Monday Night Raw
Date: December 29, 2025
Location: Kia Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re wrapping up the year right here with the show before we get to the big show next week. That could mean a few different things but hopefully this one can end the year on a high note. If nothing else we’re live again and now we get to see where things go on the still long road to the Royal Rumble. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at Austin Theory seemingly having a successful audition with the Vision last week.

IMG Credit: WWE

Here is the Vision to get things going. After some CM PUNK chants, Paul Heyman talks about how you’re looking at the future Wrestlemania main eventers right in front of you. We get some OTC chants, with Heyman thanking the fans for their irrelevant opinions. That brings Heyman to Austin Theory, who says he has a lot to talk about, starting with Bron Breakker.

Heyman explains that the goal of the team is bigger than that of any member, but here is Punk to interrupt. Punk says Theory is already drinking gallons of the Kool-Aid but he’s here to talk to Breakker. The title match is already set for next week and yeah he could come down there and get beaten up, but then there’s no title match next week. Punk comes to the ring and actually gets inside, where he asks Bron (“Kid”) what he has.

Breakker is ready to take Punk out because he’s tired of being called the future because he is the now. Everyone is waiting for Breakker to fall apart but go find someone like him. Go find someone with so little experience who has taken wrestling over and is as much of a dog. Yeah he came from a wrestling family but it just put more pressure on him. While Punk was on the indies, Breakker was on the field with the Baltimore Ravens. Next week, Breakker is going to put Punk in the ground and take the title.

Punk says Breakker is more ready than anyone back there, but Punk isn’t ready. If Breakker wants the title, which Punk lays on the mat, pick it up, because it’s heavier than Breakker believes. He’s not ready to let it go and stop coming into these sold out arenas and say how great it is to be alive on a Monday night in Orlando, Florida. They aren’t the same and that’s because one of them is CM Punk. One day someone is going to beat him for this but it won’t be Breakker on January 5. Punk was bringing the fire here and as usual, it’s where he shines.

Raquel Rodriguez promises no tricks in tonight’s title match. Liv Morgan comes in and says Judgment Day needs the win tonight, especially with Dominik Mysterio out for a bit. Roxanne Perez comes in and agrees they want Rodriguez to win the title, though Rodriguez doesn’t need luck.

IMG Credit: WWE

Women’s Title: Nikki Bella vs. Raquel Rodriguez vs. Stephanie Vaquer

Vaquer is defending and rolls Rodriguez up for an early two. Bella breaks up an early Devil’s Kiss attempt and Vaquer is knocked outside. A running dropkick on the floor has Vaquer in more trouble and we take a break. We come back with Rodriguez pulling Bella’s high crossbody out of the air, setting up a fall away slam. A Gory Stretch goes on and Rodriguez leans her forward for two. Bella is back in and Rodriguez has to break up the Devil’s Kiss so Bella snaps Rodriguez’s leg on the rope.

A high crossbody hits Rodriguez but Bella sends Vaquer into the post. Bella puts Rodriguez in an STF (Fans: “THANK YOU CENA!”) but Rodriguez twists it into a leglock, with Vaquer adding a double Devil’s Kiss. Vaquer twists Rodriguez’s knee out of the corner but Rodriguez is able to knock both of them down again.

We take another break and come back with Bella sunset bombing the other two down for two each. Vaquer’s double underhook faceplant into a Codebreaker gets two on Bella with Rodriguez making the save. Rodriguez counters a tornado DDT but gets small packaged for two instead. Back up and Rodriguez tries a double Tejana Bomb but Vaquer slips out and sends Rodriguez outside. That’s enough for Vaquer to steal the pin on Bella and retain at 17:05.

Rating: B. I liked the match well enough, but this needs to be it for Bella getting title shots. She did well enough with two others out there, but it’s just over by this point. Vaquer has beaten her multiple times now and while I could go for more of Vaquer facing Rodriguez, it needs to be without Bella. There is a place for Bella in modern WWE, but it shouldn’t be such a prominent one.

Gunther reminds us that he made John Cena tap out but R-Truth comes in to say the disrespect has to stop. Saying it over and over again makes him a piece of…and R-Truth whispers something in Gunther’s ear, which Gunther doesn’t like. Gunther takes this as a challenge and the match is set.

Here are the Kabuki Warriors to brag about beating Rhea Ripley last week. Iyo Sky never should have attacked Kairi Sane, but Asuka cuts Sane off. Cue Ripley and Sky for the brawl, with Sky being sent into the announcers’ table. She’s back up to save Ripley from the assisted Insane Elbow though and Sane has to escape Riptide. Instead the Warriors both get kicked outside to send them running.

Rey Mysterio runs into CM Punk and says he has some backup for tonight. Punk approves.

Gunther vs. R-Truth

R-Truth jumps him to start but gets dropped with a quick chop. The pace slows way down and Gunther chops him again, only to take too long doing You Can’t See Me. Some shoulders stagger Gunther but he kicks R-Truth in the face. The powerbomb gets two as he picks R-Truth up so the sleeper can get the tap at 3:29.

Rating: C. That’s exactly what it should have been as Gunther barely broke a sweat here. They’re setting up the idea that someone is going to have to step up to Gunther sooner than later and that’s going to be the next bit feud. R-Truth is the kind of person who can get beaten up and get some heat on Gunther in the process and it worked well here.

Jey Uso isn’t sure about this but Jimmy Uso gives him a pep talk.

Video on Oba Femi.

Je’Von Evans runs into AJ Styles and Dragon Lee, who praise him for the match at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Wherever Evans winds up, let them know so they can run it back. Evans appreciates this but runs into Los Americanos. El Grande Americano speaks a lot of Spanish, though Evans doesn’t understand.

Paul Heyman officially welcomes Austin Theory to the Vision, and they officially have each others’ backs. Heyman even sends Logan Paul to the ring with Theory for some quality time together.

IMG Credit: WWE

Rey Mysterio vs. Austin Theory

Logan Paul is here with Theory, who powers Mysterio into the corner to start. A backbreaker just wakes Mysterio up a bit and the middle rope hurricanrana drops Theory. That’s fine with Theory, who elbows Mysterio in the face to cut him off. Theory sends him hard into the post and we take a break. We come back with Mysterio hitting a top rope seated senton into the running headscissors. Theory tries something like a torture rack but gets spun into a DDT for two. The 619 is loaded up but Paul jumps Mysterio for the DQ at 7:30.

Rating: C+. Well, at least he didn’t get pinned, though this was hardly the best sign for Theory’s future. It plays off the idea of the Vision having Theory’s back and he dominated a good chunk of the match, though that’s only so encouraging. Hopefully there is something more for Theory than being the team’s whipping boy, as he has more potential than that.

Post match the beatdown is on but Penta returns for the ring clearing save.

Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky are ready to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles next week.

Here is Maxxine Dupri for a chat. She thanks the fans for helping her get this far and brags about making Becky Lynch tap out last week. Now she’s ready to defend her title next week but here is Lynch to interrupt. The ONLY thing she tapped out on was living in Orlando, but the fans should cheer for having her.

Dupri threatens to make her tap out again but Lynch says she isn’t here to start a fight. She’s here to give Dupri cr…cred…..CREDIT, for working so hard. Dupri has gotten a tiny bit better but that’s not going to be enough. Dupri laughs it off and says next week, everyone, maybe even Sports Illustrated, is going to be saying Lynch tapped out. That’s WAY too far for Lynch, who talks about how people and publications say she’s so great. Next week, it’s time to find out what Dupri is, because Lynch already knows. Dupri’s upward mobility over the last few months deserves some kind of an award.

Trick Williams meets with Adam Pearce, who seems interested in having Williams around. Williams leaves him his card when Bayley and Lyra Valkyria come in to say they want the Women’s Tag Team Titles. Pearce mentions Judgment Day getting the title shot and Bayley snaps, calling Pearce a bald idiot. Valkyria seems to think they have a deal but Pearce wants a drink. Pearce continues to be outstanding in this role.

Tag Team Titles: AJ Styles/Dragon Lee vs. Usos

The Usos are challenging. Styles knocks Jey into the corner to start and hits him in the face a few times. The champs send Jey outside and Jimmy is tossed out to join him as we take a break. We come back with Jey getting a cheap shot to Styles but not looking happy about it. Lee comes in and grabs a hurricanrana on Jimmy, followed by a sitout powerbomb for two on Jey.

Back up and Lee is knocked outside, with Jimmy loading up the announcers’ table. Styles is knocked onto said table and we take another break. We come back with Lee in trouble but managing to knock Jimmy into the Tree Of Woe. The top rope double stomp drops Jimmy and it’s back to Styles to clean house. A backbreaker drops Jey but he powers out of the Styles Clash.

The superkick hits Lee and a spear drops Styles, setting up Jimmy’s Superfly Splash for two. Everything breaks down and Jey misses a charge and hits the post. Lee hits the big running flip dive to knock Jimmy onto the announcers’ table (that looked good), leaving Styles to Pele Jey. The Styles Clash gets two so Styles loads up another, only for Jimmy to make the save. Styles loads up the Phenomenal Forearm but gets superkicked out of the air. 1D hits Lee for the pin and the titles at 18:43.

Rating: B+. Good stuff here, as the Usos get back to the top while Styles and Lee, who were never going to be a long term team, get to end their reign with a nice match. I’m not sure how long the Usos are going to be champions, but at least they got a win to boost them back up. It helps that the Usos can still more than go in the ring and Styles/Lee had chemistry together. I liked this and they did the right thing.

Overall Rating: B. One of the good things about modern WWE is they have made the non-World Titles feel a lot more important. No the Raw Tag Team Titles aren’t on the top of the list, but the main event did at least come off as something that mattered. It made for a better show and things were set up for the future as well. I wasn’t expecting much coming into this show and it wound up working, which is always a nice surprise.

Results
Stephanie Vaquer b. Nikki Bella and Raquel Rodriguez – Tejana Bomb to Bella
Gunther b. R-Truth – Sleeper
Rey Mysterio b. Austin Theory via DQ when Logan Paul interfered
Usos b. AJ Styles/Dragon Lee – 1D to Lee

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

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: December 22, 2025
Location: Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re on a taped show this week for the sake of the holidays, which hopefully doesn’t make much of a difference. It’s one of the last shows of the year and we are building towards CM Punk defending the World Title against Bron Breakker on the first January show. That should be enough to carry us for a few weeks so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the end of last week’s Raw, with Austin Theory being revealed as the masked man and Bron Breakker spearing CM Punk to wrap things up.

Theory comes up to Paul Heyman in the back to explain why he was wearing the mask last week. He made a lot of bad decisions but then he saw the Vision taking what they wanted. That’s what Theory does now and he’d love to take the opportunity and help out. Heyman: “Interesting. Very interesting.” And he walks off.

Rhea Ripley apologizes to Iyo Sky for her getting hurt last week and asks Sky to stay in the back for this. Sky isn’t happy but agrees after a hug.

IMG Credit: WWE

Rhea Ripley vs. Asuka

Kairi Sane is here with Asuka. Ripley jumps her to start fast and sends Asuka flying before unloading with right hands. It’s too early for Riptide as Asuka bails out to the floor. That’s fine with Ripley, who sends her into the barricade but a Sane distraction cuts Ripley off, allowing Asuka to take over.

We take a break and come back with Asuka kneeing her in the face for one before firing off the kicks. A backslide gives Ripley two and she elbows Asuka down. Asuka distracts the referee though and kicks away at the chest, only for Ripley to grab a belly to back faceplant. They trade kicks to the head and they’re both down for a breather. We take another break and come back again with the Prism Trap being reversed, allowing Asuka to kick her in the head for two.

Ripley slips out of a superplex attempt and hits a Cheeky Nandos kick into an electric chair faceplant for two. They head out to the apron where Asuka gets in a German suplex but Ripley superkicks her out of the air. The Cannonball off the apron connects so Ripley goes up, only to have Sane pull her down. Cue Iyo Sky to chase her off, allowing Asuka to grab a rollup with trunks for the pin at 17:55.

Rating: B. They had a physical fight here, which isn’t a surprise in the slightest. There might be something interesting to the idea of Sky not listening to Ripley. They’ve got an actual feud going here and that should make for a big title match, likely on the first Raw of the year. While I could go for less of Ripley losing, at least she got cheated here.

The Vision isn’t sure about Austin Theory but Paul Heyman talks about how far they have come in a year. The two of them don’t have much of an argument with that, so Heyman switches out Bron Breakker for Theory in the main event.

We look back at Gunther’s big speech last week, as he reminded the fans that he made John Cena give up.

IMG Credit: WWE

Here is…well it was supposed to be Maxxine Dupri but instead it’s Becky Lynch for a chat. She talks about how she’s had issues with Maxxine Dupri and thinks someone is against her. Lynch went to the heads of Netflix and they told her to go to Miserable Michigan. She hasn’t seen a single rapid in Grand Rapids, which is very misleading.

We hear about the Sports Illustrated ranking but here is Maxxine Dupri to interrupt. Dupri beat Lynch more than once and she’s willing to do it again because she is the Intercontinental Champion. Lynch is too busy complaining about everything though and it doesn’t make her look like the greatest of all time. It makes her look like someone whose best years are behind her, and that’s enough for Lynch to drop Dupri. That’s reversed into an ankle lock and Lynch taps.

We look back at Nikki Bella interrupting the Women’s Title match last week.

Adam Pearce talks to Je’Von Evans, saying they can talk about his future after Evans’ match. Stephanie Vaquer comes in to request and receive a triple threat title defense against Nikki Bella and Raquel Rodriguez next week.

The Usos are fired up about being back in the tag division and get a Tag Team Title shot next week.

IMG Credit: WWE

Je’Von Evans vs. Rayo Americano

The other Americanos are here with Rayo. Evans flips away from him to start and hips up into a dropkick to take over. Rayo gets in a shot of his own though and starts on the arm, which earns him a hurricanrana out to the floor. Naturally that means a heck of a big dive for Evans and we take a break.

We come back with Rayo grabbing a chinlock as Graves says Rayo trained with Mil Mascaras. Evans gets up and hits a knee to the face, followed by the springboard clothesline for two. Bravo cheap shots Evans from the floor though and a Michinoku Driver gives Rayo two of his own. A slap to the face just wakes Evans up though and he comes back with a spinning kick to the head. The OG Cutter (top rope cutter) finishes Rayo at 9:53.

Rating: B-. This was a way for Evans to get out there and show what he can do on the bigger stage. There’s no real secret to the fact that he is either going to be the next big thing in NXT or just move up to the main roster. Letting him have a win like this helps move him in the right direction and he looked good in the process.

Post match Evans runs away from a beating.

AJ Styles and Dragon Lee are used to facing the best so they’re ready for the Usos next week.

Bron Breakker is ready for CM Punk and wants the real version to show up. Either way, Breakker wins the title on January 5. If Punk is just here to make money, Breakker hopes he cashed his checks, because after January 5, Punk will be broke.

Here is Nikki Bella for a chat. She is the most famous person in the arena, as she’s a Hall Of Famer and a former champion. But what would Michigan know about champions? Maybe if they were Ohio State, they would know better. She’s ready to win the title back next week because she is a big deal everywhere.

IMG Credit: WWE

Bayley vs. Roxanne Perez

Lyra Valkyria and Liv Morgan are here too. Perez rolls away from her to start to increase the frustration before shoving Bayley up against the ropes. A Bayley To Belly out of nowhere gets two and Perez sends her outside. Bayley’s dive is cut off but Perez slips out of a fireman’s carry and takes out Bayley’s knee. The knee is wrapped around the post a few times and we take a break.

We come back with Bayley still in trouble and Perez working on the leg. Bayley kicks her away but bangs up the leg a bit more in the process. The Thesz press lets Bayley hammer away as Raquel Rodriguez is out here to watch as well. Valkyria and Rodriguez get into it on the floor as Perez gets two off a spinning faceplant.

Morgan offers a distraction so Perez can send Bayley into an exposed buckle but Rodriguez gets on the apron for some reason. Morgan pulls her down for an argument and Valkyria dives onto both of them. That’s not enough as Valkyria slaps Bayley in the face to trigger the real comeback, including double knees in the corner. The top rope elbow finishes Perez at 10:40.

Rating: B-. Bayley getting more fired up and aggressive isn’t a bad thing to see as she has been needing something of a spark in recent weeks. Other than that, we have the issues among the Judgment Day, which could lead to quite the interesting development. If nothing else, it’s nice to see a non-title story where the women are allowed to develop a bit and it’s working here.

Here’s what’s coming on January 5.

Bronson Reed tells Austin Theory to follow his lead. Theory has the same idea, but in reverse.

The Judgment Day women argue, with Raquel Rodriguez saying she has to prepare for her title match.

IMG Credit: WWE

Here is Gunther for a chat. The fans are all over him, though Gunther doesn’t seem to mind laughing about it. Before he says anything, he goes outside and poses on the announcers’ table. Back inside and the fans get on him again, with Gunther saying they shouldn’t be mad at him. They should be mad at the one who tapped out like a little…and here is CM Punk to get in Gunther’s face. Gunther goes to leave, but does stop for a You Can’t See Me. Rey Mysterio comes out to glare at Gunther as well.

Post break, Gunther runs into AJ Styles, who says Gunther doesn’t know when to shut up. Gunther: “Guess I don’t.”

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Austin Theory/Bronson Reed vs. CM Punk/Rey Mysterio

Paul Heyman is here too. Theory sends Mysterio into the corner to start but Punk comes in off a blind tag. Punk knocks him into the corner but Theory is right back up with a running elbow to the face. The rolling dropkick puts Punk down and we take an early break. We come back with Theory stomping on Punk’s hand before slapping on the chinlock. It’s off to Reed for a neck crank of his own, followed by a headbutt to keep Punk in trouble.

The running backsplash misses though and it’s Mysterio coming in, much to the crowd’s delight. The pace picks up, including a running seated senton off the apron as we take a break. We come back with Reed knocking Mysterio down again and dropping the backsplash for two. Theory comes back in to stomp away and a snap suplex gets two more. The sitout bulldog gets Mysterio out of trouble and it’s Punk coming in to go after Theory.

Punk strikes away, including the springboard clothesline for two, followed by the running knee in the corner. Mysterio loads up the 619 but Theory is there to cut off the 619. Mysterio connects with one to Theory instead and the slingshot splash gets two. Everything breaks down and Mysterio kicks Theory down, only to get crotched on top. The Stomp gives Theory the pin at 18:17.

Rating: B. Pretty solid and by the book main event tag match here as Theory gets to solidify himself as someone to take a bit more seriously. I have no reason to believe that’s going to last, but at least they started off by doing the right thing. Punk already has his own thing going with Bron Breakker so Mysterio was a fine choice to help make Theory look good.

Post match Bron Breakker runs in with the spear to cut Punk down and end the show.

Overall Rating: B. There was a good bit of solid wrestling this week, though it didn’t feel like a lot really happened. It was more a show that just kept things in their current place, which is acceptable, though not exactly must see content. That’s kind of perfect for a show taking place over the holiday week, as we have the big show coming up in two weeks and this was mainly designed to help set up the next two weeks. Good enough show here, but you really didn’t need to see it.

Results
Asuka b. Rhea Ripley – Rollup with trunks
Je’Von Evans b. Rayo Americano – OG Cutter
Bayley b. Roxanne Perez – Top rope elbow
Austin Theory/Bronson Reed b. CM Punk/Rey Mysterio – Stomp to Mysterio

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

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: December 15, 2025
Location: Giant Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re done with Saturday Night’s Main Event and as weird as it may be, we’re also done with John Cena. This past weekend, Cena lost to Gunther by actually tapping out in his final match. I’ll go on a limb and say Gunther will be featured this week as we are officially on the (rather long) road to the Royal Rumble. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a rather nice look back at Cena’s final match, which was a pretty nice fight with Gunther. The fans being all the way with Cena until the end was a great moment. The locker room came out to give Cena his sendoff.

Here is Gunther to get things going and yeah they fans aren’t happy with him. The fans remind him that he tapped out and he….well we’ll pause for a second at all the booing. Gunther says he made Cena tap out like a little b****. And that’s that. Gunther goes to leave but does come back to pose. Then he goes to leave but comes back to pose, this time on the announcers’ table, where he grabs the mic to say he made Cena tap like a little b****.

A smiling Gunther leaves and we follow him through the Gorilla Position, where some wrestlers aren’t happy with what he did. This includes R-Truth, who calls him a piece of trash. Gunther: “Yeah, sure.” Adam Pearce doesn’t like what Gunther did because it just makes him an a******. He’s also done for tonight. Pearce tells him to find the exit, and AJ Styles is waiting for him in the parking lot. Gunther mocks him and gets in his car to leave, but does roll the window down for a You Can’t See Me. Yeah that worked, as the fans were all over Gunther and he played it to perfection, with that evil grin being excellent.

Video on the Usos and New Day.

IMG Credit: WWE

Usos vs. New Day

Grayson Waller is here with New Day. Kingston and Jimmy start things off with Jimmy shouldering him down. An early Trouble Is Paradise misses and Kingston is taken into the corner so Jey can elbow him in the face. Woods gets in a cheap shot though and we take a break. We come back with Jimmy enziguring his way out of trouble, setting up the running Umaga Attack in the corner.

That’s cut off though and Jimmy gets taken down in the corner for some stomping. Woods kicks him in the face for two before loading up the Tree Of Woe. Kingston’s charge misses though and he gets crotched against the post. The tag brings in Jey to clean house, including the superkick for two on Woods. A high crossbody gets two more and we take another break.

We come back again with Waller interfering and getting ejected for his efforts. The double superkicks abound and the double Superfly Splash (Jimmy hits one leg) connects for….two? That’s quite the kickout. Kingston sends Jey into the steps and Woods hits a tornado DDT to plant Jimmy on the floor. Back in and Daylight gets two, with Jey making the save. Jimmy is back up to superkick Kingston out of the air and the spear drops Woods on the floor. Another spear puts Kingston down and the 1D is enough for the pin at 17:26.

Rating: B. New Day vs. the Usos is about as much of a layup of a match as you can have. They’ve been doing this on and off for such a long time and know each other so well, even with the roles reversed like this, that the match is going to work every time. It certainly did here, with the Usos continuing to knock the heel New Day back.

We look at the big matches for the January 5 Raw on Netflix, including CM Punk defending the World Title against Bron Breakker and Rhea Ripley/Iyo Sky challenging the Kabuki Warriors for the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

The Warriors complain about Sky turning on them for Ripley and swear revenge.

We look back at Logan Paul and the Vision taking out Rey Mysterio and LA Knight.

Paul and Bronson Reed are happy with what happened but Bron Breakker says they should take out CM Punk. Paul thinks the Masked Man is going to be here but Paul Heyman comes up to say that while he doesn’t know who the Masked Man is, he’ll take the help. Breakker says he’s taking Punk out tonight but Heyman says that would be a terrible mistake. It’s three weeks before Breakker gets to be the champion. Paul and Breakker are going to be on the same page tonight.

LA Knight is on the shelf indefinitely due to Reed’s attack.

Here are Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley for a chat…but Asuka pops up out of the crowd to mist Ripley. Kairi Sane and Asuka jump out of the crowd to beat them down. Sky dives onto Ripley to prevent the Insane Elbow, which hits her in the back instead.

Post break, we look at what happened pre-break.

Women’s Intercontinental Title: Maxxine Dupri vs. Ivy Nile

Dupri is defending and slaps her in the face to start. Nile double legs her down and hammers away before putting Dupri on top. The cross armbreaker over the ropes is broken up and Nile knocks her outside as we take a break. We come back with Nile working on the neck but Dupri gets in a kind of headscissors driver for a double down. Dupri makes the comeback with some kicks to the head, including a COME ON pump kick.

A fisherman’s suplex gives Dupri two but Nile counters another kick into a powerbomb for two of her own. Nile gets cocky in the corner and gets powerbombed out (ala Natalya) but Nile ties her in the Tree Of Woe. Dupri is right back with the ankle lock and, after Nile escapes, grabs it again with a grapevine to retain at 9:55.

Rating: C+. Dupri has gotten rather far in the last few months, but there is a difference between being the big underdog on the way to the title and then defending the title. Dupri still only feels so good, but there is a bit of confidence to her. If nothing else, it should make for a nice moment when someone takes her out.

We look at the NXT stars getting showcased at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Je’Von Evans (one of those stars) is happy to be here with Adam Pearce when El Grande Americano comes in to ask why he and his guys didn’t get a chance on Saturday Night’s Main Event. Insults ensue and Pearce makes Evans vs. Rayo for next week.

IMG Credit: WWE

Here is a ticked off CM Punk for a chat. He’s been away for two weeks after being attacked at WarGames and that has left him sitting on his couch, listening to Bron Breakker. That means hearing Breakker puff his chest out and run his mouth, but brains have never run in Breakker’s family. Breakker wants the 2011 Punk but he can’t handle the 2025 Punk. Breakker beat him and it took the help of his new friends.

All it took was an F5 or a Tsunami or Drew McIntyre or the Masked Man. Paul Heyman has built up a lot of people over the years when they weren’t ready yet and Breakker might be one of them. That being said, if Breakker mentions Punk’s wife’s name again, it stops being about the belt and starts being personal, because he’ll rip Breakker’s eyes out and relieve himself on Breakker’s single IQ brain.

On January 5, bring the Vision, the Masked Man, or your dumb father and his dumber brother, because Breakker is going to need all the help he can find. When Breakker loses, Heyman will move on to the next big thing and the Vision will be doing TikTok videos. That’s going to leave Breakker with Dumb and Dumber, and it doesn’t take Steiner Math to know that GTS = 1-2-3. Punk was fired up and brought it here, as only he can.

Dominik Mysterio is ready to see Rey Mysterio get taken out tonight and Liv Morgan is ready for Raquel Rodriguez to win the Women’s Title. Morgan and Roxanne Perez can be out there with her, though Rodriguez respectfully says she wants to do this on her own. That’s fine with Morgan and Perez, who are going to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Women’s Title: Raquel Rodriguez vs. Stephanie Vaquer

Vaquer is defending and Rodriguez trips her down to start. Rodriguez hammers away in the corner but Vaquer fights out, only for her high crossbody to be pulled out of the air. A hard slam gives Rodriguez two and we take a break. We come back with Vaquer avoiding a charge in the corner but getting pulled into the crossarm choke. That’s broken up and a dragon screw legwhip out of the corner takes Rodriguez down again.

Back up and some shoulders in the corner have Vaquer in trouble so she armbars Rodriguez over the ropes. That’s broken up as well and Vaquer is put down for two. The Vader Bomb has to be abandoned though and Vaquer gets in a knockdown of her own, setting up the Devil’s Kiss. Now the armbar over the ropes works a bit better and they head outside. Rodriguez can’t post Vaquer…and Nikki Bella jumps Rodriguez for the DQ at 8:46.

Rating: B-. Gah it was starting to get interesting and it’s time for Nikki Bella to be a thing all over again. Even if it makes sense, that hardly makes up for the fact that Bella feels like she is being shoehorned into just about everything. Hopefully this isn’t setting up a triple threat, as I’m almost scared of the idea of Bella being champion again.

Adam Pearce asks Paul Heyman who is under the mask. Heyman: “Seth Rollins. Becky Lynch. Nick Aldis. BRUNO SAMMARTINO! I DON’T KNOW!” Heyman has to go prep Logan Paul for his match and leaves. Rhea Ripley comes in and says she wants Asuka, which Pearce grants for next week.

Rey Mysterio runs into CM Punk, who will have Mysterio’s back tonight. Mysterio is appreciative.

AJ Styles and Dragon Lee were impressed by the Usos but they’re still the team to beat. They’re off to talk to Adam Pearce and here is Nikki Bella, who complains about not being appreciated for paving the road these women are walking on.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Bayley praises Maxxine Dupri on her win and Dupri is off to ice her bleeding finger. Lyra Valkyria comes in and asks Bayley how she is. Bayley isn’t happy after losing to someone so young and she’s thinking Asuka might be on to something. Valkyria says that isn’t the Bayley she grew up watching. They shout at each other and call each other idiot and it seems to be ok.

IMG Credit: WWE

Rey Mysterio vs. Logan Paul

Paul Heyman is here too. They circle each other to start until Mysterio gets in a few right hands. Mysterio is sent outside and goads Paul into a chase, which doesn’t go well for Paul. Back in and Paul slugs away before sending Mysterio hard into the corner. Some whipping with a belt has Mysterio in trouble and a shot to the knee cuts off his comeback attempt. A rather long Lionsault hits raised knees though and Paul is sent outside. Mysterio gets in a running seated senton off the apron and we take a break.

We come back with Paul missing a frog splash but jumping back up to the apron to drop Mysterio again. Mysterio catches him on top though and hammers away, setting up the super hurricanrana for two. A powerslam cuts Mysterio off but he escapes something that looked like a powerbomb. The 619 is cut off though and Paul grabs Three Amigos to really rub it in.

Mysterio manages to counter a superplex into a sunset bomb and the baseball slide puts Paul on the floor. A sliding splash connects and here comes the Vision. Cue CM Punk with a chair to cut them off but Heyman slips Paul the brass knuckles. The 619 makes Paul drop said knuckles but here is the Masked Man with a Stomp on the apron. That’s enough to set up the Superstar Splash to give Paul the pin at 14:58.

Rating: B. Mysterio is a great choice to work with Paul as they not only have chemistry, but Mysterio can make anyone look good. Paul is an athletic freak and gets a lot of the basic stuff, but he needs someone to help him through a longer match like this. The Masked Man interference continues to be interesting, though I’m almost worried about who is going to be revealed.

Post match the Masked Man gets on the apron for a staredown with Paul but here is Punk to chase him off with the chair. The Masked Man unmasks as….Austin Theory, now with a shaved head. Punk yells at him and gets speared down by Bron Breakker. With Punk down, Breakker says if Punk ever talks about his family like that again, it’ll be worse. The Theory reveal didn’t get much of a reaction, which shouldn’t be a surprise as he has been anything to be taken seriously in….years? Hopefully the fresh start helps him though, as the potential is absolutely there.

Overall Rating: B-. I liked the stuff with Gunther and I liked the opener/main event, but there was only so much in the middle to fill out the show. The Nikki Bella moment wasn’t good, Dupri vs. Nile was just ok, and even Usos vs. New Day was something we’ve seen A LOT over the years. I liked enough of it, but there were some really weak parts of this show. Then again, maybe that had to be the case given the rather rough work schedule this week. Not a bad show, but certain parts needed a lot of work.

Results
Usos b. New Day – 1D to Kingston
Maxxine Dupri b. Ivy Nile – Ankle lock
Raquel Rodriguez b. Stephanie Vaquer via DQ when Nikki Bella interfered
Logan Paul b. Rey Mysterio – Superstar Splash

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

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: December 8, 2025
Location: T-Mobile Arena, Kansas City, Missouri
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We are less than a week away from John Cena’s final match and now he has an opponent. Gunther has won the Last Time Is Now tournament and will be receiving the shot against Cena this Saturday. Gunther is likely going to have something to say about that, but we also need some NXT matches set for the show. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of the Last Time Is Now tournament, with Gunther beating LA Knight in the finals on Smackdown.

Here is Gunther to get things going. He’s looking forward to facing Cena, who is the greatest sports entertainer of all time. The problem is that he’s facing the greatest professional wrestler of all time. Gunther puts up a countdown to Cena’s final match, but just beating Cena isn’t enough. The thing is, Cena is the one who never gives up, but Gunther is ready to break him. Gunther is going to drain his spirit and make him give up. Tick tock. Good, to the point stuff here and it should work on Saturday.

We open with a recap of last week’s chaos with the Women’s Tag Team Titles as Judgment Day looks to want the belts.

Iyo Sky vs. Kairi Sane

Rhea Ripley and Kairi Sane are here too. Feeling out process to start with Sane getting two off a sunset flip, which is reversed into a rollup for the same. A crucifix gives Sky two but Sane headscissors her down and poses a bit. Back up and Sky sweeps the leg and hits a basement dropkick to send Sane outside. Asuka offers a distraction though and Sane scores with a clothesline off the apron as we take a break.

We come back with Sane’s sliding forearm getting cut off with a raised boot. A missile dropkick sends Sane into the corner for the Bullet Train and a near fall, with Ripley being surprised by the kickout. Sane is able to knock her off the top though and the tree of woe double stomp gets two.

They go to the apron, where Sky gets out of a backdrop and hits a German suplex to send Sane to the floor. An Asai moonsault connects with Sane but she’s able to distract the referee so Asuka can tie Sky in the tree of woe. Ripley goes after Asuka, as she should, and Sky takes Sane down. Over The Moonsault finishes for Sky at 11:34.

Rating: B. Nice back and forth match here, which shouldn’t be a surprise given the two talented stars in there. Sky continues to be one of the most skilled stars in the division and she has moved into the top level over the course of the year. The tag division is starting to look a lot more interesting and I could go for seeing what they have in mind in the coming weeks.

Logan Paul wants the Vision to get rid of Rey Mysterio after last week. He’s willing to be the Vision’s backup as well and Paul Heyman gives him back the brass knuckles. Just in case. Heyman likes this guy.

Video on the War Raiders.

Rey Mysterio vs. Finn Balor

And never mind as Logan Paul runs in to take out Mysterio. That’s broken up and but here is the masked man to Stomp Mysterio, allowing Paul to lay Mysterio out. Security chases the masked man off but LA Knight runs in for the save and wants Paul tonight. No match here.

Tag Team Titles: AJ Styles/Dragon Lee vs. War Raiders

Styles and Lee are defending and New Day/Grayson Waller are watching from ringside. Erik gets taken into the corner to start but gets out by punching Styles in the face. The Raiders are sent outside, where they catch Lee’s dive and throw him at Styles to cut off another dive. Ivar crushes Styles against the ring board and we take a break.

We come back with Styles still in trouble but managing a quick Pele. Lee gets the tag and hits a top rope double stomp in the tree of woe ti Erik. For some reason Lee tries a fireman’s carry on Ivar before hitting something like a Death Valley Driver. Erik crushes Lee in the corner but he’s able to send the Vikings outside.

Lee’s superkick on the apron staggers Erik, who throws him into a powerslam on the floor. Back in and the Doomsault connects but Styles makes the save. Styles gets the tag and strikes away until Erik cuts him off rather quickly. A super hurricanrana sends Ivar into Erik, meaning the Phenomenal Forearm can retain the titles at 11:23.

Rating: B-. Styles and Lee might not be the next big thing in the tag division, but they’re a good example of something that works well in the short term. The good thing is that’s all it needs to be and it’s working well. If nothing else, Styles gets one last moment in the sun on the way out and that’s a cool thing after an all time career.

Post match New Day gets in the ring for the staredown but here are the Usos through the crowd (with Jey Yeeting with a baby). After running it back, the Usos make it clear that they’re back in the tag division. Last week, Jimmy asked Jey what they were going to do after Jey’s recent issues. Jey says it’s time to get back to them and put the tag division on notice. The Usos are ready to get the gold back and they’ll beat up the New Day in the process. New Day gets dropped and leave, so Styles and Lee get in the Usos’ faces. I’ll believe it lasts when I see it, but the tag division could use the depth.

Here is Stephanie Vaquer for a chat. She wants to face everyone and doesn’t talk too much because she speaks through actions. Nikki Bella might be a legend, but things are a bit different than they were fifteen years ago. Vaquer lists off some of the stars of today, but she’s at the top of the list. Cue Bella to say she demands a rematch but Raquel Rodriguez runs in to post Bella hard. Rodriguez says she’s coming for the title, which I’d call an upgrade over Bella.

Video on John Cena’s Wrestlemania history.

Judgment Day is having a good night but Liv Morgan isn’t happy with Raquel Rodriguez going after Stephanie Vaquer. Rodriguez didn’t know they had to run everything by her but she’s off to talk to Adam Pearce about her title shot. Morgan says she and Roxanne Perez can be the next Women’s Tag Team Titles, which seems to be news to Perez.

Lyra Valkyria vs. Roxanne Perez

Bayley and Liv Morgan are here too. Valkyria backs her into the corner to start fast and grabs a northern lights suplex for two. Perez is sent outside where she blocks a dropkick through the ropes (or Valkyria didn’t quite get it right) and sends Valkyria’s shoulder into the steps a few times.

We take a break and come back with Valkyria fighting out of an arm crank. A crossbody gives Valkyria two and she powerbombs Perez, only to hurt her own arm in the process. Valkyria sends her outside for a dropkick through the ropes (this one works better), followed by the high crossbody for two back inside.

Perez gets in the cartwheel knee to the head for two, followed by a nasty Fujiwara armbar on the bad arm. That’s broken up and Valkyria gets in a release German suplex, dragon Morgan up to the apron. Bayley cuts her off but Perez escapes Nightwing. Morgan gets in a quick kick to the face and Pop Rox finishes for Perez at 10:17.

Rating: C+. This was a bit sloppy at times but it gives me some hopes for the women’s tag division. As usual, the issue is the lack of depth so it’s nice to see some teams actually coming together. Keep that going and we might be able to get somewhere, even if it feels all but destined that Morgan turns good and gets rocketed to the moon.

Natalya’s rather intense training of Maxxine Dupri continues but Dupri manages to make her tap to the ankle lock.

Saturday Night’s Main Event rundown, with AJ Styles/Dragon Lee vs. Je’Von Evans/Leon Slater being added.

Logan Paul vs. LA Knight

Paul Heyman is here too. Paul jumps him to start fast but Knight is able to send things out to the apron. A suplex over the top gives Knight two and a discus lariat connects for the same. Paul bails outside so Knight hits a dive and loads up the announcers’ table. Knight sends him into the table a few times and adds a slingshot shoulder for two back inside. A belly to back suplex doesn’t work though and Paul grabs a Zig Zag as we take a break.

We come back with Paul dropping him throat first onto the top, followed by an Alley Oop for two. Knight slugs away and grabs his jumping neckbreaker for two before putting Paul up top. Cue the Vision for a distraction, allowing Paul’s high crossbody to connect for two. Knight gets in a quick knockdown for a breather, followed by the jumping top rope elbow. Vision’s interference causes Knight to get knocked down but the referee ejects both of them. Knight hammers away on Paul outside….and it’s the masked man to stomp him on the announcers’ table. The frog splash gives Paul the pin at 13:44.

Rating: B-. This was more about getting the masked man out there to take Knight out and that’s not a bad way to go. The masked man is an interesting story as it has the tease of being Rollins but could be almost anyone. That’s the kind of suspense that makes you wonder and now we’ll have probably a few weeks to find out who it is. Knight’s time in the main event scene continues and this should give him something else to do, which is a good sign for his future.

Post match it’s a Super Spear and a pair of Tsunamis to leave Knight laying. Post break, Heyman mocks Kansas City before saying that Bron Breakker will win the World Title on January 5. Breakker wants to know where CM Punk is, but he means where is the old Punk that Breakker saw for years.

Punk presents himself as this great guy but he’s just a fraud. He’s spent years preaching being straightedge but now he looks like the biggest crackhead ever! Breakker knows he can beat the Punk, so he wants the OLD Punk. He wants the 2011-13 Punk, who was a feared man. Breakker gets on his knees and begs the old Punk to be there, or it’s going to be bad.

We see LA Knight getting up in the back so Logan Paul and Reed go after him. As Breakker says it’s going to be “spear, 1-2-3”, Knight tries to fight back but gets powerbombed through a table. Reed drops him onto the hood of a car and the Tsunami crushes Knight. Adam Pearce comes in to yell a lot to end the show. Breakker’s stuff was good, but I’m not sure he’s going to win the title so soon. Either way, good dominant performance from the Vision here.

Overall Rating: C+. I liked the opener, but the rest of the show felt like it was about setting up things for later. That’s fine on paper, but it’s only so interesting for over two hours. The action was good enough, though it wasn’t exactly enough to carry the show. Just get to Saturday and then we can see what happens, but it might be a bit before things pick back up.

Results
Iyo Sky b. Kairi Sane – Over The Moonsault
AJ Styles/Dragon Lee b. Viking Raiders – Phenomenal Forearm to Ivar
Roxanne Perez b. Lyra Valkyria – Pop Rox
Logan Paul b. LA Knight – Frog splash

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

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: December 1, 2025
Location: Desert Diamond Arena, Glendale, Arizona
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Joe Tessitore

We’re done with Survivor Series, which was a good night for the villains. While the good group of women won WarGames, the Vision took the main event and Dominik Mysterio regained the Intercontinental Title from John Cena. This week’s show is going to be focused on the Last Time Is Now Tournament semifinals so let’s get to it.

Here is Survivor Series if you need a recap.

Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett are in the crowd to open the show and throw us to a long recap of Survivor Series.

Various people arrive, including Solo Sikoa, who isn’t pleased with Jacob Fatu’s picture being on a truck.

Here are Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky to get things going. They won at WarGames, but now they want revenge. Sky calls out Asuka but gets Charlotte and Alexa Bliss instead. Bliss says she heard them wanting the Women’s Tag Team Titles and they’re going to need Ripley and Sky to take a step back. They’re cool with Ripley and Sky but yeah not yet. Ripley says they need to go to the back of the line, but a match is set up for later tonight.

Adam Pearce is in the back and makes the women’s tag official, only to be interrupted by Ivy Nile. She wants to face Maxxine Dupri, with Pearce suggesting that it will happen eventually. Paul Heyman and Bron Breakker show up and Pearce isn’t happy. Heyman doesn’t like being accused of sending in the masked man at WarGames (he’s guilty of everything else, but not that). Now though, he wants to talk about Breakker pinning CM Punk, which Pearce is willing to talk about in his office.

We look at John Cena vs. CM Punk, with Punk saying he knows he was Cena’s greatest rival. He’s certainly in the running.

Last Time Is Now Tournament Semifinals: Jey Uso vs. LA Knight

Uso misses a charge to start and they stare at each other. Knight gets knocked into the corner, where he avoids the running Umaga Attack as commentary says the women’s tag is official. Were they just not paying attention when that was confirmed five minutes ago? Anyway, Knight misses a Razor Ramon’s discus punch and gets sent outside for the big suicide dive.

We take a break and come back with the two of them on the top and crashing out to the floor. Uso is back up with a kick to the head but Knight grabs a Burning Hammer for two. The spear gives Uso two and they’re both down again. Uso goes up and gets superplexed down, only to hit a quick superkick. The Superfly Splash connects but Knight reverses into a rollup for the pin at 9:42.

Rating: B. This got going near the end and I was surprised by the result, as I was all but sure this was going to be Uso winning to face Gunther. At the same time, it’s great to see Knight getting a clean pin, which is the kind of thing that can boost him up a long way. Solid match here and I could have gone with more of it.

Post match Knight leaves and a distraught Uso breaks stuff. Uh oh.

Bayley and Lyra Valkyria want a Tag team Title shot but Adam Pearce says we’ll figure that out after the main event. The Kabuki Warriors come up, with Asuka mocking Bayley for not getting what she wants while Charlotte does. Sane wraps the green chain around Bayley, who isn’t happy.

Here is Judgment Day for a chat, with Dominik Mysterio showing off the John Cena side plates on the Intercontinental Title. Mysterio brags about beating the greatest of all time, so he’s the Greatest Mysterio of all time. It makes him the greatest luchador of all time and the King of the luchadores. He thanks Judgment Day for their help, including Liv Morgan, who gets her own entrance (you can see the fans stand up, as it’s a big deal to have her back).

She says the people didn’t see her coming back but neither did John Cena. Mysterio talks about how they played the one ace up their sleeve and got his title and Morgan back. Morgan says Judgment Day runs Monday Night Raw, slaps Mysterio again, and jumps into his arms.

We get a rather intense video of Maxxine Dupri training in Natalya’s dungeon. Natalya makes her tap a few times and tells her to get out of the ring but Dupri wants to keep going. Natalya approves.

Adam Pearce talks to a referee about the masked man at Survivor Series. Pearce knows it can’t be Seth Rollins so he wants the referee to see if he can find anything out and report back.

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

New Day, with Grayson Waller, is challenging. Styles gets jumped to start fast, with Woods sending him into the corner for a beating from Kingston. A monkey flip sends Styles flying but he knocks Kingston into the corner. The slingshot dropkick connects for Lee, who follows it up with a big dive to the floor. We take a break and come back with Woods and Styles both getting tags.

Styles strikes away, including the basement forearm, but Kingston is back in for a wheelbarrow faceplant Fameasser combination for two (that was cool). A quick Calf Crusher is broken up by Woods and a sitout powerbomb gives Lee two. Operation Dragon is blocked though and Woods comes back in to strike away. A hiptoss puts Lee in the Tree Of Woe, leaving Woods to dive on Styles. Back in and Lee kicks Kingston into the Styles Clash and dives onto everyone else, leaving Styles to get the retaining pin at 9:04.

Rating: B. What has happened to New Day? They were one of the most successful teams of all time but now they are coming off as the most “well they’re here too” things I’ve seen in a long time. The heel turn has absolutely not worked but I’m not sure how well a simple turn back would work. They absolutely need something though, because this is somehow getting worse every week.

We look at Stephanie Vaquer retaining the Women’s Title against Nikki Bella.

Vaquer says she’s ready for her next challenger so here is Liv Morgan to says he’s back. Yeah they have to go there sooner than later.

Here is the Vision for a chat. Paul Heyman gives a shoutout to Brock Lesnar and Drew McIntyre before moving on to the three people still in the ring. Bronson Reed Tsunamied everyone on the other side. Logan Paul is the biggest mainstream star on the face of the earth (Paul’s eyes going side to side during this is great). And shoutout to WWE executives, who have made CM Punk vs. Bron Breakker for the January 5 Raw in Brooklyn.

The fans chant for Punk but Breakker says he’s upset tonight. It’s not because of where he is or because of the masked man, but rather how easy it was to pin Punk at Survivor Series. He thought he was going to have to dig deeper than ever and go to a level he’s never reached before. Then he found out that Punk is just a soft a** b****. Punk is no different than any veteran who has lived off of past greatness, just like Seth Rollins.

The reality is Punk isn’t even the biggest star in his own house, and we pause for a Punk chant. Breakker is ready for a fight in Brooklyn because Punk tried to break his neck at Survivor Series. He’s coming for everything in January and wants to take every great memory he’s ever had.

Last year at Wrestlemania, Punk came up to him and said let’s see if you can cut a promo with the big dogs. Well consider the promo cut because he’s going to leave Punk looking up at the lights and realizing that he’s not as good as Bron Breakker, the real best in the world. Well. That worked. I’m not sure what else there is to say there. Breakker just cut the promo of his life and it feels like Punk is about to get crushed in every possible way.

Jey Uso doesn’t have anything to say and says people in his head need to get out. The only person he has to blame is the one looking back in the mirror. Roman Reigns said it best: those titles look the best on Reigns’ shoulders, not Jey’s.

Last Time Is Now Tournament Semifinals: Gunther vs. Solo Sikoa

Talla Tonga is here with Sikoa. Gunther grabs a lockup to start but gets backed up against the ropes. The threat of a chop has Sikoa ducking so Gunther slaps on a headlock instead. An exchange of shoulders goes to Sikoa but Gunther knocks him hard out to the floor, leaving Sikoa looking rocked as we take a break.

We come back with Sikoa hammering on the back but not being able to slam him. Gunther tries a slam of his own, with Sikoa falling on him for two. Sikoa goes up and gets caught with a chop, meaning it’s a superplex to leave both of them down. They collide again and then chop it out, followed by an exchange of kicks to the face. Sikoa gets in a Samoan Spike and they’re both down again as we take a second break.

We come back with Sikoa hitting the running Umaga Attack in the corner but Gunther drops him with a clothesline. Another big clothesline gets two but Gunther has to block the Samoan Spike. Instead Sikoa grabs the Samoan Spike for two so Gunther stuns him with some chops. Spinning Solo cuts the comeback off and a Superfly Splash gets two, with the fans being impressed by the kickout. Gunther reverses the Samoan Spike into a sleeper and then a German suplex, with Sikoa pulling the turnbuckle pad off.

Tonga gets knocked off the apron but Gunther goes after him and gets kicked in the face. The referee sees Tonga holding Gunther, who kicks Tonga low and slams Sikoa’s thumb into the apron. Back in and a low blow stops Sikoa, setting up a powerbomb to give Gunther the pin at 17:52.

Rating: B+. These guys beat the fire out of each other and it was great to see. Sikoa can wrestle a physical style when he’s given the chance and they had a heck of a fight. Gunther is at his best when he activates his version of Beast Mode and gets to a point where he isn’t going to be stopped. That’s what we got here and Sikoa was hanging in there with him for a very long time. Awesome match here and a heck of a lot better than I was expecting.

Post match LA Knight gets in the ring to talk some trash. The finals are set for Smackdown.

We get the women’s version of the Wrestlemania promo, with the women at a bar in a casino.

The referee doesn’t have any information on the masked man. Adam Pearce says keep him posted but AJ Styles and Dragon Lee come up to say they want another title defense next week. Maybe against the War Raiders. Pearce makes the match.

Here’s what’s coming next week, including Rey Mysterio vs. Finn Balor.

Mysterio is sick of Dominik and he’s ready to go through Judgment Day one at a time. There’s a chance he might even come after the Intercontinental Title. Logan Paul comes in to say that sounds crazy, with Mysterio saying that Paul might be the only person worse than Dominik. Paul mocks Mysterio’s height and says the Intercontinental Title belongs to the Vision, so step down. Mysterio asks who is going to stop him, with Paul issuing some threats. That earns him a slap to the face so here is security to break it up. I’ve heard worse ideas.

Charlotte/Alexa Bliss vs. Rhea Ripley/Iyo Sky

Sky rolls Charlotte up to start fast and gives her a double stomp as we take an early break. We come back with Bliss forearming away at Ripley, who snatches her up into the Prism Trap. That’s reversed with a ramp into Charlotte, with Ripley holding up her arms in an “oh well”. Sky comes back in with a 619 to the back and Ripley’s running knee gets two.

The Bullet Train missed in the corner and Bliss gets in a knockdown, allowing the big tags off to Charlotte and Ripley. They fight over some waistlocks before trading the shots to the face. Charlotte gets in the Downward Spiral into the corner but Ripley pops up with an enziguri (that looked awesome) and we take a break. We come back with Sky hitting some running knees to Charlotte, allowing Ripley to come back in.

What looks like a powerbomb doesn’t work as Ripley falls down, with the second attempt resulting in a Razor’s Edge to Charlotte. Sky adds a missile dropkick but Riptide is countered into a DDT. Charlotte superkicks her into a DDT from Bliss but Twisted Bliss hits raised knees. Sky comes back in but charges into a boot to the face.

Natural Selection and the Sister Abigail DDT plant Sky, with Ripley making a save. Bliss slips out of another Razor’s Edge so Ripley headbutts her into Riptide. Over The Moonsault connects but Charlotte drives Ripley into the cover for the save. Everyone is down and cue the Kabuki Warriors to jump both of them for the double DQ at 14:32.

Rating: B. Sweet goodness I cannot stand that finish. How can villains be so stupid to never get that this won’t work? It’s something that plagues all kinds of villains around the wrestling world and here we are again. That’s a shame too as it came at the end of a pretty strong match, with the Ripley vs. Charlotte showdowns feeling huge. Both teams worked well together and I liked what we were getting until the lame ending.

Post match the beatdown is on but Lyra Valkyria and Bayley run in for the save. The big brawl is on and here is Liv Morgan, along with Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez to wreck everyone. Perez and Rodriguez pose with the titles and Morgan says she’s back to end the show. That was a bit better than I was expecting, though hopefully this doesn’t result in some messy group match.

Overall Rating: A-. Give the main event a better main event and the show would have been one of the best Raw’s in a long time. They moved stories forward, the wrestling was rather good throughout, and the Breakker promo was outstanding to cap it off. Awesome show here, and hopefully they can keep up the momentum as they’re wrapping up the year.

Results
LA Knight b. Jey Uso – Crucifix
AJ Styles/Dragon Lee b. New Day – Styles Clash to Kingston
Gunther b. Solo Sikoa – Powerbomb
Rhea Ripley/Iyo Sky vs. Charlotte/Alexa Bliss went to a double DQ when the Kabuki Warriors interfered

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

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

Survivor Series 2025
Date: November 29, 2025
Location: Petco Park, San Diego, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

It’s back to the stadium for this show as we’re in for one of the bigger nights of the year. As usual, the show is built around the two WarGames matches, which should be more than enough to carry the show. Those matches are going to take up nearly two hours combined when you add in entrances, meaning the other two matches can only have so much impact. Let’s get to it.

The opening video actually looks at all four matches on the card. Naturally WarGames gets the most attention, but it’s nice to see something else getting even a bit of attention.

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.

Team Ripley vs. Team Lynch

Rhea Ripley, Charlotte, Alexa Bliss, AJ Lee, Iyo Sky
Becky Lynch, Lash Legend, Nia Jax, Asuka, Nia Jax

Charlotte (in gear inspired by a girl battling cancer) and Asuka start things off, which should be a nice way to go. Of note, there are no shark cages near the entrances and the other wrestlers are staying in the back until their turn comes. They lock up to start with Charlotte getting the better of things and grabbing the figure four neck rolls. Back up and Asuka gets her into the ropes to fire off the kicks but Charlotte knocks her back down. They slug it out in another ring until Asuka knocks her off the top.

Sky is in to give Charlotte and company the advantage (the timing isn’t quite on but I’ve seen worse), bringing in a trashcan lid. And yes, there is an advertisement on the trashcan lid, because WWE managed to find a company to pay them to be associated with trash. Sky takes over on Asuka, despite slipping on a springboard attempt. The Bullet Train with the trashcan lid hits Asuka in the corner and Sky crushes her head against the metal plate.

Becky Lynch is in to even things up and thankfully she brings her kendo stick with her rather than looking underneath the ring over and over. Sky is taken down but Charlotte wants no part of Lynch’s offer of peace. Charlotte and Lynch both hit exploders before slugging it out again as we actually hear about FCW for a bit. Lynch takes over on Charlotte and yells about being the best ever until Bliss is in to get the advantage back.

Some dragon screw legwhips have the villains down, setting up the double Natural Selections. Sky is back up as well so she can help Charlotte and Bliss with the beatings. Charlotte gets to step on Lynch’s face and brag about her own greatness in a nice moment. Sane is here to even things up, though she takes her sweet time and shows off the chain she’s bringing with her.

Charlotte and company get tied together with the chain for a triple dropkick, which frees them so the villains can pose. Heaven forbid that when the other three were tied together, Asuka or Lynch or Sane, I don’t know, beat on them with a chair or something. Anyway, Lee is in to make the save and go after Lynch, including the Shining Wizard. The rest of the team gets up to continue the fight but Jax is in to even things up again.

Naturally that means a bunch of running hip attacks against the cage but Sky climbs the cage. That earns her a hard powerbomb and a lot of choking ensues until Ripley is in, again carrying a bunch of weapons but also doing her full entrance. Ripley cleans house with the kendo sticks and uses Sky to crush Sane in a trashcan.

Jax runs them over so Bliss makes a save until Legend is in to complete the fields, meaning first fall wins. Legend gets to wreck people, including a chokeslam to Charlotte. Ripley gets up for the monster showdown and kicks Legend in the head for a staggering. Legend’s pump kick gets two on Ripley but a headbutt looks to set up Riptide. Jax breaks that up so she and Legend can powerbomb Bliss and Charlotte into the cage for two. Lynch’s Manhandle Slam gets two on Lee with Sky making the save.

Sky is tossed into the rest of her team and the Kabuki Special with a chain drops her again. Ripley has to make a save this time but she’s left alone. Charlotte saves Ripley from the mist, which hits Legend by mistake though and Sky goes up top. Ripley lifts Lee up so she can hand Sky the (sponsored) trashcan to hit the big dive. Lynch is alone this time and tries to escape, only to get pulled into the Black Widow for the tap at 40:52.

Rating: C+. It was definitely better than last year, though that’s only so much of an accomplishment. The match is still too long, though they toned the weapons WAY down this year, including the time spent searching for them, and it helped a good bit. I still don’t know why this needed to be a WarGames match when a Survivor Series match would have fit better, but at least they took some steps in the right direction.

We recap John Cena defending the Intercontinental Title against Dominik Mysterio. Cena, who has this and one more match left, took the title from Mysterio, who wants a rematch on his home turf. Naturally Cena is in.

Intercontinental Title: John Cena vs. Dominik Mysterio

Cena is defending in his last PPV match and Raquel Rodriguez/Roxanne Perez are here with Mysterio. The first music stops playing and the fans are already going nuts, with WWE being smart to wait and let the buzz build before hitting Cena’s music. Cena’s entrance takes a bit longer than usual, as you can tell this means a lot to him. After the Big Match Intros, Cena takes him down with a headlock takeover but Perez gets in some interference.

Mysterio takes over with a good shot to the head and gets in some taunting to the crowd. Rodriguez’s cheap shot lets Mysterio get two and Three Amigos connect for the same. Cena knocks him outside but the women’s distraction lets Mysterio get in another knockdown. A hurricanrana off the barricade doesn’t work as it almost turns into a powerbomb, with Mysterio holding his shoulder.

The medics come out to check on him but the women use the distraction to hit a Tejana Bomb into Pop Rox. Mysterio pops back up for a 619 and the referee is living, ejecting Rodriguez and Perez. Cena makes the comeback and initiates the finishing sequence but Mysterio escapes the AA. That’s fine with Cena, who pulls him into the STF, with Mysterio having to make the rope.

Mysterio unzips his boot so Cena pulls it off, setting up another 619. The frog splash gets two, as does a quick AA from Cena. A slugout goes to Cena, who accidentally shoulders the referee to the floor. Cue Finn Balor and JD McDonagh to break up the STF but Cena gives them a double AA (because he can do that). Mysterio misses a belt shot and walks into another AA…but Liv Morgan is back. She hits Mysterio in the face and jumps on Cena, only to kick him low. The 619 and frog splash give Mysterio the title back at 16:48.

Rating: B-. Yeah this was fun, and they made the right call. Cena had to drop the title at some point and, assuming Gunther is winning the tournament, it makes a lot more sense to let Mysterio get this kind of a win. They were flying through this despite having some time, but I can go for some insanity here as it’s hard to fathom Mysterio being able to beat Cena one on one (or even close to it). Mysterio can brag about this for the better part of ever and that’s the right idea in this situation.

Post match Mysterio and Morgan celebrate together. With the two of them gone, Cena gets the big sendoff and thanks the camera.

Raw Women’s Title: Nikki Bella vs. Stephanie Vaquer

Vaquer is defending. Bella jumps her from behind to start fast but Vaquer is right back with a ram into the buckle. They head outside with Bella being sent into the announcers’ table but misses a kneedrop onto the apron. Bella fires off some forearms as commentary tries to hype up Bella’s career from the Divas era.

A facebuster and running faceplant give Bella two before she grabs a spinebuster. Vaquer belly to back suplexes her way out of trouble but Bella slips away from the Devil’s Kiss. Instead it’s a Russian legsweep into quite the rollup for two on Bella. The dragon screw legwhip out of the corner sets up the SVB for two but Bella breaks up the corkscrew moonsault.

The Rack Attack 2.0 gives Bella two as Vaquer gets a foot on the rope. They go back outside and this time the kneedrop on the apron connects for Vaquer. Bella is sent onto the announcers’ table for the Devil’s Kiss, with commentary having to be careful about commentating on the visuals. Back in and the regular Devil’s Kiss keeps Bella in trouble, setting up the corkscrew moonsault to retain at 12:23.

Rating: C+. It might not have been a classic, but at least there were no terrible moments in there. Bella might not be on the level of the modern stars, but she’s better than the mess that took place last time. Vaquer winning is nice to see as well, as she’s still the kind of star who could become a big deal if she’s given the chance, which she’s starting to get.

New Day and Grayson Waller talk about WWE Supercard in a completely natural way.

We look at Dominik Mysterio beating John Cena.

We look at the Last Time Is Now Tournament.

Tonight’s attendance: 46,016.

We recap the men’s WarGames match, which is basically Paul Heyman’s Vision and some hired guns vs. everyone who hates Heyman. It’s certainly star studded and that’s making this feel like a major showdown.

Team Reigns vs. Team Vision

Roman Reigns, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso
Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, Logan Paul, Drew McIntyre, Brock Lesnar

Punk (going over the top of the cage, as a hero should) and Breakker start things off with Breakker powering him around. Back up and Punk gets in a leg lariat, followed by some kicks to the leg. The top rope ax handle doesn’t exactly work for Punk though as Breakker snaps off a suplex. Punk’s middle rope clothesline connects but here is McIntyre for the first advantage.

Punk tries to fight both of them off but walks into a Claymore. A double ram into the cage has Punk down even more and the slow beating continues. Rhodes is in to even things up and dives off the cage to take McIntyre down. The Cody Cutter connects but Rhodes accidentally elbows Punk (bleeding) in the face. Things are smoothed over as Punk plays Hart in a Hart Attack to McIntyre.

That’s not it as Breakker gets caught with a Doomsday Device, with Breakker taking a TERRIFYING landing on the back of his head (you can hear the fear in Barrett’s voice as he wants Breakker checked on immediately). Breakker disappears for a bit as medics make sure he can still move and it’s a Bionic Elbow from Punk to McIntyre.

Paul is in with a chair (first weapon) as Breakker is somehow walking again. Rhodes and Paul go to the top of the cage and slug it out, with Paul getting the better of things. A double suplex drops Rhodes again and it’s Jimmy Uso in to even things up. Jimmy even gets smart by ramming the door onto Breakker’s head and grabbing a table. The Whisper In The Wind connects on Paul and Breakker but McIntyre breaks it up.

The super Frankensteiner drops Rhodes as the fans want someone to use the table. Reed is in for another advantage and it’s time for the Tsunamis. Rhodes is crushed against the cage and Punk is slammed into it as well. Jey Uso is in to tie it up again and thankfully he at least jogs down the aisle rather than doing his full entrance. The 1D connects and let’s run that entrance theme back. Naturally this lets Jey sit on top of the cage for a bit because that’s what you do in WARGAMES. Barrett: “People shouldn’t be having this much fun inside WarGames.”

And here is Lesnar, with Heyman, to complete the team. German suplexes and F5’s abound and Lesnar goes to wait on the steps because here comes Reigns. Lesnar starts the fight and counters a Superman Punch into an F5 through the announcers’ table. Lesnar throws Reigns inside and the bell officially rings. Another F5 gets two on Reigns with Rhodes making the save.

Cross Rhodes hits Lesnar but Paul makes the save this time. Paul loads up the brass knuckles and knocks Rhodes silly but Reigns is there to spear him down. Reigns gets the knuckles and fires off the Superman Punch, followed by a spear to Breakker. Another spear sends Lesnar (holding Jey) through a table in the corner and Breakker spears Jimmy.

McIntyre hits Rhodes low, leaving Breakker to spear Rhodes (Breakker: “YOU WILL NEVER BE AS GREAT AS A STEINER!”). Punk makes the save…and we’ve got a masked man, who kicks Punk down and hits a Stomp. Breakker puts the straps back up and then takes them down again (that will always work), setting up the Super Spear to pin Punk at 39:25.

Rating: B. This felt much more like a war and notice that they did it with far fewer weapons than usual. The masked man is certainly an interesting way to go, but what matters the most is that Breakker got the pin. It feels like we’re in a countdown before Breakker wins his first World Title, which thankfully can happen because he didn’t break his neck. I liked this well enough, and it sets up some stuff going forward. Nice job.

Post match everyone else leaves so Punk, Rhodes and Reigns can look at each other. Reigns goes to leave and says he and Rhodes are never teaming again to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Despite having all the star power in the main event (with the women’s match not being far behind), I kept thinking “this is it?” There wasn’t much to the show with four matches, including two which only felt so important. It’s definitely not a bad show and the main event was good, but it didn’t have that big bang to it that these shows need to have. That being said, I do like that it clocked in at around three hours, so it definitely didn’t overstay its welcome. Not a bad show, but they’ve done a lot better before.

Results
Team Ripley b. Team Lynch – Black Widow to Lynch
Dominik Mysterio b. John Cena – Frog splash
Stephanie Vaquer b. Nikki Bella – Corkscrew moonsault
Team Vision b. Team Reigns – Super Spear to Punk

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

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

It’s the last of the Big Four this year and we’re back in a stadium. As usual, it’s all about the WarGames, though at least this time we have two other matches, at least one of which has some potential. This is one of those shows where you have everything built around two matches though, and that’s not exactly leaving much for the remainder of the card. Worse things have worked before though so let’s get to it.

Raw Women’s Title: Stephanie Vaquer(c) vs. Nikki Bella

I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that Bella’s return has been a misfire, as she’s just not that interesting, even after the heel turn. This idea that she’s suddenly some kind of evil, horrible star who is coming for Vaquer’s title is a stretch at minimum and realistically, a vast stretch. Normally I would say Bella had no chance here, but stranger things have certainly happened.

For the sake of my sanity, I’ll take Vaquer to retain here, as the idea of Bella getting even more of a focus would be almost too much to bear. Bella’s most recent big match was quite the mess and I’m almost scared to see what might happen here. While I don’t expect the same disaster, the fact that it feels like a possibility tells you about all you need to know about this match. Hopefully Vaquer retains, as the alternative is almost scary.

Intercontinental Title: John Cena(c) vs. Dominik Mysterio

Dang it’s so weird to write that down after so many years. The other thing that is so weird is that this match could go either way. Cena is going to be gone in about two weeks and pretty much has to lose the title in one of his two remaining matches. There is a very real chance that it happens here, which would be a heck of a moment for Mysterio’s career. The fact that he is a legitimate threat to take Cena out is impressive, as Mysterio really has gotten that good.

While I originally planned to pick Cena as the winner, I think I’m actually going with Mysterio. Beating Cena in his last match is probably bigger than winning the title, so this is about as good as anything else could be. Mysterio getting to beat Cena in his final pay per view match is something that he could milk for years, which is what I’m hoping winds up happening here.

Team Ripley vs. Team Lynch

And then there’s this, which feels like about four or five stories thrown together for the sake of making a WarGames match. While there are some pairings in here which feel like they belong on the big stage, this absolutely comes off like something that would be better as a traditional Survivor Series match. The good thing is we could be getting some rather violent stuff here with a lot of powerhouses involved.

I think I’ll take Lynch and company to win here, as Ripley’s team won last year so it might be time for the villains to get their chance. Lynch and the Disarm-Her should be more than enough to get a submission out of someone (Bliss feels like a strong option) and the feuds can continue from there. Odds are this one is wrong, but Lynch and company winning feels like the more logical way to go.

Team Punk vs. Team Heyman

In case the women’s match didn’t have enough star power, here we have two World Champions, Roman Reigns, a future World Champion and the Usos, plus Brock Lesnar. Now take all of those people and lock them in a pair of cages. That should be quite the battle, though unfortunately it’s a battle that is going to go on for a rather long time. At the same time, it’s also quite the toss up.

At the end of the day, I can’t imagine a team with Lesnar losing to one with Jimmy Uso on the other side so I’ll take the villains winning. Throw in some rather wedged drama between Rhodes/Punk/Reigns and I can’t imagine their team winning. Again, that makes for a better result, as both champions could get new challengers out of this match. It should be wild and violent though, which is entirely the point of something like this.

Overall Thoughts

Well, you can’t say it’s lacking in star power. This show couldn’t feel much bigger if they were trying, and that’s nice to see with Survivor Series. The show has been kind of up and down over the years so the infusion of WarGames, which might not always be the best, has been a great addition. I want to see where this show goes and that is a great feeling to have going into a show where that isn’t always the case.

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

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

Smackdown
Date: November 28, 2025
Location: Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s the night before Survivor Series and in this case that means we have a Survivor Series match. That’s a nice thing to see, as the pay per view has been taken over by WarGames, leaving little time for the more traditional matches. Thankfully we get one here, plus some Last Time Is Now Tournament matches as a bonus. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at the women’s WarGames match.

LA Knight is told that he’s facing another mystery opponent. This doesn’t sit well with him, as the tournament is starting to get on his nerves. Just say who he is dropping with the BFT, YEAH.

Last Time Is Now Tournament Quarterfinals: Rusev vs. Jey Uso

After Uso runs his entrance back, we’re ready to go. Rusev sends him flying with a suplex and pulls him out of the air for a swinging release Rock Bottom. We take a break and come back with Uso fighting out of a bearhug. Rusev is sent outside for a dive, followed by a spear back inside for one. Uso dives into the Machka Kick for two and the Accolade goes on. The rope is grabbed for the escape and Uso hits another spear, followed by the Superfly Splash for the win at 9:35.

Rating: C+. It’s hard to imagine that the finals are anything but Uso vs. Gunther, so we’ve got some matches to get through on the way there. It should be an entertaining tournament and this was another nice enough stop on the way there. That being said, Rusev getting pinned clean in less than ten minutes, even by Uso, is not the best sign for his future.

Miz begs Nick Aldis to put him in Sheamus’ spot in the tournament. Aldis has to do it himself but R-Truth comes in to do his balls joke. The name is picked…and it happens to be Miz. Truth: “You just couldn’t take my balls could you?”

Damian Priest doesn’t know what Aleister Black and Zelina are talking about with making him break his code. Zelina comes in to mock him and another fight with Black is teased. With Zelina gone, Rhea Ripley comes in to hug Priest and has an idea for him later. Works for Priest.

Here is Chelsea Green, with Alba Fyre, to address the “Patrihots” as the new Women’s US Champion. She thanks the fans and brags about her success but here is Jade Cargill to interrupt and clean house. And then Green’s scheduled pyro goes off in a funny bit.

Rhea Ripley and company are fired up for Charlotte’s advantage match with Asuka.

Jade Cargill has a problem with anyone who runs their mouth. B-Fab comes up for a staredown but doesn’t say anything. Michin thinks something might have to be done about Cargill.

Last Time Is Now Tournament Quarterfinals: The Miz vs. LA Knight

Knight hammers away to start and knocks him down, followed by the stomping in the corner. Miz gets in a knee to get a breather, only to walk into a swinging neckbreaker. They head out into the aisle, where Miz kicks him in the face as we take a break. We come back with Knight suplexing his way out of a sleeper.

Another neckbreaker gives Knight two and a superplex gets the same. The BFT is escaped and Miz’s DDT gives him two of his own. Knight fights back and goes up, only to dive into the Skull Crushing Finale for two. Miz slaps on an STF, with Knight making it over to the ropes. Another Skull Crushing Finale is loaded up but Knight reverses into the BFT to advance at 11:07.

Rating: C+. I’m a bit surprised that Miz lost here but Knight piling up another win is a good sign. I can’t imagine he gets beyond Jey Uso to get a shot at Gunther but at least he’s getting to do something. Knight hasn’t seemed happy as of late so a heel turn could be in the cards, though he likely has at least one more match before he gets there.

Becky Lynch wants the team to follow her lead in WarGames because she’s kind of great at the thing. The team says they have this though, with Asuka being ready.

Video on tonight’s Survivor Series match.

Ilja Dragunov is talking about how he’s ready for Tama Tonga but Tommaso Ciampa comes in. Ciampa took Axiom’s mask next week and next time, it’s going to be the US Title. Dragunov calls him a jackass again.

Charlotte vs. Asuka

For the WarGames advantage. They fight over a rather aggressive lockup to start with Charlotte taking her into the corner for a kick to the head. The fight heads to the apron, where Asuka gets in a head fake and kicks her in the face as we take a break. We come back with Charlotte getting two off a high crossbody so Asuka kicks her in the face. Charlotte’s big boot gets two and the moonsault connects for the same, leaving Charlotte unsure of what to do next.

Asuka gets German suplexed for two more but she comes back with a sliding knee to the head. The cross armbreaker is countered into a powerbomb to give Charlotte another near fall. They head outside, where Asuka loads up the mist but hits the timekeeper instead. Charlotte knocks her over the announcers’ table and rams her face first into it before heading back inside. A quick Asuka Lock attempt is broken up so Charlotte hits Natural Selection for the pin at 11:24.

Rating: B-. This was starting to pick up when it just ended, though I’m curious about how the heroes having the advantage will go. That’s something you see a lot more often in modern wrestling, though it doesn’t guarantee much of anything. As for this match, it was two of the best ever getting to do their thing, though it never got to that top level.

Video on the men’s WarGames match.

Team Zayn vs. Team Sikoa

Sami Zayn, Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin, Shinsuke Nakamura, Rey Fenix
Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, Talla Tonga, JC Mateo

Survivor Series rules. Sikoa takes Sabin down to start and hammers away and it’s off to Tama for some chops. A bulldog gets Sabin out of trouble and it’s off to Shelley for a front facelock. Zayn comes in and gets dropped by Mateo, who hits the standing moonsault for two. Sikoa’s chinlock doesn’t last long and it’s off to Nakamura to fire off the kicks. Everything breaks down and most of the villains are sent outside, setting up Sabin’s rapid fire dive.

More dives ensue until Mateo is rolled up for the first fall at 6:17 (giving us a REALLY nice graphic showing Sikoa’s team and Mateo being listed as eliminated, which we somehow haven’t done in nearly forty years of these matches). Nakamura comes in and fights off an invading Sikoa, only to get dropped by Tama. The Cutthroat gets rid of Nakamura at 8:28 to tie us up and Loa’s spinebuster gets a fast two on Fenix. Back up and a hurricanrana gives Fenix the pin on Loa at 10:01 and it’s Sikoa coming in next.

Sikoa misses a Samoan Spike and gets crossbodied by Sabin, allowing the Guns to come in and clean house. Skull & Bones is broken up by Talla, who chokeslams Shelley onto the apron for the pin at 12:25. A clothesline gets rid of Sabin 12:57 (THERE IT IS) so it’s down to Zayn/Fenix vs. Talla/Tama/Sikoa. Fenix kicks away and shrugs off a crotching to hurricanrana Sikoa. Tama runs him over with an elbow though and Fenix is out at 14:34. So Zayn is all alone and starts with Talla, who sends him into the corner. Tama adds a splash but Zayn hits a quick Helluva Kick for the pin at 16:28.

Talla takes Zayn outside and misses a running boot, which is enough for the countout at 17:43. Back in and Spinning Solo gives Sikoa two, followed by Spinning Solo giving Sikoa two. A Superfly Splash gives Sikoa two but Zayn manages a sunset bomb for the same. Zayn exploders him into the corner but the Helluva Kick is countered with a superkick. The Blue Thunder Bomb gets two, only for Sikoa to hit a quick Samoan Spike for the pin at 20:59.

Rating: B. It was the fast forwarded version of the match, with Zayn doing his best Shawn Michaels 2003 impression. Zayn did his usual thing here and it went well, though Sikoa winning in the end is a good move, especially with him having the upcoming tournament match. The rest of the eliminations just kind of came and went, which granted is about all you can expect out of this kind of thing. Good enough though for a big warmup for Survivor Series.

Post match the Wyatt Sicks come out for the staredown, with Uncle Howdy giving Sikoa the Sister Abigail to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. It was a show that did a good job of setting up the semifinals of the tournament and giving us a push towards the pay per view. That’s more than I was expecting out of this show and it went by rather quickly, which helps with so much more coming from WWE tomorrow. Good show here, and hopefully they can keep that going with the bigger event.

Results
Jey Uso b. Rusev – Superfly Splash
LA Knight b. The Miz – BFT
Charlotte b. Asuka – Natural Selection
Team Sikoa b. Team Zayn last eliminating Zayn

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

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

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

It’s time to put some people in a cage big enough to wrap around a pair of rings. That’s pretty much all you need to know here, as you have Roman Reigns and the Bloodline facing Solo Sikoa and his version of the same thing. Normally I would say what else is going on here, but it’s not like anything else really matters. Let’s get to it.

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 opening video looks at WarGames, mainly focusing on the men’s version. Nothing outside of WarGames is even mentioned.

The cage is lowered.

Team Ripley vs. Team Morgan

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

Bayley and Jax start things off with Bayley firing off the forearms. Jax charges into a boot in the corner and Bayley knocks her into the space between the rings. Some more forearms have Jax in trouble and Bayley gets smart by taking off part of her gear for some whipping. Unfortunately Jax takes it away and whips her right back to take over. The running hip attack rocks Bayley and Jax runs her over for a bonus.

Another hip attack crushes Bayley against the cage and it’s Naomi in….wearing a birthday hat and grabbing a colorful kendo stick…and a toilet seat. Oh here we go. Anyway Naomi strikes and kicks away at Jax and Bayley is back up as the fans chant HAPPY BIRTHDAY, which kind of takes away the violent thing. Jax is sent into the corner, where the toilet seat is put around her neck for the hips to the face from Naomi. Because of course.

Stratton is supposed to be in to even it up but LeRae comes in instead. She throws in a bunch of chairs before getting in herself, though thankfully everyone was standing around waiting on her anyway. That’s broken up rather quickly and the chairs are set up with another one bridged between them. Jax is back up and lays Bayley onto them for a very save moonsault from LeRae.

Belair is here to get the advantage back and she grabs a trashcan…and then gets a fire extinguisher. She’s STILL not in as she also finds a table, because we need about eight weapons in the double cage. That’s not enough either as she grabs another chair (because the five or so inside weren’t enough), which believe it or not somehow doesn’t let the villains take over. Instead Belair FINALLY gets in and helps beat Jax down, with the stomping slowly ensuing. Since it took Belair so long to get in, it’s already time for Stratton, who gets a trashcan and lid.

Belair gets clocked with the lid and Bayley is catapulted into Jax’s vicinity for a clothesline. Naomi gets crushed by the big legdrop and a middle rope G9 hits Belair. Some chair shots have Jax down and it’s Sky…running all the way over to the other side of the ring to find a purple trashcan. It comes with a rope attached so she can climb up with the can on her back, but LeRae is there to meet her.

Sky tries a sunset bomb but can’t make it work, eventually landing in the ring nearly two minutes after her entrance. A missile dropkick cuts LeRae down and it’s a flip off between Sky and Stratton (“I can do that too!”). The Bullet Train connects in the corners until Jax runs Sky over. Rodriguez is in to even things up again and she pulls out a table, which she leaves on the floor. Thankfully she gets in because NO ONE IS DOING ANYTHING.

Jax and Rodriguez powerbomb people into the cage and onto each other until it’s Ripley in to complete her team (with a horned facemask as a bonus). Ripley brings the table in and gets to clean house as her partners get up. Jax and Rodriguez are knocked into the corner with weapons, including the toilet seat and Bayley using Belair’s hair as a whip in a great spot. LeRae and Rodriguez get in a few shots, but it’s Ripley standing alone as Morgan is supposed to come in, only to be scared to death instead.

Morgan teases leaving but comes back with a baseball mat and gets inside, meaning the match is officially on and can end at any time. Ripley takes off the facemask and says bring it, before easily disarming Morgan. The Riptide is broken up though and Ripley is held for some baseball bat shots to the ribs. That’s broken up and we hit the parade of knockdowns until Jax Samoan drops Bayley for two.

Sky and Stratton both head up, with Sky putting on the trashcan, before they both flip dive onto a pile of people in different rings. There’s your big spot, and it allows Stratton to pull out…the Money In The Bank briefcase, as both Jax and Morgan (the reigning champions) are both down. Sky breaks that up with a blast from the fire extinguisher and Ripley handcuffs Rodriguez to a rope.

Jax cuts Ripley off though and drops a leg on Belair for two. Bayley vs. Sky is teased but quickly cut off by Jax, who doesn’t like the idea of fun. The Annihilator is loaded up but turned into a double powerbomb through a table. Riptide is broken up by the handcuffed Rodriguez and Morgan Codebreakers a chair into Ripley’s face. They go up top and Ripley fights back, with a super Riptide through a table finishing Morgan at 38:05.

Rating: C-. Yeah this hasn’t gotten any better in a year, as it was much more about getting in spots than anything else. There were so many sections that were little more than waiting around for someone to come in, which just made the match feel long. It had a few moments, but forgive me for not getting into stuff with a toilet seat and Belair taking so long to pick out various weapons. Cut out a lot of time and it’s better, which is rarely a good sign.

We recap LA Knight defending the US Title against Shinsuke Nakamura. Knight is the popular champion but Nakamura returned and attacked him, setting up the title match.

US Title: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. LA Knight

Knight is defending and backs away from some early kicks. Nakamura takes him down for a kick to the back but Knight is right back with the stomps in the corner. They go outside with Knight ramming him into the apron, followed by a ribs first drop over the top back inside. Nakamura goes simple by kicking him in the face for two and the slow kicks have Knight in more trouble.

Knight pops back up and blocks a spinning kick, setting up a Burning Hammer of all things for two. They go up top, where Knight slips a bit, allowing Nakamura to kick him back down. A belly to back superplex flipped into a faceplant gives Nakamura two but Knight knocks him right back down. The jumping top rope elbow connects but Nakamura bails from the threat of a BFT. They fight between the rings, where Nakamura manages a reverse DDT. Kinshasa gives Nakamura the title at 9:47.

Rating: C+. I couldn’t quite get into this one, as they never got out of the low gears. Knight losing is a bit weird as well, as he was on fire at this point and Nakamura just popped up and won the title. If nothing else, it does give Knight a fresh target, but it’s kind of a weird way to get there.

We recap the Intercontinental Title triple threat. Bron Breakker is the unstoppable monster, Sheamus is the old fighter wanting the title and Ludwig Kaiser is here to make it a triple threat.

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

Breakker is defending. Kaiser gets smart by heading outside, leaving the other two to slug it out. That doesn’t last long as Kaiser comes back in and gets planted so Sheamus Irish Curses Breakker. Kaiser breaks up a powerbomb and wedges a chair into the corner, earning himself a double beating. Breakker isn’t about to let Sheamus hit the ten forearms but Kaiser breaks up the running spear.

Sheamus is dropkicked into the steps and rammed into the announcers’ table, only for Breakker to suplex Kaiser on the floor. Back in and Breakker knocks Sheamus down again, meaning it’s time for the Scott Steiner pushups. Sheamus fights back so Kaiser makes the save and they all go outside. Sheamus and Kaiser fight on the announcers’ table, with Breakker diving off the apron for a double clothesline.

Kaiser breaks out of a gorilla press with a rake to the eyes….but Sheamus rises up (great visual) for the ten forearms to the chest. Breakker tries to cut it off and gets forearmed as well. Sheamus’ double clothesline off the barricade drops them both so Kaiser grabs the shillelagh. You never take another man’s shillelagh so Sheamus clotheslines him over the barricade and throws it down, leaving him to go after Breakker.

Sheamus gets the better of the brawl and hits a Celtic Cross for two but Breakker catches him on top with the super Frankensteiner. Back up and the Super Spear hits the chair in the corner, allowing Sheamus to hit the Brogue Kick. Kaiser pulls the referee though and Sheamus is not pleased. Back in and Sheamus knees Kaiser down but Breakker runs Kaiser over. The Super Spear to Sheamus retains the title at 14:25.

Rating: B+. I can always go for a match that is exactly as advertised and that’s what we got here. This was about three people beating the fire out of each other and they didn’t do anything else. Even Kaiser, who isn’t known for his power offense, was getting his stuff in against the monsters. It was a lot of fun and Breakker is thriving in this style.

We recap Gunther defending the World Title against Damian Priest. Gunther beat Priest for the title with an assist from Finn Balor at Summerslam. Now it’s a rematch, with Gunther calling Priest street trash, which doesn’t sit well with Priest, as you might expect. Gunther is also coming off a loss at Crown Jewel, with Priest suggesting that Gunther is losing his aura.

Raw World Title: Damian Priest vs. Gunther

Gunther is defending. They take their time looking at each other until Gunther’s early headlock takeover doesn’t get him very far. Priest’s armdrags into armbars have Gunther in trouble and the threat of a spinning kick to the head sends him bailing outside. Back in and Priest runs him over with a shoulder, followed by something like a flapjack. Priest comes up favoring his shoulder though and you know Gunther knows what to do with that.

Gunther rams the arm into various things, followed by a hammerlock for some knees into the arm. The first big chop drops Priest again and Gunther cranks on both arms at the same time. Priest fights up and they hit big shots at the same time for a double down. Priest gets up and hits a running elbow in the corner, followed by a lifting Downward Spiral for two. Gunther tries a crossface chickenwing but Priest pulls him into a triangle choke, using his still fine legs.

That’s broken up so Priest tries the Razor’s Edge, which is reversed into a sleeper. The powerbomb gets two and Gunther goes up top, only to get caught by Priest. A super hurricanrana brings Gunther back down and the Razor’s Edge gets two, as Priest can’t hook the leg. The chokeslam doesn’t work as the arm gives out and Gunther pulls him into a Kimura.

Back up and Priest hits a heck of a clothesline before going up top. Gunther knocks him down and Priest seems to have hurt his other arm. Cue Finn Balor with a Coup de Grace off the steps to Priest. Gunther kicks him down as well, followed by the powerbomb and an arm trap sleeper to retain at 19:30.

Rating: B. It was good, though it was hard to buy that Priest had any kind of a chance to win here. The idea here was to have Gunther get his win over Priest without the interference…and then it was basically the same thing as Summerslam. The arm work was good stuff and Gunther knows how to pick an injury apart, which was exactly what we got here. Good match, though the ending was a bit disappointing.

We recap the men’s WarGames match, which is basically original Bloodline vs. Solo Sikoa’s new Bloodline. Bronson Reed joined the villains, but Paul Heyman brought in CM Punk to even it up, though he owes Punk a favor as a result.

Team Reigns vs. Team Sikoa

Roman Reigns, Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, Sami Zayn, CM Punk
Solo Sikoa, Bronson Reed, Jacob Fatu, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa

Sikoa and company get in their cage so Punk reaches in for a shove, as he knows how to keep things interesting. Tama and Jey start things off after some rather lengthy introductions. The lengthy continues as they stare at each other for over a minute without making contact. Eventually Tama wins an early slugout and hits a quick slingshot splash for a cover, only to realize it doesn’t matter yet.

The fans tell him that he censored up, which seems a bit harsh. There’s no need to swear. Jey knocks him back into the corner for the running Umaga Attack and it’s Bronson Reed coming in for the evil advantage. Reed brings in chairs, which Jey throws at him, only for Reed to knock out of the air. Jey gets knocked down and crushed with a backsplash so the double teaming can ensue.

The fans want Jimmy and get him a few seconds later, with Jimmy being smart enough to run in and start slugging away instead of looking for weapons and allowing the villains to beat Jey down even more. Man, when JIMMY USO is the smart one, you’re in trouble. Something like an extra spinny Whisper In The Wind drops Reed and Tama as the Usos get to fight back. The stereo ten right hands in the corner have Reed and Tama staggered some more and Reed gets sent into the cage.

Loa is set to come in next but Sikoa sends in Fatu instead, as the fans know things just got serious. Fatu runs both Usos over, with Fatu hitting a handspring body block to send Jimmy into the cage, setting up a moonsault to Jey. Tama is back up to flip a lifted Jey down for a slam as the dominance is on. CM Punk is about to go in next, but Reigns cuts him off and sends Zayn in instead. You can imagine how well this goes with Punk, though thankfully Zayn is also smart enough to ignore the weapons (again, because they’re REALLY NOT NEEDED).

A clothesline drops Tama and Zayn punches Reed down in the corner as Punk is looking ticked off in the cage. Fatu pulls Zayn out of the air but Jimmy makes the save with a superkick. Reed is back up to start pounding away though and things even up a bit. Loa is in next and, since his team is mostly in control, he throws in some tables. The Usos and Zayn get caught in the corners for quite the beatings and Reigns is set to go in next, but Punk goes in front of him, which is pretty much in line for him.

Most of the other team is waiting on him so Punk steps back down and grabs a tool box, which is bounced off four straight heads. A bulldog sends Fatu onto the toolbox but he pops right back up and hits Punk with the pop up Samoan drop. The brawl heads towards the area between the rings and Sikoa is in to complete his team (albeit after saying something to Reigns).

Sikoa slams the door on Zayn’s head and then does it again to the Usos. With Sikoa inside, the Tongas lay out the Usos again and it’s a moonsault from Fatu into a Tsunami from Reed as the destruction continues. The clock is almost down so Sikoa uses a padlock and chain to lock the door. Reigns is freed from the cage and Sikoa and company stop to look at him, which doesn’t seem to be the best idea.

Reigns looks around the outside of the cage to find a way in and eventually realizes there’s no roof on the thing and goes up the side. Quite the collection of punches allows reigns to get in and a high crossbody off the top takes out all five of them at once. Reigns goes over to help his teammates up (not Punk) and gets in a big staredown with Punk, but here is Paul Heyman to cool things off. NOW we get the announcement that WarGames have officially begun, as apparently the last two minutes didn’t count.

We get the big ten way staredown and the ensuing fight as everyone pairs off. Sikoa’s Spike misses Reigns, who spears Punk (holding Fatu at the time) by mistake. Now the Spike connects with Reigns to give Sikoa two, leaving him looking stunned. Fatu and Reed go after Punk but Fatu seems to injure his knee on a moonsault attempt. Zayn and Jimmy are back up but get taken right back down, allowing a table to be set up. Reigns fights back but gets knocked onto the table…and Reed goes up.

Make that all the way up, as he climbs to the top of the cage for the Tsunami but Punk pulls Reigns out of the way. The crash results in Reed breaking his ankle, which would keep him out of action for a LONG time. Sikoa is back up with another Spike to Reigns but Jey makes the save with a superkick.

The 1D hits Fatu, which actually keeps him down for a change. Fatu is laid on a table but Jey gets sent into the cage. Zayn cuts Tama off with the Blue Thunder Bomb and Jimmy goes up to the top of the cage for a Superfly Splash to crush Fatu. With everyone else down, Sikoa is left alone against everyone else and it’s finishers a go-go, including a GTS into Reigns’ spear for the pin at 41:56.

Rating: B. The best thing I can say here is that it felt like a fight. This came off like two teams, even with one of them makeshift, going into a battleground and fighting until one of them was defeated. It did go too long, which you know is coming with one of these matches, but at least it wasn’t full of a bunch of weapons. They definitely needed to trim it down again as a lot of the early stuff feels worthless by the time you get to the huge brawl, though that’s all you get with modern WarGames matches. Good stuff here, though not without the usual issues.

Post match the winners get the big celebration and Punk and Reigns seem ok, though Punk doing the GTS pose while everyone else does the point is great. Punk hugs Heyman and Reigns looks at Heyman and they all go to the entrance to pose again, with Punk again doing a different gesture in a funny bit to wrap it up.

The long highlight package finishes things off.

Overall Rating: B. The thing with a show like this is that it is basically two matches with three others, including a nearly twenty minute World Title match, feeling like bonus features. The men’s version was pretty awesome but the women’s match was quite the misfire. Throw in three other matches which were good enough to bring the show up a bit and we’ll call the whole thing a solid enough event. Just fix the women’s match.

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

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

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.

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

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

AND

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