Monday Night Raw
Date: June 29, 2026
Location: Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re done with the Saudi Arabian excursion and the big story for the red people is Oba Femi and Iyo Sky winning their respective crowns. Sky has already announced that she is challenging Liv Morgan at Summerslam but Femi has a choice to make. Other than that, Roman Reigns is back so let’s get to it.

Here is Night Of Champions if you need a recap.

We open with a long Night Of Champions recap, capped off by Sami Zayn getting the long awaited WWE Title win.

Here is Femi to get things going. He appreciates the chants but those are for a ruler. Now he deserves a reaction for a king. Lady Destiny is not done with him and a choice has to be made…and here are Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman to interrupt. Lesnar actually handles his own introduction and says that while he doesn’t watch the show, he knows that being King Of The Ring is an accomplishment.

Heyman has told Lesnar that Femi has a big decision to make and maybe Lesnar can help him with that. Lesnar understands that Femi called him a coward and a b**** while he was gone. Heyman has said that Femi is a h*** of a promo and Lesnar could never do that, which is why he has Heyman around.

As the saying goes though, talk s***, get hit, so it’s a low blow and F5 to leave Femi laying. Heyman: “NOW THAT WAS A GREAT PROMO!” The two of them go to leave but Femi calls Lesnar a b**** one more time. He wants to fight Lesnar at Summerslam to settle the score. That’s fine with Lesnar….who wants it in the Cell. Heyman panics as you would expect. That’s a heck of a match, but dang I hope they don’t just pull a bait and switch with the King Of The Ring title shot.

Post break we recap what we just saw.

Heyman is in the back with Adam Pearce, saying that the match was just given to him (imagine the t-shirt sales). They have the biggest match of all time in the Summerslam main event. Austin Theory comes in to say that he didn’t know Heyman was back and he has a match tonight. Heyman: “Well now you know.” Heyman goes off and Pearce goes to talk to Femi, who says he can get the title shot later. I really, really hope they aren’t just going to say that the King Of The Ring means nothing and that we wasted all of our time on it.

Ethan Page vs. Rey Mysterio

Mysterio picks up the pace to start and knocks Page down but gets caught up top. Page stomps away in the Tree Of Woe, followed by a backbreaker onto the turnbuckle. We take a break and come back with Mysterio trying a sunset flip, resulting in Page punching the mat by mistake.

Page is sent outside for the sliding splash and Mysterio rains down some right hands inside. A reverse sitout powerbomb gives Page two of his own and a big boot gets the same. Mysterio is fine enough to grab a super hurricanrana, setting up the 619. The frog splash finishes Page at 10:48.

Rating: C+. Mysterio’s ability to have these matches at his age and after all of those injuries is nothing short of remarkable. He’s nowhere near what he once was (of course) but he’s still having absolutely watchable and acceptable matches out there. Page losing clean isn’t the best sign, but at least it gives Mysterio some revenge.

Judgment Day goes to find Danhausen in a search for their money and steal something New York Knicks related.

Here is Joe Hendry for a concert, with special guests the Street Profits. They’re very happy with their title win last week and Ford thanks the fans for always believing in them. They also thank Seth Rollins and call last week’s win a beautiful song. That’s enough for Hendry to sing about how we have new champs and how pathetic the Vision happens to be.

This brings out Austin Theory, who calls the Profits thieves. The rematch is officially set for next week and the Profits approve, but they’re not sure if Bron Breakker is healthy enough. For right now though, Theory wants to face Hendry, who seems to approve. Theory already said he had a match tonight so why is this a surprise?

Joe Hendry vs. Austin Theory

We’re joined in progress with Hendry in trouble but he fights up with the Hit Single (discus lariat). Graves wants to know who declared that a hit as Theory gets in a hard forearm for two. The Last Shot gives Theory two more and he slugs away, only to charge into a Side Effect to give Hendry the pin out of nowhere at 3:34.

Rating: C. That was kind of a sudden finish but I’ll take Hendry getting on the show and getting to do something after weeks of pretty much nothing. They set this up last week as Hendry goes after what is left of the Vision and the song makes it even better. Hendry is still finding his place around here and this is a good enough spot to start, even in a short match.

Raquel Rodriguez complains to Adam Pearce and gets a match with Maxxine Dupri tonight. Liv Morgan and Roxanne Perez come in with Morgan going on about her problems but Rodriguez says she has Morgan’s back. Perez didn’t get to say a word.

Here is Queen Of The Ring Iyo Sky, who is very grateful to be back here with the crown. Sky celebrates her win but Liv Morgan interrupts. Morgan is tired of hearing from Sky and promises to win at Summerslam, where she will remain the greatest Women’s Champions of allllllll (this goes on for about ten seconds) time.

Until then though, Sky is in trouble and here is the rest of the Judgment Day, who are quickly cleared out. An Oblivion attempt is countered and Sky grabs a German suplex. A big kick to the head looks to set up Over The Moonsault but Rodriguez is there to put Sky in the Tree Of Woe. The team works on Sky’s knee and Morgan gets the half crab until agents and referees break it up. They’ve got a long time to build to the match and Sky taking out Morgan’s friends is a good enough way to go.

We recap LA Knight turning down Solo Sikoa’s offer of teaming up from Smackdown.

LA Knight vs. Jimmy Uso

Jey Uso is here with Jimmy so Knight goes outside to yell at him for a bit. Back in and Knight grabs a headlock but gets switched into an armbar. Knight stomps Jimmy in the corner, with a running shot getting two. Jimmy is back up with an enziguri and high crossbody for two, followed by the suicide dive.

We take a break and come back with Knight striking away, followed by the jumping neckbreaker out of the corner. Knight misses something off the top though and Jimmy hits a spear for two. The Superfly Splash is countered as Knight runs the corner for the top rope superplex and the big crash. Knight takes out Jey and hits his jumping top rope elbow on Jimmy. Jey offers a distraction though and Jimmy grabs a rollup for the pin at 11:53.

Rating: C+. And then Sikoa will help Knight after the match and it feels like I’ve seen this story a few dozen times now. This is hardly anything that original and I could really go for Knight not losing so often. He still feels like he’s just on the cusp of breaking through and the kind of thing isn’t helping him. At least he’s doing something though, much like Jimmy for a change.

Post match the beatdown is on but Solo Sikoa runs in for the save. That’s enough for Knight to come back up with a BFT.

We look at Gunther and Nick Aldis getting into a shoving match after Night Of Champions. Aldis and Gunther have been sent home and the former is on administrative leave. For now, Adam Pearce is running both shows.

Jey Uso wants to face Sami Zayn for the title at Summerslam. Jacob Fatu is off to do something about it. Jimmy Uso: “Group text!”

Lyra Valkyria isn’t sure why people are getting on her for turning on Bayley. The anger got the better of her ONE TIME but she isn’t letting it get her down. She wanted to bring Bayley up with her and never hurt her. Last week felt so good though just because she got to close the gap.

Maxxine Dupri passes Chad Gable without saying anything but stops and says she’s sorry, which Gable says isn’t necessary. He wishes her luck in her match.

Maxxine Dupri vs. Raquel Rodriguez

Dupri has to pull a Matrix to avoid an early big boot and they’re quickly on the floor. Rodriguez pulls her down by the hair and hits a slingshot Jackhammer. The back and forth elbows in the corner have Dupri in more trouble and Rodriguez grabs a torture rack. With that broken up, a hard clothesline drops Dupri again. She’s right back up with a kick and the straps come down, only for Rodriguez to counter a second attempt into the Tejana Bomb for the pin at 3:15.

Rating: C. The Dupri experiment seems to be over as Rodriguez shrugged off everything Dupri threw at her here and won in the end. That very well might put Rodriguez on the path to a title shot and there are certainly worse ideas. As for Dupri, she’s got the Theory deal to keep her busy and that should be enough for the time being. It’s probably better for her anyway.

Danhausen finds his lab ruined and his Knicks gift missing. Liv Morgan comes in and Danhausen accuses her of doing this, with Morgan saying it was all of the Judgment Day. She wants their money back and the curse lifted as Morgan flips her hair in his face and leaves.

Chad Gable vs. JD McDonagh

Dominik Mysterio, in the stolen Danhausen jersey, is here with McDonagh. They fight over technical control to start with McDonagh working on the arm. Gable fights up and grabs a backdrop into an armdrag as McDonagh is in trouble. Mysterio has to save McDonagh fro the ankle lock and McDonagh uses the distraction to send Gable into the steps.

We take a break and come back with Gable rolling German suplexes, followed the rolling Liger kicks in the corner. McDonagh is back up with a standing Spanish Fly for two, with Gable rolling him up for the same. A brainbuster gives McDonagh two more but Gable suplexes him into the corner.

The ankle lock goes on again before Gable goes up top, where Mysterio offers a distraction. That lets McDonagh hit a super Spanish Fly for two and here’s Danhausen, complete with a briefcase. That gets a chase from Mysterio, allowing Gable to lock the ankle again for the tap at 11:36 (Gable is favoring his hamstring as he leaves so hopefully that’s nothing).

Rating: B-. Right now it isn’t a question of whether Gable will get to do something but rather what and when. Gable is on fire coming back from Mexico and it seems that they have stripped away a bunch of the stupid stuff and let him be himself. I’d like to see what he can do and right now it seems like he could be in for some kind of a story, which has me hopeful for Summerslam and beyond.

Post match Judgment Day goes for the briefcase, which sprays smoke in their face. Danhausen pops up to steal the jersey back. Danhausen declares that he won but Raquel Rodriguez shows up to jump him and steal the jersey again.

Austin Theory comes up to Maxxine Dupri and doesn’t like what she said to Chad Gable. If Dupri wants to go back down that road, maybe this isn’t working out. Theory leaves and the Alpha Academy come in to ask if she’s ok. Dupri doesn’t know and leaves on her own.

Here are Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu for a chat. Reigns hits the catchphrase and here is Seth Rollins to interrupt immediately. They stare at each other for a long time until Rollins says “hello my brother”. They have been tied together for fourteen years and Reigns is in possession of something that belongs to Rollins. Yes his brother, it is time to collect. Reigns says Rollins is the back of the line but Rollins says he owns Reigns no matter what.

Rollins lists off some of the times he’s been one step ahead of Reigns over the years, going all the way to the chair shot that ended the Shield. Reigns may be as great as the people think he is but he has never beaten Rollins. This may be Reigns’ last chance to do this because they cam through the crowd together and made this place their own together.

Now there is a new generation ready to come in and take over so this may be their last chance to do this together. Reigns is one of the best ever but if he doesn’t accept this challenge, he may never escape Rollins’ shadow. Reigns says that’s the first truth he’s heard from Rollins in a long time and he needs to beat him. The match is set. This was hardly a big shock but Rollins sold the match rather well.

Overall Rating: B. This was the SUMMERSLAM AHOY show as Night Of Champions is basically forgotten about and we’re on to the build to the big show next month. On one hand I can go for that, but at the same time I’m not wild on seeing the King Of The Ring deal just dropped for the sake of a grudge match. The action here wasn’t great but that wasn’t the focus for the most part, as this was all about setting the stage for later. Good enough show here, but they definitely have a new focus and that’s nice to see.

Results
Rey Mysterio b. Ethan Page – Frog splashes
Joe Hendry b. Austin Theory – Side Effect
Jimmy Uso b. LA Knight – Rollup
Raquel Rodriguez b. Maxxine Dupri – Tejana Bomb
Chad Gable b. JD McDonagh – Ankle lock

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

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Night Of Champions 2026
Date: June 27, 2026
Location: Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s the tournament show with the King and Queen Of The Ring both being crowned. In addition though we have the Smackdown World Title on the line with Cody Rhodes defending against Gunther and Sami Zayn. There’s a cage match as well to make this even bigger so let’s get to it.

King Of The Ring: Jey Uso vs. Oba Femi

The fans certainly seem to like the Uso entrance and it does look awesome in this venue. Uso hits him in the face to start and it doesn’t exactly work, as Femi just gets mad. Femi knocks him outside but Uso is back up for a dive to send Femi into the barricade. Another dive is blocked though and Femi takes him inside for some whips into the corner.

The Fall From Grace is escaped though and Uso hits some basement superkicks. The Superfly Splash only gets one (uh oh) and Femi chokeslams him for two more. Uso comes back with a spear and hits another Superfly Splash but his own ribs are banged up. Another Superfly Splash gets two but Femi is right back up with a running uppercut. Uso gets thrown down again and the Fall From Grace gives Femi the clean win at 7:55.

Rating: B-. This was a weird one as I was expecting a bunch of people to get involved but instead Femi just absorbed everything Uso threw at him and then won in the middle of the ring. It was a question of whether the Bloodline would get the big spot or if WWE was pulling the trigger on Femi and he is at least going to get the chance. That’s an interesting way to go and I want to see how it plays out so we’ll call that a success.

Post match Femi said Uso might have been able to beat one man but he couldn’t beat fate and destiny. Uso couldn’t beat Femi either because he is the Ruler and the Destroyer. Now he’s the King.

Here is Danhausen for a chat. He is happy because he has come into a lot of human monies but here is Liv Morgan to interrupt. The Judgment Day is not happy with how much money Danhausen has taken from them and they want it back. Instead Danhausen curses her and gets slapped, which doesn’t seem to bother him that much.

Queen Of The Ring: Liv Morgan vs. Iyo Sky

Non-title. Sky starts fast and takes her into the corner, followed by a basement dropkick. They head outside where Sky blocks a ram into the barricade but takes too long climbing onto said barricade. Morgan gets in a shot to take over and they go back inside, where a top rope facebuster gives Morgan two. Sky fights out of the corner but dives into a quickly broke Boston crab, allowing Sky to stomp on her ribs.

Another shot to the face lets Sky connect with the missile dropkick, followed by the running knees in the corner for two. Sky knocks her outside for the big moonsault before going up top again, only to be shoved onto the steps. That leaves Sky with a banged up knee so of course Morgan ties it up with a half crab.

Sky escapes again and hits her in the face but the knee gives out, allowing Morgan to hit a springboard Codebreaker for two more. Another comeback results in Sky banging up the knee again and Morgan knocks her into the corner. Morgan goes up, only to get taken down with a super Spanish Fly. Over The Moonsault gives Sky the win at 14:58.

Rating: C. I wasn’t exactly feeling this one and the ending didn’t do it any favors. The big deal was that Sky injured her knee but she’s then able to hit a pair of big moves off the top? At the same time, I’m not wild on having a champion lose clean to set up a title shot, even if Sky chooses to go after the other champion. Not their greatest stuff here.

Post match Sky picks Morgan for the Summerslam title match. It’s in five weeks but dang that’s a stretch to make me want to watch these two fight again.

We recap the Smackdown World Title match. Cody Rhodes beat Gunther at Clash In Italy but Gunther’s foot was underneath the rope. They had a rematch with Sami Zayn as guest referee but Zayn got a bit too involved. They did it again and Zayn caused a DQ so it’s time for a triple threat. Well later on that is.

Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker

In a cage. They both throw in a bunch of weapons and sit in chairs to yell at each other before they actually start fighting. Rollins hammers away but Breakker snaps off some German suplexes and sends him into the cage. Breakker gorilla presses him into the cage and grabs a trashcan but bangs up his knee. Rollins gets to slug away, followed by the kendo stick shots to the back.

A ram into the cage has Breakker in trouble and Rollins sends him in a few more times. Rollins sets up a table in the corner and has to cut off a spear attempt before throwing a chair at Breakker. A bunch of chairs are piled up but that takes too long, allowing Breakker to snap off a super Frankensteiner for two. Breakker puts him in a chair and knocks him back out before promising that Rollins is going to die.

Rollins’ head is put inside a chair but Breakker’s golf club style chair swing misses. Some superkicks have Breakker in trouble but he knocks Rollins right back onto a table. That’s not enough for Breakker though as he goes up, with Rollins catching him for a superplex through the table in the big crash.

Breakker (whose eye is gushing blood) gets back up with a suplex into the Super Spear for two. That’s enough for Breakker to go for the door but Rollins cuts him off. Back in and the spear only hits the table in the corner, allowing Rollins to hit a Pedigree and Stomp for the very near fall. Breakker begs off from another Stomp so Rollins hits a top rope Stomp for the pin at 19:02.

Rating: C+. The blood on the eye, which I’m assuming was unintentional, was a boost but my goodness I am sick of these weapons cage matches. You’re in a big steel box with someone you hate. Why do you need all of the extra stuff? Anyway, this was a dead feud a long time ago as the Bloodline has lapped the Vision and Rollins’ real feud is with Paul Heyman, who isn’t even here at the moment. I’m not sure I get Breakker losing, but it’s not a great step for him in the slightest. Meanwhile Rollins is likely going to be the same person he was before so….what was the point here?

US Title: Trick Williams vs. Ricky Saints

Williams, with Lil Yachty, is defending. Saints jumps him from behind to start fast but Williams is right back with the chops in the corner. The threat of a Trick Shot puts Saints on the floor, where he steals Yachty’s kendo stick. Saints feigns Yachty hitting him with the stick and that’s enough for an ejection. Back in and Saints takes over on Williams, including some knees to the back and head.

Some shots to the back have Williams in more trouble but he manages a suplex for a breather. Williams grabs Saints’ hand and jumps over him, setting up a release Rock Bottom for two. Saints avoids a boot in the corner though and a swinging neckbreaker gets two more. Roshambo is countered into a backdrop but Saints avoids the running knee in the corner. A tornado DDT sets up a weird top rope elbow to give Saints two but another tornado DDT is blocked. The Trick Shot retains at 10:43.

Rating: C+. This was your basic Smackdown match and that’s not a bad way to go. Saints never once felt like a real threat to win the title and they were doing all they could to set him up with the Yachty ejection. Williams is on fire right now and it would have been insane to take the title off of him so thankfully they went in the right direction.

Post match Saints goes after Williams again but Yachty is back with the kendo stick. Yachty hits a People’s Elbow (Graves: “The People’s El-Boat!”) for the revenge.

Women’s US Title: Jade Cargill vs. Tiffany Stratton

Stratton is defending and slugs away to start but has to flip out of an early torture rack. Stratton’s running hip attack connects in the ropes but her suicide dive is cut off. Back in and Cargill starts to go with the power, including knocking Stratton into the corner. Stratton can’t fight back yet but she can escape Jaded and hurricanrana Cargill into the corner. A Regal Roll but the Prettiest Moonsault Ever hits raised knees.

Cargill’s Sandstorm gets two and another Jaded is countered into a jawbreaker. Cue the minions for a distraction, allowing Cargill to hit a chokeslam for two. Chelsea Green pops out from underneath the ring to take them out, with B-Fab being thrown into the title podium. Green grabs the title so Cargill pulls her inside and goes after the title as well. Cue Charlotte to belt Cargill in the face though, allowing the Prettiest Moonsault Ever to retain at 7:41.

Rating: C+. This was another perfectly fine but mostly unremarkable match as the two of them did their thing until Cargill’s cheating went too far. Cargill vs. Charlotte feels like the big showdown, though Rhea Ripley’s involvement is still to be determined. Stratton is going to need a new challenger though and I’m really not sure whom that is going to be.

Smackdown World Title: Gunther vs. Sami Zayn vs. Cody Rhodes

Rhodes is defending. Zayn is knocked outside to start but comes back in to cut Gunther off. Back up and Rhodes hits a running shoulder for two and we settle down a bit. Gunther pulls Zayn outside and goes back in to hammer on Rhodes. Zayn is knocked down again and Rhodes gets two off a sunset flip to Gunther. The powerbomb and Cross Rhodes are both countered but a second powerbomb gets two, with Zayn having to make a save.

Gunther is sent outside and Rhodes gets caught in a Blue Thunder Bomb for two more. The Helluva Kick is blocked though and Gunther sends Zayn outside, leaving him to uppercut Rhodes in the corner. Rhodes fights back and hits Cross Rhodes, with Zayn pulling the referee out. Gunther comes back in to powerbomb both of them but Zayn counters another into a Code Red for two.

The Helluva Kick hits Gunther but this time Rhodes pulls the referee out. It’s time to load up the announcers’ table, where Rhodes reverses a package piledriver and backdrops Zayn through the other table for the big crash. Gunther is back up for another powerbomb through the other table and the sleeper has Rhodes in trouble back inside. The arm is raised up but Zayn dives in to keep it from falling, earning the wrath of Gunther.

An exploder sends Gunther into the corner and the Helluva Kick gives Zayn two. Rhodes is back up with the Cody Cutter to Gunther but Zayn gives Rhodes Cross Rhodes of his own. Zayn grabs a sleeper on Gunther but Rhodes is back up for a double Cross Rhodes. He tries another on Zayn, who reverses into a cradle to pin Rhodes for the title at 18:39.

Rating: B. He actually got it. I’m kind of stunned as the idea of Zayn winning the title is something that is hard to actually believe but I’ll take what I can get. This is the big moment that the show was dying for and all that matters is Zayn finally won the title. Odds are it doesn’t last long, but dang that’s a heck of a moment and long overdue. The match was the best on the show as well, which granted isn’t a surprise given the people involved. I’m not sure he’s going to hold it long (he probably won’t) but Zayn is champion and that’s a great thing to see.

Zayn gets the big and well deserved celebration to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The ending pulled this one back from the brink as this just was not a very interesting show. I was rather bored multiple times as the matches might have been fine but they were absolutely lacking any kind of fire. Maybe it was the extra travel or something but this was not one of their better efforts. Zayn finally getting his moment is the important thing though and that boosted this one up a long way.

Results
Oba Femi b. Jey Uso – Fall From Grace
Iyo Sky b. Liv Morgan – Over The Moonsault
Seth Rollins b. Bron Breakker – Middle rope Stomp
Trick Williams b. Ricky Saints – Trick Shot
Tiffany Stratton b. Jade Cargill – Prettiest Moonsault Ever
Sami Zayn b. Gunther and Cody Rhodes – Rollup to Rhodes

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

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

We’re back overseas and as has become the norm of the summer, we have the finals of the Of The Ring tournaments. The good thing is WWE has set up the men’s final as something that could lead us in a multitude of ways and that is a nice situation to have. Other than that we have the usual shenanigans around here and hopefully the card isn’t as spaced out as others. Let’s get to it.

Women’s US Title: Tiffany Stratton(c) vs. Jade Cargill

We’ll start off with a match that might be the least important on the card but also might be the most difficult to guess. Stratton and Cargill are being built up into two of the biggest stars of the current/next generation and it makes sense to see the two of them having this kind of a match. At the same time, their previous efforts against each other have been less than stellar so it should be interesting to see how well it works out.

As for a winner, I think I’ll take Stratton winning here. While Cargill making the win makes the most sense, I’m not sure what she has to do if she wins. Stratton already has issues with Charlotte and Alexa Bliss and the latter could be a good opponent for her. I’m curious about how this goes and it’s been built up better than some of their recent matches, though they don’t have a huge bar to clear.

US Title: Trick Williams(c) vs. Ricky Saints

Now here we have something that is a bit more important, but also a bit easier to guess. At the end of the day, Williams has hit the ground running like few you’ve seen in a long time. He and Lil Yachty are a great team together and I’m hoping they’re together in this way for a good while to come. I’m thinking you get where this is going and that’s not a bad thing here.

Of course I’m taking Williams to retain the title, as there is pretty much no reason to think that Saints is going to win the title here. If nothing else, Saints is going to be a nice victory for Williams and I could go for seeing them have a good match on the way to Williams retaining. Williams is likely to be a big deal sooner or later and a win over Saints is a good step forward.

Bron Breakker vs. Seth Rollins

It says a lot when a cage match feels kind of unimportant but I can barely remember anything about this match coming in. It feels like this feud should have wrapped up months ago and they’re just doing this match to give both of them something to do. If nothing else, Rollins’ quest to take out the Vision has been replaced by a bunch of people trying to take out the Bloodline. That doesn’t leave much here and I’m not exactly interested in seeing the match.

I’ll take Rollins to win here, even though Breakker needs the win more. Rollins can win and in theory get rid out of this WAY too long feud with the Vision. Odds are there will be a good deal of interference but I’m not sure how much it’s going to help. This is a really lacking feud and I don’t really see this match, with Rollins winning, making it that much better.

Smackdown World Title: Cody Rhodes(c) vs. Sami Zayn vs. Gunther

Now this has my attention as I have gone from “it’s another Rhodes title defense” to having no idea who is leaving with the title. Rhodes felt like the undisputed obvious winner here but for once, adding a third star makes it a lot better. Zayn is someone who feels like he absolutely has to win the title at some point and it would be great to see it happen here. Or anywhere as I really want to see it happen one way or another.

That being said, I’ll play it safe and go with Rhodes retaining. Rhodes already has a bunch of options available for Summerslam, with Jey Uso, Oba Femi and potentially Gunther or Zayn waiting on him. That’s more than enough to see him leaving with the title, even if Zayn winning would be a feel good moment in Saudi Arabia. That also leaves Gunther as a legitimate threat to steal the title and I could see it happening as well. I’ll take Rhodes though, as WWE likes him on top at the biggest shows, such as Summerslam.

Queen Of The Ring Finals: Liv Morgan vs. Iyo Sky

I have lost any and all concept of how this tournament is supposed to go, as it’s two Raw stars fighting for a shot at, I’m assuming, the Smackdown Women’s Title. That is of course assuming the Smackdown Women’s Champion is healthy enough to wrestle at Summerslam. Or does Morgan get to take Summerslam off if she wins the whole thing here? Maybe clarify this stuff a bit better?

All that being said, I’m thinking that they clear out a lot of the issues by having Sky win. This means she can either have another chance against Morgan at Summerslam (I hope not) or face her former partner/friend/longtime rival Rhea Ripley for the title instead. That match has felt like the big endgame for everything since Ripley won the title, even if she has done absolutely nothing with it since. Sky wins here, if nothing else for the sake of clearing up the confusion.

King Of The Ring Finals: Oba Femi vs. Jey Uso

We’ll wrap it up with a match that really could go either way. There are multiple options here, with Femi smashing through Uso, Uso escaping with a win, or Roman Reigns getting involved to help his cousin win and avoid facing Femi in the process. The impressive thing is any of them feel like a legitimate option and I’m probably forgetting a few others. You don’t get that very often and this could be rather good.

The question here is basically does WWE go with the Bloodline or pull the trigger on Femi and put him in the big spot. I’m thinking they’ll go with the former, possibly thanks to a certain Brock Lesnar shaped roadblock. I wouldn’t go in that direction, but I think WWE is going to go that way, with the Bloodline getting even more of the focus on the shows, even if it stopped being that interesting a good while ago. Uso wins here, even if Femi feels like the better choice.

Overall Thoughts

This is the first of four shows on a Wrestlemania size weekend and as is usual with the Saudi shows, it’s taking place in the early afternoon on the east coast. Yes it’s kind of annoying, but it’s also getting the biggest show of the weekend out of the way first. That could set the bar either high or low and we get to see where things go from there. This show has some potential though, especially if it winds up mainly being a wrestling based show, which tends to be where WWE does its best work.

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

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

Smackdown
Date: June 26, 2026
Location: O2 Arena, London, England
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re taped from London and it’s the night before Night Of Champions. In this case that means the big final push towards to the pay per view and the previews for the finals of the two Of The Ring tournaments. Things have been looking up a bit around here as of late and it would be great to have that continue. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s World Title situation, resulting in Cody Rhodes defending against Sami Zayn and Gunther at Night Of Champions.

Here are Trick Williams and Lil Yachty for a chat. Williams was missing last week because he was in Jamaica…where he and Lash Legend got married. After stories about the celebration and what happened all night long, Williams declares it the greatest night of his life. He’s ready to go into Night Of Champions and retain the title and move on to Summerslam.

This brings out a ticked off Ricky Saints to interrupt, with Williams threatening him with his back hand. Saints isn’t impressed and says Williams is overlooking him. Tomorrow, you’re going to be looking at the new US Champion. Williams says the only person Saints needs to be focusing on is his dentist after Williams kicks Saints’ teeth down his throat. Saints gets annoyed at Yachty and gets in a cheap shot, with another dropping a distracted Williams.

Alexa Bliss wants to get revenge for Charlotte, even if it means teaming with Tiffany Stratton. Cue Stratton, who says this is a one night only thing and she wants to be left alone after. That’s a rather specific request.

Tiffany Stratton/Alexa Bliss vs. Michin/B-Fab

Stratton and Michin start things off with Stratton grabbing an early headlock takeover. A running basement dropkick gives Stratton an early two and it’s off to Bliss, who is apparently rather popular. The running Blockbuster puts Michin down but it’s way too early for Sister Abigail.

A not so great tornado DDT puts Michin down on the floor but B-Fab gets in a big boot to Bliss as we take a break. We come back with Michin missing an elbow, allowing Stratton to come back in and clean house. The Alabama Slam gets two on B-Fab and there’s a Regal Roll but cue Jade Cargill to break up the moonsault. A spinning X Factor gives B-Fab the pin at 7:41.

Rating: C+. This was a fine illustration of following the basic playbook to build towards Saturday’s title match. Stratton has a reason to be mad now and we might be seeing her more focused on revenge than retaining her title. It should make for an interesting match and this was a good way to set it up, as well as a good use of the minions.

Post match the villains surround Stratton so here is Chelsea Green…who drops her kendo stick. Green is able to send Cargill outside anyway though and Cargill leaves with her goons.

We look at Solo Sikoa costing Jimmy Uso on Raw.

Sikoa brags about taking Uso out but the MFT’s say he’s obsessed with Roman Reigns. They’re out, which leaves Sikoa ranting about how no one leaves him.

Jade Cargill demands a match with Chelsea Green for tonight and Nick Aldis obliges.

AAA Cruiserweight Title: Nathan Frazer vs. Rey Fenix

Fenix is defending. They run the ropes to start fast and trade the flips and dives into an early standoff. Frazer flips away from him out of the corner so Fenix is up with a springboard crossbody to put Frazer down. Fenix sends him outside for the big dive but Frazer catches him with a kick of his own. The big running flip dive hits Fenix and we take a break.

We come back with Fenix fighting out of a chinlock and firing off the fast chops. A Roode Bomb gives Fenix two but Frazer catches him up top. The superplex connects but Fenix pops up for a double kick to the head and they’re both down. Back up and Frazer’s middle rope reverse Spanish Fly gets two and he kicks Fenix out to the floor for a big crash. Frazer’s big dive is cut off though and the Mexican MuscleBuster retains the title at 10:48.

Rating: B. This is another one of those matches where you knew it was going to be entertaining based on whom was involved. That was the case again here, with Fenix getting to showcase himself and Frazer being a perfect choice to hang in there with him. I still don’t want to see the AAA title involved around here, but this was good while it lasted.

Post match respect is shown.

Damian Priest and R-Truth don’t see things the same way on rebuilding the Judgment Day clubhouse but the War Raiders come in to say they want a winner take all title match. R-Truth gets confused and Priest has to take him away.

LA Knight arrives and is on his way to the ring. He also asks why Cathy Kelley, who is supposed to be on Raw, was waiting on him. Fair question.

We recap the King Of The Ring semifinals.

Here is Knight for a chat. Knight talks about how he laid Jimmy Uso out on Raw but he had an unexpected assist. He’d like an explanation on that so Solo Sikoa needs to get out here right now. Cue Sikoa, with the fans chanting for him and Knight finding it a bit catchy. Sikoa says his entire family has left him but Knight isn’t impressed as the MFT’s were useless. Knight doesn’t know what happened on Monday but maybe it was a Roman Reigns initiation.

Sikoa snaps, ranting about how much he hates the Bloodline and he knows he and Knight have that in common. Knight says they should both hate Roman Reigns, just like everyone else in the Bloodline. They’ve all gone back into the Bloodline though so why should Knight trust Sikoa? What’s different here?

The difference is that Sikoa has nothing to lose and they could watch each other’s back and take out the Bloodline. Knight has heard “it’s just me uce” before and he probably needs help, but he’s going to live and die doing things his own way. Thanks but no thanks. That’s an interesting twist, though I liked it better when Montez Ford turned down Seth Rollins to go after the Bloodline about a month ago.

Sami Zayn talks about how no one listens to him, save for Johnny Gargano, but now he can redeem himself by winning the WWE Title.

Paige vs. Jacy Jayne

Brie Bella and the rest of Fatal Influence is here too. Jayne starts fast with the boot choke in the corner so Paige sends her throat first into the top rope. The fans declare this to be Paige’s house as she sends Jayne face first into the buckle over and over. An STF sends Jayne over to the ropes and Paige has to flip dive onto the rest of the team. Jayne uses the distraction to get in a cheap shot though and we take a break.

We come back with Paige fighting up and hitting a clothesline, meaning it’s time to slug it out. Paige snaps off a suplex and the Paige Turner gets two. Rampaige is broken up though and Jayne kicks her down for two of her own. The Rolling Encore is broken up so Jayne grabs a rollup, with Bella cutting off the cheating. Paige takes out an interfering Reid and rolls Jayne up for the pin at 8:34.

Rating: C. It’s nice to see Paige getting a win in her home country, though I could have gone with not seeing Jayne take another pin. She was off to such a hot start when she debuted and has come crashing back down to earth rather quickly. At least Paige and Bella are getting a chance though, as they certainly never have before.

Danhausen continues his experiments on Miz and Kit Wilson when Matt Cardona comes in. Cardona is happy with the New York winning but Danhausen steps away. Los Garza come in to ask where Danhausen is but Cardona tells them to get lost. Danhausen is back to Cardona not to touch whatever is under the sheet.

Finn Balor runs into the Tongas, with Tama saying they do have a past. He has one with Shinsuke Nakamura too and look how that went. The Tongas leave together.

Here are Danhausen and Miz and Kit Wilson (still mostly catatonic) for a chat. Danhausen greets the fans and calls the two of them the Legion Of Danhausen, meaning we get the zombified catchphrases. Los Garza interrupts and jumps Miz and Wilson but Matt Cardona makes the save. Nick Aldis comes in to make the tag match.

Matt Cardona/Danhausen vs. Los Garza

We’re joined in progress with Cardona beating up Berto but getting sent out to the apron. Angel gets in a cheap shot to take over and the alternating beating begins. With that not working, Los Garza beat up Wilson on the floor but the distraction lets Cardona get in a flapjack. Danhausen gets to come in and clean house as everything breaks down. Miz won’t let Angel get a chair so Danhausen grabs a rollup for two on Berto. A kick to the head puts Danhausen down but he curses Berto on top, causing pyro to go off. That and a reverse DDT give Danhausen the pin at 4:32.

Rating: C. This is a completely acceptable way of putting one of the hotter stars on the show as the fans get to see Danhausen live. It’s not like there was anything serious to the whole thing as you had curses, zombies and…whatever Danhausen is this week. Either way, it’s more fun stuff as they’re keeping Danhausen low on the card where he belongs.

Gunther isn’t pleased with Sami Zayn saying their Night Of Champions match is about Zayn’s redemption. A question about his less than great win/loss record against Cody Rhodes makes it worse and he’s off to deal with Zayn.

Video on Liv Morgan vs. Iyo Sky in the Queen Of The Ring finals.

Chelsea Green vs. Jade Cargill

Green strikes away to start and gets in the salute. James sends her outside and grabs a fall away slam as we take a break. We come back with Green striking away again and hitting a missile dropkick for two. Cargill isn’t having any of this and hits her in the face, setting up Jaded for the pin at 6:12 (Cargill looking bored after such an easy win is exactly on point for her).

Rating: C. Yeah this was about all it needed to be, as Cargill smashes through Green on the way to her title match against Green’s one sided friend. It’s a perfectly logical way to go, as is Green not being able to do much with Cargill. I’m sure Green having Tiffany Stratton fully on her side will do the trick though and that seems to be the coming up pretty soon. Just like Cargill’s title shot.

Post match B-Fab and Michin run in but Tiffany Stratton and Alexa Bliss run in for the save. That earns Stratton a Jadeding.

Solo Sikoa is asked about being alone but Royce Keys interrupts. Keys tells him good luck and walks off.

Video on Bron Breakker vs. Seth Rollins.

Night Of Champions rundown.

Lil Yachty and Trick Williams are ticked off at Ricky Saints and ready for revenge. Williams is prettier than Saints too.

Giulia vs. Kiana James

They were friends, they got into a fight and now they’re not. James kicks her in the face at the bell and they’re on the floor in a hurry. Giulia takes over on the outside and they go back inside where Giulia connects with some hard kicks. A headbutt sends James outside again, where she gets in a slam onto the steps as we take a break.

We come back with Giulia hitting a missile dropkick to leave both of them down. They slug it out with Giulia getting the better of things and snapping off a headscissors. A belly to back suplex gives Giulia two but James slams her off the top for a big crash. Giulia pulls her down by the hair but the big knee is countered into a powerbomb for two more. James gets her in a fireman’s carry but gets sunset bombed out of the corner. The northern lights bomb finishes for Giulia at 9:43.

Rating: B-. This was a case where Giulia needed the win a lot more than James, who can be fine as a lackey or assistant etc. On the other hand, Giulia has felt like she has been floating all over the place and looking for something to stick. Maybe this is a step forward for her, as she certainly needs something to work.

Post match Giulia celebrates but Blake Monroe runs in to lay her out.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat but before he can get anywhere, Sami Zayn cuts him off. Zayn thanks his fans for being with him no matter what and he’s sorry for interrupting but he’s the last good guy around here. He apologizes for what happened last week, including hitting Rhodes with the title by mistake. Rhodes: “Was it a mistake?”

Zayn goes on about how this isn’t about how he wanted things to go and Rhodes doesn’t buy that at all. Look at what is going on. Zayn is getting a title shot in a country where he is beloved. The reality is that Zayn is exhausting as he keeps trying to take things. Rhodes wishes Kevin Owens was here because Owens would at least stab him in the front. And at least Owens has been WWE Champion (not quite).

Zayn gets in his face and yells about how Rhodes needs to keep Owens out of his mouth but here is Gunther to say that he doesn’t care about all of the drama around here. If not for Zayn, Gunther would be the WWE Champion but Zayn isn’t a threat to him as a wrestler. Rhodes needs to enjoy his last night as champion because Gunther is taking the title. This brings out Jey Uso to interrupt but Gunther won’t let him run it back.

Uso brings up making Gunther tap out at Wrestlemania and the brawl is on. Gunther and Zayn are cleared out and Rhodes squares off with Uso…and here is Oba Femi. Gunther Zayn get back in and are taken right back out, leaving Rhodes and Femi to stare it down to end the show. They’re doing something interesting here as you could have a few combinations here and they’re all good enough. Nice job here and I’ll take that over having the obvious result that takes forever to come together.

Overall Rating: B-. This did a good enough job of giving a final push towards the pay per view and that’s all it needed to do. They didn’t really add much of anything but the tease at the end did make me more interested. The best thing out of all of this though is we’re back to two hours next week, which is LONG overdue. That should do wonders for Smackdown and I want to see just how well things go when we’re on the road to Summerslam with one less hour to deal with a week. Not a great show here, but it did what it needed to do.

Results
Michin/B-Fab b. Alexa Bliss/Tiffany Stratton – Spinning X Factor to Stratton
Rey Fenix b. Nathan Frazer – Mexican MuscleBuster
Paige b. Jacy Jayne – Rollup
Danhausen/Matt Cardona b. Los Garza – Reverse DDT to Berto
Jade Cargill b. Chelsea Green – Jaded
Giulia b. Kiana James – Northern lights bomb

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

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: June 22, 2026
Location: 02 Arena, London, England
Commentators: Michael, Corey Graves

It’s the last Raw before Night Of Champions and the two tournament finals are set. That means we’re going to be seeing something in the way of the last push towards the finals, which could make for some interesting showdowns. We also have some titles on the line and that should make for a hot crowd. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a video on the King and Queen Of The Ring and what winning the tournaments mean.

Here is Oba Femi to get things going. He loves hearing the fans chant his name but moves on to destiny having his back for years. Lady destiny has been very kind to him over the years and it will continue to do so this Saturday. But who should he come after? The fans seem more interested in Femi vs. Roman Reigns, which brings out Jey Uso to interrupt. This means the full, and very long entrance as Femi just kind of glares at him.

The fans want him to run it back and Femi says he’s putting an end to that, so of course Uso does it anyway. With that out of the way, Uso talks about how people are saying he can’t win King Of The Ring, but he knows how to overcome mountains. On Saturday, he’s winning the crown and then at Summerslam, he’s taking Cody Rhodes’ title.

Femi tells him that if he shoots, he better not miss because if he does, Femi will destroy him. Femi: “And if you don’t miss, I will still destroy you.” The thing is Uso isn’t the member of the family he is worried about, so give Roman Reigns the bullets. Teasing Femi getting into the main event scene, especially against Reigns, is a big deal but that Brock Lesnar shaped shadow is an even bigger roadblock

We look back at Jacob Fatu attacking Eric Andre last week.

Adam Pearce is on the phone and runs into LA Knight, who thinks Pearce is on the phone with the Bloodline so they can give him orders. Jimmy Uso comes in to complain about Knight hitting him with a chair last week. Pearce tries to break it up but knight tells him to shut up. Pearce makes the match between them tonight. Knight says that’s a terrible idea and suggests…himself vs. Jimmy tonight. Uso: “THAT’S WHAT HE SAID!” Knight doesn’t care because he didn’t listen to Pearce so the match is on. Pearce’s confused face at Knight made this whole thing worth it.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Lyra Valkyria/Bayley vs. Paige/Brie Bella

Valkyria and Bayley are challenging and we hear from them in the back, with Valkyria saying this is the time after all of their losses. Everything breaks down rather quickly and Paige hits the knees to Valkyria on the apron. Bayley’s hanging twisting Stunner drops Bella with Paige having to make a save.

We take an early break and come back with Paige having to save Bella again and firing off the suplexes. Valkyria gets in the Nightwing but Bella makes the save this time. Paige rolls Valkyria up for two but gets planted with a fisherman’s buster. Valkyria tries another instead of covering though and gets reversed into Rampaige to retain at 8:01.

Rating: C. The title reign continues as we get one step further away from the Bellas eventual big crowning moment. I’m still not sure how I’m supposed to believe that Paige and Brie are this good together but these titles have always been a bit weird. Bayley and Valkyria need something else to do, though I’m not sure if that is going to include them being together.

Post match Valkyria is ticked off so Bayley hugs her and get jumped as a result. Valkyria slaps her in the face a few times and sends her throat first into the middle rope. Some agents come in but Valkyria hits Nightwing anyway. Yeah that kind of had to happen.

Post break Valkyria has nothing to say.

Here is Chad Gable for a chat. Gable talks about how everything has been going crazy for him lately with the loss of his mask in Mexico. There are some people he needs to apologize to face to face though so he asks for the Alpha Academy to come out here. All three of them come to the ring, with Gable praising Maxxine Dupri for winning a singles title, which Gable has not done. He apologizes for how he treated her and it is all his fault.

Akira Tozawa is the definition of fighting spirit with the heart of a lion and Tozawa didn’t deserve that either. That leaves Otis and, after a heavy sigh, Gable says Otis was the most loyal friend he could ever have. Gable threw all of that away for a chance at singles gold and after all of that, he owes them all an apology.

We get the formal I’m sorry and Gable extends his hand. Otis isn’t sure what to do but goes to shake Gable’s hand, only for Dupri to get in between them. Dupri says everything Gable has said and done is a lie. She knows Otis and Tozawa have the biggest hearts and want to give him a second chance but she doesn’t.

Dupri goes on a rant about all of the things Gable did to them because it has always been about him. Now they’re going to leave him like he left them: alone. Dupri and Tozawa leave, with Otis eventually joining them. They’re doing a heck of a job with getting the fans behind Gable. If he sticks with this, it could be a huge moment for him. Or if he eventually goes evil again, it could be all the bigger.

Dragon Lee gets some encouragement from Rey Mysterio and Penta before his match tonight.

Dragon Lee vs. Ethan Page

Lee starts fast by firing off the kicks, including a hard one to knock Page down in the corner. The running dropkick in the corner gets two but Page turns the mask around and kicks him out to the floor. We take a break and come back with Lee getting two off a tornado DDT. Page gets two off a boot to the face but Lee is back with a hard elbow to the head. Page is knocked outside for a heck of a flip dive onto the announcers’ table and they head back inside. The Styles Clash is broken up with what looked to be an intentional low blow (Graves isn’t convinced) and the Egoplex gives Page the win at 9:58.

Rating: C+. Page continues to get over mainly on attitude and mannerisms, as his in-ring style is still rather basic. That’s not a bad thing though, as there is nothing wrong with a basic style if it is well executed, which his certainly has been. He could be on his way to something around here and I’m interested in where it’s going.

Video on the Vision vs. the Street Profits for the Tag Team Titles tonight.

The Vision are in the back (with only Theory in wrestling gear) and Logan Paul talks about how he is healing faster than any human in history (Bron Breakker pops out of camera, presumably due to laughing too hard). They’re ready to win tonight, with Breakker being ready to crush Seth Rollins on Saturday.

Video on Sol Ruca, who is a thrill seeker.

Here is Iyo Sky for a chat. She is so grateful to have gotten here and she can’t wait to face Liv Morgan for the crown. This brings out Morgan to interrupt, saying she’s going to win on Saturday to crush Sky’s dreams for good. Sky asks if the crown can fit on Morgan’s big head and rants in Japanese. Morgan is cleared out without much trouble. This wasn’t much, but the tournament is screwy anyway.

The Usos are ready in the back when Jacob Fatu interrupts. Jey asks where Fatu has been all night or why he was on Smackdown. Fatu says he doesn’t answer to Jey and the Usos can sit and wait to find out what is happening next. This doesn’t sit well with the twins.

The Judgment Day comes up to see Danhausen, who want their money back after he didn’t curse Oba Femi. He has already spent the $100,000 on experiments, so they threaten violence. That earns JD McDonagh a cruse and he electrocutes himself on some of Danhausen’s equipment, allowing Danhausen to escape. Oh that wacky…whatever Danhausen is.

LA Knight vs. Jimmy Uso

They start slugging it out early, with Uso knocking him to the floor for a ram into the steps. Knight is back up with his usual collection of face first plantings into the announcers’ table. Back in and Uso hits a Whisper In The Wind for two and they’re right back to the floor. This time Knight is sent hard into the barricade and we take a break.

We come back with Knight dropping him onto the apron to bang up Uso’s ribs. They head back inside with Knight slowly working on the back, at least until Uso gets in a suplex. Knight’s torture rack neckbreaker is broken up and Uso superkicks him for two. Knight takes Uso up top but here is Solo Sikoa to Samoan Spike…Uso. The confused Knight (who saw what Sikoa did) grabs the BFT for the pin at 12:25.

Rating: B-. This was another instance of the Bloodline doing whatever, as Sikoa is now here from Smackdown to cause issues for Roman Reigns and company. At the same time, Knight getting a win is good to see, as he almost has to get at least a title match at some point in this whole big story. Either way, there is something going on here, though I have no idea where it is leading. Unfortunately I’m not sure how much I care either.

Bayley is getting medical treatment but has nothing to say.

Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez are happy for Liv Morgan but want something of their own to celebrate. Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh come in, with McDonagh not recognizing them. Morgan comes in to rant about how unfair that was to her, with Rodriguez having to put her in her place. Morgan tries to calm things down but has nothing for Perez as they take McDonagh to the medical area.

Earlier today, Corey Graves sat down with Seth Rollins, who says things have not been going his way but they would be even worse without the Street Profits having his back. Rollins knows the risks of getting inside a cage with Bron Breakker but he has to prove he can still do this. Then he can get back to regaining the title that he never lost.

Chad Gable talks to Adam Pearce about a possible match with Penta but Judgment Day comes in. Dominik Mysterio says he’s facing Penta first but he also wants his apology from Gable as well. Gable says Mysterio sent him to Mexico in the first place and he doesn’t just hand out apologies. If Mysterio wants an apology, he can try to beat it out of him. Mysterio says Gable can face JD McDonagh next week but Pearce wants the doctor to clear McDonagh first. McDonagh thinks Pearce is the doctor and he’s off to medical.

Night Of Champions rundown.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. The Vision

The Vision, with Logan Paul, is defending and jump the Profits to start fast. Dawkins comes in for a dropkick to Theory and it’s back to Ford for a shoulder. Dawkins suplexes Ford onto Theory for two as the fans are rather mocking of the champion. It’s off to Breakker for the really big running clothesline though and a suplex drops Dawkins.

We take a break and come back with Ford still in trouble. Breakker knocks Ford down again and it’s back to Theory for a chinlock. Ford flips out of a suplex though and it’s off to Dawkins to clean house. A spinning Stinger Splash and enziguri put Breakker down in the corner and the Silencer hits Theory. The Doomsday Blockbuster gets two on Theory, with Paul putting the boot on the rope.

That’s enough for an ejection and the distraction lets Ford bring Dawkins back in. Breakker cuts off another Doomsday Blockbuster and hits the diving clothesline to the announcers’ table as we take a break. We come back again with Breakker cutting of a tag attempt and Theory getting to grab a chinlock.

A wishbone has Dawkins down again and Breakker mocks Ford, with Cole saying Breakker has a screw loose but Cole won’t be explaining that to him. Dawkins strikes back but it’s a double clothesline to leave both of them down. Ford comes back in to clean house, at least until Breakker knocks him down. A powerslam sets up the Steiner Bulldog for two, with Dawkins having to make the save.

Paul tries to come back in with the brass knuckles but here is Joe Hendry to chase him off, sending the fans straight into song in the process. Theory goes to get the knuckles and of course here comes Seth Rollins to use said Knuckles to knock Theory cold. Breakker gives chase (jumping the barricade in a scary impressive display) and Ford hits the frog splash for the pin and the titles at 19:38.

Rating: B. It felt like a pretty safe bet that one of the titles were changing hands this week and this is a good enough way to go. We were pretty much at the breaking point for the Profits, as they had to win or there wasn’t much left for them to do otherwise. At the same time, the champions were a replacement team anyway so it isn’t like this is some big lost opportunity. It’s a good match too, with the Profits hopefully getting to be built up for some fresh set of challengers.

Overall Rating: B. The hot crowd helped as always, with the Femi vs. Uso segment standing out as well. I’ve gotten more interested in Night Of Champions in the last week so at least the final push has been good. This show was up and down at times, but I liked the Valkyria turn and the Profits getting the titles back is a good choice. There were quite a few positives here, with stories advancing and solid action so I’ll call it a pretty strong show.

Results
Brie Bella/Paige b. Lyra Valkyria/Bayley – Rampaige to Valkyria
Ethan Page b. Dragon Lee – Egoplex
LA Knight b. Jimmy Uso – BFT
Street Profits b. The Vision – Frog splash to Theory

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

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

Hey everyone.  I apologize for this being far later than usual.  I’m on the road for my mom’s birthday for the first half of this week and the drive took a bit out of me yesterday so I was in no way able to do the show.  I’ll be back home Wednesday and I’ll be getting back up to speed as soon as possible.  Tuesday’s shows will be a bit delayed but hopefully not as badly.  I’m sorry again and thank you for your patience.- KB
Monday Night Raw
Date: June 15, 2026
Location: CFG Bank Arena, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Corey Graves

We’re back in America for Raw and the big story this week is the Of The Ring tournaments, with a pair of semifinal matches. The finals are coming up in less than two weeks so the Raw sides will be wrapped up here. In addition, I’m sure that rascally Bloodline will be up to something. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look at Jey Uso advancing in the King Of The Ring on Smackdown.

The Bloodline arrives and does the walk from their cars into the arena. After hitting the catchphrase, Roman Reigns talks about how there is a lot to be grateful for around here. That starts with Jey Uso making it to the next round of the King Of The Ring. The thing is, Jimmy Uso never gets much credit, but without Jimmy, there would be no Right Hand Man or Tribal Chief so acknowledge him for a change.

That leaves Jacob Fatu, with Jey saying Fatu is the one person who hasn’t acknowledged them. Reigns thinks that sounds like a problem and Fatu makes it clear that he doesn’t listen to the Usos, The only person he listens to is Reigns himself, but Reigns says we don’t need yes men around here. Reigns pulls out another necklace and talks about how everyone is scared of the Bloodline taking over again.

Well, the Bloodline has always been around, from the Wild Samoans today and it will continue to be the same when Fatu’s kids are teaming with Reigns’ kids. Reigns officially welcomes him to the Bloodline and puts the necklace on him. The pose ensues and the team leaves, with Reigns and Jimmy shaking hands with actor Eric Andre.

Jey isn’t interested and Andre slaps Fatu on the back, earning himself a heck of a beating. Reigns has to cut Fatu off from the Superfly Splash…but Fatu does it anyway. This seems to make Reigns happy as he leaves, to the point where he tells Fatu to do it again. The Andre thing helped, as otherwise this was a lot of time spent to not really say much.

Queen Of The Ring Semifinals: Iyo Sky vs. Raquel Rodriguez

Sky jumps her to start fast but Rodriguez is back with a crossbody. They head outside with Rodriguez dropping her onto the barricade before taking it back inside. Sky knocks her back outside but a dive is cut off and Sky gets planted as we take a break. We come back with Sky getting two off a rollup and stomping her in the ribs.

Sky dropkicks her into the corner but a sunset bomb to the floor is broken up. A double stomp onto the announcers’ table is broken up as well as Rodriguez trips Sky down. Back in and the spinning Vader Bomb misses, allowing Sky to hit a powerbomb out of the corner. Over The Moonsault finishes Rodriguez at 10:13.

Rating: C+. Sky getting back into the title picture is a smart move as she’s one of the best overall stars in all of WWE. This was a good example of her getting past a monster opponent and looking impressive in the process. Rodriguez will be fine going forward as Sky gets the spot she should have.

We look at Judgment Day’s cheap shot on Oba Femi failing miserably last week.

Liv Morgan tells Roxanne Perez that the focus should be on Morgan and Dominik Mysterio now that they’re the only ones left in the tournaments. Morgan goes in to see Danhausen, revealing a Danhausen shirt (Danhausen: “I hope you paid for that.”). She seems to offer something in exchange for him cursing people but he wants so many “human monies” that she just leaves, with Danhausen calling her Olivia.

We get a look at the trailer for a new Danhausen documentary on his cursing the New York Knicks, sending them onto a losing streak. Then he uncursed them and they went on a huge winning streak and won the NBA Title. Danhausen has become a thing with this and sure why not. WWE would be insane to not milk this for all it’s worth.

Seth Rollins is ready to end things with Bron Breakker for good at Night Of Champions. In a cage.

Adam Pearce has done something for Lyra Valkyria, who can’t wait to tell Bayley. With Valkyria gone, LA Knight comes in and points out that everything on Smackdown went as he said it would. Knight is going to fix things his own way.

We look at Penta beating Rey Mysterio last week, with Rusev attacking Mysterio after the match. Chad Gable made the save.

Gable says he realizes he’s been wrong for a long time in the last year. Tonight he’s going to take care of Rusev but there are some other people he needs to apologize to. As he leaves, he runs into Maxxine Dupri and Austin Theory.

Chad Gable vs. Rusev

Ethan Page is here with Rusev, who throws Gable down to start. Gable is back up with a waistlock and some armdrags, followed by a rather nice belly to belly. A dragon screw legwhip has Rusev down and they’re out on the floor. Rusev sends him into the steps and grabs a suplex, followed by a toss over the announcers’ table.

We take a break and come back with Gable slugging away and rolling some German suplexes. A superplex drops Rusev and sets up the ankle lock, which is broken up rather quickly. Gable can’t get the rolling Chaos Theory but can get the ankle lock again. This time Page offers a distraction though and the Machka Kick gets two. The Accolade is broken up and Gable Angle Slams him into the ankle lock for the win at 10:34.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of stuff Gable needs to do to reestablish himself as a star, as he’s been a goof for so long now. The good thing is that the fans are accepting him and at least for now, he’s just Chad Gable. That’s what he’s needed to be for a long time, though I’m curious about what WWE has next for him, as it could go a lot of different ways.

Post match the beatdown is on, with Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee making the save.

Roman Reigns tells the Usos that he called an audible with Jacob Fatu because sometimes you need to change the play. Reigns doesn’t like LA Knight either so Jey Uso is ready to deal with him. Jimmy Uso has this though.

Bron Breakker is ready to hurt Seth Rollins. The cage match is set for Night Of Champions.

Here is LA Knight for a chat and he lays down in the ring, saying this is how things ended for him on Smackdown. He could have laid there all night but he had to get to Baltimore. No he isn’t the King Of The Ring or a champion, but what matters is that he is home. He’s used to being against the odds because that’s what he does, just like he’s doing against the Bloodline.

That’s what happened on Friday and here is Jimmy Uso to interrupt. Uso knows Knight has issues with the Bloodline but that was years ago. Knight thinks Solo Sikoa is back with the Bloodline but Uso says that’s not what’s going on. Cue Jey Uso to interrupt, saying that Jimmy is right: Sikoa isn’t part of the Bloodline.

Knight thinks Jey wants him to acknowledge Roman Reigns but the reality is that Jey wants Knight to acknowledge Jey himself. That’s not what Knight expected but he acknowledges Jey…can kiss his a**. The brawl is on with Jimmy trying to play peacekeeper. Jey grabs a chair but Knight takes it away and drops both of them. Cue Jacob Fatu to Tongan Death Grip Knight and leave him laying.

Post break Fatu says that was him doing this his way because the Usos’ ways didn’t work.

We get an NXT Origins video on Alexa Bliss.

Charlotte vs. Roxanne Perez

Alexa Bliss and Liv Morgan are here too. Charlotte blocks a knee to start and strikes away, with Perez being knocked outside. Charlotte’s chop hits the post though and Perez goes after it as we take a break. We come back with Perez staying on the arm until Charlotte gives her a sitout powerbomb for the escape. A spinning faceplant gives Perez two and it’s right back to the arm.

Charlotte gets up a boot in the corner though and fires off the fall away slam. The flipping lariat drops Perez again and a big boot gives Charlotte two. Morgan offers a distraction to break up the moonsault though and Perez’s split legged moonsault gives her two of her own. Charlotte fights back and tried the Figure Eight, only for Morgan to offer a distraction. Bliss cuts that off and the Figure Eight makes Perez tap at 10:09.

Rating: C+. There wasn’t much to this one and that’s fine as Charlotte beating anyone makes sense. Perez put up a good fight and Bliss/Morgan were able to cancel each other out. The action was fine and Charlotte gets a win as she’s on a push in the Queen Of The Ring, as she should be.

Here is Je’Von Evans for a chat. He knows Jey Uso has the experience advantage but he’s going to Yeet Uso out of the King Of The Ring. This brings out the returning Logan Paul (with his arm in a big brace) and Austin Theory to interrupt. Paul praises Evans as a huge star and offers him a spot in the Vision. Evans emphatically turns it down but apparently that wasn’t a question. The threat of violence has Evans wanting a referee out here so let’s do this.

Je’Von Evans vs. Austin Theory

We’re joined in progress with Evans snapping off a hurricanrana to send Theory outside. The suicide dive connects and Evans gives him a standing moonsault for two back inside. Evans misses something from the top rope though and Theory hits a rolling clothesline. Theory starts hammering away but Evans is back with some left hands in the corner. A big shot puts Evans on the floor though and we take a break.

We come back with Evans hitting a springboard clothesline but Theory plants him with Ataxia. Back up and Evans sends him outside for a run around the ring and a huge dive to knock Theory into the timekeeper’s area. They go back inside with the OG Cutter being loaded up but here is Bron Breakker to spear Evans out of the air for the DQ at 13:15.

Rating: B-. As usual, Evans’ abilities to get into the air are incredibly impressive and some of the best things going on Raw today. I do like Theory avoiding another pinfall loss, as Evans getting a win isn’t a bad thing but Theory has lost enough. Evans vs. Jey Uso should be good as well and that’s a sign that Evans’ career is going well thus far.

Post match the beatdown is on but here are the Street Profits for the save to clear the ring.

We look back to Jacob Fatu attacking Eric Andre earlier tonight.

Fatu tells Roman Reigns that he took care of LA Knight but the Usos weren’t happy. Reigns knew that would be the case and he gets what Fatu while they don’t. He needs Fatu to do one more thing though and whispers it in his ear. Fatu seems to get it.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

King Of The Ring Semifinals: Dominik Mysterio vs. Oba Femi

Mysterio’s AAA Mega Title isn’t on the line and he has JD McDonagh with him. Mysterio immediately bails out to the floor for a good while. Back in and Femi gets caught with a dropkick, only to chase Mysterio outside for a tackle over the announcers’ table. McDonagh’s distraction lets Mysterio load up the hammer into his boot and it’s a low blow to put Femi down. The 619 and frog splash connect….with the kickout sending Mysterio flying. McDonagh comes in but it’s a double chokeslam, with both of them getting nailed with running uppercuts. The Fall From Grace finishes Mysterio at 4:36.

Rating: C+. This was a good way to go as it wasn’t could Femi crush Mysterio but rather how would he get through the nonsense to get his hands on him. Femi feels more and more like a force every single day but he has Brock Lesnar waiting for him at least one more time. For now though, he probably has Jey Uso up next and that should be enough.

Post match Femi says he’s a win away from his crown. He’ll face whomever he has to, including Brock Lesnar. Femi used to look up to Lesnar but now he isn’t even sure if Lesnar is a man. He invites Lesnar to come face him again and hopes Lesnar will man up instead of running again.

Overall Rating: C+. There was only so much good on this show, with the best parts focusing on the tournament semifinals. Those worked as usual, but they only got this show so far. Rollins vs. Breakker in a cage is fine in theory, but I’m really not that interested in seeing it as things have cooled off a bit. This wasn’t a bad show overall, though it’s firmly in the mediocre range.

Results
Iyo Sky b. Raquel Rodriguez – Over The Moonsault
Chad Gable b. Rusev – Ankle lock
Charlotte b. Roxanne Perez – Figure Eight
Je’Von Evans b. Austin Theory via DQ when Bron Breakker interfered
Oba Femi b. Dominik Mysterio – Fall From Grace

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

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: June 8, 2026
Location: Accor Arena, Paris, France
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re wrapping up the European run this week with another afternoon east coast show and that should make for an interesting show. If nothing else, the crowd should be more than fired up and hopefully they have the show to go along with them. Rey Mysterio is challenging for the Intercontinental Title so let’s get to it.

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

We recap the first week of the King and Queen Of The Ring.

Here is Oba Femi for a chat. Femi thanks the fans for their appreciation before moving on to Paul Heyman. The two of them don’t agree on much, but they do both believe in spoilers. Here’s a spoiler for you: Femi is going to run through the King Of The Ring and win the whole thing at Night Of Champions. He needs a crown to be the ruler but there is another trophy he wants as well: Brock Lesnar’s head.

Lesnar cheated to beat him and then ran off. Heyman refers to Lesnar as the Big Bad Beast but Femi sees him as the Big Bad B****. When Lesnar is back, Femi will settle the score, but here is Dominik Mysterio (Femi’s semifinal opponent) to interrupt. After the fans boo him out of the building, Mysterio says he is a 20 year veteran and wants Femi to bend the knee and respect the stache.

JD McDonagh sneaks in with a chair shot but Femi just turns and glares at him with a look of “boy you have screwed up”. Mysterio gets in a quick 619 but gets tossed down with a powerbomb, sending Judgment Day running. Femi: “We all know that Rey Mysterio is your father. Next week, I’m going to introduce you to your daddy.” With that great line out of the way, the villains bail.

We look back at Bron Breakker accidentally spearing Paul Heyman last week and then losing to Seth Rollins.

Seth Rollins talks about how the last time he was in Paris, he was the World Heavyweight Champion. Tonight it’s about the King Of The Ring and getting back the title that he never lost. Somewhere down the line, he has a date with Roman Reigns and Rollins is ready.

Queen Of The Ring First Round: Becky Lynch vs. Liv Morgan vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Chelsea Green

Non-title and there is a massive HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIV banner in the crowd for a rather nice touch and Morgan seems happy. Morgan is so happy that she does outside to soak in some cheers as Green goes after Lynch. That earns Green a trip to the floor so Bliss misses some knees to Lynch. What looks to be an Oblivion attempt misses and Lynch baseball slides Morgan on the floor. Green dives onto Bliss and Morgan and the fans are rather pleased again. Lynch posts Green though and we take a break.

We come back with Bliss and Green cleaning house, with Bliss hitting the other two with a standing flip dive. Green gets knocked down though and Bliss splashes her for two. Bliss goes up but Bliss is there to catch her, only for Morgan to powerbomb Green down. Twisted Bliss breaks that up for two, with Lynch making a save of her own. Back up and Oblivion is countered into Twisted Bliss for two with Lynch making another save. The Manhandle Slam drops Bliss but Green’s Unprettier…doesn’t do much as Morgan rolls Green up for the pin at 9:22.

Rating: B. This got going well and Green continues to shine under her fresh turn to the good side. The fans love her and she can do enough in the ring to make it work. At the same time, I’m rather glad to see Morgan win here, as having champions lose in these things gets annoying. Someone will take her out eventually, but seeing her win with the fans acting like this for a change was a nice moment.

Video on Rey Mysterio’s time in WWE and now he’s ready to win the Intercontinental Title tonight. Penta says he watches Mysterio for years but now it’s his time. It will be Penta’s honor to face Mysterio.

Chad Gable comes in to see Penta and apologizes for everything he did as El Grande Americano. The whole thing started because of his first loss to Penta. Gable took that loss like a coward. He doesn’t expect anything from Penta but Gable apologizes (the fans applaud). Penta says that wasn’t easy for Gable and he respects that, but there is one person Gable needs to apologize to. Gable understands.

Montez Ford comes in to see Seth Rollins, who thanks him for the help last week. The Usos and Jacob Fatu come in, with Jey Uso warning Rollins about how he speaks about the family. Jey is in the King Of The Ring but Rollins says Jimmy Uso is on the sidelines where Roman Reigns wants him.

Rollins says he’s not talking about their family because he’s only talking about Reigns. He thought the Usos were better than this but they’re just running errands for Reigns. Jey tells Fatu to get Rollins so Fatu (who had just been pacing around behind them, looking like he wanted to be anywhere else) gets in Rollins’ face…and walks away. A smirking Rollins says “family” and the Usos leave. Cole points out that last week, Fatu said he follows Reigns, not the Usos (nice catch).

Video on Sol Ruca vs. Lyra Valkyria, which was set up in a quick backstage challenge last week.

Bayley gives Valkyria a pep talk but Valkyria doesn’t seem to want her around.

Women’s Intercontinental Title: Sol Ruca vs. Lyra Valkyria

Ruca is defending and works on an armbar to start. That’s broken up and Valkyria tries to pick up the pace, only to get taken down with an X Factor. Ruca’s springboard is cut off and Valkyria, eventually, backdrops her to the floor as we take a break. We come back with a double clothesline leaving both of them down.

Ruca shrugs off some right hands and hits a dropkick into a running knee for two. Valkyria gets her hands out to block an X Factor but has to block the Sol Snatcher as well. Valkyria’s charge misses though and she gets caught in the ropes, with Ruca hitting a quick Sol Snatcher (clean) for the pin at 10:04.

Rating: C+. The best thing here is that Ruca made it through a match without a major issue. That sounds like a joke but she really needs to get around these issues. There is certainly a learning curve on the main roster, but if you get a reputation as someone who botches a lot of stuff, it’s going to stick with you for a long time. This was at least a step in the right direction so hopefully she can get the timing and experience she ends sooner than later.

We look at Jacob Fatu acknowledging Roman Reigns last week.

Jey Uso yells at Jacob Fatu, while Jimmy is a bit calmer in his criticism. Fatu makes it clear: he doesn’t acknowledge the two of them because he only acknowledges Roman Reigns. They need to worry about LA Knight, who has been told to stop talking about the Family. He’s probably doing it again right now and the Usos aren’t doing anything. Jimmy: “Group text then!” And Jey leaves when Jimmy isn’t looking.

Here is LA Knight for a chat and he gets a microphone thrown to him, which is thrown terrible. Knight even throws it back for another chance, which he catches with one hand to a big reaction. Knight is ready for his King Of The Ring match on Smackdown where he’s ready to go through all four of them (uh, LA…..) but he’s thinking about Roman Reigns.

The truth is that Reigns’ empire is crumbling and Knight is expecting someone to come out there and cut him off on Friday. There are people against him and he thinks Adam Pearce is one of them, because Pearce didn’t choose him. The people chose him and now he can’t stop. Knight wishes everyone in the match on Friday good luck, including Jey Uso, who comes out to interrupt. Uso is still rather over and hits the catchphrase, but the fans want him to run the entrance back. Well how do you say no to that kind of a request? Knight: “You don’t possibly expect me to stand here and watch this.”

Uso says he’s always there when his family calls and this is Knight’s warning shot. That’s enough for Uso to leave, but Knight says hang on. The fans aren’t happy and Knight gets that because the YEET thing is fun. Knight appreciates Uso’s passion about his family because that’s what a good man should do. He wishes Uso good luck on Friday and from the bottom of his heart….screw your family. That’s enough for Uso to come back for the fight but Jimmy Uso comes down cut him off. Knight is in a weird place as he almost has to be in the main event scene, though I’m not sure I can imagine him actually winning the title.

Chad Gable comes up to Dragon Lee and Rey Mysterio. Gable starts to apologize but Lee says he knows Gable has learned and it’s ok. Mysterio says gable needs to stop beating himself up. Mysterio did want to knock Gable’s head off his shoulders at one point (Gable: “Fair enough.”) but they saw the mask vs. mask match. Gable has apologized enough and it is accepted. Gable goes to leave but Mysterio says Gable might have said and done some things he’ll regret before he ever put the mask on. That seems to resonate with Gable.

Intercontinental Title: Penta vs. Rey Mysterio

Mysterio is challenging and respect is shown at the bell. An early headscissors looks to set up the 619 but Penta backdrops him to the apron. The baseball slide misses and Mysterio hits an Asai moonsault (ala Speedball Mike Bailey) as we take a break. We come back with Penta sending him to the floor for the big running flip dive. Another dive is cut off and Mysterio hits a modified 619. The sliding sunset bomb sends Penta into the barricade and we take another break.

We come back with…the screen going right back to black, as it seems they brought the feed up before they were supposed to. Either way, the Penta Driver gives Penta two and they’re both down for a bit. Back up and Mysterio hits a 619 into the slingshot splash for a rather close two. A frog splash hits knees though and the Mexican Destroyer retains the title at 13:00.

Rating: B. That was exactly what it should have been, as Penta gets another big win over the king of all lucha legends. At the same time, Mysterio can more than hang in the ring to this day, which is rather impressive given how long he has been at this. Rusev and Ethan Page are probably still coming for the title, but Penta can have a special moment first.

Post match Rusev and Ethan Page run in for the beatdown. The Accolade goes on so Dragon Lee runs in for the save. Rusev knocks Lee down and takes Mysterio’s mask, with Penta diving onto Rey’s exposed head. This brings out Chad Gable (there it is) for the save, with a bunch of German suplexes. With the villains gone, Gable holds up Mysterio’s mask and (after a bit of a stare) hands it to Penta so Mysterio can get it back on. Oh yeah he’s a big deal if he gets the chance, but if he goes all mega evil and goes after Mysterio’s mask, we’ll need a new term for the level of heat he’ll have in Mexico.

Raquel Rodriguez is ready for Iyo Sky.

Video on the European tour.

Iyo Sky talks about Asuka trusting her with the women’s division and she’s ready to face Raquel Rodriguez.

Roxanne Perez apologizes to Liv Morgan for her attitude last week. She was upset about her loss and all that matters is the Judgment Day winning. Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh come in and Mysterio isn’t sure about Oba Femi. Morgan has an idea though. With them gone, Perez doesn’t seem thrilled.

King Of The Ring First Round: Je’Von Evans vs. Seth Rollins vs. Talla Tonga vs. Ricky Saints

Saints punches Rollins out tot he floor, leaving Evans to flip away from Tonga. That doesn’t work well for Tonga, who gets up and starts to wreck everyone around him. Tonga cleans house and stands rather tall as we take a break. We come back with Saints and Rollins managing to knock Tonga into the timekeeper’s area, with Evans adding a big running dive

Rollins gets knocked down again and Saints kicks Evans in the head, setting up a springboard tornado DDT for two. Rollins hits a Pedigree but Tonga is back in with a save. Everyone goes to the corner and Tonga hits a Tower Of Doom, with Evans flipping away to safety. A big clothesline gives Tonga two on Evans and he chokeslams Evans onto the announcers’ table.

Rollins is right there with a Stomp to Tonga, followed by another from the barricade. Back in and Saints avoids a Stomp but the tornado DDT is countered. The Stomp hits again but cue Austin Theory to pull the referee. Montez Ford cuts Theory off but Bron Breakker runs in to spear Rollins. Saints goes for the cover, only for Evans to hit an OG Cutter for the pin at 15:06.

Rating: B. They followed a formula here and it worked rather well, with Tonga looking like a force and a surprise result of Evans winning instead of Rollins. That leaves Rollins and Ford to continue their issues with the Vision while Evans gets another chance to rub elbows with some stars. He’s rapidly becoming a star around here and that is very promising.

Evans celebrates to end the show while Rollins is distraught. One thing of note: the replay shows Evans giving Saints a shove on the way back into the ring. Not only does it slow down the count, but it gives Saints time to get into position for the cutter. That’s a smart move and a great sign for Evans’ ability to think in the ring.

Overall Rating: B+. This show covered a lot of ground and has me a good bit more interested in Night Of Champions, and some other things, than I was coming in. The opening promo was good and even tied into the King Of The Ring for a bonus. Gable’s apologizes were great, but my goodness the idea of him going all evil again has me rather tingly. Pretty awesome show here, with the Paris crowd making it that much better.

Results
Liv Morgan b. Becky Lynch, Alexa Bliss and Chelsea Green – Rollup to Green
Sol Ruca b. Lyra Valkyria – Sol Snatcher
Penta b. Rey Mysterio – Mexican Destroyer
Je’Von Evans b. Seth Rollins, Talla Tonga and Ricky Saints – OG Cutter to Saints

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

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: June 1, 2026
Location: Inalpi Arena, Turin, Italy
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re still in Italy for an afternoon show in the eastern United States. Clash In Italy took place yesterday and Roman Reigns is still the World Champion, albeit now with Jacob Fatu under his thumb. That should help him as he could have an upcoming challenger via the King Of The Ring, which gets started this week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Clash In Italy if you need a recap.

Clash In Italy recap.

Roman Reigns and the Usos arrive, minus Jacob Fatu. We pause for the fans to serenade them and yeah that’s a pretty cool moment. Reigns seems impressed as this goes on for at least a few minutes before he gets in the catchphrase. Reigns is happy that it’s acknowledgment daybut there’s no Fatu. Jey: “His first day on the job and he’s already late!”

Cue Fatu, in far more casual than usual clothes, with Reigns and Jey mocking him for taking too long. Fatu glares at Jey and then takes the microphone away, saying he’s taken a lot of losses over his career. Last night was another one and he knows there are consequences. His children saw their father take a loss last night but he’s going to be a man and keep his word. Last night he lost to his Tribal Chief, but he didn’t lose to Jey’s punk a**.

Fatu goes back to Reigns and officially acknowledges him, even taking a knee in front of him. Reigns takes Fatu’s hand and pulls him up, saying that Fatu might not understand this right now, but Reigns loves him. Jimmy says Fatu is with them now and they’re the ones, with the four of them doing the pose. It could take a bit, but this setting up the other three turning on Reigns, which could do well for everyone involved.

Video on King and Queen Of The Ring. The tournaments will be four four ways, with the winners going on to regular four person elimination brackets.

King Of The Ring First Round: Penta vs. Oba Femi vs. Solo Sikoa vs. Carmelo Hayes

Non-title and the MFT’s are here with Sikoa. Femi clears the ring to start and knocks Sikoa outside with a straight right hand. Femi follows him and dropkicks Hayes into the face. They switch places and Hayes hits the Fadewaway, only to dive into a superkick. Femi and Talla Talla Tonga have the big staredown on the floor and before Femi chokeslams Penta and Hayes.

We take a break and come back with Sikoa cleaning house until Femi drops him with a clothesline. Femi gets hit with the First 48 and is sent into the post, with Sikoa and the MFT’s taking him out on the floor. Penta and Hayes hit a dive each until Sikoa clotheslines Penta back inside. The Penta Driver gets two on Hayes and everyone is down. Femi is back up though and starts cleaning house, including a spinebuster to Penta. Talla Tonga is tossed onto the announcers’ table and the Fall From Grace finishes Sikoa at 8:57.

Rating: B. The ending was OBA SMASH and that’s all it needed to be. Femi needed a dominant win after what happened at Clash In Italy and while I don’t know if he wins the whole tournament, he was treated like a huge deal here. It didn’t feel like Femi got lucky, as much as he just ran through everyone to win.

Post match Femi talks about Brock Lesnar asking if he could take a beating. Well here he is after 7 F5’s and now he’s going to be King Of The Ring. Lesnar needs to remember that they’re 1-1 so they’ll see each other again.

Video on Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker, which takes place again tonight.

Here is new Women’s Intercontinental Champion Sol Ruca for a chat. Ruca is asked if she believed she would get here and thanks the fans for believing in her. She also thanks Becky Lynch for giving her a chance, but then she proved Lynch wrong. And it’s not just hear saying it either! She’ll be a fighting champion and you shouldn’t underestimate her because she’ll snatch your soul. She even gets some pyro to wrap it up.

After last night’s show, Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns had a silent staredown.

Reigns wants the Usos to keep an eye on Rhodes. For now though, he wants Jey Uso to go be King Of The Ring and go on to Summerslam to get the other World Title. Jimmy is staying with Reigns though because Jey has to do this on his own.

Rey Mysterio/Dragon Lee vs. Ethan Page/Rusev

Rusev stomps Lee down into the corner to start and it’s off to Page, who gets sent into the corner. Lee’s wrecking ball dropkick hits Lee in the corner, setting up a running dropkick for two. Rusev comes back in and gets rolled up for two before Lee looks over to Mysterio for quite the reaction. Page breaks up the tag though (that was a great evil thing to do) and Lee gets planted as we take a break.

We come back with Page breaking up Lee’s tag attempt. That doesn’t last long though as Lee gets over to Mysterio for the big tag so house can be cleaned. Everything breaks down and Page sends Mysterio into Lee, allowing him to grab a rollup for two. Page’s Boston crab has to be broken up and Lee suicide dives Rusev. That leaves Mysterio to 619 Page into the slingshot splash for the pin at 11:34.

Rating: B-. This was just a way to get Mysterio in the ring in front of the international crowd and they more than seemed to appreciate it. That was how the match should have gone and while I could have gone with Rusev taking the pin over Page, this was pretty nice stuff. If nothing else, Mysterio can still more than go in the ring and it’s more impressive every week.

Adam Pearce talks to Penta and gives him the Intercontinental Title match against Rey Mysterio. Penta approves and leaves when LA Knight comes in. Knight isn’t happy with how much attention Pearce has been giving to Roman Reigns, so maybe we need to get Pearce his own Honorary Uce shirt.

Maybe Knight can bring Pearce out of retirement so he can put him back in it. Knight thinks Pearce is trying to get the Bloodline back together and even mocks the finger point before storming off. The thing that made this work is how natural Knight sounded. It felt like he was told “here’s why you’re mad at Pearce, get this point over, go talk.” That’s a great way to go and it worked here, as Knight can talk with the best of them.

Commentary talks about the Mask vs. Mask match from last weekend’s AAA show, with the match airing again after Raw on Netflix. Watch it if you haven’t seen it.

We get some highlights of the mask vs. mask match.

Queen Of The Ring First Round: Lash Legend vs. Giulia vs. Iyo Sky vs. Roxanne Perez

Legend catches Giulia to start but gets dropkicked down by Sky. Perez is in to go after Sky but Legend picks up Perez and Sky, with Giulia dropkicking everyone down for a change. We take a break and come back with Legend being pulled out to the floor, leaving Sky to Bullet Train Perez and Giulia in the corner.

Legend is back in with a choke to Sky but Giulia breaks it up with the running knee. Perez takes Giulia and Sky down at the same time, followed by the cartwheel knee to Sky’s head for two. Giulia takes Sky up top but Perez breaks it up, only for Legend to double powerbomb not-Sky. A Lash Extension drops Giulia and Perez but Sky makes the save. Over The Moonsault gives Sky the pin on Giulia at 10:36.

Rating: B-. Sky possibly moving back to the title picture is a good way to go as she feels like a major star. At the same time, Giulia continues to just kind of float around aimlessly and Perez will more than likely be going back to tagging. That leaves Legend, who has turned into a pretty decent power monster. I’m rather impressed with her transformation, as she looked more than capable in there this time.

Maxxine Dupri isn’t happy about not being in the Queen Of The Ring but Adam Pearce says she’s the first choice if a spot opens up. The Alpha Academy warn her about hanging out with Austin Theory, because he’s bad news. She insists she’s got this.

We get a video on Danhausen cursing ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith and the New York Knicks, who then went on a losing streak, then uncursed them, and then they went on a 7-0 winning streak and went on to the NBA Finals. This is the definition of “let’s run with this” and it’s working.

Bayley and Lyra Valkyria want the Women’s Tag Team Titles. Valkyria goes over to Sol Ruca and praises her for ending the Becky Lynch reign of terror. Valkyria gets a title shot out of this and Bayley isn’t thrilled.

Roxanne Perez rants about her loss when Liv Morgan comes in to brag about how she’s going to win the tournament. Raquel Rodriguez has to help her get the hint and Perez doesn’t seem happy about not getting any help. Morgan says she and Dominik Mysterio are winning the tournaments, seemingly forgetting that Rodriguez and JD McDonagh are entered as well.

Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker

Paul Heyman is here with Breakker. Rollins strikes away to start but gets suplexed down for his efforts. Breakker is sent outside, where’ he’s able to toss Rollins over the barricade as we take an early break. We come back with Breakker continuing to wreck Rollins, including the array of suplexes. They head outside with Breakker sending Rollins into the announcers’ table and clearing both tables off.

Rollins uses the delay to fight up and take over, with a running knee hitting Breakker back inside. Breakker is fine enough to run the corner and snap off a super Frankensteiner for two, leaving the frustration levels high. They go outside again with Rollins going onto the announcers’ table and diving at a diving Breakker for a midair collision.

We take a break and come back again with Breakker hammering Rollins in the corner, only to get reversed into a not great looking powerbomb for two. Rollins superplexes him down but has to reverse Breakker’s suplex into a small package for two more. The spear drops Rollins and they go outside again, with the diving spear being countered into a Pedigree through the announcers’ table.

Back in and cue Austin Theory for a distraction, but Montez Ford runs in to take him out. Another spear gives Breakker another two, as does Rollins’ stomp as Heyman puts the foot on the rope. Rollins goes after Heyman, who accidentally gets speared through the barricade. Breakker knows he screwed up and tries another spear but Rollins has grabbed a title belt, with Breakker knocking himself out. Another Stomp gives Rollins the pin at 22:24.

Rating: B. This got wild near the end and you know it’s a big deal if Heyman takes a bump. That’s likely going to get rid of him for at least a good while and I’m not really sure where that leaves a lot of things. The match was pretty much the traditional post PPV PPV level main event, which caps off the weekend nicely enough. It absolutely could have been on Clash, but then how else would you get in four more ads?

Rollins points at Ford and implies he wants Roman Reigns’ title to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was more about setting things up for later, with the opening segment saying “Fatu is with the Bloodline”, the main event being about getting rid of Heyman, and two of the three other matches being starts to tournaments. That’s only so much of a show and while it wasn’t bad, it was a pretty skippable show. Not bad, but you’re better off reading a recap than watching the whole thing.

Results
Oba Femi b. Solo Sikoa, Carmelo Hayes and Penta – Fall From Grace to Sikoa
Rey Mysterio/Dragon Lee b. Rusev/Ethan Page – Slingshot splash to Page
Iyo Sky b. Giulia, Lash Legend and Roxanne Perez – Over The Moonsault to Giulia
Seth Rollins b. Bron Breakker – Stomp

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

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Clash In Italy
Date: May 31, 2026
Location: Inalpi Arena, Turin, Italy
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re overseas again and it’s weird to see this taking place on a Sunday afternoon stateside. There is something of a triple main event with the two World Title matches and the rematch between Brock Lesnar and Oba Femi. Throw in some women’s matches and we should be good to go. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at the card and yeah I’m pretty sold on this one. All five matches look anywhere from good to great.

Smackdown World Title: Gunther vs. Cody Rhodes

Rhodes is defending and goes with some quick shots to the face to start but his springboard is chopped out of the air. Gunther misses a charge in the corner and can’t get the sleeper but he can boot Rhodes in the face to knock him down. Rhodes fires back with the elbows, including a Bionic Elbow, setting up a Pedigree for two. Back up and a shotgun dropkick knocks Rhodes down again, only to come back with a springboard kick to the head.

Cross Rhodes gives Rhodes two but the Cody Cutter lands in the quickly broken sleeper. The sleeper goes on again and Rhodes is in trouble, with Gunther hammering him down to keep it on. Rhodes finally gets out and strikes away, even getting his own quickly broken sleeper. The Cody Cutter connects and Rhodes hits his own clothesline. There’s Cross Rhodes for the sudden pin at 11:40…but Gunther immediately protests that he was under the rope.

Rating: B-. Uh, well ok. I was expecting this to go about twice as long though the ending pretty much guarantees that the rematch will get that chance instead. These two are capable of having a big, long match and this was more of a preview for one of those than the match itself. It’s far from bad, but I was expecting a lot more.

Post match the replay shows Gunther is absolutely right, as his foot was all the way out of the ring.

We recap Jade Cargill challenging Rhea Ripley for the Smackdown Women’s Title. Ripley beat her at Wrestlemania and Cargill wants to reestablish her dominance, which has included beating up Ripley’s associates.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley vs. Jade Cargill

Ripley is defending and seems a bit tentative to go after Cargill. A quick toss sends Ripley down but she’s right back up to send Cargill outside. Cargill blocks the cannonball and gives Ripley the fall away slam on the floor. Back in and Ripley is whipped hard into the corner, leaving Cargill to do some pushups. A suplex cuts off Ripley’s comeback attempt and we hit the chinlock.

Back up and Cargill hammers away but misses a charge into the post. Ripley fights back and hits a missile dropkick for two but the Razor’s Edge is countered into a backdrop. Cargill charges into a boot though and they’re both down. Jaded is escaped and Ripley hits a headbutt, only for Riptide to be blocked. Ripley hits something like a Razor’s Edge for two and she gets Cargill in an electric chair. They manage to flip over the top and crash out to the floor, where Ripley lands on her feet.

Cargill gets dropped face first onto the apron but she’s able to reverse Riptide into a DDT for two. Ripley catches her going up top and grabs a belly to back superplex for two more, leaving both of them down. Cue Michin and B Fab but Ripley hits Riptide anyway. The goons (eventually) put the foot on the ropes and that’s a double ejection, only for Charlotte to pop up and dive onto the two of them. Jaded connects but Charlotte puts the foot on the rope this time. Another headbutt and Riptide retain the title at 17:06.

Rating: B. That’s pretty easily Cargill’s best match ever and it shouldn’t be a surprise as Ripley can be something of a miracle worker. They played to Cargill’s strengths here and made it into a showdown of two powerhouses, with Ripley having to adjust in the middle. The interferences made sense, though Charlotte might want to get paid back for her efforts. Say with a title shot.

We recap Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi. They fought at Wrestlemania and Femi beat him in short order. Lesnar retired but then decided he was going to fight anyway. Therefore, it’s time for another monster battle.

Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar

Paul Heyman is here with Lesnar, who jumps Femi from behind to start and hits three F5’s in less than thirty seconds. A fourth F5 gets two and Lesnar looks confused. The Kimura goes on but Femi powers up for the spinebuster and a break. Another Kimura is broken up with some rams into the corner but another F5 gets two.

Femi hits a not so great chokeslam for two and a Cactus Clothesline puts them both on the floor. The arm is sent into the post and Lesnar gets another Kimura, which is reversed with a posting. The fans want Suplex City but have to settle for another F5 through the announcers’ table. Femi just stands up though and charges back in, where the Fall From Grace is escaped. A seventh F5 gives Lesnar the pin at 6:23.

Rating: B-. I never know hot to rate these things. This was the finisher spamming Lesnar match of days gone by, though it did get more interesting when you wondered if Femi could come back. I wouldn’t have had Femi lose here, though at least it was to Lesnar, which is hardly some big terrible defeat. Odds are we get a third match, and that could be quite the spectacle again.

Commentary talks about last night’s AAA show and we look at the rather epic mask vs. mask main event.

Women’s Intercontinental Title: Becky Lynch vs. Sol Ruca

Ruca is challenging after making her main roster debut shortly after Wrestlemania. Lynch wasn’t impressed and got laid out by Ruca, who is getting a chance to catch Lynch again. Ruca ducks a right hand to start and knocks her into the corner, setting up a kick to send Lynch face first into the middle buckle. A standing moonsault gives Ruca two but Lynch knocks her outside for a baseball slide.

Lynch misses a dive and Ruca hangs herself up in the Tree Of Woe, only to avoid a right hand to send Lynch’s hand into the post. Back in and Ruca gets two off a sunset flip but Lynch knocks her down again. They head outside so Lynch can whip her into the barricade a few times. Back in and Lynch wins a slugout but gets sent into the corner for the German suplex. A missile dropkick and running knee get two on Lynch but she reverses the Sol Snatcher into a cross armbreaker.

Ruca manages to flip over though and gets an STF. That’s broken up and Lynch kicks her in the face for two before going up top. A super X Factor brings Lynch back down for two but Lynch shoves the referee into the ropes to crotch Ruca on top. The superplex drops Ruca but she flips out of a DDT and nails a superkick to leave them both down.

A handspring moonsault doesn’t quite work as she gets caught in the ropes and just kind of crashes into Lynch instead. Back in and Ruca flips into a Manhandle Slam for two but Lynch tries a Sol Snatcher of her own. That doesn’t work either as Ruca pulls her into a Manhandle Slam for two more. Back up and Lynch tries an exploder into the corner, which is reversed into a quick Sol Snatcher to give Ruca the pin and the title at 13:54.

Rating: B-. There were the usual amount of mini botches that you kind of have to expect from someone who moves around like Ruca. What matters the most though is that Ruca got a big win clean to win a title on the main roster. That’s how you give someone new a major rub and Lynch knows exactly how to do that. I’m not sure where Ruca goes from here but she is certainly off to the right start.

We recap Jacob Fatu vs. Roman Reigns for the Raw World Title. Reigns retained over Fatu at Backlash but Fatu went after him again, setting up a rematch under Tribal Combat rules. Therefore, anything goes, with the title and head of the family on the line.

Raw World Title: Roman Reigns vs. Jacob Fatu

Fatu is challenging in Tribal Combat, meaning anything goes. They stare at each other to start and trade the big shoves. Reigns’ headlock is broken up so he settles for a clothesline, followed by some rams into the buckles. The threat of the Tongan Death Grip sends Reigns outside and the suicide dive takes him down again. They fight into the crowd with Fatu firing off some headbutts to take over.

They wind up at the concession stand, where Reigns hits him in the head with a bucket. Reigns throws what I believe were some bananas into the crowd and it’s time to go back to ringside. Fatu fights back but gets dropped, allowing Reigns to pull out a table. Fatu jumps Reigns and takes that away, with the Reigns being knocked down outside. The steps are thrown inside, but Reigns fights back to knock Fatu outside.

The steps are launched over the top and onto Fatu’s head for the big knockdown and the fans certainly approve. Back in and Reigns fires off the ten clotheslines in the corner (with the fans counting along), followed by a big boot. The Superman Punch misses though and Fatu clotheslines him into the running backsplash. Fatu rains down the right hands in the corner but Reigns is back with a pop up Superman Punch to leave them both down. Back up and Fatu gets the Tongan Death Grip, sending Reigns outside.

That means another Superman Punch, with Fatu crashing outside next to him. Reigns whips out a toolbox and crushes Fatu’s hand, meaning there’s no Death Grip. The hand is crushed again, this time against the steps, but Fatu knocks him into the corner. The running Umaga Attack connects and they go outside, with Reigns nailing a Superman Punch. Reigns spears him through the barricade (knocking over two guards in the process) and they head back inside so a spear can connect for two.

With nothing else working, Reigns rips off three of the four top turnbuckle pads. That takes too long and Fatu tries the Death Grip, only to get sent into one of the exposed buckles. Fatu hits a spear of his own for two of his own but the triple jump moonsault misses. A pop up Samoan drop puts Reigns down again though and now the triple jump moonsault can connect, with the near fall hitting Fatu low. They slug it out until Fatu gets the Tongan Death Grip. That’s broken up with some rams into the exposed buckle and another spear sends Fatu through the table in the corner. A regular spear retains the title at 27:10.

Rating: B. It was a good fight, but it never reached that level that would have made it great. I could believe Fatu had a chance at winning but Reigns eventually just turned on the jets and blew him away. It wasn’t a bad match at all, though I was expecting this to get crazy and instead it was just a violent fight.

Post match the Usos come in to acknowledge Reigns, which Fatu has to do tomorrow. The Bloodline leaves as the MFT’s are watching from the crowd. Fatu looks over at them and eventually follows Reigns and the Usos up the aisle to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. I would actually call this a bit of a disappointment, as I was expecting an awesome show and instead got one that was just good. There’s nothing bad about any of this and the main event did what it needed to do, but I never felt like I was seeing some huge fight. It’s in a weird place of stretching things out from the Wrestlemania season and stretching them towards whatever they’re doing in the summer, leaving this as a bit of a middle of nowhere show. It’s worth a glance if you have nothing else to do, but that’s about all.

Results
Cody Rhodes b. Gunther – Cross Rhodes
Rhea Ripley b. Jade Cargill – Riptide
Brock Lesnar b. Oba Femi – F5
Sol Ruca b. Becky Lynch – Sol Snatcher
Roman Reigns b. Jacob Fatu – Spear

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

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We’re overseas again and that means we should be in for another white hot crowd. These shows have turned into a highlight of the WWE calendar, mainly due to how hot the crowds tend to be. That has me interested in what we’re going to be seeing, with the pair of World Title matches headlining the show. As usual, there are only five matches, but it means we could have a good show if the middle of the pack matches deliver. Let’s get to it.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley(c) vs. Jade Cargill

This is a Wrestlemania rematch, albeit with the roles reversed. That makes for an interesting situation, as Cargill has been on a rampage about wanting to get her title back. That has me wondering where this is going, as it feels like Charlotte is going to be waiting in the wings for the winner. You could go either way, as the two options here are looking pretty equal.

I’ll take Ripley to retain here, as it feels like we could be seeing Charlotte get the title showdown next, and probably winning (throwing Money In The Bank to Alexa Bliss could make for an interesting summer). This could absolutely go to Cargill again, but I’ll take Ripley to retain, as there isn’t much of a point in having Ripley lose the title back so fast. If nothing else, at least they should get more time than they got at Wrestlemania.

Women’s Intercontinental Title: Becky Lynch(c) vs. Sol Ruca

Ruca has shown up in a big splash on the main roster and I’m digging her stuff thus far. She has something of a presence to her and when you throw in one of the flashiest finishers around, there is some potential for quite the push. At the same time, you can tell that she’s in for something special as she’s immediately going in against Lynch, which is quite the opening feud. But does she win the title here?

Yeah I think she does, as this feels like it could be the big surprise title change of the show. Ruca has already lost a fairly high profile match (at least given her status on the roster) and I’m not sure I would have that happen again. You don’t want her to lose her wings so quickly and a win over Lynch would be a huge deal. She doesn’t have to keep the title for a long time, but she needs to win it and I think we’ll see that here.

Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar

Here we have another Wrestlemania rematch and the way around the whole “Lesnar is retired” is “yeah he’s retired but he’s wrestling anyway”, which is hardly the best way to go. At the same time, I want to see the two of them beat the living daylights out of each other again, just like they did at Wrestlemania. Femi is feeling like he could be the next monster thing around here and it has me wondering just how much WWE agrees.

In a pick that could blow up in my face, I’m going to take Femi to beat Lesnar again. While there is little shake in losing to Lesnar, Femi losing so soon is not going to do him any good. Femi needs to be treated like the next unstoppable monster and have his first loss be in a major spot. In this case, he needs to go over to make it clear that he can beat even a souped up Lesnar. It’s the best way to go and hopefully WWE realizes that.

Smackdown World Title: Cody Rhodes(c) vs. Gunther

Now this one has changed a good bit for me, as I wasn’t overly interested in the match until we got to the final Smackdown. These two had a heck of a face to face promo and it made me that much less sure about who was going to win the match. While Rhodes getting the big win feels likely, Gunther guaranteeing another big win left me unsure, as he has lived up to his word thus far. That’s not out of the question, but do they actually go in that direction?

I’m actually going to say yes they do, with Gunther winning the title. Gunther is the definition of a big bad who has to be slain and I’m thinking they’ll actually go with the title change. Rhodes is often better when he is chasing the title and that would be the right move here. Even if Gunther beats him clean, it gives Rhodes something to do over the summer, perhaps via the King Of The Ring.

Raw World Title: Roman Reigns(c) vs. Jacob Fatu

And now we have what should be wrapping the show up in the form of Tribal Combat. In other words, two big, strong Samoans are going to beat the living daylights out of each other over the title and the right to be the Tribal Chief. Basically that means the loser has to serve the winner, which could be kind of dull if Reigns wins but kind of amazing if Fatu wins.

I’m not sold on the idea but I think I’ll take Fatu to win the title. Raw needs something to really shake things up and Fatu could certainly be that thing. I’m not sure where things go after that, but Fatu could be the one who gets the big push and he could absolutely have it happen here. It’s a pick that doesn’t feel likely, but I want the craziness that comes with Fatu on top of the show.

Overall Thoughts

There is some serious potential with this show, as you have the two World Title matches plus Femi vs. Lesnar, all of which should be outstanding. That leaves the two women’s matches and they both have potential as well. If the crowd is a big factor, we could be in for something special. The other European shows have been that way and there is no reason this shouldn’t be as well.

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

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