Smackdown
Date: June 7, 2024
Location: KFC Yum Center, Louisville, Kentucky
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

We have just over a week to go before Clash At The Castle and after last week, it seems that we are going to be seeing AJ Styles vs. Cody Rhodes II for the Smackdown World Title. Other than that, LA Knight and Logan Paul have been circling each other and there is a good chance that we will see that match set up this week as well. Let’s get to it.

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

We look back at AJ Styles faking retirement last week and attacking Cody Rhodes to end the show.

An annoyed Rhodes is waiting for Styles.

Here is the Bloodline to get things going. The still nervous looking Paul Heyman says that until Roman Reigns comes back, Solo Sikoa is at the head of the table. The fans want Reigns, which has me wondering how long they can hold off on the return. Sikoa has decided to make a double proclamation tonight, starting with Tama Tonga being named the Right Hand Man. Second, Tonga Loa is officially a member of the team. Heyman tries to wrap it up but Sikoa asks what’s going on.

Heyman should be thanking them for the save against Kevin Owens last week, with Heyman doing just that. In addition, Heyman was here earlier today and heard that Owens is wanting a piece of the Bloodline. Cue Owens (Heyman bails) and the brawl is on but the numbers game has Owens in trouble. The Street Profits run in for the save though, allowing Owens to grab a chair and clear the ring. This feels like it’s going to keep building until Reigns comes back for the big moment and they need to make Sikoa feel that much more evil on the way there.

Post break, Sikoa tells Heyman to make this a six man or it’s Heyman vs. Tama Tonga. Heyman: “I like the six man idea a lot better.”

Jade Cargill/Bianca Belair vs. Indi Hartwell/Candice LeRae

Non-title. The bell rings and here are Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre and Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark to watch. Belair takes LeRae down to start and hits a quick moonsault for two. Hartwell comes in for a cheap shot though and the posing takes us to a break. Back with Belair getting over for the tag to Cargill so house can be quickly cleaned. The assisted German suplex finishes Hartwell at 6:32. Not enough shown to rate but Cargill and Belair wrecked them after the break.

Post match the other four come in to beat down the champs, only to fight amongst themselves. Cargill and Belair take them out and stand tall.

Nick Aldis tells Cody Rhodes to not get in a fight with AJ Styles on the loading dock but Cody says he’s taking care of this himself.

Apollo Crews is ready….to get jumped by Angel and Berto. Nick Aldis calls for medics but as Crews is taken away, LA Knight comes in to ask where Logan Paul is. Carmelo Hayes pops in to say he’s getting to Knight so Aldis makes the match for later tonight. Aldis implied that this was taking the place of Crews’ match so points for some continuity.

Johnny Gargano vs. Grayson Waller

Tommaso Ciampa and Austin Theory are here too. Gargano knocks him into the corner to start and chops away but a spinning backbreaker puts Gargano down. The rolling Stunner is countered into a belly to back suplex though and they head outside. Gargano’s Sliced Bread leaves both of them down and we take an early break.

Back with Gargano hitting some clotheslines into an enziguri, setting up the slingshot spear for two. An electric chair belly to back suplex drops Gargano for two more but something like a Destroyer out of the corner plants Waller hard. Waller bails outside and pulls Theory into a dive before posting Gargano. Back in and a running flipping Unprettier (picture Cena’s Throwback but landing on the other person instead of grabbing their head) finishes Gargano at 8:16.

Rating: C+. Assuming DIY is going to get the title shot, I’m not sure how logical it was to have Gargano lose here. Then again, at least it’s something different than winning singles matches to set up a tag match. For now though, the match was perfectly fine, with Waller pulling Theory in the way of the dive being completely in line with his way of thinking.

Nick Aldis, with security, tells Cody Rhodes that AJ Styles is arriving. Post break the car arrives with Styles in the sunroof and the OC standing in Rhodes’ way. Rhodes goes into the arena and calls Styles out for a fight RIGHT NOW. Cue Styles to say he doesn’t care what Rhodes wants, but Styles wants a title shot at Clash At The Castle. Works for Rhodes, but he wants it to be I Quit. Nick Aldis comes out to make the match and Rhodes beats up security. With Rhodes held back, Styles gets in a cheap shot.

Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill leave Aldis’ office and announce a triple threat Women’s Tag Team Title match at Clash At The Castle, with Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark and Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre getting the shots. Makes sense and goes another step towards trying to make the champs feel like they’re in danger. They aren’t, but points for trying.

LA Knight vs. Carmelo Hayes

Knight isn’t impressed to start and takes Hayes outside for some rams into the announcers’ table. A backdrop onto the table makes it worse and we take a break. Back with Knight fighting out of a top wristlock but getting hit in the face for two. Knight avoids something from the top and hits a faceplant, only to charge into a superkick. A slam puts Hayes down again but the LA Elbow (minus the LA, making it just a jumping elbow) misses. The powerslam connects but the BFT is countered into a rollup with trunks for two. Knight reverses the rollup into a rollup of his own for the pin at 8:33.

Rating: C+. This is a match where there was not harmless result, as Knight needed a win to boost him towards the likely US Title shot, but my goodness Hayes needs to win something sooner than later. Other than a fluke rollup against Baron Corbin, he hasn’t won anything of note since earlier this year in NXT. He doesn’t have to be beating top names, but he can beat some lower level names just to build himself up a bit.

Post match Knight promises to bring Smackdown to Logan Paul.

Tiffany Stratton offers to unite with Nia Jax, who looks as annoyed as someone who has to watch a Nia Jax match. With Stratton gone, Michin comes in to throw water in Jax’s face and they have to be held apart.

Video on Bayley vs. Piper Niven.

Here is Bayley for a chat. She mentions the match with Niven but here are Chelsea Green and Niven to interrupt. Niven promises to make Bayley lose again and says that the two of them will be the new champ. Bayley respects Niven, which is why she was watching from the front row at the Mae Young Classic.

She’s lost in front of everyone she’s loved and knows how bad it feels, so she’ll do it again to Niven next week. Niven gets in the ring to talk about her journey from 2008. She worked around the world while Bayley walked into a perfect situation in the Performance Center. Now she has an annoying friend in Naomi and everything handed to her. Niven promises to win the title, with Green mimicking almost every word in a nice touch.

Logan Paul sends in a video and says he’s in Los Angeles for the World Tetris Championships because he wants a real challenger. Knight needs to go back to the midcard where he belongs.

Naomi doesn’t like what Chelsea Green and Piper Niven said out there. Nick Aldis makes Naomi vs. Green for next week.

Kevin Owens/Street Profits vs. Bloodline

Dawkins powers Tonga into the corner to start and hands it off to Ford. The shoulders to the ribs have Tama in trouble but he fights out rather quickly. Loa comes in for the forearms to the head and Sikoa sends Ford outside for the crash as we take a break. Back with the slow beating to Ford continuing, with Loa hitting a basement clothesline.

Ford finally manages to get in a shot of his own and the diving tag brings in Owens to face Sikoa. Owens drops him fast and hits the Swanton for two as everything breaks down. Ford hits a big running flip dive onto the pile at ringside, which just causes Sikoa to chair Ford for the DQ at 9:40.

Rating: C+. This was picking up near the end but then they pulled all of the energy out with the lame ending. It makes the Bloodline look more violent as they would rather swing chairs than compete, but it doesn’t exactly make for the most thrilling conclusion. At least Owens didn’t take another pin though.

Post match the big beatdown is on, with Owens being put through the announcers’ table to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show did a nice job of setting up the Smackdown side of Clash At The Castle, but the problem is that half isn’t very interesting. The show is going to be ALL about Drew McIntyre getting his title shot with Rhodes vs. Styles II not exactly feeling hot, even with the stipulation. Paul vs. Knight should be good as well, but it wasn’t officially announced here. Stuff did happen here and that’s good, but the stuff wasn’t that interesting, which is a problem. Odds are that changes after next week though, so this shouldn’t be a long term issue.

Results
Jade Cargill/Bianca Belair b. Indi Hartwell/Candice LeRae – Assisted German suplex to Hartwell
Grayson Waller b. Johnny Gargano – Running flipping Unprettier
LA Knight b. Carmelo Hayes – Rollup
Kevin Owens/Street Profits b. Bloodline via DQ when Sikoa used a chair

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

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Smackdown
Date: May 31, 2024
Location: MVP Arena, Albany, New York
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

We are just over two weeks away from Clash At The Castle and the show needs to start coming together. In addition, we still have some fallout from King And Queen Of The Ring, including the official coronation of Queen Nia Jax. Finally, the Bloodline is in action tonight, which feels rather important. Let’s get to it.

Here is King And Queen Of The Ring if you need a recap.

King And Queen Of The Ring recap.

Here is Nick Aldis to introduce Nia Jax for her coronation. Jax brags about the win and demands that Bayley come to the ring right now. Cue Bayley but Piper Niven and Chelsea Green jump her from behind. Bayley gets crushed but Green tells Jax to be ready to face Niven at Summerslam instead. This was to the point and that’s what it needed to be.

AJ Styles goes on to see Nick Aldis and asks for some time to say something, but he only wants to say it once. Aldis agrees.

Naomi checks on Bayley in the trainer’s room and Bayley is good to go tonight.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Austin Theory

Both partners are here too. Ciampa elbows him in the face to start and hammers away, only to walk into a brainbuster onto the knee. Theory gets in some knees in the corner and a hanging neckbreaker to the floor puts Ciampa down again as we take a break. Back with Ciampa fighting out of a chinlock but getting elbowed in the face for his efforts.

Ciampa fights up again and hits a hard clothesline, setting up a reverse DDT for two. Theory gets in another shot but A Town Down is blocked. Waller goes to yell at commentary for some reason and seems to claim credit for Theory’s success. That allows the distracted Ciampa to roll Theory up for the pin at 8:45.

Rating: C+. We continue the fairly slow build towards DIY challenging for the Tag Team Titles, though the champs having some issues makes it a bit more interesting. The idea of “tag teams in singles matches” has been done for years and it’s only going to get them so far. For now though, it’s better than DIY losing another match.

Naomi comes in to see Nick Aldis and, after a mini argument with Blair Davenport, gets a tag match with Bayley against Chelsea Green and Piper Niven. With the women gone, LA Knight comes in to ask if Aldis knows where he can find Logan Paul. Well that’s interesting.

We look at Cody Rhodes defeating Logan Paul to retain the WWE Universal Title at King And Queen Of The Ring.

LA Knight says Logan Paul isn’t here this week, but Knight IS here, so he’ll make it clear: he wants the US Title. Carmelo Hayes comes in to suggest he’s a better candidate for a title shot.

Andrade vs. Apollo Crews

Earlier today, Andrade turned down an invitation to Legado del Fantasma. Andrade snaps off a dropkick to start and slowly stomps away but here is Angel for a distraction. A dropkick sends Andrade to the floor and us to a break. Back with Andrade hitting a high crossbody to leave both of them down. Andrade strikes away and the running knees gives hit Crews for two. Crews is back with the gorilla press drop into the standing moonsault for two. Andrade isn’t having this and elbows him in the face, setting up the double underhook swinging DDT for the pin at 7:04.

Rating: C+. This was a match where the commercial took away so much of the energy, as there is only so much you can do with seven minutes including a break. Crews’ athleticism continues to be impressive but his ship has long since sailed. As for Andrade, a feud with Legado is better than nothing, but it’s not the most thrilling concept.

Post match Andrade walks past Legado del Fantasma so Angel seems ready to deal with this.

Solo Sikoa tells the Bloodline to deal with it when Paul Heyman comes in. Heyman has been trying to make things better for the team but he sees random acts of violence with no bigger plan. He thinks they need Cody Rhodes in check for when Roman Reigns comes back but Sikoa says we already do. Heyman: “With all due respect, who is we?” The answer is cut off by Kevin Owens coming to the ring, with Sikoa telling Heyman to go deal with this. Heyman is starting to snap under the pressure and that opens up a lot of possibilities.

Apollo Crews jumps Angel.

Kevin Owens is in the ring and says he was in Saudi Arabia to help Randy Orton in person. Orton has had his back for weeks now and…here is Paul Heyman to interrupt. Heyman is sounding rather nervous as he says he hopes to come to a mutual understanding with Owens. The fans want Roman but Heyman says no one wants him here more than Heyman himself.

Heyman talks about how Reigns respects Owens but Solo Sikoa and the new members of the Bloodline are going to hurt him. He begs Owens to back off but Owens doesn’t quite buy the kind offer. Owens thinks Heyman sees Sikoa as his next cash cow. In four years of fighting the Bloodline, Owens has been superkicked thirty times at once and thrown off high things, but he’s never going to stop fighting to get rid of them.

He neither wants nor needs Heyman’s help, so Heyman goes on a rant about how he might be trying to redeem himself. Heyman says he is a Hall of Fame wise man and is worried about Sikoa taking over the entire Bloodline SO WHY WILL NO ONE LISTEN TO HIM??? Heyman goes so nuts that he throws the mic and hits Owens, who appears ready to destroy him. Cue the Bloodline but the Street Profits (set to face the Bloodline tonight) run in to even things up. Angelo Dawkins hits a big flip dive to take out the Tongas. And there is Heyman snapping, which is not going to go well for him. I’m not sure how soon Reigns is going to come back, but dang they have a wide open field with this thing and it’s great.

Bloodline vs. Street Profits

Joined in progress with Ford firing off shoulders to Tama in the corner and Dawkins coming in for a double belly to back suplex. Loa gets in a cheap shot though and hammers away on the floor as Paul Heyman is looking terrified on the floor. A slingshot elbow hits Ford but he gets over for the tag to Dawkins. House is quickly cleaned but it’s back to Loa off a blind tag to run Dawkins over. A Saito suplex connects and Dawkins is taken outside for a ram into the announcers’ table.

We take a break and come back with Tama hammering away as Heyman is looking even worse. Dawkins manages to suplex his way out of trouble and it’s a double tag to bring in Ford and Loa. The Profits take over and grab a Doomsday Blockbuster, with Tama having to make the save. Tama gets in a blind tag so Ford’s frog splash to Loa means nothing. Back up and Ford walks into the jumping Downward Spiral for the pin at 12:12.

Rating: B-. This was a way to make the Bloodline look good because the Profits are a pretty established team for them to take down. I’m not sure if the feud continues whenever Bobby Lashley is back, but it might be time for the Profits to move on to something else. For now though, the Bloodline looks good and that’s what matters.

Indi Hartwell is upset at Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair for injuring Candice LeRae…but not upset enough to agree to face Cargill.

Michin is asked about AJ Styles but Nia Jax interrupts. That doesn’t work for Michin, which REALLY does not work for Jax.

Chelsea Green/Piper Niven vs. Bayley/Naomi

Green runs from Bayley to start and hands it to Niven, who crushes Bayley in the corner. That doesn’t seem to matter much as Bayley fights up and hits a clothesline on Green. Naomi comes in and knocks Green to the floor, with the villains being beaten down as we take a break.

Back with Niven missing an elbow, allowing the tag back to Naomi. A running basement dropkick in the corner sets up a split legged moonsault, with Niven having to make a save. The Rear View gets two more with Niven making another save with a backsplash. Niven puts Green on top for the pin at 8:30.

Rating: C. Another pretty to the point match here, with Niven getting to look strong as we are coming up on a show in her home country. Bayley is going to need a title challenger and putting here in there against Niven for the title could be a heck of a moment. The match was just good enough, with Naomi taking the fall to build Niven up that much more.

LA Knight runs into AJ Styles in the back and says if the rumors are true, he respects Styles. With Knight gone, Styles runs into Cody Rhodes and they shake hands. Styles hugs the OC, who have his back out there tonight.

Here is Styles, with the OC, for his big announcement. Styles talks about how he has dwelt on Nick Aldis saying he had to earn another title shot for a week. At this point in his career, he can’t do that though, and we pause for some applause. He just got to have his son’s graduation party and it made him wonder how many of them he missed. Maybe it’s time he became a phenomenal father. Styles thanks the OC for being there and they do the pose one more time. There’s one more thing though, and Styles would like Cody Rhodes out here.

Cue Rhodes, with Styles saying their match at Backlash was one of their best ever. This is still the house that Styles built and Rhodes says they shared their first text after that match. Styles called Rhodes his little bro, but Rhodes says Styles is a good big bro. They have a hug and Rhodes holds Styles’ arm up, only for Styles to channel his inner Mark Henry and beat him down.. The Styles Clash from the steps to the floor drops Rhodes to end the show. They weren’t exactly hiding what they were going for here and that works well enough, as having another title match between them at Clash will be a fine way to go.

Overall Rating: B. This was a show with good enough action, but the main positives came from the storytelling. Odds are we have a Smackdown main event set for Clash, plus Heyman losing his mind and Bayley probably set to defend against Niven. As usual lately, WWE knows how to move things forward while having completely acceptable (at worst) wrestling and that makes for a very easy watch.

Results
Tommaso Ciampa b. Austin Theory – Rollup
Andrade b. Apollo Crews – Double underhook swinging DDT
Bloodline b. Street Profits – Jumping Downward Spiral to Ford
Piper Niven/Chelsea Green b. Bayley/Naomi – Backsplash to Naomi

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

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Smackdown
Date: May 10, 2024
Location: Mohegan Sun Arena, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

We are done with Backlash and have about two weeks to go before King And Queen Of The Ring. That means it’s time to work on both tournaments, but I’m sure there will be some other matches on the show. Those could use a start as well and hopefully we get some of that covered this week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Backlash if you need a recap.

We open with along Backlash recap.

Here is Nick Aldis in the ring to get things going and he bring out Cody Rhodes for a chat. Aldis knows that Cody wants to defend against the best and Cody’s next challenger has been determined. Cody is game so here is….Logan Paul. Cody thinks he knows what Paul wants to talk about and yes it would be a champion vs. champion match to kick off the Logan Paul Levesque Era (that’s clever).

Paul talks about a fan having a sign in the crowd saying it’s his birthday, with Paul saying congratulations in meeting a superstar, as in himself. Cody is cool too, but the fans think Paul’s Prime drink sucks. After listing off the nutritional facts of Prime, Paul asks how Cody can finish the story when it isn’t his story.

Cody: “I bet a lot of people stand across from you and say “what a dumba**.” Cody praises Paul’s accomplishments and thinks winning the US Title would make him a Grand Slam Champion. The problem is Paul can’t win a match without going for those brass knuckles and he’ll find out reality at King And Queen Of The Ring. There’s no story between them but the title match is in about two weeks so setting things up that fast is a smart way to go.

AJ Styles blames his loss to Cody Rhodes on the French fans at Backlash. Now he’s ready to win the King Of The Ring tournament to get closer to a title shot.

Queen Of The Ring First Round: Nia Jax vs. Naomi

Jax runs her over to start but Naomi manages to avoid a charge. Naomi kicks her out to the floor but gets planted with a Samoan drop to crush her rather hard. We take a break and come back with Jax draping her over the top rope, only to get sunset flipped. Jax’s sitdown splash misses and Naomi scores with a Disaster Kick of all things. The split legged moonsault gets two and Jax is sat up top for a super hurricanrana (that was impressive) for the same. That’s enough for Jax, who hits a hard shoulder and drops the leg. The Annihilator finishes Naomi at 10:07.

Rating: C+. This was about what you would expect, as Naomi was doing her athletic stuff and sticking and running until Jax caught her with the power game. Jax going forward is the right move as someone beating her would make for a special moment. Or she could win the whole thing to give her something else to brag about, because she doesn’t do it enough already.

Baron Corbin is glad to be back after finding himself in NXT. Carmelo Hayes comes in to say he’s going to send him running like Bobby Lashley (who is out injured).

Video on DIY, who want the tag Team Titles.

King Of The Ring First Round: Baron Corbin vs. Carmelo Hayes

Corbin as a good guy is bizarre. Hayes takes him down to start and kicks him in the back, earning one heck of a right hand. Corbin knocks him outside and we take an early break. Back with Corbin elbowing away in the corner but getting dropped onto the turnbuckle. There’s a springboard clothesline to drop Corbin again but he’s back up with a Death Valley Driver. A brainbuster gives Corbin two but Hayes manages to grab the First 48. Corbin comes back with a clothesline and a suplex into a cutter for two…but Hayes small packages him for the pin at 6:30.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have much time here but dang they picked a good bit into it. Corbin losing here is a weird choice as he started fast and the fans were into him. Hayes needed a win coming off his loss to Cody Rhodes during the Draft, which makes me wonder why these two were put together in the first place.

Bayley is interested to see how far Jade Cargill can go in the Queen Of The Ring. Chelsea Green pops in to say Piper Niven will take Cargill out in the first round.

Randy Orton wants to win the King Of The Ring and it starts with an RKO to AJ Styles. He hasn’t forgotten about Tama Tonga though, as they might be meeting in the tournament. An angry Orton can make for some good moments and that is what we seem to be seeing here.

Queen Of The Ring First Round: Jade Cargill vs. Piper Niven

Chelsea Green is here with Niven. They yell at each other to start before Niven’s running shoulder doesn’t get her anywhere. Cargill’s shoulder works far better but she charges into something like a Rock Bottom out of the corner. A backsplash crushes Cargill as commentary is already sick of Green’s shouting. Back in and Cargill staggers her with a headbutt, setting up a Blue Thunder Bomb. Niven trips her down in the corner and hits the Cannonball, only to take too long going up. Cargill pulls her back down, hits a pump kick, and grabs Jaded for the pin at 5:15.

Rating: C+. This is the kind of match that makes Cargill look all the more impressive, as she was knocked around by the power before going into Beast Mode to win in the end. It was a good showcase for her, but Niven deserves credit of her own. She’s a good power wrestler who knows how to use her size to her advantage. Nice stuff here, with Cargill winning with the power display that makes her look even better.

Cargill runs into Bianca Belair as she leaves and dancing ensues.

Shinsuke Nakamura is here to become the pinnacle of Smackdown and no one is safe.

Queen Of The Ring First Round: Candice LeRae vs. Bianca Belair

Indi Hartwell is here with LeRae. They start fast with LeRae being sent outside, where a hurricanrana is blocked. Hartwell gets in a cheap shot though and LeRae starts in with some shots on the knee. Belair grabs a suplex but the knee gives out, though it’s fine enough for her to hit the KOD for the pin at 2:55.

We look at Tanga Loa debuting at Backlash as the newest member of the Bloodline.

Paul Heyman comes in to see the rest of the Bloodline, where he mentions that Solo Sikoa is making decisions without Roman Reigns. Sikoa brings up Heyman pulling Reigns out of the Draft, resulting in them being drafted in the third round. Sikoa has talked to Reigns, and he is in charge, with Heyman as his wise man. An awkward hug ensues. There’s your big moment, as Reigns can either come back and correct the wrong he started or say “that’s not what I said” or something else entirely. For now though, we should be in for a different Bloodline and that’s a cool concept.

Video on Andrade.

King Of The Ring First Round: Angelo Dawkins vs. Tama Tonga

Montez Ford and the rest of the Bloodline are here too (including Tonga, not Tanga, Loa). Tonga starts fast and knocks him into the corner but Dawkins hits a heck of a running shoulder. Ford goes after the Bloodline and Dawkins hits a Sky High for two. The Bloodline takes out Ford though and a jumping Downward Spiral finishes Dawkins at 2:11. Bad finisher aside, Tama gave up a bit more offense than I would have bet on here.

Post match Dawkins gets Spiked as well, leaving Paul Heyman looking worried.

Video on Blair Davenport.

King Of The Ring First Round: AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton

Orton wastes no time in clotheslining him to the floor and we take a break about thirty seconds in. Back with Orton raining down right hands in the corner but Styles scores with a dropkick. They head outside, where Orton drops him onto the barricade but can’t hit the hanging DDT.

He can however drop Styles onto the announcers’ table and then does it again for a bonus. Back in and Styles is ok enough to go after the knee and we take another break. We come back again with Orton escaping a Calf Crusher attempt and kicking him in the chest. Orton sends him to the apron, where the bad leg is wrapped around the ropes.

The Phenomenal Forearm is broken up but Styles grabs the Calf Crusher, with Orton grabbing a chinlock of all things for the break. With that broken up, Orton hits the hanging DDT but Styles is back with the Phenomenal Forearm. Orton grabs the rope so Styles loads up the Styles Clash, only to be reversed into the RKO for the quick pin at 17:29.

Rating: B. It might not have been a classic or anything but these two on their worst day are going to have a good match. They did well here, with Orton going forward and Styles moving on to find someone else to make look good. It’s a pairing that could have a good match in their sleep and it was a smart move to put them together in a spot like this.

Overall Rating: B. The good thing about having a show built around two tournaments, especially in the first round, is WWE is able to pick a bunch of awesome, or at least intriguing, matches for the first week. That is what we had here, with some fun stuff and impressive performances. Throw in setting the Bloodline in its new direction and this was a solid as well as important edition of Smackdown.

Results
Nia Jax b. Naomi – Annihilator
Carmelo Hayes b. Baron Corbin – Small package
Jade Cargill b. Piper Niven – Jaded
Bianca Belair b. Candice LeRae – KOD
Tama Tonga b. Angelo Dawkins – Jumping Downward Spiral
Randy Orton b. AJ Styles – RKO

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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Backlash 2024
Date: May 4, 2024
Location: LDLC Arena, Lyon-Decines, France
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re in France for the first time ever for one of these things and if last night’s Smackdown crowd is any indication, the fans are going to be going nuts all night. That should help as the card is a bit lackluster, with only five matches. The main event is likely to be Cody Rhodes defending the WWE Universal Title against AJ Styles so let’s get to it.

We open with a quick look at Lyon, including where it is on a map of France. That’s a nice little touch.

The opening video looks at the show’s card, which doesn’t take that long.

Bloodline vs. Kevin Owens/Randy Orton

This is Tama Tonga’s first televised match in WWE and Paul Heyman (looking terrified) is here with the Bloodline. The fans sing Orton’s song to him in a cool moment and you can tell he’s loving this. The brawl is on before the bell and a bunch of referees/agents come out to try and break it up to no avail. Owens beats up security so here is Nick Aldis to say that’s enough. That’s fine so let’s make it a street fight.

The bell rings and the fight goes into the crowd, with Owens hitting Tonga in the back with a chair and the fans counting along as Orton hammers Sikoa. They get back to ringside with the Bloodline getting wrecked with trashcans, trashcan lids and kendo sticks, so let’s bring in tables too. Owens splashes Tonga through one of the tables but Sikoa gets in a quick shot and Samoan drops Orton through another.

Tonga is back up to unload on Owens, with trashcan shots and a hip attack crushing him in the corner. Another table is loaded up but Owens sends Sikoa through it in the corner. Tonga blasts Owens with a clothesline as the crowd is wondering where Orton has gone. Cue Orton for the slow staredown with Tonga, including the snap powerslam. Sikoa is back up to send Orton into the announcers’ table and clear it off for some more violence.

That takes way too long though and the Spike is reversed into the RKO onto (not through) the table. Owens is back up with some chairs to Tonga’s back and loads up four chairs two by two. Tonga catches him up top but Owens hits the swinging superplex through the chairs for the huge crash. Owens covers but Tanga Loa (Tonga’s brother) makes the save and hits Orton with the steps. Sikoa Spikes Owens for the pin at 19:35.

Rating: B+. This was absolutely wild and the fans were pushing it even further up the ladder. What mattered here was the fans having a good time as they never get to see this kind of thing live and they were milking the heck out of the whole thing. At the same time you have Loa arriving to seemingly make the new Bloodline that much better. White hot start to the show here and my goodness the crowd is already an all timer.

Post match Loa poses with the Bloodline.

We recap the Smackdown Women’s Title match. Bayley won the title back at Wrestlemania and Tiffany Stratton wants the title. Bayley wanted Naomi to get the shot but Stratton interfered and then won a match of her own, setting up the triple threat match.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bayley vs. Naomi vs. Tiffany Stratton

Bayley is defending and the fans rather approve of her. Naomi snaps off some armdrags to start but Bayley is up with an exchange of rollups for two each. Stratton’s handspring elbow hits Naomi in the corner and she kicks both of them down a pair of near falls. Naomi is sent outside so Stratton can stomp away on Bayley, who cuts off another handspring. Stratton plants her with an Alabama Slam as Naomi comes back in for the save.

Naomi and Stratton fight out to the floor, where Stratton hits a handspring elbow against the barricade. That earns her a dive from Bayley but Naomi Blockbusters her off the barricade for a big crash. Back in and Naomi’s split legged moonsault gets two on Stratton with Bayley making the save. Bayley gets crotched on top, leaving Naomi to powerbomb Stratton into the reverse Rings Of Saturn. That’s broken up with a top rope elbow, leaving all three of them down for a breather.

Bayley sunset bombs Naomi into the corner and Bayley to Bellys Stratton for two. Naomi pulls Stratton outside for a beating but gets kicked into the barricade. An Alabama Slam plants Naomi onto the announcers’ table and there’s the same thing to Bayley. Back in and the Prettiest Moonsault Ever misses, allowing Bayley and Naomi to pop up with a 1D of all things to get rid of Stratton. That leaves Bayley and Naomi to trade rollups until Bayley stacks her up to retain at 12:34.

Rating: B-. This was a match that had its strong points but there were more than a few moments that didn’t quite click. The crowd helped carry them a lot though and that is always a nice weapon to have in the back pocket. What mattered here was the right result, as it’s too early for Stratton to win but she didn’t take the fall. Good, though not great stuff.

Bayley and Naomi show respect post match.

The Bloodline comes up to Jey Uso but don’t say anything.

We recap Damian Priest defending the Raw World Title against Jey Uso. Priest cashed in Money In The Bank to win the title at Wrestlemania and Uso earned the title shot by winning a four way the next night on Raw.

Raw World Title: Jey Uso vs. Damian Priest

Uso is challenging and comes in through the crowd. We get the Big Match Intros and Uso does YEET a lot before hitting Priest in the face. Priest misses a right hand and falls out to the floor but it’s too early for the save. Back in and Priest knocks him down to take over as the pace slows way down. Uso ducks another right hand though and grabs a belly to back suplex.

The step up enziguri knocks Priest into the corner but Uso spends too much time yeeting, allowing Priest to send him to the apron. A high crossbody gives Uso two but cue JD McDonagh for a distraction so Priest can hit his own spear for two. Priest is really not happy with McDonagh and yells at him, allowing Uso to hit a superkick into the Superfly Splash for two of his own.

Back up and they slug it out until some superkicks put both of them down. Priest is back with the Razor’s Edge for two but South of Heaven is escaped, allowing Uso to spear him for two more. Another Superfly Splash is broken up by an invading Finn Balor and South of Heaven…gets two.

Priest hits a nasty spinning kick to the head and then does it again but a third is cut off with a superkick. More superkicks set up a spear into the Superfly Splash but McDonagh puts the foot on the rope at two. Uso dives onto McDonagh and spears Balor on the floor before going up top. This time Priest crotches him and hits a super South of Heaven to retain at 15:49.

Rating: C+. This went longer than it needed to but it never reached a terrible point or even got dull. Priest was just enough of a weak champion that you could see Uso having at least a prayer of winning, but ultimately they went with the right move. Priest getting annoyed at Judgment Day is interesting, though I’m not sure it’s going to matter with a red hot Drew McIntyre and Clash At The Castle coming up.

Post match Priest is mad at Balor and McDonagh but poses with them.

Video on the European tour.

One of the French announcers announces that this is the largest gate of any arena show in WWE history.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill vs. Kabuki Warriors

The Warriors are defending and have Dakota Kai with them. Belair flips away from Asuka to start before having to power out of something like an Octopus hold. It’s off to Cargill for some spinning backbreakers on Sane and a double powerbomb drops Sane again. Asuka makes the save and knocks Belair outside, with Sane hitting a big dive to take over. Sane hits a top rope forearm for two more as the fans are wanting the hot tag to Cargill.

Asuka misses a splash but Sane is right there to knock Cargill off the apron and cut off the tag attempt. Asuka strikes Belair down for two and she grabs an armbar, only to have Belair power up for the escape. A hard clothesline drops Sane and the diving tag brings in Cargill, who springboards in with a crossbody. Cargill Sky High’s Sane for two and plants her again with a Widowmaker. The Warriors strike away at Cargill but Sane isn’t legal so there’s no count.

Everything breaks down and the Warriors both grab submissions, both of which are broken up with powerbombs (that was a rather rough sequence as they did not seem to know what to do for a good while). Belair tags herself back in and it’s a DDT into a wheelbarrow suplex for two on Sane. A missed charge sends Belair into the post and the assisted Insane Elbow gets two, with Cargill making the save. Cargill muscles Sand up and flips her into Jaded (that was amazing) and Belair KOD’s Asuka onto her for the pin and the titles at 17:41.

Rating: C. This was a match where the aura and atmosphere helped so much. From a technical standpoint it only worked so well, with that stretch in the middle where they clearly got lost looking rather terrible. At the same time though, you have Cargill being able to muscle up a grown woman and spin her around like a doll. That’s the part that is likely to be remembered here and it should be, as you do not see someone like Cargill very often. She needs a lot of ring time, but the good things she does are incredibly impressive. As for the match, it needed to be five minutes shorter and it wasn’t great, but the end was right.

We recap AJ Styles vs. Cody Rhodes for the WWE Universal Title. Rhodes won the title at Wrestlemania and Styles is the first challenger, wanting to prove he can still do it.

Smackdown World Title: Cody Rhodes vs. AJ Styles

Styles is challenging. Feeling out process to start with Styles’ early headscissors getting him nowhere. Back up and Cody dropkicks him down into the corner and even mocks the old Stardust post for good measure. Styles strikes away but gets caught with a backdrop for a delayed one. Rhodes grabs a rather delayed vertical suplex, only to have his banged up shoulder sent into the post.

Styles stays on the arm until Rhodes avoids a charge to send him throat first into the ropes with a nasty crash. The announcers’ table is loaded up but that takes too long as well, allowing Rhodes to fight back. Back in and Rhodes tries a delayed superplex but Styles slips out and they crash to the mat. Styles’ Lionsault hits raised knees though and Rhodes slugs away. There’s the snap powerslam into the Disaster Kick for two.

The fireman’s carry backbreaker gives Styles two and they head to the apron, where Styles brainbusters him down to the floor. Rhodes is back up with a powerbomb through the announcers’ table and they’re both down again. They dive back in to beat the count and some stereo kicks to the head give us another double down. We get the big pull up in the corner for the slugout, with Rhodes’ Bionic Elbow getting two. Neither can get a Tombstone so Styles settles for a suplex into the corner.

The springboard 450 gets two, followed by a Burning Hammer for…one. Styles is stunned but Rhodes fights up and hits a Cody Cutter for two. Cross Rhodes blocked but Rhodes superkicks the Phenomenal Forearm out of the air. Rhodes switches things up with a Kimura of all things, which is broken up with a powerbomb. The Styles Clash is blocked and Rhodes rolls him up for two. Another Cody Cutter into Cross Rhodes retains the title at 27:25.

Rating: A-. This match wasn’t designed to have drama about the result but rather about giving Rhodes a big win to kick off his title reign. That did just fine, with Styles more than holding his own to make Rhodes look great. Awesome match here and it felt like a main event, even with Rhodes being the most obvious winner on the whole card.

Highlight package wraps us up.

Overall Rating: B. The opener and main event were both very good and the three matches in the middle were…well not great but good enough. The real story here though is going to be the crowd, as they were some of the loudest and most engaged fans I have ever seen. It is definitely an instance where the crowd carried the show that much higher and my goodness it was fun to watch. The show might not have been the most eventful but I was never bored and it was certainly memorable.

Results
Bloodline b. Randy Orton/Kevin Owens – Samoan Spike to Owens
Bayley b. Naomi and Tiffany Stratton – Rollup to Naomi
Damian Priest b. Jey Uso – Super South of Heaven chokeslam
Jade Cargill/Bianca Belair b. Kabuki Warriors – KOD onto Sane
Cody Rhodes b. AJ Styles – Cross Rhodes

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WWE is in France for this one and that is a new location for a pay per view. That being said, the card is not exactly looking strong, with only five matches announced coming into the event. While there is always the chance that something else could be added, WWE is going to have its work cut out for them to make this work. Granted the white hot crowd could help, but it’s not going to get them the whole way. Let’s get to it.

Women’s Title: Bayley(c) vs. Naomi vs. Tiffany Stratton

So Naomi was getting a title shot and then Stratton interfered, meaning it’s time for the three way match, which tends to be the case. That could mean a few things, though Bayley is still fresh off winning the title at WrestleMania and that could make for quite the difficult reason to take the title from her. At the same time, Stratton is a heck of a challenger and we could be in for an interesting match.

While Stratton is all but destined to win the title at some point in a big moment, I can’t imagine that Bayley is going to lose it so soon after her big win. Therefore I’ll take Bayley retaining, likely pinning Naomi in the process. Either way, this should be a fun match if the three of them can get everything together, which might be easier said than done in such a situation.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Kabuki Warriors(c) vs. Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill

This is an interesting one as it could go in a few different ways. Well ok it’s going to end with either the champs retaining or new champions but they could have different ways to get there. I’m not sure if Belair and Cargill are going to win the titles, though it’s hard to imagine a dream team like them losing. At the same time, the Warriors are probably the most dominant team in the history of the titles so having them lose to a team with less than five matches between then doesn’t make a ton of sense.

I’ll go with the titles changing hands here, as it feels like the kind of change where something can happen to make the show feel important. Cargill getting some gold, even if it is as part of a team, will make her feel that much bigger. I’m not sure how long Belair and Cargill would hold the belts, but they can win them here and get the big moment, which should make the show feel that much more important.

Randy Orton/Kevin Owens vs. Bloodline

So this one is all about the debut of Tama Tonga, who is the new monster who is shaking things up in the Bloodline. At the same time, Paul Heyman revealed that he has not spoken to Roman Reigns since WrestleMania. That opens up all kinds of new doors in the story and I’m curious to see where it goes. Things will be getting started here though and that should be interesting.

As for the match itself, there is pretty much no reason for the Bloodline to lose here so we’ll say they pick up the win. Tonga is going to be getting his big chance here and it wouldn’t stun me to see him pinning Owens to wrap things up. Orton is still one of the most protected names in all of WWE and he won’t be taking the fall here, though Owens likely will be doing just that as the Bloodline wins.

World Heavyweight Championship: Damian Priest(c) vs. Jey Uso

Priest is the new champion, having cashed in Money In The Bank to win at WrestleMania. In theory, that makes him a vulnerable champion who could be in danger of losing to Uso. That being said, it is almost impossible to imagine Uso actually being the one to take the title from Priest, especially this soon into his reign. They don’t have much of a story to set this up and that is making things all the more difficult.

Either way, this is going to end with Priest retaining and that is all that should be happening. The fans are going to go absolutely coconuts for Uso’s entrance, but he isn’t going to be the best choice to win the title, especially under these circumstances. I’m not sure I can imagine Priest holding the title long term, but he isn’t going to lose it to Uso in his first major defense.

WWE Universal Title: Cody Rhodes(c) vs. AJ Styles

Remember pretty much everything I said about Priest winning the title at WrestleMania and therefore having almost no chance to lose the title so soon into his reign? Repeat that here with the volume cranked WAY up. There is almost no way I can spin this as anything but a layup, as there is a grand total of no reason whatsoever for Rhodes to be in any danger of losing the title.

So yeah Rhodes retains here, as the idea of two Georgia boys fighting over the title is not the most interesting way to go. That being said, at some point Rhodes is going to face someone who wasn’t coached/mentored/influenced by Dusty Rhodes and I’m not sure how that kind of a feud is going to be set up. For now though, the story works well enough and Cody will retain.

Overall Thoughts

I’m not sure what to think of this show, as it feels like little more than a glorified house show. That being said, if this week’s Smackdown was any indication, the fans are going to carry this one through the roof because they do not get to see anything like this. I’d assume there are going to be some unannounced big moments to make the show feel more important, because the advertised card isn’t exactly hitting that mark.

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Smackdown
Date: May 3, 2024
Location: LDLC Arena, Lyon-Decines, France
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

We have a rare taped show this week as the show is in France before tomorrow’s Backlash. That means we could have something interesting here, but there is always the chance that not much happens here and everything is built around the special atmosphere. Backlash could use the build and maybe that is what we get this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Bayley/Naomi/Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill vs. Damage CTRL/Tiffany Stratton

Naomi (in French flag gear) starts with Sane and sends her into the corner for the running basement dropkick. Belair comes in with a handspring moonsault and a marching suplex as the fans are WAY into everything. Bayley tags herself in and Belair is not happy, with Stratton taking Bayley down for two to make it worse.

We take a break and come back with Bayley still in trouble, including Asuka hitting a sliding knee for two. Stratton’s handspring elbow in the corner sets up a handspring elbow for two of her own. Bayley fights up and sends Stratton into the corner, allowing the tag off to Cargill for the house cleaning. Everything breaks down and Asuka missile dropkicks Cargill. Kai adds a scorpion kick but gets caught in the KOD to give Belair the pin at 10:17.

Rating: C+. This was the all star tag match with the point being as many people in there as possible. Damage CTRL is flailing but Kai taking the fall is the best way out of this whole thing for them. The important part was keeping the winners looking strong and not having Stratton take the fall on her way into the title shot at Backlash. Nice opener here and Belair/Cargill feel like major stars.

A-Town Down Under is ready for their first title defense and insult the French fans.

Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill want a win and to be done with Damage CTRL. Bayley doesn’t seem impressed.

We look at Carmelo Hayes being drafted to Smackdown last week and coming after Cody Rhodes in a losing effort in last week’s main event. Hayes did show promise though.

Carmelo Hayes is entering the King Of The Ring tournament when Bobby Lashley comes in to offer him any advice he can. Hayes appreciates it but he has it figured out. Lashley points out that he lost last week, with Hayes asking when Lashley took his own shot. Lashley tells him to watch out who he disrespects.

We look at the Smackdown Draft Picks, with the rosters locking this Monday.

New Catch Republic vs. Authors Of Pain

The Final Testament is here with the Authors. Dunne dropkicks at Akam to start and grabs a mostly ineffective armbar. Bate comes in and strikes away but gets powered into the corner so Rezar comes in for a fight over a suplex. Everything breaks down and the villains are sent outside for a flip dive from Bate. Back in and Bate is suplexed into the corner to put him in trouble and we take a break.

We come back with Rezar grabbing a bearhug but Bate slips out and hits a dropkick. A few more shots are enough to bring Dunne back in for the comeback as the fans are going nuts with this stuff. Everything breaks down and Bate manages the airplane spin on Akam, setting up Dunne’s running knee for two. Scarlett offers a distraction so Kross can take Bate out, leaving Dunne to walk into the powerbomb/neckbreaker combination for the pin at 10:28.

Rating: B-. As usual, the power vs. speed formula worked well here as both teams did their parts. This could have gone either way as they’re both heading to Raw so the story might not be over. The Authors are good in the monster role and the Republic knows how to be the scrappy underdogs. Throw in the impressive airplane spin and this works.

We recap Kevin Owens/Randy Orton vs. the Bloodline.

Paul Heyman can’t get Nick Aldis to call off the match so what happens is on Aldis’ hands. Aldis: “Is that from the Tribal Chief?” Heyman reveals he hasn’t spoken to Roman Reigns since Wrestlemania, meaning he pulled Reigns out of the Draft. Aldis isn’t pleased and makes Heyman the guest on the RKOrton Show.

Here are Kevin Owens and Randy Orton for the RKOrton Show. They waste no time in sucking up to the French fans before saying how disappointing it is that their first guest is Paul Heyman. Cue Heyman, who threatens them with Bloodline violence. Owens wants to know who the real Tribal Chief even is anymore, but here is the Bloodline for the brawl. The villains are cleared out and we have another segment designed to get people on the show, which is fine.

The Street Profits want the Tag Team Titles.

Angel vs. LA Knight

The rest of Legado del Fantasma is here with Angel and after another weird QR code, we’re ready to go. Knight starts fast with a neckbreaker to send Angel outside, where he is sent into the announcers’ table on the floor. A corner clothesline and suplex give Knight two inside and we take a break. Back with Berto’s distraction letting Angel get in a shot of his own, only to have Knight clothesline him down. The BFT finishes for Knight at 6:42. Not enough shown to rate but Knight gets a win to get him back on track after losing to AJ Styles.

Post match Knight enters the King of the Ring but Santos Escobar seems to do the same. Violence is teased but Knight hits the catchphrase and leaves instead.

We look back at Carlito being revealed as Dragon Lee’s attacker.

Carlito says he wanted one more Wrestlemania moment but Lee got it instead. That wasn’t cool, so he….gets jumped by Lee instead.

Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. A-Town Down Under

The Profits are challenging and enter through the crowd. A quick misdirection gets things going and Dawkins is pounded down into the corner. That doesn’t last long as it’s quickly off to Ford for the dropkick and Waller is planted with a Rock Bottom. The Swanton sets up the big flip dive as the Profits get to pose.

We take a break and come back with Ford kicking Theory and hitting a springboard elbow on Waller. Everything breaks down and Waller walks the ropes for a missile dropkick. The Sky High into a Doomsday Blockbuster gets two on Waller and even commentary has to praise the kickout. The referee tries to get rid of Ford, leaving Theory to roll Dawkins up, with Waller coming in for a Downward Spiral to retain the titles at 8:06.

Rating: C+. Even though the champs won the titles about a month ago, I thought there was a chance of a title change here to make the show feel special. As it is, it’s nice to have Theory and Waller pick up a win over a credible team. The tag divisions are going to look a lot different starting next week and it’s a good move to have the new champs start their reign with a win like this one.

Here are Cody Rhodes and AJ Styles for a face to face staredown before their title match at Backlash. Styles thinks Cody is overlooking him because he is all distracted by everything going on around him. Cody loves the spotlight because everyone wanted Dusty Rhodes’ son. Then the pressure got to be to much and he left.

Styles came here and people didn’t want him, so he had to prove himself over and over. Now he is ready to prove that he is that phenomenal (the fans REALLY approve). Cody talks about everything he has done to get here including a bunch of mistakes. Now though, he is ready to prove he had what it takes and that is too sweet. The handshake results in Styles slapping him in the face.

The Bloodline and Randy Orton/Kevin Owens are brawling in the back to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. They were in a weird spot with this show as they’re coming up on a pay per view that does not feel important in the slightest and this show didn’t do much to help it. This show felt much more like a house show than anything else, but these fans never get to see this kind of thing live so they were going nuts all night. The wrestling was good, but there was almost nothing you needed to see here, with Heyman’s reveal about not talking to Roman Reigns since Wrestlemania being the only important point. Not a bad show, but absolutely not necessary viewing.

Results
Bayley/Naomi/Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill b. Damage CTRL/Tiffany Stratton – KOD to Kai
Authors Of Pain b. New Catch Republic – Powerbomb/neckbreaker combination to Bate
LA Knight b. Angel – BFT
A-Town Down Under b. Street Profits – Downward Spiral to Dawkins

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

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Smackdown
Date: April 19, 2024
Location: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

We have just a few weeks before Backlash and that means it is time to crown a new #1 contender. That gets covered this week, as LA Knight meets AJ Styles in a Wrestlemania rematch for the shot against Cody Rhodes at Backlash. Other than that, we very well may be in for some new Tag Team Title belts. Let’s get to it.

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

We run down the card.

AJ Styles vs. LA Knight

For the World Title shot against Cody Rhodes at Backlash. Knight grabs a headlock to start and puts the brakes on before Styles can hit the dropkick. They head outside with Knight ramming him into the announcers’ table, as is Knight’s custom. A running dropkick through the ropes puts Styles down again and we take a break.

Back with Knight slugging away but stereo crossbodies leave them both down. They slug it out with Knight getting the better of things and taking Styles up top. The top rope superplex gives Knight two but Styles is back with the Pele. It’s too early for the Phenomenal Forearm so Knight slams him down, setting up the jumping elbow. Styles heads to the apron and manages a quick poke to the eye, setting up the Phenomenal Forearm to go to Backlash at 11:04.

Rating: C+. Styles makes good sense as Cody’s first challenger as Knight would be too popular. Cody vs. Styles will be at least a perfectly acceptable match between two talented stars and Cody should look good as a result. I’m not wild on Knight losing so soon after Wrestlemania, but at least he got his big win there, which is better than nothing at all.

We look back at Tama Tonga debuting and wiping Jimmy Uso out of the Bloodline.

Earlier today, Solo Sikoa, in a very nice suit, meets Paul Heyman in the back and introduces Tama Tonga as the newest member of the Bloodline. Heyman doesn’t seem sure about this but Sikoa cuts him off and wants to know if Kevin Owens is here.

Here is Nick Aldis in the ring to introduce HHH for an announcement. HHH talks about the amazing future that Nick Aldis (and Adam Pearce) are leading us into, so we need Grayson Waller and Austin Theory out here. They get right to the point: the team will now be known as the WWE Tag Team Champions, complete with new belts, which look like the old WWF World Tag Team Titles. Since we have new champions, we need new challengers so let’s do this.

Well also after Naomi says she isn’t letting her friendship with Bayley get in the way of winning the Women’s Title tonight.

Street Profits vs. New Catch Republic vs. Legado del Fantasma vs. AOP

Austin Theory and Grayson Waller are on commentary. Ford headlocks Bate to start but Bate technicals him down without much effort. It’s quickly off to Berto to get in a cheap shot on Ford, setting up a running knee from Angel. The AOP aren’t having this and come in to wreck people as we take a break.

Back with Akam hitting Ford in the face and grabbing an over the shoulder backbreaker. Ford manages to slip out and get over to Bate for a tag as everything breaks down. As the champs can’t focus because of their beautiful new titles, a Tower of Doom (or most of one) leaves some people down, with Bate being double gorilla pressed off the top to make it worse. An assisted powerbomb gets two on Bate but the Republic is back with stereo ankle locks to Legado. Those are broken up and we take another break.

Back again with Rezar powerbombing Dawkins and Bate getting planted as well. The Republic escape the Super Collider and knock the AOP outside as everything breaks down again. Berto’s springboard spinning kick to the face gets two on Dawkins but Dawkins is right back up for the Doomsday Blockbuster. Bate snaps Dawkins’ fingers before the Republic and Ford all hit flip dives to the floor. Back in and Berto clotheslines Bate, setting up Angel’s Lionsault. Ford frog splashes in for the save and the Revelation gives Dawkins the pin on Angel at 17:14.

Rating: B-. This got more time than I was expecting and it worked pretty well. The biggest story here is getting the first challengers set up for the new champs and the Profits are great choices. They’re the kind of team who could conceivably give the new champs a run for their money or even win the titles, but they could also be a good set of first victims. Nice match here, with the time flying by.

We look at Rhea Ripley vacating the Women’s Title due to her shoulder injury.

Bayley is a bit shaken up by what she saw Rhea Ripley do on Raw but she’s not losing tonight.

Paul Heyman and Solo Sikoa keep looking for Kevin Owens but Heyman tells him that he (as in Solo) isn’t allowed to make these decisions yet. Sikoa: “Are you done yet?” They come into the arena and, after a break, Heyman talks about being one of the better backstage politickers in WWE. We pause for a WE WANT ROMAN chant, which has Heyman a bit broken up, but Solo takes the mic.

Sikoa says he had to lose a brother last week to gain a new member of the Bloodline in Tama Tonga. Cue Tonga, who is beating Kevin Owens down the aisle. Referees help Owens to the back as Sikoa and Tonga pose, but (the very bloody) Owens comes back, only to get beaten down by the Bloodline again. Nick Aldis eventually comes in and the Bloodline leaves. Heyman is selling the heck out of this stuff, as the fear he is showing makes me want to know what happens when Reigns, or someone else, shows up again.

Post break Nick Aldis drags Paul Heyman to the parking lot where Tama Tonga’s car has rammed into Kevin Owens’. Heyman is aghast but Aldis threatens him with repercussions if he doesn’t get this under control.

Santos Escobar vs. Carlito

Elektra Lopez and Zelina Vega are here too. Carlito hammers away to start and sends him outside, setting up a dropkick through the ropes. Vega poses on Carlito’s shoulders and we take a break. Back with Escobar snapping off a super hurricanrana as Vega is looking terrified. The armbar goes on but Carlito fights up to make the clothesline comeback. The women get into a brawl on the floor and the distraction lets Escobar hit the Phantom Driver for the pin at 7:37.

Rating: C. Not much to this one, which has been the case for almost everything Carlito has done in recent months. They seem to be pointing towards Carlito being revealed as the guy who took out Dragon Lee, but it almost feels too obvious. At the same time, a heel turn could do Carlito some good, as he doesn’t have anything going on at the moment.

Damage CTRL is in a sky box…but Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair pop up next to them to watch the main event.

Cody Rhodes, currently in England on the UK tour, praises AJ Styles and says he’s looking forward to the title match at Backlash.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bayley vs. Naomi

Naomi is challenging and they fight over wrist control to start. Bayley takes her down into an armbar but Naomi fights up with a springboard bulldog. The Rear View gives Naomi two and we take a break. Back with Naomi hitting a high crossbody for two but Bayley knocks her down for a change. The top rope elbow only hits raised knees though and Naomi grabs a slingshot X Factor.

Naomi’s split legged moonsault hits raised knees and now the top rope elbow connects for two. It’s too early for the Rose Plant and Naomi pulls her into the reverse Rings Of Saturn. Bayley gets to the rope so it’s time to slug it out/yell at each other. Both of them crash out to the floor, where Bayley hits a Bayley onto the announcers’ table…and cue Tiffany Stratton to jump Bayley for the DQ at 11:17.

Rating: C+. There’s a good chance that this is setting up a triple threat for the title at Backlash and that isn’t a bad way to go. Stratton interfering here makes sense but they waited long enough that her interference still felt like a surprise instead of waiting around for her to come in. Naomi has some complaining to do here and we should be in for a showdown when she gets another chance.

Stratton sends them inside for the double Prettiest Moonsault Ever to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. They were in a weird spot with this show as they had to set some things up for Backlash, but with the biggest story being “Roman Reigns isn’t here and the Bloodline is going nuts” and the Draft next week, it wasn’t the most important feeling of a show. What matters is they had a good enough show with some nice action, but everything is changing next week and they knew it.

Results
AJ Styles b. LA Knight – Phenomenal Forearm
Street Profits b. Legado del Fantasma, New Catch Republic and AOP – Revelation to Angel
Santos Escobar b. Carlito – Phantom Driver
Bayley b. Naomi via DQ when Tiffany Stratton interfered

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

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AND

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Smackdown
Date: April 12, 2024
Location: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

It’s the first Smackdown after Wrestlemania and the big story is Cody Rhodes finishing the story, meaning it is time to find out what is next. That could go in a variety of different directions and after Raw, we aren’t likely to see the Rock anytime soon. I’m curious about where this an everything else goes so let’s get to it.

Here are Night One and Night Two of Wrestlemania if you need a recap.

We open with a quick Wrestlemania recap.

Here is Cody Rhodes to quite the hero’s welcome, including the YOU DESERVE IT chant that delays the start of his chat. Cody talks about how the Rock interrupted him on Raw and it made him think of someone from Detroit. That someone would say “who the h*** told you tonight was open mic night b****?”

After that line from Cody’s wife Brandi Rhodes from a few years ago on AEW Dynamite, Cody apologizes for the swearing and talks about the Rock handing him something we couldn’t see. Cody doesn’t say what it was but says that with Rock going off to Hollywood, he’s in the rear view mirror. That means it is time to get ready for Backlash in France, where he will be facing one of six wrestlers.

Cody goes over the six options (Santos Escobar, Rey Mysterio, LA Knight, AJ Styles, Bobby Lashley and Kevin Owens) and says in some cases you need to find out who the better man is. We are sold out here in Detroit and he is no longer the hunter but rather the hunted. To those six wrestlers, if you come at the king, you better not miss. For those of you don’t know him, he was undesirable, became undeniable and is now undisputed. This was the short form victory speech from Cody, but he moved towards his first challenger so the wheels continue to turn.

The Bloodline finds Cody Rhodes’ dressing room, with Kevin Owens sticking his head out. Solo Sikoa says he’ll take care of this. Paul Heyman says winning and losing matters here and if you want the locker room back, the title has to come back to the Bloodline. That’s from the Tribal Chief, so Sikoa seems to rethink things.

Sheamus is coming back.

LA Knight vs. Santos Escobar vs. Bobby Lashley

The winner faces the winner of another triple threat match for the Backlash title shot. After seeing a clip of Legado del Fantasma saying they didn’t attack Dragon Lee last week, it’s a brawl to start with Lashley taking over. Lashley and Knight head outside, with Escobar diving onto both of them as we take a break about a minute in.

Back with Lashley cleaning house until Knight knocks him to the floor. Knight takes over on Escobar…and here is Legado to beat him down, including a triple powerbomb. Lashley comes back in but gets beaten down as well, with the Street Profits coming in for the save. With everyone else gone, Knight hits the BFT to pin Escobar at 8:34.

Rating: C+. The action was good but there was a lot packed into this and that might not have been a good thing. Having that many people run in made the match feel secondary and that shouldn’t be the case in a match with some actual stakes. Knight winning should be setting up a rematch with AJ Styles next week and that is a good way to go.

The LWO doesn’t believe that Legado del Fantasma didn’t take out Dragon Lee. Rey Mysterio says he’s done a lot in recent years, but he thinks he has one more run as WWE Champion.

Here is the Bloodline for a chat. Paul Heyman talks about how things went badly at Wrestlemania and brings up Seth Rollins being the big problem. Rollins came in and distracted Reigns, who gave into temptation and went after Rollins so the focused Cody Rhodes could end everything. Cody Rhodes is the new undisputed WWE Champion, but like a phoenix rising from the ashes….and Solo Sikoa cuts Heyman off.

Sikoa says loses matter, so there are consequences to losing, right? Heyman agrees, with Sikoa saying consequences need change. Heyman panics, but Sikoa moves him aside to look at Jimmy Uso. Sikoa slowly hugs him, says he loves him, and then steps aside so the debuting Tama Tonga can jump Jimmy. The beatdown is on and Tama poses, with Sikoa pulling Heyman over to them (Heyman: “NO PLEASE!”).

Heyman gets to do the pose with them and tries to call Roman Reigns, but Sikoa knocks the phone out of his hand and stomps on it. Jimmy gets the chair wrapped around his head in the corner, where Sikoa says he loves him and the running hip attack (Heyman: “THIS IS NOT WHAT THE TRIBAL CHIEF WANTS!”) connects. The Bloodline leaves, with Heyman looking terrified/bewildered and Jimmy looking dead. This was tremendous, with Heyman selling things as only he can and a feeling of “when the Tribal Chief is away, the mice will play”. The Bloodline continues, and now we get to see where things go in the new direction.

Cameron Grimes vs. Bron Breakker

Breakker wrestles him around to start and hits the Steiner Line. Grimes manages some kicks out of the corner but goes up and is kind of World’s Strongest Slammed out of the air. The spear finishes for Breakker at 1:19. If Breakker can be healthy, he’s World Champion in a few years.

AJ Styles is ready for Rey Mysterio and Kevin Owens and hopes LA Knight is watching.

Here is Bayley for a chat and the fans really seem to love her again. She talks about how good it feels to hear that again and how she has been champion before. This time feels different though because she beat Iyo Sky to get here. It represents the most talented locker room she has ever been a part of, but even more than that, it’s because of all of the fans. The fans never gave up on her and she thanks them so much.

Let’s start this off right by giving someone a new opportunity so here is Tiffany Stratton to interrupt. She isn’t sure why she wasn’t invited to Wrestlemania so she accepts the challenge. Bayley wasn’t talking about “Terry” because she had someone else in mind: Naomi. Tiffany: “NAOMI? She couldn’t win a title if it glowed in the dark!” Cue Naomi, with Tiffany saying she already beat her. Naomi takes the coat off and says Tiffany is trying her on the wrong night. She can’t accept Bayley’s challenge just yet because she needs to beat Tiffany right here and now. Bayley is slipping right back into her old style and that is great.

Paul Heyman checks on Jimmy Uso, when Tama Tonga comes in to say by orders of the Tribal Chief (Heyman is scared again), and Solo Sikoa comes in with the taped thumb. Tonga and Sikoa leave. Heyman: “What the h*** does that mean?” Lost and confused Heyman is working very well.

Tiffany Stratton vs. Naomi

Non-title and Bayley is at ringside. We’re joined in progress with Naomi running the ropes but getting knocked down. Stratton takes her into the corner for some shots to the ribs but Naomi hits a knee to the face. Back up and Naomi hammers away, only to be sent outside for a crash as we take a break. We come back with Naomi hitting a middle rope spinning kick to the head. Stratton drops her again and hits a running double stomp for two of her own. The Prettiest Moonsault Ever misses though and Naomi grabs a rollup for the pin at 9:16.

Rating: C. They needed to give Naomi a win to set her up for her title shot and while I could have gone with it not being against Stratton, this was the right way to go. Stratton is going to be around the title picture sooner than later and it wouldn’t shock me to see her cause some mayhem when Naomi gets her shot.

Grayson Waller and Austin Theory brag about winning the Smackdown Tag Team Titles.

The Street Profits and New Catch Republic are watching the video. Nick Aldis says we’ll find the next challengers next week.

Logan Paul brags about beating a legend in Randy Orton and a dunce in Kevin Owens. It was the biggest Wrestlemania ever and that’s because of him.

Chelsea Green/Piper Niven vs. Jade Cargill/Bianca Belair

This is Niven’s first match in about two months. Belair beats up Green to start so it’s off to Niven, who tries going after the braid. That doesn’t work at all as it’s off to Cargill, who hits Jaded for the pin at 1:22. Yeah that worked.

Kevin Owens takes a Detroit Tigers WWE Title belt and, after shoving a CM Punk shirt off the table, talks about how he’s going to win. Also, Dominik Mysterio sucks.

Rey Mysterio vs. Kevin Owens vs. AJ Styles

The winner gets LA Knight next week for the shot against Cody Rhodes at Backlash. Styles gets sent to the floor to start but he cuts off Rey’s dive without much trouble. Owens knocks Styles down and hits a Cannonball against the barricade. Rey drops Owens and we take an early break.

Back with Styles flipping Rey into a tornado DDT on Owens but being able to block the 619. Owens is back in and Styles is sent outside, leaving Owens to hit the swinging superplex on Mysterio. With everyone back in, Owens German suplexes both of them at once for a rather nasty landing and a triple breather. Rey tries the 619 on Styles but Owens breaks it up and hits a Stunner to send Rey outside. The Swanton hits knees so Rey and AJ go up. Styles hits a Styles Clash to send Rey onto Owens, which is enough to give Styles the pin at 9:14.

Rating: B-. They did some cool stuff in here but Styles was the only winner that made sense here. Styles vs. Knight II for the title shot is a good way to go and it wouldn’t surprise me to see Styles move on. Styles is a perfect choice to be Rhodes’ first challenger, as beating him would mean something but it’s not wasting a big title shot. For now though, nice main event to set up next week.

LA Knight comes out for the staredown with Styles to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The Bloodline stuff was the highlight here, with Tama Tonga being added in a good moment. Other than that, they set up a #1 contenders match to get us the Backlash main event and gave us Bayley’s first challenger. Throw in squashes for Bron Breakker and Jade Cargill and this was a fun show which also played off what we saw at Wrestlemania.

Results
LA Knight b. Santos Escobar and Bobby Lashley – BFT to Escobar
Bron Breakker b. Cameron Grimes – Spear
Naomi b. Tiffany Stratton – Rollup
Jade Cargill/Bianca Belair b. Chelsea Green/Piper Niven – Jaded to Green
AJ Styles b. Kevin Owens and Rey Mysterio – Super Styles Clash to Mysterio

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

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

AND

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

Wrestlemania XL Night One
Date: April 6, 2024
Location: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Pat McAfee, Corey Graves, Michael Cole
National Anthem: Coco Jones

We have arrived. It’s time for the biggest show of the year and in this case, the main event of night one is going to have an impact on that of night two. We have Cody Rhodes/Seth Rollins teaming up with the Bloodline, with the winners determining the stipulations for Rhodes’ title shot against Roman Reigns. Other than that, Rhea Ripley defends the Raw Women’s Title against Becky Lynch. Let’s get to it.

Note that I was in the stadium for this show, sitting in the upper deck with the stage on my right.

There is a new Then, Now and Forever video, which is rather awesome looking and has a lot of blue.

Coco Jones sings the National Anthem, which is a big change from decades of America the Beautiful.

Michael Cole welcomes us to the show and talks about the main event.

The opening video talks about the greatness of Philadelphia before moving on to the greatness that is Wrestlemania. Alas no Sylvester Stallone, but we’ll have to settle for Meek Mill.

Here is HHH (er sorry: Paul “Triple H” Levesque) for the big opening. He loves this stuff and welcomes us to the show. End of appearance.

We recap Becky Lynch challenging Rhea Ripley for the Raw Women’s Title. Lynch was the biggest star in the world and needs to prove that she still has it against Ripley, who is the best in the world right now. I’ve heard worse ideas.

Raw Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley vs. Becky Lynch

Ripley is defending and is played to the ring by Motionless In White. Lynch counters this by….having strep throat. Ouch. Ripley shoves her into the corner to start but Lynch snaps the arm over the ropes to go after the previously injured wrist. They head outside for a bit, with Ripley firing off shoulders in the corner back inside. A suplex gives Ripley two and she stomps Lynch down, setting up an Eddie frog splash.

The dance takes too long though, allowing Lynch to grab a top rope armdrag. A tornado DDT plants Ripley and Lynch drapes her over the ropes for the middle rope legdrop to the back. Back in and Ripley faceplants Lynch to take over and a knee to the face gets two. Riptide is blocked though and Lynch goes for the cross armbreaker, which is….eventually broken up with three straight powerbombs.

The arm is ok enough for Ripley to kick Lynch in the face for two, setting up the exchange of strikes. Ripley misses a charge into the post and Lynch grabs the Disarm-Her in the corner. That’s reversed into the Prism Trap with a bodyscissors but Lynch stacks her up for two instead. Riptide is reversed into a release Manhandle Slam for two and Lynch is getting frustrated. Another Disarm-Her attempt is countered into the Riptide for two and now it’s Ripley’s turn to be stunned.

They go up top where Lynch grabs a superplex and floats over into the Disarm-Her. That’s countered into an electric chair and they fall over the top to the floor without breaking it up. The electric chair drop onto the floor has Lynch crashing down hard, followed by a frog splash for two back inside. Back up and they head to the top again, where Lynch’s super Manhandle Slam is blocked. Instead it’s a Riptide onto the buckle (that’s a new one) into the regular Riptide to retain the title at 17:08.

Rating: B. This felt like both a rather good match as well as an official passing of the torch. While Ripley had been the biggest star in the women’s division for a good while, she needed to beat the biggest women’s star ever to cement her status. It was a heck of a fight and Lynch certainly made it interesting, but this was about Ripley getting her big title defense and it worked well. Heck of an opener here.

Pretty Deadly preview the six team ladder match, complete with impressions of the teams. These two are always hilarious because they lean into the cheese that hard.

Tag Team Titles: Judgment Day vs. Awesome Truth vs. DIY vs. New Day vs. Austin Theory/Grayson Waller vs. New Catch Republic

Judgment Day is defending in a ladder match, with the two sets of titles hanging up in different places (that sounds splitty to me). They’re going rapid fire with the entrances for obvious reasons, but they go so fast that the Awesome Truth’s graphics are still up for New Catch Republic, with commentary mocking the production team as a result. Xavier Woods is in Consequences Creed gear, which is rather appropriate here.

It’s a big brawl to start (of course) and a bunch of people go after Priest, leaving Theory and Waller to climb a ladder each. That’s broken up as well with a bunch of people going up in a less than successful attempt. The champs come back in and wreck people until Bate torture racks Balor and a ladder for an upside down airplane spin. You know, because he can do that. The Republic goes up top on the ladder at ringside and moonsault down onto a pile of people each.

Back in and Bate goes up so Priest Razor’s Edges Dunne into the ladder for a big double crash down. Miz gets double teamed so Truth….stands on the apron and begs for the tag. Naturally Miz gets away and makes the diving tag, allowing Truth to use initiate John Cena’s finishing sequence on Balor.

The crowd counts the pin off the AA so Truth thinks he won but DIY is back in. Truth has Johnny Gargano tune up the band (because Truth thinks he’s Shawn Michaels) and it’s a superkick to Priest, setting up Ciampa’s Fairy Tale Ending. DIY and Awesome Truth decide to go after a title each but Theory and Waller make the save…and win the Smackdown Tag Team Titles at 7:31.

New Day cuts off Theory from going for the other belts before the Republic throws Waller off a ladder and through another one at ringside (Waller held onto his belt of course). DIY clean house and load up some tables at ringside (oh dear), with Truth setting up another one on another side. New Day is back in and set Ciampa on another bridged ladder, with Woods hitting the Limit Break.

Kofi goes up and Trust Falls onto a bunch of people on the floor but Theory cuts off Woods’ climb. The Republic breaks that up and the Birminghammer drops Theory again. A slingshot DDT through a table takes out Gargano and Dunne, leaving Ciampa to hit an Air Raid Crash off the ladder to plant Bate.

Truth goes up but cue JD McDonagh to pull him down and help Balor climb up. New Day isn’t having that and chairs Balor down, setting up a toss to send McDonagh through the tables. Priest comes back in to wreck New Day until Miz cuts him off. Priest chokeslams Miz down as the ladder is breaking underneath them. A fresh ladder is brought in, with Truth AA’ing Priest to the floor, leaving Truth to climb the ladder and get the belts for the win at 17:32.

Rating: C+. It was a six way tag team ladder match with twelve people involved, plus McDonagh interfering. There is only so much you’re going to be able to get out of a mess like this and they did about as well as possible. It’s a fun match with some big crashes, but the titles being split is what matters most here. I’m not sure they needed to be, but I’ll take this over two people with so many belts at once.

Olympic gold medal winning wrestler Jordan Burroughs is here.

We recap Rey Mysterio/Andrade vs. Dominik Mysterio/Santos Escobar. Rey and Escobar have been feuding since Escobar turned on him in November but Dominik got involved to teach his father a lesson again. Both of them have partners so let’s have a tag match.

Rey Mysterio/Andrade vs. Santos Escobar/Dominik Mysterio

The LWO and Legado del Fantasma are here too. Rey snaps off a headscissors to Escobar to start and it’s quickly off to Dominik. Everything breaks down in a hurry with the villains being sent outside. Andrade goes up so Rey sits on his shoulders and they dive onto the floor for a double crossbody while still being attached. Back in and Dominik breaks up the 619 before sending Rey outside again.

Escobar takes over on the floor and it’s a slingshot hilo to give Dominik two back inside. Dominik elbows him down for two more and a double basement dropkick gives Escobar the same. The seated abdominal stretch goes on as commentary talks about Carlito being unhappy with not being Andrade’s partner here. Rey Code Reds his way to freedom and the tag brings in Andrade to clean house.

Andrade’s running knees hit Dominik in the corner but he neckbreakers his way out of trouble. Rey comes in to beat up on the now legal Escobar as everything breaks down. Some Legado interference lets Escobar hit a super hurricanrana. Everyone else gets in a fight at ringside, including Wilde’s insane slingshot dive to the floor. Dominik grabs a chair but two rather large men in masks grab both the chair and Dominik, who is sent inside. Andrade takes out Dominik, leaving Rey to hit a top rope splash to pin Escobar at 11:00.

Rating: C+. I’m a little surprised that Rey beat Dominik (albeit indirectly this time) for the second year in a row but at least Andrade seems to be getting a push. Carlito might not be happy with it though and that opens up a door. If nothing else, this might be the end of Rey vs. Escobar, which is kind of a shame as Escobar felt like he had potential.

The masked men are former Philadelphia Eagles Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson.

We recap Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso. It’s a battle of the twins, with the two of them being so close for so long until Jimmy decided to side with the Bloodline against Jey. This included Jimmy costing Jey the World Title at Summerslam….and now the match is taking place eight months later.

Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso

Jey is rapped to the ring by Lil Wayne and then dives onto Jimmy to start the brawl before the bell. They get back inside for the bell and Jey hits the big dive to drop him again. Back in and a high crossbody gives Jey two but Jimmy grabs something close to a pop up Samoan drop (it doesn’t quite land). Jimmy slowly kicks him down, then does it again a few more times. The Superfly Splash misses so Jey hits a superkick of his own.

They slug it out (YEET/NO YEET) before trading jumping enziguris. An exchange of superkicks goes to Jey, with Jimmy being knocked into the corner. Jey kicks him down and loads up another big one but Jimmy begs off. Jimmy apologizes and Jey (eventually) accepts it, earning the cheap superkick from Jimmy in the process. The Superfly Splash gives Jimmy two but Jey hits a spear into his own Superfly Splash for the pin at 11:09

Rating: D. Oh yeah that didn’t work. Its a mixture of a few problems, starting with the fact that they wrestle such similar styles. You can only get so much out of that many kicks to the face and then a lame fake apology. The other problem is there was zero reason to believe Jimmy was going to win. In the time since Summerslam, Jey has turned into a solid midcard star who can be taken seriously. On the other hand, Jimmy is little more than a comedy goof most of the time.

This is a match that made sense on paper, but it needed to be a much more physical brawl and it needed to come about seven months earlier. As it is, it was a match that should have been a good brawl but instead it felt like “ok they’re having their match so they can say they did it at Wrestlemania.” This was a really bad miss and that’s a shame.

Ad for WWE Experience in Saudi Arabia. This was LOUDLY booed in the stadium.

We recap the Kabuki Warriors vs. Naomi/Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill, which is pretty much “these three women are amazing together” and Damage CTRL are little more than designated victims.

Naomi/Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill vs. Damage CTRL

Damage CTRL have a bunch of Japanese women dancing before their entrance, while the other three all step off a scissor lift for individual entrances. This includes Cargill, who has hacked off a lot of her hair. Naomi sends Asuka into the corner to start but gets caught by Sane, who sends her outside. The top rope elbow to the floor hits a standing Naomi and it’s back inside so Asuka can hit Naomi in the face a few times.

Naomi kicks her way to freedom and hands it off to Belair as they’re saving Cargill for the big moment. Belair grabs a vertical suplex while marching around the ring, because of course she can do that. A handspring moonsault hits all three villains for two but Kai cuts off the tag to Cargill.

The running knee gives Asuka two on Belair but she’s right back up to hand it off to Cargill for the big reaction. House is quickly cleaned and an over the shoulder piledriver plants Sane. Everything breaks down and Belair hits the hair whip on Asuka (you could hear that crack at the top of the stadium and my goodness it’s amazing). The KOD drops Asuka and Jaded finishes Kai at 8:05.

Rating: C+. The match was never in doubt and they did this exactly as they should have. This was 100% about Jade getting the big tag at the end and cleaning house to win, which they nailed to perfection. They didn’t risk her doing anything dumb or having the chance to get exposed, making this about as well done as it could have been. Perfect presentation, good enough match.

Post match the winners get the big hero pose and that is something WWE is going to want to push for a good while.

We recap Gunther vs. Sami Zayn for the former’s Intercontinental Title. Gunther is pretty much the most dominant champion of all time and Zayn isn’t sure if he still has it. Chad Gable has given him a heck of a pep talk and training to help him believe in himself, as Zayn is still worried about failing again. Now Zayn is fired up and that’s a threat to Gunther and the title.

Zayn is in the back with his wife and son, the latter of whom believes he can do it. His family leaves and Chad Gable comes in to say he believes in Zayn too, but Zayn is on his own tonight. Oh and he owes Gable a favor later. Zayn does the long walk towards the ring and runs into Kevin Owens, who gives him a big hug. Just play the Rocky theme already. Or one of the catchiest themes in wrestling history.

Intercontinental Title: Sami Zayn vs. Gunther

Gunther is defending and Zayn’s wife is in the front row. Commentary is all over with the Rocky references, even saying that Zayn fights great but Gunther is a great fighter. Zayn ducks an early chop and strikes away but gets caught with a German suplex. A big boot drops Zayn again and Gunther lays him on top for the boot choke. Back up and Gunther fires off the chops but Zayn unloads with rights and lefts.

A half and half suplex drops Gunther but he’s back up with a big clothesline. It’s to early for the powerbomb though and Zayn grabs the tornado DDT. The Blue Thunder Bomb is countered and Gunther pulls him into the sleeper in the middle of the ring. With Zayn getting close to the ropes, Gunther drops him with a German suplex. Zayn manages the exploder into the corner but Gunther dropkicks him into the corner.

The powerbomb gives Gunther two and now he’s looking frustrated. Gunther clotheslines him hard again and hits two more powerbombs for two, meaning it’s time to yell at Zayn’s wife. Another powerbomb puts Zayn down and it’s a top rope splash to make it worse. Gunther does it again and still won’t cover, instead yelling at Zayn’s wife again. That’s somehow enough to wake Zayn up so Gunther goes up top again, allowing Zayn to hit a Helluva Kick. The brainbuster onto the buckle sets up a pair of Helluva Kicks to give Zayn the pin and the title in the big upset at 15:05.

Rating: A-. Maybe it’s that I’m a big Rocky fan but they nailed every bit of this. Gunther had been the unstoppable monster for so long and Zayn is about as perfect of an underdog as you can get in today’s wrestling. It was a great story, a heck of a match and an incredible moment when Zayn FINALLY beat Gunther. After such a long reign, Gunther is going to be just fine as he moves up to the main event scene. This was about as perfect as it could have been and I loved it quite a bit.

Here’s a four minute video on how great Wrestlemania really is. I kept waiting for this to go somewhere and it just didn’t.

Pat McAfee recaps the ending of the Rey Mysterio match earlier, complete with telestrator.

Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis thank the fans for the attendance of 72,543.

Celebrities are here.

Wrestlemania Sunday rundown.

We recap the Rock/Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes/Seth Rollins. Rock has returned and joined forces with Reigns as we have something of a Rhodes vs. Anoa’i Family war, plus the combined efforts to dethrone Reigns at any cost. Rock has made it very personal with Cody, even bringing Cody’s mother into things. The deal here is that while Cody has a shot against Reigns set, the stipulations will be set in the tag match. If the Bloodline wins, it’s anything goes tomorrow, but if Cody/Rollins win, it will be a normal match with the Bloodline barred from ringside.

The Rock/Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes/Seth Rollins

The entrances are incredibly long, with Rollins wearing something that could be described as clothes and Rock having a theme of reaching his final form and walking through a flaming Brahma Bull logo (while carrying the People’s Title which was given to him at the Hall Of Fame). From the start of the recaps to the opening bell (including Big Match Intros): about 25 minutes.

The bell rings and the four of them stare at each other for about a minute and a half until Reigns and Rollins start things off, with the first contact coming over two and a half minutes in. Reigns powers him down without much trouble but Rollins kicks him in the ribs. Cody comes in for some jabs which don’t get him very far. Rollins tags himself back in and NOW Rock wants in. The slow, dramatic tag does in fact bring him in and the fans are rather pleased with Rock.

Rollins gets shoved down again and hammers away, setting up the running clothesline out of the corner. It’s off to Cody and the fans are behind Rock again. They fight over a lockup and don’t get very far until Rhodes takes him into the corner and strikes away. Some double teaming has Rock in trouble as commentary talks about whether or not the Rock needed to save WWE.

All four get in for another showdown and now it’s time to go outside for a brawl. Rock tells the referee that he’s fired if he counts while they’re on the floor before brawling with Rollins in the crowd. Cody and Reigns fight up to the stage where a suplex drops Reigns again. Rock spits some water in Rollins’ face and Cody is thrown off the ramp (not that far mind you) for a crash. Rollins sends Rock back inside but Reigns takes out Rollins’ knee to turn things around.

Back in and Rock starts going after the bad knee before it’s Reigns coming in to kick at the knee as well. A half crab stays on the knee, followed by a whip into the steps on the floor. They go back inside where Rollins is whipped hard into the buckle, allowing Reigns to fire off the hard clotheslines. The Superman Punch is countered into a neckbreaker but Rock isn’t about to let the tag go through that quickly.

A low blow hits Rollins, with the referee having to apologize to Cody for not being able to do anything about it. Rollins fights back again and sends Reigns outside…where Reigns can cut off the diving tag attempt. Rock grabs the eternally awful Sharpshooter so Cody comes in with the big slap for the break. Rollins hits a superkick and a Stomp but can’t follow up because of the knee.

The tag brings in Cody a few seconds later and house is quickly cleaned. There’s the powerslam into the Disaster Kick to put Reigns down and the Cody Cutter gets two. Another Disaster Kick is countered with the Superman Punch and Reigns is not happy about his nose being cut. The spear misses and a top rope Cody Cutter…is more like a top rope elbow to the jaw instead.

Either way it puts Reigns down for a frog splash to give Rollins two. Rollins’ stomp is countered with a powerbomb for two but Cody is back in for the superkick party. The Stomp into Cross Rhodes gets two with Rock pulling the referee out. A low blow into the spear gives Reigns two on Cody and Rock is ticked. Reigns grabs the guillotine and Rock even holds Cody’s legs down until Rollins is back in with a stomp for the save.

Rock sends Rollins outside and gets the tag (because we need tags again) before bringing out the MAMA RHODES belt. Said Mama Rhodes (at ringside) yells at Rock but Cody knocks the belt away. The Bionic Elbow connects with Rock, who is right back with the spinebuster. The People’s Elbow is countered with the Cody Cutter, only to have Reigns break up Cross Rhodes.

Back up and Reigns’ spear hits Rock by mistake, setting up stereo Pedigrees for two. Rollins dives onto Reigns outside and the other two load up the announcers’ table. Rock gets the better of things and loads up a Rock Bottom but Rollins grabs Cody’s leg, meaning Cody can hit a Rock Bottom through the table. Reigns spears Rollins through the barricade and everyone is down.

It’s Reigns back up with the apron boot to Cody but Cody slugs his way to Cross Rhodes. Another Cross Rhodes connects but Rock hits him in the back with the weightlifting belt. A spear from Reigns sets up the Rock Bottom and People’s Elbow to give Rock the pin at 44:33(!). Cole: “Cody is screwed.”

Rating: C+. The match was good but e pluribus gads they went way too long. This is a match where you could cut out probably close to twenty minutes without missing much. The first twenty minutes barely had anything going on and then they went into the long heat segment on Rollins. Things picked way up near the end though and they did the right ending, but after a long show with the cold, this match felt WAY longer than it needed to be. What matters though is setting up Cody’s darkest hour as he is up against the wall and might need to assemble the Avengers (perhaps with some outside help) to FINALLY beat Reigns.

The winners celebrate and Cody/Rollins know they’re in trouble.

The big highlight package takes us out.

Overall Rating: B-. This is going to be a show where the experience of watching it live is going to be very different than watching it at home. The cold weather was a major factor in this as I spent most of the show trying to stay warm and that makes the show a lot less fun to watch. As for the show itself, you had a good opener, a heck of an Intercontinental Title match and the big epic main event but the rest of the show was lacking in quality. Only the Usos match was bad (and a lot of that was due to how we got here) but it certainly wasn’t a top level Wrestlemania. Overall, pretty good with some great high points, though it wasn’t able to get over the hump.

Results
Rhea Ripley b. Becky Lynch – Riptide
Austin Theory/Grayson Waller and Awesome Truth won the six way tag team ladder match
Rey Mysterio/Andrade b. Dominik Mysterio/Santos Escobar – Frog splash to Escobar
Jey Uso b. Jimmy Uso – Superfly Splash
Jade Cargill/Bianca Belair/Naomi b. Damage CTRL – Jaded to Kai
Sami Zayn b. Gunther – Helluva Kick
The Rock/Roman Reigns b. Cody Rhodes/Seth Rollins – People’s Elbow to Rhodes

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I hate having to do this but I just do not have the time to do a full on preview for the show in my usual format. It’s this or nothing this time so here’s a short form version:

Rhea Ripley retains over Becky Lynch. Ripley has held the title for a year and doesn’t feel anywhere near ready to lose it yet.

Gunther retains over Sami Zayn. The pieces are there, but I don’t think they pull the trigger on Gunther just yet.

The Tag Team Titles are split, with DIY and New Catch Republic (due to a lack of anyone else) getting a set each.

Jey Uso b. Jimmy Uso. Why in the world would it be anything else?

Bianca Belair/Naomi/Jade Cargill b. Damage CTRL. Did I mention the JADE CARGILL part? There is zero chance she’s losing her first Wrestlemania match.

Santos Escobar/Dominik Mysterio b. Rey Mysterio/Andrade. Yeah they did the angle on Smackdown, but why in the world would you have Rey beat Dominik two years in a row?

Bloodline b. Cody Rhodes/Seth Rollins, setting up Bloodline Rules for Cody’s big title shot. I like the idea of him winning straight up, but having Cody overcome ALL of the odds is a better story.