Monday Night Raw
Date: January 13, 2025
Location: SAP Center, San Jose, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We’re done with the big pomp and circumstance show last week and that means it is time to start getting on with the normal stuff. That’s what we’re going to be doing this week, along with getting ready for the Royal Rumble. Some of the names have already been filled in and now we get to do even more. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of last week.

CM Punk arrives in the back and does a hand to his ear before coming to the ring (with Michael Cole making fun of his Chicago Blackhawks). Punk gets into the ring and he thanks everyone who has been fighting the wildfires in southern California. With that out of the way, Punk brings up the Royal Rumble, where he came back last year but tore his triceps in the process. He thought his career was fading away and he couldn’t see (that’s a John Cena you can’t see me taunt) his dreams, but now he sees the Wrestlemania sign.

As for someone you can’t see, John Cena has declared himself for the Royal Rumble and now so has Punk himself. Then he’s going to win and point to the sign on the way to Wrestlemania….and here is Seth Rollins to interrupt (Punk isn’t happy, asking why it can’t be Rhea Ripley). Rollins says if he wasn’t a man of his word, all he would be is Punk. That gets a “but I’m still the winner right?” from Punk, but Rollins really isn’t pleased.

Rollins has lost all kinds of matches over his career but last week was the worst loss of his career. Rollins is ready to throw Punk out of the Royal Rumble and win, which Punk thinks is an easy way out since he couldn’t get a pin. Cue Drew McIntyre and Punk can’t believe this. McIntyre can’t believe someone could actually get worse, but Punk brings up what he did to McIntyre inside the Cell. Actually McIntyre was talking about Rollins, who says McIntyre can get in the ring and take a beating from him instead.

They all argue and Punk is ready to fight, with Rollins taking his jacket off. McIntyre comes towards the ring but then says no because he has no reason to do that. The bigger problem is Roman Reigns is playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers, so he’s going to have to step up again and get the title before Reigns. Now that Reigns already has the “falafel”, it’s a matter of time before he wants the title again. McIntyre is in the Rumble too so he can keep Reigns from getting it. These three work so well together and having them all tie into a few stories makes things that much more interesting.

Chad Gable vs. ???

This is Gable vs. the best luchador that Adam Pearce can find and of course it’s Penta, which to be fair they didn’t exactly try to hide. Cole: “It was the worst kept secret in the business!” The fans are rather happy to see Penta who poses a lot before taking Gable down. Gable wrestles up and it’s a standoff as the fans are way behind Penta. A dive is loaded up but Gable cuts him off with a high angle suplex for two.

Gable hammers away in the corner but gets caught with a Cheeky Nandos Kick. The German suplex drops Penta on the apron and Gable starts in on the leg, which is wrapped around the post. Gable misses a swan dive though and gets sent to the floor, with Penta hitting a big running flip dive to the floor. Back in and a high crossbody gets two on Gable, who goes back to the leg to slow him down. The ankle lock goes on but Penta pulls him into the arm snap (the Sacrifice) and the Penta Driver (pumphandle driver) for the pin at 13:26.

Rating: B. Yeah this was a heck of a debut, with Penta feeling far more like a solo star than he ever felt in AEW. The fans were ready for him and he was presented as a major deal, which certainly made for a big impact. Penta worked hard here and Gable an work well with anyone, making this a very nice start to Penta’s new run in WWE.

Post match Penta thanks the fans in English and Spanish, saying this was a dream come true to be in his new home. This is the new Netflix Era, but it is the Penta Era as well. The fans are WAY into this as he does the catchphrase.

Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez come in to see most of Judgment Day and they aren’t happy with Finn Balor. They talk about revenge and here is Dominik Mysterio with flowers for Morgan. She’s not mad at all, but he can go grab their bags from the car anyway. She throws the flowers to Carlito and says put them somewhere nice. Dominik: “I don’t think she’s mad at all.” Balor: “Man, you’ve got a lot to learn.” McDonagh is off to get a rematch for the Tag Team Titles. Mysterio as the confused goof is still great.

Sheamus vs. Ludwig Kaiser

They strike it out to start and go to the floor to trade chops. Back in and the ten forearms to the chest are broken up so Kaiser can kick him into the barricade. We take a break and come back with Sheamus fighting up to hit the ten forearms. Kaiser goes to get the shillelagh but Sheamus knees him in the face for two instead. Back up and Kaiser manages a knockdown of his own before loading up a Brogue Kick. That doesn’t work either and Sheamus hits his own for the pin at 9:26.

Rating: B-. This is where Sheamus tends to shine, as they just had two people beat each other up for the better part of ten minutes. That’s all it needed to be, with Sheamus likely moving back into the Intercontinental Title scene. It’s a perfect spot for him, as he can easily be put into that spot with a win or two, which is exactly what he did here.

Post match Sheamus gets in a staredown with Bron Breakker (in the crowd) and shoving ensues.

Seth Rollins is ready to face Drew McIntyre next week. As Rollins goes to leave, he runs into Sami Zayn, who says he is here to talk if Rollins needs someone. Rollins thinks Zayn must have had a great week last week when Roman Reigns won Tribal Combat, which doesn’t sit well with Zayn.

Karrion Kross rants to Miz about the Wyatt Sicks being moved to Smackdown. Sami Zayn comes in to talk to Adam Pearce but Kross stops him, saying he found Zayn’s talk with Seth Rollins interesting. Miz says that if we’re talking about World Champions, we don’t need to worry about Zayn. That doesn’t work with Zayn, who is going to get a match with Miz tonight. Kross seems to approve, and laughs at Miz saying “we” have to deal with Zayn.

Here is Gunther for a chat. Gunther was impressed with the presentation last week but there were a lot of people arguing over things like being the Best In The World and being the Tribal Chief. The title is the only thing that matters and here is Jey Uso to interrupt. Jey is willing to come after that title and he’ll do it at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Gunther isn’t impressed and even though Jey is funny, he isn’t on Gunther’s level. The title match is on though. Gunther goes to leave but Jey cuts him off, saying that everything Gunther said is true. It’s true that Jey isn’t supposed to be here but he has bet on himself and is still trying to earn that respect. That’s what he’ll do at Saturday Night’s Main Event. That doesn’t feel like a major match, but I’m not sure it’s supposed to do anything more than get Gunther into a title match here rather than at the Royal Rumble.

Video on Lyra Valkyria vs. Dakota Kai.

Women’s Intercontinental Title: Dakota Kai vs. Lyra Valkyria

For the inaugural title and we get some Big Match Intros. Feeling out process to start as commentary compares this to various important men’s Intercontinental Champions. Valkyria sends her outside but a dive is cut off. Instead it’s a nasty suplex to send Kai outside and we take a break.

Back with Valkyria cranking on the arms and kicking her away for two. Kai’s scorpion kick is countered into a powerbomb which is countered into a hurricanrana. The Kairorpactor gets two on Valkyria but she’s back with a running sitout powerbomb for two. Back up and the GTK connects on Valkyria, who rolls outside for the save. Kai misses the running kick in the corner though and gets caught in something like a running Randy Orton backbreaker. The Nightwing makes Valkyria the first champion at 8:27.

Rating: B-. I could have sen this one going either way so having Valkyria win is certainly not a crazy pick. She’s been looking for that big win since she got to the main roster and this more than counts. Kai was already a lot further than anyone would have reasonably expected her to get in the tournament so this is hardly some terrible loss. Good match here, but the moment of the title win is the important part.

Post match Adam Pearce presents Valkyria with the title and we get a hug of respect.

Miz vs. Sami Zayn

Miz takes him into the corner and hammers away before mocking Zayn’s theme music. A quick ax handle gets Zayn out of trouble but Miz elbows him down. More mockery ensues but Zayn hammers away to cut if off. Zayn suplexes him down for two and grabs a quickly broken full nelson. Back up and the Helluva Kick into the Blue Thunder Bomb finishes Miz at 4:08.

Rating: C+. I like the short run time here, as sometimes there is just no reason for a match to go that long. Zayn is the bigger deal right now and he defeated Miz without stretching things out longer than they needed to go. Perfectly nice match here, especially with the rare moment of Zayn winning with the Blue Thunder Bomb.

Also set for Saturday Night’s Main Event: Bron Breakker defends the Intercontinental Title against Sheamus.

Here is Rhea Ripley to brag about being Women’s Champion again. She’s back on top and even though she sounds like a broken record, here she is. Cue Nia Jax to interrupt, saying she’s here as part of the transfer window and can’t take listening to this anymore. She’s going to win the Royal Rumble and take whichever title she wants.

Tiffany Stratton might think she’s at the top, Ripley might think she’s on top, and Bayley, at ringside….why is she here? Bayley reminds Jax that she’s from here so Jax throws in some more mocking, which is enough for Bayley to get in the ring. This might not be Bayley’s show but it is her city and the fight is on. Jax shoves both of them down but a quick double team sends Jax bailing. Hopefully this isn’t a long term thing, as Ripley has already beaten Jax enough times.

Here’s what’s coming next week, including New Day returning to the ring and an appearance by JBL.

Video on Damien Priest vs. Finn Balor.

Damian Priest vs. Finn Balor

Street Fight and Balor jumps him from behind with a kendo stick to start fast. Priest is back up with his own stick shots and a flapjack puts Balor down. The lifting Downward Spiral sends Balor face first onto the announcers’ table and it’s time for a less talkative table. They fight into the crowd where Balor beats on him with a trashcan.

Priest hits him with the same thing and they go into another part of the crowd, where Balor gets in a chair shot. The fight heads up into the fans and a Falcon Arrow sends Balor crashing through a table. We take a break and come back with Priest in the ring and Balor being taken out on a stretcher. That doesn’t work for Priest, who wheels Balor down the aisle and into the ring (nice visual), for a heck of a clothesline.

Carlito and JD McDonagh runs in for the beatdown and Balor gets a near fall. Another table is loaded up but the War Raiders run in for the save, leaving it one on one again. Balor unloads with a bunch of chair shots but Priest gets in South Of Heaven for two. Back up and Balor double stomps him through a table on the floor but Priest gets in a drive through the barricade. Priest razor’s Edges him through a table and another South Of Heaven gives Priest the pin at 17:16.

Rating: B. This felt like a run of the mill street fight but then they cranked it up to another level to make it work that well. That’s all I can ask for out of something like this and it made for a good showdown. It should be the final match between the two of them as Priest got the big win, which hopefully wraps things up. Nice hard hitting brawl here and that’s all you could want out of it.

Overall Rating: B. This worked rather well and part of that was due to the show going just over two and a half hours. It prevented the show from feeling like it was stretched out for the sake of extending the show, and that made things so much better. That’s a nice change of pace and I liked what we got on the show, with a solid Penta debut and a good main event, plus some big additions to the Royal Rumble. Positive show this week as we get closer to the normal.

Results
Penta b. Chad Gable – Penta Driver
Sheamus b. Ludwig Kaiser – Brogue Kick
Lyra Valkyria b. Dakota Kai – Nightwing
Sami Zayn b. The Miz – Blue Thunder Bomb
Damian Priest b. Finn Balor – South Of Heaven

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: December 16, 2024
Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re done with Saturday Night’s Main Event and there wasn’t much of a change on the Raw side. Gunther is still the World Heavyweight Champion and we are officially on the road to the first Raw on Netflix. This week will see a pair of title matches as both the Intercontinental and Tag Team Titles are on the line. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a quick Saturday Night’s Main Event recap and a preview for tonight.

Here is CM Punk to get things going. Punk: “Careful. Some people might get mad if you chant my name.” A few weeks ago, he told Seth Rollins that he doesn’t think about him while Rollins always thinks about Punk. While Punk is out here talking to his people, he knows that the stupid music is going to play and he’s going to come tiptoeing out here like Liberace (who Punk loves) but wearing Elton John sunglasses doesn’t make him Elton John. Just like growing up wanting to be CM Punk doesn’t make you CM Punk.

If Rollins wants Punk to be the bad guy, that’s fine. There are no such thing as bad students but just bad teachers, because 16 year old Rollins is Punk’s failure. If Punk still wants that lesson he can come and get it, but the last person who did that was Drew McIntyre. Punk has the fans chant his name, which has driven Rollins nuts for years.

Cue Rollins in the crowd, saying he’s taking a good hard look at Punk. Rollins: “Nah, even from out here, you’re still an a******.” Punk: “You still belong out there with all of the other CM Punk fans.” Rollins talks about carrying the company while Punk was gone and this “fan” has more Wrestlemania main events than Punk ever will. The fight is on with referees and security barely being able to break them up. They get into the crowd and brawl some more. Good segment here, which should set up a big match between them down the line.

The Judgment Day gives Finn Balor a pep talk but Balor wants to know where they were at Saturday Night’s Main Event. They praise him instead and things seem cool….but Balor sneers as some of the team leaves.

Seth Rollins yells at Adam Pearce to make the match with CM Punk as soon as possible. That sends Pearce away, with Drew McIntyre popping in to say that Rollins told him to get over it. Well Roman Reigns seems to be on the way back up to the top and they need to stop this. Rollins says he already stopped Reigns and did it with Jey Uso and Sami Zayn by his side. They’re his friends but the jury is still out on McIntyre. For now though, Rollins is off to do what McIntyre never could: beat Punk.

Intercontinental Title: Bron Breakker vs. Ludwig Kaiser

Breakker is defending and drives him into the corner to start for a quick overhead belly to belly. For some reason Kaiser slaps him in the face and the beating continues, with Kaiser being sent outside as we take a break. Back with Breakker hammering away in the corner, with the fans being rather behind him. Kaiser starts to go after the arm to limited avail but a ram into the corner works a bit better.

Breakker sends him outside though and the apron clothesline over the announcers’ table rocks Kaiser again. They get back in and Kaiser goes after the arm again, allowing him to stomp away on the mat. The arm is wrapped around the rope for a running dropkick in the corner and we take another break.

Back again with Kaiser going after the arm again to cut off a comeback bid. The armbar goes on again but Breakker is up with a jumping knee for a breather. The top rope Frankensteiner gives Breakker two but the spear is countered into the Kaiser Roll for two more. Kaiser sends him outside to try Breakker’s running dropkick, only for Breakker to cut him off with a running shoulder. Back in and a gutbuster into the super spear retains the title at 18:15.

Rating: B-. Nice match here, with Kaiser working on the arm to slow Breakker down but Breakker was just too much to overcome. The idea of Breakker just muscling through everyone is a good way to go, but he is starting to put a bit more together to make himself more well rounded. It helps when the fans are getting into him, as that could be the sign of Breakker moving up the card in a hurry, likely on the good side.

Rey Mysterio doesn’t want New Day in the locker room, saying they crossed the line. It would be better for them if they found another place to change, but they don’t want to be in that locker room anyway.

We look at Cody Rhodes retaining over Kevin Owens at Saturday Night’s Main Event but Owens laid him out with a package piledriver after the show. Rhodes has a cervical injury but it’s not clear how long he’ll be out.

The War Raiders talk about how they’re back after their injuries and they’re ready to get the titles.

Adam Pearce announces CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins for the Raw debut on Netflix.

Here are Dominik Mysterio, Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez for a chat. The fans boo a lot but Rodriguez has brought a bullhorn so Morgan can brag about how great she has been as champion. Morgan is ready to lead WWE into the future but here is Rhea Ripley to interrupt. This has gone on lone enough and it’s time to finish it for good. Ripley is officially the #1 contender and she is ready to get the title back. Then Morgan will only have her little “chicken tender sl*t.” That’s a great insult.

Seth Rollins is being asked about his match with CM Punk when Drew McIntyre comes storming up from behind. Before McIntyre can get to him though, Sami Zayn jumps McIntyre and the fight has to be broken up.

Miz tries to get away from the Final Testament but Karrion Kross does not accept that. This whole thing with the Wyatt Sicks isn’t over because it is time to take the first step against them. That’s why Miz is going to fight Dexter Lumis one on one next week. Paul Ellering says Miz has saved him twice so Miz owes the team. Kross reminds Miz that he is a 22 time champion so he can do this. With Miz gone, Kross says Miz is going to have to learn what happens if you make a deal with the devil.

Women’s Intercontinental Title Tournament First Round: Zoey Stark vs. Kayden Carter vs. Raquel Rodriguez

Rodriguez throws them around to start and gets an early two on Carter. Stark breaks it up and sends Carter outside, followed by a DDT to Rodriguez. Back in and Carter sends Rodriguez outside, leaving Stark to hit a basement superkick for two. With the other two outside, Carter hits a quick corkscrew dive through the ropes and we take a break.

Back with Carter tying up Rodriguez’s legs and hitting a fisherman’s neckbreaker on Stark at the same time. That’s broken up and Stark hits a dive out to the floor, only to get powered over the top by Rodriguez. Carter’s springboard basement dropkick gets two on Rodriguez, who is back up with a fall away slam to Stark. The twisting Vader Bomb hits Carter but Stark is back in to break up the Tejana Bomb. A not exactly smooth Z360 finishes Carter to advance Stark at 9:20.

Rating: C+. They were trying here, with Stark being a bit of a surprise winner, but there were a few not so great spots in there. Rodriguez felt like the more logical choice for the winner here but going with Stark shakes things up a bit. Carter doesn’t get to do this on her own very much and she worked fairly well here.

R-Truth is talking to the Alpha Academy and refers to Pete Dunne as Butch again. Cue Dunne to yell at R-Truth but American Made comes in to mock what the Alpha Academy has become. Chad Gable is sick of the entire team and it’s time to finish them off, starting with Akira Tozawa.

We see a weird red symbol with a slash going through it. The circle was round. Like a zero. Like Penta El Zero Miedo perhaps?

New Day has their bags ready to go but the Pure Fusion Collective has crushed Kairi Sane’s arm in an anvil case. Damage CTRL runs in for the save.

Tag Team Titles: War Raiders vs. Judgment Day

Judgment Day is defending. McDonagh kicks away at Ivar to start and gets knocked outside without much effort. Erik comes in to slam Ivar onto McDonagh and we take an early break. Back with McDonagh still in trouble but Ivar gets taken into the corner. That’s broken up in short order and Erik comes in to start cleaning house.

Erik drops McDonagh with a forearm and sends him outside but Balor cuts off a dive. The champs send Erik into the steps and then do it again as we take another break. Back again with Erik still in trouble but he’s able to get over for the tag to Ivar without much trouble. Ivar takes too long to go up though and gets crotched by Balor. McDonagh tries to pull Ivar down but gets caught with a super World’s Strongest Slam for two.

Balor breaks up the War Machine and McDonagh gives Erik the headbutt. There’s the Sling Blade to Erik as well with the moonsault into the Coup de Grace connecting. Ivar makes the save so McDonagh brings in a chair. That’s a distraction so Balor can grab one of his own….but Damian Priest grabs it as well. The War Machine gives us new champions at 16:10.

Rating: B. This was the feel good moment that the show needed and I was wanting to see the Raiders pull it off. Commentary was making a big point out of the idea that the Judgment Day were rather horrible champions who never defended the belts. Ivar getting the win as the hometown star was a good choice and the match worked rather well. Nice job here, with the title change that needed to happen.

Overall Rating: B. This was a show without a ton of matches but the two title matches combined for almost thirty five minutes and the title change felt like a big moment. The other important part was adding the Punk vs. Rollins match to the Netflix premiere, as the show is instantly feeling bigger. The two hour run time worked well here, as the show never felt like it was dragging in the slightest. That’s nice to see for any show and it made for a nice week here, with the title change feeling rather nice. Good show here, with the big one coming in just a few weeks.

Results
Bron Breakker b. Ludwig Kaiser – Super Spear
Zoey Stark b. Kayden Carter and Raquel Rodriguez – Z360 to Carter
War Raiders b. Judgment Day – War Machine to Balor

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: December 9, 2024
Location: Intrust Bank Arena, Wichita, Kansas
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We are closing in on the end of the year and that means we should be in for some interesting things. This is also the last Raw before Saturday Night’s Main Event and the show could use a bit more build. The big story coming out of last week was the New Day’s split, with Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods turning their backs on Big E., meaning fallout will ensue. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Gunther (looking almost weird in a sweater and jeans instead of a suit) to say he isn’t happy with Finn Balor for attacking him last week. Now Balor has his undivided attention so here are Balor and the Judgment Day to interrupt. Balor again takes credit for Gunther being the World heavyweight Champion and promises to win the title on Saturday. Gunther says Balor’s audacity got him a title shot and yes, when Balor won the Universal Title eight years ago, Gunther looked up to him.

Now things are different though, as Balor is now hanging out with weirdos in the clubhouse and taking shortcuts. Eight years ago, Balor was the best in the world for one night. Gunther is the best in the world for a long time to come and the reality is Balor is not on his level. The team is ready to fight but Damian Priest interrupts for the save…but Gunther beats him up as well. Gunther loads up the powerbomb through the announcers’ table, only to get Sling Bladed by Balor.

The Coup de Grace connects off the apron and Judgment Day beats Priest down. A trio of Coup de Graces leave Priest laying and Judgment Day stands tall. I’m glad Gunther jumped Priest as having them be some kind of weird friends so quickly would have been a stretch. Gunther is leaning towards the good side but he’s not ready to go full blast yet.

Post break Adam Pearce isn’t happy with Judgment Day and adds Priest to the title match on Saturday. Balor isn’t happy but says it’ll be more satisfying when he wins the title. That’s fine with Pearce, who makes Balor/McDonagh vs. the War Raiders next week with the Judgment Day barred from ringside. Balor needs a minute. That makes sense as it would have been weird to do that big brawl with Priest and then just not have him on Saturday’s show.

Wyatt Sicks vs. Final Testament/The Miz

The Wyatts clear the ring to start and Miz has to save Kross from an early Sister Abigail. We take a break and come back with Rezar beating on Gacy, who hits his handspring clothesline for a breather. Miz comes in to get beaten down by Rowan, with a suplex into a cutter getting two.

Everything breaks down and Gacy and Lumis both hit dives to the floor. Howdy gets the tag and gets to clean house but Scarlett trips him up. Cue Nikki Cross to jump on her, leaving Howdy to get the Mandible Claw. Paul Ellering returns though and throws powder in his face, meaning it’s the Final Prayer to give Kross the pin on Howdy at 9:01.

Rating: B-. It was a nice brawl but it’s a bit of a surprise to see the Wyatts lose. They couldn’t stay undefeated forever but I’m surprised to see them lose so soon. This feud seems likely to continue though, with Howdy probably getting a singles match with Kross next. That’s not a bad idea either, as Kross has been doing some of the best work of his career in recent weeks.

We get a sitdown interview with CM Punk from earlier today. Punk is immediately asked about the favor with Paul Heyman but he’s going to keep that to himself. As for Seth Rollins, he is willing to fight but more confused by the hatred the two have. Rollins asked Punk to train him as a wrestler for free.

At one point, Rollins was on the list to be fired from this company but Punk shielded (nice choice of word) him from that. If he had to live in his own shadow, he would hate himself too. Punk is better than him in every way and now that the starter is back, the second string has to sit on the bench. That’s a nice insult to get us closer to the match, which should be good.

We recap Raquel Rodriguez and Liv Morgan attacking Rhea Ripley.

Dakota Kai vs. Liv Morgan

Non-title. Kai takes her down to start for an early Hennig necksnap but Morgan gets in a toss over the top for a nasty crash as we take a break. Back with Pure Fusion Collective coming to the ring as Kai sends her into the corner for a running knee. A scorpion kick staggers Morgan but the Collective’s distraction gives her a breather. Morgan gets powerbombed out of the corner but avoids the big running boot. Oblivion finishes Kai at 7:22.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have much time to do anything here with the break in the middle of a match which wasn’t that long in the first place. You can only get so much out of that short of a match but Kai was showing more energy than usual. She’s had a nice comeback since her injury and if she can keep that up, it could be the start of a nice run. Morgan is already on the run of a lifetime for her and that very well may continue on Saturday.

Post match the Collective comes in but Damage CTRL makes the save. Morgan gets in an Oblivion to drop Iyo Sky before leaving.

Drew McIntyre talks about being gone due to injuries and having to be with his family in Scotland. Then he saw CM Punk, Sami Zayn and the Usos standing tall with Roman Reigns. At least Punk took a bribe, but the other three just did what Reigns told them. That’s why he took out Jey and Sami last week and now he’s coming for more revenge. Jey is not medically cleared to be in the ring just yet.

We look back at last week’s heartbreaking New Day’s split, with Big E. looking crushed.

Cody Rhodes leaves Adam Pearce’s office (remember the transfer window) and runs into New Day, who should be ashamed of themselves.

Here is Seth Rollins for a chat (with a nice graphic showing the titles he’s won in WWE). Rollins talks about how CM Punk loves to play the victim because he is a con man. Yes he did go to Punk for his initial training and Punk helped him get a foot in the door around here. If that was the end of the story, Rollins’ actions wouldn’t make any sense. Ten years ago, Punk walked out of WWE and he cut Rollins off.

If you weren’t on team Punk, he didn’t have time for you. For ten years, Punk took shots at WWE and then failed at everything else. Now though, he’s back because the money was right. At one point, Rollins wanted to be just like Punk, but now he wants to be better. Rollins brings up getting to main event Wrestlemania, which Punk never did, but here is Sami Zayn, in a YEET shirt, to interrupt.

Rollins says if Zayn is here to defend Punk again, they’re going to be fighting again. Zayn apologizes for assuming that Rollins jumped Jey Uso last week but Rollins wants to know why Zayn thought it was him. Zayn talks about how Rollins was going nuts last week, even sounding like Drew McIntyre.

This thing with Punk brings out the worst with Rollins and Zayn is going to stay out of it. That’s what Rollins wanted and yes, they’re good, but Rollins thinks Zayn needs to deal with McIntyre. Rollins leaves and Zayn says he’s going to face McIntyre at Saturday Night’s Main Event, with the match already being made. As Zayn goes to leave, McIntyre jumps him with referees having to break it up. Good stuff here, with people having (mostly) normal emotions about situations going on around them.

Women’s Intercontinental Title Tournament First Round: Zelina Vega vs. Ivy Nile vs. Lyra Valkyria

Nile wastes no time in planting Valkyria for an early two and we take a break. Back with Valkyria hitting a tornado DDT for two with Nile having to make the save. Nile’s cross armbreaker is broken up but Vega flip dives onto both of them for two each. Vega’s Meteora gets two and Valkyria has to make the save this time. Everyone is down until Nile rolls some German suplexes on Valkyria before German suplexing both of them at the same time (because she can do that). Vega is back up with a Code Red for to on Nile but Valkyria breaks it up and hits Nightwing to pin Nile at 7:44.

Rating: B-. I can go for having Valkyria getting a better run around here as she is talented enough to do some good things around here. I’m not sure if she is going to win the title but at least she did something here for a change. Other than that, Vega was her usual energetic self and Nile was showing off the power, making for a nice showing from all three.

Damian Priest tells Rhea Ripley to eradicate Raquel Rodriguez.

New Day doesn’t like being asked about turning on Big E. because it’s a biased interview. They’re going to go talk to the people…and Xavier Woods steals the camera as Kofi Kingston walks into the arena. They get in the ring and Woods gives the camera back and Kingston can barely get in a word out. Kingston is annoyed that after ten years, the people have turned on them after what they did for one day. The fans want Big E. and won’t let the two of them say much of anything. That’s enough for New Day and they leave after some of the best heat anything has drawn in WWE in a LONG time.

Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Rodriguez

Anything goes. It’s a brawl to start with Ripley running up the ramp to start fast. They fight around ringside and then go inside (which Ripley filled with weapons while waiting on Rodriguez) for a missile dropkick to Rodriguez. A dropkick through the ropes staggers Rodriguez again but she sends Ripley over the announcers’ table as we take a break.

Back with stereo big boots putting both of them down. Ripley gets back up with a chair shot for two but here is Liv Morgan before Riptide can connect. The distraction lets Rodriguez plant Ripley onto a chair for two but the Tejana Bomb is escaped. Morgan breaks up another Riptide attempt and Oblivion connects. Cue Iyo Sky to take Morgan out and Rodriguez gets two. The table is set up but Ripley slips out of the Tejana Bomb again. Rodriguez goes into the chair in the corner and Riptide through the table gives Ripley the pin at 8:09.

Rating: B. I love a match where the interference is timed well and makes perfect sense. That was the case here, as it tied into both this match as well as the Women’s Title match on Saturday. This was a match where two women got to beat the fire out of each other for a bit and Ripley gets some momentum back after a hit and miss series of singles matches lately. She’ll get back to the title picture sooner than later, but I’m not sure how much there is left in her feud with Morgan.

Ripley and Sky both pick up the title to end the show. That’s interesting.

Overall Rating: B. Raw has a lot of good things going on right now, with New Day’s rather incredible heat leading the way. You also have Gunther/Balor/Priest for the title, which has potential, and everything with Punk/Rollins and McIntyre/Zayn. Raw is rolling right now and I want to see where they go, which is the best thing that can be said about a wrestling show. If their half of Saturday Night’s Main Event can live up to the hype, we could be in for a heck of a start to the Road To Wrestlemania and that is great to see.

Results
Final Testament/Miz b. Wyatt Sicks – Final Prayer to Howdy
Liv Morgan b. Dakota Kai – Oblivion
Lyra Valkyria b. Zelina Vega and Ivy Nile – Nightwing to Nile
Rhea Ripley b. Raquel Rodriguez – Riptide through a table

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: November 25, 2024
Location: Desert Diamond Arena, Glendale, Arizona
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Joe Tessitore

We are less than a week away from Survivor Series and as of now, we have three matches officially set for the show. That means we are probably going to need some new matches announced, but World Heavyweight Champion Gunther defending against Damian Priest will likely get some attention of its own. Let’s get to it.

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

We get a quick preview of the night.

Here is Gunther for an in-ring chat. After a look back at Damian Priest taking him out backstage last week, Gunther is asked about Priest’s claims that Gunther’s confidence is slipping lately. Before Gunther can reply, cue Priest to interrupt, saying it’s time for Gunther to brag about how he can do anything. Priest says that he is Gunther’s problem and now the problem is taking the title. What happens to the Ring General when he loses to a street guy?

Gunther hits him with the microphone and the fight is on, but they go outside where Priest takes over. The Razor’s Edge sends Gunther through the announcers’ table as Gunther is taken out again. They’re making Priest look like a threat to Gunther and that’s how the buildup needs to go.

Jade Cargill is officially out of WarGames due to her injuries.

Bianca Belair and Naomi aren’t sure who can replace Cargill. Iyo Sky suggests Kairi Sane but the two of them want Bayley. Rhea Ripley comes in to say she doesn’t care, as long as they stay away from Liv Morgan. Belair isn’t impressed with the “leadership” on Team Ripley.

LWO vs. American Made

Tornado tag. Mysterio gets knocked down to start so the Creeds can take over on Lee in the corner. Back up and Mysterio helps take Julius out so a springboard moonsault can get two on Brutus. Lee and Brutus go to the corner, with Julius running the corner to superplex Lee back down. Mysterio’s attempt at a 619 is cut off with a clothesline and we take an early break.

Back with Julius running Mysterio over again and hitting a 450 for two with Lee making the save. Operation Dragon gets two with Brutus making a save of his own. A double superplex is loaded up but Mysterio cuts it off with a 619 to the legs, setting up a double top rope double stomp from Lee. The referee almost gets crushed in the corner but here is Chad Gable to twist Mysterio’s mask around. Julius grabs a rollup for the pin at 10:46.

Rating: C+. They were smart to have the match be all action as it plays to the LWO’s strengths, though this feud hasn’t played to many strengths at all. It’s just kind of been there over the last few weeks and that isn’t making me want to see them stay at it. The ending at least gives the Creeds a win for a change, but it’s only going to get them so far.

We look at the social media impact of CM Punk and Paul Heyman returning on Smackdown.

R-Truth comes in to the Judgment Day’s clubhouse and says they’re not a family anymore. Finn Balor throws him out, but R-Truth says Thanksgiving is off (that was funny). With R-Truth gone, Balor rants about the team’s recent issues but they can turn it around. They don’t have any leaders, but if they listen to him, it will be ok.

Bron Breakker vs. Ludwig Kaiser

Non-title. Breakker powers him into the corner and then runs Kaiser over with the clothesline. The big run around the ring to set up the spear only hitting the announcers’ table though and we take a break. Back with Kaiser working on the banged up ribs with a seated abdominal stretch. Breakker fights out and hits a powerslam into the super Frankensteiner. The spear is cut off with a kick to the face though…and here is Sheamus to jump Kaiser for the DQ at 8:52.

Rating: C+. Yeah that was the most logical way to go here and you can probably pencil in a triple threat for the Intercontinental Title sooner than later. While I would rather have the title match be one on one, there is at least a story here and all three have a reason to want the match. As for this one, Kaiser continues to look good when he is given the chance, as he is better than the average lackey. Breakker on the other hand is an athletic freak, with the explosiveness on that spear looking great.

Post match Breakker and Sheamus have to be held apart.

Post break, all three have to be held apart. The triple threat for the title is confirmed for Survivor Series.

Long recap of Paul Heyman bringing back CM Punk to be the final member of Team Reigns at Survivor Series.

Sami Zayn and the Usos are in the back and they think they can trust Punk, who will sit down with Roman Reigns on Smackdown.

Tag Team Titles: War Raiders vs. Judgment Day

The Raiders are challenging and Erik runs the Judgment Day early without much trouble. The champs get knocked down again and we take an early break. Back with Balor working on Ivar’s neck with a front facelock as Ivar is rather energetic on the apron. McDonagh comes in with a slingshot moonsault and it’s back to Balor for the stomping.

A missed charge allows the tag off to Ivar though and house is quickly cleaned. The spinning kick drops McDonagh but here is the rest o Judgment Day for a distraction. The War Machine connects but Dominik Mysterio puts the foot on the rope. Balor grabs a rollup to retain the titles at 9:52.

Rating: C+. Pretty standard tag match here though it was nice to see the champions actually defending the belts for a change. They almost never do that, which commentary pointed out. At the same time, the Raiders already lose their big shot, but at least they had some nice wins on the way here. They should be fine with that kind of power offense.

We look at New Day’s ten years together.

New Day is ready to get back to where they need to be.

New Day vs. Alpha Academy

New Day can’t even agree on who should start and it’s Woods being knocked into the corner for the Caterpillar. The top rope backsplash gives Tozawa the pin on Woods at 1:46. The team is hitting rock bottom and that’s what needs to happen.

Post match, arguing ensues and Kofi talks about how he’s done everything for Woods. That’s why Woods didn’t get to call the shots: he’s too reckless. Woods takes credit for Kofi becoming World Champion but Kofi says the reason Woods has never won the World Title is he isn’t good enough. They’re about to fight but agree to see each other at the reunion next week. Dang it’s weird to see these guys doing this and dang I’m not sure what’s going to happen at that reunion.

Miz sends the Final Testament off to find the Wyatt Sicks. They all leave, and Nikki Cross pops up to scare Scarlett.

Post break the Final Testament and Miz are back, with Scarlett freaking out. Karrion Kross will deal with it.

Before the show started, General Manager Adam Pearce announced the Women’s Intercontinental Title, with a tournament starting up next week.

Survivor Series rundown, with LA Knight defending the US Title against Shinsuke Nakamura also added.

Nia Jax is ready to squash Bianca Belair.

The Bloodline is impressed by Roman Reigns scoring CM Punk, but that’s the last one they’re getting. On Smackdown, Jacob Fatu will smash Jey Uso to get the WarGames advantage.

Nia Jax vs. Bianca Belair

Non-title WarGames advantage match. Jax starts fast and hits a running splash in the corner to take over. Belair fights up and flips over her though, setting up a dropkick out to the floor. Jax sends her into the barricade though and we take a break. Back with Jax missing a sitdown splash in the corner and missing a charge into the past. A legdrop works a good bit better though and a middle rope version gets two.

The Annihilator is broken up so Jax heads to the top, where Belair gorilla presses her own (geez). A Samoan drop sets up another failed Annihilator attempt (with a turnbuckle pad being exposed somewhere in there) so they head outside. Jax drops her onto the announcers’ table and opts for the countout but cue Bayley to send Jax into the exposed buckle. Belair adds a 450 for the win at 11:08.

Rating: B-. Jax’s dominance was on display here and it made for a solid enough main event. The Bayley part at the end is interesting, as it makes me wonder if she might have had something to do with Cargill being attacked in the first place. The assist also protects Jax from taking a clean fall so this was well put together all around.

Overall Rating: B-. None of the matches were worth going out of your way to see here, but what mattered the most was having Survivor Series get a big push. The women’s WarGames has its advantage, Gunther vs. Priest got a nice boost and two more title matches were set. That’s an efficient two hours and the show is looking better as a result, Solid work here and Survivor Series has some potential.

Results
American Made b. LWO – Rollup to Mysterio
Ludwig Kaiser b. Bron Breakker via DQ when Sheamus interfered
Judgment Day b. War Raiders – Rollup to Ivar
Alpha Academy b. New Day – Top rope backsplash to Woods
Bianca Belair b. Nia Jax – 450

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LWO vs. American Made

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Intercontinental Title: Sheamus vs. Bron Breakker

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

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

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

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

Post match Kaiser lays both of them out again.

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

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

The women’s WarGames match is official.

Judgment Day vs. War Raiders

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

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

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

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

Video on Lyra Valkyria.

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

Seth Rollins vs. Bronson Reed

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here is Crown Jewel if you need a recap.

Long Crown Jewel recap.

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

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

Battle Royal

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

New Day vs. War Raiders

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dragon Lee vs. Chad Gable

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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AND

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Monday Night Raw
Date: October 28, 2024
Location: Giant Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

It’s the last Raw before Crown Jewel and that means we get to hear about the entirely and completely important Crown Jewel Titles. Other than that, the Usos are back together with Roman Reigns after the Bloodline went too far last week. There is a good chance that we’ll hear some more about that this week so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the Bloodline and Jey Uso costing each other titles last week.

Here is Jey Uso for a chat. After recapping what he’s done over the last week, Jey brings out Jimmy Uso, as the only person he wants to talk to. Jimmy says he’s here to say thank you because they need to be together to take down the Bloodline. Jey cuts him off though, saying they’re not the ones either.

Jey hasn’t seen him since Wrestlemania but now no one gets them confused because Jey is the former Intercontinental Champion. He’s won titles, but none of them top being Jimmy’s twin brother. They still have things to work out but they can be the USOS. Jimmy invites Jey to Smackdown to make things right with Roman Reigns, which Jey accepts. Cue the Bloodline to interrupt but the Usos fights their way out of a beating and clear the ring. Good reunion here, but it’s the next step in a very long story.

Post break, Adam Pearce is on the phone with Nick Aldis and yells about the Bloodline being here. Judgment Day comes in to ask which former World Champion Dominik Mysterio will be facing. Pearce doesn’t have time for this so it can be Damian Priest. Mysterio says he has this.

Sheamus vs. Ludwig Kaiser

They slug it out to start and fight into the corner with Sheamus getting the better of things. That heads out to the floor, with Kaiser grabbing a guillotine but getting driven into the steps. We take an early break and come back with Sheamus hitting the ten forearms on the apron. Sheamus hammers away in the corner but gets powerbombed down, only to say COME ON when Kaiser starts punching him. Some hard shots from Sheamus set up the Brogue Kick to pin Kaiser at 9:46.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have much time here due to the break and it’s a little strange to see this feud picked up again when it was mainly going back in the early summer. That being said, there is absolutely some value in building up Sheamus to challenge Bron Breakker for the Intercontinental Title in a hoss feud. It has some stories built in and that should be good enough if they go in that direction.

Rhea Ripley is sick of Raquel Rodriguez and her betrayal. All Ripley wants is the title back and nothing can stop her.

Sami Zayn talks to Jey Uso and can’t believe what he’s seeing. Solo Sikoa wasn’t the one who was getting in his head for years and Jey could just be his own may. Jey says Sami wouldn’t understand because he isn’t family. Oh that was harsh.

Gunther doesn’t think much of Cody Rhodes and is ready for a tag match on Smackdown.

Zelina Vega vs. Ivy Nile

The LWO and American Made are both here too. They start fast with Vega sending her outside for a Meteora off the apron as we take an early break. Back with Vega getting two off a moonsault (not much contact there). Nile is back with a German suplex for two but Vega is back with a Code Red. The guys get in a brawl on the floor though and the distraction lets Nile hit a swinging Rock Bottom for the pin at 6:28. Not enough shown to rate but it was short and not exactly great.

Jimmy Uso is ok with Sami Zayn not being family.

Here is Seth Rollins for a chat. He’s ready to go to war with a monster at Crown Jewel because a part of him that has been gone for a long time is back. Bronson Reed pops up on screen to say he promised that he wouldn’t wreck anything in the arena, but he’s out in the parking lot. Rollins comes out for the brawl, where Reed shrugs off a Stomp onto the hood of a car. They go into the back of a truck and Reed hits a Death Valley Driver through some tables to leave Rollins laying. That’s either a way to write the match off of the crowded card or to give Reed a way to injure Rollins again.

We recap Miz and R-Truth brawling, which drew out the Wyatt Six to attack Paul Ellering.

Miz tried to get away from the Final Testament but they weren’t letting that happen.

R-Truth was with the Alpha Academy when Miz came up to try to make amends. That earns him a shot to the face, with R-Truth saying good luck with the Wyatts. R-Truth runs into Pete Dunne, who he calls Butch. It’s rather funny when R-Truth gets it.

Tag Team Title #1 Contenders Tournament Finals: LWO vs. War Raiders vs. New Day

Kofi and Lee dropkick Ivar to start but he crushes Lee in the corner for two. Erik comes in to knee Rey to the floor and the ring is cleared early on as we take a break. Back with Erik crushing Woods but Rey fights up and knocks Erik outside. Woods is back in but refuses to tag Kingston, with commentary talking about Woods being the “quarterback” of the team. Now Kingston comes in and his a Boom Drop. Woods hits a dive to the floor and Kingston dives onto them again as we take a break.

Back again with Rey kicking Kingston in the head and bringing Lee in to pick up the pace. The double stomp out of the Tree of Woe hits Kingston before Lee, Kingston and Erik go up at the same time. That’s broken up and Lee powerbombs Kingston for two with Woods making the save. Kingston loads up Daylight but Woods would rather dive onto Lee. Cue Chad Gable to pull Rey to the floor for an ankle lock, leaving the Raiders to hit the German suplex/springboard clothesline to pin Kingston at 17:34.

Rating: B. I would have bet on the LWO getting the win here but good idea of pulling the trigger with the Raiders. They’re an established team and a pair of monsters so why not see if they can get the gold again. If nothing else, Judgment Day isn’t doing a thing with the belts so moving them on to a more traditional team is a good idea.

Seth Rollins is off getting medical treatment at a facility.

Miz’s advice for the Final Testament regarding the Wyatt Sicks: run. That doesn’t work for Karrion Kross, who wants Miz to take Bo Dallas out.

The Usos are going to leave but see Sami Zayn talking to Solo Sikoa. Jimmy says he told Jey all they had was family, with Jey agreeing. Now usually this isn’t something that winds up being what it seems, but Jimmy is often presented as stupid so it kind of fits.

Damian Priest vs. Dominik Mysterio

Mysterio is here on his own. Priest starts fast and knocks him to the floor without much effort. Dominik manages a posting to take over though and we go to an early break. Back with Priest breaking up the Third Amigo and hitting a hard clothesline for two. Priest gets sent outside though and here is Liv Morgan for a distraction so Carlito and JD McDonagh can come in for some cheap shots. Priest beats them up with a chair but Dominik grabs a rollup with tights for the pin at 8:58.

Rating: C. This felt like a way to keep Priest’s issues with Judgment Day going until he can move on to a feud with Gunther and there are worse ideas. Priest lost because there were three people helping Mysterio, who had to cheat as well. If nothing else, the idea of Mysterio getting built up towards a World Title match could have quite the reactions, as the fans still love to boo him out of every arena.

Post match Priest wrecks Dominik and Carlito to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Maybe it’s the lack of any time left or realizing that it’s not working, but the lack of focus on the Crown Jewel Titles made this so much more enjoyable. WWE might have known that the idea was lame from the beginning but it’s nit to get the focus off of them for a night. Other than that, you had some things st up for the post Crown Jewel shows as Survivor Series is on the way. Not a great show, but it got some things done.

Results
Sheamus b. Ludwig Kaiser – Brogue Kick
Ivy Nile b. Zelina Vega – Swinging Rock Bottom
War Raiders b. New Day and LWO – German suplex/springboard clothesline combination to Kingston
Dominik Mysterio b. Damien Priest – Rollup with tights

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: October 21, 2024
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re closing in on Crown Jewel and the show is going to need some help. At the moment, the only things announced for the show are the two Crown Jewel Title matches and those aren’t exactly setting things on fire. Maybe we can boost things up this week, with the Intercontinental Title being on the line as well. Let’s get to it.

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

Various people came to work, including Bronson Reed, with Seth Rollins attacking him but quickly being separated.

Here is Rollins in the ring and calling out Reed for a fight right now. Reed plows through security so Rollins hits a dive, with Adam Pearce’s security not being able to hold them apart again. Reed knocks him down but it’s too early for the Tsunami. Security is taken out again but the Tsunami off the barricade only hits announcers’ table.

Damage CTRL is ready for Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson but Liv Morgan, with Raquel Rodriguez, interrupts to say she’s taking out Nia Jax at Crown Jewel. Damage CTRL is ready for a fight tonight and one seems to be on. Morgan, who isn’t that big in the first place, towered over Damage CTRL.

Video on Jey Uso vs. Bron Breakker.

Apparently Samantha Irvin has left WWE and Lilian Garcia is back. That’s out of nowhere and is kind of a downgrade.

Tag Team Titles #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: New Day vs. Authors Of Pain

The rest of the Final Testament is here too. Kofi headlocks Akam to start and it’s off to Woods for a basement clothesline. It’s off to Rezar to knock Kofi outside for a beating though and here is Miz to watch as we take a break. Back with Kofi coming back in to take over on Akam. The Boom Drop connects but Rezar fights back up, only for R-Truth to come in and take out Miz. The distraction lets Kofi grab a rollup for the pin at 9:37.

Rating: C+. This was one which could have gone either way and it gives New Day a bit of a bridge to the next step in their issues. The team is still good enough to hang in there in a match like this and possibly even get the title shot, but things are not going to go well or them. At the same time, it’s another loss for the Final Testament, who still do not have the best track record.

Post match Miz and the Final Testament beats R-Truth down. Kofi wants to go help but Woods holds him back. The beatdown is on but the Wyatts are back to wreck the villains and brawl with them into the crowd. Miz is left alone in the ring….and it’s Uncle Howdy behind him. Paul Ellering takes the Mandible Claw for him.

Bronson Reed and Seth Rollins brawl in the back again.

We recap Jey Uso’s issues with the Bloodline and Roman Reigns/Jimmy Uso on Smackdown.

Jey says what happened on Smackdown is what it is, but tonight it’s about retaining the Intercontinental Title.

Raquel Rodriguez says Rhea Ripley isn’t getting any kind of revenge on Liv Morgan. Ripley cost them the Women’s Tag Team Titles and now Ripley needs to walk away. Since Ripley won’t end this though, Rodriguez will.

Damage CTRL vs. Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez

Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson are at ringside. Damage CTRL strikes away on Rodriguez to start and some double dropkicks have her in trouble. Back up and Rodriguez backdrops Sane over the corner (for a nasty landing but Sane saved it) before Rodriguez picks both of them up with ease. A double elbow misses though and Sky gets two off a rollup. Rodriguez drops Sky with a hard shot of her own though and we take a break.

Back with Sane escaping an over the shoulder backbreaker. Sky comes back in to clean house, including a dragon screw legwhip to Rodriguez and a springboard dropkick to send Morgan into the corner. Sane’s pop up elbow gets two with Rodriguez having to make a save. Rodriguez misses a charge into the post with Sky following her out to the floor. Sky goes after Jackson and Legend, with the latter decking her for the DQ at 12:13.

Rating: C. The Jackson and Legend run continues as they are likely set up for another big match with Damage CTRL. That isn’t the most appealing match, but I definitely do approve of the idea of having more teams to go after the titles. There hasn’t been much of a division in a long time so this is at least a step in the right direction.

Post match Damage CTRL gets laid out the four villains have a staredown. Cue Rhea Ripley, with Legend and Jackson bailing. Rodriguez goes after Ripley and is quickly taken out, only for Morgan to hit a quick Codebreaker. That earns her a knee to the face and Ripley grabs the Prism Trap. A dropkick cuts Rodriguez off again but Dominik Mysterio runs in to break up the Riptide. That earns Dominik a Prism Trap of his own with Dominik having to bail out to the floor. This was a good way to make Ripley look awesome again, which is overdue.

Bronson Reed and Seth Rollins get into it AGAIN but Adam Pearce yells at them, saying they can fight at Crown Jewel. They could have just asked and saved a bunch of time.

The War Raiders burn their viking armor and are ready to get the gold back.

Judgment Day has a meeting in the clubhouse and Finn Balor is worried about Damian Priest. The idea of Dominik Mysterio getting a World Title shot is floated, with Carlito laughing about the concept. Carlito is asked what he does around here, but he’ll go take care of something.

Tag Team Titles #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: LWO vs. American Made

The rest of the LWO and Chad Gable/Ivy Nile are here too. Lee chops away at Julius and it’s quickly off to Rey for two off a headscissors. Brutus comes in to whip Rey hard into the corner, meaning it’s time to take the straps down. Everything breaks down in a hurry and Lee hits a heck of a suicide dive as we take a break.

Back with Julius suplexing Lex down and grabbing a chinlock. Lee fights up and sends him into the corner, allowing the tag off to Rey for a tornado DDT. It’s back to Brutus to take Rey down setting up back to back moonsaults to give Julius two. Lee ties Julius in the Tree Of Woe for the top rope double stomp. Everything breaks down and the 619 into Lee’s frog splash is good for the pin at 10:59.

Rating: C+. Maybe it’s Dragon Lee not being interesting but I could not get into this one. The match felt long and it’s hard to imagine that either of them are going to win the title match next week. For now though, it’s a perfectly fine match between two teams who aren’t exactly lighting the world on fire.

Adam Pearce promises Damage CTRL that he’ll take care of this. Carlito comes in to suggest that Dominik Mysterio gets to challenge Gunther next. Pearce cracks up and says Dominik has done NOTHING. Carlito begs, so Pearce says if Dominik can beat a former World Champion next week, he’ll think about it.

Bron Breakker is ready to get the Intercontinental Title back.

Gunther doesn’t think Cody Rhodes bringing up his (as in Cody’s daughter) was necessary because the Crown Jewel Title is a big enough prize. Rhodes is a great champion, but his title’s legacy has long since been established. Gunther will be at Smackdown on Friday…but here is Damian Priest to say he has no issues with Gunther. His issues were with Judgment Day but those are done, so next up, he wants his title back. Priest is willing to earn it, and he’ll even wait for Gunther to be done with Crown Jewel. Gunther doesn’t seem impressed.

Intercontinental Title: Bron Breakker vs. Jey Uso

Breakker is challenging. We get the Big Match Intros and Uso wastes no time in knocking Breakker to the floor as we take a break less than a minute in. Back with Breakker ramming him into the post, followed by a backbreaker for two. A standing moonsault gives Breakker two more but Uso fights back with some right hands. Uso goes up top but gets pulled down with a super Frankensteiner as we take another break.

Back again with Uso getting in a knockdown for a needed breather and they both have to pull themselves up. Cue the Bloodline and some front row tickets so Uso goes outside to yell, allowing Breakker to get in some cheap shots. Uso has to superkicks the Tongas down and Breakker spears Solo Sikoa by mistake. That brings Jacob Fatu over the barricade so Breakker takes down the straps and the fans REALLY like this.

Uso cuts that off with a dive onto both of them but the Superfly Splash hits raised knees. The spear is cut off by a pair of superkicks and Uso hits own spear. The Superfly Splash connects for two so the Tongas gets back on the apron. Adam Pearce and company come down to break it up but the distraction lets Fatu get in a superkick to Uso. A Samoan drop onto the announcers’ table leaves Uso laying and another spear gives Breakker the title back at 19:35.

Rating: B. They weren’t exactly hiding where this was going from the second that Uso showed up on Smackdown last week. That’s not a bad thing either, as I would rather have a logical but predictable moment rather than something that makes no sense and is there for the sake of shock value. The other benefit here is that it shows there are still short title reigns in WWE. One of the criticisms is that it’s hard to believe a title reign can end shortly but here is something to show that isn’t guaranteed. That’s important.

Overall Rating: C+. The title change was big and they set up a grudge match for Crown Jewel, but this show was lacking something throughout. Maybe it was the focus being on setting up a #1 contenders match for next week, but long stretches of this show did not feel overly interesting. It wasn’t a bad show by any means, though it let me with a bit of a ho-hum feeling.

Results
New Day b. Authors Of Pain – Rollup to Rezar
Damage CTRL b. Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez via DQ when Lash Legend interfered
LWO b. American Made – Frog splash to Julius
Bron Breakker b. Jey Uso – Spear

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

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NXT
Date: October 1, 2024
Location: Allstate Arena, Rosemont, Illinois
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re officially on the CW and it is an absolutely packed show with two title matches and CM Punk as a special guest referee. That’s more than enough for this show but the question is what other surprises we might be seeing. This show has some serious potential and now we get to see just how it goes. Let’s get to it.

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

We get a new opening sequence with a silver logo. That’s not bad.

Here is Shawn Michaels to gt things going and he gets right to the point by unveiling some new NXT Men’s and Women’s Titles….and HHH is here as well.

Women’s Title: Roxanne Perez vs. Giulia

Giulia is challenging. They fight over wrist control to start with Giulia taking her down but missing some elbows. An exchange of rollups gets two each until Giulia hits a dropkick. Perez slips out of a hammerlock slam but it’s too early for Pop Rox. Another exchange of rollups gets two each (and someone loses a buckle) as we take an early break.

Back with Perez working on the arm until Giulia fights up and hits some headbutts. Giulia plants her down with a hammerlock northern lights suplex for two but Perez knocks it outside. The dive connects but Giulia kicks her in the face on the way back in. A butterfly superplex with a bridge gives Giulia two but she can’t get what looked to be the Rings Of Saturn. Instead Perez pulls her into a crossface and uses the Bayley/Sasha Banks kick off the apron to get it back to the middle.

Giulia reverses that into an STF and Perez makes the rope. Back up and a quick Pop Rox connects, with Giulia rolling outside to leave Perez frustrated. Perez follows her outside and it’s a northern lights bomb to plant Perez on the floor. They both beat the clock back in so Perez goes out and grabs the title. The distraction lets another woman in a hood run in and hit a double arm DDT on the floor. Back in and Pop Rox retains the title at 13:06.

Rating: B-. Oh I’m not sure on that finish, as ending the first match on the new show with a screwy result is a bit of a stretch. Perez winning is one thing as Stephanie Vaquer is waiting on her,

And it’s Cora Jade.

Axiom and Nathan Frazier play WWE2K to train for A-Town Down Under, who win the titles.

Ava and CM Punk are sure that things are going to be down the middle in the main event when Lexis King interrupts. He isn’t sure if he should do what he wants to do or try to win. Punk tells him to figure out his own path.

We recap Wes Lee turning on the Rascalz, meaning it’s time for a street fight for revenge.

Jaida Parker and Lola Vice argue over who is running the team tonight. Kelani Jordan comes in to tell them to chill.

Wes Lee vs. Zachary Wentz

Street fight. Lee misses a big flip dive to start and gets a shopping cart rammed into him for crash into the steps. Wentz pulls out a board but Lee dives into it for the big crash. It’s time to throw in a bunch of weapons but Wentz scores with a superkick and some chair shots. They go to the apron and crash through a table at ringside as we take a break.

Back with Wentz hitting a Coast To Coast but Lee dropkicks him into a chair in the corner. Wentz slams him onto a chair and pus a trashcan over Lee, setting up a Swanton for another near fall. Back up and Wentz tries a UFO (springboard cutter) but gets shoved over the top and mostly past the table for a nasty crash. Back in and a double stomp onto the back onto a chair gives Lee two. Wentz fights up and grabs a chair, only to get low blowed. Lee puts him in a chair, wraps a chain around his legs, and hits a middle rope Meteora for the pin at 13:24.

Rating: B-. It was a violent match but it’s still hard to get into the whole crossover feud. Wentz won a quick X-Division Title and lost it two weeks later, thereby ending his career singles accomplishments. Just having a history with Lee doesn’t make for an interesting match and the fans only seemed so invested here.

Here is the freshly heel Miz for MizTV, featuring Oba Femi and Tony D’Angelo, who are facing off for Femi’s North American Title next week. D’Angelo talks about how he’s going to win the title next week after training even harder. Femi says Miz should know when someone doesn’t mean a word that they are saying and that is the case with D’Angelo.

That sends D’Angelo on a rant about growing up on the streets of Chicago and how his family are here. Femi says they can’t fight for D’Angelo, who knows he can’t win. They stand up and D’Angelo says Femi is just a man, with Femi saying he is inevitable. Miz hits the catchphrase to wrap it up. Miz added absolutely nothing here, though he wasn’t given the chance to.

We look back at Cora Jade’s return earlier tonight.

Jade says everyone had forgotten about her when Roxanne Perez comes in. Maybe a common enemy can drive them back together.

Jaida Parker/Lola Vice vs. Fatal Influence

It’s Jacy Jayne/Fallon Henley for the team here, with Kelani Jordan on commentary. Henley and Parker start things off, with Parker hitting her in the face and scoring with a running shoulder. Vice comes in for a front facelock before punching the villains in the ribs. Parker stacks them up on the middle rope for the running sitdown splash, followed by Vince’s running hip attack. Henley fights out of the wrong corner as Jordan can barely get a word in. Parker and Vice get in an argument though, allowing Henley to get in a cheap shot.

We take a break and come back with Jayne holding Vice in a bodyscissors, setting up a cannonball for two. Henley’s running elbow gets two but Vice fights up, only for Jazmyn Nyx to distract Parker. Vice is sent into her and you know that isn’t going to go well. The comeback doesn’t last long for Vice as stereo running knees finish her off at 10:57.

Rating: C+. This was all about the team exploding and I’ll take that just breaking down rather than waiting around for weeks to get to the obvious. Vice and Parker could both be stars if given the chance, which makes it all the better that they seem to have something to do. Fatal Influence isn’t a great team, but they’re good enough for what they’re doing.

Post match Fatal Influence calls in Kelani Jordan, who brings out Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill to clean house.

Video on Je’Von Evans, who is ready to face Randy Orton. This is to set up a huge RKO isn’t it?

Video on Ethan Page vs. Trick Williams for the NXT Title. Page won the title, pretty much by accident, at Heatwave in July and now it’s time for Williams to get the title back, with CM Punk as special referee.

We get a vignette of a woman walking down a road with the signs saying 10/27, or the date of Halloween Havoc.

NXT Title: Trick Williams vs. Ethan Page

Page is defending and CM Punk is guest referee. Page takes him into the corner to start and Punk breaks it up at four before doing the same thing to Williams. Back up and Williams takes him to the ropes, where Punk blocks a right hand. That lets Page grab a rollup with feet on the ropes, meaning Punk won’t count. Williams knocks him outside but Page’s whip sends Williams through the barricade (they really need to fix those) as we take a break.

Back with Page hammering away and grabbing a DDT to cut off a comeback attempt. Williams’ jumping neckbreaker lets him strike away but Page sends him face first into the steps. A not great Ego’s Edge sends Williams through the announcers’ table but Punk isn’t going to count. Instead it’s a quick Trick Shot to Page, who falls onto Williams (ala Heatwave) for two and Williams is ready to fight. Another Trick Shot misses so Page hits his own knee for two. Page glares at Punk and hits a GTS for two but Williams slips out of another Ego’s Edge. The Trick Shot gives Williams the title back at 12:28.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure what it was but this never came close to taking off. Maybe they ran out of time or something or there was just no drama over who was winning (like there was any chance Page was retaining), but I never got into this one. Williams gets the big feel good moment and the unofficial Punk endorsement, which is all fine and good. It’s not a bad match, but I was expecting a bit more than what we got here.

Post match Punk gives Page the GTS and confetti falls to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was good but didn’t feel like some big blow away show. Given the card that they had and some of the guest stars, I was expecting something huge and got an ok show for the most part. The biggest issue is other than the main event, nothing on here felt like it was a special moment. I came in thinking this would be some major show and instead I just got a pretty good edition of NXT. That’s an acceptable way to go, but it felt like it should have been more.

Results
Roxanne Perez b. Giulia – Pop Rox
Wes Lee b. Zachary Wentz – Middle rope Meteora with a chain
Fatal Influence b. Jaida Parker/Lola Vice – Running knees to Vice
Trick Williams b. Ethan Page – Trick Shot

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: September 30, 2024
Location: Ford Center, Evansville, Indiana
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

It’s the last Raw before Bad Blood and that means we are in for the final push before Saturday’s Cell match between CM Punk and Drew McIntyre. Other than that, Jey Uso is the new Intercontinental Champion and that means he is going to need a new challenger. Finally we have a big showdown this week, with Bronson Reed vs. Braun Strowman, Last Man/Monster Standing. Let’s get to it.

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

Commentary is in the ring to welcome us to the show.

We look at Jey Uso beating Bron Breakker last week to become the new Intercontinental Champion.

Uso is in the back and comes to the ring, with his son helping lead the YEET chants for a great moment. After seeming pretty emotional about the title win, Uso talks about how he’ll fight every week to retain the title. He’s always been known as just a twin and part of the team but now he’s here by himself as Intercontinental Champion. Uso has a bunch of fans, but the biggest is his mother, who told him to go out there and show the people who he is. She told him to go get it and that’s what he did, but cue Bron Breakker to interrupt.

Breakker says he respects Uso after last week’s match and how he had said the best man should walk out as champion. On that night, Uso was the better man. Breakker says he isn’t here to attack Uso, and offers a handshake, which Uso accepts. As Breakker goes to leave (in peace), Uso stops him and says there are some dogs around here. That felt like a face turn for Breakker, which could be a rather interesting way to go.

Earlier today, Finn Balor called Dominik Mysterio, with the rest of Judgment Day not being sure where Balor was. Balor told Dominik that “it’s all taken care of” and he’ll see them soon. Dominik tells the rest of the team that Balor is just stuck somewhere but he’s on his way.

Rey Mysterio vs. Xavier Woods

This is fallout from an argument last week. Woods grabs a rollup to start but Rey sends him to the floor for a seated senton (West Coast Pop according to Tessitore) off the apron. We take an early break and come back with Rey sending him outside for a nice looking Asai moonsault. Back in and the 619 misses so Rey tries a reverse suplex, only for Woods to rip the mask off. Woods is upset at himself but grabs the rollup for the pin at 7:34.

Rating: C+. Oh I think you know where this is going and it’s getting more and more interesting every week. Woods is going closer and closer to the dark side but I’m curious if Big E. is going to come back and reunite the team for good. For now though, it was a quite match and that’s all it needed to be.

Sonya Deville and Shayna Baszler interrupts Lyra Valkyria, who doesn’t have Natalya or Zelina Vega with her tonight. Baszler will be with Deville instead, but Baszler will only bite on Deville’s orders.

Kofi Kingston comes up to Xavier Woods and asks if that was on purpose. Woods says of course he didn’t but notices the lack of congratulations. Kingston does congratulate him but says that Jey Uso has given him (as in Kingston) an Intercontinental Title shot. Woods says of course Kingston will climb the mountain again…but Kingston has said Woods should get the shot instead. That certainly works for Woods, who would love to be ringside with Kingston tonight to help cancel out American Mad. Everything seems ok for now, including Karrion Kross looking on in the background.

Lyra Valkyria vs. Zoey Stark

The rest of the Pure Fusion Collective is here with Stark. Feeling out process to start with Valkyria sending her outside for a dropkick through the ropes. We take an early break and come back with Valkyria hitting a crossbody and striking away, including an enziguri for two. The Z360 is blocked s Valkyria German suplexes her down. The rest of the Collective offers a distraction so Valkyria’s rollup gets a delayed two. Deville adds a running knee to the head though and Stark hits Z360 for the pin at 7:14.

Rating: C-. This wasn’t exactly a smooth match and the Collective continues to feel about as low rent of a stable as you can ask for in the division. What we got here was relatively sloppy as well, with the Collective barely being able to beat one person with the 3-1 advantage. Just not a very good match and this is one of the weaker parts of Raw at the moment.

Post match the beatdown is teased but Kayden Carter and Katana Chance run in for the save, with Carter running around the ring while Chance gets choked. Eventually the villains are taken out.

Video on Bronson Reed vs. Braun Strowman, set up like a monster movie.

Adam Pearce tells security to keep the match in the ring as CM Punk walks by.

Kayden Carter and Katana Chance get in an argument with the Unholy Union. The Union absolutely tower over them in a pretty ridiculous visual.

The Cell is lowered, with Adam Pearce and security inside. Pearce talks about how he prides himself on delivering promised matches, so tonight there will be no physicality inside the Cell. There will however be a chance for both men to say their final shot, so here are CM Punk and Drew McIntyre. They both take their time and seem to respect the Cell a bit before getting inside.

Punk appears to say he has nothing to say to McIntyre, who says he’ll go first. McIntyre points out that he’s wearing black, which is out of respect to Punk’s wife. After Saturday, she’s going to have to take care of Punk and will probably just leave him. He’s wearing a tuxedo because it’s going to be a celebration after Punk is gone for good after Saturday. McIntyre has been telling the fans the truth for ten months but they still chant his names.

After all those months, Punk has taught McIntyre how to hate, and the hatred will die at Bad Blood. Punk says people have called him a lot of things over the course of his career, including the Voice Of The Voiceless. Tonight though, he is voiceless because he can’t speak to a piece of garbage like McIntyre. Punk has been living in a hotel for a month because he doesn’t want his wife to see what he has become. McIntyre needs to remember that he prayed for all of this, but on Saturday, he’ll be praying to Punk himself. This was another intense exchange and dang they need to destroy each other.

Braun Strowman is ready for Bronson Reed…but the Miz interrupts. Before he can get anywhere, R-Truth interrupts with Strowman being surprised that he’s back. R-Truth isn’t sure what Strowman is talking about but Strowman is off to get ready. R-Truth isn’t sure why he didn’t tell Miz that he’s back but he’s gotten a match with A-Op. As in the Authors of Pain, though R-Truth isn’t sure what books they have written.

Sami Zayn doesn’t like the disrespect from Gunther and no he isn’t over it despite getting it for his entire career. It doesn’t matter what happens to him because he’s going to keep fighting until he becomes World Heavyweight Champion.

LWO vs. Judgment Day

Del Toro kicks McDonagh in the face to start and hits a high crossbody. Wilde adds a 450 and we take an early break. Back with Wilde hitting a DDT and diving over to Lee for the tag to clean house. Lee’s slingshot dropkick in the corner rocks Carlito and the villains are sent into the corner in a big pile. That means a Coast To Coast dropkick from Del Toro for two on McDonagh and a big dive to the floor makes it worse. Liv Morgan offers a distraction though and here is Finn Balor for a cheap shot to Del Toro. The Devlin Side finishes at 7:10.

Rating: B-. Some of the spots were very entertaining and that shouldn’t be a surprise given who was in there. At the same time, the numbers game being the LWO’s undoing isn’t that shocking. At the same time, it would have been ok if Judgment Day beat this version of the LWO. The good guys aren’t that strong in the first place, especially with Rey Mysterio not involved.

Post break, Balor promises to prove to Damian Priest that Priest needed him rather than the team needing Priest. Liv Morgan promises to prove that she is a home wrecking, man stealing, greatest champion of all time. Cue Rhea Ripley to interrupt and she brings out the shark cage for dramatic effect (her words).

The reality is Dominik Mysterio is scared of confined spaces so he’ll be terrified…and here is Damian Priest to jump Judgment Day. Ripley headbutts Morgan and sends Mysterio into the shark cage. Morgan is back up for the brawl, with Ripley throwing a shoe at her. Priest keeps beating up Judgment Day until Balor hits a Sling Blade. The Coup de Grace leaves Priest laying.

Sheamus talks about how bad it is to get hit in the back of the head by a man who used to be your friend. It’s even worse when that friend used to be named Butch, so now they’re in for a fight. We’ll even make it a Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook.

Commentary pays tribute to Pete Rose, complete with some Wrestlemania footage. Simple and short here but anything is better than nothing, especially when the news broke about an hour before the show went on the air.

Damage CTRL want the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Chad Gable vs. Kofi Kingston

American Made and Xavier Woods are here too. Gable takes him to the mat to start but is quickly escaped both times. Kingston backflips out of a German suplex and flips out of a monkey flip as well. They go outside where Gable, with a cut forehead, hits a German suplex and we take a break.

Back with Kingston hitting a middle rope dropkick but coming up favoring his knee. An overhead belly to belly drops Kingston again and they trade rollups for two each. Kingston kicks his way out of the corner but misses a top rope shot to the head,. The ankle lock is countered into a rollup for two but Trouble In Paradise is countered into the ankle lock again. That’s broken up and they fall out to the floor, with Kingston hitting a dive onto American Made. Woods helps take out Julius Creed and trips Gable, which causes Kingston to miss Trouble In Paradise. Rolling Chaos Theory finishes Kingston at 9:30.

Rating: B. This is one of those matches where you knew it was going to be good because of who was involved. At the same time you had some interesting storyline advancement with Woods costing Kingston the win by trying to go evil. Solid match and I could go for seeing more from both of them, which is a nice feeling to have.

We look at WWE stars at various football games over the weekend, including Seth Rollins.

Bronson Reed isn’t worried that Rollins is getting ready to return to the ring, because he’ll take even more time off Rollins’ career. As for tonight, he’ll be the Last Monster Standing.

Adam Pearce is talking to security again when Gunther passes by.

We get another weird Wyatt Sicks video, saying “we see your intent” and talking about anger festering into rage, which will end in your demise. Do not force their hand, heed their admonition. Ok then.

Here is Gunther for a chat, though first we see some clips of his match with Ilja Dragunov over the weekend, where Dragunov tore his ACL and will be out 6-9 months. Gunther talks about how fantastic it is to be World Heavyweight Champion, as it comes with a lot of perks. There is one thing that he hates though, which is dealing with Sami Zayn every single week. Cue Zayn to interrupt, saying that all Gunther has to do is give him a title shot.

Gunther says Zayn isn’t on his level, which Zayn says Gunther knows is nonsense and that’s why Gunther is scared. Zayn beat him before and Gunther knows he can do it again. Gunther says Zayn is scared of his reputation, because losing to a better man would have been no problem, but losing to Zayn is an embarrassment. Gunther wasn’t sure he could win at Wrestlemania but he didn’t parade his worries around for sympathy.

After the match, Gunther had to talk to his father, who flew all the way from Vienna to see him lose to a bum. Zayn wouldn’t understand though because Zayn’s family always sees him fail. On the other hand, Gunther is his family’s golden goose. Zayn says it’s true that Gunther lost, and then he left for weeks because he couldn’t handle it. He never asked for a rematch and didn’t even show up, because his dad thought he was a loser. Now Gunther is showing his father that he is a coward, which is enough for Gunther to beat Zayn down and yell a lot. Gunther lays him out with the powerbomb and the match is on.

Awesome Truth vs. Authors Of Pain

Truth shoulders Rezar to start but gets caught in a quick Dominator. Karrion Kross is yelling at Miz from the floor as the double teaming is on. Truth manages to low bridge Akam to the floor and hands it off to Miz…who kicks Truth in the face and walks out. What A Rush finishes Truth (who wasn’t legal) at 2:58.

Bad Blood rundown.

Gunther, with Ludwig Kaiser, isn’t worried about defending against Sami Zayn next week. Bron Breakker, who beat Gunther in NXT, comes in to look at the World Heavyweight Title. He’ll see Gunther soon. New Day could be seen arguing in the back.

Bronson Reed vs. Braun Strowman

Last Monster (Man) Standing. Strowman hits a clothesline to start but Reed knocks him out to the floor. A missed charge sends Reed into the steps but he’s back up in a few seconds. Strowman hits him with the steps a few times and a chokeslam sends Reed through the announcers’ table. Reed is back up and we have another staredown as we take a break.

Back with Reed knocking him own as a bunch of chairs are set up on the floor. Strowman gets in a shot of his own and limps over for a forearm to send Red through the chairs. Reed is back up again and they fight up to the stage, where Strowman gets in a chair to the back. They climb onto some anvil cases with Reed slamming him through some tables but Strowman gets up again.

We come back from another break with Strowman having crashed through the barricade and beating the count. Another spear puts Strowman through another barricade, with some fans being taken out. Security and agents come out to check on the fans as Reed hits the Tsunami but there’s no referee. That means another Tsunami before Reed throws security inside. The referee is thrown down so Adam Pearce gets in Reed’s face.

The Agents go to make the save but Strowman goes up and dives onto the pile or the huge knockdown. They both beat the count so Strowman goes up, with Reed catching him in the superplex to break the ring (that’s always cool). They’re both getting up again but here is Seth Rollins to Stomp Reed onto the steps so Strowman can win at 19:18.

Rating: B+. While this didn’t quite hit the levels of violence and insanity that I was hoping for, it was still a good fight between two monsters with multiple big moments. Reed vs. Rollins can be a major match down the line (two weeks from now would work fine) and it wouldn’t stun me to see it dragged out a bit. Reed has done well in this role and I could go for more of it, but Rollins almost has to be the endgame one way or another.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a heck of a way to close out the three hours Raw’s, as they had a bunch of storyline developments and some strong action to balance it out. In addition to boosting up Bad Blood, they’ve also made me want to see next week’s pretty stacked show. Awesome stuff this week and one of the better Raw’s in a bit, as it did its own thing and set up matches for the future, which is a very efficient week.

Results
Xavier Woods b. Rey Mysterio – Rollup
Zoey Stark b. Lyra Valkyria – Z360
Judgment Day b. LWO – Devlin Side to del Toro
Chad Gable b. Kofi Kingston – Rolling Chaos Theory
Authors Of Pain b. Awesome Truth – What A Rush to R-Truth
Braun Strowman b. Bronson Reed – Stomp onto the steps

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