After turning heel, Chad Gable could be forming a new faction in WWE.
Gable’s heel turn happened in the main event angle of this Monday’s WWE Raw episode. He snapped after unsuccessfully challenging Sami Zayn for the Intercontinental title.
Following their match, Gable attacked Zayn as he was celebrating with his wife. Raw went off the air with officials breaking things up as Gable had Zayn locked in an ankle lock.
Dave Meltzer writes in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that “the belief going around” is The Creed Brothers (Julius & Brutus Creed) will also be turning heel and forming a group with Gable. Julius Creed posted a tweet this week teasing the potential alliance.
Zayn won the Intercontinental title at WrestleMania 40, ending Gunther’s historic reign with the championship. He earned the WrestleMania title shot in a gauntlet match last month. Gable is the last person Zayn eliminated in the gauntlet.
In storyline, Gable helped train Zayn for his match against Gunther at WrestleMania. Gable challenged Gunther multiple times last year and came close to beating him for the IC title.
The Creed Brothers took part in a triple threat number one contender’s tag match on Raw this week. Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa won the match and will challenge The Miz & R-Truth for the World Tag Team titles on Raw this coming Monday.
One of the biggest issues of the Observer is out this week. Tons of interesting information on current news and lots of historical figures. It’s full coverage of a weekend of major events.
Poll results on all the major shows
Historical nature of WrestleMania 40 including business notes in depth, gate, PPV, attendance, merch, it’s all there.
Ticket demand
Historical nature of Rhodes’ win
How WWE has changed due to Dwayne Johnson
A look at the booking of both nights
Internal talk on Rock vs. Rhodes
More changes from WWE to TKO
How many WWE PPV buyers watched Revolution and Hard to Kill
How the WWE/AEW dynamic has changed
Future WWE direction
A look at Dynamite with the Jack Perry/CM Punk footage and Will Ospreay interview
Whose ideas these were and what the background was
Different lines and why they were said
Full Stand & Deliver coverage
The life and times of Akebono, a Japanese cultural figure
The early 90s heyday of sumo
The Bob Sapp fight and doing kickboxing and MMA
The long pro wrestling career and his various roles
His brief WWE run
UFC 300 looked at
AEW 2024 PPV plans
New Japan Sakura Genesis coverage and next major shows
Bryan Danielson vs. Blue Panther singles match looked at
ROH Supercard of Honor coverage
Gary Shaw, a controversial figure in MMA and his role in promoting Kimbo Slice and putting women’s MMA on the map against major opposition
Jon Jones’ latest incident
A look back at Al Zinck and the heyday of pro wrestling in the Maritimes
The most detailed look at the ratings of the past week, weekly standings, placings for the night and time slot, major competition for each show, segment-by-segment numbers and more.
Rey de Parejas tournament from Dragon Gate
One of the greatest U.S. amateur wrestlers in history may retire in a few weeks, or this summer
A look at the Olympic trials
Wrestling TV show headed to Netflix
Indie Hall of Fame
The Boys answer back at charges they were fired for no-showing
International TV ratings
Ticket sales for all the upcoming WWE & AEW shows
Update on lawsuit filed by former MMA superstar against Disney, backed by Elon Musk
Vince McMahon’s stock sales, how much cash he’s made, value of current shares and how much does he still own
How much Dwayne Johnson has made for his being on the TKO Board thus far
Changes in WWE management
Why so many wrestlers today as compared to the past get busted mouths
Gable on X: “Don’t kid yourselves. You would have done the same thing.”
Sheamus thanked Venum for making his new ring gear following his return to Raw on Monday: “Thank you @venum for the 1st ever custom WWE branded ring gear… i wear the WWE brand with pride, many more should too..”
Julian Baldi, who was featured on the Roku series ‘WWE Next Gen’, announced on X that he has signed with the company.
WWE put up a video showing Jimmy & Jey Uso’s dueling WrestleMania experiences.
C4 en Alerta in Mexico has a story about the ex-partner of Dos Caras (father of Alberto El Patron) accusing him of abuse and assault. She also accuses Hijo de Dos Caras (El Patron’s brother) of throwing acid on her body. Carlos Jimenez of C4 posted a video of the woman showing her injuries.
After Zayn defeated Gable in the main event of WWE Raw, Gable raised Zayn’s hand and left the ring as Zayn celebrated his win in his home city of Montreal. As he was hugging his wife at ringside, however, Gable took him down from behind with a German suplex and continued to attack Zayn. Raw came to a close as Gable had Zayn’s leg wrapped up in the turnbuckle, clinching in an ankle lock.
In the build to WrestleMania 40, Gable offered to train Zayn in his match against Gunther after Zayn defeated Gable in a gauntlet match to become the number one contender. At WrestleMania, Zayn ended Gunther’s historic run with the Intercontinental title, pinning him to become the new champion. On the Raw after WrestleMania, Zayn and Gable teamed up to defeat Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci of Imperium.
Following their match, Zayn acknowledged that he owed Gable and said he would defend his title against Gable in Montreal.
Date: April 15, 2024 Location: Bell Centre in Montréal, QC
Show Recap —
Sami Zayn, Damian Priest, Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso were shown arriving throughout the day.
Rhea Ripley relinquishes the Women’s World Championship
Ripley entered with her right arm in a sling and a sour look on her face. Adam Pearce was in the ring too. Ripley announced she would be stuck on the bench for quite a few months after Liv Morgan’s attack last week.
Ripley was pissed because she was told she would have to vacate the world championship. The crowd chanted “Bullsh*t” and Ripley agreed. Ripley said the title meant the most to her which is what made this so painful. She laid the belt down on the mat. The crowd chanted, “Thank you, Mami,” as she looked angrily at the camera.
Ripley blamed this on Morgan’s stupid little revenge tour. Ripley might’ve had respect for Morgan if she attacked her face-to-face but instead, she did it like a coward. Ripley had a warning for whoever held her title when she returned: she was coming back for blood. Ripley said they’d have to lock her up in Montréal jail if she saw Morgan tonight.
Morgan entered with a smile on her face as about six security guards tried stopping her from going to the ring. Ripley wanted them to let her go but security got between them. Morgan left and Ripley headbutted a guard to the ground.
********
The WWE Draft will begin on the April 26th Smackdown and continue on the April 29th Raw.
Judgment Day embraced Ripley in the back. The crowd applauded. Damian Priest said Ripley would come back and make Morgan regret what she did and she’d come back more badass than ever. Ripley thanked them and left.
********
Michael Cole announced an attendance of 15,118. He also spoke about Ivar’s appearance on NXT.
Sheamus defeated Ivar (8:17)
There were chants of “Welcome back” and “Let’s go Sheamus.” Sheamus hit a big White Noise off the middle rope which popped the crowd. He didn’t go for a cover because this led to an early commercial break instead.
Sheamus hit a powerslam and Ten Beats of the Bodhrán but Ivar dropped him with a roundhouse kick and a splash off the top for two. Ivar tried a springboard crossbody but Sheamus hit a knee strike. Sheamus hit another knee and a Brogue Kick for the pinfall win.
The crowd popped for the win. A sweaty Sheamus put his arms around Cole and Pat McAfee in celebration.
********
There was a video package for tonight’s IC title match.
Truth and Miz segment with Triple H
Paul “Triple H” Levesque entered to a big reaction with Pearce already in the ring. This gave Cole another opportunity to talk about the “Triple H Era.” McAfee said Triple H was “terrorizing” (Terra Ryzing) the record books. The ring was carpeted and there were a pair of title belts under a cover. HHH spoke about WrestleMania before Pearce called out the new Raw tag team champions.
R-Truth and Miz entered and we got ourselves another “You deserve it” chant. The crowd chanted for Truth who did the splits. HHH congratulated them and said it was awesome seeing Truth get a WrestleMania moment.
HHH said it was a new era and they needed to represent the tag division appropriately. He announced that they would now be known as the “World Tag Team Champions” (to match the other Raw titles). HHH revealed the new tag title belts which are gold (with a black strap) and resemble the other world titles.
Truth freaked out as if HHH just did a magic trick. There was some silly comedy with Truth thinking HHH was actually Tommaso Ciampa. Miz spoke French and explained to him that the new belts were theirs. HHH handed them belts and left. Pearce was oddly upset that Truth’s antics made HHH leave. Anyway, he announced a triple threat match to determine the next challengers.
This segment felt like it belonged in the previous era.
********
The screen “glitched” as New Day entered and a QR code appeared briefly.
Triple Threat Match: Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa defeated The Creed Brothers and Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods (10:30)
New Day wiped out everyone with dives ahead of an early break.
[SECOND HOUR]
Everyone traded moves shortly after a break until Ciampa with Kingston with Project Ciampa for a nearfall. Woods tagged in and hit a tornado DDT. Woods gave Gargano the Honor Roll clothesline and knocked down Brutus Creed with a forearm.
New Day double-teamed Ciampa but Julius Creed broke up the cover and handed out suplexes to Woods, Kingston, Ciampa and Gargano. The Creeds each hit double Northern Lights suplexes for two counts. Julius gave Kingston a superplex but Woods hit Julius with a flying elbow drop. As he went for a cover, DIY hit Woods with Meet in the Middle for the pinfall win.
DIY earned a tag title match with the win.
********
Jackie Redmond attempted to interview Drew McIntyre after showing a replay of CM Punk costing McIntyre his match last week. McIntyre booted the screen and stormed off.
Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell defeated Maxxine Dupri & Ivy Nile (3:35)
Hartwell cheated and is now on the same page as LeRae.
Dupri gave Hartwell a flying crossbody and a fisherman’s suplex for two. Dupri distracted herself by confronting LeRae which allowed Hartwell to drop her and tag in LeRae. Dupri fought back with a DDT.
Dupri tagged out but the referee didn’t see it because Hartwell distracted him. As the ref told Nile to get back on the apron, Hartwell (not the legal person) booted Dupri behind his back. Hartwell dragged LeRae into a cover and they picked up the win. (Hartwell also held back Nile so she couldn’t break up the cover.)
********
There was a Damian Priest video package.
Judgment Day were in the back. Dominik and JD McDonagh were upset but Priest reminded them that they still ran WWE. He urged Dom to teach Andrade a lesson and told McDonagh to have his back.
Finn Bálor thought they should focus on getting the tag titles back but he had to wrestle Jey Uso tonight. Priest told him to focus on tonight and teach Jey the meaning of the word “loss.” Priest would teach Jey the meaning of the word “pain” at Backlash. Priest asked Bálor if he was good with that and Bálor agreed.
********
Chad Gable was shown training with the Creed Brothers in the arena earlier this afternoon. Redmond interviewed him and asked him what it would be like to face Zayn in Montréal.
Gable said he made the Olympic team as a Minnesota guy in Iowa. Not one person in that building wanted him to win but he did and he planned on doing the same thing tonight. He knew exactly how to expose Zayn.
This was another match that went to an early break. Andrade fought back after a break but he missed a moonsault. Dom gave him a Canadian Destroyer on the apron which led to a two count. Dom went for a 619 but Andrade dropped him with a back elbow. Andrade knocked McDonagh off the apron and hit Dom with The Message for the pinfall win.
— McDonagh attacked Andrade after the match but Ricochet ran out to make the save.
The crowd was quiet for this. They’ve been mostly quiet for the matches tonight aside from Sheamus’ return.
********
Cathy Kelley interviewed Jey Uso and asked him about Tama Tonga attacking Jimmy Uso. Jey was earnest and said he told Jimmy to come with him. However, Jey had to focus on Bálor tonight and said he would receive a Yeet-down.
********
Piper Niven & Chelsea Green defeated Kayden Carter & Katana Chance (2:15)
There was a cool spot where Carter had Green on her shoulders and Chance leaped off the rope, jumped off of Green’s back and tried a flying crossbody but Niven caught her and hit a fallaway slam. Niven gave Carter a running crossbody and Green made the cover for the pinfall win.
The crowd was (understandably) quiet for this too.
********
Cody Rhodes is up next.
********
Kelley interviewed Liv Morgan in the back. She was booed. Morgan was confused by the reaction. Everyone in the back was mad at her but she wasn’t the bad guy. She wondered where this sympathy was for her with Ripley injured her shoulder. Morgan called it karma at its finest. Morgan said her revenge tour wasn’t over. It only ended with her as world champion.
[THIRD HOUR]
Cody Rhodes segment
The crowd woke up for Rhodes who received a very big reaction. Rhodes asked the crowd, “de quoi veux-tu parler.” They cheered. He thanked Pearce for allowing him to appear on Raw despite representing Smackdown. He mentioned his next challenger would be LA Knight (who was cheered) and AJ Styles (who was booed).
He thanked Seth Rollins for being his shield at WrestleMania. The crowd cheered and chanted, “Thank you, Seth.”
Rhodes moved on to The Rock. Rhodes said it was news to him how much training Rock did ahead of Mania. He figured Rock had more than one more match left in him. Rhodes said Rock was probably right when he said he would make him bleed again. “But if I’m going to bleed, you’re going to bleed with me.”
Rhodes spoke about the Bloodline. He found it interesting that Roman Reigns was nowhere to be found on Smackdown while supposedly making the orders to Tama Tonga.
Rhodes introduced Jey Uso who also received a big reaction. Rhodes said Jey was the number one contender. Raw was about to be his and nobody deserved it more. Jey helped him finish his story at Mania and he wanted to have Jey’s back tonight because he knew Judgment Day wouldn’t be far away.
Jey appreciated that but told Rhodes he wanted to do it on his own. Jey liked the sound of World Heavyweight Champion Main Event Jey Uso. Rhodes understood Jey wanted to do it on his own and wished him luck.
Rhodes was about to leave but couldn’t do so without saying “Yeet.”
********
Kelley interviewed Nia Jax. Jax didn’t give a damn about Ripley. She didn’t think anyone in the division could stop her from winning the title. She took care of Morgan and Becky Lynch the last time she saw each of them. There were two types of people on the planet: those who fear Nia Jax and those who learn to fear Nia Jax. The title was hers.
********
Jey Uso defeated Finn Bálor (9:12)
Bálor’s music hit but he attacked Jey from behind and put the boots to him. The ref quickly checked on Jey before starting the match.
This match also went to an early commercial break. Only the two women’s matches did not go to an early break, but the total time of those matches is shorter than every men’s match so far.
Jey fought back after the break. Bálor raked his eyes and set up for a dropkick but he ran into a superkick. Bálor avoided an Uso Splash and dropkicked Jey into the corner. Jey avoided a Coup de Grace and hit a spear and Uso Splash for the pinfall win.
— Priest entered the ring and had a staredown with Jey. McDonagh and Dom attacked Jey from behind and Priest was annoyed with them. Bálor got in Priest’s face and said something before joining the attack.
Jey fought them off after superkicking Dom. He chucked McDonagh into Bálor and left through the crowd. (Priest never joined the fight.)
— The camera stayed on Jey as he walked up through the concourse. He slapped hands with fans and left the arena through the front door where he ran into Sami Zayn (who got a big pop).
Zayn stood outside and was looking up at the Bell Centre. Jey asked what he was looking at. Zayn said the first show he ever saw was in this building 25 years ago and now he was returning as champion. Zayn wanted to enter the building the same way he did back then, right through the front door.
The camera followed Zayn as he marched through the concourse. He was all pumped up as the fans cheered him on. Zayn made an awesome entrance through the crowd as they went nuts and sang his songs.
I feel like this was an all-time great entrance on Raw.
********
Next week on Raw:
A new Women’s champion is crowned
R-Truth & Miz vs. DIY for the tag titles
Andrade & Ricochet vs. Dominik Mysterio & JD McDonagh
********
Bronson Reed confronted Chad Gable in Gorilla before he could enter. Reed warned him that whoever won tonight wouldn’t be champion for long.
Sami Zayn defeated Chad Gable to retain the Intercontinental Championship (17:12)
Zayn had the early upper hand and the two men faced off as they went to break a minute into the match. Gable was in control after the break. He hit a dive to the outside and a diving headbutt in the ring for two. Zayn’s wife Khadijah was shown in the front row.
Gable targeted Zayn’s leg but Zayn fired back with a clothesline. Gable reversed an exploder into a cradle for two. Gable applied an ankle lock but Zayn knocked him outside the ring and followed with a springboard moonsault.
After a break, Gable hit an Angle Slam off the top. Gable followed with consecutive German suplexes but Zayn followed with two German suplexes of his own. Gable switched and hit another German so Zayn did the same. They countered each other over and over until Zayn suplexed Gable right on his head. (This looked bad but Gable continued.)
Zayn hit an exploder in the corner and went for Helluva Kick but Gable picked his leg and applied an ankle lock. Zayn countered out of it and hit a powerbomb. Zayn went for a Sharpshooter but he fell over because his ankle was hurt.
Gable avoided the Helluva Kick again and gave Zayn a German suplex into the middle rope. Gable applied the ankle lock again but Zayn eventually reversed into a cradle for two. Zayn gave Gable another exploder into the buckles and followed with Helluva Kick for the pinfall win.
— Zayn laid the title belt down and Gable was in tears. Zayn helped him to his feet and Gable lifted his arm. Gable left.
Zayn embraced his wife and his family in the front row when Gable suddenly grabbed him and hit a German suplex (outside the ring). Gable tossed Zayn around ringside and over the announce table. He shoved Zayn into the ring post and applied the ankle lock while standing on the ropes. Zayn tapped against the apron as officials tried stopping Gable. Gable held the ankle lock as the show went off the air.
An Intercontinental title match is set for the next WWE Raw.
Sami Zayn will defend his newly won Intercontinental title against Chad Gable on next week’s Raw. Andrade will also take on Dominik Mysterio in a battle of former friends.
After Zayn and Gable defeated Imperium on Monday, the two spoke backstage. Zayn told Gable that he knew what he meant when he asked for a favor and agreed to defend the title next week in his hometown of Montreal. It was Gable who trained Zayn ahead of his match against Gunther at WrestleMania 40.
On last week’s SmackDown, Dominik and the rest of Legado de Fantasma attacked his father Rey Mysterio after a match between Elektra Lopez and Zelina Vega. Andrade, who had formed an association with Dominik in recent weeks, attacked Dominik to even the odds. At WrestleMania, Andrade teamed with Rey to defeat Dominik and Santos Escobar
Here is what is announced for next week’s Raw in Montreal:
WWE Intercontinental title: Sami Zayn defends against Chad Gable
Sami Zayn says the reaction to him winning the number one contender’s gauntlet on the March 11 WWE Raw was “a little deflating.”
Zayn defeated Chad Gable in the final fall of the gauntlet to earn an Intercontinental title match against Gunther at WrestleMania. Some fans expected Gable to win given he’d been cutting promos leading up to the match about his loss to Gunther in September causing his young daughter to cry.
Booker T mentioned on his Hall of Fame podcast recently that Zayn had been upset by the response to his win. However, Zayn clarified during a recent interview with the Superstar Crossover Podcast that his comments “seem like a bigger deal” than they were but he was still a little deflated by the reaction.
Zayn was asked about Booker’s comments and responded:
I was a little surprised to read that (laughs) cause I basically bumped into Booker on the plane. We were just sitting next to each other. We were just talking so it was pretty weird to see it on the internet (laughs).
All this to say, I was very happy with the performance because he was talking about the performance itself, the match itself. And I was like, ‘I was very pleased with the match, it’s just unfortunate that it felt like the reaction to the win itself was a little split, if not a little more skewed toward Chad even’ because we did such a great job of building Chad and he’s done a great job of building himself.
I felt like this was an interesting story because it splits the emotional investment in two. So you’re only getting 50 percent of the pie, right? So that’s just an interesting dynamic. It is interesting because it makes it more compelling but as a guy whose job is to rally the entire audience behind him, which is what I sometimes feel like my job is as a good guy, I was a little let down that I felt like I couldn’t get the entire audience to rally behind me….that’s not even entirely true. During the match itself, it (felt) like they were very happy and invested in the whole thing but the online backlash or the day after, just with people feeling a little disappointed for for Chad, which is very understandable, just was a little deflating.
But again this is just something I was kind of articulating to (Booker T) as two veterans kind of shooting the breeze on the plane so I think maybe once it gets out online it seems like a bigger deal than it is.
Zayn was defeated by Bronson Reed on WWE Raw this week. Later on in the show, Gable was seen telling Zayn that if he wants to beat Gunther at WrestleMania, he needs a different approach. Gable also told Zayn that he can help.
Chad Gable is looking to get his win back against Ivar.
WWE has announced that Gable vs. Ivar will take place on Raw this Monday night (February 19). It’s a rematch from the January 22 episode of the show, where a distraction by Valhalla caused Gable to lose.
WWE.com wrote:
For several weeks, The Alpha Academy have been at war with Ivar and Valhalla.
Always one to lead by example, Master Gable now seeks a monumental win when he takes on the one-man wrecking crew in a highly anticipated rematch.
Will Gable’s technical prowess be enough to avoid the Tsunami and crop Ivar down to size?
Find out this Monday at 8/7 C on Raw on USA.
Ivar competed in an Elimination Chamber qualifying match on Raw earlier this week but lost to LA Knight.
Monday’s Raw is taking place from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Here’s everything that’s been announced for the show:
Cody Rhodes vs. Drew McIntyre
Intercontinental Champion Gunther defends against Jey Uso
Last-chance battle royal for the final women’s Elimination Chamber match spot
Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa, The Miz & R-Truth vs. Damian Priest, Finn Balor, Dominik Mysterio & JD McDonagh
This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma before Monday’s episode of Raw.
Two fine matches, with returns to the show from NXT talent Trick Williams and Nathan Frazer, made for a solid episode again this week.
Chad Gable (w/ Otis and Maxine Durpis) defeated Trick Williams (5:39)
This was ok for what it was. It’s always fun seeing someone like Chad Gable on this show because he’s always entertaining. He and Williams did well together, but nothing too dazzling here.
It was September of last year when Gable and Otis were last on Main Event, but back then they were in tag action against Mustafa Ali and Shelton Benjamin.
Meanwhile, Trick Williams has worked this show three times and is yet to get his hand raised, with his last outing against Akira Tozawa back in March.
They did some neat mat work early on, reversing each other and trying to get quick pins. Gable came off the second rope with a headbutt but couldn’t get it done as Williams fought his way out of the ankle lock.
There was a little bit of sloppiness in the closing moments, but they covered it over with Williams missing a charge to the corner before Gable hit a German and used the Chaos Theory suplex to get the pin.
Akira Tozawa defeated Nathan Frazer (7:22)
This was a good, solid match but it never peaked to where you’d think it might. Tozawa has been superb on Main Event this year and gets nowhere enough credit for the job he does.
So, these two had this match back in May on this show and it was Tozawa who also got the victory there, but I hadn’t realized that they then faced off in NXT last month with Frazer getting one back over on him.
As is often the pattern in Tozawa matches, he took a beating early on and it culminated with Frazer hitting a tope onto Tozawa as we took what felt like a very early break for the adverts.
When they returned, Frazer had a submission hold locked in. They rested like this for a while until Tozawa worked his way out and hit an enzuigiri and a top rope back elbow for two.
The finish was all built around the pair on the top rope. Frazer missed a splash, but Tozawa was able to connect with his senton to get the win.
It felt like Frazer ought to have won this one because it doesn’t really help to elevate Tozawa, but otherwise, this was a good curtain-jerker for this pre-Raw crowd.
On a new Wrestling Weekly, Les Thatcher and I look at the latest WWE roster cuts and their new tv rights deal for SmackDown. We also chat about this past Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite Grand Slam.
We have been off since before AEW All In and since so much has happened, we cover it all today on Wrestling Weekly.
There’s lots of CM Punk talk, but there’s also a lot of praise for just how many good things are happening in wrestling right now like Jey Uso returning and heading to WWE Raw and AEW holding two successful PPVs in eight days.
Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].
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The Honky Tonk Man says he’s still “The Greatest IC Champion of All Time!” on X.
Sean Ross Sapp on X: “Piper Niven is fine. We’re told a short term illness, and she’s expected back soon!”
Ricochet was interviewed by FanNation, who talked about his role in WWE. “Even if I’m not the main event, I plan on becoming the main attraction,” he said. “That’s where Ricochet belongs. I’m working to show everyone that. I’m capable of it, and that is what I am trying to manifest.
Jackie Redmond, Damian Priest, and Finn Balor have been announced as guests for tomorrow’s episode of The Bump.
The Cavinder twins spoke to GQ in a profile about their WWE aspirations. When asked about the prospect of being punched in the face, Hanna said “We’ve had pressure our whole lives, so we’ll definitely adjust.”
WWE’s social media showed Damian Priest putting his contract in his new Money in the Bank briefcase.
John Cena commented on participating at Superstar Spectacle on X. “I cannot express how grateful I am to the @WWE & #WWEUniverse for this opportunity. #WWESuperstarSpectacle will be an experience that means the world to me, excited to get to @WWEIndia!”
Hangman Page on Instagram Stories: “please do not harass other wrestling fans on the internet, i would be very disappointed in you and you should say sorry.”
According to PWInsider, Teddy Hart is scheduled for a 9/21 hearing in Titusville, Florida on charges of possession of MDMA (ecstasy) and possession of a controlled substance without prescription.
Gunther’s Intercontinental title reign is officially going to be record-breaking.
After successfully defending the title on Raw last night, Gunther is slated to break Honky Tonk Man’s record for the longest Intercontinental Championship reign in WWE history. Gunther will pass Honky Tonk Man’s 453 days as Intercontinental Champion this week.
Gunther retained the Intercontinental title by defeating Chad Gable in the main event of last night’s Raw. Gable took Gunther to his limit, nearly getting the win with a Chaos Theory. Gable then had Gunther trapped in an ankle lock, but Gunther was able to break the hold. Gunther dropped Gable on his head, hit a powerbomb, and then connected with a lariat for the victory.
Gable’s family was in the front row for last night’s main event. His kids were shown crying after their father lost.
Last night’s Raw was the first episode since Payback. Despite losing on Saturday, Shinsuke Nakamura continued his feud with Seth Rollins. Also on the show, Jey Uso arrived as the newest member of the Raw roster, Judgment Day celebrated their dominance, and more.
On Raw tonight, Chad Gable gets another chance to dethrone Gunther for the Intercontinental title.
Gunther and Gable faced off with the IC title on the line two weeks ago. The match ended with Gable winning by countout — but Gunther remained champion. That was the first one-on-one loss that Gunther has suffered on the WWE main roster.
Tonight’s show will also feature Raw’s fallout from Payback. A new challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins may emerge after Rollins defeated Shinsuke Nakamura this past Saturday.
At least for one night, the Judgment Day got back on the same page as Finn Balor & Damian Priest defeated Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn to win the Undisputed WWE Tag Team titles at Payback. Rhea Ripley also defeated Raquel Rodriguez to retain the Women’s World Championship.
It was revealed at Payback that Jey Uso is the newest member of the Raw roster. We will see Jey’s first appearance tonight.
Plus, there will be a tornado tag match with Drew McIntyre & Matt Riddle facing The Viking Raiders.
Our live coverage starts at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
*****
Jey Uso came out to start the show. Michael Cole noted on commentary that Cody Rhodes was the one that brought Uso to Raw, and that “as a former EVP”, knows how to get things done.
Uso talked about how he had reached a breaking point fighting with his family every week. He said Cody Rhodes called him, and that’s why he’s on main event Mondays by himself. He says Main Event Jey Uso is now in your city.
Sami Zayn came out. He told Uso that there were a lot of people backstage that will have a problem with him due to his past association with the Bloodline, mentioning that Kevin Owens wasn’t there tonight. Zayn said he wanted to be the first person to say that he’s happy that Uso is here. Zayn said that Uso broke free from the Bloodline and is all here by himself, saying he really is Main Event Jey Uso. Zayn said he was really proud of him.
Zayn extended his hand for a handshake. Uso put his hands behind his back and didn’t oblige. Zayn said that was fine, and exited the ring. Uso told Sami that wasn’t very Ucey of him, was it. The two then hugged to a big pop.
As they made their exit, Drew McIntyre came out and had a staredown with Uso, with announcers pushing that McIntyre wasn’t happy he was on Raw. Riddle gave Uso the same reaction when he came out.
A Nakamura video aired said he may have underestimated Seth Rollins’ grip on the World Heavyweight Championship, but he was the last one standing. He said he would prevail and will be the World Heavyweight Champion.
Ricochet was talking to Adam Pearce backstage when Seth Rollins showed up. Pearce didn’t like that Rollins was here despite the beatdown Nakamura gave him after their match at Payback. Rollins told Pearce he was fine. Ricochet told Rollins that he didn’t have to carry the whole show by himself. Rollins reiterated he was fine.
The Viking Raiders defeated Matt Riddle & Drew McIntyre in a no disqualification match
This was fine. It’s obvious they’re teasing a McIntyre turn at this point and that seemed to be the real story coming off of this.
The Vikings jumped McIntyre early but ended up dumping both to the floor. McIntyre hugged Riddle, then gave him a belly to belly to the floor, wiping out the Vikings. Riddle re-entered the ring and told McIntyre to get the tables. McIntyre told him to do it himself, so Riddle obliged.
Back from commercial, The Vikings avoided a superplex attempt by dragging the table away from McIntyre. Hee quickly regained control and tried to finish Ivar with the claymore but Erik dragged Ivar out of the ring. Both Vikings jumped McIntyre outside but McIntyre easily regained control and threw Ivar over the announce table as Erik was given an overhead belly to belly. Erik came back and splashed McIntyre as they attempted to drive McIntyre into the table, but Riddle re-entered the match to make the save.
Riddle set up Erik on the table and went to the top rope but Valhalla distracted Riddle long enough for the Vikings to recover. Kofi Kingston came out for the save but accidentally laid out Riddle with the Trouble in Paradise. They then pinned Riddle after a Rangnarock through the table.
McIntyre was not happy about the loss, staring down Kingston after the match.
They aired a video package highlighting former Intercontinental champions including Booker T, Roman Reigns, Shawn Micheals, Steve Austin, and The Honky Tonk Man ahead of tonight’s title match.
Seth Rollins came down to the ring. He said that Nakamura did everything he said he was going to do, and there were points in the match at Payback where he didn’t know if he would be able to continue fighting. But last time he checked, he was World Heavyweight Champion.
Rollins said that even though he won, Nakamura was able to walk out of the building that night while he to be wheeled out in a wheelchair by his wife. He called out Nakamura, who did in fact come out. Rollins said he had a proposition for Nakamura, and offered him a World Heavyweight title match if he came to the ring right now.
Nakamura contemplated the move, then spoke in Japanese. Rollins said he assumed he accepted. Nakamura said no at least three times. Rollins then left the ring and charged after Nakamura as the two brawled. Pearce came out and sent security to break things up. Nakamura targeted Rollins’ back as Ricochet came out to Rollins’ aid. Nakamura was eventually taken away by security.
Back from commercial, Adam Pearce and Seth Rollins were YELLING AT ONE ANOTHER. Pearce wanted to protect Rollins from running himself into the ground. Rollins didn’t want to hear it.
Ricochet defeated Shinsuke Nakamura by DQ
An average TV match with a dumb finish. I guess they did it so they could do the angle after, but yuck.
They wrestled for a few minutes before Nakamura gained control with a suplex off the turnbuckle. After a commercial break, Ricochet gained control as Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley looked on backstage. Ricochet hit a standing shooting star press then went to the top rope for a 450 but Nakamura dodged. Ricochet hit the recoil for a nearfall.
Nakamura cut off Ricochet with a knee but Ricochet cut Nakamura off quickly and hit a running senton off the apron to the floor, but Nakamura dodged it. They fought near the barricade where Nakamura hit Ricochet with a steel chair for the DQ in a marvelous finish.
AFter the match, Nakamura wrapped a steel chair around Ricochet’s neck but Rollins ran to the ring for the save, throwing out security who attempted to stop him. Rollins launched out of the ring with a big tope, knocking down Nakamura. However, Nakamura quickly recovered and drove Rollins’ back into the steel steps, with Ricochet using a chair to drive away Nakamura.
Backstage, Priest and Ripley were watching the developments. “Not tonight,” Ripley told Priest, who was clutching his Money in the Bank briefcase.
They showed footage of Zoey Stark turning on Trish Stratus after Stratus berated her following the steel cage match at Payback. In a promo backstage, Stark said she has a lot of respect for Stratus, but nobody pushes Zoey Stark. Shayna Baszler confronted Stark and the two agreed to a match for tonight.
The Judgment Day came out to talk. Dominik Mysterio started to talk and was drowned out by the boos. He put over everyone had titles now. Balor congratulated Mysterio on it being one year since joining The Judgment Day. He thanked Ripley for being a voice of reason, and put over Priest for their title win. He also paid respects to JD McDonagh, as well as himself for becoming Grand Slam Finn.
Ripley said Sunday proved that Finn and Priest really were brothers and they, together, were a family. Ripley said she was upset, however, that everyone’s talking about Jey Uso jumping to Raw. She said as far as she’s concerned. The Bloodline has fallen and The Judgment Day are the most dominant faction in WWE.
Priest started to talk when McDonagh came out. Priest didn’t like this. JD said changes needed to be made in the Judgment Day, and that Priest’s briefcase had to go. He presented Priest with a new purple briefcase that said Señor Money in the Bank.
Sami Zayn came out. He said he knows Kevin Owens isn’t here, but did you really think we were just going to let it slide that they lost the titles on Saturday? He said he doesn’t see five champions in the ring, he says he sees five championship stealing turds. He called Mysterio the biggest turd of them all. Zayn challenged Mysterio to a match. McDonagh said he wasn’t fighting Mysterio and issued a challenge to Zayn, who accepted.
More Intercontinental champions were highlighted, including Pedro Morales, The Ultimate Warrior, Razor Ramon, The Rock, Rey Mysterio, Wade Barrett, and Seth Rollins.
Gunther cut a promo. He asked Gable who did he think he was. Someone like Gable does not belong in the history books, he does. His legacy will be forever and after the final bell rings tonight, Gunther said that he will stand tall as the longest reigning Intercontinental Champion in history.
Raquel Rodriguez was leaving Adam Pearce’s office when Chelsea Green walked in. Pearce noted that Piper Niven “was not medically cleared”. Green was talking about how much of a loser Rodriguez was when Rodriguez walked back in. Pearce made a match between the two for tonight.
Shayna Bazler defeated Zoey Stark
Probably didn’t need to beat Stark right after her angle with Stratus, but they seem to be going in some sort of direction with her and Baszler based on the finish. The crowd was very dead for this.
Baszler targeted Stark’s right arm and started to work it over. Baszler went for the kirifuda clutch but Stark escaped. The two ended up on the outside where Baszler went for the clutch again, but Stark shoved Baszler’s back into the announce table and leaped off with a plancha to the floor.
Following a commercial, Stark came back with a German suplex. Stark went for what looked like the Z360 but couldn’t get it done due to her hand. The crowd doesn’t seem interested in this at all. Baszler ended up catching Stark in the kirifuda clutch. Stark attempted to fight off the submission, getting back on her feet at one point, but after about a minute finally succumbed to it.
Stark got back up on her feet after the match. Baszler seemed to respect Stark and told her that she put up more of a fight than Ronda ever did. The two fist bumped in a show of respect.
Finn Balor said backstage maybe it was time for JD to join The Judgment Day. Priest said he needed to prove himself. Balor agreed. Mysterio said he was fine with whatever they decided. Ripley said to wait and see how JD does tonight against Zayn. As Priest and Balor left, Ripley told Mysterio to make sure everything goes to plan during JD’s match.
Raquel Rodriguez defeated Chelsea Green
This was short. Green attempted to run away but Rodriguez attacked her and ragdolled her. Rodriguez connected with a boot and a fallaway slam. Green cut her off briefly and went for a crossbody but Raquel grabbed her, gave her a clothesline, then pinned her with the Tejana bomb.
Rodriguez said she talked to Adam Pence and said not only is she getting her Payback rematch, but Dominik Mysterio will be barred from ringside. She told Rhea Ripley she’d see her next week for the Women’s World Championship.
More Intercontinental Champions: Don Muraco, Mr. Perfect, Bret Hart, Eddie Guerrero, Kofi Kingston, and Cody Rhodes.
Chad Gable said he’s already in the history books, being a former Olympian with a masters degree. Tonight he’ll prove to him, his crew, and his family in the front row that he’s more than a tag team specialist, the world’s going to see your desire to hang on to that championship is nothing compared to my desire to take it from you.
Drew McIntyre was storming around backstage when Matt Riddle approached him and told McIntyre to calm down. McIntyre said if Jey Uso gets in his way, McIntyre will deal with the person who brought him in, Cody Rhodes. Kofi Kingston came in and apologized. McIntyre didn’t seem to accept the apology and told Kingston he was going to keep his eyes open in case of any other ‘accidents’ in the future.
Miz in the ring for Miz TV. He said he didn’t lose to LA Knight at Payback, he was victimized. He brought in John Cena, who we could not see. He was invisible tonight, with the cameraman doing all of the camera cuts of Cena’s entrance, including running to the ring. After talking to invisible Cena for a while Miz asked if we could see Cena. Everyone in the crowd responded no. Miz said he has been able to see through John Cena for eighteen years.
He asked the invisible chair next to him if he screwed him over and if LA Knight paid him. I guess the chair said yes. Miz then asked invisible Cena to leave. Miz slapped invisible Cena then gave him the skull crushing finale. After mentioning the time that he and John Cena headlined a WrestleMania 13 years ago he ended the segment by challenging LA Knight to a one-on-one match.
The Miz has been on this show for a very, very long time with the same character for years, and years, and years.
Jey Uso was walking backstage and after briefly encountering Akira Tozawa, met with Adam Pearce, who said that as a result of his trade to Raw, SmackDown would be getting a trade in the future and people may not be happy with the result. After Uso left, Tommaso Ciampa walked up to Pearce. The two went into Pearce’s office to talk.
JD McDonagh defeated Sami Zayn
This probably would have been a better match if more time was given, but this was fine for what they were given.
The two wrestled for a few minutes before McDonagh on the outside posted Zayn before going to commercial. Back from it, Zayn fought out of a rest hold and laid out McDonagh with a clothesline. Zayn hit a Michinoku driver for a nearfall.
Zayn gave McDonagh an exploder into the ring post as he went for the Helluva kick but Dominik Mysterio dragged JD out of the ring. Zayn beat up Mysterio but the numbers game soon came into play, as Mysterio distracted Zayn briefly on the outside, allowing McDonagh to roll up Zayn for the win.
Zayn attacked Mysterio after the match. He went for the Helluva kick, but McDonagh dragged Zayn out of the ring and told Mysterio to escape. Zayn then targeted McDonagh, giving him the Helluva kick instead. Commentators put over that Mysterio didn’t return the favor after McDonagh saved him.
They showed a replay of the interaction between Tiffany Stratton and Becky Lynch from Payback. They plugged Stratton’s title defense against Kiana James tomorrow.
More Intercontinental Champions: Randy Savage, Tito Santana, Triple H, Edge, The Miz, and Bobby Lashley.
Mysterio came across Uso backstage and tried to relate to him, saying they were from broken families. He attempted to recruit Uso into the Judgment Day. Mysterio told him to think about it, and that Judgment Day would welcome him with open arms.
Gunther defeated Chad Gable to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship
The last few minutes of this match were awesome, the crowd was really into it. Two commercial breaks during this match, however, meant we only really saw the last five minutes uninterrupted. This should have been on the pay-per-view, premium live event, whatever. If I were booking this company, I think a third match is in order and Gable should win the title at Fastlane next month.
After a few minutes, and of course a commercial break, we see Gable holding onto Gunther’s leg outside the ring, working on the leg until Gunther cut him off. Gunther took Gable down with a huge chop. Gable attempted some of his own, but Gunther mowed him down with another big chop.
After ANOTHER COMMERCIAL, Gable attempted to go after Gunther’s leg again but Gunther lifted him up for a powerbomb. Both end up tumbling to the floor. Gable planted Gunther with a German suplex. He threw Gunther back into the ring, but when Gable gets in, Gunther struck him with a powerbomb for a nearfall.
Gable hit a superplex then followed it with a flying headbutt for another nearfall. Gable went for an ankle lock but Gunther escaped. Gable tried for Chaos Theory but Gunther escaped again. Gable hit a back suplex and connected with the Chaos Theory suplex this time, but Gunther kicked out again.
Gable went for a moonsault, but Gunther lifted his leg. Gable saw this and went for an ankle lock. After struggling briefly, Gunther caught Gable in a sleeper. Gable shifted his weight and planted his feet on the floor, pinning Gunther’s shoulders for another two count. Gunther hit a sleeper suplex, a powerbomb, then blasted Gable with a clothesline for the win.
A child was shown crying at ringside as Gunther was given the championship. Michael Cole on commentary noted that after 35 years, Gunther will now break The Honky Tonk Man’s record as the longest reigning Intercontinental Champion of all time. The show closed with Gunther standing at the entrance, with Gable looking dejected inside the ring.
An Intercontinental title defense, plus a tornado tag team match have been announced for the Monday, September 4 episode of WWE Raw.
Coming off a countout victory over Gunther on last week’s Raw, Chad Gable will challenge Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship on next week’s Raw.
Gable defeated Gunther’s Imperium stablemate Ludwig Kaiser by disqualification on this week’s episode after Giovanni Vinci interfered in the contest.
A tornado tag team bout is also set for next week.
Drew McIntyre & Matt Riddle will face Erik & Ivar of The Viking Raiders in a tornado tag match. The match stems from an angle during a Viking Raiders vs. New Day match on this week’s Raw where Riddle & McIntyre were ringside for the bout. McIntyre accidentally hit Xavier Woods with a chair leading to The Viking Raiders defeating The New Day.
Further dissension was teased between McIntyre & Riddle and The New Day, with a slow burn for a McIntyre heel turn continues to be hinted at.
Next week’s Raw will air on Labor Day and will also feature fallout from Saturday’s Payback pay-per-view.. The announced lineup:
Intercontinental Championship: Gunther defends against Chad Gable
Tornado tag team match: Drew McIntyre & Matt Riddle vs. The Viking Raiders (Erik & Ivar)
Though it was by countout, Gunther was dealt his first one-on-one loss on the WWE main roster last night.
Chad Gable was able to defeat Gunther in their title match on last night’s Raw. Despite that, Gunther remains the Intercontinental Champion. The match ended with Gable winning by countout after giving Gunther a German suplex over the barricade.
Gunther had the advantage as he and Gable were fighting on the floor, but the tide turned when Gable moved out of the way of a chop and Gunther struck the ring post. Gable pushed Gunther into the post and then dropped him into the timekeeper’s area with a German suplex.
Gable scurried back into the ring, just beating the count. He was declared the winner, but Imperium made sure that Samantha Irvin also announced that Gunther still holds the Intercontinental title.
Following the match, Gable stated that he’s coming back for more and will win the Intercontinental title this time. WWE hasn’t announced when the rematch will be taking place. Gable is set to face Imperium’s Ludwig Kaiser on Raw next week.
