It’s time for the latest Saudi Arabian offering with something that could be considered a theme show but is really just more of a big pay per view. The main event is John Cena defending the Smackdown World Title against CM Punk for the final time, plus the King and Queen Of The Ring finals. That should be more than enough to deliver a big time show so let’s get to it.

Sami Zayn vs. Karrion Kross

This one has been brewing for a good while now, albeit without Kross actually wrestling. The idea is that Kross wants Zayn to go all evil to finally get what he wants but Zayn is having none of it. Zayn has finally had enough of Kross and decked him, setting up the match earlier this week. That’s more than a good enough setup, with Zayn being crazy over in Saudi Arabia as usual.

There is pretty much no reason for Zayn to lose here so we’ll take him for the feel good moment. Zayn is pretty clearly getting ready to go after his first World Title and he shouldn’t be losing to Kross on the way there. This is Zayn getting to beat someone who has been bothering him about not being what he wants to be and that is a story that can be relatable for everyone.

Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Rodriguez

This is the hoss fight on the show as it’s two women who can use the power stuff and on top of that it’s a street fight, allowing them to be even more violent. What matters here though is Ripley getting a win, as she has somehow gone fairly cold in the last few months. She’s still a huge star and probably the most over woman in the company, but she hasn’t really felt like focal point lately.

I’ll go with Ripley to win here, even if there is a good chance that Roxanne Perez will get involved on Rodriguez’s behalf. That very well may be the long term solution to the Women’s Tag Team Titles in Liv Morgan’s absence but for now, Ripley getting built back up is the more important idea. She’s been all over the place lately, even after being in the awesome Women’s Title match at Wrestlemania. Ripley should win here, mainly because she needs to.

US Title: Jacob Fatu(c) vs. Solo Sikoa

As much as it feels like Fatu should be running through Sikoa here, I can’t help but think Sikoa might need to steal the title here. At the end of the day, Fatu is already being treated as the unstoppable monster, but at some point he’s going to have to lose the title. On the other hand you have Sikoa, who needs a big win to feel even remotely important. Having him steal the title, likely with JC Mateo (or even Jimmy Uso’s) help isn’t a bad idea.

But will they go that way? I’m not sure I can picture it, even though it seems like it might be a smart play at the moment. I’ll reluctantly say Sikoa steals the title here, while calling it my pick most likely to be totally wrong. I could see it happening though, as I’m really not sure how many more losses Sikoa can handle in a big match. While I would be stunned if it actually happens, I’ll take Sikoa to win here.

Queen Of The Ring: Asuka vs. Jade Cargill

So Asuka is back and already wrecking people, which shouldn’t be a surprise as that is what she is known to do. That being said, there is a difference between normal people and Cargill, which could be quite the problem for Asuka’s comeback. Cargill feels like a different kind of star around here though and that’s going to the big issue here.

I’ll take Cargill, who feels all but destined to be the next big thing in WWE, whether she’s ready to do it or not. Cargill vs. Tiffany Stratton sounds like a huge match at Summerslam and it would not surprise me a bit it set up here. Asuka putting Cargill over would be a big moment for Cargill’s career and it isn’t like Asuka is going to lose any status after walking Cargill through a match like this.

King Of The Ring: Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes

Orton is back in the finals against another major star and in this case…yeah he’s probably in trouble again. At the end of the day, Orton is a top guy but Rhodes is still THE top guy. At some point Rhodes is going to get his hands on John Cena again and Summerslam sounds like a very strong possibility. That would mean another awesome match here, and that very well may be what we’re getting.

So yeah, I’ll go with Rhodes winning here, as it sets him back on track for the big rematch from Cena. The good thing is that this should be a heck of a match, as both guys are capable of delivering in the big moments. Rhodes makes more sense at the moment, as we’ve seen Orton vs. Cena earlier this year and it feels wrapped up. Cena vs. Rhodes doesn’t though and that is where we should be going next.

Smackdown World Title: John Cena(c) vs. CM Punk

This is rather similar to the Randy Orton match at Backlash, with Cena getting to face one of his greatest rivals (if not his greatest rival) one more time. Punk vs. Cena is something that had to be done again and the stealing the other’s signature promos was a nice way to make things feel interesting. Punk saying that Cena could never beat him at his best gives it some drama, but that’s where we get to the ending.

As nice as it would be to have Punk be the one to end Cena’s title reign, that isn’t what makes sense here. The point of Cena’s run is that the clock is ticking and that isn’t going to be solved with about six months to go before his final appearance. Odds are this ends with either some kind of interference or another belt shot, but Punk isn’t going to be the one to take the title from Cena.

Overall Thoughts

It really is amazing how much more complete the show feels by bumping it up to six matches. WWE has been needing to tighten their shows up a bit, with the ridiculously long gaps between the matches taking away a lot of their steam. They might not be able to do that with an additional match or two and I could go for the change. The card itself should be the usual quality work, but we’re really just setting the stage for Summerslam in August.

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

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Smackdown
Date: June 27, 2025
Location: Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We’re overseas for tomorrow’s Night Of Champions event and that means we have a rare TV show in Saudi Arabia. This could be an interesting week as they certainly have a stacked card. That includes some title matches, featuring Tiffany Stratton defending against Nia Jax in a Last Woman Standing match. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Cody Rhodes to get things going and the fans seem to appreciate him. The fans sing the song to him, which is quite the nice touch, but here is Randy Orton to interrupt before he can say anything. Orton gets the song treatment as well before bringing up Rhodes’ match with Jey Uso on Raw. He says it should be the Match Of The Year when the Slammys come up (and we go to what looks like a phone camera shot, with a caption talking about technical issues during the show, which apparently shut the show down for about half an hour).

Anyway, Orton talks about how he wants the crown because he lost in the finals last year, but he also lost to John Cena. He needs to right that wrong as well and there is nothing he won’t do to become the King Of The Ring. This includes the RKO, which leaves Rhodes saying no one has let him get a word in edgewise lately. Rhodes knows what it means to be embarrassed by Cena and the RKO will still be deadly, but Orton won’t be King Of The Ring. That was kind of an abrupt ending but they probably had to get out of there after everything went haywire.

Solo Sikoa tells JC Mateo to give Jimmy Uso one more opportunity to come back to the family. Then it’s time to focus on Jacob Fatu.

JC Mateo vs. Jimmy Uso

Solo Sikoa is here with Mateo, who starts fast and hammers away in the corner. Uso tries to fight back but gets clotheslines down for his efforts. A spinning kick to the face sends Mateo outside but Sikoa tells Uso this is his last chance as we take a break. Back with Mateo planting him down and hitting the standing moonsault for two. The waistlock stays on the ribs but Uso fights up and makes the comeback. The Running Umaga Attack connects but Sikoa offers a distraction, setting up the Tour Of The Islands to give Mateo the pin at 8:13.

Rating: C+. This is the story that keeps going but the Jacob Fatu factor is going to change things up a bit. Uso has someone who might kind of be on his side (though it’s hard to ever tell with this family) and that could make for something interesting. For now though, Mateo gets to look like a monster as he beats a fan favorite, even with some help.

Post match Sikoa helps Uso up but Uso slaps him in the face. Mateo and Sikoa go for the beatdown but Jacob Fatu runs in for the save. Fatu and Uso clear the ring and Uso shoves Fatu out of the way to cut off Sikoa’s shot from behind and dropping Sikoa with a superkick.

DIY rallies the tag division against the Wyatt Sicks but Nick Aldis comes in to ask what is going on. DIY rants again and gets….a match against Andrade and a partner of his choosing for tonight.

Giulia wants the Women’s US Title, but only as a stepping stone. Zelina Vega doesn’t like that and is ready to fight to keep her title.

Women’s United States Title: Zelina Vega vs. Giulia

Vega is defending. They trade some early rollups for two each until Giulia grabs a quick suplex. Vega sends her outside though and tries a moonsault, only to bang up her knee on the landing. We take a break and come back with Vega in trouble and getting sent outside. Vega is able to send her into the steps for some running knees, including the banged up one going into the steps. Back in and the Meteora gives Vega two but Giulia catches her on top, setting up a butterfly superplex. Vega manages a quick Code Red for two but Giulia knees her in the head. The northern lights bomb gives Giulia the pin and the title at 8:18.

Rating: C+. They had to do this as Vega has gotten her run with the title to make her feel more important, but Giulia is the possible star of the future. As she said earlier, this is basically a stepping stone for her and that should be a good thing, as it’s hard to imagine Giulia in the midcard for very long. This was a case of doing the logical thing and they got it right.

Charlotte comes up to Alexa Bliss after last week’s save and insists that she does NOT need friends. Bliss suggests they be “allies of convenience” and that seems to get Charlotte’s attention.

We look at Wade Barrett winning the 2015 King Of The Ring.

Barrett is in the ring for a face to face confrontation between Asuka and Jade Cargill. First up, Cargill says she sees purpose in the finals and plans on taking the whole throne. Asuka agrees that Cargill is strong, but Asuka has experience and skill. Naomi comes in to say she has the real power because she’ll cash in at some point. Cargill goes after Naomi but runs over Asuka in the process, earning herself a knockdown. Asuka leaves and Naomi mocks Cargill.

This sums up one of my biggest issues with Money In The Bank. Rather than focusing on a showdown between two stars who are set for a major match, we need to shift over to Naomi, who very well may have absolutely nothing to do with the match. It’s having to remember that this thing, which may not even be a factor, is there and that takes away so much attention and focus on the match itself. Stop doing that so much.

Nick Aldis and Adam Pearce are here when Aleister Black comes in. R-Truth interrupts, saying he wants John Cena tonight. That isn’t going to happen, but Black follows R-Truth out.

We look at Los Garza winning the AAA Tag Team Titles.

DIY vs. Andrade/???

The mystery partner is…Rey Fenix. Well that works. Ciampa gets double teamed to start and the villains are sent outside for stereo dives and we take a break. Back with Fenix striking away at Ciampa as Gargano is on the floor favoring his knee. We go split screen to look at a trailer for the new Jurassic World movie and come back with Fenix knocking Ciampa off the top. Fenix hits a dive and brings in Andrade to clean house. Gargano avoids the running knees in the corner but manages a reverse tornado DDT for two. A Shatter Machine drops Andrade though and we take a break.

Back with Andrade hitting the running knees in the corner and a moonsault gets two. Fenix’s running flip dive takes Ciampa out before Fenix flips back in for a German suplex go Gargano. Project Ciampa gets two on Fenix as everything breaks down. Ciampa misses a running knee in the corner though and it’s the Black Fire Driver into the Message to give Andrade the pin at 14:41.

Rating: B-. This is one of the places where WWE shines and has a good advantage over a lot of promotions. They have the roster depth that allows them to throw something like this together and get a near fifteen minute match of completely acceptable quality. Andrade and Fenix worked well together, though I’m not sure I can picture this being anything more than a one or two off.

We look at John Cena on the Late Show.

We get another yin/yang video on Cena vs. CM Punk. I believe this is the third time we’ve seen this, or something similar, in eight days.

Here is R-Truth to say he is Ron Killings so put some respect on his name. He wants John Cena right now but gets Black Mass from Aleister Black.

The Street Profits talk about what they had to do to get the titles back so they’re ready to face the Wyatt Sicks tonight. B-Fab comes in to say she has their back if needed.

Aleister Black runs into Damian Priest, who says if Black tried that on him, it would go differently. Black isn’t impressed and leaves, with Carmelo Hayes coming in to say stay out of it. This time it’s Priest who isn’t impressed.

Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. Wyatt Sicks

The Wyatts are challenging. Lumis hammers on Ford to start and here are a bunch of teams to watch at ringside. Gacy comes in to take over on Ford but Dawkins makes a save. Gacy’s handspring lariat drops Ford as well and we take a break. We come back with Ford and Lumis colliding for a double down, followed by a double tag. Everything breaks down and Los Garza pull Lumis to the floor. The brawl is on and Dawkins gets jumped by DIY and Los Garza for the DQ at 6:08. Not enough shown to rate but this was about the screwy ending rather than the match.

Post match the other teams beat up the Wyatts but Erick Rowan is sent in. The other teams take him out but Uncle Howdy comes in as well. The Profits fight up and really clean house, leaving Howdy staring with them.

Commentary confirms that next week marks the return of Smackdown to two hours.

We look at JC Mateo beating Jimmy Uso earlier tonight and the post match brawl with Jacob Fatu.

Fatu is leaving and runs into Uso, and they seem to respect each other. Uso seems to want the US Title though.

Women’s Title: Nia Jax vs. Tiffany Stratton

Jax is challenging in a Last Woman Standing match. Jax jumps her to start fast but Stratton sends her to the floor for a baseball slide. Stratton sends her into the steps but gets sent into them for her efforts. A Samoan drop onto the announcers’ table plants Stratton again and we take a break.

We come back with Stratton knocking her down, only to be sent hard into the corner. That’s good for an eight count so Jax runs her over again, followed by a splash through a table at ringside. Stratton is up at nine so Jax sets up another table as we take another break. We come back with Jax beating on her with a chair, which is laid on Stratton’s chest. The Annihilator crushes Stratton, who is up again at nine, earning herself a kendo stick shot.

Another table is loaded up but Jax can’t hit a super Samoan drop. Instead Stratton powerbombs her through it for nine and we have Naomi. Stratton cuts that off and hits them both in the head with the briefcase, setting up the Prettiest Moonsault Ever onto them…for nine. Back up and Stratton briefcases her through two more tables at ringside to retain at 17:22.

Rating: B-. They got really close here but it went a bit too long with one or so false finish too many. I wasn’t wild on Naomi being out there either as she was yet again a distraction, as almost every Money In The Bank person winds up being. It’s still a good, hard hitting match, but it needed to be trimmed a bit and with less cashing in teased.

Night Of Champions rundown.

Here is John Cena for the final confrontation with CM Punk before their big fight. Cena says that Punk is out of tricks and can do nothing about it….and it’s Basic Thuganomics. The Titantron says PUNK LIFE and here is Punk, dressed as the Dr. of Thuganomics, complete with the DRUG FREE knuckle jewelry. Punk: “Yo. Check it. This is basic Punkanomics.”

He rhymes about how Cena stole the Pipe Bomb so now he’s stealing word life. Cena steals to hide the fact that he’s in slow motion and has buried more talent than the Undertaker. He doesn’t have any respects, but Punk would do it too…if this company hired his ex. Batista is a better actor and Cena is a “fish belly white Hulk Hogan but somehow more problematic.” When it comes to best in the world, Punk is your vessel, because they chant for him and tell Cena YOU CAN’T WRESTLE.

Cena may work for DC, but to Punk, he’ll always be the Marine. Punk: “That’s straight to DVD, better find a PS3 and now understand you can’t see me.” The Pipe Bomb was fourteen years ago and Cena tried to make it all about himself, because that’s what he did. Punk gets in a Kendrick Lamar/Drake reference to wrap it up, allowing the fans to sing him out. Cena sold this like his mind was blown and the look of shock and awe on his face made up for Punk’s less than amazing rhyming abilities.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a nice final cap on the Night Of Champions build but they also did a good job with the title change and the Tag Team Title stuff. I liked the closing promo about as much as I could and it was nice to see something different from Punk, especially when it might have been a way to avoid the Saudi Arabia fans booing him. Overall, a nice show, but my goodness the news about shifting back to two hours is such a great thing to hear. The show is too long at three hours and hopefully they can find their rhythm again with the proper time slot.

Results
JC Mateo b. Jimmy Uso – Tour Of The Islands
Giulia b. Zelina Vega – Northern lights bomb
Andrade/??? b. DIY – Message to Ciampa
Street Profits b. Wyatt Sicks via DQ when Los Garza interfered
Tiffany Stratton b. Nia Jax – Briefcase shot through two tables

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

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Smackdown
Date: June 20, 2025
Location: Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re still in the middle of the build towards Night Of Champions and tonight the two tournaments get a big boost. This week will see one of the two semifinals taking place in each of the tournaments and that should make for a big night. Other than that, we need some other things on the card and we might get some of that this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is LA Knight to get things going. Knight has been sabotaging people in the King Of The Ring tournament because he wants to get his hands on Seth Rollins. Therefore he wants Rollins out here right now, but he gets Paul Heyman instead. As Heyman does all of his usual stuff, Knight asks him to get to the point already.

Heyman talks about representing Seth Rollins and company but he’s a huge Knight fan as well. He even gives us a YEAH before saying Rollins has allowed him to say to Knight, that as a favor, it is time for Knight to get out of town. Either that or something bad is going to happen to him before the end of the night. Knight calls Heyman a grifter and a leech who bleeds everyone dry. Right now it’s Rollins and Knight doesn’t care who is next.

Since there is no Rollins, Knight is willing to face Heyman right now, and even turns his back so Heyman can get in a free shot. Heyman bails to the floor and reiterates his warning about something bad happening to Knight tonight. And that’s a spoiler, so here are Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker. The monsters get in and take Knight down, with Reed throwing him into the timekeeper’s area. Knight finally gets smart by grabbing a chair to fight back. The villains are cleared out. This was more of Knight getting a strong performance and I could go for more of that.

Post break, Heyman and company are told that it’s Reed vs. Knight later tonight. Heyman implies this was the plan all along.

Queen Of The Ring Semifinals: Alexa Bliss vs. Asuka

Bliss’ running shoulder just earns her a growl from Asuka so Bliss grabs the leg instead. A basement dropkick takes Asuka down for a change but she’s right back up with a running shot of her own. Bliss gets knocked off the apron and we take an early break. We come back with Bliss breaking out of the Asuka Lock and hitting a running flipping backsplash for two.

Asuka’s running knee gets two but she has to counter the Sister Abigail DDT into a rollup for two. The big kick to the head gets two on Bliss, who grabs a DDT for two more. Bliss goes up for Twisted Bliss but instead drops down, allowing Asuka to grab something like the Rings of Saturn, but Bliss slips out as well. The Empress Impact is blocked and Bliss hits a running corner dropkick. Twisted Bliss hits raised knees though and now the Empress Impact can finish Bliss at 9:26.

Rating: B-. Bliss was putting in the work here but there was almost no way that she was going to be able to beat Asuka in a straight match. Asuka went toe to toe with Stephanie Vaquer on Raw so having her lose to Bliss would have been a stretch. It helps that Asuka is someone who is talented and decorated enough to be put back into this place rather quickly, which is exactly what WWE has done.

Jade Cargill is impressed by Asuka but she’s ready. Cargill is also ready for Roxanne Perez in the semifinals on Monday because Perez is still proving herself. Asuka is a different story but the tournament was made for a woman who can take the crown. She’s walking in to reign. This was as rehearsed of a promo as I’ve heard in a long time.

Chelsea Green mocks Alexa Bliss for her loss when Charlotte comes in, threatening to take Green out tonight. Bliss says she doesn’t want Charlotte’s help, but Charlotte wasn’t offering it.

Kit Wilson vs. Aleister Black

Hold on though as here is R-Truth to attack Wilson during Black’s entrance. The STF makes Wilson tap and R-Truth wants a microphone. He wants John Cena (who he’s facing later tonight) out here right now and puts Wilson in the STF again. Agents come out to break it up as Black stands and watches. R-Truth leaves and Black…is still standing there. No match.

We recap Goldberg’s return and setting up his match with Gunther at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

In the back, R-Truth is told to calm down but he wants to kill John Cena. Aleister Black comes in to ask why R-Truth is getting involved in his matches but R-Truth says it had nothing to do with Black. They go nose to nose but Damian Priest comes in to separate them, saying he’ll talk to R-Truth. Priest says that there was no need for that because it’s what Priest used to do. Then R-Truth would be the one to make him smile. Use that aggression on Cena tonight and then they’ll hit the town. That seems to get through to R-Truth, but he’s still angry. If nothing else, points for addressing Black just standing there.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat but before he can say anything, it’s Jey Uso (facing Rhodes in the King Of The Ring on Raw) to interrupt. After a few encores of his entrance, Uso says that this Monday, there’s only room for one of them. Uso knows Rhodes is going to bring it and he knows this isn’t personal. But with that being said, on Monday, after they go to war, please believe that it’s going to be four letters and one word.

They shake hands but here is Sami Zayn to interrupt. Zayn says this is nice, as he gets to share the ring with two great friends, who are two of the best the business has to offer. He’s the only one to have never been World Champion though and that bothers him. Zayn talks about being the first one to congratulate both of them when they won their World Titles but now it is time for him to finish his story.

Cue Randy Orton to interrupt, saying he’s going to be going after the World Title by winning the King Of The Ring. He respects everyone here and makes it clear that it isn’t personal. Orton says Zayn will be World Champion one day soon, but it’s not at Summerslam because tonight, Orton is taking him out. Unless I missed it, Rhodes did not say a single word on the microphone here. I wonder if he’s under the weather or something.

King Of The Ring Semifinals: Randy Orton vs. Sami Zayn

Orton works on the arm to start but gets sent to the floor, where he has to avoid the dive. Instead Zayn bounces back into the middle of the ring and is smart enough to wait for Orton to join him. Back in and Orton gets chopped so he pokes Zayn in the eye, with Zayn doing it right back to him. Zayn sends him outside, where Orton grabs the leg to send Zayn face first into the apron. Orton drops him onto the announcers’ table and then does it again as we take a break.

Back with Orton hammering on Zayn’s chest but charging into an elbow in the corner. Zayn’s middle rope ax handle connects but the Blue Thunder Bomb is blocked. Orton grabs the hanging DDT and they go back outside, where Zayn escapes another drop onto the table. This time Orton goes onto said table before missing a charge into the post back inside. The Helluva Kick is countered with a powerslam for two on Zayn, who is back with the Blue Thunder Bomb for two more. The RKO is blocked but then the second attempt isn’t and Zayn is done at 11:19.

Rating: B. This was two professionals getting to have a match and there was almost no way it was going to go badly. Orton winning is a bit of a surprise, but they have definitely planted the seeds to get us to a major Zayn title win. That is going to be a heck of a moment and it would be awesome to see it take place at Wrestlemania next year, if not before.

Here is Nia Jax for a chat. Tiffany Stratton came to her to ask Jax to be a mentor. Cue Stratton, who says Jax is like the annoying ex who won’t leave her alone. It’s ok though because next week they’re facing each other, with Stratton getting to add some more scars to that five head of Jax because it’s Last Woman Standing.

The brawl is on and Jax easily leaves her laying. That would be the second Last Woman Standing match taking place on WWE programming next week. With Stratton down, Naomi runs out and tries to cash in but Jax won’t let her, giving her a new way to get on my nerves. Stratton gets up and dropkicks Naomi into Jax before leaving. No cash-in. Jax is just not interesting, which was on full display here.

Video on CM Punk vs. John Cena, comparing them to yin and yang as they have been intertwined for years. This is quite the package, with the two of them being treated as the major stars they have become.

Charlotte vs. Chelsea Green

The Secret Hervice is here with Green and Alba Fyre offers a distraction, allowing Green to get in a cheap shot to start. Charlotte kicks her away and hits a high crossbody for two, followed by a kick to the head in the corner. Fyre distracts Charlotte again though and Green takes over again as we take a break.

Back with Charlotte chopping away and hitting the fall away slam into the nip up. Charlotte mocks the salute and hits a front flip clothesline for two. Fyre offers a third distraction but gets booted down, allowing Green to hit a Rough Ryder for two of her own. Green takes her mask off and tries the Unprettier, which is countered into a spear to give Charlotte two. Green gets two off a small package but the Figure Eight finishes for Charlotte at 9:36.

Rating: C+. I am running out of ways to explain how little I care about anything Charlotte does. She’s been around for so long and has been in the title picture so many times that it is just too hard to get interested again. This was Charlotte wrestling as a hero and my goodness that does not sound like something I want to see.

Post match the Hervice comes in for the beatdown but Alexa Bliss makes the save. Charlotte walks away from the offer of a handshake.

JC Mateo is getting ready to beat up Jacob Fatu but Solo Sikoa wants to try and talk it out. Mateo should be ready though.

Here is Sikoa, who requests and receives Fatu so they can clear the air. Sikoa says he’s not here for a fight because he loves Fatu, as he always has. Families fight but then they move forward, which is what Sikoa wants to do again. Fatu is all Sikoa has and that’s all he needs. Sikoa says he loves him but the fans are certainly not convinced. Fatu thinks Sikoa has been using him to gain power and fight his battles. Is that all this was for Sikoa?

Fatu wants Sikoa to look at him while he’s speaking. Ever since Fatu won the title, Sikoa has been acting differently, so maybe the title is the problem. Fatu lays it on the mat and says come fight him for it. Sikoa loads up the Spike but Fatu shoves him down, only to have JC Mateo run in. The double teaming takes Fatu down but Jimmy Uso runs in for the save. Uso gets taken down until Fatu is up for the real save. They have to do the Sikoa vs. Fatu match sooner or later and Night Of Champions would be a good place for it to happen.

Bronson Reed vs. LA Knight

Paul Heyman and Bron Breakker are here with Reed. Cue Knight through the crowd to post Breakker and send Reed outside. Reed has to calm Breakker down before getting inside, where Knight stomps him down in the corner. The seated sitdown splash misses for Reed but he grabs the ropes to block the jumping neckbreaker.

Reed misses the backsplash though and Knight is back with a middle rope bulldog. Knight sends him to the floor and hits a springboard spinning crossbody as we take a break. We come back with Knight blocking a superplex attempt and dropping the jumping elbow for two. Reed’s Death Valley Driver gets the same but Knight fights back up, only for Breakker to come in with the Super Spear for the DQ at 7:33.

Rating: B-. They were having a good match until the ending, which is what makes sense all things considered. Knight is someone who can fight back and probably will, likely with some kind of a weapon or some help. What matters right now though is that Knight is getting higher level competition, which is what he has been needing for a good while.

Post match Breakker hits another Super Spear, setting up three straight Tsunamis.

Here’s what’s coming next week from Saudi Arabia.

Jacob Fatu is ready for Solo Sikoa at Night Of Champions for the US Title. Get in where you fit int, because if not, it’s about to be all gas, no brakes.

R-Truth vs. John Cena

Non-title. R-Truth starts fast and slugs away, even sending Cena outside to keep up the beating. Back in and Cena gets sent into the corner as we take an early break. Back with Cena hitting the Shuffle but R-Truth slips out of the AA and hits a Thesz press. Cena bails out and grabs the title to leave but R-Truth cuts him off. That’s fine with Cena, who hits him with the belt for the DQ at 5:45, most of which was during the break.

Post match CM Punk runs in for the brawl but gets kicked low. Another belt shot gives us a loud THUD and Cena pulls out a table. Cena gets in another belt shot and AA’s Punk through the table. Cena grabs the mic and sits on the turnbuckle, where he starts a slightly tweaked version of the Pipebomb. Cena has a lot to get off his chest, starting with the fact that he doesn’t hate Punk. He hates the idea of Punk being the best in the world because Cena is the best in the world.

Punk is better at one thing, as he is the best bulls****** in the world. Uh oh. He said a bad word so the show must be off the rails. Look at him! He’s breaking the fourth wall! Cena is jealous of Punk for conning people saying he’s the best in the world, especially when he changes his values more often than Cena changes his shirts. Cena: “Hey Claudio Castagnoli! Hey Nic Nemeth! Hey Matt Cardona!”

Punk has done nothing but repeat the same things over and over again because he’s a promo potato salad. He’s not the Voice Of The Voiceless anymore because he’s a millionaire these days. In Saudi Arabia, he’ll face a different tune when he finds out that Cena is the best of all time. Punk was the best in the world for seven minutes, ten years ago. If he still thinks that after Night Of Champions, it must be a small world after all. Punk needs to bring his a-game because the mood is starting to change.

A referee FINALLY comes in to check on Punk, which seems to be a signal that they need to stretch things out a bit longer. Cena says he won’t do anything else to Punk and holds up the title, saying get a good shot of the champ. And USA can keep the extra 2.5 minutes, because he doesn’t need the time to set off a bomb. He flips the mic to Punk, saying that he just made the stupid promo more famous. Cena poses to end the show.

Yeah this was rather good, and makes their match feel all the more important as it ties back into one of the most famous promos ever. Cena was getting some of his swagger back here too, which has been missing for a rather long time. Good stuff here, and it did exactly what it was supposed to do.

Overall Rating: B. This show did a good job of making Cena vs. Punk and the King Of The Ring feel way more important. That’s what both of them have been needing, as Night Of Champions got a heck of a boost out of this show. Now just get everything else going on the show, which is where Monday Night Raw should work. Next week’s show is pretty stacked and that’s some nice momentum to have, even if it’s in Saudi Arabia.

Results
Asuka b. Alexa Bliss – Empress Impact
Randy Orton b. Sami Zayn – RKO
Charlotte b. Chelsea Green – Figure Eight
LA Knight b. Bronson Reed via DQ when Bron Breakker interfered
R-Truth b. John Cena via DQ when Cena used the title belt

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

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Smackdown
Date: June 13, 2025
Location: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Joe Tessitore

We’re on the way to Night Of Champions and the big story is John Cena vs. CM Punk for the Smackdown World Title coming up in Saudi Arabia. Other than that, we have a pair of Money In The Bank briefcases floating around, which are likely going to be teased for a good while now. This week we should be seeing some more things being set up for the pay per view so let’s get to it.

Here is Money In The Bank if you need a recap.

This show was in my hometown but I had something more important to do. Happy birthday buddy.

We open with a long recap of Worlds Collide and Money In The Bank.

Here is John Cena to get things going. After his special introduction, Cena says that the Mount Rushmore of wrestling is four of him because no one has ever been him. He is smarter than everyone and he is always 1000 steps ahead of you. Last year, he announced his retirement a year in advance so he could have six months to scout his biggest opponents.

Cena goes through the year, explaining every action he has taken like a maniacal movie villain. Now Punk is coming up on Night Of Champions but he’ll have to become a hypocrite to get his shot. Seth Rollins won’t cash in on him because he wants Cena to take the title away so Rollins can be the one champion. Cena has solved everything because he is smarter than everyone and it will take you years to understand it.

No one is capable of hanging with him but here is Cody Rhodes to interrupt. Rhodes calls Cena a genius and agrees that Cena’s plans have been right the entire time. Cena has this twenty five year master plan but there is one detail he overlooked: Rhodes pinned him at Money In The Bank. Rhodes isn’t part of Cena’s plan, because Cena is part of his. Cue Randy Orton to say he has Cena beaten at Backlash until someone saved Cena again. Now Orton is ready to win the King Of The Ring to get to Cena and he’ll go through Rhodes to get there.

Cue LA Knight to interrupt (Barrett: “YES!”), who knows that no one in the ring wants him walking down there. Knight is the sore thumb against the WWE establishment and that’s how he likes it. King Of The Ring is here and if he has to drop any of them to be WWE Champion, so be it. Cena goes to leave but R-Truth jumps him from behind. Everyone lining up to come after Cena as the clock is ticking is an interesting story, and Knight jumping into the main event scene is a logical way to go for him. The US Title doesn’t mean anything for him anymore so see what he can do.

King Of The Ring First Round: Randy Orton vs. LA Knight vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Aleister Black

This could be interesting. Hayes and Black slug it out to start, leaving Orton and Knight to brawl in the corner. Hayes gets two off a quick rollup but gets sent outside for a moonsault from Black. Knight, Orton and Black all miss their finishers and we take an early break. Back with Knight stomping Hayes down in the corner and then doing the same to Orton. Hayes is back up to kick Knight down and the Fade Away puts him down.

A running flip dive takes Black out but Knight is up to send Hayes into the announcers’ table. Orton drops Black onto the table but can’t superplex Hayes. Instead Black posts Orton, leaving Hayes to frog splash Knight for two as we take another break. Back again with Black striking away but having to block an RKO. A series of strikes give Black two on Hayes but Orton gives everyone a powerslam.

The double hanging DDT is loaded up, with Knight coming in with a neckbreaker to Orton, driving the other two down in the process. The BFT hits Black with Hayes making the save but cue Bronson Reed to cut off the jumping elbow. Bron Breakker is in for a Super Spear to Knight and Hayes adds a frog splash….into an RKO onto Knight. Orton gets the pin on Knight to advance at 16:17.

Rating: B. I was digging this one with the ending being quite the creative way to go to wrap it up. That’s one of the best things you can see, as it came out of nowhere for a cool way to go. Other than that, it was nice to see all four of them being an option to win. The interference was a fine way to keep Knight looking strong, though I could have gone with someone else taking the fall.

Jacob Fatu warns us that he is coming.

Here is Jacob Fatu for a chat and the fans are happy to see him. Just because you are family doesn’t mean you can go behind someone’s back and take credit for their success, which is what Solo Sikoa did to him. That’s why he took Sikoa out at Money In The Bank and he’s on his own. Cue a clapping Sikoa on the Titantron, saying he brought Fatu here a year ago because Fatu was doing nothing. He gave Fatu a chance and next week he’ll give him another one. Fatu can apologize and say he loves Sikoa, because Sikoa can take him out. This should be interesting, but Fatu as a monster face has all of the potential.

The Secret Hervice comes in to see Nick Aldis, with Chelsea Green on the phone, saying that she needs to have her Queen Of The Ring match in a city other than Lexington. Aldis isn’t doing that and puts Alba Fyre in her place. The Secret Hervice leaves and Zelina Vega comes in, saying she wants Giulia. That can’t happen this week, so she’ll face Giulia next week, with Aldis not really able to get a word in.

Queen Of The Ring First Round: Michin vs. Piper Niven vs. Jade Cargill vs. Nia Jax

Niven and Michin go to the floor, leaving Cargill to shoulder Jax in the corner. Michin comes in and gets taken down by Cargill, who gets two off a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Back up and Michin hits a running dropkick to put Cargill down but Niven hits a running backsplash on Michin. Jax is back in to take over on Cargill, who avoids a charge to send Jax shoulder first into the post. Michin is back up for an Asai moonsault onto all three and we take a break.

Back with Cargill superkicking Jax but getting taken down by Niven. Some running shots in the corner have Cargill in trouble but it’s time for Jax and Niven to argue. Michin is back in to pick up the pace with a running hurricanrana, with Jax making the save. Cargill slugs away on Jax and Niven on the floor, only for them to throw Cargill over the announcers’ table (and over Wade Barrett) for the big crash.

Back in and Michin grabs a spinning DDT on Niven, only to get dropped by Jax. The Annihilator hits Michin but Niven makes the save. Niven drives Jax through the barricade and hits the Piper Bomb on Michin. Cargill is back in though and Jaded finishes Niven at 12:52.

Rating: B-. There is something amazing about watching Cargill muscle someone up and plant them down with Jaded and that’s what she did again here. It was fun to see someone going power vs. power with Jax, as that isn’t something you often see. It was an entertaining match and Cargill feels like she could be in for something big sooner than later.

Here is Miss Money In The Bank Naomi for a chat. Naomi says people here are looking real shocked and real stupid but she took what she deserved. The entire time when she was trying to take the title from Nia Jax, Tiffany Stratton was there to stop her. Too nice Naomi allowed it to happen…and here is Stratton to interrupt. Stratton says just cash in right now and take the title if she’s so confident.

Naomi is all talk and no action and that’s why she couldn’t beat Jax. That doesn’t work for Naomi, who wants to surprise Stratton and is going to make her life h***. Proceed with caution. Naomi leaves but here is Nia Jax to jump Stratton and hit the Annihilator. Naomi teases the cash-in but Jax glares her off. And so we start what is likely going to be a months long ordeal with one tease after another.

Earlier today, Nick Aldis talked to the tag division, all of whom want the Wyatt Sicks. The Motor City Machine Guns get the nod this week.

Wyatt Sicks vs. Motor City Machine Guns

It’s Dexter Lumis/Joe Gacy for the Wyatts with the rest of the team here too. It’s a brawl to start with the Wyatts taking over and Lumis’ jumping spinning legdrop gets two on Sabin. Gacy comes in but gets low bridged to the floor, with the Guns following with stereo slingshot dives.

We take a break and come back with Sabin cleaning house and the stereo apron superkicks rocking Lumis. Gacy is back in with a double clothesline to take over and powerbombs Lumis onto Sabin for two. Sabin is back up with a DDT to Lumis and the Dream Sequence connects. Skull & Bones is broken up though and Lumis’ guillotine legdrop finishes Sabin at 9:23.

Rating: C+. It’s about time to do something with the Wyatts, as you can only have them do a bunch of random beatdowns. Going after the Tag Team Titles isn’t a bad idea and it feels like this is the start of setting up the Wyatts to go through the division and maybe even take the titles. Good enough stuff here, which is absolutely no shock given that the Guns were around.

John Cena comes up to Jimmy Uso in the back and is looking for R-Truth. Uso hasn’t, but Cena wants R-Truth to meet him in the ring.

Here is an angry Cena for a chat. He can tolerate a certain level of disrespect but R-Truth has crossed the line. Cena calls R-Truth out for a fight right now but gets CM Punk instead. Punk says he has a mic and wants Cena to turn around and let the fans celebrate him like they want to. Cena: “Why?”

He wants to know why he should waste his time in front of a bunch of people who don’t matter. These people don’t matter. This place doesn’t matter. Basketball doesn’t matter. Horse racing doesn’t matter. The title is all that matters. Punk gets serious and says there is one reality: Cena cannon beat him. When Punk was at his best, Cena could not beat him. It is Punk’s belief in himself that brought him here and he’s not here dressed like a toddler who just struck out at t-ball.

Punk wants that one back because it sounds like PG John Cena, but “I’m going to take the title and walk out” sounds like something Punk would say. It’s ironic that Cena is stealing Punk’s material because Cena couldn’t stop him. Punk will meet him in Saudi Arabia and he will sacrifice the goat to the gods of wrestling. The reality is Punk can see through him and that’s the truth. Cue R-Truth to jump Cena from behind and put him in the STF. This was more of the hard sell from Punk, with R-Truth being an interesting side piece to the whole thing.

Alexa Bliss is ready to move closer to being Queen Of The Ring but Charlotte comes in to say there is one queen.

R-Truth requests and receives a match with John Cena next week.

Queen Of The Ring First Round: Charlotte vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Alba Fyre vs. Candice LeRae

Bliss cuts off Charlotte’s entrance to make this especially personal. LeRae and Fyre break up the staredown but Charlotte is back up to knock both of them down and take over. Bliss comes in with a high crossbody to Charlotte but Charlotte takes them all down again as we go to a break.

Back with Bliss hitting a Tower Of Doom and we get a parade of faceplants. Charlotte gets the Figure Eight on Bliss but LeRae breaks it up with an Asai moonsault. Bliss is back up with Twisted Bliss to Fyre, only for Charlotte to break it up. Charlotte’s spear gets two on LeRae and she grabs the Figure Eight on Fyre. Bliss is right back with the Sister Abigail DDT to pin LeRae for the win at 10:49, just before Fyre taps.

Rating: C+. I like seeing Charlotte lose, but why do I have a feeling this is going to result in her complaining about a lot of things and probably costing Bliss the semifinals? Either way, Bliss getting a push is intriguing as she could be slotted into the title scene rather easily, though Charlotte will likely have something to say about that. Other than that, this won’t sit well with Chelsea Green, which should be great.

Post match Charlotte glares a lot.

Cody Rhodes runs into CM Punk, who wishes him luck tonight.

King Of The Ring First Round: Cody Rhodes vs. Damian Priest vs. Andrade vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Nakamura bails to the floor to start so Rhodes decks him, leaving Andrade to knock Priest into the corner. Rhodes is back in to clothesline Priest out to the floor but Nakamura is back up to go after both of them. Andrade hits a big dive to the floor to take everyone out as we take a break.

Back with Nakamura hitting the sliding German suplex on Priest but he’s back up to knock everyone else down. Rhodes breaks up Old School though, leaving Nakamura to cross armbreaker Andrade. That’s broken up so Rhodes brings out a (Slim Jim) table but Nakamura saves Andrade from going through it. Instead Rhodes is kicked through the table and we take a break.

Back with Andrade cleaning house but Rhodes fires off a string of clotheslines. Nakamura breaks up Cross Rhodes and hits Kinshasa for two but Andrade is back up. The Message gets two on Priest and Andrade slugs it out with Nakamura. Rhodes breaks that up and Cody Cutters Priest, followed by Cross Rhodes to pin Nakamura at 16:46.

Rating: B-. You could all but guarantee who was taking the fall the second Nakamura was announced for the match and that’s not the worst thing. He’s leaving when his deal is up so why bother wasting a loss on anyone else? Rhodes needs a nice run in this tournament after Wrestlemania and putting him against Cena again at Summerslam is hardly a bad idea.

Overall Rating: B. This show was heavily focused on the tournaments, with only the tag match getting attention otherwise. As a result, the wrestling was rather good, though my goodness I could go a long time without seeing a qualifying/first round multi person match. Other than that though, this was about people lining up to come after John Cena, who is trying to run out the clock on this time in WWE. I’m curious to see where that is going, and the match with Punk at Night Of Champions should be more than worth a look. Good show here, and things are looking up around here.

Results
Randy Orton b. LA Knight, Carmelo Hayes and Aleister Black – Frog splash to Knight
Jade Cargill b. Piper Niven, Nia Jax and Michin – Jaded to Niven
Wyatt Sicks b. Motor City Machine Guns – Guillotine legdrop to Sabin
Cody Rhodes b. Shinsuke Nakamura, Andrade and Damian Priest – Cross Rhodes to Nakamura

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

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Money In The Bank 2025
Date: June 7, 2025
Location: Intuit Dome, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee, Corey Graves

It’s time for one of the biggest shows of the year as we find out who gets to be annoying with the briefcases for the next few hours to several months. The good thing is that WWE has done a nice job of making the titles feel that much more important and like the most important things in the promotion. Hopefully they can keep up that momentum so let’s get to it.

The opening video focuses on how important money is for everyone and how it makes the world go around. This shifts into a look at the various matches, as tends to be the case, though at least it is kept brief.

Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match

We have Stephanie Vaquer, Alexa Bliss, Rhea Ripley, Roxanne Perez, Giulia and Naomi. Bliss, Ripley and Naomi clear out the other three to start, leaving Naomi to baseball slide a ladder into Vaquer. With Naomi outside, we get a staredown between Ripley and Bliss but Giulia and Perez break it up. Vaquer comes back in with a ladder of her own and takes care of them, only to get X Factored onto a ladder.

Bliss puts Naomi and Perez onto a ladder for a running flipping backsplash but Giulia sends Bliss into a ladder in the corner. Ripley comes in for the staredown with Giulia and hits a hard dropkick to send her into the corner. Perez is back in with a hurricanrana to send Ripley into a ladder laying against the ropes for the big crash. Perez and Giulia go up the ladder at the same time but have to stop to crush Ripley in a ladder (which doesn’t exactly go well).

Ripley is buried under a bunch of ladders on the floor, leaving Naomi to go for the ladder. Vaquer breaks that up and cleans house, including a dragon screw legwhip out of the corner to Naomi. That lets Vaquer go up, but Giulia jumps on her back for the climb. A German suplex brings Vaquer down but Bliss makes the save and climbs as well. Perez, Giulia and Vaquer go up too so Bliss drops down and cuts Vaquer off.

The other two are brought down and the ladder is knocked down, leaving Perez to send Giulia into the ladder a few times. Ripley gets out from the pile of ladders though and starts wrecking Giulia, much to the fans’ appreciation. A toss Razor’s Edge sends Giulia into Naomi and takes Vaquer down in a crash as well. Ripley bridges a ladder in the corner but gets caught with the Devil’s Kiss to a heck of a reaction.

Bliss and Perez both go up so Naomi follows, with another ladder being bridged in. Perez and Bliss hit stereo Code Reds to take out Naomi and Vaquer in an awesome looking visual. Giulia and Perez go up to slug it out but Bliss and Ripley make some saves. Bliss and Ripley plant the two of them and go up but Naomi shoves the ladder over, sending them into another ladder. Naomi gets the briefcase at 25:12.

Rating: C+. I wasn’t feeling this one of the most part, partially because it just went on so long. It didn’t help that there was almost nothing that made it stand out, with only the Devil’s Kiss to Ripley feeling different. This wasn’t so much bad (it wasn’t) as much as it was dull, with the women just kind of doing stuff until Naomi won. That’s not overly interesting and that’s not making for a good car crash match.

Some stars from AAA are here.

Earlier today at Worlds Collide, Dominik Mysterio taunted Octagon Jr. for being a big Rey Mysterio fan. The brawl was on, setting up an Intercontinental Title match tonight.

Intercontinental Title: Octagon Jr. vs. Dominik Mysterio

Mysterio, with Liv Morgan, is defending. Octagon jumps over him to start and sends Mysterio to the floor for an Asai moonsault. Back in and Mysterio crotches him on top and ties part of the mask to the ropes. Mysterio stomps away and hits a driver, only to miss the 619. Octagon kicks him in the head and hits a corkscrew hilo for two, followed by a fisherman’s neckbreaker. Morgan offers a distraction though and now the 619 connects. The frog splash finishes for Mysterio at 4:54.

Rating: C+. This is the kind of match that the show was needing, as a four match card was feeling rather weak. This was a nice way to tie things up with Worlds Collide and even gave Mysterio a quick win. Nothing noteworthy here, but nice job of at least fleshing out the card a bit, which was needed.

Chad Gable shows American Made the OFFICIAL Fireball ladder (because yes, we have sponsored ladders to go with the sponsored tables from this week’s Smackdown).

Women’s Intercontinental Title: Becky Lynch vs. Lyra Valkyria

Valkyria is defending after beating Lynch last month. This is Lynch’s last shot at the title, but if she wins, Valkyria has to raise her hand. Valkyria jumps her to start the brawl fast and sends Lynch outside…but has to have the referee fix her top (which has been an issue for her before). Lynch takes over on the floor and sends Valkyria into the barricade. Back in and the Manhandle Slam is countered so Lynch settles for two off a reverse layout DDT.

Valkyria is sent into the buckles a few times but comes back with the forearms, followed by a sitout powerbomb for two. One heck of a DDT gives Lynch two of her own but Valkyria catches her on top with a superplex. A fisherman’s buster gives Valkyria two and she nails Lynch in the head with a spinning kick. Lynch mixes it up with a cross armbreaker but Valkyria escapes and pulls on the leg while standing on Lynch’s head (ouch).

They go outside, where an ax kick from the barricade hits Lynch on the floor. Back in and Valkyria dives into a powerbomb to put them down for a needed double breather. They go up top again and a super Manhandle Slam gives Lynch two, resulting in the shocked kickout face. Another Manhandle Slam to the floor knocks Valkyria silly but she manages a Nightwing from the apron to the floor to drop Lynch as well. They both roll in to beat the count so Valkyria grabs the same rollup she used to win last month for two. That’s reversed into a rollup from Lynch, who grabs the trunks for the pin at 15:17.

Rating: B. These two work very well together and that was the case again here. They had to give Lynch the win here though, as there was no way you could have her lose twice in a row, especially so soon after her return. This is also the kind of star power that the title needs and comes after Valkyria beat Lynch clean. Good stuff here, and I’m curious to see where Valkyria goes next.

Post match Lynch, eventually, gets her hand raised and of course is rather gloaty. That’s not good enough for Lynch though, as she insists that Valkyria put the belt on her. Valkyria suplexes her into Nightwing and it looks like a rubber match is coming.

The announcers play with action figures. Lucky.

Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match

We’ve got LA Knight, Andrade, El Grade Americano, Penta, Seth Rollins and Solo Sikoa. Cole goes on a rant about Americano being Chad Gable because they both have taped up elbows, with McAfee not having it with this nonsense. Rollins, who has been the focal point of the build to the match, is surrounded to start and the beating is on rather quickly. Andrade, Knight and Penta knock Rollins to the floor, leaving Sikoa to stare at all three of them instead.

Sikoa tries to put something together with them and is promptly destroyed. Rollins is back in to hammer on Penta and Andrade hits a big running flip dive onto a pile. Penta hits a dive of his own and Americano grabs a ladder. Americano and Penta head back inside, with Rollins using a ladder to the ribs to knock Penta to the floor. Sikoa is back in to slam Americano onto a ladder but Knight hammers Sikoa into the corner.

Knight elbows him onto the ladder and goes up, only to get in a slugout with Penta. A bigger ladder is set up with Rollins and Americano going up, followed by Sikoa and Andrade going up their own ladder. The six way brawl is on until everyone goes down, giving us a Sikoa vs. Rollins staredown. Rollins gets the better of the fight and hits him in the ribs with the ladder.

The Stomp plants Sikoa again and Rollins is alone in the ring with a ladder….so he goes to get another ladder. Rollins goes up gets cut off by Americano, who grabs an ankle lock to leave Rollins hanging upside down. Andrade is up with a sunset bomb to plant Americano and Penta suplexes Rollins onto a ladder in the corner. Andrade and Penta go up the big ladder before Andrade hits him in the back with another ladder.

The ladder is bridged into the standing one and Penta hits a Canadian Destroyer to plant Andrade onto the bridge. Sikoa is back in and is promptly pulled back out by Knight, who bridges a ladder onto the barricade. Back in and Penta powerbombs Knight but Americano is back up with the “Gable like” German suplexes. Americano busts out the Fireball ladder for the helicopter spot but gets taken down again.

Penta knocks Rollins off a ladder but Knight sends Americano into a ladder at ringside, allowing him to ride a ladder from the corner onto the ladder in the middle to headbutt Penta down. That was a cross between “OH COME ON” and “DANG THAT WAS AWESOME” so we’ll let it slide. Knight belly to back suplexes Americano down and Rollins goes up but Penta and Andrade make the save (Michael Cole is on his feet over this stuff).

Andrade and Penta slug it out on top but here are Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker, with Breakker spearing the heck out of Americano. Another spear hits Knight and Paul Heyman gives him the last rites. Reed Tsunamis Andrade and goes after Sikoa but here are JC Mateo and Jacob Fatu to even (I think?) things up a bit.

The brawl is on and Breakker spears Mateo through the barricade, leaving Fatu to hit a pop up Samoan drop on Reed, followed by a heck of a suicide dive to send him into the announcers’ table. Fatu sets up the ladder and Sikoa….wants another one, but does stop to hug Fatu in a nice moment. Sikoa makes the slow climb with Fatu standing guard and….yeah there’s the look up at Sikoa, with Fatu grabbing his leg.

Sikoa looks down to see who has his leg and he knows this isn’t good. Fatu shouts that he hates Sikoa and pulls him down for a superkick. The triple jump moonsault connects as well and a release Rock Bottom sends him through the bridged ladder at ringside. Rollins grabs another FIREBALL ladder and goes up but Knight comes back to life to cut him off. Rollins pulls him back down though and goes up to win at 33:48.

Rating: B. Now this was more like it, as not only did it not feel long, but it also had quite a few moments that stood out. Rollins being the big threat was the story of the match and while it didn’t quite feel like anyone was going to be a big threat (Knight and Sikoa came closest), the idea of everyone trying to stop him worked. This felt like what Money In The Bank is supposed to be these days and the more than half an hour time span flew by.

Wrestlemania XLII is officially (for the second time) in Las Vegas again. Because of course it is.

Nikki Bella is back on Raw. Ok then.

Cody Rhodes/Jey Uso vs. Logan Paul/John Cena

Cena stole the title from Rhodes and is teaming with Paul, who he thinks is the future of WWE. Uso doesn’t like Paul either and Rhodes saved him at Saturday Night’s Main Event, setting up the tag match. After the Big Match Intros, Rhodes chases Cena around and gets Paul instead. It’s already back to Cena, who gets caught in a headlock.

That’s broken up so Rhodes runs him over with a shoulder, followed by a delayed gordbuster. Uso comes in and hits a pop up neckbreaker for two on Paul. A shot to the face cuts Uso down though and it’s off to Cena to whip him hard into the corner. Cena distracts the referee so Paul can get in a cheap shot on the apron in a simple yet effective trope.

Back up and Uso reverses Cena into the corner for the Bret Hart bump but Paul isn’t about to let Rhodes come back in. Cena’s running shoulder drops Uso and Cena even curtsy’s a bit to really ham it up. Uso fights to his feet but gets driven hard into the corner to leave both of them down again. Paul cuts off the tag again though and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up so Cena cuts the tag attempt off again, which draws Rhodes in, allowing the double teaming in the corner.

Cena grabs the chinlock as this beating continues. Back up and Cena teases knocking Rhodes off the apron but gets hit in the face this time, allowing Uso to score with an enziguri. Paul and Cena get into an argument of their own though and that’s enough for the tag to Rhodes (with the villains’ stunned faces being a great visual as they knew they screwed up).

House is quickly cleaned with a Cody Cutter to Cena and a big dive to Paul. Back in and a quick AA gives Cena two, with Uso making the save. The Buckshot Lariat doesn’t work as Paul slips and Uso superkicks him down. Cross Rhodes hits Cena so Paul springboards in for the save, which hits Cena by mistake. Uso spears Paul and everyone is down. Cena and Uso are up to slug it out but Paul is back up to deck Uso.

The Paulverizer plants Rhodes so Paul goes up and grabs a drone (whose perspective we’re seeing), which takes too long so Rhodes superplexes him down (with Paul still holding the drone), setting up Uso’s Superfly Splash (with the shot still from the drone so we just see Uso crashing down). That was AWESOME and the kind of thing that makes this WWE feel so much more modernized with some outside the box thinking after decades of the same style. Anyway, Cena hits an AA each, with the one to Rhodes getting two.

Cena goes outside and loads up the announcers’ table but Rhodes slips out, leaving Uso to catch Cena with a spear. Not to be out done, Paul Asai moonsaults Uso through the announcers’ table and everyone is down again. The referee is distracted and Cena gets in a belt shot. Cue someone in a black hoodie to spear Cena down and hammer away…..AND IT’S R-TRUTH to quite the reaction. Cena gets dropped with a belt shot and R-Truth leaves (looking WAY more serious than usual). Cross Rhodes gives Rhodes the pin at 24:00.

Rating: B+. Oh sweet goodness there is a lot to cover here. First and foremost, I have no idea if R-Truth actually left and he was brought back after the backlash or if it was a huge work, but WOW that was a great reveal. At the same time, it didn’t last long but I really did love that drone shot deal. It was clever and unique and I can always go for something like that.

As for the rest of the match, it was kind of a match in two parts. The first half had me losing my mind out of boredom, as that heat segment on Uso probably could have had a good five minutes cut out. That being said, the tag off to Rhodes was the turning point, as it was all full gear from then on, making for a heck of a finish. They went from a dull match to something close to outstanding, with the R-Truth deal at the end making it even better. Trim down a few minutes and this is a classic, but as it is, it’s just very good.

Cena and Paul look crushed to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a show that took its time to get going but once you get on to the Valkyria vs. Lynch match, the whole thing is a heck of a ride. Even the first two matches are far from bad, making this a pretty awesome show. I was more than impressed with the last three matches and the show was this close to being a great one. Rather nice show here and a lot better than I was expecting.

Results
Naomi won the Women’s Money In The Bank ladder match
Dominik Mysterio b. Octagon Jr. – Frog splash
Becky Lynch b. Lyra Valkyria – Rollup with trunks
Seth Rollins won the Men’s Money In The Bank ladder match
Cody Rhodes/Jey Uso b. John Cena/Logan Paul – Cross Rhodes to Cena

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

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It’s time for one of the many themed pay per views that give someone else a guaranteed title shot, because there just aren’t enough of those going around in WWE. This time around we do have a bit of a twist as it’s all about climbing a ladder and then getting to pick the time of the ensuing title match. WWE has done a nice job in building those matches up, and that’s a good thing as we only have four matches on the card. Let’s get to it.

Women’s Intercontinental Title: Lyra Valkyria(c) vs. Becky Lynch

This is a rematch from last month, where Valkyria beat Lynch clean in one heck of an upset. In this case, it’s Lynch’s last shot at the title but if she wins, Valkyria has to raise her hands. That makes me think this is even more obvious of a result than they had coming into Backlash, but that was quite the surprising ending. I’m a bit unsure, but that starts to go away a bit more every time I think about it.

In theory, there is no reason for Lynch to lose twice in a row so we’ll go with her winning the title. I like that WWE is trying to push Valkyria as the new thing but she just has not been clicking with the promos. Lynch can instantly boost the title up to the next level and that’s what it needs. Granted that’s what I said almost verbatim last month and it didn’t happen, so I have to be right at least once….right?

Women’s Money In The Bank

So as usual, these things are all about the process of elimination. In this case, that’s a bit difficult to do as there are multiple possible winners. I’ll write off Roxanne Perez, as I just can’t imagine her winning as it doesn’t quite fit at the moment. Alexa Bliss is almost getting pushed too much at the moment to win and Stephanie Vaquer seems like she is going to get a title shot without the briefcase sooner or later. Giulia is hunting the Women’s US Title so odds are she’s not winning either. That leaves us with two, and I’m not sure where it’s going.

As much as I’d like to see Rhea Ripley win and cash in for a title match against Iyo Sky, I’ll go with Naomi, as she’s the kind of weaselly heel who could do some good things with the briefcase. At the same time, she’s been losing a lot recently, which for some reason is something that happens with some of the briefcase winners. It might not be the most exciting at the moment, but it has me curious about how it could go and I’ll take that enough.

Men’s Money In The Bank

Normally I would do the same elimination process here, but this match has been built up in a very different way. This match is ALL about Seth Rollins vs. the field, as WWE has made it clear that he’s the main focus of the whole thing. It’s almost a stretch to imagine anyone else winning at this point, but that’s if you leave out everyone who isn’t involved in the match. CM Punk and possibly Roman Reigns are almost guaranteed to be lurking and that makes things interesting.

Honestly at this point though, I’m going with Rollins for lack of anyone else. Who else is a viable option to win the thing? Maybe Solo Sioka? LA Knight is a tiny option I guess, but it’s not going to be Andrade, Penta or El Grande Americano (at least I don’t think on the last one, but maybe a bit of a chance). I’ll go with Rollins, but this is going to be the big wild match that has a bunch of interference, which should be a lot of fun.

Cody Rhodes/Jey Uso vs. John Cena/Logan Paul

I’m not sure if this is going to go on last, but this is the main event for all intent and purpose. Rhodes is back to get his hands on Cena again after what happened at Wrestlemania and there is a very realistic possibility that we’ll be seeing those two go at it again on a big stage. The same is likely true of Paul and Uso, which could make for something interesting.

In this case, I’ll go with…..I think I’ll take the villains here, with Paul beating Uso to set up the title rematch. I’m not sure where that goes as Uso already has Gunther on Monday and very well could have a briefcase to deal with as well. This could go any way and Rhodes beating Cena is an option, but I’m thinking they’ll wait a bit longer before we get to that big showdown (which almost has to happen).

Overall Thoughts

This is a great illustration of how WWE is setting up the World Titles as the most important things in the company. The focus on this show is all about the titles and we have heard about how important they are for the last few weeks in particular. That has me wanting to see what happens with them and the show itself should be quite the spectacle. Just don’t do anything stupid.

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

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Smackdown
Date: June 6, 2025
Location: Dignity Health Arena, Bakersfield, California
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

It’s the night before Money In The Bank and that means it is time to get into the final push to the show. The ladder match lineups are set, so that means it might be time for people to sit on some ladder. In addition to that, we should be getting a push towards the big tag match. Things are starting to pick up around here again and Money In The Bank is a major part of that so let’s get to it.

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

Here are Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed and Paul Heyman to get things going, meaning we immediately hit the CM PUNK chants. Rollins says he is ready to take everything tomorrow night when he wins the Money In The Bank contract to gain absolute power. That warrants an OTC chant, with Rollins saying no one can hear him on the Island of Irrelevancy.

They are here to take care of anyone in their way, like Sami Zayn, Punk or Reigns. None of them have ever cared about the people, but Rollins always has. He is willing to drag them into the future and no one can stop them. Cue Solo Sikoa/Jacob Fatu/JC Mateo to interrupt for the big staredown, with Sikoa saying they’re standing here. Is Breakker supposed to be Right Hand Man Jey Uso? Is Reed the new Zayn?

Rollins tells him to choose his next word very carefully so Sikoa promises to win the briefcase tomorrow. Sikoa should be scared of Reed and Breakker, but he should be more scared that his family would rather stab him in the back than have his back. Maybe Fatu can stop being the Samoan Werewolf and start being called Sikoa’s B****.

Sikoa is ready to fight but Breakker and Fatu get in their way for one heck of a staredown (and it gets the same OOOO reaction that it received on Raw a few months back). Most of them leave and it’s Jimmy Uso running in to jump Mateo, his scheduled opponent for tonight. Fatu’s turn keeps getting teased and it’s going to be massive if they do it right.

Jimmy Uso vs. JC Mateo

We’re joined in progress with Uso hammering away in the corner and getting two off a high crossbody. Mateo shrugs that off and knocks him down, setting up the chinlock. With that broken up, Uso avoids a charge to send him crashing out to the floor. Mateo knocks him off the ropes though and we take a break.

Back with Mateo hitting a standing moonsault, which Barrett does not think should be allowed. Uso comes back with a shot of his own and the Whisper In The Wind gets two. The spinning belly to back suplex plants Uso again but he comes back with the superkicks and a spear. Fatu offers a quick distraction but Mateo hits him by mistake, allowing Uso to steal the pin at 11:27.

Rating: C+. It’s quite the choice to have Mateo take a fall so soon but if nothing else, it does make Fatu feel like a more indestructible monster if he never loses. Uso needed a win like this as he’s getting back into the mix with Sikoa and company. It wasn’t a blowaway match, but there is a good chance that it leads to Fatu having more issues with the team, as he should.

Post match Mateo yells at Sikoa that Fatu is the problem. Seething ensues.

Zelina Vega comes up to Giulia, saying she has to earn a Women’s US Title shot.

Damian Priest tells Jacob Fatu that he’s coming for the US Title, which works for Fatu, but Priest better bring it.

Piper Niven vs. Zelina Vega

Non-title Bakersfield Brawl, which seems to mean street fight, and Chelsea Green/Alba Fyre are here with Niven. Vega gets shoved down to start and it’s time for an early breather on the floor. Back in and Vega’s kendo stick shot doesn’t do much but she slips out of a powerslam and hammers away. A stomp to the back crushes Niven but she drops Vega face first onto the apron.

We take a break and come back with Niven sending her into the buckle and setting up a chair. Vega grabs a quick DDT onto the chair, with Niven rolling out to the floor. A dive takes out the other villains and it’s a super Code Red back inside, with Fyre breaking up the cover. Green jumps Vega on the floor and of course it’s time for a table. The Piper Driver on the floor knocks Vega silly and the table (which has sponsorship logos on it, which is a stretch even for modern WWE) is set up. Cue Giulia to make a save and kendo stick Niven, allowing Vega to hit a powerbomb through the table for the win at 10:44.

Rating: B-. Can this please be the end of the feud already? Vega is out of people in the team to beat already and thankfully it seems time to face Giulia. I’m not sure how well that is going to go for Vega, but at least she is getting some wins like this one to build her up a bit. This was a good enough brawl and Vega overcomes some odds, but I don’t need her to face Green or the Hervice for a long time.

Post match Giulia lays Vega out without much trouble.

Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso are here, with Jey being a bit banged up. Jimmy Uso comes in and they’re all ready for tonight and tomorrow.

Aleister Black thinks LA Knight stole a win from him, so now it’s time to take something from Knight. Say in a match with no special rules. If Knight wins, Black will shake his hand and admit defeat.

Here is LA Knight for a chat before his match. This is his third year in a row in Money In The Bank (fan: “THIRD TIME’S THE CHARM!”) and he knows some people in this match. He has some respect for Penta and Andrade, but there are some dummies in this match too. Those dummies are people like El Grande Americano Gable, Solo Sikoa and Seth Rollins. Knight isn’t going to let Rollins burn it down because it’ll be a hot night with him in Los Angeles. As for Aleister Black, it’s time for him to be disappointed again when he gets to Los Angeles. Knight: “Well we’re in Bakersfield tonight but he’s not making it to LA!” Eh close enough to a save.

LA Knight vs. Aleister Black

They start fast by trading some early rollups for two each, leaving with a rather intense staredown. A lockup sees them fighting around the ropes until Black headlock takeovers him down. Knight pops up for a snap suplex but a DDT is blocked. Black kicks him away but Knight hits a hard clothesline for two more. A snap suplex gives Black two of his own and tries a springboard but gets knocked out to the floor, with Knight crashing after him.

We take a break and come back with Knight dropping him and trying the jumping top rope elbow. That’s broken up but Knight counters the counter and tries a torture rack, which is countered as well. Black goes with the kicks to take over but Knight counters into a Burning Hammer to send Black outside. And cue Seth Rollins to jump Knight for the DQ at 10:16 (Charles Robinson freaking out at the interruption is great).

Rating: C+. Ah that makes more sense, as there was no reason for either of them to lose, as Knight has Money In The Bank and Black hasn’t been back that long yet. Rollins interfering to help take out the competition for Saturday is a logical way to go and we can run this back later if needed. If nothing else, Black wanting to go after one of the bigger teams could be interesting.

Post match Black is not happy with Rollins for costing him a match but Bron Breakker is in with the Super Spear. Knight takes one of his own and the villains stand tall.

Nick Aldis and Adam Pearce announce the King and Queen Of The Ring tournaments, which will start with four four way matches (ERG), setting up the semifinals, with the finals taking place at Night Of Champions. The winners get title shots at Summerslam.

Jade Cargill is ready to win the Queen Of The Ring but she is asked about her relationship with Bianca Belair. Cue Charlotte to interrupt, telling her to choose her friends wisely. And Charlotte is winning the tournament. Tiffany Stratton comes in to say good luck to both of them, though she didn’t seem overly sincere.

Legado del Fantasma is ready to prove that they are the real family of lucha libre at Worlds Collide.

Chad Gable and American Made are here, with Gable saying he’s ready to win the AAA Mega Title at Worlds Collide. Andrade and Penta come in to mock him but Nick Aldis makes a tag match for later.

Here is Tiffany Stratton for a chat. Last year she became the youngest Miss Money In The Bank in history and the It Girl of WWE. Now it’s time for someone else to win the briefcase, and that means their world will be revolving around her. She asks Bakersfield what time it is but here is Rhea Ripley to interrupt. Ripley says she’s never been in Money In The Bank because she has never had to before. She does know what it’s like to be a champion and she will be again. Cue Stephanie Vaquer to interrupt and it’s time for a (scheduled) six woman tag.

Rhea Ripley/Stephanie Vaquer/Alexa Bliss vs. Naomi/Roxanne Perez/Giulia

Vaquer and Giulia start things off with an exchange of near falls and Giulia breaks up the Devil’s Kiss. Naomi comes in and everything breaks down with Vaquer giving Naomi the Devil’s Kiss and the villains bailing out to the floor. Back in and Naomi sends Vaquer throat first into the middle rope to take over, with Giulia getting in some choking in the corner. Perez’s stomp in the corner gets two and Giulia hits a snap suplex for the same.

Vaquer flips out of a suplex though and it’s off to Bliss to pick up the pace. Everything breaks down and Perez takes over on the floor as we take a break. Back with Naomi kicking Bliss down in the corner but Bliss escapes rather quickly. It’s off to Ripley to clean house, including a toss Razor’s Edge to Perez. Bliss gives Giulia the Sister Abigail DDT and Perez counters the Riptide into a DDT for a double down. Back up and Naomi won’t tag Perez, who walks into Eat Defeat and Riptide for the pin at 12:03.

Rating: B-. This was your big preview for the women’s ladder match and as usual, pinfalls means a grand total of nothing for Money In The Bank. The good thing is they have toned down the number of BUILDING MOMENTUM matches in recent years, which takes away a lot of the sting from this season. As for the match, it was smart to let Ripley remind us that she’s still a force, as she hasn’t been featured much lately.

Solo Sikoa tries to calm JC Mateo down about Jacob Fatu, who isn’t all that bright. And yes, of course Fatu is nearby.

The Wyatts cut off Sign Of The Night with Uncle Howdy talking about how his grief continues. He has watched the loyalty, trust and brotherhood in the tag division but everyone wants to forget about them. They are not back for nostalgia or closure, but to destroy everyone.

DIY tries to rally the tag division to fight against the Wyatt Sicks but the rest of the teams seem pretty ok with fighting on their own.

Worlds Collide rundown.

Money In The Bank rundown.

Penta/Andrade vs. American Made

Chad Gable is here and El Hijo del Vikingo is in the audience. Penta and Andrade start fast with dives to the floor before the bell and the fans approve. We get inside for the opening bell and Andrade hitting the running knees in the corner. Penta comes in for some shots of his own and his little dance, followed by the rather loud chops. Julius gets a running start and step up though and smashes Andrade in the face with a running knee.

We take a break and come back (with the director audibly counting commentary in) with Penta coming in to clean house. Gable goes after his mask so Vikingo jumps the barricade and they brawl into the crowd. That leaves Penta to hit the Canadian Destroyer for the pin on Brutus at 7:56.

Rating: C+. I’m not exactly expecting Penta or Andrade to have much of a chance on Saturday, but putting them together made for a fast paced enough match. Andrade is one of those guys who can be moved into a midcard spot at the drop of a hat and that is more or less what he’s doing again. On the other hand you have Penta, whose charisma is carrying him a long way, though I’m not sure what he is going to do next.

Post match the winners celebrate but here are Seth Rollins and company to interrupt. The beatdown is on and Penta gets Tsunamied.

Post break Paul Heyman says they don’t fear the future because they ARE the future. Rollins has told them everything that would happen and then it has all come to pass. They are the vanguards of the future of WWE and tomorrow, Rollins will become Mr. Money In The Bank again. Then he will cash in and become the new World Champion again, with Heyman….being cut off by Cody Rhodes. Cue Jey Uso and we take a break.

We come back with the villains gone and Rhodes asking the people what they want to talk about. Rhodes talks about John Cena calling him desperate last week. This is ironic coming from Cena, who threw 21 years of good will away and is now with Logan Paul, which is like seeing Michael Hayes with the Hardys. Cue Cena, who gets his big introduction, which allows Logan Paul to sneak in for the big beatdown.

Paul and Cena clean house, leaving Cena to say that no one is coming to save them. This is your future, with Paul holding up the Raw World Title. Cena tells the people to humble themselves for Paul, before the good guys are taken out again. Cena: “You want OUR TRUTH? The truth is right here!” The fans want truth and Cena says that is because they are all a bunch of losers. Paul and Cena hold up the titles to end the show. These two make for great heels together, and at least Cena has mostly settled down on one idea rather than seemingly changing what he was talking about every week.

Overall Rating: B-. This show put the focus firmly on the ladder matches and showed what it can mean for someone who wins the thing. You have Stratton as the most recent women’s winner and Rollins wanting to win to bring back the power in the company. It’s a good way to focus on them without having people doing the same things over and over again. Everything changes on Saturday though and this was a nice enough effort at getting me more into the pay per view.

Results
Jimmy Uso b. JC Mateo – Rollup
Zelina Vega b. Piper Niven – Powerbomb through a table
LA Knight b. Aleister Black via DQ when Seth Rollins interfered
Rhea Ripley/Alexa Bliss/Stephanie Vaquer b. Roxanne Perez/Naomi/Giulia – Riptide to Perez
Penta/Andrade b. American Made – Canadian Destroyer to Brutus

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

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Smackdown
Date: May 30, 2025
Location: Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville, Tennessee
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

Somehow we are just over a week away from Money In The Bank and that means it is time to start getting the card finalized. That is likely going to included some more qualifying matches, which can be hit or miss around here. Other than that, the rest of the show needs some attention and as of Saturday Night’s Main Event last weekend, Cody Rhodes is back. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is hometown girl Bianca Belair for a chat. She’s so glad to be back after her injury and it’s time to get back where she belongs. This brings out Naomi, who wants to be Belair’s friend again. It was so bad that she went to Belair’s parents’ house and looked through one of Belair’s photo album. Belair brings up Naomi attacking Jade Cargill and promises worse if Naomi goes near her family again. Cue Cargill to take Naomi out but here is Nia Jax for the scheduled match.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Nia Jax vs. Naomi vs. Jade Cargill

We’re joined in progress with Jax crashing out to the floor, leaving Naomi to hit a running dropkick to Cargill in the corner. Jax is back in with a running hip attack to Cargill in the corner but Cargill is up with a fall away slam to Naomi. Back up and Jax plants both of them down, followed by a double legdrop. A singular version hits Naomi for two but she rolls through a Samoan drop for two of her own as we take a break.

Back with Jax and Naomi double teaming Cargill but Jax doesn’t like Naomi going for a cover. Cargill is back up with a spinebuster to Jax and Jaded to Naomi but Jax makes the charging save. A double high crossbody gives Jax two each and frustration is setting in. Jax hits a super Samoan drop on Naomi, with Jax diving in for the save. They go to the corner for a Tower Of Doom, setting up an Annihilator to Cargill. Naomi is right there to steal the rollup pin on Jax at 12:21.

Rating: B-. Naomi has been needing a win and this is as good of a way to make that happen as possible. I could actually go for her winning Money In The Bank as she is an interesting choice to have hanging around the title picture. This got a bit of time too and that was nice to see, though Cargill vs. Naomi needs to wrap up already. What is left for Cargill to do to her?

Solo Sikoa and company run into R-Truth, who is talking to Little Jimmy (hey he’s back….I think). Sikoa thinks it’s dumb JC Mateo gets in R-Truth’s face. R-Truth thinks Mateo is his son (of course) and wants to teach Sikoa’s “husky” son a lesson. Works for them, though Jacob Fatu has his own plans for tonight. That sounds painful.

Chelsea Green, holding up a mask to hide her broken nose, and the Secret Hervice stop Nick Aldis. Green demands that she be named US Champion to make up for her injury but Aldis says no. And that’s that.

Tiffany Stratton wants to see who wins the Money In The Bank briefcase because someone will try to cash in. Cue Naomi to say she’s coming for the title. Naomi leaves and Alexa bliss comes in to say she wants the title too.

We look at the four way for the NXT North American Title at Worlds Collide.

JC Mateo vs. R-Truth

Mateo powers him into the corner without much trouble to start but R-Truth is back with the flying shoulders. That’s cut off in a hurry and Mateo hits the standing moonsault. The ProtoBomb and Five Knuckle Shuffle actually hit Mateo, but he grabs the Tour Of The Islands for the pin at 2:19. That’s what it should have been.

Post match Solo Sikoa goes after R-Truth but Jimmy Uso makes the save with a chair. Mateo takes Uso out as well.

Here are the Street Profits for a chat. The division is on fire right now and they’re the ones leading the charge. Now the Wyatts are here? Cue Fraxiom to say they should get another shot but here are the Motor City Machine Guns, who say the Profits never beat them either. They’ll take a title shot too, but here is DIY, who claims a conspiracy against them. Ciampa (who is looking in INCREDIBLE shape here) wants a moment of silence for the tag division….and we’ve got Wyatts to wreck everyone.

Los Garza vs. Je’Von Evans/Rey Fenix

This is a preview for the NXT North American Title match at Worlds Collide, with champion Ethan Page on commentary. Fenix and Garza start things off with Fenix snapping off a running hurricanrana. Berto comes in and gets caught with a running kick to the head as we take a break. Back with Garza giving Evans a running knee in the corner, followed by a Gory Bomb/slingshot cutter combination for two. Evans fights up and gets over for the tag to Fenix so house can quickly be cleaned.

Everything breaks down and Evans makes a blind tag to come in with a springboard clothesline. Evans and Garza chop it out from their knees and then from their feet, until Garza grabs a slingshot sitout powerbomb for two. Fenix breaks up the double super gorilla press slam though and Evans hits a big flip dive to the floor to take all of them out. Page pops up and sends Fenix over the announcers’ table, earning a superkick from Evans. Back in and Evans drops Berto but Page shoves him off the top. Los Garza’s double spinning slam finishes Evans at 12:23.

Rating: B-. For a commercial for a match that has pretty much nothing to do with this show, this could have been a lot worse. Evans getting something close to a tryout on the main roster isn’t a surprise either as it is clear that WWE is rather high on him. The action here was good too, with the right team winning in the end.

We get a video from the Wyatts, with Uncle Howdy saying (I think) it’s time for them to get what is owed.

Zelina Vega vs. Alba Fyre

Non-title and Piper Niven/Chelsea Green are here with Fyre. Vega gets sent into the corner a few times to start but she comes back with some kicks to the ribs. A headscissors sends Fyre down again but she hits a shoulder to drop Vega. Back up and Vega hammers away in the corner but Green’s distraction cuts off the 619 attempt. Fyre hits a superkick and we take a break.

Back with Fyre hitting a gordbuster for two and grabbing the chinlock. Vega fights up and gets in a knockdown of her own, setting up the clothesline comeback. A running knee in the corner hits Fyre and the middle rope Meteora gets two. Stundog Millionaire drops Fyre again but she avoids a moonsault. Fyre’s Swanton gets two and Vega is sent outside, where Green takes the face protector off. Green hits Niven by mistake though, leaving Vega to grab the Code Red for the pin at 11:07.

Rating: B. I liked this one more than I was expecting to, if nothing else because it was an actual fresh match. It feels like Vega and Niven have fought multiple times so getting Fyre in there on her own was a good idea. Vega needs to move on to someone new, but it was nice to see her getting to complete the set of opponents here in a way.

Miz tells Carmelo Hayes to follow his instructions tonight but Hayes says he got here on his own talent. Hayes needs Miz to let Him be Him, which Miz doesn’t seem to like.

Giulia isn’t here to be the best, but to be indisputable. It doesn’t matter who she is facing, because they are just part of building her legacy.

Zelina Vega runs into Giulia, who seems interested in the Women’s US Title.

Here is Damian Priest for a chat. Priest talks about how he has fought on the streets before but here in wrestling, when you have a fight with someone, the match usually ends things. He and Drew McIntyre went on for over a year and that’s not normal. McIntyre is gone for a bit to heal up and Priest still hates him. The thing is, that was the old McIntyre in the cage and Priest was glad to see him.

As for Priest, he wants titles, starting with Jacob Fatu and the US Title. Priest respects Fatu, but not the crew that Fatu follows around. They’ll do their thing one day and Priest will be the champion. Priest goes to leave and here is Fatu for his match and the staredown on the way. That’s a good way to go as you can always get into a hoss fight.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Jacob Fatu vs. Andrade vs. Carmelo Hayes

Non-title and Miz is here with Hayes. Andrade and Fatu clear the ring to start fast, leaving Fatu to send Andrade to the apron. That earns Andrade a knock out to the floor so Hayes is back in to get dropped by Fatu as well. For some reason Miz thinks it’s a good idea to grab Fatu’s leg, with the distraction allowing Andrade to clothesline Hayes. Fatu crushes Miz against the barricade and we take a break.

Back with Fatu knocking Andrade into the corner but missing the running Umaga Attack. Andrade hits Fatu with the running knees in the corner but walks into La Mistica to give Hayes two. Back up and Andrade hits something like a middle rope reverse Spanish Fly for the double down.

Andrade’s double moonsault hits Fatu, with Hayes making the save. The three of them slug it out from their knees until some double teaming manages to send Fatu outside. That doesn’t work for Fatu, who brings them outside but misses a running Umaga attack through the barricade.

We take another break and come back with Andrade catching Hayes on top, only for Fatu to help with a super Spanish Fly. Fatu Swantons Hayes for two but Andrade hits the spinning back elbow for two of his own. Hayes’ springboard spinning clothesline gets two more with Fatu making the save this time. A Samoan drop drops Andrade but the triple jump moonsault misses for Fatu.

Nothing But Net gets two and Andrade and Hayes go into a pinfall reversal sequence. Back up and Andrade hits a spinning back elbow to drop Hayes and we get a three way breather. Fatu hits an implant DDT each and the triple jump moonsault to Andrade…but Solo Sikoa gets on the apron for some reason. JC Mateo joins him but here is Jimmy Uso to go after them. Andrade hits Hayes with the Message for the pin at 20:27.

Rating: B. Yeah this was good, partially because it got some time and partially because it gives us someone else in the ladder match while having Hayes and Miz continue their issues. Andrade can bring it when he is given the chance and that’s what we got to see here. I could go for him getting to do something more important and it seems that he is at least having a small chance.

LA Knight is ready for Money In The Bank because he’s going into his third straight Money In The Bank. Aleister Black comes in to say that win was partially his, but Knight is welcome.

Jacob Fatu wrecks a bunch of stuff backstage and tells Solo Sikoa that he doesn’t need help.

Worlds Collide rundown.

Money In The Bank rundown.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat. Rhodes talks about having to get through the loss at Wrestlemania XLI and asking a friend if he was a good champion. His friend said yes and Rhodes goes over what he did during his year with the title. This included his boss, the Final Boss, and of course John Cena. That gives us the dueling chants, with Rhodes talking about how Cena forced him to make a choice.

Rhodes isn’t sure if Cena will ruin wrestling, but Rhodes will never think twice about taking Cena out again. He apologizes for getting a bit worked up but he has a surprise. The fans chant for Jey Uso…so perhaps we should YEET. Cue Uso (who picks up a kid for the YEET dance and it’s still great) and we take a break. Back with Uso giving us an encore but here is Cena to interrupt. Cena calls them both Cena wannabes who want his money and fame but they won’t get it.

There is one person in WWE who has Cena’s hustle, loyalty and respect so here is Logan Paul. Cena says Paul doesn’t have to pay his dues because he is paying your mortgage. Paul asks what the fans are crying for because he could walk on water and people would say it’s because he can’t swim.

This is a special moment and the most important thing that anyone here in Tennessee will ever see. Paul should be the World Heavyweight Champion but Uso got lucky at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Rhodes had to cheat because that’s what Uso and Rhodes do. Paul on the other hand is a self made man and no one would have believed he would be teaming with Cena.

While Cena’s time is almost up, Paul’s time is now. Uso and Rhodes want to fight right now, who Rhodes suggesting that Paul is going to go polish Cena’s peacemaker. The brawl is on and the villains are quickly dispatched. Cena was bringing it a bit more here, as teaming with Paul is about as vile as you can get on this show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a strong edition of the show with a nice collection of in-ring work. Throw in a solid main event promo segment and I had a pretty nice time with the show. It was also a big push towards next week’s pay per view and it was a good effort towards making that show feel more important. I could still go for this show being back at two hours, but they can make it work like this on occasion.

Results
Naomi b. Jade Cargill and Nia Jax – Rollup to Jax
JC Mateo b. R-Truth – Tour Of The Islands
Los Garza b. Je’Von Evans/Rey Fenix – Double spinning slam to Evans
Zelina Vega b. Alba Fyre – Code Red
Andrade b. Jacob Fatu and Carmelo Hayes – The Message to Hayes

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

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

Smackdown
Date: May 23, 2025
Location: Enmarket Arena, Savannah, Georgia
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

It’s the night before Saturday Night’s Main Event, which is one heck of a card. It is big enough to feel like a bonus pay per view and this week’s show is likely going to be focused on building it up. Other than that, we have some spots in Money In The Bank to be filled, which should make for some good action. Let’s get to it.

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

Various people are coming to work, including Damian Priest, who jumps Drew McIntyre. Security breaks it up.

Here is Tiffany Stratton for a chat. She’s rather happy with what she has been doing lately and is looking forward to Money In The Bank, but no one better think twice about cashing in on her. Cue Alexa Bliss for a formal introduction before saying she needs that briefcase. She doesn’t know Stratton very well, so Stratton better pray that Bliss doesn’t win.

Cue Charlotte to brag about everything she’s done, save for winning Money In The Bank. She wants the spotlight back, but Charlotte calls her a hypocrite. Charlotte has called the briefcase a cheap way in, but it doesn’t matter because Charlotte and Bliss are a bit old school for her. Stratton is the upgraded version of the two of them and that doesn’t sit well.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Charlotte vs. Giulia vs. Zelina Vega

Non-title. They stare at each other to start and Charlotte knocks Vega outside. Back in and Vega gets sent flying with a fall away slam before Giulia takes Charlotte down. Some leg stomps and a neck twist have Charlotte in more trouble but she’s back up with a clothesline. Vega is back up to take both of them down and a moonsault to the floor drops them again.

We take a break and come back with Charlotte kicking Giulia off the apron. Giulia is back up with something like a Doomsday dropkick to Vega but Charlotte pops up with a high crossbody to the two of them. Charlotte moonsaults onto both of them for two but Giulia pulls Charlotte into the Rings Of Saturn. Vega breaks it up with a dropkick and hits a 619 but Charlotte drops Vega again. The Figure Eight has Giulia in trouble until Vega makes the save with the Meteora. Charlotte boots Vega down but Giulia comes in with a top rope double stomp for the save. The Northern Lights Bomb gives Giulia the pin on Vega at 13:31.

Rating: B. The second Vega was introduced as the third entrant, it was a question of whether Charlotte or Giulia would beat her. With all of the women they have available around here for this kind of a spot, they had no better option than the US Champion? The title has only been around for a few months and having losses like this isn’t going to help it. The match was good, but some better thinking would be appreciated.

DIY takes credit for the tag division coming together and doesn’t like other teams acting like they did it.

Zelina Vega is in the back and Chelsea Green mocks her. The ensuing brawl is quickly broken up by the Secret Hervice. B-Fab and Michin come in to say they want a fight tonight, with Nick Aldis making it happen.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Chris Sabin

Johnny Gargano and Alex Shelley are here too. Sabin works on an armdrag to start and grinds away at the arm. Ciampa breaks that up and stomps away in the corner but Sabin armdrags him out to the floor. Sabin goes after him so Ciampa throws in a jacket, setting up Willow’s Bell as we take a break.

Back with Sabin hitting a German suplex and a running shot to the face for two. They slug it out on the apron until Ciampa grabs a White Noise for two of his own. Back in and Sabin blocks the Fairy Tale Ending, with Ciampa favoring his knee. A springboard tornado DDT drops Ciampa so it’s time for Gargano and Shelley to get involved. Sabin dives onto DIY but cue Candice LeRae to rake Sabin’s eyes. Ciampa hits a running knee for the pin at 10:15.

Rating: B-. It’s so nice to have teams like DIY and the Guns who can be slotted in as singles stars if need be. That’s what we got here and it was a perfectly fine way to keep the feud going without doing the same match time after time. Having LeRae in the DIY fold would make perfect sense too, as it’s not like she has anything else going on.

Fraxiom is ready for the biggest night of their careers as they have a Tag Team Title shot.

We look back at John Cena’s heel turn and how he blames the fans for abusing him over the years.

Damian Priest is supposed to come out to talk about Drew McIntyre but they brawl to ringside instead. It’s broken up but Priest says he wants more, with the brawl continuing.

Jacob Fatu doesn’t know JC Mateo and doesn’t trust him. Solo Sikoa says use that aggression tonight. Sikoa wants Jimmy Uso back in the fold but Fatu doesn’t seem convinced by the two of them.

Alexa Bliss mocks Charlotte for losing.

Secret Hervice vs. B-Fab/Michin

B-Fab tries to slug away at Niven to start and gets nowhere as a result. Fyre comes in and Niven hits a backsplash to put B-Fab in early trouble. A Boss Man Slam gives Niven two but B-Fab gets up and brings in Michin to clean house. Chelsea Green gets on the apron but here is Zelina Vega to cut her off. Eat Defeat into a swinging faceplant from B-Fab finishes Fyre at 3:44.

Rating: C. So I guess we’re getting ready for another Vega vs. Green title match, which hopefully leads to Green getting the title back. Vega has gotten her big win but Green being her hilarious self is the better option. For now though, this was another attempt to make B-Fab a bigger deal and I’m not sure how likely that is to work.

The Street Profits are ready for Fraxiom and don’t like the suggestion that there is a better team. Jacob Fatu, Solo Sikoa and JC Mateo come back for some glaring.

Legado del Fantasma has a meeting to try to calm things down. Santos Escobar wants them ready for a six man tag at Worlds Collide on June 7. Berto still doesn’t seem convinced but drinks a toast. Not exactly with them, but close enough.

Jimmy Uso and Rey Fenix are ready.

Jacob Fatu/JC Mateo vs. Jimmy Uso/Rey Fenix

Jimmy and Fatu start things off but Mateo tags himself in, earning a glare from Fatu. Mateo takes over but Fatu tags himself in and gets hurricanranaed down by Fenix. Jimmy helps Fenix hit a springboard corkscrew dive and we take an early break. Back with Fatu hitting a running Umaga attack on Jimmy but Mateo can’t get a belly to back superplex. Instead Jimmy knocks him down and hits a Whisper In The Wind, giving us a diving tag to Fenix.

The pace is picked way up, with a 619 into a poisonrana getting two on Fatu. A pop up Samoan drop cuts Fenix off though and Mateo sends him flying, with Fenix sticking the landing. Jimmy tags himself in, leaving Fenix to dive onto Fatu, who pulls him out of the air. A spear drops Mateo so Sikoa offers a distraction. Jimmy isn’t interested, but it’s enough for Mateo to hit the Tour Of The Islands for the pin at 12:27.

Rating: B-. Nice stuff here for a pair of monsters who don’t get along and a makeshift team of Uso and Fenix. I’m curious about where this is going for Fatu, who is pretty clearly about to become one heck of a good guy, while the rest of the team won’t like that. It’s an interesting change of pace and the idea of Jimmy possibly being brought back in is…well that’s another thing that could be happening.

LA Knight is ready to go through Aleister Black and Shinsuke Nakamura to go to Money In The Bank. He’s tired of the darkness and is ready to BFT them into the light.

Here is R-Truth for a chat. John Cena is his childhood hero but he doesn’t recognize this Cena. The problem is power, because they used to be friends. The more power and fame Cena got though, the more disconnect he felt. They stopped talking and R-Truth felt like Cena was always annoyed at him. Maybe R-Truth thought he had done something wrong, but other people felt the same.

Cena is like Gollum from Lord Of The Rings, with his championship being his precious. He doesn’t believe Cena is happy, but maybe he can bring Cena back. If R-Truth wants to save wrestling, he has to save Cena, so he’ll beat the hustle, loyalty and respect back into Cena. If Cena wins, WE RIOT! This was the serious R-Truth for the first time in forever and he did exactly what he needed to do here. Good promo, even if he’s going to get massacred.

We look at Sami Zayn/CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins/Bron Breakker at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Video on Naomi vs. Jade Cargill vs. Nia Jax in next week’s Money In The Bank qualifying match.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. LA Knight vs. Aleister Black

They slug it out to start and Nakamura gets sent outside. Knight and Black seem cool with each other before locking up, with Knight grabbing his jumping neckbreaker. Nakamura breaks up Knight’s stomping in the corner and trades kicks with Black. Knight gets kneed down and we take a break.

Back with Nakamura sending Knight into the steps but Nakamura gets knocked outside. Black takes Knight down with a running flip dive but comes up holding his leg. Back in and Black misses a moonsault, allowing Knight to catch him with a DDT. Black is sent into the post but he catches Nakamura with Black Mass. That’s fine with Knight, who sends Black outside and steals the pin at 11:02.

Rating: B-. Knight needed a win like this, even if he didn’t do the damage in the first place. I can’t imagine him getting the briefcase, but he needs to get away from facing these same people for the US Title for a bit. He’s been there twice now and there is little left for him to do in that area. If he’s going to move up to the main event scene, this is as good of a chance as he is going to have.

Miz has gotten Carmelo Hayes a Money In The Bank qualifying match because he knows how important it can be to a wrestler’s career. Now he wants Hayes to follow his play calling, with Hayes seemingly being in on the idea.

Video on Jey Uso vs. Logan Paul.

Saturday Night’s Main Event rundown, with Zelina Vega defending against Chelsea Green added.

Nick Aldis tells Jacob Fatu that he’s in the final Money In The Bank qualifying match next week. Fatu actually says he loves Solo Sikoa.

Bianca Belair is back next week.

Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. Fraxiom

The Profits are defending and we get the Big Match Intros. Dawkins takes Axiom down by the arm to start so Frazer comes in for a headlock. That’s broken up and it’s off to Ford to work on the arm. Everything breaks down in a hurry and the champs are knocked outside for the dives. We take a break and come back with Dawkins pulling Axiom down into a chinlock.

Ford flips in and hits a running shoulder in the corner before handing it back to Dawkins. Barrett gets in a very insightful statement by saying that it’s not about hitting your best move, but rather taking away your opponent’s best move. That’s some incredibly logical thinking about how to dominate a match. Axiom gets in a knockdown though and hands it back to Frazer to pick up the pace.

A running shooting star hits Ford and Frazer head fakes him to hit a springboard missile dropkick (Barrett is VERY impressed). Frazer gets knocked down again though and we take another break. Back again with Axiom pulling Ford into a rear naked choke and Frazer guillotines Dawkins at the same time. Those are both broken up so Frazer takes Ford up top for the superplex and rolls into a brainbuster/superkick combination for two.

Dawkins cuts off a dive though and sends Frazer into the steps, meaning a Doomsday Blockbuster can hit Axiom. Frazer dives in for a save, meaning the Spanish Fly into the Phoenix splash plants Dawkins. Ford makes a save of his own and everyone is down. Cue DIY but the Motor City Machine Guns cut them off. Ford flip dives onto all of them, leaving Dawkins to spinebuster Frazer. Then the lights go out and the Wyatt Sicks are back. The brawl is on and it’s a double DQ at 21:08.

Rating: B. That’s certainly one way to get you out of the issue of having one of the teams lose. They were having another awesome match, as Fraxiom knows exactly how to do this kind of fast paced offense. The Wyatts being back is certainly a way to go, but at least they seem to have a target rather than just doing random stuff.

The Wyatts wreck everyone and Sister Abigail plants Gargano to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. I had a good time with this show as the action was solid and they made me more interested in Saturday Night’s Main Event. R-Truth’s promo was shockingly good and it fits with what they’re doing. Other than that, they set up some things for Money In The Bank and the rest of the card can come together after Saturday. Nice work this week, with the best part being that the show didn’t feel nearly as long, which has been a major issue in recent weeks.

Results
Giulia b. Zelina Vega and Charlotte – Northern Lights Bomb to Vega
Tommaso Ciampa b. Chris Sabin – Running knee
B-Fab/Michin b. Secret Hervice – Spinning faceplant to Fyre
Jacob Fatu/JC Mateo b. Rey Fenix/Jimmy Uso – Tour Of The Islands to Uso
LA Knight b. Aleister Black and Shinsuke Nakamura – Black Mass to Nakamura
Street Profits vs. Fraxiom went to a double DQ when the Wyatt Sicks interfered

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

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

Smackdown
Date: May 16, 2025
Location: First Horizon Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re done with Backlash and that means it is time to get ready for Money In The Bank. The show is in less than a month so it’s time to start getting ready with the qualifying matches. Other than that, John Cena is still the World Champion and that means he’ll need a new challenger sooner or later. Let’s get to it.

Here is Backlash if you need a recap.

We open with a long Backlash rematch.

Here are Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu, and Jeff Cobb for a chat. Sikoa introduces Cobb as JC and talks about how it’s time to bring everything back to the family. That starts tonight with him winning his Money In The Bank qualifying match. Fatu grabs the mic (the fans approve) and says don’t get it twisted: he brought the US Title back to the Family and he’s ready to deal with anyone coming after the title by himself.

Sikoa says he and JC get what he means and this is all to help Fatu. The title on his shoulder is proof of the love Sikoa has for him. Fatu begrudgingly says he loves Sikoa, who wants a bit more than that. Cue LA Knight to run in from behind and jump JC before running off again. At some point Knight needs to win something over one of these guys and I don’t see that happening anytime soon.

Michin and B-Fab want to win a briefcase and the titles but Chelsea Green and the Secret Hervice come in, with Green saying she’ll win the briefcase. Alexa Bliss pops in for some glaring. Green threatens to put tariffs on mediocrity and B-Fab and Michin are first.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Alexa Bliss vs. Chelsea Green vs. Michin

Green charges into a superkick to the floor to start and Michin blocks Bliss’ headscissors. Bliss rolls Michin up for two instead so Green yells at both of them, earning herself a double dropkick to the floor. Green is back up to knock both of them down and we take a break. Back with all three down before Michin gets up to knock them into the corner.

A Cannonball hits both of them for two each before everyone gets in a kick to the head. Green and Bliss slug it out until Michin cuts Bliss off. Back up and Bliss gives Michin a tornado DDT and Twisted Bliss gets two with Green making the save. The Unprettier hits Michin but Bliss pulls her away and hits the Sister Abigail DDT to pin Green at 9:03.

Rating: C+. Bliss is back and in a match where she has succeeded before, but at the same time, it’s still hard to get interested in her with the whole weird evil stuff. Otherwise, this was a match where I was hoping to see Green move on, and it would not surprise me to see her get into the match anyway. It would be a shame to see that incredible run she had over the last few months just end so quickly and it would surprise me if that wound up happening.

We look back at Fraxiom beating the Street Profits last week and then getting beaten up by DIY (who also attacked the Motor City Machine Guns).

Fraxiom vs. DIY

Ciampa takes Axiom down by the arm but Axiom is right back up so Frazer can come in for a kick to the face. Everything breaks down and Fraxiom hit some dive, only for Gargano to pull the rope down. Axiom crashes out to the floor and DIY gets in a double pat on the back as they take over. Back in and Gargano slams Axiom legs first into the ropes and we take a break.

We come back with Frazer coming in to clean house, with the running shooting star press getting two on Gargano. The Phoenix splash misses though and Gargano superkicks Frazer’s moonsault out of the air. The Fairy Tale Ending/superkick combination gets two on Frazer with Axiom making the save.

Project Ciampa gets the same on Frazer but Ciampa misses the running knee. A superkick/brainbuster combination plants Gargano for two, with Ciampa’s running knee making the save. Axiom and Gargano slug it out until Axiom tries to tie up the arms. Ciampa is back in to go for Axiom’s mask but Frazer makes the save. Frazer rolls Gargano up for the pin at 11:18.

Rating: B. Fraxiom’s rapid push continues and that is a fun thing to see. They already have some status from NXT and it’s nice to see them having such similar success around here. If nothing else, we might be in for a surprise title change when the rematch takes place. As usual, DIY can work with anyone and they can more than hang with a team as fast as Fraxiom.

Post match DIY jumps Fraxiom but the Motor City Machine Guns run in for the save.

Andrade gives Rey Fenix a pep talk before Fenix’s Money In The Bank qualifying match. Solo Sikoa and company come in to look for LA Knight.

The Street Profits applaud Fraxiom on their win and the title match is on for next week. Works for Fraxiom.

Wade Barrett had a sitdown interview with R-Truth earlier today. R-Truth says you can always depend on John Cena, who he calls a beacon of light. Barrett thinks this is crazy, as Cena attacked R-Truth at the Backlash press conference. R-Truth says that wasn’t the Cena he knew but if he has to beat Cena back to his senses, so be it. They’re fighting at Saturday Night’s Main Event. This continues to be one of the more interesting stories in WWE at the moment, just because it has been set up for such a long time now.

Damian Priest is sick of Drew McIntyre and wants him in a cage.

Carmelo Hayes, with the Miz, is ready to take out Aleister Black.

Aleister Black vs. Carmelo Hayes

Miz is here with Hayes. They grapple to start until Black shoulders him down, giving us a double nip up. The threat of Black Mass has Hayes bailing away, with Black sitting down at the same time. Miz offers a distraction though and Hayes takes over with a flip dive. We take a break and come back with Black kicking Hayes out to the floor.

Back in Black strikes away, including a dropkick to put him down again. Hayes gets in a spinning faceplant but Black kicks him in the face again. A German suplex gives Black two but Hayes grabs the suplex cutter for the same. Miz gets on the apron, which doesn’t sit well with Hayes, allowing Black to strike away again. Black Mass is loaded up, which draws Miz in for the DQ at 10:27.

Rating: C+. They’re in a bit of a weird place here as they’re teasing the idea of Black needing help against these two but that brings up a pair of problems. First of all, Black needs to be on his own rather than being part of a group, at least for a good while. At the same time, shouldn’t Black be able to handle them on his own? It doesn’t seem to be asking that much.

Post match Miz and Hayes lay Black out.

Alexa Bliss wants the Money In The Bank briefcase but stops to talk to Charlotte, who is outside of Nick Aldis’ office. Charlotte says they were never friends but Giulia walks out of the office. Aldis comes out and says Giulia is on Smackdown. Makes sense as there was no need for her to be in NXT for the long term.

We look at Tiffany Stratton cashing in her Money In The Bank briefcase to beat Nia Jax for the Women’s Title. Now Jax wants her title back.

Here is Drew McIntyre for a chat. The only thing in that video from Damian Priest that was true was all of the violence they have inflicted on each other. McIntyre has beaten Priest a few times now and Priest can’t let it go. The reality is that Priest has cost McIntyre over and over and this has to end, so he’ll see Priest in a cage next Saturday. As McIntyre goes to leave, he runs into Solo Sikoa and company on the way to the ring for Sikoa’s match. Simple and to the point here, which is what the feud needs. We’ve seen them fight enough already.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Solo Sikoa vs. Rey Fenix vs. Jimmy Uso

JC and Jacob Fatu are here with Sikoa, who drops Fenix to start. Uso and Fenix knock Sikoa outside though, leaving Fenix to kick Uso in the head. They chop it out until Fenix hits a springboard missile dropkick. Sikoa pulls Jimmy to the floor for a ram into the announcers’ table, only for Fenix to dive onto both of them. Back in and Spinning Solo plants Fenix before Rock Bottoming Uso onto the table.

We take a break and come back with Uso going up top, where Fenix catches him with a shot to the head. Uso superkicks Fenix out of the air but Sikoa drops Uso to give us a three way breather. Sikoa hits a pair of running Umaga Attacks in the corners but Uso superkicks him into a rollup from Fenix. Back up and Fenix’s rope walk kick to the face hits Uso. Cue Sikoa’s monsters to offer distractions though, allowing Sikoa to hit the Samoan Spike to pin Fenix at 13:07.

Rating: C+. It was nice to have a match with a bit more drama, as Sikoa has bragged about doing a lot of things but hasn’t been able to make the m happen. If nothing else, it’s nice to see him getting the chance to succeed, even if it isn’t likely going to go anywhere. At the same time, Fenix isn’t exactly on fire yet and that’s not a great sign for his future.

Post match LA Knight runs in for the brawl but Nick Aldis says it’s Knight vs. JC right now.

LA Knight vs. JC Mateo

Mateo is in street clothes and powers Knight down to start. Knight’s rollup doesn’t work at all so he grabs a headlock instead. With that broken up, Knight’s running shoulder gets him nowhere but a neckbreaker works a bit better. Knight hammers away in the corner but Mateo runs him over with an elbow to the face. A belly to belly is cut off and Knight is back with a middle rope bulldog.

Back up and Mateo suplexes him over the top for the big crash. We take a break and come back with Mateo hitting something like a spinebuster. Another overhead belly to belly sends Knight flying and Mateo grabs a waistlock. Back up and Mateo sends him outside, where Mateo posts himself by mistake.

Knight makes the comeback and hits a neckbreaker into a reverse DDT. Mateo is right back with the swinging belly to back suplex into a standing moonsault to leave them both down. Knight is back up but dives onto Sikoa and Fatu. That’s enough of a distraction for Mateo to grab the Tour Of The Islands (spinning reverse powerslam) for the pin at 15:24.

Rating: B-. This was a fine way to get Mateo off to a strong start, as he is another monster around Solo Sikoa, but nothing close to the rest. Mateo is more about technical skill and power, which isn’t something you see very often. Good start here, even if it meant that Knight had to take another loss.

Post match Mateo and company pose, with Fatu holding up the title not sitting so well.

We look back at Berto standing up to Santos Escobar.

Escobar talks to Angel and is willing to forgive Berto, but he needs Angel to find him.

Shinsuke Nakamura is not scared of Aleister Black and he is sharpening his katana into an unstoppable blade.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Tiffany Stratton runs into Jade Cargill, who wants the title. Stratton isn’t worried about Cargill getting the briefcase. Naomi can be seen watching in the background.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Nia Jax vs. Tiffany Stratton

Stratton is defending. They circle each other a few times to start before Jax goes with the power. That means Stratton can have her handspring cut off and Jax drops her onto the top rope. A running hip attack sends Stratton into the post and we take a break. Back with Stratton being sent hard into the post but avoiding another hip attack. A hurricanrana sends Jax into the post and a high crossbody gives Stratton two back inside.

Jax’s Samoan drop into a backsplash gets two so Stratton grabs a belly to belly for two. Jax sitout powerbombs her into a legdrop for two so she goes up. Stratton is right there to cut her off and a super small package gets two more. Cue Naomi with a chair but Jade Cargill cuts her off. That leaves Jax to hit the post and the Prettiest Moonsault Ever…gets two?

Jax shoves her off the top for a crash to the floor and it’s time to clear the announcers’ table. A Samoan drop onto the table plants Stratton and they head back inside. The Annihilator is loaded up but Stratton tries a powerbomb, only to pull Jax down onto her…for two as Stratton grabs the rope. Jax tries to bring in a chair but Stratton dropkicks it into her face. The Prettiest Moonsault Ever retains the title at 13:46.

Rating: B. They were rolling near the end there and it’s a big deal for Stratton to hopefully wrap things up with Jax. Beating the former champion without the briefcase helps and I can even forgive Stratton surviving a bigger than usual Annihilator. Odds are Jax will be in Money In The Bank, but as long as she doesn’t win, it should be a good enough deal for her in the short term.

Overall Rating: B-. The focus has definitely shifted hard towards Money In The Bank and that is a good thing. Without Cena here this week, there wasn’t much else to focus on so instead they built towards the ladder matches and Fraxiom vs. the Street Profits. Throw in a title match main event and the show worked out. Just please get us down to two hours again, as these longer shows are not doing it any favors.

Results
Alexa Bliss b. Chelsea Green and Michin – Sister Abigail DDT to Green
Fraxiom b. DIY – Rollup to Gargano
Aleister Black b. Carmelo Hayes via DQ when Miz interfered
Solo Sikoa b. Rey Fenix and Jimmy Uso – Samoan Spike to Fenix
JC Mateo b. LA Knight – Tour Of The Islands
Tiffany Stratton b. Nia Jax – Prettiest Moonsault Ever

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