as well. Let’s get to it.

The opening video, featuring Ozzy Osbourne, looks at WarGames because, well, what else would it look at?

Commentary welcomes us to the show and explains the rules of WarGames:

• Two wrestlers start and fight for five minutes.

• After five minutes, the team with the advantage (as determined before the match) gets a three minute advantage.

• The teams alternate until all ten are in and then it’s first pin/submission to win.

• No it isn’t the original WarGames rules. Let it go already.

Team Belair vs. Team Damage CTRL

Belair: Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Mia Yim, Becky Lynch
Damage CTRL: Bayley, Dakota Kai, Iyo Sky, Nikki Cross, Rhea Ripley

Kai and Belair start things off with the former running away to get it going. Belair wrestles her to the mat before hitting a running shoulder as the slow pace starts. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker puts Kai down again and we talk about Belair’s recent interview with Sports Illustrated, which is as WARGAMES-y as you can get.

Kai gets in a shot of her own and they go into the second cage and try to make it all the way to first gear. A scorpion kick staggers Belair but she runs Kai over and sends her into the cage (as we now remember that they’re in a CAGE). Another toss into the cage leaves Kai down and it’s Sky unevening the odds. Sky and Belair take turns flipping around until Belair gets caught between the two of them in between the rings.

The villains take over on Belair in the corner until she double suplexes her way out of trouble. Asuka comes in to help Belair clean house and we get the big showdown with Sky. They both counter whips into the ropes until Asuka hits a running hip attack against said ropes. The running knee to the head puts Sky down again and Belair is back up with a gorilla press toss to Kai. Cross is in next but first it’s time for the weapons. Asuka gets the door slammed onto her head, leaving Cross to tornado DDT Belair.

With Belair and Asuka down, Cross whips them with her coat until Kai and Sky are up to get in their variety of choking. It’s Bliss coming in to even things up again and some dropkicks put Cross and Kai down. Belair gets back up and breaks a kendo stick but Kai and Sky use the full ones to cut her off. Cross sits on top of the cage as sticking and hair whipping ensue below. Naturally that means the big dive to take everyone out and yes Cross laughed the whole time.

Now it’s Bayley coming in so let’s grab some ladders. The fans want tables so Bayley obliges as the match has more or less stopped while she moves stuff around. Bayley sends Belair into the corner before putting her in between the rings again. A table shot to the ribs leaves Belair trapped until Yim is….released to grab more weapons. House is quickly cleaned, including Kai being rammed into the cage and kicked in the face over and over.

Cross chokes Yim and the people split off again as this really isn’t picking up. Some superplexes have everyone down and it’s Ripley coming in to complete Damage CTRL. House is quickly cleaned until everyone just kind of stands around (save for Ripley Prism Trapping Asuka) until Yim makes a random comeback on Ripley as the rest are in the other ring.

That’s broken up and it’s Lynch in to complete the field, meaning the match can officially be won. Lynch gets to clean house as the ans aren’t exactly on fire for this. That might be due to how slow everything is going since Lynch keeps messing with the trashcan instead of running around punching people or wrecking them all with a chair.

We get the big Lynch vs. Bayley showdown with Lynch easily getting the better of things. With Bayley stomped down, Lynch turns around to see Ripley for the really big showdown. A quick Riptide attempt is broken up but Bayley makes the save. Now Riptide can connect for two with Asuka making a save. The mist blinds Ripley but Bayley drops Asuka face first onto the turnbuckle.

Bayley beats Lynch down and declares herself as a role model more than The Man. The Rose Plant onto the steel between the rings gets two and it’s time for a bunch of people to go to the corner. Cross cuts Belair off to break up a seven person Tower Of Doom so a bunch of people crash down instead. Sky moonsaults off the top of the cage onto Yim and Belair (who is favoring her leg) to FINALLY wake up the crowd.

Everyone is down (cue the overhead camera shot) until Cross beats up Bliss. Cross shouts about how she hasn’t forgotten and handcuffs Bliss to…nothing as Bliss handcuffs herself to Cross instead. An electric chair onto a trashcan leaves them both down and we pause again. Ripley is back up to send Asuka into the cage but Yim is back up with a choke.

That means a big crash through the ladder and, say it with me, everyone is down again. Becky and Belair get the showdown Damage CTRL and Kai gets Manhandle Slammed. The KOD to Sky lets Belair put Kai on a table and send Bayley into the cage. Lynch drops a leg off the cage to put Kai through the table for the pin at 39:34.

Rating: C. Sweet goodness this was boring. As is the case with just about every modern incarnation of this match (in WWE, NXT or AEW) it went WAY too long as this was about 15-20 minutes longer than it needed to be. The longer time meant that there were far too many stretches where nothing went on as they were laying around waiting on someone to do something. There were good parts to it, but this needed to be WAY shorter with a lot more action than we got.

On Smackdown, with a hidden Jey Uso listening, Kevin Owens told Sami Zayn to turn on the Bloodline. With Owens gone, Jey asked if Sami had talked to anyone but Sami said he just got here. Then Sami cost Jey a match for the WarGames advantage, with commentary wondering if it was on purpose.

Roman Reigns makes sure Jey Uso is ready for WarGames. Jey is ready, but he doesn’t trust Sami after last night. He would take Sami out if Reigns gave the order, but Reigns tells him to be on the same page tonight. Reigns will know if Sami is telling the truth and wants Jey to focus. With Jey gone, Reigns looks worried and has Paul Heyman call Sami.

We recap Finn Balor vs. AJ Styles, which has been going on for a few months. Styles couldn’t deal with the Judgment Day’s numbers game, so he brought back the OC to even things up.

Finn Balor vs. AJ Styles

The rest of Judgment Day (minus Rhea Ripley) and the OC are here too. Of note: Cole talks about Dominik and Ripley invading Rey Mysterio’s home during Thanksgiving. Dominik better watch that or he’ll get arrested. They fight over arm control to start with Styles driving him up against the ropes for a clean break.

Back up and Balor takes him into the corner but his kick to the ribs is cut off. Styles starts going after the leg, including a shinbreaker which has Balor appealing to their past friendship. Balor manages to take him down though and stomp away, though he has to stop to favor the leg. A knee to the back gets two and we hit the abdominal stretch. Styles fights his way out and hits the running forearm, followed by the fireman’s carry backbreaker for two.

Another shot to the leg cuts Balor down but Dominik breaks up the Phenomenal Forearm. Everyone else brawls on the floor and fight into the crowd, leaving Balor to hit a Sling Blade on Styles. A charge is cut off though and Styles suplexes him into the corner. It’s too early for the Calf Crusher though as Balor manages a double stomp to leave Styles down. Balor’s back is all messed up from….something but he’s fine enough to try his own Styles Clash. That’s broken up, just like Styles’ Calf Crusher attempt.

Another double knockdown gives us a breather, followed by Balor’s own fireman’s carry backbreaker. 1916 is broken up though and Styles moonsaults into a Nightmare on Helms Street for two. Balor puts him back down but misses the Coup de Grace. Instead Styles grabs the Calf Crusher until Balor rams him head first into the mat to escape. Back up and they slug it out until Styles is sent to the apron, where the Phenomenal Forearm finishes Balor at 18:23.

Rating: B. There are matches where you know you’re going to see something good just based on who is out there. That was the case here and WWE was smart enough to give the two of them that much time. Styles hadn’t been doing so well in his battle against Judgment Day and you have to give him a win like this every so often to keep him looking strong. Good stuff here and a heck of a match between two talented stars.

Post match Styles yells at Balor a bit.

We recap Shotzi challenging Ronda Rousey for the SmackDown Women’s Title. Shotzi won a six way #1 contenders match but Rousey isn’t taking her incredibly seriously, though having Shayna Baszler help with a beatdown made it easier. Rousey and Baszler also injured Shotzi’s friend Raquel Rodriguez so things are personal.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Ronda Rousey vs. Shotzi

Rousey, with Baszler, is defending. Shotzi slugs away to start but gets flipped over. The ankle lock goes on until Shotzi sends her into the corner. Rousey is sent outside but Baszler takes Shotzi’s dive instead. Shotzi sends her into the steps and fires off some hard forearms back inside. A high crossbody is suplexed out of the air but Shotzi sweeps the leg. That doesn’t work for Rousey, who ties up the legs and they kind of lay around on the mat.

Back up and Shotzi nails a right hand to stun Rousey but gets sent outside. Shotzi takes out Baszler and sends her over the barricade, setting up a dive onto Rousey and Baszler at the same time. They beat the count back in and Shotzi goes up, only to get judo thrown down hard. Piper’s Pit and the armbar retain the title at 7:13.

Rating: C+. They were limited with what they could do here, as it’s hard to buy Shotzi as a threat to either the title or Rousey. Shotzi has all kinds of charisma but she hasn’t been presented as a major star, certainly not on Rousey’s level. For what we got here, things went well, though that was about as good as it was going to be.

Sami Zayn comes in to see Roman Reigns and admits that yes, he did talk to Kevin Owens. He didn’t tell Jey Uso about it because he didn’t want to put something extra on Jey’s plate before the WarGames advantage match. And Owens talked to him, saying he should turn on the Bloodline. Reigns gets that Owens and Zayn were friends but this is about his family, so whose side is Zayn on? Zayn says this is what he wants and he’s not turning on the Bloodline. That seems good enough for Reigns.

US Title: Bobby Lashley vs. Austin Theory vs. Seth Rollins

Rollins is defending. Lashley runs Theory over to start and Rollins sends Theory outside, leaving the other two to slug it out. Rollins slips away from a Hurt Lock attempt but Theory pulls Rollins outside for a ram into the barricade. Back in and Theory hammers away on Lashley, who fights up to beat on both of them. A DDT/Downward Spiral combination drops Rollins and Theory and the spinning Dominator hits Rollins as well.

Theory pulls the referee though and tries to grab a chair, which is easily blocked by Lashley. Rollins sends him into the steps though, allowing Theory to jump Rollins from behind. The steps hit Lashley as well and the rolling dropkick gets two on Rollins. A running elbow to the face gets the same and Theory talks a lot of trash. Rollins is back up with a Sling Blade, followed by a bunch of suicide dives to the other two.

That’s not enough as Rollins hits a big dive to take them both out again. Back in and Theory counters a dropkick into a powerbomb for two on Rollins and everyone is down. It’s Lashley up first to take over, meaning Theory uses a sleeper to…well attempt to break up the Hurt Lock. The save eventually works, leaving Rollins to Pedigree Lashley for two. The Phoenix splash misses though and Theory gives Lashley a running Blockbuster.

A Town Down is countered into the Hurt Lock but Theory flips backwards out of the corner. That’s broken up by Rollins’ frog splash so Lashley Hurt Locks both of them at once. With that broken up, Lashley’s spear misses in the corner so Rollins forearms Theory in the back of the head. Rollins uses Theory for a step up Stomp to Lashley and superplexes Theory. The Falcon Arrow is loaded up but Lashley spears Rollins, with Theory landing on him for the pin and the title at 14:50.

Rating: B. This got a good bit better by the end but it was only working so well for the most part. It needed to be about three minutes shorter to really work well. The whole feud was only so good in the first place and then the blowoff match, while good, hit a ceiling. Theory getting the win is nice to see, even if he had to steal the pin for the title.

Jey Uso tells Roman Reigns that he’s ready.

We recap the men’s WarGames match. Everyone hates the Bloodline, who isn’t sure if they can trust Sami Zayn. Now it’s time to see if he can prove himself.

Bloodline vs. Team Owens

Bloodline: Roman Reigns, Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, Solo Sikoa, Sami Zayn
Owens: Kevin Owens, Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, Ridge Holland, Butch

Butch and Jey start things off and they shout at each other from different rings for a good while. Jey finally gets into the other ring after about a minute of standing around. Butch takes him down without much trouble and cranks on the fingers (as he is known to do), which he then ties into the cage wall. Back up and Jey manages to send him into the cage, followed by a pop up neckbreaker.

Jey goes after the arm and sends it into the cage, only to have Butch stomp on the arm again. Butch gets in something close to a Kimura and it’s Ridge Holland in to give the good guys an advantage. Holland crushes Jey in the corner over and over and a high/low takes him down again. The Brutes start in on Jey’s arms for a bit of a unique strategy, including stereo jumping stomps to said arms. The clock runs down and a sitting Reigns instructs Sami to even things up.

Sami takes more than a minute to get to the ring, allowing Jey to get up and take over on the Brutes. Holland gets stomped between the rings and the fans seem to approve of Zayn. Double teaming cuts off Holland’s comeback but Butch gets up the cage to moonsault onto Jey and Zayn. Now Holland is able to fight up and actually take over until he misses a charge into the cage (thanks to Zayn pulling Jey out of the way).

Drew McIntyre is in next and beats up both villains without much trouble. Jey is sent into the cage over and over before a belly to belly sends Zayn into the corner. Drew: “I’M FEELING PRETTY UCEY RIGHT NOW!” Jey manages to knock Drew into the Tree of Woe but he sits up to send Jey crashing back down. There’s the Futureshock to Zayn but Jimmy Uso comes in to tie it up. That means it’s time for some tables, though Jey doesn’t want Zayn to help set them up.

Jimmy has to break it up as even more time is burned off. The Brutes are beaten down again though, with Butch being sent into the cage so a table can be set up in the corner. McIntyre fights up and avoids being sent through it as Kevin Owens unties things again. Owens brings in some chairs and plants Jimmy onto one, setting up the Cannonball to Jey. A chair is thrown at Jey and we get the Owens vs. Zayn staredown.

Holland, continuing to be useless, breaks it up by jumping Zayn, allowing Jimmy to deck Owens. Jimmy is put through a table though as Cole can’t remember who has the advantage at the moment. Solo Sikoa makes it 4-4 and gets to clean house, as tends to be the villains’ custom. The Samoan drop hits Holland and it’s an Owens vs. Sikoa staredown. They slug it out between the rings until Sikoa shrugs off a ram into the cage.

Some superkicks have the same lack of effect and Sikoa backdrops his way out of a powerbomb attempt. Sikoa goes over to slug it out with McIntyre with Sikoa getting the better of things, only to have the Umaga attack cut off. Sheamus completes Team Owens but Zayn holds the door shut in a smart move. Not that it matters as Sheamus slams it onto Zayn’s head and starts to clean house.

A double clothesline takes down some villains as Reigns is getting ready. Zayn is sent into the cage and the Brutes go after Zayn and the Usos for the big beatdown. White Noise hits Sikoa but it’s Reigns time so the match can officially begin. Naturally this means everyone gets up and we get the five on five staredown, making the last 28 minutes or so pretty much a formality. The fight is on and Reigns cleans house without much effort.

Sheamus cuts off a spear though and we get the quintuple ten (or more in some cases) forearms to the villains’ chests. McIntyre and Sheamus beat on Reigns and the Brogue Kick hits Sikoa. The distraction lets Reigns spear Sheamus but Butch makes the save. Zayn is back up to beat on Butch but Jey superkicks Zayn, presumably by mistake. A super 1D hits Butch for two with Holland making the save this time. Reigns spears Holland through the table in the corner but McIntyre is back up.

Sikoa saves Reigns from a powerbomb and Spinning Solo puts McIntyre through a table. Owens Stuns Sikoa for two so Reigns makes the save for a change. Reigns and Owens slug it out with Reigns hitting a Superman Punch. Owens is back with a Pop Up Powerbomb into the Stunner but Zayn grabs the referee at two. That leaves Owens staring at Zayn (who the fans like) but a superkick is cut off by a low blow. Zayn seems to know he has sealed his fate and Reigns looks up at him, leaving Zayn to Helluva Kick Owens. Jey adds the Superfly Splash for the pin at 38:32.

Rating: B. It’s good fight and as usual this was about the storytelling with Zayn and the Bloodline, but the same problems were there again. There is just SO MUCH waiting around for the match to really get going and it doesn’t feel like hatred. Instead, it feels like “how can we get these weapons spots in” rather than just beating each other up. Cut the match down by about fifteen minutes and it’s much better, but for now it’s just good rather than great.

Zayn is officially accepted into the team, with Jey giving him the big hug. Replays and posing end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. There were some good parts, but WarGames continues to be more of an idea that sounds great on paper rather than in execution. Two matches took about an hour and forty minutes and that does not leave much for the rest of the show. What we got was good and having Zayn get the big definitive Bloodline acceptance (which will absolutely last forever) was nice, but dang it took time to get there. I know Survivor Series has evolved beyond the traditional elimination tag format, but it would be nice to have this new format tweaked a bit, as it could make the show that much better.

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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Monday Night Raw
Date: November 18, 2024
Location: Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re taped from the same venue as last week and the big story continues to be the build towards Survivor Series. The Raw side seems to be heading towards a women’s WarGames match and the lineup should be firmed up a bit more this week. Other than that, the men’s side is likely approaching its final form as well, with only one star left to be added. Let’s get to it.

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

Here are Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez to get things going. Morgan knows Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill are gunning for her, so she has backup in the form of Nia Jax, Candice LeRae and Tiffany Stratton. Jax gets right to the point: she doesn’t think anything of Morgan and Rodriguez, but she thinks about Belair, Cargill and Naomi a lot.

Cue the trio, with Iyo Sky joining them. They need a fifth member…and here is the returning Rhea Ripley (in a protective mask), to shout WARGAMES and deck Morgan. Sky’s moonsault clears out some villains and the villains are dispatched. That got to the point and if Ripley is available, she was the only possible choice for the fifth spot.

We look back at the big Bloodline vs. Roman Reigns and company brawl on Smackdown, with Bronson Reed seemingly joining the Bloodline’s WarGames team.

LWO vs. American Made

That would be Zelina Vega/Rey Mysterio vs. Ivy Nile/Chad Gable with the women brawling out to the floor to start. That leaves Gable to whip Mysterio chest first into the buckle for two but Mysterio headscissors him out to the floor. Vega comes back in to kick Nile down into the corner but Three Amigos are broken up and we take a break.

Back with Vega still in trouble but fighting out of a chinlock. The comeback allows the tag off to Mysterio to pick up the pace on Gable. That’s broken up as well though and Gable plants Mysterio with a DDT. Vega comes in for a pop up hurricanrana to Gable though, leaving Mysterio to hit the 619. The springboard splash finishes for Mysterio at 9:59.

Rating: C+. The LWO actually gets a win for a change and American Made takes a loss, as some things never change. It seems that Gable and company are not exactly doing well at the moment and I’m not sure how much longer they’ll be around. At the same time, it might be a good idea for Gable to get away from teams for a bit, as he’s kind of done the same thing for a long time now.

Post match Gable yells at American Made, who pose with him.

Finn Balor calms Liv Morgan down and sends Carlito and Dominik Mysterio after the War Raiders. JD McDonagh needs to talk to Balor.

Miz brags about fooling the Wyatt Sicks last week, leading to the Final Testament’s beatdown. It could relaunch the Marine franchise!

We recap Damian Priest getting in Gunther’s head and taking out Ludwig Kaiser.

Gunther tells Kaiser to go make a name for himself. Then Gunther goes after Priest with a pipe but Priest lays him out, saying Gunther may be the Ring General, but Priest is king in the streets.

Intercontinental Title: Sheamus vs. Bron Breakker

Breakker is defending. They stare each other down to start and slug it out to the floor, with Breakker taking over. Back in and a quick Irish Curse gets Sheamus out of trouble but Breakker knocks him outside again. The jumping clothesline from the apron onto the announcers’ table connects and we take a break.

Back with Breakker knocking him to the floor and hitting a top rope shoulder to drop him again. Breakker tells him to quit while he has a chance but Sheamus tells him to bring it on and gets in a knockdown of his own. A backdrop sends Sheamus to the apron, where he gets in the ten forearms to the chest.

Breakker knocks him down again and goes up, only to get pulled down with a super White Noise or two more. This time it’s Sheamus going up, with Breakker Frankensteinering him back down. Sheamus’ knee cuts the spear off for two but another spear attempt connects, with Sheamus rolling outside. Breakker tries another one…but here is Ludwig Kaiser to deck him for the DQ at 13:33.

Rating: B. This was right in Sheamus’ wheelhouse as he is at his best when it’s about beating the fire out of each other. Breakker is more than capable of holding his own in that kind of a power match and it worked well here. The Kaiser interference does tie into Sheamus telling him to do his own thing and three way match could be interesting.

Post match Kaiser lays both of them out again.

Sami Zayn and the Usos again try to get Seth Rollins to join WarGames, but it’s a no from Rollins due to the Roman Reigns problem. Tonight, he’s going to take out Bronson Reed.

Video on Dakota Kai, who returned from her latest injury last week.

The women’s WarGames match is official.

Judgment Day vs. War Raiders

Ivar slams Carlito to start and Erik slams Ivar onto him for two. Ivar has to fight out of the wrong corner and hands it back to Erik, who is knocked outside. Mysterio hits a dive to drop Erik and we take an early break. Back with Mysterio hitting the slingshot hilo but Erik fights up and hands it back to Ivar. House is quickly cleaned, including the Bronco Buster to crush Mysterio. Ivar tosses Mysterio at Carlito (that’s effective) and the War Machine finishes Carlito at 9:38.

Rating: C+. That’s a classic way to set up the already established title match and it worked well here. The Raiders get to run through the lower level Judgment Day team and look like a threat to the champs. It wouldn’t surprise me to see the Raiders get the belts back when they get the chance and this was a good way to help set it up.

Post match Finn Balor and JD McDonagh jump the Raiders and leave them laying.

The Wyatt Sicks hack the feed and promise revenge on Miz for not accepting their offer of help out of the pit.

Video on Lyra Valkyria.

Kofi Kingston isn’t sure what is going on with Xavier Woods, who comes up and talks about what Karrion Kross said (that the team is dead and New Day is the only ones who don’t know it). Otis (who had been talking to Kingston) tries to calm him down but Woods snaps at him and a tag match is set for next week.

Seth Rollins vs. Bronson Reed

The bell rings so here is the Bloodline, with Sami Zayn and the Usos popping up to brawl them into the crowd. Reed is knocked to the floor and Rollins hits a dive as we take an early break. Back with Reed knocking him around ringside and getting in a whip over the barricade. They get back inside where Reed knocks him right back to the floor, setting up the flip dive off the apron.

This time Rollins is able to ram him head first into the steps a few times, setting up a springboard knee to the head. Reed grabs a quick powerbomb for two and we take another break. Back again with Rollins powerbombing him out of the corner to leave them both down.

A Lionsault and springboard Swanton get one on Reed so Rollins gets in a low superkick. The frog splash gets two but Reed is back with a brainbuster for two of his own. Rollins is ok enough to roll away from a Tsunami attempt and now a superkick into the Pedigree gets two. The Stomp connects and Rollins goes up but cue Solo Sikoa for a distraction. Reed hits a Death Valley Driver and the Tsunami for the pin at 17:38.

Rating: B. Reed needed this win and continues his rather strong push, even after losing to Rollins at Crown Jewel. Rollins threw a lot at Reed here but couldn’t put him away, which is a simple way to make a monster look strong. At the same time, this could set up Rollins as the last member of WarGames, even if he isn’t thrilled with being on the team. I’m no sure who else it could be, so for now at least it’s going well.

Overall Rating: B. This was the show that got a focus on what is either already locked in for Survivor Series or is all but set. The WarGames matches are all but set and Priest vs. Gunther should be good for a featured match. They’re doing a nice job of making me want to see what they have at Survivor Series and this made for solid stepping stone there. The show could use another match or two and that can be set up in the next few days, but the big stuff is ready.

Results
LWO b. American Made – Springboard splash to Gable
Bron Breakker b. Sheamus via DQ when Ludwig Kaiser interfered
War Raiders b. Judgment Day – War Machine to Carlito
Bronson Reed b. Seth Rollins – Tsunami

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Monday Night Raw
Date: November 4, 2024
Location: Mohammed Abdo Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re in Saudi Arabia for the first time ever with a taped show as we are fresh off of Crown Jewel. There wasn’t much in the way of development there as neither of the top titles were on the line. We’re also less than a month away from Survivor Series and that means the card is going to need to start coming together. Let’s get to it.

Here is Crown Jewel if you need a recap.

Long Crown Jewel recap.

Here is Judgment Day to get things going, with commentary already pointing out that Liv Morgan won the Crown Jewel Title on Saturday but only gets to keep the ring. The Revenge Tour is over and it’s time to start the World Tour. Morgan lists off her recent accomplishments but here are Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair to cut off Dominik Mysterio. Belair brags about their success “last night” but Morgan isn’t impressed.

Morgan points out that Belair and Cargill both think they’re the best, unlike herself and Raquel Rodriguez, who are real friends. Belair issues the challenge for the tag match but Adam Pearce interrupts and says not so fast. Morgan keeps talking and the fight is on, only for Pearce to say there’s a battle royal to crown a new #1 contender. Belair and Cargill are included and it starts right now.

Battle Royal

Iyo Sky, Kairi Sane, Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill, Natalya, Lyra Valkyria, Sonya Deville, Kayden Carter, Katana Chance, Shayna Baszler, Isla Dawn, Alba Fyre, Maxxine Dupri, Ivy Nile, Zoey Stark, Zelina Vega

For a shot at Liv Morgan’s Title. Carter and Chance waste no time in diving off the top onto a bunch of people, setting up some catapult cannonballs in the corner. Dawn is knocked out and Deville gets rid of Carter shortly thereafter. Dupri busts out an inverted Worm but gets knocked out without too much trouble. Vega 619s Nile out and we take a break.

Back with Damage CTRL hitting a double dropkick on Natalya as we apparently missed Chance walking on her hands to avoid an elimination. Then she was eliminated shortly thereafter. Sane and Natalya are knocked out, as are Deville and Baszler. We’re down to Valkyria, Belair, Cargill and Sky, with the fans rather impressed.

Belair and Cargill send the other two to the apron before staring each other down. Valkyria and Sky come back in but get planted with some finishers. Morgan and Rodriguez get involved though, with Belair being pulled out BY THE HAIR (GEEZ), with Cargill falling out with her. That leaves Sky and Valkyria to fight to the apron with Sky stomping her down. Sky snaps off a German suplex to eliminate Valkyria for the win at 12:48.

Rating: C+. With Ripley hurt, this is as logical of a move as you can have. Sky is someone with the experience and success to be a threat to anyone and she’s been treated as a major star. It’s a fast way to set up a title match and that’s a good thing to see. Throw in Belair and Cargill having issues with Morgan and Rodriguez and things are even more interesting.

New Day isn’t happy with losing last week, with Xavier Woods blaming Kofi Kingston for the loss. The Wyatt Sicks hack the feed and show a kidnapped Miz, who says he isn’t part of the Final Testament. Bo Dallas says there is no mistake because they want him, not the Final Testament.

We look at Goldberg announcing his retirement match for 2025, though no details are set.

New Day vs. War Raiders

Erik wastes no time in sending Woods outside, where Ivar gets in some shots of his own. A half nelson backbreaker plants Kingston and we take a break. Back with Woods fighting out of trouble but getting knocked down again for a quick two. A jumping enziguri and superkick get Woods out of trouble and it’s back to Kingston to pick up the pace. The big running flip dive to the floor hits Ivar and Trouble In Paradise connects. Woods tags himself in to hit the Limit Break, only to get caught with the War Machine for the pin at 9:09.

Rating: C. The issues continue and the #1 contenders get a win over a still rather efficient team. It feels like they’re dragging this out for the big tenth anniversary of the New Day though and that almost has to mean Big E. showing up. If he’s the thing that brings them back together and gives them the titles back, I could think of far worse ideas.

We look at the European tour coming next spring, including Raw and Smackdown. Cool.

Here is Sami Zayn for a chat. Zayn speaks (I believe) Arabic and is very happy to be here but cue Jey Uso to interrupt. Jey gets right to the point: did Zayn kick Roman Reigns in the face on purpose at Crown Jewel? Cue Jimmy Uso to interrupt before Jey can respond, asking what Jey is thinking. Of course Zayn kicked Reigns in the face on purpose!

Zayn says Jimmy isn’t exactly trustworthy but he’s not a bad guy. He’s just someone who has made bad choices. Zayn liked the minute that felt like old times, but he’s not going to do this again. Jey asks a departing Zayn to come to Smackdown and deal with this like family. Jimmy says Zayn isn’t family, but Jey disagrees, dubbing him Sami Uso. Zayn doesn’t give an answer but appears to be thinking about it. The saga continues, but you can see the WarGames teams coming from here and with 26 days to go, that’s a good place to be.

Seth Rollins is ready to get back to the World Title picture. He and Bronson Reed can pick that up again later.

Dragon Lee vs. Chad Gable

Zelina Vega and Ivy Nile are here too. Gable throws him down to start and the referee has to check on Lee, who landed on his head. Back up and Gable does it again but Lee fights out of a headlock and snaps Gable’s singlet against his chest. A high crossbody gives Lee two and they go to the apron, where Lee hits a nasty knee. Gable is fine enough to hit a backdrop to the floor, which has commentary panicking as we take an early break.

Back with Lee hitting his top rope double stomp but Gable suplexes him into the corner. Lee fights up and they trade forearms until Lee snaps off a scary German suplex. Gable hits one of his own as commentary isn’t sure what they’re seeing with this kind of intensity. Gable’s rolling German suplexes have Lee in trouble but he’s fine enough to hit a running powerbomb. Gable is back with a Dominator into a DDT but Vega shoves his feet off the ropes to break up the pin. Nile chokes Vega out so here is Rey Mysterio, which is enough of a distraction for Operation Dragon to give Lee the pin at 12:30.

Rating: B. Well they weren’t taking it easy here. This was a surprisingly hard hitting match with both of them trying rather hard. It’s still disappointing to see Gable lose AGAIN though as that has happened far too often. We’re reaching the point where it just isn’t going to happen with him and that was on full display here. As for Lee, I’m not sure I can see it with him either, but he’s in a better place than Gable at the moment.

Gunther, with Ludwig Kaiser, is ready for any opponent after tonight’s four way #1 contenders match. They both have to do better though.

Damian Priest vs. Dominik Mysterio vs. Sheamus vs. Seth Rollins

For a future shot at Gunther. As you might expect, Dominik gets beaten up to start but Rollins breaks it up. Rollins knocks Sheamus and Priest outside for the big dive and we take an early break. Back with Dominik hammering on Priest, who fights back up with a lifting Downward Spiral.

Sheamus is back in with the Irish Curse to Priest and another to Rollins and Mysterio. Sheamus goes up top and drops a knee on Dominik but Rollins makes the save. Priest and Rollins kick each other down and we take another break. Back again with Dominik’s 619 being broken up by a Sheamus powerslam.

Rollins scores with a Pedigree but cue Bronson Reed to wreck Sheamus and Rollins as well. Reed hits a Death Valley Driver into the Tsunami on Priest and then another to Sheamus. A third Tsunami sends Rollins through the announcers’ table and Reed is gone. Dominik tries to steal the pin on Sheamus but gets caught with South Of Heaven to give Priest the pin and the title shot at 17:40.

Rating: B-. The good thing about this match is you could have had it go multiple ways. Rollins is always an option, there was a slim chance of Mysterio stealing it to set up his pure destruction, and Sheamus has enough of a history with Gunther to be at least a slim hope. That being said, Priest was the right call here due to how Gunther got the title, as a rematch is not an unreasonable thing. Reed interfering helped as well and made sense, as he and Rollins aren’t done.

Overall Rating: B-. The important aspect of this show is they actually got some stuff done. I’m not sure why Sky vs. Morgan and Gunther vs. Priest are going to happen, but they are officially ready to go at some point and that’s more interesting than the Crown Jewel Titles. Survivor Series can start getting set up in the near future and there is a good chance that we started setting that come together here. Not a great show, but more engaging than what they’ve been doing in recent weeks.

Results
Iyo Sky won a battle royal last eliminating Lyra Valkyria
War Raiders b. New Day – War Machine to Woods
Dragon Lee b. Chad Gable – Operation Dragon
Damian Priest b. Dominik Mysterio, Sheamus and Seth Rollins – South Of Heaven to Mysterio

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: November 1, 2024
Location: Barclays Center, New York City, New York
Commentators: Corey Graves, Michael Cole

We’re taped from last week as tomorrow is Crown Jewel in all of its glory. That means it is time to give us the final hammering home before the pay per view, including the big push towards the Bloodline vs. whatever the other team is called, which was announced earlier this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Nia Jax to get things going. She wants the Crown Jewel Title and she tends to get what she wants. The last time she was in Saudi Arabia, she wanted to become Queen Of The Ring and that’s what happened. She’s going to win the Crown Jewel Title and Morgan will be crying on the floor.

Cue Morgan, with Raquel Rodriguez and Dominik Mysterio, to talk about how she won in Saudi Arabia too. Morgan beat her the last time they fought but here is Tiffany Stratton to interrupt. She promises to cash in, but she’s not sure which one it will be. Maybe something could change her mind though: if she takes Morgan’s title, does Dominik come with it? She could use a little dirty in her life (Dominik shakes his head no). Morgan thinks Stratton has enough dirty in her life and the fight is on, with a call for a referee. Adding some stakes, even if they’re not guaranteed, to the Crown Jewel match helps so much.

Liv Morgan vs. Tiffany Stratton

Non-title and joined in progress with Morgan taking her to the floor for some rams into various things. Back in and a dropkick sends Stratton into the corner so she grabs the briefcase. Nia Jax pops up on the apron but Morgan uses the distraction to grab a rollup (with trunks) for the pin at 2:27 shown.

Post match Nia gives Morgan the Annihilator.

We look back at Kevin Owens vs. Randy Orton being made for Crown Jewel.

Owens has sent in a video saying he doesn’t want to fight Orton because he never wanted to hurt him. Now he’s going to hurt Orton like Orton hurt him.

Street Profits vs. Pretty Deadly

B-Fab is here with the Profits. Pretty Deadly has Playbills for their upcoming musical and talk to Lin Manuel Miranda (of Hamilton fame) in a likely smart move. The villains jump the Profits before the bell and it’s Ford getting knocked into the corner, with Prince getting to dance a bit. Wilson comes in for some stomping of his own but Ford slips away and brings in Dawkins to clean house without much trouble. A middle rope Codebreaker cuts Dawkins down but B-Fab cuts off the choking and slams Prince. The Doomsday Blockbuster finishes Wilson at 4:01.

Rating: C. Pretty Deadly has fallen pretty far in the last few months as they have very little to do save for talking about their musical, which doesn’t exactly seem likely for some big payoff. The Profits are stuck in this weird place where they’re good enough to challenge for the titles but have lost so many big matches that it doesn’t seem likely. They need to figure something out though, because this is only going to hold out for so long.

Nia Jax isn’t happy with Tiffany Stratton, who says it’s all part of the plan. Bayley and Naomi aren’t convinced.

Naomi/Bayley vs. Indi Hartwell/Candice LeRae

Hartwell pounds Bayley down to start and then punches her in the face for a bonus. LeRae adds a dive off the apron to drop Bayley again and we take a break. Back with Bayley fighting out of a chinlock and hitting some knees to Hartwell in the corner. Naomi comes in to slug away on LeRae, including a middle rope splits splash for two with Hartwell making the save. Everything breaks down and the Bayley To Belly hits Hartwell, but LeRae is back up with the Lionsault to Bayley. That’s not worth a count though as Naomi is legal, meaning she hits the Rear View for the pin at 8:50.

Rating: C. As usual, there is only so much you can get out of a match with so much missing, but they were trying well enough. I’m not sure how much drama there was in the match as Bayley and Naomi are much bigger stars, plus the whole Hartwell is released thing. If nothing else, I’m surprised LeRae took the fall, but it only makes so much of a difference.

We look at the recent Bloodline situations, resulting in the Usos joining forces with Roman Reigns to fight the villains.

Here are Jimmy Uso and Roman Reigns to officially clear the air with Jey Uso. Jimmy says he and his brother made up and it’s time for Roman to make everything ok of they’ll lose at Crown Jewel. Cue Jey Uso, who wastes no time in taking off the sunglasses. He gets right to the point in saying that this is about him getting back at Solo Sikoa. This isn’t ok with all three of them yet because he remembers how Reigns treated him.

There was physical, mental and emotional damage, but now they have to show the next generations that it’s family above all. Reigns isn’t going to be the boss though and they’re all equals right now. Reigns can keep going that way or he can act like Jey’s cousin and they’ll be together at Crown Jewel. Jey looks at him as Reigns thinks about it….and says YEET to quite the reaction. Jimmy and Jey hold up the fingers and Reigns joins the pose to blow the roof off the place.

The Motor City Machine Guns are in the back when A-Town Down Under interrupts them. The villains invite them to be on the Grayson Waller Effect next week and the champs are in.

Iyo Sky vs. Bianca Belair vs. Lash Legend vs. Piper Niven

Their respective partners are here too. They pair off to start with Belair hammering on Niven and avoiding a charge in the corner. Niven runs Belair over as Legend drops Sky onto the apron. Back in and Legend and Niven hit a double clothesline for a double knockdown. Niven breaks up Sky’s Asai moonsault but gets taken out by Belair. Legend and Niven drop Belair though and we take a break.

Back with Niven hitting a backsplash for two on Sky, with Legend stealing the cover. Belair comes back in with a high crossbody to both of the, followed by a spinebuster to Niven. Legend takes out Belair but Sky is back in to hit both villains in the corner. Niven and Sky go up but get Tower of Doomed back down by Belair.

Legend plants Belair but Chelsea Green makes the save as the brawl breaks out on the floor. Back in and Niven backsplashes Legend and piledrives Belair. Legend cuts off the basement crossbody as Cargill cleans house on the floor. The KOD hits Legend but Sky comes in with Over The Moonsault to hit Belair and steals the pin on Legend at 12:04.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of formula that tends to work best for these matches as it was a bunch of people going nuts and trying to get in as much stuff as they could. That made for an entertaining match and I had a good time with it, especially when you add in all of the others on the floor. Good stuff here, even if it means almost nothing for the title match.

Cody Rhodes asks Randy Orton to save him a piece of Kevin Owens.

Andrade, Carmelo Hayes and LA Knight are ready for the triple threat for the US Title.

Crown Jewel rundown.

Solo Sikoa isn’t happy with Roman Reigns and the Usos being together again and promises to take them out.

Randy Orton/Cody Rhodes vs. Imperium

Cody and Gunther get things going…and we’ll make that Kaiser instead before anything happens. A gordbuster sends Kaiser outside and Rhodes hits a big dive as we take an early break. Back with Gunther kicking Rhodes down so Kaiser can hammer away. The double kicks in the corner have Rhodes in more trouble and Kaiser grabs the chinlock.

That’s switched into an abdominal stretch until Rhodes hiptosses his way to freedom. A double clothesline leaves both of them own and Rhodes is able to hand it off to Orton. The hanging DDT hits Gunther but he blocks the RKO. Rhodes and Kaiser come back in to slug it out, with a Cody Cutter connecting. The RKO and Cross Rhodes finish Kaiser off at 10:14.

Rating: C+. They could only do so much here as the question was more about which one would pin Kaiser for the win. What matters here is giving us just a taste of Gunther vs. Rhodes, which is what they pulled off, but at the same time, their showdown doesn’t feel that important. This helped the match a bit, but it was facing quite the ceiling.

Post match Kevin Owens runs in with a chair to Orton as Gunther chokes Rhodes out to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. I am not feeling Crown Jewel in the slightest and this didn’t do much to help things out. The best thing here was the addition of teasing a cash in for the women’s match, as it at least gives the match some bigger stakes. The Bloodline match isn’t that much better, as it’s clearly just a warmup for WarGames. That’s the problem with Crown Jewel in general: it feels like a show that we have to get through to get to the important stuff and that’s not great. This show boosted it a bit, but it could only go so far.

Results
Liv Morgan b. Tiffany Stratton – Rollup with trunks
Street Profits b. Pretty Deadly – Doomsday Blockbuster to Wilson
Bayley/Naomi b. Indi Hartwell/Candice LeRae – Rear View to LeRae
Iyo Sky b. Lash Legend, Bianca Belair and Piper Niven – KOD to Legend
Cody Rhodes/Randy Orton b. Imperium – Cross Rhodes to Kaiser

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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