Image: @MattYoungCTV. Report submitted by reader Blair Farthing.
– WWE Cruiserweight Champion Kalisto defeated Enzo Amore to retain his title
Amore cut a heel promo on the crowd to open the show.
– Goldust & Darren Young defeated Curtis Axel & Curt Hawkins
This was just a filler match. The faces won when Goldust hit Hawkins with the Final Cut.
– Elias defeated R-Truth
Elias sang and played the guitar before this started, then won the match with the Drift Away.
– Raw Tag Team Champions Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose defeated Cesaro & Sheamus and Heath Slater & Rhyno to retain their titles
The crowd was hot for Rollins and Ambrose. The match was fun, but it was pretty simple and short. Rollins hit his knee strike finisher to get the win for his team.
– Sasha Banks & Dana Brooke defeated Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss & Alicia Fox
This was another fun match, with Banks submitting Fox with the Banks Statement to get the win. Emma was the special guest referee.
– Intercontinental Champion The Miz defeated Jason Jordan to retain his title
Miz heeled it up for legitimately 5-10 minutes before the match, milking the crowd for boos and cutting the Rick Rude “sweat hog” promo. They ended up having a solid match, which Miz won with the Skull Crushing Finale after interference from Curtis Axel. Miz got more cheers than Jordan here.
– Roman Reigns defeated Braun Strowman in a last man standing match
The crowd was hot for this, with some fans rushing the barricade to see them. It had a big match feel.
The match was fun, but it was pretty slow. They limited the weapons to the steel steps and a couple of tables. Reigns would rally from behind, get some offense in, then Strowman would get up at nine. Strowman tried to powerslam Reigns through a table in the corner, but Reigns speared him through it for the finish.
ROH’s Global Wars tour hit its second stop as they came to Pittsburgh last night. Here’s a rundown of the show:
– Coast to Coast defeated One Mean Team
This was the pre-show match.
– Hiromu Takahashi defeated Mark Briscoe after the match was stopped due to Briscoe suffering an injury
Unfortunately, this only went for a couple of minutes. Takahashi was in control in the corner throwing some kicks, then Briscoe rolled out of the ring. The referee checked on him and called off the match, declaring Takahashi the winner. It wasn’t clear what happened from my point of view, but Briscoe ended up suffering a dislocated elbow.
– Best Friends (Trent Barreta & Chuck Taylor) defeated The Dawgs (Rhett Titus & Will Ferrara)
This was supposed to be Best Friends vs. The Addiction, but Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian came out in their street clothes and said they weren’t going to wrestle tonight. Titus and Ferrara replaced them, with Barreta eventually pinning Titus after Best Friends hit their combo finisher.
– Jay Lethal defeated Jay White
This started slow, eventually going fairly long and getting hotter and hotter by the end. Lethal hit the Lethal Injection to get the pin. They both sold heavily after the match and shook each other’s hand.
– ROH World Tag Team Champions Motor City Machine Guns defeated The Kingdom and The Young Bucks to retain their titles
Vinny Marseglia and TK O’Ryan represented The Kingdom here. The crowd went nuts when The Young Bucks made their entrance. The match had a lot of high flying, about a dozen superkicks, and Chris Sabin pinned Matt Jackson with a cradle in a surprise finish to retain.
– Deonna Purrazzo, Mandy Leon & Jenny Rose defeated Faye Jackson, Britt Baker & Sumie Sakai in a Women of Honor match
Purrazzo submitted Jackson with an armbar.
– ROH World Television Champion Kenny King defeated Josh Woods, Punishment Martinez, Hangman Page, Matt Taven, and KUSHIDA in a Proving Ground Instant Reward match
The winner would have gotten a shot at the ROH World Television Championship if it wasn’t King, but King won with two not-so-smooth Royal Flushes on Woods.
– War Machine defeated Killer Elite Squad
Ray Rowe pinned Lance Archer after War Machine hit a double team backbreaker/knee drop from the top rope.
– Bully Ray came out and gave an emotional speech saying he has a head injury and doesn’t know if he’ll ever wrestle again. He said he wanted to see the Pittsburgh crowd one more time if that was the case.
– Minoru Suzuki defeated Silas Young (w/ Beer City Bruiser)
Suzuki got a huge reaction, then had a fun match with Young. Eventually, Davey Boy Smith Jr. came back out. The referee was bumped, Smith Jr. interfered, and Suzuki hit Young with a chair and the Gotch-style piledriver to get the victory.
– Bullet Club (Kenny Omega, ROH World Champion Cody & Marty Scurll) defeated Chaos (Will Ospreay, Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI) to retain the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship for Bullet Club
The Bullet Club said they were invoking the Freebird rule, or rather the Bullet Club rule, before the match and that this would be for The Young Bucks & Hangman Page’s six-man tag titles. The match went about 20 minutes, with the crowd going absolutely nuts for it.
The crowd was definitely there to see the Bullet Club, and there to see Omega in particular. The Young Bucks and Page ran in towards the end of the match, resulting in Scurll running Yano into all 10 boots of the Bullet Club in the corner. Scurll submitted Yano with the chicken wing shortly after.
After the match, pretty much everyone stayed in the venue to listen to Cody and Omega’s promos. They taunted WWE and thanked the crowd to close the show.
Approximately 350 people were in attendance as NXT came to Orlando last night.
– No Way Jose defeated Marcel Barthel
Jose won with his pop-up punch.
– Sonya Deville defeated Sarah Logan
Deville got the submission with an armbar.
– Buddy Murphy defeated Babatunde Aiyegbusi
Murphy was able to slam his much larger opponent and pin him.
– Lio Rush defeated Fabian Aichner
One of Rush’s kicks put Aichner away.
– The Street Profits defeated Wesley Blake & Steve Cutler
Montez Ford got the pin with a frog splash.
– Nikki Cross defeated Sage Beckett
Cross used a crossbody off the top to get the victory.
– Oney Lorcan defeated Jason
A roll-up by Lorcan ended this one.
– Liv Morgan defeated Bianca Belair and Mandy Rose in a triple threat match
Belair took the pin here.
– The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly) defeated NXT Champion Drew McIntyre, Johnny Gargano & Kassius Ohno
Fish scored the pin on Ohno, but then all hell broke loose. Andrade “Cien” Almas showed up to attack McIntyre and Lars Sullivan came out to attack Ohno in a wild brawl.
ROH was in Buffalo, New York for the first night of their Global Wars tour last night. Here’s a rundown of the event:
– Deonna Purrazzo defeated Sumie Sakai in a Women of Honor match
Purrazzo hit a gourdbuster into an armbar for the submission win. Sakai tried to shake her hand after the match, but Purrazzo declined to a chorus of boos.
– Bobby Cruise came out to start the main portion of the show with a lot of people still in line for the Kenny Omega meet and greet. Cruise said that they’re taping the show for VOD.
– Rhett Titus & Will Ferrara defeated Coast to Coast
Titus hit a superkick and they followed it up with a top rope suplex/splash combo to get the win.
– KUSHIDA defeated Hangman Page
The crowd went crazy for Page when the Bullet Club’s music hit. He tried to Too Sweet the crowd, but shook his head before their fingers touched. The crowd started a big “One Sweet” chant.
KUSHIDA won with the Hoverboard Lock after holding onto the submission when he hit a superplex.
– Jay Lethal defeated Frankie Kazarian
Kazarian got a mixed reaction, but Lethal got maybe the biggest non-Bullet Club pop of the night. They had an excellent match with a lot of near falls. Lethal won with the Lethal Injection and the crowd popped huge for the finish.
– Minoru Suzuki & Killer Elite Squad defeated War Machine & Mark Briscoe
Silas Young came out to a nice reaction before the match. He cut a promo hyping his match with Suzuki in Pittsburgh tomorrow, drawing “What about us?” chants from the crowd. Young said that he was going to do commentary with Ian Riccaboni and Colt Cabana.
War Machine were pretty over and Briscoe got “Man up” chants. KES didn’t get much of a reaction and Suzuki only got a respectful pop, but there were eventually chants for Suzuki-gun and the crowd got more into him.
These guys beat the snot out of each other immediately. Eventually, Suzuki got a choke on Briscoe into a delayed Gotch-style piledriver for the win. Silas Young demanded for Suzuki to notice him while they were celebrating, but Suzuki completely ignored him. The crowd thanked War Machine and Briscoe as they stood in the ring and bowed after their loss.
– Unannounced, Bully Ray walked out and the crowd lost their minds. He got huge “ECW” chants and a huge pop. Bully Ray was tearing up, then said he was injured at Death Before Dishonor last month and doesn’t know what the future holds, but he hasn’t been feeling good. The crowd chanted that they love Bully and thanked him as he choked up in tears again.
Bully said this is the first time he’s been at a loss for words. He mentioned ECW and said something about ROH doing what they did 20 years ago. He said he loves Buffalo, and if nothing else he just wants to thank the city for all they’ve meant for him. He got on his knees and said thank you and started to tear up again. If this is an angle, this alone was worth running in Buffalo. The crowd just ate everything up.
– Mandy Leon defeated Jenny Rose in a Women of Honor match
Neither got much of a reaction as the crowd was burnt out after the Bully Ray segment. The crowd picked up a bit as the match went on, with Leon winning with a modified pumphandle driver. She hugged Rose after the match and raised her arm.
– Hiromu Takahashi defeated Christopher Daniels
There were “Daryl” chants (for Takahashi’s stuffed cat) and a lot of people had their own Daryls. There was even a “Daryl’s gonna kill you” chant. Daniels tried to shush the crowd, leading to massive chants for Takahashi. Daniels stalled for a bit before the match got going.
Daniels mocked the “Adam Cole Bay-Bay!” pose to boos during the match. Daniels grabbed Daryl and started biting him, which the crowd was horrified by. He used Daryl to hit Takahashi, but Takahashi hulked up from it. Daniels kissed Daryl and tried to roll-up Takahashi, with Takahashi countering with a hurricanrana into a triangle for the submission win.
Referee Todd Sinclair raised Daryl’s paw after the match. The crowd started chanting “Shake his paw” before Daniels and Takahashi embraced, but Daryl struck Daniels to get his revenge. Daniels then stumbled out and tried to attack one of the Daryls in the crowd before being restrained by security.
Yano seemed surprised by how over he was, but his pop was nothing compared to what his opponents got. Cody received the biggest pop of the night so far aside from Bully Ray. The crowd wanted to see Cody and Yano start, and they obliged. They forced Yano to kiss Cody’s ring, then Yano went for a low blow as the match started.
Seeing Yano live was more fun than I thought it would be. He finally got the turnbuckle off, but the referee stopped him from using it. While that happened, Cody hit a low blow and the Cross Rhodes for the win.
– Punishment Martinez defeated Will Ospreay
This was the sleeper match of the night. They made it work with the size difference, and there were too many excellent spots to mention. Martinez eventually got the win with his finisher. There was a huge “That was awesome” chant after the match, with Martinez yelling damn right it was as he left.
– The Young Bucks & Kenny Omega defeated The Kingdom to retain the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team titles
Chants for The Elite started as soon as everyone knew it was time for the main event, with them making us wait and building the anticipation. The venue was shaking as the crowd did the Terminator claps. The Kingdom’s music hit first to collective groans, but their music was abruptly cut and The Young Bucks’ music started. The crowd erupted for that.
The pop for Omega was unreal. There were “One Sweet” chants again as the Bucks got on the mic. They said they’ve modernized the Freedbird rule, and the ROH Six-Man Tag Team titles will be on the line here with Omega stepping in for Hangman Page.
Matt Taven is perfect as a heel. Omega wanted to shake his hand, but Taven wanted a Too Sweet. That resulted in a “You can’t do that” chant. Page, Scurll, and Cody came out at one point before the referee kicked the rest of the Bullet Club out and we were left with it being three-on-three.
There were lots of unique and creative spots in the match. The Bucks got a “cease, cease, desist” chant going to the tune of their Elite chants at one point and the crowd was totally into it. Cody came back out to make the save, then the finish was The Elite doing a One Winged Angel into a Meltzer Driver for the win.
That was a great and chaotic match. After it was over, all of the “Being the Elite” crew celebrated the victory as Omega grabbed the mic. A “Jimmy Jacobs” chant started and The Elite said what’s up to him.
Omega talked about how shocked he was at the reception he got tonight. He said he was only suppose to work the Global Wars tour show in Chicago, but supply and demand takes precedence and he goes where he’s needed and wanted. Matt Jackson took the mic and mentioned the Bullet Club “invasion” of Raw to a huge pop. He talked about having the freedom to do what he wants and said he won’t get fired for taking a selfie with a friend or fan.
Matt mentioned how we help feed their families before Nick interrupted to say that they’ll see their families on Christmas, referencing WWE having Raw live on Christmas this year. That drew a huge “F*ck Vince” chant. Matt said Vince McMahon takes fun away from fans and told the fans to tell Vince what we think — with the entire audience giving a Too Sweet.
Omega quoted the movie “Braveheart” about never taking away their freedom, then he said goodbye and goodnight to the audience. The Bullet Club’s music played and they jumped into the crowd to end the show.
Previously: Moose went to the American Top Team gym in search of Bobby Lashley but got beat down and thrown out by ATT.
Tonight: Johnny Impact faces Garza Jr. with the winner getting a title shot at Bound for Glory. Plus, Moose returns to the American Top Team gym with UFC legend Stephan Bonnar.
Show Recap —
– LAX made their way to the ring. Konnan demanded that LAX get their rematch with OVE at Bound for Glory. OVE came down to confront LAX, then Konnan informed them that the title match is going to be a 5150 street fight.
Diamante grabbed the mic and told Dave Crist that 5150 means it’ll be all of LAX in the match. She slapped Dave and a brawl broke out. Santana and Ortiz used an RKO on Dave onto two chairs and then sent Jake Crist through a table.
– Clips of a Pro Wrestling NOAH press conference featuring Eddie Edwards, Naomichi Marufuji, Eli Drake, and Cody Hall aired.
Rosemary defeated Hannah Harper
Rosemary completely dominated and won the match easily with the Red Wedding. After it was over, she grabbed the mic and called out Taya Valkyrie. Valkyrie and Rosemary faced off when Valkyrie suddenly spit the mist in Rosemary’s eyes. She followed up with her Road to Valhalla finisher.
– Moose is going back to the American Top Team gym, but this time he’s bringing backup.
– Taryn Terrell came out and ran down Gail Kim. She mentioned Kim’s husband Robert Irvine, calling him “Bobby” in a seductive way. Kim came out and told her the mind games won’t work. Kim believes in karma and said karma will slap Terrell before she does. Kim ended up slapping Terrell out of the ring.
– A video hyping the return of Alberto El Patron at Bound for Glory aired.
– Jim Cornette announced Taya Valkyrie vs. Rosemary for next week.
– Grado arrived outside of the Impact Zone exhausted. Joseph Park showed up in a fancy car with a bunch of women, with one of them calling Grado Park’s meal ticket. Grado was furious.
Allie ran wild on Sienna to start the match. Texano cut off Storm and isolated him in their corner, then Sienna tagged herself in and beat down Storm. Xavier was able to get the hot tag and score a close near fall on Konley.
Allie gave Texano a codebreaker and took out Sienna on the floor. Xavier climbed to the top, but Lee tripped him up. Storm nailed Konley with the Last Call to win the match.
GHC Heavyweight Champion Eddie Edwards defeated Naomichi Marufuji to retain his title at a Pro Wrestling NOAH show
This was just clips of a match where Edwards retained the championship by hitting the Die Hard Driver.
– Moose returned to the American Top Team gym but this time brought former UFC fighter Stephan Bonnar with him. They entered the gym with metal pipes.
Johnny Impact defeated Garza Jr. to earn a shot at the GFW Global Championship at Bound for Glory
Garza nailed a superkick for a near fall and worked over Impact. Impact made a brief comeback and scored a two count. They traded shots in the middle of the ring until Garza hit a standing moonsault for another near fall. Garza attempted a Boston crab, but Impact rolled him up for the win.
Johnny Impact will challenge Eli Drake for the GFW Global Championship at Bound for Glory. After the match, Jim Cornette interviewed Impact until Chris Adonis ran out and broke a wooden board over Impact’s head.
– Back at the ATT gym, Moose and Stephan Bonnar entered the gym looking for Bobby Lashley, King Mo, or Dan Lambert — but none were there. They destroyed the gym with the metal pipes and stole championship belts.
Next Week: The build for Bound for Glory continues. Plus, Taya Valkyrie vs. Rosemary.
The Big News: Andrade “Cien” Almas improved to 2-0 against Johnny Gargano as he pinned him once again in the main event.
The Medium News: Peyton Royce advanced to Houston and the fatal four-way match for the NXT Women’s Championship at TakeOver.
The Little Beaver-sized News: Nikki Cross was assaulted by Taynara Conti at the request of The Undisputed Era, which cost Cross her chance to get into the Women’s title match at TakeOver.
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Peyton Royce defeated Nikki Cross and Liv Morgan to earn a spot in the NXT Women’s Championship match at TakeOver: War Games
The winner of this match will join Kairi Sane in the fatal four-way match to determine the new NXT Women’s Champion at TakeOver: War Games next month.
The match started with Cross screaming at Royce, and this led to Cross grabbing Morgan’s arm and using a double clothesline to send Royce out of the ring. We settled down into a normal three-way from there. The crowd didn’t care for this at all, making very little noise for the most part. Royce used a reverse Octopus on Morgan that Cross broke up and caused Royce to almost land on her head.
They did a stacked-up superplex where Morgan got the worst of it. Suddenly, The Undisputed Era sent Mae Young Classic competitor Taynara Conti down to the ring and she interfered and ultimately cost Cross the match. Royce pinned Cross with a fisherman’s suplex.
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Velveteen Dream defeated Lio Rush
This was Rush’s real NXT debut. He attempted to debut last week against Aleister Black, but Velveteen Dream attacked him from out of nowhere, which brought us to this match.
Rush used his small size to his advantage as he dodged, ducked, dipped, dove, and dodged around Dream during the early part of the match. Unfortunately he didn’t dodge quick enough for long enough as Dream knocked him down and took over. Rush showed just enough to impress people who didn’t know him, but he went down for the count to a Purple Rainmaker.
After the match, Dream looked into the camera and mouthed a message to Aleister Black to say his name.
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Lars Sullivan defeated Danny Burch
This match was set up two weeks ago when Sullivan defeated Oney Lorcan and Burch ran in for the save from a post-match attack. Sullivan took almost all the offense and, again, was never taken off his feet by any offensive move given to him. Sullivan won with his side spinebuster.
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There will be an exclusive interview with NXT Champion Drew McIntyre on next week’s episode.
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The Street Profits defeated Damien Smith & Markos Espada
The Profits are easily one of the most over acts on NXT and this match was over as quickly as it began. We had a lot of shenanigans and non-action before Smith was a victim of the combo spinebuster/frog splash. I don’t believe Espada ever tagged in.
The Street Profits celebrated their win in the audience.
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Next week:
Ruby Riot vs. Sonya Deville vs. Ember Moon in a Women’s title qualifying match
SAnitY vs. The Undisputed Era
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Andrade “Cien” Almas defeated Johnny Gargano
These two men wrestled at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III, with Almas winning that match after Zelina Vega threw a DIY T-shirt into the ring to distract Gargano.
This was a good match and these two men have excellent chemistry together. Almas got the heat when he dropped Gargano with Christian’s reverse DDT, but on the ring apron, which is the hardest part of the ring. Gargano was on top of his game here as even when Almas would do something like counter Gargano’s slingshot spear, Johnny Wrestling would backdrop him over the top rope.
Gargano kicked out of several big moves, which frustrated Almas. Gargano was so tired that after hitting a superkick he collapsed onto Almas for a two count. Almas went for a top rope hammerlock DDT, but Gargano blocked it and then Almas blocked the sunset flip powerbomb. However, Gargano got on the Gargano Escape.
Vega freaked out and took off her leather jacket — to reveal a DIY T-shirt. Gargano didn’t fall for it, but Almas did get the ropes. They exchanged roll-ups until Almas was able to send him into the bottom turnbuckles. Two running knees to the back of the head was more than enough, but Almas still finished him off with a hammerlock DDT.
So, that does it for this week. We are one week closer to Houston, but what will happen next week? Until then, remember to say your vitamins and take your prayers!
We started things off with a recap of Monday night’s confrontation with Enzo Amore and Kurt Angle, along with Amore’s match with Kalisto and eventual title loss. Vic Joseph and Nigel McGuinness then introduced the show and hyped up the TJP vs. Rich Swann two-out-of-three falls match.
Renee Young was mid-ring and introduced Kalisto. He said he’s the first luchador to hold the Cruiserweight title and he’ll do it in Eddie Guerrero’s honor. That brought Amore and Ariya Daivari out, and Amore told Kalisto he isn’t here to crash his party. Amore called himself the godfather of the division and said the loserweights are his sons — and disappointing ones at that.
Amore said that Kalisto is a bit like Eddie Guerrero — he had to lie, cheat, and steal to get the title. Amore said that he put the title around high-end brands like Versace because he’s got tons of money, but there won’t be any money in the division with Kalisto on top. Daivari jumped Kalisto and a brawl erupted before Mustafa Ali came down to make the save. I smell a tag match, playa.
Rich Swann came down to the ring to face TJP. Swann told TJP that he gave him this match — but it will end their friendship.
Rich Swann defeated TJP in a two-out-of-three falls match
Swann dove onto TJP to start things off quickly. TJP recovered and tossed him into a barricade. TJP threw Swann into the ring and went for the kneebar — but Swann turned it into a cradle to score the first fall. It was then announced that Kalisto & Ali would face Amore & Daivari in the main event.
TJP landed a slick dropkick as the second fall began before taunting a bit and locking on a chinlock. He transitioned it into a straightjacket choke and locked on a cloverleaf, but Swann escaped. Swann went for a Tiger Driver, but TJP turned it into a DDT and cradled him for two. Swann was able to hit the Tiger Driver for a two count of his own.
Swann went for a standing frog splash, but TJP turned it into a cradle for two. TJP sent him outside with an awkward landing before dropkicking the knee. A big spin kick hit for Swann, with it getting a close near fall. TJP locked on the kneebar, but Swann escaped. Swann hit a rolling thunder and landed a Phoenix Splash to end it with a clean sweep. Well, that was surprising.
Amore cut a promo on Ali before Drew Gulak came in and asked them to pay attention to his PowerPoint presentations. Gulak said he can’t stand to see Kalisto as champion — he dresses like a goof! Gulak may not agree with Amore’s bombastic personality, but he too is woke! Amore asked what on earth just occurred, and the correct answer is “greatness” courtesy of Drew Gulak. Gulak said he’ll show what he means against Tozawa.
Tozawa entered to face Gulak, but Gulak jumped him before the match. Gulak tossed him into the tron and used his “no chants” board as a weapon by ramming it into Tozawa’s throat.
McGuinness called the attack nasty, leading to Joseph transitioning into talking about the previous attack of Cedric Alexander by Brian Kendrick and Jack Gallagher. Alexander was interviewed about his divide and conquer tactics from last week, with him saying that he has an edge and knows who he is. He then rattled off about a thousand unrelated statements to end this.
Kalisto and Ali came out for the main event first, then Amore skipped down and told Kalisto to find a good surgeon because they’re going to destroy his nose. Amore did his “S-A-W-F-T” bit as McGuinness said that he hopes he’ll learn to spell “soft” properly.
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Kalisto & Mustafa Ali defeated Enzo Amore & Ariya Daivari
Ali slugged away at Amore, but Daivari knocked him off the apron with a boot. Amore punted Ali’s ribs and tagged in Daivari to run his knee into the gut before a reverse bear hug. McGuinness then sang a song from Aladdin and Amore ate a big kick.
The faces sent Amore and Daivari outside for a double dive to gain a big edge, then Daivari ate the Salida Del Sol to end it. Amore dragged Daivari out before Kalisto did his “lucha” chant.
They’ve gone all-in with Amore as a heel here, with him insulting Daivari after and also yelling at the ref throughout the match. Amore still feels like the true top act, while Kalisto feels like a bigger star than he did before — but he doesn’t have the tools to even carry this version of the cruiserweight division. Comparing him to Eddie Guerrero regularly, and even mentioning Rey Mysterio while he’s out there, won’t help him in the slightest.
– SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos defeated The New Day, Breezango, and Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin to retain their titles
Big E was on the outside while Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston represented The New Day in the match. After Kingston dove over the top rope on all of the teams, Jey Uso rolled up Woods for the pin.
Kingston did a twerking session that lasted more than 60 seconds while he was in the ring with Fandango during the match.
– Bobby Roode defeated Dolph Ziggler
This was a similar back-and-forth match to the one they had at Hell in a Cell, with them doing the same rolling/tight-grabbing sequence while going for pins. Roode hit the Glorious DDT for the win.
– Tye Dillinger & The Hype Bros defeated Aiden English & The Ascension
English ran down East Lansing and Michigan State sports via song before the match, including calling the people in attendance garbage. Dillinger got the win for his team and Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley didn’t tease any of the dissension that’s been happening on TV.
– Randy Orton defeated Rusev
They had a longer and more competitive match than the one at Hell in a Cell, though Orton still won with an RKO out of nowhere.
They had a fun match. Carmella trolled the audience at one point by faking that she was going to throw her hat into the crowd, with Naomi eventually taking it from her and throwing it for her. The crowd started a “We want Ellsworth” chant, which was quickly shut down and booed loudly.
Lynch took most of the punishment during the match until Charlotte got the hot tag, cleared the ring, and submitted Lana with the Figure Eight.
– Sami Zayn defeated Mike Kanellis
The most surreal moment of the show was Zayn getting absolutely booed out of the building in what was his first appearance since making the save for Kevin Owens and helping him beat Shane McMahon at Hell in a Cell.
Zayn’s music hit, and the crowd booed him more than any heel all night. He came out to his usual entrance music but did none of his signature dances or poses. He was also wearing the generic black hoodie he wore at the pay-per-view. He kept looking at the crowd like he was almost depressed or ashamed when they would chant “Shane O’Mac” or “You sold out!”
The match was competitive until Owens interrupted as he limped out to congratulate Kanellis on Maria’s pregnancy. As Kanellis stared at Owens, Zayn hit him with the Helluva Kick for the win. Zayn left the ring quickly, glaring at Owens as he walked up the ramp.
Owens then headed to the ring while limping and with a bandage around his arm to cut a promo. He apologized to Kanellis for his badly timed congratulatory message, took credit for taking out Shane, claimed he’s the biggest star in the company, and briefly issued a challenge for the toughest person in the back to come face him before saying that the crowd didn’t deserve to see him wrestle.
Owens was cheered heavily, so it’s a strange dynamic they’ve started with Zayn being hated for helping him.
– Shinsuke Nakamura & AJ Styles defeated WWE Champion Jinder Mahal & United States Champion Baron Corbin
Mahal cut a short promo before this started, mostly speaking in Punjabi. He drew a “You’re Canadian!” chant from the audience. He later responded to “3MB” chants by grabbing his title belt and playing it like a guitar, which the crowd got really into.
The Singh Brothers kept interfering throughout the match, once getting chased to the back by Styles before returning. The heels worked over Nakamura for most of this one, but he came in late to hit Mahal with the Kinshasa and clear the way for Styles to connect with the Phenomenal Forearm on Corbin for the victory.
The Big Takeaway: It was a night where the Shield was back with a vegenace. First, they laid out Miz, Sheamus, Cesaro and Curtis Axel in the opening segment. Later, they gave Braun Strowman the Shield Bomb through the commentator’s table. This led to Angle making the main event of TLC the Shield vs. Miz, Sheamus, and Cesaro. Later, Strowman was added to the match. Asuka will face Emma at TLC on her first Raw roster match. The story of Sister Abigail was told by Bray Wyatt, who is indeed Sister Abigail just as Finn Balor is the Demon. Kalisto captured the cruiserweight championship in the main event over Enzo Amore.
Show Recap:
MizTV kicked things off. Once again, Miz did the gimmick of an awards show for “The Destruction of Roman Reigns.” It was the “Mizzies.” He presented an award to Curtis Axel, who dedicated his award to Bo Dallas. Michael Cole said Dallas was under the weather. Then came the Best Supporting Actor, which was a tie between Sheamus and Cesaro. Sheamus thanked Reigns, who got booed. Sheamus said watching Reigns gasping for air laying in the ring just wanted to make him beat Reigns some more. Sheamus said “Yo, we did it” like he was Rocky Balboa at the end of Rocky 2. Cesaro thanked Ambrose and Rollins for knocking the teeth out of his mouth for giving them the inspiration to beat up the tag team champions.
Miz said the Shield didn’t want any of Miz, Sheamus and Cesaro. There was a greater, revolutionary force standing in the ring. They did something that Brock Lesnar, John Cena and the Undertaker could never do: they destroyed Reigns. Miz introduced the final Mizzie, the man who proved himself to be the big dog of the WWE. After a drumroll, Miz said his name was the Miz. Corey Graves said “We like him! We really like him!” like Sally Field accepting an Oscar in the late 1980s. Crowd chanted “You deserve it.” Miz started to dedicate the Mizzie to his unborn child when Reigns came out, selling nothing. He got a mixed response.
Reigns gave everyone in the ring one chance to get out of his ring. Miz said he thought Reigns’ was about action and that talk was cheap. Crowd started to chant for the Shield. Miz told Reigns to go back to the locker room and get Rollins and Ambrose, because rumors of the Sheild’s reformation are nothing but hype. Reigns said “Who said anything about rumors?” Then Ambrose came out to his music. Rollins walked out to his music and there was a huge pop as they walked down the ramp together.
The Shield surrounded the ring like they used to. Rollins jumped in the ring first to battle with Sheamus. Ambrose fought with Cesaro. Reigns took care of Axel while Miz ran for cover. Reigns gave Sheamus and Cesaro Superman punches. Miz found himself surrounded, ran in the ring only to receive dirty deeds from Ambrose. Then Reigns gave Miz the patented Shield triple bomb. Reigns, Ambrose and Rollins then did their fist pose to a big pop.
Jason Jordan defeated Karl Anderson (8:28)
Jason Jordan won with the hoist hangman’s neckbreker after Karl Anderson tried to pin Jordan with a schoolboy cradle with a handful of trunks. Luke Gallows jumped up on the apron late, but Jordan kicked him off. Just a match.
Miz was being treated for an injured neck. He sold like a comedy character. Kurt Angle walked in and told Miz he would be competing in the main event of TLC. It would be Miz, Sheamus and Cesaro vs. the Shield in a TLC match.
Elias was in the ring and said Apollo Crews was getting embarassing. He said Crews was driving the Titus Worldwide car in the Indianapolis 500, he was going around in circles and no one cares. He started to sing but a banjo was playing instead of his guitar. Titus O’Neil walked out playing the banjo and asked the crowd “Who wants to walk with Titus Worldwide?” Titus told the crowd to get ready to follow Apollo. Titus had a song for Elias “Elias, tonight on Monday Night Raw, you’re about to lose. Right here in Indianapolis, to a man by the name of Apollo Crews.”
Elias defeated Apollo Crews (3:14)
Elias won with drift away after pulling Crews into the ropes. Crews did a moonsault off the apron and a standing moonsault in the ring. Cole told a story that Slash from Guns n’ Roses befriended Elias when he was young and told him the world wanted to hear his music.
Enzo Amore came out. Even as a heel, the crowd cheers him like a star. He’s playing a self-indugent champion. Enzo said he had a good relationship with Angle over the no-contact clause in his contract. Enzo said Kalisto assaulted him, yet Angle gave Kalisto a title shot at TLC. Enzo said he was the realest champ in the room and he knows Angle is doing nothing important right now. So he asked Angle to come out for the Zo Show.
Angle came down. Enzo said Angle had been sucking on the udders of a cash cow, right here. Enzo pulled out his no-contact contract and wondered why Kalisto is getting the title shot. Angle said it only pertained to a cruiserweight who signed the contract before he signed that clause. Kalisto was assigned to the cruiserweight division after he signed that clause. Enzo said he was Angle’s biggest superstar in the locker room. Angle should start worrying about what makes him happy. Angle said he does want to make Enzo happy. So he wouldn’t be facing Kalisto at TLC. He would be facing Kalisto tonight. Enzo had a blank look on his face, said “touche.” He said he would defend the championship under one condition: if the match is in the main event. Angle walked up the ramp and told Enzo’s match would be a lumberjack match with cruiserweights surrounding the ring.
Braun Strowman defeated Matt Hardy (6:31)
Braun Strowman won with the running powerslam after two chokeslams. Matt Hardy did the tornado DDT spot, which I think is mandatory for every smaller babyface wrestling a monster heel in this company. Hardy even hit the Twist of Fate, but Strowman got up.
Postmatch, Strowman threw Hardy out of the ring and carried him over his shoulder up the ramp. Then the Shield came out and stopped him. Strowman glared at them as Hardy vanished. Strowman went after Rollins, but Reigns and Ambrose put the boots to him. It was strange, in a way, because Strowman gets cheered like a babyface. That led to a flat reaction, at first. Then Reigns speared Strowman and the place went nuts. Rollins went to the commentator’s table, followed by Ambrose and Reigns. The Shield delievered the Shield Bomb to Strowman on the table for a huge pop. Strowman collapsed to the floor as Ambrose and Rollins got their receipt from last week to get the return of the Shield over strong.
The Shield did an interview backstage with Charly Caruso. Ambrose said they could fight four or five men because they were the most powerful force in the business. Rollins said you could believe that.
James came out and said at first she didn’t feel like she belonged when she first returned to Raw. She wondered if it was her southern accent, the fact she sang country music, her age. But she realized it was Bliss. It has been Bliss that has been burying her behind her back. But when she wanted to face Bliss last week, Bliss hid behind her bodyguard, Nia Jax. She told Bliss to jump out of her booster seat and put on her big girl pants. James said she had more energy in her than Bliss had hair extensions and pink hair dye.
Bliss walked out and said she was sorry. She said James had been treated unfairly. Bliss put together a Mickie James career retrospective because many fans may not realize what she has accomplished. Bliss showed the video, which was in black and white and entitled “Superstars of Yesteryear.” It was created like a newsreel in the 1920s shown at movie theatres and again implied James was old. Bliss laughed and wondered if it was past James’ bedtime. She called James “grandma.” Bliss said she was going to be running circles around James and she would send her a link to the video. Actually, she said she would send James a VHS tape.
James challenged Bliss to come down to the ring. Bliss asked the crowd if the crowd had batteries for James’ hearing aid. Bliss acted like she was going to get in the ring, but said the move was just as old as James herself. James pulled Bliss by the hair into the ring, tried to give her the Mick Kick, but Bliss ran for cover.
Another Asuka vignette aired. They’re putting her over huge. Bayley and Sasha Banks watched the piece with Angle. Bayley said she wanted to wrestle Asuka first at TLC, saying she would love to welcome her with a hug, then a Bayley-to-belly suplex. Banks objected, saying she would face Asuka first. Then Alicia Fox walked in and said she’s been in the company ten years and has had only one t-shirt, so she should face Asuka. Dana Brooks came in and said sometimes she feels invisible and wanted the match. Finally, Emma showed up, leading to words with Fox, who was mad that Emma walked out on her when they were tag team partner last week. Angle ordered a Fatal Five-Way for later tonight with the winner facing Asuka at TLC.
Brian Kendrick and Jack Gallagher defeated Cedric Alexander and Mustafa Ali (3:36)
Brian Kendrick pinned Mustafa Ali with sliced bread #2. Ali looked good the brief time he was in there. Kendrick delievered a drop kick to the top of Ali’s head before the finish.
Miz approached Angle backstage. Angle thought Miz wanted the Shield match cancelled. Miz said to the contrary, since Ambrose said they could fight four or five men, he asked for another partner to be added to his team. Angle reluctantly agreed. Miz said he already found his partner. Then Strowman burst through the door and looked incensed after being power bombed through the table by the Shield.
Balor came out for the latest regarding Sister Abigail. Balor said Wyatt was like a poison, a virus that keeps mutating with more games. Balor said Wyatt is desparate to instill fear, to play games. Balor said he’s not afraid of Wyatt and the Demon wasn’t afraid of Wyatt.
Then an empty rocking chair appeared ont he TitanTron. Wyatt sat down and said Balor may not be afraid of him, but Balor will be afraid of her. He said she was young, she was beautiful, and she knew the truth so they feared her. They turned her into some kind of monster and he was there when she took her final breath. She chose him. Together, they promised they would make them all burn. Now, the season of the witch is upon Balor. She’s here. The video transformed and made Wyatt appear to have a shawl over his head. This is the look of Sister Abigail. Wyatt’s voice sounded like it went through a modulator to make it hauntingly feminine. Abigail said “Excuse me. You men are all the same. You just want to control everything. But Bray is different. Bray is special. Bray has much to learn. From a young age, I taught him the world is a very evil place. I taught him secrets. I taught him the darkness is so much stronger than the light. And I promised him that I would always be there by his side. So here I am. Scorned. Scarred and burned to a crisp. Rising from the ashes to fulfill my promise to my little prince. My sweet, innocent Bray. He wouldn’t even harm a fly. But look what you did to him. You hurt him. You lied to him. So I must punish you and your demon. I know all about demons. Call it my specality, if you will. I can turn a demon into a pretty little dandelion. So let me give my advice to you, Finn. You can’t beat me. I’m worse than anything you’ve ever read in your Irish mythology books. I’m worse your world has ever dreamed of. My touch could have dreamed you, Finn. My kiss will burn you to the ground. Run.” Abigail cackled, then Wyatt appeared again and cackled.
Emma won a Five-Way elimination match by pinning Sasha Banks in a bout that also included Alicia Fox, Bayley and Dana Brooke to win the right to face Asuka at TLC (9:40)
God was this a mess. Cole claimed the first person to score a pinfall would win. So Bayley pinned Brooke with a Bayley-to-belly at 2:26. JoJo announced that Brooke had been eliminated and the match continued. Cole had to admit on live TV he got his rules mixed up. Meanwhile, Booker T tried to make some incoherent comparison of the winner of the match facing Asuka as the same thing as Buster Douglas stunning Mike Tyson in 1990 in Tokyo. Booker was stumbling all over his words until Cole cracked up over a live mic and quieted him down. Then Fox pinned Bayley at 3:12 with an ax kick and the crowd was furious. Banks made Fox tap to the Bank Statement at 9:30. Emma immediately ran up at pinned Fox with an Oklahoma Side Roll at 9:40 for the win.
Balor did an interview with Renee Young saying that Wyatt has unleashed something truly evil. He was afraid of the words that Sister Abigail used, but he knows what he must do now.
Next week, Reigns faces Strowman inside of a steel cage.
Kalisto did an interview with Caruso. Kalisto said when he was a child, Rey Mysterio and Eddy Guerrero inspired him to make his dream a reality. Then he saw Enzo become cruiserweight champion, which is a slap in the face to cruiserweights. He wants to make Rey Mysterio and Eddy Guerrero proud (they never mentioned today would be Guerrero’s 50th birthday).
Kalisto defeated WWE Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore to win the WWE Cruiserweight Championship (14:27)
Kalisto won with the Salina del Sol off the top rope. Amore hit the Jordanzo, but Ali pulled Amore out of the ring when he had the pin saying that Enzo doesn’t represent them. Enzo clotheslined Ali. Big spot was when Ariya Daivari started arguing with Ali, which led to a brawl between Drew Gulak, Kendrick, Rich Swann, T.J. Perkins, Gallagher, and everyone else. As this was happening on the floor, Kalisto gave Enzo a superplex to the floor on top of the pile. Enzo actually got in the ring before Kalisto, who delievered the move. It was a limited cruiserweight match, as you can imagine with Enzo in there. Crowd reacted to Kalisto much better than his previous pushes.
Shane McMahon and Kevin Owens headlined inside — and on top of — Hell in a Cell in the main event of a SmackDown-exclusive pay-per-view from Detroit, Michigan.
Hell in a Cell at the new Little Caesars Arena featured crazy bumps and wild action in two Hell in a Cell matches. Owens defeated McMahon after Shane took a crazy bump where he leapt off the top of the cage. The plot thickened in their ongoing storyline as Sami Zayn interfered to assist his nemesis in helping Owens win the match.
In the other Hell in a Cell match on the card, the Usos won the SmackDown tag team titles in a stuntshow with The New Day.
Jinder Mahal retained his WWE Championship over Shinsuke Nakamura after Mahal pinned Nakamura with his finisher. The Singh Brothers interfered during the match, but the finish itself was still relatively clean.
While one champion retained, another lost his title without actually being defeated. Added to the US title match on the pre-show, Tye Dillinger took the pinfall in a triple threat match where Baron Corbin won the US Championship. Styles was kept strong in losing the title without him being pinned. Corbin stole the pinfall in a match where Styles was a bumping machine.
In a backstage skit on the pre-show, Tye Dillinger was lobbying with SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan. Dillinger wanted himself added to the US title match since he defeated Baron Corbin in a match on SmackDown. Bryan agreed with Dillinger, and he added Dillinger to the match. The US title match later on is now AJ Styles defending against both Corbin and Dillinger in a triple threat match.
The kickoff pre-show had Renee Young hosting a panel that included Peter Rosenberg and David Otunga.
Aiden English joined the panel to discuss his relationship with Rusev. English predicted a Rusev victory in his match against Randy Orton. English then sang a song dedicated to Rusev.
Charlotte Flair answered questions in the “social media lounge” relating to her SmackDown Women’s Championship match where she challenges Natalya.
The pre-show tag team match was a short tale of two opposites. Solid teamwork worked well for a new team, while an established team showed signs of separation and miscommunication.
Shelton Benjamin & Chad Gable defeated The Hype Bros
Ryder was pinned after taking a modified Doomsday Device. Bejamin and Gable worked over Zack Ryder as they cut the ring in half. Mojo Rawley ran wild after a hot tag, but to no avail. The Hype Bros once again teased dissension. Adding to that, they did not even have matching gear as each wore different colors.
Huge pop from the crowd as the cell is lowered over the ring for the opening match on the main card.
The New Day did a an in-ring promo before their match to hype the crowd.
The Usos defeated The New Day inside Hell in a Cell to win the SmackDown Tag Team Championship
The Usos won the titles when they pinned Woods after a wild spectacle. Big E and Xavier Woods were the in-ring tandem for New Day while Kofi Kingston was outside the cell at ringside. Both team went underneath the ring to get weapons when the match started. A chain became involved at the outset. Lots of big bumps led to “this is awesome” chant only a few minutes into the match.
For a musical interlude, Woods hit an Uso with a couple trambones. Woods accompanied that by using a cow bell and a gong.
The Usos had batting practice with kendo sticks as they repeatedly struck Big E. The Usos then singled out Woods with an Umaga splash in the corner of the cage. Woods got his knees up on another splash in a nasty-looking bump that set up a New Day comeback.
Woods got more kendo sticks. He and Big E used the sticks to trap Jey Uso in the corner of the cage. They stuck the kendo sticks through an cage to tie up Uso. He escaped to join his brother to cut off the New Day.
The Usos did a shoulder tackle Doomsday Device that drove Big E into the chainlink fencing. Somehow, Big E kicked out for a near fall. The Usos got handcuffs, and they cuffed both Woods and Big E to the ring. With Kofi watching in horror, the Usos caned a heldless Woods. They next went to cane Big E.
Big E had broken free of his handcuffs as he fired up into a rally. The Usos cut off Big E and delivered Double Uce (double Superfly splashes off the top) for a near fall.
The kendo sticks came back play in the closing moments as the Usos caned a handcuffed Woods. They laid Woods on a chair, and climbed the turnbuckles to deliver Double Uce for the pinfall.
AJ Styles cut a promo backstage about his upcoming US title defense. About the addition of Tye Dillinger to the title match, Styles said he would make the best of a bad situation. Styles quoted the late Tom Petty in saying he “won’t back down” in the triple threat match.
Randy Orton defeated Rusev
Orton pinned Rusev after a hitting the RKO. Much more methodical than the stuntshow that was the previous match, Rusev worked over Orton’s back looking to set up the Accolade. Rusev worked over Orton until a comeback by “the Viper” that led into the finish. Orton was popping the crowd as he teased an RKO. Rusev countered with by attempting the Accolade. Orton escaped the clutches of Rusev to hit the RKO and score the pinfall.
Baron Corbin defeated Tye Dillinger and AJ Styles in a triple threat match to win the United States Championship
Corbin pinned Dillinger to win the US title, which meant the champion lost the title without actually being pinned or submitted. Styles was clearly the crowd favorite, and he was a bumping machine in this match. The crowd chanted “where’s your briefcase” at Corbin.
Styles and Dillinger formed a brief partnership at the outset of the match as they teamed up to dispatch Corbin. The partnership then quickly dissolved into a series of exchanges.
Corbin soon began cleaning house as he dominated for a lenghty stretch. Corbin mauled both Dillinger and Styles. Eventually, Styles fired up on Corbin.
Dillinger ran wild on Styles. Dillinger escaped a Styles Clash only to caught in a Calf Crusher. Corbin made the save to break up the hold. Styles did a springboard into a flying forearm to the outside. Back in the ring, Corbin caught Styles on a springboard to deliver a huge chokeslam backbreaker.
Styles did a springboard 450 for a near fall. Styles hit the Phenomenal Forearm on Dillinger in the closing moments. Corbin rushed in to boot Styles out of the ring as he stole the pinfall to win the title.
Charlotte Flair defeated Natalya via disqualification in match for the SmackDown Women’s Championship
Nattie got DQ’d to lose the match, but she retained the title in the process.
The body of the match was Nattie working a leg as she grounded Charlotte with leglocks. Nattie kept dissecting the leg. Charlotte countered a sharpshooter, and she hobbled into a comeback where she chopped down Nattie.
Nattie soon cut her off with a Liger bomb for a two count. On the outside, Nattie rammed Charlotte’s knees into the ring steps. Back inside the ring, Nattie applied the sharpshooter. Charlotte powered out to break the submission hold.
Charlotte did a moonsault off the top turnbuckle to the floor. Nattie grabbed a chair and hit Charlotte for the DQ. Nattie then hit Charlotte in the knee with the chair.
Next came a Fashion Files segment where Breezango were trying to solve the case of 2B. The Ascension entered the scene in ridiculous disguises. They gave Breezango an Ascension poster with an inscription that read Ascension wants “2B” friends with Breezango. When Breezango buried The Ascension, they took off their disguises and sulked away in sadness.
Then, there was a knock at the door. Someone had left Breezango a breifcase, but not just any case. This was a “new case” for Breezango to solve. So, Tuesday is “Pulp Fashion” on the next episode of SmackDown.
WWE Champion Jinder Mahal defeated Shinsuke Nakamura to retain his title
Mahal pinned Nakamura clean with his finisher. Nakamura was getting the better of exchanges in the early portion of the match. Nakamura taunted Mahal and displayed Good Vibrations.
Mahal took a powder to the floor, and Nakamura gave chase. Mahal posted Nakamura and threw him into a barricade. Mahal proceeded to get heat on Nakamura as he worked him over.
Nakamura made a comeback with kicks and knee strikes. The Singh Brothers tried to interfere, but Nakamura hit them with strikes. That sligth distraction made Nakamura miss a leaping knee drop off the apron.
Mahal began to dominate, yet Nakamura soon fired up. The Singhs interfered once again, and it backfired this time. Or would it really in the end? Nakamura schoolboyed Mahal for a two count. The Singhs were ejected from ringside by referee Charles Robinson.
Meanwhile, Nakamura hit a Kinshasa in the ring on Mahal. The ref was distracted with the Singhs, and he was late on the count. That allowed Mahal to get a rope break.
Moments later, Nakamura went for a second Kinshasa and Mahal moved to avoid the knee. The champion then countered with the Khallis (half-nelson slam) to score a clean pinfall.
The magnificent aura of Nakamura on the main roster is fleeting fast.
Kevin Owens cut a passionate promo backstage on how he was sending Shane McMahon to hell in their match tonight.
Bobby Roode defeated Dolph Ziggler
Roode pinned Ziggler with a roll-up and a handful of tights.
Roode had his usual grand entrance. Ziggler had promised he would have a new entrance. Just as his theme song began, the music dropped out as the song was cut short. Ziggler sauntered to the ring with no music except a chorus of boos from the crowd.
The first portion of the match was a showcase for Roode. Ziggler then got to shine before an O’Connor roll where he held the trunks on a pinning attempt. Roose reversed the roll-up and held the tights to score a three count.
Ziggler hit a Zig-Zag and laid out Roode after the match, so their feud is continuing.
Kevins Owens defeated Shane McMahon in a falls count anywhere Hell in a Cell match
Owens pinned McMahon after a crazy bump and interference by Sami Zayn.
The fight started outside the cage as McMahon peppered Owens with punches. McMahon leapt off the barricade into a flying clothesline. McMahon was the aggressor until he was knocked off the apron into the cage. Owens also threw McMahon into the cage again.
Owens paused to taunt McMahon’s children before raking McMahon’s face in the wire mesh. Ownes pummeled McMahon, and he then executed a cannonball splash for a near fall. Owens jumped off the ropes into a senton that he missed when McMahon moved.
McMahon began to come alive as he danced around the ring into a comeback. McMahon delivered a swinging DDT, and soon climbed the turnbuckles. McMahon went for a shooting star press as Owens rolled out of the way.
Owens went for a pop-up powerbomb, but McMahon caught him in a triangle choke. Owens countered by deadlifting McMahon into a powerbomb on the ring steps.
The crowd chanted “we want tables” almost on cue. Owens pulled out a table from underneath the ring. He propped the table in corner and laid Shane on it. Running down the apron into a cannonball splash, Owens shattered the table as McMahon rolled out of the way.
McMahon got a trash can, and set it on Owens in a corner. Leaping “coast-to-coast” across the ring, McMahon springboarded into a Van Terminator.
Shane got a pair of bolt cutters. He cut the lock on the cage and opened the door. Of course, the fight spilled outside the cage. Owens DDT’d McMahon on the entrance ramp. Owens also crotched McMahon on the cage door.
Owens teased doing a splash off the barricade through an announce table. He stopped because he had another idea. Owens climbed up the cage and teased jumping off. Owens had reservations, and decided not to jump.
In the meantime, McMahon climbed on top of the cage. They fought on the roof of the cage, exchanging strikes and moves on the structure. They continued to fight on top of the cage for several minutes. Owens teased a powerbomb that McMahon reversed. Seconds later, Owens powerbombed Shane on the roof of the cage. It looked terribly painfull.
Owens went to climb down, and McMahon followed him. The crowd booed at first. The boos turned to buzzing as they fought on the side of the cage. Owens went flying off the cage and crashed through an announce table.
McMahon cleared another announce table so he could lay Owens on it. McMahon climbed back on top of the cage. McMahon stood on top of the cage, crossed himself, and jumped off. Down below, Sami Zayn in street clothes appeared at ringside to pull Owens off the table. McMahon fell off the cage and annihilated a table taking a crazy bump.
Paramedics and trainers went to check on McMahon. Zayn pulled Owens on top of McMahon. Zayn forced a nearby referee to make a three count.
McMahon left on a stretcher as the show closed. Shane gave a thumbs up as he was stretchered out.
The Big Takeaway: Other than Dash Wilder remaining winless as a singles competitor, this was not a newsworthy show. That said, Rich Swann’s corkscrew 450 splash is still a thing of beauty.
**********
Heath Slater defeated Dash Wilder (5:28)
Nigel McGuinness was back this week and made reference to the fact that Wilder has now lost four in a row. McGuinness claimed that it was “not about the wins and losses” for Wilder and brought up that Kenta Kobashi once lost 63 matches in a row.
Wilder is quite a ring technician, though, and as much as it is becoming somewhat of a burial seeing him lose to the likes of Slater and Rhyno each week, it can’t be long before they give him some kind of push.
The match was nothing special. They teased a countout victory when Wilder dumped Slater outside and then knocked him off the apron with a right hand for an eight count. Wilder had a near fall shortly after with an inventive fireman’s carry backbreaker, but Slater got the win with a schoolboy.
Lince Dorado & Rich Swann defeated Noam Dar & Tony Nese (4:56)
After a few strong main events for the cruiserweights over the last few weeks on this show, this proved to be too short and lacking in creativity to be as good as any of those.
At one point, Dorado had a visual pin on Noam Dar. Dar’s role was essentially to wreak havoc when he wasn’t in the ring. He knocked Swann off the apron so that he missed a tag and later broke up a pin on Nese. He plays the chicken heel really well.
In terms of in-ring action, Swann was probably the standout here. Dorado’s handspring stunner led to both he and Dar going down. He got the hot tag to Swann, who came in and fired up on Dar. Nese saved the pin and Swann used a roundhouse kick on Dar. Dorado gave Nese a hurricanrana to the floor outside so that Swann could get the win with the corkscrew 450.
Image: TDE Wrestling. Report submitted by reader Chance Stokes.
– Finn Balor defeated Karl Anderson (w/ Luke Gallows)
This was a solid opener and Balor won with the Coup de Grace. Before the match, he mentioned that he saw a lot of Club activity and hinted at his past with Anderson and Gallows, but he said that was then and the only Club now is Balor Club.
– Rhyno, Heath Slater, Apollo Crews & R-Truth defeated Darren Young, Dash Wilder, Elias & Goldust
Elias sang a song putting down Tulsa before this. After the match, R-Truth had the crowd sing happy birthday to Rhyno and he thanked the fans.
– WWE Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore defeated Mustafa Ali in a non-title match
Amore came out to a strong face pop before cutting a promo on the town to get some heat.
– Raw Tag Team Champions Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose defeated Cesaro & Sheamus to retain their titles
This had pretty good back-and-forth action. The heels worked over Rollins until the hot tag to Ambrose, with the match ending when Ambrose hit the Dirty Deeds on Cesaro after a superkick. Sheamus carried Cesaro to the back after.
– Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss defeated Sasha Banks, Mickie James, and Nia Jax to retain her title
Bliss and Jax worked together at the beginning, but they fought when Jax went for a pin and Bliss broke it up. For the finish, Banks had James in the Banks Statement until Bliss came in and rolled up Banks for the win. Bliss ran off with the title as Jax chased her to the back.
– Matt Hardy & Jason Jordan defeated The Miz & Curtis Axel
Hardy got a big pop and there were “Delete” chants throughout. Miz toyed with the crowd before the match, getting the loudest heat of the night. Jordan hit a couple of big suplexes on Axel before Hardy hit the Twist of Fate to win.
– Roman Reigns defeated Braun Strowman in a last man standing match
This was a solid main event. Reigns got the biggest pop of the night, but there were a few boos.
Strowman used the steel steps as a weapon several times in this one. Reigns countered Strowman for a Samoan drop through a table at one point. He set up another table in the corner, hit a couple of Superman punches, and speared Strowman through it. Strowman got up right after the count, but it was too late.
