Smackdown
Date: December 12, 2025
Location: Mohegan Sun At Casey Plaza, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s the night before Saturday Night’s Main Event and that means we have one more night before John Cena’s final match. That means we very well may be hearing from Gunther before he faces Cena tomorrow, but there is also the matter of Cody Rhodes facing NXT Champion Oba Femi on Saturday. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a quick recap of Cody Rhodes wanting to face Drew McIntyre again.

Earlier today, Nick Aldis said he can’t get in touch with Drew McIntyre but he’s getting a chance to come here and speak about it face to face.

Aldis tells Cody Rhodes that McIntyre isn’t here and he’s legally claiming an unsafe work environment. Rhodes doesn’t have time for this and heads to the ring.

Here is Rhodes for a chat. He’s not happy with McIntyre’s claims and says they’re happening because McIntyre is only half in. If it was up to Rhodes, McIntyre would be fired, but here is NXT Champion Oba Femi to interrupt. Femi praises Rhodes and talks about how you can often see the future a long way off. This time though, the future is right in front of him and his time is now. Rhodes says they both respect John Cena, but he’s the man who beat Cena for this title. They hold up their titles and stare each other down to wrap up a short but intense segment.

Fraxiom tell Ilja Dragunov they’ll have his back tonight against Tommaso Ciampa. Dragunov appreciates the offer but declines because this is his responsibility. John Cena introduced the US Open Challenge and Dragunov is carrying on its history. Everything seems to be cool.

United States Title: Ilja Dragunov vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Dragunov is defending and they trade forearms to start until Ciampa (with a taped up arm) goes after Dragunov’s previously banged up knee. Dragunov is sent outside and a suplex sends the knee into the steps. We take a break and come back with Ciampa staying on the knee, only for Dragunov to slug his way out of trouble. Some rolling German suplexes have Ciampa down but the knee gives out before Dragunov can suplex him.

Something like a John Cena ProtoBomb gets two but Ciampa catches him on top. That means an Air Raid Crash on the apron for two, only for Dragunov to come back with a missile dropkick to the back of the neck. We take another break and come back with Dragunov looking even more intense than usual but getting taken down with a super Air Raid Crash.

Dragunov strikes away but gets caught with a dragon screw legwhip. Ciampa is back up but the bloody Dragunov hits Torpedo Moscow. Cue the rest of DIY for a distraction, allowing Ciampa to get in a running knee for two. The Fairy Tale Ending is loaded up but Dragunov reverses into a cradle for the pin to retain at 16:57.

Rating: B+. They laid into each other here with Ciampa working on the knee, as a good villain should be doing. At the same time, Dragunov was at his best as he kept fighting through the adversity to retain. I’m not sure who is going to take the title from him but they’re making the idea of beating him into quite the moment.

Post match Ciampa jumps Dragunov but Carmelo Hayes makes the save.

Je’Von Evans is asked about his match tomorrow night but Miz interrupts, saying he doesn’t know why we’re talking to Evans. That doesn’t work for Evans, who wants a match tonight, with Miz saying he’ll get it going.

Here are the Wyatt Sicks for a chat. Uncle Howdy doesn’t like Solo Sikoa casting judgment on his family and it’s interesting that Sikoa’s real family has turned on him. If Sikoa wants the Tag Team Titles, come get them. Sikoa and company come up on the screen, saying they’re coming for the titles next week. The Wyatts are given the option to give them up early, because otherwise, all they can do is RUN.

Charlotte gives Alexa Bliss a pep talk before her match but Rhea Ripley comes in to suggest she and Iyo Sky are coming for the titles instead. Bliss and Charlotte aren’t impressed.

Various celebrities congratulate John Cena on his retirement.

Alexa Bliss vs. Lash Legend

Charlotte and Nia Jax are here too. Bliss sends her outside to start but Legend is back with something like a Dominator onto the barricade. Back in and Legend works on the arm before nailing a rather hard forearm. Jax teases getting involved but Charlotte kicks her down. Bliss tries a DDT but gets cut off for the Lash Extension and the pin at 3:35.

Rating: C. The match was short and to the point, with Legend basically squashing her to show off the power and strength. It would have been a stretch for Bliss to be able to hang with a powerhouse like Legend so the match was put together well. Keeping Legend’s match short made sense and they kept her safe here so well done all around.

Aleister Black and Zelina are ready for Rhea Ripley and Damian Priest.

Smackdown is back to three hours on January 2. Oh joy.

Video on Leon Slater/Je’Von Evans.

Miz vs. Je’Von Evans

They start slowly until Evans snaps off a quick hurricanrana to stagger Miz. With Miz on the floor, Evans takes him down with a springboard moonsault, only to be sent arm first into the post. We take a break and come back with Miz still on the arm but Evans kicks his way out of the corner. A very big moonsault misses though and Miz initiates John Cena’s finishing sequence. Evans fights back though and sends him outside for the dive. Back in and Evans’ springboard cutter is blocked, only for the second attempt to connect for the win at 8:08.

Rating: C+. Evans continues to feel like one of the best prospects around and that means we’re likely going to be seeing him a lot more often. It’s also why he was in there against Miz, who is capable of making anyone look good. Miz pulled it off again here, which really shouldn’t be a surprise given how talented he really is.

Nia Jax and Lash Legend mock Rhea Ripley, who isn’t intimidated. Damian Priest comes in to say he likes that intensity from Ripley, who turns around to stare down Jade Cargill. These teases are great, as there are quite a few matches in there.

Michin doesn’t like bullies so she wants to fight Jade Cargill…who jumps Michin from behind to leave her laying. Cargill comes to the ring to say that’s what happens when you step up to her so here is Michin with a kendo stick. Naturally she loads up a table (because THAT is a logical weapon here) but gets kicked in the face for her efforts. Cargill hits a chokeslam and leaves Michin laying. Could Michin and B-Fab look any more useless against Cargill?

Video on the Last Time Is Now tournament.

Saturday Night’s Main Event rundown.

Video on Oba Femi.

Rhea Ripley/Damian Priest vs. Aleister Black/Zelina

The villains jump the heroes from behind to start, with Priest throwing Black into the corner to hammer away. Zelina tries to choke Priest, which goes as well as you would expect. Ripley throws her and hits a clothesline as we take a break. We come back with Zelina hitting a middle rope Meteora but getting muscled up for a hard toss. Priest comes back in for a lifting Downward Spiral to Black, followed by the Broken Arrow for two. Black is back up with a German suplex for two of his own as everything breaks down.

Zelina is picked up and launched at Ripley for a hurricanrana. Ripley tries Riptide but it gets reversed into…I have absolutely no idea (it looked like a Code Red but they landed so badly that commentary had no idea who got hurt). Code Red gives Zelina two but Ripley muscles her up into an electric chair. Black comes in for a standoff with Ripley until Priest is back in with a Razor’s Edge. Riptide finishes Zelina at 9:48.

Rating: C-. This was a rather hasty main event and I’m not sure why. The botch on the Code Red (I think) was pretty terrible, but other than that it was a lot of Ripley throwing Zelina around. This didn’t feel like the big ending of Priest vs. Black and that is something we need to see sooner rather than later. After all the hype, this was quite the letdown.

Overall Rating: C+. I liked the stuff with Rhodes/Femi and the opener, but the main event was pretty disappointing. Other than that, you had Legend and Evans getting some nice wins to get them off to a nice start. The problem is this show is coming the night before Saturday Night’s Main Event and that’s the show that really feels important. Not the best show here, but it had some decent pieces, including a heck of an opener to bail it out.

Results
Ilja Dragunov b. Tommaso Ciampa – Cradle
Lash Legend b. Alexa Bliss – Lash Extension
Je’Von Evans b. The Miz – OG Cutter
Rhea Ripley/Damian Priest b. Zelina/Aleister Black – Riptide to Zelina

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

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: December 8, 2025
Location: T-Mobile Arena, Kansas City, Missouri
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We are less than a week away from John Cena’s final match and now he has an opponent. Gunther has won the Last Time Is Now tournament and will be receiving the shot against Cena this Saturday. Gunther is likely going to have something to say about that, but we also need some NXT matches set for the show. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of the Last Time Is Now tournament, with Gunther beating LA Knight in the finals on Smackdown.

Here is Gunther to get things going. He’s looking forward to facing Cena, who is the greatest sports entertainer of all time. The problem is that he’s facing the greatest professional wrestler of all time. Gunther puts up a countdown to Cena’s final match, but just beating Cena isn’t enough. The thing is, Cena is the one who never gives up, but Gunther is ready to break him. Gunther is going to drain his spirit and make him give up. Tick tock. Good, to the point stuff here and it should work on Saturday.

We open with a recap of last week’s chaos with the Women’s Tag Team Titles as Judgment Day looks to want the belts.

Iyo Sky vs. Kairi Sane

Rhea Ripley and Kairi Sane are here too. Feeling out process to start with Sane getting two off a sunset flip, which is reversed into a rollup for the same. A crucifix gives Sky two but Sane headscissors her down and poses a bit. Back up and Sky sweeps the leg and hits a basement dropkick to send Sane outside. Asuka offers a distraction though and Sane scores with a clothesline off the apron as we take a break.

We come back with Sane’s sliding forearm getting cut off with a raised boot. A missile dropkick sends Sane into the corner for the Bullet Train and a near fall, with Ripley being surprised by the kickout. Sane is able to knock her off the top though and the tree of woe double stomp gets two.

They go to the apron, where Sky gets out of a backdrop and hits a German suplex to send Sane to the floor. An Asai moonsault connects with Sane but she’s able to distract the referee so Asuka can tie Sky in the tree of woe. Ripley goes after Asuka, as she should, and Sky takes Sane down. Over The Moonsault finishes for Sky at 11:34.

Rating: B. Nice back and forth match here, which shouldn’t be a surprise given the two talented stars in there. Sky continues to be one of the most skilled stars in the division and she has moved into the top level over the course of the year. The tag division is starting to look a lot more interesting and I could go for seeing what they have in mind in the coming weeks.

Logan Paul wants the Vision to get rid of Rey Mysterio after last week. He’s willing to be the Vision’s backup as well and Paul Heyman gives him back the brass knuckles. Just in case. Heyman likes this guy.

Video on the War Raiders.

Rey Mysterio vs. Finn Balor

And never mind as Logan Paul runs in to take out Mysterio. That’s broken up and but here is the masked man to Stomp Mysterio, allowing Paul to lay Mysterio out. Security chases the masked man off but LA Knight runs in for the save and wants Paul tonight. No match here.

Tag Team Titles: AJ Styles/Dragon Lee vs. War Raiders

Styles and Lee are defending and New Day/Grayson Waller are watching from ringside. Erik gets taken into the corner to start but gets out by punching Styles in the face. The Raiders are sent outside, where they catch Lee’s dive and throw him at Styles to cut off another dive. Ivar crushes Styles against the ring board and we take a break.

We come back with Styles still in trouble but managing a quick Pele. Lee gets the tag and hits a top rope double stomp in the tree of woe ti Erik. For some reason Lee tries a fireman’s carry on Ivar before hitting something like a Death Valley Driver. Erik crushes Lee in the corner but he’s able to send the Vikings outside.

Lee’s superkick on the apron staggers Erik, who throws him into a powerslam on the floor. Back in and the Doomsault connects but Styles makes the save. Styles gets the tag and strikes away until Erik cuts him off rather quickly. A super hurricanrana sends Ivar into Erik, meaning the Phenomenal Forearm can retain the titles at 11:23.

Rating: B-. Styles and Lee might not be the next big thing in the tag division, but they’re a good example of something that works well in the short term. The good thing is that’s all it needs to be and it’s working well. If nothing else, Styles gets one last moment in the sun on the way out and that’s a cool thing after an all time career.

Post match New Day gets in the ring for the staredown but here are the Usos through the crowd (with Jey Yeeting with a baby). After running it back, the Usos make it clear that they’re back in the tag division. Last week, Jimmy asked Jey what they were going to do after Jey’s recent issues. Jey says it’s time to get back to them and put the tag division on notice. The Usos are ready to get the gold back and they’ll beat up the New Day in the process. New Day gets dropped and leave, so Styles and Lee get in the Usos’ faces. I’ll believe it lasts when I see it, but the tag division could use the depth.

Here is Stephanie Vaquer for a chat. She wants to face everyone and doesn’t talk too much because she speaks through actions. Nikki Bella might be a legend, but things are a bit different than they were fifteen years ago. Vaquer lists off some of the stars of today, but she’s at the top of the list. Cue Bella to say she demands a rematch but Raquel Rodriguez runs in to post Bella hard. Rodriguez says she’s coming for the title, which I’d call an upgrade over Bella.

Video on John Cena’s Wrestlemania history.

Judgment Day is having a good night but Liv Morgan isn’t happy with Raquel Rodriguez going after Stephanie Vaquer. Rodriguez didn’t know they had to run everything by her but she’s off to talk to Adam Pearce about her title shot. Morgan says she and Roxanne Perez can be the next Women’s Tag Team Titles, which seems to be news to Perez.

Lyra Valkyria vs. Roxanne Perez

Bayley and Liv Morgan are here too. Valkyria backs her into the corner to start fast and grabs a northern lights suplex for two. Perez is sent outside where she blocks a dropkick through the ropes (or Valkyria didn’t quite get it right) and sends Valkyria’s shoulder into the steps a few times.

We take a break and come back with Valkyria fighting out of an arm crank. A crossbody gives Valkyria two and she powerbombs Perez, only to hurt her own arm in the process. Valkyria sends her outside for a dropkick through the ropes (this one works better), followed by the high crossbody for two back inside.

Perez gets in the cartwheel knee to the head for two, followed by a nasty Fujiwara armbar on the bad arm. That’s broken up and Valkyria gets in a release German suplex, dragon Morgan up to the apron. Bayley cuts her off but Perez escapes Nightwing. Morgan gets in a quick kick to the face and Pop Rox finishes for Perez at 10:17.

Rating: C+. This was a bit sloppy at times but it gives me some hopes for the women’s tag division. As usual, the issue is the lack of depth so it’s nice to see some teams actually coming together. Keep that going and we might be able to get somewhere, even if it feels all but destined that Morgan turns good and gets rocketed to the moon.

Natalya’s rather intense training of Maxxine Dupri continues but Dupri manages to make her tap to the ankle lock.

Saturday Night’s Main Event rundown, with AJ Styles/Dragon Lee vs. Je’Von Evans/Leon Slater being added.

Logan Paul vs. LA Knight

Paul Heyman is here too. Paul jumps him to start fast but Knight is able to send things out to the apron. A suplex over the top gives Knight two and a discus lariat connects for the same. Paul bails outside so Knight hits a dive and loads up the announcers’ table. Knight sends him into the table a few times and adds a slingshot shoulder for two back inside. A belly to back suplex doesn’t work though and Paul grabs a Zig Zag as we take a break.

We come back with Paul dropping him throat first onto the top, followed by an Alley Oop for two. Knight slugs away and grabs his jumping neckbreaker for two before putting Paul up top. Cue the Vision for a distraction, allowing Paul’s high crossbody to connect for two. Knight gets in a quick knockdown for a breather, followed by the jumping top rope elbow. Vision’s interference causes Knight to get knocked down but the referee ejects both of them. Knight hammers away on Paul outside….and it’s the masked man to stomp him on the announcers’ table. The frog splash gives Paul the pin at 13:44.

Rating: B-. This was more about getting the masked man out there to take Knight out and that’s not a bad way to go. The masked man is an interesting story as it has the tease of being Rollins but could be almost anyone. That’s the kind of suspense that makes you wonder and now we’ll have probably a few weeks to find out who it is. Knight’s time in the main event scene continues and this should give him something else to do, which is a good sign for his future.

Post match it’s a Super Spear and a pair of Tsunamis to leave Knight laying. Post break, Heyman mocks Kansas City before saying that Bron Breakker will win the World Title on January 5. Breakker wants to know where CM Punk is, but he means where is the old Punk that Breakker saw for years.

Punk presents himself as this great guy but he’s just a fraud. He’s spent years preaching being straightedge but now he looks like the biggest crackhead ever! Breakker knows he can beat the Punk, so he wants the OLD Punk. He wants the 2011-13 Punk, who was a feared man. Breakker gets on his knees and begs the old Punk to be there, or it’s going to be bad.

We see LA Knight getting up in the back so Logan Paul and Reed go after him. As Breakker says it’s going to be “spear, 1-2-3”, Knight tries to fight back but gets powerbombed through a table. Reed drops him onto the hood of a car and the Tsunami crushes Knight. Adam Pearce comes in to yell a lot to end the show. Breakker’s stuff was good, but I’m not sure he’s going to win the title so soon. Either way, good dominant performance from the Vision here.

Overall Rating: C+. I liked the opener, but the rest of the show felt like it was about setting up things for later. That’s fine on paper, but it’s only so interesting for over two hours. The action was good enough, though it wasn’t exactly enough to carry the show. Just get to Saturday and then we can see what happens, but it might be a bit before things pick back up.

Results
Iyo Sky b. Kairi Sane – Over The Moonsault
AJ Styles/Dragon Lee b. Viking Raiders – Phenomenal Forearm to Ivar
Roxanne Perez b. Lyra Valkyria – Pop Rox
Logan Paul b. LA Knight – Frog splash

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: December 1, 2025
Location: Desert Diamond Arena, Glendale, Arizona
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Joe Tessitore

We’re done with Survivor Series, which was a good night for the villains. While the good group of women won WarGames, the Vision took the main event and Dominik Mysterio regained the Intercontinental Title from John Cena. This week’s show is going to be focused on the Last Time Is Now Tournament semifinals so let’s get to it.

Here is Survivor Series if you need a recap.

Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett are in the crowd to open the show and throw us to a long recap of Survivor Series.

Various people arrive, including Solo Sikoa, who isn’t pleased with Jacob Fatu’s picture being on a truck.

Here are Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky to get things going. They won at WarGames, but now they want revenge. Sky calls out Asuka but gets Charlotte and Alexa Bliss instead. Bliss says she heard them wanting the Women’s Tag Team Titles and they’re going to need Ripley and Sky to take a step back. They’re cool with Ripley and Sky but yeah not yet. Ripley says they need to go to the back of the line, but a match is set up for later tonight.

Adam Pearce is in the back and makes the women’s tag official, only to be interrupted by Ivy Nile. She wants to face Maxxine Dupri, with Pearce suggesting that it will happen eventually. Paul Heyman and Bron Breakker show up and Pearce isn’t happy. Heyman doesn’t like being accused of sending in the masked man at WarGames (he’s guilty of everything else, but not that). Now though, he wants to talk about Breakker pinning CM Punk, which Pearce is willing to talk about in his office.

We look at John Cena vs. CM Punk, with Punk saying he knows he was Cena’s greatest rival. He’s certainly in the running.

Last Time Is Now Tournament Semifinals: Jey Uso vs. LA Knight

Uso misses a charge to start and they stare at each other. Knight gets knocked into the corner, where he avoids the running Umaga Attack as commentary says the women’s tag is official. Were they just not paying attention when that was confirmed five minutes ago? Anyway, Knight misses a Razor Ramon’s discus punch and gets sent outside for the big suicide dive.

We take a break and come back with the two of them on the top and crashing out to the floor. Uso is back up with a kick to the head but Knight grabs a Burning Hammer for two. The spear gives Uso two and they’re both down again. Uso goes up and gets superplexed down, only to hit a quick superkick. The Superfly Splash connects but Knight reverses into a rollup for the pin at 9:42.

Rating: B. This got going near the end and I was surprised by the result, as I was all but sure this was going to be Uso winning to face Gunther. At the same time, it’s great to see Knight getting a clean pin, which is the kind of thing that can boost him up a long way. Solid match here and I could have gone with more of it.

Post match Knight leaves and a distraught Uso breaks stuff. Uh oh.

Bayley and Lyra Valkyria want a Tag team Title shot but Adam Pearce says we’ll figure that out after the main event. The Kabuki Warriors come up, with Asuka mocking Bayley for not getting what she wants while Charlotte does. Sane wraps the green chain around Bayley, who isn’t happy.

Here is Judgment Day for a chat, with Dominik Mysterio showing off the John Cena side plates on the Intercontinental Title. Mysterio brags about beating the greatest of all time, so he’s the Greatest Mysterio of all time. It makes him the greatest luchador of all time and the King of the luchadores. He thanks Judgment Day for their help, including Liv Morgan, who gets her own entrance (you can see the fans stand up, as it’s a big deal to have her back).

She says the people didn’t see her coming back but neither did John Cena. Mysterio talks about how they played the one ace up their sleeve and got his title and Morgan back. Morgan says Judgment Day runs Monday Night Raw, slaps Mysterio again, and jumps into his arms.

We get a rather intense video of Maxxine Dupri training in Natalya’s dungeon. Natalya makes her tap a few times and tells her to get out of the ring but Dupri wants to keep going. Natalya approves.

Adam Pearce talks to a referee about the masked man at Survivor Series. Pearce knows it can’t be Seth Rollins so he wants the referee to see if he can find anything out and report back.

Tag Team Titles: AJ Styles/Dragon Lee vs. New Day

New Day, with Grayson Waller, is challenging. Styles gets jumped to start fast, with Woods sending him into the corner for a beating from Kingston. A monkey flip sends Styles flying but he knocks Kingston into the corner. The slingshot dropkick connects for Lee, who follows it up with a big dive to the floor. We take a break and come back with Woods and Styles both getting tags.

Styles strikes away, including the basement forearm, but Kingston is back in for a wheelbarrow faceplant Fameasser combination for two (that was cool). A quick Calf Crusher is broken up by Woods and a sitout powerbomb gives Lee two. Operation Dragon is blocked though and Woods comes back in to strike away. A hiptoss puts Lee in the Tree Of Woe, leaving Woods to dive on Styles. Back in and Lee kicks Kingston into the Styles Clash and dives onto everyone else, leaving Styles to get the retaining pin at 9:04.

Rating: B. What has happened to New Day? They were one of the most successful teams of all time but now they are coming off as the most “well they’re here too” things I’ve seen in a long time. The heel turn has absolutely not worked but I’m not sure how well a simple turn back would work. They absolutely need something though, because this is somehow getting worse every week.

We look at Stephanie Vaquer retaining the Women’s Title against Nikki Bella.

Vaquer says she’s ready for her next challenger so here is Liv Morgan to says he’s back. Yeah they have to go there sooner than later.

Here is the Vision for a chat. Paul Heyman gives a shoutout to Brock Lesnar and Drew McIntyre before moving on to the three people still in the ring. Bronson Reed Tsunamied everyone on the other side. Logan Paul is the biggest mainstream star on the face of the earth (Paul’s eyes going side to side during this is great). And shoutout to WWE executives, who have made CM Punk vs. Bron Breakker for the January 5 Raw in Brooklyn.

The fans chant for Punk but Breakker says he’s upset tonight. It’s not because of where he is or because of the masked man, but rather how easy it was to pin Punk at Survivor Series. He thought he was going to have to dig deeper than ever and go to a level he’s never reached before. Then he found out that Punk is just a soft a** b****. Punk is no different than any veteran who has lived off of past greatness, just like Seth Rollins.

The reality is Punk isn’t even the biggest star in his own house, and we pause for a Punk chant. Breakker is ready for a fight in Brooklyn because Punk tried to break his neck at Survivor Series. He’s coming for everything in January and wants to take every great memory he’s ever had.

Last year at Wrestlemania, Punk came up to him and said let’s see if you can cut a promo with the big dogs. Well consider the promo cut because he’s going to leave Punk looking up at the lights and realizing that he’s not as good as Bron Breakker, the real best in the world. Well. That worked. I’m not sure what else there is to say there. Breakker just cut the promo of his life and it feels like Punk is about to get crushed in every possible way.

Jey Uso doesn’t have anything to say and says people in his head need to get out. The only person he has to blame is the one looking back in the mirror. Roman Reigns said it best: those titles look the best on Reigns’ shoulders, not Jey’s.

Last Time Is Now Tournament Semifinals: Gunther vs. Solo Sikoa

Talla Tonga is here with Sikoa. Gunther grabs a lockup to start but gets backed up against the ropes. The threat of a chop has Sikoa ducking so Gunther slaps on a headlock instead. An exchange of shoulders goes to Sikoa but Gunther knocks him hard out to the floor, leaving Sikoa looking rocked as we take a break.

We come back with Sikoa hammering on the back but not being able to slam him. Gunther tries a slam of his own, with Sikoa falling on him for two. Sikoa goes up and gets caught with a chop, meaning it’s a superplex to leave both of them down. They collide again and then chop it out, followed by an exchange of kicks to the face. Sikoa gets in a Samoan Spike and they’re both down again as we take a second break.

We come back with Sikoa hitting the running Umaga Attack in the corner but Gunther drops him with a clothesline. Another big clothesline gets two but Gunther has to block the Samoan Spike. Instead Sikoa grabs the Samoan Spike for two so Gunther stuns him with some chops. Spinning Solo cuts the comeback off and a Superfly Splash gets two, with the fans being impressed by the kickout. Gunther reverses the Samoan Spike into a sleeper and then a German suplex, with Sikoa pulling the turnbuckle pad off.

Tonga gets knocked off the apron but Gunther goes after him and gets kicked in the face. The referee sees Tonga holding Gunther, who kicks Tonga low and slams Sikoa’s thumb into the apron. Back in and a low blow stops Sikoa, setting up a powerbomb to give Gunther the pin at 17:52.

Rating: B+. These guys beat the fire out of each other and it was great to see. Sikoa can wrestle a physical style when he’s given the chance and they had a heck of a fight. Gunther is at his best when he activates his version of Beast Mode and gets to a point where he isn’t going to be stopped. That’s what we got here and Sikoa was hanging in there with him for a very long time. Awesome match here and a heck of a lot better than I was expecting.

Post match LA Knight gets in the ring to talk some trash. The finals are set for Smackdown.

We get the women’s version of the Wrestlemania promo, with the women at a bar in a casino.

The referee doesn’t have any information on the masked man. Adam Pearce says keep him posted but AJ Styles and Dragon Lee come up to say they want another title defense next week. Maybe against the War Raiders. Pearce makes the match.

Here’s what’s coming next week, including Rey Mysterio vs. Finn Balor.

Mysterio is sick of Dominik and he’s ready to go through Judgment Day one at a time. There’s a chance he might even come after the Intercontinental Title. Logan Paul comes in to say that sounds crazy, with Mysterio saying that Paul might be the only person worse than Dominik. Paul mocks Mysterio’s height and says the Intercontinental Title belongs to the Vision, so step down. Mysterio asks who is going to stop him, with Paul issuing some threats. That earns him a slap to the face so here is security to break it up. I’ve heard worse ideas.

Charlotte/Alexa Bliss vs. Rhea Ripley/Iyo Sky

Sky rolls Charlotte up to start fast and gives her a double stomp as we take an early break. We come back with Bliss forearming away at Ripley, who snatches her up into the Prism Trap. That’s reversed with a ramp into Charlotte, with Ripley holding up her arms in an “oh well”. Sky comes back in with a 619 to the back and Ripley’s running knee gets two.

The Bullet Train missed in the corner and Bliss gets in a knockdown, allowing the big tags off to Charlotte and Ripley. They fight over some waistlocks before trading the shots to the face. Charlotte gets in the Downward Spiral into the corner but Ripley pops up with an enziguri (that looked awesome) and we take a break. We come back with Sky hitting some running knees to Charlotte, allowing Ripley to come back in.

What looks like a powerbomb doesn’t work as Ripley falls down, with the second attempt resulting in a Razor’s Edge to Charlotte. Sky adds a missile dropkick but Riptide is countered into a DDT. Charlotte superkicks her into a DDT from Bliss but Twisted Bliss hits raised knees. Sky comes back in but charges into a boot to the face.

Natural Selection and the Sister Abigail DDT plant Sky, with Ripley making a save. Bliss slips out of another Razor’s Edge so Ripley headbutts her into Riptide. Over The Moonsault connects but Charlotte drives Ripley into the cover for the save. Everyone is down and cue the Kabuki Warriors to jump both of them for the double DQ at 14:32.

Rating: B. Sweet goodness I cannot stand that finish. How can villains be so stupid to never get that this won’t work? It’s something that plagues all kinds of villains around the wrestling world and here we are again. That’s a shame too as it came at the end of a pretty strong match, with the Ripley vs. Charlotte showdowns feeling huge. Both teams worked well together and I liked what we were getting until the lame ending.

Post match the beatdown is on but Lyra Valkyria and Bayley run in for the save. The big brawl is on and here is Liv Morgan, along with Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez to wreck everyone. Perez and Rodriguez pose with the titles and Morgan says she’s back to end the show. That was a bit better than I was expecting, though hopefully this doesn’t result in some messy group match.

Overall Rating: A-. Give the main event a better main event and the show would have been one of the best Raw’s in a long time. They moved stories forward, the wrestling was rather good throughout, and the Breakker promo was outstanding to cap it off. Awesome show here, and hopefully they can keep up the momentum as they’re wrapping up the year.

Results
LA Knight b. Jey Uso – Crucifix
AJ Styles/Dragon Lee b. New Day – Styles Clash to Kingston
Gunther b. Solo Sikoa – Powerbomb
Rhea Ripley/Iyo Sky vs. Charlotte/Alexa Bliss went to a double DQ when the Kabuki Warriors interfered

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

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

Survivor Series 2025
Date: November 29, 2025
Location: Petco Park, San Diego, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

It’s back to the stadium for this show as we’re in for one of the bigger nights of the year. As usual, the show is built around the two WarGames matches, which should be more than enough to carry the show. Those matches are going to take up nearly two hours combined when you add in entrances, meaning the other two matches can only have so much impact. Let’s get to it.

The opening video actually looks at all four matches on the card. Naturally WarGames gets the most attention, but it’s nice to see something else getting even a bit of attention.

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.

Team Ripley vs. Team Lynch

Rhea Ripley, Charlotte, Alexa Bliss, AJ Lee, Iyo Sky
Becky Lynch, Lash Legend, Nia Jax, Asuka, Nia Jax

Charlotte (in gear inspired by a girl battling cancer) and Asuka start things off, which should be a nice way to go. Of note, there are no shark cages near the entrances and the other wrestlers are staying in the back until their turn comes. They lock up to start with Charlotte getting the better of things and grabbing the figure four neck rolls. Back up and Asuka gets her into the ropes to fire off the kicks but Charlotte knocks her back down. They slug it out in another ring until Asuka knocks her off the top.

Sky is in to give Charlotte and company the advantage (the timing isn’t quite on but I’ve seen worse), bringing in a trashcan lid. And yes, there is an advertisement on the trashcan lid, because WWE managed to find a company to pay them to be associated with trash. Sky takes over on Asuka, despite slipping on a springboard attempt. The Bullet Train with the trashcan lid hits Asuka in the corner and Sky crushes her head against the metal plate.

Becky Lynch is in to even things up and thankfully she brings her kendo stick with her rather than looking underneath the ring over and over. Sky is taken down but Charlotte wants no part of Lynch’s offer of peace. Charlotte and Lynch both hit exploders before slugging it out again as we actually hear about FCW for a bit. Lynch takes over on Charlotte and yells about being the best ever until Bliss is in to get the advantage back.

Some dragon screw legwhips have the villains down, setting up the double Natural Selections. Sky is back up as well so she can help Charlotte and Bliss with the beatings. Charlotte gets to step on Lynch’s face and brag about her own greatness in a nice moment. Sane is here to even things up, though she takes her sweet time and shows off the chain she’s bringing with her.

Charlotte and company get tied together with the chain for a triple dropkick, which frees them so the villains can pose. Heaven forbid that when the other three were tied together, Asuka or Lynch or Sane, I don’t know, beat on them with a chair or something. Anyway, Lee is in to make the save and go after Lynch, including the Shining Wizard. The rest of the team gets up to continue the fight but Jax is in to even things up again.

Naturally that means a bunch of running hip attacks against the cage but Sky climbs the cage. That earns her a hard powerbomb and a lot of choking ensues until Ripley is in, again carrying a bunch of weapons but also doing her full entrance. Ripley cleans house with the kendo sticks and uses Sky to crush Sane in a trashcan.

Jax runs them over so Bliss makes a save until Legend is in to complete the fields, meaning first fall wins. Legend gets to wreck people, including a chokeslam to Charlotte. Ripley gets up for the monster showdown and kicks Legend in the head for a staggering. Legend’s pump kick gets two on Ripley but a headbutt looks to set up Riptide. Jax breaks that up so she and Legend can powerbomb Bliss and Charlotte into the cage for two. Lynch’s Manhandle Slam gets two on Lee with Sky making the save.

Sky is tossed into the rest of her team and the Kabuki Special with a chain drops her again. Ripley has to make a save this time but she’s left alone. Charlotte saves Ripley from the mist, which hits Legend by mistake though and Sky goes up top. Ripley lifts Lee up so she can hand Sky the (sponsored) trashcan to hit the big dive. Lynch is alone this time and tries to escape, only to get pulled into the Black Widow for the tap at 40:52.

Rating: C+. It was definitely better than last year, though that’s only so much of an accomplishment. The match is still too long, though they toned the weapons WAY down this year, including the time spent searching for them, and it helped a good bit. I still don’t know why this needed to be a WarGames match when a Survivor Series match would have fit better, but at least they took some steps in the right direction.

We recap John Cena defending the Intercontinental Title against Dominik Mysterio. Cena, who has this and one more match left, took the title from Mysterio, who wants a rematch on his home turf. Naturally Cena is in.

Intercontinental Title: John Cena vs. Dominik Mysterio

Cena is defending in his last PPV match and Raquel Rodriguez/Roxanne Perez are here with Mysterio. The first music stops playing and the fans are already going nuts, with WWE being smart to wait and let the buzz build before hitting Cena’s music. Cena’s entrance takes a bit longer than usual, as you can tell this means a lot to him. After the Big Match Intros, Cena takes him down with a headlock takeover but Perez gets in some interference.

Mysterio takes over with a good shot to the head and gets in some taunting to the crowd. Rodriguez’s cheap shot lets Mysterio get two and Three Amigos connect for the same. Cena knocks him outside but the women’s distraction lets Mysterio get in another knockdown. A hurricanrana off the barricade doesn’t work as it almost turns into a powerbomb, with Mysterio holding his shoulder.

The medics come out to check on him but the women use the distraction to hit a Tejana Bomb into Pop Rox. Mysterio pops back up for a 619 and the referee is living, ejecting Rodriguez and Perez. Cena makes the comeback and initiates the finishing sequence but Mysterio escapes the AA. That’s fine with Cena, who pulls him into the STF, with Mysterio having to make the rope.

Mysterio unzips his boot so Cena pulls it off, setting up another 619. The frog splash gets two, as does a quick AA from Cena. A slugout goes to Cena, who accidentally shoulders the referee to the floor. Cue Finn Balor and JD McDonagh to break up the STF but Cena gives them a double AA (because he can do that). Mysterio misses a belt shot and walks into another AA…but Liv Morgan is back. She hits Mysterio in the face and jumps on Cena, only to kick him low. The 619 and frog splash give Mysterio the title back at 16:48.

Rating: B-. Yeah this was fun, and they made the right call. Cena had to drop the title at some point and, assuming Gunther is winning the tournament, it makes a lot more sense to let Mysterio get this kind of a win. They were flying through this despite having some time, but I can go for some insanity here as it’s hard to fathom Mysterio being able to beat Cena one on one (or even close to it). Mysterio can brag about this for the better part of ever and that’s the right idea in this situation.

Post match Mysterio and Morgan celebrate together. With the two of them gone, Cena gets the big sendoff and thanks the camera.

Raw Women’s Title: Nikki Bella vs. Stephanie Vaquer

Vaquer is defending. Bella jumps her from behind to start fast but Vaquer is right back with a ram into the buckle. They head outside with Bella being sent into the announcers’ table but misses a kneedrop onto the apron. Bella fires off some forearms as commentary tries to hype up Bella’s career from the Divas era.

A facebuster and running faceplant give Bella two before she grabs a spinebuster. Vaquer belly to back suplexes her way out of trouble but Bella slips away from the Devil’s Kiss. Instead it’s a Russian legsweep into quite the rollup for two on Bella. The dragon screw legwhip out of the corner sets up the SVB for two but Bella breaks up the corkscrew moonsault.

The Rack Attack 2.0 gives Bella two as Vaquer gets a foot on the rope. They go back outside and this time the kneedrop on the apron connects for Vaquer. Bella is sent onto the announcers’ table for the Devil’s Kiss, with commentary having to be careful about commentating on the visuals. Back in and the regular Devil’s Kiss keeps Bella in trouble, setting up the corkscrew moonsault to retain at 12:23.

Rating: C+. It might not have been a classic, but at least there were no terrible moments in there. Bella might not be on the level of the modern stars, but she’s better than the mess that took place last time. Vaquer winning is nice to see as well, as she’s still the kind of star who could become a big deal if she’s given the chance, which she’s starting to get.

New Day and Grayson Waller talk about WWE Supercard in a completely natural way.

We look at Dominik Mysterio beating John Cena.

We look at the Last Time Is Now Tournament.

Tonight’s attendance: 46,016.

We recap the men’s WarGames match, which is basically Paul Heyman’s Vision and some hired guns vs. everyone who hates Heyman. It’s certainly star studded and that’s making this feel like a major showdown.

Team Reigns vs. Team Vision

Roman Reigns, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso
Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, Logan Paul, Drew McIntyre, Brock Lesnar

Punk (going over the top of the cage, as a hero should) and Breakker start things off with Breakker powering him around. Back up and Punk gets in a leg lariat, followed by some kicks to the leg. The top rope ax handle doesn’t exactly work for Punk though as Breakker snaps off a suplex. Punk’s middle rope clothesline connects but here is McIntyre for the first advantage.

Punk tries to fight both of them off but walks into a Claymore. A double ram into the cage has Punk down even more and the slow beating continues. Rhodes is in to even things up and dives off the cage to take McIntyre down. The Cody Cutter connects but Rhodes accidentally elbows Punk (bleeding) in the face. Things are smoothed over as Punk plays Hart in a Hart Attack to McIntyre.

That’s not it as Breakker gets caught with a Doomsday Device, with Breakker taking a TERRIFYING landing on the back of his head (you can hear the fear in Barrett’s voice as he wants Breakker checked on immediately). Breakker disappears for a bit as medics make sure he can still move and it’s a Bionic Elbow from Punk to McIntyre.

Paul is in with a chair (first weapon) as Breakker is somehow walking again. Rhodes and Paul go to the top of the cage and slug it out, with Paul getting the better of things. A double suplex drops Rhodes again and it’s Jimmy Uso in to even things up. Jimmy even gets smart by ramming the door onto Breakker’s head and grabbing a table. The Whisper In The Wind connects on Paul and Breakker but McIntyre breaks it up.

The super Frankensteiner drops Rhodes as the fans want someone to use the table. Reed is in for another advantage and it’s time for the Tsunamis. Rhodes is crushed against the cage and Punk is slammed into it as well. Jey Uso is in to tie it up again and thankfully he at least jogs down the aisle rather than doing his full entrance. The 1D connects and let’s run that entrance theme back. Naturally this lets Jey sit on top of the cage for a bit because that’s what you do in WARGAMES. Barrett: “People shouldn’t be having this much fun inside WarGames.”

And here is Lesnar, with Heyman, to complete the team. German suplexes and F5’s abound and Lesnar goes to wait on the steps because here comes Reigns. Lesnar starts the fight and counters a Superman Punch into an F5 through the announcers’ table. Lesnar throws Reigns inside and the bell officially rings. Another F5 gets two on Reigns with Rhodes making the save.

Cross Rhodes hits Lesnar but Paul makes the save this time. Paul loads up the brass knuckles and knocks Rhodes silly but Reigns is there to spear him down. Reigns gets the knuckles and fires off the Superman Punch, followed by a spear to Breakker. Another spear sends Lesnar (holding Jey) through a table in the corner and Breakker spears Jimmy.

McIntyre hits Rhodes low, leaving Breakker to spear Rhodes (Breakker: “YOU WILL NEVER BE AS GREAT AS A STEINER!”). Punk makes the save…and we’ve got a masked man, who kicks Punk down and hits a Stomp. Breakker puts the straps back up and then takes them down again (that will always work), setting up the Super Spear to pin Punk at 39:25.

Rating: B. This felt much more like a war and notice that they did it with far fewer weapons than usual. The masked man is certainly an interesting way to go, but what matters the most is that Breakker got the pin. It feels like we’re in a countdown before Breakker wins his first World Title, which thankfully can happen because he didn’t break his neck. I liked this well enough, and it sets up some stuff going forward. Nice job.

Post match everyone else leaves so Punk, Rhodes and Reigns can look at each other. Reigns goes to leave and says he and Rhodes are never teaming again to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Despite having all the star power in the main event (with the women’s match not being far behind), I kept thinking “this is it?” There wasn’t much to the show with four matches, including two which only felt so important. It’s definitely not a bad show and the main event was good, but it didn’t have that big bang to it that these shows need to have. That being said, I do like that it clocked in at around three hours, so it definitely didn’t overstay its welcome. Not a bad show, but they’ve done a lot better before.

Results
Team Ripley b. Team Lynch – Black Widow to Lynch
Dominik Mysterio b. John Cena – Frog splash
Stephanie Vaquer b. Nikki Bella – Corkscrew moonsault
Team Vision b. Team Reigns – Super Spear to Punk

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

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

It’s the last of the Big Four this year and we’re back in a stadium. As usual, it’s all about the WarGames, though at least this time we have two other matches, at least one of which has some potential. This is one of those shows where you have everything built around two matches though, and that’s not exactly leaving much for the remainder of the card. Worse things have worked before though so let’s get to it.

Raw Women’s Title: Stephanie Vaquer(c) vs. Nikki Bella

I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that Bella’s return has been a misfire, as she’s just not that interesting, even after the heel turn. This idea that she’s suddenly some kind of evil, horrible star who is coming for Vaquer’s title is a stretch at minimum and realistically, a vast stretch. Normally I would say Bella had no chance here, but stranger things have certainly happened.

For the sake of my sanity, I’ll take Vaquer to retain here, as the idea of Bella getting even more of a focus would be almost too much to bear. Bella’s most recent big match was quite the mess and I’m almost scared to see what might happen here. While I don’t expect the same disaster, the fact that it feels like a possibility tells you about all you need to know about this match. Hopefully Vaquer retains, as the alternative is almost scary.

Intercontinental Title: John Cena(c) vs. Dominik Mysterio

Dang it’s so weird to write that down after so many years. The other thing that is so weird is that this match could go either way. Cena is going to be gone in about two weeks and pretty much has to lose the title in one of his two remaining matches. There is a very real chance that it happens here, which would be a heck of a moment for Mysterio’s career. The fact that he is a legitimate threat to take Cena out is impressive, as Mysterio really has gotten that good.

While I originally planned to pick Cena as the winner, I think I’m actually going with Mysterio. Beating Cena in his last match is probably bigger than winning the title, so this is about as good as anything else could be. Mysterio getting to beat Cena in his final pay per view match is something that he could milk for years, which is what I’m hoping winds up happening here.

Team Ripley vs. Team Lynch

And then there’s this, which feels like about four or five stories thrown together for the sake of making a WarGames match. While there are some pairings in here which feel like they belong on the big stage, this absolutely comes off like something that would be better as a traditional Survivor Series match. The good thing is we could be getting some rather violent stuff here with a lot of powerhouses involved.

I think I’ll take Lynch and company to win here, as Ripley’s team won last year so it might be time for the villains to get their chance. Lynch and the Disarm-Her should be more than enough to get a submission out of someone (Bliss feels like a strong option) and the feuds can continue from there. Odds are this one is wrong, but Lynch and company winning feels like the more logical way to go.

Team Punk vs. Team Heyman

In case the women’s match didn’t have enough star power, here we have two World Champions, Roman Reigns, a future World Champion and the Usos, plus Brock Lesnar. Now take all of those people and lock them in a pair of cages. That should be quite the battle, though unfortunately it’s a battle that is going to go on for a rather long time. At the same time, it’s also quite the toss up.

At the end of the day, I can’t imagine a team with Lesnar losing to one with Jimmy Uso on the other side so I’ll take the villains winning. Throw in some rather wedged drama between Rhodes/Punk/Reigns and I can’t imagine their team winning. Again, that makes for a better result, as both champions could get new challengers out of this match. It should be wild and violent though, which is entirely the point of something like this.

Overall Thoughts

Well, you can’t say it’s lacking in star power. This show couldn’t feel much bigger if they were trying, and that’s nice to see with Survivor Series. The show has been kind of up and down over the years so the infusion of WarGames, which might not always be the best, has been a great addition. I want to see where this show goes and that is a great feeling to have going into a show where that isn’t always the case.

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

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

Smackdown
Date: November 28, 2025
Location: Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s the night before Survivor Series and in this case that means we have a Survivor Series match. That’s a nice thing to see, as the pay per view has been taken over by WarGames, leaving little time for the more traditional matches. Thankfully we get one here, plus some Last Time Is Now Tournament matches as a bonus. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at the women’s WarGames match.

LA Knight is told that he’s facing another mystery opponent. This doesn’t sit well with him, as the tournament is starting to get on his nerves. Just say who he is dropping with the BFT, YEAH.

Last Time Is Now Tournament Quarterfinals: Rusev vs. Jey Uso

After Uso runs his entrance back, we’re ready to go. Rusev sends him flying with a suplex and pulls him out of the air for a swinging release Rock Bottom. We take a break and come back with Uso fighting out of a bearhug. Rusev is sent outside for a dive, followed by a spear back inside for one. Uso dives into the Machka Kick for two and the Accolade goes on. The rope is grabbed for the escape and Uso hits another spear, followed by the Superfly Splash for the win at 9:35.

Rating: C+. It’s hard to imagine that the finals are anything but Uso vs. Gunther, so we’ve got some matches to get through on the way there. It should be an entertaining tournament and this was another nice enough stop on the way there. That being said, Rusev getting pinned clean in less than ten minutes, even by Uso, is not the best sign for his future.

Miz begs Nick Aldis to put him in Sheamus’ spot in the tournament. Aldis has to do it himself but R-Truth comes in to do his balls joke. The name is picked…and it happens to be Miz. Truth: “You just couldn’t take my balls could you?”

Damian Priest doesn’t know what Aleister Black and Zelina are talking about with making him break his code. Zelina comes in to mock him and another fight with Black is teased. With Zelina gone, Rhea Ripley comes in to hug Priest and has an idea for him later. Works for Priest.

Here is Chelsea Green, with Alba Fyre, to address the “Patrihots” as the new Women’s US Champion. She thanks the fans and brags about her success but here is Jade Cargill to interrupt and clean house. And then Green’s scheduled pyro goes off in a funny bit.

Rhea Ripley and company are fired up for Charlotte’s advantage match with Asuka.

Jade Cargill has a problem with anyone who runs their mouth. B-Fab comes up for a staredown but doesn’t say anything. Michin thinks something might have to be done about Cargill.

Last Time Is Now Tournament Quarterfinals: The Miz vs. LA Knight

Knight hammers away to start and knocks him down, followed by the stomping in the corner. Miz gets in a knee to get a breather, only to walk into a swinging neckbreaker. They head out into the aisle, where Miz kicks him in the face as we take a break. We come back with Knight suplexing his way out of a sleeper.

Another neckbreaker gives Knight two and a superplex gets the same. The BFT is escaped and Miz’s DDT gives him two of his own. Knight fights back and goes up, only to dive into the Skull Crushing Finale for two. Miz slaps on an STF, with Knight making it over to the ropes. Another Skull Crushing Finale is loaded up but Knight reverses into the BFT to advance at 11:07.

Rating: C+. I’m a bit surprised that Miz lost here but Knight piling up another win is a good sign. I can’t imagine he gets beyond Jey Uso to get a shot at Gunther but at least he’s getting to do something. Knight hasn’t seemed happy as of late so a heel turn could be in the cards, though he likely has at least one more match before he gets there.

Becky Lynch wants the team to follow her lead in WarGames because she’s kind of great at the thing. The team says they have this though, with Asuka being ready.

Video on tonight’s Survivor Series match.

Ilja Dragunov is talking about how he’s ready for Tama Tonga but Tommaso Ciampa comes in. Ciampa took Axiom’s mask next week and next time, it’s going to be the US Title. Dragunov calls him a jackass again.

Charlotte vs. Asuka

For the WarGames advantage. They fight over a rather aggressive lockup to start with Charlotte taking her into the corner for a kick to the head. The fight heads to the apron, where Asuka gets in a head fake and kicks her in the face as we take a break. We come back with Charlotte getting two off a high crossbody so Asuka kicks her in the face. Charlotte’s big boot gets two and the moonsault connects for the same, leaving Charlotte unsure of what to do next.

Asuka gets German suplexed for two more but she comes back with a sliding knee to the head. The cross armbreaker is countered into a powerbomb to give Charlotte another near fall. They head outside, where Asuka loads up the mist but hits the timekeeper instead. Charlotte knocks her over the announcers’ table and rams her face first into it before heading back inside. A quick Asuka Lock attempt is broken up so Charlotte hits Natural Selection for the pin at 11:24.

Rating: B-. This was starting to pick up when it just ended, though I’m curious about how the heroes having the advantage will go. That’s something you see a lot more often in modern wrestling, though it doesn’t guarantee much of anything. As for this match, it was two of the best ever getting to do their thing, though it never got to that top level.

Video on the men’s WarGames match.

Team Zayn vs. Team Sikoa

Sami Zayn, Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin, Shinsuke Nakamura, Rey Fenix
Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, Talla Tonga, JC Mateo

Survivor Series rules. Sikoa takes Sabin down to start and hammers away and it’s off to Tama for some chops. A bulldog gets Sabin out of trouble and it’s off to Shelley for a front facelock. Zayn comes in and gets dropped by Mateo, who hits the standing moonsault for two. Sikoa’s chinlock doesn’t last long and it’s off to Nakamura to fire off the kicks. Everything breaks down and most of the villains are sent outside, setting up Sabin’s rapid fire dive.

More dives ensue until Mateo is rolled up for the first fall at 6:17 (giving us a REALLY nice graphic showing Sikoa’s team and Mateo being listed as eliminated, which we somehow haven’t done in nearly forty years of these matches). Nakamura comes in and fights off an invading Sikoa, only to get dropped by Tama. The Cutthroat gets rid of Nakamura at 8:28 to tie us up and Loa’s spinebuster gets a fast two on Fenix. Back up and a hurricanrana gives Fenix the pin on Loa at 10:01 and it’s Sikoa coming in next.

Sikoa misses a Samoan Spike and gets crossbodied by Sabin, allowing the Guns to come in and clean house. Skull & Bones is broken up by Talla, who chokeslams Shelley onto the apron for the pin at 12:25. A clothesline gets rid of Sabin 12:57 (THERE IT IS) so it’s down to Zayn/Fenix vs. Talla/Tama/Sikoa. Fenix kicks away and shrugs off a crotching to hurricanrana Sikoa. Tama runs him over with an elbow though and Fenix is out at 14:34. So Zayn is all alone and starts with Talla, who sends him into the corner. Tama adds a splash but Zayn hits a quick Helluva Kick for the pin at 16:28.

Talla takes Zayn outside and misses a running boot, which is enough for the countout at 17:43. Back in and Spinning Solo gives Sikoa two, followed by Spinning Solo giving Sikoa two. A Superfly Splash gives Sikoa two but Zayn manages a sunset bomb for the same. Zayn exploders him into the corner but the Helluva Kick is countered with a superkick. The Blue Thunder Bomb gets two, only for Sikoa to hit a quick Samoan Spike for the pin at 20:59.

Rating: B. It was the fast forwarded version of the match, with Zayn doing his best Shawn Michaels 2003 impression. Zayn did his usual thing here and it went well, though Sikoa winning in the end is a good move, especially with him having the upcoming tournament match. The rest of the eliminations just kind of came and went, which granted is about all you can expect out of this kind of thing. Good enough though for a big warmup for Survivor Series.

Post match the Wyatt Sicks come out for the staredown, with Uncle Howdy giving Sikoa the Sister Abigail to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. It was a show that did a good job of setting up the semifinals of the tournament and giving us a push towards the pay per view. That’s more than I was expecting out of this show and it went by rather quickly, which helps with so much more coming from WWE tomorrow. Good show here, and hopefully they can keep that going with the bigger event.

Results
Jey Uso b. Rusev – Superfly Splash
LA Knight b. The Miz – BFT
Charlotte b. Asuka – Natural Selection
Team Sikoa b. Team Zayn last eliminating Zayn

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

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

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

It’s time to put some people in a cage big enough to wrap around a pair of rings. That’s pretty much all you need to know here, as you have Roman Reigns and the Bloodline facing Solo Sikoa and his version of the same thing. Normally I would say what else is going on here, but it’s not like anything else really matters. Let’s get to it.

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 opening video looks at WarGames, mainly focusing on the men’s version. Nothing outside of WarGames is even mentioned.

The cage is lowered.

Team Ripley vs. Team Morgan

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

Bayley and Jax start things off with Bayley firing off the forearms. Jax charges into a boot in the corner and Bayley knocks her into the space between the rings. Some more forearms have Jax in trouble and Bayley gets smart by taking off part of her gear for some whipping. Unfortunately Jax takes it away and whips her right back to take over. The running hip attack rocks Bayley and Jax runs her over for a bonus.

Another hip attack crushes Bayley against the cage and it’s Naomi in….wearing a birthday hat and grabbing a colorful kendo stick…and a toilet seat. Oh here we go. Anyway Naomi strikes and kicks away at Jax and Bayley is back up as the fans chant HAPPY BIRTHDAY, which kind of takes away the violent thing. Jax is sent into the corner, where the toilet seat is put around her neck for the hips to the face from Naomi. Because of course.

Stratton is supposed to be in to even it up but LeRae comes in instead. She throws in a bunch of chairs before getting in herself, though thankfully everyone was standing around waiting on her anyway. That’s broken up rather quickly and the chairs are set up with another one bridged between them. Jax is back up and lays Bayley onto them for a very save moonsault from LeRae.

Belair is here to get the advantage back and she grabs a trashcan…and then gets a fire extinguisher. She’s STILL not in as she also finds a table, because we need about eight weapons in the double cage. That’s not enough either as she grabs another chair (because the five or so inside weren’t enough), which believe it or not somehow doesn’t let the villains take over. Instead Belair FINALLY gets in and helps beat Jax down, with the stomping slowly ensuing. Since it took Belair so long to get in, it’s already time for Stratton, who gets a trashcan and lid.

Belair gets clocked with the lid and Bayley is catapulted into Jax’s vicinity for a clothesline. Naomi gets crushed by the big legdrop and a middle rope G9 hits Belair. Some chair shots have Jax down and it’s Sky…running all the way over to the other side of the ring to find a purple trashcan. It comes with a rope attached so she can climb up with the can on her back, but LeRae is there to meet her.

Sky tries a sunset bomb but can’t make it work, eventually landing in the ring nearly two minutes after her entrance. A missile dropkick cuts LeRae down and it’s a flip off between Sky and Stratton (“I can do that too!”). The Bullet Train connects in the corners until Jax runs Sky over. Rodriguez is in to even things up again and she pulls out a table, which she leaves on the floor. Thankfully she gets in because NO ONE IS DOING ANYTHING.

Jax and Rodriguez powerbomb people into the cage and onto each other until it’s Ripley in to complete her team (with a horned facemask as a bonus). Ripley brings the table in and gets to clean house as her partners get up. Jax and Rodriguez are knocked into the corner with weapons, including the toilet seat and Bayley using Belair’s hair as a whip in a great spot. LeRae and Rodriguez get in a few shots, but it’s Ripley standing alone as Morgan is supposed to come in, only to be scared to death instead.

Morgan teases leaving but comes back with a baseball mat and gets inside, meaning the match is officially on and can end at any time. Ripley takes off the facemask and says bring it, before easily disarming Morgan. The Riptide is broken up though and Ripley is held for some baseball bat shots to the ribs. That’s broken up and we hit the parade of knockdowns until Jax Samoan drops Bayley for two.

Sky and Stratton both head up, with Sky putting on the trashcan, before they both flip dive onto a pile of people in different rings. There’s your big spot, and it allows Stratton to pull out…the Money In The Bank briefcase, as both Jax and Morgan (the reigning champions) are both down. Sky breaks that up with a blast from the fire extinguisher and Ripley handcuffs Rodriguez to a rope.

Jax cuts Ripley off though and drops a leg on Belair for two. Bayley vs. Sky is teased but quickly cut off by Jax, who doesn’t like the idea of fun. The Annihilator is loaded up but turned into a double powerbomb through a table. Riptide is broken up by the handcuffed Rodriguez and Morgan Codebreakers a chair into Ripley’s face. They go up top and Ripley fights back, with a super Riptide through a table finishing Morgan at 38:05.

Rating: C-. Yeah this hasn’t gotten any better in a year, as it was much more about getting in spots than anything else. There were so many sections that were little more than waiting around for someone to come in, which just made the match feel long. It had a few moments, but forgive me for not getting into stuff with a toilet seat and Belair taking so long to pick out various weapons. Cut out a lot of time and it’s better, which is rarely a good sign.

We recap LA Knight defending the US Title against Shinsuke Nakamura. Knight is the popular champion but Nakamura returned and attacked him, setting up the title match.

US Title: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. LA Knight

Knight is defending and backs away from some early kicks. Nakamura takes him down for a kick to the back but Knight is right back with the stomps in the corner. They go outside with Knight ramming him into the apron, followed by a ribs first drop over the top back inside. Nakamura goes simple by kicking him in the face for two and the slow kicks have Knight in more trouble.

Knight pops back up and blocks a spinning kick, setting up a Burning Hammer of all things for two. They go up top, where Knight slips a bit, allowing Nakamura to kick him back down. A belly to back superplex flipped into a faceplant gives Nakamura two but Knight knocks him right back down. The jumping top rope elbow connects but Nakamura bails from the threat of a BFT. They fight between the rings, where Nakamura manages a reverse DDT. Kinshasa gives Nakamura the title at 9:47.

Rating: C+. I couldn’t quite get into this one, as they never got out of the low gears. Knight losing is a bit weird as well, as he was on fire at this point and Nakamura just popped up and won the title. If nothing else, it does give Knight a fresh target, but it’s kind of a weird way to get there.

We recap the Intercontinental Title triple threat. Bron Breakker is the unstoppable monster, Sheamus is the old fighter wanting the title and Ludwig Kaiser is here to make it a triple threat.

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

Breakker is defending. Kaiser gets smart by heading outside, leaving the other two to slug it out. That doesn’t last long as Kaiser comes back in and gets planted so Sheamus Irish Curses Breakker. Kaiser breaks up a powerbomb and wedges a chair into the corner, earning himself a double beating. Breakker isn’t about to let Sheamus hit the ten forearms but Kaiser breaks up the running spear.

Sheamus is dropkicked into the steps and rammed into the announcers’ table, only for Breakker to suplex Kaiser on the floor. Back in and Breakker knocks Sheamus down again, meaning it’s time for the Scott Steiner pushups. Sheamus fights back so Kaiser makes the save and they all go outside. Sheamus and Kaiser fight on the announcers’ table, with Breakker diving off the apron for a double clothesline.

Kaiser breaks out of a gorilla press with a rake to the eyes….but Sheamus rises up (great visual) for the ten forearms to the chest. Breakker tries to cut it off and gets forearmed as well. Sheamus’ double clothesline off the barricade drops them both so Kaiser grabs the shillelagh. You never take another man’s shillelagh so Sheamus clotheslines him over the barricade and throws it down, leaving him to go after Breakker.

Sheamus gets the better of the brawl and hits a Celtic Cross for two but Breakker catches him on top with the super Frankensteiner. Back up and the Super Spear hits the chair in the corner, allowing Sheamus to hit the Brogue Kick. Kaiser pulls the referee though and Sheamus is not pleased. Back in and Sheamus knees Kaiser down but Breakker runs Kaiser over. The Super Spear to Sheamus retains the title at 14:25.

Rating: B+. I can always go for a match that is exactly as advertised and that’s what we got here. This was about three people beating the fire out of each other and they didn’t do anything else. Even Kaiser, who isn’t known for his power offense, was getting his stuff in against the monsters. It was a lot of fun and Breakker is thriving in this style.

We recap Gunther defending the World Title against Damian Priest. Gunther beat Priest for the title with an assist from Finn Balor at Summerslam. Now it’s a rematch, with Gunther calling Priest street trash, which doesn’t sit well with Priest, as you might expect. Gunther is also coming off a loss at Crown Jewel, with Priest suggesting that Gunther is losing his aura.

Raw World Title: Damian Priest vs. Gunther

Gunther is defending. They take their time looking at each other until Gunther’s early headlock takeover doesn’t get him very far. Priest’s armdrags into armbars have Gunther in trouble and the threat of a spinning kick to the head sends him bailing outside. Back in and Priest runs him over with a shoulder, followed by something like a flapjack. Priest comes up favoring his shoulder though and you know Gunther knows what to do with that.

Gunther rams the arm into various things, followed by a hammerlock for some knees into the arm. The first big chop drops Priest again and Gunther cranks on both arms at the same time. Priest fights up and they hit big shots at the same time for a double down. Priest gets up and hits a running elbow in the corner, followed by a lifting Downward Spiral for two. Gunther tries a crossface chickenwing but Priest pulls him into a triangle choke, using his still fine legs.

That’s broken up so Priest tries the Razor’s Edge, which is reversed into a sleeper. The powerbomb gets two and Gunther goes up top, only to get caught by Priest. A super hurricanrana brings Gunther back down and the Razor’s Edge gets two, as Priest can’t hook the leg. The chokeslam doesn’t work as the arm gives out and Gunther pulls him into a Kimura.

Back up and Priest hits a heck of a clothesline before going up top. Gunther knocks him down and Priest seems to have hurt his other arm. Cue Finn Balor with a Coup de Grace off the steps to Priest. Gunther kicks him down as well, followed by the powerbomb and an arm trap sleeper to retain at 19:30.

Rating: B. It was good, though it was hard to buy that Priest had any kind of a chance to win here. The idea here was to have Gunther get his win over Priest without the interference…and then it was basically the same thing as Summerslam. The arm work was good stuff and Gunther knows how to pick an injury apart, which was exactly what we got here. Good match, though the ending was a bit disappointing.

We recap the men’s WarGames match, which is basically original Bloodline vs. Solo Sikoa’s new Bloodline. Bronson Reed joined the villains, but Paul Heyman brought in CM Punk to even it up, though he owes Punk a favor as a result.

Team Reigns vs. Team Sikoa

Roman Reigns, Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, Sami Zayn, CM Punk
Solo Sikoa, Bronson Reed, Jacob Fatu, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa

Sikoa and company get in their cage so Punk reaches in for a shove, as he knows how to keep things interesting. Tama and Jey start things off after some rather lengthy introductions. The lengthy continues as they stare at each other for over a minute without making contact. Eventually Tama wins an early slugout and hits a quick slingshot splash for a cover, only to realize it doesn’t matter yet.

The fans tell him that he censored up, which seems a bit harsh. There’s no need to swear. Jey knocks him back into the corner for the running Umaga Attack and it’s Bronson Reed coming in for the evil advantage. Reed brings in chairs, which Jey throws at him, only for Reed to knock out of the air. Jey gets knocked down and crushed with a backsplash so the double teaming can ensue.

The fans want Jimmy and get him a few seconds later, with Jimmy being smart enough to run in and start slugging away instead of looking for weapons and allowing the villains to beat Jey down even more. Man, when JIMMY USO is the smart one, you’re in trouble. Something like an extra spinny Whisper In The Wind drops Reed and Tama as the Usos get to fight back. The stereo ten right hands in the corner have Reed and Tama staggered some more and Reed gets sent into the cage.

Loa is set to come in next but Sikoa sends in Fatu instead, as the fans know things just got serious. Fatu runs both Usos over, with Fatu hitting a handspring body block to send Jimmy into the cage, setting up a moonsault to Jey. Tama is back up to flip a lifted Jey down for a slam as the dominance is on. CM Punk is about to go in next, but Reigns cuts him off and sends Zayn in instead. You can imagine how well this goes with Punk, though thankfully Zayn is also smart enough to ignore the weapons (again, because they’re REALLY NOT NEEDED).

A clothesline drops Tama and Zayn punches Reed down in the corner as Punk is looking ticked off in the cage. Fatu pulls Zayn out of the air but Jimmy makes the save with a superkick. Reed is back up to start pounding away though and things even up a bit. Loa is in next and, since his team is mostly in control, he throws in some tables. The Usos and Zayn get caught in the corners for quite the beatings and Reigns is set to go in next, but Punk goes in front of him, which is pretty much in line for him.

Most of the other team is waiting on him so Punk steps back down and grabs a tool box, which is bounced off four straight heads. A bulldog sends Fatu onto the toolbox but he pops right back up and hits Punk with the pop up Samoan drop. The brawl heads towards the area between the rings and Sikoa is in to complete his team (albeit after saying something to Reigns).

Sikoa slams the door on Zayn’s head and then does it again to the Usos. With Sikoa inside, the Tongas lay out the Usos again and it’s a moonsault from Fatu into a Tsunami from Reed as the destruction continues. The clock is almost down so Sikoa uses a padlock and chain to lock the door. Reigns is freed from the cage and Sikoa and company stop to look at him, which doesn’t seem to be the best idea.

Reigns looks around the outside of the cage to find a way in and eventually realizes there’s no roof on the thing and goes up the side. Quite the collection of punches allows reigns to get in and a high crossbody off the top takes out all five of them at once. Reigns goes over to help his teammates up (not Punk) and gets in a big staredown with Punk, but here is Paul Heyman to cool things off. NOW we get the announcement that WarGames have officially begun, as apparently the last two minutes didn’t count.

We get the big ten way staredown and the ensuing fight as everyone pairs off. Sikoa’s Spike misses Reigns, who spears Punk (holding Fatu at the time) by mistake. Now the Spike connects with Reigns to give Sikoa two, leaving him looking stunned. Fatu and Reed go after Punk but Fatu seems to injure his knee on a moonsault attempt. Zayn and Jimmy are back up but get taken right back down, allowing a table to be set up. Reigns fights back but gets knocked onto the table…and Reed goes up.

Make that all the way up, as he climbs to the top of the cage for the Tsunami but Punk pulls Reigns out of the way. The crash results in Reed breaking his ankle, which would keep him out of action for a LONG time. Sikoa is back up with another Spike to Reigns but Jey makes the save with a superkick.

The 1D hits Fatu, which actually keeps him down for a change. Fatu is laid on a table but Jey gets sent into the cage. Zayn cuts Tama off with the Blue Thunder Bomb and Jimmy goes up to the top of the cage for a Superfly Splash to crush Fatu. With everyone else down, Sikoa is left alone against everyone else and it’s finishers a go-go, including a GTS into Reigns’ spear for the pin at 41:56.

Rating: B. The best thing I can say here is that it felt like a fight. This came off like two teams, even with one of them makeshift, going into a battleground and fighting until one of them was defeated. It did go too long, which you know is coming with one of these matches, but at least it wasn’t full of a bunch of weapons. They definitely needed to trim it down again as a lot of the early stuff feels worthless by the time you get to the huge brawl, though that’s all you get with modern WarGames matches. Good stuff here, though not without the usual issues.

Post match the winners get the big celebration and Punk and Reigns seem ok, though Punk doing the GTS pose while everyone else does the point is great. Punk hugs Heyman and Reigns looks at Heyman and they all go to the entrance to pose again, with Punk again doing a different gesture in a funny bit to wrap it up.

The long highlight package finishes things off.

Overall Rating: B. The thing with a show like this is that it is basically two matches with three others, including a nearly twenty minute World Title match, feeling like bonus features. The men’s version was pretty awesome but the women’s match was quite the misfire. Throw in three other matches which were good enough to bring the show up a bit and we’ll call the whole thing a solid enough event. Just fix the women’s match.

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

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Survivor Series 2023
Date: November 25, 2023
Location: Allstate Arena, Rosemont, Illinois
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

So believe it or not, the focus is going to be on WarGames and in this case it means the good guys need one more star to help fight off Judgment Day. In theory that is going to be Randy Orton, who has been gone for about a year and a half and isn’t quite back yet. Other than that, Damage CTRL is facing another ragtag group of women so let’s get to it.

It’s almost weird to see the old Then Now Together Forever intro after the change at Wrestlemania XL.

The opening video focuses on WarGames, because what else was it going to be?

The cage is lowered.

WarGames recap:

• 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.

Women’s WarGames

Charlotte, Bianca Belair, Becky Lynch, Shotzi
Bayley, Iyo Sky, Asuka, Kairi Sane

Lynch and Bayley start things off with Lynch sending her into the cage, only to get sent into the buckle. Bayley catches Lynch going up top but Lynch rolls over her and they slug it out. Lynch’s exploder sends her flying but Bayley gets in a ram into the cage. They go between the rings so Bayley can get in a suplex as they’re certainly going with the violence to start. The fight goes into the other ring and Lynch sends her into the cage a few times.

The Disarm-Her goes on but here is Dakota Kai with a kendo stick through the cage to break it up. That’s enough for Bayley to take over and it’s Shotzi coming in, with a ram of the door onto Bayley’s head, to take over. Naturally that means a bunch of chairs and weapons are thrown in, because THE BIG DOUBLE CAGE isn’t enough. Shotzi sets up the chair and Bayley has to climb the cage to get away from some rather painful swings.

They all go up the cage and ram each other into the steel until Bayley crashes down. Stereo forearms from the to take her down again but it’s Iyo Sky coming in to tie it up, complete with a chain. For some reason Lynch and Shotzi don’t see her coming and get beaten down, as WarGames seems to make people a bit slow. A springboard double missile dropkick puts Lynch and Shotzi down again and Bayley is back up. Lynch gets double superplexed down for a crash but Shotzi fights out of the corner, allowing Belair to come in.

Belair whips with the hair and the fans rather approve. A spinebuster puts Bayley down but she and grab the braids, only to get suplexed down. Lynch and Shotzi are back in with a guillotine legdrop and top rope splash before Kairi Sane is in to even things up. Well eventually that is, as she takes her sweet time getting a trashcan lid and then headscissoring Belair anyway.

The sliding forearm against the cage sends Belair into the cage before it’s time to bury Shotzi under some chairs. The pop up elbow drop crushes Shotzi but Belair is back to throw Sane onto Bayley and Sky. Charlotte comes in to complete her team and Sky is sent crashing into the cage. Naturally the fans want tables but have to settle for a top rope double Natural Selection (which Graves has to point out to Cole, who realizes his mistake in a funny bit) to Bayley and Sane.

Charlotte starts climbing the cage but Sky, with a chain, gets o her shoulders and gets all the way to the top. Sky drops the chain to Kai, who ties it around a trashcan so Sky can pull it up (that was clever). Sky puts the trashcan over her head and dives onto the pile (she LOVES that spot), who were nice enough to stand there while Sky took forever to get ready (fair enough). Asuka is in to complete the field and she has some colored kendo sticks. And a table. And a fire extinguisher.

Therefore, a good minute after her clock ended, Asuka gets in and WarGames officially begins. Damage CTRL all grab weapons to hammer on the others, with Lynch and Belair being tied together with the chain like they’re in an old western. Shotzi is back up but gets misted by Asuka to cut her right back down. Lynch is put inside the trashcan and dropkicked down for two and it’s time to set up a table. Belair and Lynch come back with powerbombs out of the corner though and Charlotte goes all the way up top for the huge moonsault to wipe out everyone.

We get the big staredown between Lynch and Charlotte, who hug for the rather positive reaction. The Figure Eight and cross armbreaker go on but Sane is up for the save. Shotzi is back up to drop Asuka for two with Bayley making a save of her own. Bayley Rose Plants Lynch but gets caught with a Sliced Bread from Shotzi. Belair is up with the fire extinguisher and Charlotte spears Bayley. The KOD hits Bayley as well and the super Manhandle Slam through a table finishes her off at 33:37.

Rating: B. It had the carnage and violence with the weapons, but there is always a lack of intensity to these matches that hold them back. Part of it stems from the people coming to the ring but then pausing to get their weapons. Other than that, it was the usual WWE WarGames: a lot of brawling and hitting other people with weapons, with the cage mainly being there to jump off of rather than for violence, which is more than a bit odd.

The winners pose on top of the cage.

Chelsea Green, Piper Niven and the Alpha Academy are enjoying some Ruffles when Pretty Deadly come in to argue over whether they’re chips or crisps. R-Truth comes in to say they’re Ruffles.

Sami Zayn tells Jey Uso that Randy Orton, the last member of their team, isn’t here yet. Jey isn’t surprised and takes the blame because the Bloodline injured him two years ago. Sami says it’s not his fault and things seem to be ok.

We recap Miz challenging Gunther for the Intercontinental Title. Gunther is the longest reigning champion and doesn’t think much of Miz, who wants the title back. To say Miz has no chance here would be an understatement.

Intercontinental Title: Miz vs. Gunther

Gunther is defending and commentary spends his entrance talking about how he is almost unbeatable, even giving Miz’s long shot betting odds. Miz kicks at the leg to start and a chop just annoys Gunther. A much better chop puts Miz down but he’s back up with more chops and some left hands in the corner to actually take over. Gunther gives chase but gets his leg wrapped around the post to slow him down.

The Figure Four around the post stays on the leg, though it’s good enough to boot Miz out of the air back inside. Gunther slows things down a bit and chops away to drop Miz again. A release German suplex sends Miz flying and a big boot lets Gunther pose as the dominance is on. Back up and Miz strikes away at the knee again, with a shinbreaker slowing Gunther down. Some kicks to the chest stagger Gunther into the corner and a tornado DDT gets two.

The Skull Crushing Finale is blocked though and Gunther grabs his powerbomb for his own near fall. The sleeper goes on so Miz goes to the corner, pulling the turnbuckle off in the process. A low blow into the Skull Crushing Finale gets two (with Cole letting us know that “MIZ IS GONNA DO IT!” to ruin the moment) and Miz is shocked. The fans want to see it again but Miz gets caught in the sleeper. That’s reversed into a ram into the buckle so Miz can roll him up for two (with a Bret Hart vs. Roddy Piper reference), only to get blasted with a clothesline. The top rope splash into the Boston crab retains the title at 12:19.

Rating: B-. This was about as good as it was going to be as there was just no reason to believe that Miz was going to win. Even his big near fall was only so good, as pretty much no one was on Gunther’s level at this time. Miz going after the leg to slow Gunther down was a good story, as Miz can still wrestle a fine match given the chance. It was a good match, but there was just not much drama and that held it back.

Judgment Day is ready for WarGames and is rather pleased that Randy Orton doesn’t seem to be here. Even if he shows up, he might poison the other team and Judgment Day wins anyway.

We recap Dragon Lee vs. Santos Escobar. This stems from Escobar turning on Rey Mysterio and the LWO, so Lee is standing up for the team (replacing Carlito, who was also injured by Escobar). Pretty simple story here and that’s not a bad thing.

Santos Escobar vs. Dragon Lee

Escobar forearms away to start and stomps him down, setting up a quick backbreaker for two. Some running knees in the corner send Lee outside, where he has to escape having his leg crushed in the steps. A running hurricanrana off the apron sends Escobar outside and there’s the big running flip dive.

Back in and Escobar kicks him in the head, setting up a super hurricanrana for two. Like any good rudo, Escobar goes after the mask but Lee is fine enough to tie him in the tree of woe for thee double stomp. Back up and Escobar hits a heck of a superkick but Lee muscles him up into a sitout powerbomb for two. Escobar shrugs that off and his a Canadian Destroyer, followed by the Phantom Driver for the pin at 8:20.

Rating: C+. WWE was doing what they could to make Lee into a bigger deal around this time but it was only going to get so far when he kept losing. Escobar was running through the LWO on his way to a showdown with Rey Mysterio whenever Mysterio got back and he had to beat Lee on the way there. This wasn’t a great match, but it kept Escobar looking strong and it’s nice to have something other than a title or WarGames mach on the show.

New Day is here with a Slim Jim car.

We recap Zoey Stark challenging Rhea Ripley for the Raw Women’s Title. Stark is the new tough star and Ripley needs a fresh victim so the match is on.

Raw Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley vs. Zoey Stark

Ripley is defending and Stark actually double legs her down to hammer away to start. A dropkick sends Ripley outside and there’s the dive off the top to take her down again. Back in and a missile dropkick continues Stark’s hot start but Ripley headbutts her into the next county to cut that off in a hurry. Stark is right back with a DDT onto the apron and a springboard corkscrew senton gets two. They go outside again with Ripley dropping her onto the apron and then sending her into the post to really take over.

Ripley cranks on both arms back inside and then stomps her down before taking Stark up top. What looks to be a super chokeslam is countered into…I have no idea what Stark was doing there but she gets two and screams a lot. Ripley elbows and kicks her in the face, setting up a belly to back faceplant. Riptide is countered though and Stark hits a running knee for two. The Z360 is blocked as well and now Riptide can connect to retain the title at 9:16.

Rating: C. This got a bit sloppy after that whole thing off the top, as even commentary didn’t seem sure about what was going on. Other than that, it was Ripley against someone who only felt like so much of a threat. That’s part of the problem with someone becoming as big of a star as Ripley: you can only have so many realistic challengers to her and that is becoming an issue here.

Randy Orton still isn’t here and Jey Uso still blames himself.

We recap the men’s WarGames match. Judgment Day is the big monster heel stable on Raw and a bunch of people are sick of them, so violence ensued and the match is on. Drew McIntyre is in with Judgment Day for the sake of getting his hands on Jey Uso in a cage. It still isn’t clear if Randy Orton will be here, as he hasn’t been around in about a year and a half at this point.

Men’s WarGames

Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins, Jey Uso, Sami Zayn, Randy Orton
Damian Priest, Finn Balor, Dominik Mysterio, JD McDonagh, Drew McIntyre

McIntyre and Priest stare each other down on the stage as Balor goes to start with Rollins (who doesn’t have a Randy Orton here yet). They start fast with Rollins diving over the ropes to jump Balor and hammer away. The fight is quickly on and Rollins sends him into the cage a few times and they change rings, where Balor escapes a buckle bomb. Balor sends him into the cage to take over and there’s a Sling Blade to drop Rollins again as a CM PUNK chant starts up.

A superkick gives Rollins a breather but Balor backdrops him onto the plate between the rings. The Coup de Grace misses though and Rollins grabs a quick Sling Blade. Rollins drops him again and it’s JD McDonagh to uneven things, albeit a good bit less than five minutes into the match. Rollins kicks him on the way in but gets hit with a kendo stick for his efforts.

Balor and McDonagh take turns choking with the kendo sticks but Rollins sends McDonagh into the other ring. That’s broken up in a hurry and a middle rope kendo stick to the back puts Rollins down again. Jey Uso is in next (McIntyre gives him a death stare) and chairs McDonagh down before firing off the YEET punches. The dancing spit punch puts Balor down but McDonagh is back up with a running Spanish Fly.

Rollins makes the save and hammers on Balor in the corner as the clock runs down. McIntyre is ready to get in and go after Uso but Priest cuts him off, saying they stick to the plan. Rollins and Uso jump him as he comes in but the other two make the save, allowing Priest to whip out a baton and take over. Priest hits some running shoulders in the corner, followed by a lifting Downward Spiral to Rollins.

A top rope flip dive takes out Rollins and Uso and Balor chairs Uso in the back. Sami Zayn comes in to even the sides, and takes his sweet time doing so. McDonagh, ever the nitwit, swings a kendo stick at Zayn, who takes it away and blasts him with it instead. The table is thrown in, which the fans find UCEY. Zayn is fired up as he stomps away, setting up a Blue Thunder Bomb to Balor. With the villains down, Zayn goes up and grabs a pipe, which is used on various opponents in rather painful ways.

A kendo stick to the back rocks Balor and Zayn throws the stick out of the cage, possibly by accident. McIntyre is in and throws Rollins and Zayn around without much effort. That leaves McIntyre to finally go into the other ring with Uso, who slugs away but gets dropped by a neckbreaker. The rest of Judgment Day is back up to hammer away, but McIntyre’s Claymore runs into a superkick from Uso.

A 1D puts McIntyre down and Cody Rhodes is in, with Cole immediately going into the Dusty Rhodes tribute. Cole: “Cody also invented a big event in this city as well!” And we move on. Rhodes cleans house and suplexes Balor onto McDonagh for a crash. It’s bullrope time (of course) and Rollins joins Rhodes in taking out Balor and McDonagh. Dominik Mysterio is in to complete the Judgment Day and gives Rhodes Two Amigos…and then realizes he’s surrounded.

The big group beatdown has the fans rather pleased and a table being set up in the corner makes them even happier. The rest of the villains save Mysterio and the fans chant for Orton. That’s switched to Punk, followed by silence as McIntyre and Priest hit a triple chokeslam (and a good one at that). McDonagh adds a moonsault, Balor hits the Coup de Grace and Mysterio drops the frog splash.

Priest Razor’s Edges Rollins through a table and the clock ends….but there’s no Orton. Instead here is Rhea Ripley with Priest’s Money In The Bank briefcase, which for some reason is enough to bring Orton out (no cash-in) and egads the fans are happy to see him. Orton gets in the cage (no weapons) and slams the door, which bounces back open in a funny bit. House is quickly cleaned, mainly because Judgment Day comes at him one at a time.

McIntyre gets in a shot on Orton and the big beatdown is on. Everyone else is back up for the save and Orton and company hit quintuple hanging DDTs. Orton teases an RKO to Uso but Uso superkicks Priest to save Orton instead. The RKO drops Mysterio and it’s a parade of finishers to the villains. Everyone goes after McDonagh, who tries to escape but Zayn and Rollins follow him up top. With Orton on the mat, Zayn and Rollins throw McDonagh into an RKO, leaving Rhodes to Cross Rhodes Priest for the pin at 34:22.

Rating: B+. I liked this one a bit more than the women’s version, mainly because it felt more like a fight rather than a big series of weapons spots. The pop when Orton came out was insane and it made things feel special. You don’t see that kind of thing very often and the whole thing was about as violent as this is going to get. Seeing Mysterio and Mysterio get beaten down was a good way to go and this felt like an all-star team coming together to take out a mostly unified opposition. Solid main event here, and while it wasn’t a classic WarGames match, it was good by WWE standards.

The good guys celebrate, the copyright notice comes up….and the impossible happens as CM Punk is back for the first time in almost ten years. The fans take over the IT’S CLOBBERIN TIME and Punk hugs a bunch of fans. This was an absolutely insane moment that I never thought I would see. Even after Punk left AEW, it was hard to fathom and yet here it was. Great way to end the show and dang it worked.

A long recap ends the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show was centered around two matches and those matches both delivered. The other three were just filler to get us from one big match to the next and that’s a fine way to go. The big stories here were the double returns at the end and those worked rather well. It helps that the show was less than three hours from start to finish so they didn’t waste any time. Good show here, with the special moment at the end being worth a look.

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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Survivor Series 2022
Date: November 26, 2022
Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 15,609
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

It’s been a year since WWE had its first (main roster) WarGames match and believe it or not, the focus is on the Bloodline. This time around Sami Zayn has to prove his loyalty to the team, which is creating some drama. Other than that, we have Team Belair vs. Team Damage CTRL in the women’s version, which should be quite good as well. Let’s get to it.

The opening video, featuring Ozzy Osbourne, looks at WarGames because, well, what else would it look at?

Commentary welcomes us to the show and explains the rules of WarGames:

• 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.

• No it isn’t the original WarGames rules. Let it go already.

Team Belair vs. Team Damage CTRL

Belair: Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Mia Yim, Becky Lynch
Damage CTRL: Bayley, Dakota Kai, Iyo Sky, Nikki Cross, Rhea Ripley

Kai and Belair start things off with the former running away to get it going. Belair wrestles her to the mat before hitting a running shoulder as the slow pace starts. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker puts Kai down again and we talk about Belair’s recent interview with Sports Illustrated, which is as WARGAMES-y as you can get.

Kai gets in a shot of her own and they go into the second cage and try to make it all the way to first gear. A scorpion kick staggers Belair but she runs Kai over and sends her into the cage (as we now remember that they’re in a CAGE). Another toss into the cage leaves Kai down and it’s Sky unevening the odds. Sky and Belair take turns flipping around until Belair gets caught between the two of them in between the rings.

The villains take over on Belair in the corner until she double suplexes her way out of trouble. Asuka comes in to help Belair clean house and we get the big showdown with Sky. They both counter whips into the ropes until Asuka hits a running hip attack against said ropes. The running knee to the head puts Sky down again and Belair is back up with a gorilla press toss to Kai. Cross is in next but first it’s time for the weapons. Asuka gets the door slammed onto her head, leaving Cross to tornado DDT Belair.

With Belair and Asuka down, Cross whips them with her coat until Kai and Sky are up to get in their variety of choking. It’s Bliss coming in to even things up again and some dropkicks put Cross and Kai down. Belair gets back up and breaks a kendo stick but Kai and Sky use the full ones to cut her off. Cross sits on top of the cage as sticking and hair whipping ensue below. Naturally that means the big dive to take everyone out and yes Cross laughed the whole time.

Now it’s Bayley coming in so let’s grab some ladders. The fans want tables so Bayley obliges as the match has more or less stopped while she moves stuff around. Bayley sends Belair into the corner before putting her in between the rings again. A table shot to the ribs leaves Belair trapped until Yim is….released to grab more weapons. House is quickly cleaned, including Kai being rammed into the cage and kicked in the face over and over.

Cross chokes Yim and the people split off again as this really isn’t picking up. Some superplexes have everyone down and it’s Ripley coming in to complete Damage CTRL. House is quickly cleaned until everyone just kind of stands around (save for Ripley Prism Trapping Asuka) until Yim makes a random comeback on Ripley as the rest are in the other ring.

That’s broken up and it’s Lynch in to complete the field, meaning the match can officially be won. Lynch gets to clean house as the ans aren’t exactly on fire for this. That might be due to how slow everything is going since Lynch keeps messing with the trashcan instead of running around punching people or wrecking them all with a chair.

We get the big Lynch vs. Bayley showdown with Lynch easily getting the better of things. With Bayley stomped down, Lynch turns around to see Ripley for the really big showdown. A quick Riptide attempt is broken up but Bayley makes the save. Now Riptide can connect for two with Asuka making a save. The mist blinds Ripley but Bayley drops Asuka face first onto the turnbuckle.

Bayley beats Lynch down and declares herself as a role model more than The Man. The Rose Plant onto the steel between the rings gets two and it’s time for a bunch of people to go to the corner. Cross cuts Belair off to break up a seven person Tower Of Doom so a bunch of people crash down instead. Sky moonsaults off the top of the cage onto Yim and Belair (who is favoring her leg) to FINALLY wake up the crowd.

Everyone is down (cue the overhead camera shot) until Cross beats up Bliss. Cross shouts about how she hasn’t forgotten and handcuffs Bliss to…nothing as Bliss handcuffs herself to Cross instead. An electric chair onto a trashcan leaves them both down and we pause again. Ripley is back up to send Asuka into the cage but Yim is back up with a choke.

That means a big crash through the ladder and, say it with me, everyone is down again. Becky and Belair get the showdown Damage CTRL and Kai gets Manhandle Slammed. The KOD to Sky lets Belair put Kai on a table and send Bayley into the cage. Lynch drops a leg off the cage to put Kai through the table for the pin at 39:34.

Rating: C. Sweet goodness this was boring. As is the case with just about every modern incarnation of this match (in WWE, NXT or AEW) it went WAY too long as this was about 15-20 minutes longer than it needed to be. The longer time meant that there were far too many stretches where nothing went on as they were laying around waiting on someone to do something. There were good parts to it, but this needed to be WAY shorter with a lot more action than we got.

On Smackdown, with a hidden Jey Uso listening, Kevin Owens told Sami Zayn to turn on the Bloodline. With Owens gone, Jey asked if Sami had talked to anyone but Sami said he just got here. Then Sami cost Jey a match for the WarGames advantage, with commentary wondering if it was on purpose.

Roman Reigns makes sure Jey Uso is ready for WarGames. Jey is ready, but he doesn’t trust Sami after last night. He would take Sami out if Reigns gave the order, but Reigns tells him to be on the same page tonight. Reigns will know if Sami is telling the truth and wants Jey to focus. With Jey gone, Reigns looks worried and has Paul Heyman call Sami.

We recap Finn Balor vs. AJ Styles, which has been going on for a few months. Styles couldn’t deal with the Judgment Day’s numbers game, so he brought back the OC to even things up.

Finn Balor vs. AJ Styles

The rest of Judgment Day (minus Rhea Ripley) and the OC are here too. Of note: Cole talks about Dominik and Ripley invading Rey Mysterio’s home during Thanksgiving. Dominik better watch that or he’ll get arrested. They fight over arm control to start with Styles driving him up against the ropes for a clean break.

Back up and Balor takes him into the corner but his kick to the ribs is cut off. Styles starts going after the leg, including a shinbreaker which has Balor appealing to their past friendship. Balor manages to take him down though and stomp away, though he has to stop to favor the leg. A knee to the back gets two and we hit the abdominal stretch. Styles fights his way out and hits the running forearm, followed by the fireman’s carry backbreaker for two.

Another shot to the leg cuts Balor down but Dominik breaks up the Phenomenal Forearm. Everyone else brawls on the floor and fight into the crowd, leaving Balor to hit a Sling Blade on Styles. A charge is cut off though and Styles suplexes him into the corner. It’s too early for the Calf Crusher though as Balor manages a double stomp to leave Styles down. Balor’s back is all messed up from….something but he’s fine enough to try his own Styles Clash. That’s broken up, just like Styles’ Calf Crusher attempt.

Another double knockdown gives us a breather, followed by Balor’s own fireman’s carry backbreaker. 1916 is broken up though and Styles moonsaults into a Nightmare on Helms Street for two. Balor puts him back down but misses the Coup de Grace. Instead Styles grabs the Calf Crusher until Balor rams him head first into the mat to escape. Back up and they slug it out until Styles is sent to the apron, where the Phenomenal Forearm finishes Balor at 18:23.

Rating: B. There are matches where you know you’re going to see something good just based on who is out there. That was the case here and WWE was smart enough to give the two of them that much time. Styles hadn’t been doing so well in his battle against Judgment Day and you have to give him a win like this every so often to keep him looking strong. Good stuff here and a heck of a match between two talented stars.

Post match Styles yells at Balor a bit.

We recap Shotzi challenging Ronda Rousey for the SmackDown Women’s Title. Shotzi won a six way #1 contenders match but Rousey isn’t taking her incredibly seriously, though having Shayna Baszler help with a beatdown made it easier. Rousey and Baszler also injured Shotzi’s friend Raquel Rodriguez so things are personal.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Ronda Rousey vs. Shotzi

Rousey, with Baszler, is defending. Shotzi slugs away to start but gets flipped over. The ankle lock goes on until Shotzi sends her into the corner. Rousey is sent outside but Baszler takes Shotzi’s dive instead. Shotzi sends her into the steps and fires off some hard forearms back inside. A high crossbody is suplexed out of the air but Shotzi sweeps the leg. That doesn’t work for Rousey, who ties up the legs and they kind of lay around on the mat.

Back up and Shotzi nails a right hand to stun Rousey but gets sent outside. Shotzi takes out Baszler and sends her over the barricade, setting up a dive onto Rousey and Baszler at the same time. They beat the count back in and Shotzi goes up, only to get judo thrown down hard. Piper’s Pit and the armbar retain the title at 7:13.

Rating: C+. They were limited with what they could do here, as it’s hard to buy Shotzi as a threat to either the title or Rousey. Shotzi has all kinds of charisma but she hasn’t been presented as a major star, certainly not on Rousey’s level. For what we got here, things went well, though that was about as good as it was going to be.

Sami Zayn comes in to see Roman Reigns and admits that yes, he did talk to Kevin Owens. He didn’t tell Jey Uso about it because he didn’t want to put something extra on Jey’s plate before the WarGames advantage match. And Owens talked to him, saying he should turn on the Bloodline. Reigns gets that Owens and Zayn were friends but this is about his family, so whose side is Zayn on? Zayn says this is what he wants and he’s not turning on the Bloodline. That seems good enough for Reigns.

US Title: Bobby Lashley vs. Austin Theory vs. Seth Rollins

Rollins is defending. Lashley runs Theory over to start and Rollins sends Theory outside, leaving the other two to slug it out. Rollins slips away from a Hurt Lock attempt but Theory pulls Rollins outside for a ram into the barricade. Back in and Theory hammers away on Lashley, who fights up to beat on both of them. A DDT/Downward Spiral combination drops Rollins and Theory and the spinning Dominator hits Rollins as well.

Theory pulls the referee though and tries to grab a chair, which is easily blocked by Lashley. Rollins sends him into the steps though, allowing Theory to jump Rollins from behind. The steps hit Lashley as well and the rolling dropkick gets two on Rollins. A running elbow to the face gets the same and Theory talks a lot of trash. Rollins is back up with a Sling Blade, followed by a bunch of suicide dives to the other two.

That’s not enough as Rollins hits a big dive to take them both out again. Back in and Theory counters a dropkick into a powerbomb for two on Rollins and everyone is down. It’s Lashley up first to take over, meaning Theory uses a sleeper to…well attempt to break up the Hurt Lock. The save eventually works, leaving Rollins to Pedigree Lashley for two. The Phoenix splash misses though and Theory gives Lashley a running Blockbuster.

A Town Down is countered into the Hurt Lock but Theory flips backwards out of the corner. That’s broken up by Rollins’ frog splash so Lashley Hurt Locks both of them at once. With that broken up, Lashley’s spear misses in the corner so Rollins forearms Theory in the back of the head. Rollins uses Theory for a step up Stomp to Lashley and superplexes Theory. The Falcon Arrow is loaded up but Lashley spears Rollins, with Theory landing on him for the pin and the title at 14:50.

Rating: B. This got a good bit better by the end but it was only working so well for the most part. It needed to be about three minutes shorter to really work well. The whole feud was only so good in the first place and then the blowoff match, while good, hit a ceiling. Theory getting the win is nice to see, even if he had to steal the pin for the title.

Jey Uso tells Roman Reigns that he’s ready.

We recap the men’s WarGames match. Everyone hates the Bloodline, who isn’t sure if they can trust Sami Zayn. Now it’s time to see if he can prove himself.

Bloodline vs. Team Owens

Bloodline: Roman Reigns, Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, Solo Sikoa, Sami Zayn
Owens: Kevin Owens, Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, Ridge Holland, Butch

Butch and Jey start things off and they shout at each other from different rings for a good while. Jey finally gets into the other ring after about a minute of standing around. Butch takes him down without much trouble and cranks on the fingers (as he is known to do), which he then ties into the cage wall. Back up and Jey manages to send him into the cage, followed by a pop up neckbreaker.

Jey goes after the arm and sends it into the cage, only to have Butch stomp on the arm again. Butch gets in something close to a Kimura and it’s Ridge Holland in to give the good guys an advantage. Holland crushes Jey in the corner over and over and a high/low takes him down again. The Brutes start in on Jey’s arms for a bit of a unique strategy, including stereo jumping stomps to said arms. The clock runs down and a sitting Reigns instructs Sami to even things up.

Sami takes more than a minute to get to the ring, allowing Jey to get up and take over on the Brutes. Holland gets stomped between the rings and the fans seem to approve of Zayn. Double teaming cuts off Holland’s comeback but Butch gets up the cage to moonsault onto Jey and Zayn. Now Holland is able to fight up and actually take over until he misses a charge into the cage (thanks to Zayn pulling Jey out of the way).

Drew McIntyre is in next and beats up both villains without much trouble. Jey is sent into the cage over and over before a belly to belly sends Zayn into the corner. Drew: “I’M FEELING PRETTY UCEY RIGHT NOW!” Jey manages to knock Drew into the Tree of Woe but he sits up to send Jey crashing back down. There’s the Futureshock to Zayn but Jimmy Uso comes in to tie it up. That means it’s time for some tables, though Jey doesn’t want Zayn to help set them up.

Jimmy has to break it up as even more time is burned off. The Brutes are beaten down again though, with Butch being sent into the cage so a table can be set up in the corner. McIntyre fights up and avoids being sent through it as Kevin Owens unties things again. Owens brings in some chairs and plants Jimmy onto one, setting up the Cannonball to Jey. A chair is thrown at Jey and we get the Owens vs. Zayn staredown.

Holland, continuing to be useless, breaks it up by jumping Zayn, allowing Jimmy to deck Owens. Jimmy is put through a table though as Cole can’t remember who has the advantage at the moment. Solo Sikoa makes it 4-4 and gets to clean house, as tends to be the villains’ custom. The Samoan drop hits Holland and it’s an Owens vs. Sikoa staredown. They slug it out between the rings until Sikoa shrugs off a ram into the cage.

Some superkicks have the same lack of effect and Sikoa backdrops his way out of a powerbomb attempt. Sikoa goes over to slug it out with McIntyre with Sikoa getting the better of things, only to have the Umaga attack cut off. Sheamus completes Team Owens but Zayn holds the door shut in a smart move. Not that it matters as Sheamus slams it onto Zayn’s head and starts to clean house.

A double clothesline takes down some villains as Reigns is getting ready. Zayn is sent into the cage and the Brutes go after Zayn and the Usos for the big beatdown. White Noise hits Sikoa but it’s Reigns time so the match can officially begin. Naturally this means everyone gets up and we get the five on five staredown, making the last 28 minutes or so pretty much a formality. The fight is on and Reigns cleans house without much effort.

Sheamus cuts off a spear though and we get the quintuple ten (or more in some cases) forearms to the villains’ chests. McIntyre and Sheamus beat on Reigns and the Brogue Kick hits Sikoa. The distraction lets Reigns spear Sheamus but Butch makes the save. Zayn is back up to beat on Butch but Jey superkicks Zayn, presumably by mistake. A super 1D hits Butch for two with Holland making the save this time. Reigns spears Holland through the table in the corner but McIntyre is back up.

Sikoa saves Reigns from a powerbomb and Spinning Solo puts McIntyre through a table. Owens Stuns Sikoa for two so Reigns makes the save for a change. Reigns and Owens slug it out with Reigns hitting a Superman Punch. Owens is back with a Pop Up Powerbomb into the Stunner but Zayn grabs the referee at two. That leaves Owens staring at Zayn (who the fans like) but a superkick is cut off by a low blow. Zayn seems to know he has sealed his fate and Reigns looks up at him, leaving Zayn to Helluva Kick Owens. Jey adds the Superfly Splash for the pin at 38:32.

Rating: B. It’s good fight and as usual this was about the storytelling with Zayn and the Bloodline, but the same problems were there again. There is just SO MUCH waiting around for the match to really get going and it doesn’t feel like hatred. Instead, it feels like “how can we get these weapons spots in” rather than just beating each other up. Cut the match down by about fifteen minutes and it’s much better, but for now it’s just good rather than great.

Zayn is officially accepted into the team, with Jey giving him the big hug. Replays and posing end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. There were some good parts, but WarGames continues to be more of an idea that sounds great on paper rather than in execution. Two matches took about an hour and forty minutes and that does not leave much for the rest of the show. What we got was good and having Zayn get the big definitive Bloodline acceptance (which will absolutely last forever) was nice, but dang it took time to get there. I know Survivor Series has evolved beyond the traditional elimination tag format, but it would be nice to have this new format tweaked a bit, as it could make the show that much better.

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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Survivor Series 2021
Date: November 21, 2021
Location: Barclays Center, New York City, New York
Attendance: 15,120
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Jimmy Smith, Byron Saxton, Pat McAfee

Since it’s Survivor Series and there are no other possible options for the show in the history of ever, it’s time for a Battle Of Brand Supremacy with wrestlers who have been on the roster for about a month. That means a battle of World Champions Roman Reigns and Big E., plus Survivor Series tag matches and….a Rock 25th Anniversary battle royal? Let’s get to it.

For the sake of simplicity, all matches involving champions are non-title.

Kickoff Show: Damian Priest (Raw) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (Smackdown)

US Champion vs. Intercontinental Champion and Rick Boogs handles Nakamura’s entrance, much to Pat McAfee’s (now dancing on the announcers’ table) delight. Priest works on the arm to start but a Boogs guitar solo cuts that off, allowing Nakamura to grab a headlock. Nakamura takes him into the corner for Good Vibrations, with Boogs playing something that is in no way Good Vibrations.

Back up and Priest knocks him down and grabs a chinlock, meaning Boogs plays some more for a distraction. Some strikes to the head rock Priest and the sliding German suplex makes it worse (with McAfee jumping up to celebrate). Priest fights up and hits a running elbow in the corner, followed by a hard clothesline for two.

South Of Heaven is broken up though and Nakamura kicks him in the head again. Kinshasa is countered into South Of Heaven for two but the Reckoning is blocked. Priest counters an armbar into a triangle choke but Boogs guitars Nakamura to freedom AGAIN. Finally Priest goes outside and breaks the guitar (McAfee: “YOU SON OF A B****!”), with one of the pieces nailing Nakamura for the DQ at 9:24.

Rating: C. I was having fun with the back and forth as they had some chemistry together, but at the same time, there is only so much you can get with the constant Boogs interference. I do like that they didn’t have a champion get pinned here and instead went with Priest snapping to finish things up. Not a great match, but a fast paced one to start things off.

Smackdown – 1
Raw – 0

The opening video talks about how this is two sides battling….and we see a clip from Rock’s Netflix movie Red Notice. The voiceover talks about how many things the movie and show have in common before moving into the nonsense about this being the ONE NIGHT where Raw and Smackdown go head to head. Clips from the movie mock teamwork, which is what this show is all about. After more clips and more generic opening video statements about how important the show is, we’re ready to go.

We recap Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte. They were old friends but then both wanted to be the best, with Lynch getting there in a big way. Then Lynch left on maternity leave and Charlotte bragged about how great she (as in Charlotte) is so now that Lynch is back, it’s time to fight.

Before we got there though, there was also the VERY awkward moment where Charlotte was supposed to hand over the Raw Women’s Title and dropped it instead, leading to ALL KINDS of problems/discussion. Oh and Charlotte’s REALLY annoying “UH-OH” promo. This does at least have a personal story rather than just doing the Raw vs. Smackdown deal.

Charlotte (Smackdown) vs. Becky Lynch (Raw)

For a bonus, they’re both dressed as characters from Wandavision, with Charlotte as the villain and Becky as the hero. Becky hits her in the face to start and the brawl is on early. Charlotte goes for the leg but has to escape a Disarm-Her attempt. Back up and Charlotte hits a spear but Becky hits a heck of a spinning kick to the face. They head outside for a hard posting to Charlotte but it’s too early for the Manhandle Slam.

Charlotte gets her down and rams Becky’s face into the mat over and over. Becky is sent outside so Charlotte loads up the moonsault, which is shoved HARD into the barricade for a great looking crash instead. Charlotte sends her into the barricade and they both get back in at the same time for the big staredown. Becky avoids a shot to the knee in the corner but an armbar is countered into a powerbomb for two.

Some stomps in the corner have Charlotte in trouble and the fans aren’t thrilled with Becky. A fall away slam sends Becky into the corner for a crash, followed by the Andrade double moonsault for two. Charlotte snaps her throat first across the top but Becky knocks her into the ropes. The Fameasser onto the ropes gives Becky two and Charlotte misses the big boot, only to ram her head into Becky’s for two instead. The second big boot gets two instead so Becky is right back with a Christian layout reverse DDT.

Back up and the Manhandle Slam gives Becky two more, setting up a cross between a Figure Four and a heel hook. Charlotte turns it over for the break anyway and they’re both down for a bit. I’m not sure why Becky is down but it does make things a bit more dramatic. Yet another big boot knocks Becky outside and the moonsault…well it comes close to her at least, with the replay not making it any better.

Back in and Charlotte grabs her own Disarm-Her but Becky slips out. They fight into the corner where Charlotte grabs a rollup with ropes for two, as the referee sees the cheating. Becky reverses into a rollup of her own and doesn’t get caught grabbing the ropes for the pin at 18:13.

Rating: B+. These two work well and they treated it as a huge match, especially at the start where they both came out swinging. The ending was more of a way to save Charlotte than to give us a definitive winner, but after Charlotte has gone over so many times, doing a tainted job to the biggest female star ever isn’t asking too much. Great opener, with all kinds of energy and the big fight feel.

Raw – 1
Smackdown – 1

Classic Rock Moment: Debuting at Survivor Series 1996.

Raw Men vs. Smackdown Men

Raw: Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, Kevin Owens, Austin Theory, Bobby Lashley
Smackdown: Drew McIntyre, Jeff Hardy, King Woods, Happy Corbin, Sheamus

Survivor Series match and MVP/Madcap Moss are the respective sixths. Lashley has his spot after taking it from Dominik Mysterio and also caused Rey Mysterio to lose his spot to Theory. On the other side, Sami Zayn lost to Hardy, costing himself a spot on the team. You know, in case you needed a recap on the five people per show being thrown together. Rollins, the self proclaimed Raw captain, lets Owens start, so Owens bails to the floor and leaves for the countout less than a minute in.

After Owens takes a bow, McIntyre jumps Rollins on the floor as Theory comes in to face Woods. Theory gets his arm cranked on and it’s McIntyre coming in to launch him into the corner. Sheamus and McIntyre take turns chopping at Theory (McAfee is rather giddy) and Corbin gets in on it with a pretty good right hand. Theory manages to punch his way to freedom though and the tag brings in Rollins, who is knocked right back into the Smackdown corner.

It’s Hardy coming in to start on the arm and a quick splash gets one. Rollins is able to grab Sheamus by the arm though and Balor comes in to work on that arm for a change. Again though, that doesn’t last long as Sheamus drags him right back over for the tag to Corbin. We continue to e parade of arm cranking between people who don’t really dislike each other, making this match feel all the less interesting. Deep Six gets two on Balor with Lashley making the save, meaning everything breaks down.

With almost everyone else being knocked down, Balor kicks Corbin in the head and drops the Coup de Grace for the elimination. Hardy comes in to face Balor and the fans are rather pleased. It’s Hardy taking over with the basement dropkick but Balor’s own dropkick gets his own two. Lashley comes in for a running shoulder in the corner to Hardy, which has McAfee worried on commentary.

Hardy fights out of Balor’s chinlock and hits Whisper in the Wind, leaving Lashley and McIntyre to fight on the floor. Lashley posts him (McAfee: “DREW ARE YOU OK???”), leaving Theory to cover Hardy for two as the fans are interested in….something. It’s back to Woods to clean house, including a discus forearm to Theory. Lashley crotches Woods on top though and the Hurt Lock is good for the elimination to make it 4-3 Raw.

Everything breaks down again and Balor’s slingshot dive is pulled out of the air by Sheamus. We get the big Lashley vs. McIntyre showdown with Lashley backing up for some reason. McIntyre jumps him instead but Lashley powers him into the corner. That earns him a clothesline out to the floor with McIntyre following to post Lashley for a change. They fight over the barricade and that’s a double countout to get rid of the big guys.

The fans are NOT happy, even as Lashley jumps McIntyre after the eliminations. A Claymore drops Lashley though and a Glasgow Kiss drops a laughing Rollins before both guys leave. We’re down to Sheamus/Hardy vs. Rollins/Theory/Balor with Sheamus charging into a boot in the corner. That’s enough for Rollins to dive over for the hot tag to Balor, who is quickly powerslammed for two.

Balor is back up with a Sling Blade but the Coup de Grace misses, setting up the Brogue Kick to give Sheamus the pin. Theory is right in for a heck of a dropkick and it’s Rollins coming back in for a chinlock. After a pretty good while, Sheamus powers up and brings Hardy in to clean house.

Everything breaks down with Sheamus playing Matt Hardy for a springboard splash to the other two in the corner. That’s enough for Sheamus and Hardy to hit stereo ten forearms to the chest, followed by White Noise to Rollins. Everything breaks down again and Rollins pulls Hardy off the apron, leaving Theory to roll Sheamus up for the elimination. That leaves us with Hardy vs. Rollins/Theory…but Sheamus decks Theory before he leaves….and then does it to Hardy too.

Rollins is fine enough to get the tag and hit a frog splash for two on Hardy as we settle in to the beating. Theory takes Hardy up top but gets knocked down, setting up the Swanton for the pin. Rollins isn’t happy and glares at Hardy, who grabs a rollup for two. A hard forearm to the back of the head gets two on Hardy but the Twist of Fate drops Rollins. The Swanton hits raised knees though and the Stomp gives Rollins the final pin at 29:55.

Rating: B. It was a fun, hard hitting match, but the Raw vs. Smackdown lineups continue to feel so worthless. They might as well do a Lethal Lottery format and you would get the same result. The good thing is that the talent is here and can make a match like this work, but the format desperately needs to change to make it more interesting.

Raw – 2
Smackdown – 1

WWE did some charity stuff in Harlem.

Vince McMahon arrived earlier and got a big reception from a bunch of the wrestlers. Then he pulled out a gold egg, because cross promotion.

Classic Rock Moment: recreating the Montreal Screwjob a year later at Survivor Series 1998.

Roman Reigns comes in to see Vince McMahon, who shows him the egg. That’s Cleopatra’s egg, which was given to him by the Rock. Apparently it’s worth $100 million dollars, which Reigns says is as much as his next contract. And that’s it.

The Rock 25th Anniversary Battle Royal

Shanky, Commander Azeez, T-Bar, Robert Roode, Angel, Humberto, Shelton Benjamin, Sami Zayn, R-Truth, Cedric Alexander, Montez Ford, Jinder Mahal, Dolph Ziggler, Cesaro, Otis, Mansoor, Drew Gulak, Erik, Chad Gable, Ivar, Apollo Crews, Omos, AJ Styles, Ricochet, Angelo Dawkins

The Street Profits come to the ring with a bunch of Pizza Hut. Nothing wrong with a sponsorship. Cole and Graves get pizza but Saxton is denied, as he should be. Styles bails to the floor and stands on the announcers’ table as everyone else fights for the smart move of the night. Gulak and Benjamin are out to start with Humberto following them. Truth heads outside to get some pizza, which he offers to Omos and Otis.

The latter takes it before throwing Truth out and going after Omos. Otis doesn’t last long and Gable armbars Cesaro over the rope. That’s broken up and Cesaro knocks Gable out and T-Bar is dropkicked to the floor by Ricochet. The fans want pizza but have to settle for Alexander and Garza being tossed out. There goes Erik and Ivar at the hands of Shanky, because the potential is in Shanky instead of the Viking Raiders. Omos gets rid of Shanky with ease and Roode catapults Mansoor out.

Roode and Ziggler go after Omos and the giant gets rid of Roode, leaving Styles to Phenomenal Forearm Ziggler for the elimination. Zayn tries to rally the remaining Smackdown names but yells at Ricochet, leaving Ford and Dawkins to toss him out. Omos gets rid of Azeez, who pulls Styles out despite Omos’ protests. Crews is out next and we’re down to Omos, Dawkins, Ford, Cesaro and Ricochet. Cesaro rallies the troops to go after Omos, earning himself an elimination. There go Dawkins and Ford, leaving us with Ricochet vs. Omos. That doesn’t last long either as Omos tosses him out for the win at 10:38.

Rating: C. This was ALL about Omos, who threw out about half of the field and dominated throughout. It worked for Andre and even if Omos isn’t quite there, it was a nice performance. Omos is someone who works well in this kind of a spot, even if this had absolutely NOTHING to do with the Rock.

Raw – 3
Smackdown – 1

Post match Styles goes for the pizza but Ford kicks him in the head and throws it into the crowd.

Classic Rock Moment: winning the 2000 Royal Rumble, even if Big Show really won.

We look at the pre-show match.

RKBro (Raw) vs. Usos (Smackdown)

Riddle starts fast with an armbar attempt on Jimmy but gets stacked up for two and the break. A headbutt just makes Riddle mad and he grabs a spinning gutwrench suplex to send Jey flying. Orton comes in and we hear about his hear in Ohio Valley Wrestling for a bit of a rarity. The threat of an RKO sends Jimmy bailing to the floor so it’s off to Jey, who stomps Orton down in the corner.

That just earns Jey a punch to the nose (simple, yet effective) and a trip to the floor, allowing Riddle to hit the springboard Floating Bro. A drop onto the barricade cuts Riddle off though and it’s back to Jimmy for the suicide dive. We slow things down a bit with Jey hammering away in the corner until Riddle manages a kick to the head. That’s way too soon for a hot tag to Orton though and Jimmy is back in with a chinlock.

Riddle fights up and manages a Bro To Sleep (which doesn’t make anything close to full contact), allowing Orton to come back in to clean house. Snap powerslams drop the Usos and Jey gets belly to back dropped onto the announcers’ table. Not to be outdone, Jimmy gets the same as McAfee is losing it even more than usual. Back in and the hanging DDT hits Jey but he’s fine enough to block the RKO.

Riddle is up again and kicks Jey in the head before nailing Jimmy with a running forearm. Jey manages to kick Riddle down for two and the pop up Samoan drop gets two. There’s a superkick to Riddle and a double superkick to Orton. The double superkick from either side gets two on Riddle, who kicks out and stays rigid for a weird moment. Riddle’s enziguri gets him out of trouble though and Orton gets a blind tag. Jimmy doesn’t notice though and his Superfly Splash is pulled into the RKO to give Orton the pin at 14:48.

Rating: B. Two of the best teams in WWE have a good match when they are given about fifteen minutes on a big stage. Sometimes these things write themselves and that was the case here, as Orton even managed to get in the cool RKO that he hits in these important matches. Another solid match on the show in what shouldn’t be a surprise at all. Now just do it again for the titles.

Raw – 4
Smackdown – 1

Classic Rock Moment: vs. John Cena at Wrestlemania XXVIII. I’d say that counts, though it’s still hard to believe Cena lost.

Sonya Deville and Adam Pearce wait for Vince McMahon in his office. Vince comes back…and the egg is gone. The middle management goons are sent to find out who did it, saying if they don’t find out tonight, Vince will find out himself on Raw.

Video on Xia Li, the Protector, in comic book form. Yeah this was too cool to work and it never went anywhere.

Raw Women vs. Smackdown Women

Raw: Bianca Belair, Rhea Ripley, Liv Morgan, Carmella, Queen Zelina
Smackdown: Sasha Banks, Shayna Baszler, Shotzi, Toni Storm, Natalya

Zelina is still a queen and Ripley is half of the Women’s Tag Team Titles with Nikki Ash, which mean a grand total of nothing (Zelina and Carmella would win them the next night on Raw). Toni Storm (as announced in a completely necessary tweet earlier in the day) starts with Carmella, who drops Storm with a right hand. Hold on though as Carmella hands it off to Zelina before heading outside to put on her protective mask. It takes forever to put the mask on so Carmella has Zelina do it, allowing Storm to grab a rollup for the pin.

Belair and Banks come in for a Wrestlemania rematch but Shotzi tags herself in. A quick backsplash gets two on Belair but she’s right back up to knock Shotzi silly. Belair’s jumping splash gets two so Morgan comes in for a middle rope….uh, something, and a near fall. Natalya comes in for two off a snap suplex and a pinfall reversal sequence gets some near falls each. The step over basement dropkick gives Natalya two more but it’s off to Ripley to freshen things up.

Natalya doesn’t seem to mind and brings Baszler in for a double suplex. The jumping stomp to Baszler’s arm is blocked though and the slugout is on. Ripley has to fight out of an armbar as well as the Kirifuda Clutch, allowing her to stomp on Baszler’s head. Shotzi saves Baszler from the Riptide though and everything breaks down. Ripley breaks out of another choke and it’s a double tag to give us Belair vs. Banks.

Belair tries the power but gets pulled straight into the Bank Statement. That’s broken up so Banks sends her face first into the middle buckle, setting up a tornado DDT for two on Belair. Back up and Zelina tags herself in so Belair launches her at Banks for two more. No one will tag Banks so she has to block Zelina’s Code Red. Banks tags herself in and flips Zelina over into a cutter for the pin. Morgan comes in for a pinfall reversal sequence of her own until Oblivion connects to get rid of Storm.

Baszler comes in to choke Morgan and even kicks Ripley off the apron to prevent a tag (that’s smart). It’s off to Shotzi for a weird looking splash, followed by Banks’ frog splash to eliminate Morgan. Ripley comes in and muscles Banks up for a delayed suplex and a near fall. A missile dropkick sends Banks flying into the corner but Shotzi comes in off a blind tag. Shotzi offers a distraction so Baszler can come in with a knee to the face to pin Ripley, leaving Belair vs. Natalya, Shotzi, Banks and Baszler.

Belair comes in and suplexes Natalya for two before firing off the shoulders in the corner. Baszler’s distraction lets Natalya hit a powerbomb out of the corner for two and it’s off to Banks. Shotzi gets into it with Banks and pulls her to the floor where Banks gets counted out to make it 3-1.

Natalya comes in and Sharpshooters Belair, who rolls Natalya into Baszler for the break. A rollup finishes Natalya to make it 2-1, with Baszler coming in next. The Kirifuda Clutch is countered into a release Glam Slam to get rid of Baszler and it’s Shotzi vs. Belair. Shotzi grabs a choke in the corner and a faceplant drops Belair again. The running hip attack in the ropes gets two on Belair, who sends Shotzi into the corner and hits the KOD for the pin/win at 23:46.

Rating: C-. Well that was ridiculous. The last five minutes of this was Belair doing her best Super Cena impression, as she ran through three people on her own (four if you count getting rid of Banks). The match wasn’t anything special otherwise, as the Belair vs. Banks segment was the only thing worth seeing. This felt long until the ending, when it became one head shaking moment after another. Storm was trying and got a bit of a run, but this was all about making Belair look strong and to say they went overboard would be an understatement.

Raw – 5
Smackdown – 1

Classic Rock Moment: The Rock is at the first Smackdown on FOX and rips on Baron Corbin/hangs out with Becky Lynch.

Paul Heyman knows nothing about the missing egg but thinks those people from BROOKLYN might have had something to do with it. That’s not what he is being asked about though: what about Brock Lesnar’s suspension being lifted soon? Uh, Heyman doesn’t want to talk about that either.

Video on Bobby Lashley.

We recap Roman Reigns vs. Big E. Last month, Big E. cashed in Money In The Bank to become the new Raw World Champion. The New Day celebrated because they’re a brotherhood, but Reigns said they were no Bloodline. Reigns broke Woods’ King Of The Ring crown and now it’s time for a clash between World Champions.

Big E. (Raw) vs. Roman Reigns (Smackdown)

Paul Heyman is here too as we hear about their time together in FCW. They fight over a lockup to start with neither getting anywhere, meaning it’s off to another staredown. Big E. shoves him a bit and Reigns bails to the floor, where Heyman lists off some Anoa’i family members at the table. Back in and Reigns hits the jumping clothesline for two before stomping away rather hard.

An elbow drops Reigns and Big E. gets to talk a bit of trash to set up the missed apron splash. Big E. comes up favoring his knee and you know Reigns is happy with that. Back in and the chinlock goes on for a bit until Big E. powers up for the break. You don’t do that to Reigns, who boots Big E. down for two more. Big E. is sent outside again as Reigns is getting frustrated and growling at the crowd. A reversed whip into the steps puts Reigns in trouble for a change and some belly to bellies make it worse back inside.

The Warrior Splash connects but Big E. charges into a Samoan drop for two. Reigns fires off the corner clotheslines until Big E. Rock Bottoms him out of said corner for two of his own. The Stretch Muffler has Reigns in trouble so he powers up into a sitout powerbomb to rock Big E. again. A Rock Bottom gets two more as they’re sticking with the big shots here. Two Superman Punches only keep Big E. down for a few seconds so Reigns hits a third…but Big E. is back up before the spear can even launch.

Reigns is sent to the apron for the spear out to the floor but comes right back in with his own spear (minus through the ropes) for a rather near fall. They take their time getting up, with Reigns talking about how Big E. doesn’t deserve to be here. The guillotine is broken up but Big E. tries another spear through the ropes and gets caught in the choke. Reigns gets it on again back inside, only to muscle Reigns up into the Big Ending for two.

They head outside again, with Big E. fired up this time as he sends Reigns face first into the announcers’ table. A posting and ram into the barricade have Reigns in more trouble but he’s fine enough to send Big E. knees first into the steps. A Superman Punch off the steps lets Reigns kick the knee out and hit a spear for the pin at 21:56.

Rating: B. It took some time to get going and could have had a few minutes cut out, but this was a heck of a fight. The problem here though was there was no reason to believe Reigns would lose. Big E. is great, but winning the title via Money in the Bank makes him feel a step beneath Reigns, in addition to the fact that Reigns already feels like a bigger star than anyone else at the moment. Big E. was trying here, but you know Reigns getting pinned is going to be a huge moment, not something in a stand alone show like this one.

Raw – 5
Smackdown – 2

Overall Rating: B-. This show is going to depend on how you look at it. While the wrestling was mostly good, with the main event and men’s Survivor Series match carrying it, the biggest problem is NOTHING HAPPENED. Raw dominated the head to head competition and there was nothing on here that I felt like I needed to see. Reigns is still the unstoppable force and whoever got the red shirts this year had a strong night. What else is there to say about the wrestling with non-existent stakes?

Then you have everything else and it was just sad. The Rock obsession was cool and made sense, but without him actually having anything to do with the show the impact kind of falls apart. I know he’s busy, but if he isn’t going to be there, maybe don’t focus on him so much. The egg stuff was stupid, though I can’t fault WWE for trying to make money and it was relatively short.

Overall, as has been the case for a long time, there was enough good to pretty good action to make the show a decent watch, but there is absolutely nothing from a storyline perspective. The Battle For Brand Supremacy stuff worked for a few years but now WWE has given up on it meaning anything, so why should I care about what they’re doing? Good enough show, but totally unimportant.

Ratings Comparison

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Damian Priest

Original: C+
Redo: C

Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte

Original: B+
Redo: B+

Raw Men vs. Smackdown Men

Original: B-
Redo: B

Battle Royal

Original: C
Redo: C

Usos vs. RKBro

Original: C+
Redo: B

Smackdown Women vs. Raw Women

Original: C-
Redo: C-

Big E. vs. Roman Reigns

Original: B
Redo: B

Overall Rating

Original: B-
Redo: B-

Oh yeah this is about as similar as it gets.

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