Monday Night Raw
Date: August 3, 2026
Location: Casey’s Center, Des Moines, Iowa
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re done with Summerslam and the big Raw story is the end of the Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins feud, as Reigns beat Rollins and they made peace after. Reigns is going to need a new challenger and we might be finding out more about that this week. Other than that, we’re coming up on…geez is there a PPV in September? Let’s get to it.

Here is Summerslam if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Roman Reigns retaining the title over Seth Rollins.

Here is Reigns, with the fans loving him, to get things going. He talks about how he has called various shots and been right every time, including beating Rolling last night. Reigns says he can only acknowledge so much but the fans can do it for him. They sing his song but here is LA Knight to interrupt, leaving Reigns unimpressed.

Knight admits that Reigns did it himself last night, but Reigns is still a fraud. Knight wants to face Reigns one on one and he can do it anytime. Reigns thinks Knight is the real fraud for wearing a Wal-Mart watch while pretending to be a megastar. He holds up the kind of watch a champion wears and asks what Knight has done besides winning a six man tag. Reigns mocks him and says that’s not enough before going to leave.

Knight says he’s realized that Reigns’ aura goes away when he’s standing in front of Knight, with Reigns always needing help take Knight out. He mocks the Shield introduction and leaves, suggesting he’s still ready for a title match. Knight feels like a B show challenger but it needs to happen at some point.

We look at Oba Femi beating Brock Lesnar at Summerslam, with Lesnar endorsing him after the match.

Je’Von Evans vs. Ethan Page

Page shoulders him down to start but Evans knocks him to the floor for the big dive. Back in and Evans hits a heck of a high crossbody and we take a break. Page sends him into the corner though and we take a break. We come back with Page kicking him in the head but Evans escapes for a springboard clothesline.

Page breaks up a springboard and hits a kind of fisherman’s Russian legsweep for two. They go outside with both of them being sent into various things, allowing Evans to hit a heck of a dive over the barricade and into the timekeeper’s area. Back in and Page grabs a Codebreaker for two so let’s take off a turnbuckle pad. The referee isn’t having that and it’s an OG Cutter to give Evans the pin at 12:41.

Rating: C+. As usual, Evans is rather skilled at being able to make a great comeback and he got to do it again here. Page was beating him up a few times and flying through the air to make his comebacks. I liked this well enough, with Page getting pretty well locked into his spot around here.

Post match here is Big Cass to lay Evans out, including with the East River Crossing (bearhug swung into a side slam). This is the serious Cass who worked well in other places over the last few years.

We look at LA Knight/Royce Keys/Solo Sikoa beating the Bloodline at Summerslam.

Roman Reigns yells at the Bloodline for their loss and seems to want Jacob Fatu to take care of Royce Keys, who is NOT part of their family. The Usos volunteer to go after LA Knight but Reigns calls them off, saying leave him alone. Reigns leaves and Knight shows up to mock the Usos for having to follow “daddy’s” rules.

Post break Royce Keys comes up to see Jacob Fatu and says no matter what, they’re still family. Fatu says they aren’t because Keys is just one of the boys (what Reigns said to him) and wants a street fight tonight.

Here is Judgment Day for a chat. Liv Morgan (sporting a black eye) brags about beating Iyo Sky and doesn’t think she has any challengers at the moment. Morgan praises Raquel Rodriguez for her title win as well and knows Roxanne Perez will take out Sol Ruca.

Sol Ruca vs. Roxanne Perez

We’re joined in progress with Ruca working on the arm and they trade rollups for two each. Perez cartwheels away and slaps her in the face before stopping to pose. Ruca whips her into the corner and grabs a surfboard, followed by a moonsault to drop Perez on the floor. Back in and Perez breaks up the cartwheel DDT and we take a break. We come back with Perez hammering away and, eventually getting an X Factor. Ruca goes up but gets grabbed by Morgan for the DQ at 10:27.

Rating: C+. This was kind of a weird one as you would have thought Ruca was going to get some revenge on the team but instead gets beaten up again. Ruca hasn’t had the best run of success as of late and I’m not sure where she’s going next. At the same time, Morgan needs a new challenger and I was thinking Ruca was on her way there but apparently not so much at the moment.

Post match the beatdown is on but here is the returning Becky Lynch to interrupt. The Man has come back around because she doesn’t want Morgan to go another 100 days without defending her title. Morgan has the worst title reign of all time and it’s not just her saying it. That has Morgan annoyed so she says that Lynch should be back raising her daughter while Morgan is the best Women’s Champion of all time.

Morgan goes to leave but Lynch says Morgan isn’t even the best Women’s Champion to sleep with Dominik Mysterio. That gets a huge OOOO but Stephanie Vaquer is back to run through Judgment Day while Lynch watches on. Lynch and Vaquer stare each other down but don’t come to blows. It’s cool to have Vaquer back but Lynch returning at the same time is going to make Vaquer look smaller by comparison.

We look at Brock Lesnar’s career, including the UFC days, set to I Stand Alone. Unless they have another career highlight package for him set to the same song, this is the same video that aired the night after Wrestlemania, though it does include some clips from his Summerslam match with Oba Femi.

Paul Heyman is watching the video when Femi, in all white, comes in to say he never got to thank Lesnar for his kind words. Femi would like Heyman to thank Lesnar for him, with Heyman saying it would be a pleasure and offering what appears to be a sincere congratulations.

Here is Femi for a chat. He talks about the respect that he and Lesnar have for each other after Summerslam. Femi thought Lesnar knew that he was different after Wrestlemania, but then Lesnar came back and insulted him. Now Femi knows that it was just a test to see if he was that good.

We have an answer to that question and now we have gone from “can Femi swim” to “how long can Femi hold his breath?”. Femi won at Summerslam and passed the test and now the Beast can finally rest. So what’s next? If anyone has a problem with him, they will have to answer to the Ruler. And that’s that, which is good as he doesn’t need to start his new feud immediately. As Femi leaves, the Vision comes out, with Bron Breakker and Femi having a staredown, much to the fans’ interest.

Bron Breakker vs. Joe Hendry

Breakker stares at the entrance with his back to Hendry, who wants to get going. Hendry goes after him but gets dropped with a clothesline. Breakker’s spear hits the steps so Hendry takes out Austin Theory and throws Breakker inside…where the Super Spear finishes for Breakker at 1:39. Yeah that had to happen for Breakker, but dang that’s a bad look for Hendry.

Post match Theory hammers on Hendry until Akira Tozawa runs in for the save.

We look back at Big Cass’ return.

Cass talks about how he’s been gone for eight years and he was left in the dirt. It was nothing personal for Je’Von Evans because Evans was just in the way. Cass is here to stack bodies and Evans won’t be the last. Cass channeling Sid has worked for him before and it can work here again.

Here is new Intercontinental Champion Chad Gable for a chat. Gable wants to thank people who have believed in him over the years. He also wants to thank Penta for their match last night, along with the fans who have stuck with him. Even when he was Shorty G. Gable had promised himself that he would win a singles title here and he is proud to be the Intercontinental Champion.

This brings out Penta to interrupt, as he offers respect to Gable and calls him a true luchador. Gable is touched but here is Judgment Day to interrupt. They don’t like the idea of Gable being called a luchador when Dominik Mysterio is the AAA Mega Champion. The challenge is thrown out so get the referee out here.

Judgment Day vs. Penta/Chad Gable

We’re joined in progress with Penta taking over on Mysterio, who takes him into the corner for the tag off to McDonagh. The beating doesn’t last long as Penta is back up for the tag to Gable. House is quickly cleaned and Penta hits the big flip dive, leaving Gable to Olympic Slam Mysterio for a near fall. McDonagh gets in a headbutt though and a suplex puts Gable down on the floor as we take a break.

We come back with McDonagh’s standing moonsault getting two. Gable gets up again and brings in Penta for the Penta Driver on Mysterio for two more. Gable’s moonsault hits raised boots but he reverses into the ankle lock. McDonagh breaks that up so Mysterio loads up the hammer. Gable cuts that off and takes the hammer away, leaving Penta to hit Mysterio with the belt. The rolling Chaos Theory finishes Mysterio at 10:27.

Rating: B-. Gable gets to celebrate his big win and then win again here, which is a good thing to see. He had an awesome moment in winning the title and following it up was kind of a question mark, as he doesn’t have anything to do at the moment. Judgment Day losing again is hardly a surprise, but Gable vs. Mysterio again in the future could be an option.

We look at CM Punk retaining the Smackdown world Title over Cody Rhodes at Summerslam, thanks to the returning Randy Orton.

Bron Breakker asks Paul Heyman if he should do something about Oba Femi. Breakker also asks where Femi is, but Heyman doesn’t know. That doesn’t work for Breakker, who thought Heyman and Femi were best friends. Heyman knows this isn’t good. As this was going on, Lyra Valkyria and Adam Pearce could be seen arguing in the background.

Jacob Fatu vs. Royce Keys

Street Fight. They slug it out to start until Fatu misses a charge into the post. Fatu shrugs that off and clotheslines Keys out to the floor, setting up the suicide dive. Keys sends him into the steps but Fatu is right back with some rams into the announcers’ table. Fatu’s charge is cut off with a clothesline, followed by a running powerslam through the barricade for the huge crash.

Keys loads up a table, which takes too long as always, allowing Fatu to throw him over the announcers’ table. Some chairs are thrown in, with Keys diving off the announcers’ table with a clothesline. More chairs are throw inside and Keys beats him down with a kendo stick. The table is set up in the corner but Fatu grabs a choke with the kendo stick.

A suplex sends Fatu through some chairs for two but he comes back with the inverted DDT for two more. Fatu goes up but Keys catches him with the super powerslam for a very near fall and we keep going. The USB connects but Fatu pops up again with a Samoan Drop through the table in the corner. The triple jump moonsault sets up a flying….Tongan Death grip to finish Keys at 13:18.

Rating: B. This was designed to make Fatu look like a killing machine again and that’s pretty much what he did, as Fatu kept popping up after everything Keys threw at him. It was quite the smashing with Keys fighting him as hard as he could not but being enough. That’s not great for Keys’ future, but this was Fatu being more like the old monster that got him over in the first place.

Post match Fatu puts it on him again and then hits the running Umaga Attacks in the corner. Fatu wraps the chair around Keys’ throat and hits another Umaga Attack, with Adam Pearce and agents having no way to stop him. Cue Roman Reigns to pose, with Fatu posing back. Reigns leaves and runs into Rey Mysterio, who says he’s the GM of AAA. Mysterio wants to run something by Reigns, who goes with him. I have no idea what that’s going to be, but the fact that the upcoming AAA Worlds Collide event is taking place in the same city on the same day as AEW All Out makes me think we might be getting a guest star.

Overall Rating: B. This show felt similar to the Raw After Wrestlemania, with things wrapping up at Summerslam and moving on to a bunch of new stories. Throw in some returns with Cass, Vaquer and Lynch and this show felt rather strong. The wrestling got better in the end and that made things even better. Good show here which felt like a new start to a lot of things.

Results
Je’Von Evans b. Ethan Page – OG Cutter
Sol Ruca b. Roxanne Perez via DQ when Liv Morgan interfered
Bron Breakker b. Joe Hendry – Super Spear
Penta/Chad Gable b. Judgment Day – Rolling Chaos Theory to Mysterio
Jacob Fatu b. Royce Keys – Tongan Death Grip

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: July 27, 2026
Location: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s the last Raw before Summerslam and that means it is time for the final push to the red half of the card. In this case that means an official weigh-in between Brock Lesnar and Oba Femi, along with something else between Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns. The Alpha Academy get to face the Vision as well so let’s get to it.

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

The Cell is lowered and Oba Femi and Brock Lesnar (with Paul Heyman), flanked by police, come to the ring for the weigh-in. HHH and Adam Pearce are in the ring waiting as Femi comes in first. Femi weighs 302lbs and here are Heyman and Lesnar, but the Cell is locked with the two of them outside. Heyman says it’s a bad idea for Lesnar to be inside that Cell and lists off Lesnar’s resume.

We hear about how great Lesnar is in the Cell and Femi is promised a beating. Oh and Lesnar weighs 303lbs. Femi is ready to fight anyway but Lesnar will see him at Summerslam. Femi says Saturday is coming and he’ll be ready for Lesnar. With Lesnar and Heyman leaving, Femi wrecks security. Unless I missed it, HHH didn’t say anything here. This wasn’t a great segment, but it’s also a story where there is nothing left to say.

We look at Seth Rollins beating Roman Reigns via DQ at the 2022 Royal Rumble (hey I was there).

Vision vs. Alpha Academy

Non-title. Theory runs from Otis to start and it’s Breakker coming in to circle Otis instead. A big shoulder drops Breakker and it’s off to Tozawa, who gets sent into the wrong corner. Maxxine Dupri grabs Tozawa’s foot and a big boot knocks him outside as we take a break. We come back with Breakker’s gorilla press gutbuster dropping Tozawa for two. Tozawa flips away from Theory though and it’s Otis coming in to clean house. The Caterpillar hits Breakker and Tozawa’s suicide dive takes Theory out on the floor. Otis gets posted though and the Super Spear finishes Tozawa at 8:30.

Rating: C+. Hopefully this wraps things up for the Academy as a serious threat as it’s pretty much the only match they needed to have. Otis probably has something else to do and that makes sense as the fans are behind him. At least Tozawa took the fall here, which is how the thing should go as he’s just kind of along for the ride.

Post match the Vision stays on them but Otis is back up. Dupri offers a distraction though and it’s a double powerbomb out of the corner to plant Otis. Theory cracks Otis with a chair to leave him laying.

LA Knight has been accused of being paranoid but look at how things have been going with the Bloodline. The goal is to put them in a hole at Summerslam and the BFT is just a fact of life.

Raquel Rodriguez and Sol Ruca are both ready for the title match tonight. I have no idea why they’re looking off to the side as they talk about the other, as they’re in different rooms.

Various celebrities are here, including Jimmy Hart.

We get a video of Chad Gable in Minnesota, where he promises to win the Intercontinental Title. He spent a long time doing everything he could to gain success and it didn’t work, but then he lost himself as El Grande Americano. Now though, he needs to win the title because he’s ready to represent himself, his friends, his family and his state as he did in the Olympics, but he’s doing it as the man he was always supposed to be. Heck of a vignette here, as Gable is on fire here and pretty much has to win.

Iyo Sky is ready to prove Liv Morgan wrong again by taking the title at Summerslam.

Je’Von Evans vs. Rusev

Rusev drives shoulders into the ribs to start and then drops him with a clothesline. Back up and Evans kicks him in the head, setting up a springboard hurricanrana. That earns Evans a fall away slam out to the floor, where he kicks Rusev in the face. A charging crossbody is tossed over the barricade but Evans is right back with a shot of his own. That’s enough for Evans to send us to a break (“We’ll be right back!”) and we come back with Evans fighting out of a chinlock.

Rusev drops him with a shot to the face but Evans unloads with right hands in the corner. The big no hands dive takes Rusev down again so they go back inside, where Rusev gets in a Machka Kick. The Accolade is escaped but the OG Cutter is reversed into the Accolade, with Evans diving over to the rope. A Stunner staggers Rusev though and the OG Cutter finishes him off at 10:55.

Rating: B-. This was a back and forth match and Evans bounced off of Rusev rather well. That’s about all you can expect from Rusev these days, as it’s not like he’s doing much of anything else. At the same time, Evans got to survive the Accolade and beat Rusev clean. He’s getting something out of this and I want to see how far he can go, as he’s won me over in recent months.

We look at Seth Rollins costing Roman Reigns the World Title at Wrestlemania XL.

Here are Joe Hendry and Danhausen for a concert, starting with a song about Judgment Day wanting Danhausen’s human monies. Then they sing about believing that you are cursed and here are the Minihausens as well, followed by a bunch of dancing girls. The dancing girls start a conga line and boxer Ryan Garcia jumps the barricade to sing with them.

Then he guitars Hendry in the back and Judgment Day runs in for the big beatdown. The Minihausens get beaten up too and Judgment Day clears out the ring. I actually fell asleep watching the show and woke up during the concert with the Minihausens dancing. It was clear that more sleep was needed.

Various celebrities are here, including Ashton Kutcher (the Farm Hand), who is holding an NXT Tag Team Title of all things.

Big Cass is back next week.

Rey Mysterio vs. Ethan Page

They go technical to start until Page runs him over with a shoulder. A quick hurricanrana looks to set up the 619 but Page is back up with a pull into the corner. Page powerbombs him onto the apron and we take a break. We come back with Page going for the mask but Mysterio fights out and hits a top rope moonsault. Page boots him in the face but gets sent into the post, allowing Mysterio to hit some right hands in the corner.

The Eddie Dance looks to set up…something off the top, only for Page to reverse it into a powerslam. Page is sent outside for a top rope hurricanrana, sending Page hard into the announcers’ table (OUCH). Back in and the 619 is loaded up but Page grabs the ring skirt of all things to block it. Page posts him and gets the Egoplex for the pin at 11:43.

Rating: B-. This was another nice win for someone on the way up as Page gets what is probably the biggest win of his main roster career. He’s not someone who is coming up with anything amazing or new but he does his thing rather efficiently. It’s similar to Robert Roode and that’s not a bad place to be.

Liv Morgan thinks Iyo Sky doesn’t know who she’s facing at Summerslam. Morgan is the girl who worked so hard to make it through NXT and now she’s here, as champion. She cares about Sky, who already beat her once, but Sky isn’t in her head. Morgan is so much stronger than Sky and now it’s time to remind everyone who she is. Good, to the point promo here.

Danhausen and the Minihausens are banged up so Adam Pearce comes in to say give Judgment Day the money back. Danhausen has an idea (uh oh): Human Monies On A Pole! Pearce: “HUMAN MONIES ON A POLE???” Danhausen: “Haven’t you ever watched wrestling?” It’s official for Summerslam and Pearce needs a drink.

Here are the Usos for a chat, albeit after running it back. They issue a warning shot to LA Knight/Solo Sikoa/Royce Keys at Summerslam but here is Sikoa, through the crowd, to say they don’t have a chance at Summerslam. Jimmy mocks Sikoa for suggesting he doesn’t want to come back to the Bloodline because it was the best thing that ever happened to his career. Sikoa: “Or what, you’re going to YEET for thirty minutes?”

Sikoa isn’t worried about Roman Reigns and here is Knight to join things. Knight wants things fixed up after Summerslam because it’s time to pay penance. He’ll see them this weekend…..or we can do this right now, LA style. The brawl is on so here is Jacob Fatu, who wrecks both of them until Keys it on for the save. Sikoa breaks up the Tongan Death Grip and Fatu gets dropped with a trio of finishes. Perfectly fine brawl to preview the match.

Video on the violence of the Cell.

Women’s Intercontinental Title: Sol Ruca vs. Raquel Rodriguez

Ruca is defending and spins around her into an X Factor to start. A sunset flip is blocked but Rodriguez avoids an elbow drop as Lyra Valkyria is watching backstage. Rodriguez strikes away but gets sent outside for a heck of a moonsault. Back in and Rodriguez pulls a high crossbody out of the air for a reverse suplex. A slam gives Rodriguez two and she teases an armbar but just punches her in the head instead. We hit the chinlock, allowing the referee to wipe some blood off of Rodriguez’s face.

Back up and Ruca hits a Backstabber (albeit with feet), followed by Sliced Bread for two. Ruca’s running knee gets two, followed by a top rope cartwheel DDT for the same. Cue Roxanne Perez for a distraction so Liv Morgan can trip Ruca, meaning it’s a big boot to give Rodriguez another near fall. Cue Iyo Sky to brawl with Morgan and Ruca gives Rodriguez a Codebreaker. Perez breaks up the Sol Snatcher though and the Tejana Bomb gives Rodriguez the title at 10:23.

Rating: C+. There was a lot going on here with Sky vs. Morgan feeling like the bigger story than the title match going on here. That being said, Rodriguez needed to win something of her own at some point and this worked. Ruca seems to have gotten around some of her yips in the ring and that is great to see, as she can be outstanding when she is hitting on all cylinders. Not a classic here, but I like the title change.

And Rodriguez is very emotional over her win. Fair enough.

Video on CM Punk vs. Cody Rhodes.

Summerslam rundown.

We look at Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns (vs. CM Punk) last year at Wrestlemania.

Here is Reigns for the big wrap up. After standing around for a bit, Reigns loads up the catchphrase but here is Rollins to interrupt. Rollins wants to be acknowledged so Reigns calls him an a******. Rollins: “Guilty!” He’s fine with being the bad guy between the two of them because he wasn’t born on third base. Reigns has a lot of advantages over Rollins but the one thing he will never be better at is pro wrestling.

No matter how Reigns looks at it, Rollins owns him. How is Reigns getting out of it this time? Get disqualified? Maybe call in the Bloodline? Reigns may need to beat him but Reigns doesn’t have a chance. Reigns calls himself the only real superstar and true champion around here. The whole industry needs Reigns to win, which has Rollins talking about what they need.

Reigns needs the redemption, so Rollins says Reigns needed his family there to see it. This has Rollins thinking back to Wrestlemania XXXI, when Rollins cashed in and sent Reigns’ family home in tears. Rollins wants to see them cry again on Sunday, including Reigns’ children. The fight is on and Reigns beats him up, including the spear. Reigns goes outside and grabs the chair (oooh) and goes for the big shot but gets Stomped onto the chair to end the show.

This was a good example of someone just not having the same presence as their opponent. What Rollins was saying was fine, but there is a gravitas to the way Reigns speaks that makes him feel so much bigger. It’s been hanging over Rollins the entire time, so playing up their record against each other is about all he has. Teasing Reigns finally getting the chair shot to pay Rollins back is a big thing too, as they really have turned it into something that feels monumental and started setting so many things in motion over the years. Good segment here, and it makes sense that this will be the big Summerslam headliner.

Overall Rating: B. This was the show designed to get them ready for Summerslam and yeah it worked. Reigns vs. Rollins feels a lot bigger and the six man tag got a nice push. I’m more interested in Summerslam than I was coming in and it would be great to see them pay that off this weekend. You need a show like this and if nothing else, maybe it can get them to break 30,000 tickets a night. You know, in that 60,000+ seat stadium they’re in for back to back nights. Anyway, solid effort here.

Results
Vision b. Alpha Academy – Super Spear to Tozawa
Je’Von Evans b. Rusev – OG Cutter
Ethan Page b. Rey Mysterio – Egoplex
Raquel Rodriguez b. Sol Ruca – Tejana Bomb

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Post break Valkyria has nothing to say.

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

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

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

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

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

Dragon Lee vs. Ethan Page

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

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

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

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

Video on Sol Ruca, who is a thrill seeker.

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

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

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

LA Knight vs. Jimmy Uso

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

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

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

Bayley is getting medical treatment but has nothing to say.

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

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

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

Night Of Champions rundown.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. The Vision

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Smackdown
Date: June 12, 2026
Location: Amica Mutual Pavilion, Providence, Rhode Island
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re back in America after the two week European tour and this week is about setting up something in the future. In this case, it’s Gunther getting to announce the stipulation for his title shot against Cody Rhodes, which takes place next week. That could go in a few directions, but it’s Gunther’s call. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long Cody Rhodes/Gunther recap.

Rhodes arrives and runs into Nick Aldis, who says Gunther will name the stipulation tonight. That works for Rhodes and Aldis leaves, with the Usos replacing him. Jey says that he’s winning the King Of The Ring and coming for the title, but it’s not personal. That’s fine with Rhodes as well, but he hopes it’s what Jey wants and not Roman Reigns.

Commentary tells us that Rhea Ripley has a knee injury and is undergoing treatment so we’ll see where things go from there.

We look back at Jade Cargill and company winning last week’s six woman tag.

Jade Cargill, with B-Fab and Michin, is ready for the Queen Of The Ring and Charlotte, whose entrance cuts her off.

Queen Of The Ring First Round: Charlotte vs. Sol Ruca vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Jade Cargill

Non-title. Everyone goes after Cargill to start so she suplexes Valkyria and Ruca at the same time. Charlotte is knocked outside and Cargill’s minions jump her, drawing out Alexa Bliss and Tiffany Stratton for the save. The four of them brawl off and Charlotte high crossbodies Cargill for two as we take a break.

We come back with Ruca rolling Cargill up for two but Valkyria throws Ruca outside. Charlotte goes up top but Ruca jumps up top with her, only to have Valkyria take Ruca out again. Cargill powerbombs Valkyria and Charlotte down at the same time but Ruca is back in for the save. Valkyria rolls Ruca up for two so Ruca moonsaults off the top onto all three at once for the huge crash.

We take another break and come back with Charlotte catching Cargill on top, where Ruca helps Charlotte with a double superplex. Ruca is back up with a springboard double flipping clothesline, only to have Cargill take her down. Cargill gives Charlotte Jaded but gets caught with the Sol Snatcher. Valkyria is back in but gets caught in Natural Selection. The Figure Eight makes Valkyria tap at 17:59.

Rating: B. This was a heck of a match with Charlotte getting the win but it didn’t feel like she dominated the whole match as she has been known to do before. Cargill was the big force here but the other two were hardly just cannon fodder. I liked this and Charlotte is oddly working as a heroine after so many years as the big evil.

In the back, B-Fab and Michin come after Tiffany Stratton again but Chelsea Green runs in for a save with a kendo stick, with one heck of a crazy look on her face. Stratton has no idea what to make of this.

Jacob Fatu comes in to see the Usos but he’s here to see Solo Sikoa.

Blake Monroe doesn’t like Charlotte either. Why did they have her pop up in that backstage segment if she’s just doing these “she’s coming” vignettes?

Gunther comes in to see Nick Aldis and makes the announcement: he gets to pick the referee for the title match next week. That’s fine with Aldis, but we have to wait to find out who the referee will be.

Finn Balor is fired up to be here when R-Truth comes in to say the Judgment Day is back together. Balor is confused but Damian Priest comes in for a rather tense reunion.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Paige/Brie Bella vs. Fatal Influence

Paige/Bella are defending after Fatal Influence jumped them last weeks. Henley takes Bella into the corner to start but it’s off to Paige to take over. Everything breaks down and the champs strike away to take over until Jacy Jayne trips Bella down. Bella has to fight out of the corner but another distraction means the referee misses the tag. That means Reid can grab her running Blockbuster for two and we take a break.

We come back with Bella getting over for the tag to Paige and house is cleaned. Henley gets caught in the Scorpion Crosslock, which is quickly broken up. The Rampaige drops Reid with Henley making the save. Jayne has to make another save and gets ejected, leaving Paige to small package Henley to retain at 10:34.

Rating: C. This was the latest time for the Cinderella run between the team no one was asking to see continues. It’s another case where the initial win was fine but it’s hard to buy that so many teams can’t beat Paige and Bella. The match wasn’t awful, but it’s become clear that there is nothing to the champs and they get less interesting together week to week. Then again it keeps us from them losing the titles and getting the Bellas’ magic moment so this could always be worse.

We look at Sami Zayn getting involved with Cody Rhodes and Gunther.

Zayn rants to Johnny Gargano again, with Candice LeRae asking when Gargano is going to get up and do something.

Los Garza gives Danhausen money and Matt Cardona comes in to say he doesn’t have money but gives Danhausen a watch and ring. Kit Wilson brings in Miz, who is only able to spout catchphrases since Danhausen electrocuted him. Danhausen electrocutes Wilson as well and leaves, with Wilson sparking. Pretty normal night.

Here is Sami Zayn for a chat. Zayn isn’t sure why he isn’t getting as nice of a reaction as he got in Europe but that’s ok. Do you want to boo him or ride or die with the Last Real Good Guy? Zayn is out here to clear the air with Cody Rhodes, who comes out to join him. Rhodes does his usual but Zayn doesn’t want this Rhodes for a change. A few weeks ago, Rhodes made Zayn feel terrible when he walked away while Rhodes was choked out.

That’s what Rhodes deserved on that day and Zayn wants Rhodes to tell him the truth. Rhodes says that Zayn is asking for an explanation of professional wrestling and Zayn is smarter than that. Zayn talks about being the first person to congratulate Rhodes when he won the title because he’s a good guy.

Rhodes snaps about how the fans telling Zayn that he sucks and it’s true right now because Zayn is whining. Let’s not pretend that this is about anything but the title. Zayn slaps him in the face and immediately realized he went too far. Rhodes says they’re done so Zayn grabs a chair, only to drop it and leave. I think you know where this is going and that’s a good thing.

Jacob Fatu comes in to see Solo Sikoa and has a message from Roman Reigns: it’s time to come home. Sikoa doesn’t know what has happened to Fatu, but Reigns is humiliating him. Sikoa gets fired up and wants Fatu to be himself but Fatu says he’s made his decision. When his business with Reigns is done, he’s coming for Sikoa. That’s fine with Sikoa, who says if Reigns wants him back, come get him.

We look at Rey Fenix winning the AAA Cruiserweight Title.

AAA Cruiserweight Title: Rey Fenix vs. Axiom

Fenix is defending and starts fast with a dropkick out to the floor, setting up the big running flip dive. Back in and Axiom snaps off a suplex but Fenix sends him outside for a crash. Axiom catches him with a dropkick on the floor though and the big moonsault takes him down again.

We take a break and come back with Fenix kicking away but getting caught on top. Fenix knocks him right back down and hits a frog high crossbody for two. Axiom counters a springboard into a German suplex but the Golden Ratio is cut off with a kick to the head. Something like a Death Valley Driver gives Fenix two but Axiom jumps the corner for a super Spanish Fly. Fenix kicks him in the head again in the corner and the Mexican MuscleBuster retains the title at 12:15.

Rating: B-. It was good, high flying action but at the same time I really hope that this is a one off title defense. I do not need to see another title on this show, especially from another company (even if it is owned by WWE). WWE has had Cruiserweight Titles before and it doesn’t need to be happen again.

Gunther comes up to Nick Aldis and picks Sami Zayn as the guest referee for next week’s title match.

Here are Trick Williams and Lil Yachty for a chat. Williams is not happy that he lost last week but he is still the US Title and the Lemon Pepper Stepper. This brings out Ricky Saints to interrupt but Carmelo Hayes interrupts his interruption. Hayes is tired of the catchphrases from Saints, who says he is the only one who should be getting a title shot. Bickering ensues but Williams tells them to shut up and figure it out themselves. Until then, let the grown folks talk. The brawl is on and Williams stands tall.

Royce Keys is interrupted by Solo Sikoa, who wants to help even the odds against the Bloodline. Sikoa doesn’t need Keys to fight with him, but he doesn’t want Roman Reigns to get his way.

Chelsea Green/Tiffany Stratton vs. B-Fab/Michin

Stratton and Michin start things off with Stratton giving her an Alabama Slam. It’s off to Green, who gets kicked in the ribs and head, followed by a double faceplant. We take a break and come back with Green getting rammed into the corner, setting up Michin’s middle rope hurricanrana for two. Back up and Green avoids a charge to send B-Fab into the post but here is Jade Cargill to pull Stratton off the apron. The Unprettier hits B-Fab but Michin is in with the Styles Clash for the pin at 8:07.

Rating: C. This was more of a step in what feels like a bigger story of Green and Stratton becoming friends. Stratton is going to want to thank Green for her help and that could make for a fun way to go. If nothing else, Green brings all kinds of energy to anything she does and that could be great to see.

Post match Cargill lays out Stratton with Jaded and holds up the US Title.

We look at Kiana James and Giulia splitting last week.

James rants about how she’s done everything she has done for Giulia, which brings in Giulia to interrupt. Giulia didn’t need James’ help in the ring and gives her a heck of a slap.

Finn Balor runs into Tama Tonga, who welcomes him to Smackdown.

Cody Rhodes talks to Nick Aldis and isn’t sure about Sami Zayn as guest referee. Zayn comes in to repeat Rhodes’ issues with him and says good luck next week.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

LA Knight isn’t worried about the Bloodline being in the building because Knight is in the building. He can’t wait for Jey and Jacob to be back in the Bloodline, barefoot and pregnant. He’s coming for the crown and then Roman Reigns.

King Of The Ring First Round: LA Knight vs. Finn Balor vs. Jey Uso vs. Royce Keys

It’s a brawl to start with Keys clearing out Uso and Knight, leaving Balor to take them out with a running flip dive. We take a break and come back with Uso striking away on Keys until Knight makes the save. Keys runs Knight over with a clothesline and gives Balor a super spinning powerslam. Uso knocks Keys to the floor but his dive is dropped onto the apron. Jimmy Uso pops up for a staredown with Keys and here is Solo Sikoa as we take another break.

We come back again with Keys planting Balor onto the apron but running into a superkick from Jey. With Keys down, the other three TripleBomb him through the announcers’ table. That allows Balor to knock Knight down for two with Jey making the save. Jey’s spear is cut off and the shotgun dropkick sends him into the corner.

Knight is cut off and the Coup de Grace connects but Keys makes the save. Sikoa yells at Keys, who gets dropkicked through the ropes by Knight. Back in and Knight gives Jey a Burning Hammer and drops the top rope elbow on Keys. Knight gets up but walks into the USB, only for Jey to hit the Superfly Splash for the pin at 18:41.

Rating: B. This was more of a hard hitting match and you could have had multiple options for the winner. Keys seems to be the wild card in the whole Bloodline story at the moment and that could go in a few directions, including not at all. Uso winning keeps things going with the Bloodline, though having Balor lose in his first match on Smackdown is a bit odd. I’m not sure where this leaves Knight either and I’m tired of that being the case.

Overall Rating: B-. The tournament matches were good but the rest of the matches left a little something to be desired, with nothing really standing out. Green joining forces with Stratton, and Stratton actually approving, is a good thing, but the match was hardly anything noteworthy. This show really needs to get back to two hours as soon as possible, as it’s going to tighten things up a lot and cut out a bunch of the filler. At least Gunther vs. Rhodes is going to be huge next week, especially with the Zayn issue. Not a great show here, but the good parts were enough to carry it by.

Results
Charlotte b. Sol Ruca, Lyra Valkyria and Jade Cargill – Figure Eight to Valkyria
Paige/Brie Bella b. Fatal Influence – Small package to Henley
Rey Fenix b. Axiom – Mexican MuscleBuster
Michin/B-Fab b. Tiffany Stratton/Chelsea Green – Styles Clash to Green
Jey Uso b. Finn Balor, Royce Keys and LA Knight – Superfly Splash to Knight

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: June 8, 2026
Location: Accor Arena, Paris, France
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We look at Jacob Fatu acknowledging Roman Reigns last week.

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

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

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

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

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

Intercontinental Title: Penta vs. Rey Mysterio

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

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

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

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

Raquel Rodriguez is ready for Iyo Sky.

Video on the European tour.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here is Clash In Italy if you need a recap.

Clash In Italy recap.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rey Mysterio/Dragon Lee vs. Ethan Page/Rusev

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Smackdown World Title: Gunther vs. Cody Rhodes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Raw World Title: Roman Reigns vs. Jacob Fatu

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Overall Thoughts

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

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

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Saturday Night’s Main Event XLIV
Date: May 23, 2026
Location: Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

It’s another one of these and the card isn’t exactly their strongest. The big main event appears to be Penta defending the Intercontinental Title against Ethan Page. Other than that we have Becky Lynch vs. Sol Ruca in what doesn’t seem to be a title match, though that has been changed a few times already. Let’s get to it.

The opening video is mostly tied into the nostalgia idea, with a look back at how big this show was in its heyday.

Rhea Ripley/Charlotte/Alexa Bliss vs. B-Fab/Michin/Jade Cargill

Ripley powers B-Fab around to start and drops her with an early clothesline. Bliss comes in to smile at Michin and then give her a choke shove. It’s off to Charlotte for the flipping clothesline but Cargill takes Bliss down on the floor. Cargill comes in to face off with Charlotte, allowing Michin to get in a cheap shot and take over. The villains take turns beating on Charlotte, with Cargill even getting in some mocking pushups.

Charlotte knocks Michin away but B-Fab cuts off the tag attempt. That’s fine with Charlotte, who drops B-Fab as well and now it’s back to Ripley to clean house. A missile dropkick gets two on Michin as the fans seem to rather approve of Ripley. Michin escapes Riptide though and hits a kind of nasty poisonrana.

It’s back to Bliss for a DDT so B-Fab comes back in for one of her own. A double DDT puts Michin and B-Fab down at the same time and Charlotte is back in with a high crossbody. Charlotte is almost kicked into Ripley but avoids a charge from Michin, who hits Ripley instead. Cargill superkicks Ripley but gets booed in the face by Charlotte.

Michin and B-Fab drop Charlotte and Bliss though and everyone is down. The tag brings in Ripley for the showdown with Cargill and the fans are way into this. Riptide connects but Michin makes the save, only to get attacked by Charlotte. Ripley and Charlotte make peace and Bliss approves but Cargill is back in with Jaded to pin Ripley at 16:50.

Rating: B+. This was WAY better than I was expecting as they got nuts in there and wound up having a very energetic match. B-Fab far exceeded what I was expecting from her and this was the good Michin, who certainly can show up if given the chance. The ending was the perfect way to wrap it up as it boosts us closer towards the showdown in Italy. Heck of a match here.

Ethan Page is ready to win the Intercontinental Title, which will have its biggest night ever.

We recap Sol Ruca vs. Becky Lynch. Ruca is the big new signing from NXT and got a huge welcome but Lynch interrupted her signing and mocked her. Ruca stood up for herself and the match is officially set, albeit non-title.

Ruca is ready to show Lynch that the next generation is here. It’ll just take one Sol Snatcher.

Lynch says her usual Sports Illustrated line and is ready to showcase herself.

Becky Lynch vs. Sol Ruca

Non-title. Lynch throws the belt at her to start and hammers away before the bell. Ruca is back with a shot to the face and the bell rings. Barrett: “That was a cheap shot from Ruca!” Cole: “….please.” A clothesline sends Lynch outside and Ruca moonsaults her down again. The Sol Snatcher is broken up so Ruca tries it again, only for Lynch to throw the referee in the way for the DQ at 2:24.

Post match Lynch teases leaving but then lays out Ruca with a belt shot. The Manhandle Slam leaves Ruca laying and Lynch does it again. This has been called “setting up a title rematch at next week’s much bigger show”.

Penta talks about the differences between himself and Ethan Page, saying he’s here to defend the title and such.

Video on the importance of the Intercontinental Title. As usual, WWE knows how to do these things very well.

Becky Lynch runs into Nick Aldis, who has just talked to Adam Pearce. The rematch with Sol Ruca is officially set for Clash In Italy and yes it’s for the title.

The Irresistible Forces are ready to get the Women’s Tag Team Titles back because they’re bigger and stronger. And the belts look better on them anyway.

Intercontinental Title: Ethan Page vs. Penta

Penta is defending and elbows him in the face a few times to start. A kick to the ribs has Page in more trouble and Penta drops him with a running hurricanrana. Penta’s springboard is dropkicked out of the air though and Page gets to sneer a bit. They head outside, with Penta charging into a backdrop onto the announcers’ table. Penta gets posted a few times and an elbow gives Page two back inside.

The chinlock doesn’t last long so Page hits a basement dropkick to set it up again. That means Penta can fight up again and hit a running faceplant. Page heads outside so Penta is right there with a running flip dive, leaving both of them down. Back in and a high crossbody (barely) hits Page and a springboard tornado DDT gets two. Page is right back with a powerslam for two of his own but Penta’s Backstabber out of the corner gets the same.

They trade kicks to the face for a double knockdown but Page is back up with the Confidence Breaker for two. The Penta Driver gets the same so Penta goes up top, where Page grabs a super powerslam for another near fall. That’s enough to frustrate Page into pulling off a turnbuckle pad, with the referee going over to fix it, allowing Page to pull off a second one. Penta is sent in for two but comes back and sends Page in. The springboard Mexican Destroyer retains the title at 14:29.

Rating: B. Another good match here, which shouldn’t be much of a surprise. Penta has had one solid match after another and Page has done more than very well in everything he’s done. Page is more than good and his day will come, but there is quite a bit of gas left in Penta’s title reign so this was the right call.

Paige and Brie Bella are ready to retain their Tag Team Titles. Paige knows this is supposed to be Nikki Bella but she’s going to fight anyway.

The Street Profits want the Tag Team Titles.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Irresistible Forces vs. Paige/Brie Bella

Paige and Bella are defending and knock the much bigger challengers down to start. Jax pulls a diving Bella out of the air to start but she gets some boots up in the corner. Bella dives underneath the boot and brings in Paige, who is quickly splashed for two. Legend whips Paige hard into the corner for two more and Jax adds some splashes.

Paige sends Legend outside and Jax misses a charge into the post, allowing the tag off to Bella. House is quickly cleaned and the YES Kicks connect, only for Jax to hit a Samoan drop. Legend adds a middle rope splash for two but Bella is right back up. Paige comes in and gets a rollup on Jax, with Bella offering an assist to retain the titles at 8:25.

Rating: C. They kept this moving and that’s probably the best for everyone involved. The limited charm of Paige and Bella surviving as champions is out of steam and it’s becoming more and more clear that they were never anything but a substitute for the Bellas. Get the titles off of them and get them back onto a regular team and move on already.

Clash In Italy rundown.

Video on the Tag Team Titles. As in a bunch of them, as the history of the titles is about as complicated as quantum mechanics.

Paul Heyman is ready for the Vision to retain the Tag Team Titles. The Vision seems to agree.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. The Vision

The Vision, with Paul Heyman, is defending. Ford and Theory start things off, though Theory has to cover Paul’s ears to block out the booing. That lets Ford grab a rollup for two and he points out just how close that was. Back up and Theory hits a running shoulder, which works so well that he does it again. It’s off to Paul, who cheap shots Ford down and then drops him again with a running shoulder.

Ford finally snaps off some armdrags and dropkicks, allowing Dawkins to come in and help clear out the villains. That’s enough for the Vision, who try to walk out, but that doesn’t work for the Profits. Back in and Dawkins gives Paul the spinning splash in the corner for two but Paul is right back with his big right hands. The fans are all over Paul again and that isn’t well received, even as it’s back to Theory for a butterfly suplex.

A double clothesline drops Dawkins and Paul grabs the chinlock. Dawkins’ comeback is cut off with a clothesline as things slow back down. Back up and Dawkins fights out of the corner before making Theory DDT Paul (gah), allowing the tag back to Paul. House is quickly cleaned and a powerslam into a standing moonsault gets two on Paul. Theory offers a distraction though and Paul hits the flipping lariat for two of his own.

Everything breaks down and Ford suicide dives Paul, setting up the Doomsday Blockbuster for two on Theory, as Paul makes another save. Ford’s big running flip dive takes the champions out but here is Bron Breakker…who is knocked over the announcers’ table by Dawkins. The frog splash hits Theory, with Heyman making the save. That lets Paul hit the brass knuckles punch to knock Ford cold, giving Theory the retaining pin at 16:30.

Rating: B. It got going near the end, as the Profits tend to do, and it was the closest thing to a big match this show had. At the same time, this didn’t feel like a huge showdown, even with the Vision having to cheat to retain the titles. I did like Breakker’s interference being cut off, as it felt different, but ultimately the numbers game caught up with the Profits. Maybe they could use some Seth Rollins shaped help?

Post match the Vision goes to leave but Breakker comes back in for a double spear to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. All things considered, this was a heck of a show and rather entertaining. The problem is very simple though: it felt about as important as an edition of Main Event. There was nothing on here that really came close to feeling important and some of the matches were basically just previews for Clash In Italy. The scheduling for this show was horrible and while it’s good if you watch it, there is absolutely nothing on here that made a big impact going forward. The show was fun and better than I expected, but it’s the most skippable show WWE has presented in a long time.

Results
Jade Cargill/B-Fab/Michin b. Rhea Ripley/Charlotte/Alexa Bliss – Jaded to Ripley
Sol Ruca b. Becky Lynch via DQ when Lynch grabbed the referee
Penta b. Ethan Page – Springboard Mexican Destroyer
Brie Bella/Paige b. Irresistible Forces – Assisted rollup to Jax
The Vision b. Street Profits – Brass knuckles to Ford

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: May 11, 2026
Location: Food City Center, Knoxville, Tennessee
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re done with Backlash and Roman Reigns is still World Champion but he might not be done with Jacob Fatu. While Reigns retained the title, Fatu attacked him again after the match and left him laying. Other than that, we are on the way to Saturday Night’s Main Event in less than two weeks so let’s get to it.

Here is Backlash if you need a recap.

Backlash recap.

Roman Reigns arrives and meets with Adam Pearce, who says Jacob Fatu isn’t here. Reigns asks for his title, which is apparently held for him at the venue. With the title back, Reigns wants Fatu fired, but that won’t be happening. Reigns says he brought Fatu in so he’ll be the one taking him out. With that, Reigns heads into his dressing room.

Here is the Vision for a chat. Paul Heyman insults the “inbred” fans and moves on to Seth Rollins, who was defeated at Backlash. Rollins is never going to be ready for a vision over any of the team. Bron Breakker defeated Rollins, and now we move on to the Tag Team Champions. Austin Theory says the Street Profits need the titles because Bianca Belair can’t pay the bills anymore.

On top of that there is Joe Hendry…and here are the Profits to interrupt. After Montez Ford sucks up to the Knoxville crowd, he makes it clear: they still want the titles. Logan Paul says the only thing Ford has done in the last six months organize a baby shower. Logan says Belair is better than Ford (he nods) and the Vision is ready but as he says his name, here is Hendry to sing about getting him fired. And now, for the scheduled six man.

The Vision vs. Street Profits/Joe Hendry

We’re joined in progress with Dawkins in trouble but he brings in Ford for a change. Breakker comes in as well though and hits a crazy fast clothesline, followed by a suplex for two. Ford gets launched into Paul’s uppercut for two but he’s able to get over to Hendry. That goes just as badly as Breakker takes over on him as we take a break.

We come back with Hendry suplexing his way out of trouble and bringing Ford back in to clean house. The big flip dive connects on the floor but Breakker is back up. Dawkins is sent outside for the big running spear but Seth Rollins pops up to clothesline Breakker. Back in and Dawkins gets the quick rollup pin on Theory at 9:17.

Rating: C+. This was in fact a six man with some interference to wrap it up. I’d bet on the Profits getting the title shot either at Saturday Night’s Main Event or Clash In Italy, though I’m not sure where that leaves Hendry. He seems to be mainly dealing with Paul, which is kind of weird while Paul is in a tag team. Rollins vs. Breakker is clearly not done though, so expect some kind of a big violent rematch and then a third match down the line.

Post match Rollins helps up a skeptical Dawkins, who gets speared by Breakker anyway. Ford isn’t happy at all.

The Original El Grande Americano introduces Bruto and Julio to Adam Pearce but Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan come in. Morgan isn’t impressed and Mysterio says Americano isn’t even a real luchador. Americano isn’t happy but Pearce gives him a AAA Mega Title shot. With that out of the way, Los Garza come in to say they’re looking for an opportunity on Raw. Pearce is interested.

Here is Penta, who heard what Ethan Page has been saying about him. He wants Page to say it to his face so here is Page to interrupt. Page says he would love to say it to his face but there’s a mask and paint covering it up. Instead, Page stands here with nothing hiding his face (save for the glasses of course) and is from the greatest country in the world.

Penta is ready to fight right now but Page points out that he’s not in wrestling gear. Page says that both he and the title both deserve a bigger spotlight, like say at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Penta seems ready to agree but here is Rusev to interrupt instead. Rusev doesn’t like Penta but Page tries to cut him off.

Apparently Page doesn’t want to skip the line, but Je’Von Evans went to see Adam Pearce and asked for a title shot over Rusev. Evans even asked why Rusev can get a title shot when he can’t beat Evans in the first place. This brings out Evans, who denies saying all of that but gets shoved into Rusev. Penta takes out Page on the floor while Evans clears Rusev out and hits a suicide dive. Back in and Page and Penta both do the latter’s strut. You know why this worked? You had four people who all want the same thing and they’re jockeying for it. That’s always going to work in wrestling.

Je’Von Evans vs. Rusev

We’re joined in progress with Rusev firing off some shots to the face and back. Rusev slowly knocks him around and then puts him on top. Evans gets in a shot of his own and a dropkick gets him out of trouble. A springboard hurricanrana has Rusev in trouble but the suicide dive is broken up. Rusev tosses Evans onto the announcers’ table and we take a break.

We come back with Rusev yelling at Evans, who fires off a clothesline. A spinning kick to the head in the corner has Rusev in trouble but he gets in some more forearms to the back. Rusev kicks him down for two but the Accolade is blocked. Evans gets in a kick to the floor for a great looking no hands dive. The OG Cutter finishes Rusev for the clean pin at 10:22.

Rating: B. They had me wondering what was going to happen here, as it was hard to imagine Evans actually beating Rusev. That being said, the match followed a well done story with Evans fighting through the pain and coming from behind to win. They’re going to mess around and turn this guy into a star, which is exactly what should be happening with someone that talented.

Video on the AAA Mega Title.

Asuka comes up to hug Iyo Sky and wants Sky to take her place. They have a big hug and a smiling Asuka leaves, taking her bag with her. So that seems to be it for Asuka for the most part.

Here are Brie Bella and Paige, who are here to answer the challenge from the Judgment Day. Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez come out, with Perez talking about how she was asked to take on the Bellas’ legacy. How dare the Bellas set the bar that low? Bella says the low bar would be Liv Morgan, and the only person who is that disappointed is Perez’s MOM.

Rodriguez calms things down and mocks Paige, who is just waiting for her next disaster. The fight is on, with Liv Morgan running in to help so the villains can stand tall. Well mainly Rodriguez stands tall but her friends stand next to her. Please change the titles, as I do not have the vocabulary to express how uninterested I am in Paige and Bella as a team. Also Bella insulting Perez’s mom? Come on.

Jimmy Uso talks to Roman Reigns about dealing with Jacob Fatu. Reigns says Fatu has to acknowledge him because they had a contract. Uso still isn’t sure about it.

Video on Dominik Mysterio as AAA Mega Champion.

Rhea Ripley NXT Origins video.

Iyo Sky vs. Sol Ruca

Feeling out process to start as commentary explains that they don’t know much about what Asuka is doing but she seems to be stepping away a bit. Ruca slams her down and surfs on Sky’s back but Sky dropkicks her out of a handstand. Sky is sent outside, where she avoids a step up moonsault and hurricanranas Ruca down.

Something like an apron 619 hits Sky though and a springboards corkscrew crossbody connects as we take a break. We come back with Sky hitting a super Spanish Fly for two, leaving both of them down. Ruca is back up with a fireman’s carry swung into a sitout powerbomb for two of her own.

Sky missile dropkicks her into the corner but misses the Bullet Train Attack. Ruca sends her into the corner again, where a cartwheel DDT plants Sky for two more. That leaves Ruca stunned for a change so Sky sends her into the corner for the Bullet Train Attack. Over The Moonsault hits raised knees though and the Sol Snatcher….misses as Sky stops short (on purpose), catching Ruca in a crucifix to give Sky the pin at 12:27.

Rating: B-. That ending was great as I thought they had botched it at first but it was really just well timed. Sky basically caught the younger Ruca going for a big move and pinned her, which is what a veteran should be doing. At the same time, I’m not wild on Ruca taking a fall like this, especially not when she seems to be gearing up to face Becky Lynch.

Post match, respect is shown.

We look at Jacob Fatu attacking Roman Reigns after their match at Backlash.

Jey Uso is waiting on Fatu when Jimmy Uso comes up. Reigns said that was terrible but Fatu has to acknowledge him.

We recap the announcement of the John Cena Classic, which is apparently a fan voted competition where wins and losses might not matter. We still have no details on when or where this will take place.

Saturday Night’s Main Event rundown, with the Street Profits challenging for the Tag Team Titles and Penta defending the Intercontinental Title against Ethan Page.

The Profits are happy with the news but Seth Rollins interrupt. If they want the titles, Rollins thinks they need to talk, but Ford says there is no “we” between the three of them. Rollins apologizes, though Ford doesn’t trust him and says they don’t need his help. Dawkins looks at Rollins and walks off.

Iyo Sky congratulates Sol Ruca and says they’ll meet again. Ruca says she looks forward to it and Sky parts in peace. Becky Lynch comes up to mock Ruca.

Here is Oba Femi for an open challenge but Adam Pearce interrupts….because no one has answered the challenge. Therefore, there is no challenge, which does not sit well with Femi. He goes to the back and kidnaps Los Garza (who were sitting with some random women) to bring them to the ring. They’re in street clothes but we have a referee anyway.

Oba Femi vs. Los Garza

Femi hits some running elbows in the corner and tosses Angel over Berto. With Angel on the floor, Berto gets tossed as well, setting up the Fall From Grace to finish Berto at 50 seconds.

The Original El Grande Americano wants the AAA Mega Title.

JD McDonagh is walking Dominik Mysterio to the ring when Finn Balor jumps McDonagh from behind. Balor says Mysterio has to do this on his own.

AAA Mega Title: Dominik Mysterio vs. Original El Grande Americano

Mysterio is defending. Americano starts fast with a springboard armdrag into a bridging northern lights suplex for two. The armbar keeps Mysterio in trouble but he sends Americano crashing over the top and out to the floor. We take a break and come back with Americano hitting an Angle Slam, followed by a moonsault for two.

Mysterio is right back up with a Michinoku Driver for two of his own but Americano sends him flying into the corner. A dragon suplex gives Americano two more so here are Los Americanos for a distraction. Mysterio’s tornado DDT gets two but Los Hermanos Americanos come out for a distraction. El Grande Americano offers a distraction of his own, allowing Mysterio to hit a 619 into the frog splash to retain at 9:15.

Rating: B. This was how a match between the two of them should have gone, with all kinds of people running in to screw with it. Mysterio’s big matches work best with all of the gaga going around and that’s what we had here. The battle of the Americanos is a huge story in Mexico and while it doesn’t mean as much here, at least they’re getting to do something with all of the talent that they have.

The Vision is sick of Joe Hendry, with Logan Paul threatening to cut his ear off if he has to listen to Hendry’s song about him. And they leave, with a woman in the front seat of their car that might have been Maxxine Dupri.

Here are Roman Reigns and Jimmy Uso for the acknowledgment ceremony. After Reigns’ catchphrase, Jacob Fatu arrives, with Jey Uso trying to talk him out of the likely violence. That earns Jey a headbutt, with Fatu saying that Reigns is going to have to beat the acknowledgment out of him. Jimmy tries to calm Fatu down and gets beaten up in the aisle for his efforts.

Fatu hits the ring and the fight is on, with Reigns managing to knock him down and grab a chair. The big beatdown is on but the spear is cut off by a superkick. Fatu gets the Tongan Death Grip and sends Reigns outside for the suicide dive. With Reigns down, Fatu shouts about how Reigns left his family for dead. The announcers’ table is loaded up but Reigns hits a Superman Punch.

A second edition is countered into the Tongan Death Grip, followed by a powerbomb through the table. Fatu holds up the title to…well just tease ending the show actually as he runs back to Umaga Attack Reigns and the Usos through the barricade. Now the show ends with the Bloodline laid out. I’m not wild on the feud continuing after Reigns beat him at Backlash, but that’s a good way to show that Fatu is still a threat.

Overall Rating: B. This was a solid show, though it did show that Backlash was little more than a pit stop and not any kind of a game changer. A lot of the feuds are just continuing forward, which makes me think that Reigns vs. Fatu should have been a double DQ or something. Other than that, I liked the wrestling well enough and Saturday Night’s Main Event is already being set up. They have to do it that fast with just a twelve day turnaround, but at least they’re off to a good start.

Results
Street Profits/Joe Hendry b. The Vision – Theory
Je’Von Evans b. Rusev – OG Cutter
Iyo Sky b. Sol Ruca – Crucifix
Oba Femi b. Los Garza – Fall From Grace to Berto
Dominik Mysterio b. Original El Grande Americano – Frog splash

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

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