Monday Night Raw
Date: January 27, 2025
Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Pat McAfee, Seth Rollins

It’s the last Raw before the Royal Rumble and that means we are likely going to be getting some last minute names added to the namesake matches. Other than that, Logan Paul is making his Raw debut and that should make for something interesting. We’re also getting the fallout from Saturday Night’s Main Event so let’s get to it.

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

Commentary welcomes us to the show.

Here is Seth Rollins to get things going. Rollins talks about how he’s going to win the Royal Rumble but he hasn’t had a good start to 2025. He remembers the debut of Monday Night Raw on Netflix and having the most humiliating loss of his career. Now though he is ready to win the Royal Rumble, but the question is what title he wants to go after. Maybe the Ring General Gunther, or maybe the American Nightmare Gunther.

Cue Gunther, who wants to know where Rollins has been. Gunther asks where Rollins has been because he’s been stuck fighting people like Jey Uso. He wants to know if Rollins still has it in him, even though he isn’t the greatest wrestler in WWE anymore. Gunther wants the old Rollins to come back and face him at Wrestlemania, just so Gunther can show him who the real World Heavyweight Champion really is.

Cue the debuting Logan Paul to interrupt and my goodness the heat on him is incredible. The booing is so loud that it’s hard to understand him as he talks about how these two are just average. Paul talks about how great he is and he’s officially in the Royal Rumble. It’s clear that he’s incredible at wrestling but now he gets to decide just who he faces for the title. Gunther likes the idea of facing Paul because he could slap the smirk off his face. Rollins says he’ll win and we’re done. Paul’s heat here was unreal and he came off like an absolute star in his first eight minutes or so on the show.

CM Punk isn’t worried about Paul because he’s going to win the Royal Rumble. He’d throw Cathy Kelly over the top if he had to but here is Sami Zayn to interrupt (with Kelly leaving). Zayn brings up Punk saying he wasn’t on his level last week but points out that he’s a Wrestlemania main eventer. Zayn walks off and runs into Karrion Kross, with Zayn not interested in anything he has to say. That’s fine with Kross, but what about what Zayn’s friends have been saying? Stop thinking with your heart and start thinking with your head. Cody Rhodes comes in and Zayn kind of blows him off.

Tag Team Titles: Judgment Day vs. War Raiders

The Raiders are defending and get jumped to start. The brawl is on with Erik fighting back, only to get caught with a jawbreaker into a neckbreaker. McDonagh hits a big moonsault out to the floor but bangs his head on the announcers’ table. Cole sounds scared about the landing and the fans applaud McDonagh as he gets up (that’s nice to see). Erik gets double teamed in the corner but gets out without much trouble, allowing the tag off to Ivar to pick up the pace.

A seated senton out of the corner hits Mysterio but Ivar misses a charge over the barricade. Erik powerbombs the villains into each other though, allowing Ivar to hit a flipping dive as we take a break. Back with Erik cleaning house, including a Boss Man Slam and a hard knee to Mysterio.

The springboard clothesline misses though and McDonagh headbutts Erik (McAfee: “Might as well have had a bicycle hit your face.”). Ivar goes up but gets suplexed down by McDonagh and cue Carlito to spit the apple. Mysterio hits a 619 so McDonagh can add the moonsault, setting up the frog splash for two. Erik is back up and the War Machine retains the titles at 11:35.

Rating: B. It took me a bit to get into this one but it wound up being a heck of a match with the power vs. the speed/cheating. The Raiders are doing fine as champions, but it’s hard to imagine that New Day isn’t going to be getting the titles at some pint in the future. McDonagh banging into the table was certainly a sight but thankfully he seemed to be fine.

Ludwig Kaiser comes up to Pete Dunne and they don’t trust Penta. New Day comes in and even Kaiser and Dunne don’t like them. Xavier Woods is ready to face Rey Mysterio tonight. Kingston: “Atlanta’s favorite son has come home!” Cathy Kelly: “Bron Breakker? Austin Theory? Cody Rhodes?” Woods: “NO!” Woods’ family is supposed to be here and they have front row seats…though he hasn’t heard from them.

Rey Mysterio vs. Xavier Woods

The LWO (including Zelina Vega, who is going to Smackdown this weekend) is here too, along with Kofi Kingston. They trade takedowns to start before Woods chops away in the corner. A running hurricanrana gives Mysterio a breather but Woods is right back with a middle rope stomp to the back of the neck.

We take a break and come back with Woods hitting a rather delayed vertical suplex for two more. Woods strikes away before dropping him face first onto the turnbuckle. A Code Red out of the corner gives Mysterio two but Woods sends him outside again. We pause for Woods to go see his family though….and they’re wearing NEW DAY SUCKS shirts. Woods and Kingston yell at them, allowing Mysterio to hit a 619 into the slingshot splash for the pin at 11:01.

Rating: B-. This is one of the better stories in WWE at the moment as New Day is going to start realizing that there are consequences for their actions. That opens up a variety of options and I’m really curious to see how it goes. For now though, it’s another nice match between two talented stars and I’m liking New Day losing given the situation.

Sami Zayn tells Seth Rollins that the Helluva Kick last week was a mistake and Rollins believes him. With the Royal Rumble coming up though, he can’t be so sure. They shake hands though and it seems to be ok.

We get a sneak preview of an interview with CM Punk, which will air during the Royal Rumble Kickoff. Punk is still elusive about the favor Paul Heyman owes him.

Here is Jey Uso, with a rapper name Cuevo, to say he needed that kind of a reception. He lost on Saturday because Gunther was that good. The reality is Uso can beat Gunther so now he has to win the Royal Rumble.

Lyra Valkyria enters the Royal Rumble. American Made comes in with Chad Gable suggesting that Ivy Nile will be the next Women’s Intercontinental Title. Valkyria says this is the closest either of them will get to being Intercontinental Champion but Nile seems to be in the Royal Rumble too. Then they see the Alpha Academy dancing for TikTok and Gable yells at them. Maxxine Dupri looks sad. This is a story that could be dropped without losing much of anything.

Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez vs. Naomi/Bianca Belair

Non-title. Morgan has to slip out of an early KOD attempt so she pulls Belair down by the hair. Belair nips up so Rodriguez comes in for a fight over a suplex. Naomi comes in and gets caught with a double Russian legsweep but gets sent into the corner for some running shots in the corner. It’s back to Morgan, who is taken down with a standing moonsault/legdrop combination for two. Everything breaks down and Naomi and Belair hit a high crossbody each.

We take a break and come back with Rodriguez front facelocking Naomi and swinging her around in quite the power display. A rather hard posting drops Naomi but she’s right back with a hanging Pedigree to the apron. Belair comes in for a suplex to Morgan, whose panicked face on the landing is quite the visual. Rodriguez is driven into Morgan in the corner so Belair can hammer away, only for Morgan to come back with a dropkick.

Rodriguez hits a chokebomb on Belair and powerbombs Morgan onto her for two. Naomi is back up with a slingshot X Factor for two of her own but Morgan is back up with the Codebreaker. The Oblivion is cut off though and Belair hits the KOD, only for Dominik Mysterio to offer a distraction. Naomi’s split legged moonsault connects with Rodriguez making the save and powerbombing her onto the apron. Morgan steals the pin at 12:32.

Rating: C+. This match felt long and I wasn’t getting interested in what they were doing. It wasn’t a bad match, but seeing the champions lose wasn’t exactly thrilling. In theory this sets up a title match down the line, though Naomi and Belair don’t exactly feel like a big time team in the first place.

Rhea Ripley is banged up after her match with Nia Jax but she reminded her why Mami is always on top. She doesn’t care who wins the Royal Rumble, so here is Bayley to tease a challenge. Ripley leaves so here is Iyo Sky to say she’ll see Bayley Saturday.

Since we’re in Atlanta, we look at Michael Cole beating Jerry Lawler at Wrestlemania XXVII in a match that should be erased from history. Pat McAfee rips Cole for his look in the match in a funny bit.

Penta says this is just the beginning so he’s in the Royal Rumble.

Royal Rumble rundown.

Here is Paul Heyman for a chat. He is the one behind the GOAT and the one behind the cover star of WWA (yes A) 2K25. We get the big reveal of the game’s cover and Heyman talks about how Reigns has all kinds of responsibilities to be the game’s cover star. Heyman says he is the one behind the one in 29 vs. 1 and now it is time for Reigns to get his WWE Title back.

Reigns is the biggest star in the world and when we colonize Mars, he’ll be the biggest star on that planet too. There are two stars in the Royal Rumble: Roman Reigns and 29 Roman Reigns wannabes. Those people get down on their hands and knees every night, praying to be Roman Reigns. Cue Drew McIntyre to interrupt and Heyman knows this isn’t good.

McIntyre says they never get to talk but the fans want Reigns. The reality is that McIntyre is responsible for all of Heyman and Reigns’ success. McIntyre won the Royal Rumble and WWE Title in 2020 and then Heyman was able to come back to work with Reigns. Heyman thanks McIntyre, but says McIntyre is crowding him. McIntyre backs up but asks for a favor: have Heyman tell his boy that McIntyre is coming for him at the Royal Rumble. Heyman says he’ll tell Reigns that, but McIntyre meant CM Punk. As usual, Heyman’s praise of Reigns was great, though McIntyre felt like a threat and that’s a good thing.

Sami Zayn vs. Drew McIntyre

Dang they like running this match. McIntyre points out that he’s 10-0 against Zayn in singles matches so Zayn knocks him outside for an Arabian moonsault. Back in and Zayn wins a chop off before getting dropped with a shot to the face. Zayn fights up with a tornado DDT but McIntyre cuts him off on top. They go outside with McIntyre missing a Claymore and landing on the announcers’ table as we take a break.

Back with McIntyre hitting a spinebuster and sitout powerbomb for two each. Zayn is back up with a sunset bomb out of the corner for two of his own. The Blue Thunder Bomb is countered though and McIntyre sends him flying with a suplex. Now the Blue Thunder Bomb gets two but McIntyre catches him on top with the choke suplex. The Claymore misses and McIntyre is sent into the post, allowing Zayn to suplex him into the corner. The Helluva Kick misses though and McIntyre rolls him up with feet on the ropes for the pin at 14:24.

Rating: B-. It says a lot that they have an interesting story in the idea of Zayn chasing both a World Title and a win over McIntyre. That’s something similar to what he did in NXT and I could go for seeing it again. Good enough match here, even if the ending was a bit weak compared to what they have done before.

Post match McIntyre jumps him again but Cody Rhodes runs in for the save. Kevin Owens comes in to deck Rhodes and the brawl is on but Zayn’s Helluva Kick hits Rhodes by mistake.

We get a look at WWE2K25, featuring Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman.

Post break Cody Rhodes is looking up at the two WWE Titles hanging above the ring. He won the title at Wrestlemania and in the last seven months, he has found out that it’s a mindset that makes you a champion. Rhodes is ready for Owens but here is CM Punk to interrupt. Punk asks Rhodes if he’s ok because he knows what it’s like to be WWE Champion for a long time.

Around the 300 day mark, it started to wear on him and he started being someone else. Punk knows Rhodes wants to be Bruno Sammartino or John Cena and do everything but no one is Superman. Rhodes knows that Punk is his friend….right? Punk says of course he is but he sees the road Rhodes is going down. Being champion turns into a heavy is the head that wears the crown situation. Rhodes says we need to cut through all of this and get to the point.

Punk talks about how Rhodes is going to be in his hometown tonight but he won’t sleep because he has an early media call. Either way, he’ll be thinking about his match at the Royal Rumble and even if he wins, he’ll be criss crossing the country after that. It doesn’t matter what is next for Rhodes because there is always something else to do. He’ll see all of these people cheering his name and every kid wearing his merchandise, but there is always going to be in the best shape of their life and coming for him at Wrestlemania. The good news is that one day, someone is going to take the belt from him.

Rhodes: “Tell me the bad news.” Punk: “The bad news is that someone is going to be me.” Punk says that since he’s Rhodes’ one true friend, he’ll stab Rhodes in the front. Rhodes talks about meeting him at OVW and how everyone wanted to be Punk. There was a ten year period with Punk gone, even though the fans were still chanting for him.

Now though, things have changed again because now Punk is chasing Rhodes. He wants Punk to realize that he isn’t the best in the world anymore. A rather tense staredown ends the show. This was GREAT and you could feel the tension here, which is not something you can see with a lot of people. Rhodes and Punk feel like top stars and seeing them have this serious of a segment is a treat.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a show where the wrestling was good but that wasn’t the point. The majority of this show was about building up the Royal Rumble and, at least on the men’s side, my goodness did they hit that out of the park. There were all kinds of people talking about the match and they made it sound like the most important thing in the world. I want to see who is going to win the Royal Rumble because I’m not sure who is going to win it and what is next for everyone else. The rest of the show was good enough, but this was all about setting up the Royal Rumble and it worked very well.

Results
War Raiders b. Judgment Day – War Machine to Mysterio
Rey Mysterio b. Xavier Woods – Slingshot splash
Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez b. Naomi/Bianca Belair – Powerbomb onto the apron to Naomi
Drew McIntyre b. Sami Zayn – Rollup with feet on the ropes

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

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AND

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Intercontinental Title: Bron Breakker vs. Ludwig Kaiser

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tag Team Titles: War Raiders vs. Judgment Day

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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AND

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wyatt Sicks vs. Final Testament/The Miz

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

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

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

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

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

We recap Raquel Rodriguez and Liv Morgan attacking Rhea Ripley.

Dakota Kai vs. Liv Morgan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Damian Priest tells Rhea Ripley to eradicate Raquel Rodriguez.

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

Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Rodriguez

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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AND

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Monday Night Raw
Date: December 2, 2024
Location: Angel Of The Winds Arena, Everett, Washington
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Joe Tessitore

We’re done with Survivor Series and on the way to Saturday Night’s Main Event in less than two weeks. Gunther is still the World Heavyweight Champion and that means he is going to need a new challenger for the title. Other than that, it’s the ten year anniversary of the New Day but things are not going well. Let’s get to it.

Here is Survivor Series if you need a recap.

We open with a Survivor Series recap.

CM Punk is on his way to the ring but stops to shake hands with Jey Uso and Sami Zayn. With that out of the way, here is Punk for a chat. Punk left WWE for a bit after Bad Blood but now he’s back and knows where he wants to go. Maybe he gets there through the Royal Rumble or Elimination Chamber…but here is Seth Rollins to interrupt. They stare each other down until Rollins says he should have knocked Punk out the day Punk came back.

A lot has happened in the year since Punk came back but the last time they saw each other, Rollins had pity on him. Now it’s time to rectify those problems and there is nothing between them but air and hatred. Punk says he is long past running races he didn’t know he was in. Six months ago, Rollins was champ but now he has nothing Punk wants. Rollins thinks about Punk for six months while Punk never thinks about him at all.

That’s enough for Rollins, who shoves him down but here are Zayn and Uso to break it up. Uso and Punk leave, with Rollins asking Zayn why he teamed with Reigns when they aren’t even family. Zayn cuts him off and says he asked Rollins to be on the team, but Rollins is too stubborn. Rollins says Zayn wanted to help Reigns get back to power, but Zayn says Rollins created the monster by hitting Reigns in the back with a chair ten years ago. Rollins: “You did the same d*** thing!”

Reigns hasn’t changed and Zayn is being really stupid. Zayn challenges him for tonight and Rollins is down. This was the latest big dramatic moment and the important part is they did a great job of explaining the motivations. It’s a story that weaves through years and impacts a lot of people and you can see how it is coming together. That’s hard to do and WWE is making it work really well.

After Survivor Series, Damian Priest and Finn Balor got in a fight in the parking lot. More of Judgment Day came in and beat Priest down.

Balor isn’t happy with Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan for not getting their jobs done. He’s taken care of things and they better do it too, including Morgan defending her title against Iyo Sky at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Damage CTRL vs. Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez

Morgan has a bad back and Rodriguez has a banged up elbow. Sky gets sent to the floor to start but Sane is back with a flipping neckbreaker out of the corner. That lets Sky come back in for a German suplex to Morgan and a headscissors to Rodriguez. A missile dropkick sets up the Insane Elbow for two and there’s a dive to Morgan. Rodriguez kicks Sane in the face and the Tejana Bomb finishes at 3:59.

Rating: C+. They kept this fast and to the point and that is a good thing, as it made for a more exciting match. Damage CTRL can do that kind of match very well and Rodriguez was good for the power game. It was a fun sprint of a match with Rodriguez getting to show that she can still run through people if given the chance.

Post match Rodriguez goes after Damage CTRL again but Rhea Ripley (no mask) comes in for the brawl. Morgan gets up again though and Ripley is sent eye first into the announcers’ table.

Finn Balor and Dominik Mysterio interrupt Gunther, with Balor saying Gunther owes him a title shot because that’s two times he’s helped him beat Damian Priest. Gunther isn’t convinced, but he’d be glad to beat up Dominik tonight.

Women’s Intercontinental Title Tournament First Round: Dakota Kai vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Katana Chance

Kai kicks Baszler out to the floor to start and follows her out, only to be taken out by Carter. We take a break and come back with Kai kicking Baszler down for two. Chance is back up with a hurricanrana to pull Kai off the top and onto Baszler for two each. A DDT sends Chance outside but Baszler knees Kai for her own near fall. Baszler knees Chance to the floor, only for her to come back in with a 450. Kai grabs a fireman’s carry kick to the head to pin Baszler at 7:40.

Rating: C+. Another fast paced match here with everyone moving around and something of a surprise winner in Kai. Baszler winning would have made sense but it was nice to see Kai getting a chance for a change. Chance was flying around as well and did well, but Kai going forward is good stuff.

We get a long video on the New Day’s history, though things aren’t going great these days.

Here is Adam Pearce to host the New Day’s ten year anniversary, complete with some New Day memorabilia, including the giant Booty-O’s box from Wrestlemania XXXII. Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods come to the ring and we get a NEW DAY ROCKS chant. Woods talks about how this is more than they could ever dream of and thanks the fans. Kingston says he never believed this would happen and it couldn’t have happened without the fans.

Woods says that they’re about to tell you isn’t the fans’ fault. Kingston teases the break up but here is Big E. to interrupt. You can see how emotional it is for him to be back but he wishes he was here under different circumstances. Seeing Kingston and Woods arguing has troubled him deep. Ten years ago, Kingston was considering retirement and Woods was frustrated. Then the two of them were there when he was in a neck brace making sure it was ok.

Big E. was the first person to be there when Woods won King of the Ring and left tears on his shoulder. That’s why Big E. is going to be here every week to remind them who they are by serving as their manager. Woods: “Now? Now you want to come back?” Where was Big E. when they were fighting for months. Woods: “E, you left us.” Big E.: “I broke my neck!” Kingston: “YOU LEFT US! You broke your neck. So what?”

Steve Austin, Kurt Angle and Edge broke their necks and came back without even having family to come back to. As big and strong as Big E. is, he could have been back here sooner. Big E. pleads his case about everything he’s been doing with the doctors but Woods says he was back in nine months after tearing his Achilles. If Big E. cared, he would have been back a long time ago, but Big E. chose his new life and girlfriend over him. Woods calls Big E. a burden because everyone says they miss him so much.

Kingston says it’s always been “we before me” but Big E. is all about himself. He’s never going to be medically cleared so get back to your desk where you belong. They’ll call if they need him. Big E. isn’t throwing this away and says they can fix this but the two of them won’t do it. Big E. slowly leaves and Kingston says it’s just them.

Well that was heartbreaking, as I didn’t think they would ever actually do it. I’m not sure how long this is going to last, but if they ever do a reunion, it could be one heck of a reaction. For now though, I just kind of want to be sad. I know a lot of people are sick of New Day or never liked them in the first place and I get that, but dang that’s a long time to be together and then split up.

Karrion Kross talks about how the Wyatt Sicks went too far last week when they went Nikki Cross after Scarlett. They started this fire and he’s going to end it.

Dominik Mysterio vs. Gunther

Non-title. Gunther puts him onto the apron for a pat on the head and a big boot to the floor. Dominik switches places though and hits a dive as we take a break. Back with Gunther holding a Boston crab, with Dominik going straight to the ropes. Gunther’s sleeper is broken up with a low blow and a 619 into the frog splash gets two. The fans are behind Dominik but it’s cut off with a bit boot into the powerbomb for the pin at 6:29. Not enough shown to rate but Gunther shrugging off Dominik’s offense and pinning him made sense.

Post match Finn Balor runs in to jump Gunther for three Coup de Grace’s.

Pete Dunne is ready to hurt R-Truth over calling him Butch, but we run over to see Jey Uso having been attacked.

Pete Dunne vs. R-Truth

Dunne knocks him down to start and goes after the arm before slowly kicking away. The fans chant BUTCH, with the distraction letting R-Truth grab a rollup for the pin at 1:53. Barrett thinks R-Truth is a master manipulator and…maybe?

Ludwig Kaiser interrupts Bron Breakker, saying he’s coming for the Intercontinental Title. Breakker likes a challenge and after a heck of a match on Saturday, he’ll talk to Adam Pearce. Just get out of Gunther’s shadow sooner, because Gunther’s stock is going down. That makes Kaiser think.

Adam Pearce won’t say who attacked Jey Uso but Sami Zayn seems to think it was Seth Rollins (without saying his name).

Finn Balor wants to know when he’s getting a World Title match so Adam Pearce makes it for Saturday Night’s Main Event. First though, Balor has another title match next week, opponent to be named.

Seth Rollins vs. Sami Zayn

Zayn sends him to the floor to start and does his bounce back into the middle as we take an early break. Back with Zayn hitting a Blue Thunder Bomb for two but the Helluva Kick is cut off with a superkick. Zayn is knocked to the floor, where he says he knows it was Rollins. That earns him a ram into the steps but Zayn is back with a kick to the face. Zayn grabs a chair and says Rollins did it but Rollins says it wasn’t him. Rollins suggests that it was Punk, which makes Zayn throw down the chair and get rolled up for the pin at 9:20.

Rating: B-. They didn’t have much time here but it was more about the story than anything else. As usual, Zayn tries to be the peacemaker in the whole thing and gets distracted, causing him to lose. That’s about all you can expect from Zayn these days, but it would be nice to see him turn it on and make a serious run for a change.

Rollins leaves but Drew McIntyre is back to kick Zayn in the face. In theory, there’s your attacker.

Overall Rating: B. The wrestling was pretty mediocre this week but the storytelling was more than enough to make up for it. Between some matches being set up for Saturday Night’s Main Event and the pretty gut wrenching New Day segment, I want to see where these things are going and it could make for some good stuff going forward. You can see where a lot of these stories are going and that’s a great thing to see as we’re gearing up for the big season.

Results
Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez b. Damage CTRL – Tejana Bomb to Sane
Dakota Kai b. Shayna Baszler and Katana Chance – Fireman’s carry kick to Baszler
Gunther b. Dominik Mysterio – Powerbomb
R-Truth b. Pete Dunne – Rollup
Seth Rollins b. Sami Zayn – Small package

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

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AND

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

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

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

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

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

• Two wrestlers start and fight for five minutes.

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

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

The cage is lowered.

Women’s WarGames

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

US Title: LA Knight vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Raw World Title: Damian Priest vs. Gunther

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

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

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

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

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

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

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

Men’s WarGames

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Women’s WarGames

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

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

Men’s WarGames

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

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

Overall Thoughts

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LWO vs. American Made

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Intercontinental Title: Sheamus vs. Bron Breakker

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

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

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

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

Post match Kaiser lays both of them out again.

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

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

The women’s WarGames match is official.

Judgment Day vs. War Raiders

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

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

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

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

Video on Lyra Valkyria.

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

Seth Rollins vs. Bronson Reed

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: November 11, 2024
Location: Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re back stateside and there are less than three weeks to go before Survivor Series. After last week’s main event, Damian Priest is the new #1 contender to Gunther’s World Heavyweight Championship. There is a good chance that match is announced sooner than later, maybe even tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Gunther for a chat, with commentary confirming that he will defend against Damian Priest at Survivor Series. After reminding us that he is still the champion, Gunther wants and receives Priest in the ring. Priest wants him to say these things to his face, guessing that it’s not going to be so nice.

Gunther doesn’t think much of this but Priest says he knows he can beat Gunther, because Finn Balor won’t be there to help him again. Priest reminds Gunther of the loss to Cody Rhodes and Gunther is not looking happy. Cue Ludwig Kaiser to remind us that Gunther has beaten Priest before. Priest drops Kaiser but Gunther bails. The match was ready to go and having it at Survivor Series is a fine way to go.

Damage CTRL is ready to fight…and it helps that Dakota Kai is back.

Veterans Day video.

Kofi Kingston apologizes to R-Truth for not having his back last week and kind of blames Xavier Woods. Cue Woods, but R-Truth mentions Pete Dunne by his old name, which brings Dunne in. The result is Dunne vs. Kingston later tonight.

Damage CTRL vs. Pure Fusion Collective

Sane flips over Deville to start but gets caught in a suplex. Sky comes in to trip Deville down and Sane kicks her out to the floor, only to get caught with a cheap shot. We take a break and come back with Kai coming in to take over on Baszler. A half crab on the bad leg slows her down but Sane comes in off the top for the save. Everything breaks down and Kai kicks Baszler, setting up Over The Moonsault for the pin at 9:27.

Rating: C+. This match did a nice job with a few things, ranging from bringing Kai back with a nice showing and also letting Sky get a win on the way to her title shot. That’s a nice way to get through a match with about ten minutes and a break in the middle. If nothing else, having Damage CTRL being more than a tag team is a good idea too, as they work better as a trio.

Long recap of the Original Bloodline reunion on Smackdown, with Sami Zayn being back in the fold.

Sami Zayn and the Usos are back but need a fifth member for WarGames. Zayn might know someone, with Jey being a bit unsure.

Kofi Kingston vs. Pete Dunne

Xavier Woods is here with Kingston. Dunne gets sent into the corner to start but Kofi flips over him and hits a dropkick to the floor. The flipping dive to the floor takes Dunne out and we take a break. Back with Dunne slowly hammering away until a kick to the face cuts him off. A top rope splash to the back hits Dunne but he knocks Kingston out of the air. Woods gets in a cheap shot though and Kingston isn’t happy, with the distraction letting Dunne hit the Bitter End for the pin at 8:55.

Rating: B-. As you might have guessed, two talented wrestlers who had the chance to showcase themselves worked well. Kingston and Dunne are the kind of stars who are able to work well with anyone and sometimes you just need a nice wrestling match. In this case there was the Woods aspect as well so it even had some longer term consequences. Much like the opener, that’s a nice use of television time.

Post match Kingston shoves Woods away.

We look at Iyo Sky becoming #1 contender last week.

Finn Balor yells at Dominik Mysterio for letting Damian Priest becoming the new #1 contender. They have to be held back, with more of the team saying they’re ready to teach the War Raiders a lesson.

Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill are ready for their title defense tonight.

Here is Bronson Reed, who acknowledges that Seth Rollins is great but brings up taking Rollins out last week. Cue Rollins and the fight is on, with the start in the ring and the latter heading outside. Reed hits a big dive to take out Rollins and security but it’s not quite broken up as we take a break.

Post break Rollins demands another match and Adam Pearce grants it for next week. Sami Zayn comes in and wants Rollins in WarGames. Zayn brings up Rollins’ history with Roman Reigns, but Rollins thinks Zayn is out of his mind. He knows what Reigns is all about and Rollins isn’t going to help him in any way. The answer is no.

Damian Priest vs. Ludwig Kaiser

Priest hammers away to start but misses a charge, allowing Kaiser to tie him in the corner. The running dropkick rocks Priest again and we take a break. Back with Kaiser forearming away but getting dropped with a quick Broken Arrow. Priest strikes away and hits the lifting Downward Spiral for two but has to fight out of a windup DDT. The ear clap sets up South Of Heaven for the clean pin at 7:33.

Rating: C+. This was about giving Priest a nice win on the way to his match with Gunther and it worked well enough. Beating Kaiser has become a tradition for Gunther’s opponents and that isn’t a bad way to go. Priest doesn’t need much of a build, but this went about as well as it was going to all things considered.

Post match Gunther comes out for a nervous looking staredown.

We look at Sheamus and Bron Breakker going to a draw on Speed.

Breakker doesn’t like Sheamus, who interrupts and wants an Intercontinental Title shot next week. Breakker didn’t understand a word of that but Sheamus can have a title shot next week. With Sheamus gone, Jey Uso comes in to talk to Breakker.

The Miz is back but has no information for the Final Testament. That doesn’t work for Karrion Kross, but Miz says he has seen the error of his way. Kross grabs Miz and the AOP drags him to the ring, where Kross says this doesn’t add up. He wants the Wyatt Sicks so here they are, with Miz chairing Erick Rowan down. The Final Testament cleans house and the Wyatts are left laying. Uncle Howdy laughs.

Seth Rollins is leaving….but Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu are here. Sikoa wants Rollins on his team, with Rollins saying he wants to stomp Roman Reigns’ head down. That being said, he also doesn’t want to team with a wannabe Reigns.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez vs. Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill

Belair and Cargill are defending and Morgan goes to the mat with Belair to start. The fight goes to Belair and she hammers away in the corner, only to get pulled down by the hair. Morgan hits a dropkick off the steps and we take an early break. Back with Cargill getting a tag to clean house and spinning Morgan down with a faceplant for two with Rodriguez making the save. Rodriguez and Cargill kick each other in the face but here are Nia Jax and Tiffany Stratton to go after Cargill. That’s enough for Rodriguez to get two as Naomi (Why are these people here?) comes in to go after Jax. The KOD to Morgan retains the titles at 7:28.

Rating: B-. There was a lot going on here with a lot of people getting involved. It’s nice to see some of these stories starting to intertwine, though Morgan losing a fall was a bit annoying. Granted a lot of this is due to Rhea Ripley being gone, but her feud with Morgan needed a break.

Post match Jax jumps the champs but Iyo Sky comes in to help fight the villains off. The heroes stand tall to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. They covered a good amount of stuff on here, with the Gunther vs. Priest match being set up as the big deal. Other than that you had all of the insanity with the Women’s Titles and the teases of who could be the fifth members in WarGames. I’m wanting to see where some of these things are going and that’s a good sign on the way towards the pay per view.

Results
Damage CTRL b. Pure Fusion Collective – Over The Moonsault to Baszler
Pete Dunne b. Kofi Kingston – Bitter End
Damian Priest b. Ludwig Kaiser – South Of Heaven
Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill b. Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez – KOD to Morgan

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

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

Here is Crown Jewel if you need a recap.

Long Crown Jewel recap.

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

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

Battle Royal

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

New Day vs. War Raiders

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dragon Lee vs. Chad Gable

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AND

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

Crown Jewel 2024
Date: November 2, 2024
Location: Mohammed Abdo Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re back in Saudi Arabia and the focus this time is on champion vs. champion. The Raw and Smackdown World Champions, both men’s and women’s, will face off in a match or a belt that they don’t get to take with them, but they do get a ring. That’s not the strongest buildup but the Bloodline is at it again. Let’s get to it.

A bunch of people came to work today.

The opening video is a look at how prestigious everything is, with the focus on the champion vs. champion matches.

Bloodline vs. Roman Reigns/Usos

Roman and Jimmy come out together, with Jey getting his own full on entrance (Jimmy approves, Roman not so much). Jey and Tama start things off with Tama pounding him down without much effort. It’s off to Jimmy to take over, with a double elbow hitting Tama. Fatu comes in and gets kicked out tot he floor so things can reset a bit. Back in Jey armbars Tama as Reigns wants the tag. Jey tags in Jimmy instead, with Jimmy trying to calm him down, even during a double headbutt.

More bickering allows Tama to go after the knee to bring Jimmy down. Jimmy gets beaten own in the corner but manages to get over to Jey to pick up the pace. That doesn’t last long either, as Jey gets sent into the corner, where Sikoa gets in a headbutt from the apron. The nerve hold goes on before it’s back to Tama for a slingshot hilo. Jey fights up again and brings in Roman, who slugs it out with Sikoa.

The clotheslines have Sikoa down and a Superman Punch makes him do it again. The spear is cut off though and the Samoan Spike gets…two, as it seemed to be three with Jimmy making a slightly late save. Jey comes back in to superkick Fatu to the floor and there’s another Superman Punch to Sikoa. Tama offers a distraction though and the referee gets taken out. Fatu headbutts Reigns and runs him over, setting up the moonsault. A pair of Samoan Spikes finishes Reigns at 16:37.

Rating: B-. I’m a bit surprised by Sikoa getting the pin and getting it fairly easily, but this was more about setting up the next chapter at WarGames. The Usos and Reigns were outnumbered here and that is going to have to be remedied sooner than later. Good match or the most part though, even with Jey’s issues costing the team a bit.

Post match the Bloodline does their pose but Reigns fights up, only to get beaten down again. The TripleBomb through the announcers’ table is broken up so the chair is loaded around Jey’s neck in the corner. Cue Sami Zayn (who slowly walks to the ring, which for some reason paralyzes the Bloodline, who was ready to destroy Jey and then just don’t). Sami teases hugging Sikoa but suplexes him instead. Sikoa is surrounded on all sides but Zayn and Reigns accidentally hit each other, allowing Sikoa to escape. Jimmy yells at Zayn as Reigns is still down. Again, this is just a big pit stop on the way to WarGames.

We get some sitdown interviews with Gunther (who promises to choke Cody Rhodes out) and Cody Rhodes (who promises to win) about their match later.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Piper Niven/Chelsea Green vs. Damage CTRL vs. Meta Four vs. Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill

Belair and Cargill are defending. Sky and Belair start fast and Belair grabs a delayed vertical suplex but misses a handspring moonsault. They trade some flips until Green comes in and takes a beating in the corner. Now Belair’s handspring moonsault connects for two and it’s off to Cargill. Legend comes in and slams Green before glaring Cargill back to the corner.

Jackson steps up onto Legend’s shoulders for a flipping backsplash and hits a running hip attack in the corner. Sane tags herself in and hits a middle rope forearm before handing it back to Sky. Sane’s catapult to send Sky into the corner doesn’t quite work so Sky slams Jackson down instead. It’s off to Niven to run Sky over before Legend and Cargill have the big slugout.

Everyone winds up on the floor so Green teases a dive, which has to be caught by Niven. Sky hits a dive and Jackson hits one of her own, followed by Belair hitting a Cactus Clothesline on Legend. Back in and Jaded hits Green but Damage CTRL makes the save. Meta Four is back up to clean house, including a toss sitout powerbomb. We hit the parade of secondary finishers but Cargill escapes the Unprettier. Niven Vader Bombs Green by mistake and a Doomsday Device (geez) finishes Niven to retain at 12:00.

Rating: C+. They got a bit of time here and the match was boosted up a bit as a result. I was expecting a title change here but Belair and Cargill retaining is hardly a bad thing. They’re becoming more dominant champions and that is something you need rather than having the titles bounce around all the time.

We recap Bronson Reed vs. Seth Rollins. Reed injured Rollins a few months back and put him action. Rollins is back and wants revenge so they’ve been fighting a bunch.

Seth Rollins vs. Bronson Reed

The brawl starts on the ramp and Rollins can’t get very far. They go to ringside and Rollins is driven into the timekeeper’s area. The fight heads inside for the opening bell and Reed hits an early Tsunami but goes up again instead of covering. Rollins rolls away and hits a quick Stomp for two as they’re starting fast. Rollins’ sunset flip is countered with a sitdown splash for two and things slow down a lot.

Back up and Rollins’ attempt at a slam doesn’t work but he counters a powerbomb into a DDT (that looked great) to leave the both down. A middle rope clothesline staggers Reed but he catches Rollins on top. That’s broken up with a headbutt and Rollins drops a frog splash for two. Reed is back up with a Death Valley Driver for two but Rollins slaps him in the face, saying Reed should have finished him when he can. They had outside where Rollins gets in a shot of his own, setting up the Stomp on the steps. Back in and another Stomp finishes Reed at 12:20.

Rating: B-. Gah I’m not sure about that, as Reed needed the win a lot more than Rollins. I’m not saying Reed is done, but that’s not going to do him any favors as a monster taking a loss can be rather damaging. Rollins is hardly a low level star, but I would have stretched Reed’s dominance out just a bit longer.

We recap Liv Morgan vs. Nia Jax for the Women’s Crown Jewel Title. Basically the idea is Tiffany Stratton is going to cash in on someone but we’re not sure whom.

Women’s Crown Jewel Title: Liv Morgan vs. Nia Jax

We get the Big Match Intros and Morgan plays keep away to start. That only lasts so long as Morgan gets in a few shots, which just seem to annoy Jax. The running shoulder in the corner misses for Jax but she hits a quick super Samoan drop. Jax goes up for the Annihilator but gets countered into a sunset bomb.

Cue Tiffany Stratton, only to have Jax shout her down before the cash in. Morgan gets two off a crucifix so Stratton tries it again, only for Raquel Rodriguez to break it up. A middle rope Codebreaker gives Morgan two and they’re both down for a bit. Jax yells at Stratton on the floor and the big fight is on, with Jax running Morgan over. Dominik Mysterio slides the briefcase in for a distraction though, allowing a quick Oblivion to give Morgan the pin at 8:14.

Rating: C+. This was a good bit better than I was expecting as they played to their strengths rather than trying to have it be a straight match. That being said, I’m once again completely done with the Money In The Bank stuff, as the “THIS IS IT! SHE’S CASHING OH NEVER MIND!” for months on end lost its charm years ago. That was on full display here and I was sick of seeing

HHH comes in for the title presentation.

We recap Kevin Owens vs. Randy Orton. Owens feels like Orton (and Cody Rhodes) betrayed him by siding with Roman Reigns, causing Owens to turn of both of them. Owens doesn’t want to hurt someone he claims to be his friends but he’s willing to do what he has to. Orton just wants revenge.

Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens

Owens hits him with a chair before the bell and they fight on the floor. Owens drops him onto the announcers’ table and takes the chair inside to keep up the beating. The referee tries to break it up and gets a Stunner as referees and agents come down. Orton gets the chair and hits Owens with it, followed by the hanging DDT. Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis come in so Orton RKOs Pearce. Owens gets up and they fight into the crowd, where Owens uses something metal to knock him onto a table. An elbow off the stage crushes Orton again. They’re both left laying and no match.

US Title: LA Knight vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Andrade

Knight is defending and lets the challengers beat each other up to start. That doesn’t last long as Hayes knocks them outside. Knight sends Hayes into the announcers’ table a few times and adds the slingshot shoulder to Andrade. Back in and Andrade fights up, including the running knees to Hayes in the corner.

One heck of a moonsault to the floor drops Knight, only for Knight to cut him off with a dive. Back in and Knight can’t BFT Hayes only to get caught with the First 48. Hayes knocks Andrade down for two as well an everyone needs a breather. Andrade drops Knight for two and takes Hayes up top for a super fall away slam. Knight goes up and hits the double top rope elbow for two more. It’s Hayes up this time with Nothing But Net to Andrade but Knight is right back with the BFT to retain at 8:57.

Rating: B-. This was a good TV match and that’s all it needed to be. Knight gets another win and it’s no like either of the other two are really hurt by the loss. It’s time to end Andrade and Hayes’ series though, as it’s gone on long enough. They need to do something new and Knight needs a fresh challenger as well.

We recap Gunther vs. Cody Rhodes. They both want to be the best and prove that they’re better and have gotten physical a few times. Time for a match.

Men’s Crown Jewel Title: Cody Rhodes vs. Gunther

Feeling out process to start with Gunther getting the better of some grappling. Rhodes reverses into an armbar to take Gunther down. That’s reversed into a headlock as they’re taking their time to start here. Rhodes fights up to escape and the fans approve as we’re somehow five minutes in. The chops are blocked and Cody goes for the Flip Flop And Fly, only for a big chop to cut him off.

A drop down uppercut works a bit better for Cody but he has to break up a sleeper attempt. Gunther takes him outside for a big chop and slams him on the floor for a breather. Back in and Gunther gets the better of a slugout before slowly chopping Cody down to the floor again. Cody shrugs off a slam and catches Gunther on top as the fans deem this awesome. A top rope superplex brings Gunther down and they’re both down.

Cody gets fired up and hits the Bionic Elbow (the fans chant Dusty), setting up a Cody Cutter for two. The Disaster Kick is countered into the Boston crab before Gunther switches to the sleeper. That’s escaped so Cody hits a quick Cross Rhodes and they’re both down. Back up and Gunther hits the powerbomb for two but he makes the mistake of slapping Cody in the corner. That fires Cody up and he grabs a quick Cross Rhodes for another near fall. Another Cross Rhodes is blocked so Cody goes up for the Cody Cutter, only to get pulled into the sleeper. That’s reversed into a rollup to give Cody the pin at 23:00.

Rating: B+. I don’t think anyone was expecting this to be anything less than very good and they hit that point. It was a clean match with Cody catching him in the end and that’s perfectly fine. The good thing here is that it was basically a match either could afford to lose, but unfortunately Cody doesn’t really gain much from the win. Still though, best match on the show by a wide margin.

Post match Gunther shakes Cody’s hand and we get the big presentation of the title, with HHH and Liv Morgan coming out to celebrate, with some government officials joining them.

Overall Rating: B-. One of the good things about modern WWE is you won’t get many truly bad matches or shows and that was the case here. I wasn’t overly interested in a lot of what they had going on but nothing on the show was anything close to terrible. The main event was very good and some of the other stuff worked well enough. The biggest issue here was a lack of anything impactful happening, but Survivor Series can handle that later this month. Not exactly a must see show, but there are worse options out there.

Results
Bloodline b. Roman Reigns/Usos – Samoan Spike to Reigns
Jade Cargill/Bianca Belair b. Damage CTRL, Piper Niven/Chelsea Green and Meta Four – Doomsday Device to Niven
Seth Rollins b. Bronson Reed – Stomp
Liv Morgan b. Nia Jax – Oblivion
LA Knight b. Andrade and Carmelo Hayes – BFT to Hayes
Cody Rhodes b. Gunther – Rollup

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

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

AND

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