Monday Night Raw
Date: October 5, 2026
Location: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

Somehow it’s the last Raw before Money In The Bank and that means we’re finalizing plans for the show. It doesn’t feel like we should be coming up on that big of an event yet here we are, with no more qualifying matches (thank goodness) and a World Title match between LA Knight and Roman Reigns which feels pretty cold. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of 946 being all violent last week and adding a new member in Jaida Parker, who ran Jacob Fatu over.

Roman Reigns arrives and the Usos want to talk to him about 946 but LA Knight is in the arena and he has something to do.

Here is Knight in the ring to talk about how there are all kinds of things going on but the only thing that matters is his title shot against Reigns. On Saturday, Reigns is going to walk down that aisle and at his pace, he might want to start now. Sure Reigns might be worried about the 946, but Knight always lives in the chaos. It’s down with the establishment, including Reigns, who comes out to interrupt.

Reigns says he was born in the chaos and thrives in it but he sees some doubt in Knight’s eyes. Knight has been running his mouth and then he jumped Reigns after the title match against Penta. The reality is that Knight is just another egg in the omelet and he’s getting broken on Saturday. Reigns is eating at the head of the table so St. Louis can acknowledge him.

They bump shoulders on the way out and Knight says Reigns is the most manufactured industry puppet he’s ever seen. Knight mocks Reigns’ teeth and then promises to win the title. There wasn’t much here but these two needed to be face to face before the title match. It doesn’t feel overly important, which might be due to the match being set up off air.

Je’Von Evans/Penta vs. The Vision

Non-title. The brawl starts on the floor and all four of them stay outside as we’re waiting for them to get inside. Penta kicks away at Breakker’s leg but his enziguri only hits the post. Breakker gets in a clothesline so Evans makes a save, only to be sent inside by Theory for the opening bell. Evans flips away from Theory but gets powerbombed by Breakker.

Another throw sends Evans flying and Breakker stops to yell at Penta, saying he’s already beaten him. Theory breaks up a tag attempt by pulling Penta to the floor, earning Evans a belly to belly over the top. The lights seem to unintentionally flicker and we take a break. We come back with a Steiner Bulldog taking Evans down but he avoids the Super Spear. That’s enough for the tag off to Penta, who gets to come in and clean house.

A slingshot dropkick hits Theory in the corner but he escapes the Penta Driver. The running flip dive hits Breakker on the floor but Theory breaks up Evans’ springboard cutter. Maxxine Dupri’s distraction looks to let Logan Paul send in the knuckles, with the throw going too far and Evans picks them up. A right hand knocks Theory cold for the pin at 8:22.

Rating: B-. The ending was a bit of a stretch as Theory watched Evans get the knuckles and put them on and then just stayed there with him. Theory isn’t quite that dumb but at least Evans didn’t take another fall. It wouldn’t surprise me to see another match for the title next week, as they haven’t actually defended the titles on TV since winning them in July.

Post match Bronson Reed runs in to beat Penta and Evans down but here is Oba Femi to clean house. The numbers get the better of Femi for a bit but he fights back and knocks Breakker outside. Reed knocks Femi down though and goes up, with Femi uppercutting him down to the floor. Breakker holds Reed back from getting in the ring again, leaving Femi to say that Reed has to climb a mountain on Saturday instead of a ladder. Femi promises destruction and teases drowning Reed. As usual, Femi feels like a monster here and he’ll probably smash Reed on Saturday.

Liv Morgan brags about being so amazing but Becky Lynch is keeping her from getting the rematch she deserves. She’ll beat Lynch tonight and then move on to Stephanie Vaquer.

We look at El Grande Americano/CM Punk/Rey Mysterio winning the main event of Worlds Collide.

Dragon Lee praises Mysterio’s abilities but Judgment Day interrupts. Lee tells Dominik to show some respect and the tag match is set up.

Video on 946, who want to take out the Usos and then come after Roman Reigns. No one is safe.

The Usos aren’t worried about Reigns comes in to ask what’s going on with 946. Reigns asks if Jacob Fatu is ok (which he apparently hasn’t bothered to ask in the last week) and says he’ll handle this.

Sol Ruca/Lola Vice vs. Judgment Day

Perez grabs a choke to start but can’t hit her spinning Russian legsweep. Ruca ties her up instead and does the surfing on her back, followed by a basement superkick. Vice comes in for a double hip shot to the head so it’s off to Rodriguez, who is pulled into a triangle choke. Everything breaks down and the villains are sent outside, with Ruca hitting a springboard corkscrew dive to take them out.

We take a break and come back with Vice getting the tag to clean house. Stereo running hip attacks hit the Judgment Day in the corners but Perez escapes a double suplex. Ruca dropkicks Rodriguez into the ropes but gets taken down by Perez. Another distraction looks to let Rodriguez Tejana Bomb Ruca, who reverses with a hurricanrana. Vice’s spinning kick tot he head drops Perez so Rodriguez makes the save. Back up and Vice accidentally spinning backfists Ruca, allowing Perez to get a rollup for the pin on Vice at 10:23.

Rating: C+. This was a weird one as it felt like four people wrestling on their own rather than having a tag match. Granted Ruca and Vice aren’t an actual team so it’s not like they should have any chemistry. The ending gives Perez another boost as she feels like a favorite to win the briefcase, which should make for an interesting situation. Ruca losing is a bit of a surprise, but it was off a fluke in a tag match so she’ll be fine.

Roman Reigns brings Adam Pearce into the locker room and Pearce makes 946 vs. the Bloodline for next week. It won’t be Reigns though, but rather Solo Sikoa, who doesn’t look thrilled.

Ethan Page vs. Rey Fenix

Non-title. Page shoves him down and brags about his size advantage and grabs a headlock. Back up and Fenix makes him run the ropes over and over, leaving Page looking panicked and winded. The rope walk kick knocks Page out to the floor and there’s the big corkscrew dive to the floor. Another dive connects inside, only for Page to send him into the corner and we take a break.

We come back with Page getting two off a release reverse fisherman’s suplex. Fenix pops up for a handspring cutter and a spinning kick to the head knocks Page silly again. An Angel’s Wings gives Fenix two more so he Tuns Up The Band and hits a superkick for the same. Page gets back up for a powerslam and another near fall but he gets superkicked on top. With that broken up, Page tries the EgoPlex but gets reversed into a small package for the pin at 11:13.

Rating: B-. I appreciate having Page back in the ring as he’s still one of the more consistent hands around. Having him getting frustrated by losing over and over should be interesting, as he could turn it into something good. For now though, it’s another case of getting Fenix over, which is fine after not having him do much of note.

Video on Money In The Bank and an explanation of its rules, along with the concept of cashing in a briefcase.

Judgment Day is ready to win even more titles but Liv Morgan makes the mistake of mentioning JD McDonagh having a large head. McDonagh doesn’t mind but he gets a present delivered. It’s a letter from Joe Hendry and a custom McDonagh Funko Pop.

Rey Mysterio/Dragon Lee vs. Judgment Day

Fenix takes over on McDonagh to start and sends him into the corner for the running dropkick. McDonagh is already rocked and gets clotheslined out to the floor, with Rey tagging himself in as Lee loads up a flip dive to the floor. Rey adds a running seated senton off the apron to drop Dominik and we take a break.

We come back with Rey in trouble and Dominik cutting him off with an elbow drop. McDonagh sends Rey into the corner and puts him down with a clothesline. Rey is tied up in the Tree Of Woe, where he does a situp to avoid McDonagh’s charge into the post. That and a tornado DDT to Dominik should be enough for the tag to Lee, but here is Big Cass to pull him off the apron. Rey takes Cass down and loads up a 619, only to get headbutted by McDonagh for the pin at 10:36.

Rating: B-. Ok the Funko Pop stuff is one of the dumbest angles they’ve had in a long time, but McDonagh using a headbutt as a huge finisher is rather awesome. Other than that, Judgment Day needed the win after some not so successful efforts. As for Cass…yeah I’m not seeing it happening, as he looks like a monster but that’s about it.

Post match Cass beats up Rey and Fenix without much trouble.

Money In The Bank rundown.

Becky Lynch talks about how many times Liv Morgan has cheated to retain the Women’s Title and then plays the victim. Lynch is the one who has to do all of the work and she’ll do it again here.

In case you were wondering, here’ show the Japanese commentary sounded for Oba Femi’s brawl earlier tonight.

Lyra Valkyria doesn’t know what it takes to get away from Bayley. Cue Bayley, who says this isn’t over until she says it’s over.

946 makes it clear that no one is safe.

Bronson Reed comes up to tell Paul Heyman that he’s planning to smash Oba Femi. Heyman hopes so and recommends a bunch of Tsunamis to make kids beg for mercy. Make it so bad that a priest and a rabbi deliver last rites. Then do about 25 more Tsunamis. Then one more. Heyman has seen this stuff taking place in person and while he’s been ticking people off for 40 years, this is different.

Even Brock Lesnar was just another opponent for Femi and that humbled Heyman. If Reed doesn’t hit Tsunami after Tsunami after Tsunami, he’ll be humbled too. Heyman leaves and Reed sees that he was watching a loop of Femi beating Lesnar in the Cell. As usual, Heyman can tell a story like no other, as it felt like he was going through PTSD here.

Liv Morgan vs. Becky Lynch

For the Women’s Title match on Saturday. Morgan gets knocked outside to start but sends Lynch into the barricade to take over. Back in and some running knees have Lynch in more trouble and we’re off to the chinlock. Lynch fights up without much trouble and gets in the running forearm in the corner, setting up the Bexploder. Some kicks to the chest have Morgan in trouble but she’s back with a Codebreaker. That’s shrugged off and Lynch hits a running clothesline as we take a break.

We come back with Lynch grabbing a DDT into a cross armbreaker, with Morgan quickly reversing. That means Lynch switches to the Disarm-Her so Morgan BITES THE LEG and reverses into a half crab. That’s broken up as well so Morgan knocks her down for two more. Back up and the Manhandle Slam is loaded up so here is Raquel Rodriguez for a distraction. Roxanne Perez comes in to snap Lynch’s arm over the rope, with Morgan adding a sunset bomb for two.

Oblivion is countered into a Manhandle Slam so Rodriguez puts the foot on the rope. Tessitore: “SHAME ON YOU!” Lynch takes out Rodriguez so Perez gets up on the apron, with Rodriguez knocking Lynch off the top. Stephanie Vaquer comes in to take Perez so Rodriguez hands Morgan the title. That’s caught as well and it’s a double ejection so Morgan tries Oblivion. Vaquer gets taken out by mistake, which draws her into hit both of them for the double DQ at 16:00.

Rating: B-. Well of course they did. You know where the ending is going and it’s one of the most annoying tendencies in all of wrestling. They were building up either Lynch making some big comeback against the odds or Morgan stealing the win (either would have been fine) but HA! Never mind, triple threat! It’s been done for years and my goodness I’m sick of it.

Post match Vaquer requests and receives a triple threat title match on Saturday. A corkscrew moonsault crushes both challengers to end the show. After a month of triple threat qualifying matches, we get a triple threat title match. Oh joy.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was the last push to Money In The Bank for the Raw side and….yeah it’s not exactly feeling great. It felt like they were trying everything they could but the stuff on here was a mix of filler and Knight vs. Reigns. That’s a problem when 946 has been the main story for weeks and Reigns only showed up at the last minute. They tried here, but it was pushing a big boulder uphill.

Results
Penta/Je’Von Evans b. The Vision – Right hand with brass knuckles to Theory
Judgment Day b. Sol Ruca/Lola Vice – Rollup to Perez
Rey Fenix b. Ethan Page – Small package
Judgment Day b. Rey Mysterio/Dragon Lee – Headbutt to Rey
Liv Morgan vs. Becky Lynch went to a double DQ when Stephanie Vaquer interfered

 

 

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: September 21, 2026
Location: Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re back stateside and that means it’s time to keep getting ready for Money In The Bank. We’ll be having some qualifying matches, but we’ll also have to deal with LA Knight getting the World Title shot against Roman Reigns. You didn’t hear about that one? Well it was announced after last week’s Raw went off the air. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Penta vs. Roman Reigns in their instant classic last week. We also see LA Knight coming out to lay Reigns out after the show, with the Money In The Bank title match being announced, oddly by Reigns, who wanted revenge.

Penta and LA Knight have a quick staredown in the back but everything seems to be ok.

Here is Penta to get things going and he gets quite the pyro. Penta talks about how big last week was for everyone, including himself and his family. Roman Reigns was the better man that night and Penta respects him, but this isn’t over. He wants another shot to win the title but here is Judgment Day to interrupt.

They don’t know why Penta is talking about the title when he lost last week. Dominik Mysterio is going to win Money In The Bank and become the champion while Penta is just a luchador. Dominik says he is the King Of The Luchadors but Penta says the only king is Dominik’s father. The brawl is on and Penta fights back with a double high crossbody to send the villains bailing.

Jacob Fatu yells at the Usos about how they keep screwing up with 946 (Royce Keys and OTM). Solo Sikoa comes in with a literal white flag and says they need to work together against OTM. That’s only happening if Sikoa acknowledges the Bloodline, which Sikoa says isn’t happening and leaves. Fatu says that was a big mistake….by the Usos.

Women’s Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Iyo Sky vs. La Catalina vs. Roxanne Perez

Catalina’s AAA Reina de Reinas title isn’t on the line. Perez chases both of them outside to start before it’s Perez going back inside to get double dropkicked right back to the floor. Catalina spins Sky around for two and Perez is back in for some rollups of her own. They get up for a three way standoff and Perez knocks Sky outside again. The suicide dive is cut off by Sky’s forearm and Sky follows with an Asai moonsault. Catalina dives onto both of them and we take a break.

We come back with Perez grabbing a DDT and Russian legsweep at the same time for two each. Catalina is back up with a high crossbody for two and some running hip attacks in the corner. Sky is sent outside and a forearm to the back gives Perez two. Back up and Sky goes up top, where Catalina shoves her onto the post. Perez gets up top with them and throws Catalina down, leaving Sky to get caught with a super hurricanrana.

Catalina knees Perez down though and everyone needs a breather. They all get up and strike it out until Catalina Gory Bombs Perez for two. Sky is back in with a double missile dropkick and the running knees hit them both in the corner. Over The Moonsault only hits Catalina though, allowing Perez to Pop Rox Sky for the win at 14:02.

Rating: B. The ending was a nice sequence but it was another example of a triple threat match where one of them stayed down for awhile while the other two did their thing. It’s a problem with having this many triple threat matches because it always comes up. Perez going over is fine, even if pinning Sky is something of a surprise.

LA Knight makes sure Solo Sikoa isn’t joining the Bloodline again and they agree to both win at Money In The Bank. Sikoa just better not cash in on him.

Here is LA Knight for a chat. He gives Roman Reigns and Penta props after last week’s classic, but now he has his shot against Reigns at Money In The Bank. It’s been three years since they’ve fought one on one because Knight has been kept out of the plans. The problem is Knight is the plants.

Knight will acknowledge that Reigns won a great one last week and he did it himself. It’s easy to acknowledge Reigns’ greatness, but the people have kept staying behind Knight the whole time. The problem is the fans don’t believe it’s going to happen and Knight doesn’t blame you after losing the big one so many times.

Maybe no one believes that he can win, but what interests Knight is how many times Reigns has done things with no Bloodline. Knight: “Good for you. Yippy skippy.” The reality is Reigns has never been able to beat him one on one and Knight has done everything on his own. At Money In The Bank, he’ll acknowledge Reigns acknowledging him as the new champion. This was a fired up Knight, though I’m still not sure I can imagine him winning.

Je’Von Evans is ready to win Money In The Bank. The Vision comes in to threaten him, with Bron Breakker saying the briefcase belongs to him. Evans is ready with the challenge and slaps Breakker before running away. Breakker doesn’t follow, saying it’s time to use his head first.

Je’Von Evans vs. Bron Breakker

Breakker starts fast and hammers away in the corner, followed by some knees in the corner. Back up and Evans fights up for an uppercut in the corner and the suicide dive. They both wind up outside with Breakker being sent into the announcers’ table. Breakker’s charge misses and he crashes into the time keeper’s area. Evans follows with a big dive to take Breakker down again and we take a break.

We come back with Breakker snapping off the super Frankensteiner but the spear is blocked with a perfectly times superkick. They both get up and Evans hits a springboard crossbody but has to counter a gorilla press into a DDT. A running Sliced Bread gets two but Maxxine Dupri offers a distraction, allowing Austin Theory to get in a cheap shot. A spinning Boss Man Slam gives Breakker two but he misses a charge into the post. Evans hits a pair of big dives to the floor (one for Bronson Reed, one for Breakker). The OG Cutter is loaded up but Theory breaks it up for the DQ at 12:02.

Rating: B-. This was a case where I liked the result, as Evans was making me think he was about to win and the last thing I wanted to see was him getting speared in half for the pin. This leaves the door open for a rematch down the line and I could go for seeing them running it back, as the next generation gets another chance to show what they can do. Good match here with a better result.

Post match the beatdown is on but Oba Femi runs in for the save and wrecks the entire team, including some rather loud chair shots. That’s not enough though as Femi picks up Evans and launches him onto the team, with the Vision only kind of catching Evans.

Mark Henry is here.

946 is in a car and says no one is safe.

We look at Joe Hendry doing a live performance earlier, with some fans joining in to sing about JD McDonagh as a Funko Pop, and yes there is a life McDonagh Pop there.

Here is Judgment Day for a chat. McDonagh is sick of all the insults from Joe Hendry and they have to end because his family is being hurt. Liv Morgan brags about all of the success the team has had, including attacking El Grande Americano. Morgan wants her rematch for the Women’s Title right now because what happened to her was unfair.

Instead here is Becky Lynch to interrupt in the crowd, saying she’s disappointed of everyone there, including Jordan Devlin McDonagh. They’ve known each other for years and Lynch has CALLED HIS MOM. Mama McDonagh is sick of seeing her son like this and being around such losers. Lynch says Morgan must be disappointed as well, because she found out what happened when she actually defended her title.

They better not be disappointed in Referee Rebecca though, because she might be the greatest referee of all time. Cue Stephanie Vaquer, who says she’s the champion around here. Morgan can have her rematch to show that the win in Chile wasn’t a fluke. Lynch isn’t happy so Vaquer says she’ll talk to Adam Pearce about it. We’re getting another triple threat out of this but I’m trying to get over the idea of Lynch calling McDonagh’s mom. Lynch was acting like her old self here and that is awesome to see again.

Lyra Valkyria talks about everything she had to do to get away from Bayley and then tried to win Money In The Bank. Bayley cost her, so now it’s time to make Bayley wish that their last match was their last match. Valkyria’s transformation in recent months is remarkable.

Bayley vs. Lyra Valkyria

Bayley jumps her on the floor before the bell and the beating is on, with Sky in fast trouble. They go inside for the opening bell and Sky is sent outside again. The dive is cut off so Bayley grabs a belly to back suplex. Bayley gets flipped into the corner though and comes up holding her knee. That’s enough for Valkyria to hit a top rope Fameasser for two but Bayley is able to knock her off the top. The top rope elbow gets two and Bayley drops a string of elbows as we take a break.

We come back with Valkyria planting her down for two and knocking Bayley into the corner. Back up and a quick Bayley To Belly gets two on Valkyria, who can’t hit the Last Breath. The Rose Plant is blocked as well and they fight out to the floor. Valkyria is thrown over the announcers’ table and Bayley tries a piledriver, which is broken up. Back in and Bayley is so livid that she gets sent throat first into the rope. Valkyria grabs a rollup with tights for the pin at 11:45.

Rating: B-. You know this isn’t over and that’s not a bad thing, as there seems to be a lot left in the tank here. Bayley getting cheated out of the win after beating the fire out of Valkyria for a good while is a good example of Valkyria looking crazy but still coming off as smart. I’m liking her prospects as this is already working better than what she was doing before.

Chad Gable congratulates Dragon Lee on a great match last week and is willing to run it back anytime. Lee seems to appreciate that but Ethan Page comes in to interrupt. Page says maybe Gable should get a mask of his own because he’s clearly hiding. Gable points out that Page keeps getting chances but losing, so go show him something. Until then, stay away from the title.

Here is Adam Pearce with a contract. He brings out the officially signed Lola Vice, who is happy to come out and greet the fans. She talks about her mother introducing her to dance while her father introduced her to martial arts. Now she’s ready to knock out whoever she needs to in order to win Money In The Bank. This brings out Roxanne Perez, who says no one care about the signing. The fight is nearly on, with Vice just barely missing the spinning backfist.

Paul Heyman is shown watching Vice in the back when Bron Breakker comes up. Heyman says Oba Femi is still breathing and that’s bad for the Vision. Breakker says he’s still breathing too and that’s bad for everyone. Heyman: “Everyone?” Breakker: “Everyone.” Heyman isn’t sure what to think about that one.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Solo Sikoa vs. Dragon Lee vs. Dominik Mysterio

Hold on though as 946 has attacked Solo Sikoa and throw him in the back of their car and drive off with him. Jacob Fatu and the Usos show up but the car drives away. Fatu blames the Usos for this as LA Knight shows up to hear what happened. We take a break and come back with Dominik Mysterio trying to get a bye to Money In The Bank but Adam Pearce sends him to the ring. So it seems we’re having a singles match…but hang on. Here is Adam Pearce to say this is still a triple threat match.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Dragon Lee vs. Dominik Mysterio vs. Penta

Yeah this works. Mysterio gets double stomped down and Lee backdrops him out to the floor. A quick armdrag sends Penta into the corner but Mysterio pulls Lee outside. That means Penta can hit a big running flip dive and we take a break. We come back with Lee striking away at Penta out of the corner and hitting the big running flip dive to the floor.

Back in and a sitout powerbomb gives Lee two on Mysterio, who is able to catch Lee on top. Lee is right back up with the top rope double stomp but Penta takes Lee out to leave everyone down. Mysterio is back up with a trio of slingshot hilos to Penta until Lee cuts Mysterio off with a superkick (I’m guessing Lee wasn’t there in time so Mysterio had to keep doing it).

Lee gets sent to the floor but pops right back up with a slingshot hurricanrana to take Penta out on the floor. Mysterio hits a heck of a 619 to a running Lee, leaving Penta to come back in for the three way chop off. Lee is knocked down and a Penta Driver gets two on Mysterio to leave everyone down again. Lee forearms Mysterio down and hits Operation Dragon for two, with Penta diving in for the save.

Penta and Lee slug it out until Penta’s superkick only earns himself a poisonrana. Mysterio’s quick from splash hits raised knees and Lee Styles Clashes Mysterio for two with Penta making another save. Penta drops Lee on the apron and gets 619ed, setting up a frog splash for a heck of a near fall. The frustrated Mysterio pulls a turnbuckle pad off but Penta sends him into the steel instead. The springboard Mexican Destroyer gives Penta the win at 18:55.

Rating: B+. After last week, it made sense to put Penta in the match and have him win. He doesn’t have to win Money In The Bank, but what matters is he’s still in the picture here. That’s what the fans wanted to see here and it came after a heck of a match. These three know how to do the exciting style and it worked rather well.

Overall Rating: B. They weren’t going to be able to top what they did last week but we did get a very good show, with the fans still being all about Penta. The ladder matches are looking strong and I’m not sure which way they’re going. Raw is actually on something of a roll right now and I could go for seeing how they follow it up. Granted that doesn’t mean it’s going to go well, but they do at least have the momentum at the moment.

Results
Roxanne Perez b. Iyo Sky and La Catalina – Pop Rox to Sky
Je’Von Evans b. Bron Breakker via DQ when Austin Theory interfered
Lyra Valkyria b. Bayley – Rollup with tights
Penta b. Dominik Mysterio and Dragon Lee – Springboard Mexican Destroyer to Mysterio

 

 

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: September 14, 2026
Location: Arena CDMX, Mexico City, Mexico
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Corey Graves

So we’re in Mexico for the first time in fifteen years, it’s two days before Mexican independence day, and Penta is challenging Roman Reigns for the World Title. That opens up one heck of a door and I’m curious to see what happens. Other than that, of course we have Money In The Bank qualifying matches. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a video on Penta vs. Roman Reigns.

Penta arrives on a freaking horse. Dang he might actually win this thing.

Here is Rey Mysterio, with Adam Pearce, and in a neck brace after Triplemania, to talk about how proud he is to be back here in Mexico and to be a luchador. He is proud to represent Mexico and is proud of another Latina wrestler, as Stephanie Vaquer won the Raw Women’s Title over the weekend in Santiago, Chile. Mysterio brings out Vaquer, who could not be happier to have won the title in her home country.

Cue Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan to interrupt, with Morgan being lived about losing the title. Dominik is booed out of the building again, with Rey asking what happened to Dominik’s title? Dominik wants a mixed tag right now but Pearce says no as Rey (who is in street clothes) isn’t medically cleared. Instead here is El Grande Americano to a ROAR, who is in for the mixed tag. Pearce: “ES OFFICIAL!” I was waiting on Americano to show up and it didn’t disappoint.

El Grande Americano/Stephanie Vaquer vs. Liv Morgan/Dominik Mysterio

We’re joined in progress with Americano kicking Mysterio in the face, so Morgan can come in. That’s fine with Vaquer, who catches her with a high crossbody and gets two off a rollup. Mysterio low bridges her to the floor and Morgan is livid enough to hammer away. Vaquer fights up and knocks her down, allowing the tag off to Americano. House is quickly cleaned, including a middle rope Blockbuster, but Mysterio gets in a shot to put Americano on the floor as we take a break.

We come back with Morgan cutting off a tag attempt but Americano is fine enough to hit an Air Raid Crash for two. Now it’s Vaquer coming back in to take over on Morgan, including a quick powerslam for two. Everything breaks down and Morgan jumps into Mysterio’s arms. That means it’s a double 619 (Rey approves) but here is Judgment Day to jump the heroes for the DQ at 12:06.

Rating: B-. This was getting rather good before the ending and it’s kind of a shame that it had to go that way. I’m not sure why you can’t have the heroes get another win here as it’s not like it would be some devastating loss for Mysterio and Morgan. At least Americano got that entrance though and it was worth the wait.

Post match Dominik goes after Rey, with Americano trying to make the save but JD McDonagh hits the big headbutt to cut him off.

Video on the Vision going after Oba Femi and taking him out last week.

Rey Fenix gives Penta a pep talk.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Je’Von Evans vs. Austin Theory vs. Big Cass

Maxxine Dupri is here with Theory, who jumps Evans instead of going after Cass. That earns Theory a big toss from Cass, with Evans sending him outside. Evans puts Theory into the timekeeper’s area but gets chokeslammed into it as well as we take a break. We come back with Theory hitting a pretty impressive torture rack bomb to Cass but getting frog splashed by Evans. That’s enough to send Theory outside for the big no hands dive but Cass is back in with the swinging Boss Man Slam.

The OG Cutter is blocked so Evans rolls Cass up for two instead. Back up and Cass boots Evans with Theory stealing the near fall as Cass pulls him out at two. Dupri yells at Cass so Theory hits a dive, only to be thrown down as well. Back in and Evans Sliced Breads Theory onto Cass, allowing the OG Cutter to drop Cass and give Evans the pin at 9:45.

Rating: B-. That’s a surprising result, as while Evans getting the win makes sense, I wasn’t expecting Cass, the new midcard monster, to lose so soon. He hasn’t exactly been lighting the place on fire but I wasn’t expecting him to lose already. Evans going to the ladder match is great though, as he can go do some stupid dives to the big reactions, which is why he’s involved.

We look back at Royce Keys and OTM burning the Usos’ car last week.

Jacob Fatu and the Usos say the play is to stay together, even with Roman Reigns needing protection.

Intercontinental Title: Chad Gable vs. Dragon Lee

Lee is challenging and we get a show of respect to start. They go technical, with Gable flipping him into a sunset flip for two. Back up and Lee knocks him into the corner for a running dropkick to send Gable outside. Gable is fine enough to snap off an overhead belly to belly and a northern lights suplex gets two. Lee cuts off an Ultimo Dragon headstand in the corner from Gable to send him outside. That means the big running flip dive onto the announcers’ table as we take a break.

We come back with Gable getting two off a super Angle Slam to leave them both down. Gable cuts off a flip with a sitout powerbomb for two more but the moonsault hits raised boots. Lee hits a running forearm but Operation Dragon is countered into a quickly broken ankle lock. They fight on top with Gable being knocked into a Tree Of Woe over the apron, with Lee hitting the big double stomp (with the camera looking up for a great angle).

Back in and Gable suplexes him into the corner, setting up a moonsault for two more. Gable rolls some German suplexes but Lee flips out of the third and grabs Operation Dragon for a rather near fall. The Styles Clash is countered into an ankle lock but Lee rolls over into the Styles Clash for an even nearer fall. The ankle lock goes on again and Lee FINALLY taps at 15:36.

Rating: A-. The crowd carried this one even higher, as the two of them were having an awesome match that was turned into something incredible due to the reactions. Gable is just on another planet right now and it’s great to see him getting these reactions just by being himself. It’s LONG overdue and he’s making the most of it, which is great for him. Lee had the best WWE match of his career and felt like a real threat to the title, which is more than I was expecting. Outstanding.

Post match Gable immediately lets go and checks on Lee. As Gable leaves, Lee apologizes to the fans.

Bayley talks about the beating that Lyra Valkyria gave her and how she has realized what Valkyria did to her. Valkyria has called her the doormat of the women’s locker room, which suggests that nothing she has done in fourteen years has mattered. Bayley chose her path and she’s going to show Valkyria what she is all about. This was serious Bayley and it worked.

Women’s Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Kelani Jordan vs. Lola Vice vs. Raquel Rodriguez

Jordan’s NXT Women’s Title and Rodriguez’s Women’s Intercontinental Title aren’t on the line. Jordan bails to the floor to start, leaving Vice to kick away at Rodriguez. Vice’s kicks are blocked and Rodriguez picks her up, with Jordan coming in for a dropkick. Vice and Jordan team up to knock Rodriguez to the floor, with Jordan hitting a moonsault. That leaves Vice to dive onto Jordan, only to get crushed by Rodriguez as we take a break.

We come back with Vice kicking Jordan into the corner, setting up the running hip attacks in the corner (you’ll notice a theme from Vice). Rodriguez knocks Vice to the floor and counters a top rope hurricanrana, with Jordan rolling her up for two instead. Back in and Vice gets caught with a fall away slam but pulls Jordan into a triangle choke. That’s broken up and Jordan is sent outside, leaving Vice to roll Rodriguez up for the pin at 12:12.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure why you would have two champions and a debuting star there with one of them having to take a loss but that’s modern wrestling for you. Anyway, Vice felt like a star and you can probably expect her to get a big push in the coming weeks. If nothing else, she gets to be the fresh blood in the division for a bit and that’s nice to see again.

OTM and Royce Keys do their best Shield impression and suggest that Jacob Fatu might be paranoid, but also reveal that they’re in Mexico.

We get a clip from Joe Hendry’s music video about how he should get every single belt (right now).

Stephanie Vaquer is going to leave but runs into Becky Lynch, who thinks she should get a title shot after helping Vaquer win the title (as guest referee). Lynch leaves before Vaquer can say anything.

Raw World Title: Penta vs. Roman Reigns

Penta, in a massive headdress (probably three and a half feet in all directions), is challenging and gets an absolute hero’s welcome. The bell rings and Reigns stalls a lot but Penta does the Cero Miedo, earning himself a running shoulder. Back up and Penta hits a headbutt, earning himself a glare from Reigns. Penta knocks him outside and there’s the big running flip dive as we take a break.

We come back with Reigns whipping him hard into the corner and mocking the crowd for trying to start the comeback. The big right hands in the corner have Penta in more trouble but Reigns takes too long and gets knocked away. A Backstabber out of the corner gives Penta two, as does a springboard tornado DDT. Penta Sacrifices Reigns’ arm but he’s fine enough to plant Penta with a release Rock Bottom for two as we take another break.

We come back with Reigns’ arm giving out so Penta sends him to the apron. The springboard Mexican Destroyer is countered with a backdrop though and Reigns hits a big toss powerbomb onto the announcers’ table. Back in and the Penta Driver gets two in a heck of a near fall, followed by the Superman Punch to give Reigns two more. The spear misses and Penta gets the Mexican Destroyer, only for Reigns to come back with the spear for two more as the fans die and come back to live in the span of five seconds.

Reigns gets up and hammers away again before grabbing the mic and promising to end Reigns. Another spear is countered with a superkick and the springboard Mexican Destroyer gets two in a finish I bought so hard that I have an extended warranty. The go to their knees and punch the tar out of each other with Reigns getting the better of things. Three straight superkicks cut Reigns off but he Superman Punches a springboard out of the air. Back up and another spear retains the title at 22:24.

Rating: A-. Oh sweet goodness this was awesome. You know you’re seeing something special when you actually feel the air go out of you when the fall goes down. What mattered here is that Penta went out on his shield and it was an outstanding performance, even in defeat. At the same time though, Reigns was in his glory heeling on this crowd and it made the match that much better. Absolutely a pay per view worthy match, made even better with the molten crowd. This was a moment, and that’s not something you see very often.

And for once nothing happens, as Reigns mocks the crowd to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. Two phenomenal matches and a white hot crowd and my goodness what else could you want? This was Raw turning it up and letting its talented people tear the roof off the place. I had a great time with this show and even the weakest stuff was rather good. The fans alone bring this one up but the wrestlers were doing their job as well. Outstanding show.

Results
El Grande Americano/Stephanie Vaquer b. Dominik Mysterio/Liv Morgan via DQ when Judgment Day interfered
Je’Von Evans b. Big Cass and Austin Theory – OG Cutter to Cass
Chad Gable b. Dragon Lee – Ankle lock
Lola Vice b. Kelani Jordan and Raquel Rodriguez – Rollup to Rodriguez
Roman Reigns b. Penta – Spear

 

 

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: September 7, 2026
Location: Legacy Arena, Birmingham, Alabama
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re past Sunday Night’s Main Event and that means we are on the way to Crown Jewel in about a month. First though, there are some big shows coming up in Mexico City, including with Roman Reigns defending the Raw World Title against Penta next week. Before we get there, the Usos are going to need to go after Royce Keys and OTM. Let’s get to it.

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

The Usos arrive and they have some pipes.

We recap Bronson Reed returning at Sunday Night’s Main Event.

Here is the Vision, in full force once again, to get things going. Bron Breakker says they run WWE and Oba Femi isn’t medically cleared so he isn’t coming out here. Breakker thanks Bronson Reed for helping take Femi out and Reed says Femi ran into someone who didn’t recognize the crown. Yeah Femi is a force of nature but he ran into the TSUNAMI. But like four of them! Logan Paul and Austin Theory are ready to go after more gold, including the Money In The Bank briefcases (which aren’t gold). Akira Tozawa interrupts and Theory is ready to fight him but it won’t be against Tozawa. Someone is back.

Otis vs. Austin Theory

Otis throws him around to start but gets his throat snapped across the top rope. Theory hammers away but Otis sends him flying with a suplex. Back up and Theory knocks him into a front facelock so Otis powers up without much effort. They go outside where Otis runs him over and we take a break. We come back with Otis hitting some clothesline and faceplanting Theory down. That’s enough for Reed to come in for the DQ at 7:05.

Rating: C. Ok now can we move on from the Vision beating these guys up? We get the point now and there is nothing left to do with the Academy doing the same thing. At least they didn’t spend too much time on this and Otis, who does have something, can move on to anything else.

Post match the big beatdown is on, with a Super Spear hitting Otis. That leaves Akira Tozawa all alone and naturally he’s wrecked as well. Cue Oba Femi, who doesn’t want to hear from Petey Williams about not being medically cleared, to go after the Vision. Theory’s chair shots have no effect but a spear to the bad ribs cuts Femi off. Two more Tsunamis crush Femi, though he still tries to get up. Another spear drops Femi again.

Royce Keys talks about how he and his family aren’t leaving anyone safe. They’re from the streets and this is real life.

The Usos come up to Jacob Fatu and say they’re calling out Keys and company. Fatu doesn’t think it’s a good idea because this is what they want the Bloodline to do. The Usos actually listen, though Jimmy doesn’t seem sure.

Becky Lynch comes up to Stephanie Vaquer and offers help against the Judgment Day in exchange for the first title shot. Vaquer turns her down and Lynch isn’t happy.

A comedian named Matt Matthews is here but Miz and Kit Wilson interrupt. Miz isn’t happy and mocks Alabama, with Wilson labeling Matthews as TOXIC. Matthews is surprised that Miz is still employed so Miz pulls him over the barricade. The beating is on, even with Matthews getting in a headscissors. The Skull Crushing Finale leaves Matthews laying. Can we stop with the “celebrities”?

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Bron Breakker vs. Ethan Page vs. Rey Mysterio

During the break, Breakker speared Miz, Wilson and Matthews. Mysterio tries jumping on Breakker’s back while Page slugs away and it goes rather poorly, with Breakker knocking both of them down. Breakker’s superplex attempt to Mysterio is broken up but he escapes an electric chair to suplex Page.

Mysterio headscissors Breakker shoulder first into the post but he’s able to break up a 619. Page is sent outside for the diving clothesline onto the announcers’ table but Mysterio gets in the seated senton. We take a break and come back with Breakker pulling himself to the apron, so Page throws Mysterio into him.

Breakker misses a charge into the steps and Mysterio is up with a springboard headscissors into a sitout bulldog for two. Now the 619 connects but Mysterio has to cut Breakker off again. Page catches Mysterio on top with a fireman’s carry but Breakker is back up with the super Frankensteiner. The Super Spear finishes Mysterio to sent Breakker to Money In The Bank at 11:56.

Rating: B-. This was a good story with Breakker being the unstoppable monster who could only be slowed down. After everything that happened earlier, it would have been insane for Breakker to not move forward and he feels like a legitimate threat to win the ladder match. At the same time, Page is rather good at what he does and Mysterio should not be able to do that in his 50s, but he still makes it look easy.

LA Knight tells Adam Pearce he wants the winner of Penta vs. Roman Reigns. Pearce insists that his word is good, but Knight isn’t convinced. Solo Sikoa comes in to suggest he doesn’t trust Knight, who insists that his word is good.

Penta knows that it seems impossible for him to beat Roman Reigns, but they’re in front of his people in his city, with an entire country behind him.

Lola Vice is here next week. This time we even see her face and the graphic says “Everybody’s Got A Vice.”

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Sol Ruca vs. Maxxine Dupri vs. Lyra Valkyria

Ruca is knocked to the floor to start but comes back in with a double clothesline. Valkyria is sent into the buckle (with her eyes bugging out as she knows the pain is coming) and Ruca knocks Dupri down as well. Back up and Dupri takes over on Ruca for a kind of step up legdrop, which doesn’t seem to connect properly. Valkyria suplexes Dupri onto Ruca and we take a break.

We come back with Ruca cleaning house and sending both of them into the corners. A double missile dropkick connects, though her nip up lands on Dupri in a misstep you don’t often see. Valkyria is back up and sends Dupri outside for a dropkick through the ropes, only to get rolled up by Ruca.

A tornado DDT drops Ruca again but Dupri is back in to reverse DDT Valkyria, which makes her DDT Ruca. Back up and Ruca shoulderbreakers Valkyria (which doesn’t go smoothly either) but gets crotched up top. Valkyria hits Nightwing on Dupri….but Bayley is back to break up the pin. Valkyria panics and it’s a Sol Snatcher to give Ruca the pin at 11:13.

Rating: C+. There was a lot here, as the athleticism was very good, but it felt like they were on different pages at times, or at least not realizing where the other two were at any time. That’s something they all need to improve on, but the bigger story here is Bayley. She’s officially back and that should get rid of the AEW rumors. Bayley finishing things up with Valkyria is a good thing, and the return felt like a huge deal, partially due to Valkyria looking terrified.

Post match Bayley beats on Valkyria again but can’t put her through the announcers’ table as Valkyria escapes.

OTM and Royce Keys are in the parking lot and seem rather cocky.

The Usos are ready to go fight but Jacob Fatu calms them down again.

We get a Joe Hendry video on….JD McDonagh’s rather large head. We even meet McDonagh’s father: a giant Funko Pop.

JD McDonagh vs. Joe Hendry

Dominik Mysterio is here too. McDonagh kicks at the knee to start and gets in a slingshot double stomp. Hendry is stomped down in the corner and misses a discus lariat, allowing McDonagh to forearm him in the back. The fall away slam gives Hendry a breather but McDonagh headbutts him down. Cue Je’Von Evans with a Funko Pop head (he can barely stand up) to knock Mysterio and McDonagh misses the moonsault. The Sound Effect finishes for Hendry at 3:38.

Rating: D. Maybe Hendry can go be a milkman or something, as I’m not sure if this WWE thing is going to work for him. The fans still seem interested in him, but this is about all he’s got going on at the moment. Hendry definitely has talent and more charisma than he can handle, but if you’re just seen as a comedy guy, you’re only going to get so far and that is becoming more and more clear every week. Also, Mysterio is ready to headline TripleMania in six days and this is what he’s doing here?

Video on Liv Morgan vs. Stephanie Vaquer.

Morgan runs into Becky Lynch and mocks her for not being popular, just like her husband. Morgan insists that she’s the best ever and Lynch…stands there. Then she gets annoyed after Morgan leaves.

The Vision comes up to see Paul Heyman and brags about their success. Heyman hugs Bronson Reed and says he’s impressed. Bron Breakker comes in to say Oba Femi is finished and the Vision is in charge. Heyman asks if Femi is still breathing, gives an exasperated sigh, and leaves.

Women’s Title: Liv Morgan vs. Stephanie Vaquer

Vaquer is challenging and they’re quickly on the floor with Vaquer sending her into the apron. Back in and a headscissors spins into a rollup for two on Morgan, who is sent into the buckle a few times. A dive off the apron puts Morgan down again and we take a break. We come back with Vaquer fighting out of a chinlock but getting knocked down again. Vaquer fires back up and hits some forearms into a powerslam.

An Eye Of The Hurricane connects for two, with the kickout leaving her frustrated. Back up and Morgan is sent into the corner for the dragon screw legwhip, setting up the Devil’s Kiss. Morgan sends her to the apron, where Vaquer gets in a jumping knee for two. They go over to the announcers’ table, where Vaquer gets in another Devil’s Kiss.

Back in and Morgan reverses a hurricanrana out of the corner into a powerbomb for two and they’re both down again. Vaquer is able to catch her up top with a superplex and now the SVB can get two. Morgan is right back up with a middle rope Codebreaker but the Oblivion is cut off with a superkick.

The double underhook Codebreaker drops Morgan but here is Judgment Day to break up the Inferno. The referee isn’t fooled this time though and ejects Raquel Rodriguez, who is knocked down by an invading Becky Lynch. Roxanne Perez throws the title in so Lynch chases her off, leaving Morgan to get in the belt shot. Oblivion retains the title at 17:48.

Rating: B. This was a good match and the ending is intriguing as Vaquer can probably blame Lynch for the loss. It didn’t feel like the match where Morgan lost the title, but that is likely coming soon as Morgan could use something new. It did feel like a main event level match though and that’s the best thing you can have for this spot.

Big Cass is glad to be back and hurting people.

The Usos go to the ring without Jacob Fatu as they’re tired of waiting. And then Fatu joins them anyway. Post break, the Usos and Fatu call out OTM and Royce Keys, but they’re still in the parking lot, having beaten up security. Then they use various crowbars to break the windows of the SUV. Gasoline is poured inside and Keys lights it on fire, saying no one is safe. The fans chant for the OTC as the car blows up a bit to end the show. That’s certainly a thing that happened, as Keys and OTM successfully destroyed something that didn’t belong to the Bloodline. I’m not sure why that makes me dislike them, but it did in fact happen.

Overall Rating: C. This wasn’t their best show and you could very much tell it was a holiday edition. The Vision stuff was good, but some of the stuff like the Funko head and the kind of nothing ending segment felt like the old Vince McMahon days. There were good parts here, but you could absolutely tell they were taking the week off here for the most part. I had also forgotten how dull I find Money In The Bank qualifying season, as the constant triple threats to get people into a big ladder match for a title win that might not come until next year makes for a long month. Not a good show, but it had some good parts.

Results
Otis b. Austin Theory via DQ when Bronson Reed interfered
Bron Breakker b. Rey Mysterio and Ethan Page – Super Spear to Mysterio
Sol Ruca b. Lyra Valkyria and Maxxine Dupri – Sol Snatcher to Valkyria
Joe Hendry b. JD McDonagh – Sound Effect
Liv Morgan b. Stephanie Vaquer – Oblivion

 

 

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

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: August 31, 2026
Location: Rocket Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re taped this week and in this case we have a heck of a main event. The tournament to crown a new #1 contender to Roman Reigns wraps up this week with a battle between brothers Rey Fenix and Penta. Other than that, Royce Keys and OTM are officially a thing and that isn’t going to go well around here. Let’s get to it.

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

OTM and Royce Keys pull up in the back and wreck the Usos with pipes and smash them onto their car. The Usos are busted open (I’m assuming that’s what the censoring is for) but Jacob Fatu runs up to chase the other three off.

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

Rodriguez, with Liv Morgan and Roxanne Perez, is defending as we keep going to a split screen to look at the bleeding Usos being tended to (the shattered window of their car is ignored). Wait hang on as we have the Big Match Intros but here is Jacob Fatu to call out Royce Keys and OTM. Fatu threatens violence but his mic is cut and Adam Pearce and the agents come in to get rid of Fatu.

With Fatu leaving through the crowd, we’re officially ready to go with Rodriguez going after the arm. Ruca flips away from a spin of the arm and clotheslines Rodriguez to the floor. The running flip dive takes Rodriguez down again but she runs Ruca over back inside. Ruca’s springboard spinning crossbody gets two but she misses the middle rope crossbody to the floor. Rodriguez runs her over again and we take a break.

We come back with Ruca hitting a running forearm against the ropes, followed by a Backstabber with her feet. They go to the apron with Rodriguez grabbing her by the head, only to get caught with a sunset bomb. The rest of Judgment Day try to get involved so Ruca hits a springboard corkscrew dive. Back in and Ruca loads up the Sol Snatcher but Lyra Valkyria runs in to break it up, allowing Rodriguez to hit the Tejana Bomb to retain at 9:13.

Rating: C+. Ruca trying to overcome the odds and getting caught in the end was a good way to go as Ruca can go after Valkyria while Rodriguez gets another opponent. The best thing about Ruca is that she is starting to feel like she belongs around here and is over her early yips. That should help carry her a long way and her star power and athleticism can get her the rest of the way.

Valkyria’s “who me?” look is rather amusing.

Video on Rey Fenix and Penta, who dominated AAA together and are now getting the biggest chance of their career.

We look back at the opening attack on the Usos.

Here is Chad Gable for a chat. Gable says he loves the energy around here and he thought that winning the Intercontinental Title was the big goal. Now though, he realizes that the real work begins and he would not be here without the Mexican people. He wants to thank them and that’s why when Raw returns to Mexico in two weeks, he’ll be defending the title.

Last week someone had a career making performance in the #1 contenders tournament and it has earned, which brings out Dragon Lee. Gable seems ready to make the announcement but Ethan Page interrupts, saying he gets what is going on around here. Page says he should get a title shot, with Gable saying that Page is on the list of challengers. Right under Honky Tonk Man.

Page tells him to stop being a charity case or he’ll become a paper champion. Lee cuts him off and Page says the adults are talking. That gets Page some yelling from Lee, who tells Page to prove that he’s the better man. Gable likes that idea and says let’s make this for the title shot in Mexico City (Page: “I’m in.”).

Ethan Page vs. Dragon Lee

For the Intercontinental Title shot in Mexico City. Lee kicks away to start fast but Page is back up with a powerslam. A heck of a big boot drops Lee again but he’s able to knock Page into the corner for the running dropkick. The big running flip dive connects for Lee and we take a break.

We come back with Page being thrown over the top and out to the floor. That’s fine with Page, who grabs a double underhook swinging backbreaker for two back inside. Lee’s tornado DDT gets the same and he knees Page to the floor for a running hurricanrana. The big running flip dive is cut off with a shot from Page though and he throws Lee into Gable. That’s enough for Page to take a turnbuckle pad off and avoid a charge to send Lee into the steel. The referee sees it though and won’t count the pin, meaning Operation Dragon can finish Page at 11:45.

Rating: B-. Page is a good choice for someone to put Lee over and set up the title match. It’s nice to have Lee win a match rather than getting the title shot coming off of a loss. Lee continues to look awesome and seeing him bust out that flip dive in Mexico is going to be great. Page needs something to do and hopefully that happens soon, as he’s a good hand as a heel.

We look back at Solo Sikoa turning on the Bloodline two weeks ago.

Roman Reigns arrives and finds Jacob Fatu, asking him about the twins. Fatu fills him in about the attack and is assigned to take out Royce Keys. Reigns will handle the rest, which includes going to the arena. In the ring, Reigns says everyone wants what he has and he should be dealing with Penta or Rey Fenix. Instead, everyone has complaints to make and that brings him to Solo Sikoa. Reigns gave him the chance to give Reigns what he earned but Sikoa picked LA Knight. He gets it: Knight reminds Sikoa of the Rock but HE’S NOT IN THE FAMILY.

Let’s talk about Knight, who is right here in person. Knight says Reigns is just reusing material from three years ago and putting things in Knight’s way. He didn’t realize that OTC stood for One Tremendous Coward and it’s time to do this one on one. Knight gets in the ring but we see Sikoa down in the back, and Fatu standing near him. Adam Pearce and company check on Sikoa (and someone else who is down that we can’t see) as Knight comes in to yell at Fatu. They’re held apart and Reigns Superman Punches Knight before telling Fatu that Fatu can handle Royce Keys while Reigns will handle Knight.

Video on Lola Vice (again unnamed but obvious) on the beach and in the gym. She’s here September 14.

Dominik Mysterio vs. Je’Von Evans

Mysterio’s AAA Mega Title isn’t on the line and JD McDonagh is here with him. This is fallout from Judgment Day jumping Evans after his loss to Big Cass last week. Mysterio jumps him before the bell but gets caught in a springboard hurricanrana. McDonagh offers a distraction though and Mysterio gets in an elbow to the face to take over. Evans isn’t having that and sends him outside for a big dive as we take a break.

We come back with Mysterio choking on the ropes, with McDonagh getting in a shot to the face. Back up and Evans kicks him into the corner and a heck of a springboard high crossbody sends Mysterio outside. Evans starts running around the ring but gets cut off by McDonagh for the DQ at 7:25.

Rating: C+. Evans is such an athletic marvel and it’s great to see him getting a chance to show that off. He can fly like few others these days and has some size to make it feel even more unique. The ending was a bit annoying but Mysterio has lost enough lately and you want him strong going into TripleMania.

Post match the beatdown is on but Joe Hendry runs in for the save. A livid Adam Pearce comes out to restart this as a tag match because he’s sick of Judgment Day.

Joe Hendry/Je’Von Evans vs. Judgment Day

The bell rings and Evans gets a running start to dive over the barricade and take the villains out. We take a break and come back with Hendry giving McDonagh a rather delayed vertical suplex for two. Mysterio gets in a cheap shot on Evans and McDonagh rakes the face in the corner.

Evans is fine enough to go up top for a spinning moonsault, because of course that’s something you can do. Hendry comes in to clean house, including a double fall away slam. McDonagh cuts him off with the big headbutt though and the frog splash gives Mysterio the pin at 9:11.

Rating: C. This was only so interesting but dang it’s hard to see what is happening to Hendry. He just feels like he has nothing to do and is only there for the sake of losing matches like this one. I get that he might not be the biggest star in the world but he was popular and should be able to do something more than this. Mysterio and McDonagh work well enough together but they’re not really the story here, as Hendry looks like nothing and Evans was getting beaten up for a lot of the match.

We look at Stephanie Vaquer teaming up with Becky Lynch to go after the Judgment Day.

Vaquer interrupts Lynch and they seem to respect each other, though Vaquer says she doesn’t owe Lynch anything. Lynch says if Vaquer wins the title from Liv Morgan, she’s first in line. Vaquer says that Lynch doesn’t deserve the title but it deserves her. This was rather tense.

Video on Oba Femi vs. Bron Breakker.

Paul Heyman is asked about the match and says that it’s a match both men have to win and neither can afford to lose (the exact words he used to hype up Austin vs. Rock at Wrestlemania XVII). He knows what Femi did to Brock Lesnar but he knows what Breakker does in the gym and the work he puts in. No predictions or spoilers, because we’ll find out this Sunday.

Sunday Night’s Main Event rundown.

Judgment Day celebrates their good night and Roxanne Perez says she has Liv Morgan’s back against Becky Lynch.

We recap the Usos and Solo Sikoa being attacked.

#1 Contenders Tournament Finals: Penta vs. Rey Fenix

For a shot at Roman Reigns in Mexico City in two weeks and Fenix’s AAA Cruiserweight Title isn’t on the line. They shake hands to start and Penta kicks away but gets rolled up for a fast two. Fenix snaps off a hurricanrana but Penta sends him to the floor for the big running flip dive. We take a break and come back with Fenix sending him into the corner for some kicks to the head. A corkscrew dive to the floor takes Penta down again and a handspring cutter does it again back inside. Penta kicks him in the face to cut things off and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker gets two.

We take another break and come back again with Penta knocking him down for two more. The Mexican Destroyer on the apron is blocked though and Fenix hits a moonsault press for two. Penta flips him into the air for a heck of a powerbomb and another near fall. Fenix cuts Penta off on top so Penta tries a super sunset bomb, with Fenix landing on his feet. The Mexican MuscleBuster is countered into a Penta Driver for two and they’re both down again.

With nothing in the ring working, it’s time to head to the announcers’ table, with Penta grabbing another Penta Driver for the big crash. Somehow that’s only good for two so Penta Sacrifices Fenix’s arm (Wade Barrett cringes) but Fenix snaps off a running hurricanrana for two. That leaves Penta to pop back up though and the Mexican Destroyer gives Penta the pin at 19:11.

Rating: A-. Yeah this was great, with the two of them beating the fire out of each other for a big prize. There is something about watching Fenix in the ring where you get the feeling that he is just leaving everything he has in the ring and it was on full display here. Penta winning was pretty much the only realistic result here, but they put in a heck of a match on the way there. Outstanding main event.

Respect is shown post match. Roman Reigns comes out for the staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The main event was more than great but the rest of the show was more about setting things up for the future. That included a lot of focus on the Mexico City show, which makes sense as next week is going to be taking place on Labor Day and might not be the biggest draw. Not a must see show, but the main event is definitely worth a look.

Results
Raquel Rodriguez b. Sol Ruca – Tejana Bomb
Dragon Lee b. Ethan Page – Operation Dragon
Je’Von Evans b. Dominik Mysterio via DQ when JD McDonagh interfered
Judgment Day b. Je’Von Evans/Joe Hendry – Frog splash to Hendry
Penta b. Rey Fenix – Mexican Destroyer

 

 

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

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: August 24, 2026
Location: Canadian Tire Center, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re in Canada for an earlier than usual show, which is going to have a lot of fallout. The big story coming out of last week’s show was Solo Sikoa rejecting the order to rejoin the Bloodline and instead siding with LA Knight. That isn’t going to go well for either of them and the Bloodline is going to have a response. 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 Sikoa/Knight/Bloodline issues.

Here is Knight for a chat. He’s in the capital of Canada so he wants to talk about a coward with a capital C. It’s no secret that he wants the World Title and Roman Reigns told Knight to win a tournament that he can’t even enter. Knight knows that he’s going to have to deal with a lot of the family and there is already one man with him. That would be Solo Sikoa, who pops up in the crowd. Sikoa thanks Knight for having his back last week and who could have seen this coming just a year ago?

Knight says Sikoa has gotten a warning shot but here are the Usos to interrupt. They don’t like what Sikoa did and issue him another warning shot, with Sikoa doing the Matrix bullet time. The Usos don’t care for that either and the challenge for the tag match is issued for tonight. Sikoa: “You got my back?” Knight: “YEAH! You got my back?” Sikoa: “PEW!” Not exactly shocking stuff here but Sikoa is incredibly entertaining at the moment.

We recap the #1 contenders tournament.

Stephanie Vaquer vs. Roxanne Perez

The other women of the Judgment Day are here with Perez. Vaquer knocks her away to start and works on the arm. Back up and they trade rollups for two each until Vaquer ties her up again. A Judgment Day distraction lets Perez knock her outside though and it’s a whip into the barricade as we take a break. We come back with Vaquer in trouble and Liv Morgan yelling from ringside (Morgan: “I’m better than you! And I’m prettier than you!”) until Vaquer makes the comeback.

Some clotheslines set up the Devil’s Kiss (it’s still over) and Perez tries to go to the floor. That earns her a pull back inside but the referee has to fix the ring skirt, allowing Perez to go to the eyes. A Shining Wizard gives Perez two so it’s off to the crossface but Vaquer is up with the SVB. Morgan cuts her off on top though and that’s enough to bring out Becky Lynch. Vaquer cuts Rodriguez off and seems to thank Lynch before going back inside. Perez misses a moonsault and it’s a double underhook facebuster to give Vaquer the pin at 13:14.

Rating: B-. There was a lot going on here but Lynch and Vaquer as the female version of Sikoa and Knight going after the big stable with the title as the ultimate goal is working. Vaquer feels like she belongs at this level and if that can continue, they should be in for something good in the upcoming weeks.

Post match Vaquer thanks Lynch, who seems to say that Vaquer owes her two.

We look at Big Cass beating up Je’Von Evans.

The Judgment Day seems to threaten Rey Mysterio, with Evans running in for the save. Rey is rather appreciative.

#1 Contenders Tournament Semifinals: Dragon Lee vs. Rey Fenix

Fenix’s AAA Cruiserweight Title isn’t on the line. They trade flips to start until Lee sends him into the corner for the running dropkick. Fenix is right back with a kick to the head into a high crossbody for two as Lee bails out to the floor. A big moonsaults takes Lee down again but he snaps off a German suplex back inside. That means the big running flip dive can take Fenix out on the floor as we take a break.

We come back with Lee fighting out of trouble and loading Fenix into the Tree Of Woe for the big double stomp. Fenix is sent outside for a crazy running flip dive onto the announcers’ table (that looked great). Back in and a tornado DDT drops Fenix for two but he’s back up with a brainbuster (with commentary calling it together for extra emphasis). The Mexican MuscleBuster is reversed into a Styles Clash to give Lee two more but Fenix is right back with a rolling cutter. Now the Mexican MuscleBuster can give Fenix the pin at 13:31.

Rating: B+. Take two young, talented high fliers and let them go nuts for awhile. It’s worked before and it worked again here, which is great to see. Fenix going forward against Penta (because it’s going to be Penta) is the right call as it adds a personal touch to the finals. Lee held up his end here though as that flip dive was awesome. Outstandingly entertaining match here and I had a great time with it.

Lola Vice (not named but pretty clear) is coming on September 14.

Here are Paul Heyman and Adam Pearce for the Oba Femi/Bron Breakker contract signing. Breakker sits down and pauses before signing. He asks what Femi has done to be seen as the future around here. Yeah he squashed a bunch of people and beat Brock Lesnar. That doesn’t sound like a championship.

Eight months ago, Breakker had this place in the palm of his hand, but then he got hurt. He took himself out, because no one around here could take him out, including Femi. Then Femi took Breakker’s spot and is doing everything he was doing. Femi: “Bron, you are an angry orange man.” Breakker underestimates him, but if Breakker had debuted in 2002 or 2015, he would have been the big dog against John Cena. But it’s 2026 and Breakker has to run against Oba Femi. Now Femi is going to show Breakker what is coming for him, which seems to have Breakker thinking twice.

Breakker says he’s going to make Femi fight in the deep waters and it’s going to leave Femi as a sorry wrestler in the middle of the ring who can’t compete. Breakker signs and asks if Femi wants to do the same. He asks if Femi’s daddy should do it for him. Breakker: “Yeah sign it Paul.” Heyman: “Don’t do this.”

Heyman isn’t happy and Breakker grabs him by the jacket, which is enough for a cheap shot on Femi. That’s enough for Heyman to vamoose as Femi is back up. Cue Austin Theory from behind and Breakker….can’t hit the Super Spear. Instead Breakker gets clotheslined to the floor and Theory is put through the table. With Breakker on the floor, Femi signs as well to make the match official. Femi sounded so natural on the mic while Breakker sounded shaky.

The Usos, with their black necklaces, are ready to run the play but mock Jacob Fatu for not being on their level.

Big Cass vs. Je’Von Evans

Evans pounds away to start but gets cut off without much trouble. He’s back up to knock Cass outside and tries a dive, which Cass pulls out of the air. Cass beats on him on the floor and grabs a spinning Boss Man Slam back inside as we take a break. We come back with Evans hammering away and hitting a big dive over the barricade and into the timekeeper’s area. Evans: “I’m about to whip your a**!” More right hands have Cass in trouble and the spinning kick connects inside. The OG Cutter is loaded up but Cass cuts him off, with a big boot finishing Evans at 8:48.

Rating: B-. They kept this simple, with Evans wanting revenge and firing off everything he could until he caught with too much power. That’s an idea that has worked forever in wrestling and it worked again here too. I’m not sure what the endgame is with Cass at the moment, but every week that he’s here on his own is one week without Enzo and that means it’s a good week.

Post match Judgment Day jumps Evans, with Dominik Mysterio hitting a frog splash.

Sol Ruca is ready for the Judgment Day when Iyo Sky comes in for some giggling hugs. Lyra Valkyria comes in and says she’s their friend too. She wants Ruca’s match against Raquel Rodriguez but Ruca turns her down. Valkyria is not happy and this probably won’t end well.

#1 Contenders Tournament Semifinals: Penta vs. La Parka

Penta starts fast and sends him to the floor for the big dive. Parka fights right back and hits a moonsault but dives into a superkick back inside. The backstabber has Parka in more trouble and we take a break. We come back with Penta fighting back and cutting Parka off again. The super Spanish Fly cuts Parka off again but walking into a powerslam. Penta is right back to knock him into the corner for a handstand dropkick. Parka is right back with a tornado DDT and they go to the top, with Parka grabbing a super Spanish Fly. Penta shrugs that off and the springboard Mexican Destroyer connects to give Penta the pin at 9:54.

Rating: B. Yeah it was fun and the high spots worked, but this whole tournament has been little more than a countdown to Penta winning (they’ve all but announced him as winning in AAA). Parka is someone who can get some attention and the fans know who he is so putting him out there was fine. This was all about Penta though and that’s all it should have been.

Post match Penta and Rey Fenix have a staredown.

LA Knight and Solo Sikoa affirm their friendship before the main event.

Ethan Page interrupts Chad Gable and suggests he should be Intercontinental Champion. Gable points out that Page cost himself the title shot in the gauntlet match.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

We recap Stephanie Vaquer vs. Roxanne Perez.

Vaquer is told that she gets a title shot in two weeks and even though she didn’t need it, she thanks Becky Lynch for her help. She’s coming for the title in two weeks and is ready to destroy Judgment Day.

Usos vs. LA Knight/Solo Sikoa

Jimmy gets sent into the corner to start and Sikoa is right there with a running Umaga Attack and the early near fall. The Usos are back up to knock Sikoa outside for the double superkick though and we take a break. We come back with Sikoa fighting his way out of trouble but getting caught by Jey’s jumping enziguri. Jey cuts off another comeback attempt but the running Umaga Attack takes too long, allowing Sikoa to get in a clothesline.

Knight and Jimmy both come in, with the former firing off the left hands. Everything breaks down and Jey’s suicide dive is cut off. A superkick isn’t cut off though and Jey talks about Roman Reigns, only for Royce Keys to tackle Jey and Sikoa through the barricade. Cue NXT’s OTM (Bronco Nima/Lucien Price, a powerhouse team) to jump the Usos, as well as Knight. We’ll say the match is thrown out at about 9:30.

Rating: C+. Uh, yeah I’m not sure on this one, as OTM was hardly a big time team in NXT and then here they are. I can go with Keys getting some help and that’s a good thing, but dang this feels out of nowhere. Hopefully it winds up working as I like OTM, but this whole story just took a rather weird step.

Post match the beating continues, with Keys using the steps to beat on a bunch of people, including Sikoa and Knight. Jimmy is put through the announcers’ table and the new team poses to end the show. The fans weren’t exactly thrilled here and I get it, as OTM is just such a random pick for this spot.

Overall Rating: B. The tournament itself isn’t interesting as it feels like a long path to an obvious result, but dang the action worked rather well this week. It’s been good enough to make up for the lack of drama, with Fenix vs. Lee being a show stealer. I’m really not sure where the big main event angle is going, but the bigger issue is that I’m not sure I care. Other than the women’s stuff, there wasn’t much story development here that got my interest, but the wrestling more than pushed this one higher.

Results
Stephanie Vaquer b. Roxanne Perez – Double underhook facebuster
Rey Fenix b. Dragon Lee – Mexican MuscleBuster
Big Cass b. Je’Von Evans – Big boot
Penta b. La Parka – Springboard Mexican Destroyer
Usos vs. LA Knight/Solo Sikoa went to a no contest when OTM and Royce Keys interfered

 

 

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

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: August 17, 2026
Location: KeyBank Center, Buffalo, New York
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re on the way to Saturday Night’s Main Event and the big story here is Solo Sikoa being forced to come back to the Bloodline after losing to Jey Uso last week. Other than that, we have a tournament going on to determine who challenges Roman Reigns on Raw in Mexico City in a few weeks. Reigns is at least here tonight so let’s get to it.

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

Here is Stephanie Vaquer to get things going. She gets right to the point of calling out Liv Morgan for a fight so here are all three women of the Judgment Day. Morgan mocks Becky Lynch being worried about Morgan mocking the women who came before her. Why should Morgan care about any of them?

Morgan brings up the beatings she has given to Vaquer, who wants to fight anyway. Judgment Day gets in the ring and lays her out but Vaquer sends Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez to the floor. A superkick hits Morgan but the other two are back in to jump Vaquer again. Cue Becky Lynch for the save until she gets in a shoving match with Vaquer. That lets Morgan post Lynch and Vaquer is laid out again. They’ll need a third but a six woman tag could go well for Saturday Night’s Main Event.

The Bloodline arrives, including a rather reluctant Solo Sikoa. They run into LA Knight, who isn’t happy but they keep walking anyway because Roman Reigns is waiting.

Je’Von Evans vs. JD McDonagh

This is an impromptu match that was set up during the break. Evans knocks him outside to start but Dominik Mysterio trips Evans so McDonagh can stomp away. That earns McDonagh another trip to the floor, with Evans clotheslining him into the timekeeper’s area. The big running dive sends McDonagh into a wheeled chair for a huge crash. Mysterio offers another distraction though and McDonagh wraps the knee around the post as we take a break.

We come back with Evans fighting up again and hitting a spinning kick to the back. McDonagh gets in a headbutt into the brainbuster for two and can’t believe the kickout. Evans loads up….something from the inside to the announcers’ table but settles for avoiding a moonsault instead. The OG Cutter gives Evans the pin at 9:17.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure what Evans was teasing to the table near the end but thankfully he went with something that worked a lot better instead. Evans continues to be one of the easiest people in the world to get behind and it worked again here. Nice job here, though it feels like a countdown to the next Big Cass beating.

Post match indeed here is Big Cass to lay Evans out again. Cass goes to leave but Evans says no no no. He asks if that’s all Cass has so Cass lumbers back to the ring, where Evans gets in a dive. Evans hammers away until Mysterio posts him,

We recap the lucha tournament, with Rey Fenix and El Fiscal (the Prosecutor) ready for their first round match.

#1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Rey Fenix vs. El Fiscal

Fenix’s AAA Cruiserweight Title isn’t on the line. They run the ropes to start with Fenix getting the better of things off a dropkick. Fiscal is right back with a spinning rather high crossbody and they both go up top. That means some headbutts can knock Fiscal down for a really big springboard dive as we take a break. We come back with Fiscal hitting a discus lariat but not being able to get in his spinning Tombstone. Fenix sends him into the corner though and comes out with the Mexican MuscleBuster for the pin at 9:03.

Rating: C+. This was completely fine with both guys getting to do their high flying. Fenix is a rather talented started who can make almost anything work, including the flying around like this. Fenix winning makes sense, as it wouldn’t stun me to see him vs. Penta in the finals. Fiscal is a good star in his own right, but he’s not on the same star power level as Fenix.

Roxanne Perez still wants the Women’s Title when Becky Lynch comes in. Perez tells her to stay away, but Lynch says she’s always here when Perez is going for the title, which she seems to be doing next week.

Lyra Valkyria can’t believe she’s not getting anything after taking Bayley out. It’s all about Sol Ruca, who can’t do anything impressive because Valkyria could do all of them. Ruca isn’t just surfing part her, and then she’s getting her title back.

Sol Ruca vs. Lyra Valkyria

Valkyria grabs a headlock and headscissors on the mat to start, with Ruca headstanding her way out. Some cranks on the arm have Ruca down but she’s able to knock Valkyria outside. The moonsault connects but Valkyria knocks her back down again. A springboard is broken up back inside and we take a break.

We come back with Ruca fighting out of trouble again and hitting a knee out of the corner. The middle rope dropkick connects with Valkyria for two and they’re both down again. Back up and Valkyria cuts her off with a nasty neckbreaker across the rope, setting up the top rope ax kick for two. Ruca gets backbreakered out of the corner but manages to escape Nightwing. A tornado DDT sets up the Sol Snatcher for the pin on Valkyria at 10:48.

Rating: B-. I’m more than a bit surprised that Valkyria lost here, as she seemed to be being built up for something bigger down the line. At the same time, Ruca getting a win is a good thing as she could easily be rebuilt back into title contention. If nothing else, it feels like a matter of time before she’s in the main title picture and a clean win, with the Sol Snatcher looking smoother and smoother, is a good start.

The Usos come up to Jacob Fatu, with Jey bragging about beating Solo Sikoa when Fatu couldn’t.

Austin Theory and Maxxine Dupri are rather happy with how badly the Alpha Academy has been destroyed. Bron Breakker is asked about Oba Femi and says anything he has to say to Femi, he’ll say to his face.

And with that, Breakker comes to the ring and immediately calls Femi out. Instead he gets Bron Breakker, who says he knows what is wise and unwise. One thing that is wise is to find out who is the future of WWE. Breakker: “How about you tell me Paul?” This brings out Femi, who says that Brock Lesnar was the future, but even he knew who the future is now. That would be Femi himself, and if Breakker has a problem with that, do something about it.

Breakker is ready to go but Heyman says if Breakker takes a step towards Femi, he takes a permanent step away from Heyman. This is a publicly traded company and you don’t just have this kind of a fight for free. We promote this match to be the biggest it can possibly be, which is why Heyman has already gotten it signed for Sunday Night’s Main Event. Breakker goes to leave and Heyman gives Femi a friendly handshake (which Femi accepts), leaving Breakker not sure what’s going on. Heyman: “That’s good business!” That handshake is interesting as you never know what Heyman has going on.

Dragon Lee is ready for El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr.

El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. is ready to win to honor his family.

#1 Contenders Tournament: Dragon Lee vs. El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr.

Lee grabs a headlock to start and grinds away until Wagner sends him into the corner. That earns Lee a hard chop into a running forearm and the Death Valley Driver. Some tilt-a-whirl backbreakers have Lee in trouble and the big flip dive off the apron takes him out again. Back in and Lee charges into a superkick for two and we take a break.

We come back with Lee hitting his own superkick and a tornado DDT to send Wagner outside. The big running flip dive connects for Lee and they trade some rather loud chops back inside. Lee sends him into the corner for the Tree Of Woe double stomp so Wagner plants him back down. A frog splash gives Wagner two more but the Wagner Driver is broken up. Operation Dragon gives Lee the pin at 11:05.

Rating: B-. This got better as it went, though I still don’t quite get the appeal of Wagner. He’s a bigger guy than a lot of the people in AAA but he’s just kind of there for the most part. Lee isn’t exactly a top star, but he is someone who has been presented as a much bigger deal. His match with Fenix next week should go rather well too.

Intercontinental Title: Rey Mysterio vs. Chad Gable

Gable is defending and Mysterio takes him down to start fast and Gable seems to think twice about things. Mysterio sends him into the corner for the right hands and manages to launch him into the post. The running hurricanrana off the apron drops Gable again and we…don’t take a break, but we do get a big DiGiorno ad on the screen for a bit. Mysterio goes back in but gets suplexed out of the air, allowing Mysterio to go after the leg.

With that broken up, Gable goes with an upside down Gory Stretch until Mysterio powers out. Gable’s charge hits the post but he’s fine enough to hit a cliffhanger DDT. The Swan Dive (Cole: “For the retention!”) gets two so Mysterio is right back with a diving DDT for the same. They go up top again with Mysterio trying a super hurricanrana but getting reversed into a super spinning Angle Slam for two in a heck of a false finish.

Mysterio tries a 619, which is reversed into an ankle lock, which is countered with a roll into the corner. The 619 hits in the corner and a regular version connects, with the fans going absolutely nuts. The top rope splash hits knees though and the ankle lock is on again. That’s reversed into a cradle but Gable reverses into one of his own to retain at 13:19.

Rating: B+. This started off slowly but they were absolutely rocking by the end. They had me actually wondering if the title change was happening but it was a huge win for Gable, who won clean. Awesome match here and one of the best back and forth showcases I’ve seen on Raw in a good while.

Here are Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu for the Solo Sikoa presentation. Cue the rather enthusiastic Usos and Sikoa looking like he’s ready to walk to the gallows. Reigns says it was about three years ago when Reigns beat him on the premiere on Netflix and we go into a package of Sikoa mocking Reigns and the Bloodline for years.

Back in the arena, Reigns takes off Sikoa’s sunglasses and stomps on them, before asking why Sikoa isn’t begging Reigns for forgiveness. Fatu then superkicks and Tongan Death Grips Sikoa, with Reigns shouting ENOUGH to break it up. Reigns says Sikoa needs to lay there for a bit because he has something else to do. He praises the Usos for their success and calls them made men, and if you disrespect them, you disrespect him. The Usos get some special black flower necklaces before Reigns goes back to Sikoa.

Cue LA Knight to clear the Usos but but Reigns and Fatu take him down. Reigns tells Sikoa to finish him but Sikoa Samoan Spikes Reigns instead to blow the roof off the place. Knight and Sikoa clear out the Usos (again) as Fatu just stands back and watches. Reigns is back up and tries a Superman Punch but gets caught in a BFT.

Sikoa and Knight fist bump as Fatu again just stands there (remember Reigns told him to leave Knight alone) to wrap everything up. While I’m not wild on the stipulation from last week just being ignored, it’s the kind of thing that has to happen as Knight is basically the top opponent to the Bloodline. He needs some help, and Sikoa fits that rather well.

Overall Rating: B+. The main event angle and match both worked very well and you had more than enough good going on in the midcard to keep up the pace. We’re pretty clearly moving towards Penta getting the title shot against Reigns in Mexico City, followed by the big showdown with Knight in…sometime after that. This did a rather nice job of getting us closer to those shows though, along with the Women’s Title picture getting that much better. Strong show here, with Sunday Night coming up soon.

Results
Je’Von Evans b. JD McDonagh – OG Cutter
Rey Fenix b. El Fiscal – Mexican MuscleBuster
Sol Ruca b. Lyra Valkyria – Sol Snatcher
Dragon Lee b. El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. – Operation Dragon
Chad Gable b. Rey Mysterio – Rollup

 

 

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

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

Summerslam 2022
Date: July 30, 2022
Location: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
Attendance: 48,449
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

We’re still in the stadium for Summerslam and believe it or not, this time we have a main event of Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar. The twist this time is that it’s Last Man Standing to add some spice, but there is only so much interest to be had. Other than that, we have Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair in a match a year in the making. Oh and Vince McMahon stepped down from WWE eight days before this show so we’re in a VERY new era. With a pair of rematches on top. Let’s get to it.

The opening video focuses on what a CRAZY TOWN Nashville is, with a look at all of the crazy people on the show.

Oh and there’s a pinball theme. A CRAZY pinball theme I’m sure.

Raw Women’s Title: Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair

Lynch, currently in the Big Time Becks villain phase, is challenging after Belair took the title from her at Wrestlemania. Feeling out process to start with Belair powering her away without much trouble. Back up and Belair flips away from her, setting up a heck of a shoulder. Becky takes her down by the arm and cranks back on it though and Belair is in trouble for a change. The bad arm is kicked apart to make it even worse but Belair’s legs are fine enough to hit a dropkick.

They head outside where the KOD onto the announcers’ table is broken up and the arm is banged up again. They get back inside with Lynch snapping off a Bexploder and taking her down in the corner…but Lynch comes up holding her shoulder (uh oh). Lynch is fine enough to go for the leg and then kick Belair to the apron but the middle rope Fameasser is blocked.

They go outside again with Belair Glam Slamming her onto the apron before a posting sends Lynch’s shoulder into the steel. Back in and a handspring moonsault gives Belair two but Lynch is back with Diamond Dust of all things for two of her own. Belair’s powerbomb is countered into a hurricanrana which is countered into a failed KOD attempt. They head outside with the KOD connecting this time, but Lynch just beats the count.

Back in and another KOD is countered but Belair spikes her anyway. Belair takes too long going up and gets Manhandle Slammed for two. With nothing else working, Lynch takes her up top for a super Manhandle Slam, which is reversed into a KOD to retain Belair’s title at 15:11 and win the feud.

Rating: B. Yeah these two fought a lot but they have the chemistry to make it work very well. This was another good back and forth showdown between two of the best women (or anything) that WWE has ever had. It came off like a huge battle and that is the kind of showdown that these two have managed to make possible. The arm work from Becky to take away the power made sense and the fact that she was banged up makes this even more impressive. Heck of a match here and a great opener.

Post match Becky, with her right arm non-functional, shakes Belair’s hand and seems to be good again. With Becky gone, Bayley makes her surprise return after over a year away with a horrible knee injury. Cue the returning Dakota Kai (she’s been gone for a bit), plus the newly named Iyo Sky (no longer Io Shirai). The trio gets in the ring to yell at Belair but Lynch evens things up a bit, sending the villains running off. That would be more or less it for Lynch for about four months, as she would be written off television the following night on Raw due to a shoulder injury and not be back until November.

We recap Miz vs. Logan Paul. They were a team at Wrestlemania and won, but then Miz turned on Paul for no apparent reason. Months later, Miz said that he destroyed Paul, who then announced that he had signed with the company. Now it’s time for Miz to show what he can do, while Paul is back with his first ever singles match.

Miz vs. Logan Paul

Miz has Maryse and Tommaso Ciampa (missing his first name here but just in case you confuse him with Gus Ciampa) with him. Inspired by Paul’s really rare Pokemon card (not here this time), Miz has a one of a kind Polaroid of he and Paul together around his neck. Feeling out process to start with Miz snapmaring him down and mocking Paul a bit, much to Maryse’s delight.

Back up and Paul grabs a waistlock into a fireman’s carry, allowing him to mockingly shove him away with a boot to the head. Miz is sent out side and an apron moonsault takes him down again as Paul is already shining rather well. Back in and Miz crotches him in the ropes, setting up a Codebreaker for two. Ciampa even gets in a cheap shot and we hit the chinlock.

Miz misses the charge in the corner though and Paul is right back with a Blockbuster. Back up and Paul gets two off a running powerslam, followed by the YES Kicks to send Corey Graves that much closer to madness. The Figure Four has Miz in trouble but a rather dramatic rope break gets him out. Paul hits a high crossbody and a standing moonsault for two but Miz kicks him in the face.

Ciampa teases another cheap shot and gets ejected (with the crowd throwing in a YES chant), but Ciampa just sits ringside in a chair. Cue AJ Styles to really chase Ciampa off, leaving Paul to hit a not so phenomenal Phenomenal Forearm. They head outside with Paul loading up the announcers’ table, setting up a heck of a top rope frog splash to drive Miz hard through it. Back in and Maryse distracts the referee but Miz almost runs into her. That’s enough of a distraction to let Paul hit the Skull Crushing Finale for the pin at 14:16.

Rating: B. This was up there for best celebrity matches ever and it’s barely even on a sliding scale. Paul was out there showing himself to be able to do all kinds of things in the ring, with that frog splash being a great bonus. It was entirely a showcase for Paul and Miz is the perfect choice to be out there taking the beating. What mattered here was Paul looking like a star and that is exactly what happened here. Heck of a match and WWE has to know what they have here with Paul.

US Title: Bobby Lashley vs. Theory

Theory, the reigning Mr. Money In The Bank, is challenging and jumps Lashley before the bell. Lashley says he can go and shrugs off Theory’s swarm to start. An elbow to the face into a spinebuster has Theory on the floor and he’s ready to walk. Lashley isn’t having that but Theory is right back with a rolling dropkick for two. For some reason Theory thinks it’s a good idea to slug it out with Lashley, earning himself a powerslam. The spear hits the post but Theory rolls into the Hurt Lock to retain the title at 4:44.

Rating: C-. This could have been on any given Raw and that isn’t good enough for a Summerslam title match. They seemed to be playing up the idea that Theory was saving himself for a potential cash-in later tonight but the Hurt Lock is the kind of move that could make him tap that fast as well. This is something that could have been cut from the show without missing much, though having Lashley on the show is often a good idea.

We recap the Mysterios vs. Judgment Day. The team isn’t happy with Rey Mysterio being a star and attacked him in front of his family. Now it’s time for revenge in a No DQ match.

Judgment Day vs. Rey Mysterio/Dominik Mysterio

Rhea Ripley is here with Judgment Day (Finn Balor/Damian Priest) and this is No DQ. Judgment Day jumps them to start and the fight is on fast. Rey hurricanranas Balor though and Dominik dropkicks Priest, setting up the back to back dives to put the villains down. We settle down to a double Russian legsweep dropping Balor but Dominik gets sent into the wrong corner.

The chinlock goes on as the fans are starting to wake up a bit here. Priest adds the Broken Arrow into a slingshot stomp from Dominik but he’s back with a suplex. Rey comes in with a top rope seated senton to Priest. A bulldog plants Priest again so Balor slides in a chair, which Rey picks off without much trouble. Rey grabs the chair and slides down into a splash on Balor for a nasty looking crash.

Back in and Priest boots Rey down for two and Balor adds the shotgun dropkick in the corner. Dominik breaks up the Coup de Grace though and Rey snaps off a top rope hurricanrana, with Priest making the save this time. The double 619 is broken up by Ripley, who drops Dominik face first onto the apron. South Of Heaven hits Rey but Balor wants a chair. Instead he gets the returning Edge, who spears down Judgment Day, setting up Rey’s slingshot splash for the pin on Balor at 11:07.

Rating: C+. The match itself was good enough, but my goodness the fans did not care about what they were seeing here. Granted at this point Judgment Day was one of those things that just kept going and there wasn’t much to get excited about with them, but it shouldn’t take Edge to get the only strong reaction of the match. This was a good example of a match where the fans just didn’t are no matter what was happening, and that’s a bit disappointing.

We recap Happy Corbin vs. Pat McAfee. They’re old friends/roommates from the NFL and McAfee has mocked Corbin’s losing streak. Corbin has attacked McAfee a few times so now it’s time to fight.

Pat McAfee vs. Happy Corbin

McAfee has a choir here to sing about BUM A** CORBIN for a rather unique entrance. They talk a lot of trash to start, with McAfee leading the crowd in their singing. McAfee hits a superkick and a middle rope hurricanrana puts Corbin on the floor. A posting drops Corbin again and McAfee stomps away back inside.

Corbin is put on top but gets shoved down, only to have McAfee moonsault onto his feet. A dropkick (to the stomach) sends McAfee into the corner and Corbin gets to hammer away. The slow beating is on, with a ram into the barricade giving Corbin two. McAfee manages to send him to the floor and hit the slingshot dive, only to be thrown over the announcers’ table.

Back in and McAfee catches him on top, this time jumping (mostly) to the top for a top rope superplex. McAfee slugs away and avoids a charge to send Corbin shoulder first into the post. That lets McAfee go up top and, after getting his balance, hit a top rope flip dive to take Corbin down on the floor. Back in and McAfee knocks Corbin into the referee by mistake, setting up a low blow (payback for Corbin doing the same thing to him the previous night) and a Panama Sunrise to finish Corbin at 10:50.

Rating: B-. McAfee is another of the few celebrities who has figured out how to put together a rather good match. There were some close calls here as McAfee didn’t have everything polished but he made it work well enough. This was an entertaining match and the fans ate McAfee up as usual, while Corbin lost again, also as usual. It might not quite have been the Logan Paul stunt show, but McAfee is certainly worth a look whenever he is out there and has a star power all his own.

We look at Drew McIntyre defeating Sheamus to become #1 contender last night on Smackdown.

Here is McIntyre to talk about how much he loves Nashville, to the point where he lives here. He and Sheamus went to war last night but now it is time to go to to war with Roman Reigns. For now though, it is time for Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar for the first time ever! Uh, in Nissan Stadium in Nashville. Last man standing. McIntyre asks a an for his name (Colt). McIntyre: “IN FRONT OF COLT!” Nice save there and McIntyre raises his sword to set off some pyro and wrap up a quick cameo.

Tag Team Titles: Usos vs. Street Profits

The Usos are defending in a rematch from Money In The Bank where a bad referee cost the Profits the titles. Therefore, Jeff Jarrett of all people is guest referee, just for the save of the country music connection. The Profits come out with the Tennessee Titans cheerleaders for a little bonus. Dawkins and Jimmy start things off with Jeff having t pull both of them out of the corner.

Jey comes in off a quick tag for a modified Demolition Decapitator for two. It’s already back to Jimmy for a chinlock as this isn’t the fastest pace to start. The running hip attack connects but a second one misses, allowing Dawkins to enziguri his way out of trouble. Ford and Jey come in to pick up things up a lot, with Ford’s high crossbody getting two. A rather loud chop only seems to wake Jey up though and it’s a pop up neckbreaker for two on Ford.

Back up and Ford slips over for the tag to Dawkins and house is rapidly cleaned, including a huge flip dive to the floor. Back in and the Anointment gives Dawkins two on Jimmy but Jey is back in to cut him off. A superkick into the Superfly Splash gives Jimmy two, setting up the double Superfly Splash with Ford having to make a save.

Jey almost superkicks Jarrett by mistake but walks into a spinebuster. Ford’s very high frog splash gets a delayed two, meaning it’s time to yell at Jarrett (who did nothing wrong, along with the nothing he has done for the rest of the match). A dive is cut off by a double superkick to the….some part of Ford’s body. Back in and more superkicks hit Dawkins, setting up the 1D to retain at 13:22.

Rating: B. I remember wondering what Jarrett was going to add coming into this and coming up with an answer of “nothing”. The fact that I didn’t remember him being involved in this match at all didn’t help things and there was nothing to having him here. At the same time, you had these teams with some great chemistry having a good, pay per view worthy match. The Usos were still doing some awesome stuff with the titles, even if they had to deal with such a lame choice for guest referee.

Matt Riddle (not medically cleared) runs in through the crowd and calls out Seth Rollins for a fight. Rollins comes out to meet him in the aisle, gets the better of it, and Stomps (how Riddle was hurt in the first place) Riddle down again.

We recap Liv Morgan challenging Ronda Rousey for the Smackdown Women’s Title. Morgan cashed in Money In The Bank on an injured Rousey to win the title so now it’s time for the match with Rousey ready coming in.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Ronda Rousey vs. Liv Morgan

Morgan is defending and Rousey flips her over to start. A running knee rocks Morgan and another throw gets two. Morgan comes back with a Codebreaker but Oblivion is easily blocked. Rousey tries to get her down but is reversed into a double arm crank. That and a crucifix bomb get two on Rousey, who is right back with the armbar. Morgan tries to slip out but gets pulled into it again, this time making the rope for the break. Rousey gets the armbar again so Morgan stacks it up for the pin at 4:35…..despite tapping before the pin.

Rating: C-. Morgan was on a roll on the way to Money In The Bank and then just died once she got the title via the cash-in. This was Morgan mostly getting squashed before tapping out and retaining anyway. If WWE wanted Morgan to be a big star, they needed to actually put her over someone rather than these screwy finishes. It didn’t do Morgan any favors and Rousey hardly looked better either.

Post match Rousey protests and armbars Morgan…and the referee. Replays show that Morgan tapped way before the three count.

Here is Kane to announce the attendance: 48,449. I believe he has some questions about those numbers.

We recap Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar in a Last Man Standing match for Reigns’ WWE Universal Title. In short, Randy Orton was supposed to get the shot but was too hurt so it’s time to break the Lesnar glass. Not the most thrilling match, but fair enough that they didn’t have a better option. The video also teases Austin Theory cashing in his briefcase.

WWE Universal Title: Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar

Reigns, with Paul Heyman (but without the Usos, who he sends to the back), is defending in a Last Man Standing match. Lesnar starts walking to the ring but stops to put on a flannel shirt and cowboy hat….so he can drive a tractor to the ring. There is no way this can end well. As Lesnar stands in the loader of the tractor, he cuts off the introductions and does his own, before flipping the mic to Reigns…..who snatches it out of the air in one hand (not shown but find the clip as it’s rather awesome).

Lesnar then DIVES out of the tractor onto Reigns and a clothesline takes it to the floor. There’s the overhead belly to belly on the floor as Lesnar is starting very fast. Another suplex of the steps has Reigns rocked and they head into the crowd, where Lesnar suplexes him onto a platform. Reigns gets in a quick shot but is promptly suplexed back to ringside. The table is set up but a Heyman distraction lets Reigns put Lesnar through it instead.

Lesnar is back up so Reigns steps him in the face. Back in and Reigns hits a pair of Superman Punches, followed by the first (of probably many) spear. Another spear is blocked and Lesnar sends him outside in a crash. Lesnar slams him into part of a broken table before getting back in the tractor. After fiddling with it a bit, Lesnar gets out and hits Reigns with the steps instead.

A piece of a broken table to the head puts Reigns down again but he staggers to his feet. That doesn’t work for Lesnar, who puts him in the front loaded and drops him into the ring for a crash. With that not being enough, Lesnar snaps off some German suplexes and the F5 gets nine. Another F5 is countered into the guillotine but Lesnar reverses into one of his own. Lesnar lets him go and Reigns is up at nine again.

That doesn’t work for Lesnar….who uses the tractor to LIFT UP THE RING and send Reigns falling out to the floor. Reigns is up again (and so is the ring, which is still up on the tractor, meaning a big middle finger to fans on that side of the ring, who can’t see a thing right now) so cue the Usos to go after Lesnar. They’re wrecked in short order so Heyman hands Lesnar the titles in an attempt to get him off Reigns.

That earns Heyman an F5 through the announcers’ table (egads the impact), allowing Reigns to hit a spear. They’re both down so heeeeeeere’s Theory with the briefcase! Before the bell can ring, Lesnar F5’s him on the floor to cut that off in a hurry. The Usos are back up to superkick Lesnar, who gets up again.

Reigns hits another spear, followed by another spear. With that not working either, Reigns hits Theory with the briefcase and then unloads on Lesnar with the thing. That’s only good for nine, so Reigns belts him in the head but Lesnar is up AGAIN. Another belt shot connects so Reigns and the Usos bury Lesnar with everything they can find at ringside to finally keep him down and retain the title at 22:54.

Rating: B. This was the fight that you would expect from these guys under these circumstances and that’s exactly what it needed to be. Sometimes you need two people to beat the daylights out of each other with one big shot after another and that’s what you got here. Lesnar might not have been the biggest threat to win the title, but sometimes you need a match where the champion has to fight really hard to keep the title. Rather good main event and that’s as good as you could have gotten here.

Reigns poses as what used to be Heyman is carried out to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. WWE had a rather strong show here with the bigger matches more than delivering. There’s nothing on here to make it a classic but it’s a three and a half hour show with some very good stuff throughout. The weaker points are kept short and I had a lot of fun throughout. This is what Summerslam tends to be like and they made a rather transitional time in the company’s history work out.

Results
Bianca Belair b. Becky Lynch – KOD
Logan Paul b. The Miz – Skull Crushing Finale
Bobby Lashley b. Theory – Hurt Lock
Rey Mysterio/Dominik Mysterio b. Judgment Day – Slingshot splash to Balor
Pat McAfee b. Baron Corbin – Panama Sunrise
Usos b. Street Profits – 1D to Dawkins
Ronda Rousey b. Liv Morgan – Rollup
Roman Reigns b. Brock Lesnar when Lesnar could not answer the ten count

Ratings Comparison

Bianca Belair b. Becky Lynch

Original: B
2023 Redo: B

Logan Paul vs. The Miz

Original: C+
2023 Redo: B

Theory vs. Bobby Lashley

Original: C-
2023 Redo: C-

Judgment Day vs. Rey Mysterio/Dominik Mysterio

Original: C
2023 Redo: C+

Baron Corbin vs. Pat McAfee

Original: C
2023 Redo: B-

Usos vs. Street Profits

Original: C+
2023 Redo: B

Ronda Rousey vs. Liv Morgan

Original: C-
2023 Redo: C-

Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar

Original: B-
2023 Redo: B

Overall Rating

Original: C+
2023 Redo: B+

Dang I underrated some of those earlier matches, especially Miz vs. Logan Paul.

 

 

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Summerslam 2021
Date: August 21, 2021
Location: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, Nevada
Attendance: 51,326
Commentators: Pat McAfee, Michael Cole, Jimmy Smith, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves

It’s time for one of the biggest Summerslams ever, as this is the first major event after the attendance restrictions were lifted after the Coronavirus pandemic. They need a major main event to make that work and that is what they have with John Cena challenging Roman Reigns for the Universal Title. Other than that, we have Bobby Lashley vs. Goldberg for the WWE Title because we must have Goldberg. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Big E. vs. Baron Corbin

Baron’s Happy days weren’t here yet. Some woman from Tik Tok is a guest ring announcer and Big E. doesn’t have his Money In The Bank briefcase as Corbin stole it from him. The rather sad Corbin clutches the briefcase and gets belly to belly suplexed to start. Big E. misses the apron splash though and Corbin is thrilled with the idea of winning via countout.

That doesn’t work so Corbin sends him into the post a few times, setting up the chinlock to keep Big E. down. A chokeslam is countered into a stretch muffler of all things but Corbin slips out and hits Deep Six for two. Corbin heads outside to grab the briefcase, earning himself a ram into the barricade. Back in and the Big Ending is good enough to finish Corbin at 6:31.

Rating: C. Set up a quick story on TV and then pay it off with a fast match here. That’s all you need to do for a Kickoff Show match and seeing the horrible loser take another loss will always work. Things would get better for Corbin soon, while Big E. would wind up having a pretty lame WWE Title reign, though at least he got there.

We’re in Las Vegas so the opening video has a poker theme, which lasts all of a few moments before going into the look at the matches, as expected. Also as expected, John Cena vs. Roman reigns feels way bigger than anything else.

Those stadium shows always look awesome and that is the case again here.

Raw Tag Team Titles: RKBro vs. AJ Styles/Omos

RKBro is challenging after reuniting last week to go after the titles. Orton and Styles start (not a bad choice) with Orton sending him flying with an early suplex. It’s off to Riddle so Styles bails to the floor and assaults the announcers’ table. Back in and Styles hands it off to Omos for the big slam on Riddle. Styles puts the chinlock on but Riddle elbows his way out of the fireman’s carry. That lets Riddle hit a running knee on Omos but Styles is there to cut off a diving tag to Orton.

The comeback is on, including a backdrop to Styles and forearms to Omos. Orton powerslams Styles and, after knocking Omos off the apron, hits the hanging DDT. Omos saves Styles from the RKO though and then chokeslams Riddle onto the apron. Riddle is back up with a posting for Omos but Styles is back with a moonsault from the apron into a reverse DDT to drop Riddle hard. Back in and Styles blocks the RKO, only to get caught with the second attempt to give Orton the pin and the titles at 7:05.

Rating: C+. The match wasn’t quite a classic but it makes perfect sense to put this on first. The fans loved RKBro and letting them have their big win was going to get the show started in the right direction. Styles and Omos were fine for a pretty nice title reign, but you’re only going to get so much out of that. Good choice for the opener here and Orton getting some focus is almost always a good thing.

Riddle being so freaking happy over the win is a great thing.

We recap Alexa Bliss vs. Eva Marie, which is over Bliss’ doll Lillie being all evil. Eva wanted Doudrop to go after Bliss but she was scared of the doll, meaning Eva and Doudrop aren’t in a great place coming in.

Eva Marie vs. Alexa Bliss

Doudrop is here with Marie. Sign in the crowd: “Eva Marie is worse than an airport tuna sandwich.” Points for creative, which cancels out the negative points for the massive CGI Lillie doll. During the entrance, we get a quick look at Lillie being able to sit up and wink, because of course she can. Bliss dodges a few charges to start and Eva falls out to the floor.

Back in and Bliss elbows her in the face as they’re going in very slow motion to start. Eva gets in a few shots but stops to slap Lillie, who she also uses to slap Bliss. That’s enough to send Bliss into a rage for some bad right hands, setting up a flipping splash for two. Doudrop insists that she believe in Eva as Lillie is sat back on top. Bliss sends her into the corner but misses Twisted Bliss to give Eva two. Back up and Bliss hits a DDT (which Marie falls too soon on) for the pin at 3:50. Doudrop seems well pleased.

Rating: D-. This was one of those matches that would have felt like a bad filler on Raw, let alone getting time on one of the biggest shows of the year. Eva was brought back in for star power but then she has a match like this and so much of it is dropped out the window. Bliss was better, but the Lillie stuff was killing her and that was getting more and more obvious every week.

Post match Doudrop makes sure to announce Eva as the loser of the match.

Mario Lopez, in a swank Hart Foundation shirt, brings in RKBro with Randy Orton promising that it is going to be smooths ailing for the team going forward. He’s still getting used to the Bro name though. Riddle has a surprise for him on Raw too, which would wind up being a scooter (with tassels).

United States Title: Sheamus vs. Damian Priest

Priest is challenging after beating Sheamus in a non-title match, where he re-injured Sheamus’ nose (hence a protective mask). Sheamus headlocks him down to start before switching into a hammerlock. Back up and Priest rocks him with a right hand before muscling him up for the Broken Arrow. Sheamus is sent outside so there’s the running step up flip dive to take him out again.

Priest’s spin kick is countered and he gets sent hard into the post, meaning it’s time to slow down a bit. A belly to back suplex sets up a chinlock but Priest is right back up. That works for Sheamus, who plants him with the Irish Curse and stops to pose. Priest powers out of another chinlock and hurricanranas his way out of a powerbomb, only to get powerslammed for two more.

Back up and Sheamus stops to check his hair, allowing Priest to get in a running tornado DDT but his back seems to be flaring up. The back is fine enough to hit a top rope spinwheel kick but Sheamus snaps him throat first across the top to break up a…..something. A top rope clothesline into an Alabama Slam gives Sheamus two and frustration is setting in.

The Brogue Kick is countered with a kick to the head though and Priest grabs South Of Heaven for two more. Sheamus knees him out of the air for two of his own and it’s off to a heel hook of all things. Priest fights up and rips off the mask, allowing him to hammer away. A kick to the face sets up the Reckoning to give Priest the pin and the title at 13:49.

Rating: B-. That’s the kind of big time fight that you need to have in a spot like this and they did the right thing with the ending. Priest took every big thing that Sheamus had and then won clean with his finisher. WWE set Priest up in the last few months and then paid him off with a win here, which is what you’re supposed to do. Nicely done.

We recap Dominik Mysterio causing issues for his dad, because they have literally been teasing this split for over a year now.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Usos vs. Mysterios

The Usos are defending. Rey hammers on Jimmy to start but it’s too early for the 619. The Usos are both sent outside with Rey hitting the sliding splash, followed by a springboard dive from Dominik. Dominik comes in for Three Amigos to Jimmy but Jey breaks up the frog splash with a shove out to the floor. The top rope Demolition Decapitator hits Dominik for no cover and Jimmy adds a running headbutt for two.

Dominik tries to fight out of the corner and gets BLASTED with an uppercut to drop him again. Jey hits Two Amigos and stops to pose before shouting some Spanish. A neckbreaker gets Dominik out of trouble though and there’s the hot tag to Mysterio to start cleaning house.

The tornado DDT gets two on Jimmy and the top rope seated senton puts him down again. Everything breaks down and it’s a superkick into the Superfly Splash for two on Rey. Dominik is back in and gets dropped on the apron like the schmuck that he is. Jimmy misses another Superfly Splash but he raises his knees to block a frog splash. The double superkick sets up the Superfly Splash to retain the titles at 10:48.

Rating: C+. The Usos and Rey managed to overcome Dominik’s extreme level of bleh to have a decent match. The Usos are able to have a pretty good match against anyone and that is what they did again here. It’s a rematch from another recent title change so there was only so much interest, but that has been the chance for either Tag Team Titles for years now.

Actress Tiffany Haddish introduces the new National Champion Damian Priest, who doesn’t like bullies. He likes being the UNITED STATES Champion though.

Rick Boogs plays new Intercontinental Champion Rick Boogs to the ring, allowing Pat McAfee to dance on the announcers’ table.

We recap Sasha Banks vs. Bianca Belair for the latter’s Smackdown Women’s Title. Belair beat her at Wrestlemania to win the title so Banks left (as she does) and then came back for a rematch. However, there were rumors that Banks wasn’t cleared to wrestle so things might be up in the air.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks

Hold on though as Banks isn’t cleared to compete (right) so we have a replacement.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bianca Belair vs. Carmella

Belair is….hang on a second.

BECKY LYNCH IS BACK beats the heck out of Carmella, meaning we have a replacement (again).

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bianca Belair vs. Becky Lynch

Belair is defending and it’s a right hand into the Manhandle Slam to make Lynch champion at 25 seconds.

And for those you keeping track, had it been Banks vs. Belair, it would indeed be the same story for Belair at back to back Summerslams.

WWE is going back to Saudi Arabia and yes, it’s amazing, mainly because they’ve been well paid to say so.

Tamyra Mensah-Stock and Gable Steveson, Olympic gold medal winners in wrestling, are here for a nice presentation.

We get the same WWE Shop commercial for the third time in less than two hours.

Drew McIntyre vs. Jinder Mahal

Mahal cost Drew Money in the Bank so tonight it’s about revenge with Mahal’s goons barred from ringside. McIntyre drives him into the corner to start and hits a quick clothesline, followed by the toss suplex. A trip to the floor goes badly for Mahal as well, so McIntyre throws him back inside for some begging. Mahal brings up their previous friendship before getting in a superkick for two. The chinlock doesn’t do much to McIntyre so it’s the Glasgow Kiss into a series of overhead belly to belly suplexes. The Futureshock into the Claymore finishes Mahal at 4:36.

Rating: D+. Yeah what were you expecting here? Mahal has long since stopped meaning anything so having McIntyre beat him without much trouble was the only way to go. That’s what they did here and it was a fine way to go, albeit in a bad match. You can only get so much out of a match that is this one sided though and that’s what brought this down.

Post match Veer and Shanky come to the ring to go after McIntyre, who chases them off with the sword.

We recap the Raw Women’s Title match, with new champion Nikki Ash defending against Charlotte and Rhea Ripley. Nikki cashed in Money in the Bank on Charlotte, who had been beaten down by Ripley. Tonight it’s time to crush Nikki once and for all, because she has been treated like a loser since she won the title in the first place, because A, Charlotte and B, it’s a really stupid gimmick.

Raw Women’s Title: Charlotte vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Nikki Ash

Nikki is defending and, after some Big Match Intros, gets shoved down by Charlotte to start. The monkey flip takes Charlotte down and a rollup gets two on Ripley. Back up and Charlotte tosses Nikki out, leaving Ripley to shoulder Charlotte into the corner. Nikki comes back in so Charlotte can beat up both of them at once, including slamming Ash onto Ripley for the double stack.

The moonsault hits Ripley’s raised boot though, leaving Nikki to counter Riptide into a crossbody for two. Charlotte and Ripley mess up something so Charlotte hits a big boot for two of her own. Nikki is sent outside and another big boot sends Ripley outside. A tornado DDT drops Charlotte to give Nikki two but Ripley is back in to German suplex both of them at once.

Ripley’s missile dropkick gets two on Charlotte, leaving Ripley with the stunned kickout face. Charlotte and Ripley brawl to the floor for the slugout until Nikki dives onto both of them for no reaction. Back in and Ripley and Ash go for a double suplex on Charlotte, who counters into a double DDT, then knocks them both outside (because of course she does). Charlotte corkscrew moonsaults onto both of them, with Ash being driven HARD into the barricade.

Ripley finally gets in a big boot on Charlotte and Prism Traps Nikki, only to have Charlotte break it up again. The Prism Trap to Charlotte is countered into the Figure Eight but Nikki dives off the top for the save. Nikki hits the Reckoning for two on Charlotte with Ripley making a save this time. The Riptide is countered into a DDT to send Ripley outside and this isn’t looking good for Nikki. A high crossbody misses for Nikki and Charlotte grabs the Figure Eight to get the title back at 13:03.

Rating: C+. While it’s an entertaining match, this made me mad last year and it’s doing it again here. Nikki might as well have been a lamb led to the slaughter here, as Ripley looks like a killer and Charlotte looks like a star, while Nikki looks like a mascot of a low rent kids’ birthday party place. Throw in Charlotte being booked like a train here and then getting Nikki to tap in the end and this was ALL about Charlotte, as is far too often the case anytime she’s around. Nikki being called ALMOST A Superhero was bad enough, but then she’s just a meal for Charlotte, like so many others have been over the years.

We recap Seth Rollins vs. Edge. Rollins cost Edge the universal Title against Roman Reigns last month, which is apparently tied to a moment in 2014, when the Shield teased attacking Edge and almost wiped him out. Now Edge knows that if Rollins hits the Curb Stomp, his career is probably over. I’m not sure how good of a feud it was, but Edge facing someone new is a fun thing to see.

Edge vs. Seth Rollins

I almost didn’t recognize Rollins without his Freakin. Edge comes out with a hybrid Brood/Metalingus theme for a pretty awesome moment. Feeling out process to start with Edge grabbing a headlock and then knocking Rollins to the floor for some frustration. Back in and Rollins forearms away but gets backdropped right back over the top for a crash. Edge sends him back inside and then outside again but this time Rollins drives him into the post.

A trip into the steps makes it worse and Rollins grabs a neckbreaker for two back inside. Rollins hits a Sling Blade but Edge is smart enough to go to the ropes before the Stomp can launch. Yet another neckbreaker is countered though and Edge grabs a flapjack for a breather. Rollins is able to knock him off the top, setting up a heck of a frog splash for two. Another Stomp attempt is avoided so they go up top at the same time, with Edge grabbing a super swinging neckbreaker (which would seem to hurt them both equally).

It’s Edge up first with a big boot and the Edgecution for two, leaving him a bit frustrated this time. The Edge-O-Matic is good for the same but Rollins suplexes him down. Another Stomp misses so Edge grabs a Glam Slam for two (nice touch). Edge has to avoid another Stomp and sends Rollins into the post, setting up a spear through the ropes and out to the floor for the crash.

Rollins is driven into the apron and the screen (because there’s a screen) is knocked out to give Edge two more. The spear is countered into the Pedigree (how Rollins beat Roman Reigns one day) for another near fall, meaning it’s Rollins being stunned this time. With nothing on the ground working, Rollins goes up top for the Phoenix splash, only to get speared down for another near fall.

With nothing else working, Rollins just hits him in the back of the neck, setting up a basement superkick to the back of the head. Rollins goes for the Stomp yet again but gets reversed into the Edgecator of all things, with Edge letting go to switch into the Crossface. Edge rams him face first into the mat and makes it a Crossface sleeper for the tap at 21:14.

Rating: B. They beat each other up for a long time until Edge got him in the end. The story here centered around the Stomp and it was a logical way to go given the buildup from that 2014 segment. That being said, going off a segment from seven years ago that wasn’t so interesting in the first place and it was a weird build to get there. Good match, but the road there could have been better.

Money In The Bank is in a football stadium next year. Gee that’s a quick turnaround for the same stadium but I’m sure nothing will go wrong.

Tonight’s attendance of 51,326 is officially announced.

Earlier tonight, John Morrison and Miz drove a water truck into the stadium.

Here are Miz and John Morrison for a chat. They’re ready to soak everyone….but Morrison has forgotten the Drip Stick 2000s. Miz doesn’t have them either, so here is Xavier Woods with the Drip Stick 2000 (a water cannon with a water tank attached). Woods is told he’s outnumbered but he does a survey (as part of his weird NWO tribute phase) and then sprays both of them down. And that’s it, as the crowd was SILENT during this.

We recap Goldberg vs. Bobby Lashley for the WWE Title. Goldberg showed up as a challenger (as he tends to do) and the match was made, but then Lashley and MVP went after Goldberg’s son Gage (who looked like he would rather be having his teeth pulled out than be here) to make it personal. In other words, it’s a battle of the spears because WWE thinks that is the most amazing idea ever.

Raw World Title: Goldberg vs. Bobby Lashley

Lashley, with MVP, is defending. After the Big Match Intros, they go with the power off to start, with Goldberg hitting a flying shoulder and a World’s Strongest Slam. Back up and Lashley knocks him down with a hard shot of his own. Neither can hit a Jackhammer though so Lashley gets in some shots to the back of the neck. For some reason Lashley goes up top but gets slammed down, meaning MVP needs to offer a distraction.

That’s fine with Goldberg, who hits the spear on the floor to rock Lashley again. With nothing else working, MVP hits Goldberg in the knee with his cane, allowing Lashley to hit a chop block. A spinebuster puts Goldberg down again and he rolls outside for a rather out of character move. Lashley follows and drives the knee into the post twice in a row….which is enough for the referee stoppage at 7:12 as Goldberg can’t stand.

Rating: D+. Yeah it wasn’t awful, but at the same tome it is really hard to find any reason to be interested in Goldberg. All he does is come in, do some lame story, and then get a title match. That wasn’t the case here, and Lashley can only do so much. Nothing to see here, but at least Goldberg is done again for the time being.

Post match Lashley stays on Goldberg with a chair, but Goldberg’s son comes in to jump Lashley. That earns him a Hurt Lock, but MVP points out who it is and Lashley lets him go. Goldberg swears vengeance and covers his son as MVP says Lashley had no way of knowing who that was. BECAUSE THIS NEEDED A REMATCH!

We recap Roman Reigns vs. John Cena for the Universal Title. Reigns has been champion for about a year so now it’s Cena coming in for the dream match. Reigns talked about how Cena never changes (Reigns: “It’s like missionary position EVERY NIGHT!”) but Cena says Reigns has to change every few years because people stop caring. Cena also brought up that all it takes is three seconds to win the title, no matter what Reigns does to him. Oh and if Reigns loses, he’s leaving WWE, because WWE likes to take away any drama they might build up.

Smackdown World Title: John Cena vs. Roman Reigns

Reigns, with Paul Heyman, is defending. Cena comes out first and my goodness you can feel the star power dripping off of him like no one else that you ever see. As a great touch, the screen behind Cena’s entrance shows his sixteen World Titles, including the dates he won them. They take their time before eventually locking up for a standoff. Cena rolls him up for two and points it out to Reigns as the mind games are on.

That doesn’t work for Reigns, who knocks him down and then does it again to make it worse. A snap suplex gives Reigns two and we hit the chinlock. Cena gets tossed outside and there’s the big whip into the steps, allowing Reigns to pose again. Reigns can even stop to pose on the steps with the title but Cena gets in a quick rollup for two (in a great touch because it’s THAT CLOSE to the upset).

A quick AA attempt is countered into a DDT to give Reigns two, allowing him to apologize to movie executives for hurting Cena. Reigns cuts off a comeback attempt with a right hand and says this is easy. Another AA attempt is countered into a sleeper, with Cena powering up to drive him into the corner. Reigns still isn’t impressed, so Cena hits that big running clothesline of his for a needed breather.

Back up and Cena hits the running shoulders into the ProtoBomb. The Shuffle is countered into a quickly broken guillotine though, leaving Reigns to hit a Superman Punch to take over again. The spear is cut off with a kick to the face and now the Shuffle connects. There’s the AA for two (with Cole freaking out on commentary to give away the kickout). The STF sends Reigns to the rope for the break so Cena follows him outside, earning himself an apron kick to the face.

Reigns gets a running start but charges into an AA through the announcers’ table for two back inside, leaving Cena frustrated. Cena goes up top but dives into a powerbomb for two and needs to pull himself up in the corner. The spear misses in the corner though and it’s the super AA for two, with the Reigns Leaves If He Loses stipulation being brought up for the first time all match. For some reason Cena tries his own spear but gets kicked in the face. They slug it out with Reigns hitting the Superman Punch into a spear to retain at 23:00.

Rating: B+. This wasn’t the best match in the world, but it was all about the big match atmosphere. That was hitting completely, as Cena knows how to bring the feeling like no one else these days. While it wasn’t likely that Cena was going to win, there was the feeling that it could happen and that’s good enough. Throw in Cena knowing how to do this match just well enough and it felt like a main event worth title match between two titans.

Post match Reigns poses but here is Brock Lesnar, making his first appearance in well over a year. Lesnar circles the ring and then stands on the steps before the staredown sends Reigns backing away. While the feud is tired, this would lead to a heck of a story as Paul Heyman was stuck between the two of them and even switched sides for a few weeks. Anyway, Lesnar poses as reigns and Heyman leave to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Most of the bigger matches clicked well, but there were enough things bringing the rest of the show down. The biggest thing though was the crowd actually being around, as it adds so much to the show. This was a rare situation where Summerslam was a way bigger show than Wrestlemania and the quality was good enough too. The bad parts are pretty bad but the stronger parts of the card carried it over. Solid show, but fast forward some of those weaker points.

Ratings Comparison

Big E. vs. Baron Corbin

Original: C
Redo: C

RKBro vs. AJ Styles/Omos

Original: C+
Redo: C+

Eva Marie vs Alexa Bliss

Original: F
Redo: D-

Sheamus vs. Damian Priest

Original: B-
Redo: B-

Usos vs. Mysterios

Original: C-
Redo: C+

Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair

Original: N/A
Redo: N/A

Jinder Mahal vs. Drew McIntyre

Original: D+
Redo: D+

Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte vs. AJ Styles

Original: B-
Redo: C+

Seth Rollins vs. Edge

Original: B+
Redo: B

Bobby Lashley vs. Goldberg

Original: D+
Redo: D+

John Cena vs. Roman Reigns

Original: A-
Redo: B+

Overall Rating

Original: C+
Redo: B-

Mostly the same here, though some of the bad stuff pulled the original down a bit.

Here is the original review if you’re interested:

 

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

AND

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Monday Night Raw
Date: July 27, 2026
Location: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

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

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

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

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

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

Vision vs. Alpha Academy

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

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

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

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

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

Various celebrities are here, including Jimmy Hart.

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

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

Je’Von Evans vs. Rusev

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Big Cass is back next week.

Rey Mysterio vs. Ethan Page

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Video on the violence of the Cell.

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

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

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

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

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

Video on CM Punk vs. Cody Rhodes.

Summerslam rundown.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

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

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