Monday Night Raw
Date: December 22, 2025
Location: Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re on a taped show this week for the sake of the holidays, which hopefully doesn’t make much of a difference. It’s one of the last shows of the year and we are building towards CM Punk defending the World Title against Bron Breakker on the first January show. That should be enough to carry us for a few weeks so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the end of last week’s Raw, with Austin Theory being revealed as the masked man and Bron Breakker spearing CM Punk to wrap things up.

Theory comes up to Paul Heyman in the back to explain why he was wearing the mask last week. He made a lot of bad decisions but then he saw the Vision taking what they wanted. That’s what Theory does now and he’d love to take the opportunity and help out. Heyman: “Interesting. Very interesting.” And he walks off.

Rhea Ripley apologizes to Iyo Sky for her getting hurt last week and asks Sky to stay in the back for this. Sky isn’t happy but agrees after a hug.

IMG Credit: WWE

Rhea Ripley vs. Asuka

Kairi Sane is here with Asuka. Ripley jumps her to start fast and sends Asuka flying before unloading with right hands. It’s too early for Riptide as Asuka bails out to the floor. That’s fine with Ripley, who sends her into the barricade but a Sane distraction cuts Ripley off, allowing Asuka to take over.

We take a break and come back with Asuka kneeing her in the face for one before firing off the kicks. A backslide gives Ripley two and she elbows Asuka down. Asuka distracts the referee though and kicks away at the chest, only for Ripley to grab a belly to back faceplant. They trade kicks to the head and they’re both down for a breather. We take another break and come back again with the Prism Trap being reversed, allowing Asuka to kick her in the head for two.

Ripley slips out of a superplex attempt and hits a Cheeky Nandos kick into an electric chair faceplant for two. They head out to the apron where Asuka gets in a German suplex but Ripley superkicks her out of the air. The Cannonball off the apron connects so Ripley goes up, only to have Sane pull her down. Cue Iyo Sky to chase her off, allowing Asuka to grab a rollup with trunks for the pin at 17:55.

Rating: B. They had a physical fight here, which isn’t a surprise in the slightest. There might be something interesting to the idea of Sky not listening to Ripley. They’ve got an actual feud going here and that should make for a big title match, likely on the first Raw of the year. While I could go for less of Ripley losing, at least she got cheated here.

The Vision isn’t sure about Austin Theory but Paul Heyman talks about how far they have come in a year. The two of them don’t have much of an argument with that, so Heyman switches out Bron Breakker for Theory in the main event.

We look back at Gunther’s big speech last week, as he reminded the fans that he made John Cena give up.

IMG Credit: WWE

Here is…well it was supposed to be Maxxine Dupri but instead it’s Becky Lynch for a chat. She talks about how she’s had issues with Maxxine Dupri and thinks someone is against her. Lynch went to the heads of Netflix and they told her to go to Miserable Michigan. She hasn’t seen a single rapid in Grand Rapids, which is very misleading.

We hear about the Sports Illustrated ranking but here is Maxxine Dupri to interrupt. Dupri beat Lynch more than once and she’s willing to do it again because she is the Intercontinental Champion. Lynch is too busy complaining about everything though and it doesn’t make her look like the greatest of all time. It makes her look like someone whose best years are behind her, and that’s enough for Lynch to drop Dupri. That’s reversed into an ankle lock and Lynch taps.

We look back at Nikki Bella interrupting the Women’s Title match last week.

Adam Pearce talks to Je’Von Evans, saying they can talk about his future after Evans’ match. Stephanie Vaquer comes in to request and receive a triple threat title defense against Nikki Bella and Raquel Rodriguez next week.

The Usos are fired up about being back in the tag division and get a Tag Team Title shot next week.

IMG Credit: WWE

Je’Von Evans vs. Rayo Americano

The other Americanos are here with Rayo. Evans flips away from him to start and hips up into a dropkick to take over. Rayo gets in a shot of his own though and starts on the arm, which earns him a hurricanrana out to the floor. Naturally that means a heck of a big dive for Evans and we take a break.

We come back with Rayo grabbing a chinlock as Graves says Rayo trained with Mil Mascaras. Evans gets up and hits a knee to the face, followed by the springboard clothesline for two. Bravo cheap shots Evans from the floor though and a Michinoku Driver gives Rayo two of his own. A slap to the face just wakes Evans up though and he comes back with a spinning kick to the head. The OG Cutter (top rope cutter) finishes Rayo at 9:53.

Rating: B-. This was a way for Evans to get out there and show what he can do on the bigger stage. There’s no real secret to the fact that he is either going to be the next big thing in NXT or just move up to the main roster. Letting him have a win like this helps move him in the right direction and he looked good in the process.

Post match Evans runs away from a beating.

AJ Styles and Dragon Lee are used to facing the best so they’re ready for the Usos next week.

Bron Breakker is ready for CM Punk and wants the real version to show up. Either way, Breakker wins the title on January 5. If Punk is just here to make money, Breakker hopes he cashed his checks, because after January 5, Punk will be broke.

Here is Nikki Bella for a chat. She is the most famous person in the arena, as she’s a Hall Of Famer and a former champion. But what would Michigan know about champions? Maybe if they were Ohio State, they would know better. She’s ready to win the title back next week because she is a big deal everywhere.

IMG Credit: WWE

Bayley vs. Roxanne Perez

Lyra Valkyria and Liv Morgan are here too. Perez rolls away from her to start to increase the frustration before shoving Bayley up against the ropes. A Bayley To Belly out of nowhere gets two and Perez sends her outside. Bayley’s dive is cut off but Perez slips out of a fireman’s carry and takes out Bayley’s knee. The knee is wrapped around the post a few times and we take a break.

We come back with Bayley still in trouble and Perez working on the leg. Bayley kicks her away but bangs up the leg a bit more in the process. The Thesz press lets Bayley hammer away as Raquel Rodriguez is out here to watch as well. Valkyria and Rodriguez get into it on the floor as Perez gets two off a spinning faceplant.

Morgan offers a distraction so Perez can send Bayley into an exposed buckle but Rodriguez gets on the apron for some reason. Morgan pulls her down for an argument and Valkyria dives onto both of them. That’s not enough as Valkyria slaps Bayley in the face to trigger the real comeback, including double knees in the corner. The top rope elbow finishes Perez at 10:40.

Rating: B-. Bayley getting more fired up and aggressive isn’t a bad thing to see as she has been needing something of a spark in recent weeks. Other than that, we have the issues among the Judgment Day, which could lead to quite the interesting development. If nothing else, it’s nice to see a non-title story where the women are allowed to develop a bit and it’s working here.

Here’s what’s coming on January 5.

Bronson Reed tells Austin Theory to follow his lead. Theory has the same idea, but in reverse.

The Judgment Day women argue, with Raquel Rodriguez saying she has to prepare for her title match.

IMG Credit: WWE

Here is Gunther for a chat. The fans are all over him, though Gunther doesn’t seem to mind laughing about it. Before he says anything, he goes outside and poses on the announcers’ table. Back inside and the fans get on him again, with Gunther saying they shouldn’t be mad at him. They should be mad at the one who tapped out like a little…and here is CM Punk to get in Gunther’s face. Gunther goes to leave, but does stop for a You Can’t See Me. Rey Mysterio comes out to glare at Gunther as well.

Post break, Gunther runs into AJ Styles, who says Gunther doesn’t know when to shut up. Gunther: “Guess I don’t.”

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Austin Theory/Bronson Reed vs. CM Punk/Rey Mysterio

Paul Heyman is here too. Theory sends Mysterio into the corner to start but Punk comes in off a blind tag. Punk knocks him into the corner but Theory is right back up with a running elbow to the face. The rolling dropkick puts Punk down and we take an early break. We come back with Theory stomping on Punk’s hand before slapping on the chinlock. It’s off to Reed for a neck crank of his own, followed by a headbutt to keep Punk in trouble.

The running backsplash misses though and it’s Mysterio coming in, much to the crowd’s delight. The pace picks up, including a running seated senton off the apron as we take a break. We come back with Reed knocking Mysterio down again and dropping the backsplash for two. Theory comes back in to stomp away and a snap suplex gets two more. The sitout bulldog gets Mysterio out of trouble and it’s Punk coming in to go after Theory.

Punk strikes away, including the springboard clothesline for two, followed by the running knee in the corner. Mysterio loads up the 619 but Theory is there to cut off the 619. Mysterio connects with one to Theory instead and the slingshot splash gets two. Everything breaks down and Mysterio kicks Theory down, only to get crotched on top. The Stomp gives Theory the pin at 18:17.

Rating: B. Pretty solid and by the book main event tag match here as Theory gets to solidify himself as someone to take a bit more seriously. I have no reason to believe that’s going to last, but at least they started off by doing the right thing. Punk already has his own thing going with Bron Breakker so Mysterio was a fine choice to help make Theory look good.

Post match Bron Breakker runs in with the spear to cut Punk down and end the show.

Overall Rating: B. There was a good bit of solid wrestling this week, though it didn’t feel like a lot really happened. It was more a show that just kept things in their current place, which is acceptable, though not exactly must see content. That’s kind of perfect for a show taking place over the holiday week, as we have the big show coming up in two weeks and this was mainly designed to help set up the next two weeks. Good enough show here, but you really didn’t need to see it.

Results
Asuka b. Rhea Ripley – Rollup with trunks
Je’Von Evans b. Rayo Americano – OG Cutter
Bayley b. Roxanne Perez – Top rope elbow
Austin Theory/Bronson Reed b. CM Punk/Rey Mysterio – Stomp to Mysterio

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: November 10, 2025
Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Joe Tessitore

With less than two months to go in the year, it’s time to focus on John Cena, as we’re in his hometown of Boston. That means the start of the Last Time Is Now tournament, which should make for quite the situation. We could be in for some interesting showdowns, but the Women’s Tag Team Titles are on the line as well. Let’s get to it.

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

A lot of people came to work today.

Here is HHH in the ring to get things going. He talks about how many different things you have to be able to do to be a success in this business. There is one person who is on the top of that list, and that is someone who was a box office attraction, who left it in the ring every night and could be ruthless on the mic. That man did everything to make this business as big as possible because he loves it so much so here he is, meaning it’s quite the thunderous reaction for John Cena.

After quite the reception, Cena talks about how this is a huge group effort around here and how everyone makes it work. So it’s the Last Time, but now we get to see what he wants to do in his last run. That brings us to Saturday Night’s Main Event, which is going to feature WWE vs. NXT matches because Cena wants the younger stars to get the chance he got back in 2002.

Finally though, he wanted to come to Boston one more time. He saw his first WW censored show in the old Boston Garden and now he gets to be in the new Garden on the way out. This brings out Dominik Mysterio to interrupt, with something to say to HHH in Spanish. Mysterio brags about being a great Intercontinental Champion and his celebration was interrupted. Now he’s interrupting an old man’s celebration, but Cena tries to calm things down. Mysterio says let the grown men settle things and speak when spoken to or it’s going to get physical. Fans: “YOU CENSORED UP!”

Cena says Mysterio has screwed up because he is invincible in this city tonight. Wrong place, wrong time, wrong guy. Out of the respect that Cena has for Rey Mysterio, he’s going to let Dominik walk away. Dominik gets in his face and HHH says he agrees with the people’s thoughts on what Dominik did. HHH calls out Dominik for saying any time, any place and any era.

Therefore, let’s do this right now, for the Intercontinental Title. Dominik knows he’s screwed up and it’s great. That would be the case for everything here, as this is all about giving Cena one big moment in his hometown on his way out and it shouldn’t have been anything more than a massive tribute, with Mysterio getting to be the kind of slimy heel that he does so well.

Intercontinental Title: Dominik Mysterio vs. John Cena

Cena is challenging and we’re joined in progress with Cena fighting back, sending Mysterio bailing out to the floor. Mysterio goes to leave but Cena sends him back, only to be whipped into the steps. That lets Mysterio pose in the ring as Cena gets up, with the dive to beat the count being rather well received. Three Amigos don’t do much to Cena, who tries the AA but gets caught with a DDT as we take a break.

We come back with Cena making another comeback but getting sent into the post for his efforts. That lets Mysterio take down the turnbuckle pad and grab a chair as it’s replaced. Mysterio does the Eddie Guerrero chair deal….but Cena lays down too, with the chair between them.

With that not working, Mysterio gets up but gets caught in the AA. The referee gets bumped so Cena grabs the STF for the tap, which no one sees. Mysterio grabs the belt but walks into the AA for two from a second referee. Back up and Mysterio hits a quick 619, setting up the frog splash. That’s rolled through into an AA to give Cena the pin and the title at 12:19 shown.

Rating: B-. Sure why not. Cena gets to win the one title that he has never won before after Mysterio had the belt for the better part of seven months. It’s not going to be a long reign and Cena can either put someone over or vacate the title (not the best option). This was about giving Cena’s hometown fans one big moment and as a special event, that’s fine given the circumstances.

Post match Cena thanks the fans for letting the champ be here one last time.

Post break Cena gets a big reception in the back, including telling Rey Mysterio that Dominik is a good kid. Cody Rhodes pops up for a handshake and everything is cool with them.

We look back at last week with Logan Paul joining up with the Vision to lay out CM Punk.

Veterans Day video.

Last Time Is Now Tournament First Round: Rusev vs. Damian Priest

Priest is coming in with a bad eye. Rusev is back in the trunks instead of the shorts and he starts fast by hammering Priest down in the corner. Priest’s shot to the face doesn’t get him very far as Rusev spinwheel kicks him right back down. Priest is sent outside and we take a quick break.

We come back with Priest slugging away, including the Broken Arrow for two. Back up and Rusev gets two off a clothesline but Priest is getting fired up. An exchange of kicks goes to Priest, who hits the Old School crossbody. Rusev goes for the banged up eye though and the Machka Kick finishes Priest at 8:49.

Rating: C+. Rusev needed a win to get some momentum back and it’s nice to see someone with some more history with Cena moving forward. Priest has the injury to hold him back a bit so it’s not like he’s getting squashed. He needs a win of his own though, and while it shouldn’t have come here, it should come at some point soon.

AJ Styles and Dragon Lee are looking for some new challengers. Adam Pearce will work on that but for now, do they have a team name? Lee suggests Dragons With Style…but Styles says they’ll work on that. With Styles and Lee gone, Maxxine Dupri comes in to say she’s ready for Becky Lynch. Pearce says the title match is on for next week. With Pearce gone, Lynch pops in to deck Dupri in the face, saying she’ll never be ready.

Commentary plays with the new LJN figures.

Here is CM Punk for a chat. He’s ticked off and wants to call out a douche bag right before he has the chance to interrupt. We’re in Boston so he’s here for a fight with Logan Paul. If Paul has his eyes on Punk’s belt, Punk is going to have his boot on Paul’s neck. Cue Paul, who talks about how he has been hit in the face by Floyd Mayweather Jr., but that was nothing compared to getting hit with the Tsunami last week.

That has opened Paul’s eyes to a whole new Vision, who comes out to join him. Heyman rips into Punk, talking about how Punk could only be more unlikable if his name was AJ Lee. Punk laughs that off, saying AJ would take them all out but he has to do it himself. Cue Jey Uso to even things up a bit and Cody Rhodes joins them as well, with the fans singing Kingdom until the brawl is on. Punk goes after Heyman but Logan makes the save, only to get sent into the barricade. Rhodes chairs Breakker down and Punk gets in a chair shot to Reed’s back. The bad guys are cleared out.

We look at Lash Legend moving up to the main roster on Smackdown to join forces with Nia Jax, who beat Charlotte. Later in the night, Asuka misted Charlotte to make it even worse.

Raw Women’s Title: Stephanie Vaquer vs. Raquel Rodriguez

Vaquer, with Nikki Bella, is defending and Roxanne Perez is here with Rodriguez. Vaquer gets powered into the corner to start and a shot to the face puts her down again. A rollup gives Vaquer two and she hurricanranas Rodriguez into the ropes. The Devil’s Kiss is blocked though and Rodriguez sends her face first into the buckle, setting up a heck of a clothesline for two.

We take a break and come back with Vaquer sending her outside, followed by some strikes to the head back inside. A high crossbody hits Rodriguez and Vaquer sends her into the corner for the running knees. The SVB is blocked though and Rodriguez runs her over again. The Tejana Bomb is blocked as well though, with Rodriguez being sent into the corner.

More running knees are countered into a powerbomb to give Rodriguez two so Perez tries to interfere. Bella cuts that off, only for Rodriguez to fall away slam Vaquer. The spinning Vader Bomb misses though and it’s the Devi’s Kiss into the corkscrew moonsault to retain the title at 10:33.

Rating: B-. There were a few rocky points here but Vaquer getting to slay a giant is a good thing to see. Vaquer and Bella have been dealing with the Judgment Day for a few weeks now so it makes sense to have Vaquer beat Rodriguez and move on to something else. Unfortunately, that is likely to be Bella and I can’t imagine being less interested in something than that.

Post match Perez jumps Vaquer but gets knocked outside by Bella. Vaquer and Bella pose and Bella does indeed hit her with the belt for the big heel turn, which he fans seem to….like? Or at least respond to quite strongly.

CM Punk, Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes want the Vision and they want them in a certain way. Punk: “REGAL!” Cue William Regal to announce WarGames, with Adam Pearce confirming it.

Last Time Is Now Tournament First Round: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sheamus

Sheamus grabs a headlock to start and powers him out of the corner. The Dublin Smile has Nakamura in more trouble but he tells Sheamus to COME ON. Nakamura ties him in the ropes for the middle rope knee but Sheamus is right back with a slam onto the apron. We take a break and come back with Sheamus hitting a Regal Roll and signaling that he wants the title. Nakamura catches him on top though and it’s a superplex for two.

Some knees to the head rock Sheamus and he seems annoyed by the kicks to the chest. Sheamus tells Nakamura to hit him harder and they slug it out. The Irish Curse has Nakamura in trouble and there are the ten forearms to the chest. The Brogue Kick is countered with a Sling Blade but Sheamus knees him out of the air for two. A super White Noise is countered into a sunset bomb and Nakamura kicks him in the face. Sheamus doesn’t like that though and hits the Brogue Kick for the pin at 10:54.

Rating: B-. Take two hard hitters and give them ten minutes to beat the fire out of each other. Again, Sheamus moving forward makes more sense as he has a deeper history with Cena, including with the Intercontinental Title now a factor. While I can’t imagine Sheamus winning the whole thing, it’s another member of Cena’s rogues gallery being near the final, which is all you need.

We get some more tournament matches announced for next week:

Je’Von Evans vs. Gunther
Solo Sikoa vs. ???

Adam Pearce sees the name but says we’ll just have to see who Sikoa is facing.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Charlotte/Alexa Bliss vs. Kabuki Warriors

The Warriors are challenging. It’s a brawl to start with Bliss striking away at Sane to take over. Charlotte tags herself in but misses a big boot, instead settling for a slingshot rollup for two instead. Asuka’s running hip attack misses but Sane tags herself in for a top rope forearm. Sane is sent to the apron though and it’s a big boot to put her on the floor. Bliss misses a dropkick and gets forearmed down as we take a break.

We come back with Bliss hitting a double DDT, allowing Charlotte to come back in with a double high crossbody. Charlotte chops away, followed by a flipping clothesline to put Asuka down. Despite taking forever to set it up, Charlotte hits a moonsault onto both of them for a near fall. The Empress Impact is countered into a suplex but Asuka reverses Natural Selection into the Asuka Lock.

That’s reversed into a rollup for two, only for Sane to pull Bliss to the floor before the tag. Asuka’s cross armbreaker is countered into a Liontamer, which is reversed into a rollup for two. Charlotte boots her down and grabs the Figure Four, with Bliss adding the Sister Abigail DDT to Sane. Cue Nia Jax and Lash Legend to break up the Figure Eight and take out Bliss, leaving Sane to hit the assisted Insane Elbow to pin Charlotte for the titles at 10:15.

Rating: B. I like the ending, as it feels like something of an actual division coming together. You have multiple teams with reasons to dislike each other and that has been missing for a long time now. I’m not sure if I have any reason to believe that it’s going to last, but I’ll take it for a little while at the very least.

Post match Bliss goes after Jax but gets dropped by Jax and Legend. The Warriors get back in for the double beatdown but Iyo Sky runs in for the save as you might as well get William Regal out here already. Legend forearms Sky down though and the big beatdown is on until Rhea Ripley is back for the real save. Sane gets Razor’s Edged down onto the pile and Ripley issues the official WarGames challenge to end the show. Yeah there it is, and it’s better than nothing if we just have to do the match.

Overall Rating: B+. Oh yeah this was more like it, with the focus being a lot tighter this week. They had Cena, the Cena tournament, the Women’s Title stuff and the WarGames matches being set up. It’s quite a bit to put into a show, but they did a really good job of making those things feel important. That’s one of the things that made it feel like an old NXT, as it came off like whatever you’re seeing is the most important thing in the world at the moment. Really solid show this week as we’re getting into some big stuff in the coming weeks.

Results
John Cena b. Dominik Mysterio – Attitude Adjustment
Rusev b. Damian Priest – Machka Kick
Stephanie Vaquer b. Raquel Rodriguez – Corkscrew moonsault
Sheamus b. Shinsuke Nakamura – Brogue Kick
Kabuki Warriors b. Charlotte/Alexa Bliss – Assisted Insane Elbow to Charlotte

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: October 27, 2025
Location: Honda Center, Anaheim, California
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

Things are cranking up around here again as we have Saturday Night’s Main Event, surprisingly enough coming up this Saturday. That show is going to feature CM Punk vs. Jey Uso for the vacant World Title, which is more than enough for the Raw side of the card. As for tonight, the Women’s Tag Team Titles are on the line. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Jey Uso winning the battle royal last week, earning himself the right to face CM Punk for the title this weekend.

The title is in the ring and here is Jey Uso for a chat. He talks about how there are two #1 contenders and now it’s time to get the title back. It’s four letters and one word…but here is CM Punk to interrupt. The song ends and Punk runs it back, which doesn’t have Uso looking happy. Punk talks about how they’re friends and he glad to see Uso finally listening to himself for a change. He’s not listening to Jimmy or Roman but that makes it complicated for Punk. See, Punk tries to put himself in his opponent’s shoes but he’s never been in Jey’s place before.

Last week, Jey won the battle royal and Punk knows he has what it takes. How far is Jey willing to go to get the title back? Punk needs the title back as well and on Saturday, Jey is going to be in a situation where YEETing isn’t enough. So how far is he willing to go? Jey talks about how he’s been in the deep waters before and he knows that Punk is going to be trying to make him out to be the bad guy. Well screw Punk and they’ll see each other on Saturday. There was only so much here, as there is only so much of a story, but serious Jey is a good thing.

We look at Judgment Day losing the Tag Team Titles last week.

Dominik Mysterio is worried about facing either Rusev or Penta at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Raquel Rodriguez calls him a serial cheater (Roxanne Perez’s jaw drops) and the rest of the team isn’t listening. Mysterio calls someone and says he needs help.

Rusev vs. Penta

For an Intercontinental Title shot at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Rusev jumps him to start fast but gets sent outside for the big running flip dive. Back in and the threat of a Canadian Destroyer sends Rusev back to the floor, where he knocks Penta over. They get back inside for a running splash to Penta in the corner, only for him to come back with a Backstabber. The first two times outside weren’t enough so they head to the floor again, this time with Penta going face first into the steps.

We take a break and come back with Penta fighting out of a bearhug and kicking Rusev in the face. The slingshot dropkick in the corner connects and Penta kicks him down again for two. Penta goes up but gets kicked out of the air to give Rusev two, with some frustration thrown in as a bonus. The Accolade is countered into the Penta Driver for a VERY close two and they’re both down. Cue all three Grande Americanos to jump them both for the double DQ at 9:56.

Rating: B-. I get what they’re doing here but this is one of the ideas that keeps coming up in wrestling and….dang it I can’t bring myself to hate it. At the end of the day, it takes an incredibly dumb heel to make this happen over and over and, well, Mysterio fits the description. It sets up the match well enough and as dumb as it is, it makes sense for Mysterio to think this would work.

Post match Rusev isn’t happy and clears out Americano’s goons, but they’re able to save him from the Canadian Destroyer. Penta and Rusev stare at each other.

LA Knight talks about how he came up short last week and it’s hard to keep the drive going. He doesn’t have the title around his waist right now but CM Punk and Jey Uso are on the way to Saturday Night’s Main Event. Sometimes he gets used to doing the hard thing because he doesn’t know how to quit. He’s coming for whomever wins on Saturday and he’ll have the title around his waist when he’s asked about it next time.

Bron Breakker thinks he and Bronson Reed should have been in the battle royal last week and want an explanation from Paul Heyman. After thinking for a bit, Heyman says the two of them wrecking everyone in the battle royal would have left Adam Pearce hating them. Instead, they should take out the one other man who wants the World Title (unnamed) and after he’s gone, the path to the title is clear. Breakker wants Heyman to get a match with that person….but Heyman has already done that. And of course it’s LA Knight.

We look back at ten years of Asuka on the main roster, with a slow and quiet version of her theme song in the background, which makes it sound rather creepy.

Judgment Day comes up to Adam Pearce and want a rematch for the Tag Team Titles. Balor is a bit calmer than McDonagh but Pearce says they’re already busy tonight. One of them gets to fight Sheamus tonight and Pearce lets them pick. McDonagh says he’ll do it (Balor looks surprised) and Balor says after that, they can come after the Tag Team Titles.

Nikki Bella vs. Roxanne Perez

Raquel Rodriguez is here too. Bella grabs a quick sunset flip for two and then slaps Perez in the face, which means we need to pause for a second. Back up and a dropkick staggers Perez again but she pulls Bella down and hammers away. Bella fights back until Rodriguez gets in a cheap shot to cut her off.

We take a break and come back with Perez getting two off a Lionsault and hammering away. Perez even mocks the pushups, which brings Bella back with some forearms of her own. A double faceplant leaves them both down and Bella is up first, with Perez having to block the Rack Attack 2.0. Bella escapes a sleeper and spinebusters her for two but Rodriguez offers a distraction. Perez gets caught with her feet on the ropes before avoiding a charge into the corner. Pop Rox gives Perez the pin at 11:17.

Rating: C+. I’m trying to care about having Bella back but it’s just not clicking. She feels like a relic of the past and a lot of what she does in the ring really doesn’t work very well. It’s not that she’s bad but it doesn’t feel important to have her out there. Maybe it works as a one off, but having her around full time is a bit hard to care about week after week.

Post match Rodriguez drops Bella again until Stephanie Vaquer makes the save. Vaquer and Rodriguez stare at each other with Bella popping up behind them. The villains leave.

We look at Bayley challenging Alexa Bliss and Charlotte for the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Lyra Valkyria runs into the Kabuki Warriors, with Asuka yelling about how Valkyria and Bayley have a title shot. The Warriors leave and Bayley pops in with a matching jacket for Valkyria. Bayley asks what if they lose but Valkyria asks what if they win. They even get a handshake down.

Jey Uso runs into Jimmy Uso, who isn’t happy with Jey throwing him out of the battle royal last week. Jimmy thinks Jey might have been worried about him and threw him out as a result.

LA Knight vs. Bron Breakker

Bronson Reed and Paul Heyman are here with Breakker. Knight gets driven into the corner to start but fights his way out, setting up some right hands in the corner. Breakker runs him over with a heck of a clothesline but Knight is back with a high crossbody. Knight gets two off a sunset flip and stomps him down in the corner, followed by a running knee.

We take a break and come back with Breakker hitting a running knee before suplexing Knight over the top for a big crash. A big running shoulder drops Knight on the floor and we hit the chinlock back inside. Knight fights up and slugs away before the jumping neckbreaker puts Breakker down. There’s the powerslam and a jumping elbow to Breakker so Knight goes up.

Breakker’s attempt at a super Frankensteiner doesn’t work as he crashes down instead (ouch). With Breakker ok, he goes up top, where Knight jumps to the top for the superplex. Reed offers a distraction but Breakker misses a charge into the post. They go outside with Knight sending him into the announcers’ table, followed by the reverse DDT back inside. Knight goes up but Breakker nips up and, after Knight jumps over him, the Super Spear finishes for Breakker at 13:35.

Rating: B+. This was a heck of a match and I got way into what they were doing. I wasn’t sure how it was going to end but what matters the most is Breakker’s rise to the top continues. There is a good reason to believe that he’ll be World Champion soon enough and racking up wins like this will only help him. Knight was doing well out there too and it made for a pretty awesome fight.

Adam Pearce finds Dominik Mysterio with the Grande Americanos. Believe it or not, it’s a triple threat at Saturday Night’s Main Event with Penta and Rusev. Mysterio: “No hablo ingles?”

Jimmy Uso runs into Jey Uso, who seems to apologize for throwing him out of the battle royal last week. Everything seems ok.

JD McDonagh vs. Sheamus

Finn Balor is here with McDonagh. Sheamus takes him into the corner and pounds away with the forearms to the back. A big backdrop takes McDonagh down and we get the Dublin Smile. McDonagh gets in a shot of his own and walks over Sheamus’ back, earning himself a clothesline to the floor. Balor breaks up the ten forearms so Sheamus clotheslines both of them off the apron.

We take a break and come back with Sheamus fighting out of a chinlock but McDonagh sends him outside for an Asai moonsault. Back in and McDonagh hits a 450 for two and it’s time for Sheamus to fight up. The Irish Curse plants McDonagh and now the ten forearms connect. The Brogue Kick is cut off by a running knee but Sheamus is right back with the High Cross. Balor puts the foot on the rope though and it’s time for Sheamus to go after him. McDonagh’s save attempt is sent crashing into the barricade but Balor gets in a shillelagh shot. That’s enough for McDonagh to hit a super Spanish Fly for the pin at 13:39.

Rating: B. Another good match here, which is always fun to see. Sheamus has been around for a long time but when he is given the chance, he can more than hang with anyone. That’s what we got here, with McDonagh looking rather awesome in his own right. The finish looked great too, as it’s nice for a smaller wrestler to not use a 450 or frog splash or something similar for a change.

We look at Becky Lynch losing to Maxxine Dupri via DQ last week.

Dupri is ready to get her title shot, but first she wants to talk to a friend and make sure she’s in the right place. Adam Pearce says it’s official…eventually.

Charlotte and Alexa Bliss are ready to retain the Women’s Tag Team Titles. The Kabuki Warriors interrupt and accuse Charlotte of being evil. Charlotte says she has changed and they would love to give the Warriors a title shot. Kairi Sane whips out a threatening umbrella until Asuka calls her off.

Saturday Night’s Main Event rundown.

Dragon Lee and AJ Styles are with Adam Pearce when Judgment Day interrupt. They want their rematch for the titles and the champs agree, with the match being set for next week.

A poker chip spins around and reveals “2026”. Ok then.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Charlotte/Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley/Lyra Valkyria

Bliss and Charlotte are defending with Bliss grabbing an early headlock on Bayley. Charlotte comes in for a clothesline so it’s off to Valkyria for an exchange of wristlocks. Bayley’s distraction doesn’t work and Charlotte kicks her in the face as the Fireflies are out. Valkyria kicks Charlotte outside though and a dropkick through the ropes puts her down as we take a break.

We come back with Valkyria grabbing a rocking horse on Bliss before handing it off to Bayley. A G9 gets two but Bliss is back with a double DDT. That’s enough for the tag back to Charlotte, who comes in with a great looking high crossbody. A clothesline and fall away slam drop Valkyria and Bayley is thrown next to her. The moonsault his both of them for two on Valkyria but Bayley is back up with a Bayley To Belly for two.

Bliss comes in off a blind tag and gets two off the Sister Abigail DDT, with Bayley making a last second save. Valkyria pulls Bliss out of the air for Nightwing and we seem to have a wardrobe issue (or something went wrong, with Bliss looking like she was helping Valkyria with an issue). Charlotte kicks Bayley in the head and grabs the Figure Eight (without the leg going over Bayley’s horizontal leg but oh well). Valkyria grabs Bayley’s hand to block the tap (why Bayley can’t tap with the other hand isn’t clear) but Bliss is in with the Twisted Bliss. Stereo Natural Selections retain the titles at 13:11.

Rating: B+. They were rolling near the end there and they’ve got something with Charlotte and Bliss as champions. What matters the most is that they feel like the big stars in the division. That’s what the division has been needing for a long time now and unfortunately this likely means one of them is going to be stricken with malaria in the next week or two. For now though, at least they had another awesome match, which tends to be their style.

Post match the replays are broken up by the Kabuki Warriors running in to jump the champs. Bayley protects Valkyria and the Warriors bail.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a show where the best parts were what took place in the ring, as a lot of the storytelling aspects were only so good. You can tell that the Seth Rollins injury messed things up a lot, as there isn’t much of a personal issue between Punk and Uso. Other than that, it feels like they’re trying to get through Saturday and then move on to everything else, which makes sense given how fast the big story had to be set up. The wrestling carried this show rather far tonight though, and that’s a great way to spend a Monday night.

Results
Rusev vs. Penta went to a double DQ when Los Grande Americanos interfered
Bron Breakker b. LA Knight – Super Spear
Roxanne Perez b. Nikki Bella – Pop Rox
JD McDonagh b. Sheamus – Super Spanish Fly
Charlotte/Alexa Bliss b. Bayley/Lyra Valkyria – Double pin

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: October 20, 2025
Location: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

So things got shaken up in a big way last week as the Vision turned on World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins. That opens up a bunch of questions and there is a good chance we’ll get some answers this week. We are rapidly approaching Saturday Night’s Main Event and odds are some of the card will come together tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at last week’s show, with CM Punk becoming #1 contender and then the Vision turning on Seth Rollins to end the show.

Here is Adam Pearce for a talk about what happened last week and in the future, but here is the Vision, with Bron Breakker holding the World Title, to interrupt. Pearce gets to the point: the title is vacant but we’ll have a new champion crowned at Saturday Night’s Main Event. CM Punk has already earned the right to be there and will face the winner of a battle royal being held tonight for the title.

Pearce wants Breakker to hand him the title but Breakker asks what happens if he doesn’t. Paul Heyman has a quick sidebar and Breakker wants some respect. Like with a please. Pearce doesn’t like it, but does say please. Instead Breakker hands the title over to Heyman, who hands it to Pearce. With Pearce gone, Heyman asks why everyone is so mad at the team. He watches Unreal and knows they’re the heels, but they didn’t cause Rollins’ injury.

Heyman didn’t turn on Roman Reigns and CM Punk for Rollins, but rather because Bron Breakker is the future. On top of that, he knows that Bronson Reed is better than Roman Reigns. The reality is that Rollins couldn’t shoulder the responsibility and the winners, who will be writing the history, are right here. The future is right here and welcome to the show.

We recap Dominik Mysterio running his mouth and getting Judgment Day a Tag Team Title defense as a result.

Judgment Day is getting ready when Mysterio comes in to ask if they have this. The team tells him that they have this and to worry about his own business.

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

Judgment Day is defending and McDonagh gets knocked down and into the wrong corner to start. Lee comes in for a running knee to Balor, who is right back with a basement dropkick for two of his own. It’s back to McDonagh to take Lee down as well as the pace slows a good bit. Balor’s snap suplex gets two and he goes up, only for Styles to crotch him down. Styles gets smart by throwing Lee into the corner but McDonagh low bridges Styles out to the floor.

We take a break and come back with Styles fighting out of trouble and handing it back to Lee to clean house. Everything breaks down and Lee hits a big suicide dive to both champs back inside. Operation Dragon is broken up and it’s back to Styles to take Balor down. Lee knocks McDonagh outside and Balor sends Lee out, leaving Styles to hit the Phenomenal Forearm.

McDonagh makes a VERY last second save, followed by the moonsault and Balor hits the Coup de Grace. Lee DIVES over McDonagh for the save in a great spot, followed by a suicide dive to Lee. Back in and Balor tries a Styles Clash on Styles, who reverses into the real thing for the pin and the titles at 13:13.

Rating: B. I mean…why not? Judgment Day was doing absolutely nothing with the titles so let Styles, who is on the way to the end of his career, have a nice moment before he hangs it up? It’s not like things can get much worse for the titles, so let them do something cool for a change.

We look at the Usos’ issues last week.

Jimmy Uso asks Jey Uso if he’s happy now. Jey says he was mad at himself last week and brings up Roman Reigns, but Jimmy cuts him off. Reigns isn’t here tonight and the two of them are in the battle royal. Jimmy says Reigns has Jey believing that he lost the title because he helped others. Jey isn’t sure what to believe, but Jimmy tells him to figure it out. Tonight, Jimmy will go after everyone in the battle royal, including Jey. That’s fine with both of them.

Intercontinental Title: Rusev vs. Dominik Mysterio

Mysterio is defending and dives through the ropes to start in fast on Rusev, who shrugs it off. An elbow has Mysterio down again and Rusev kicks him in the chest. Mysterio gets in a quick shot and dropkicks him in the back. The 619 is cut off with a shot to the head, followed by some rather hard suplexes.

We take a break and come back with Mysterio hitting his own suplex but the frog splash hits raised knees. The Accolade is blocked with a hasty crawl to the floor but here is Penta to prevent Mysterio from skedaddling. The distraction causes Rusev to hit Penta, leaving Mysterio to load up the timekeeper’s hammer again. Rusev blocks the 619 and takes the hammer, which the referee confiscates. That’s enough for Mysterio to get in a low blow, setting up the 619 into the frog splash to retain at 10:12.

Rating: C+. I keep thinking that Mysterio is going to be a big star when he turns and it’s getting obvious that he kind of all but has already. He’s getting better and better in the ring every day as he has figured out so many of the little things. It’s fun to watch his matches these days and that’s not only a great feeling now, but a very good sign for his future.

Post match Penta gives Rusev a springboard tornado DDT to leave him laying.

Women’s Intercontinental Title: Becky Lynch vs. Maxxine Dupri

Lynch is defending and knocks her into the corner to start fast. A victory roll gives Dupri two but Lynch takes right back over as we take a break. We come back with Dupri managing a comeback and getting in a snap suplex. The straps come down and the ankle lock goes on but Lynch reverses into a cross armbreaker. Dupri backflips out into another ankle lock, which is broken up as Lynch puts him on top. A high crossbody hits Lynch, who rolls outside and grabs the title. Dupri’s sunset flip gets two so Lynch knocks her silly with the belt for the DQ at 9:55.

Rating: B-. This is another case of a sliding scale, as there is no reason for Dupri to be very good in the ring. She’s inexperienced and her whole persona is someone who is in over her head. Whomever is working with her has done a lot of impressive work, because she’s doing rather well in the spot she’s getting. While I don’t believe she’s ready to do anything else, it’s at least a lot better than she’s done in the past.

Post match Lynch lays her out again.

Video on the international tour.

The Kabuki Warriors are happy with beating Iyo Sky and injuring Rhea Ripley. Now they want the Women’s Tag Team Titles back.

Paul Heyman comes up to Adam Pearce, who tells him that Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed are out of the battle royal. If Heyman wants them back in, say please. Heyman thinks for a second and then does say please. Pearce says no anyway and slams a door in his face.

Heyman goes to leave and runs into Becky Lynch, who isn’t happy. He begs off and offers Lynch a spot in the team even without Rollins. Lynch calls him a “Penguin Faced P****” and says this won’t work on her. Rollins knew that Heyman was going to turn on him, so we’ll see what happens when Rollins gets back. Heyman will be nothing without him and they’re not worried about whomever Heyman attaches himself to next.

Roxanne Perez vs. Stephanie Vaquer

Non-title and Raquel Rodriguez is here too. Perez chills in the ropes to start before pulling Vaquer into a bodyscissors. That’s reversed rather quickly and Vaquer works on the arm. Perez breaks that up and goes after the arm, which is switched into a rollup for two on Vaquer. Back up and Vaquer scares her out to the floor, only to take Perez down back inside. The threat of the Devil’s Kiss sends Perez bailing to the apron, allowing Rodriguez to get in a cheap shot as we take a break.

We come back with Vaquer hitting a Meteora in the corner, followed by a dragon screw legwhip. The Devil’s Kiss connects but the SVB is broken up. Perez fights back and hits the cartwheel knees to the head. Pop Rox doesn’t work though and Vaquer hits a 619, with Perez falling outside and Vaquer diving onto both villains. A double underhook gutbuster finishes Perez at 12:07.

Rating: B-. Vaquer continues to look so smooth out there and it helps having someone as good as Perez. That’s how you put together a solid match, as the champ gets to notch another win. I’m not sure who is next for her, but having her stack up wins like this should only help her.

Post match the double teaming is on but Nikki Bella runs in for the save. Oh sweet goodness not Bella getting a title shot.

Bayley surprises Lyra Valkyria and says she has a surprise for her next week. Valkyria is scared, as she should be.

Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed aren’t happy with being left out of the battle royal. Paul Heyman gives them a pep talk about Brock Lesnar and things seem ok enough.

Nikki Bella is in the back with Stephanie Vaquer. Bella gives her a pep talk about having her back, with Vaquer saying she owes Bella one. That’s fine with Bella, who thinks she just made some enemies.

Battle Royal

Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, Sheamus, AJ Styles. El Grande Americano, Dragon Lee, Ivar, Rusev, Akira Tozawa, Otis, Finn Balor, Dominik Mysterio, JD McDonagh, Penta, Grayson Waller, LA Knight, Kofi Kingston

The winner faces CM Punk for the vacant World Title at Saturday Night’s Main Event, so here is Punk to do commentary. It’s a brawl to start with Ivar and Otis slugging it out. Everyone stops to watch before realizing that it’s Otis vs. Ivar and continue fighting each other. Otis and Rusev slug it out, with Otis actually running him over. Back up and Rusev low bridges Otis out before doing the same to a Hulking Up Tozawa.

Lee tries a springboard but Judgment Day shoves him out to even a bit of the score from earlier tonight. Mysterio actually gets rid of Rusev and Penta at once and we take a break. We come back with Ivar sitting on Styles’ chest in the corner before slugging it out with Sheamus. Ivar gets dumped to the apron and pulls Sheamus out with him. Sheamus hits White Noise onto said apron and Ivar is out.

Americano loads up the mask but gets taken out and eliminated by the Usos. Sheamus forearms Balor out and tries to do the same to McDonagh, with Kingston sneaking up for the double elimination. Sheamus brawls to the back with Judgment Day and Styles tosses Mysterio….but the referee didn’t see it due to the brawl. Mysterio comes back in and goes after Styles as we take another break.

We come back with Jimmy, Jey, Mysterio, Kingston, Styles and Knight. Kingston monkey flips Styles but gets sent out to the apron. Styles knocks Kingston out and we’re down to five. Punk starts talking about the new Tag Team Champions, who could be called……AJ LEE! Ok that’s brilliant. Knight hammers away and Barrett asks if their loins are tingling. Tessitore: “Please say they’re not. Please say they’re not.”

Knight hits Jimmy with the top rope elbow but has to escape a Styles Clash. Knight grabs a reverse Boston crab on Styles, which has Punk thinking he wants to face someone that dumb. Jey is almost out but Jimmy makes a save and that can’t possibly be a good idea. Styles is knocked out and Jimmy goes after Knight, leaving Jey to knock them both out. Mysterio dropkicks Jey from behind but the 619 is countered into a backdrop to give Jey the win at 18:53 as Jimmy is LIVID.

Rating: B. Well, it was a fun battle royal and the result opens up a lot of doors. Punk and Jey have had their issues for months now so this is something that could work well. Granted there is always the chance that Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed crash the match, but for now, the pieces are there. It should be interesting to see where they go from here, so this is a good path to take.

Jey and Punk stare each other down to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a show where it was absolutely not dull and a lot of big things happened. That’s what they needed this time, as the Rollins injury is going to shake things up in a big way. I’m not sure what this is going to mean, but at least they have started things off in the right way. We can see where things go from here though and this show has me wondering where the show is going.

Results
AJ Styles/Dragon Lee b. Judgment Day – Styles Clash to Balor
Dominik Mysterio b. Rusev – Frog splash
Maxxine Dupri b. Becky Lynch via DQ when Lynch used the title
Stephanie Vaquer b. Roxanne Perez – Double underhook gutbuster
Jey Uso won a battle royal last eliminating Dominik Mysterio

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: October 6, 2025
Location: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

It’s the last Raw before Crown Jewel and that means it’s the last Raw without anything important involving the World Title. Seth Rollins continues to have doubts about whether he can beat Cody Rhodes, which is probably a fair issue to have. Odds are we’ll get some more towards that and everything else here, with the possibility of another match or two being added. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Roman Reigns returning last week.

Here is Reigns to get things going and yeah the fans still seem to like him. He takes a bit to soak in the cheers before allowing Dallas to acknowledge him. With that out of the way, here are Paul Heyman and Bronson Reed to interrupt. They stare at each other and Reigns asks if Heyman has something to say. Heyman doesn’t know who has been wisemanin Reigns since he broke Heyman’s heart and tells the fans to acknowledge the Tribal THIEF.

Heyman knows that Reed is the one man that Reigns fears as Reed is the only person to ever cause Reigns to leave on a stretcher. Not in WWE, not in college football, not in the drunken Samoan barbecues where a battle royal broke out. Reed talks about how Afa and Sika were never stretchered out, so how would they feel to see it happen to Reigns at Reed’s hands. Reigns says Reed didn’t know Afa and Sika, but Heyman did.

What does Reigns think Sika would say? That would be “fight him now”, which Reigns is ready to do, but Heyman says not so fast. Reigns knows what Heyman is saying about waiting, but the reality is Reigns is levels ahead of Reed. Just pick the time and the rules because Reigns will be there to show why he’s the Tribal Chief. Heyman says it’s going to be an Australian street fight and goes to leave, but Reigns says they’re walking out like a couple of b******. That brings Reed back to the ring for the brawl, with Reed being knocked over the barricade before they’re separated. Good enough here, if a bit long.

We recap the Kabuki Warriors vs. Rhea Ripley/Iyo Sky.

Asuka is not happy and demands that Adam Pearce makes Sky vs. Kairi Sane tonight. Pearce needs a drink and Sane is upset about having to do the match. Asuka yells at and slaps her in the face.

Becky Lynch vs. Maxine Dupri

Non-title. Dupri takes her into the corner to start and slaps her in the chest a few times but Lynch is back with a knockdown. A Thesz press and some bad right hands have Lynch in trouble, followed by a dropkick to….somewhere on Lynch sends her outside. Dupri hits a dive off the apron but Lynch Bexploders her into the barricade as we take a break.

We come back with Dupri hitting some knees and clotheslines. Dupri takes the straps down and grabs an ankle lock, only to be sent into the buckle. Some right hands in the corner have Dupri in more trouble until she comes out with a sitout powerbomb for two. Lynch’s cross armbreaker is countered but so is Dupri’s ankle lock. A spinning kick to the head gives Dupri two and the fans are WAY into this.

Lynch’s rollup with trunks gets two so Dupri grabs her own rollup and puts her feet on the ropes for two of her own. They go outside, where Lynch taps her with the big Prime bottle. Lynch sends her into the announcers’ table a few times and stops to yell…but forgets to get back inside and Dupri wins by countout at 13:45.

Rating: B-. To be clear, no, the wrestling here wasn’t particularly great and yes Lynch did most of the important work here, with Dupri being in over her head in this spot. What worked here was the fans getting into the story of the match, as it’s something anyone can appreciate. The idea here was an underdog is in there fighting for all she’s got against a champion who doesn’t respect her. Dupri didn’t so much beat Lynch as much as catch her making a big mistake and that’s a great way to finish this. I got into this after not wanting to see it at first, so well done on having this go so well.

Roman Reigns runs into the Usos, who say they have his back at Crown Jewel, though they both say it individually rather than as a team. Reigns says that Jey should be focused on the opportunities that are available. Jey says CM Punk is talking at the top of the hour. Reigns: “Not you.” Jey leaves and Reigns asks Jimmy why Jimmy doesn’t like Jey taking Reigns’ advice. Jimmy doesn’t say anything.

Bayley scares Lyra Valkyria and asks to be in her corner tonight. Valkyria is a bit scared but agrees.

Lyra Valkyria vs. Roxanne Perez

Bayley and Raquel Rodriguez are here too. An early slap wakes Valkyria up and they go into the corner with Perez having to fight her way out. A head shove puts Valkyria down but she grabs an armbar. Perez can’t armdrag her way out of the armbar but she sends Valkyria into the corner. A springboard knee to the arm has Valkyria in trouble and Perez stomps said arm in the corner.

We take a break and come back with Valkyria fighting back, though she can’t hook the leg on a fisherman’s suplex due to the bad arm. Rodriguez offers a distraction but Bayley holds Valkyria on top. That leaves Perez to crash down and Valkyria’s splash gets two. Rodriguez kicks Bayley in the face, leaving Perez to hit a diving tornado DDT to the floor. That sets up Pop Rox to pin Valkyria at 9:25.

Rating: C+. This was another step in the story between Bayley and Valkyria and odds are we’ll see the four of them in a tag match sooner than later. That being said, I have no idea where they’re going with this as Bayley being all over the place is a bit of a strange one to come back from no matter what they do. Also, at what point do we acknowledge that Judgment Day has been beating these two for a long time now and are getting nowhere as a result?

Post match Bayley grabs Valkyria by the hair and takes her to the back, saying they need to get them.

Video on AJ Styles vs. John Cena, which does have quite the history.

Styles is asked about the match with Cena but the Judgment Day interrupts. Dominik Mysterio mocks the idea of Styles beating Cena and Finn Balor says he’s heard rumors of Styles and Dragon Lee wanting to team up to challenge for the Tag Team Titles. Styles says he’ll find a third guy and we’ll have a six man tag tonight.

CM Punk is on his way to the ring and passes an arguing Rusev and Adam Pearce.

AJ Styles and Dragon Lee recruit Penta, who happens to be here in his full gear. Before he can answer, we cut to a fight between Bayley/Lyra Valkyria and the women of the Judgment Day. Adam Pearce comes in and blows a gasket again.

Here is CM Punk for a chat. After singing a Texas song (yep), Punk thanks the fans for giving AJ Lee a welcome return to WWE. We’re coming up on Crown Jewel and while he has a lot of things to deal with involving Seth Rollins, but he is going to let Cody Rhodes finish up with him first. Punk has beaten Rollins this year and he’s going to get his title back, just like a sign in the crowd says he should.

Cue LA Knight to interrupt and says he hasn’t gotten the World Title shot that he deserves. Knight agreed with some of what Punk was saying but there were some omissions. Punk is the creator of the Pipe Bomb, but lately he’s been known as a husband. That’s not an insult and everyone needs love (Punk gives a great “where is this going” face). While Punk is a great husband, he’s a pretty bad champion.

Punk was champion for five minutes and then Rollins pinned him at Summerslam. Then he did it again at Clash In Paris, which has never happened to Knight. Punk says that’s the same guy who has never been World Champion. Knight admits that’s true and says he’ll be the next man to pin Rollins, but here is Jey Uso to interrupt. Uso gets to the point by saying he’s the next challenger for the World Title.

Knight isn’t impressed and mocks Jey’s loss last week, which brings out Jimmy Uso. Knight says that’s not what he was trying to say and Knight turns to look at Punk, only to get superkicked by Jey. Punk assumes that he’s cool with Jey and he’s cool with Jey wanting the title. Punk wants Jey to stick with the tag stuff, because he likes Jey, but doesn’t like Little Roman. Jey tries a superkick but Jimmy cuts him off. Punk drops Jey but walks into a superkick from Jimmy. This is one of the best things to have in a title story: people fighting to get a shot, because that’s what matters the most.

Iyo Sky talks about her history with the Kabuki Warriors and how she and Kairi Sane looked up to Asuka. Then Asuka changed and everything went bad. Asuka has helped her, but she isn’t the only reason Sky became champion. They are not family anymore and is ready to fight at Crown Jewel.

Iyo Sky vs. Kairi Sane

Asuka is here too and Sky dives onto her before the bell. That has Sane breaking it up and Asuka tells her to get back inside. The bell rings and Sky takes her down with a headscissors before they try dropkicks at the same time. Sky’s dropkick sends Sane outside for an Asai moonsault and we take a break. We come back with Sane putting on an upside down triangle choke in the ropes.

Sky fights up and hits some palm strikes into a flapjack. The missile dropkick sends Sane into the corner and allows Sky to do her crazy dance. A nice bridging German suplex gives Sky two but Sane slips out of a sitout Pedigree. Sane slams her down and tries the Insane Elbow, which hits raised boots (and thankfully doesn’t break Sane’s legs). The running knees in the corner connect but Asuka breaks up the Over The Moonsault. Sane grabs a rollup (and Asuka’s hands) for the win at 9:45.

Rating: B. They had a good, hard hitting match here as Sky is on her own against two women, which is enough of a good way to protect her with the loss. The tag match should be big enough, as Ripley adds in some nice extra drama. Asuka being able to be such a force without even wrestling here makes it all the more impressive.

Post match the beatdown is on, including the Insane Elbow. The fans chant for Rhea Ripley, though it has been established that she is doing media in Australia and therefore isn’t here.

We get another video on Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins, this time focusing on how they came together to take Roman Reigns down but have since split up and gotten in a variety of fights of their own. Now Rollins doesn’t think Rhodes will be able to lead this company. It’s a big story, but it’s still hard to buy that this match is important.

Seth Rollins is all focused while Becky Lynch rants about Maxxine Dupri, Adam Pearce, the refereeing, and pretty much everything else. Lynch leaves and Rollins says he and Paul Heyman should talk. Rollins says he has to win on Saturday, which Heyman says will happen. Rollins asks what happens if he doesn’t win. Heyman: “But you will beat Cody Rhodes.” Heyman finally gets to the point and explains what happens: Rollins loses the locker room, everything he has built with the Vision, and shows that the Netflix Era has been built around a fraud while only being a secondary champion. So don’t lose.

Rollins pulls him back and asks what it means for Heyman if Rollins loses. Heyman says if Rollins loses, he has to ask why he picked Rollins in the first place. That gives Rollins something to think about. This was good stuff from Heyman as usual, but at the same time, I’m going to need to see one of these matches have any real consequences before I can buy this sort of a promo.

Jey Uso is ranting to Roman Reigns when Jimmy comes in. Jey wants to know why Jimmy was out there because now they have to face CM Punk and LA Knight tonight. Is Jimmy protecting Punk? Jimmy needs to decide whose side he’s on. Jey is gone and Jimmy tells Reigns that he sees everything is going on. Reigns has Jey thinking a certain way and needs to accept that the Usos are nothing like him. Reigns says Jimmy should listen to this: when Jey won the World Title, he became more like Reigns and less like Jimmy. If Jimmy wants to help Jey, sometimes he should get out of Jey’s way. As the Bloodline continues to turn.

Penta/AJ Styles/Dragon Lee vs. Judgment Day

Balor headlocks Styles to start but gets caught with the drop down dropkick. Everything breaks down and Judgment Day is cleared out to the floor, meaning it’s time for some quick dives. The good guys get to do a triple Penta strut and we take a break. We come back with McDonagh getting sent into the wrong corner, with Lee grabbing a dragon screw legwhip. McDonagh fights out of trouble though and it’s off to Mysterio, to quite the reception. Mysterio takes Lee down and McDonagh elbows him as we take another break.

We come back again with Lee still in trouble but getting over to Penta for the tag. A Spanish Fly drops McDonagh and the big tag brings Styles in for the house cleaning. Mysterio manages to send him throat first onto the top…but cue Rusev to cut off a 619 attempt. That’s enough for the Styles Clash to finish McDonagh at 14:05.

Rating: B-. The match was fine, but this felt like a way to get Styles on the show for the sake of reminding you that he’s facing John Cena on Saturday. At the same time, Rusev seems to be coming for Dominik Mysterio again, which should be a fine way to go, but I’m still not sure I can picture him winning the title. It’s not a bad story at all, though Lee continues to feel like the most “he’s there too” member of the roster these days.

Post match Styles says his match with John Cena doesn’t need a story because it writes itself. They will leave it all in the ring and it will kick a**. Yeah that’s fair for this one.

Crown Jewel rundown.

CM Punk and LA Knight agree that they don’t want the match but they’ll do it anyway. Knight tells him to not get pinned.

LA Knight/CM Punk vs. Usos

Knight and Punk charge in to start the brawl and we settle down to Knight stomping Jey into the corner. The running knee connects and Knight basically chops Punk for a tag. Punk works on the arm and then gives Knight the same kind of tag. It’s off to Jimmy, who gets hit in the face before Jey comes back in. Jey sends Knight into the steps and we take a break.

We come back with Knight still in trouble with Jimmy hitting a running forearm in the corner. A Demolition Decapitator drops Knight again and the running Umaga Attack connects. Knight finally gets in a shot of his own though and it’s off to Punk to make the comeback. Jimmy superkicks him right back down though and Jey’s Superfly Splash connects, with Knight making the save. Everything breaks down and Jey spears Punk but Knight is there again. The GTS hits Jey, only for Knight to tag himself back in and steal the pin at 9:40.

Rating: C+. This was more of a storyline advancement than a big time match, which isn’t a surprise given who was involved. It still feels big to have Punk in the ring and he’s going to have something to say to Knight going forward, which is where the magic should come from. At the same time, I could still picture Knight turning heel rather soon and there is a good chance that it leads to him getting something big in the near future.

Punk is not pleased to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The good action and some focus on things outside of the Crown Jewel Title matches helped this one a lot and it wound up being pretty good. The Women’s Title didn’t get any attention at all and Rollins had the best promo in the whole build towards his match with Rhodes. Other than that, the rest of the card got some attention and that was rather needed. Now just get done with Crown Jewel and let the top stars do something with their titles and it should be even better.

Results
Maxxine Dupri b. Becky Lynch via countout
Roxanne Perez b. Lyra Valkyria – Pop Rox
Kairi Sane b. Iyo Sky – Rollup with assist from Asuka
AJ Styles/Dragon Lee/Penta b. Judgment Day – Styles Clash to McDonagh
LA Knight/CM Punk b. Usos – GTS to Jey

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: September 29, 2025
Location: Lenovo Center, Raleigh, North Carolina
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re getting closer to Crown Jewel and that means it’s time to continue focusing on the non-title matches between the World Champions. Other than that, we do have at least one title match tonight as Dominik Mysterio defends the Intercontinental Title against Rusev. We also have a Tornado Tag match so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Asuka attacking Iyo Sky last week and having Kairi Sane help destroy her to end the show.

Here is a ticked off Rhea Ripley to get things going. She knew this would happen with Asuka so the Kabuki Warriors can come get her. Instead, here is Iyo Sky, who looks near tears. Sky admits that Ripley was right about the Kabuki Warriors, but they are Sky’s family and she still loves them.

Cue the Warriors on the screen, with Asuka’s comments (in English and Japanese) being about how she’s mad at Sky for turning to Ripley instead of her family. Asuka is willing to forgive her though, if Sky will just apologize, but it’s too late for Ripley. Back in the ring, Ripley says she’s been betrayed by family before and wants Sky on her side. Sky isn’t sure and says she needs time before leaving.

Cue the Warriors to jump Ripley from behind. Sky isn’t sure what to do but eventually runs in for the save, throwing Asuka off of Ripley. Sane gets between them and Asuka blows the mist in Sky’s face. Ripley is back up but the numbers get the better of her (including what appeared to be Asuka’s kick missing), as the Warriors send her into some posts. Sane drops the Insane Elbow and the Warriors stand tall. This is still one of the better stories in WWE today.

Intercontinental Title: Rusev vs. Dominik Mysterio

Rusev is challenging and Mysterio is on his own. Judgment Day leaves Mysterio alone and Rusev starts throwing him around, followed by a right hand to make it worse. A low bridge sends Rusev outside and we take a break. We come back with Rusev missing a charge in the corner, allowing Mysterio to hit a slingshot hilo for one. The fans are behind Mysterio but a 619 attempt is cut off with a heck of a clothesline.

Mysterio hits a dropkick to the back though and now the 619 can connect. The frog splash misses though and Rusev’s Machka Kick gets two. The referee gets distracted so Mysterio grabs the title, which he throws to Rusev and falls down ala Eddie Guerrero. That’s not going to work for the referee (who saw Mysterio fall on his own), but the distraction lets Mysterio get in a low blow for a rollup with tights to retain at 8:53.

Rating: B-. The match itself was whatever, but this was all about Mysterio being the biggest hero in the world. The fans were absolutely going nuts here and it was very interesting to see the crowd embracing Mysterio like this. He’s not a good guy yet, but when the turn does happen, he’s going to be an even bigger star.

Earlier tonight, LA Knight and Adam Pearce argued about Knight’s refereeing abilities. Knight wants a title shot at Seth Rollins but New Day comes in to say they should get a Tag Team Title shot. Knight and Pearce aren’t interested and the former is ready to face Kofi Kingston tonight. Pearce is in.

Video on Seth Rollins vs. Cody Rhodes, as they started as enemies a very long time ago. Rhodes had to leave to become a bigger star, while Rollins took over in his absence. Then Rhodes returned and won their feud, which Rollins hates. More on this later.

We recap Bayley being nice to Lyra Valkyria last week and then going insane after the match.

Bayley, in a Valkyria shirt, comes up to Valkyria in the back and talks about how great things went last week. She wants Bayley out there with her tonight but that can’t happen.

Bayley vs. Raquel Rodriguez

Roxanne Perez is with Rodriguez. Bayley is a bit tentative to start but knocks Rodriguez into the corner for some right hands. A headlock takeover is thrown away but Bayley manages a Stunner over the middle rope. Bayley’s suicide dive connects and her diving dropkick under the ropes connects as well.

A hurricanrana off the apron is pulled out of the air though and Rodriguez sends her crashing into the barricade. We take a break and come back with Bayley’s top rope Swanton connecting for two. Rodriguez runs her over again but gets caught in a Figure Four. The referee checks with Rodriguez but Perez rakes Bayley’s eyes for the save. The big boot and Tejana Bomb finish for Rodriguez at 10:24.

Rating: C+. As interested as I am in the Kabuki Warriors vs. Rhea Ripley/Iyo Sky story, I’m rather torn on this one. At the end of the day, the idea is that Bayley is all over the place, but there is only so much to get out of the thing if Bayley is losing like this. Rodriguez has felt like a big deal in recent weeks, but she barely feels important. That needs to change, as she’s too good to just be in stuff like this, but at least she won.

Post match the beatdown is on again but Lyra Valkyria runs in for the save. Bayley laughs a lot and then screams that Valkyria GOT THEM. Bayley grabs her by the head, says COME ON YOU IDIOT, LET’S GET THEM, and has Valkyria very confused.

Jimmy Uso asks Jey Uso where he was last week when he needed help. Jey says he didn’t help because it was LA Knight out there, who cost them at Wrestlepalooza. Why did Jimmy help Knight? Jey talks about how you need to worry about yourself and brings up that Jimmy has never been World Champion. Jey seems to walk that back a bit and they’re ready for tonight.

Kairi Sane comes in to check on the still misted Iyo Sky, saying they can still be a family. Sky says leave her alone but has a photo of herself with Sane and Asuka.

LA Knight vs. Kofi Kingston

They jaw at each other to start and Kingston goes after him, earning a neckbreaker from Knight. Kingston goes to the throat and grabs an armbar, which is broken up rather quickly. Knight sends him into the ropes and they head outside, with Woods offering a distraction. Kingston gets in a dropkick through the ropes and posts Knight as we take a break.

We come back with Kingston tripping him down and heading up top for a shot to the head. Woods gets in a cheap shot but Knight fights up and slugs away. They head outside with Knight sending him into the barricade, followed by a slingshot shoulder back inside. Woods gets involved again though, with Kingston getting two off a rollup. Knight pops back up and spins into the BFT for the pin at 10:21.

Rating: C+. What has happened to New Day? They are one of the most successful teams of all time and they could not feel much less important. Kingston is one of the most successful and decorated stars in WWE history but this is the best thing he can do. I’m not sure how everything has gone this badly but it’s getting sad to see.

Maxxine Dupri and Akira Tozawa are interrupted by Becky Lynch, who doesn’t think much of Dupri. Lynch does her usual “Sports Illustrated is saying it” but Dupri brings up AJ Lee. That earns Tozawa and Dupri a beating, with Seth Rollins saying he has to deal with something.

Here is Rollins, but he’s cut off by chants for CM Punk, Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes. Rollins says that he is 0-3 to Rhodes but it doesn’t bother him because it doesn’t matter. Those matches were in the past and now it’s time to find the future of the industry at Crown Jewel. The match is to determine the future of the industry and some people actually want Rhodes. Some people actually want Rhodes to be the quarter back of WWE and….are they crazy?

Rollins talks about everything he’s done around here and you still cheer for Rhodes. Cue Rhodes to interrupt, saying that the people are really the ones who control everything. He brings up the Vision showing up on Smackdown and how that was probably Paul Heyman’s doing. So who is in charge of the Vision? Rollins says every decision, including the team being on Smackdown, goes through him. Rhodes asks if Rollins allowed Heyman to handle Brock Lesnar’s introduction. Rollins: “Every decision runs through me.”

The fans disagree and Rollins is annoyed so Rhodes brings it back to Crown Jewel. Where are they going to be in twenty years? Will they be in the chairs back there reminiscing? Either way, Rollins offered his hand to Rhodes at Wrestlemania XL despite all of their issues. Rollins tells him to shut up because they were never friends and Rhodes was just a means to an end.

Rollins is going to cleanse the timeline and forget their history. There is only one person set to lead them into the future and that is Rollins. The promo from Rollins was good and it told a story, but I absolutely cannot get into this Crown Jewel Title stuff. WWE has made it clear that it means absolutely nothing once the show is over and yet we have to hear about it over and over.

Rhea Ripley checks on the still blue Iyo Sky. They’re set for a tag match against the Kabuki Warriors at Crown Jewel, and yes Ripley can trust her.

AJ Styles/Dragon Lee vs. Los Americanos

Before the match, Lee talks about how much he likes teaming with Styles and is the #1 contender for the AAA Mega Title. Styles brings up having a match at Crown Jewel, where thanks to the fans, he gets to BEAT UP JOHN CENA. Anyway, El Grande Americano is here with Los Americanos (Bravo and Rio), as Bravo (who is so obviously Tyler Bate that there’s no point in the mask) starts fast on Lee.

We take a break and come back with Bravo’s super hurricanrana being blocked. The top rope double stomp sets up the diving tag to Styles and the fans approve. Everything breaks down and Styles cleans house, including a dive onto El Grande Americano. The Phenomenal Forearm sends Rio to the floor and Lee tosses Bravo into the Styles Clash for the pin at 7:25.

Rating: C+. There is something interesting about having this many Americanos around. If nothing else, it’s giving some wrestlers something else to do and it’s making things a bit better. At the same time, it keeps the main one out of the ring a bit and that’s going to give him some longevity. Styles and Lee don’t feel like a long term team, but they’re fine for beating up Americano’s minions.

Video on Crown Jewel.

Stephanie Vaquer is ready for Tiffany Stratton at Crown Jewel. Cue Stratton to say she respects Vaquer, but she’s been champion for 268 days. Someone brand new isn’t going to come in and shake things up.

The Vision is in the back, with Seth Rollins not looking confident that he can beat Seth Rollins, even with Paul Heyman offering some reassurances.

Usos vs. Vision

Texas Tornado match so Jey dives onto the Vision to start fast. Breakker shoulders Jey in the corner to start but Jimmy makes the save. The Usos slug away on Reed but Breakker is back up to take over on Jey again. Jey breaks up the dive onto the announcers’ table but Reed is there to send Jey into the steps. The Jagged Edge through the announcers’ table is broken up so Breakker is right there with a heck of a jumping clothesline to send Jimmy through the table.

We take a break and come back with Jimmy still down at ringside while Jey gets beaten up inside. A big running clothesline puts him down again but Jimmy is back up for the save. The Usos are stacked up for a double Tsunami….and Roman Reigns is back with a chair for the save. A bunch of chair shots have Reed down and some more put Breakker in trouble. Superkicks and stereo Superfly Splashes are good for the pin on Breakker at 12:48.

Rating: B. The big thing that stands out to me here is how much Breakker and Reed work together as a team. They have chemistry together and are feeling like a regular team rather than just Seth Rollins’ minions. At the same time, Reigns getting involved is the big deal, as you can see WarGames starting to come together from here.

Post match Reigns and Jey have a chat, with Jey saying he’ll smash them all and everything seems cool as Jimmy looks on to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The Crown Jewel season is causing me a lot of issues as usual, as it’s just hard to get interested in what they’re doing on top. The matches don’t feel overly important, but thankfully there is some stuff in there to fill in the gaps. I like the Usos/Vision stuff and Mysterio had a great showing here. Overall it’s not bad, but I’ll be glad when we move on to something else.

Results
Dominik Mysterio b. Rusev – Rollup with tights
Raquel Rodriguez b. Bayley – Tejana Bomb
LA Knight b. Kofi Kingston – BFT
AJ Styles/Dragon Lee b. Los Americanos – Styles Clash to Bravo
Usos b. Vision – Double Superfly Splash to Breakker

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

Meiko Satomura Collection
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, Mike Tenay, Larry Zbyszko, Dusty Rhodes, Chris Cruiser, Michael Cole, Beth Phoenix, Renee Young, Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett, Booker T.

Why not. She’s an absolute legend and did quite a bit in NXT UK, which is almost entirely forgotten about these days. I liked what I saw of her during her time in WWE and it makes sense to give her this kind of a spotlight. I’m curious to see what WWE would include in something like this so let’s get to it.

From WCW Worldwide, February 16, 1997.

Meiko Satomura vs. Malia Hosaka

Hosaka, the veteran, throws Satomura (16 years old here) down to start but Satomura is right back up with a running knee. Back up and Hosaka hits a spinning kick out of the corner but Satomura gives her an awkward looking forearm in the corner. A top rope splash finishes Hosaka off at 1:14 in quite the upset.

From Monday Nitro, March 31, 1997.

Women’s Cruiserweight Title Tournament Semifinals: Meiko Satomura vs. Toshie Uematsu

Yes this really was a thing. Uematsu dropkicks her down to start but Satomura is back up to stomp away in the corner. The running forearm in the corner (better this time) connects for Satomura but the top rope splash hits raised knees. Uematsu gets a running start and kicks her in the chest in the corner, setting up the top rope splash to finish Satomura at 2:22.

From WCW Pro, December 8, 1996.

Women’s Title Tournament First Round: Meiko Satomura vs. Akira Hokuto

Hokuto knocks her out of the corner to start and then takes her back into the corner for some choking. Back up and Satomura hits a running crossbody for two, followed by a running dropkick for zero. The middle rope dropkick puts Hokuto down again and Satomura gets to clap a lot. Hokuto is thrown outside onto Sonny Onoo, followed by some chops in the corner. The top rope splash misses for Satomura though and Hokuto hits a missile dropkick. A northern lights suplex finishes for Hokuto at 3:07.

Rating: C+. Satomura still looks like she’s having a lot of fun out there, which makes for some less than great matches. At the same time, Hokuto looked a lot more sharp, with that missile dropkick being quite impactful. It was also nice to have a match get some more time, even if it was still barely there.

From the 2018 Mae Young Classic.

2018 Mae Young Classic First Round: Meiko Satomura vs. Killer Kelly

This is Satomura’s WWE debut and she is treated as a huge deal. After the handshake and respectful bow, Satomura starts kicking away but Kelly throws her down for two. A headlock takeover puts Kelly down as commentary praises Satomura and…well Kelly is there too. Satomura ties up the legs, with Cole saying “now it’s time to punish Kelly!”. And then Satomura grabs another headlock. Uh, make that a PUNISHING headlock I guess.

Back up and Kelly hits a big boot for two but she can’t get a surfboard. Satomura rolls over into a half crab, followed by an STF to really crank away. Kelly makes the rope so Satomura takes her back down and fires off the kicks. Kelly gets in a few kicks of her own and a delayed suplex gets two.

Commentary says Kelly surviving this long (it’s been less than five minutes) is an accomplishment but Satomura cuts that off with the cartwheel kick. Satomura goes up but Kelly catches her in a dragon sleeper while still hanging upside down (ouch). A fisherman’s suplex gives Kelly two and she is absolutely stunned by the kickout. Back up and Satomura hits a Pele for a breather and a Death Valley Driver gives her the pin at 7:41.

Rating: B-. What a difference 22 years makes. Satomura has dropped the having fun deal here and instead came off as an experienced killer. That’s the way to present a legend like her, as she’s off to a good start in the tournament and can then either win the whole thing or put someone over for a heck of a rub later on. Good debut here, with Satomura looking awesome.

From the 2018 Mae Young Classic.

2018 Mae Young Classic Second Round: Meiko Satomura vs. Mercedes Martinez

Respect is shown again and we’re ready to go. Satomura starts in on the arm and grinds away on a wristlock but Martinez reverses into a front facelock. They trade arm cranking with Satomura taking her down off an armbar. Satomura’s knee drop gets two and she grabs a front facelock. That’s broken up with something like a northern lights suplex and Martinez hits her in the head to get a needed breather.

Back up and they slug it out with Martinez getting the better of things and firing off some forearms to the face. Martinez ties up a leg and cranks on the neck at the same time. That’s broken up and Satomura kicks her down, only to get crotched on the top. Martinez’s hanging swinging neckbreaker gets two but another fisherman’s buster is broken up. Satomura cranks on a Fujiwara armbar but Martinez gets a foot in the ropes. The top rope splash gives Satomura two so Martinez grabs a Saito suplex for the same.

Satomura kicks her down again and hits a DDT for two as Cole says this is the match of the tournament so far and we’re only in round two. Well yeah, if you’re only in round two, it’s not much of a surprise if the best match is in the second round. It’s one of the two rounds to have taken place. Martinez is back with a fisherman’s buster into a surfboard but Satomura elbows her way out. A nasty spinwheel kick drops Martinez again and Phoenix says she can’t believe they’re both standing. They’re not, but Phoenix isn’t the most experienced commentator. Satomura finishes with the Scorpion Kick at 11:40.

Rating: B+. This was a heck of a match as Martinez was the first person to really make Satomura sweat. That’s not surprising as she’s a very talented veteran in her own right, but Satomura turned on the jets to win in the end, which shouldn’t be a terrible shock. I had a really good time with this and they beat each other up very well.

We actually skip Satomura winning her quarterfinals match and then losing in the semifinals (to Toni Storm) and move on to NXT UK on February 11, 2021.

Meiko Satomura vs. Isla Dawn

This is Satomura’s NXT UK debut. Satomura cuts off a kick to the ribs to start and strikes away as commentary explains the Final Boss name, despite not really getting the traditional meaning. A headlock takes Dawn over and Satomura strikes away, as NXT UK Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray watches. Satomura kicks her down again but Dawn is right back up with a fisherman’s suplex for two. A Meteora gives Dawn two but Satomura catches her on top. Dawn snaps off a Saito suplex for two and they slug it out until Satomura grabs a DDT. The cartwheel kick to the head sets up Scorpio Rising to finish Dawn at 5:28.

Rating: B-. They didn’t get much time but there was a lot packed into this and it made for a hard hitting fight. Dawn was making the best out of her chance out there against a legend and had a good match as a result. Satomura is pretty clearly being groomed for the top spot around here though and the title match is probably coming sooner than later.

From NXT UK, April 29, 2021.

Meiko Satomura vs. Aoife Valkyrie

Valkyrie is better known as Lyra Valkyria and offers a bow to start. Satomura kicks her in the leg and fires off some forearms, followed by a headlock takeover. That’s switched into an armbar to keep Valkyrie in trouble but she reverses into an armbar of her own. Satomura gets up and hits some running forearms in the corner. Valkyrie manages a rollup for two though and Satomura isn’t sure what to do with her.

Back up and Satomura is kicked outside, with Valkyrie hitting a hard dropkick through the ropes for two. A full nelson with the legs goes on but Satomura reverses into a weird reverse Figure Four. The referee asks Valkyrie, who gives an amazingly overblown NO, with her eyes bugging out. The rope is reached so Satomura kicks her in the head for two, with McGuinness being stunned by the kickout.

A spinwheel kick misses though and Valkyrie kicks her in the head for two of her own. They go up top, where Valkyrie manages a sunset bomb for a rather near fall. Valkyrie misses another kick and gets Saito suplexed hard. Back up and Valkyrie hits another kick but misses a top rope ax kick. Satomura gives her the cartwheel kick, then does it again for a bonus,, leaving Valkyrie to growl a lot. Scorpio Rising finishes for Satomura at 11:25.

Rating: B. They’re doing a great job of building up all of these people who just want to be the one to stop Satomura. That’s making for a nice story as she’s the big monster around here, though she’s also having one rather good match after another. You could see the star power in Valkyrie here and that would start to translate even more when she got to face higher level competition on a regular basis.

From NXT UK, June 10, 2021.

NXT UK Women’s Title: Kay Lee Ray vs. Meiko Satomura

Satomura is challenging (for the second time, after Ray beat her a few months ago). Some early kicks to the leg have Ray in trouble and Satomura forearms away in the corner. Ray misses a superkick and can’t hit her Gory Bomb either, sending her outside for some frustrated barricade kicking. A superkick connects for Ray but Satomura is right back on the arm back inside.

Something like a handstand Vader Bomb gives Satomura two but Ray chops her down for a needed breather. Ray suplexes her into a Koji Clutch but Satomura switches into an STF. That’s broken up as well and Ray drops a knee, setting up a seated abdominal stretch. Ray lets that go and gets kicked in the head, only to come back with a Death Valley Driver for two. Satomura hits her own Gory Bomb and laughs off another superkick.

More superkicks are shrugged off and now Satomura’s Death Valley Driver gets two. Ray’s Gory Bomb into a Swanton gets two and she’s stunned on the kickout. It’s enough that Ray tries to leave but only swings the title at Satomura, who catches her with a Death Valley Driver on the floor.

Back in and Satomura backdrops her again before going up, where Ray is right there too. A sunset bomb gives Satomura two and she grabs a choke, with Ray having to dive to the rope. Back up and a Pele kick drops Ray for two but she’s right back with a Koji Clutch. Satomura gets out again and hits a Death Valley Driver, followed by Scorpio Rising for the pin and the title at 18:27.

Rating: A-. DANG I could have gone with this with a big crowd in a regular arena as it would have moved the match to an even higher level. It turned into a struggle between two people who were hitting each other with everything they had until one of them couldn’t get up. That’s an awesome story with Satomura feeling like she finally reached the top. It helps that Ray had held the title for a LONG time so it was the end of an epic reign. Awesome match here, as Satomura lives up to the hype again.

From NXT UK, January 6, 2022.

NXT UK Women’s Title: Meiko Satomura vs. Blair Davenport

Satomura is defending. They start slowly and grab a test of strength with Satomura using a judo takedown to put her on the mat. Satomura goes after the arm before kicking Davenport into the corner. Davenport tries to fight out by gets kicked off the top for a big crash out to the floor. Back in and we hit the double arm crank before Satomura fires off some very hard kicks.

A big kick to the head puts Davenport on the floor but she finally manages a kick of her own (McGuinness is BEGGING her to cover). Davenport hits a hanging DDT to the floor and we’re off to a neck crank back inside. Satomura fights out and hits a big flying shoulder, meaning it’s time to strike it out. A suplex leaves Davenport’s head slamming into the mat (OUCH) and we’re off to an STF. Davenport reverses into a Fujiwara armbar but Satomura is back with a DDT.

The cartwheel kick connects for two but Davenport is right back with an STF of her own. With that broken up, Davenport hits a double stomp to the back for two but Satomura is back with a pair of Death Valley Drivers for two more. Davenport’s hard knee gets two of her own and she tries a sunset flip, only for Satomura to reverse into a rollup for the pin to retain at 12:58.

Rating: B. This started rather one sided as Satomura was destroying her until that awesome kick to the head from Davenport. After that it turned into more of a fight with Davenport getting to hang with Satomura, though ultimately she just wasn’t good enough. Satomura didn’t escape with a win but also didn’t really definitively beat her, which means we could be getting a rematch.

From NXT UK, June 9, 2022.

NXT UK Women’s Title: Meiko Satomura vs. Ivy Nile

Nile is challenging and was looking unstoppable at the moment. She takes Satomura down by the leg to start but can’t get very far with it so we’ll reset things a bit. A northern lights suplex drops Satomura but she’s right back with a headlock takeover. Back up and Nile pulls a crossbody out of the air but might have banged up her own back on a fall away slam. They trade forearms until Nile takes over and gets two off a stomp. Satomura kicks her down and grabs a Kimura, followed by some hard kicks to the chest.

Another big kick drops Nile for two but she’s right back with an enziguri. Some running kicks in the corner stagger Satomura and a flipping cutter gets two. Another jumping enziguri gives Nile two but Satomura kicks her in the face. The DDT into the cartwheel kick gets two but Nile is right back with Diamond Chain Lock. Satomura is in trouble until she flips backwards into a rollup to retain at 10:26.

Rating: B-. I was surprised that Nile didn’t win here, as she was on a roll in NXT and felt like someone who could have gotten a lot out of being Satomura. Maybe they were waiting on a bigger star to take the title but this was more or less it for Nile’s push. It was nice to see Satomura in there with someone a bit different though and they beat each other up rather well.

From NXT, September 6, 2022.

Meiko Satomura vs. Roxanne Perez

Perez is looking a bit terrified here. Satomura grabs a wristlock to start but gets taken down into a front facelock. A running shoulder does nothing for Perez, who gets dropped with a flying shoulder. Perez grabs an armbar, which is reversed into a headscissors, though Perez slips back out for the staredown. They go to the mat with Perez pulling her into an STF, which has Satomura bailing to the floor. The suicide dive connects, as Cora Jade is not happy in the back.

We take a break and come back with Perez fighting out of a double arm crank. Perez knocks her into the corner but charges into a shot to the face. The Death Valley Driver is escaped though and Perez gets two off a Russian legsweep. The Koji Clutch has Satomura in trouble but she’s back up with a spinwheel kick. Satomura goes up top and is quickly brought down with a super hurricanrana, only to come back with another Pele kick. Scorpio Rising finishes Perez at 11:20.

Rating: B-. This was an interesting way to go as Perez was clearly not at Satomura’s level, partially due to the lack of experience. The good thing is they wound up having a back and forth match, with Perez hanging in there well enough. It was about Satomura figuring Perez out and she eventually did, though it took some time to make it happen.

From NXT, March 7, 2023 (Roadblock).

NXT Women’s Title: Meiko Satomura vs. Roxanne Perez

Perez is defending. The bell rings, they shake hands, and we take a break. We come back with Perez getting to the ropes to escape what seemed to be an STF so it’s off to the test of strength. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Perez fights up, only to get pulled down into a cross arm choke. Perez flips backwards into one of her own but Satomura is back up with some uppercuts.

A double knee drop gives Satomura two and she starts in on the leg. Perez flips over into a headlock but running shoulders just bounce off of Satomura. Some running elbows in the corner have Satomura in trouble and Perez is fired up, only to have a Russian legsweep blocked. The cartwheel kick misses though and Perez is back with a running dropkick.

A suicide dive hits Satomura on the floor but she’s able to block a super sunset bomb back inside. Satomura’s top rope splash hits raised knees for two and the Russian legsweep gives Perez two. Satomura snaps off a Saito suplex for two and Perez is looking like she’s trying to hang on.

Back up and the Death Valley Driver into the cartwheel kick (Joseph: “That is how Meiko Satomura won the NXT UK Women’s Title!” No, it wasn’t.) gets two on Perez and they go out to the apron. Perez managers a posting but Pop Rox on the floor is blocked. Back in and Satomura drops her for two more, with Perez having to put her foot on the rope. Scorpio Rising misses though and Perez gets rollup for the win out of nowhere at 13:59.

Rating: B. I liked it a bit better than their first match as Perez was a bit more seasoned, though the story was better the previous time. This was more about Perez needing to survive to keep her title and it made for a good match in its own right. It also helps that Satomura didn’t lose very often, so this was a bit deal for Perez, especially when she’s still rather young.

And here’s something rather different. From a house show in Tokyo, Japan, July 27, 2024.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Meiko Satomura vs. Bayley

Bayley is defending and there’s no commentary as this is shot from ringside. Satomura takes her down by the arm to start and a kick to the arm sends Bayley into the ropes. Some arm cranking has Bayley needing the ropes again as she’s starting to realize that Satomura is more than a bit different. A snapmare works a bit better for Bayley but Satomura is right back on the arm, followed by the hard kicks to the chest.

Satomura drops a knee for two and kicks Bayley back into the corner as this is mostly one sided so far. Bayley gets in a kick of her own to knock Satomura back and they head outside. A flapjack onto the apron lets Bayley hit her running dropkick underneath the ropes and they head back inside. Satomura knees her way out of trouble for two but Bayley is right back with a shot to the face. It takes too long to go up top though and Satomura plants her with a Death Valley Driver for two.

Back up and they trade forearms for a double knockdown…so here is Miss Money In The Bank Tiffany Stratton. Satomura gets up and kicks the briefcase away, followed by a Pele. Bayley dives onto Stratton and Satomura throws the briefcase up the aisle, followed by the DDT. The cartwheel kick connects and Satomura hits Scorpio Rising for a rather near fall. The Bayley To Belly gets two more, followed the Rose Plant to retain the title at 12:27.

Rating: B-. This was a nice way to go for Satomura as she can more than hang with Bayley, but the idea was to do it in her home country. It makes things more special and dang it would have been better as a straight match without Stratton and the briefcase interference. Satomura is an absolute legend and the fans appreciate her, which made this feel that much better.

Post match Bayley shows respect and hugs Satomura, as this was her final match in WWE.

Overall Rating: B. Satomura’s talent is undeniable, but the problem with her WWE run is that it didn’t really mean much. She was mainly in NXT UK, which was as far away from what mattered in WWE as almost anything. It doesn’t help that the collection was less the Best Of Satomura and more “here’s just about everything she did in WWE”. Well and some from WCW as well but that was a nice bonus. It’s good enough, but you would probably bet better off just watching some random matches rather than the whole thing.

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: September 22, 2025
Location: Ford Center, Evansville, Indiana
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We are done with Wrestlepalooza and it was certainly a big time event. The big story on the Raw side saw CM Punk and AJ Lee defeat Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch, plus Stephanie Vaquer becoming the new Raw Women’s Champion. We’re on our way to Crown Jewel, meaning it’s time to do the champion vs. champion deal again. Let’s get to it.

Here is Wrestlepalooza if you need a recap.

We open with a long Wrestlepalooza recap.

Here is Cody Rhodes to get things going. He holds up the Crown Jewel ring and says he’d love to win another one but here is Seth Rollins to interrupt. Rollins has been looking forward to Crown Jewel so they can go face to face. Rollins knows a lot of people don’t like him but he wants to know what Rhodes things of him. Rhodes says it’s complicated but it shouldn’t be. He knows that Rollins has been making some questionable decisions as of late but he respects Rollins.

Rhodes is ready to win another ring, but Rollins holds up his watch, which was a present from Rhodes after Wrestlemania XL. This is the first time he’s worn it since then and now he wants to know if it was a real gift or a token gesture. Rhodes has talked about being the quarterback around here but what does that make Rollins? Does Rhodes think he’s just better?

The Vision is about the future of the industry and what it means, with Rollins as the tip of the spear. Rhodes can be the quarterback, but he’s Rollins’ quarterback. If Rhodes doesn’t accept that, things will go badly. Rhodes brings up that Rollins has never beaten him and leaves, with Rollins not looking happy. The Vision is there to cut Rhodes off, but they step aside. I always forget how boring this period is and this was no exception, as it’s for a prize that means nothing and which will not be mentioned for most of the year.

Jimmy Uso comes up to Jey Uso in the back and is looking for a rematch with the Vision, but Jey has already got a match tonight with LA Knight. Jimmy isn’t sure if that’s a good idea and thinks Jey and Knight should cool off, but Jey blames their loss at Wrestlepalooza on Knight. And the Vision would have taken Knight out if Jimmy hadn’t tagged with him last week. Jey says he isn’t blaming Jimmy and they’ll deal with the Vision after Knight.

New Day/Grayson Waller vs. War Raiders/Penta

No DQ. New Day and Waller are sent to the floor to start but they move before the dive. Back in and Kingston takes over on Erik, with Waller coming in with a kendo stick shot. Erik drops Waller on the floor so Woods slaps him in the back of the head. Erik: “ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?” Penta is back up with the big flip dive and we take a break.

We come back with Penta clearing the ring but being put on a table. Kingston goes up and drops down onto Penta (which the camera misses so we have to see it on the replay), leaving them both down. Back in and Erik powerbombs New Day at the same time, leaving Ivar to miss the Doomsault. Ivar is fine enough to hit a sitout powerbomb onto the apron but Woods is there with a kendo stick. Penta is back up and Kingston goes through the table but Waller catches Penta on top. That’s fine with Penta, who hits a super Canadian Destroyer for the pin at 10:17.

Rating: B-. I liked it well enough, though this story continues to feel ice cold. They’re still doing things, but it feels like something that has been going on for a long time now with nothing really happening. That is probably going to be the case for a few more weeks and I’m not sure where it goes from there. At least Penta gets another win, which is a nice thing to see.

Dominik Mysterio is panicking over Rusev but Finn Balor asks about the Mysterio who was all confident. Balor suggests asking El Grande Americano, but he’s not here this week. Balor and JD McDonagh are both busy, though Roxanne Perez talks McDonagh into helping him. It’s for the team though, not for Mysterio. Apparently Mysterio has already gotten McDonagh vs. Rusev set for later.

Bayley (in a jacket that CM Punk wore at Wrestlepalooza) comes up to Lyra Valkyria and thanks her for last week. Valkyria brings up Bayley screaming at her last week but Bayley thinks she’s joking. She wants Valkyria in her corner tonight and a confused Valkyria eventually agrees. Bayley: “NO TAKEBACKS!”

Adam Pearce brings out Stephanie Vaquer for her first comments as Women’s Champion. Vaquer thanks the people who helped her get here, including her father, who is in the crowd. She talks about what the title means and all the sacrifices she has made to get here. Pearce explains the Crown Jewel match coming up, with Vaquer saying she’ll be there. Well, that certainly was an appearance by the new champion.

Video on Brock Lesnar destroying John Cena.

Nikki Bella and Rhea Ripley congratulate Stephanie Vaquer on her win, but the Kabuki Warriors interrupt. Asuka isn’t impressed with Vaquer and seems to get a match with Ripley. Of note: there are three people in the back working on something and not acknowledging this whatsoever. They don’t mean anything, but it’s still a funny visual.

Roxanne Perez vs. Bayley

Raquel Rodriguez and Lyra Valkyria are here too. Perez hammers away in the corner to start but Bayley is right back with her own knockdown. The basement clothesline gives Bayley two but Perez starts in on the leg. Bayley gets tied in the Tree Of Woe for a stomp to said leg and we take a break.

We come back with Bayley dropping a middle rope elbow but getting caught on top. They head outside with Perez hitting Pop Rox to lay Bayley out, which is good for a nine count. Rodriguez pulls Bayley outside for a big boot, which draws Valkyria (with her massive blue shoes) over for the brawl. Valkyria posts Rodriguez but gets dropped with a suicide dive from Perez. Back in and Bayley starts to snap, and it’s the Bayley To Belly into the Roseplant for the pin at 10:46.

Rating: B-. This was another good one as Bayley continues to be a bit loony but the good thing is I’m curious to see where it goes. They aren’t exactly hiding what she’s doing and it isn’t some mystery deal, so now we get to see what happens as Valkyria tries to make sense of the thing. Perez is still a valuable asset to have around, as she can work well with anyone in the ring and that’s very good to have around.

Post match Valkyria goes in to celebrate with Bayley, who shoves her down and yells a lot as the split personalities are all over the place.

Cody Rhodes runs into Jimmy Uso, who wants him to talk to Jey. Rhodes will see what he can do.

Post break Rhodes goes to see Jey, who insists that he’s good. Rhodes says he knows what it can be like to fall off the top and says Jey’s family and friends are there for him. Jey thanks him for that but glares a bit as Rhodes leaves. That’s intriguing, as Jey continues to tease going to the dark side.

JD McDonagh vs. Rusev

McDonagh throws some chops in the start and gets knocked back as a result. Rusev chases him outside and then hits a big backdrop before they go to the floor again. This time McDonagh manages to send him into the steps and post, followed by the Asai moonsault. We take a break and come back with McDonagh hitting a jawbreaker into a slingshot corkscrew dive. A running knee drops Rusev and a nice moonsault gives McDonagh two. Rusev pops up and shrugs off the offense, setting up the Machka Kick. The Accolade makes McDonagh tap at 10:34.

Rating: C+. McDonagh wrestling as the straight up good guy is a weird thing to see but what matters is that this should set up Rusev for the title match. Rusev needs something to do and now we get to see how Mysterio gets to escape, assuming he can. That’s in addition to the big Finn Balor factor, as he’s hardly happy with everything Mysterio is doing.

Post match Mysterio stands there while Rusev keeps the hold on so Finn Balor makes the save.

Iyo Sky tries to talk Asuka out of the match with Rhea Ripley but Asuka is doing it anyway. Sky wants Kairi Sane to talk to her about it but Sane says Asuka is why they’re here so they must listen to her.

LA Knight talks about trying to keep order on Saturday and if Jey Uso needs help with that, it can be a BFT tonight.

Jey Uso vs. LA Knight

Uso slugs away to start and elbows him in the face to put Knight down. A charge misses in the corner though and Knight hits the jumping neckbreaker. Knight low bridges him to the floor but misses a dropkick through the ropes, allowing Uso to hit a clothesline as we take a break. We come back with Knight hitting a superplex but Uso fights back.

Uso avoids a Burning Hammer and blocking a jumping neckbreaker to send Knight outside. The suicide dive connects and a superkick gives Uso two. Knight knocks him back down and hits the top rope elbow but cue the Vision, with Knight having to take them out. The distraction lets Uso hit a spear into the Superfly Splash for the pin at 8:40.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have much time to make this work but the ending is likely going to keep things going in a few ways. Jey vs. Knight is already a story and you have the Usos vs. the Vision at the same time. There is a good chance that those stories are going to cross soon enough and then we get to see where it goes in Australia.

Post match Jey leaves but gets cut off by Jimmy Uso, who wants to go after the Vision. Jimmy goes to the ring by himself with a chair, with Paul Heyman calling the team off.

Becky Lynch is venting about Cody Rhodes but Seth Rollins doesn’t really listen. She doesn’t like what Rhodes has been saying about her, including calling her lovely. Rollins keeps looking at the watch as Lynch keeps going, eventually promising to make an example out of Rhodes.

Iyo Sky comes up to Rhea Ripley, who is sorry for the loss at Wrestlepalooza. Sky wants her to be careful around Asuka, with Sky saying Asuka is family.

We look at Stephanie McMahon being announced for the Hall Of Fame. Yeah fair enough.

Video on Los Grande Americanos, who are back after being believed to be gone. They will take over WWE.

Maxxine Dupri asks Adam Pearce for a match. Pearce says he’ll think about it, but AJ Styles and Dragon Lee come in to say they want to deal with the Americanos. Pearce is in on this one.

Asuka vs. Rhea Ripley

Kairi Sane is here too. Asuka kicks at the leg to start but gets dropped with a nasty German suplex. We take an early break and come back with Asuka sending her to the apron and hitting a dragon screw legwhip. Ripley fires off some clotheslines and a belly to back faceplant, followed by a running dropkick. A northern lights suplex gives Ripley two but Asuka goes back to the knee. Ripley boots her out to the floor though and hits a running flip dive as we take another break.

We come back with Ripley fighting out of an ankle lock. Ripley puts her on top for a superplex and the big crash leaves them both down. Back up and Ripley kicks her in the face and hits a Razor’s Edge toss, followed by a hard knee for two. Asuka gets back up and strikes her out to the floor with a big kick to the head. Sane teases getting involved and Asuka tells her to do it, where Sane teases some cheating but doesn’t do it.

Instead Asuka sends Ripley into the announcers’ table and counters a kick to the head with a kneebar back inside. Asuka lets that go and grabs a German suplex before heading up top. Ripley dropkicks her out of the air (that looked great) heads up top, only to jump into a dropkick (that looked great). Sane teases interfering but gets knocked down, leaving Ripley to roll Asuka up for the pin at 17:14.

Rating: B+. This was a hard hitting, back and forth match between two women who can work very well together. It was turning into a question of how they were going to have one of them lose. The idea here seems to be Asuka using her authority over Iyo Sky and Kairi Sane and now we’ll get to see where that goes. What matters here though is that it’s a rather awesome main event and Ripley gets a big win, which she has been needing.

Post match Asuka blows blue mist into Ripley’s face. Sane eventually helps with the beatdown but Iyo Sky runs in to try and calm things down. Asuka kicks Sane down and orders Sane to attack, which she does. The Empress Impact drops Ripley and Sane gives Sky an Insane Elbow (against her will) to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. I liked a lot of the wrestling here, with the main event being a highlight, but at the same time egads the Crown Jewel stuff is already dragging the show down. It feels so unimportant and there is almost no way around the whole issue. Hopefully the rest of the card carries the slack, as otherwise we could be in for a very long few weeks on the way to the pay per view.

Results
Penta/War Raiders b. New Day/Grayson Waller – Super Canadian Destroyer to Waller
Bayley b. Roxanne Perez – Roseplant
Rusev b. JD McDonagh – Accolade
Jey Uso b. LA Knight – Superfly Splash
Rhea Ripley b. Asuka – Small package

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: September 15, 2025
Location: MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Corey Graves

It’s the last Raw before Wrestlepalooza and we’re on an hour earlier, likely to avoid the second Monday Night Football game of the evening. John Cena is here tonight and we’re fairly close to his hometown, so things should be interesting. Other than that, AJ Lee and CM Punk are here to meet up with Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of the Vision beating down LA Knight and Jimmy Uso, with Jey Uso making the save, only to take Knight out as well as he’s getting a bit more devilish.

The Usos arrive and Knight goes after him. Jimmy Uso and Adam Pearce break it up, with Pearce threatening fines if this keeps going.

Here is John Cena to a hero’s welcome. Cena talks about how he spent a lot of time in this city, playing football at Springfield College. He played on the offensive line, meaning he never got his name in the paper and he would get beaten up every day and then have to come back the next day and do it again. That’s what got him ready for WWE and now he’s here in front of friends and family.

After saying hi to his niece (on her birthday) and saying he’ll see her this week, Cena talks about getting ready to face Brock Lesnar at Wrestlepalooza. He’s done that more than a few times and it’s really hard, so maybe he should consider backing out of the match because he’s only got six appearances left.

We get a THANK YOU CENA chant and that’s why he’s saying yes to Lesnar. He has never fought one battle backstage because he’s always fighting in front of these people. Of course he’s scared of Lesnar but he’s taking the fight to the Beast because that’s what he does. This was a good speech (and you could tell how special it was for Cena), but it still feels like Cena and Lesnar are on different planets on the way to the match.

We go to Adam Pearce’s office where Jey Uso and LA Knight are still arguing. Pearce wants to keep things calm so he asks Knight to pick his partner against the Vision. He’ll take Jimmy Uso, which doesn’t sit well with Jey.

Roxanne Perez vs. Lyra Valkyria

They go with the grappling to start before Valkyria slams her down to take over. Perez gets a rather nifty rollup for two but Valkyria is back with a crossbody. She seems to be favoring her back though, allowing Raquel Rodriguez to trip her down. That’s enough to get Rodriguez ejected, leaving Valkyria to kick Perez to the floor.

Back in and Perez trips her off the top for a nasty crash, followed by some screaming pounding as we take a break. We come back with Valkyria hitting a sitout powerbomb for two. Perez cuts her off on top and grabs the crossface, only for Valkyria to power up into Nightwing for the pin at 9:06.

Rating: C+. This was the kind of comeback win that Valkyria needs as she hasn’t been doing much lately and was coming off a loss. It’s a weird way to go with Valkyria trading wins, though I’ll take her getting back on track this fast. The real story is still with Bayley though and that’s going to be….I have no idea yet.

Post match Rodriguez comes back in for the beatdown but Bayley returns for the save. Bayley runs over and hugs the commentators and ring announcer as Valkyria is stunned. This is giving me 3 Faces Of Foley vibes.

Stephanie Vaquer and Iyo Sky have signed the contract for Wrestlepalooza and show respect before the title match. The Kabuki Warriors come in and Asuka wants Vaquer to face….Kairi Sane tonight. Adam Pearce makes the match and Sane does some shadow boxing in a hilarious moment.

LA Knight comes in to see Jimmy Uso and wants to make sure Jimmy won’t screw him over like Jey Uso. Jimmy says Knight has put him in a tough spot and he’ll need to find another partner.

Kofi Kingston vs. Penta

Xavier Woods and Grayson Waller are here with Kingston. Penta starts fast and knocks him out to the floor, only for Kingston to kick him down. The Shadows Over Hell drops Penta again and we take a break. We come back with Penta hitting the handstand dropkick in the corner for two.

Penta hits one of the loudest chops I’ve heard in a bit but Kingston is back with a knockdown for two. Trouble In Paradise is blocked by a superkick (which doesn’t exactly connect) and they trade strikes to the face for a double down. Woods offers a distraction so Waller can come in, only for Penta to come back with a springboard Canadian Destroyer for the pin at 7:32.

Rating: B-. Much like Valkyria, Penta needed a win like this as he doesn’t have much much going on in the way of momentum. It’s nice to see him getting a win with a cool finish, which he hit in a unique way. I’m not sure what New Day is doing at the moment, but that’s been the case for a long, long time now.

Jey Uso is on the phone and saying he has some issues. Jimmy Uso comes in and asks who was on the phone. Jey brushes that off and says Jimmy has to turn LA Knight down for tonight. That doesn’t work for Jimmy but Jey talks about how they have the Vision at Wrestlepalooza. Jimmy tells him to change his tone, because there’s no ula fala around his neck.

Post break, Jimmy tells La Knight that he’s in. Works for Knight.

Here are Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch for a chat. The fans chant for CM Punk and Rollins says that as a result, he’s ignoring them. Rollins addresses the fans on Netflix and then introduces Lynch, who wants to talk to AJ Lee and Punk in person, because unlike Punk, she doesn’t insult people behind their backs.

Cue Lee and Punk, the latter of whom introduces himself as her husband. Punk talks about how he’s known for his talking and asks which one is the team captain. They can’t even get on the same page and we had to listen to two bad songs. He has no problem with putting Cult Of Personality on the shelf and lighting it up with his wife (AJ seems to say “good job”). The fans get on Rollins so Lynch stands up for him, before Rollins says he’s going to give Punk credit (Punk’s eyes bugging out is funny).

Rollins says AJ Lee is the best decision Punk has ever made (Punk seems to agree). Fans: “NO ONE LIKES YOU!” Lynch: “I like him!” Rollins means in Punk’s personal life, because bringing AJ in is a bad professional move. AJ calls Rollins “sweet cheeks” and says Rollins started this by using Lynch as a human shield. Punk has said he cared about himself, his wife and the title.

Lynch brings up Lee having a bad neck (as she mentioned in her book) and points out Punk got into a blood feud over a bracelet with his wife’s name on it. That makes AJ a liability instead of an asset. AJ: “Well Becky thank you for reading my book. I didn’t read yours.” It’s true that she has a bad neck, but seeing Lynch’s “constipated face” made her see red. Lee: “I’m a Puerto Rican from New Jersey. Sometimes I shank a chick.” She’s ready to hurt Lynch, but Rollins calls Lee “little girl”. Fans: “SHE WILL KILL YOU!”

Rollins brings up Lee and Punk both leaving and suggests Punk will leave her too. That’s good for a slap to the face, with Rollins saying he would never put his hands on a woman. He knows someone who would though….but Lynch bails. Lynch says Rollins got them into this and leaves, but it’s a ruse to get Punk to chase Rollins, leaving Lynch to Manhandle Slam Lee. She throws in a slap to Punk for a bonus. This was a long segment and they only said a few interesting things, but the fans and the one liners were both great and carried the thing to the finish line.

Video on Worlds Collide, including Dominik Mysterio winning the AAA Mega Title.

Mysterio doesn’t want to talk about El Grande Americano because he is the Mega Intercontinental Champion. Hold on though as there is sounds of a fracas and we run over to see New Day having attacked Penta with a chair. The War Raiders run in to chase New Day Off.

Dragon Lee vs. El Grande Americano

Lee starts fast with a shotgun dropkick but Americano fights up without much trouble. A TKO gets two on Lee and Americano hammers away, including a crazy loud chop. Lee is right back up with a hurricanrana to the floor so Americano lays on the announcers’ table. Lee gets a running start for a running flip dive to crush him again as we take a break.

We come back with an exchange of loud chops until Lee grabs a sitout powerbomb. Lee’s top rope Tree of Woe double stomp gets two but cue another Americano for a cheap shot though, which draws out AJ Styles to give chase. Styles takes out the other Americano but a third pops up for a tornado DDT to take drop Styles on the floor. The distraction lets the original grab a choke with knees in Lee’s back for the win at 10:14.

Rating: C+. The best thing I can say about the Americano story is that I’m curious about where it’s going. Having the original Americano replaced and then having multiple clones going out there as well is interesting, though we could be waiting a good while before we get any kind of a reveal.

Americano is confused but rolls with it.

Lyra Valkyria is about to go talk to Bayley about what happened but hears a lot of shouting. She goes inside and Bayley is alone, leaving Valkyria even more confused. Bayley says she might have been changing or had company but Valkyria just barged in (she did knock). Oh yeah this is Bayley being all wacky, though how surprising was her return if she had a private dressing room with a name plate ready.

Rhea Ripley tells Stephanie Vaquer that she’s coming for the next champion. Works for Vaquer.

Stephanie Vaquer vs. Kairi Sane

They go to the mat to start with Vaquer winning the grappling, only for Sane to plant her down for a fast two. Sane tries a sunset bomb but gets double stomped as we take a break. We come back with Vaquer dropkicking her away and hitting the running knees in the corner.

The SVB is broken up though and Sane hits a forearm, setting up the top rope double stomp. A dragon screw legwhip out of the corner takes out Vaquer’s knee but she’s fine enough to come back with a big dive to the floor. The Devil’s Kiss rocks Sane back inside and the SVB finishes at 12:02.

Rating: B-. Vaquer is on the way to a title match on Saturday so it’s nice to see her getting a win to boost her up on the way there. At the same time, Sane deserves some credit for what she has been doing, as her mannerisms have been outstanding as of late. It helps that it was a good match too, which shouldn’t be much of a surprise given the participants.

Post match Asuka glares at Vaquer but Iyo Sky runs in to break it up. Asuka bails and Sky and Vaquer shake hands.

The Vision is ready for the Usos on Saturday and Jimmy Uso and LA Knight tonight.

Iyo Sky asks the Kabuki Warriors to let her do this by herself, with Asuka (who is being held back by Sane) angrily agreeing.

Wrestlepalooza rundown.

The Judgment Day toasts Dominik Mysterio for winning the AAA Mega Title but Finn Balor isn’t sure about the victory lap. He points out Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez having a rough night but Rodriguez says it’s ok. Balor still doesn’t buy the whole deal with El Grande Americano again and leaves. Rusev comes in and offers a handshake but Mysterio says his hands are full. Rusev wants the Intercontinental Title.

LA Knight/Jimmy Uso vs. Vision

Uso chops away at Breakker to start and Knight comes in to punch Reed down. The running hip attack connects for Uso and a double clothesline sends Breakker outside as we take a break. We come back with Reed pulling on Uso’s hair and Breakker adding an overhead belly to belly. Uso manages a boot to the face and hits a Whisper In The Wind, which is enough for the tag off to Knight.

A jumping neckbreaker takes Breakker down but he’s right back with a jumping knee to the face. Everything breaks down and Knight’s top rope elbow into the Superfly Splash gets two on Reed, with Breakker making the save. A dive to the floor is cut off but Reed gets speared back inside. Breakker drops Knight on the floor and Reed cuts off the Superfly Splash, setting up the Jagged Edge for the pin on Uso at 12:03.

Rating: C+. I don’t think the result was ever in any real doubt here as a makeshift team shouldn’t be beating the top heel team. What matters the most is getting the Vision to look strong, but at the same time, Knight and the Usos aren’t exactly getting along. That sounds like we’re going to be seeing a match of some sort in Australia next month and this week was a step there.

Post match the beatdown stays on until Jey Uso runs in with the chair for the save. Reed knocks the chair away but gets sent outside. Knight picks the chair up but Jey looks at him. Knight shakes Jey’s hand….and then lays him out with the BFT to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This show did a nice job of setting up the pay per view, as there was quite a lot to cover. Most of the matches got some time and that’s nice to see, especially with so little time left. The wrestling was decent enough, but the focus here was on getting ready for Saturday and I’m more interested in the show than I was coming in. I’d call that a success.

Results
Lyra Valkyria b. Roxanne Perez – Nightwing
Penta b. Kofi Kingston – Springboard Canadian Destroyer
El Grande Americano b. Dragon Lee – Choke with knees in the back
Stephanie Vaquer b. Kairi Sane – SVB
Vision b. Jimmy Uso/LA Knight – Jagged Edge to Uso

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

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