Evolve
Date: June 3, 2026
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Peter Rosenberg, Blake Howard

The road to Succession III is on and we’re going to need some challengers for the titles. That is probably what we’ll start finding out this week, as Evolve tends to run a pretty tight ship. What matters the most is that there is now a target in sight as it helps things get more focused. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a clip from after last week’s show, with the Mog Squad surrounding Aaron Rourke, only for Sam Holloway, Marcus Mathers and Cappuccino Jones running in for the save. Max Abrams managed to lay Rourke out before the villains left though.

Nikkita Lyons and Sloane Jacobs handle this week’s recap. I do like that this isn’t treated as a conversation, but rather just them recapping the show and talking as they would. It feels so much more natural.

Masyn Holiday vs. Gianna Capri

Layla Diggs is here with Holiday, who spins out of a wristlock and armdrags her down. A dropkick gives Holiday two and we hit the armbar. Back up and Capri is sent into the corner, where she gets annoyed at the dancing and knocks Holiday down. Holiday gets up and they trade the big strikes, with Capri being knocked back against the ropes. A running seated senton hits Capri again but she’s back with a chop block. Capri grabs a rollup and holds the rope for the pin at 3:28.

Rating: C-. That was a weird ending as it felt like they were starting to get going and then ran home as fast as they could. The chop block looked to be setting up whatever they were doing to do next and then it just wrapped up. The match was only so good in the first place and then it never got the chance to improve. Odd choice here.

Wendy Choo is better for Sloane Jacobs, even if Nikkita Lyons is there too.

It’s Gal is standing by some water and talks about how he’s been pulled into too many different directions in Evolve. That isn’t happening anymore because from now on, the only rock and hard place he’ll be between are his big arms. He’s on his own now and that means an open challenge next week. While I can’t stand open challenges, Gal saying his full name and posing every time made up for it.

Harley Riggins vs. Romeo Moreno

Kam Hendrix is here with Riggins and Moreno is ready to show that he can do his best when things are at their worst. Riggins starts fast by knocking him down and grabbing the chinlock. Moreno tries to get up and gets pulled right back down, with the fans staying being Moreno in a good sign.

Back up and Moreno hits an enziguri, leaving both of them down. Some more kicks in the corner have Riggins in trouble but he fights back on top. Moreno’s super Spanish Fly is blocked as Hendrix grabs the leg though, allowing Riggins to hit a knee to the face for the pin at 3:36.

Rating: C. The match was another strange one, with a good chunk of it being spent in a chinlock and Moreno losing again. Moreno is starting to feel like someone who is just a warm body around both Evolve and NXT and that’s only kind of surprising. There isn’t much about him that stands out and until that changes, I don’t quite seeing him having the most success.

Post match Hendrix grabs a chair and Riggins Pillmanizes Moreno’s ankle.

Timothy Thatcher yells at his security guards, who are finally named as Viktor Zanov and Shido Ash, for being too rough last week and injuring Harlem Lewis (I believe, as the audio wasn’t the clearest). With that out of the way, he wants them ready to secure things tonight as he has a big match. That leaves Thatcher with Succession III, which will feature new arrivals and the winner of tonight’s Women’s Title match against Nikkita Lyons. Let’s get to work.

Max Abrams vs. Cappuccino Jones

Abrams manages to pull off his entrance pants while jumping off the top. They start fast with Abrams catching him in a chase and stomping away. Jones is back up with a running elbow in the corner but Abrams sends him to the apron for a springboard kick to the head. Abrams hammers away in the corner, with Jones snapping off a hurricanrana to escape

That lets Jones go up but he dives into a dropkick. A running Blockbuster gives Abrams two but the top rope elbow misses. Jones hits a top rope ax handle for two and a sitout powerbomb gets the same. Back up and some running kicks to the head rock Abrams and they hit stereo crossbodies for another double down.

Cue some of the Mog Squad but security is waiting on them, only for Marcus Mathers and Sam Holloway to jump the Squad from behind. Security gets rid of Mathers and Holloway, leaving Abrams to go outside so Jones can take him out with a big dive. Cue CJ Valor to crotch Jones on top and the Main Objective finishes Jones at 6:27.

Rating: B-. They’re clearly setting Abrams up as the title challenger for Succession and that’s not a bad idea. He’s been positioned as the star member of the Squad and I could go for seeing what else he could do. At the same time, Jones and company are feeling less and less important every week and that’s a really bad sign going forward.

PJ Vasa is here to watch the Women’s Title match.

Elijah Holyfield vs. Kai Kavari

Holyfield powers him into the corner and hits a running shoulder, followed by some running splashes in the corner. A big spinebuster drops Kavari again and an uppercut gives Holyfield the pin at 1:15. This was designed to put Holyfield in the ring and show the very basic stuff he can do. That’s perfectly fine and did well, albeit in a tiny sample size.

Tristan Angels is mad about last week’s loss to Aaron Rourke and doesn’t like a bunch of the people around here. He’s not done coming after the title and isn’t stopping until he has it.

Women’s Title: Sloane Jacobs vs. Wendy Choo

Choo is defending and the winner defends against Nikkita Lyons (in Jacobs’ corner) at Succession in three weeks. Jacobs charges at her to start and gets caught in a running headscissors. A dropkick gives Choo an early near fall and she knocks Jacobs outside as we take a break.

We come back with Jacobs staying on her in the corner and hitting a suplex into a legdrop for two. Back up and Jacobs hits a running boot in the corner, followed by a hanging swinging suplex for two more. The figure four necklock is broken up and Choo gets to fire back for a change. Some clotheslines put Jacobs down and a Molly Go Round (close enough) gets two.

Jacobs is back with a facebuster for two of her own and sends Choo into the corner a few times. Back up and Choo snaps off a brainbuster for two more but the Dirt Nap is broken up. A top rope elbow gets two on Choo and the Muta Lock makes it even worse. With that broken up, Choo is sent into the corner but comes right back with the Dirt Nap to retain at 9:01.

Rating: C+. Jacobs was a completely acceptable challenger for the title, even if there was no reason to think she was going to face Lyons at Succession. At the same time, it is great to see Choo getting to showcase herself in such a better way after the whole sleep deal. It was sad to have Choo wasting away with that nonsense, as this version is quite a good bit better.

Choo and Lyons have a staredown…and PJ Vasa beats up Karmen Petrovic in the VIP section to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Now this show was more like the Evolve style, as it was all about setting things up for Succession. That included making some matches and getting a few stories out of the way. That is the kind of show you need to have and I had a nice time watching them get ready. Good stuff here, and the likely Abrams vs. Rourke title match should be good.

Results
Gianna Capri b. Masyn Holiday – Rollup while holding the rope
Harley Riggins b. Romeo Moreno – Knee to the face
Max Abrams b. Cappuccino Jones – Main Objective
Elijah Holyfield b. Kai Kavari – Uppercut
Wendy Choo b. Sloane Jacobs – Dirt Nap

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

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

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

Here is Clash In Italy if you need a recap.

Clash In Italy recap.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rey Mysterio/Dragon Lee vs. Ethan Page/Rusev

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Smackdown World Title: Gunther vs. Cody Rhodes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Raw World Title: Roman Reigns vs. Jacob Fatu

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Overall Thoughts

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

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

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Smackdown
Date: May 29, 2026
Location: Olimpic Arena, Barcelona, Spain
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re overseas this week for this Sunday’s Clash In Italy show and we might as well stop here for a breather. The pay per view is mostly set up as Gunther is ready to challenge Cody Rhodes for the World Title. We should be getting some last minute pushes towards Sunday here so let’s get to it.

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

We look at Jade Cargill beating Rhea Ripley in a six woman tag on Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Here are Cargill and her goons for a chat. B-Fab and Michin tell the fans to shut up as they boo Cargill rather loudly. They know Cargill is going to win the title back on Sunday because the future is now. Cue Ripley to interrupt and yeah the fans seem to like her. Ripley says she’s beaten Cargill before and she can do it again, with Cargill looking up at the true champion. Cargill isn’t impressed but here are Charlotte and Alexa Bliss to interrupt. They don’t think much of Cargill either so Cargill insults Bliss, who says she’s dealt with bigger and better stars than her. Nick Aldis, get the referee, now.

Jade Cargill vs. Alexa Bliss

Their friends are at ringside. Cargill powers her out to the floor to start but Bliss is back in to hammer away. Bliss’ high crossbody is pulled out of the air though and a gorilla press drop has her in more trouble. They go outside and Bliss is powerbombed onto the barricade as we take a break.

We come back with Cargill elbowing her out to the floor and getting to pose on the apron. Bliss is able to hit a dropkick into the barricade and a flipping backsplash connects back inside. Sister Abigail is broken up and the other four brawl to the back. A DDT plants Cargill but Twisted Bliss hits her raised ankles. Jaded finishes Bliss at 9:33.

Rating: C+. This was the simple “villains beats up the champion’s friends before fighting the champion” and that’s something that has worked for the better part of ever. Cargill gets to smash through a big name on her way to the major title match. This was a perfectly acceptable match and that’s a good start to the show.

Post match Cargill grabs a chair and gives Bliss another Jaded onto said chair. Ripley and Charlotte run in to clear Cargill off.

We look at Cody Rhodes beating Sami Zayn last week despite Gunther’s interference. Gunther laid Rhodes out to end the show with Zayn walking away.

Rhodes is interrupted by Zayn and has nothing to say to him. Zayn wants an apology and says he helped Rhodes with Gunther last week but then Rhodes stabbed him in the back. Rhodes doesn’t remember it that way but Zayn thinks Rhodes could learn a lesson. After Rhodes deals with Gunther, he can teach Zayn a lesson too. Zayn vs. Rhodes could definitely headline a pay per view and they might be building in that direction.

Nick Aldis wants Danhausen to appear in front of the crowd, as he’s paid to do. Danhausen agrees and goes off, only to be replaced by Miz. As Danhausen is seen loading stuff into what appears to be his laboratory, Miz complains about Kit Wilson not being here. Aldis doesn’t want to hear it and says Miz’s match is next.

The Miz vs. Axiom

Miz is still getting his gear on as he comes to the ring and Axiom (with Nathan Frazer) gets the big home country welcome. Axiom takes him down by the arm to start and the lights flicker a bit, which can’t be a great sign. A middle rope armdrag has Miz in more trouble and he charges into a dropkick. Frazer cuts off Miz’s escape attempt but Miz gets in a cheap shot as we take a break.

We come back with Axiom nipping up and knocking Miz down for two as the fans are WAY into him, as expected. A DDT gives Miz two but the YES Kicks are countered, with Axiom hitting a big kick of his own. Axiom’s high crossbody gets two but the Golden Ratio misses. Miz powers out of a crossface and hits a slingshot powerbomb before going up for some reason. The lights flicker again and it’s a Spanish Fly to plant Miz. The Golden Ratio gives Axiom the pin at 9:16.

Rating: B-. It’s always nice to see someone get what is probably one of the most important wins of his career. Getting to be out there in front of his home country, likely with some family and friends out there, is a great thing for Axiom and he had a good match in the process. Axiom beating Miz is hardly a stretch, even with the electrical issues.

R-Truth is still injured but has gotten Damian Priest a tag partner for tonight. That would be Royce Keys, who will team up with Priest against the MFT’s. Priest doesn’t buy it and doesn’t trust Keys but R-Truth gets smart, asking if either of them are scared. Since they’re not, there’s no reason for them not to team up. Priest chases after R-Truth, mainly out of confusion.

Sami Zayn vents to Candice LeRae, but it’s actually to Johnny Gargano, who still isn’t moving. LeRae storms off and Matt Cardona comes in to try and talk some sense into Zayn. That’s not cool with Zayn and a match is set. They need to pay off the Gargano thing already as it’s been long enough.

Charlotte leaves Alexa Bliss in the trainers’ room and runs into Rhea Ripley, who better take care of Cargill. If she doesn’t, Charlotte will.

Damian Priest/Royce Keys vs. MFT’s

Solo Sikoa is here with the MFT’s. Talla slugs away at Priest to start and it’s off to Tama, who can’t do much against Keys. A running splash crushes Tama in the corner and there’s the powerslam. Tama gets shouldered out to the floor, leaving Keys and Priest to knock Talla outside as well.

We take a break and come back with Tama cutting off a tag attempt but Keys gets in a spinebuster. Priest comes in to clean house, including the running elbows in the corner. The lifting Downward Spiral plants Tama and a top rope clothesline gives Priest two. Sikoa gets in a cheap shot from the floor though, drawing out R-Truth. That’s fine with Sikoa, who goes after the bad arm. Keys goes over for the save but the distraction lets Talla chokeslam Priest for the pin at 9:05.

Rating: C+. The issues between R-Truth and Priest continue and they are likely to result in the titles changing hands sooner than later. At the same time, Keys continues to have issues with the MFT’s and it seems like Priest isn’t happy about it. That could go in a few ways and that is a nice situation to have.

Miz complains to Nick Aldis about the lights and goes in to see Danhausen’s laboratory. This earns him a blast from a fire extinguisher, sending Miz running. Aldis goes to look underneath the sheet, but Danhausen warns him to not do that. Oh dear.

Video on Roman Reigns vs. Jacob Fatu.

Clash In Italy rundown.

Chelsea Green comes up to see Tiffany Stratton (they happen to be dressed alike) and has an idea for their entrance tonight. Stratton says it was just a one time thing last week so she’s passing. Green looks hurt.

Video on the battle of El Grande Americanos, mask vs. mask, on Saturday. That should be a great one.

Sami Zayn vs. Matt Cardona

Cardona’s wristlock doesn’t get him very far to start and we get an early standoff. Zayn is sent outside for a dropkick between the ropes but he’s fine enough to hit a suplex on the way back inside. Cardona scores with a missile dropkick though and we take a break. We come back with Zayn grabbing a chinlock, which doesn’t last long. A faceplant drops Zayn and the Broski Boot connects.

The Rough Ryder is countered so Cardona hits a nasty tiger driver for two more. Another Rough Ryder is countered into a big sitout powerbomb to give Zayn two. Zayn’s Helluva Kick misses though and now the Rough Ryder connects for two, with Zayn getting a foot on the rope. Cardona charges into an exploder though and the Helluva Kick finishes him off at 10:16.

Rating: B-. Cardona is someone who can lose all the time and be just fine, which is about all he does right now anyway. Zayn needed a win to boost himself back up as well, as he hasn’t been doing much in the way of winning lately. They had a good match too and that shouldn’t be a surprise given two veterans being in the ring.

Video on King and Queen Of The Ring, with qualifying matches starting next week.

We look at a new documentary called WWE: Made In America. Oh geez.

Nick Aldis asks Gunther to keep things civilized with Cody Rhodes tonight. Gunther doesn’t like the implication that he would do anything else, but he’ll do it anyway, even in a place like Barcelona.

Here is Trick Williams, with Lil Yachty, for a chat. Williams brags about his success since he came up to the main roster (fair) and now it means he should come for the King Of The Ring. This brings out Carmelo Hayes, who says Williams can be the king of the microphone and entrances, but the ring is Hayes’ place.

Williams thinks Hayes is being melo-dramatic because he’s just not as good as Williams is. If only Ricky Saints hadn’t interfered last week, their match would have been different you see. This brings out Saints, who doesn’t like that suggestion and is ready to beat Hayes and move on to Williams. That earns him a slap from Williams and the scheduled match is on. Odds are a triple threat is coming here one day.

Ricky Saints vs. Carmelo Hayes

Saints chops away to start and knocks him up against the ropes, only to get splashed in the corner. Hayes gets in some right hands of his own but gets sent outside. Saints sends him into the barricade a few times and we take a break. We come back with Hayes shoving him off the top but a frog splash hits raised knees.

A northern lights suplex gives Saints two but Hayes hits him in the face. Dirty Diana gets two on Saints, who is right back with a spinning Downward Spiral for two of his own. Hayes knocks him outside for the big running flip dive, only to get sent to the apron. The brawl continues and it’s a double countout at 11:11.

Rating: B-. That ending is more about keeping both of them active in the title picture and that’s a fine way to go. They’ve got something going here with the three way feud for the title and it’s a nice way of bringing up a few people at once. It’s fun to see the former stars of NXT getting to do this up on the main roster and it’s working thus far.

Post match Hayes lays him out with the First 48.

Video on Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi.

The Irresistible Forces threaten Tiffany Stratton.

Blake Monroe writes in her diary about some of the women in the Smackdown locker room. Rhea Ripley is sad and Monroe is going to have to make things better.

Nia Jax vs. Chelsea Green

Lash Legend is here with Jax. Green avoids a charge to start and sends her outside for a suicide dive as we take a break less than a minute in. We come back with Green in trouble and Jax grabbing a chinlock. Green fights out and goes after the knee, only to Rough Ryde her way into a powerbomb for two.

A Zig Zag gives Green two of her own and a missed charge sends Jax shoulder first into the post. Now the Rough Ryder can connect for two but Legend’s distraction lets Jax get in a Samoan drop. Cue Tiffany Stratton’s music so Jax sends Legend after her, only for Stratton to come through the crowd and hit Jax with the belt. Green steals the pin at 6:28.

Rating: C. This was more about Stratton coming in for the assist at the end and not much more. Granted that’s a good way to go, as Stratton and Green could do some nice stuff together. Green has been needing something to do for a long time now and this could wind up being the thing that finally lets her go over to the good side, as the fans seem to want.

Post match Stratton declines a hug. Give it time though, as Green as a face is such a layup.

Here is Cody Rhodes to wrap things up. We pause for the fans to sing Kingdom and Rhodes does his catchphrase in Spanish but here is Gunther to interrupt. Gunther says Rhodes is the perfect choice to represent America because the American Dream is crumbling. When he was growing up, Gunther was told that if he worked hard, he could achieve anything.

On the other hand you have Rhodes, who only had to make some phone calls. That just makes Rhodes an entitled brat. Gunther sees the fans’ approval as unnecessary while Rhodes is just a mark for himself. Rhodes calls Gunther a liar because he doesn’t believe Gunther doesn’t want the attention that comes with being WWE Champion. If Gunther didn’t care, he would be talking to a 330lb version of Gunther at an indy show, rather than one of the best in the world.

Paul Heyman has said that being champion is addictive and Gunther wants to find out. The only thing he’ll find though is the worst thing a pure wrestler can learn: he’s not good enough. Gunther talks about everyone he has beaten and all of the promises that he has kept. Now he promises to choke Rhodes out and take the title with him. This was good stuff, with both of them standing there and explaining their side of things in an intense way. It’s a hard sell for the title match and that’s what they were needing.

Overall Rating: B-. The crowd helped a lot here, but there were some rather good parts of this show. The ending was probably the highlight, with Gunther and Rhodes making their match feel like a big deal. You also have the tease of Green going good, which is one of the best things that could happen to the women’s division. Finally they did a nice job setting up Clash In Italy and I’ll take that as a way to spend a Friday night in front of a red hot crowd.

Results
Jade Cargill b. Alexa Bliss – Jaded
Axiom b. The Miz – Golden Ratio
MFT’s b. Damian Priest/Royce Keys – Chokeslam to Priest
Sami Zayn b. Matt Cardona – Helluva Kick
Ricky Saints vs. Carmelo Hayes went to a double countout
Chelsea Green b. Nia Jax – Belt shot

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

Looking at the hottest feud in wrestling today, which is a main event in one place and a joke in another.

https://www.smarkdownsblog.com/el-grande-americano-aaa-wwe

Evolve
Date: May 27, 2026
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Peter Rosenberg

Last week saw another new face show up as Elijah Holyfield made his debut. That’s quite the impressive looking start and now we get to see where it goes from here. Names have a tendency to start picking up in a hurry on this show and that could be the case again with Holyfield. Let’s get to it.

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

Aaron Rourke previews tonight’s show, including a big announcement from Timothy Thatcher and Harlem Lewis vs. Braxton Cole. Rourke is ready for Tristan Angels too.

Opening sequence.

Harlem Lewis vs. Braxton Cole

Lewis jumps him during his entrance to start fast and the bell rings. The beating doesn’t last long though as Lewis misses a charge into the corner and gets neckbreakered for two. Cole stomps him down in the corner, followed by a backbreaker for two more. It’s time to work on Lewis’ arm, including Cole sitting on it and grabbing something like a Fujiwara armbar. That’s broken up and Lewis strikes away, setting up a release German suplex. They fight to the floor and Cole hits him with a chair for the DQ at 4:54.

Rating: C+. This felt like a preview for a bigger match later, hopefully with Lewis getting to go nuts on Cole in a rather violent way. The match only had so much of a chance to get going, but it wasn’t supposed to be the final showdown, which is a fine way to go. Lewis getting angrier is a good thing for him and the rematch should be a step up.

Post match the beating continues but the security comes out to carry Lewis away.

Tate Wilder comes in to see Timothy Thatcher, who announces that Wilder is officially on NXT full time. Wilder talks about his time on Evolve and how happy he has been around here. What a wild ride. Thatcher still has a big announcement for later tonight.

Chazz Hall talks about how he plays the air guitar but becomes the Denim Dragon when the straps come down. He’s ready to be a star.

Sloane Jacobs/Nikkita Lyons vs. Laynie Luck/Wendy Choo

Lyons works on Luck’s arm to start so Luck flips up for a standoff. A slam puts Luck down and Jacobs comes in for a legdrop. The double elbow gets two on Luck, who rolls away for a kick to Lyons’ face. It’s off to Choo for a running boot in the corner before Luck comes back in to strike away. Lyons gets crotched in the corner and the villains are knocked down on the floor as we take a break.

We come back with Luck being catapulted throat first into the bottom rope. Jacobs plants Luck for two and pulls her out of the corner for two more. Luck hurricanranas and enziguris out of the corner and it’s back to Choo to clean house. A hammerlock lariat puts Jacobs down and a high crossbody gives Choo two. Back up and Jacobs sends her face first into the corner a few times, with a German suplex dropping Choo again. Luck is back in for the save but Jacobs kicks Choo down and dumps Luck, allowing her to pin Choo at 7:17.

Rating: C+. That’s a good way to set up the next title match and it is something that has worked for the better part of ever in wrestling. Jacobs is still relatively new around here so she’s off to a good start in getting into the title picture. Rather efficient match here and that’s a fine way to go.

Post match Jacobs brags about the win and thanks Lyons as well. They hug, with Lyons rolling her eyes.

Elijah Holyfield is in Timothy Thatcher’s office, with Thatcher welcoming him to the roster. Thatcher says Holyfield has to put in the work, with Holyfield saying line them up and he’ll knock them down. Works for Thatcher, who says the first match is next week. With Holyfield gone, Thatcher makes Succession III for June 24. Kam Hendrix and Harley Riggins come in to demand Romeo Moreno, with Thatcher making Moreno vs. Riggins for next week.

Video on PJ Vasa.

It’s Gal is in the VIP area.

Evolve Title: Aaron Rourke vs. Tristan Angels

Rourke is defending and, after the Big Match Intros, grinds away on a headlock. That’s broken up and Angels knocks him down into a chinlock. Rourke isn’t having that either and hits some running boots in the corner, followed by a missile dropkick for two. The flipping chop connects in the corner but Angels knocks him back down for two more.

Rourke is back with a quickly broken half crab as Angels knocks him into the corner. That’s shrugged off as Angels is sent outside for a Meteora from the apron so Gal starts the cheerleading. Rourke tells Gal to get out and gets dropkicked by Angels as we take a break. We come back with the two of them holding hands and trading some hard strikes.

Rourke gets the better of things with some clotheslines, including a cartwheel version. The Molly Go Round misses so Rourke goes after the leg again. A kick to the head sends Rourke to the apron, where Angels superplexes him back inside for another near fall. Back in and Rourke goes right back to the leg, this time with a Figure Four into a Figure Eight. Angels makes the rope so Rourke grabs a backslide and flips onto Angels to retain at 11:18.

Rating: B-. This was another nice title showcase from Rourke, but it never quite got to that next level. Rourke was on offense more than I would have expected as well, though Angels doesn’t have the longest track record around here anyway. It was a good enough main event though, especially with Succession in less than a month.

Post match the Mog Squad comes in to go after Rourke but the ID stars run in for the save to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Another fine show here, even with the focus already shifting over to next month’s Succession III. You can probably guess a lot of the card from here and that’s not a bad thing this far out. Hopefully they build it up well, and they certainly have time to make that work. It’s not some all time must see show, but it was more about previewing things for later.

Results
Harlem Lewis b. Braxton Cole via DQ when Cole used a chair
Sloane Jacobs/Nikkita Lyons b. Wendy Choo/Laynie Luck – Spinning kick to Choo
Aaron Rourke b. Tristan Angels – Flipping backslide

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: May 25, 2026
Location: Schottenstein Center, Columbus, Ohio
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s the last Raw before Clash In Italy and the show is looking pretty solid. That’s all you need for the most part going into a pay per view and this week is likely going to be about building things up for Sunday. Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar II is officially set and that should be more than enough. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is a serious Paul Heyman to get things going. He gets right to the point and says he is here to hype up the biggest rematch in history but is cut off by an OBA chant. Heyman says Oba Femi is going to be conquered by Brock Lesnar, which sends us to a video from Lesnar, who says he had never been beaten up like that. He isn’t about to let it end like that. We know Lesnar can take a beating, but can Femi? It’s time for Femi to take a beating from a retired Beast.

Back in the arena, Heyman says it’s time for Femi to be destroyed, which brings out Femi. He gets right in Heyman’s face and asks what this has awoken in him. What did four F5’s awaken in Femi himself? As Heyman cowers in fear, Femi says Heyman has to live to tell the tale of what happens when Femi retires Lesnar for the second time. Femi pulls out the contract and signs it on Heyman’s chest. The message for Lesnar is that last time, Femi was fighting to beat him. This time, Femi is fighting to kill him. Yeah this worked, as Femi feels like an absolute monster and the other one is Lesnar. What more do you need?

Saturday Night’s Main Event recap.

Intercontinental Title: Je’Von Evans vs. Penta

Penta is defending and has to block an early OG Cutter attempt. Penta’s hurricanrana is blocked and they show some respect but Evans snaps off a hurricanrana to the floor. The big no hands dive connects to drop Penta again but he’s fine enough to hit a superkick back inside. The slingshot dropkick in the corner gets two, only for Evans to come back with a kick to the head to send Penta outside again. Evans’ dive is sent HARD into the announcers’ table though and we take a break.

We come back with Penta still in trouble but he knocks Evans back, meaning it’s time to chop it out. Penta plants him down for two but the Mexican Destroyer is countered into a superkick. The OG Cutter onto the apron connects, though it’s not quite a clean landing as they both go to the floor. Back in and Penta kicks out but they both need a breather. The Penta Driver gets a close two so Penta goes up, only to dive into a superkick. The OG Cutter connects so Evans goes up again but dives into a Backstabber. That’s enough for the Mexican Destroyer to retain at 12:28.

Rating: B+. This was awesome as they were letting it all hang out in there with two of them beating the living daylights out of each other. Evans continues to feel like he is more than capable of hanging in there at this level and that is great to see. Penta’s reign gets to continue and this was a heck of a fight. I wasn’t sure if Penta was going to retain by the end so they were absolutely doing a lot right.

Post match Penta raises Evans’ hand but a frustrated Evans leaves.

Logan Paul has suffered a torn tricep and is going to be out for months. Uh oh.

Austin Theory tries to hand Paul Heyman his Tag Team Title but Heyman asks why he would do that. The contracts say the Vision are the champions so Theory is now partners with Bron Breakker. Theory gives him a VERY enthusiastic hug and Heyman’s eyes bug out as only they can. Heyman suggests that Theory needs to do something tonight and Theory should know what that means.

Post break Joe Hendry is in the ring to sing about how we need to fire Logan Paul. Cue Austin Theory to beat the fire out of Hendry with a chair.

Seth Rollins comes up to Angelo Dawkins and says he stayed out of the Street Profits’ way and he’s sorry for what happened on Saturday. Rollins saw what happened right out there and Theory has never been like that. They need to unite to take out the Vision but here is Montez Ford to say nothing good happens when Rollins is involved.

Rollins says they don’t have to like each other but they need to work together to get rid of the Vision. He understands what it means to not trust someone and brings up his own successes. Ford says that he’s also never stabbed his brother in the back. The challenge is on for tonight and Ford accepts as Dawkins is annoyed.

Video on El Grande American vs. Original El Grande Americano, with Rey Mysterio hyping up the importance of a mask vs. mask match.

Penta comes up to Je’Von Evans, who immediately apologizes for what happened out there because that was unprofessional. Penta understands and Evans says he’s coming for that title again, which works for Penta as well. Evans leaves in peace and Rey Mysterio comes up to talk to Penta. They chat for a bit and Penta offers to give him a title shot. Works for Mysterio of course.

Judgment Day vs. Bayley/Lyra Valkyria

Rodriguez and Perez jump them before the bell but Bayley and Valkyria fight back. Valkyria and Perez are in the ring to start, with Perez getting knocked down. Bayley comes in and fires off the shoulders in the corner for some fast tags and alternating shots to the head. A double crossbody gets Rodriguez out of trouble and she elbows Valkyria over and over in the corner.

The referee yells at Rodriguez so Perez gets in a stomp to the arm. Rodriguez’s spinning Vader Bomb connects and we take a break. We come back with Rodriguez being sent out to the floor and Perez getting kicked away. Bayley gets the tag and hits a quick dive to the floor, followed by a middle rope elbow to Rodriguez’s back for two. Liv Morgan trips Valkyria up and gets ejected, as well as decked by Bayley.

Rodriguez runs Bayley over but Bayley is back up top. Dominik Mysterio offers a distraction though and Perez gets Pop Rox, with Valkyria having to make a save. Valkyria hurricanranas Rodriguez out to the floor but seems to hurt her knee on the apron. Mysterio sends the title inside and it’s a tug of war with Bayley and Perez. Bayley lets go and the belt hits Mysterio, allowing Bayley to get a rollup to pin Perez at 10:08.

Rating: B-. This got wild at the end and it’s a good sign that Bayley and Valkyria got a win for a change. At the same time, the Judgment Day’s issues continue, though they’ve had issues since they got together in the first place. Hopefully Valkyria’s knee is ok as that was quite the nasty landing.

We look back at Jacob Fatu vs. Roman Reigns, with Fatu challenging Reigns to Tribal Combat last week and Reigns accepting.

Adam Pearce talks to Reigns, saying Fatu should be fired. Reigns gets it and says he had to accept Tribal Combat because he is the Tribal Chief. He wants guarantees that if he wins, Fatu will serve him or be fired. If Reigns loses, “we’re all screwed”.

Commentary thanks the veterans for Memorial Day and we get the customary video for the holiday. That’s a nice tradition to continue.

Here is LA Knight for a chat. He hasn’t been here in a bit but first of all, he wishes everyone a happy Memorial Day and thanks the military for their service. Now he’s done with the Vision though and he’s ready to do something new. Next week is the start of the King Of The Ring tournament and Knight wants in, because he’s aiming for Roman Reigns. That has him wondering about the Usos, because they’re with the most corrupt World Champion ever

This brings out Jimmy Uso, who says he and Jey did what they had to do with Reigns. He’s completely cool with Knight trying to be King Of The Ring and if Knight wins, he gets a fair title shot at Reigns. Knight is interested in the word “fair” because he’s seen what the Usos have tried to do to Jacob Fatu.

He doesn’t want Jimmy to become Reigns’ errand boy but Jimmy calls him off, saying if Knight keeps this up, his family will become Knight’s business. Jimmy goes to leave but Knight stops him, saying Jimmy is the one of the family he likes. Knight has never cared for Reigns and if things start going badly, he’ll put the family out of business. I can absolutely go for Knight getting into the title picture.

Adam Pearce likes the idea of Rey Mysterio getting the Intercontinental Title shot but Ethan Page comes in to say he doesn’t like this. Page wants his rematch, which Pearce says has to be earned. Page asks how Mysterio earned a rematch, which doesn’t sit well with Mysterio or Pearce. Rusev comes in to ask what is going on, with Page giving his version. Mysterio asks to face Rusev for a title shot tonight. Works for Rusev, who threatens to “bangaranged” Mysterio. That just leaves everyone confused.

Seth Rollins vs. Montez Ford

Ford backs him into the corner to start but Rollins shoves him away. Rollins knocks him to the floor for a suicide dive but they collide back inside. We take a break and come back with Ford going up top, where Rollins superplexes him into a Falcon Arrow for the near fall. They go to a pinfall reversal sequence until Rollins gets the better of an exchange of superkicks.

Ford puts him in a torture rack but Rollins flips to his feet and grabs a Pedigree for two more. Rollins yells at him a lot and hits a pair of buckle bombs but the third is reversed into a hurricanrana to the floor. Ford hits his big running flip dive, only to miss a 450 back inside. The Stomp gives Rollins the pin at 12:36.

Rating: B. These two had a rather good match, which shouldn’t be a surprise. Ford can do anything athletically in the ring and Rollins is right there to match him most of the time. It was cool to see Ford getting the chance to showcase what he can do on his own, and the singles run still doesn’t feel completely out of the question.

Post match Angelo Dawkins is knocked through the entrance and gets chaired down by Austin Theory. This includes a Conchairto, with the camera showing about eight inches between the chair and Dawkins’ head (oh that was terrible). And they actually SHOW IT AGAIN during the post break replay!

Post break Ford is trying to find out about Dawkins when Rollins comes up. Ford says Rollins is right, because he does need someone. They can go after the Vision. Ford goes in to check on Dawkins and Rollins says he wants Bron Breakker soon. Adam Pearce is off to talk to Paul Heyman.

Clash In Italy rundown.

Becky Lynch is very pleased with facing Sol Ruca in a rematch and says that there’s a difference between flips and tricks and greatness. Welcome to the big time.

Rey Mysterio vs. Rusev

For an Intercontinental Title shot and Ethan Page is on commentary. Mysterio avoids a charge to start and sends Rusev outside, which just annoys him. Back in and Rusev shrugs off a right hand so Mysterio runs. The chase almost lets Mysterio set up the 619, which is cut off with an elbow to the face. Rusev gets knocked outside again for a sunset bomb into the barricade. The running hurricanrana from the apron is pulled out of the air though and Rusev swings him into the barricade.

We take a break and come back with Mysterio hitting a top rope seated senton. A running headscissors sends Rusev into the corner, where Mysterio hammers away. The running seated senton sets up a Lionsault for two but Rusev pulls a springboard out of the air. The Machka Kick gets two but Mysterio gives him a 619 to the stomach. A regular 619 is countered so Rusev tries the Accolade, which is reversed into a rollup to give Mysterio the pin at 9:31.

Rating: B-. Mysterio is someone who is somehow underrated, as he debuted thirty seven years ago and is still having perfectly good matches. After the amount of knee injuries he has had over the years and how well he can still move, it’s rather remarkable to see. Rusev is little more than a midcard monster to be slayed over and over, but at least he’s getting in the ring rather than sitting at home for months on end.

Post match Rusev jumps Mysterio but Dragon Lee runs in for the save. Page comes in and gets beaten up as well, with Lee giving him a big running flip dive. Mysterio 619s Rusev into Operation Dragon so the luchadors can clear the ring.

Adam Pearce throws Austin Theory out but Theory doesn’t like it. Paul Heyman sucks up to Pearce but they walk away and Heyman rolls his eyes. They pass the Alpha Academy, which makes Maxxine Dupri leave in a hurry. Remember that Theory and Dupri have been seen in the background of various backstage segments for weeks.

Video on Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar.

Adam Pearce is in the ring for the contract signing between Jacob Fatu and Roman Reigns. Fatu comes out first and signs (Anyone else find it weird that a family affair with rules that likely date back a long time requires a formal WWE contract?) before throwing the set around. This brings out Reigns, who signs, and gets a HAPPY BIRTHDAY chant from the fans.

Reigns tells Pearce and company to leave and says it’s fine because Fatu knows he signed a blood oath. With everyone but Fatu gone, Reigns says his catchphrase, which is all Fatu ever had to do. Fatu had to acknowledge him and they could have moved on. Fatu says that would make him like everyone else in here and that isn’t happening. When Reigns talks about honoring and respecting him, it’s about living by the Bloodline’s code. Did Reigns do that at Backlash, or did he bend the rules to win?

Reigns says that if Fatu wins on Sunday, he’s the new Tribal Chief, but if Fatu can’t dog walk him, Reigns is going to domesticate him. If Fatu can’t beat him, Fatu will serve him and in time, Fatu will love his Tribal Chief. Fatu says it looks like a win for him then, because he has a job either way. But when Fatu wins, Reigns and everyone else will learn how to acknowledge him. They shake hands and touch heads to end the show. I’m not sure who is winning this and that’s how a big match should go most of the time.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a rather awesome Raw with the fairly useless Saturday Night’s Main Event out of the way. That allowed them to focus on Clash In Italy, which has two big matches from Raw leading the way. I want to see both of them, even if they’re rematches, as the idea is to have everyone just go nuts on each other. They covered Logan Paul’s injury perfectly well as switching Bron Breakker in is fine given the circumstances so there isn’t much to complain about here. Solid show and one of the better Raw’s in a good bit.

Results
Penta b. Je’Von Evans – Mexican Destroyer
Bayley/Lyra Valkyria b. Judgment Day – Rollup to Perez
Seth Rollins b. Montez Ford – Stomp
Rey Mysterio b. Rusev – 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Becky Lynch vs. Sol Ruca

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

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

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

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

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

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

Intercontinental Title: Ethan Page vs. Penta

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

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

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

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

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

The Street Profits want the Tag Team Titles.

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

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

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

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

Clash In Italy rundown.

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

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

Raw Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. The Vision

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

WWE Vault Grab Bag V
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, Lord Alfred Hayes, David Crockett, Jim Ross

It’s time to dip back into the randomness that is the WWE Vault (and various other WWE Youtube channels) as there is a lot of stuff I’d like to see. Today we’re going to look at some more random entries, which could be a mixture of matches and/or segments. Either way, they should be from all over the place so let’s get to it.

From a WWE house show in Jonesboro, Arkansas, August 26, 2017.

John Cena vs. Samoa Joe

From what I can find, this is only one of two matches they ever had in WWE, with the other one coming the previous night. Joe powers him down to start and Cena starts bouncing a lot. A headlock slows Cena down again before running the ropes, with Cena hitting a shoulder. Cena’s headlock doesn’t work very well as Joe backs him into the corner for the quick shot to the face.

Joe sends him outside and then kicks him down back inside, meaning we get what looks like a Hulk Hogan pose of all things. A quick AA attempt is blocked and Joe’s enziguri gets two, meaning it’s time to get frustrated. Joe puts him down again for two more and knocks Cena into the corner, leaving Joe to walk around for a bit. Cena avoids a charge in the corner, only to get elbowed in the face.

Joe misses the backsplash though and Cena starts the usual comeback. The AA is countered with a grab of the rope and the referee gets knocked outside. Cena gets the STF for the unseen tap and of course lets go, allowing Joe to get in a low blow. Joe grabs a chair but Cena ducks and hits the AA for the clean pin at 10:00.

Rating: C+. This was more of a “whoa that match happened” and that’s not a bad way to go. It’s one of the appeals of a house show as a few fans got to see the match, even if it was rather basic. That’s all it needed to be and while I could have gone with a far bigger stage, I’ll take getting to see them have a decent match.

From a WWF house show in Long Island, New York, October 24, 1997.

Tag Team Titles: D-Generation X vs. Legion Of Doom

LOD is defending and Michaels tells a fan to suck it as Animal shoves HHH into the corner to start. Animal powers both of them down at the same time as Chyna is not pleased on the floor. We settle back down to Hawk slamming Michaels, who bails outside, with HHH and Chyna massaging the back of his tights. Back in and Michaels bails straight to the floor, only to get gorilla pressed by in by Animal, where Hawk clotheslines him right back to the floor for a big pratfall.

We settle down a bit with Animal grabbing a headlock and grinding Michaels down again as it’s all LOD thus far. The bearhug goes on but Michaels gets out and hands it off to HHH, who gets bearhugged as well. That’s broken up a bit faster and it’s a high/low to take over on Animal. HHH knocks Animal into the corner and Michaels comes back in with a sleeper. A belly to back suplex puts Michaels down but he makes the tag at the same time, allowing HHH to come in for a sleeper of his own.

It’s already back to Michaels for a front facelock but he accidentally ax handles a cheating HHH. The tag brings Hawk back in and the fans certainly seem to approve. Everything breaks down and Michaels gets in a belt shot to Hawk for the pin and the titles at 13:01. And hang on as here’s another referee to say what happened so no title change, as it’s a DQ instead. Actually the brawl keeps going and NOW it’s a DQ. Ok then.

Rating: B-. This was a fun match and that’s all I can ask for with a match like this one. What mattered the most here was that they had two teams who were both working hard and it felt like a big match. You don’t get that kind of thing very often and it was better than I was expecting. Michaels and HHH were a good team in their own right and the LOD had so much experience that they could do this kind of match so easily. I’d call this a nice surprise and it actually lived up to some of its hype.

Post match Chyna gets in and jumps Hawk, leaving DX to have to break up a Doomsday Device. Michaels chairs Animal but Hawk takes it away and sends Michaels running to wrap it up. Somehow DX wins on a DQ, presumably because the LOD beat them up too much. You know, instead of the belt shot which was called.

From a WWE house show in Leeds, England, November 8, 2021.

Walter vs. Cesaro

That would of course be Gunther before the name change. Cesaro backs him up against the ropes to start and gets shoved away. Walter misses the big chop and it’s off to a test of strength, with Walter actually getting the better of things. Cesaro’s headlock takeover puts Walter down for a change and grinds away for a little while. Back up and they trade the shoulders, with Cesaro’s jumping version working a bit better.

A shot to the throat puts Cesaro down though and we lower the pace. The double arm crank goes on, with Walter knocking him down to cut off an escape bid. The chinlock has Cesaro in more trouble and this one stays on for a good while. Cesaro fights up and knocks Walter down, so naturally the fans want the Swing. That’s not happening so they strike it out instead until Walter hits the dropkick.

The powerbomb gets two and it’s off to the sleeper to put Cesaro down. That’s broken up in a hurry though and Cesar scores with Swiss Death. Now the Swing goes on and Cesaro follows with the Sharpshooter, sending Walter over to the rope. The springboard uppercut is blocked though and Walter kicks him in the face. A whip into the post sets up a German suplex into the top rope splash to give Walter the pin at 14:27.

Rating: B. This started slowly and the chinlock in the middle hurt it a bit, but this wound up being quite the hard fought match. That’s what the match needed to be as you kind of know what you’re getting when you have Cesaro vs. Walter. Cesaro wasn’t about to go over the up and coming monster, but they had a good fight here and that’s what it was supposed to be.

From a WWE house show in Dublin, Ireland, June 18, 2005.

Smackdown World Title: John Cena vs. John Bradshaw Layfield vs. Kurt Angle

Cena is defending and a certain Steve Austin is guest referee. This is also a rare outdoor match and it’s a cool visual with various buildings and trees in the background. JBL yells about being a former champion before the match and shadow boxes/kicks while Angle makes his entrance. We’re clipped to Angle elbowing Cena as JBL is down on the floor. A backdrop sends Angle outside so JBL is in to boot Cena in the face.

We’re clipped a few times to Cena fighting out of JBL’s sleeper but a big boot drops him again. We’re clipped again to Cena superplexing JBL and making the comeback. Cena initiates the finishing sequence and hits the FU for two on Angle. We’re clipped again to JBL countering the ankle lock and sending Angle outside. Cena loads up the finishing sequence on JBL but Angle is back in with an accidental belt shot to Austin.

Angle is kicked outside and the Clothesline From JBL drops Cena, with another referee running in to count two. Cena kicks a chair into JBL’s face so Angle grabs the chair, only to get cut off with a Stunner. Austin pokes JBL’s eye into the AA to retain the title at about 5:00 shown. I’m not going to rate it due to the cuts but it felt like a house show match with Austin there to spice it up a bit.

Post match Austin and Cena celebrate.

From WCW Saturday Night, May 14, 1994.

WCW World Title: Ricky Steamboat vs. Ric Flair

For the vacant title after they went to a draw at Spring Stampede. They go to the mat to start and Steamboat grabs an armbar, with Flair having to escape. Steamboat reverses a headlock into a hammerlock but Flair is back with the half crab. That’s broken up as well and Steamboat grabs a gorilla press to send Flair to the apron, where a suplex brings him back inside.

Cue Colonel Robert Parker with a briefcase full of money as Flair is sent outside again. Back in and Steamboat drops him with a shoulder but runs into a right hand to the ribs. Flair knocks him into the corner and slowly hammers away as we take a break. We come back with Flair sending him outside and then back inside for some near falls. Steamboat can’t armdrag his way out of an armbar but he can chop the skin off of Flair’s chest.

An atomic drop out of the corner gets Flair out of trouble and he grabs a chinlock. Yes he puts his feet on the ropes and no that shouldn’t be a surprise whatsoever. Back up and they chop it out again with Steamboat getting the better of things, allowing Flair to be rocked even more than usual. Steamboat’s dropkick misses though, as does Flair’s big elbow drop. Flair is back with a poke to the eye and Steamboat needs a breather on the floor. Back in and a sunset flip gives Steamboat two but he charges into a boot in the corner.

As usual Flair goes up top and as usual he gets caught and superplexed for two. Flair plants him down for a breather though and we slow the pace a bit. A poke to the eye lets Flair grab a sleeper, with Flair even on Steamboat’s back. That’s finally broken up and Steamboat chops away again as we take another break.

We come back again with Steamboat winning another chop off (it works, so keep going back to it) but getting his dive punched out of the air. Back in and Flair misses a knee drop, allowing Steamboat to wrap the knee around the post. The Figure Four has Flair in trouble, with Heenan screaming how to break out. Flair finally makes the rope (now what Heenan said to do but it did work) so Steamboat is right back on the leg. Steamboat chops him so much that Flair falls down for two and we take a third break.

We come back again with Steamboat missing something off the top and they’re both down again. Steamboat comes up favoring his own knee, allowing Flair to grab a delayed vertical suplex. His own leg is hurt as well though and it’s another double down. Flair is up and on Steamboat’s leg, with the Figure Four going on. The ropes makes it even worse, but the referee finally catches Flair to break it up. Steamboat knocks him back down but Flair is still up first, only to get caught with a chop. A gorilla press brings him crashing down but they’re back up with another collision.

Steamboat’s sleeper is countered into a belly to back suplex so he goes up again, with Steamboat top rope superplexing him for a crash. A big chop off the top gives Steamboat two and he tries the high crossbody but hits both Flair and the referee. Back up and they trade rollups for two each as they’re somehow still moving at a high speed about 45 minutes into the match. Steamboat tries a leapfrog but seems to get headbutted low, giving Flair the pin and the title at 47:06. Parker never got involved at all.

Rating: A-. There’s a reason these two wrestled each other so many times for the better part of twenty years. Sweet goodness this was amazing stuff with both guys staying crisp throughout and a sense that the match really could have ended multiple times. It’s just high level, technically incredible wrestling between two guys who could do this stuff in their sleep. It says a lot when this is pretty firmly on the low end of their series, as it’s an instant classic with only the kind of sudden ending holding it back. Definitely check this out, plus pretty much anything else they’ve done, ever.

From a WWF house show in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, January 16, 1989.

WWF Title: Randy Savage vs. Bad News Brown

Savage, with Elizabeth, is defending in a Harlem Street Fight and they’re both in street clothes. Brown jumps him on the way in and they’re quickly outside with Savage striking away. A headbutt cuts Savage off though and a chair is thrown inside so Brown can use it to choke. Brown takes him back outside but punches the post, allowing Savage to ax handle him back inside.

Savage takes off his weightlifting belt and blasts Brown in the ribs. Brown is back up with another chair shot and sends Savage crashing over the barricade. A table (remember, this is 1989) is set up in the corner but Savage sends Brown into said table. There’s no referee as Brown hits the Ghetto Blaster for no count. A slam gets the same result so brown yells at the referee, allowing Savage to grab a backslide to retain (with the count from a second referee) at 6:49.

Rating: B. This didn’t last long and no it wasn’t as smooth as the kinds of street fights etc. that you would see in the future, but these guys beat the fire out of each other and it felt like a fight. The big thing here was that Brown basically beat him up and then got caught in the end. There was absolutely something to Brown, who was WAY ahead of his time and could have been incredible about ten years later. Still though, good stuff here, with Savage being more than capable of doing this kind of thing.

Post match Brown kicks Savage outside and then ties the original referee up in the Tree Of Woe. Brown easily takes Savage down into the corner but Savage is back up with a running ax handle. Some other wrestlers come in to break it up, or at least they do after a few misfires.

From WCW Worldwide, May 14, 1988.

NWA United States Tag Team Titles: Midnight Express vs. Fantastics

The Express, with Jim Cornette, is defending and after their usual pre-match hugs, we’re ready to go. Fulton and Lane start things off with Fulton knocking him down without much trouble. A running shoulder drops Lane again and it’s time for the champs to regroup. Lane wrestles him down and quickly gets a hammerlock, which works so well that he does it again.

We take a break and come back with Lane getting double hiptossed, allowing Rogers to work on an armbar. Rogers sends Lane outside so it’s off to Eaton for a change. Eaton gets in a standing chinlock but charges into a headscissors. Lane teases coming off the top for the save but Fulton shakes the ropes to bring him down and then chills on the top in a great spot.

We take another break and come back with Lane on the floor before coming back inside to headlock Fulton. That’s broken up and it’s back to Rogers to work on Lane’s leg. That earns him an enziguri though and Eaton comes back in, only to get taken down as well. Eaton is knocked to the floor and sent into the post as the Midnights are all discombobulated. Back in and Eaton takes over on Fulton, who comes off the middle rope with a kind of hip attack for two.

A hurricanrana takes Eaton down again and we take another break. We come back with Eaton getting in a shot to the throat, followed by Lane’s karate kick to the chest. The hammerlock goes on and the fans get behind Rogers, with Cornette losing his mind on the floor as only he can. Rogers gets sent into the wrong corner again, with Lane grabbing a Russian legsweep for two more.

We take another break and come back again with Eaton working on the arm. Rogers fights up and brings Fulton back in, only for the Midnights to pull him down into a seated abdominal stretch. Fulton’s throat is pulled across the top rope and an elbow gives Lane two. We take yet another break and come back with the bleeding Fulton getting neckbreakered for two. Eaton goes up top and drops the elbow for two more, followed by Lane kicking away in the corner.

The referee stops to check on Fulton’s cut but Rogers bets him not to stop the match. Fulton grabs Anderson’s leg to beg as well so Lane kicks Fulton in the face. Cornette is up on the apron to demand the match be stopped…and Rogers missile dropkicks Eaton into a rollup to give Fulton the pin and the titles at 36:48.

Rating: A. This has been called the greatest tag match to ever air on television in the United States and….yeah it’s kind of hard to argue. The Midnights were as good of an in-ring team as you could get at this point (if not ever) and the Fantastics could go move for move with them. There is nothing in here remotely bad or even less than good, as everyone is working hard and looks incredibly crisp. Throw in that Eaton hat a 100+ degree fever and was so sick that Cornette was asking him if they needed to cancel the match and it’s even better. Absolutely check this out as it’s a tag team wrestling clinic.

From a WWE house show in New York City, New York, December 26, 2017.

Intercontinental Title: Roman Reigns vs. John Cena

Reigns is defending and I guess this works if it’s all you’ve got. They fight over a lockup to start as the fans are split, as usual in a big cena match. Reigns backs him up against the ropes so Cena grabs a headlock as they’re taking their time to start. That’s switched into a chinlock as Reigns can’t get very far early on. Back up and they go to a test of strength, with Reigns powering him out to the floor. Cena gets back in and is pretty easily knocked down, followed by a headbutt back outside.

We hit…I’m really not sure as it’s a one camera shoot and the fans are in the way but Cena takes over on the floor. Back in and the AA attempt is broken up but Cena grabs a tornado DDT. Reigns fights back with some big right hands and Cena’s comeback is cut off with the corner clotheslines. A big boot drops Cena again but he’s right back with the usual finishing sequence. The AA is countered into a sunset flip to give Reigns two, as does the Samoan drop.

The Superman Punch is pulled into the STF, only for Cena to let go to pull him back to the middle. Now the Superman Punch gets two, as does the AA, with the fans losing their minds on these near falls. Cena goes up but dives into a sitout powerbomb to leave them both down. Back up and they slug it out until Cena tries the AA again. That’s escaped though and the spear retains Reigns’ title at 17:59.

Rating: B. They had the big fight feel going here and that’s what it needed to be. This was the main event with the biggest star of the previous generation coming back to go after one of the biggest stars of today. That’s a main event level match and Cena knows how to bring it as well as anyone else. Good stuff here, especially for a house show with a red hot crowd.

From a WWE house show in Lafayette, Louisiana, March 10, 2024.

Kevin Owens/Becky Lynch vs. Grayson Waller/Nia Jax

Ok then. Waller’s running shoulder can’t get anywhere with Owens and a stomp on the foot doesn’t do much better. For some reason Waller shoves him in the face before handing it off to Jax. A shove actually puts Owens down and it’s off to Lynch for a high crossbody. Lynch kicks her way out of the corner and hits a Diamond Dust for two. The Disarm-Her is blocked so Lynch dropkicks her out to the floor instead.

Waller gets ping ponged between the two of them and a double suplex puts him down again. Jax is back in to run Lynch over though, setting up a reverse Stinkface in the ropes. The regular version makes it even worse as Lynch is gagging. Owens even gives her some water to wake her back up. Lynch fights out of the corner but Waller is right there to cut off the tag.

A Samoan drop gives Jax two and she can’t believe the kickout. Jax’s charge hits the post though and it’s off to Owens to beat up Waller. The backsplash gives Owens two but the Stunner is blocked. Jax forearms Owens into a rollup for two but misses a charge. Lynch Stunners Jax and Owens does the same to Waller, setting up the Manhandle Slam for the pin at 9:44.

Rating: C+. This was the definition of a fun house show match and that’s always nice to see. They didn’t do anything too complicated here and it was all about giving the fans something unique. Owens and Lynch worked well together and they beat up some annoying villains. What else do you want?

From Over The Limit 2012.

Raw World Title: CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan

Punk is defending. Feeling out process to start with neither being able to get anywhere on the ropes. Instead Bryan grabs a headlock and hits a running shoulder, only to get hiptossed down. Punk takes him into the corner and starts in on the leg, including some cranking on the mat. Back up Bryan is able to flip over him out of the corner but the leg is kicked out again.

An Indian Deathlock is broken up as Bryan forearms him in the head, only for Punk to come back with a curb stomp. Bryan gets sent crashing out to the floor but drives Punk back first into the barricade. Punk is draped ribs first across the barricade and we hit the seated abdominal stretch back inside (with commentary reminding us that Kane recently injured Punk’s ribs).

Bryan switches into a surfboard with a dragon sleeper, followed by a heck of a running knee to the back. The Swan Dive gives Bryan two but Punk gets up for a double collision. Punk leg lariats him and hits the swinging neckbreaker as the comeback is on. A backdrop sends Bryan outside and the knee is banged up again. The suicide dive connects but Bryan is able to dropkick him out of the air.

One heck of a kick to the head gives Bryan two so he goes up, only to get crotched. A springboard clothesline gives Punk two and they go into a pinfall reversal sequence. Bryan can’t get the LeBell Lock but he can get kicked in the head for two. The top rope elbow connects but Punk’s knees are banged up again. Bryan gets the LeBell Lock in the middle of the ring, only for Punk to stack him up for the pin at 24:14. Punk taps a second after the pin but it is clearly after.

Rating: A-. This was every bit of the technical masterpiece that you would expect, with the hard strikes and some high flying thrown in. Punk winning clean is a bit of a surprise and thankfully they didn’t do anything screwy by having him tap at the same time. Naturally this didn’t headline the show because it wasn’t…let’s see here…John Cena vs. Johnny Ace. No wonder Punk had a chip on his shoulder.

From a WWF TV taping in Lowell, Massachusetts, August 18, 1993.

Mr. Hughes/Giant Gonzalez vs. Mr. Perfect/Randy Savage

This is the biggest “well ok” match I’ve seen in a bit and Harvey Wippleman is with the villains. Savage gets an interesting introduction with Mike McGuirk telling the fans to “give it all you got” for him. Hughes shoves the rather popular Perfect into the corner to start and then easily punches him down.

It’s off to Gonzalez, who looks even weirder than usual slowly hammering on Perfect. Hughes is back in and gives up the tag to Savage (who could pass for a Captain America knockoff), who is choked down by Gonzalez. A clothesline drops Savage again and it’s back to Hughes to miss a charge into the corner. Perfect comes back in to slug away, including a backdrop. Savage adds a top rope ax handle and Perfect gets a small package for the pin at 7:10.

Rating: C. The weird thing is this match actually made me feel bad for Gonzalez. There is only so much he could do against people literally a foot and a half shorter than him and that became quite the problem. Savage and Perfect couldn’t do much more than punch him, leaving Hughes as the only one they could do anything against. It’s not good, but it certainly had the spectacle.

From a WWE house show in Sydney, Australia, March 3, 2006.

Smackdown World Title: Mark Henry vs. Randy Orton vs. Kurt Angle vs. Undertaker

Angle is challenging. Orton bails to the floor to start, where some women are VERY excited to see him. We’re clipped to Orton back inside, with Undertaker hammering away. Orton bails outside so Angle rolls Undertaker up for two, earning himself a shot to the face. Henry comes back inside to choke Undertaker, as does Henry’s manager Daivari. Angle ankle locks Orton over the barricade, sending him into the crowd.

The other two join them, with Undertaker popping Orton with some right hands, sending him onto a woman who certainly does not seem to mind. Back in and Undertaker chinlocks Angle until Orton rather slowly rolls in for the save. Henry comes in to beat up Undertaker but Orton has to save him from the ankle lock. Undertaker is back up to stomp on Orton, who breaks up Old School.

A superplex puts Undertaker down for two and we’re clipped to Orton breaking up a superplex to Angle. The RKO is blocked but the Angle Slam hits Undertaker instead. We’re clipped again to Undertaker sitting up and chokeslamming Orton for two with Henry making a save. The Angle Slam finishes Orton to retain the title at about 9:00 shown. I won’t rate it due to the clips but what we saw looked good.

Post match Undertaker goes after Orton but has to beat up an invading JBL.

As has been the case with many shows over the years, we’ll wrap it up with a small package. This one features a collection of Mortis dark matches in WWE.

Velocity dark match, August 16, 2003.

Mortis vs. Austin Aries

Or “Austin Arius”, who is billed from St. Louis, where the match happens to be taking place. Aries strikes away to start but misses a high crossbody, allowing Mortis to strike away in the corner. A reverse Walls Of Jericho sends Aries over to the ropes and he gets some boots up in the corner. Aries is back with a discus forearm and a clothesline out to the floor. The slingshot dive misses but Aries is right back up for a missile dropkick. A sitout Dominator finishes Aries at 3:38.

Rating: C. I’m kind of surprised Aries didn’t get a closer look, as he was aggressive here and had some good looking high flying. You could tell he had the athleticism and balance that let him move around rather well. On the other and you have Mortis, who certainly looked cool and could have been fine enough without the Mortal Kombat stuff.

Velocity dark match, August 23, 2004.

Mortis vs. Truth Martini

Mortis punches him down to start but misses a springboard legdrop. Martini’s springboard spinning legdrop misses as well, allowing Mortis to hit a superkick. Back up and Mortis sends him into the corner for a middle rope Boston crab before sending Martini into the post. The crossarm choke goes on and a suplex drops Martini again. A tornado DDT gives Martini two of his own but he gets caught in an electric chair faceplant for the pin at 4:37.

Rating: C-. Ah now this was more like it, as there was nothing to Mortis here other than the look. Mortis does look cool, but his offense was “do a move, stand there, do another move, stand there again”, and so forth. That only works for so long and made a four and a half minute match feel a heck of a lot longer.

Velocity dark match, August 30, 2004.

Mortis/Funaki vs. Jack Bull/Mike Knox

Mortis strikes away at Bull to start so it’s off to Funaki, who gets beaten down by Knox. Bull comes back in to strike away. A reverse tornado DDT gets Funaki out of trouble and it’s back to Mortis. Everything breaks down and Mortis finishes Knox with a lifting Downward Spiral at 4:32.

Rating: C. Again, there’s just not much to say about these matches. Mortis is creepy looking but is teaming with the eternally likable Funaki against a pair of big bald guys. There was nothing to the match and Mortis certainly didn’t stand out, which is kind of the point of the whole thing.

Velocity dark match, October 25, 2003.

Mortis vs. John Walters

This is joined in progress for some reason with Walters flipping over him and hitting a clothesline for two. Walters’ neck crank doesn’t last long as Mortis is back up with a corner clothesline and a middle rope bulldog out of the corner. The superkick gets two and a sitout Alabama slam finishes Walters at 3:07.

Rating: C. Much like the previous matches, there’s something to the idea of this weird looking guy who does unique moves, but the whole Mortis deal was played so slowly. It was like Chris Kanyon was thinking “ok so I’m Mortis now” rather than getting into doing anything. This was another weak match and I’m not surprised WWE didn’t do anything with Mortis as a result.

Overall Rating: A-. The Mortis matches aren’t great, but they’re about the only things close to weak in this set. When you have the Flair vs. Steamboat match, that incredible Midnights/Fantastics match and the rather awesome Punk vs. Bryan match, almost anything else is going to be fine. I got lucky this time with a great set of matches and some actual rarities, which made for a rather fun (albeit crazy long) viewing. Check out those three matches for sure though, as they’re all worth your time.

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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