Velocity
Date: June 8, 2002
Location: Cox Convention Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Attendance: 6,000
Commentators: Michael Cole, Al Snow

This popped up on the Vault and while it’s billed as the Full Episode, it would appear that something has been taken out. That doesn’t leave much, but it’s a rather different era from the company and a rather forgotten one at that, so it’s definitely worth a look. This is only the third episode of the series so let’s get to it.

Opening sequence. My that’s a lot of green.

Test vs. Randy Orton

Orton has only been around for about a month and a half here. Test jumps him from behind to start and hammers away in the corner as we get the opening bell. Orton is back up with a dropkick to the back but Test gives him a running clothesline in the corner. Test does it again but Orton manages a quick DDT. A high crossbody gets two, only for Test to grab the pumphandle slam for two. Orton’s Overdrive gets the same but Test is back with a Roll of the Dice (I believe he called it the Test Drive) for the pin at 3:57.

Rating: C+. This actually turned into a decent match, with Test being on a roll at the moment and picking up another win. Orton was still just the big prospect and had a very long way to go, but you could see the potential in there. It would take time for him to put it together, but the way commentary was hyping him up made his future pretty clear.

We look back at Ivory getting annoyed at Tough Enough winners Linda Miles and Jackie Gayda introducing themselves to Vince McMahon. Vince put them in a match on Velocity, marking the only time that he would ever mention the show.

Godfather vs. Hugh Morrus

Godfather does not look happy to be out here and jumps Morrus in the corner to start. Morrus shrugs that off and hammers away, only to get shoved HARD out of the corner in a great visual. A running clothesline gives Godfather two and Morrus’ powerslam gets the same. Godfather goes to get the bell, which distracts the referee (one Teddy Long) enough for Godfather to hit Morrus with his cane for the win at 3:18.

Rating: C-. I’m not sure what the point is in having a heel Godfather, as the whole point was him being the fun, energetic opening match star. Instead he just looks like he’s doing something of an Undertaker knockoff and that makes for a less than thrilling match. Then again he’s in there with Morrus so it’s only going to be so good in the first place.

We look at Edge having a heck of a cage match with Kurt Angle but injuring his shoulder in the process. That puts him out of the King Of The Ring and Chris Jericho comes in to mock him, demanding that Edge raise his hand for winning their match via forfeit. Instead Edge tried to fight and got beaten up even worse. Jericho crushed his bad shoulder on the steps with a chair until the Big Valbowski made the save…and the show just ends abruptly mid brawl. This is billed as the “full show” but there is quite a bit missing. Anyway, Valbowski throws Jericho out and stands tall.

Chavo Guerrero vs. Funaki

Funaki kicks away to start but makes the mistake of turning his back on Guerrero. That earns a ram into the corner and a dropkick to the back. Funaki’s comeback is quickly cut off but he sends Guerrero outside for a slingshot dive. Back in and an enziguri gives Funaki two but Guerrero backbreakers him for the same. The brainbuster finishes for Guerrero at 4:35.

Rating: C+. As usual, you can take two talented wrestlers and let them do their thing. It’s not like this match was ever going to be anything more than two guys doing moves for a few minutes. Funaki could work well with anyone and the same was true of Guerrero, who just happened to be a much bigger star.

Jackie Gayda gives Linda Miles a pep talk before the match with Ivory. Gayda would love to be in her corner, which works for Miles.

We look at HHH and Hulk Hogan winning a battle royal to become the new #1 contender to the World Title. HHH beat Hogan later in the night to get the title shot. They posed after the match and got beaten up by Undertaker (the reigning champion) and Kurt Angle (who is certainly NOT bald).

We look at Linda and Jackie winning Tough Enough.

Linda Miles vs. Ivory

Jackie Gayda is here with Miles. Ivory grabs a headlock takeover to start fast so Miles reverses into a headscissors. Back up and a running shoulder puts Ivory down but she sends Miles throat first into the bottom rope. Miles fires off some clotheslines and a suplex before going up…where Gayda shoves her down. A facebuster gives Ivory the pin at 3:54.

Rating: D+. I remember watching this show as it aired and Gayda turning on Miles was obvious the second she asked to be in Miles’ corner. They were barely trying to hide it and that doesn’t make for a good moment here. Throw in that Miles was still a rookie and would never get much better and there was hardly much to see here.

Overall Rating: C. This was only the third episode of the show so WWE still cared about it for the time being, which was apparent here. This had some big enough names involved and a turn at the end, though there is only so much you can get out of a show like this one. That being said, it’s almost a breath of fresh air just to see something out of the blue like this. I have no idea why it was cut off, but the other half is easily available to find elsewhere.

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: October 24, 2025
Location: Mullett Arena, Tempe, Arizona
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re rapidly approaching Saturday Night’s Main Event and now we get to see what that might mean. We need to have something set for the show on the Smackdown side, which is what we will likely get here. There is a good chance this involves World Champion Cody Rhodes, who is still dealing with Drew McIntyre. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s show, focusing on Jacob Fatu being attacked and setting up Drew McIntyre vs. Cody Rhodes in a surprise main event.

Jimmy Uso thanks Rhodes for standing up for Fatu last week. Rhodes asks if Jimmy and Jey are ok. Jimmy appreciates that and is off to talk to Nick Aldis.

Here is Rhodes for a chat. He mentions the upcoming title match against Drew McIntyre at Saturday Night’s Main Event, including mentioning hitting McIntyre with the belt last week. Cue McIntyre, who can’t believe the fans are still cheering for Rhodes. McIntyre lists off a variety of things Rhodes has done to him and promises to destroy the story next Saturday. As for Fatu, yeah he hates the family, but he didn’t do it. McIntyre suggests Rhodes did it so Rhodes wants to fight right now, only for Jimmy Uso to run out and go after McIntyre instead. Things are calmed down but here are Solo Sikoa and the MFT’s for their scheduled match.

Post break, Uso and McIntyre brawl in the back again.

MFT’s vs. Shinsuke Nakamura/Rey Fenix

Tonga strikes away at Nakamura to start but Nakamura slips away, allowing the tags off to Fenix and Mateo. Fenix quickly sends him into the corner and it’s a double Good Vibrations, followed by a double COME ON as we take a break. We come back with Tonga flipping Fenix inside out with a clothesline before Mateo grabs a nerve hold.

That’s broken up and Fenix kicks him in the head, allowing Nakamura to come in and kick away. It’s right back to Fenix for another kick to the head as everything breaks down. Sikoa offers a distraction though and Talla Tonga chokeslams Fenix onto the apron. Back in and Tama gives Fenix a running elbow (the Cutthroat) for the pin at 11:27.

Rating: B-. I can go for Nakamura getting a spot on the show helping to put people over, as it’s a nice way to wrap up his time in the company. On the other hand you have Fenix, who is basically the rotating tag partner, which isn’t a great sign for his current or future status. Then you have the MFT’s, who seem likely to be going for the Tag Team Titles again soon.

Jimmy Uso talks to Nick Aldis, who puts him in a No DQ match with Drew McIntyre tonight.

Chelsea Green and Kay Lee Ray interrupt Giulia and suggests a merger. Kiana James comes in to say not quite, with Giulia not seeming impressed.

Tiffany Stratton vs. Kiana James

Non-title and Giulia is here with James. Stratton’s wristlock is quickly escaped with a flip so she does some flips of her own, followed by an armbar. Some running knees to the back send James outside, where Stratton forearms her in the face. Giulia offers a quick distraction though and James gets in a cheap shot as we take a break.

We come back with James hitting a running shoulder in the corner for two. Stratton manages a knockdown for a double breather though and the clothesline comeback is on. It’s too early for the Prettiest Moonsault Ever though and James grabs a Falcon Arrow for two. James goes up but gets knocked down, setting up a Swanton. The Prettiest Moonsault Ever finishes for Stratton at 9:53.

Rating: C+. James is a good choice for the role of annoying assistant who can wrestle a match if needed. That was the case here, but the problem is that the bigger star isn’t doing much. Giulia might be a champion, though she’s not exactly doing much these days. That’s going to need to change, though at least James is getting better.

Post match Giulia runs in to take out Stratton, with Jade Cargill making the save….and then laying Stratton out as well. The big beatdown is on as we have a long overdue heel turn.

Sami Zayn congratulates Ilja Dragunov on his US Title win last week and Dragunov says he respects Zayn. Now it’s time for Dragunov to keep up the US Open challenge because Zayn knows he is the man to do it.

Jade Cargill is tired of not being rewarded so she’s going with power. That starts with her winning the Women’s Title.

Here is Ilja Dragunov for his open challenge, but first he talks about how he didn’t know if he was going to be back from his injury. He doesn’t know how to quit though and now he’s back, so get the challenger out here.

US Title: Ilja Dragunov vs. ???

Dragunov is defending against….Aleister Black, with Zelina Vega. Dragunov strikes away to start but it’s too early for the Constantine Special. Instead Black knocks him outside for a hurricanrana from Vega to send him into the barricade. We take a break and come back with Dragunov fighting back and going up.

Vega offers a distraction though and Black gets up for a Meteora. Dragunov kicks him into the corner but gets kneed in the face for two. Back up and Dragunov connects with the Constantine Special as we take a break. We come back again with Dragunov’s missile dropkick connecting for two, followed by a backsplash for two more.

Torpedo Moscow is kneed out of the air though and a brainbuster gives Black two. Back up and Torpedo Moscow connects but Dragunov can’t cover. Vega trips Dragunov and gets ejected…and here is Damian Priest, complete with a bad eye. Dragunov used the distraction to hit another Torpedo Moscow and retain at 15:42.

Rating: B+. It didn’t quite hit some great level but this was two guys beating the fire out of each other for a long time. That’s what matters the most here as Dragunov gets to retain, despite needing a bit of a distraction, just like last week. Either way, Dragunov is likely going to do this for a few weeks, which is a nice way to get him back in the fans’ minds after such a long time away.

Post match Priest goes after Black and loads up a Conchairto. Vega makes a save though and Black bails into the crowd.

We recap Carmelo Hayes and the Miz blowing up.

Hayes is glad Miz helped him get here, but Miz went too far when things got physical. Now it’s time to for him to work on being Him. Kit Wilson comes in to call Hayes toxic and a match is set for next week.

Ilja Dragunov runs into Fraxiom, who would love shots at the US Title. Dragunov says that’s the point of the US Open Challenge and he’ll see them later. With Dragunov gone, DIY comes in to mock Fraxiom, with Axiom saying Gargano is scared to face him. Tama Tonga pops up to…make noises at Fraxiom.

Charlotte and Alexa Bliss accept Bayley’s challenge for a Women’s Tag Team Title match on Raw. Nia Jax comes in to suggest that they’ll turn on each other and Jax vs. Bliss is set for next week.

Drew McIntyre vs. Jimmy Uso

No DQ. Uso starts the fight in the aisle and sends McIntyre into the barricade but McIntyre slugs away inside. Back up and Uso kicks him outside, where McIntyre cuts off a dive with a forearm. The fight heads into the crowd, where Uso snaps off a suplex. They go back to ringside, where Uso loads up a table and we take a break. We come back with Uso enziguring him out to the floor, where McIntyre snaps off an overhead belly to belly.

McIntyre cracks him in the back with a chair but the Claymore in the chair is cut off. A Whisper In The Wind gives Uso two and he chairs McIntyre down over and over. McIntyre fights up but charges into a Samoan drop through the table. Instead of covering though, Uso goes up and gets chaired out of the air. The Claymore gives McIntyre (who gives a great facial expression, which says “thank goodness that’s over”) the pin at 12:21.

Rating: B. I liked these two beating each other up, as while Uso didn’t win, he did get the revenge that he wanted here. There was no reason to believe that Uso was going to win without some huge interference, but at least it went as it should have. McIntyre gets momentum and Uso gets what he wanted, which is quite the nice result.

Post match McIntyre stays on Uso so Cody Rhodes makes the save. McIntyre Claymores Rhodes to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This show came together well and pretty much everything worked well. That’s a nice way to push the show towards Saturday Night’s Main Event, which should be a major event if given the chance. Rhodes vs. McIntyre is interesting, as it’s either going to be totally flat or have some kind of a twist. This show did a nice job of getting things ready, which is one of the most important parts in the whole thing. Nice show here.

Results
MFT’s b. Rey Fenix/Shinsuke Nakamura – Cutthroat to Fenix
Tiffany Stratton b. Kiana James – Prettiest Moonsault Ever
Ilja Dragunov b. Aleister Black – Torpedo Moscow
Drew McIntyre b. Jimmy Uso – Claymore

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

Evolve
Date: October 22, 2025
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Peter Rosenberg, Robert Stone

We’re done with Succession and the big story is the crowning of a new Women’s Champion in Kendal Grey. This week marks the beginning of a new era as we have some fresh stars joining the ID Program. We’ll get to meet some of them this week, along with Bigg Jahh as guest GM. Let’s get to it.

Here is Succession if you need a recap.

Here is the Vanity Project to get things going. They brag about Jackson Drake retaining the Evolve Title last week but here is Keanu Carver to interrupt. Bigg Jahh and security cut him off and a six man tag is set for the main event. Cue OTM to back up Carver and lay out the Vanity Project.

Video on Sean Legacy vs. Edris Enofe.

Wendy Choo is in therapy and talking about feeling lonely. She tried to be different but along the way, she lost her identity. This included not talking and she’s not sure who she is anymore.

Chantel Monroe says there’s no way to fix someone like Choo. If Choo gets in her face, Monroe will knock her back to Spirit Halloween.

Sean Legacy vs. Edris Enofe

Legacy hammers away at the bell and kicks him in the chest, setting up a standing moonsault for two. Enofe is back up with a running clothesline for two and stomps away, but spends a bit too much time yelling. A middle rope knee to the head (which is not innovative despite what commentary says) and a top rope elbow give Enofe two but Legacy is back up. Legacy kicks away and hits an enziguri, followed by Shambles for the fast pin at 3:55.

Rating: C+. That was a quick match for what had been built up as a fairly big showdown. Legacy still feels like one of the biggest names around here and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him getting into the title picture sooner or later. He still needs a better finisher though, as Shambles isn’t something that is going to work on everyone.

Post match Legacy says he isn’t happy with being left off Succession, but he’ll be on the next one, maybe even going after the Evolve Title. He also brings up Timothy Thatcher, who has been missing lately but Legacy wants him back.

Next week: a new prospect debuts.

Masyn Holiday and Layla Diggs give Bigg Jahh a headshot but he’s in GM mode tonight. They leave so Stevie Turner says Laredo Kid will be here next week and in a triple threat. Holiday and Diggs are back in with another photo, though Jahh isn’t sure why it’s in black and white. They’re on Instagram though! Jahh isn’t impressed.

Harley Riggins and Jax Presley are ready for another shot at Adrenaline Drip and seem to name themselves Necessary Roughness.

Zayda Steel vs. Thea Hail

Hail kicks her down to start and hits a standing moonsault (must be a Sean Legacy fan), with Steel bailing into the corner. Steel tries to escape but gets dropped face first, allowing Hail to go up. Hail gets kneed in the face to cut things off though and Steel chokes on the ropes. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Hail is back up with a knee to the face. A World’s Strongest Slam and bottom rope springboard backsplash hit Steel but Hail has to cut off some Vanity Project interference. The Kimura makes Steel tap at 4:25.

Rating: C. That was a pretty dominant win from Hail, which isn’t a great sign for Steele. Hail felt like someone who would be brought in to give Steel a victory over a bigger name but instead Hail shrugged off the numbers game and won. I can go for Hail winning, though I don’t exactly see her going very far anytime soon.

It’s Gal is back with a new Stud-O-Meter, this time talking about the Prototype, who gets a 9.5. The Prototype inspired him to get the never seen 17 reps of 315. Next up is the Ringmaster, who gets an 8.7, with the lack of a tan keeping him away from a 10. It’s Gal 3:16 says he just ranked your pale a**.

Aaron Rourke talks about growing up in New York and being bullied while he was growing up. People tried to make him feel wrong for being who he was but he knew who he was and couldn’t change it. Wrestling became an escape for him and he knew that’s what he wanted to be. That’s an awesome story.

Brooks Jensen wants a title shot but is told Keanu Carver is next in line. Stevie Turner asks him to leave so she can talk to Bigg Jahh about the three new prospects who will be here next week. Jahh implies he’ll be here too.

Vanity Project vs. OTM/Keanu Carver

Nima backbreakers Drake to start and it’s off to Carver vs. Smokes. A big slam drops Smokes fast and Price comes in to no sell Baylor’s chops. Baylor tries some forearms to no avail and a powerslam cuts him off again. Nima comes in but some quick double teaming cuts him off, including a ram into the post. We take a break and come back with Smokes choking on the rope and Baylor’s springboard DDT gets two. Drake gets in a cheap shot from the apron and Smokes grabs a front facelock.

Nima powers him into the corner but Drake pulls Carver off the apron for a superkick. No one takes out Price though and he comes in to clean house. A springboard missile dropkick cuts him off though and Drake gets two off a Swanton. That’s shrugged off and it’s Carver coming in to clean house. One heck of a Pounce cuts Drake off but he snaps Carver’s bad arm over the top rope. Smokes hits a dive but gets dropped onto the apron. Carver uses the cast to knock Drake out for the pin at 9:37.

Rating: B-. This wound up being a much better match than I was expecting, as Swipe Right has turned into a totally decent annoying heel team. They don’t have to do much in the ring to back that up and it worked well enough here. This was about Carver beating Drake though and the title shot should be set up soon.

Overall Rating: C+. I was hoping for some better fallout from last week but we only got a bit here. The big story here was of course Carver getting the pin on Drake and that worked well enough. At the same time, they set up the prospects deal for next week, which is a nice bonus. The wrestling was just ok though and the show felt more like a preview for everything else.

Results
Sean Legacy b. Edris Enofe – Shambles
Thea Hail b. Zayda Steel – Kimura
Keanu Carver/OTM b. Vanity Project – Cast shot to Drake

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: October 20, 2025
Location: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

So things got shaken up in a big way last week as the Vision turned on World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins. That opens up a bunch of questions and there is a good chance we’ll get some answers this week. We are rapidly approaching Saturday Night’s Main Event and odds are some of the card will come together tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at last week’s show, with CM Punk becoming #1 contender and then the Vision turning on Seth Rollins to end the show.

Here is Adam Pearce for a talk about what happened last week and in the future, but here is the Vision, with Bron Breakker holding the World Title, to interrupt. Pearce gets to the point: the title is vacant but we’ll have a new champion crowned at Saturday Night’s Main Event. CM Punk has already earned the right to be there and will face the winner of a battle royal being held tonight for the title.

Pearce wants Breakker to hand him the title but Breakker asks what happens if he doesn’t. Paul Heyman has a quick sidebar and Breakker wants some respect. Like with a please. Pearce doesn’t like it, but does say please. Instead Breakker hands the title over to Heyman, who hands it to Pearce. With Pearce gone, Heyman asks why everyone is so mad at the team. He watches Unreal and knows they’re the heels, but they didn’t cause Rollins’ injury.

Heyman didn’t turn on Roman Reigns and CM Punk for Rollins, but rather because Bron Breakker is the future. On top of that, he knows that Bronson Reed is better than Roman Reigns. The reality is that Rollins couldn’t shoulder the responsibility and the winners, who will be writing the history, are right here. The future is right here and welcome to the show.

We recap Dominik Mysterio running his mouth and getting Judgment Day a Tag Team Title defense as a result.

Judgment Day is getting ready when Mysterio comes in to ask if they have this. The team tells him that they have this and to worry about his own business.

Raw Tag Team Titles: AJ Styles/Dragon Lee vs. Judgment Day

Judgment Day is defending and McDonagh gets knocked down and into the wrong corner to start. Lee comes in for a running knee to Balor, who is right back with a basement dropkick for two of his own. It’s back to McDonagh to take Lee down as well as the pace slows a good bit. Balor’s snap suplex gets two and he goes up, only for Styles to crotch him down. Styles gets smart by throwing Lee into the corner but McDonagh low bridges Styles out to the floor.

We take a break and come back with Styles fighting out of trouble and handing it back to Lee to clean house. Everything breaks down and Lee hits a big suicide dive to both champs back inside. Operation Dragon is broken up and it’s back to Styles to take Balor down. Lee knocks McDonagh outside and Balor sends Lee out, leaving Styles to hit the Phenomenal Forearm.

McDonagh makes a VERY last second save, followed by the moonsault and Balor hits the Coup de Grace. Lee DIVES over McDonagh for the save in a great spot, followed by a suicide dive to Lee. Back in and Balor tries a Styles Clash on Styles, who reverses into the real thing for the pin and the titles at 13:13.

Rating: B. I mean…why not? Judgment Day was doing absolutely nothing with the titles so let Styles, who is on the way to the end of his career, have a nice moment before he hangs it up? It’s not like things can get much worse for the titles, so let them do something cool for a change.

We look at the Usos’ issues last week.

Jimmy Uso asks Jey Uso if he’s happy now. Jey says he was mad at himself last week and brings up Roman Reigns, but Jimmy cuts him off. Reigns isn’t here tonight and the two of them are in the battle royal. Jimmy says Reigns has Jey believing that he lost the title because he helped others. Jey isn’t sure what to believe, but Jimmy tells him to figure it out. Tonight, Jimmy will go after everyone in the battle royal, including Jey. That’s fine with both of them.

Intercontinental Title: Rusev vs. Dominik Mysterio

Mysterio is defending and dives through the ropes to start in fast on Rusev, who shrugs it off. An elbow has Mysterio down again and Rusev kicks him in the chest. Mysterio gets in a quick shot and dropkicks him in the back. The 619 is cut off with a shot to the head, followed by some rather hard suplexes.

We take a break and come back with Mysterio hitting his own suplex but the frog splash hits raised knees. The Accolade is blocked with a hasty crawl to the floor but here is Penta to prevent Mysterio from skedaddling. The distraction causes Rusev to hit Penta, leaving Mysterio to load up the timekeeper’s hammer again. Rusev blocks the 619 and takes the hammer, which the referee confiscates. That’s enough for Mysterio to get in a low blow, setting up the 619 into the frog splash to retain at 10:12.

Rating: C+. I keep thinking that Mysterio is going to be a big star when he turns and it’s getting obvious that he kind of all but has already. He’s getting better and better in the ring every day as he has figured out so many of the little things. It’s fun to watch his matches these days and that’s not only a great feeling now, but a very good sign for his future.

Post match Penta gives Rusev a springboard tornado DDT to leave him laying.

Women’s Intercontinental Title: Becky Lynch vs. Maxxine Dupri

Lynch is defending and knocks her into the corner to start fast. A victory roll gives Dupri two but Lynch takes right back over as we take a break. We come back with Dupri managing a comeback and getting in a snap suplex. The straps come down and the ankle lock goes on but Lynch reverses into a cross armbreaker. Dupri backflips out into another ankle lock, which is broken up as Lynch puts him on top. A high crossbody hits Lynch, who rolls outside and grabs the title. Dupri’s sunset flip gets two so Lynch knocks her silly with the belt for the DQ at 9:55.

Rating: B-. This is another case of a sliding scale, as there is no reason for Dupri to be very good in the ring. She’s inexperienced and her whole persona is someone who is in over her head. Whomever is working with her has done a lot of impressive work, because she’s doing rather well in the spot she’s getting. While I don’t believe she’s ready to do anything else, it’s at least a lot better than she’s done in the past.

Post match Lynch lays her out again.

Video on the international tour.

The Kabuki Warriors are happy with beating Iyo Sky and injuring Rhea Ripley. Now they want the Women’s Tag Team Titles back.

Paul Heyman comes up to Adam Pearce, who tells him that Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed are out of the battle royal. If Heyman wants them back in, say please. Heyman thinks for a second and then does say please. Pearce says no anyway and slams a door in his face.

Heyman goes to leave and runs into Becky Lynch, who isn’t happy. He begs off and offers Lynch a spot in the team even without Rollins. Lynch calls him a “Penguin Faced P****” and says this won’t work on her. Rollins knew that Heyman was going to turn on him, so we’ll see what happens when Rollins gets back. Heyman will be nothing without him and they’re not worried about whomever Heyman attaches himself to next.

Roxanne Perez vs. Stephanie Vaquer

Non-title and Raquel Rodriguez is here too. Perez chills in the ropes to start before pulling Vaquer into a bodyscissors. That’s reversed rather quickly and Vaquer works on the arm. Perez breaks that up and goes after the arm, which is switched into a rollup for two on Vaquer. Back up and Vaquer scares her out to the floor, only to take Perez down back inside. The threat of the Devil’s Kiss sends Perez bailing to the apron, allowing Rodriguez to get in a cheap shot as we take a break.

We come back with Vaquer hitting a Meteora in the corner, followed by a dragon screw legwhip. The Devil’s Kiss connects but the SVB is broken up. Perez fights back and hits the cartwheel knees to the head. Pop Rox doesn’t work though and Vaquer hits a 619, with Perez falling outside and Vaquer diving onto both villains. A double underhook gutbuster finishes Perez at 12:07.

Rating: B-. Vaquer continues to look so smooth out there and it helps having someone as good as Perez. That’s how you put together a solid match, as the champ gets to notch another win. I’m not sure who is next for her, but having her stack up wins like this should only help her.

Post match the double teaming is on but Nikki Bella runs in for the save. Oh sweet goodness not Bella getting a title shot.

Bayley surprises Lyra Valkyria and says she has a surprise for her next week. Valkyria is scared, as she should be.

Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed aren’t happy with being left out of the battle royal. Paul Heyman gives them a pep talk about Brock Lesnar and things seem ok enough.

Nikki Bella is in the back with Stephanie Vaquer. Bella gives her a pep talk about having her back, with Vaquer saying she owes Bella one. That’s fine with Bella, who thinks she just made some enemies.

Battle Royal

Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, Sheamus, AJ Styles. El Grande Americano, Dragon Lee, Ivar, Rusev, Akira Tozawa, Otis, Finn Balor, Dominik Mysterio, JD McDonagh, Penta, Grayson Waller, LA Knight, Kofi Kingston

The winner faces CM Punk for the vacant World Title at Saturday Night’s Main Event, so here is Punk to do commentary. It’s a brawl to start with Ivar and Otis slugging it out. Everyone stops to watch before realizing that it’s Otis vs. Ivar and continue fighting each other. Otis and Rusev slug it out, with Otis actually running him over. Back up and Rusev low bridges Otis out before doing the same to a Hulking Up Tozawa.

Lee tries a springboard but Judgment Day shoves him out to even a bit of the score from earlier tonight. Mysterio actually gets rid of Rusev and Penta at once and we take a break. We come back with Ivar sitting on Styles’ chest in the corner before slugging it out with Sheamus. Ivar gets dumped to the apron and pulls Sheamus out with him. Sheamus hits White Noise onto said apron and Ivar is out.

Americano loads up the mask but gets taken out and eliminated by the Usos. Sheamus forearms Balor out and tries to do the same to McDonagh, with Kingston sneaking up for the double elimination. Sheamus brawls to the back with Judgment Day and Styles tosses Mysterio….but the referee didn’t see it due to the brawl. Mysterio comes back in and goes after Styles as we take another break.

We come back with Jimmy, Jey, Mysterio, Kingston, Styles and Knight. Kingston monkey flips Styles but gets sent out to the apron. Styles knocks Kingston out and we’re down to five. Punk starts talking about the new Tag Team Champions, who could be called……AJ LEE! Ok that’s brilliant. Knight hammers away and Barrett asks if their loins are tingling. Tessitore: “Please say they’re not. Please say they’re not.”

Knight hits Jimmy with the top rope elbow but has to escape a Styles Clash. Knight grabs a reverse Boston crab on Styles, which has Punk thinking he wants to face someone that dumb. Jey is almost out but Jimmy makes a save and that can’t possibly be a good idea. Styles is knocked out and Jimmy goes after Knight, leaving Jey to knock them both out. Mysterio dropkicks Jey from behind but the 619 is countered into a backdrop to give Jey the win at 18:53 as Jimmy is LIVID.

Rating: B. Well, it was a fun battle royal and the result opens up a lot of doors. Punk and Jey have had their issues for months now so this is something that could work well. Granted there is always the chance that Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed crash the match, but for now, the pieces are there. It should be interesting to see where they go from here, so this is a good path to take.

Jey and Punk stare each other down to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a show where it was absolutely not dull and a lot of big things happened. That’s what they needed this time, as the Rollins injury is going to shake things up in a big way. I’m not sure what this is going to mean, but at least they have started things off in the right way. We can see where things go from here though and this show has me wondering where the show is going.

Results
AJ Styles/Dragon Lee b. Judgment Day – Styles Clash to Balor
Dominik Mysterio b. Rusev – Frog splash
Maxxine Dupri b. Becky Lynch via DQ when Lynch used the title
Stephanie Vaquer b. Roxanne Perez – Double underhook gutbuster
Jey Uso won a battle royal last eliminating Dominik Mysterio

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

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

Iconic Tag Teams Earliest Appearances Collection
Commentators: Gordon Solie, Keith Hart, Jim Ross, Mr. Perfect, Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, Michael Hayes, Dean Hill, Jim Cornette, Byron Saxton, Kevin Patrick, Bruno Sammartino, Al Snow

This is part of Tag Team Week on the WWE Vault and in this case it’s a look back at when some famous tag teams first got together. I’m going to assume there is an unseen asterisk that says “on television in a big promotion” but I’ll take what I can get. This has the potential to be rather interesting so let’s get to it.

From a Smackdown dark match, September 16, 2003.

Paul London/Spanky vs. Albert/Sean O’Haire

What a random heel team. Albert shoves Spanky (Brian Kendrick) down to start and unloads on him in the corner. Spanky gets in some right hands of his own but O’Haire comes in for a chop. It’s off to London to strike away but Albert cuts him off, including the catapult into the bottom rope for two.

O’Haire plants him in the corner for two and the slow beating ensues. London manages a double knockdown with O’Haire though and it’s Spanky coming in to pick up the pace. Albert charges into a boot in the corner and Spanky hits a tornado DDT for two. London and O’Haire go outside, leaving Spanky to reverse the Baldo Bomb into a bulldog. O’Haire interrupts though and Albert’s over the shoulder backbreaker finishes Spanky at 7:49.

Rating: C+. That’s quite the interesting tryout, as rather than getting a win over the makeshift team, London and Spanky lose in their first time out. I’m not sure the point of that as it’s not like the masses were going to see it, but you could see the chemistry already coming together. A fast paced young team is something that works almost every time and London/Spanky did it very well.

From Georgia Championship Wrestling TV, June 11, 1983.

Road Warriors vs. Randy Barber/Joe Young

And yes, this actually is their first time teaming together (at least on television). They’re also in matching leather hats and vests, with Paul Ellering wearing a snazzy top hat. The Warriors are also the National Tag Team Champions, winning the titles in a tournament that didn’t actually happen. Hawk drives Barber into the corner and it’s off to Animal to drop a leg. Young comes in and gets forearmed in the corner, followed by a double clothesline. A slingshot splash finishes for Hawk at 2:05. Total squash, as it should have been.

From a WWE house show, October 4, 2014.

Kofi Kingston/Xavier Woods vs. Stardust/Goldust

I’m not sure if Goldust and Stardust’s Raw Tag Team Titles are on the line here or not but Big E. is here with the not yet New Day. Actually Stardust clarifies that this is NOT a title match, which is some nice attention to detail. After confirming that we are in Trenton, New Jersey and arguing about whether or not the town is awful, we’re ready to go with Kingston and Stardust starting tings off.

They fight over a top wristlock and then trade some flips, with Stardust stopping to dance. Kingston sticks the landing on a monkey flip and sends Stardust into the corner for the tag off to Woods. The Honor Roll gets two and it’s time to work on Stardust’s arm. Kingston’s high crossbody gets two but Stardust takes him up against the ropes for a shot from Goldust. Kingston is right back with a jumping back elbow and Woods gets two off a middle rope clothesline as the fans are only somewhat into this.

They fight to the floor for something we can’t see (single stationary camera and all that) and come back inside for Goldust’s chinlock on Woods. That doesn’t last long so it’s the snap powerslam so Stardust can come back in to stomp away. Another chinlock goes on and for a bit longer this time, though Woods is able to shove off the ensuing bulldog attempt. Kingston comes back in to clean house and everything breaks down. The referee tries to get Woods out, leaving a springboard spinning kick to the head Hart Attack to drop Kingston for two. Woods is back up for UpUpDownDown to pin Goldust at 10:43.

Rating: C+. Much like London and Spanky, you could see the foundations from the start here, though they had a long way to go with the details. What mattered the most was Kingston and Woods (with Big E. of course) working well together. They had the athleticism and natural chemistry and those are the kinds of things that are either there or not from the start.

From Stampede Wrestling, July 11, 1983.

Dynamite Kid/Davey Boy Smith vs. Cuban Assassin/Ciclon Negro

As tends to be the case, we’re joined in progress with a brawl on the floor before Assassin takes Kid (bleeding from an attack by Bad News Allen earlier in the night) inside. Smith, who was jumped earlier as well, tries to make a save but gets tossed as well. We settle down to Negro hammering on Kid up against the ropes but he accidentally elbows Assassin. The tag brings Smith back in to clean house, including letting Negro hit Assassin AGAIN.

A dropkick takes Assassin down, followed by a headscissors and headlock takeover at the same time (a big spot in 1983). The villains finally get it together and send Smith into the corner, which lasts all of a few seconds before it’s back to the rather bloody Kid. Some flips and clotheslines have Negro down but he manages a knee to the ribs to cut Kid off. Negro runs into Assassin for the third time in less than five minutes, allowing Kid to drop a knee for the pin at 5:45.

Rating: C. I wasn’t feeling this one as much as it came off more like the villains screwing up more than Kid and Smith winning. They idea of Kid and Smith being in trouble and having to overcome adversity was fine, but it didn’t feel like they were better. The Assassin and Negro seemed to run out of ideas rather quickly and that only helped the good guys so much.

From Superstars, June 1, 1996.

New Rockers vs. Hardy Boyz

The entrances let commentary plug the Ultimate Warrior’s comic book and you can hear Vince hating it. Cassidy and Matt start things off with Cassidy easily taking him down. Jeff is pulled in and the Hardys are sent outside, setting up some dives and….I guess dancing from the Rockers. Commentary isn’t sure what is wrong with Jannetty and that is an essay question we don’t have time to answer.

Jeff’s bandanna is pulled over his eyes to keep up the beating. Cassidy gets in a nasty spinning belly to belly and a double elbow drops Jeff for two. The Rockers get Jeff up for a kind of Alley Oop/top rope bulldog combination (which doesn’t really work for the most part) for the pin at 3:41.

Rating: C+. Total destruction and it’s bizarre to see, but the Hardys would wind up being fine while the New Rockers are a punch line. The Rockers were little more than a running joke and they weren’t going to be a big deal, but they were still decent enough in the ring. This was more of a case of the Hardys being a detail, but you have to start somewhere.

From the Global Wrestling Federation, April 17, 1992.

Ebony Experience vs. Brute Force

This might be interesting as you might not know which is the important team. In this case it would be the Experience, who would show up in WCW the next year as Harlem Heat. If you’ve never heard of Global….well just be lucky actually, as it was not very good. Booker is backed up to the ropes by #1 to start as Gorgeous Gary Young joins commentary to scout. Stevie comes in with a double clothesline to clear the ring. #2 comes in and gets kneed in the face as Young isn’t overly impressed so far.

Booker gets clotheslined down but pops up with the yet to be named Spinarooni, only to get taken into the wrong corner. Commentary remembers that Brute Force are actually Slammer and Jammer (I’m guessing someone gave him a note) as Booker misses a charge into the corner. Jammer (I guess, though I can’t imagine it matters) misses a dropkick but avoids a clothesline. Booker is back up with a clothesline, allowing the tag off to Ray (commentary gets the Experience confused) as everything breaks down. Jammer shoves the referee down and it’s a DQ at 5:54.

Rating: C-. While this wasn’t the team’s debut (they had begun teaming in the late 80s), it was their first spot in a bigger promotion. You could see the team working together well, which makes sense for brothers. Brute Force was….well hey did you see the Experience? They were pretty good.

Post match we get a tease of an interview with BARRY HOROWITZ but we have to go to the next match. Dang it that’s such an unfair tease.

From a Wrestling Challenge dark match, April 5, 1993.

Kip Winchester/Barry vs. Barry Horowitz/Reno Riggins

I’m guessing the ring announcer got confused, as Winchester’s partner is named Brett Colt and the team will eventually be known as the Smoking Gunns (the better known Billy and Bart Gunn names would come with their next dark match). We take a good while for the Gunns to be ready and the women REALLY seem to approve. Or maybe they’re fans of Horowitz’s mullet. Either way, Billy (er, Kip) grabs a headlock, followed by a hiptoss into an armbar. Bart (er…eh I did that joke already) comes in to stay on the arm and an assisted Russian legsweep gets two.

Riggins avoids a crossbody and Bart is taken into the wrong corner so the alternating beatdowns can ensue. Horowitz’s catapult sends him into the bottom rope and a northern lights suplex gets two. The abdominal stretch goes on for a bit, followed by Horowitz’s jawbreaker for two more. The chinlock is broken up and a collision gives us a double down. Billy comes in to clean house with some dropkicks and a powerslam plants Riggins. A spinning side slam plants Riggins again and Billy hits a not great looking top rope bulldog for the pin at 8:41 (and Barry is suddenly Brett Colt).

Rating: C. The Gunns were basically what they would become right out of the gate and that’s fine. The cowboy trope has been done for decades in wrestling and it still works here. Throw in something like the cap guns they fired off before the match and you easily get the idea of the team. It’s not a good or memorable match at all, but it was a case of what you see is what you get, which is fine.

From WCW TV, June 10, 1989.

Steiner Brothers vs. The Raider/Snake Brown

The Steiners had already had some house show matches but close enough. Also, Raider is Randy Barber, who was in the Road Warriors’ first match as well. Rick has a big fan in the crowd and gives her his jacket in a nice moment. Scott powerslams Raider down and gives hands it off to Rick, who runs both of them over. The Steiners clear the ring, allowing Rick to jump onto Scott’s back for a bit. Brown comes in and gets caught with Scott’s spinning belly to belly, followed by Rick’s overhead version. An elbow gives Rick the pin at 1:47.

Post match the Varsity Club comes in and get beaten up in a hurry before their match at the Clash Of Champions the next week.

From OVW TV, April 17, 2004.

Joey Matthews/Johnny Nitro vs. Matt Cappotelli/Maven

Melina is here with Matthews and Nitro. We’re joined in progress with Matthews getting beaten down and sent outside for the introductions and opening bell. Matthews gets elbowed in the face by Maven, allowing Cappotelli to come in for a legdrop. A double clothesline drops Nitro and Matthews with Nitro bailing to the floor. That lets Nitro hide behind Melina and Matthews gets in a cheap shot from behind.

Back in and a bridging northern lights suplex gets two on Cappotelli, allowing Nitro to come in. An uppercut to the back of the neck gets two but Matthews accidentally crashes into Nitro. Cappotelli bulldogs his way over to Maven to clean house, including a missile dropkick for two on Nitro with Matthews making the save. Melina comes in to rake Maven’s eyes and Nitro’s spinning fisherman’s suplex finishes at 4:50.

Rating: C. Now this was a case where the team had a lot of development to go, as MNM was pretty much just there in name only. They were all there, but they didn’t have the look or gimmick whatsoever. That would come in time, but for now it was pretty much Morrison’s athleticism carrying things. As for the match, you’re in a bit of trouble when Maven is your biggest star.

From Main Event, September 16, 2021 (oddly enough the last episode I watched when I was regularly covering Main Event).

Humberto Carrillo/Angel Garza vs. Lucha House Party

Carrillo and Garza (Los Garza) being introduced as “iconic” is more than a bit of a stretch. Carrillo and Metalik trade some armdrags to start before Dorado comes in with a top rope hurricanrana. The pop up dropkick sends Garza outside and the Party hit stereo flip dives as we take a break.

We come back with Metalik hitting a top rope splash for two and grabbing a chinlock on Carrillo. That’s broken up and it’s back to Garza for a backbreaker. Carrillo suplexes Metalik for two more but Metalik is back with a super hurricanrana. Dorado gets the tag and cleans some house, including a running headscissors to Garza. A nice superkick sets up a high crossbody for two, followed by the Golden Rewind. Metalik’s moonsault sets up Dorado’s moonsault for two as Garza makes the save. Garza comes in, TAKES OFF HIS PANTS, and hits the Wing Clipper for the pin at 6:02.

Rating: C+. This was one of the better matches thus far, which shouldn’t be a surprise as it takes a bit more time to get to WWE TV (as low as Main Event might be) than some of the other places these matches have aired. Carrillo and Garza are far from “iconic”, but I guess they needed to fill in some time. The House Party is something that can work at pretty much any time and they were starting to click when they were split up.

From an AWA house show, April 19, 1987.

Tag Team Tournament First Round: Nasty Boys vs. Curt Hennig/Greg Gagne

The Nastys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Saganowich (his real name), as they were still workshopping the whole thing) are in their second match together, which I think we can call close enough. Hennig and Knobbs start things off with Knobbs ducking a right hand, which hits Gagne instead.

Back up and Hennig stares at Knobbs a bit before Knobbs drops him with a shoulder. Sags comes in and gets caught with a running dropkick into an armdrag as apparently Knobbs is the key to the team. It’s back to Knobbs for a clothesline so Sags comes back in. That’s fine with Hennig, as he and Gagne take turns working on the leg. Gagne sits on the leg and grabs a standing Figure Four.

With that broken up, so Gagne kicks the leg out again and cranks away. More kicks finally draw Knobbs in for the save before he gets in legally, with a headlock takeover to Hennig. Sags distracts the referee so Knobbs can choke away in the corner but Hennig gets in a shoulder for the double down. The stereo tags bring in Gagne and Sags, with the former getting in a double noggin knocker. The dropkick hits Sags and Hennig’s missile dropkick finishes at 10:54.

Rating: C+. The Nasty Boys weren’t really close to what they would become here, as they more or less wrestled a really basic match rather than their traditional brawling style. Putting them in there with a team as experienced as Hennig and Gagne was smart as they can help with anyone, though the Boys had a long way to go. That being said, they picked it up fast, which is all the more impressive.

From (I believe) WWC, October 14, 1987.

Wild Samoans vs. Miguel Ramos/Sabu

It isn’t the famous Samoans, but rather Fatu and Samu, who would become known as the Headshrinkers. It’s also not the famous Sabu, but rather the wrestler who would be better known as Invader #1. Samu takes Sabu back into to the corner to start and gives him an early slam. A spinwheel kick drops Sabu again and it’s off to Fatu for a belly to back suplex/clothesline combination. Ramos comes in and is immediately knocked down for a falling headbutt. With Sabu knocked to the floor, a belly to back superplex sets up a Superfly Splash to give Fatu the pin at 4:09.

Rating: C. This was kind of a weird pick as the team was pretty much nothing like what they would become. This was more the Samoan Gangster Party under a different name and as a longtime Headshrinkers fan, I’m glad they made the change. The top rope splash looked great as usual though, and stuff like that was enough to give the team a chance.

From Championship Wrestling, April 20, 1985.

Hart Foundation vs. Mario Mancini/SD Jones

Jimmy Hart is here with the Foundation. Neidhart powers Jones up against the ropes to start and they trade some shoves. Mancini comes in to work on the arm and is quickly forearmed down. Hart adds a dropkick and rakes Mancini’s eyes over the rope. The Hart Attack finishes at 2:39. Total squash, with the finish looking great of course.

From OVW TV, May 24, 2006.

Southern Tag Team Titles: Cryme Tyme vs. Kasey James/Roadkill

James and Roadkill are defending. James and the Neighborhoodie (JTG) start things off with the latter grabbing some early slams. Neighborhoodie leapfrogs him and stops to dance, only to walk into a slam from James. Roadkill comes in for a World’s Strongest Slam but a Vader Bomb misses. It’s off to Gaspard to kick Roadkill down for two and Neighborhoodie adds a pop up splash in the corner.

Roadkill fights out of the corner without too much trouble though and it’s back to James to pick up the pace. Gaspard is there to cut him off before missing a splash. That’s enough for Roadkill to come back in and clean house, including a Boss Man Slam for two on Neighborhoodie. Everything breaks down with James and then Roadkill hitting some running corner splashes. Roadkill’s top rope splash connects but cue Cherry for a distraction. Deuce N Domino run in with Cherry’s skates to knock Roadkill silly and put Neighborhoodie on top for the pin and the titles at 6:25.

Rating: C. This was a rather odd choice to end on, as Cryme Tyme was more of a product of their time than anything remotely important long term. The Neighborhoodie was basically the same as he would be as JTG, while Gaspard needed some adjustments. The gimmick didn’t seem to be there yet either, but that’s the point of being in developmental.

Overall Rating: C+. The thing to remember here is that these were the teams’ first (or close enough) appearances. They all needed to be fine tuned to become the versions that would work during their heydays. That being said, for what is in essence a bunch of prequels, this was a fun look back, even with some rather odd choices for teams. They could easily do something else like this, and that’s something I could definitely see happening with the way the Vault goes.

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

Rick Rude Collection
Commentators: Bill Mercer, Tony Schiavone, David Crockett, Gorilla Monsoon, Lord Alfred Hayes, Nick Bockwinkel, Ron Trongard, Billy Graham, Jesse Ventura

Rude is someone who has some distinct periods in his career, as he started off as mostly a comedy heel and then turned into a rather dangerous villain. Unfortunately he wasn’t on the main stage for very long but he has a lot of moments to remember. That is what we’re taking a look back at here so let’s get to it.

Quick opening video.

From the 1986 WCCW David Von Erich Memorial Parade Of Champions.

WCWA World Title: Rick Rude vs. Bruiser Brody

Rude, with Percy Pringle (Paul Bearer), is defending and can lose the title via DQ. Brody runs him over with a shoulder to start and we’re already in the front facelock. That’s broken up and Rude gets in a hiptoss, setting up a chinlock. Brody isn’t having that and powers back up for a trip to the floor.

Rude gets posted and sent back inside for a suplex, followed by a big leg for two. Rude’s suplex gets two more, with Pringle shoving the foot off the rope. The chase is on and Pringle is brought inside, which…isn’t enough for the DQ, but Brody throwing Rude over the top at 7:09 appears to be.

Rating: C. Rude was still pretty green here and it showed rather badly. At the same time though, he was a cross between his goofy self and the serious version that he would hit after losing WCW, which isn’t a combination you see very often. This wasn’t much of a match and the ending hurt, but Brody was always worth a look.

Post match Brody wrecks both of them and Rude runs off, only for Brody to give chase and keep up the beating.

From World Championship Wrestling TV, December 6, 1986.

NWA Tag Team Titles: Rick Rude/Manny Fernandez vs. Rock N Roll Express

The Express is defending and this would actually be the Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Titles, which would evolve into the WCW World Tag Team Titles. Fernandez and Morton start things off with Morton grabbing a headlock, much to Crockett’s delight. Morton misses a charge in the corner but elbows him in the face, leading to a four way standoff. Rude comes in and gets his arm worked on, with a hiptoss not getting him very far.

Morton comes up favoring his own (already bandaged arm) so it’s off to Gibson. That doesn’t last long though as Morton is back in for an armdrag to Fernandez. Morton’s arm is banged up again though and it’s right back to Gibson for more arm cranking. Fans: “BREAK IT! BREAK IT!” Morton comes back in to stare at Fernandez and we take a break. We come back with Fernandez dropping a middle rope knee on Gibson’s knee and cranking on the legs.

Rude comes in without a tag and stays on the leg before Fernandez does the same (this referee doesn’t pay much attention). We actually get a tag as Rude comes in to stay on the leg but Gibson kicks him away. Morton comes back in but gets taken down by the arm as we take another break.

We come back again with Rude staying on the arm and Fernandez coming in to drops knees. Rude’s top rope fist drop hits the arm and it’s back to the armbar. Some knees to the arm set up another armbar as there is definitely a theme here. Fernandez comes in to crank on the arm even more before Rude’s armbar takes us to a THIRD break.

We come back again with Morton getting fired up to come out of a wristlock but Rude slaps on another armbar. They go outside with Rude sending the bad arm into the post and Morton is down again. Back in and Morton slugs away with the good arm, only to have his bad arm sent into Fernandez’s knee in the corner.

We hit the armbar again and take a fourth break (actual caption on the graphic: “How long can they keep this up?”) before coming back with even more armbarring. Morton FINALLY hits an atomic drop and brings in Gibson to clean house, including a dropkick to Fernandez. Everything breaks down and Gibson gets an O’Connor roll but Fernandez reverses into a rollup of his own and grabs the tights at 46:52 (with over 32 minutes shown).

Rating: B-. This was a huge upset and it’s awesome to see the titles change hands, even with so much of the match cut out on the breaks. That being said, while a huge portion of the match was spent in the armbar, Morton was constantly fighting to get out of it and make the tag. That’s the difference between working and sitting there and those are two very different things. I stayed with this and was stunned at how long it had gone as it’s never dull. Good stuff here, with Rude and Fernandez working well together. The Express would get the titles back in about six months in a phantom title change when Rude jumped to the WWF.

From New York City, New York, November 24, 1987.

Rick Rude vs. Paul Orndorff

Bobby Heenan is here with Rude and this is two days before the inaugural Survivor Series, which featured these two in the main event. Orndorff pulls him to the floor to start fast and then goes inside to chase Heenan around. The villains are rammed together so Orndorff can pose and my goodness the differences in the size of his arms is disturbing. Orndorff drops an elbow and hammers away in the corner but charges into a knee to the face.

Some big forearms have Orndorff in trouble as the pace slows way down. Heenan jumps in on commentary to praise Rude as he gets his knees up to cut Orndorff off again. Back up and Orndorff slugs away, setting up a nice backdrop. Heenan gets on the apron and fails miserably as Rude hits him by mistake. The distraction lets Rude grab a rollup with trunks for the pin at 8:44.

Rating: C+. Orndorff is someone who gets better every time I see him. He has so much fire almost every time he’s out there and it makes things rather fun to watch. That was the case again here, as it looked like Orndorff wanted to beat the fire out of Rude, which he pretty much did for the beginning. Rude winning makes sense as Orndorff was on his way out anyway (to run a bowling alley) but he would be back in WCW eventually.

Post match Orndorff chases Rude off.

We look at Rude hitting on a woman at ringside, who isn’t interested. Rude asks if she finds him as the sexiest man in the WWF but that would be her husband. It turns out her husband is a wrestler too: JAKE ROBERTS! Rude insults Roberts and grabs his wife, which brings out Roberts as the war is on. A bunch of jobbers come out to try and split them up, which only works so well.

From New York City, New York, October 24, 1988.

Rick Rude vs. Jake Roberts

This has special rules as you win just by hitting your finisher rather than having to get a pin. Rude’s music is overdubbed, to the point where you can’t even hear his introduction. Cheryl Roberts is here with Jake but there’s no Heenan for a change. Rude misses a charge into the corner to start and Roberts works on the arm as commentary talks about how important it is to build up your neck.

That can help you against the Rude Awakening, but not so much with the DDT. Rude bails out to the floor and comes back in, with Roberts snapping off the left hands. A clothesline takes Roberts down and Rude ties him in the ropes, meaning it’s time to stalk Cheryl. Roberts cuts that off and is quickly posted, allowing Rude to stomp on the fingers (how rude). The chinlock goes on (you knew that was coming in this match) for a bit until Roberts fights up, only to charge into a raised knee in the corner.

Rude’s own back is banged up though and they’re both down. A necksnap over the top rope has Roberts in more trouble but he manages to post Rude’s arm. Back in and a gutbuster has Rude in more trouble, followed by the knee lift. The short arm clothesline looks to set up the DDT but Rude drives him into the corner. Rude goes after Cheryl though and gets shoved away, allowing Roberts to snap off the DDT for the pin (maybe I got the rules confused) at 12:26.

Rating: C. This was kind of dull, but it’s light years ahead of their boring Wrestlemania IV match. Instead there was more of a point to the match and Cheryl added a lot here. It made things feel more personal and gave Roberts more of a reason to want to take Rude out. That’s what it needed to be and I liked this well enough.

Post match Roberts gives him the Damien treatment.

From Wrestlemania V.

Intercontinental Title: Rick Rude vs. Ultimate Warrior

Rude, with Bobby Heenan, is challenging and has the awesome tights with the title already painted on. Warrior even runs down the steps to the ring, which is rather impressive. Or stupid. Yeah probably stupid. Rude tries a knee to the ribs while Warrior still has the belt on and Warrior hammers away as a result. Some big shoves (and bigger jumps from Rude) send Rude hard into the corner and Warrior sends him flying into another corner.

The bearhug goes on and even Ventura is worried at this point. Rude gets smart by going to the eyes and he even busts out a MISSILE DROPKICK FOR…and Warrior kicks out before one. Warrior slams him down to stay on the back and the bearhug goes on again. Rude goes for the eyes again but this time the referee catches it, so Warrior bites Rude in the head instead. Monsoon: “Perhaps hunger.”

The Warrior Splash hits raised knees (and it wouldn’t have been close anyway) and Rude grabs a piledriver for a delayed two. We pause for some hip swiveling, but Rude’s ribs are banged up. A clothesline gives Rude two and we hit the double arm crank. Ventura: “Where are the big muscles now?” Uh, still there?

Muscular guys can get beaten up too. Warrior fights up and hits a running shoulder, followed by some faceplants. What looks like a backbreaker doesn’t work as Warrior almost falls down, so he hits a big shoulder into the corner. A charge misses but the Rude Awakening is broken up with raw power. Warrior clotheslines him out to the apron for a suplex, but Heenan sweeps the leg and holds it down to give Rude the title at 9:43.

Rating: B. This is one of the two matches are remembered from this show and possibly the better of the pair. These two just had awesome chemistry together and that’s the kind of thing you can’t plan for when setting up a feud. Rude winning the title instantly makes him a bigger deal, as the idea of Warrior losing was impossible to fathom, even with Heenan cheating to help. It’s still a memorable match, though I was a bit surprised by how show it was.

From Summerslam 1989.

Intercontinental Title: Rick Rude vs. Ultimate Warrior

Rude, with Bobby Heenan, is defending in a rematch from Wrestlemania. Rude is hesitant to start and slowly hammers away, only to get clotheslined to the apron. Warrior knocks him outside, sending Ventura into a rant about how Warrior is a lunatic. Ventura screams for the referee so Schiavone says it’s fine outside of the ring. Ventura: “YOU’RE EVEN DUMBER THAN MONSOON!”

Back in and Warrior hits a top rope ax handle for two before sending him hard into the corner. A suplex gives Warrior two and we get the big atomic drop, which lets Warrior do his own hip swivel. Warrior goes up and gets crotched, allowing Rude to hit some big forearms to the back. The reverse chinlock goes on for a bit but Warrior is fine enough to block the Rude Awakening.

Rude jumps on his back for a sleeper, which is broken up with a jawbreaker. Warrior runs Rude over and the referee is bumped, leaving everyone down. It’s time for Warrior to Hulk Up and hit some clotheslines into a powerslam but the referee is still down (likely needing a stretcher at this point). Warrior hits a piledriver for a rather delayed two, with Rude getting a foot on the rope.

A running powerslam sets up the Warrior Splash, which again hits raised knees. Rude grabs his own piledriver (but kneels down like a Tombstone for some reason) for two, followed by a top rope fist drop for the same. Cue Roddy Piper as Rude hits another piledriver for two more, leaving Piper to flash Rude. The distraction lets Warrior suplex him out of the corner, setting up the gorilla press. The Warrior Splash gives Warrior the title back at 16:04.

Rating: B. It’s not as memorable as the original, but the chemistry was absolutely still on display. Warrior getting the win/title back makes sense as he now looks all the more dominant. This gets rid of his one blemish as Rude moves on to Piper and he’s already looking that much better, which is due to the matches with Warrior. It’s a rare feud where both of them come out looking a lot better and it worked very well.

From Clash Of The Champions XVII as we jump ahead to WCW.

US Title: Rick Rude vs. Sting

Rude, with Paul E. Dangerously, is challenging in a match I’ve seen several times. Also, this lets me ask the same question I always have in this era: why was the big WCW logo at the entrance tilted to the side? It comes off as more a mistake than anything else and….yeah that’s what I would expect from WCW.

Anyway, Heyman insists that Sting isn’t here tonight but we see an ambulance coming up with Sting limping out, sporting a rather taped up knee. The bell rings and Sting, ever the moron, goes to the wrong door but has to get to the ring in time to beat the ten count. Sting makes it into the arena and brawls with Rude on the ramp, as I guess the ten count is forgotten. They get inside with Rude raking the eyes but getting punched out of the air, followed by a backdrop.

Sting clotheslines him over the top but Rude gets smart by going after the bad knee. Said knee is wrapped around the post a few times and Rude comes off the top with a forearm. The Rude Awakening is broken up again (must be a Blade Runners thing) but Rude falls down into a chop block. Dangerously gets in a cell phone shot for two in a nice false finish. Sting hits a DDT but goes after Dangerously, allowing Rude to chop block him for the pin and the title at 4:52.

Rating: C+. This was more of an angle than a match and that’s how it should have gone. Rude does the same thing he did by beating the Warrior as he takes out the seemingly invincible champion. The difference is here he looked serious coming in rather than stealing a win. You can see Rude’s development and evolution and it’s great to watch over time.

From Worldwide, May 30, 1992.

Rick Rude vs. Dustin Rhodes

Rude’s US Title isn’t on the line and he has Madusa with him. They start fighting….I guess, as we look at pictures from WCW Magazine as commentary is REALLY quiet for some reason. Rude works on the arm but Rhodes reverses into a hammerlock and drives some knees into the arm. A clothesline out of the corner drops Rude and a suplex does it again. Rhodes knocks him into the corner and starts hammering away, as Rude’s history of back issues continue.

The reverse chinlock goes on for a good while until Rhodes tries to drop down onto Rude’s back, landing on raised knees. In other words, Rhodes is an Arn Anderson fan. Rude slowly works on the back before grabbing a chinlock. That’s broken up but Rude turns him inside out with a clothesline. A top rope shot to the head gives Rude two and he hits Rhodes fairly low to cut off a comeback attempt.

Rhodes wins a fight over a Tombstone and gets two, with Rude getting a foot on the rope. Rude is banged up but still manages to send him outside for a needed breather, plus a kick from Madusa. Back in and Rhodes makes a very quick comeback, including the bulldog, but Madusa has the referee. A clothesline puts Rude on the floor instead but the referee is distracted, allowing Rude to get in a belt shot. The Rude Awakening gives Rude the pin at 12:43.

Rating: B-. This feud went on for a LONG time and it only got so good, though they had a nice match here. Madusa getting involved fit well, which was the case with pretty much anything involving the Dangerous Alliance. It’s good to see Rude getting another win, as you could absolutely see his rise in WCW in short order.

From Fall Brawl 1993.

WCW International Title: Rick Rude vs. Ric Flair

Flair, with Fifi, is defending. Before the match, Rude holds up a Flair towel and promises to leave with Flair’s title, reputation and his woman, who is painted on his tights (Ventura loves it). They fight over a top wristlock to start as Ventura talks about how Fifi should be in the kitchen like most women. Rude grabs a headlock but Flair is already going after the leg with the Figure Four just a few minutes after the bell. That’s broken up so Flair goes after the wristlock, followed by an armbar and a hammerlock. Oh this is going to be one of those matches isn’t it?

Rude fights up, gets punched down, and wristlocked again. The arm is wrapped around the rope and it’s back to the arm cranking. A running crossbody sends both of them crashing out to the floor for the bad landing. Back in and Rude hammers on the back, setting up the reverse chinlock. Flair finally avoids a drop down and slugs away but gets dropped throat first across the top rope. The bearhug goes on to keep Flair’s ribs in trouble and they go to the mat, with Flair actually turning it over and getting on top of him for a cover in a unique twist.

Rude gets up and hits a top rope shot to the head but keeps yelling at Fifi. Another try is punched out of the air and Flair drops a knee in the vicinity of Rude’s head. Rude is right back with a DDT for two but the Rude Awakening is countered into a neckbreaker from Flair, with Rude getting a foot on the rope.

Flair goes after the leg and sends Rude outside for a top rope shot to the head. Back in and Rude drops him again, only to yell at Fifi. That earns him a slap so Rude kisses Fifi and pulls her inside. Flair makes the save and grabs the Figure Four as the referee gets rid of Fifi. That’s enough of a distraction for Rude to pull out some brass knuckles and knock Flair cold for the pin and the title at 30:55.

Rating: C. This took a long, long time to get going and the good parts did work, but dang that ending fell flat. The idea of Flair defending the honor of one of the women who comes to the ring with him doesn’t feel right and it was a pretty lame way to switch the title. At the same time, I do like the idea of Rude winning the title though, as he was worth trying out in the main event scene.

Overall Rating: C+. Rude is an interesting case as he only had so many good matches, but that’s partially because he didn’t have a long career. He showed up in the WWE in 1987, was gone in 1990, spent about a year in the indies, showed up in WCW in 1991 and was done by 1994. It makes it all the more impressive that he was so memorable, as he went from a goofy heel to a heavy hitting threat in WCW. What is best remembered is his talking though, and unfortunately we only got so much of it here. They left out a lot of what could have been included and it makes me want to see more, so call this an ok enough collection.

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: October 17, 2025
Location: SAP Center, San Jose, California
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Corey Graves

We’re back in the states for Smackdown and the scheduled big match this week is Jacob Fatu vs. Drew McIntyre in a grudge match that has been built up for a long time now. We are also coming up on Saturday Night’s Main Event and that means the card is going to need to be set up. Let’s get to it.

Here is Crown Jewel if you need a recap.

We open with a long recap of Crown Jewel, including Seth Rollins beating Cody Rhodes in the Crown Jewel Title match. We also look at the Vision turning on Rollins the following night on Raw.

Here is Nick Aldis in the ring for a chat. He brings up the Jacob Fatu vs. Drew McIntyre match for later tonight, which is now a #1 contenders match to face Cody Rhodes, who joins us right now. Rhodes talks about the loss to Rollins, who has his own issues on Raw. As for tonight, Rhodes will handle Smackdown business, like that #1 contenders match. The road to Saturday Night’s Main Event runs through San Jose.

Solo Sikoa interrupts Rey Fenix in the back and the MFT’s beat him down.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Charlotte/Alexa Bliss vs. Zaria/Sol Ruca

Zaria and Ruca are challenging and NXT’s Blake Monroe (facing Ruca next weekend at Halloween Havoc) is here in the crowd. Charlotte and Ruca start things off with Charlotte flipping out of a wristlock. Ruca and Zaria get booted in the face and it’s off to Bliss for a dropkick to stagger Zaria. A big spinebuster plants Bliss and we take a break.

We come back with Bliss fighting out of a chinlock and elbowing Zaria down. Ruca is right there with a spinning belly to back faceplant but Bliss kicks her way out of trouble. The big tag brings in Charlotte for a high crossbody and it’s time to fire off the chops. Charlotte kicks Zaria in the face and snaps off a suplex for two.

Ruca is back in with a springboard clothesline but dives into a quickly broke Liontamer. The Sol Snatcher gets two with Bliss having to make the save. Zaria cuts off a hurricanrana from the apron and Ruca moonsaults onto Charlotte on the floor. Hold on though as Monroe offers a distraction, allowing Charlotte to chop block Ruca. The Figure Eight retains the titles at 12:07.

Rating: B-. Ruca and Zaria getting a title shot is a good way to go as they’re certainly a thing in NXT and have a story of their own. It’s not like there are a ton of teams on the main roster coming for the titles, so go with whatever you have available. It wound up being a good match as well, as Charlotte and Bliss continue to work well together.

Post match, respect is shown.

Cody Rhodes runs into Jacob Fatu, who promises he’s coming for Rhodes after tonight. Works for Rhodes.

Aleister Black is glad to be back with his wife, Zelina Vega, who describes them as the mirror that shows the infections around here.

We look back at Solo Sikoa and the MFT’s interrupting last week’s US Open Challenge.

Nick Aldis is in the back with the Miz, when Sami Zayn interrupts. The US Open Challenge seems to be off for tonight, as Aldis wants Shinsuke Nakamura to get a fair rematch but he’s not here tonight. Zayn says the challenge is important and he’s going to the ring. Miz leaves as well.

We look at Hulk Hogan’s Rock N Wrestling, which are being added to the WWE Vault YouTube channel every Saturday.

US Title: Sami Zayn vs. ???

Zayn is defending against….well it was supposed to be the Miz, but Carmelo Hayes jumps him from behind. Then ILJA DRAGUNOV returns and we’ve got a title match. We get a handshake to start before they fire off the forearms. An exchange of clotheslines goes to Zayn but Dragunov is back with a running boot in the corner.

We take a break and come back with Zayn grabbing a tornado DDT but Dragunov blasts him with a running boot to the face out of the corner. Zayn wrestles him down for some slow rolling German suplexes. Dragunov plants him down but charges into a Michinoku Driver for two. They fight to the apron, with Zayn hitting an implant DDT to drive Dragunov’s shoulder into the ropes (that’s different) as we take a break.

We come back with Dragunov’s backsplash connecting for two and a top rope superplex plants Zayn again. Zayn cuts him off but misses the Helluva Kick, allowing Dragunov to muscle Zayn up with a suplex. The Constantine Special connects for Dragunov but the Torpedo Moscow is cut off with a boot to the head. The Blue Thunder Bomb gives Zayn two more and it’s Solo Sikoa time. That slows Zayn down and the Helluva Kick is countered into the Torpedo Moscow. The H Bomb gives Dragunov the pin and the title at 19:20.

Rating: B+. As tends to be the case with Dragunov, he gave this everything he had and it made for an awesome performance. That’s what you expect from him and I’m glad to see him finally win something on the main roster. While I’m sad to see Zayn’s Open Challenge come to an end, it wouldn’t have made sense for Dragunov to come back and lose so soon.

Post match the MFT’s run in and beat down both guys. Rey Fenix runs in for a failed save attempt. Solo Sikoa asks if we’ve all forgotten that they run Smackdown. The team will get everything his family lost and they will be champions again. The Wyatt Sicks pop up on screen to say seek and you will be find, but be worried about what is on the other side. That brings the Sicks up behind the MFT’s and the fans REALLY like this. Sikoa and company lose though.

Video on the Australia/Japan tour.

We look at the Women’s Crown Jewel Title match, with Stephanie Vaquer beating Tiffany Stratton.

Stratton isn’t happy with the loss but she’s moving forward. Kiana James comes in to say that attitude is why she wanted to represent Stratton. That doesn’t work for Stratton, who agrees to face James next week. So Rhodes and Stratton have both basically said that losing at Crown Jewel meant nothing, much like the show in general. Good to know.

Earlier today, Los Garza interrupted the Motor City Machine Guns and mocked them, with a match being set up for later tonight.

Motor City Machine Guns vs. Los Garza

Shelley and Angel start things off, with Sabin coming in with a missile dropkick into a Downward Spiral to send Angel outside. Back in and Angel gets in a shot of his own before avoiding Shelley’s charge in the corner. We take a break and come back with with Shelley still in trouble but managing to grab a neckbreaker. The diving tag brings in Sabin to clean house, with a crucifix getting two on Berto.

Everything breaks down and the Guns get the better of a slugout until Berto powerbombs Sabin for two. The Gory Bomb/slingshot flipping cutter combination gets two on Shelley and they go to the floor. Berto hits a big flipping dive but Sabin makes a blind tag. Stereo shots in the corner rock Angel and Skull & Bones connects for the pin at 9:26.

Rating: B-. That’s what I’ve been missing from the Guns, as they’re a guaranteed good match no matter who they face. It’s good to see them back in the ring, even if they aren’t in the title picture at the moment. They don’t take time to reheat so let them do their thing and get some momentum going. It’s not like they have anything better to do right now.

Fraxiom wants to find their spot but they aren’t sure how to make that happen. DIY comes in to laugh at them for saying nothing has changed in the last two months. A match is teased.

Jacob Fatu has been attacked in the back and is bleeding from the mouth. Post break Fatu is awake but won’t answer any questions about what happened.

Here is Drew McIntyre for his scheduled match with Jacob Fatu but instead he mocks Fatu’s injury. Nick Aldis comes out to threaten McIntyre if he did this but McIntyre denies the whole thing. Cue Cody Rhodes to say McIntyre knows what he did so let’s do this title match right now. The fight is on and we take a break before the opening bell.

Smackdown World Title: Cody Rhodes vs. Drew McIntyre

Rhodes is defending and in street clothes. We come back for the opening bell and McIntyre tosses him with an overhead belly to belly. Rhodes spears him down and hammers away but gets elbowed in the face for two. The Futureshock gets two and McIntyre pounds him down in the corner. Rhodes manages to fight back and scores with a Cody Cutter to send McIntyre outside. The suicide dive is cut off and McIntyre sends him into the timekeeper’s area, where Rhodes comes up with a belt shot for the DQ at 4:51.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have much time here and it was basically the best idea that they had given the circumstances. That’s perfectly fine, but it makes me wonder if Rhodes was the one behind the attack. He’s been frustrated due to the loss, he’s been very enthusiastic to face Jacob Fatu, and he was very direct in accusing McIntyre. Or maybe it’s someone else, but Rhodes seems to be a strong possibility.

Post match Rhodes loads up the announcers’ table but McIntyre rakes his eyes. They fight onto the table, where security breaks it up, only for Rhodes to dive off the top and take a bunch of people out to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Solid show here, even with the screwy change that wasn’t WWE’s fault. The wrestling was good tonight, with the US Title match being quite the fight and the opener being rather entertaining as well. They kept things moving here and I liked the show, which has me wondering where a lot of things are going, so nice job of setting up for the future.

Results
Charlotte/Alexa Bliss b. Zaria/Sol Ruca – Figure Eight to Ruca
Ilja Dragunov b. Sami Zayn – H Bomb
Motor City Machine Guns b. Los Garza – Skull & Bones to Angel
Drew McIntyre b. Cody Rhodes via DQ when Rhodes used the title belt

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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Evolve: Succession
Date: October 15, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Robert Stone

It’s time for the first Evolve special since the series debuted back in March. This week features a three match card, with both titles on the line and a big grudge match which should become violent. That’s a good way to hook in some fans and the card has been built up pretty well. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look back at the original Evolve and what it can mean to be a star around here. This leads us into a look at tonight’s show.

We recap Bryce Donovan challenging Jackson Drake for the Evolve Title. The two of them have been part of the Vanity Project with Donovan as the team’s enforcer. Drake started taking advantage of Donovan though and even insulted him, eventually causing Donovan to snap. Donovan signed the contract for the title match and quit the team, promising to take the title here.

Evolve Title: Bryce Donovan vs. Jackson Drake

Drake, with the Vanity Project is defending and slaps Donovan in the face to start. That earns him a Black Hole Slam before Donovan sends him flying into the corner. A flapjack sets up some forearms to Drake’s chest, with Donovan pointing down at the Project. Donovan goes outside to yell at the Project, allowing Drake to hit a suicide dive to take over. Cue Keanu Carver, with security holding him back as we take a break. We come back with Donovan working on a half crab. That’s broken up and Donovan fights back, including a pop up powerbomb for two.

Drake goes back to the knee and dropkicks him to the floor, where Donovan grabs a chokeslam onto the apron. Donovan’s running charge hits the steps though and Drake drops the knee into those steps. Back in and a Swanton (possibly onto the knee) gets two on Donovan, who hits a hard clothesline of his own. A middle rope chokeslam plants Drake but the cover sends his feet in the ropes. Drake goes back to the knee though and a pair of Unalivings retain the title at 8:23.

Rating: C+. The match was a nice back and forth fight and I’m glad Drake won, as the Donovan turn was a last minute thing. It would have been odd to see Drake win the title only a week after his turn, which wasn’t so big in the first place. The title change should come at a bigger moment so the match going this way makes sense. At the same time, that’s quite the death knell in Donovan for the time being, as he’s going to need a change to come back from that kind of a loss.

Stevie Turner is on the phone with someone from AAA and is excited to have an up coming guest start. A celebrity (seemingly from some series) Bigg Jahh comes in to say the title match was fire. They’ll watch the rest of the show together.

Video on Adrenaline Drip vs. Harley Riggins and Jax Presley.

Masyn Holiday and Layla Diggs are in the back with Wendy Choo. As Choo is about to talk, Chantel Monroe comes in to mock the idea of Choo talking and then leaves. Choo says AJ Lee says therapy works. They’re off to find Bigg Jahh, who apparently makes movies.

Tate Wilder vs. Brooks Jensen

Bullrope match with pinfall or submission to win. They pull at the rope to start until Jensen misses a kick and gets tripped down. Wilder misses some whips with the rope and gets forearmed in the corner. Jensen gets tied up in the rope again though and Wilder pulls him down, followed by a dropkick to the floor. That lets Jensen pull him into the ropes for a knockdown as we take a break.

We come back with Jensen missing a bell shot to the face but dropping Wilder over the top rope. A middle rope elbow to the head gets two on Wilder and the rope is pulled across Wilder’s mouth. Jensen whips him with the rope, which helps wake Wilder up to start the comeback. Wilder whips him down for a change and they slug it out until Jensen knocks him out of the air with a bell shot. Jensen goes up and gets pulled back down, setting up a powerbomb into the Wilde Ride for the pin at 6:18.

Rating: B-. Nice match here and Wilder got the win that he needed. It was another result that needed to happen as Wilder would be absolutely done if he lost here. Jensen isn’t exactly a top name but he’s a big enough deal that Wilder gets something out of beating him. At some point you need to move someone up the ladder and that’s what we’re getting here.

Video on the WWE ID Program, with new names arriving soon.

We recap Kendal Grey challenging Kali Armstrong for the Women’s Title. Armstrong is the monster while Grey has been rising up the ranks and is ready to challenge for the top spot.

Quick video on Aaron Rourke.

Sean Legacy is in Stevie Turner’s office and wants to face Edris Enofe next week. Bigg Jahh says he should so Turner makes….Jah the GM next week. Layla Diggs and Masyn Holiday come in and try to get parts in his new movie.

Women’s Title: Kendal Grey vs. Kali Armstrong

Grey is challenging and after the Big Match Intros, takes Armstrong down and hammers away. Armstrong powers her into the corner to hammer away but gets fireman’s carries back down. A missed charge in the corner lets Grey score with a dropkick out to the floor. Grey hits a nice dive and they fight up to the apron. Armstrong cuts off a slingshot though and Grey gets driven back first into the apron over and over.

We take a break and come back with Armstrong dropping an elbow for two, followed by a reverse slam. The chinlock goes on but Grey fights up and sweeps the leg. A DDT gives Grey two and a moonsault press connects for the same. Armstrong is back with a pop up powerslam for two of her own and a top rope superplex gets two more. They slug it out with Armstrong getting the better of it and loading up the Kali Connection, which is countered into a powerslam to give Grey the pin and the title at 9:36.

Rating: B. This was a well put together match and I liked what we got out of it, with Armstrong going with with what worked to get her here, only to get caught going too far. Grey was built up well in the last few weeks and it makes sense for her to be the one to slay the monster champion. Good stuff here and well worthy of the main event slot on this show.

Wren Sinclair and Carlee Bright run in for the celebration to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. They nailed this one pretty well, with all three matches going as they should have and the quality going up as the card moved along. I liked this rather well and it was nice to have it be the length of a regular episode rather than making it some kind of big elongated special. As usual, Evolve is well produced and structured, which makes the show that much easier to watch.

Results
Jackson Drake b. Bryce Donovan – Unaliving
Tate Wilder b. Brooks Jensen – Wilde Ride
Kendal Grey b. Kali Armstrong – Powerslam

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: October 13, 2025
Location: RAC Arena, Perth, Australia
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Michael Cole

We’re done with Crown Jewel and still in Australia so this is airing twelve hours earlier than usual. Seth Rollins and Stephanie Vaquer won the Crown Jewel Titles and John Cena and AJ Styles had an incredibly special match. It’s time to start getting ready for next month’s Survivor Series and WarGames so let’s get to it.

Here is Crown Jewel if you need a recap.

Long Crown Jewel recap.

Here is the Vision for a chat. The fans are not happy to see Seth Rollins, who calls them a bunch of “w******” before hitting his usual catchphrases. Rollins praises each of the members, including giving Heyman a kiss on the head, and saying that Breakker and Reed are being incredibly successful. Rollins asks the fans who is the greatest World Heavyweight Champion of all time. The reality is that he has beaten CM Punk and Roman Reigns on his own. He didn’t need the men in this ring but rather he chose all of them. Rollins is the greatest of all time and has proven it, so here’s a lot of pyro.

Penta runs into Rusev, who is facing the winner of tonight’s Intercontinental Title match. If that’s Penta, Rusev recommends prayer because pain is coming. Dominik Mysterio is coming up from behind, sees Rusev, and leaves.

Intercontinental Title: Penta vs. Dominik Mysterio

Mysterio is defending and fires off a quick superkick. That earns him a hurricanrana to the floor, where Penta gives him a backdrop onto the announcers’ table. We take a break and come back with Mysterio being sat on top for a kick to the head. A springboard spinning crossbody gives Penta two, followed by the slingshot dropkick in the corner for two more. Mysterio is able to send him outside for a suicide dive, allowing Mysterio to do the Penta strut.

A running dropkick in the corner gets two and we take another break. We come back again with Mysterio missing a slingshot hilo and being sent outside for a big top rope dive. Penta gets in two Amigos but Mysterio suplexes him for two instead. The Penta Driver gets two but Mysterio reverses the Canadian Destroyer into a Michinoku Driver. Cue Rusev, who gets taken down by Penta. The distraction lets Mysterio grab the title and the timekeeper’s hammer. As expected, the referee gets rid of the belt but Mysterio hammers Penta in the knee. A 619 into the frog splash retains the title at 15:38.

Rating: B. They started to roll at the end there and Mysterio continues to roll as his rather awesome title reign keeps going. The fans are even getting into him cheating, which gives his future that much more potential. He’s likely going to hold the title for a good while and that could make for some very interesting moments. The fact that the match was good makes it even better.

LA Knight is ready to face CM Punk tonight and then he’s moving on to go after the World Title. Punk comes in to say Knight isn’t beaten him tonight, with Knight disagreeing.

Asuka yells at Kairi Sane for losing at Crown Jewel so Sane offers to talk to Iyo Sky. That’s not what Asuka wants, but rather for her to face Rhea Ripley tonight. This surprises Sane, even though the match was announced earlier tonight. Sane shows off a big bruise on her head and gets slapped as a result.

Rhea Ripley vs. Kairi Sane

Iyo Sky and Asuka are here too. Sane rolls away from her to start and gets in a slap, which doesn’t seem to be the best idea. A crossbody is pulled out of the air though and Ripley muscles her up for a suplex. Sane sends her outside with a running headscissors, where Ripley knocks her out of the air. Asuka’s distraction brings Ripley outside but Sky goes after Asuka instead. Sane gets in a shot of her own on Sky though and we take a break.

We come back with Ripley fighting out of a chinlock and running Sane over for two. The headbutt sets up Riptide, with Sane slipping out and taking it to the apron. Ripley is sent outside for a dive off the apron but she’s fine enough to hit a Razor’s Edge toss. A running kick to the face gives Ripley two and she puts Sane up top. The top rope double stomp in the Tree Of Woe gives Sane two so she goes up top again. A top rope hurricanrana is countered into a faceplant so Asuka offers a distraction. Sky kicks her down and Riptide finishes Sane at 16:00.

Rating: B. It’s nice to see Ripley get another win and it makes sense for that to take place in her native Australia. This story has been going on for a pretty good while now and Ripley is starting to look more dominant, though at some point the Warriors need to get a big win of their own. For now though, Ripley beating Sane is a good result for the short term.

Post match Ripley goes after Asuka but Sane makes the save with a kendo stick shot. Asuka DDTs Ripley onto the announcers’ table.

The Usos are in the back, with Jimmy not getting why Roman Reigns is mad at them over trying to help him. Jey says they have to worry about their own business, with Jimmy not liking the tone. He’ll deal with Bronson Reed on his own.

Bronson Reed vs. Jimmy Uso

Uso slugs away to start and gets cut off just as fast. Reed misses a charge and gets sent outside where Uso fires off some right hands. Back in and a World’s Strongest Slam plants Uso, who loses his shirt to reveal some taped up ribs. We take a break and come back with Reed missing a backsplash to give Uso a breather. Uso enziguris him into the corner and hits a Whisper In The Wind for two. Due to reasons he “he’s not very bright”, Uso tries a Samoan drop and collapses. Reed drops a backsplash and hits the Tsunami for the win at 9:17.

Rating: C. This was about what you were expecting, as the former Bloodline’s issues continue to mount. There is only so much that you can do when Uso is banged up in the first place and is facing someone whose whole offense is built around getting to injure someone’s ribs. Reed’s big run continues and that is rather nice to see given what he has been doing in recent months.

Post match Bron Breakker shows up for a Super Spear but Jey Uso runs in for the save before the around the ring version can connect. Jey fights back and the villains run off. Jimmy seems to appreciate the help but Jey doesn’t look happy with him.

Lyra Valkyria isn’t sure if she can trust Bayley against Judgment Day and says this is a one time thing. Bayley laughs it off.

Bayley/Lyra Valkyria vs. Judgment Day

Valkyria takes Perez down by the arm to start and it’s quickly off to Bayley to send the villains into the corner. The WHOA running elbow connects and Valkyria is sent into them as well. Rodriguez sends Valkyria flying into Bayley though and Perez comes in for a Russian legsweep/big boot combination.

We take a break and come back with Perez sending Valkyria into the corner to crotch Bayley, who gets planted with a slingshot suplexed. A double springboard moonsault gives Perez two but Bayley manages to get over for the tag. Valkyria comes in and cleans house but slaps Bayley to wake her up a bit, which makes Bayley laugh. Bayley goes nuts and wrecks the villains, with the top rope elbow into the Rose Plant finishing Perez at 11:10.

Rating: C+. I can go with Bayley having two different sides to her as long as they drop the whole voices thing. Her just losing control and snapping is fine, as it’s giving Valkyria more TV time and it seems to be working. I don’t know how long it’s going to last, but it’s working well for now.

Seth Rollins and Paul Heyman talk about how great things have been and how great they will be going forward. Rollins knows something amazing is on the horizon. Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker come in, with Rollins saying they are this close to the top of the mountain. Nothing can stop them.

AJ Styles comes up to Adam Pearce and says Crown Jewel was amazing, though it would have been better if he had won. Dominik Mysterio comes in to ask where his attention is and says he’s the only champion defending his title. Styles agrees and thinks he and Dragon Lee should get a Tag Team Title shot next week. Works for Pearce, who says Mysterio can tell the champs.

Here is Stephanie Vaquer for a chat. She’s happy to have won her fourth title in a year but here is Judgment Day to interrupt. They both say they should be champion, so Vaquer tells them to do something about it. Perez says she’ll do it on her own time.

The attendance for the three days is 40,503.

Jey Uso vs. LA Knight vs. CM Punk

For a future shot at Seth Rollins. Knight stomps Uso down in the corner to start but gets sent outside. Knight gets to beat on Punk outside, only for Uso to hit a suicide dive. We take a break and come back with Punk hitting the running knees in the corner but Uso sends him into the corner. The Umaga Attack hits Knight but Punk neckbreakers Uso to cut him off. Punk drops the top rope elbow on Knight, who escapes a GTS attempt. Knight hits a double top rope elbow for two each and we take another break.

We come back with Uso and Punk slugging it out until Knight is back in. Knight superplexes Punk but gets Superfly Splashed by Uso for two. Uso is sent outside and the BFT hits Punk, with Uso breaking up the cover. Back in and the Superfly Splash hits Punk’s raised knees and the GTS gives Punk the win at 13:30.

Rating: B-. Punk winning is a good way to go as him getting to face Rollins one on one should makes for a big match whenever it happens. At the same time, it’s nice to see Knight not take the fall for a change. Uso already has something else going on with his family so this could have been a lot worse.

Post match Punk celebrates but here is the Vision, with Breakker hitting a spear each for Jey Uso and LA Knight. Punk gets beaten down as well and Rollins talks a lot of trash. And then Breakker spears Rollins. Breakker says something to Reed as Heyman looks stunned. Reed gives Rollins a Tsunami and Heyman is forced to hold up Breakker and Reed’s arms, with Breakker holding up the title to end the show. That’s one heck of a twist and I did not see it coming, though dang it’s pulling quite the trigger.

Overall Rating: B+. The ending boosted this one up a lot, though I’m scared that it’s Reed and Breakker turning on Rollins for the sake of playing mind games with Punk before the title match. The crowd was hot all night (though I could go forever without hearing that Will You Be My Girl song again) and it feels like the stakes have been raised now that we are done with the Crown Jewel stuff. Just keep that energy going though, as we have a long way to go before Survivor Series.

Results
Dominik Mysterio b. Penta – Frog splash
Rhea Ripley b. Kairi – Riptide
Bronson Reed b. Jimmy Uso – Tsunami
CM Punk b. Jey Uso and LA Knight – GTS to Uso

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

Crown Jewel 2025
Date: October 11, 2025
Location: RAC Arena, Perth, Australia
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

It’s time for the annual champion vs. champion show and that should make things interesting. The word there is should, as the build has been hit or miss at best. We have Seth Rollins vs. Cody Rhodes and Tiffany Stratton vs. Stephanie Vaquer, plus AJ Styles vs. John Cena for the last time. Let’s get to it.

We open with a video of the Crown Jewel titles being transported from Saudi Arabia to Australia. This aired on Smackdown.

The opening video focuses on Rhea Ripley (makes sense) and talks about the sounds they make around the world. Those sounds don’t need translations because it’s real. Now it’s Australia’s turn.

Roman Reigns vs. Bronson Reed

Street fight and Paul Heyman is here with Reed. Reigns slugs away to start and sends Reed into some buckles before raining down the right hands. It’s already time to go outside, which has Heyman waddling away. Reigns knocks him over the barricade and throws some Prime at him, which is quite the product placement. Some trashcan shots to the back have Reed in trouble and they get back to ringside, where Reigns finds a cricket bat and a rugby ball.

Reigns hits him in the back with the bat but poses too much, allowing Reed to run him over. That doesn’t work for Reigns, who is back with a posting and some kendo stick shots. Reigns grabs the mic and says if Perth wants tables, they have to acknowledge him. That’s at least a smart way to get them brought in so nice job. Reed uses the delay to get in a cheap shot and send the table back underneath the ring. They head back inside where Reed hammers away with chairs.

One of the chairs is set up, which isn’t a great idea as Reigns gives him a Samoan drop through said chair. Some rapid fire clotheslines against the ropes rock Reed and a jumping version puts him down. Reed’s Jagged Edge gets two and it’s time for the stop sign. A chair is wedged into the corner before a release Rock Bottom onto the sign gives Reed two. Reed’s charge goes into the chair (of course) but Reed bails outside before the spear can launch.

They go outside and here’s Bron Breakker with a Super Spear. A double powerbomb sends Reigns through the announcers’ table so cue the Usos (who Reigns didn’t want to get involved) for the save. The 1D drops Breakker but he’s right back up with a gorilla press gutbuster to Jey. The Super Spear sends Jimmy through the barricade but Reigns is up to cut off the Tsunami to Jey. Back up and Jey accidentally spears Reigns through a table, leaving the Tsunami to give Reed the pin at 21:07.

Rating: B. I had fun with this and it makes Reed look like an absolute monster. Yeah he had help, but pinning Reigns is a big deal no matter who you are. At the same time, Reigns isn’t going to be happy with the Usos for not listening to him and now we’ll have some fallout. Good stuff here, and probably the right way to go.

Post match Reigns and the Usos are sitting on the mat, where Reigns yells at them for saying no one thinks he can do this on his own. It only works one way and he doesn’t want to see their faces. Fans: “SOMEONE’S IN TROUBLE!” With Reigns gone, the Usos argue as well, with Jey saying Reigns is always going to be himself and leaves on his own.

Women’s Crown Jewel Title: Stephanie Vaquer vs. Tiffany Stratton

They go with the grappling to start with Stratton working on a headlock but getting reversed into a wristlock. A rollup gives Vaquer two and it’s an early standoff. Stratton knocks her down but charges into a superkick for two. Something like a standing STF (that’s a new one) has Stratton in trouble until it’s broken up to leave both of them down. Stratton cartwheels into an Alabama Slam for two and Vaquer is in trouble for the first time.

That doesn’t last long as Vaquer gets in a dragon screw legwhip out of the corner but the knee is fine enough for Stratton to hit End Of Heartache for two. The Devil’s Kiss attempt is countered into a boot to the face to give Stratton two more and some frustration is setting in. A Swanton hits raised knees though and now the Devil’s Kiss connects. The SVB gets two but Stratton gets in the Regal Roll. The Prettiest Moonsault Ever misses though and Vaquer’s corkscrew moonsault finishes at 10:17.

Rating: B-. This was about what I was expecting, as they had a perfectly fine match but it didn’t feel overly important no matter what they were doing. There was no way around the lack of heat on the story and they were running with an anchor here. Vaquer needed the win a lot more than Stratton, but it’s not like this is going to mean much in the long term.

Post match HHH presents Vaquer with the title, which is massive on her (or on anyone for that matter). She talks about how this is for everyone and now she is the Crown Jewel Champion.

Paul Heyman and Bron Breakker praise Bronson Reed for his win. Heyman also says no matter what, they cannot help Seth Rollins tonight because he has to win tonight.

AJ Styles vs. John Cena

There’s no recap here, which makes sense as even Styles has said there’s no story. It’s just two guys who have had a great rivalry facing each other one last time. Styles is even in the old school shorts, which I haven’t seen him wear in at probably fifteen years. The roof comes off for Cena’s entrance as this guy might have a future. We get the Big Match Intros and Styles gets a specialized entrance of his own, being described as the definition of Total Nonstop Action and hopes to get to BEAT UP JOHN CENA one last time.

Styles grabs a headlock before having to grab the rope to avoid an armdrag. The fans are already declaring this awesome and…yeah fair enough in this case. Cena’s headlock works a bit better but Styles pops up for a dropkick to cut him down. The AA attempt is countered and Styles hits the sliding forearm for two. Another sliding forearm gets another two but the Phenomenal Blitz is countered with the ProtoBomb.

There’s the Shuffle into the AA for two, which shouldn’t be a shock as it’s only the first finisher. Styles is back up with the fireman’s carry backbreaker onto the knee but Cena busts out a Skull Crushing Finale for two more. Styles’ torture rack slam gives him two of his own and they have to pull themselves up. A Scorpion Death Drop (without the moonsault) drops Cena for another near fall but the Styles Clash is countered into most of an STF. That’s reversed into a crossface but Cena reverses into an Accolade (oh it’s one of THOSE matches).

Styles escapes into a Koquina Clutch…which is reversed into the Walls Of Jericho (Cole: “You have got to be kidding me.”). Styles escapes that so Cena pulls him into the STF, which Styles reverses into the Clash for two more. Styles tries the Phenomenal Forearm but dives into Sister Abigail (complete with the Kiss) for two and the Fireflies are out. Cena smiles at that and looks up for a second in a great moment. Styles grabs Angel’s Wings for two and it’s time to strike it out.

Neither finisher can connect so Cena tries a Pedigree, which is reversed into a Deadeye for two. Cena is back up with a Randy Orton hanging DDT and the fans want an RKO. That’s exactly what they get for a near fall…so Cena loads up the Punt. Styles counters that into an AA for two as Barrett compares this to watching a video game. The Shuffle is loaded up but Cena reverses that into a chokeslam for two as the fans want a 619. Cena actually does the drop toehold into the ropes and the crowd is ready to lose it.

That’s cut off with a clothesline, which is probably better as Cena might have torn everything in his body. The springboard 450 connects for Styles and he tunes up the band for Sweet Chin Music and another near fall. The Phenomenal Forearm gets two more so the fans chant YES. Cena cuts that off with a quick AA for two so he takes Styles up. The super AA is reversed…so it’s a Tombstone to Styles, followed by the AA for the pin at 27:12.

Rating: A+. There are certain matches where you just know you’re seeing something special and that was the case here. They were out there having a great time and paying tribute to everyone they could think of and it was an instant all timer. In addition, the fans more than boosted this up and took it from something great to something incredible. I loved this.

Post match respect is shown (of course) and even commentary gives them a standing ovation.

We recap Rhea Ripley/Iyo Sky vs. the Kabuki Warriors. Ripley and Sky are friends and that’s not ok with Asuka, who wants Sky with them alone. Sky is torn and now it’s time to fight.

Rhea Ripley/Iyo Sky vs. Kabuki Warriors

Ripley somehow gets a reaction that can rival Cena’s, which is an amazing feat. The Warriors charge at them to start and clear Ripley out, with Asuka sending her head first into the post. Asuka and Sky have the big showdown with Sky flipping around and tripping her to the mat. Sky hammers away next to the ropes and hits a running dropkick as Barrett has to remind us that this is in fact a tag match.

Asuka is sent outside for a suicide dive but comes back with a hard kick to take over. That’s good for an eight count and Sane grabs the upside down triangle choke back inside. Asuka comes back in to yell at Sky and then fire off some kicks before Sane comes back in. Sky rolls over for the tag but the referee doesn’t see it (of course) so it’s a pair of spinning backfists to Sky’s head. Sane sends Sky crashing into the corner for two but she manages a flapjack to Asuka. The tag brings Ripley in and yeah the fans approve.

A running kick to the head gets two on Sane, who has to escape a Razor’s Edge. Asuka comes back in for two off a Shining Wizard but Ripley kicks Sane’s head off. Sky is back in with a missile dropkick for two more, followed by a top rope armdrag. Over The Moonsault is broken up and Ripley is sent into the steps, only for Sky to drop the Warriors with an Asai moonsault. Back in and Over The Moonsault hits Sane for two, with Asuka making the save.

Ripley comes back in and gets caught with the assisted Insane Elbow, with Sky making the save this time. Sky hits a painful looking missile dropkick to Asuka and everyone is down. Ripley wins a slugout with Asuka and Sane has to break up a super Riptide. That means a regular version to Sane and Over The Moonsault finishes for Sky at 19:02.

Rating: B. The match went a bit longer than it needed to but this worked for what it needed to be. The fans wanted to see Ripley and Sky gets to knock the Warriors back a few steps. We’re all but guaranteed to see Sky vs. Asuka one on one at some point and that should be awesome, with this being a nice stepping stone to get there.

We recap Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins. They’re both big stars but Rollins is going nuts because he can’t beat Rhodes. The idea is supposed to be that this is about who is the future of WWE but it hasn’t exactly clicked. Rollins’ self doubt has been a much better way to go and thankfully has become the focal point of the build.

Men’s Crown Jewel Title: Seth Rollins vs. Cody Rhodes

Rollins has gear inspired by his previous matches with Rhodes and the camera makes sure to show him taking off his watch. Rollins’ headlock doesn’t do much to start as Rhodes reverses into a release gordbuster. It’s already time for a breather on the floor, with Rollins having to yell at the fans. Back in and they argue a lot before slugging it out, with Rhodes hitting the drop down uppercut.

Rollins needs another breather on the floor, where he gets to throw some things around. He even goes after commentary, which allows Rhodes to send him face first into the announcers’ table. Rollins dropkicks him through the ropes and hits a double stomp to the back for two back inside. A running clothesline gives Rollins two and he counters the Disaster Kick into a sitout powerbomb for two more, which means it’s time to yell a the referee.

Rollins starts in on the arm but Rhodes fights up, only to get pulled into the Figure Four. Rhodes escapes and the fans chant for CM PUNK to get on Rollins’ nerves. A Vertebreaker drops Rollins hard and the Disaster Kick does it again. The Bionic Elbow sends Rollins outside for the suicide dive, followed by a Cody Cutter for two back inside. Another Disaster Kick is countered into the Pedigree to give Rollins his own two. Rhodes gets up and misses a Cody Cutter attempt, meaning it’s a Pedigree into a Stomp for another near fall.

Rollins is stunned so he goes outside to grab his watch but changes his mind and puts it down. The distraction lets Rhodes score with Cross Rhodes for two but Rollins catches him on top. That means Rhodes is tied in the Tree Of Woe for a coast to coast headbutt for two more. Rollins comes up favoring his own arm so Rhodes goes up, with Rollins catching him with a super Spanish Fly for another near fall.

Now it’s Rollins going up, with Rhodes pulling him down in a super Cross Rhodes for two of his own. They slug it out until Rollins has to escape a Pedigree before grabbing the watch. The referee is bumped and the watch to the head sets up the Stomp. The Super Stomp gives Rollins the pin at 29:44.

Rating: B. This was WAY longer than it needed to be as it was almost all about setting up the watch, which was telegraphed all the way from the beginning. The problem with the build to this match was Rhodes had nothing to gain, which made Rollins winning almost the only way to go. The match was good, but it doesn’t really change anything for either of them, which is the big problem with the whole thing.

Post match HHH comes out to put the title on Rollins. Cathy Kelly comes in to talk to Rollins, who takes the mic and goes on about his greatness. Rollins hits the catchphrases and Stephanie Vaquer comes out so the two champions can pose to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. Well, they managed to make it work. This show is pretty much all about the wrestling rather than anything major happening storyline wise and that’s ok. Nothing is bad and there’s an all time classic with Cena vs. Styles, plus a fun opener and a good enough main event. If nothing else, I’m rather happy because we don’t have to act like the Crown Jewel Titles mean anything for another year, mainly because we won’t even see the belts. Pretty awesome show here, with a rare instance of a match actually feeling special.

Results
Bronson Reed b. Roman Reigns – Tsunami
Stephanie Vaquer b. Tiffany Stratton – Corkscrew moonsault
John Cena b. AJ Styles – Attitude Adjustment
Rhea Ripley/Iyo Sky b. Kabuki Warriors – Over The Moonsault to Sane
Seth Rollins b. Cody Rhodes – Super 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:

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