Tag: mainstory

WOR: WWE cuts in depth, Stardom, New Japan, Smackdown, Collision, more!

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including tons of notes on all the current WWE cuts and whether there are more to come, Stardom, Arena Mexico and New Japan notes, Smackdown and Collision reviews, all the news and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!

Timestamps:
Start: Linda McMahon, Shane McMahon, Dana White at White House Correspondent’s Dinner
3:06: WWE cuts
19:28: Stardom, CMLL, NJPW notes
23:58: Lineups for the coming week, ratings notes, Hulk Hogan documentary notes
32:48: WWE SmackDown recap
52:35: AEW Collision recap

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B&V: Smackdown, Collision, backstage notes on WWE releases

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

The Bryan & Vinny Show is back with tons to talk about including a full recap of the Smackdown after WrestleMania and AEW Collision from Saturday night! Besides the recaps, we’ve also got news on the WWE releases on Friday, what may be to come still, and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!

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WOL: WWE releases, WrestleMania fallout & news

Posted on by Andrew Zarian

Andrew Zarian is back with another episode of Wrestling Observer Live, talking about the latest news in professional wrestling.

He starts with a quick recap of last Sunday’s second night of WrestleMania 42 and the aftermath, Brock Lesnar’s match with Oba Femi and his pending retirement, and whether CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns was the best WrestleMania main event of all time.

WWE did its annual post-WrestleMania releases on Friday and he discusses all the departures, including some big names like Aleister Black, Zelina, and Kairi Sane. Where do they go, and in the case of Sane, does she return based on the negative backlash?

I also talk about the interaction between Jon Moxley and Will Ospreay that happened on AEW Dynamite, involving the Death Riders abducting Ospreay, and the follow-up on Collision in which Ospreay was given a choice by Moxley.

Plus, he looks ahead to Double or Nothing, security issues at WrestleMania weekend, and more!

Click here to listen (sub needed) or watch on YouTube

AAA on Fox live results: El Grande Americano & Texano Jr. vs. El Mesias & Mecha Wolf

Posted on by Jeff Moss

AAA returns to Fox in Latin America tonight.

Tonight’s show was taped on April 11 in Mexico City. The episode will feature two tag team matches as El Mesias and Mecha Wolf team up to face El Grande Americano and Texano Jr. and La Parka and Rey Fenix take on Money Machine. In singles competition, Laredo Kid faces El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr.

Also scheduled for Saturday’s show, La Catalina will be interviewed after making her debut two weeks ago.

AAA’s next TV taping is set for May 2 in Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico.

The full lineup for AAA on Fox April 25, 2026:

  • La Catalina interview
  • El Grande Americano & Texano Jr. vs. El Mesias & Mecha Wolf
  • Marisela Pena Roldan to decide Dorian Roldan’s future as the new AAA General Manager
  • Rey Fenix & La Parka vs. Money Machine (Garra de Oro & Colmillo de Plata)
  • AAA Latin American Champion El Hijo de Dr Wagner Jr vs. AAA Cruiserwieght Champion Laredo Kid

Our live coverage begins at 10 p.m. Eastern.

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Its a beautiful night for some Lucha Libre and here in AAA, they take that action WORLD WIDE!

Before we begin, I wanted to let you all know that I recently shaved my beard into a moustache. I was going for a Dirty Dom look, but ended up more of a Sam Elliot. Which isn’t too bad.

Anyways, wrestling.

Rey Fenix & La Parka vs. Money Machine (Garra de Oro & Colmillo de Plata)

La Parka and Fenix teaming together just warms my cholesterol-riddled heart. Money machine have had some great matches on AAA on Fox, but the crowd showed their clear favourites with volume, especially when Fenix entered.

MOney Machine jumped Fenix and La Parka off the bell, but they were sent to the outside so Fenix and La Parka could treat us to a stereo suicide dive. Rolling everyone back in the ring, La Parka went up top for a frog splash on Plata. The bell rang as he was flying through the air, but Plata kicked out of the cover anyway.

Oro came in and Money Machine double teamed La Parka. They went for a double suplex, but La LArka countered it with one of his own and made the tag to Fenix. Plata absolutely clocked Fenix as he entered, but he managed to kick out of the cover.

Money Machine isolated Fenix in their corner for some quick tags in and out until Fenix managed a dropkick on Plata. He went for a hot tag to Parka, but Oro pulled him off the apron. Oro then went off the top with a crossbody, but Fenix kicked out of Plata’s cover.

Fenix managed a chinbreaker on Plata, but it didn’t slow him down and Plata clotheslined him. Oro came in for a double team, but a superkick put a stop to that. Fenix made a rolling tag to Parka, who came in a cleaned house with a back breaker for each of Oro and Plata.

Parka hit a powerbomb on Oro then tagged in Fenix. Money Machine got the drop on them though, sending Parka to the outside then double teaming Fenix. Plata hit a suicide dive on Parka on the outside while Oro hit a suplex on Fenix.

Plata went up top, but Fenix moved out ot the way and dropped him with a superkick. Oro tried to help, but Parka nailed him with a dropkick, but seemed to take the worst of hit himself.

Fenix sent Plata to the outside where Parka leapt over Oro on the top turnbuckle onto Plata on the outside! Yes, you read that right. Fenix hit a Mexican Muscle Buster on Oro that made the cover to get the victory.

Match Result: Rey Fenix & La Parka defeated Money Machine

Next up, La Catalina was interviewed from Wrestlemania. Catalina made her debut two weeks ago, putting Reina de Reinas Champion Flammer on notice that she was coming for her title. She was shown meeting someone who couldn’t be seen (John Cena, I’m funny like that) and being welcomed to AAA by Mega Champion Dirty Dom Mysterio.

Catalina talked about her dream of being in AAA and footage was shown of her working her way through the indies. She said that she want’s to win the title for all the little girls who are fans of Lucha Libre and WWE.

Non-Title Champion vs Champion Match: AAA Latin American Champion El Hijo de Dr Wagner Jr vs. AAA Cruiserwieght Champion Laredo Kid

That heading is just about the longest one I’ve ever written for one of these. Almost as long as the title reigns of these champions, which is a combined 739 days, Wagner with 234 and Laredo sits at 505 days as champion.

Off the bell, Laredo got a few lariats in, stunning Wagner. Wagner recovered and threw a counle of his own in the corner. Wagner had a significant size advantage over Laredo, but size doesn’t matter when you’re on the receiving end of a superkick.

Laredo went up top and hit a splash from the top turnbuckle, but Wagner kicked out of the cover. Laredo stomped Wagner then tried to grapevine his leg. Wagner crawled away from it and they traded shots, with Laredo sending Wagner to the corner face first. Laredo then worked the back of Wagner with shoulders and kicks until he fell over.

Laredo hit a second rope moonsault, but when it went for the second one, Wagner rolled out of the way and put a foot in his face. Wagner nailed a death valley driver on Laredo, but wasn’t able to make the cover.

Wagner went for a discus elbow, but Laredo dodged and hit a neckbreaker. They moved to the outside and Laredo hit a superkick on Wagner. Laredo then hit a standing 450 from the ring apron (the 450-est part of the ring!) and dragged Wagner back into the ring for a cover. Wagner kicked out though.

Laredo sent Wagner to the corner, but Wagner dodged the charge and hit him with a big boot. Then he pulled Laredo through the ropes and simply threw him to the ground. Laredo literally bounced with impact. Some how, back in the ring, Laredo kicked out of the cover.

Wagner hit a triple jump moonsault, but again, Laredo wouldn’t go down. Wagner hit a Wagner Driver and finally was able to make the pin to win the Champion vs Champion match.

Match Result: El Hijo de Dr Wagner Jr defeated Laredo Kid

After the match, Laredo was pissed. But Wagner offered his hand out of respect and Laredo begrudgingly shook it.

-After a break, Laredo was approached by Ray Fenix who told him not to worry about his loss. Laredo said that he was just jealous and then stormed off.

Marisela Pena Roldan was then shown in a taped segment saying that during the Live show on May 23rd, the new General Manager of AAA will be announced. Neat.

“Real” El Grande Americano & Texano Jr. vs. El Mesias & Mecha Wolf

In case you didn’t know, El Mesias comes to the ring in a full out Dr. Doom outfit, which is glorious. Mecha Wolf looks like a wolf, but Mecha. Texano got a huge ovation as this is his first match in AAA in something like five years. But it was nothing to the explosion of cheers when the Real El Grande Americano arrived.

(Oh yeah, just to catch you up, commentary and thus, me, are going with “Real” Americano and “OG” Americano these days. This match featured the Real Americano, who was the one that won Rey De Reyes.)

Americano and Mecha started things off with Mecha getting the jump on Americano with a flurry of feat and fists. Americano countered with a heel kick and then bent Mecha’s arm around his back for a quick twist and a pose. He then did what I can only describe as a reverse staaaaaaallling suplex. I’ll let you seek out the video for that one.

Americano kept Mecha in an arm stretch until the crowd demanded Texano tag in. He did and Mesias did the same, re-igniting their years long feud.

They traded shots in the middle of the ring, each one countering the other. Mesias tried a sunset flip, but Texano hit him with a sliding forearm. Mesias and Mecha slipped outside to strategize, and Mesias got back into the ring holding Texano’s bull rope. The ref immediately pulled it away, giving Mecha and Mesias a chance to double stomp Texano.

Mesias tagged in after Mecha hit the back of Texano’s head. He put Texano in a sleeper, but Texano was able to get out of it. Mesias went off the ropes, but Texano caught him with a backbreaker. Hot tags were made to Americano and Mecha.

Americano threw Mecha in a back body drop and then a clothesline. He wet to the second rope and hit a diving clothesline, but Mesias broke up the cover. Texano intercepted him and kicked him in the face. Mesias countered with a scoop slam, but Americano hit him with a dropkick.

Americano then hit a rolling driver on Mecha, but Mesias speared him in half. The fight moved to the outside where Texano speared Mesias through the barricade.

Back in the ring, Americano hit Mecha with a big right hand, then put him in a La Cavernaria back stretch, causing Mecha to tap right out.

Match Result: El Grande Americano & Texano Jr. defeated El Mesias & Mecha Wolf

After the match, Texano was getting an ovaition from the crowd. Americano left to let him get his flowers and as soon as he did, OG Americano ran in and put and ankle lock on Texano. Real Americano sprinted back to the ring, but OG bailed, leaving Real Americano to tend to Texano.

The Grande Americano Civil War continues next week with the most dangerous segment in Wrestling, nee, in ALL sports: The Contract Signing.

AEW Collision live results: Chris Jericho & The Hurt Syndicate vs. The Demand

Posted on by Marc Quill

AEW Collision is tonight.

This week’s show was taped last Wednesday in Portland. Chris Jericho will team with The Hurt Syndicate’s Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin against The Demand. The AEW World Trios titles will also be on the line when The Conglomeration defends against The Don Callis Family.

The full lineup is below:

  • Thekla & Skye Blue vs. Persephone & Alex Windsor
  • Chris Jericho & The Hurt Syndicate (Shelton Benjamin and Bobby Lashley) vs. The Demand (Ricochet, Toa Liona & Bishop Kaun)
  • AEW Trios Champions The Conglomeration (Kyle O’Reilly, Roderick Strong & Orange Cassidy) defend against The Don Callis Family (Andrade El Idolo, Lance Archer & Hechicero)
  • AEW National Champion Jack Perry defends against El Clon
  • The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) and The Rascalz (Myron Reed, Zachary Wentz & Dezmond Xavier) vs. The Dogs (David Finlay & Clark Connors) & The Death Riders (Daniel Garcia, Wheeler Yuta & Claudio Castagnoli)
  • Kris Statlander vs. TBA

Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern.

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– It’s Saturday night and you know what that means. We kicked off with Kyle O’Reilly, Roderick Strong, and Orange Cassidy backstage. O’Reilly said that tonight was a good night to defend the AEW Trios Titles. FTR and Stokely Hathaway interrupted the Conglomeration’s gathering. Hathaway said that O’Reilly, Strong, and Cassidy would lose their Trios Titles to the Don Callis Family’s Andrade, Lance Archer, and Hechicero.

FTR kicks off Playoff Palooza Collision

Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood kicked off the show, as they address Adam Copeland’s stipulation of him and Christian Cage retiring if they lost to FTR one more time. Wheeler said they accepted Copeland’s stipulation, as Harwood laid a “cold, hard truth” on Cope and Christian: nobody wanted them there. Harwood claimed that the wrestlers, the fans, and anyone associated with AEW did not want Copeland and Christian here.

Harwood said that the New York Street Fight sounded like a great idea, but he wanted there to be no more questions, no more debates… as he suggested an “I Quit” stipulation to be added. After Copeland and Christian were done, they could continue on with their nostalgia run, while FTR would continue to be the greatest tag team of all time.

I know this Copeland/Christian vs. FTR feud isn’t for everyone and both teams aren’t exactly favorites of AEW fans, but this New York Street Fight I Quit Match for Double or Nothing should be entertaining.

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AEW Trios Championships: The Conglomeration (Kyle O’Reilly, Roderick Strong, Orange Cassidy) vs. The Don Callis Family (Hechicero, Lance Archer, Andrade El Idolo)

As The Conglomeration made their way to this opening bout, they got into a confrontation with the departing FTR, which ended with Harwood and Wheeler getting shoved down.

O’Reilly and Hechicero kicked things off for this match, as we got a showdown between the two technically-sound wrestlers. O’Reilly transitioned from an armdrag into a side headlock, but Hechicero responded with a knee to the gut before he held O’Reilly from the apron. A rope-assisted Dragon Screw by Hechicero allowed for a brief advantage. However, O’Reilly kicked his foe in the chest and tagged in Strong. Some undisputed teamwork between O’Reilly and Strong before Orange Cassidy hit a incredibly violent elbow to a prone Hechicero. Lance Archer tagged in for his team and got into Cassidy’s face. Cassidy brushed him off and tagged Strong.

Archer took Strong down with a huge shoulder block as Andrade and Cassidy tagged in for their respective teams. Cassidy tried to put his hands in his pocket, but Andrade stopped him and tried to take off his pants. Cassidy hit Andrade with his kicks before he removed Andrade’s belt from his waist. Cassidy then stripped Andrade of his pants as he hit him with a dropkick. O’Reilly re-entered the match and teed off on Andrade with punches to the face in the corner as Strong and Cassidy followed suit with the ten-punches — or in Cassidy’s case, a single punch.

Outside the ring, O’Reilly tried to kick Andrade, but he got hit with a hard clothesline from Archer. On the other side, Strong was pulled out by Hechicero and got slammed across the announce table. This took us to the picture-in-picture break.

We returned from the break as the Don Callis Family had control of the match as Cassidy was isolated. Cassidy tried to fight out of it as he hit a double hurricanrana on Andrade and Hechicero. Cassidy tried to reach out to his corner, but Lance Archer intercepted him. Archer was deposited out of the ring as Cassidy tagged in O’Reilly. The Canadian buzzaw teed off with kicks to Andrade before Hechicero tried to get ahead of things. Blind tag by Strong allowed these undisputed partners to show some great teamwork against Hechicero and Andrade on opposite corners. Strong then grabbed Cassidy and used him as a makeshift battering ram against Andrade and Hechicero.

Strong picked up Hechicero with a back suplex for a near-fall. Andrade tagged in as it was time for him and Hechicero got their chance to take it to the Conglomeration’s duo. Running meteora from Andrade on O’Reilly nearly won it for him. Andrade then hit O’Reilly with the two of the Three Amigos, but Kyle escaped and tagged Cassidy into the match. Cassidy hit a variation of the Stundog Millionaire on Andrade as Archer made an impact with a huge body press on Cassidy. He then threw O’Reilly on top of Strong.

Cassidy avoided a Blackout from Archer, but found himself sucked into a Black Hole Slam for the near-fall. O’Reilly and Strong were caught in a double chokeslam position, but Cassidy held Archer by the throat, as he got hit with an Orange Punch. Another Orange Punch from Cassidy, followed by Total Elimination from O’Reilly and Strong on Archer. Strong then threw Cassidy onto the downed Archer to help the Conglomeration pick up the victory here.

The Conglomeration def. The Don Callis Family via pinfall to retain the AEW Trios Championships

I loved this opening match a lot. The Conglomeration’s trio of O’Reilly, Strong, and Cassidy is a fun dynamic and if it leads to these kinds of matches on the regular, I’m definitely all for it. A great way to start off Playoff Palooza.

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– We got footage of what happened after The Death Riders took off with Will Ospreay on Dynamite this past Wednesday. Jon Moxley asked Ospreay what it was he was trying to accomplish other trying to break his next. Moxley wondered what Ospreay exactly was chasing, claiming that he didn’t know what thos answers were anymore. Mox stated that Ospreay’s body will break down eventually, but once he realized that there was a door beside that wall, he could walk through and become whatever he wants to be. Moxley said he and the Death Riders can turn Ospreay into a “weapon” that professional wrestling has never seen. He could either be just like everyone, or everything you were meant to be.

Moxley lied down on the floor and gave Ospreay a chair. Ospreay told the cameraman to leave and we didn’t get a chance to see if Ospreay took up Moxley on his offer.

Ten-Man Tag Match: The Death Riders (Wheeler Yuta, Claudio Castagnoli, Daniel Garcia) & The Dogs (David Finlay & Clark Connors) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) & The Rascalz (Myron Reed, Zachary Wentz, & Dezmond Xavier)

Jon Moxley joined commentary and was asked about what happened between him and Will Ospreay after the cameras stopped last week. Moxley stated that what’s next is up to Ospreay himself and that we’d hear from him soon enough.

Yuta and Xavier opened the match, but Connors and Finlay attacked as things soon turned into a full brawl between two teams. The Death Riders and The Dogs got in their conveyer belt attack in the corner on Xavier, as Nick Jackson trie dto make the save. He found himelself of his opponent’s attack. Reed and Wentz got ahead of things and used their speedy teamwork to take out Garcia. The combined forces of the Bucks and the Rascalz was on full display against Castagnoli, as we saw some high-flying action outside the ring. In the ring, Wentz tried to leap at Castagnoli, but he was locked into a Sharpshooter. Garcia had Reed in the Dragon Tamer, as the Bucks locked in Connors and FInlay in Sharpshooters of their own.

Fast-paced action here as Castagnoli took down the Bucks with a clothesline on the both of them. Xavier responded with a rolling thunder kick that sent his opponent out of the ring. Xavier tried to go up top, but Yuta tripped him up as he hit a standing vertical suplex. We took a break in the action as the Death Riders and the Dogs were in control of things.

We returned to this ten-man tag as Wentz came into the match and unleashed an offensive flurry against Garcia. German suplex from Wentz to Garcia left his foe down and out. Blind tag from Reed as he hit Wheeler Yuta with a superkick. Wentz and Reed flattened Yuta with a double team neckbreaker. Clark Connors broke up the subsequent count.

Yuta responded with a German suplex attempt, but Reed landed on his feet and hit a leaping cutter on him. Connors tagged in for his team, while Nick Jackson entered. Nick hit an incredible leaping armdrag on both Connors and Finlay. Matt Jackson joined in and went on a Northern Lights Suplex spree until Castagnoli struck him with a lariat. The Bucks hit double superkicks on Castaganoli as Connors fell victim to a unique sunset flip powerbomb combination from the Young Bucks. The Rascalz and the Bucks then hit Connors with a quintuple superkick. Even more high-flying action as Connors was battered over and over witrh diving splashes from the Bucks and the Rascalz. Castagnoli caught a diving Dezmond Xacier and took him for a ride with the Swing.

The Bucks hit Castagnoli and Yuta with stereo bulldogs as David Finlay avoided the BTE Trigger. On the aprong, Castagnoli threw Matt onto Nick outside the ring. Myron Reed hit an incredible leaping cutter on Castagnoli to the outside, as Dezmond Xavier took everyone out with a massive dive. Inside the ring, Wentz was the legal man as he hit Finlay with a cutter. Wheeler Yuta intervened, which allowed Connors and Finlay to hit their double-team spear/suplex combo to pick up the win.

The Death Riders & The Dogs def. The Young Bucks & The Rascalz via pinfall

These multi-man tag matches in AEW end up being really fun sprints, and this one was no exception. Just a great match from start to finish.

*****************************************

– Backstage, Kris Statlander, Hikaru Shida, and Harley Cameron, Mina Shirakawa were interviewed. Cameron took exception to comments that Shida made about her. Shirakawa wanted Shida to apologize, but Shida insulted Cameron to her face as she said that her and Statlander would defeat The Divine Dominion for the AEW Women’s Tag Team Championships. The implication here was that Shirakawa and Cameron appeared to understand that Shida was insulting them in Japanese.

Kris Statlander vs. B3CCA

B3CCA started off on the attack as Statlander was on the backfoot early. However, the former AEW Women’s World Champion fought back and tossed B3CCA into the corner. B3CCA kicked Statlander from the apron as she hit a diving dropkick on her afterwards.

Statlander quickly recovered and grabbed B3CCA from the ring but couldn’t hit the Staturday Night Fever. B3CCA applied a headscissors, but that got turned into the Staturday Night Fever for the victory.

Kris Statlander def. B3CCA via pinfall

A quick match, but B3CCA gave as good as she got here and managed to look good in such a short amount of time.

*****************************************

– Backstage, Lena Kross and Megan Bayne were interviewed about the Statlander/Shida challenge for their AEW Women’s Tag Titles. The Divine Dominion said that there was no women in this “godforsaken realm” that looked like they did or dominated like they did. This wasn’t a challenge, this was fate.

RUSH vs. Adam Priest

Priest offered a handshake, but RUSH would not accept. We got some chain wrestling to start as Priest mocked RUSH’s horns taunt and beckoned him to chop him. RUSH obliged and got met with a chop from Priest. We then got a duel of chops between these two combatants. Priest intercepted RUSH with a dropkick, who responded with a couple of chops, followed by an elbow to the jaw. With Priest in the corner, RUSH continued the assault with elbows and headbutts to his prone opponent. RUSH looked to give Priest “The Horns”, but he stopped short and kicked him instead. RUSH did the Tranquilo pose in the middle of the ring as we took a break.

This match returned from break as Priest headed to the top rope and hit a legdrop on RUSH for the near-fall. Priest tried to run at RUSH, but got sent for a ride with a German Suplex. With Priest out of the ring, he got thrown into the barricade repeatedly by RUSH. Priest was stomped on again and again before RUSH sent him backinto the ring. In the corner, RUSH continued the stomps on Priest as he got ready and gave him a taste of “The Horns” with the running dropkick. The cover, and that’s it, over.

After the match, he took the mic and reminded everyone that if you messed with the bull, you get the horns.

RUSH def. Adam Priest via pinfall

I enjoyed this match greatly, but I thought it kind of ended abruptly. That said, Priest was fantastic and kept up with RUSH rather nicely. The beauty of AEW is that “looking strong in defeat” is something that’s very much true in spades. It certainly applies to Adam Priest here.

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– We got remarks from Konosuke Takeshita and Kazuchika Okada following Wednesday’s Dynamite as the two traded words about their upcoming AEW Continental Title match at Double or Nothing.

Skye Blue & Thekla vs. Persephone & Alex Windsor

Windsor and Skye opened the match as the hard-hitting Brit gave as good as she got with the shots to the face. Skye responded with some strikes of her own as the action was hard-hitting to kick us off. Skye chopped at Windsor, who responded with a hard lariat. Thekla snuck in with a cheapshot behind on Windsor. Persephone hit a backbreaker on Thekla as she and Windsor battered Skye with chops a-plenty in their corner. Thekla tried to intervene, but was dispatched while Skye was smashed with a dropkick from Persephone.

Windsor continued the punishment until Thekla pulled at her legs, which allowed Skye to strike with a shot to the back. Thekla then attacked with a diving stomp to the back of Windsor as we took a timeout here.

We returned from commercial as Skye threw Windsor into her corner as Thekla used her legs to hold Windsor in place, allowing Skye to hit with a running strike for the two-count. Windsor quickly recovered and hit a fierce running lariat on Skye, which allowed her to tag in Persephone, as Thekla entered for her team .

Persephone caught Thekla’s leg and hoisted her up for a nice fallaway slam. Persephone lifted Thekla up for a brainbuster, but couldn’t connect. Skye Blue joined in as Windsor was tagged into the match. Windsor got both Skye and Thekla with a double clothesline, as Persephone took flight with a crossbody on the two. Windsor worked over Skye with a chop to the chest, but got hit with the superkick, as her attempt at Code Blue was stopped by Persephone. Thekla speared Persephone, but got cracked by Thekla. Persephone tagged in and missed with a running attack in the corner, but she made no mistake on the bridging German suplex. Thekla broke up the count as she and Windsor fought on the outside.

In the ring, Persephone took Skye down with a shotgun dropkick from the top rope. Persephone set Skye up for her finisher, but Thekla provided a distraction as Julia Hart emerged and spat the black mist in Persephone’s face. Skye took advantage and hit Code Blue on Persephone for the three.

Skye Blue & Thekla def. Persephone & Alex Windsor via pinfall

This was a good women’s tag match here, and it was nice to see Skye Blue pick up the win for her team, which is a nice change of pace on things.

*****************************************

– A video on Kevin Knight and MJF’s upcoming TNT Championship match on Dynamite this week was shown.

AEW National Championship: “Jungle” Jack Perry (c) vs. El Clon

Perry posed to the crowd as Clon responded with a taunt of his own before this match started proper with some chain wrestling. Clon got hit with a monkey flip by Perry, who followed that up with dropkicks. A dive to the outside by Perry was intercepted by a nonchalant kick to the face from Clon. Perry was trapped beneath the ring apron by Clon, who removed the cover on his mask. Clon stomped on Perry’s head while it was draped on the top of the steel steps. Perry responded with a ringpost-assisted feint kick on the prone Clon.

Back in the ring, Perry got the sitout powerbomb on Clon for the near-fall. Clon countered a Perry suplex attempt and threw him into the ropes. Clon then followed that up with the running lariat as this match took a commercial break.

This AEW National Championship match continued from the break as Clon and Perry traded chops in the middle of the ring, until Clon hit a nice kicking combination to gain the advantage. Perry responded with the turnbuckle-assisted bulldog for a very close near-fall. Clon reversed a suplex from Perry as he hit a standing scorpion kick. Clon’s subsequent move was countered into a Destroyer from Perry for a near-fall. Perry’s running knee was intercepted by Clon, who pounced with the elevated knee for the 2.9999999 pinfall attempt. Clon appeared to be doing Perry’s own knee strike, but the National Champion got out of the way. Clon countered with the spinning backbreaker, followed by a unique variation of Made in Japan for another near-fall.

Clon looked like he was going to hit the moonsault from the ropes, but Perry countered that into a German suplex. However, Clon landed on his feet, so Perry finished him off with the running Jungle knee to retain the National Championship.

“Jungle” Jack Perry def. El Clon via pinfall to retain the AEW National Championship

Just a fun title bout here. I find myself really enjoying El Clon in the matches I’ve seen of him on AEW programming, and he continues to be quite impressive. This was another fantastic outing for El Clon and he looked quite good matching Jack Perry move for move.

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– We got remarks from TBS Champion Willow Nightingale, as she stated that she was ready to take on whoever was next to step up to her.

– Samoa Joe was talking with HOOK, who was stating that he was out recruiting for The Opps, when Anthony Bowens confronted them. Bowens was wondering what the decision was regarding his membership in The Opps. Joe remarked that there were no more vacancies in The Opps as he appeared to welcome Bowens into the group.

Trios Tag Match: The Demand (Ricochet, Bishop Kaun, Toa Liona) vs. Chris Jericho & The Hurt Syndicate (Bobby Lashley & Shelton Benjamin)

Jericho played to the crowd as the match officially got underway with Ricochet on the opposite corner. Ricochet backed out and tagged Kaun as the sides even out with all six men in the ring facing off. Soon enough, it turned into a full-blown hockey fight, fitting for Playoff Palooza. Jericho mixed it up with Ricochet while Kaun and Lashley fought and Benjamin and Liona brawled. The Hurt Syndicate went to work inside the ring as they held the upper hand on Liona and Kaun. Benjamin dropped Liona with a DDT. Jericho took to the top rope and hit a diving splash on all three members of The Demand outside the ring. We took our final commercial break at this point.

Playoff Palooza’s main event returned from break as Ricochet had Jericho in a resthold in the middle of the ring. Jericho got out of it and chopped at Ricochet’s chest. With shots to the back and a flip of the bird to the Hurt Syndicate, Ricochet tried get the upper hand, but got flipped on his back by Jericho. Kaun failed to prevent Jericho tagging in Bobby Lashley, who was used his raw strength to go to town on Ricochet and Kaun. Lashley hit an elevated spinning DDT on Lashley, but Liona broke up the count. Benjamin hit a series of German suplexes on Kaun, as he then took out Liona with a running knee. Benjamin then hit one for a diving Ricochet. Jericho tagged in and had the Walls of Jericho locked in on Ricochet before Liona ran in.

Liona was stuck in the Walls, but Ricochet broke it up. Lashley entered and got tripped up outside by Liona, who hit a Samoan Drop on the outside. Back in the ring, Jericho punched at Ricochet on the top rope and hit an avalanche hurricanrana. Bishop Kaun took out Jericho, but was hit with the avalanche suplex from Benjamin. Lashley hit Liona with the Spear as Ricochet was felled by a Codebreaker from Jericho. Somehow, Ricochet kicked out at two after all this. Ricochet attempted a backslide pin on Jericho, but that was for naught. All six men were in the ring now as Liona missed with a diving attack on Jericho. Roll-up attempt was turned into the Walls of Jericho on Ricochet. Liona helped Ricochet the hold. In the chaos, Ricochet nailed a low-blow on Jericho behind the referee’s back before hitting the “Ricosault” for the pin and win in our main event.

The Demand def. Chris Jericho & The Hurt Syndicate via pinfall

That was a decent and fun main event to cap off Playoff Palooza. I’ll admit that this was just there for me, but the crowd helped make the match enjoyable in a sense. I do find the angle of Jericho losing his matches since his return to be an interesting arc if they keep with it.

As for the rest of Collision, we got some really good matches before our main event, with the ten-man tag, the trios title, and Priest vs. RUSH being the standouts for me. The vignette with Ospreay and the Death Riders was a nice aftermath to what happened on Dynamite and I’ll be interested to see where it goes from there.

Overall, Playoff Palooza Collision was a solid night of action, and consistent with AEW’s Saturday show being an enjoyable two-hour watch week in and week out.

UFC Fight Night 274 live results: Aljamain Sterling vs. Youssef Zalal

Posted on by Ryan Frederick

The UFC closes out a busy month of April with the Octagon back inside the Meta Apex in Las Vegas for UFC Fight Night 274.

The main event is a pivotal five-round bout at featherweight as former UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling takes on Youssef Zalal. Sterling is gunning to become a two-division champion and is looking to score his second straight win on the path to a title shot. Zalal has risen up the 145-pound rankings during his second UFC stint, winning eight straight fights overall and all five of his UFC bouts during his second run.

The co-main event is a battle of ranked women’s bantamweights as Norma Dumont battles Joselyne Edwards. Also on the main card is a lightweight fight between Rafa Garcia and Alexander Hernandez; a bantamweight bout pitting Montel Jackson against Raoni Barcelos; and a heavyweight opener between Marcus Buchecha and Ryan Spann.

PRELIMS | 5 PM ET/2 PM PT

> Women’s Strawweights- Talita Alencar (7-1-1, 3-1 UFC) vs. Julia Polastri (14-5, 2-2 UFC)

Both looking to establish their range in the first minute as they don’t trade until a minute in. They trade kicks. Polastri lands a hard body kick. Alencar lands a high kick. Alencar lands a right hand and Polastri counters with a leg kick. Polastri lands a series of kicks. Polastri lands a stiff jab. Alencar with a leg kick followed by a right hand. Alencar scores with a body kick. Polastri lands a jab followed by a body kick. Polastri lands a body kick and they trade right hands before Polastri puts it against the fence, but they break the clinch. Alencar scores a takedown but Polastri is throwing upkicks. Alencar with a leg kick as Polastri is on her back. Polastri tries to get up, but Alencar keeps it down and gets to side control. Alencar with a few shots from the top. 10-9 Alencar.

Polastri lands a stiff jab. Alencar lands a right hand. Polastri with a stiff inside leg kick. They trade kicks before both land punches in close range. Polastri starting to land with more volume as she lands a body kick. Polastri lands a jab. Alencar throws some kicks that Polastri blocks, but Alencar lands a combo. Polastri lands a high kick. They trade inside the pocket. Polastri lands a body kick. Polastri snaps Alencar’s head back with a jab. Polastri lands a body kick, but Alencar grabs it and scores a takedown. Alencar gets into the half-guard. Alencar lands a pair of elbows, though she got warned for back to the head shots. Alencar lands to the body from the top. Alencar lands some elbows from the top. 10-9 Alencar, 20-18 Alencar.

Alencar with a body kick and a spinning back fist. Alencar lands a combo as Polastri lands a leg kick. Polastri with a body kick and Alencar lands a right hand. They trade jabs. They trade as Alencar looks for a takedown. Alencar with a right hand followed by a high kick. They trade. Polastri lands a right hand. Alencar lands a solid combination. Polastri with a leg kick. Alencar lands a solid right hand. They trade kicks and Polastri lands a jab. Alencar lands a body kick. Polastri lands a combo. Alencar with a right hand and they trade at the end. 10-9 Polastri, 29-28 Alencar.

Fight Result- Talita Alencar def. Julia Polastri by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

> Welterweights- Max Griffin (20-12, 8-10 UFC) vs. Victor Valenzuela (13-4, 0-0 UFC)

Neither has landed in the first 90 seconds. Valenzuela lands a leg kick. Griffin lands as they almost clinch up. Valenzuela lands and then lands a body kick. Valenzuela shoots for a takedown but Griffin defends and just misses a right hand. Griffin lands a short combo. Griffin lands a right hand as Valenzuela comes forward. Valenzuela with an inside leg kick. They trade and Valenzuela lands a body kick. Valenzuela lands a pair of right hands and Griffin counters and almost gets a takedown. Valenzuela defends as they work to the feet. 10-9 Valenzuela.

Valenzuela lands a pair of body kicks. Griffin with a leg kick. Valenzuela lands a left hand as he comes forward. Griffin lands a leg kick. Valenzuela lands a spinning back fist as Griffin scores a takedown and he nearly had a choke locked in as they scramble up and separate. Griffin lands a leg kick and looks for a takedown, but lands a right hand as he abandons the attempt. Griffin with a short combo as he advances. Valenzuela tries a wheel kick but Griffin ducks under and scores a takedown. They scramble up and Griffin lands an elbow in the clinch. Valenzuela has the body lock and drags it to the knees. They separate and both land combinations. 10-9 Griffin, 19-19.

Valenzuela lands a big combination and had Griffin in trouble. Griffin recovers and scores a takedown. Griffin controls for a moment before they work to their feet. They trade and Valenzuela connects with a solid right hand. Valenzuela lands a right hand as Griffin is backing up. Valenzuela lands a jab. Griffin lands a combination. Griffin looks for a takedown but Valenzuela defends. Valenzuela with a short uppercut. Valenzuela lands a left hand and pushes Griffin to the mat. Valenzuela lands an elbow and a knee. Griffin lands a right hand. Valenzuela with a small combination and he lands a body kick. Valenzuela lands a knee and Griffin lands a right hand. Griffin lands a knee. Valenzuela with a high kick and lands a combo. 10-9 Valenzuela, 29-28 Valenzuela.

Fight Result- Victor Valenzuela def. Max Griffin by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

> Lightweights- Francis Marshall (9-3, 3-3 UFC) vs. Lucas Brennan (11-2, 0-0 UFC)

Marshall lands a right hand followed by a leg kick. Marshall with a quick combination and lands a right hand that forces Brennan to look for a takedown. Marshall scores a takedown and lands from the top. Marshall continues to land and control from the top. Marshall working inside the half-guard of Brennan. Marshall lands to the body. Brennan looks for a heel hook as he attacks the leg. Marshall escapes and ends up back on top. Marshall lands an elbow. They get to their feet. 10-9 Marshall.

Marshall lands a right hand. Marshall with another right hand. Marshall lands a big right hand that stuns Brennan. Brennan shoots for a takedown and pushes it against the fence, but Marshall defends and has control against the fence. Brennan reverses and lands some knees to the legs of Marshall. Marshall lands some and gets Brennan down to the mat. Marshall smothering from the top and lands from side control. Brennan with some knees to the body from the bottom. Marshall with a knee from the top. 10-9 Marshall, 20-18 Marshall.

Marshall with a high kick. Brennan lands a body kick, but Marshall catches it and trips Brennan to the mat. Brennan gets back to his feet. Marshall lands a right hand. Marshall with a quick combo. Brennan lands a left hand. Marshall lands a right hand as Brennan tried a spinning attack. Marshall with a leg kick. Marshall lands a right hand. Brennan connects. Marshall with a right hand. Marshall lands to the body. They trade and Marshall lands a right hand. Marshall with another right hand. They trade late. 10-9 Marshall, 30-27 Marshall.

Fight Result- Francis Marshall def. Lucas Brennan by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

> Bantamweights- Jafel Filho (17-4, 3-2 UFC) vs. Cody Durden (17-10-1, 6-8-1 UFC)

Durden lands a right hand after Filho lands a leg kick. Durden with a high kick. Durden grabs a leg and lands a right hand before getting Filho to the mat. Durden lands from the top as Filho tries to sweep up, but Durden keeps it down. Filho is able to scramble to the top. They stand with Filho on the back. Durden landing short punches to defend. They separate. Durden lands a right hand. Filho with a left hook. Durden gets Filho down and lands a few right hands from the top. Both are attacking the leg. They scramble up and Durden lands. 10-9 Durden.

Durden lands a right hand. Filho lands a leg kick. Durden with a leg kick followed by a right hand. Durden lands an inside leg kick. Durden with a right hand. Durden grabs a leg and gets a brief takedown, and Filho lands an upkick before he stands. Durden looks for a takedown and Filho tried to grab the fence, but Durden got him down. Durden lands an axe kick to the groin and timeout is called. They return to action. Durden with a leg kick. Filho lands a right hand. Durden with a leg kick. Durden with a jab and Filho scores a takedown. Filho gets the back and looked for a choke, but let go to land before the round ends. 10-9 Filho, 19-19.

Durden lands a right hand. He lands another. Both are landing in close range before Filho initiates a clinch and pushes it to the fence. Filho lands an elbow and left hook on the break. They trade big punches and Filho looks for a takedown. Durden looked for a choke but Filho escaped and they’re tied up along the fence. Filho lands some knees to the body. Durden is able to get Filho down. Filho escapes and Durden lands a body kick as Filho was on the mat. Durden gets back on top. Filho with shots from the bottom. Durden has the back and is controlling. Durden is looking for a choke and is cranking. Durden lets go and lands from the back. 10-9 Durden, 29-28 Durden.

Fight Result- Cody Durden def. Jafel Filho by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

> Women’s Bantamweights- #12 Mayra Bueno Silva (10-6-1 1 NC, 5-6-1 1 NC UFC) vs. Michelle Montague (7-0, 1-0 UFC)

Montague quickly lands and scores a big takedown. Montague lands lots of punches from the top as Silva is able to recover the half-guard. Montague attacks the neck. Montague continues to control from the top. Montague transitions to side control and lands some hammerfists. Silva gives up her back and Montague lands punches with a few elbows mixed in. Montague keeps on top and continues to land to end the round. 10-8 Montague.

Montague lands and connects with a right hand. Montague looks for a takedown but Silva defends and lands. Montague pushes Silva against the fence and Silva grabs the neck for a choke. Montague drops to the mat to escape and they are back at a distance. Silva with a pair of kicks. Montague lands a combination. Silva lands a body kick that hurts Montague. Montague shoots for a takedown but Silva sprawls. Silva looks to take the back of Montague. Silva is attacking for a kimura. Montague gets free and is able to get back on top and starts landing and controlling. Silva lands an upkick right to the face of Montague while she was down and it’s an illegal kick. They get back going on the feet. Silva with a body shot and a pair of calf kicks. Montague looks for a takedown against the fence. They separate and trade to end the round. 10-9 Montague, 20-17 Montague.

Montague lands a stiff combination. Montague with a quick flurry. Silva lands some kicks. Montague scores a takedown. Montague lands from the top, but Silva is able to get the back and is on the back as Montague stands with Silva on her back. Montague is able to get out and gets into side control and lands elbows to the body. Montague lands lots of shots from the top as they go the distance. 10-9 Montague, 30-26 Montague.

Fight Result- Michelle Montague def. Mayra Bueno Silva by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

> Middleweights- Jackson McVey (6-2, 0-2 UFC) vs. Sedriques Dumas (10-4 1 NC, 3-4 1 NC UFC)

McVey quickly pushes Dumas against the fence. They trade knees along the fence. McVey with some knees. They continue to trade knees. McVey with some shoulder strikes. Dumas lands a right hand as they break. McVey drops Dumas with an uppercut and starts landing from the top. McVey landing lots of shots and then attempts a D’Arce choke. He has it locked in and Dumas taps! McVey picks up the win.

Fight Result- Jackson McVey def. Sedriques Dumas by submission (D’Arce choke) at 2:14 of Round 1

> Middleweights- Rodolfo Vieira (11-4, 6-4 UFC) vs. Eric McConico (10-4-1, 1-2 UFC)

They trade leg kicks and McConico goes down after Vieira lands a right hand. He gets up and they tie up and Vieira gets the back and looked for a choke. McConico escapes and Vieira locks in an armbar. McConico escapes and has the back of Vieira. They break apart. McConico lands a knee. They trade leg kicks and Vieira gets a brief takedown and has the back on the feet. They scramble and Vieira keeps back control. Vieira still controlling along the fence and lands a knee as they break. McConico lands a left hand and a pair of body kicks. They trade punches. 10-9 Vieira.

Both are landing and McConico is landing some solid combinations to start the second. McConico lands a left hand and a high kick. Vieira lands a leg kick. Vieira lands a right hand to the body. McConico with a combination and lands a big left hand. Vieira with a right hand and he looks for a takedown. McConico is defending against the fence. Vieira keeping body control and McConico spins to give up his back. McConico with a body punch as they separate to the center. They trade right hands. 10-9 McConico, 19-19.

Vieira with a leg kick. He lands another. McConico lands a few jabs and then a left hand. McConico with a combination. Vieira with a leg kick and a right hand. Vieira looks for a takedown but McConico defends as they tie up against the fence. Vieira tries a takedown but McConico ends up on top and lands an elbow. McConico lands a right hand as they break the tie-up. McConico with a left hand. Vieira lands a right hand. McConico with a jab. McConico lands a left hand. McConico with a stiff jab and a left hand. 10-9 McConico, 29-28 McConico.

Fight Result- Eric McConico def. Rodolfo Vieira by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

MAIN CARD | 8 PM ET/5 PM PT

> Heavyweights- Marcus Buchecha (5-2-1, 0-1-1 UFC) vs. Ryan Spann (23-11, 9-6 UFC)

Buchecha lands a leg kick. Buchecha looks for a takedown but Spann defends and Spann lands some punches from the top. Spann gets to side control. Buchecha gives up his back and Spann lands shots to the back. Buchecha reverses to the feet and has the back of Spann. Buchecha gets Spann to the mat. Buchecha tries to get the back of Spann, but Spann is able to escape to his feet. Buchecha with a front kick. Buchecha shoots for a takedown as Spann lands an uppercut. Buchecha gets to sprawl position. Spann is trying to get his arm free and lands a knee to the body and stands and backs away. Buchecha is ordered up. Spann with a front kick. Buchecha with a heavy leg kick and shoots for a takedown. Buchecha pulls guard to attack the leg, but Spann escapes. Spann gets the neck to get Buchecha down. Spann has back control. Spann lands a pair of hammerfists and stands. 10-9 Spann.

Buchecha gets a warning for his fingers being extended. Buchecha gets another warning. Buchecha lands a leg kick and shoots for a takedown but Spann defends as he grabs the neck. They stand. Buchecha lands a jab. Spann lands a massive right hand and Buchecha goes down and it is all over!

Fight Result- Ryan Spann def. Marcus Buchecha by knockout (punch) at 2:10 of Round 2

> Bantamweights- #14 Montel Jackson (15-3, 9-3 UFC) vs. Raoni Barcelos (21-5, 10-4 UFC)

Jackson drops Barcelos with a body kick and starts landing from the top. Jackson with lots of punches as Barcelos is trying to get to his feet. Barcelos is up and has Jackson against the fence. They break apart and Jackson lands a left hand and a body kick. Jackson with another body kick, but Barcelos grabs the leg and scores a takedown. Jackson is able to work his way up and they break apart. Barcelos gets another takedown and has the back as they scramble. Barcelos is looking for a choke late but time runs out. 10-9 Jackson.

Jackson lands a body kick. Barcelos with a right hand. Barcelos lands a body kick followed by a leg kick. Jackson lands a left hand followed by a jab. Barcelos looks for a takedown but Jackson defends it. Barcelos shoots for a takedown against the fence and is able to briefly get him down. Barcelos keeps body control and has Jackson pushed against the fence. Jackson lands a knee and a couple more. Barcelos trips Jackson to the mat. Barcelos gets the full mount. Barcelos gets the back of Jackson and locks in a rear-naked choke but Jackson survives yet again. 10-9 Barcelos, 19-19.

Barcelos looks for an immediate takedown as he pushes it against the fence. Jackson lands to defend and they separate. Barcelos lands a leg kick. Jackson lands a combination. Barcelos looks for a takedown and is able to score it. They scramble up and go to the fence. Jackson lands a knee. They break apart and Jackson lands the jab. Jackson with a high kick. Jackson back to the jab. Barcelos shoots for a takedown and gets it, but they get right to their feet. They trade kicks as they separate. Barcelos gets a takedown and works for a choke late and is on Jackson’s back as the fight ends. Close fight. 10-9 Jackson, 29-28 Jackson.

Fight Result- Raoni Barcelos def. Montel Jackson by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

> Bantamweights- Davey Grant (15-8, 8-7 UFC) vs. Adrian Luna Martinetti (17-1, 0-0 UFC)

They trade leg kicks to start. Grant lands a heavy calf kick. Grant with a body kick and a right hand. They both land punches. Grant with a switch kick and he lands an overhand right. Martinetti lands an uppercut. Martinetti with a leg kick and Grant lands a right hand. Grant connects with a solid left hand. Grant with a calf kick and lands another. Grant with more leg kicks. Grant lands a left hand followed by a leg kick. Grant with a leg kick as he continues to land with more volume. Grant with another calf kick. Grant with a combo to the body. Martinetti with a jumping knee. 10-9 Grant.

Grant landing low kicks to start and Martinetti lands a combination. Martinetti with a right hand. Martinetti lands another right hand. Grant lands a calf kick. Grant with a leg kick. Martinetti lands a left hand. Grant with an inside leg kick and he lands a side kick. Martinetti with a left hand. He lands another to the body. Grant with a leg kick. Martinetti lands a flurry against the fence. Grant with a combination and a high kick. Grant lands a combo. Martinetti lands a left hand. Grant with a right hand. Grant with a heavy overhand right. Grant lands another right hand and follows with a leg kick. They trade in close range. Grant with a calf kick. They trade and Grant lands a big right hand. Martinetti with a spinning back fist. Grant with more calf kicks. 10-9 Grant, 20-18 Grant.

They trade and Martinetti looks for a takedown, but Grant defends. Grant lands an uppercut. They trade leg kicks. Grant lands to the body and follows with a leg kick. Martinetti with a front kick to the face. Martinetti with an uppercut. Grant with a right hand and they trade inside the pocket. Martinetti lands a teet kick. Grant lands a combo. Grant with a left hand and a leg kick. Martinetti with a short elbow. Grant with a right hand and he continues to land leg kicks. Grant with a left hook. Grant lands a knee. Martinetti scores a takedown. Martinetti looks for the back on the mat. They get to their feet. Martinetti drags it down briefly but they stand and both start landing. Grant with a combo. 10-9 Grant, 30-27 Grant.

Fight Result- Davey Grant def. Adrian Luna Martinetti by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

> Lightweights- Rafa Garcia (18-4, 6-4 UFC) vs. Alexander Hernandez (18-8, 10-7 UFC)

Garcia lands a right hand. Garcia with a leg kick. Hernandez lands a body kick. Garcia with a leg kick. Hernandez with a knee to the body. Garcia lands a few more leg kicks. Hernandez lands a body kick. Hernandez lands a left hand. Garcia with a right hand and he scores a takedown, but they get right to their feet. They separate. Garcia with a right hand. 10-9 Garcia.

Hernandez lands a right hand. Garcia lands a solid left hand. They trade in close range. Garcia is chasing Hernandez down as Hernandez is circling round. Hernandez is busted up a little. Garcia with a combo. Garcia lands a jab and a right hand. Garcia with a combo to the body. Hernandez lands a body kick. Garcia with a heavy calf kick. Garcia picking up the volume as he connects with a right hand. Garcia with another right hand. They both land in close range. Hernandez with a stiff jab. Hernandez lands a right hand. Garcia lands. 10-9 Garcia, 20-18 Garcia.

Garcia lands a double right hand. Hernandez with a combo and he lands to the body as Garcia lands to the head. They trade and Garcia looks for a takedown, but Hernandez defends it. Garcia lands a pair of right hands. They trade jabs and Hernandez lands a left hand. Garcia with a jab and Hernandez lands a combo. Garcia scores a brief takedown and has control against the fence as they stand. Garcia with some foot stomps. Garcia lands a series of left hands. Garcia with more left hands. Garcia with a short knee against the fence. Garcia gets it down but they get right up. Garcia lands a right hand as they break. Garcia with a right hand and they trade shots. They trade and both land heavy shots. They trade inside the pocket to end it. 10-9 Garcia, 30-27 Garcia.

Fight Result- Rafa Garcia def. Alexander Hernandez by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

> Women’s Bantamweights- #3 Norma Dumont (13-2, 9-2 UFC) vs. #11 Joselyne Edwards (17-6, 8-4 UFC)

They trade right hands as Dumont lands a pair of leg kicks. Dumont with a body kick and a quick right hand. Edwards lands a leg kick. Edwards lands a big flurry of punches before Dumont grabs the body lock and scores a takedown. They get up and Dumont keeps body control against the fence. Edwards lands some knees as she reverses. Edwards with some stiff knees. Dumont lands short punches as she’s defending. Dumont drags Edwards to the ground. Dumont is in the half-guard and looking to set up an arm-triangle choke. Edwards with some elbows from the bottom as Dumont controls. Edwards is able to reverse to the top. Edwards slams Dumont down trying to break the grip. 10-9 Edwards.

Dumont lands a leg kick. Edwards fires back with a leg kick. Dumont lands another leg kick. Dumont lands a right hand. Edwards with a right hand to the body. Neither are really landing their punches. Dumont lands a leg kick. She lands another. Dumont with a combo as Edwards was covering up. They trade kicks. Edwards with a switch kick to the body. Edwards with a right hand and they trade leg kicks. Dumont with a right hand. Dumont with a combination to the body. Edwards with a front kick. Dumont lands and Edwards fires back. Dumont with a leg kick and they tie up. Edwards with an elbow. 10-9 Dumont, 19-19.

They trade in close range and Edwards lands a left hand. They trade leg kicks. Edwards is pressing forward and throws a front kick. Dumont lands a right hand. Edwards throws a combo but barely lands. Dumont with a leg kick as Edwards fires in punches. Edwards gets the body lock against the fence and Dumont lands some knees. Dumont lands a knee and they separate. They trade kicks. Dumont lands a left hand. They trade leg kicks and punches as Edwards lands a combo ending with a nice right hand. Edwards with a high kick. They trade leg kicks and Edwards lands a jab. Edwards with a combo. Edwards lands a spinning back fist. 10-9 Edwards, 29-28 Edwards.

Fight Result- Joselyne Edwards def. Norma Dumont by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

> Featherweights- #5 Aljamain Sterling (25-5, 17-5 UFC) vs. #7 Youssef Zalal (18-5-1, 8-3-1 UFC)

Sterling with a leg kick. Zalal lands a right hand. Sterling lands a body kick. Sterling with a jab. Zalal lands a leg kick. Sterling with a right hand. Sterling looks for a takedown against the fence. Sterling lets go as he trips Zalal up. Sterling trips Zalal as Zalal was throwing a kick and Sterling gets on top. Sterling passes to the half-guard. Zalal looks for an arm and Sterling is trying to free his arm. Sterling gets back into the guard of Zalal. Zalal almost forces it up and Sterling lands to the body. Sterling with some knees. 10-9 Sterling.

Sterling lands a pair of leg kicks. Sterling looks for a takedown against the fence. They break apart. Zalal lands a combination. Zalal lands a knee. Zalal with a leg kick and Sterling lands a right hand. Sterling lands a body kick. Sterling pushes Zalal against the fence and lands before Zalal circles away. Sterling gets it down and lands from the top and gets the back of Zalal. Sterling has the body triangle locked on. Sterling with big shots from the back. Sterling with hammerfists as he’s controlling Zalal from the back. Sterling lands more from the back. 10-9 Sterling, 20-18 Sterling.

Sterling pushes Zalal against the fence and scores a takedown. Zalal has the neck with a guillotine choke locked in but Sterling is able to get out and Zalal ends up on top. Zalal with some elbows from the top. Zalal working inside the guard of Sterling. Zalal gets to the feet and Sterling lands an upkick. Zalal gets to side control. Zalal gets the back and is working for a choke. Sterling is defending well as Zalal has the hooks on and is working to get his arm under the neck. 10-9 Zalal, 29-28 Sterling.

Sterling with a pair of leg kicks and he pushes Zalal against the fence. Sterling has the back and gets it down and has the hooks on the back. Sterling landing from the back and is looking for an opening for a choke. Zalal is defending and Sterling is being patient in looking for the choke. Sterling controlling and lands some punches from the back. Sterling gets on top and is landing punches. Sterling lands to the body. Sterling with some left hands. They get to their feet and Sterling lands a right hand. 10-8 Sterling, 39-36 Sterling.

Zalal pressing forward and lands a right hand. They tie up against the fence. Sterling pushes Zalal against the fence. Sterling has the body lock. Sterling controlling against the fence and they separate. Sterling with a right hand and he connects with a combo before getting Zalal to the mat. Sterling working in the half-guard. Sterling gets the back and has the hooks on and is landing from the back. They get to their feet at the end and Sterling lands. 10-9 Sterling, 49-45 Sterling.

Fight Result- Aljamain Sterling def. Youssef Zalal by unanimous decision (49-45, 49-45, 49-45)

WOR: WWE cuts, WrestleMania 42 fallout & news

Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

Dave Meltzer and I are back on Wrestling Observer Radio discussing the major stories from today’s issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

We talked about:

  • The WWE cuts which were happening while we were recording
  • WrestleMania 42 fallout
  • TKO’s creative control
  • The Ali Act hearing
  • Wrestling prodigies

Click here to listen (subscription required) or watch on YouTube

WWE SmackDown live results: The fallout from WrestleMania 42

Posted on by Marc Quill

WWE WrestleMania 42 has come and gone, and tonight WWE SmackDown moves forward as it emanates live from Fort Worth, TX’s Dickies Arena.

After challenging Roman Reigns for the WWE World Heavyweight title on Raw, Jacob Fatu will make an appearance as he awaits Reigns’ answer this Monday.

New WWE Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley will be in the house to celebrate after wresting the title from Jade Cargill last Sunday.

There will be another celebration as new WWE United States Champion Trick Williams will be on hand as will his running mate, rapper Lil Yachty.

Paige returns to SmackDown for the first time in nearly 10 years as she and Brie Bella celebrate their WWE Women’s Tag Team title win last Saturday.

After earning the title shot last Friday, former WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton will challenge reigning Women’s U.S. Champion Giulia for the gold tonight.

Our live coverage kicks off at 8 pm Eastern.

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– Our night began with a recap of what went down last weekend at WrestleMania 42. Following that lengthy opener, we went to a live shot of Cody Rhodes arriving to the arena in a Ram truck in a similar manner to Pat McAfee and Randy Orton. Also seen making their arrivals was the new WWE Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley, as well as new U.S. Champion Trick Williams. Li’l Yachty and the Gingerbread Man were seen with Williams. As they got off the arena, Danhausen drove up in his coffinmobile as Trick’s entourage left.

Jacob Fatu kicks off SmackDown

Fatu made his way down to the ring just days after having challenged new World Heavyweight Championship Roman Reigns for a match at Backlash.

He started off by stating that he told Reigns that he wanted him, and that he needed the World Title. Then Reigns looked at Fatu in the eye and said “you’re not ready”. The truth is, however, Reigns was right in that assessment. Because what Reigns told Fatu has been something he’s heard all his life from his friends and family. But, to break it all down and to keep it 100, Reigns might say Fatu’s not ready, so he should step in the ring to prove it. The Usos interrupted as Jimmy and Jey Uso walked down to address Fatu.

Jimmy took the mic and said that he heard what Fatu had to say on Monday about how Fatu wanted to level up for his family. Jimmy told Fatu that he should not go after Roman Reigns’ title and instead go for Cody Rhodes. He said that Fatu should join the “Family” and run things with them. Jey

Jey said that if Fatu wanted respect from Roman, he better get ready to look him in the eye and get ready for war, because Reigns was going to bring it. That’s when The M.F.T.s interrupted things.

Solo Sikoa said that the Usos were lying to him. Sikoa took credit for bringing Fatu into WWE two years ago. The M.F.T.s entered the ring as Sikoa continued to insist Fatu to not listen to Jimmy and Jey. Sikoa said that Fatu wasn’t going to beat Reigns along, and that he was going to need an army in the form of the M.F.T.s. Tama Tonga aggressively took the microphone from Sikoa and asked him why they were wasting their time with this. Tama called Fatu a “lost cause”, stating that he couldn’t even beat Sikoa.

For his troubles, Tama got superkicked by Fatu, who told Sikoa that the only one who should be talking to is Roman Reigns. Fatu then issued the challenge to Sikoa to face him later tonight.

If you’re not a fan of more Bloodline drama unfolding, then this opening segment is certainly not for you. I found it just kind of there and a means to an end to set up our likely main event

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Women’s United States Championship: Giulia (c) (w/ Kiana James) vs. Tiffany Stratton

Stratton avoided Giulia’s attacks on opposite corners before she hit her with a clothesline. Giulia responded with a jumping rollup pin for a near-fall. We got a series of dueling pinfalls between champion and challenger for a bit before Giulia caught Stratton’s cartwheel and connected with a neckbreaker.

Stratton got the rolling senton, but couldn’t get the Prettiest Moonsault Ever as Giulia trapped her in a tree-of-woe position before hitting the dropkick to the head. Giulia then got Stratton with an elevated neckbreaker from the apron to the outside as we took a commercial timeout.

We returned from commercial as Stratton was starting to mount her comeback. She connected with the springboard cartwheel Stunner for a close near-fall. Stratton tried to go up to the top rope, but Giulia intercepted her and turned it into an avalanche butterfly suplex. One, two…. Stratton just managed to kick out. Giulia headbutted Stratton and tried for a slam, but got reversed. Stratton looked for a running attack, but Kiana James grabbed her leg. Giulia ran at Stratton, but she moved out of the way Giulia ended up hitting James instead.

Stratton looked for another Prettiest Moonsault Ever, but Giulia caught her in a modified Rings of Saturn submission hold. Stratton countered it into a pinfall attempt that Giulia kicked out of. Giulia recovered and blasted Stratton with the Arrivederci knee. She set her up for the Northern Lights Bomb, but Stratton reversed it into a rough-looking Alabama Slam. She then finished Giulia off with a Prettiest Moonsault Ever to pick up the win and the Women’s U.S. Title.

Tiffany Stratton def. Giulia to win the Women’s United States Championship

That was an alright match between Stratton and Giulia. It was odd that these two were left out of the WrestleMania card and they put together a good match here. I will say that Giulia’s second Women’s U.S. Title reign was much like her first, a whole lot of nothing that led nowhere.

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– A pretaped vignette of Danhausen visiting The Miz’s mansion was shown. Danhausen got into the pool, much to the Miz’s annoyance, and it looks we’re going to get more of these skits tonight.

– We returned as Tiffany Stratton was interviewed after her Women’s U.S. Title win. Stratton said that this felt amazing to be on the top again. She was no longer the runner up after winning gold, and that she was ready to show that WWE was running on “Tiffy Time”. New WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Brie Bella and Paige made their way to the ring after this.

Paige and Brie Bella celebrate their Women’s Tag Title win

Once the new champs entered the ring, Brie said that it felt incredible to stand in the ring to be a champion. She noted that while it was a shame she couldn’t win it alongside her sister Nikki, she was more than happy to take the gold alongside a good friend like Paige. Brie then welcomed her back to WWE.

Paige spoke next and talked about how hectic a week she just had. When Brie gave her the call to tag with her at WrestleMania, Paige said that she was more than happy to answer. Paige noted that it was a rough road to get back here, but she was so happy to be back home. She and Brie stood against the best competitors in the world, but SmackDown was still Paige’s house. Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss showed up to interrupt proceedings.

Flair started by saying that she could speak for her and Bliss in welcoming Paige back, but the returnee had something that belonged to them. Flair and Bliss had been working for so long to get back, so Flair suggested that if Paige wanted to prove she was the best, she and Brie would defend the Women’s Tag Titles against her and Bliss. The Women’s Tag Champions accepted the challenge and this match would take place after the commercial break.

WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship: Paige & Brie Bella (c) vs. Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair

This match began during the commercial and we joined the action in progress after the break.

Bliss hit Brie with a dropkick as she tagged in Flair, who chopped away at Brie’s chest. She then hit a fallaway slam before kipping up to her feet. In the corner, Flair blasted Brie with a kick to the jaw, but missed with an attack to the knee. This gave Brie an opening for a tag, however, before we could get a tag, Jacy Jayne from NXT pulled down Paige from the apron as the rest of Fatal Influence — Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid ran in and laid waste to everyone.

Paige & Brie Bella vs. Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair ended in a No Contest

Not so much of a match here as it was to introduce Fatal Influence into the Smackdown roster, and it’s giving a much needed infusion of talent to the women’s roster of SmackDown, which is something that I’ve made a point to discuss on more than one occasion. This is a good piece of business.

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– We got a vignette for Royce Keys that focused on how much he was an inspiration to his hometown of East Pala Alto, CA.

Cody Rhodes talks WrestleMania 42 fallout

The Undisputed WWE Champion, sporting one heck of a shiner after taking Randy Orton’s punt kick, walked down to the ring battered, bruised, but certainly not broken.

As Rhodes got into the ring, he took in the reaction from the Fort Worth crowd before asking them what they wanted to talk about. Rhodes wanted to talk about he walked out of WrestleMania, even though he was beaten down. It was a decision he made to walk up the ramp to show that he always got back up. Rhodes wanted to send the message that even though he wouldn’t be medically cleared, and that he’d get stitches on the back of his head… he wanted to send it to Randy Orton. Rhodes wanted to send the message that even though Orton gave him his best shot — the punt to the head — he was still standing.

He wanted to send the message to a “sarcastic and condescending” Sami Zayn as well, who said that nothing ever went wrong for Rhodes. That’s why he showed up in all-gold attire at WrestleMania, because he wanted to show that he was gold, his family was gold, and every fan of his was gold. Most especially, he wanted to send a message to those outside forces that kept trying to get involved in his business: they’re 0-3, so send your best or count your money and mind your damn business.

Rhodes concluded by throwing the gauntlet as he pointed that if anyone wanted a shot at him, whether they were from NXT or Raw or SmackDown. He was easy to find, but even harder to beat.

Just a standard Cody Rhodes promo to get things going post-WrestleMania. This almost felt like a bit of a soft reset of sorts, in a way. The Pat McAfee-centered storyline that plagued Rhodes vs. Orton seems to be a thing of the past now, especially since it’s been reported that McAfee himself (and Jelly Roll) was not a fan of how things going down, and with good reason.

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WWE Tag Team Championship Match: R-Truth & Damian Priest (c) vs. The M.F.T.s (Tama Tonga & J.C. Mateo) (w/ Tanga Loa)

Truth and Tama got things going in this tag match. The two traded strikes, but Tama got the upper hand here. He hit Truth with a dropkick and mocked him with his “version” of the Five-Knuckle Shuffle. Truth dodged and tagged Priest into the match. Priest unleashed his flurry of offense on both Tama and Mateo in the M.F.T. corner. Mateo responded by providing a distraction on Priest, which gave Tama the opening to clothesline him out of the ring. At ringside, Tanga Loa flattened Priest with a clothesline as we took a break in the action.

We returned from break as Mateo and Tama were shelling Priest with a double team assault. Mateo threw Priest into his corner, but the big man began to fight back. Tama went down with a clubbing blow, as Priest then swung for the fences like Aaron Judge with the massive lariat on Mateo. The hot tag from Truth as he hit the John Cena Moves of Doom on Mateo, ending with the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Tanga Loa distracted the referee as Tama ran in and hit Truth with his spinning neckbreaker behind the back. Priest broke up the count as he blind tagged into the match. He and Truth hit the “Rise Up” tag finisher on Mateo for the three and the tag title retention.

Damian Priest & R-Truth def. The M.F.T.s to retain the WWE Tag Team Championships

Kind of an okay match. The Truth and Priest team continues to entertain, but this just felt like a match that was kinda there.

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– The second part of Danhausen’s visit to The Miz’s house was shown.

Trick Williams & Li’l Yachty’s U.S. Title Celebration

The new U.S. Champion was flanked by Li’l Yachty and the Gingerbread Man as the trio made their way to the ring to celebrate a successful WrestleMania. The ring was festooned with balloons, banners, and some champagne for celebration.

Williams stated to Yachty that the people were excited to celebrate the new United States Champion. He talked about how Yachty was there, and even the Gingerbread Man was there. The people weren’t there to gamble, but for three words: “Whoop That Trick”.

Yachty talked about how the WrestleMania promo tour was over, but he was still here, because he was here to stay. Yachty called himself “The Prophecy” as he stated that there would be no more U.S. Title Open Challenges for the foreseeable future. Williams concluded by talking about how if you wanted the U.S. Champion, you find Trick Willaims.

Just as Williams was celebrating, the Gingerbread Man hit him from behind with the cane. He removed his mask to reveal Sami Zayn. “A man-sized batch of walking cinnamon,” as Joe Tessitore called him, Zayn assaulted both Yachty and Williams before he finished the U.S. Champion with a Helluva Kick.

This was a nice segment, and the silly Gingerbread Man stuff had a point to it with Zayn using it to trick Trick. Nice work all around.

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– Solo Sikoa once again tried to recruit Royce Keys to his side after a backstage interview.

Danhausen vs. The Miz (w/ Kit Wilson)

Danhausen entered to the ring aboard his “coffinmobile”.

Outside the ring, Kit Wilson took the Slammy Award off the hood of Danhausen’s rided. He then caused a distraction to allow Miz to hit Danhausen from behind. The American Gladiators reboot hostg stomped on Danhausen as he and Wilson shared a moment. Danhausen did an Undertaker sit-up and then cursed Miz and Wilson, which caused pyro to shoot out to blind the two. This gave Danhausen the opportunity to roll-up Miz for the win.

After the match, Miz tried to chase after Danhausen, but he ran into a blinded Wilson, which allowed Danhausen to escape in his coffinmobile.

Danhausen def. The Miz via pinfall

Just some silly fun here. It’s not much in the way of actual wrestling, but it’s harmless comedic fun as Danhausen continues to be one of the more entertaining parts of WWE as of late, even through the rough stretches en route to WrestleMania 42.

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– A vignette for Blake Monroe was shown, stating that she’d be joining the SmackDown roster soon.

Rhea Ripley celebrates her WrestleMania moment

The new WWE Women’s Champion entered to a huge ovation from the Fort Worth crowd after her WrestleMania 42 victory this past weekend.

As the crowd chanted for her, Ripley stated, “your Mami is finally champion again.” Ripley talked about how at WrestleMania, the grandest stage of them all, Jade Cargill proved to her that she could actually go. But now, it was Ripley’s time to prove that the WWE Women’s Champion is a fighting champion. Ripley noted that she knew there were women in the back that wanted a shot at her, and now she was ready to take on all comers.

The music of SmackDown’s new additions, Fatal Influence, signalled the arrival of the trio led by Jacy Jayne. They walked down to the ring to massive boos from the crowd as Jayne said she’d be the first one to give Ripley credit for her win at WrestleMania, but she couldn’t talk over the crowd booing. Jayne said that the people should be giving credit to herself, Fallon Henley, and Lainey Reid for taking out everyone’s favorite legends like they did earlier tonight.

Ripley responded by stating that Fatal Influence should stop while they’re ahead. Reid and Henley tried to get their words in, but Ripley said that she was used to the number games being against her, but that didn’t matter as she gestured at her WWE Women’s Title. She challenged Fatal Inlfuence to fight her right now.

SmackDown GM Nick Aldis said that Jacy Jayne will face the new WWE Women’s Champion right here and right now… or at least after this commercial break.

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Rhea Ripley vs. Jacy Jayne (w/ Lainey Reid & Fallon Henley)

Jayne and Ripley sized each other up before engaging in a chain wrestling battle. Ripley attempted a scoop slam, but Jayne turned that into a standing headlock. She kept the hold on for a bit before Ripley literally threw Jayne out of it. A shoulder block from Ripley kept the newcomer to SmackDown on her toes as Jayne talked over strategy with Reid and Henley. That pep-talk seemed to work as Jayne got Ripley with a running hurricanrana. Ripley responded with a headbutt that sent Jayne out of the ring. Ripley caught Jayne’s leg after a kick fromthe apron as she slammed her face-first.

Reid and Henley got in Ripley’s face, which allowed Jayne to recover with the running kick across the apron to Ripley as we took a timeout.

We returned to live action as Jayne maintained command of the match with a running neckbreaker on Ripley for the near-fall. Ripley got back on top of things with a rising kick as she hit Jayne with consecutive clotheslines, a kick, then a running dropkick. Ripley raised Jayne up for the Razor’s Edge, but she managed to escape from it. Ripley went for the forearm, but was hit with the pump knee to the face by Jayne for another near-fall.

Jayne missed with the discus elbow, as Ripley got her with the big boot on the button. Ripley headed to the top rope, but Jayne used the ropes to trip her foe up. This allowed Jayne to get in position for an attempted superplex, but Ripley escaped and hit the Cheeky Nando’s kick, as she tried for an electric chair move. Jayne reversed into a roll-up for the near-fall. Ripley hit back with the Razor’s Edge followed by the Shining Wizard for a close two.

Ripley attempted a Prism Trap, but Jayne countered it. Ripley headbutted Jayne and looked like she was going to hit the Riptide. Fatal Influence got involved to cause the DQ finish. After the match, Jayne, Reid, and Henley laid out the WWE Women’s Champion with a three-on-one-attack.

Rhea Ripley def. Jacy Jayne via Disqualification

I know the DQ finish was going to wrinkle a few feathers, but I thought it was deployed perfectly here, especially as the aim was to put over the new arrivals to SmackDown as a serious threat. I think Fatal Influence was used to great effect here and got put over easily as a new heel force on the roster.

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– After a recap of Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu’s Raw confrontation, we got a backstage segment with Fatu stating to the Usos that he didn’t need their help against the likely involvement of The M.F.T.s in our main event.

– Backstage, Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss were stewing over being laid out by Fatal Influence earlier. Rhea Ripley appeared and asked if there was a problem. Flair was defensive and said she was going to go take care of Jacy Jayne next week, unlike “some” people, directing that towards Ripley.

– A Retrospective on Brock Lesnar was shown.

– Ricky Saints was teased to be making his debut on SmackDown next week as an official part of the blue brand’s roster.

Solo Sikoa (w/ The M.F.T.s) vs. Jacob Fatu

Fatu and Sikoa locked horns in the middle of the ring to start as the former backed the latter into the corner. A cheap kick to the gut by Sikoa led to a headlock, but Fatu got out of it and withstood two running shoulder blocks before he hit Sikoa in the throat with a strike. Fatu hit repeated headbutts on Sikoa, but got sent face-first into the turnbuckle, which allowed Sikoa to hit back with some punches of his own.

Sikoa taunted Fatu, but paid for it with a running forearm, followed by the spinning takedown. As Fatu tried to run, J.C. Mateo snagged his leg, as the M.F.T.s struck on the outside with the referee distracted. Meanwhile, The Usos appeared on the ramp, much to Fatu’s protestations. This gave Sikoa an opportunity to strike with a clothesline on Fatu as we took our last commercial break.

Our main event returned as Fatu began to try and mount a comeback. Sikoa caught Fatu’s running attack and turned that into a release German suplex for a near-fall. Sikoa tried to strike at Fatu, but got met wtih bigger attacks from his foe, which culminated in a series of rights and a clothesline to the face. Fatu then hit a clothesline in the corner on Sikoa, as he then got ten consecutive headbutts on his stunned foe. This left Sikoa at the mercy of Fatu’s running hip attack. Tama Tonga tried to distract Fatu, but Sikoa failed to hit the Samoan Spike, as a superkick took him out.

Fatu headed to the top rope, but J.C. Mateo pushed him off the perch with the referee distracted. Sikoa rolled up Fatu, but couldn’t get the win. Fatu took out the M.F.T interference outside with one suicide dive, as Sikoa used this opening to hit the Spinning Solo. Diving splash from the top, but Fatu kicked out of Sikoa’s best shot. Sikoa looke dfor the Samoan Spike, but Fatu responded with a superkick, followed by the pop-up Samoan Drop. One Mighty Moonsault later, and it was a victory for Fatu.

Post-match, Mateo, Tanga, and Tama attacked Fatu, which prompted the Usos to run it. However, it seemed like Fatu didn’t need the help as he took it to the remnants of the M.F.T.s Fatu wrapped the steel chairs around the necks of Tama and Mateo, as he hit the running hip attack on the both of them. Outside the ring, Tanga Loa ate a suicide dive. Fatu rearranged the furniture and got on the barrier to hit a diving splash through the announce table on Tanga.

The show ended with Fatu staring down the Usos, who only stood on the apron. Fatu said that he’d see Roman Reigns on Raw this coming Monday.

Jacob Fatu def. Solo Sikoa via pinfall

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That was a perfectly fine main event, and it did its job of establishing Jacob Fatu as a credible threat for Roman Reigns as the World Heavyweight Champion.

Meanwhile, this post-WrestleMania SmackDown fell kind of flat for me, even with moments I liked such as Fatal Influence’s debut and Danhausen’s antics. It just felt like a show that really didn’t seem like an important aftermath to WrestleMania, and not helped by the absences of certain players such as Randy Orton or Jade Cargill.

Moreover, I think a lot of why I couldn’t really get into tonight’s show was the news of WWE doing its annual spring releases just before SmackDown went on the air. Among those released were the entire Wyatt Sicks faction, as well as Aleister Black and Kairi Sane — all of whom were just on WWE programming in various storylines. It’s hard to really get excited about a show on a night when the company running the show you’ve covered decided it’d be a good idea for these cost-cutting cuts that do nobody any favours.

I don’t think I have to explain how losing a job sucks and that making jokes about it, no matter how you feel about the company that fired them is kind of terrible. At the end of the day, it comes down to corporate greed by the decisionmakers within WWE and TKO, and every year, it’s just a painful reminder.

I hope everyone that was released today find the feet elsewhere in the wide world of wrestling, because it’s a great big world out there now, and the sky is certainly the limit for everyone.

WOL: Matches almost changed at WrestleMania, Vince McMahon status, more

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Lance Storm is back with tons to talk about including tons of notes on Vince McMahon from the WWE shareholder’s lawsuit, Vince’s status with the company, changes that almost happened at WrestleMania, Pat McAfee, and tons more! A fun show as always so check it out~!

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April 27, 2026 Observer Newsletter: WWE WrestleMania 42 review, ratings & behind the scenes news from the entire week

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

A very news-loaded issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter after last weekend’s WWE WrestleMania 42 has arrived.

From WWE’s biggest shows of the year to all the indie shows in Las Vegas, Dave Meltzer has it all covered including all the behind the scenes news and ratings that will break brains on social media as they usually do.

Dave also looks at the life and times of former WCW wrestler Van Hammer who passed away last weekend.

Dave also deep dives into all the big TKO news from the last few days including some interesting comments made by Nick Khan, Mark Shapiro and others.

News, ratings, reviews…it’s all here so let’s get to it.

Click here to read (sub needed)

B&V: AEW Dynamite and NXT TV with backstage notes!

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

The Bryan & Vinny Show is back with tons to talk about including a largely excellent edition of Dynamite with the exception of the Will Ospreay’s Decapitated Head storyline, and an NXT that was just sorta there with the exception of the phenomenon that is Jackson Drake. A fun show as always so check it out~!

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TNA Impact live results: Mike Santana vs. Rich Swann

Posted on by Joseph Collins

TNA Wrestling Impact is back on AMC tonight.

The Thursday, April 23, 2026 edition of the show was taped last week at Upstate Medical University Arena in Syracuse. Three matches are advertised for the show.

The TNA World Championship will be on the line in tonight’s main event as champion Mike Santana defends against former titleholder Rich Swann.

Matt Hardy vs. Dutch is also scheduled.

Nic Nemeth will take on Bear Bronson of The System in singles action.

We will also hear from Elayna Black on the show. Xia Brookside will address her turning on Lei Ying Lee at TNA Rebellion. Elijah is also advertised for a special live concert.

The lineup for the show is as follows:

  • Mike Santana vs. Rich Swann for the TNA World Title
  • Matt Hardy vs. Dutch 
  • Nic Nemeth vs. Bear Bronson 
  • Xia Brookside will explain herself. 

Our live coverage begins at 9 p.m. Eastern.

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Taped! From Syracuse, New York! 

Tom Hannifan & Matthew Rehwoldt were on commentary. 

— You know tonight’s main event is serious because they show Rich Swann and Mike Santana walking into the building before their title match later tonight. Title opportunities just do not come along like this (four different guys had title shots they could “cash in” at various points the last few months). 

Bear Bronson (w/ The System) v. Nic Nemeth 

Ryan Nemeth joined the commentary team for this match. Nemeth walked out with his “Call Your Shot” trophy. Ryan is jealous of KC Navarro, who in his mind is trying to replace him as Nic’s baby brother. 

Nemeth caught Bronson with a headbutt, but Bronson came back with a spinebuster. Bronson sat on Nemeth for a near fall. While Bronson distracted the ref, Alisha Edwards choked Nic against the ring ropes. Bronson dumped Nemeth with a side slam for a near fall. Ryan kept insisting on commentary that he had tapes of his and Nic’s births, but there was no such tape of KC Navarro being born a Nemeth. He kept offering to show the tapes. 

Nemeth hit a pair of flying clotheslines. Nemeth hit a Famouser for two. Nemeth went for a superkick, but Bronson blocked it and dumped Nemeth with a choke bomb for two. Bronson set up Nemeth for a sit-out tombstone, but Nemeth pushed away and hit a jumping DDT. Nemeth got a near fall after a superkick. Bronson blocked a Danger Zone, floored Nemeth with a clothesline, then hit a sit-out Death Valley Driver for two. Nemeth dropped to the floor to regroup. 

On the floor, The System surrounded Nic Nemeth. KC Navarro came out to distract the System. While the System’s backs were turned, Ryan Nemeth shoved Nic back in the ring. Nic got behind Bronson and hit him with the Danger Zone to get the pinfall. 

Match Result: Nic Nemeth pinned Bear Bronson (8:30). 

— Gia Miller talked to Rich Swann about his world title match later tonight. Swann told BDE to stay in the back because he didn’t want there to be any excuses when he pinned Santana for the world title. 

“Elijah” Does a Concert

So this was Frankie Kazarian in a beard, doing a bad Elijah impression. Kazarian insulted Syracuse, calling it a “frozen dump,” and a guy in front of the camera flipped him off. He was about to sing “Kaz is My Daddy” but the lights went out, and when they came back up, the real Elijah was behind him. Elijah choked out Kazarian with a guitar strap. 

I thought that would be the end of it, but no. Elijah took the guitar and announced via song that he and Kaz would have a “Guitar Strap Match.” He also got the crowd to chant “Frankie blows!” by promising them Dinosaur Barbecue (I’m guessing that’s the name of the restaurant, not the dish). 

— EC3 (with the chair from last week still wrapped around his neck) cut a promo on Eric Young. 

— Tessa Blanchard and her crew discuss their journey into the Undead Realm, and Blanchard laid down a challenger for Impact next week. 

Dutch  v. Matt Hardy

The partners are banned from ringside for this encounter. We are supposed to believe that Matt is slowly reverting to his “Broken” character. Matt pulled a table out from under the ring before the match began and set it up on the floor. He spray painted the word “Sacrifice” on the table. 

It took forever for Matt to finally get in the ring, and then Dutch jumped him. Hardy went for a crucifix, but Dutch blocked it. Dutch walked his way over the ropes (carrying Hardy on his back), and got a rope break with his teeth. They fought on the floor, and Matt flipped Dutch over the ring stairs. Matt rammed the back of Dutch’s head into the steel stairs. 

Back in the ring, Matt deleted Dutch’s head into the turnbuckles. Dutch came back, hit Matt with an avalanche in the corner, then pulled him into a short-arm clothesline. Dutch dropped the elbow for a near fall. 

Dutch hit a side suplex for two. Dutch worked over Matt with a chinlock, but missed a splash. Matt tried for the Twist of Fate, but Dutch blocked it. Instead, Matt dropped him with a DDT. Matt then hit the Twist of Fate, but Dutch rolled out to the floor. Matt got Dutch up on the table. Matt came off the middle rope with an elbow drop. Matt hit Dutch with the elbow, but bounced off him and landed with a thud on the floor. The legs broke off the table, but nobody went through it. Matt then propped the table up against the ring apron, then suplexed Dutch through it. 

Hannifan tried to justify the table spots by explaining it wasn’t a disqualification because the table was set up before the match started. 

Vincent came up from underneath the ring and slid a chair in the ring. While the ref got the chair out of the ring, Vincent pulled Matt off the ropes. Dutch then finished off Matt with the Black Hole Slam and got the pinfall. 

Match Result: Dutch pinned Matt Hardy (10:12)

After the match, Dutch laid in another beating on Matt while Vincent watched. Keff ran in to chase of Vincent, and give Dutch a Twist of Fate and a Swanton Bomb. 

TNA Injury Report: 

  • Trey Miguel is OUT with a laceration. 
  • Leon Slater is OUT because he’s “banged up.” 
  • Frankie Kazarian was choked out, and is being evaluation. 
  • Mike Santana and Rick Swann are medically cleared for their match later tonight. 

Xia Brookside Explained Herself 

Footage from Rebellion was show of Xia Brookside’s heel turn.

Lei Ying Lee came out first. She cut a promo similar to her one from backstage last week. She loves wrestling, and she loves her friends, but she doesn’t understand why Xia Brookside turned on her. “Why?” Somebody in the crowd shouted “Why not?” 

Xia Brookside came out with the same peppy entrance music, but dressed in all black. Xia blamed Ling for costing her the championship a few weeks ago (on Impact) when she showed Xia the video of her father before the match. Lee said something in Chinese, but Brookside refused to translate. Brookside said her father didn’t support her, and she had to do everything by herself, and the video was just a way for Lee to get in her head and keep her from the championship. Lee tried to apologize and, crying, promised to be by her side. Brookside feigned accepting the apology, and blamed Stacks for getting in her head. 

The crowd turned on this segment pretty hard. Lee said she would “let” Brookside have the title shot, since the title meant so much to her. So they hugged, and Brookside did the Cena thing where she looked dead-eyed into the camera . Brookside then sucker-punched Lee and dropped her with an implant DDT. “We are done!”

Elayna Black v. Katie Arquette

Before I can make any jokes about Arquette possible being related to David Arquette, Hannifan beat me to it and revealed Arquette was a cousin of the former WCW World Champion. 

This was basically a squash. Black won with the Blackout, a butterfly spinning neckbreaker and probably the least impactful finisher in all of wrestling. 

Match Result: Black pinned Arquette (2:26). 

Katie should get from tips from her cousin. 

— Mustafa Ali held an TNA International Championship Open Challenge Selection Segment in the back, and he the country of Australia was chosen first. Adam Brooks from Australia will challenge Ali for the TNA International Championship next week. 

— The System cut a promo in the parking lot. Bear Bronson promised to get back at Nc Nemeth. Cedric Alexander again made the case that he was cheated in his X-Division title match at Rebellion. Eddie Edwards shouted about how you can’t beat The System (even though the two guys before him were complaining about being beaten). 

Rich Swann v. Mike Santana for the TNA World Championship

They started advertising the match was “up next” at about 10:25, but the bell didn’t ring to start it until 10:42, after the entrances, different commercial breaks and promos. But they still delivered over nineteen minutes of action (with no break at all if you were watching on TNA+).

There was a long feeling out process to start, and Swann caught Santana with a step up rana. Santana went for his own step up rana, but Swann countered with a handspring. Both guys went for dropkicks at the same time, and both guys kipped up. 

Santana went to a side headlock and slowed things down. Swann escaped, took Santana down with another rana and caught him with a dropkick. Santana blistered Swann with a chop, then caught him flush with a dropkick. Santana dumped Swann face-first into the mat, then lowered the boom with a senton for a near fall. 

The fight went to the floor. Both guys exchanged chops, and Santana leveled Swann with a boot. 

Back in the ring, Santana stretched Swann on the mat with an abdominal stretch. Santana transitioned into a side headlock, then a chinlock. Swann escaped with a jawbreaker, then leveled the champion with an axe kick. Swann gave Santana a nasty kick to the spine, then ground him down with a chinlock. 

Santana battled out of the chinlock, so Swann transitioned into a sleeper. Santana battled out of that with punches and chops. Swann came back with a series of spin kicks. Swann kicked Santana out to the floor. 

On the floor, Swann sat Santana onto a chair and ran around the ring to charge into him with a boot. Then Swann did it a second time. He tried for a third time, but Santana recovered and floored him with a superkick. Santana tossed Swann in the ring and went to the top. Butn Santana jumped right into a superkick from Swann.

Swann went to the top, but Santana kipped up and superplexed (more like a falcon arrow) Swann from the top rope.

Santana fired up with punches and hit a flying clothesline. Santana caught Swann with an enziguri in the corner. Santana caught Swann with the rolling cutter for a near fall. 

Swann countered a piledriver attempt with a cradle for a quick near fall. Santana came back with a sit-out death valley driver, a cannonball, and a running sit out powerbomb for a near fall. 

Santana charged into a boot. He charged again, and Swann caught him with a flying clothesline. Swann fired away with quick jabs. Swann caught Santana with a neckbreaker. Swann went for a 450 splash, but Santana got out of the way. Swann hit a springboard cutter for another near fall. 

Swann walked into a boot, but came back and took Santana down with a hurricanrana. Swann hit a big frog splash for another near fall. 

Santana hit Swann with a face-first powerbomb. Santana went for another powerbomb, but Swann flipped him over into a destroyer for another near fall. Swann hit a superkick, but Santana took Swann’s head off with a discus lariat and got the pinfall. 

Match Result: Mike Santana defeated Rich Swann to retain the TNA World Championship via pinfall (19:08). 

This was great. More of this, please, TNA. This is worth going out of your way to see. It was TNA’s version of a”classic” world title match.

After the match, Santana and Swann hugged and put each other over. Carlos Silva wasn’t in attendance, so Daria Rae (in the “TNA” baseball cap that Silva usually wears) came out to present Santana with his championship belt. 

Next week on Impact:

  • Elijah v. Frankie Kazarian in a Strap Match
  • Jeff Hardy v. Vincent
  • Mara Sadé, Rosemary, & Allie v. Tessa Blanchard, Mila Moore & Victoria Crawford

ROH TV live results: Mark Davis vs. BEEF, Billie Starkz vs. Hyan

Posted on by Jeff Moss

Ring of Honor is back on Honor Club tonight.

Matches for this week’s show were taped on the March 22 ROH tapings in Jacksonville, Florida.

Billie Starkz will wrestle Hyan in singles competition. An eight-man tag team match will see The Frat House go up against The Colons, Angelico, and Serpentico. In a Pure Rules match, Diamante will face Rachael Ellering.

In singles competition, Mark Davis of the Don Callis Family will wrestle BEEF. A segment where Caprice Coleman “chops it up” with Lee Moriarty is also advertised.

ROH on Honorclub announced lineup for April 23, 2026:

  • Billie Starkz vs. Hyan
  • The Frat House vs. The Colons, Angelico & Serpentico
  • Diamante vs. Rachael Ellering (Pure Rules match)
  • The Premier Athletes vs. Angelica Risk, Brandon Cutler & Terry Kid
  • Mark Davis vs. BEEF
  • The Swirl vs. Adam Priest & Tommy Billington
  • MxM TV vs. Angel Fashion, Keagan Garland & Oro
  • Caprice Coleman “chops it up” with Lee Moriarty

Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern.

**************************************

I don’t know about you, but I’m very much looking forward to Caprice Coleman “chopping it up” with Lee Moriarty. But first on thisn the day of ROH, we must wrestle! 

The Premier Athletes (Tony Nese, Ariya Daivari and Stori Denali) vs Angelica Risk, Brandon Cutler and Terry Kid

And wrestle they shall, after Mark Sterling does his trash talking thing. 

Denali and Risk started the match which allowed Denali to kick her a bunch. She whipped Risk into the corner and laid her very large knees into Risk’s gut. Nese and Cutler tagged in for a minute, but Denali preferred to do the heavy lifting and tagged back in, crushing Risk with a choke slam and ending the match.

Match Result: The Premier Athletes defeated Angelica Risk, Brandon Cutler and Terry Kid

Mark Davis vs BEEF

Oh Beef. My dear, sweet Beef. Davis refused his very enthusiastic Code of Honor and shoved him into the corner off of the opening tie up. Rude.

Davis is Australian, so as Beef grabbed a headlock, Ian Riccaboni made some AC/DC jokes. Davis put Beef down with a shoulder tackle, but that just made Beef hotter who hit him with one of his own, sending Davis out of the ring.

On the outside, Davis chopped Beef (and then added him to a nice stew) before going for a suplex on the ring apron. Beef fought back though and tried to powerbomb him off the apron, but Davis dropped down to stop the move.

Back in the ring, Davis stood up to some chops from Beef before knocking him down with one of his own. Davis went for a senton, but Beef moved and cartwheeled around him off the ropes. In Mexico, Jack Cartwheel wept and didn’t know why.

They started throwing jabs in the middl of the ring, with Beef yelling “beef!” with every bowl struck. Beef went for a Bulldog, but Davis countered with a German suplex. Beef came back with a lariat and went up top.

Shockingly, Davis cut him off with more chops and dropped him with a superplex, drawing comparissons to Barry Windham. Davis went for a gut wrench, but Beef blocked it. Beef tried to steal it with a roll up, but Davis kicked out.

Beef hit a suplex, then tried to go up top again. He threw himself for a crossbody, but Davis moved and clotheslined him, possibly from hell. Davis made the pin and picked up the victory.

Match Result: Mark Davis defeated BEEF

MxMxTV (Mansoor, Mason Madden and Johnny TV) vs Main Man Oro, Keagan Garland and Angel Fashion

TV must have picked up that Kurt Angle thing, becuase he still hasn’t grown any of his hair back. Madden and Mansoor offered him a wig on the way to the ring, but he refused.

TV started off the match against Fashion, who teasingly ran his hands through his long luxurious hair to taunt TV. That set him off and TV peppered his midsection with shots to the point Madden had to pull him off and let Mansoor tag in against Oro.

The speed picked up from here, with Oro tagging in Garland for a double team. Mansoor grabbed a tag to Madden who came in to double team Garland and make with the posing. Madden knocked Oro and Fashion off the apron and MxMxTV beat up Garland and posed, triple like.

Garland (who is the son of Scotty 2 Hotty, BTW), found himself hoisted up by Madden. Oro and Fashion tried to help, but the massive Madden hit a triple slam on all three. They rolled outside and TV dove through the ropes to take out the field.

Back in the ring, TV whiffed on a kick letting Garland hit a facebuster and then (sigh) do the worm. Before he could land it though, Madden kicked his head off. TV, Madden and Mansoor delivered a triple “Glossy” Centerfold to Garland and that was it. MxMxTV get the win.

Match Result: MxMxTV defeated Main Man Oro, Keagan Garland and Angel Fashion

Next up, Caprice Coleman sat down to “chop it up” with ROH Pure Champion Lee Moriarty. Coleman asked Moriarty how he feels he fits into the Shane Taylor Promotions vibe. Moriarty said that he is the best Pure wrestler on the planet and he understands why STP are so aggressive, even when he doesn’t agree with them.

Coleman asked if Moriarty felt like he needed to break away from STP and Moriarty said no. He has been finding himself over the last couple of years and has found success with STP, so even if they disagree, he’s going to stick with the team and Taylor, who he called his “coach.”

Coleman then asked Moriarty about his art work. Moriarty said that he has been drawing since he was a kid, copying and redrawing comics and movie posters. When he became a wrestler, he started painting. After only doing it for a few years, Moriarty has sold paintings for thousands of dollars.

Moriart said that his art has given him a sense of flow and being able to look ahead that he has been able to apply to his Pure wrestling career. He said that art taught him to control his emotions, which is a benefit in the Pure style.

They then said “chop it up” a couple more times and it was over.

Pure Rules Match: Rachael Ellering vs Diamante

Speaking of Pure Rules, here’s a Pure Rules match!

Diamante has a date with ROH Women’s Pure Champion Deonna Purrazzo at Supercard of Honor in May, so the tuning up begins here.

The bell rang and clock started and Diamante came out swinging, grabbing a waistlock into a headlock. Ellering flipped it into a wristlock and then threw a shoulder at Diamante. Diamante grabbed her from the mat and put on a fujiwara, forcing Ellering to use her first rope break at 0:55.

Ellering powered up from there hitting a senton for a two count. She hit a back elbow and went for a big boot, but Diamante grabbed her foot and put on an Ankle lock. Ellering grabbed the rope to break the hold at 2:01.

Diamanted clubbed and stomped Ellering, working her leg and ankle. Diamante DDT’d Ellering’s foot and dropped a few elbows for good measure. Ellering caught her in a waist lock, but Diamante went right back to the ankle lock. Ellering got to the ropes to use her final rope break at 3:47.

Diamante didn’t let up, throwing jabs until Ellering exploded with a clothesline followed by a gutwrench suplex. Ellering’s leg kept her moving slowly and Diamante caught her with a double stomp from the top turnbuckle.

Diamante locked on another ankle lock and Ellering, out of rope breaks, was forced to tap.

Match Result: Diamante defeated Rachael Ellering

After the match, Diamante put Ellering in a fujiwara just to drove the point home.

The Frat House (Jacked Jameson, Preston Vance, Griff Garrison and Cole Karter) vs The Colons (Orlando and Eddie) and Spanish Announce Project (Angelico and Serpentico)

Orlando and Garrison kicked things off with a speedy exchange. Eddie made a blind tag and the Colons hit a double flapjack on Garrison. Karter tagged in and the Colons did the same thing, this time going for a cover, which Karter kicked out of.

Angelico tagged in and used the power of lanky to hold Karter while Serpentico joined him for a double team. Serpentic charged Karter in the corner with a running uppercut, but Vance made a blind tag off the ropes.

Vance fell victim to a flying body scissor, but blocked a casadora, transitioning into a suplex. Serpentico ended up isolated in the Frat corner as all four tagged in and out throwing boots and elbows at him in the corner. Jameson (still wearing his baseball cap) ended up legal and hit a lungblower on Serpentico.

Jameson hit a DDT and then a knee to the back of Serpentico’s head. Jameson went off the top turnbuckle for a senton, but Serpentico rolled out of the way. The impact dislodged the hat from Jameson’s head.

Vance tagged in and hit a powerslam on Serpentico, who responded with a thrust kick and then some sliced bread. Vance made a tag to Garrison, and Angelico got one from Serpentico. Karter tried to help, but Angelico took both of them out with clotheslines.

Angelico hit a back suplex on Garrison and went for the cover, but the whole Frat house broke it up. That caused a brawl on the outside that sent Orlando into a barricade.

In the ring, Garrison hit a torture rack powerbomb, but Angelico wouldn’t go down. Jameson tagged in as the Colons cleaned house on the outside.

Serpentico locked a stretch on Karter and Angelico grapevined Jameson’s leg and Jameson, true to form, instantly tapped out.

Match Result: The Colons and Spanish Announce Project defeated The Frat House

Hyan vs Billie Starkz

Starkz began with the head games right off the top, approaching Hyan almost timidly. She invited Hyan to lock up, but then held her hand up too high for Hyan to reach. She grabbed a wristlock and then bit the hand of Hyan.

Hyan went around back with a waistlock, pulling Starkz to the mat in a body scissor. She rolled Starkz around the ring and then put on a tight headlock. Starkz stomped Hyan’s foot to break the hold, sending Hyan into the corner.

Hyan exploded out with a Thez press and then went for a suplex, but Starkz countered with a hair-assisted reverse bulldog. Hyan threw some punches, sending Starkz out of the ring. Hyan went to dive onto her, but Starkz caught her and DDT’d her on the ring apron (the starkz-iest part of the ring!)

Starkz then threw Hyan into the barricade and ringpost before tossing her back into the ring. Starkz threw some heavy forearms in the corner and a back elbow to knock Hyan down. She started in with kicks, but then Hyan reversed a buckle bomb into a pump kick.

Hyan hit a back suplex, but Starkz kicked out of the cover. Hyan set Starkz up in the corner, but off the charge, Starkz rolled her up for two. Starkz went up top, but took too long and Hyan joined her up there. She laid Starkz out with a superplex and falcon arrow, but Starkz got her foot on the ropes during the cover.

Hyan went for a half nelson, but Starkz powered out of it. They traded superkicks but Hyan got caught off the ropes in a buckle bomb from Starkz. She went up top and hit the swanton, but pulled Hyan up at two on the cover.

Starkz instead went for a pile driver to make her point and made the cover to get the win.

Match Result: Billie Starkz defeated Hyan

Tornado Tag Match: The Swirl (Lee Johnson and Blake Christian) vs Adam Priest and Tommy Billington

So for those not in the know, a “Tornado” tag match means that everyone’s in the ring at the same time and there’s no need for tags.

Billington and Priest ran into the ring and jumped Johnson and Christian before they could even get their robes off. There were many a chop thrown and Johnson stayed on his back on the outside. Billington and Priest double backdropped Christian in the ring.

Johnson rolled in just in time to get DDT’ed by Billington. Priest joined him and they traded of kicking Johnson in the gut. Johnson managed to whip Priest to the outside, then throw a huge lariat to take out Billington.

That allowed Johnson and Christian to double team Priest on the outside with springboard blockbusters and good ol’ fashioned kicks to the gut.

Back in the ring, they turned their attention to Billington, going for a choke in the corner. They double suplexed him and Christian put Billington into a tree of woe. Before anything could happen though, Priest rejoined the match. He couldn’t get much done though as he got taken out by Johnson.

Christian and Priest moved to the outside, while Johnson kept Billington down. Christian came back in and they kicked and stomped Billingtonin the corner. Christian then went under the ring and grabbed a chair (no DQ I guess in the Tornado).

Johnson whipped Billington and Christian hit him in the face with the chair as he crossed the ring. Somehow, Billington managed to kick out of the cover though.

Billington started fighting back with a double dropkick off the top rope followed byt a couple of scoop slams. Billington went for a piledriver on Johnson with Priest adding the spike, but Johnson kicked out of the cover.

All four were in the ring and in the confusion, Christian hit Johnson with a spinning kick by accident. Priest and Billington took advantage, with Priest focusing on Johnson. Johnson caught him with a snap mare, but Priest countered with a DDT.

Priest went up top, but Christian cut him off. Billington joined them on the turnbuckle and Christian hit a C4 from the top on Priest. Johnson and Billington got caught in the crossfire and all four were left laying.

They all got to their feet and started rotating chops. Christian hit a superkick on Billington and then Johnson hit a pump knee on Priest. Priest came back with a flying headbutt, buy Johnson got the chair in between them and Priest knocked himself cold. Johnson made a cover and The Swirl/Twist got the voctory.

Match Result: The Swirl defeated Adam Priest and Tommy Billington

WOL: Filthy & Lance Storm review AEW Dynamite, hotel security, Bunnie Roll

Posted on by Tom Lawlor

Wrestling Observer Live is back in the house with “Filthy” Tom Lawlor and Lance Storm with TONS to talk about including a full AEW Dynamite report, parting gifts from Pat McAfee & Jelly Roll, and a discussion about fans.

A fun show as always so check it out~!

Right Click Save As (sub needed) or watch on YouTube

WOR: Van Hammer, Flair on Helwani, Dynamite and NXT, Ali Act

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including more on Van Hammer, the WrestleMania ESPN ratings, Ric Flair on Ariel Helwani, the Ali Act, the AEW Dynamite TV report, NXT recap, plus all the rest of the news. A fun show as always so check it out~!

Timestamps:
Start: More on Van Hammer, why the Pat McAfee story was dropped, WWE WrestleMania ESPN numbers
13:33: Ric Flair on Ariel Helwani
21:30: Ali Act gets Senate hearing
32:26: CMLL notes, Dave’s thoughts on Ronda Rousey/Gina Carano build
39:51: AEW Dynamite recap
1:08:37: More ratings analysis, WWE NXT recap

Right Click Save As