Summerslam 2024
Date: August 3, 2024
Location: Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
Attendance: 57,791
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Pat McAfee

This is the biggest Summerslam to date and that should make for a fun look back. Believe it or not, the main event features Cody Rhodes, but we also have the big in-ring return of CM Punk after his latest injury. On top of that, Gunther is challenging Damian Priest for the Raw World Title so let’s get to it.

I was in the stadium for this show, sitting in the lower bowl with the entrance on my right.

Here is HHH to get things going and introduce Jelly Roll for a live performance of “Liar”. This also serves as the opening video, with clips of the people involved in the show’s bigger matches. Roll also performed God Bless America before the show went on the air. Non-wrestling note: Roll deserves credit for losing so much weight in the last year. He looks like a different person from this year compared to the build for the following year’s Summerslam.

The Miz, the host for the show, is with the fans. That’s pretty much going to be all he does over the course of the night.

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

Ripley, with Dominik Mysterio, is challenging. Morgan injured Ripley’s shoulder earlier in the year, causing her to vacate the title and has also suggested that she’s going to steal Mysterio from Ripley. Morgan runs away to start and Ripley pauses to vent some frustration on the floor. Back in and Morgan runs away again, this time pausing in front of Green Shirt guy.

They get back in again and Ripley head fakes her and the chase is over. Ripley knocks her back to the floor and the beating is on against the barricade. Ripley sends her into the steps and the confidence is high. Morgan is taken back in but manages to send the shoulder into the post, leaving Ripley in a lot of trouble. Ripley screams that IT’S OUT but insists that she does not want the match stopped.

They go outside again, with Morgan kicking her into the steps as Ripley is in trouble. The armbar goes on but Ripley uses the good arm to slam Morgan down and roll outside. Mysterio shoves Ripley out of the way of a dive, leaving Ripley to ram her bad shoulder into the announcers’ table. The pain on her face goes away and Morgan realizes what just happened.

Back in and Ripley unloads on her with right hands before grabbing the Prism Trap. Morgan gets in another shot to the arm though and tries a cross armbreaker. Ripley powers out and powerbombs her down for two but Morgan is back with a headbutt. Morgan snaps her throat first across the rope and it’s time for a chair. Ripley rams her shoulder into the buckle again and grabs Riptide, but she looks at the chair instead of covering.

The chair is loaded up but Mysterio takes it away. That earns him a death glare from Ripley, but he reminds her about the title. The distraction lets Morgan ram Ripley into Mysterio and hit Oblivion for two. Mysterio slides the chair back in and gets on the apron, which is enough for Oblivion onto the chair to finish Ripley at 15:57.

Rating: B. This was a good story with Morgan having to find a way to survive against the monster Ripley. Ultimately there is only so much that can be done with people of such different size and power, but the shoulder was a great way to go. The ending was a big twist as well, with Mysterio finally turning on Ripley. It continued what was already a good feud, as Ripley again feels like she can carry anything.

Also of note: Ripley’s facial expressions don’t get enough credit. She has those eyes that make everything she does feel intense, but at the same time, she can tell all kinds of stories with just the look on her face. Not everyone can do that and she does it as well as anyone going today.

Post match Mysterio is smiling and helps Morgan up before kissing her. Ripley looks like she’s ready to kill them both (and she would sure try).

We recap Sami Zayn vs. Bron Breakker. Zayn is the champion and Breakker is the new monster force of nature. Breakker barely lost at Money In The Bank and now it’s a rematch with a more focused challenger.

Damian Priest storms into the Judgment Day clubhouse looking for Dominik Mysterio. Finn Balor says cool down because he’s got this. Priest is really not happy.

Intercontinental Title: Sami Zayn vs. Bron Breakker

Breakker is challenging and Cole lists off how many legends won their first Intercontinental Title at Summerslam, including Ultimate Warrior in 1990. Breakker misses a spear at the start and hits the post before crashing out to the floor. Zayn hits a big flip dive but misses something coming off the top, allowing Breakker to hit a running corner clothesline.

The Helluva Kick misses so Breakker blasts him with a jumping clothesline. The super Frankensteiner gives Zayn two but the middle rope bulldog is countered into a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Zayn exploders him into the corner, only to walk into a spear. The Super Spear gives Breakker the pin at 5:43.

Rating: C+. That’s exactly what this should have been, with Zayn trying to run and outsmart Breakker but ultimately getting overwhelmed by the power. This was about Breakker getting a big win on the major stage and Zayn was the sacrifice to make that happen. Good stuff here, with no reason for it to go any longer.

The Slim Jim Savage Moment Of The Summer is Drew McIntyre laying out CM Punk and taking his bracelet.

We recap LA Knight vs. Logan Paul for the US Title. Knight is on a roll and wants the US Title but Paul won’t show up. Knight even went to Paul’s house and got in his pool, which was enough to get Paul to come back. The brawl was on and it’s time for the big showdown in Paul’s hometown.

US Title: Logan Paul vs. LA Knight

Knight is challenging. Paul comes to the ring with rapper Machine Gun Kelly but Knight rides into the back in Paul’s Prime truck, which he had recently stole. The window has been bothering him all day though so he puts a steel pole through said window. The brawl starts on the floor with Paul getting the better of things and loading up the announcers’ table. Knight fights back and sends him into the table over and over (ignore the camera angle showing that Paul’s head wasn’t coming close).

A torture rack neckbreaker sends Paul HARD onto the table and they’re both down. They get inside for the opening bell (because all of that was pre-match stuff) and Knight hammers away but the jumping elbow hits knees. Knight gets sent hard into the corner and Paul gets to mock both Knight and the crowd. The hand to the ear sets up a big boot into a legdrop for two and a tilt-a-whirl slam plants Knight again. An Alley Oop gives Paul two but he spends too much time mocking Knight and walks into the powerslam.

Knight is back up to hammer and stomp away in the corner. A Side Effect plants Paul and the jumping top rope elbow gets two. Back up and Paul sends him to the floor for the springboard moonsault (that looked GREAT) and a big crash. Back in and the big right hand is blocked but Knight’s BFT is countered into a backslide for two. Now the big right hand can knock Knight silly….for two, and Paul’s confidence is suddenly shattered.

Another BFT is blocked but Knight catches him on top for a superplex, which almost goes VERY bad as Paul almost landed on his head, for two. They go outside again where Knight beats up some of Paul’s goons. Paul makes the save and has Machine Gun Kelly give him the brass knuckles. A quick shot to the head staggers Knight but the Buckshot Lariat is countered into a BFT to give Knight the title at 12:02.

Rating: B. The result was what mattered the most here, as Knight absolutely had to win a title at some point. Paul had held the thing long enough and there was no reason to keep the title on him over Knight. As usual, Paul got to do his athletic stuff here and ultimately he put Knight over as he should have. Knight needed this one and it couldn’t have been put together much better.

Some wrestlers shill Manscape products.

We recap Bayley defending the Smackdown Women’s Title against Nia Jax. Bayley won the title at Wrestlemania and Jax is the Queen Of The Ring, earning her the title shot. The idea here is that Bayley is smarter and capable of capitalizing on Jax’s mistakes. At the same time, Tiffany Stratton is running around with the Money In The Bank briefcase and teasing a cash in.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Nia Jax vs. Bayley

Bayley is defending. Jax starts fast with the power but can’t hit a powerbomb. Bayley gets knocked into the corner and then thrown into another corner before Jax sits on her in the ropes. Back up and Jax drops her throat first across the top rope but Bayley avoids a charge to send Jax outside. The big legdrop only hits apron for Jax and Bayley dives off the steps to hammer away. Back in and Jax crotches her on top, only for Bayley to come back with a guillotine choke (how she beat Jax at Takeover: London back in 2015).

Jax powers out but misses a middle rope legdrop, allowing Bayley to hit the Bayley To Belly for a quick two. Bayley gets knocked down again though and the Annihilator connects for two more. An annoyed Jax slams Bayley’s head into the mat and then headbutts her into the corner. Back up and Jax misses a charge into the post to give Bayley a needed breather.

Bayley’s dive is cut off and Jax drives her into the corner for the hip attack. Another Annihilator is broken up and Bayley hits a heck of a powerbomb (the fans approve) out of the corner for the huge crash. The top rope elbow connects….and here is Tiffany Stratton. Bayley knocks Stratton off the apron and kicks Jax in the face but Jax is back with a pair of powerbombs. The Annihilator finishes Bayley for the title at 12:33, with Stratton never cashing in.

Rating: B-. There was a grand total of no way that Bayley was going to leave as champion here and the only question was whether or not Stratton was going to cash in. Jax had been built up as the unstoppable monster and she had to win the title at some point in there. That’s all this needed to be, with the Annihilator at the end being a good way to make it look like Bayley was destroyed.

We recap CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre. Punk has been out of action since being injured by McIntyre at the Royal Rumble. This resulted in the feud of the year, despite Punk not being able to wrestle. Punk cost McIntyre a pair of World Titles so McIntyre attacked him and stole a fan made bracelet that meant a lot to Punk, making it very personal. One of these moments involved costing McIntyre his Money In The Bank cash in, which ultimately cost Seth Rollins a title shot of his own. Now Rollins is the guest referee for Punk and McIntyre’s first match. Match order aside, this is the real main event of the show.

Drew McIntyre vs. CM Punk

Seth Rollins is guest referee. They immediately slug it out at the bell with Punk taking him into the corner for the stomping. Rollins has to pull Punk off and that isn’t likely to go well. McIntyre fights back up and strikes away but a clothesline puts him out on the floor. Punk’s clothesline off the apron connects as the fight moves outside, leaving Rollins to chill on the top rope. Rollins dances to the fans singing his song as McIntyre swings Punk into the announcers’ table.

McIntyre catapults him into the ring frame and adds a snap suplex for two back inside. The overhead belly to belly gets two more as Punk is in trouble. Punk strikes away and is quickly caught in a sitout powerbomb for two. With that not working, McIntyre grabs a chair but Rollins takes it away at the last second. Rollins swings but almost hits Punk, only to pull up. A rollup gives Punk a delayed two and he glares at Rollins, who is back with a neckbreaker for two more.

McIntyre pulls out the bracelet and puts it on, only for the Claymore to be broken up. Punk strikes away and hits the top rope elbow before grabbing the Anaconda Vice. Punk makes the mistake of going for the bracelet though, allowing McIntyre to come back with a Claymore for two. Rollins picks up the bracelet to keep it safe and Punk fights back, even calling for the GTS…but then he notices the bracelet on Rollins’ wrist.

McIntyre knocks Punk into Rollins but the Futureshock is countered into the GTS. The very delayed count gets two so Punk yells at Rollins, even insulting “YOUR STUPID SABU PANTS!”. After that way too low blow, Rollins screams about how this is his company and they don’t want Punk here. That earns Rollins a GTS (thankfully the pants weren’t damaged) and Punk takes the bracelet back. The distraction lets McIntyre hit the Claymore for the pin at 16:58.

Rating: B+. This had the big fight feeling that it needed to have and the ending kept Punk vs. McIntyre going while also setting up Punk vs. Rollins. What mattered the most here though was getting Punk back in the ring, as you can only have him sitting on the sidelines for so long. The match was rather good as expected and Rollins was a rather nice addition.

Post match McIntyre steals the bracelet back to keep things going.

Damian Priest apologizes to Finn Balor for yelling earlier but Balor says it’s cool. It’s Judgment Day first and Balor wants Priest to go do his thing. If Priest needs him out there, say the world. Priest is cool with this.

We recap Damian Priest vs. Gunther. Priest won the title at Wrestlemania and is proud of how far he has come. Gunther believes it is his destiny to be the star and got the title shot by winning King Of The Ring. The idea here is a culture clash, as Gunther has called Priest street trash, which hasn’t gone well.

Raw World Title: Gunther vs. Damian Priest

Priest is defending and slugs Gunther into the corner to start fast. South Of Heaven is blocked so Priest hits the lifting Downward Spiral to send Gunther outside. That’s fine with Gunther, who suplexes Priest onto the apron to take over before chopping away. A quick suplex gives Gunther two and he wins an exchange of forearms. Priest catches him going up though and pulls him back down, setting up the Broken Arrow for two.

Priest’s kicks to the chest have Gunther bleeding but Gunther is back up with a pair of very hard clotheslines for two. A boot to the face drops Priest again as the fans are trying to get behind him. Gunther kicks him down to cut off the comeback attempt and here is Finn Balor to cheer for Priest. That earns Balor a shot from Gunther but Priest takes the straps down to make the comeback.

One heck of a lariat hits Gunther and the Razor’s Edge rocks him again. South Of Heaven connects…but Balor puts the foot on the rope. Priest sees the replay on the screen and knows what Balor has done, leaving Balor sneering up at him. Gunther grabs the sleeper but Priest manages to get out. A powerbomb sets up another sleeper though and Priest is out at 16:35.

Rating: B. They beat each other up and the match was a hard hitting fight with Gunther getting the title as he should have. At the same time, the Priest/Balor story is going to make for a good personal feud as Priest is going to want revenge. Gunther needed to win the title here though, as he had dominated the midcard for so long that it was time to try him in the main event.

Here are Miz and R-Truth to announce the attendance of 57,791. A-Town Down Under interrupts, with Austin Theory mocking Jelly Roll. Grayson Waller isn’t having that though, because Roll is the only person to make music worse than R-Truth’s. Somehow R-Truth thinks A-Town Down Under is the Rock N Roll Express but Miz explains things. Roll gets in the ring with a chair and the villains are chaired in the back. Waller gets chokeslammed (and a decent one at that), followed by the triple Five Knuckle Shuffle. This was fine.

We recap Cody Rhodes defending the Smackdown world Title against Solo Sikoa. Rhodes defeated Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania to triumph over the Bloodline but Sikoa has reformed the team in his image and wants the title back. Rhodes is of course fine with this, even with his friends having been taken out so he’s all alone here.

Smackdown World Title: Cody Rhodes vs. Solo Sikoa

Rhodes is defending under Bloodline Rules (anything goes) and we see him getting off his bus to take Pharaoh towards the ring. Ont he way there, he runs into Arn Anderson (fresh away from AEW), who gives him a pep talk and says Rhodes has some friends here. They start with some trash talk before Sikoa runs him over with a shoulder and does the point. Rhodes fights up and tries the drop down right hand but Sikoa is ready for him. The threat of the Samoan Spike sends Rhodes outside and we reset again.

The Disaster Kick sends Sikoa outside, where he takes over again as the brawling isn’t working for Rhodes. Back in and a spinwheel kick into the Samoan drop has Rhodes down again. Rhodes blocks the Samoan Spike by kicking him in the hand though and a clothesline sends Sikoa outside. This time Sikoa is allowed back in, where he counters a Disaster Kick into a sitout powerbomb for two more.

The running Umaga Attack connects but Sikoa has to reverse a Pedigree attempt into Spinning Solo for another near fall. The nerve hold keeps Rhodes in trouble and Sikoa ties him in the Tree of Woe for the running headbutt. A second connects as well but the third misses, allowing Rhodes to hit kind of a moonsault crossbody. Sikoa plants him down for two more but Rhodes catches him on top with a superplex.

Sikoa’s Cross Rhodes is reversed into the real thing….and here are Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa to jump Rhodes. The big beatdown is on but Sikoa only gets two. Cue Kevin Owens for the save but he’s beaten down as well. Randy Orton returns (making sure to high five fans on the way) and helps Owens make the comeback. A powerslam sets up the Swanton to Sikoa but Cross Rhodes only gets two. Owens, Orton and the Tongas brawl to the back so Rhodes hits Sikoa in the head with the steps.

Sikoa comes back with a spear for two but the running Umaga Attack only hits steps. Rhodes hits the first two Cross Rhodes and tries a third, only for Jacob Fatu to run in for the save. Fatu wrecks Rhodes and hits a Superfly Splash through the announcers’ table but seems to hurt his own leg in the process. Back in and Sikoa’s Superfly Splash gets two but somehow Rhodes hits a Cody Cutter….and none of that matters because Roman Reigns is back. Reigns immediately Superman Punches Sikoa and gives him a spear before stopping to look at Rhodes. Reigns leaves though and Cross Rhodes retains the title at 29:14.

Rating: C+. The run-ins at the end made it better but dang this was long. They could have easily cut off about ten minutes and done the same thing. The real point here was Reigns running in for the save/his revenge, which made for a long build. It doesn’t help that Sikoa isn’t quite good enough to hang on this stage, but at least the last ten minutes or so were very good.

Overall Rating: B. It’s a good show, though it doesn’t have that one big match to really make it into a great one. The Reigns return and Punk vs. McIntyre are both worth seeing, but the majority of the main event was something of a letdown. The big stage made it feel important, but outside of that Reigns part, the main event didn’t really feel like it belonged in that spot. Other than that, the opener was good, Breakker and Knight got their titles and the weakest match was fine. Good show overall, but definitely not an all timer.

Ratings Comparison

Rhea Ripley vs. Liv Morgan

Original: B-
Redo: B

Sami Zayn vs. Bron Breakker

Original: B-
Redo: C+

LA Knight vs. Logan Paul

Original: B
Redo: B

Bayley vs. Nia Jax

Original: B-
Redo: B-

CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre

Original: B
Redo: B+

Gunther vs. Damian Priest

Original: B
Redo: B

Cody Rhodes vs. Solo Sikoa

Original: B-
Redo: C+

Overall Rating:

Original: B
Redo: B

Yeah pretty much all in the same range here with nothing really going in one direction or another.

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: February 20, 2026
Location: Amerant Bank Arena, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re just over a week away from Elimination Chamber and that means it’s time for another week of qualifying matches. That has been the case for the last few weeks and we are rapidly running out of spots. The good thing is the matches wind up being pretty good most of the time and it would be nice to see that continue here. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s main event with Cody Rhodes qualifying for the Elimination Chamber, despite Drew McIntyre’s interference.

Here is Rhodes to get things going. He hits the catchphrase but here is Jacob Fatu to cut him off. Fatu says Rhodes wouldn’t be out here without him and Rhodes knows it. Right now though, Fatu is concerned about Drew McIntyre and he wants McIntyre out here. Instead he gets Nick Aldis, who has given McIntyre the night off. Aldis suggests they go talk about Fatu come to his office and they can talk about Fatu getting his hands on McIntyre.

Cue McIntyre in a suite, which he says he bought to watch the show. McIntyre accuses Fatu of being all bark and no bite so Fatu charges, with Aldis and security cutting him off. Aldis somehow talks Fatu down and they leave, with McIntyre saying everyone is jealous of him. Rhodes: “The whole world is after you because you’re a censored.” Please go with the triple threat at Wrestlemania instead of Rhodes vs. McIntyre again. It’s right there.

We look back at Solo Sikoa and the MFT’s winning a ten man tag last week and having a staredown with the Wyatt Sicks. Ignore an Arby’s ad popping up for a second at the end.

Carmelo Hayes is warming up when Ilja Dragunov comes up to give him a pep talk. Hayes seems appreciative and tells Dragunov to use that intensity for his match. Dragunov says he’s coming for the title.

Nick Aldis tells Jacob Fatu that he has to be patient and he’ll get Drew McIntyre. Fatu agrees, but he won’t wait much longer.

IMG Credit: WWE

Ilja Dragunov vs. Tama Tonga

The MFT’s are here too. Dragunov fires off the chops in the corner to start but Tonga knocks him into the corner. That earns Tonga a German suplex and he rolls outside as we take an early break. We come back with the two of them hitting a double clothesline. Back up and Dragunov escapes a reverse DDT and rolls some German suplexes. Dragunov slams him down again, followed by the top rope backsplash. Tonga Loa offers a distraction though and the Cutthroat finishes Dragunov at 9:38.

Rating: B-. They didn’t have much time here with the break in the middle, but Dragunov needing help to fight off the MFT’s is a story that writes itself. If nothing else, Tonga has been teasing coming after the US Title for a long time now so this is a good way to get the title feud off the ground. They had a short but intense match here, which is pretty standard for Dragunov no matter how long the match goes.

Post match Solo Sikoa says he and his family are coming for everything so Dragunov jumps him, earning a big beatdown. Matt Cardona and Apollo Crews’ attempts at saves are easily thwarted but Uncle Howdy pops up on screen to say it’s time for Sikoa to show he can stand on his own. He wants Sikoa one on one, but will Sikoa show up?

Nick Aldis blames Drew McIntyre for causing chaos around here and threatens him if he does anything else. McIntyre leaves.

Randy Orton talks about Cody Rhodes but is interrupted by Zelina and Aleister Black. They talk about how there was a time when no one could get this close to Orton because he would lay them out. What happened to that man? Orton says he’ll get a match with Black made for tonight.

Lash Legend and Nia Jax dub themselves the Irresistible Forces and are ready to go to the Chamber, as well as win the Women’s Tag Team Titles next week.

Here is Jade Cargill for a chat. She defends her title on her own time, which is what she did last week against Jordynne Grace. Cargill knows that Liv Morgan is making her Wrestlemania decision on Raw in Atlanta and that’s where Cargill resides, so she’ll be there in person. Whether it’s Liv or anyone in the Chamber, she’s still coming out of Wrestlemania with the title because she’s that b****.

IMG Credit: WWE

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Charlotte vs. Kiana James vs. Nia Jax

Charlotte comes out as Cargill is leaving and we get the big staredown. Jax and Charlotte ignore James to start and then hit her in the face. James suggests an alliance with Jax and that’s not happening so Jax headbutts both of them down. The running hip attacks connect in the corner but Jax’s running shoulder hits the post.

We take a break and come back with Charlotte high crossbodying James and chopping away at both of them. A flipping clothesline (Buckshot Lariat without the ropes) puts James down again but Jax sends Charlotte to the apron. James is there to superkick Charlotte but she’s back up to drop both of them. The double moonsault gets two so Jax gives Charlotte a pop up Samoan drop. James Samoan drops Jax (and makes it look WAY too easy) for two before going up, where Charlotte catches her with a super Spanish Fly.

Jax breaks up the cover and posts Charlotte but misses a charge into the steps. Back in and James charges into a powerbomb but Jax is there to break up the Figure Eight. The Annihilator hits James so Charlotte makes the save this time and, after the camera cut for the wardrobe issue, Jax misses a charge into the corner. Charlotte is there with a sunset bomb out of the corner and the Figure Eight, only for James to run in with a rollup to pin Charlotte at 12:30.

Rating: B. That was a surprising result and it was nice to see James win over one of the two most likely results. James isn’t likely to win the Chamber, but much like Je’Von Evans in the men’s version, you have to do something with these people to get them out there. They’re the future (even the future of the midcard) and at some point they have to pick up some wins, just like this one.

Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky are ready to win tonight, at Raw, next week, and at Elimination Chamber. That’s a busy schedule.

Oba Femi vs. Kit Wilson

The bell rings so Wilson grabs the mic and wants to read Femi a poem. Femi looks intrigued at the Ode To Oba Femi, which praises him as dominant, but thinks he looks like a teddy bear. Femi wants another one, but Wilson only has one. Femi: “READ!” Wilson reads Nine Things He Hates About Men, including how they strut every time they get in the ring. The last thing he hates is Femi himself. Clotheslines, a toss slam, Fall From Grace (pop up sitout powerbomb) finishes Wilson at 3:50. Wilson was 31.

Rating: C. This was barely a match, as the wrestling aspect of it lasted about thirty seconds, which is how it should have gone. The poem stuff before the match was fine, and I like that they added in a little something other than Femi comes in and crushes him. Of course that’s how the match should have gone, but they spiced it up a bit. That’s always appreciated.

R-Truth comes up to Nick Aldis, who is standing in front of the mystery crate, and thinks it’s a prestigious award. Aldis says send it back to Raw and leaves. Question: does that mean it’s going back to the same arena Raw was in on Monday? Or does Raw just exist as some strange omnipresent entity in WWE lore? Anyway Damian Priest comes up and R-Truth says only one of them can go to Wrestlemania. Aldis explains that Priest is the only one in the qualifying match and R-Truth complains about the usage of his balls again.

Tiffany Stratton vs. Alba Fyre

The wheelchair bound Chelsea Green is here with Fyre and throws out her newspapers on the way to the ring. Stratton grabs a headlock to start and walks the ropes to take Fyre over. A basement dropkick puts Fyre down again but she’s back up with a tornado DDT of her own as we take a break.

We come back with Stratton making the clothesline comeback, followed by the handspring elbow in the corner. Stratton brainbusters her into a Falcon Arrow for two but Fyre is back with a Gory Bomb for two. An Alabama slam plants Fyre but the Prettiest Moonsault Ever is broken up. Green’s distraction lets Fyre take over, only for her Swanton to hit raised knees. The Prettiest Moonsault Ever finishes for Stratton at 9:50.

Rating: C+. This was fine as a way for Stratton to get some momentum built before the Chamber. Green in a wheelchair, whether or not she needs it, is ripe with potential and you know she’s going to be right there with whatever she thinks of for the idea. Fyre…geez it’s a shame after seeing her be so good as Kay Lee Ray.

Cody Rhodes runs into Sami Zayn, who isn’t doing great. Rhodes tries to give him a pep talk for having nothing to be ashamed of, but Zayn says Rhodes should be ashamed. He says Rhodes took advantage of things last week. Rhodes says he did because you have to and that’s why Zayn has never been WWE Champion.

That hits a nerve with Zayn, who talks about how everything always works out for Rhodes. Speaking of nerves being touches, Rhodes asks where Zayn was in Germany when Jacob Fatu cost Rhodes the title. The only thing in Zayn’s way is Zayn himself and Rhodes leaves. Zayn is ticked but Trick Williams comes in (to a BIG reaction) to say he’s going to take care of things tonight, which Zayn couldn’t do last week.

Zayn runs up to Rhodes and apologizes for what he said (the fans don’t approve). He knows Rhodes will be WWE Champion again, but don’t forget that he had some help on the way there (pointing at himself). Rhodes says he won’t forget and everything seems mostly ok. The Zayn stuff feels like they’re setting up something big and it has the chance to be a heck of a moment.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Carmelo Hayes vs. Trick Williams vs. Damian Priest

Non-title. Williams is knocked outside to start and Priest hammers on Hayes in the corner as we hear about Hayes and Williams’ partnership in NXT. Priest cleans house and the lifting Downward Spiral drops Williams. A bulldog driver gets two on Hayes but Williams flips out of a chokeslam attempt. Hayes gives Williams a springboard crossbody but gets dropped by Priest for two as we take a break.

We come back with Hayes hitting a running flip dive to Priest, followed by a running dropkick to Williams. A frog splash gives Hayes two on Priest but Williams kicks Hayes in the face. Back up and Hayes chops at Williams to cut off his trash talk before they all go outside. Williams drops Priest onto the announcers’ table and the Trick Kick gets two.

Priest is back up with a Razor’s Edge to Williams but Hayes hits Nothing But Net, with Williams making the save. Hayes and Priest get together to knock Priest down, only to argue over who gets the cover. The First 48 drops Williams but Priest loads up a Razor’s Edge on Hayes. That’s broken up with a Trick Shot each to give Williams the pin on Priest at 12:34.

Rating: B. Williams is this close to getting a rocket attached to his back, though I’m not sure how long the fans are going to be asked to boo him. It’s easy to see why too, as he has the look, the skill and the attitude. You don’t often find people main roster ready with pretty much no changes from NXT and it’s working here.

The tag division is around the crate, with Johnny Gargano on top of it. Candice LeRae wants Nick Aldis to fix this but Jordynne Grace comes in. LeRae doesn’t want her to interrupt so Aldis makes a match between them for next week.

B Fab and Michin interrupt a Jade Cargill photo shoot and threaten her. Good grief these two could not feel like bigger losers.

Giulia vs. Rhea Ripley

Non-title. Ripley powers her against the ropes to start so Giulia spins around into a choke. That’s broken up and Ripley reverses a tornado DDT into a suplex for two. Giulia is back up with a missile dropkick into the corner and Ripley misses a charge into the post (for a sickening thud) as we take a break. We come back with Ripley kicking her in the face to leave both of them down. Ripley catches her on top for a faceplant but Riptide is blocked. The big knee gives Giulia two so Ripley tries Riptide again, only for Lash Legend to run in for the DQ at 9:11.

Rating: B-. That’s the way this needed to end as you don’t want Ripley to lose but you also don’t want her to beat a champion. Instead they moved her further towards the Women’s Tag Team Title match next week. That’s what you should have done here and it come after a pretty good match. If nothing else, it’s nice to see Giulia getting a chance to show what she can do on her own, which isn’t something you often see.

Post match Legend and Nia Jax jump Ripley until Iyo Sky makes the save.

Oba Femi runs into the Miz, who offers to show Femi the ropes inside and outside. That works for Femi, who will go talk to Nick Aldis about it for next week. Miz is happy, until he realizes what that means.

Charlotte tries to keep herself calm about her loss but Alexa Bliss says it’s ok to be upset. Giulia and Kiana James come in to mock them but Bliss seems to issue a challenge. This results in Giulia screaming and having to be dragged off.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Solo Sikoa is ready for Uncle Howdy next week and praises Tama Tonga on his win. For now though, the team needs to focus on the Wyatt Sicks. Sikoa leaves and Shinsuke Nakamura comes in to say that Sikoa is holding Tonga back. A rematch seems to be teased.

Randy Orton vs. Aleister Black

Zelina is here with Black. They circle each other a bit to start until Orton drops him with a shoulder and poses. Some right hands in the corner have Black in trouble and another puts him on the floor as we take a break. We come back with Orton doing the circle stomp so Vega gets on the apron for a distraction.

That allows Black to hit a jumping knee to the back and a running knee to the back connects as well. The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by a running forearm to drop Orton again for two. The chinlock goes on again but this time Orton fights up, only to get kicked down again. We hit the third chinlock (in less than nine minutes) so this time Orton, who is well experienced in this spot this time, suplexes his way to freedom.

The hanging DDT plants Black but he gets outside to avoid the RKO. Orton follows him and gets kicked in the face, only to come back with a poke to the eye. The hanging DDT drops Black onto the floor but here is Drew McIntyre to hit Orton with the belt (as the referee is with Black). Cody Rhodes runs in to chase McIntyre through the crowd and Black Mass finishes for Black at 13:09.

Rating: B-. It’s nice to see Black getting a win like this, as beating Orton in any fashion means something. Black has at least been doing something here and there since his return, with the devil on your shoulder being a nice place for him. I’m not sure what is next for him, but this is still one of the biggest wins he’s ever had in WWE.

Rhodes runs back in to check on Orton to end the show.

The show is dedicated to Kerwin Silfies to really wrap things up.

Overall Rating: B-. There were some good parts on this show, but it felt every bit of its three hours. That’s the kind of thing that can hurt any show, as the good action felt stretched out over a long time. The good thing is we’re pretty much done with the qualifying matches (at least on Fridays) and can move on to the more important stuff. That should help, as you can see some interesting things being set up, including from some of the newer stars.

Results
Tama Tonga b. Ilja Dragunov – Cutthroat
Kiana James b. Charlotte and Nia Jax – Rollup to Charlotte
Oba Femi b. Kit Wilson – Fall From Grace
Tiffany Stratton b. Alba Fyre – Prettiest Moonsault Ever
Trick Williams b. Damian Priest and Carmelo Hayes – Trick Shot to Priest
Rhea Ripley b. Giulia via DQ when Lash Legend interfered
Aleister Black b. Randy Orton – Black Mass

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Video on tonight’s Survivor Series match.

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

Charlotte vs. Asuka

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

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

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

Video on the men’s WarGames match.

Team Zayn vs. Team Sikoa

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Since we’re going to have two of them, here are the WarGames rules:

Two wrestlers start and fight for five minutes.

After five minutes, the team with the advantage (as determined before the match) gets a three minute advantage.

The teams alternate until all ten are in and then it’s first pin/submission to win.

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

The cage is lowered.

Team Ripley vs. Team Morgan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

US Title: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. LA Knight

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Raw World Title: Damian Priest vs. Gunther

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

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

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

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

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

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

Team Reigns vs. Team Sikoa

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The long highlight package finishes things off.

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

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

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Smackdown
Date: September 19, 2025
Location: Huntington Center, Toledo, Ohio
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s the last show before this weekend’s Wrestlepalooza and that means we’re going to be seeing Brock Lesnar before he faces John Cena. That likely means some serious violence, as tends to be Lesnar’s tradition. We’ve also got Sami Zayn defending the US Title against Carmelo Hayes. Let’s get to it.

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

Michael Cole starts welcoming us to the show but is told that he needs to head to the back for a sitdown interview with Brock Lesnar. As Cole goes to the back, Lesnar comes out to interrupt though and carries Cole around the ring. Then he puts Cole inside said ring, which draws Graves in for some attempted peacekeeping. Lesnar lays him out with an F5 and then grabs the camera to shout that he’s coming for John Cena’s blood. That’s not enough though as Lesnar hits another F5 on Graves.

Post break, Graves is still pretty much destroyed and we look at the segment again.

Lesnar is walking through the back and runs into the Vision. He says he and Paul Heyman should talk, with Heyman smiling and nodding. With Lesnar gone, Nick Aldis comes in to say this isn’t the time for the Vision. He has too much going on but Heyman says he’s here to broker a peace with the Usos. Aldis says Heyman likely knows that the Usos are already in Indianapolis, so Heyman says they’ll just enjoy the show.

Michael Cole is back on commentary and is rather disturbed by the whole thing.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Charlotte/Alexa Bliss vs. Chelsea Green/Alba Fyre

Charlotte and Bliss are defending. Charlotte drops Green to start fast and everything breaks down, with Green taking Bliss into the corner. We take a break and come back with Miz having joined commentary and Bliss diving for a tag. Fyre pulls Charlotte off the apron though, only for Green to miss a charge into the post. That’s enough for the tag to Charlotte, who tries to fight back but has her moonsault broken up. Charlotte saves Bliss from a double suplex and Natural Selection finishes Green at 7:54.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have much time here when you factor out the commercial but Charlotte and Bliss are turning into some rather dominant champions. Unfortunately that becomes a problem when they don’t have many high level teams to face, but I’m liking their matches more and more. It’s something that is working well and if they can keep that up, they might be able to break the curse that these belts seem to have.

B-Fab tries to get the Street Profits on the same page but Michin needs to talk to her. The Profits talk about wanting to get the Tag Team Titles back and things seem to be good. Ford leaves so Bo Dallas comes in to talk to Dawkins. That brings Ford back to cut Dallas off, with the Wyatt Sicks coming in to take out the Profits.

R-Truth, in a neck brace, explains how to order the ESPN App to Los Garza.

Fraxiom comes to the ring for a match but the Vision jumps them from behind, with Heyman saying Fraxiom reminds him of the Usos. Fraxiom is back in with some dropkicks to the floor and some dives so Nick Aldis comes out to make the match.

Vision vs. Fraxiom

We’re joined in progress with Breakker taking Axiom to the top but getting knocked down. Breakker hits a heck of a running clothesline and it’s off to Reed for a backsplash. It’s back to Breakker to load up the Super Spear, which is cut off by Axiom’s dropkick. Frazer comes in to kick Reed down and hit a frog splash for two. A Phoenix splash misses though and Reed hits the Jagged Edge. Axiom goes up after Reed but gets shoved off, right into a Super Spear. The Tsunami finishes Frazer at 3:57.

Rating: C+. This was a good enough match for a quick destruction as Fraxiom was only able to do so much here. That’s the right idea too as the Vision has their biggest match to date tomorrow and it’s nice to give them a bit of momentum on the way there. At the same time, it’s kind of a shame to see Fraxiom falling down the ranks, as they’ve gone from being a fun team close to the titles to this in just a few months.

Post match Heyman handles the announcement but the Usos pop up from Indianapolis, saying that it’ll be a different kind of match tomorrow.

We look at WWE stars appearing on ESPN programming.

Here is Nia Jax for a chat. She insults Toledo and talks about how this division is getting on her nerves. The reality is she is the alpha of this division and mocks Tiffany Stratton’s catchphrase in a funny bit. Then you have Jade Cargill, who looks incredible until the bell rings. Jax is the alpha but here is Stratton to interrupt. Stratton is sick of Jax running her mouth and doesn’t think Cargill is a superhero, but here is Cargill to shove her way to the ring. Nick Aldis comes in to calm it down, saying it’s a triple threat for the title next week.

R-Truth explains ESPN to the Motor City Machine Guns and Rey Fenix. Then he puts his phone in a toaster.

We look at the Lesnar beatdown again.

United States Title: Carmelo Hayes vs. Sami Zayn

Zayn is defending and Miz is VERY enthusiastic about Hayes. They fight over wrist control to start until Hayes is back with a dropkick. Back up and Zayn punches him into the corner for some right hands but Hayes is right back with the Fadeaway. We take a break and come back with Hayes dropping a knee for two. Some chops against the ropes wake Zayn up and a middle rope ax handle puts Hayes down.

A tornado DDT gives Zayn two, followed by a Michinoku Driver for the same. Hayes is back up with a knee but his frog splash only hits raised knees. We take another break and come back with Hayes blocking an exploder. Instead he knocks Zayn down and hits the frog splash for two. Hayes’ First 48 gets two and the suplex cutter drops Zayn again. Zayn is right back up with a kick to the face and the Blue Thunder Bomb retains at 15:07.

Rating: B. This is exactly the point of the US Open Challenges, as you have Zayn out there giving Hayes a chance to showcase himself for a change. It helps that the match got some time rather than being rushed, making it feel like a struggle. I could go for a few months of this, and there is a good chance that’s what we’ll be getting.

Damian Priest storms into Nick Aldis’ office and wants Aleister Black next week. Kit Wilson, who was in Aldis’ office, accuses Priest of toxic masculinity. He is then thrown through a wall.

Cody Rhodes explains how to watch Wrestlepalooza.

We get the second half of the John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar history, starting with Cena becoming the biggest star in the world during Lesnar’s absence. Meanwhile, Lesnar became the UFC Heavyweight Champion and turned into an even scarier human being. Then Lesnar returned to WWE in 2012 and wrecked a bunch of people, including Cena in a long form squash at Summerslam 2014 (the first F5 had me screaming at my TV). We’ll get the last part on the Kickoff Show tomorrow.

Wrestlepalooza rundown.

We recap Cody Rhodes vs. Drew McIntyre.

Solo Sikoa talks about how Tonga Loa has been part of the team since the beginning and Sikoa let him down by not making him a champion. Loa confirms his love for Sikoa. That’s not a great sign for Sikoa’s future, as he and Loa were all alone here.

It’s time for the contract signing, with Drew McIntyre and Cody Rhodes joining Nick Aldis in the ring. Before they sign, Rhodes actually brings up their time as Tag Team Champions. The thing is though, not everyone cares about that and just want to see people fight. Lately, the only kind of warrior McIntyre has been is a keyboard warrior (the fans gasp at that) and McIntyre busts out his phone to post THANK YOU CODY. McIntyre talks about how Rhodes is a company man but he’s been in Rhodes’ spot before.

What happens when Rhodes loses? He’ll be in McIntyre’s spot, talking about how things used to be. They both sign in a hurry and the brawl is on again, with McIntyre getting the better of things. He teases the Claymore through the announcers’ table but stops, because it would cost him the match tomorrow. Rhodes gets back up and they brawl even more, with McIntyre hitting a Claymore to end the show. This was a simple segment, but it did boost the match up in a rather needed way.

Overall Rating: B-. The wrestling wasn’t exactly great this week, with only Zayn vs. Hayes going that well. At the same time though, they did a nice job of getting things ready for the pay per view. Wrestlepalooza is feeling like a major show and the contract signing helped it out a bit. There is going to be some pressure on them tomorrow, but this wound up being a good enough show to get them to the big event.

Results
Charlotte/Alexa Bliss b. Chelsea Green/Alba Fyre – Natural Selection to Green
Vision b. Fraxiom – Tsunami to Frazer
Sami Zayn b. Carmelo Hayes – Blue Thunder Bomb

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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Saturday Night’s Main Event XL
Date: July 12, 2025
Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We’re back with the biggest WWE event of the weekend, which should make for a rather strong card. That’s in theory at least, as there is one major match to get around as Gunther defends the Raw World Title against Goldberg. This is expected to be Goldberg’s retirement match, but stranger things have happened. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Jesse Ventura and Joe Tessitore preview the show, with Ventura sounding perfectly fine.

Randy Orton vs. Drew McIntyre

Jelly Roll and Logan Paul are the respective seconds. They start fast and the brawl goes to the floor with McIntyre dropping him back first onto the announcers’ table. We take an early break and come back with Orton hammering away in the corner. McIntyre gets in the Glasgow Kiss but charges into a powerslam.

They head outside where Orton drops him back first onto the announcers’ table to even the score. Back up and McIntyre hits a quick Claymore but Orton gets his foot on the rope. Paul and Roll get into it on the floor, with Paul getting knocked down, with the distraction allowing the RKO to give Orton the pin at 8:12.

Rating: B-. Basically a Raw main event here which was designed to set up the big celebrity match at Summerslam. That’s fine enough as these two know each other fairly well, but there is only so much you can get out of about five minutes of on-screen time. It wasn’t bad, but the match was secondary to the angle taking place.

Post match Paul decks Orton with the big right hand, which is enough for Roll to get in and throw Paul into the corner. McIntyre Claymores Roll and the GM’s come out to yell at him.

Post break the GM’s continue to yell at McIntyre and Paul, who want them to “make it make sense”.

Various women are here, including Jade Cargill, who gets jumped by Naomi. The brawl is on, with Cargill throwing her over the announcers’ table. Nick Aldis comes out to say that he thought this would happen, so he has a special referee for tomorrow night: the returning Bianca Belair (and the place goes nuts).

Doug Dellinger and Diamond Dallas Page are here.

Commentary talks about Goldberg’s injury issues.

Video on Goldberg.

US Title: Jimmy Uso vs. Solo Sikoa

Sikoa, with his usual goons, is defending and says Uso isn’t coming back. Uso slugs away to start and knocks Sikoa outside for the suicide dive. Sikoa starts yelling at various people, which apparently works well enough for him to catch Uso in Spinning Solo. Talla Tonga gets in a clothesline on the floor and we take a break. We come back with Uso German suplexing him onto the apron and then knocking Sikoa into the corner.

The Superfly Splash gets two but Sikoa is back up with another Spinning Solo. Uso superkicks him down and goes up top but Sikoa rolls outside. That’s fine with Uso, who corkscrew dives onto all of the villains. Back in and Talla gets in a cheap shot, allowing Sikoa to roll Uso up (with Tala pushing) to retain at 10:49.

Rating: C+. The interference was pretty much guaranteed and it was a question of which of the MFT’s was going to help Sikoa win. Uso isn’t exactly the biggest star in the world but he has a personal connection to Sikoa, which makes him a slightly better challenger. The match was good enough, even if there was rather limited drama.

Post match the beatdown is on but Jacob Fatu runs in for the save. Fatu and Tala have a big staredown with Tala getting in a big boot, only to be low bridged to the floor. Fatu hits a dive onto them and does his gyrating.

Video on Goldberg’s time in WWE.

Randy Orton apologizes to Jelly Roll for what happened but Roll says he’s a grown man. Orton thinks they can handle this at Summerslam.

Seth Rollins vs. LA Knight

Paul Heyman is here with Rollins. They slug it out to start with Knight not being able to hit a Falcon Arrow. Knight sends him outside for a dropkick through the ropes and it’s time for Rollins to go into the announcers’ table over and over. We take a break and come back with Knight hammering away but getting kicked in the ribs.

Knight knocks him back down and hits the top rope jumping elbow for two. Knight’s running knee in the corner connects but Rollins knocks him down. A sunset bomb doesn’t work for Knight as Rollins slips down to plant him. Rollins’ springboard Swanton connects but Rollins tweaks his knee on a moonsault. We pause to look at it and Knight hits a BFT for the clean win at 11:43.

Rating: C+. Uh oh. That’s a really bad sign as there is pretty much no reason for Rollins, the top heel in the company, to lose like this. There is always the chance that this is there to set up a cash in for later on tonight, but otherwise one would think they just stop the match and declare Knight the winner. What we got was fine, but dang that is a scary possibility for Rollins.

Evolution rundown.

Video on Goldberg vs. Gunther.

Raw World Title: Goldberg vs. Gunther

Gunther is defending and this is Goldberg’s retirement match. After the Big Match Intros, Goldberg shoulders him down and no sells some chops. A running clothesline drops Gunther again as they’re definitely going slowly to start. Gunther knocks him down and goes up, only to get slammed down. The threat of the spear sends Gunther bailing to the floor with Goldberg following. The spear goes through the barricade by mistake and Goldberg is in trouble as we take a break.

We come back with Gunther working on the leg but Goldberg gets up for the chop off. A spinebuster puts Gunther down and Goldberg hammers away in the corner. Goldberg manages a backdrop but the spear hits the referee by mistake. Gunther gets in a shot and takes off the knee brace before going after Goldberg’s son. Security cuts that off, allowing Goldberg to hit the spear back inside. The Jackhammer connects and another referee runs out but Goldberg’s knee means it’s a delayed near fall. Gunther gets the sleeper and Goldberg is out at 14:30.

Rating: C. It wasn’t exactly great but there was a possibility of this being a disaster and it wound up being a passable power match. Gunther retaining is the best thing that could come out of the whole ordeal, along with Goldberg not managing to damage anyone too badly. It’s not something I’ll ever want to see again, but at least it wasn’t a disaster.

Post break Goldberg’s friends and family are in the ring with him. Goldberg apologizes for losing in Atlanta, thanks everyone for helping him…and we are out of time mid-speech. The one time in 28 years that he had too much to say!

No Rollins or any mention of him after the injury, which isn’t a good sign.

Overall Rating: C. It was ok enough, but this was a big downgrade from some of the recent editions. The opener was designed to set up something else, the US Title match was little more than a Smackdown main event, Knight vs. Rollins could be very bad and the main event….well it could have been worse. The show wasn’t awful, but it’s really not worth going out of your way to see, which isn’t the best way to make me want to see more of this series.

Results
Randy Orton b. Drew McIntyre – RKO
Solo Sikoa b. Jimmy Uso – Assisted rollup
LA Knight b. Seth Rollins – BFT
Gunther b. Goldberg – Sleeper

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: July 11, 2025
Location: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

It’s the last show before a rather busy weekend, which will see both Saturday Night’s Main Event and Evolution. That means we are probably going to be getting the last push towards both shows tonight, which should keep things busy. Other than that, we have the Wyatt Sicks getting their shot at the Tag Team Titles. 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 says predictions and spoilers are common themes in wrestling, including coming out of Paul Heyman’s mouth. Heyman seems to control some power like Seth Rollins, who needed some backup. Knight gets serious when he talks about Rollins ordering his goons to try to take him out.

They’re fighting at Saturday Night’s Main Event. He wants dignity, he wants justice, and he wants to hurt Rollins. Just because Rollins isn’t scared, it doesn’t mean he won’t get a beating. Cue Heyman, who talks about looking into the future for himself and his guys. Their future is the future of this entire industry. As for Knight, Heyman sees nothing, because he has no future.

Cue Solo Sikoa and company, which has Heyman a bit confused. Sikoa talks about how nothing has really changed for Heyman, who needs to get out of here before he goes through a table again. That’s enough for Heyman, who walks out. Sikoa mocks Knight before saying he’s gotten rid of Jacob Fatu. Knight is offered the same chance but won’t leave, with the MFT’s surrounding the ring.

Cue Jimmy Uso to throw Knight a chair though and the save is made, with Uso and Knight standing back to back with a chair each. Nick Aldis comes out to make the tag match for later tonight. Knight being treated as more of a main event star is a good thing, as he can certainly back it up on the microphone.

Alexa Bliss comes up to Charlotte (dressed as a cowgirl) and they seem to be on the same page. Bliss doesn’t think Charlotte would be a great cheerleader, though Charlotte says she cheers for herself.

Roxanne Perez vs. Sol Ruca vs. Kairi Sane vs. Alexa Bliss

Their partners are here too. It’s a brawl to start with Sane clearing the ring, only to get dropped by Perez. Back up and Ruca hits a big flip dive onto everyone and we take a break. We come back with a Tower Of Doom putting everyone down. Ruca gives Perez a running knee but Sane catches Ruca on top.

The top rope double stomp connects on Ruca but she’s back up with a double Sol Snatcher (an inverted flipping cutter, which always looks impressive). Raquel Rodriguez breaks up the cover though and the seconds get in a brawl on the floor. Charlotte cleans house and Bliss gets her feet up to block the Insane Elbow. The Sister Abigail DDT finishes for Bliss at 10:00.

Rating: B-. Bliss continues her successful streak since returning and that’s a good thing to see. The fans are going to react to whatever she does and it would be dumb of WWE to not try and capitalize on it. At the same time, I’m hoping this doesn’t lead to Bliss and Charlotte winning the titles, as it’s hardly the most interesting option.

Evolution rundown.

Tag Team Titles: Wyatt Sicks vs. Street Profits

The Profits are defending. Dawkins drives Gacy into the corner to start and gets a rather crazy laugh. Gacy elbows his way out of trouble but Dawkins is right back with a Sky High. Ford (looking like he’s in 1997 Shawn Michaels tribute gear) goes up top but Lumis pulls Gacy outside. Ford’s mocking of Lumis’ crawl takes us to a break.

We come back with Ford getting in a sunset bomb for a needed breather, allowing the tag off to Dawkins. House is quickly cleaned and Dawkins hits the big running flip dive. Back in and Dawkins hits a Swanton for two on Gacy, who is right back with the Upside Down clothesline. Lumis sends Dawkins into the announcers’ table and we take another break.

We come back again with Dawkins getting over for the tag off to Ford. A spinebuster cuts him off in a hurry for two but the Doomsday Blockbuster gets the same on Gacy. Cue Erick Rowan to take Ford out though, earning himself a Pounce into the timekeeper’s area. Ford’s frog splash misses though and an assisted sitout powerbomb/neckbreaker combination finishes Ford to give us new champions at 17:23.

Rating: B. What a weird world as Gacy and Lumis have titles in WWE. This was the right way to go, as the Wyatts needed to do something to validate everyone being so afraid of them. Someone is going to have to rescue the titles, despite the Wyatts not really doing anything wrong. Good match here too, with the Profits getting to show off their impressive athleticism.

The tag division doesn’t think that’s good, with DIY saying this wouldn’t happen if they had just listened to them. Rey Fenix and Andrade come in to mock DIY, which sends Ciampa into another tailspin.

Video on Goldberg vs. Gunther.

Here is Jelly Roll to perform a song live but Logan Paul cuts him off. Paul doesn’t like celebrities and influencers coming into their world, because it’s disrespectful to wrestlers like him. Paul starts talking about his podcast signing a new deal but Roll cuts him off. Roll says no one cares about the podcast, but Paul calls Roll an outsider.

Cue Randy Orton, who goes on one heck of a rant about how Paul is the real outsider. Roll deserves respect but here is Drew McIntyre to Claymore Orton. McIntyre is taken out by security so Paul jumps Orton, with Roll making the save. Paul is taken out by security but stops to break Roll’s instruments. They might as well announce the Summerslam tag match from here.

Post break, Roll says he’ll be at Saturday Night’s Main Event to watch Orton vs. McIntyre.

R-Truth vs. Aleister Black

Black misses a running boot to start but slips out of a suplex. Some strikes puts R-Truth in the corner but he comes back with the Lie Detector. Black rolls outside and gets sent hard into the post, meaning it’s time to grab a chair. That’s taken away and R-Truth grabs a rollup for the pin at 2:08.

Post break Damian Priest cuts off Black from wrecking R-Truth. Black wrecks Priest instead.

Here are Tiffany Stratton and Trish Stratus for a face to face meeting. Stratton says she picked Stratus because she has beaten everyone else. Why wouldn’t she want to face one of the best of all time? Stratus says she doesn’t need to win to be the best ever, but when she does, Stratton will leave with nothing. Stratton says she learned about Trish on those VHS tapes, with Stratus asking if she heard that on TikTok. Stratus praises her but says she’ll be winning the title. Cue Naomi to tease a cash in but Jade Cargill runs out to jump her from behind.

Saturday Night’s Main Event rundown.

Jimmy Uso/LA Knight vs. Solo Sikoa/JC Mateo

Knight stomps Sikoa down into the corner to start but he fights his way out of trouble. Uso gets caught in the wrong corner, only to drop down with the uppercut for a breather. Sikoa pulls Uso out to the floor though and hits the Samoan drop onto the announcers’ table. We take a break and come back with Sikoa hitting a running Umaga Attack in the corner, only to miss the second attempt.

Uso flips out of a suplex though and hits an enziguri, allowing the diving tag to Knight. The jumping neckbreaker out of the corner drops Mateo, followed by the jumping top rope elbow. Sikoa’s Superfly Splash gets two, with Sikoa making the save. The fight goes outside but here is Paul Heyman with his phone. The distraction lets Tala Tonga kick Knight in the face…as Uso rolls Sikoa up for the pin at 9:03.

Rating: C+. The ending was a way to set up Sikoa vs. Uso for the US Title at Saturday Night’s Main Event and I’ve seen worse ideas. At the same time, Knight gets to deal with Heyman again, as this was a rather nicely put together deal. The action was fine enough, but what mattered here was advancing two stories at once and they made it work.

Post match Knight drops Sikoa with the BFT but gets speared down by Bron Breakker, followed by a Tsunami from Bronson Reed.

Overall Rating: B. Solid show here, as they set up some stuff for both upcoming major shows, while also having some good action of its own. That’s more than I was expecting on this show, but dang it’s great to see what happens when this show drops down to two hours. I want to see where these stories are going and that’s the right feeling with a pair of major shows coming up this weekend.

Results
Alexa Bliss b. Kairi Sane, Sol Ruca and Roxanne Perez – Sister Abigail DDT to Sane
Wyatt Sicks b. Street Profits – Powerbomb/neckbreaker combination to Ford
R-Truth b. Aleister Black – Rollup
Jimmy Uso/LA Knight b. Solo Sikoa/JC Mateo – Rollup to Sikoa

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: June 14, 2024
Location: OVO Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

We’re in Scotland for the first time and we are less than a day away from Clash At The Castle. As usual, the show is mostly set but there is always the chance that something else could be added. The big story on the blue side is AJ Styles vs. Cody Rhodes in an I Quit match and odds are we’ll be hearing more about it this week. And of course the Bloodline, so let’s get to it.

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

Naomi vs. Chelsea Green

Bayley is here with Naomi and Piper Niven is here with Green. Before the match, Green brags about how the two of them will be Women’s Champion tomorrow but the fans would rather ask if Bayley will be their girl. Naomi loads up a running shot to the face but stops for a slap instead, which granted is the same thing but a bit less impactful. A running dropkick in the corner works a bit better but Green gets in a shot of her own and we take a break.

Back with Naomi fighting out of a chinlock but getting her knee dropkicked out for her efforts. Naomi fights up again and hits a springboard spinning kick to the head, followed by a high crossbody for two. Back up and Green pulls her off the top, setting up a missile dropkick for two of her own. Green tries a rollup with feet on the ropes so Bayley shoves them off, which isn’t cool with Niven. Not that it matters as Naomi uses the distraction to grab a rollup for the pin at 9:26.

Rating: C+. You don’t get to see Green with this kind of offense very often and it was cool for a change. She’s better in the ring than she is given credit for but when you can play a character that well, it can often be overlooked. Naomi gets a win to boost her up a bit and we could be in for something else from her after Clash is over.

We look at Apollo Crews being attacked last week.

Baron Corbin is in Nick Aldis’ office and is thankful for a chance, but Legado del Fantasma comes in. Corbin leaves and Aldis isn’t happy with Legado for attacking Crews last week. The team is being fined, but Santos Escobar will just beat up Crews tonight anyway.

Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair are ready for their two challengers at Clash.

It’s time for the Grayson Waller Effect (following the latest QR codes), with Austin Theory right next to him of course. Theory wants to know where the plants are but apparently Scotland is too depressing for them. We get right to the guests this week, with DIY joining the show. They waste no time in clearing out a bunch of the set (including the one chair for the two guests) and DIY accuses Theory of being Waller’s secretary.

Waller insists that they’re friends and he would take a bullet for him, but we see a clip of Waller pulling Theory in the way of a dive. DIY wants a title shot, but that’s not going to happen right now. Instead Gargano talks to Theory, saying he’s know Theory for a long time and he can’t stand what he’s seeing. Gargano blames Waller and the fight is on, with DIY clearing the ring.

We look at the Bloodline wrecking the Street Profits and Kevin Owens last week.

The Profits tell Owens that they have his back tonight.

Bayley and Naomi run into Blair Davenport in the back but nothing comes of it. Bayley thanks Naomi for being there when Chelsea Green comes in. The distraction lets Piper Niven come in to wreck both of them.

Santos Escobar vs. Apollo Crews

The rest of Legado del Fantasma is here with Escobar. Crews starts fast with a belly to belly but gets sent to the apron, where Legado offers a distraction. Escobar dropkicks him to the floor but here is Baron Corbin to chase off Legado (minus Elektra Lopez). Crews grabs a gorilla press into a standing moonsault for two as we take a break.

Back with Escobar hitting a slingshot hilo for two of his own and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for the same. Crews makes a comeback with a clothesline into a nip up, only to get kneed out of the air. A quick Death Valley Driver gives Crews two but cue Legado for a distraction. Corbin goes to deal with them, allowing Lopez to offer a distraction. Escobar gets the rollup pin at 9:01.

Rating: C+. Every time I see Crews out there, it astounds me more and more that he isn’t a bigger star. His lack of charisma isn’t helping him, but my goodness that kind of look and athleticism should have some kind of a role. For now though, Escobar gets a win to keep himself around, though Legado needs something else to do. Like feuding with….Corbin?

Long recap of Cody Rhodes vs. AJ Styles.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat. A few weeks ago, he thought AJ Styles was actually going to retire. No one wants to be THAT guy, as in the one who sticks around too long and is trying to have one more match. Unfortunately, that is exactly what Styles is starting to look like. We pause for some singing fans before Rhodes won’t say the words I Quit. Cue Styles, with the OC, to say Rhodes gets worked up pretty easily.

Rhodes says Styles can get a lot closer, while leaving Horace and Jasper (there’s a reference I didn’t expect tonight) behind. The fans sing about Rhodes again and we get a graphic showing the sound level in one of those cool little things you would never get in the old days. Styles talks about how hard it was to get to WWE, while Rhodes quit when things got hard around here. Just like he quit New Japan and Ring Of Honor! Then he started a company (the fans gasp) and quit that too!

Rhodes talks about making some big decisions in his career, including walking away from a bunch of companies (there’s one he won’t say). He gambled on himself and this title shows you that he won. Styles quit when he pretended to be Mark Henry for a night to get a title shot. Rhodes will make him quit, with Styles saying it was so easy to make Rhodes say it. Styles: “I can’t quit being phenomenal.” He’s ready to do whatever it takes to beat Rhodes. This was an intense exchange and it’s the kind of match where the result being fairly clear shouldn’t hurt things.

The Bloodline jumps the Street Profits but are cleared out before Kevin Owens can get there.

Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark are ready to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Nia Jax vs. Michin

Tiffany Stratton is on commentary. Michin strikes away before the bell and does it again after the bell, with Eat Defeat sending Jax outside. Stratton offers a distraction but gets beaten up, allowing Jax to run Michin over. The Annihilator finishes for Jax at 1:23. Anything involving more Stratton, even Jax, is a good thing.

Kevin Owens says the Street Profits won’t be able to be there tonight.

Logan Paul was at the Classic Tetris World Championships and lost to a bunch of 14 year olds.

Paul returns home…and finds LA Knight chilling in his pool. Paul tells him to get out, with Knight getting up, picking up his clothes, and saying he’ll see Paul next week in Chicago. As expected, Paul wonders how Knight got through the security.

Carmelo Hayes isn’t sure what he just watched but knows that Knight’s line was lame. He’s ready to be Mr. Money In The Bank and he’ll qualify next week.

Nick Aldis bars the Tonga’s from ringside for the main event. Paul Heyman tells Solo Sikoa that if he loses, he loses his leadership. Sikoa says that if he loses, he’s coming after Heyman. Panicking ensues.

Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn get quite the reception and promise to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Clash At The Castle rundown.

Solo Sikoa vs. Kevin Owens

Paul Heyman is here with Sikoa. It’s a big brawl to start with Owens knocking him to the floor and taking out the Prime stand. Owens hits a running clothesline and the frog splash off the apron as we take a break. Back with Sikoa bailing to the floor to avoid the Cannonball. Sikoa takes over with a shot to the face and the running hip attack in the corner.

Owens grabs a quick DDT though and some rapid fire stomping has Sikoa in trouble. Sikoa catches him on top but makes the mistake of trying a superplex, allowing Owens to fight out and hit a tornado DDT. An exchange of superkicks goes to Owens, who hits a Cannonball into a Swanton for two. They fight to the apron, where Sikoa hits a backdrop and we take a break.

Back again with Owens knocking Sikoa off the top and hitting the frog splash for two. Some Spinning Solos give Sikoa two each but Owens grabs a quick Stunner. Heyman puts the foot on the rope for the save and Owens is immediately out there to attempt to kill him. That’s broken up with a Samoan Spike, followed by another to finish Owens at 16:40.

Rating: B. You know what you’re going to get in a match like this and it worked out rather well. Owens is at his best when he is fighting from underneath and has to get in his shots where he can. We got exactly that here, with Heyman out there fearing for his life, which he does as well as anyone. Good stuff here, with Sikoa getting a nice win to show he can still do it.

Post match the Tongas run in for the beatdown but Randy Orton returns for the save. A bunch of RKO’s end the show. Yeah that works.

Overall Rating: B-. WWE has figured out how they want to do things and how to put whatever people and stories they have going on into the formula. There was very little here that felt new or different but it was still a rather solid two hours. Clash is the big show of course, but this was a good way to get things primed up without wasting two hours.

Results
Naomi b. Chelsea Green – Rollup
Santos Escobar b. Apollo Crews – Rollup
Nia Jax b. Michin – Annihilator
Solo Sikoa b. Kevin Owens – Samoan Spike

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