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

 

 

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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

 

 

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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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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Smackdown
Date: November 29, 2024
Location: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s the go home show for Survivor Series and we’re taped after last week’s show. This week still has some implications for the pay per view as we’re going to need a replacement for the injured Jade Cargill in WarGames. That and the rest of the show will probably get some featured time so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of CM Punk and Paul Heyman returning to save Roman Reigns and company last week.

Here is Team Rhea Ripley, now with Bayley replacing Jade Cargill, for a chat. Ripley talks about how the team isn’t a bunch of friends, but they all have someone they want to get their hands on in WarGames. The rest of the team (Naomi, Bayley, Iyo Sky and Bianca Belair) agree but Team Liv Morgan interrupts.

Nia Jax brings up all of the other team’s past issues, with Morgan accusing Bayley of attacking Jade Cargill. Ripley cuts her off and says Morgan is going to have to face her. Various threats are made and the brawl is on in thee aisle. And on the stage. Some in the ring too. Security and referees make the save. Bayley makes as much sense as anyone else but there is always the chance that she’s up to something nefarious

Andrade vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Nakamura, now with some face paint, strikes away in the corner but gets taken down with a middle rope crossbody. That doesn’t get him very far as Nakamura hammers away again but Nakamura kicks him down, with the fans being rather pleased. Nakamura goes up and gets knocked to the floor with a springboard dropkick, setting up a moonsault to drop him again.

We take a break and come back with Andrade elbowing him in the face and grabbing a dragon screw legwhip. Nakamura catches him on top but gets elbowed down, setting up the double moonsault for two. Andrade misses a shot to the face but ducks Kinshasa, setting up the spinning backfist to the face for two more. Two Amigos connect, with the third suplex sending Nakamura into the corner. The running knees in the corner miss, with Nakamura pulling them turnbuckle off to make the crash even worse. Kinshasa finishes for Nakamura at 10:34.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of win that Nakamura needed to show that he’s still quite the threat, including possibly being able to take out LA Knight at Survivor Series. That’s the right way to present him and the match worked here, with Andrade putting in some effort. Nakamura looking good was the point though and him winning the title isn’t out of the question.

Post match LA Knight runs in to jump Nakamura but gets mist in the face.

Nick Aldis bans the Bloodline from ringside for Jacob Fatu’s WarGames advantage match.

Tommaso Ciampa rants at Johnny Gargano about how things have changed and now he wants to get the Tag Team Titles back. Gargano has one more week to figure this out or it’s Ciampa’s way.

Kevin Owens explains his history with the Bloodline, with everything he’s been through, only for his former friend, Cody Rhodes, to TEAM WITH ROMAN REIGNS. Now it’s time for revenge, with the title match being set for Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Cody Rhodes vs. Carmelo Hayes

Non-title. Before the match, Hayes says Owens was right about Rhodes turning his back on his friends. Who needs enemies when you have friends like Rhodes? They lock up to start before trading rollups for two each. Hayes manages to knock him to the floor and then gets in a dropkick to the knee on the way back in. Rhodes is fine enough to hit a Disaster Kick and we take a break.

Back with Rhodes hitting a delayed superplex but Hayes grabs a spinning faceplant for two. Rhodes goes in a new direction with a running powerslam into a Figure Four, with Hayes making the ropes in a hurry. Hayes goes for the knee and breaks up the Disaster Kick but has to get out of a Cross Rhodes attempt. The Cody Cutter works better and now Cross Rhodes finishes Hayes at 11:17.

Rating: B. They started slowly but the pace picked up and it turned into a nice, fast match near the end. That’s all it needed to be, with Hayes being a good enough test for Rhodes. With Saturday Night’s Main Event coming up for Rhodes, he’s going to need to get in the ring time and Hayes has been needing something to do anyway.

Earlier this week, Paul Heyman held a sitdown interview with Roman Reigns and CM Punk. Naturally Punk showed up late to get on Reigns’ nerves, eventually showing up to say he’s here for Heyman rather than Reigns. That doesn’t work for Reigns, who doesn’t like anything about Punk.

Heyman says it’s over without Punk, and if Punk doesn’t help, he’ll be next for the Bloodline. United, at best, they survive. Punk still doesn’t care about Reigns but he’s here to avenge Heyman. If Reigns wants to revisit this after Survivor Series one on one, Punk is all ears. For now though, their wise man owes Punk a favor. Punk leaves and Reigns asks Heyman about the favor. Heyman will tell him if they get through WarGames. Well that’s ominous, and now we get to see where it goes from here. In other words, more good drama.

Women’s United States Title Tournament First Round: Piper Niven vs. Michin vs. Lash Legend

Chelsea Green is here with Niven, who gets hit in the face to start. Niven is fine enough to faceplant Michin and splash her for two with Legend making the save. A dropkick sends Niven to the floor and Michin sends Legend outside with a hurricanrana. That means a Lionsault to take the other two down but here is B-Fab to cut off an interfering Green. Legend kicks the distracted Niven in the face and we take a break.

Back with Niven hitting Michin with a cannonball and Legend having to make a save. Legend backbreakers Michin and chokeslams Niven for two (that was impressive), followed by a powerbomb for two on Michin. A super Piper Driver is broken up and Niven misses a middle rope backsplash misses, allowing Legend to hit the Lash Extension. Michin comes off the top for the save though and steals the pin at 10:19.

Rating: B-. As has been the case recently, Legend got to showcase her power here and it worked very well, with her throwing Niven around being rather impressive. Michin’s rise up the ranks continues and she is a dark horse to win the title. Niven was good as the monster to offer some issues, but Michin winning was a good way to go.

LA Knight is still ready for Shinsuke Nakamura, mist or no mist.

Survivor Series rundown.

Sami Zayn and Jimmy Uso give Jey Uso a pep talk but Nick Aldis says it’s one on one.

Jey Uso vs. Jacob Fatu

For the WarGames advantage. Fatu shoulders him down to start and chokes in the corner. Back up and a running clothesline sends Fatu outside, where he tosses Jey into and over various things. We take a break and come back with Jey fighting out of a nerve hold and sending him into the corner. Fatu misses a charge into the post, setting up the running Umaga Attack for two.

Back up and Fatu plants him down, setting up a handspring moonsault for two of his own. The pop up Samoan drop gets two more but a Swanton hits raised knees. The Superfly Splash gives Jey two and Fatu rolls outside, with a suicide dive knocking him over the announcers’ table. Fatu Samoan drops him onto the announcers’ able (THUD), setting up the springboard moonsault for the pin at 13:49.

Rating: B-. This is what it should have been, as Fatu was making his singles debut and got to smash his way through someone with quite the level of success. Beating Uso feels like a big deal and it even has an impact on WarGames. This was a great way to get Fatu in the ring on his own for the first time and he more than held up his end.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a heck of a show, with nothing but good matches and an intense as heck Reigns/Punk/Heyman segment. I want to see what is going to happen at Survivor Series and that is a great feeling to have less than a day before the event. WWE is getting really good at hitting their stride before their big shows and they are doing it again here with an awesome Smackdown before Survivor Series.

Results
Shinsuke Nakamura b. Andrade – Kinshasa
Cody Rhodes b. Carmelo Hayes – Cross Rhodes
Michin b. Piper Niven and Lash Legend – Lash Extension to Niven
Jacob Fatu b. Jey Uso – Springboard moonsault

 

 

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Survivor Series 2019
Date: November 24, 2019
Location: Allstate Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Attendance: 13,271
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Vic Joseph, Jerry Lawler, Nigel McGuinness, Beth Phoenix

This year’s show is all about the Battle For Brand Supremacy, but NXT is involved as well and the invasions have been red hot for a change. They have set up a pretty awesome looking show, even with the amount of triple threat matches, including triple threat elimination matches. Let’s get to it.

I was in the arena for this show, sitting in the end zone straight across from the Titantron in the upper deck.

Kickoff Show: Tag Team Battle Royal

Raw: OC, Street Profits, Curt Hawkins/Zack Ryder

Smackdown: Revival, Robert Roode/Dolph Ziggler, Lucha House Party, Heavy Machinery

NXT: Forgotten Sons, Breezango, Imperium

When one member is out, the team is out. Where to begin? First of all, there are no graphics to tell you which brand the teams are on. I get expecting people to know that at the time, but WWE knows that they have the Draft every year and that the Network is a thing here. Throw up a show graphic.

Second, a year later and five of these teams are gone, with four of them out of the company. Third, Hawkins and Ryder are “glad to still be here.” These people were the Tag Team Champions at Wrestlemania seven months and a half months earlier. That’s a heck of a fall. Oh and I had forgotten about that Tag Team World Cup deal the OC had from Crown Jewel. I’ve heard worse ideas.

It’s a brawl to start (shocking I know) with Jaxson Ryker saving Gran Metalik for no reason. General stupidity maybe? The Sons are out in a hurry as I try to get over Dolph Ziggler wearing a Smackdown hat in the match. Yeah they need graphics on their name but it’s Ziggler so by definition it’s a stupid thing to do. Angelo Dawkins throws out Gran Metalik to get rid of the Lucha House Party as Ziggler (now minus the hat) is thrown to the apron for his traditional save fest.

Hawkins is sent through the middle rope but Ryder is thrown over the top and onto him for the elimination. Barthel catapults Ziggler over the top for the skinning of the cat and Roode gets rid of Aichner to eliminate Imperium and save Ziggler (again). Otis falls trying the Caterpillar and gets dumped by OC/Revival. Breezango is out thanks to Revival and that’s it for NXT.

We’re down to Revival, OC, Roode/Ziggler and the Profits, with the Profits dropkicking Revival out in a hurry. Ziggler saves Roode from the Magic Killer and superkicks Gallows out to get us down to two. The brawl is on with Roode busting Dawkins’ spine but Ziggler superkicks Roode through the ropes by mistake. The Sky High looks to set up the frog splash but Roode saves Ziggler (that man needs a lot of saving). Ford hits the frog splash on Ziggler instead, only to be thrown out by Roode for the win at 8:19.

Rating: D+. It’s a battle royal and a tag team one at that, with the teams barely being identifiable outside of commentary throwing out a brand here and there. It will get better later on and since this was a bonus match, it’s hard to get that upset. What impresses me the most is how much the tag team division changes so quickly, as this feels like it could have been four or five years ago. That probably shouldn’t be happening and yet it doesn’t seem out of place.

Smackdown – 1

Raw – 0

NXT – 0

Kickoff Show: Cruiserweight Title: Akira Tozawa (Raw) vs. Kalisto (Smackdown) vs. Lio Rush (NXT)

Rush is defending and gets double teamed to start but Tozawa and Kalisto waste no time in turning on each other. That means it’s time for Rush to start his bobbing and weaving, which always looked awesome. Kalisto pulls Rush to the floor and cuts off Tozawa’s dive before walking the rope to kick Rush in the face.

A spinning wristdrag takes Tozawa down but Tozawa shoves Kalisto into Rush’s raised boot. Rush hits a double handspring elbow to take both of them down but Tozawa punches him in the face. Kalisto gets kicked to the floor and Tozawa’s sliding boot gets two on Rush. Tozawa and Kalisto take Rush to the top but he double armdrags both of them down for a huge crash.

A circle chop off is capped off by Tozawa German suplexing Rush but Kalisto dives in to roll Rush up for two. Tozawa is back up with a Shining Wizard to send Kalisto outside and the top rope backsplash hits Rush. Kalisto dives in for the save and the slugout is on, with Kalisto hitting the Salida del Sol on Tozawa. That’s fine with Rush, who comes in with the Final Hour to pin Tozawa and retain at 8:20.

Rating: C. It’s a match that has been done before but what we got worked out just fine with the three of them flying around and doing their high flying stuff. That’s something that is always going to work because it is a style that never gets old and Rush retaining is a fine way to get NXT on the board. I know he might have some issues, but dang Rush can do the flying thing.

Smackdown – 1

NXT – 1

Raw – 0

Kickoff Show: New Day (Smackdown) vs. Undisputed Era (NXT) vs. Viking Raiders (Raw)

Non-title (with all three as respective champions) and it’s Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly, fresh off WarGames the previous night, for the Era. Big E., Ivar and O’Reilly start things off, which may be a little harder to keep track of but it makes a lot more sense than having two people in there at once instead. O’Reilly is taken down in a hurry so it’s Fish coming in, earning himself a beating of his own from Ivar. Both parts of the Era come in and get dropped by Ivar and Big E. before they turn on each over.

They take turns flipping away from each other until Big E. runs Ivar over in the power display. O’Reilly comes back in for the rapid fire knees to Big E. but the Raiders knee O’Reilly down without much effort. It’s back to Fish, who gets Ivar slammed onto him to make it even worse. Kingston comes in to slug away on Erik and it’s New Day double teaming O’Reilly down for two.

The Era is sent outside and it’s the New Day/Raiders showdown. The slugout goes on until Kofi is left alone, meaning it’s time for the Era to come back in and take over on Kingston’s leg in the corner. Ivar dives in with a splash to break up a kneebar so O’Reilly and Kingston slug it out on the apron instead. Big E. misses his spear through the ropes so Kofi and the Era join him, meaning Erik can slam Ivar onto the other four.

Back in and Fish starts taking over on Erik’s knee before handing it off to O’Reilly for the same. Erik manages to suplex O’Reilly into the corner to take Fish down, allowing the hot tag to Ivar. House is cleaned and O’Reilly kicks Fish in the corner by mistake. Big E. gets kicked in the face as well and Erik hits the shotgun dropkick on Fish. Ivar’s Bronco Buster misses though, meaning Kofi can come in with a standing double stomp to Erik.

Big E. suplexes the Era and it’s a powerbomb/top rope double stomp to crush Erik. Kofi’s big dive over the top takes out Ivar and the Era, with Big E. hitting the spear to take Erik down as well. Everyone gets back up and Erik knees Big E. in the face, setting up the springboard clothesline/German suplex combination (always cool), sending Big E. outside again.

Kofi takes the High/Low on the floor meaning it’s the Era vs. the Vikings for a change. Erik is knocked outside so the Era kicks Ivar…who doesn’t seem to mind. The handspring double elbow (second in two matches) connects for Ivar and it’s the Viking Experience to drive O’Reilly into Fish to give Ivar the pin at 14:42.

Rating: B. This was the kind of all action match that they should have been having and it got enough time to make it work really well. New Day is a team who can be put in there at any time to make other teams look good and the Era can work with anyone. The Raiders needed the win most and it worked out well all around. Good stuff here and a nice way to wrap up the Kickoff Show.

Raw – 1

Smackdown – 1

NXT – 1

The opening video looks at how this is usually Raw vs. Smackdown but then NXT jumped in to make it a lot more interesting in a hurry. There are some other matches thrown in but this is ALL about the three way brand fight, which did have a heck of a build.

Raw Women vs. Smackdown Women vs. NXT Women

Raw – Charlotte, Asuka, Kairi Sane, Natalya, Sarah Logan

Smackdown – Sasha Banks, Dana Brooke, Carmella, Nikki Cross, Lacey Evans

NXT – Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair, Candice LeRae, Io Shirai, Toni Storm

The NXT team was announced after last night’s Takeover and some of them are coming off of WarGames so they’re a little banged up. Storm, Evans and Logan start things off with Lacey taking over early on. That earns her a double flip out to the floor and it’s Cross tagging herself in to take her place. Logan hits a cartwheel knee to Storm’s back for….well nothing actually as she talks trash until Cross jumps on her back for the choking.

They’re both a bit odd so that fits well. Back up and Storm German suplexes both of them at once so it’s off to Sane, Carmella and Shirai. The fans get rather excited about two of these people and I’ll let you guess who they are. Carmella hands it off to Brooke, who is fine with just standing in the corner while the other two trade headscissors and clotheslines. Shirai hits a running basement dropkick to Sane’s face but Brooke sends them both into the corner for a double handspring elbow.

The Swanton hits both of them for two on Shirai so Evans comes in for a double hiptoss instead. Candice gets the tag and strikes away at Evans as Asuka comes in as well. A quick snapmare drops Asuka so Candice can hit a step up backsplash and there’s a middle rope faceplant for two on Evans. It’s off to Ripley, who gets caught in Asuka’s armbreaker so Belair makes the save, triggering the parade of secondary finishers. Banks is left alone in the ring with everyone else down…including Shirai and LeRae need medical attention.

Everything pauses as Raw and Smackdown wave goodbye to them instead of, I don’t know, trying to eliminate each other. We settle down to Banks vs. Ripley vs. Charlotte, which does sound like a heck of a match. Ripley doesn’t seem to be very impressed and since this feels big, it’s off to Belair, Logan and Cross instead. Cross hits a neckbreaker on Logan but gets sent to the apron for her efforts. A dive to the floor takes Ripley down and Cross hammers away on Storm against the apron.

Ripley picks Cross up though and puts her on the apron, allowing Belair to grab a rollup (with Ripley holding the feet) for the elimination at 9:39. Carmella comes in with a big headscissors to Belair and a superkick to Logan, only to walk into Belair’s KOD. That sends her into the ropes but Logan sends both of them out to the floor. Running knees takes Carmella and Belair down again with Natalya having to make a save back inside. Belair punches Logan down though and hits the 450 to get rid of her at 12:10.

That puts us at Raw and Smackdown with four each and NXT with three as Charlotte comes in to face Belair and doesn’t seem impressed. Belair gets clotheslined but Carmella comes back in to kick Charlotte down. The big boot drops Belair again but Carmella breaks up the moonsault that will never hit no matter what anyway. Charlotte pulls Carmella up for a powerbomb, which is countered into a hurricanrana onto Belair to give Carmella a pair of two’s each on both.

Carmella grabs Belair by the ponytail but takes too long, allowing Charlotte to hit Natural Selection on Carmella for the elimination at 15:38. Sane, Storm and Banks come in with Storm kicking Banks in the face. Storm Zero to Shirai is broken up though and the Insane Elbow connects, with Sasha breaking up the pin and….then pinning Sane herself at 16:48. Asuka gets so frustrated that she comes in and wrecks the place, including kicking the now legal Brooke in the face to get rid of her at 17:25.

We’re down to Ripley/Belair/LeRae/Shirai (with the latter two backstage) for NXT vs. Evans/Banks for Smackdown vs. Charlotte/Asuka/Natalya for Raw. Charlotte tags herself in and gets into a shoving match with Asuka as a result, eventually slamming Asuka down by the hair. Lacey tries to jump Charlotte but Asuka is back with the green mist (BIG pop for that) to blind Charlotte before walking out. The Woman’s Right gets rid of Charlotte at 19:09 and Raw is down to just Natalya. I’ll take that over Asuka taking another loss and Charlotte is going to be the focal point of everything she does so a tainted loss doesn’t mean a thing.

Since Natalya is the only one left for Raw, she comes in with the discus lariat to Storm and then rolls Evans up for a fast elimination at 19:51. That leaves us with Storm/Belair/Ripley for NXT, Banks for Smackdown and Natalya for Raw and Ripley is rather pleased. Banks and Natalya get smart and take Storm down for a Sharpshooter/Banks Statement combination for the tap at 20:47.

Belair comes in and Natalya tries to talk trash before going with the smarter move of playing Jim to Banks’ Bret on the Hart Attack for the pin at 21:16. So it’s down to Banks vs. Natalya vs. Ripley….or at least it is until Banks decks Natalya for the pin at 21:57, eliminating Raw completely.

The fans REALLY like the idea of Banks vs. Ripley though and it’s Ripley hammering away and getting two off a dropkick. Back up and Banks can’t hit a tornado DDT so it’s a sleeper to limited avail instead. Banks hits the running knees in the corner and the middle rope Meteora gets two. More knees to the back of the head send Ripley into the corner again but this time she superkicks the Meteora out of the air.

The Prism Trap (dang that looks awesome) is on but Banks rolls into the Bank Statement instead. Ripley is in trouble so here are LeRae and Shirai, who were never officially eliminated, to pull Ripley to safety. That earns them a dropkick through the ropes each and they head back in, where Banks has to slip out of Riptide. Shirai hits her with a springboard missile dropkick though and now Riptide can give Ripley the final pin at 27:53.

Rating: B-. They got some time here and the important thing is NXT wins a major match. That’s an awesome thing to see and it’s really cool that it actually happened on a big stage. You want to set things up well for the rest of the night and having an NXT all star team lose to teams involving Logan, Brooke and Carmella wasn’t going to work. Above all else, Ripley looked like a total star here, eclipsing almost everyone else in the match and the fans treated her like one. I wouldn’t have had Shirai and LeRae save her at the end, but Ripley pinning Banks for the win is all that matters.

NXT – 2

Raw – 1

Smackdown – 1

We look at the closing moments of WarGames last night when Kevin Owens became the final member of Team Ciampa and helped them win.

Seth Rollins, Raw Team Captain, comes up to Owens to ask where his loyalties lie. Owens says last night was just to get back at the Undisputed Era so tonight, he’s Team Raw. He also finds it funny that SETH ROLLINS is questioning loyalty. A mock Shield pose takes us out.

Shinsuke Nakamura (Smackdown) vs. Roderick Strong (NXT) vs. AJ Styles (Raw)

Battle of the midcard champions and Sami Zayn is in Nakamura’s corner. Nakamura strikes away at both of them to start but AJ gets them into the corners for some running elbows. Strong’s backbreaker gets him out of trouble but AJ knocks him to the floor and hits a shot to the face. Back in and Nakamura breaks up AJ’s springboard and kicks Strong to the floor for a bonus. A knee gets two on Styles and there’s the running knee in the corner.

The gutbuster fireman’s carry gives Strong two on Nakamura but AJ comes back in with a sleeper to give Nakamura a breather. Strong fights back up and runs them both over a few times, including the alternating running forearms to AJ in the ropes. AJ fights up and gets in a few shots, only to be monkey flipped into a shot to the face from Nakamura. A slugout puts Strong down in a hurry and Nakamura hits the sliding knee for two.

The Styles Clash to Nakamura is broken up and Sami pulls Nakamura outside for a break. Strong unloads on Styles in the corner but gets caught in an Electric Chair, with Nakamura coming in off the top with a kick to the chest. AJ breaks that up as well but Sami pulls him outside, leaving Strong to hit a jumping knee for two on Nakamura. Back in and AJ cuts off Kinshasa, setting up the circle of strikes to the face.

Nakamura drops AJ and hits a reverse exploder on Strong (whose knee got very close to AJ’s face), setting up Kinshasa….for two as AJ makes another save. AJ and Nakamura slug it out so Nigel can talk about their Japanese rivalry. The Landslide gets two on AJ but Kinshasa is countered with a shot to the face. AJ hits the Phenomenal Forearm but Strong comes in to get rid of AJ and steal the pin at 16:43.

Rating: B. This was the action packed match that you would have expected and the cool thing is that it made Strong look like he was on their level. Strong isn’t someone who has been proven on the big stage before and seeing him win here, especially by outsmarting the other two, is great to see. Again: it’s not like Nakamura or Styles are going to be hurt by the loss, especially to another champion. Throw in the fast paced action and having commentary boosting it that much more than this was a great time.

NXT – 3

Raw – 1

Smackdown – 1

Miz comes up to Daniel Bryan in the back and says they’re both family men. That’s why Miz wants Bryan to stop the Fiend once and for all, because he is an evil that must be stopped. Bryan doesn’t want to hear it from Miz.

NXT Title: Adam Cole vs. Pete Dunne

Cole is defending, but the interesting thing here is the lack of Mauro Ranallo, who apparently blew his voice out last night at Takeover. This would be code for “did not like Corey Graves calling him out for making too many Chicago rap music references and not letting Phoenix and McGuinness talk enough. He would be gone for a little while before returning, but it was clear that something wasn’t quite right. Cole has bad ribs and Dunne has a bad knee coming in.

The wristlocking doesn’t work well on Cole as Dunne flips out before going straight after the bad ribs. Dunne starts in on the hand before taking it outside to stomp the elbow in the steps. Back in and Cole kicks him down to stomp away before a dropkick cuts off Dunne’s knee. Dunne grabs the X Plex for a breather and Cole lands hard on the ribs again. There’s an enziguri into the corner to set up a release German suplex.

A sitout powerbomb gets two on Cole and he heads outside, with Dunne hitting a middle rope moonsault to the floor. Back in and Dunne’s moonsault hits knees, setting up the Last Shot to give Cole two. The Panama Sunrise misses so they take turns hitting each other in the face. The brainbuster onto the knee gives Cole two but another Last Shot misses and Dunne grabs the Bitter End for a close two. They slug it out again and Dunne unloads with chops but Cole superkicks his moonsault out of the air.

That’s good for two as well, as is Dunne’s sitout X Plex. They fight to the apron (because of course they do) and Cole busts out the Panama Sunrise to put them both down on the floor. Back in and Cole kicks him in the head and the kickout has Cole panicking. Dunne talks trash as they get up and snaps the finger but the Bitter End is countered into a Panama Sunrise (that looked great). The Last Shot retains the title at 14:09.

Rating: B+. Now that’s what you were hoping to see from these two and it was an awesome match throughout. Dunne is an absolute star and Cole looks like someone who should be the future whenever he is in the ring. This is one of those matches that makes you drool when you hear it announced and then they delivered on top of it. Great stuff here and worth seeing for that NXT style that works so well.

Team Smackdown argues over who should be the captain.

We recap the Fiend taking the Smackdown World Title from Seth Rollins at Crown Jewel. Then Miz questioned if Daniel Bryan was the same person he used to be, which got the Fiend involved as well. Bryan finally said YES again and that’s just what Fiend wanted as Bryan brought back the YES Movement.

Smackdown World Title: The Fiend vs. Daniel Bryan

Fiend is defending and there is something so creepy about watching him in person. The red lights are on and Bryan hits the running dropkick into the corner. A running clothesline cuts him off though and they head outside with Bryan being sent into the post. Back in and Fiend hits the release Rock Bottom and there’s the toss suplex to drop Bryan again. We hit the neck crank as Fiend laughs a lot.

They head outside again with Bryan hitting a running knee from the apron. A top rope dive takes Fiend down again and there’s a missile dropkick back inside. Bryan nips up and the YES chants set up the YES Kicks. The big kick to the head just makes Fiend laugh but another one keeps him down for a change. The running knee connects for two but Fiend grabs the Mandible Claw. Bryan manages to reverse into an armbar but another Mandible Claw finishes Bryan at 10:01.

Rating: C+. The point here was to have Fiend get over as a monster in his first title defense and that’s what he did. They made Fiend feel like a movie monster and that’s the kind of thing you want to do in this situation. Bryan not being able to win, even with the most successful stuff he has, is a good way to go and it told they story they wanted. Fiend is an unstoppable monster and that’s how it should be.

Rey Mysterio says it has been fifteen years since he first faced Brock Lesnar. A few months ago, he was ready to hang up his mask but his son Dominik made him keep going. Tonight, Rey is swinging his lead pipe for Lesnar’s knees and hopes his son is watching when he becomes WWE Champion.

Raw Men vs. Smackdown Men vs. NXT Men

Raw: Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre, Ricochet, Kevin Owens, Randy Orton

Smackdown: Roman Reigns, King Corbin, Mustafa Ali, Shorty G., Braun Strowman

NXT: Tommaso Ciampa, Walter, Keith Lee, Damian Priest, Matt Riddle

The NXT team was announced on the Kickoff Show again. The fans are way into Walter, more or less sealing his fate. Strowman, Ciampa and Rollins start things off and Strowman dropkicks both of them down. Walter and McIntyre come in and Walter is all over a three way battle of the big men. The double teaming works on Strowman this time before slugging it out themselves. A big boot into the running seated senton hits McIntyre and there’s a German suplex to drop him again.

Walter chops Strowman to make him mad, tells him to bring it, and hits a dropkick into the corner. McIntyre hits the Claymore to finish Walter at 2:59 and the fans are MAD, as they should be in that spot. Priest comes in to strike away at McIntyre and Strowman. Shorty comes in to moonsault Priest and it’s Ricochet coming in as well. That earns him a Chaos Theory from Shorty and it’s off to Riddle for the grapple off. Both ankle locks miss and neither can hit a spinning kick so we’ll go with the standoff. Ciampa comes in so Ricochet kicks both he and Shorty down at once. Owens frog splashes Shorty for the pin at 6:27.

Reigns and Corbin both come in with Corbin hitting him in the face like the horrible teammate that he is. Owens heads outside to superkick Corbin and hit the Cannonball on Reigns against the barricade. Back in and….Ciampa grabs Willow’s Bell to get rid of Owens at 7:42. Orton slides in behind Ciampa and the fans really like this one. The RKO is blocked and Ciampa clotheslines him outside but Willow’s Bell is blocked as well. Orton drops him onto the apron and it’s time for the circle stomp back inside. Priest gets a blind tag as Orton RKOs Ciampa, so it’s an RKO to get rid of Priest at 10:16.

Riddle comes in and rolls Orton up for the fast pin at 10:30. Riddle is SHOCKED at the win….until Orton hits him with an RKO so Corbin can steal the pin at 10:56. We’re down to Rollins/McIntyre/Ricochet for Raw, Reigns/Corbin/Ali/Strowman for Smackdown and Ciampa/Lee for NXT. Lee comes in to face Corbin but Strowman tags himself in as the fans are recommending that we BASK IN HIS GLORY.

Strowman runs Lee over and starts cleaning house, including the freight train around the ring. He does it again but this time Lee Pounces him, followed by a Claymore from McIntyre for the countout at 13:14. Ricochet comes in to kick Corbin down and the big flip dive drops Reigns on the floor. That just earns him the End of Days from Corbin for the pin at 14:30. Ali, the hometown boy, comes in to clean house and soak in some cheers. The wicked tornado DDT plants Rollins and Ali hits a suicide dive…but Corbin yells at him, allowing Rollins to hit the Stomp on Ali for the elimination at 16:10.

Reigns and Corbin get into it on the floor as a quick CM PUNK chant starts and stops just as fast. Back in and McIntyre hits the reverse Alabama Slam on Ciampa. Reigns spears McIntyre down for the pin at 17:39 though, leaving us with Rollins vs. Reigns/Corbin vs. Ciampa/Lee. Rollins rolls Reigns up for two but gets kicked in the face. Willow’s Bell drops Reigns but the Fairy Tale Ending is blocked. Corbin cuts off Lee and drags Reigns over for the tag, only to have Reigns spear Corbin. Ciampa will take that pin at 19:54 and Smackdown is down to Reigns.

Rollins and Reigns go after Ciampa, who is fine with these odds. Rollins throws Ciampa outside though…and it’s time to load up the announcers’ table. Lee breaks up the DoubleBomb though and Ciampa hits Project Ciampa for a close two on Rollins back inside. The Fairy Tale Ending is countered so Ciampa hits a running knee, only to eat the Superman Punch from Reigns. The Stomp gets rid of Ciampa at 24:01 and we’re down to one man each.

Lee comes back in to throw Rollins around and he crossbodies both of them at the same time. Rollins is back with an enziguri into a low superkick and the frog splash gets two, with Lee LAUNCHING him off the kickout. Rollins is all fired up but walks into the Big Bang Catastrophe to give Lee the pin and get rid of Raw at 26:36. Lee smiles down at Reigns, who hits back to back Superman Punches for a VERY close two. The spear is countered into the Spirit Bomb for a nearer fall but the moonsault misses. Reigns hits the spear for the final pin at 29:18.

Rating: A-. I came to Survivor Series wanting to see one of the classic elimination matches and that’s what I got here, with one elimination after another and some crazy drama near the end. Lee looked like a STAR here and pinning Rollins clean is as big of a moment as he was going to get. There is no shame in being pinned by Reigns and what we got here was great stuff. I loved this match, save for the way Walter was put out, and it’s all I could have asked for.

NXT – 3

Smackdown – 2

NXT – 1

Becky Lynch is ready for Shayna Baszler and there is no one who can keep her down tonight. She has been traveling the world and every day out means one day out of the gym. Becky sees something of herself in Bayley, so tonight she is going to show both of them what she is.

We recap Brock Lesnar vs. Rey Mysterio for Brock’s Raw World Title. Brock came after Rey and his family so Rey brought in Cain Velasquez. That didn’t go so well as Brock destroyed him, leaving no one to protect Rey. That’s why Rey grabbed a lead pipe and started swinging, setting up this No Holds Barred title match.

Raw World Title: Brock Lesnar vs. Rey Mysterio

Lesnar, with Paul Heyman, is defending and it’s No Holds Barred. Rey is the Joker here for no apparent reason. Heyman says Lesnar weighs about two and a half Rey Mysterios. Rey grabs a pipe to start so Lesnar drops to the floor. He comes right back in though and blasts Rey with a clothesline. Rey is thrown over the announcers’ table and an overhead belly to belly sends him into the announcers’ table covering.

Brock posts him but Rey does the same to him, meaning it’s pipe time. Back in and Brock suplexes him onto the pipe and then adds another suplex. Cue Dominik to try to throw in the towel but Rey uses the distraction to hit a low blow. Some pipe shots from Rey and a chair shot from Dominik set up stereo 619s. Back to back frog splashes into a double cover gets two on Lesnar, who is back up with a suplex on Dominik. The F5 retains the title at 6:53.

Rating: C+. The whole point here was that one moment of drama and it worked a lot better than I was expecting. I don’t think anyone was realistically expecting Rey to win here but they managed to get in that little bit of drama and that was a great surprise. Lesnar was running out of opponents so having him wreck Mysterio was as good of a move as they had here, with Rey knowing how to sell this perfectly.

We recap the Women’s Champions triple threat. Becky Lynch said being the champ was all that mattered but Shayna Baszler just wanted to snap a limb. Bayley wanted to know why she was an afterthought and now it’s match time.

Bayley (Smackdown) vs. Becky Lynch (Raw) vs. Shayna Baszler (NXT)

Non-title again. They stare each other down to start and Bayley shoves Baszler into Becky. The brawling continues to the floor so Becky dives onto both of them. Back in and Bayley avoids the running spinning legdrop but Becky kicks her in the head. Baszler is back in as well and starts cleaning house until Bayley knocks her outside. Bayley stomps on Becky but charges into an elbow in the corner. With Baszler being dropped to the floor again, Bayley drops onto Becky’s back for two.

All three are back in with Becky kicking Baszler down and starting the Bexploders. A DDT gets two on Bayley and the top rope legdrop is good for the same with Baszler making the save. Becky gets sent outside so Bayley can hit a running knee for two on Baszler. Back up and Baszler sends Bayley outside, meaning it’s time for the big showdown with Becky. Bayley crossbodies both of them at once though and Becky is back outside. Bayley has to elbow her way out of a gutwrench superkicks but Becky breaks up the Kirifuda Clutch.

A powerbomb out of the corner gives Becky two on Baszler, who knocks Bayley off the apron. That means the Disarm-Her on Baszler but Bayley makes a save. They all head outside again with Becky tweaking her knee, allowing Baszler to drop her onto the announcers’ table. Becky gets dropped onto the table again but Bayley runs Baszler over. Back in and Bayley hits the top rope elbow, only to get pulled into the Kirifuda Clutch for the tap at 18:05.

Rating: C. Another viewing helped this a lot but it was longer than it needed to be and the action was only so good. Bayley was obviously there to take the fall and there is nothing wrong with that. If nothing else this should set up Becky vs. Baszler in a mega showdown later as Becky is unstoppable and Becky looks that way. Not overly great, but it did its job, albeit in the very long form.

Final Standings:

NXT – 4

Smackdown – 2

Raw – 1

Overall Rating: B+. The two last matches drag this down a bit but otherwise it’s a heck of a show with nothing bad and some good drama/shock as NXT runs away with things. What matters most here is they took some chances (some good some bad) and gave us a special moment with NXT. The wrestling was good throughout and it felt like the Survivor Series I had wanted to see for such a long time. Awesome show here and proof of what NXT can offer when they get the chance (and win the trophy).

Ratings Comparison

Tag Team Battle Royal:

Original: D

Redo: D+

Lio Rush vs. Akira Tozawa vs. Kalisto

Original: C+

Redo: C

New Day vs. Viking Raiders vs. Undisputed Era

Original: B

Redo: B

Raw Women vs. Smackdown Women vs. NXT Women

Original: B-

Redo: B-

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong vs. AJ Styles

Original: B

Redo: B

Pete Dunne vs. Adam Cole

Original: A-

Redo: B+

The Fiend vs. Daniel Bryan

Original: B

Redo: C+

Raw Men vs. Smackdown Men vs. NXT Men

Original: B+

Redo: A-

Rey Mysterio vs. Brock Lesnar

Original: C+

Redo: C+

Bayley vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Becky Lynch

Original: D+

Redo: C

Overall Rating:

Original: B+

Redo: B+

Other than the main event, the memories seem strong with this one.

Here’s the original Review if you’re interested:

https://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/12/01/survivor-series-2019-they-really-did-that/

 

 

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.

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

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

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

We get a quick preview of the night.

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

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

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

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

LWO vs. American Made

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

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

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

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

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

Bron Breakker vs. Ludwig Kaiser

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

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

Post match Breakker and Sheamus have to be held apart.

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

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

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

Tag Team Titles: War Raiders vs. Judgment Day

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

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

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

We look at New Day’s ten years together.

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

New Day vs. Alpha Academy

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nia Jax is ready to squash Bianca Belair.

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

Nia Jax vs. Bianca Belair

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

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

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

AND

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

 

Monday Night Raw
Date: October 14, 2024
Location: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re taped this week as the roster is over in Europe. That means it’s time for a show in front of a slightly worn out audience but hopefully they get a good show. Crown Jewel is on the way and needs something more than the champion vs. champion matches which have already been announced. Let’s get to it.

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

We follow Rhea Ripley into the ring to get things going. Ripley isn’t done with Raquel Rodriguez or Liv Morgan so get down here for a whipping. Instead it’s Tiffany Stratton interrupting with a message from Nia Jax. She wants Ripley to stay out of her business or it will be a big problem. Ripley has no time for this and threatens to beat up Stratton in Morgan and Rodriguez’s place. Cue Morgan and Rodriguez to beat on Ripley, though Morgan hits Stratton with the Money In The Bank briefcase.

Video on Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill vs. Damage CTRL for the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Rhea Ripley tells Adam Pearce she wants to face Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez. Pearce is fine with that, as long as Ripley has a partner. Tiffany Stratton comes in and wants a match of her own. Pearce to Ripley: “What about her?” The match is on.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Jade Cargill/Bianca Belair vs. Damage CTRL

Damage CTRL is challenging. Cargill shoves Sky down to start and a double slam puts her down even harder. Sane comes in off a blind tag and a double dropkick hits Belair. Everything breaks down and Sane drops Cargill with a dive as we take a break. Back with Sky rolling Belair up and hitting a double stomp for two. Belair fights up and hands it back to Cargill to pick up the pace, including a backbreaker to Sane.

Everything breaks down but Cargill’s Dominator to Belair only hits mat (instead of Sane). An elbow gives Sane two but Over The Moonsault misses. The champs argue with NXT’s Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson (in the front row) and get wiped out by an Asai moonsault as a result. Not that it matters as Belair is back with a KOD to pin Sky and retain at 9:47.

Rating: B-. This is a match that felt like it could have gone longer and been even better but what we got went well enough. That being said, I really do not need to see Legend and Jackson involved in the title picture. They had their title shot and lost in short order. Why do I need to see them get another shot?

Finn Balor wants a rematch with Damian Priest but Adam Pearce says Balor needs to worry about the Tag Team Titles. A #1 contenders tournament is announced. Balor is annoyed and Liv Morgan introducing Raquel Rodriguez doesn’t make it better.

American Made thinks they’re pretty spiffy and are willing to be YOUR heroes.

Bron Breakker says Jey Uso got lucky to win the Intercontinental Title and showed him respect, but Uso never showed him the same respect back. Uso is living off his family’s name but Breakker is doing it on his own. Makes enough sense.

We get a sitdown interview with Adam Pearce and Bronson Reed. Pearce says Reed has made an impact and Reed apologizes, but blames Seth Rollins for the loss against Braun Strowman. Make the match against Rollins and the problems go away. Pearce is intrigued.

#1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Alpha Academy vs. War Raiders

The Raiders (and yes the WAR Raiders, not the Viking Raiders) are back after some long time off due to injuries. Ivar misses a charge at Tozawa to start so Erik plants him down. Everything breaks down and the pop up powerslam hits Tozawa. Otis is dropped and a belly to back suplex/top rope splash (Fallout) finishes Tozawa at 2:24. There is always going to be a place for a team like the Raiders and this worked fine.

Adam Pearce (he’s busy tonight) talks to Seth Rollins about a potential match with Bronson Reed. Pearce is hesitant because he doesn’t want Rollins getting hurt, but Rollins says they both need this match.

Here is Cody Rhodes in a special cameo for a chat. He’s a traditionalist and talks about the history of wrestling in St. Louis leading all the way up to right now. Something happened in this very building though and it changed his life forever. This was the first place to chant WE WANT CODY and he thanks the fans very much. So….what do you want to talk about?

Cue Gunther (I bet he wants to talk about kittens and ducks) to interrupt, saying that he usually dresses down his opponent a bit, but he’s not going to do that here. He sees Cody sucking up to everyone and wants Cody to fix things with Kevin Owens so Gunther gets the best version of him at Crown Jewel. Cody talks about how Gunther can get rattled when things don’t go his way and brings up some of his bigger wins, including slaying a Beast. They shake hands and part in peace.

We look at New Day’s recent issues.

Video on Dragon Lee, who talks about how great a year he had. This includes joining the “legendary” LWO. Dragon Lee does not know what the word “legendary” means.

Kofi Kingston vs. Bron Breakker

Non-title and no Xavier Woods with Kingston, who starts fast with a running dropkick. Breakker runs him over again and fires off a hard whip into the corner. Back up and Breakker knocks him hard to the floor as we take a break. We come back with Kingston fighting out of a chinlock and firing back, including a quick Boom Drop and the SOS for two. Breakker isn’t having that and suplexes him down, setting up the spear for the pin at 8:26.

Rating: C+. Kofi isn’t as good as he used to be but he’s still someone you can put in there to many anyone look good. Breakker gets another win as he is likely on the way to a title rematch at Crown Jewel, which is a logical way to go. Good enough match here, though again, an eight minute match should not have a break in the middle.

Post match Breakker keeps up the beating but Jey Uso and Xavier Woods come in for the save.

Damian Priest asks if Rhea Ripley wants him out there tonight but she’s got this. Ripley says it’s time Priest gets his title back, which Priest thinks is right. If she needs him though, he’s there.

Jey Uso goes to his locker room and finds his brother Jimmy, who asks if Jey has a second.

R-Truth vs. The Miz

R-Truth offers a handshake and Miz can’t believe that he still doesn’t get it. The Wyatt Sicks hack the feed for a bit but here is the Final Testament to interrupt. The distraction lets R-Truth get a rollup pin at 1:02.

Post match the AOP throws R-Truth back inside for a Skull Crushing Finale for R-Truth.

Jimmy Uso is looking for someone and finds Jey, who gives him an emphatic NO. Jey tells him to get out of his face.

Rhea Ripley/Tiffany Stratton vs. Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez

Morgan tries a headbutt to start and has to slip out of Ripley’s arms as a result. Rodriguez comes in for the big staredown but Stratton tags herself in, much to Ripley’s annoyance. Ripley and Stratton argue on the floor, so Rodriguez powerbombs Morgan onto them as we take a break.

Back with Morgan hitting what appears to be a third Amigo (if the ensuing Eddie Dance is any indication) and stomping Stratton down in the corner. Rodriguez’s suplex gets two and she grabs a backbreaker to keep Stratton in trouble. Back up and a missed charge in the corner allows Ripley to come back in and hammer on Morgan. Riptide connects but Rodriguez makes the save. Stratton goes up but here is Nia Jax to jump Ripley for the DQ at 8:40.

Rating: C-. I get the idea of having Ripley taking anyone to get her hands on Rodriguez and Morgan, but that didn’t make the match worth seeing. Instead we were stuck with a pretty lame match as Stratton has no reason to go after Rodriguez or Morgan, save for an out of nowhere cash-in attempt on the latter. Having Jax run in made an already not so interesting match feel lame and I wasn’t into this as a result.

Post match the brawl is on with Morgan getting dropped. Stratton teases the cash-in but Dominik Mysterio makes the save before she can make it official to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This is a show that should be grateful it was only two hours. I’m not sure if it was due to the show being taped or due to the focus being on the nothing champion vs. champion matches, but this was one of the weaker Raw’s they’ve had in a good bit. Morgan vs. Jax and Cody vs. Gunther for bragging rights and a big belt that means nothing 72 hours later isn’t enough for me for Crown Jewel, but thankfully they have time to add in something new.

Results
Bianca Blair/Jade Cargill b. Damage CTRL – KOD to Sky
War Raiders b. Alpha Academy – Fallout to Tozawa
Bron Breakker b. Kofi Kingston – Spear
R-Truth b. The Miz – Rollup
Rhea Ripley/Tiffany Stratton b. Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez via DQ when Nia Jax interfered

 

 

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.

 

Monday Night Raw
Date: October 7, 2024
Location: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Joe Tessitore

We’re done with Bad Blood and the big story saw CM Punk defeat Drew McIntyre inside the Cell in a bloody and brutal match. Tonight we start the build towards Crown Jewel, where the world champions will be facing off in a title for a big green belt. Other than that, we have two title matches tonight so let’s get to it.

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

Rapper Sexxy Red welcomes us to the show.

Bad Blood recap.

Here is a banged up CM Punk with a bunch of bandages for a chat from the stage. It’s good to be not dead in St. Louis but he’s in no condition to walk towards that ring. He doesn’t feel like he’s alive or like he won. That match made him feel like he isn’t sure what is next and he just doesn’t know right now. There are three groups of people to thank: his fans, his peers and the people who don’t like him at all.

There is a thin line between love and hate and he has turned their hatred into cash. He hasn’t seen his wife in about five weeks and he’s going home. As he goes to leave, here is Seth Rollins to cut him off with the wordless staredown. Punk leaves without incident, likely until just after WWE gets back from Saudi Arabia next month.

Rollins wishes Punk to get well soon, because the faster he gets back, the faster Rollins can beat him up for good. He’s been gone for a few weeks and things have gone all crazy. What matters is that he is back to destroy Bronson Reed, who isn’t here tonight. Rollins gets close to the camera and says Reed has made himself so crazy that Rollins knows his name. Anytime anyplace, because Rollins will be expecting him. Jey Uso interrupts for his scheduled title match and some staring ensues.

Intercontinental Title: Xavier Woods vs. Jey Uso

Woods, with Kofi Kingston, is challenging. Uso sends him into the corner to start and hits a quick enziguri before they fight on the apron. A knee sends Uso outside and Woods adds an AA on the floor as we take a break. Back with Uso hammering away but they trade running shots to the face. Woods gets the better of things but the Limit Breaker is cut off with a superkick. The Superfly Splash retains clean at 6:32. Not enough shown to rate but it was a pretty run of the mill match.

Post match Kingston offers Uso respect but Woods won’t respect either of them. With New Day leaving, Kingston comes in to make a save but Breakker spears him down. Woods stays on the floor and gets speared as well.

Rhea Ripley isn’t surprised that Liv Morgan cheated to keep her title but all that Morgan did was delay the inevitable.

We get the burning letters/symbols tease again.

Bron Breakker has nothing to say about what he did.

We look at the announcement of the Crown Jewel Title, which will see the men’s and women’s world champions facing off in non-title matches.

In an incident that happened after Bad Blood, Kevin Owens turned on Cody Rhodes. HHH has said they will handle the matter internally.

Cody Rhodes is apparently here…but technical issues abound.

Video on Sheamus vs. Pete Dunne.

Miz and Karrion Kross are in the back (with Wyatt Sicks interference) when R-Truth comes in. Truth makes it clear that he is NOT in the Judgment Day, but Miz doesn’t want to hear it. They can fight next week.

Sheamus vs. Pete Dunne

Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook so there are themed weapons provided on the floor. Sheamus jumps him to start and slugs away before putting the shillelagh across Dunne’s mouth for some cranking. They head outside with Sheamus’ Brogue Kick hitting a barrel by mistake. Dunne sends him into various things and stomps on Sheamus’ hand on the bar. Sheamus is back up with a slam onto the announcers’ table and we take a break.

Back with Sheamus hitting him in the ribs with the shillelagh but the ten forearms to the chest are broken up. The Brogue Kick misses so Sheamus settles for a powerslam. Dunne catches him on top though and a superplex gives Dunne two. They go outside and climb onto some barrels, where Sheamus fires off the forearms to the chest.

White Noise from the barrels through a table knocks Dunne silly, followed by a High Cross for two back inside. Dunne snaps the fingers though and hits him in the back with a cricket bat for two. With nothing else working, Dunne finds some zip ties in the bar and ties Sheamus’ hands behind his back. He doesn’t tie the legs though and Sheamus hits the Brogue Kick for the pin at 12:58.

Rating: B. Sometimes the most entertaining thing you can have on a wrestling show is two guys beating the fire out of each other for awhile. That’s all you had here and it absolutely worked. Sheamus gets a win in I guess what passes as his signature match while Dunne…well at least he isn’t called Butch anymore.

Cody Rhodes is here to see what he’ll have to do to win the Crown Jewel Title. Sami Zayn comes in to say he’d love to face Rhodes at Crown Jewel. Rhodes wishes him luck.

We look back at Braun Strowman defeating Bronson Reed last week.

Raquel Rodriguez drove into the arena earlier, with Liv Morgan and Dominik Mysterio in the back. Morgan laughed over Rhea Ripley still not winning the title and then they all left. No word on if Rodriguez is officially part of the Judgment Day.

NXT GM Ava is here with Adam Pearce when former NXT Champion Ethan Page shows up. Page doesn’t like what CM Punk did last week in his NXT Title match when Sexxy Red shows up, with Page being ignored. I have no idea what Red adds to the show but it isn’t anything valuable.

Unholy Union/Pure Fusion Collective vs. Kayden Carter/Katana Chance/Natalya/Zelina Vega/Lyra Valkyria

Stark gets in a kick to the face to start and it’s a big brawl as everything breaks down in a hurry. The fight heads outside with Natalya being sent into the steps as we take a break. Back with Natalya crawling over for the tag to Vega so house can be cleaned. Vega stomps on Deville and we hit the parade of knockdowns. Valkyria hits a top rope ax kick to pin Deville at 7:12.

Rating: C. This suffered from the same problem that all such matches do, as there is no way for anyone to stand out in the slightest. They had ten women fighting for just about seven minutes. How much is anyone supposed to get out of that kind of a match? Hopefully Valkyria can use the win to get back on track, as she certainly needs the boost.

Video on Gunther vs. Sami Zayn.

Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill are ready to face Damage CTRL next week.

Raw World Title: Gunther vs. Sami Zayn

Zayn is challenging. Feeling out process to start but Zayn sends him outside in a hurry and we take an early break. Back with Gunther still staggered but being able to chop Zayn out of the air to take over again. Zayn can’t hit a Blue Thunder Bomb so Gunther tries the sleeper, only to get caught with the Blue Thunder Bomb for two.

We take another break and come back with Zayn hitting an exploder suplex against the barricade. The Helluva Kick against the barricade rocks Gunther again and Zayn throws him back inside for another one. Gunther pops out of the corner with a hard lariat for two though, only for Zayn to small package him for two more. The powerbomb gets a very near fall but Gunther grabs the sleeper. Zayn tries to fight up but gets pulled into the bodyscissors so Gunther can retain at 16:44.

Rating: B+. This was a heck of a fight which could have been that much better if they cut out the two breaks. Zayn is at his best when he is fighting from underneath and making you wonder just how much he can overcome. That’s what we got here, while Gunther got his revenge after Wrestlemania. Gunther being in there made it feel that much better and I was pulled in here.

Cody Rhodes comes out for a staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. I can’t get over what a relief it was to have this show be an hour shorter. There was never a time where it felt like they were trying to fill in time and that is a great thing to see. Hopefully they can keep up this momentum, but Gunther vs. Rhodes for a meaningless, one night only title doesn’t exactly intrigue me. Other than that, solid show here with two very good matches, which stood out more with less filler surrounding them.

Results
Jey Uso b. Xavier Woods – Superfly Splash
Sheamus b. Pete Dunne – Brogue Kick
Kayden Carter/Katana Chance/Natalya/Zelina Vega/Lyra Valkyria b. Unholy Union/Pure Fusion Collective – Top rope ax kick to Deville
Gunther b. Sami Zayn – Sleeper

 

 

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Bad Blood 2024
Date: October 5, 2024
Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

For reasons I’m still not clear on, Bad Blood is back after a twenty year hiatus. In this case it’s once again about the Cell, with Drew McIntyre and CM Punk being locked inside to presumably wrap up their feud for good. Other than that, Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns are teaming up to face the Bloodline. Let’s get to it.

The opening video is a mini movie with HHH and Cody Rhodes in a parking lot talking about their plans for the evening, with HHH saying text Roman Reigns if you get in trouble. Then Rhodes and someone named Metro are sitting in a car watching the arena, apparently for the last several weeks. After a look at the bigger matches, Rhodes and Metro agree that it’s time and go inside. This was….certainly a thing.

Rhodes and Metro (last name Boomin) arrive in a banged up Ford.

Here are your hosts for the evening: Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill and Naomi. Their offering at the moment: announcing that the Cell is lowering.

Drew McIntyre vs. CM Punk

Inside the Cell. They take their time staring at each other until McIntyre knocks him into the corner and hammers away. McIntyre sends him outside but gets whipped into the Cell to give Punk a breather. A table is pulled out but McIntyre knocks him down and grabs a wrench from a toolbox. The big shot only hits post though so McIntyre rips the legs off a table. Punk takes them away and chokes before sending McIntyre back first onto the bottom of the table.

They head back outside where McIntyre hits a quick Claymore for a needed breather. Punk is busted open and McIntyre certainly seems to like that. The steps to the head have Punk in more trouble and McIntyre says Punk’s wife is going to leave him. Back in and the wrench is dug into the cut on Punk’s head before another table is pulled in. Punk manages a running knee in the corner though and goes up top for an ax handle to the head.

A top rope wrench to the head is countered into a suplex to send Punk flying as the fans approve. The threat of a Claymore sends Punk outside, where he finds a toolbox to bash McIntyre in the head (the blood is gushing, with Graves making a Muta Scale reference). Two more toolbox shots to the head have McIntyre rocked and the GTS…sends him rolling out to the floor. Back in and Punk grabs a not exactly great Sharpshooter but McIntyre gets in a wrench shot.

We actually pause for the referee to wipe the blood off of McIntyre’s face and they slug it out again. McIntyre gets the better of things and suplexes Punk off the apron and through a table. It’s McIntyre up first but he has a lot of trouble getting the steps inside the ring. The delay lets Punk hit a quick GTS for two and they’re both down again. McIntyre is able to come back with White Noise onto the steps for two and another double down.

Punk manages a quick Anaconda Vice but McIntyre grabs the wrench…which Punk takes away and smashes onto McIntyre’s head. McIntyre begs off and catches Punk with a low blow to put them down again. Back up and McIntyre pours a bag of beads, like in the bracelet, onto Punk’s head. The Claymore is loaded up but McIntyre misses and lands BACK FIRST ONTO THE EDGE OF THE STEPS for the terrifying crash (I’m hoping he accidentally left it short because if that was the plan that man needs help.). Punk pours the beads into McIntyre’s mouth and hits the GTS (with a chain around his knee) for the win at 31:15.

Rating: A. Sweet goodness that was a war and Punk survived rather than won. After that, you almost have to imagine Punk gets into the World Title scene sooner than later, as there isn’t much else for him to do at the moment. As for the match, they did some good stuff with the wrenches to make it feel all the more violent and bloodthirsty. What matters here though is they wrapped up the feud with a fight befitting the Cell, which hasn’t always been the case for a long time.

Post match Punk slams the door and walks out but collapses in the aisle, with the medics coming out to give him oxygen. Punk pulls that off and walks out again.

We recap Bayley challenging Nia Jax for the Smackdown Women’s Title. Jax beat her for the title at Summerslam and Bayley wants the title back. Tiffany Stratton is lurking around with the Money In The Bank briefcase.

We go to the VIP suite where the hosts talk about various legends who are in the background and awkwardly talk about the rest of the show.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bayley vs. Nia Jax

Jax is defending and they run around a bit first, only for Jax to hit a hard clothesline. The running hip attack in the corner sets up a leglock of all things and even commentary isn’t sure what to make of that. Bayley gets up and slides between legs before sending Jax outside. A slingshot legdrop hits Jax but it’s to early for a suicide dive. Instead Bayley hits a baseball slide dropkick and hammers away on the floor but the suicide dive only kind of bounces off of Jax.

Back in and Jax runs her over, only for Bayley to break up the Annihilator. Bayley’s powerbomb out of the corner is countered into something like a hurricanrana (ok more like Jax pulled her forward but that could have been worse). A Bayley To Belly plants Bayley for two but Bayley is back with a sunset bomb, with Jax landing on Bayley’s leg in the process. The top rope elbow his Jax, who bails out to the floor for a breather.

Back in and Jax runs her over again, only to charge into a Samoan drop of all things to give Bayley two. Jax crushes the referee though….and it’s Tiffy Time. Stratton drops Bayley with the briefcase and wakes up the referee, but Jax does an Undertaker situp. That’s enough for Stratton to bail, only for her to throw the briefcase at Bayley for a distraction. Jax plants Bayley and hits the Annihilator for the pin at 14:12.

Rating: C-. This really didn’t work as Jax was trying some different things but couldn’t make them go well. It didn’t help that Bayley felt like a lame duck challenger throughout and the cash-in tease was treated as a bigger deal. They both need to move on, though I’m not sure who is supposed to be next to come after Jax’s title.

Xavier Woods gets to play a Dragon Ball game early.

We recap Finn Balor vs. Damian Priest. Balor turned on Priest at Summerslam and kicked him out of Judgment Day so Priest has been on a path of revenge, leading up to tonight.

Finn Balor vs. Damian Priest

Priest chops him hard into the corner and then punches him in another as the beating is on in a hurry. Balor gets in a shot of his own though and fires off the Kawada kicks, followed by some jumping stomps. Priest pops right back up for the big staredown, only for Balor to elbow him back down. Back up and a right hand rocks Balor so hard that commentary is nearly cringing, but Balor is able to grab a spinning Russian legsweep for a near fall.

Priest hits some more loud right hands, setting up a spinning kick to the head and a clothesline for two. The Pele kick gives Balor a breather but Priest is right back with a Razor’s Edge to send Balor outside. Something close to a Pounce sends Balor onto the announcers’ table and Priest drops him onto the apron.

Cue Carlito for a distraction though, allowing JD McDonagh to come in for a cheap shot. The Coup de Grace gets two and Priest takes out the rest of the team. South Of Heaven is countered into a rollup for two and Balor hits a top rope double stomp to the back. That doesn’t work either though and Priest hits South Of Heaven for the pin at 12:50.

Rating: C+. This was ok enough but not exactly great, with Priest just shrugging off the interference and winning. That’s the way the ending should have gone, but it was never exactly a dramatic match on the way there. I’m not sure what is next for Priest, though it’s hard to imagine Judgment Day being big time players that much longer from this point.

Here is HHH for a big announcement, complete with a pedestal labeled Crown Jewel and something covered up. HHH talks about his time in WCW when he was “terra ryzing” WCW and here are are with 16,092 in attendance. In four weeks, WWE will be returning to Saudi Arabia for Crown Jewel in the beginning of a new era.

There will be an annual event at Crown Jewel, where the two World Champions (both men and women) will face off in non-title matches. However, there will be a definitive winner for both, with the winner being named the Crown Jewel Champion, which is the title underneath the sheet (and is gigantic).

Cue Gunther to interrupt, saying he’s looking forward to winning the title in four weeks. Gunther laughs off the idea of Sami Zayn taking the title from him on Monday before moving on to the legends who are already here. This would mean Goldberg, who really isn’t one of Gunther’s childhood heroes. How could anyone be impressed with a one trick pony like Goldberg? Gunther looks over at Goldberg’s son and says he hopes Goldberg is a better father than he is a wrestler. Goldberg comes over the barricade and security breaks it up, only for Sami Zayn to run in and brawl with Gunther to the back. HHH and Goldberg pose.

There was a lot here and neither of it is overly positive. This is the same thing they did with the Battle For Brand Supremacy for years and all that does is make one champion look weak. I’m sure the Saudis requested something like this so WWE is stuck but that doesn’t make it much better. Other than that…sweet goodness can we just move on from Goldberg against these big stars? Have him beat up some midcard goof (Finn Balor or someone) and get his nostalgia pop so we can not have to sit through another wasted World Title match.

Various legends are here.

Back to the VIP suite where Chelsea Green shows up and smells bad. Piper Niven is willing to stay though.

Raw Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley vs. Liv Morgan

Ripley is challenging and Dominik Mysterio is locked in a shark cage. Hold on though as Ripley says Dominik is scared of heights too so raise that cage! Ripley knocks her to the floor to start but gets sent into the steps after looking up at Dominik for a bit too long. A dragon screw legwhip over the ropes keeps Ripley in trouble and it’s a half crab to make it worse.

That’s broken up and Ripley slugs away, only to have her leg taken out again. The leg is rammed into the apron and a spinning kick to the head staggers Ripley. Morgan hits a sunset bomb into the barricade and a middle rope Codebreaker connects back inside. Oblivion is broken up with a roll through (would have been better without the bad leg), only for Morgan to snap off a crucifix bomb for two more.

Ripley is back up with a toss powerbomb but Dominik has managed to open the shark cage door. The frog splash sets up the Prism Trap but Morgan rolls out to the floor. Morgan gets sent into the barricade, followed by the Riptide on the outside. Dominik teases climbing down…but winds up hanging upside down by his foot. Rather than finishing Morgan, Ripley grabs a kendo stick and, after wishing herself a happy birthday, beats on him with the stick. Cue Raquel Rodriguez of all people to jump Ripley for the DQ at 14:30.

Rating: C-. That ending was all kinds of messy and it hurt things badly, though they weren’t doing well in the first place. At the end of the day, it’s just not that easy to buy Morgan as a threat against Ripley, even if Ripley is hurt. Rodriguez should be a lot better as she can match up physically with Morgan, but they need to let Ripley get the win, crush Dominik, and move WAY on because this feud is running out of steam in a hurry.

Post match Rodriguez puts Morgan on top of Ripley, presumably for a pin, which makes me wonder if the DQ wasn’t the planned finish.

We recap Roman Reigns/Cody Rhodes vs. the Bloodline. Reigns and Rhodes are sick of them and are teaming up to get rid of them, with Reigns saying he’s coming for the title after it’s over.

Bloodline vs. Cody Rhodes/Roman Reigns

Rhodes is played to the ring by the Arkansas Pine Bluff marching band, who played his song during a college football game a few weeks back. Not to be outdone, Reigns has his own band playing him out. Cody and Fatu start things off with the early Disaster Kick being shrugged off. It’s (slowly) off to Reigns vs. Sikoa, with Reigns hammering away in the corner.

Sikoa headbutts him down but gets clotheslined outside, meaning Fatu comes in to glare at Reigns. That’s enough of a distraction for Sikoa to deck Reigns and start the headbutting. Sikoa hits the running Umaga Attack, followed by Fatu hitting his own. Fatu misses a charge and goes head first into the post though and it’s back to Rhodes for the Flip Flop and Fly. The Cody Cutter puts Fatu down but a Sikoa distraction lets him come back with a pop up Samoan drop.

Things slow back down with Fatu getting to hammer away, including a double wishbone with Sikoa. Fatu grabs a nerve hold to keep Rhodes in trouble and then does it again for a bonus. Rhodes fights up and manages to drop Fatu, which is enough for the tag back to Reigns for the house cleaning. The Samoan Spike is countered into a crucifix of all things to give Reigns two, followed by a Superman Punch of the same.

Rhodes whips Fatu into the steps before avoiding a charge, sending Fatu through the barricade. Some superkicks put Fatu onto the announcers’ table and a splash off the post puts him through it. Now it’s Reigns getting to clean house but cue the Tonga’s, allowing Sikoa to hit a spear for two. Cue a guy in a hoodie to superkick the Tongas because Jimmy Uso is back. That’s enough for Reigns to spear Sikoa down for the pin at 25:43.

Rating: B-. This match felt like a car that kept stalling before finally turning on just enough to get you where you needed to go. It desperately needed about eight minutes cut off as the heat segments on Rhodes weren’t working. Fatu feels like a beast but Sikoa just isn’t quite living up to the same hype. The Uso reveal was good and it was a nice moment, but this was a long main event at the end of a not so great show and it felt like that the whole way.

Post match Reigns and Jimmy hug and reigns has a brief staredown with Cody before leaving. The Bloodline is back up and jumps Cody though, with Jimmy saying they should go back for the save. Reigns thinks about it before going back in and cleaning house. With the Bloodline gone, Reigns picks up the title and hands it back to Rhodes for some applause. Rhodes holds up the title….and the Rock is here (with the People’s Champion belt and someone from his team reaching their arm around the edge of the screen to film it from behind). The Rock glares at Reigns, seems to count to three (I’m guessing because he pinned Cody at Wrestlemania) and walks out to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The opener is an instant classic (partially because it was the ONLY Cell match on the card rather than one of two or three) and the main event is enough to get by, but this was a two match show and the rest of the card falls off a cliff outside of those two. Balor vs. Priest was acceptable enough, but sweet goodness those Women’s Title matches did not work, with the Crown Jewel announcement being about on the same level. It’s not a terrible show, but the Cell match is the only thing worth seeing in the slightest.

Results
CM Punk b. Drew McIntyre – GTS with a chain
Nia Jax b. Bayley – Annihilator
Damian Priest b. Finn Balor – South Of Heaven
Rhea Ripley b. Liv Morgan via DQ when Raquel Rodriguez interfered
Roman Reigns/Cody Rhodes b. Bloodline – Spear to Sikoa

 

 

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For some reason, WWE has decided to bring this one back and I’m really not sure why. Bad Blood was never anything more than one of those shows that you mostly forgot ever existed and it hasn’t been around in over twenty years. Now we’re getting a fresh version with a pretty big card and that could make for a rather nice show. It almost has to be better than the last time they brought this thing back. Let’s get to it.

Raw Women’s Title: Liv Morgan(c) vs. Rhea Ripley

The catch here is that Dominik Mysterio will be suspended above the ring in a shark cage. That could open up a few options, as the question isn’t so much will he cheat but rather how, along with will he have someone helping him. That has to be done though, as otherwise Ripley would destroy Morgan in all of eight seconds. This is still one of the biggest feuds on Raw at the moment, but I’m not sure where it goes next.

As much as I want to say Ripley gets the title back here, I’m not sure if it’s a big enough stage. Therefore, we’ll say Morgan escapes again, even if it feels completely wrong to say that. At some point, Ripley is going to absolutely crush Morgan and get the title back, though it almost has to take place soon. I’m thinking they squeeze one more match out of it though, with Morgan retaining here through some kind of screwiness.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Nia Jax(c) vs. Bayley

This is the only other title match on the show and it’s a rematch from about two months ago at Summerslam when Jax took the title from Bayley. Just like last time, Tiffany Stratton and the Money In The Bank briefcase are hanging around but that is still a get out of title reign free card. Bayley isn’t feeling like a big challenger, but there aren’t many other options at the moment.

I can’t imagine Jax losing the title so soon and Bayley isn’t feeling like a strong challenger in the first place, so yeah Jax retains here. Maybe they do something ridiculous like having Naomi turn on Bayley, but there is no reason to change the title here. Stratton can cash-in later, with or without success, but that isn’t something I can imagine happening here. Teases of course, though not an actual title change.

Finn Balor vs. Damian Priest

Here we have a grudge match as Judgment Day and the Terror Twins explode. Priest has been wanting to get his hands on Balor for a good while now and there are going to be more than a few lackeys there to help save Balor. While Balor isn’t quite as vulnerable as Morgan, he loses is Priest can even the odds enough, which very well could end this feud once and for all.

I’m thinking that’s exactly what happens, as Priest beats Balor and finally gets to move on. Priest is already a former World Champion and could easily be moved back into the main event picture with a nice win here. Judgment Day is already losing steam and I’m not sure how much longer it needs to stay around. Priest should win here and hopefully be done with the whole thing.

CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre

This is the Cell match and somehow reportedly not the main event. That would seem to be the kind of match that would headline the show, but in this case there is a good chance that it opens the show for the sake of saving some time. Punk vs. McIntyre has been the runaway Feud Of The Year so far and if they can stick the landing here, the whole thing goes even higher up the all time list. But who wins?

I keep going back and forth on this one, but I think I’ll go with Punk winning. It’s the good guy (ok the better of the two rather than the good) winning in the end and McIntyre can come back later to do something else. Punk can take a bit of a hiatus and move on to something else as he only has a limited time in the ring to go. I could be wrong here, but I’ll take Punk going over here.

Cody Rhodes/Roman Reigns vs. Bloodline

This is the main event and that makes me think something big is going to happen here. Reigns vs. Rhodes III almost has to be in the cards sooner than later but I don’t think that’s a WrestleMania match again. We can get there later though, as this is about the forces combining to face their shared enemy. That makes me wonder how we get through the match, though one result seems more likely than anything else.

Barring some big interference, I can’t imagine Reigns or Rhodes taking a fall here. That leaves either some kind of a double DQ finish or some kind of major return, perhaps the Rock, who has to be back sooner or later. That being said, I’ll go with Rhodes pinning Sikoa and then…whatever happening next. Rhodes vs. Reigns III certainly seems possible though and we might be seeing that as a result, but for now, the new Mega Powers win.

Overall Thoughts

This is the definition of a one two punch on top, as there is a heck of a drop between the top two matches and the three underneath. If those two matches deliver then we are going to be in for a huge show, though it’s likely to take its sweet time as well. I’m interested enough in the show, but it’s going to depend on what happens during/after that tag match, because it almost has to be the big moment on the show, which is looking pretty nice.

 

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