Bayley & Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch defeated Charlotte Flair & Evans on last week’s SmackDown. Bayley pinned Charlotte to get the win.
Kofi Kingston will defend his WWE Championship against Ziggler at Super ShowDown in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Friday, June 7. The build to that match began as Ziggler returned to WWE television and laid out Kingston last week. He also attacked Kingston on Raw last night. Ziggler then fought with Xavier Woods, and Kingston made the save as Ziggler was attacking Woods with a steel chair.
Kingston vs. Owens in a non-title match is set for tonight’s SmackDown. The episode is taking place at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
After it was set up on last night’s SmackDown, Kofi Kingston defending his WWE Championship against Dolph Ziggler has officially been announced for Super ShowDown.
WWE uploaded a post-SmackDown video where Kingston accepted Ziggler’s challenge for Saudi Arabia. Ziggler made a surprise return to WWE television last night and attacked Kingston, who was put on a stretcher at the end of the angle. When he got to the stage, Kingston got up and insisted on walking to the back on his own.
Ziggler cut a promo later in the show where he explained his actions. Ziggler talked about the opportunities Kingston has taken advantage of and said that it should have been him.
WWE is hyping that Brock Lesnar will appear on next Monday’s Raw and announce which champion he’s going to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase on. If that match happens at Super ShowDown, it appears that it will be Universal Champion Seth Rollins defending against Lesnar.
Super ShowDown is part of WWE’s 10-year deal with the Saudi General Sports Authority. It’s taking place at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah on Friday, June 7 and will air live on the WWE Network starting at 2 p.m. Eastern time.
Here’s the updated card for Super ShowDown:
Goldberg vs. The Undertaker
Triple H vs. Randy Orton
WWE Champion Kofi Kingston defending against Dolph Ziggler
Roman Reigns vs. Shane McMahon
Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Lashley
Intercontinental Champion Finn Balor (as his Demon character) defending against Andrade
Dolph Ziggler made a surprise return to SmackDown last night and set up a WWE Championship match for Super ShowDown.
After WWE Champion Kofi Kingston defeated Sami Zayn in a non-title match, Paul Heyman appeared and teased that Brock Lesnar was there and going to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase. Instead, Ziggler attacked Kingston, wrapped his head around a steel chair, and slammed it into the announce table.
Kingston was put on a stretcher, but the attack angle ended with him insisting on walking to the back on his own.
Ziggler later cut a promo where he explained his actions, saying he’s the one who should have been taking advantage of the opportunities Kingston has over the past few months. Ziggler said he’ll win the WWE Championship from Kingston at Super ShowDown and the fans will admire, respect, and love Ziggler.
Also on SmackDown, Roman Reigns took on Elias in the main event before being laid out with a Claymore Kick by Drew McIntyre, SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley & Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch teamed against Charlotte Flair & Lacey Evans, and R-Truth disguised himself in an attempt to remain 24/7 Champion.
Dolph Ziggler made his return to WWE television on tonight’s post-Money in the Bank episode of SmackDown.
After WWE Champion Kofi Kingston defeated Sami Zayn in a non-title match, Paul Heyman appeared and teased that Brock Lesnar was there and going to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase. Ziggler then attacked Kingston instead. He put Kingston’s head inside of a chair, slammed it into the announce table, and continued to attack Kingston as referees tried to stop him.
Kingston was put on a stretcher after the attack angle. When he got to the stage, Kingston insisted on walking to the back on his own.
Ziggler came back out in front of the audience and cut a promo later in the show. Ziggler said he should have been the person who did what Kingston did by taking advantage of an opportunity and becoming champion. At the end of his promo, Ziggler said he’ll defeat Kingston for the WWE Championship at Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia and the fans will admire, respect, and love Ziggler.
Prior to Kingston vs. Zayn, it was indicated that Big E had also been attacked backstage. It was stated on commentary that Xavier Woods had accompanied Big E to a “local medical facility.”
This was Ziggler’s first appearance for WWE since he was an entrant in the Royal Rumble this January. He was a member of the Raw roster when he was last on TV.
Tonight’s New Year’s Eve episode of Raw was taped at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan this past Friday.
Former tag team partners Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre face off in a steel cage match on the episode. Last week, both were involved in a triple threat match that was won by Finn Balor. McIntyre targeted Ziggler after the match, but Ziggler laid him out with the Zig-Zag.
McIntyre was officially announced for the men’s Royal Rumble match last week. The build to the pay-per-view will continue on tonight’s episode.
WWE will follow up on Ronda Rousey defeating Natalya in their Raw Women’s Championship match last week. A performance by Elias is also being promoted for tonight, along with Seth Rollins having unfinished business with Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose. Rollins lost the title to Ambrose at TLC earlier this month, and WWE has announced that there will be no more automatic rematches.
Our coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
**********
The cage lowered for the steel cage match as the announcers ran down the Royal Rumble card.
Drew McIntyre defeated Dolph Ziggler in a steel cage match
Ziggler immediately tried to escape the cage, but McIntyre blocked him. He also tried to escape, but Ziggler thwarted his plans. Both men crotched themselves as they fell to the floor.
Ziggler gained control, hitting a famouser. He tries to escape, but McIntyre intercepted and laid out Ziggler with a headbutt. Ziggler tried to escape again, but McIntyre used the cage door and rammed it into Ziggler’s head.
Back from break, Ziggler struggled to escape as McIntyre grabbed him and dropped to the floor with a giant superplex off the cage. McIntyre then rammed him into the cage head first, telling him he won’t get away that easy. Ziggler came alive with a zig zag for a nearfall.
McIntyre out of nowhere then drilled Ziggler with the claymore kick. McIntyre then took his time as Ziggler recovered, then hit a second for the pinfall win. This was a pretty solid match, but nothing special.
After the match, Ziggler yelled at McIntyre “Is that all you got?”. McIntyre responded by returning to the cage, pinning Ziggler with a chair against the cage and drilling him with another claymore kick.
McIntyre took a microphone after the match and said he was the king of the Raw jungle. He told Ziggler to walk away, but he kept trying to get his scraps. Ziggler doesn’t even deserve his scraps, he said.
He said this chapter was closed, but it is now time to prove he is the king of the WWE. He said he would win the Royal Rumble match and fulfill his destiny by winning the Universal championship. McIntyre then left Ziggler lying with one last claymore kick.
**********
Shane McMahon and Triple H arrived in a limo.
Finn Balor’s new year’s resolution is to win the Universal title again (good luck). Ember Moon said hers is to win the women’s Royal Rumble. The Ascension wants the tag titles, while the Lucha House Party just said 2019 will be their year.
Seth Rollins came out to talk. He mentioned the term “fresh start” and eventually said he wanted another shot at Ambrose. This brought out Triple H. He mentions there’s no more anything — his automatic rematch for the IC title isn’t happening.
Hunter said that he doesn’t think Seth deserves a rematch anything. He was always his most vocal supporter. Rollins brought up their history, saying he only used him as a puppet. Hunter said Seth made him believe in what he was doing through his actions and words. He mentions their WrestleMania match, saying Seth kicked his ass until he made him believe in him again.
Seth said he isn’t asking for anything — he’s carried Raw for the last year, being here having classics with Finn Balor and even Mojo Rawley (ouch) while Brock Lesnar was away. He asked Hunter if he wants the old Seth Rollins back. Hunter says yes, and he can prove it tonight by taking on Bobby Lashley. Seth says he’ll burn Lashley down then take everything away from Dean Ambrose. He’ll go after anyone that comes his way, including Triple H’s family.
This brought out Shane McMahon. He told Seth to get ready for his match, but someone will be facing Dean Ambrose for the Intercontinental title tonight in the Fresh Start battle royal. Finn Balor came out for the Battle Royal as Raw went to a commercial.
No Way Jose, then Baron Corbin (who is still wearing his GM outfit) entered to start the battle royal.
Apollo Crews won the Fresh Start battle royal
No Way Jose was the first man eliminated, followed by Viktor after both being press slammed to the floor by Crews. Zack Ryder was in here, so that stat about him not being on Raw in a match for the entirety of 2018 is officially broken. The Lucha House party worked together to eliminate Titus O’Neil.
Back from commercial, Balor eliminates the Lucha House Party as Crews eliminates the B-Team. Crews racks up eliminations, sending Mojo Rawley, Tyler Breeze and Konnor as well. Corbin eliminates Balor as he was working on Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder. Corbin eliminates Ryder, then Hawkins.
Crews and Corbin go at it. Crews hits an enziguri, then another as he eliminates Corbin for the win. Nice last few minutes in what was otherwise a plodding battle royal.
Charly Caruso was with Apollo Crews following the match. He says this is what he’s been begging for. He can’t think of any better way of spending the last day of 2018 by becoming Intercontinental champion.
**********
Dasha brings in Natalya backstage, then recaps what happened last week in the Rousey/Natalya match. Dasha asked Natalya what the future holds for Natalya in 2019. She said 2018 had ups and downs for her, but the match last week pushed both of them to their limits. She said she is entering the women’s Royal Rumble match so she and Ronda can face one another again, this time at WrestleMania.
Nia Jax walks in, questioning if Ronda Rousey will even be champion by then — maybe something will derail their plan. Tamina then jumps in from behind as she and Jax lay Natalya out.
Back from commercial, Corbin was upset in the ring, saying no one deserves a fresh start more than he does. He said the crowd had no idea how thought it was to be GM and he deserves an award.
This brought out Elias, who played Auld Lang Syne. He called Corbin a loser, and that led to chants of “You’re a loser” to Corbin. He said that Corbin said that Detroit was run down, but he and his friend Kid Rock agree that Detroit is making a comeback. Is Detroit like Raw? Or WCW after a reboot?
Elias started to play his song asking Corbin to go away. Corbin heard enough about a minute in and the two ended up brawling around the ring and into the crowd. Corbin eventually fled backstage as Elias stood tall.
Sasha Banks, Bayley and Ember Moon defeated The Riott Squad
Started off with some good action as everyone faced each other with some back and forth in the ring, spilling to the outside.
The Riott Squad were in control after the break, with the heels working over Sasha Banks for a long period of time. Morgan and Banks traded nearfalls. Moon broke up a pin and launched off with a crossbody to the floor, taking out Morgan and Riott. Bayley then laid out Sarah Logan with an elbow for the win. This was fine, good action throughout.
**********
They aired a video showing Braun Strowman’s 2018 highlights. A lot of them included destroying Kevin Owens.
Lio Rush came out and said that if anyone deserves a fresh start in 2019, it’s Bobby Lashley. Rush told him to dominate as they headed to the ring.
Bobby Lashley defeated Seth Rollins by DQ
Rollins rushed Lashley at the start, but Lashley grabbed Rollins and threw him around shortly after. Rush interfered, sending Rollins into the post via hurricanrana.
Lashley had Rollins in a rest hold after the commercial break. Rollins made his comeback, but Lashley took opportunity with a Rush distraction with a slam. Rollins counters, but Rush is back on the apron. He and Rollins essentially play a game of cat and mouse, a game that Rush loses after being thrown into the barricade.
Lashley jumps Rollins, but he fights back with a steel chair for the DQ.
Something comes over Seth as he begins tearing into Lashley with steel chair shots. Rush launches off with a springboard, but Rollins lays him out and pelts the both of them with steel chair shots. The announcers said that this was what Triple H wanted. Rollins then stomped Rush for good measure.
Ronda Rousey looked mad backstage as Natalya paced around her.
They announced that John Cena will be on Raw next week.
For the third week in a row, they aired the same video about these fresh new faces from NXT coming to WWE.
Jinder Mahal and The Singh Brothers defeated Heath Slater and Rhyno
If you are wondering how Rhyno got his job back, well, I guess dressing up as Santa and hitting your finish on someone qualifies you to get a new contract.
Heels worked on Slater for a while. For the record, the Singh Brothers are about a million times more entertaining than Jinder Mahal in the ring. Rhyno made a hot tag. He took care of all three then looked for the gore on Mahal. The referee was distracted by one of the Singh brothers. Mahal then just kicked Rhyno and pinned him with a Khallas. Cool.
**********
Dean Ambrose ran down Seth Rollins for a bit. He will make it his duty to make Apollo Crews’ fresh start rotten.
Gable and Roode says they can’t think of anything better than to take on the Revival next week, and that they will continue to make the tag division glorious. Revival, Sasha Banks and Bayley all had tag-related resolutions for 2019 too.
Dean Ambrose defeated Apollo Crews to retain the Intercontinental title
Crews started off hot with some near falls, then landed a moonsault to the floor, which sends Ambrose reeling to the outside.
Back from break, Ambrose is in control, grinding down Crews, who eventually manages a comeback, hitting a crossbody and standing shooting star press for a couple of nearfalls.
Ambrose rakes the eyes and goes for dirty deeds, but Crews hits a blue thunder bomb, with Ambrose clutching the ropes to break it up. Crews hits a tope con hilo and makes his way to the top rope, going for a frog splash but it doesn’t connect. Ambrose then lays him out with the dirty deeds and gets the win. Thought this was good, but weird booking for Crews to lose clean like this when just a few hours ago he looked really strong in that battle royal.
Backstage, Alexa Bliss said she’d miss running the Raw women’s division. She said she made history, because if you say that enough times eventually it becomes true, I guess. She announced that A Moment of Bliss, her new talk show, would debut next week and Ronda Rousey will be the first guest. She then knocked Roddy Piper, saying Ronda better dress up as she’ll be in the ring with a goddess, not slumming it in some pit.
Highlights of Brock Lesnar aired. He’ll be on Raw next week.
Ronda Rousey and Natalya defeated Nia Jax and Tamina
Ronda, who was still ticked about the Natalya assault earlier, beat up Nia and Tamina right as she got in the ring. She beat up Tamina once the bell rang, but Nia splashed her in the corner. Nattie is tagged in as she and Tamina wrestle for a bit. Ronda is tagged backed in as she laid both women on the outside out with a crossbody.
Nia and Tamina both work on Nattie until Ronda makes the hot tag. Nia managed to cut her off as she went to the top rope for a big samoan drop. Ronda tried for a powerbomb but escaped instead, walking right into a Tamina superkick. Ronda goes for the armbar on Tamina, but Nia cut her off with a leg drop.
Tamina sets up Ronda for the superfly splash but Ronda gets her feet up and applies an armbar. Tamina quickly submits, giving Ronda and Nattie the win. And that is Raw, three hours of a television show that I can confirm existed here on December 31, 2018.
A steel cage match is set for the New Year’s Eve episode of Raw.
It was announced tonight that Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre will be facing each other in a steel cage match on next week’s Raw. The show is being taped at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan this Friday and will air on New Year’s Eve.
The announcement of Ziggler and McIntyre’s cage match was made during a video segment where Vince McMahon dressed as Santa Claus. It was also announced that John Cena will be returning to Raw and SmackDown and that Women’s Tag Team titles will be coming in 2019.
Finn Balor defeated Ziggler and McIntyre in a triple threat match on tonight’s Raw. Balor pinned Ziggler after hitting the Coup de Grace, and there was a post-match angle where McIntyre taunted Ziggler and got in his face. McIntyre was distracted by the referee trying to stop him from attacking Ziggler, which led to Ziggler then hitting the Zig-Zag on McIntyre.
Coming out of TLC, Finn Balor vs. Dolph Ziggler is set for this week’s episode of Raw.
Balor defeated Drew McIntyre at TLC, with Ziggler playing a part in the story of the match. Ziggler ambushed McIntyre and superkicked him on the outside while the referee wasn’t looking. McIntyre then stopped Ziggler from hitting him with a chair. While McIntyre was focused on Ziggler, Balor gave McIntyre a dropkick and hit the Coup de Grace for the win.
There was a backstage segment later in the show where Ziggler interrupted Balor during an interview. Ziggler insulted Balor and attacked him as they argued over why Ziggler got involved in Balor’s match.
This week’s Raw is taking place at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. Along with the episode featuring fallout from TLC and the start of Raw’s build to the Royal Rumble, Vince McMahon will return to WWE television to “shake things up.”
Dolph Ziggler answered Seth Rollins’ Intercontinental Championship open challenge on last night’s episode of Raw.
Ahead of defending the title against Dean Ambrose at TLC on December 16, Rollins retained against Ziggler last night. Ambrose appeared on the show in a video segment where he mocked the fans by visiting his physician and getting injections to protect himself from them.
Raw ended with Baron Corbin, Bobby Lashley, and Drew McIntyre standing tall. Corbin faced Finn Balor in the main event, with an angle during the match where Corbin turned it into him teaming with McIntyre against Balor in a handicap match.
Corbin, Lashley, and McIntyre also took part in the opening segment before being interrupted by Elias. Braun Strowman appeared via video and vowed that Corbin, Lashley, and McIntyre would get these hands.
Elsewhere on what wasn’t a well-received episode of Raw, Corbin put Alexa Bliss in charge of the women’s division, Nia Jax cut a promo on Ronda Rousey, and Drake Maverick stole Bobby Roode’s robe, took it to the bathroom, and peed on it during AOP’s Tag Team title defense against Roode & Chad Gable.
With the lineup for the tournament set after Bobby Lashley replaced John Cena, WWE has revealed the bracket for Friday’s World Cup tournament.
Seth Rollins vs. Lashley and Kurt Angle vs. Dolph Ziggler will be taking place on the Raw side of the bracket. On the SmackDown side, Jeff Hardy vs. The Miz and Rey Mysterio vs. Randy Orton are set for the first round of the one-night tournament.
WWE officially announced last Thursday that they were going ahead with Crown Jewel taking place in Saudi Arabia as scheduled. The show is being held at King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, with an hour-long pre-show starting at 11 a.m. Eastern time prior to the main card beginning at noon.
In addition to the World Cup, Triple H & Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker & Kane, Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman for the vacant Universal Championship, WWE Champion AJ Styles defending against Daniel Bryan (if Bryan appears on the show), and The New Day challenging for Cesaro & Sheamus’ SmackDown Tag Team titles are currently advertised for Crown Jewel.
It’s been confirmed that Triple H and Shawn Michaels will be appearing on tonight’s show to further the build to their tag match against The Undertaker & Kane at Crown Jewel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on November 2. A pre-recorded video with Undertaker and Kane aired on Raw last week, and Undertaker then appeared on SmackDown 1000 to send a message to Triple H & Michaels.
This week’s Raw is the go-home show for Evolution, and the show will include a contract signing segment for Ronda Rousey and Nikki Bella’s Raw Women’s Championship match at the pay-per-view. Sasha Banks will also face Ruby Riott tonight. That comes in advance of Banks, Bayley & Natalya taking on The Riott Squad (Riott, Liv Morgan & Sarah Logan) in a six-woman tag at Evolution.
A Tag Team Championship match is set for tonight, with Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre defending their titles against Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose. Last week’s Raw continued to tease the storyline of dissension between Ambrose and The Shield, but the episode ended with The Shield defeating Braun Strowman, Ziggler & McIntyre. Strowman laid out Ziggler after the match, then McIntyre hit the Claymore Kick on Strowman.
UPDATE: Finn Balor vs. Bobby Lashley is also official for tonight.
All four Raw wrestlers have been confirmed for WWE’s World Cup tournament.
Seth Rollins and Dolph Ziggler won their qualifying matches on tonight’s episode of Raw, with them joining John Cena, Kurt Angle, Jeff Hardy, and Randy Orton in the lineup for the tournament.
As the storyline of dissension between Dean Ambrose and The Shield continued, Rollins defeated Drew McIntyre by countout and Ambrose lost to Ziggler in their qualifying matches on tonight’s Raw. Cena was announced for the tournament last week, Angle dressed up as “The Conquistador” and won a battle royal, Hardy defeated Samoa Joe, and Orton defeated Big Show.
The remaining two spots on the SmackDown side will be filled tomorrow. Two qualifying matches are set for the episode, with Rey Mysterio facing Shinsuke Nakamura and Rusev taking on The Miz.
The World Cup tournament will be held at WWE Crown Jewel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on November 2.
Date: October 15, 2018 Location: Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA
The Big Takeaway —
It seemed like Dean Ambrose reached his breaking point with the Shield (particularly Seth Rollins) but ultimately, the Shield prevailed in the main event, and all three appear back on the same page.
The Shield defeated the team of Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre. Strowman laid out Ziggler after the match, then McIntyre took out Strowman with a Claymore kick.
The highlight of the show was a Ronda Rousey promo, where she tore down Nikki and Brie Bella. The Bellas were portrayed as “divas” and relics from the previous era, and Rousey said they need to be eviscerated. See below for more.
Also, they continued to plug Crown Jewel, but did not mention the location of the show.
Show Recap —
Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre came out as Michael Cole plugged Strowman’s title match at Crown Jewel. The location of that show was not mentioned.
Ziggler called them the best three-man group in WWE history and they bragged about beating The Shield last week. They showed a replay, plus a post-show interview by Dean Ambrose where he told Kayla Braxton, “I don’t get it. I don’t get it. Maybe I just don’t fit in anywhere anymore.” McIntyre said Ambrose has finally seen the truth and the Shield has been shattered.
Strowman said Roman Reigns’ buddies wouldn’t be there to help him at Crown Jewel. McIntyre said he would beat Rollins to qualify for the World Cup and prove he’s the best in the world. Ziggler said he had a qualifying match too, and they could end up facing each other. McIntyre said he was good, “but buddy, you’re no Drew McIntyre.”
Strowman interrupted before they could argue and said Reigns and Brock Lesnar would get these hands at Crown Jewel (again, no mention of the location). The Shield’s music hit but only Reigns and Rollins came out on the stage. Rollins said the Shield was alive and well.
Rollins said he would prove would the world already knows, that he was the best in the world. Ziggler welcomed two-thirds of the Shield and said he would gladly take a forfeit win tonight if Ambrose doesn’t show. Rollins told him to shut up–Ambrose runs on Ambrose time and would be there tonight.
Reigns talked and people booed. I think Ziggler booed too. Rollins said he loves Philly because of the cheesesteaks and because it’s a fighting town. He challenged McIntyre to fight right now and he agreed.
Seth Rollins defeated Drew McIntyre via countout to qualify for the World Cup Tournament (13:30)
Renee Young said she didn’t know where Ambrose was and reiterated that “Ambrose time” was a real thing. Ziggler ran down a few minutes into the match, which of course distracted Rollins, allowing McIntyre to yank him into the ring apron.
After a break, Rollins came back with a superkick and slingblade, then later hit a blockbuster for two. McIntyre was on the top so Rollins ran up and hit a superplex, then it was McIntyre who floated over into a falcon arrow for two. Rollins hit an enziguri and superkick but was distracted by Ziggler before he could go for the stomp.
Rollins nailed both Ziggler and McIntyre with separate dives, but moments later, Ziggler pulled the rope down on Rollins who fell out of the ring. Ambrose ran down and attacked Ziggler, then McIntyre laid out Ambrose. Rollins gave McIntyre a stomp and slid back in the ring for the countout win. Ambrose posed with Rollins afterwards.
I’m tired of all the distractions, but they needed a way for McIntyre to lose without getting pinned, and having Ambrose save the day played into the story.
Nikki and Brie Bella were shown skulking around backstage before entering their locker room. They were booed. Bayley found Trish Stratus and Lita backstage and gave them a hug.
They showed a graphic for DX with the words “Up Next” on the screen, so the crowd cheered, but all they’re getting is a replay.
Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns walked backstage as Rollins made a remark about Ambrose being on “Lunatic Time.” Ambrose was offended and wondered if that’s all he was to them, a “lunatic” who was good for a few laughs until they needed bailing out. Rollins and Reigns were taken aback. They tried to calm him down, but Ambrose said he had his own match to worry about and left.
There was a pre-taped segment with Undertaker and Kane. Kane said the DX reunion was built on a bed of lies, and Undertaker said respect wasn’t keeping Shawn Michaels away–it was fear. They said when the match is over at Crown Jewel, Triple H can slink back into a boardroom and Michaels can find safety in retirement. They ended with “rest in peace.”
There will be a battle royal at Evolution. Announced for the match so far are Tamina, Billie Kay, Peyton Royce, Ember Moon, Alicia Fox, Nia Jax, Dana Brooke, Asuka, Mandy Rose, Carmella, Lana, Sonya DeVille, Naomi, and Torrie Wilson.
Ember Moon & Nia Jax defeated Tamina & Dana Brooke (4:47)
With Jax and Tamina in the ring, Young said, “this is what the women’s evolution’s about right here.” Tamina gave Jax a Samoan drop, which got a modest reaction. Moon eventually tagged in and gave Brooke an Eclipse for the win. Not a good match.
Tamina confronted Jax afterwards. Moon tried to stop them, but they both shoved her down. Tamina knocked down Jax, then gestured to Moon like they should throw her out of the ring. Moon obliged and they tossed her out. The crowd booed thinking this might be a heel turn, then Moon went after Tamina. Moon tried tossing her out of the ring too for some reason but actually failed. As they struggled for position, Brooke tossed them both out. This was so dumb.
Ronda Rousey/Bellas segment
Ronda Rousey came out. She smiled on her way out but got serious upon entering the ring. She couldn’t help but smile when a “Ronda” chant broke out. Rousey said the Bellas betrayed her in front of the world. Rousey just wanted an explanation and asked them to come out.
Nikki and Brie came out on the stage. The crowd booed as Nikki began talking. Nikki said the crowd didn’t pay to see Rousey, they paid to see them. Nikki said they don’t owe her an explanation. Brie explained that Rousey disrespected them by disregarding what they have done for the business. Nikki said Rousey was the reason they came back to compete.
Nikki wondered why she was even there and called her a loser who didn’t deserve it. She said Rousey didn’t deserve a title shot and Nikki should be the champion. Nikki said they made “diva” mean something, that they were strong and powerful, their reality show put more women and girls in the crowd, and they made people want to see women’s wrestling even more.
Nikki said Rousey walked into an evolution that the Bellas started and the title she wore wouldn’t exist without them. (Well, that’s true.) The crowd chanted, “break her arm.” Rousey said she tried to be respectful. She knew that WWE was their territory first. She also knew that the “diva” era made her sick to her stomach, but they made the most of what they had.
Rousey was happy they congratulated her a few weeks ago when they barely ever said hello to her before that. She thought maybe they could be in this together but realized she was wrong, and that the Bellas were the embodiment of a stereotype. She called them D.M.B.s–Do Nothin’ Bellas.
Rousey said they were starved for attention and was amazed at how far they went with a minimal amount of talent. She said they leached off the names of their men and the crowd chanted “Yes.” She said they stole their guys’ move sets, they were a relic and need to be eviscerated like smallpox. Rousey said she could rip out both their arms and beat them with it. She added, “I will ruin you.”
Brie called Rousey jealous and Nikki said they knocked down doors. Rousey got fired up saying she knocked down doors in judo, Strikeforce, UFC and now WWE. Rousey added, “the only door you knocked down was the door to John Cena’s bedroom.” The crowd went nuts. Rousey said Cena threw her out of the door, then dared them to come to the ring.
The Bellas feigned like they would go to the ring, but they didn’t. Nikki did her pose, then a security team marched out to protect them. Rousey left the ring and tossed security aside. She gave one guy a Samona drop as the Bellas bailed. The crowd chanted for Rousey. Rousey was very good here.
Kurt Angle was backstage dressed like he was on vacation in a tropical location. Bobby Roode and Chad Gable were impressed with the outfit. Gable called it glorious and Roode was slightly annoyed he didn’t get to say it. No Way Jose danced by and Angle joined in.
Baron Corbin approached Angle and asked him when he last had a singles match in WWE. Angle said, “about twelve years.” Corbin put Angle in a match tonight to prepare–a handicap match against AOP. The crowd popped when they heard Angle would wrestle tonight.
Dolph Ziggler defeated Dean Ambrose to qualify for the World Cup Tournament (9:41)
As Ziggler distracted the referee, McIntyre ran down. Ambrose managed to fend him off, then Rollins ran down to attack McIntyre. Ambrose gave McIntyre an elbow drop off the top to the outside (avoiding hitting Rollins). Rollins tried to help up Ambrose, but Ambrose shoved him and went back in the ring where he ate a superkick. Ziggler wins. Lame finish and not much of a match.
Afterwards, Ambrose shoved Rollins aside and marched up the ramp. Rollins went after him and they got into a shoving match. Reigns came out to separate them, then Corbin entered. Corbin didn’t want the Shield to dissolve on his watch, so he gave them a chance tonight to team against Strowman, Ziggler and McIntyre in a rematch from last week (which was a rematch from days earlier).
McIntyre, Ziggler and Strowman had a meeting backstage. Ziggler and McIntyre were excited to take out the Shield. McIntyre was about to give Strowman a pep talk, but he basically told him to shut up. He said if they don’t do their jobs tonight, they’ll get these hands.
Balor won quickly with the Coup de Grace. Samir Singh has returned, though he didn’t get involved. Corey Graves was excited to announce the return of Samir, to which Cole responded, “Who?” Why would Cole not know who that is?
After the match, Balor’s music didn’t play. Instead, Bobby Lashley came out with Lio Rush. Lashley had a staredown with Balor as Rush put over Lashley’s physique. Balor and Bayley eventually left the ring as Lashley posed.
Bobby Lashley (w/Lio Rush) defeated Tyler Breeze (3:24)
The bell rang to start, then Lashley posed around the ring as Rush continued to put him over. Lashley hit a delayed vertical suplex, then posed as Rush chanted for him. Breeze attempted a comeback but Lashley cut him off with a powerslam. Lashley posed again, then hit a modified Dominator for the pinfall win.
Trish Stratus and Lita came to the ring. They were quickly interrupted by Alexa Bliss and Mickie James, who came out on the stage. Bliss did an impression of Lita, and James did an impression of Stratus. They continued mocking Stratus and mentioned how long it’s been since either of them wrestled. James suggested they practice first.
Stratus stopped them, then her and Lita did the Allen Iverson “practice” bit here in Philadelphia. They got a smattering of cheers. Stratus and Lita suggested that maybe they do need practice and dared Bliss and James to fight. Bliss and James feigned like they would fight, but turned around and left. Yes, just like the Bellas earlier. This was lame.
Backstage, the Riott Squad mocked Bayley, cackled and left.
AOP won quickly. “Angle” was in the ring dressed as the Conquistador (including mask) and didn’t get an entrance. Obviously, it wasn’t him and Graves even acknowledged it probably wasn’t him even before the match was over.
After AOP won, Maverick realized the Conquistador wasn’t Angle. Angle showed up on stage and gave Corbin an Angle Slam, then did a little dance. I’m enjoying Angle continuously outsmarting Corbin.
The Riott Squad sprayed ketchup and mustard on Natalya’s locker room door signage, creating a mess she won’t actually have to deal with.
Natalya (w/Bayley & Sasha Banks) defeated Ruby Riott (w/Sarah Logan & Liv Morgan) via DQ (2:56)
Natalya seemed to have it won with the Sharpshooter, but Logan jumped in the break it up and the referee called for the bell, presumably a DQ. The teams brawled, which the Riott Squad briefly got the better of, but Bayley and Banks worked together to take out Logan and Morgan. Natalya finished off Ruby with a German suplex.
Elias performed on his guitar. Elias said he can see into the future and knows what John Cena knows, what the crowd knows, and that’s that WWE stands for “walk with Elias.” Elias claimed he had lunch with Carson Wentz and asked about his injuries. Wentz told him that true pain was pretending to care about the shameful city of Philadephia. The crowd booed.
Elias also took a shot at Gritty, the Flyers mascot, calling it a splitting image of every person in this city–a fat, ugly, googly-eyed slob. Elias was about to perform but was interrupted by Apollo Crews.
Crews said so many people interrupt Elias, he wanted to do it too. Crews said he can’t play guitar, he can’t sing, he’s not even funny, but none of that matters when he steps in the ring. Elias heard that Crews was talented, he’s just never seen it. Just like he’s never seen Big Foot, or the Flyers win the Stanley Cup.
Crews said he has kept his mouth shut for too long and is sick of staying the back. Elias went to attack him, but Crews caught him with an enziguri and held him up in a press slam for a while before dropping him. This was a fine segment.
There was a commercial for Smackdown 1000 plugging appearances by Edge, Evolution, Undertaker, plus the match between Rey Mysterio and Shinsuke Nakamura.
Ambrose and Rollins were getting along fine until Ziggler pushed Rollins into Ambrose. They argued, so Reigns tagged himself in and tried to settle things down. They were knocked down by Strowman, then Ziggler gave Reigns a jumping DDT for two.
Strowman worked over Reigns and told McIntyre this is how it’s done. McIntyre tagged himself in, then put the boots to Reigns. Strowman tagged himself back in, then McIntyre told him to just get the job done. Strowman missed a charge, then Reigns gave him a Samoan drop.
Reigns was close to a tag, so McIntyre and Ziggler knocked his teammates off the apron. They gave Reigns the Claymore/Zig-Zag combo, but Ambrose and Rollins broke up the cover. Reigns made the hot tag to Rollins, who then tagged Ambrose.
Ambrose and Rollins did suicide dives to McIntyre and Ziggler. They tried it on Strowman, but he caught them both, then Reigns took out Strowman with a superman punch. Ambrose used a jackknife cover on McIntyre, but Ziggler broke it up. Rollins fought him off and Ambrose gave McIntyre the Dirty Deeds. Ambrose made the cover, but Ziggler shoved Rollins into Ambrose.
Ambrose got in Rollins’ face. Ambrose was about to back off, then Rollins grabbed him by the arm. Ambrose kicked him and was about to hit Dirty Deeds, but Ziggler got in the way and gave Ambrose the Zig-Zag for a close nearfall.
Reigns came in and handed out superman punches. He avoided a charge from Strowman, then McIntyre gave Strowman a Claymore kick by mistake. Reigns speared McIntyre, then the Shield gave Ziggler the triple powerbomb for the win. The Shield celebrated and left together, all on the same page again.
After the Shield left, Strowman towered over Ziggler as the crowd chanted “get these hands.” Strowman gave Ziggler a powerslam, then McIntyre flew in and gave Strowman a Claymore kick. McIntyre marched off as his music played. McIntyre looked back to see Strowman get back to his feet. They stared at each other as the show ended.
Two World Cup qualifiers have been announced for tomorrow’s episode of Raw.
The updated preview for tomorrow’s show lists Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre and Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler in World Cup qualifying matches. There will be eight entrants in the tournament, with four left to be decided. John Cena, Kurt Angle, Jeff Hardy, and Randy Orton were confirmed for the World Cup on last week’s television.
A World Cup qualifying match is also set for SmackDown 1000 this Tuesday. In his return match, Rey Mysterio will face Shinsuke Nakamura for a spot in the tournament.
The WWE World Cup is scheduled to take place at Crown Jewel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on November 2.
Ronda Rousey responding to The Bellas is also advertised for tomorrow’s Raw. There was an angle last week where Nikki and Brie attacked Rousey after their six-woman tag match against The Riott Squad, and Rousey defending her Raw Women’s Championship against Nikki was officially announced for Evolution.
Two rematches from Super Show-Down are scheduled for tonight’s Raw.
The Shield (Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose) vs. Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre and Ronda Rousey & The Bellas vs. The Riott Squad (Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan & Sarah Logan) have been announced for tonight’s show. When the six-person tags took place in Melbourne, Australia on Saturday, The Shield and Rousey & The Bellas won their respective matches.
Ambrose pinned Ziggler at Super Show-Down, with The Shield staying united after the storyline where dissension between Ambrose and Reigns & Rollins was teased.
Reigns will defend his Universal Championship against Strowman and Brock Lesnar in a triple threat match at Crown Jewel on November 2.
Rousey submitted Morgan and Logan with a double armbar at Super Show-Down. There was a moment where Rousey and Nikki Bella both wanted to start for their teams, seemingly teasing Rousey vs. Nikki for this month’s Evolution pay-per-view.
Tonight’s Raw is taking place at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and Trish Stratus are all advertised for the show.
Daniel Bryan vs. Shelton Benjamin and a mixed tag match between Carmella & R-Truth and Zelina Vega & Andrade “Cien” Almas are set for tonight’s episode. The show is taking place at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon and is the final SmackDown before Super Show-Down.
Before AJ Styles and Samoa Joe’s WWE Championship match in Melbourne, Australia, their storyline will continue in tonight’s opening segment. Paige will address Joe’s actions after last week’s cliffhanger where he showed up at what WWE said was Styles’ house and rang the doorbell as the show went off the air.
Becky Lynch revealing a “Super Show-Down surprise” for Charlotte Flair ahead of their SmackDown Women’s Championship match on Saturday is advertised for tonight, and The New Day will reveal Big E’s family’s “secret, decades-old recipe for their famous pancakes.” That will be part of the final build to New Day defending their SmackDown Tag Team titles against Cesaro & Sheamus at Super Show-Down.
Aiden English bringing video proof of the accusation he made against Lana was advertised for tonight during last Tuesday’s SmackDown. There was an angle last week where English asked Lana if she was going to tell Rusev about that one night in Milwaukee.
