Tag: judgment day

Liv Morgan should be dropped from the WWE Queen of the Ring tournament | Opinion 

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Liv Morgan’s surprise addition to the WWE Queen of the Ring tournament, announced after last Sunday’s Clash in Italy, sparked some interesting discussion online.

There’s good reason for that as there are some flaws in her inclusion.

Why is it a big deal?

The winner of the tournament for the men and women’s KOR/QOR tourneys earn a championship opportunity at SummerSlam. So, why is the Women’s World Champion featured in a tournament designed to determine her potential challenger? 

It naturally sparked a debate given the traditional expectation that all WWE champions will be featured at Night of Champions later this month in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Morgan positively reacted and explained how her eagerness to win it all got her featured in the tournament. She also appeared slightly taken aback by the announcement and responded while staying in character.

Morgan’s transition from the underdog to compelling fan favorite won her over with the WWE crowd. Her 2022 Money in the Bank win and subsequent cash-in accelerated her rise to stardom. At WrestleMania 42, she defeated Stephanie Vaquer to begin her third World title reign, and it looked like big things were on the horizon for the new champion in 2026. She even released a music video for a new theme song.

But the lack of a title defense since April raises the question on what WWE has in store for her. Even if WWE wants to do a storyline of her holding the World title and also winning the Queen of the Ring Tournament, that decision would invite some scrutiny. 

The Judgment Day trajectory adds another layer of intrigue with the tension among the group of late, lending credence to a theory on Raquel Rodriguez potentially betraying Morgan for the Women’s title as a central storyline. There has been little development and Morgan’s reign is being questioned due to the stagnant positioning and title defenses. It became more evident when the push was strong going into her winning the title.

And then there was this story that came out Thursday.

Morgan needs to defend at Night of Champions

For a champion like Morgan, who has a proven track record and is capable of delivering excellent title matches, to not defend the World Title at an event called Night of Champions diminishes both the title and her reign. Her potential absence also creates an unnecessary disconnect.

Her current path in WWE seems to be less about conventional title defenses and feuds and more about positioning her as the center of multiple stories at once. This strategy could either solidify her stance as champion or risk diluting her third World title reign. 

There is still time for WWE to adjust the Queen of the Ring bracket and replace Morgan with another competitor, allowing her to focus on a title defense. Alternatively, WWE could utilize the weeks leading to the event to determine a challenger for Morgan in a series of qualifying number one contender bouts.

Raquel Rodriguez on 10 years in WWE: ‘My priorities have definitely changed a lot’

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Raquel Rodriguez looked back on her 10-year anniversary with WWE, opening up about her growth, evolving mindset and lessons along the way. 

Rodriguez told Soundsphere, in an exclusive interview, about the learnings in her ten year WWE career, and evolution as an in-ring competitor. 

“I think I’ve learned that I’m much stronger than I believe.I can handle a lot more than I think I can. When you’re out there in this crazy business, you’re on your own, young, growing up through this business for 10 years. It’s the longest job I’ve ever held, by the way.”

“You really grow as a human, as a person and you learn what’s important in life. For me at least my priorities have definitely changed a lot. I’ve focused more on my health this year, I’ve focused more on my family and my connections and my relationships that matter to me the most.”

“That’s what really gets me through the long travel days and the long nights on the road when I miss my animals and I miss my family. But I’ve learned that I can do it and that I can stay strong. As long as I have my beliefs and my faith, there’s really nothing that can get under my skin these days.”

Rodriguez marked her WWE debut on NXT in 2016. Nearly five years later, she won the brand’s Women’s Championship from IYO SKY. She joined The Judgment Day in 2024 assisting Liv Morgan in her Bad Blood match against Rhea Ripley. 

In 2021, Rodriguez and Dakota Kai (aka Charlie) became the inaugural NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions. Following her main roster transition, she also held the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles with Morgan on multiple occasions. And seeks to regain tag team title glory alongside Roxanne Perez. 

Finn Balor posts image of busted up lip following WWE Raw match

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Finn Balor faced JD McDonagh in a singles match on the WWE Raw after Mania. During the bout, Balor’s lip was busted up, leaving him bloodied. 

Balor returned to his trimmed beard look and brought back his signature wrestling gear. He shared an Instagram post with a series of images from Raw and revealed the nasty lip trauma suffered during the match which required stitches. He captioned the post ‘We are so back’, referencing the old version of Balor has officially made a WWE comeback. 

At WWE WrestleMania, his Demon persona made an appearance for the first time in three years, and defeated Dominik Mysterio in a Street Fight match.

Balor was kicked out of The Judgment Day in March. There were numerous issues that led to the eventual split. The group’s frustration at his inability to capture the World Championship and refusing to assist Mysterio retain the Intercontinental Title against Penta on the March 2 episode of Raw, were key contributions. 

McDonagh, who was once Balor’s pupil in his wrestling school in Ireland, also turned his back which led to the Raw match. He also competed at WrestleMania 42 in a ladder match for the Intercontinental TItle which Penta retained. 

After Balor’s victory on Raw, Mysterio attacked him from behind indicating that their rivalry is far from over.

Roxanne Perez provides update after WWE Raw injury

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Roxanne Perez has shared an update on her condition after the incident on WWE Raw. 

She took to Instagram Stories and posted a photo of herself with an ice pack on her head, captioned ‘alive & well yall’.

The injury occurred during Stephanie Vaquer’s ambush on Liv Morgan on Raw. The two Judgment Day members were discussing the group’s dissociation with Finn Balor and Perez’s WWE return the previous week when it happened. Vaquer suddenly shoved Morgan from the back causing her collide head-to-head with Perez. Her ambush concluded by smashing Morgan’s head into a TV. 

Following Raw, Morgan shared the head bump on social media which resulted from the attack. Vaquer responded with an image of a doll’s head being crushed. Morgan instantly retaliated with ‘Hahahha u wish. Ur gonna have to kill me’ before adding an updated image of her head injury showing the swelling had gone done but leaving behind a bruise. 

Perez has been out of in-ring action since the Royal Rumble after undergoing surgery to remove a benign growth from her back. She returned to Raw last week and assisted Morgan in her physical altercation on Vaquer. 

Perez was added to The Judgment Day in May 2025 by Finn Balor. She was introduced as an ally before eventually proving her worth to the group. And even stepping in as Morgan’s replacement during her shoulder injury while she and Raquel Rodriguez were the Women’s Tag Team Champions. 

Morgan will face Vaquer for the Women’s World Championship on Night One at WrestleMania 42. 

Liv Morgan shows off nasty head bump following WWE Raw attack

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Liv Morgan showed off the nasty bump on her head in the aftermath of Stephanie Vaquer’s attack on WWE Raw.

Morgan shared images of her head injury on Instagram alongside her Judgment Day teammates – Dominik Mysterio, JD McDonagh and Raquel Rodriguez.

During Raw, Morgan was backstage with Roxanne Perez discussing Finn Balor’s exit and relationship with The Judgment Day. She noted how he was responsible for bringing her into the group, and appreciated her helping hand in attacking Vaquer last week. Before Perez could respond, Vaquer launched into Morgan from behind that sent her crashing into Perez as they bumped heads. She continued the attack and sent Morgan flying head-first into the TV nearby. 

Following the events on Raw, Morgan and Perez were reportedly in concussion protocol. 

On the March 30 edition of Raw, Perez made her return after a couple of months away due to a surgery to remove a benign mass from her back. That night Morgan made personal remarks targeting Vaquer’s mother, prompting the champion to rush out and attack her. Perez then joined Morgan in the beatdown. 

Ever since Morgan decided to pursue the Women’s World Championship, an intense back-and-forth erupted. The rivalry has seen repeated ambushes and personal attacks on almost every edition of Raw that followed. Morgan continues to question Vaquer’s credibility as a wrestler claiming she has yet to match her accomplishments in WWE. 

JD McDonagh explains WWE Raw betrayal of Finn Balor

Posted on by Joseph Currier

JD McDonagh has offered an explanation for why he betrayed Finn Balor on WWE Raw.

On the road to WrestleMania, a big angle played out on Monday night with Judgment Day attacking Balor and kicking him out of the group. It initially appeared like McDonagh was trying to cool the situation between Balor and Dominik Mysterio. But when Balor charged at Mysterio, McDonagh dropped him with a clotheline.

McDonagh sent out an in-character tweet last night blaming Balor’s ego for why tensions had been brewing within Judgment Day. He chose to side with his “family” in Judgment Day over his friend Balor.

“You lied to all of us for months. You got an ego. You wanted to be the leader. You played games,” McDonagh wrote. “That’s never been what the Judgment Day has been about. You used to know that.

“Judgment Day is my family and if anybody dares to try to step on any of them, you get stomped out.”

With both being from Ireland, Balor has legitimately been a long-time mentor to McDonagh. They worked together on-screen with two World Tag Team title reigns during their time in Judgment Day.

Last night’s angle ended with Mysterio, McDonagh, Liv Morgan, and Raquel Rodriguez standing tall after Balor was laid out with a steel chair. It would appear to be setting up Balor vs. Mysterio in some form at WrestleMania 42, though plans for the match have not been officially announced.

Judgment Day turn against Finn Balor on WWE Raw

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Finn Balor is out of the Judgment Day.

The issues between Balor and Dominik Mysterio exploded on Raw when the two traded blows following the events of last week that saw Mysterio lose the Intercontinental title after Balor refused to help. The rest of the group quickly took a side, joining Mysterio in the attack.

As Mysterio was complaining about losing the title last week, Balor came to the ring with JD McDonagh. Balor agreed that if it wasn’t for him, Mysterio would still be champion and he apologized. But he said he was just trying to teach Mysterio a lesson. He has been trying to to guide the now former Intercontinental Champion for the last two years, only to eventually realize that perhaps Mysterio’s father was right: maybe Dominik was a “spoiled little pr*ck.”

That insult led to Mysterio slapping Balor, who replied with a pele kick. Balor was about to go on the attack when McDonagh pulled him away. Mysterio charged in but Balor leveled him with a slingblade and went for a running dropkick. But as he ran, McDonagh came in and clotheslined Balor, turning against his longtime mentor. Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez then joined in as they helped Mysterio lay out Balor with not one but two frog splashes, the second with a steel chair covering Balor.

Balor had been teasing a face turn for weeks, dating back to when he wrestled CM Punk on an episode of Raw in Dublin, Ireland. He got a rematch at Elimination Chamber, but came up short once again.

Title match announced for WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Liv Morgan & Roxanne Perez are getting a Women’s Tag Team title shot at WWE’s next Saturday Night’s Main Event special.

The January 24 edition of SNME will see Rhea Ripley & IYO SKY defend their newly won belts against Judgment Day’s Morgan & Perez. That was made official on Raw today with Morgan & Perez winning a triple threat match to become the new number one contenders.

The Kabuki Warriors and Bayley & Lyra Valkyria were the two other teams in the number one contender’s match. Asuka & Kairi Sane were looking to get another shot at the belts after dropping them to Ripley & SKY last week, but Morgan ended up pinning Sane for the victory. Sane did not notice that Morgan had tagged in — and Morgan capitalized on that by hitting Oblivion while Sane was focused on Perez.

Montreal’s Bell Centre is hosting the January 24 SNME special just one week before the Royal Rumble takes place in Saudi Arabia. Airing live on Peacock, this is the first SNME since John Cena retired on the show in December.

WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event (January 24) —

  • Fatal four-way number one contender’s match for WWE Championship shot at Royal Rumble (competitors to be determined by qualifying matches)
  • Women’s Tag Team Champions Rhea Ripley & IYO SKY defend against Judgment Day (Liv Morgan & Roxanne Perez)

WWE Raw live results: New World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk appears

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: November 3, 2025
Location: Rio Ranch Event Center in Rio Ranch, NM 

The Big Takeaway —

The Vision are clearly coming for CM Punk, but it appears his first title defence as World Champion will be against Logan Paul. Paul laid out Punk with brass knuckles following the main event. 

The tournament to determine John Cena’s final opponent begins next week in Boston. The first two matches will see Rusev against Damian Priest, and Shinsuke Nakamura against Sheamus. Two more matches will be announced on SmackDown. Announcing matches in parts will allow them to keep some names a mystery for now, but tonight’s announcement wasn’t the most exciting start.

Also, Rey Mysterio returned to confront Dominik Mysterio, and next week’s Raw will also feature two title matches. 

**********

Show Recap — 

New Mexico hosts Raw for the first time tonight, according to Joe Tessitore. 

CM Punk kicks off Raw

There was a recap of CM Punk beating Jey Uso to win the world title (including reaction shots of fans live-watching the event at home). 

Punk entered the arena with the World Heavyweight Championship belt on his shoulder, and the camera followed as he made his way through the stage. Punk posed with fans as he walked down the long aisleway toward the ring, where he soaked in the crowd reaction. 

Punk started with: “Is it great to be champ on a Monday night in the great state of New Mexico or what?!” Punk felt good to be there as champ, and he had a long list of people to thank for helping him get there. Fans chanted, “You deserve it.” 

The first person he wanted to thank was his smart, funny, intelligent, tough, and mean when she wants to be wife, AJ Lee. She stuck with him through the bad times so they could stand together, chests puffed out, in the good times. 

Second, he wanted to thank the fans. Some called them the WWE Universe, but to him, they were CM Punk fans. He doesn’t get there without them, and they should give themselves a hand. They chanted for Punk. 

The third person he wanted to thank was Jey Uso. Punk thanked him for the hard fight and said Jey was truly ‘main event.’ He wanted to remain friends, but he wouldn’t cry about it if they couldn’t be. When he returned, he said he didn’t come back to make friends, he came back to make money and be champion—and now he was. 

Punk didn’t know how much time he had left, and SummerSlam taught him he had to hold on to the strap as tight as he could. The good news was that there was no snake in the grass like Seth Rollins with MITB waiting to cash in. Punk then paused his promo to swing the belt around over his head to mock Rollins’ usual celebration. Punk warned Rollins he would put him back on the couch if he came after him. 

Punk knew the crown meant there was a target on his back. The locker room was filled with badass talent. He had to be the best in the world to keep the title. He knew Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed were coming for his gold. 

Punk wanted to be a fighting champion, and there were a lot of people he wanted to punch in the face, The Vision included. He wanted to test himself against the best in the business, including guys like AJ Styles. Unlike Styles, Dominik Mysterio didn’t deserve a shot, but Punk would still love to punch him in the face. 

Punk put over JD McDonagh (who he called an exceptional pro wrestler) and Finn Bálor, and said he’d love to have a banger with Sheamus. He also would love to face John Cena one more time. Punk ended with, “The champ is here.” 

Logan Paul interrupted. Punk interrupted his entrance because he didn’t want to hear from Paul. Punk suggested he go back to SmackDown and answer Ilja Dragunov’s open challenge. 

Paul said he was a Ferrari, while Punk was a used Honda Civic with 250,000 miles on it. Paul has already faced the best, and beat Styles at WrestleMania. 

Paul Heyman and the Vision interrupted. Heyman called Logan a bitch who should go to the back of the line, because the front of the line belonged to Reed and Breakker. Heyman warned the men in the ring and told them to leave, but they didn’t budge. Logan said he got to the ring first and should get the title shot. 

Breakker said Heyman bought everyone two weeks to live (by keeping them out of the battle royal). They had to sit in the back for two weeks after they dropped Rollins in the dirt. Breakker said Punk’s had his moment, but he wasn’t waiting anymore. Breakker warned them to get out of his ring before he whipped them like a dog. 

Punk knew a fight was coming, so he told Paul to fight with him or get out of the ring. Paul was about to leave, but Breakker shoved him on his ass. 

The Brons swarmed Punk and beat him down. Paul decided to help, but they beat him up too, and Reed laid him out with a Tsunami. That allowed Punk enough time to recover, so he attacked the Brons with a chair, and they bailed.

(The show was 26 minutes old by the time this ended.) 

******** 

Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer & Nikki Bella vs. Roxanne Perez & Raquel Rodriguez 

Judgment Day got the heat over Bella using a distraction during a break. Perez crunched Bella with a springboard moonsault, but Bella fought off Rodriguez moments later and hit a tornado DDT before making a hot tag to Vaquer. 

Vaquer ran wild on Rodriguez, but couldn’t hit SVB because Rodriguez was too big. Vaquer hit a flying crossbody instead for two. Vaquer gave Perez the Devil’s Kiss to the delight of the crowd. Bella tagged in and hit Perez with “Rack Attack 2.0,” but Rodriguez broke up the cover (barely). 

Vaquer sent Rodriguez over the top and tried Devil’s Kiss on the apron, but Rodriguez blocked it and slammed her face-first on the apron. 

Bella tried a cradle, but Perez shoved her into the ropes. Rodriguez gave her a cheap shot (with the referee’s back turned), and Perez followed with Pop Rox for the pinfall win. 

That’s two straight pinfall wins over Nikki Bella for Roxanne Perez. 

Match result: Roxanne Perez & Raquel Rodriguez defeated Nikki Bella & Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer (12:47)

******** 

They aired John Cena’s announcement regarding the tournament to determine his final opponent. Adam Pearce was backstage with a tumbler of balls, drawing names for the tournament. That’s one way to determine the final opponent for one of the company’s all-time greats. 

Jey Uso approached Punk backstage. Punk wondered if he was talking to Jey Uso or little Roman. Jey said he was talking to Main Event Jey Uso. Jey warned Punk they wouldn’t stop coming after him as long as he was champion and offered to help him against The Vision tonight. Punk gladly accepted. 

(It seems like Jey is getting his usual babyface reaction so far. If anyone is booing, it’s hard to hear because people are also Yeeting.) 

******** 

Penta vs. El Grande Americano (w/ Bravo & Rayo Americano)

Penta went for a Canadian Destroyer on the apron, but El Grande blocked it and dropkicked him off the apron. El Grande tied Penta’s mask to the bottom rope during a break, which always seems to happen to Penta (and always during the break). 

Penta made his comeback as soon as they returned from break, but El Grande cut him off with a Finlay Roll. Penta came back with kicks, a tornado DDT, and a big flip dive. (The crowd chanted, “Holy sh-t” at the big dive.) 

Bravo tried to interfere, so the referee tossed him from ringside. As she argued with Bravo, Rayo gave El Grande the metal plate to put in his mask. Penta avoided the loaded headbutt and went to the top. Rayo tried to interfere, so the ref tossed him too. 

Penta decided to give Rayo a dive before he could leave. El Grande went for a running headbutt, but Penta superkicked him. (It was a silly but amusing visual because of how far away Penta was from actually getting headbutted.) 

Penta followed with a Canadian Destroyer for the pinfall win. 

— Rayo and Bravo tried to attack Penta, but he escaped. 

Match result: Penta defeated El Grande Americano (10:26) 

********

There was a pre-taped interview by Asuka and Kairi Sane. They issued a warning to Bayey and Lyra Valkyria. Asuka said her kindness would not last forever, and they were coming for the tag titles. 

Rusev had an interview during a break. He complained about losing to Dom and Penta before stating he wanted to win the tournament and face John Cena. 

********

Dominik Mysterio segment, Rey Mysterio returns 

Dom called himself the king of the luchadors. He proved he was the greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time and the greatest AAA Mega Champion of all time. 

Rey Mysterio interrupted to a big reaction and “Holy sh-t,” chants. The announcers discussed rumours that Rey had been cleared. Rey said Dom crossed the line when he called himself king of the luchadors. (Some fans chanted, “Dirty Dom,” so others booed the chant because Rey was standing right there.)  

Rey mentioned all-time greats El Santo, Blue Demon, and Eddie Guerrero. Dom responded, “You keep my father’s name out of your mouth,” which also got a huge pop. Dom said he was better than all of those men, including Guerrero. Dom said he was also better than Rey. 

Rey said Dom could disrespect him if he wanted to, but he wouldn’t let Dom disrespect lucha libre. The crowd chanted, “Whoop his ass.” 

Dom said he made the Mysterio name relevant. Dom has already surpassed everything Rey has ever done and threatened to kick his ass unless he got out of the ring. 

Rey agreed to leave the ring but wanted Dom to understand three things: As long as Rey was around, Dom would never be king of the luchadors; this would never be Dom’s ring; and Dom would never be the greatest Mysterio. 

Dom tried a cheap shot, but Rey saw it coming and hit him with a 619. Rey went up for a splash, but Dom bailed. 

This was a fun segment, and the crowd was hot for it. 

********

Bayley and Valkyria met backstage. They weren’t exactly on the same page, but Bayley convinced Valkyria that everything was good between them. They did their special handshake, but Valkyria didn’t know what to make of this. 

Becky Lynch segment 

As the announcers were talking, Becky Lynch suddenly appeared, and she climbed on the announce table. She said she has been going through a lot. Her hot husband was laid up at home. The Vision ruined everything. A crooked referee seems hellbent on holding her down, and Pearce sent her (Lynch) home to cool down—even though she was the definition of cool. 

Lynch told the crowd that the only thing cool to come out of New Mexico was a TV show about how much meth they did. Maxxine Dupri wasn’t cool either. Dupri was lucky to survive a match against her, but now she wouldn’t shut up about it because the idiot fans made her feel like she belonged. (I think a young fan yelled, “We’re not idiots!”) 

Lynch called herself the greatest of all time. A match against her was not a test Dupri could cram for. Dupri would make one wrong move in their next match, and it would be her last. 

As Lynch marched to the back, she came face-to-face with Asuka as she entered with Sane for their match. 

******** 

Asuka & Kairi Sane vs. Bayley & Lyra Valkyria

Asuka and Sane had the heat on Valkyria until she gave Sane a gut-wrench powerbomb. Bayley tagged in and ran wild on Asuka, hitting a diving elbow drop to the back of her neck for two. Sane cut off Bayley after making a blind tag, but Bayley responded with a Bayley-to-belly for two. 

Bayley gave Sane a sunset flip powerbomb into the turnbuckle, and Valkyria followed with a diving leg drop for a nearfall. (Sane barely kicked out before three.) Sane gave Valkyria a double footstomp (as Valkyria held herself up using the ropes), but Bayley broke up the cover. 

Valkyria and Bayley hit Sane with a backbreaker/elbow drop combo, but Asuka broke up the cover. Bayley broke up a double-team attempt by Asuka and Sane, so Asuka shoved Valkyria into Bayley, knocking her off the apron. 

Valkyria tried a move off the ropes, but Asuka caught her in the Asuka Lock, and Valkyria tapped out. 

— Asuka and Sane cornered Valkyria after the match, but Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair ran out (to Bliss’ music) to chase them away. Asuka and Sane were all smiles as Bliss and Charlotte posed with their title belts. 

Match result: Asuka & Kairi Sane defeated Lyra Valkyria & Bayley (13:28) 

********

Perez and Rodriguez entered the Judgment Day locker room with some good news: Rodriguez was getting a world title shot against Vaquer. Bálor and McDonagh were happy to hear it. 

Dom barged in, upset about what happened with Rey earlier. Dom wondered why they didn’t help him. Bálor said they weren’t invited to his little celebration. Bálor told Dom that he and McDonagh were about to win back the tag titles. After they left, Perez talked Dom into being at ringside for their match. 

World Tag Team Championship match: AJ Styles & Dragon Lee (c) vs. Finn Bálor & JD McDonagh

Judgment Day got the heat right away by attacking the champs as soon as the bell rang. Dragon Lee gave Bálor a sit-out powerbomb and tagged in Styles, who laid out both guys with a slingshot dive. 

A double-down spot led to Dom sauntering out during a break, holding a shillelagh. Styles gave McDonagh a Pelé kick as they returned from break. Dragon Lee tagged in and went on offence until Bálor cut him off with a slingblade and running dropkick. Dragon avoided the Coup de Grace and applied a cradle for two. 

Styles took a swipe at Dom, so Dom jumped on the apron to distract the referee. McDonagh held down Styles while Bálor went for a Coup de Grace, but Styles moved and Bálor hit McDonagh with the stomp by mistake. Styles hit McDonagh with a Phenomenal forearm, but Bálor broke up the cover. 

Bálor told Dom to hit Styles with the IC title belt. Dom was about to do it, but the referee saw him. Sheamus showed up and attacked Dom. The ref was distracted again, this time arguing with Sheamus, so Bálor hit Styles with the shillelagh. McDonagh crawled into a cover, but Dragon Lee broke it up. 

Dragon Lee wiped out Bálor with a dive, and Styles gave McDonagh a Styles Clash for the pinfall win. 

Match result: AJ Styles & Dragon Lee defeated JD McDonagh & Finn Bálor to retain the World Tag Team Championships (10:30) 

*********

Bella apologized to Vaquer for tonight’s loss, and as a result, Vaquer having to defend her title against Rodriguez. Vaquer told her not to worry about it. Bella was doubting herself because she wasn’t sure she could hang with the rest of them anymore. Vaquer told Bella to be herself because she was one of the greats who paved the way for this division. That meant a lot to Bella, who wished her luck next week. 

********

Heyman met with Jey in his locker room. Heyman wondered why Jey would team with Punk, who prevented him from becoming champion. Jey appreciated that Punk faced him man-to-man with no tricks. Heyman was about to mention Roman Reigns, but Jey said he didn’t care what Reigns, Jimmy Uso, or anyone else thought about him. 

Heyman warned him that the leash was off with the Brons after he asked them to stay out of it two weeks ago. The Vision would go after anyone who didn’t conform. However, that didn’t apply to Jey because Jey had a vision of his own. Heyman wished him luck. 

********

John Cena tournament bracket announcement (part one) 

Pearce announced the first two matches in the first round of The Last is Now tournament to determine John Cena’s final opponent (chosen by “random” draw): 

  • Rusev vs. Damian Priest 
  • Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sheamus 

Both matches will happen on Raw next week, and Cena will be in attendance. Nick Aldis will announce two more matches on SmackDown. 

Also on Raw next week: 

  • Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs. Raquel Rodriguez for the Women’s World Championship 
  • Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Asuka & Kairi Sane for the Women’s Tag Team Championships 

******** 

World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk & Jey Uso vs. Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed (w/ Paul Heyman)

During a break, Punk hit a clothesline off the ropes, but Breakker went down awkwardly. Breakker likely missed the planned spot because Punk shook his head when Bron went down. Punk said something to the ref, and they went back to the spot. Bron countered Punk’s Irish whip, so Punk booted Bron. As the ref checked on Bron, Reed decked Punk to get the heat. 

The Brons worked over Punk as fans chanted for Jey Uso. The Brons gave Punk a Shatter Machine, but Jey broke up the cover. Jey (who was over as a babyface) got the hot tag and he hit Reed with strikes, enziguris, a running hip attack and a spear, but Breakker broke up the cover. Punk wiped out Breakker with a dive, and Jey hit Reed with a suicide dive. 

The four men awkwardly brawled outside the ring as the referee counted to ten for a double count-out. The crowd booed. 

— The babyfaces were getting the better of the brawl until Breakker speared Jey. Reed knocked down Punk, and Breakker sent him over the barricade. Reed held up Jey in the ring so Breakker could hit another spear, and Reed followed with a Tsunami. 

Punk chased the Brons from the ring with a chair, but the Brons grabbed chairs of their own. 

Punk stood tall against the Brons as Logan Paul ran out to seemingly even the odds with brass knuckles in hand, but he turned around and knocked out Punk. Heyman held back the Brons from going after Paul, who handed the knux to Heyman as the crowd chanted, “F—k you, Logan.” 

Match result: World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk & Jey Uso vs. Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed ended in a double count-out (10:17)

I think this match is an example of why the company isn’t quite ready to put a world title on Bron Breakker. I don’t agree with it necessarily, but the missed spot with Punk and a few other awkward moments during the match and post-match are hard to ignore. More experience (house shows) would’ve helped him work that out by now, so we’ll have to wait a little longer, as Logan Paul is up next for Punk. 

Paul was an early title challenger for both Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes during their reigns, so he’ll slide in again and be an easy (and obvious) first successful title defence for Punk whenever it happens.

WWE Raw lineup: Two new matches added

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Two new matches have been added to the card for today’s WWE Raw in Paris, France.

Following Clash in Paris, WWE is back at Paris La Defense Arena this afternoon for the final stop on its European tour. It was already known that an Intercontinental Championship bout between Dominik Mysterio and AJ Styles would be taking place on the episode. Now, two more matches have been confirmed.

The Kabuki Warriors will team up against Judgment Day’s Roxanne Perez & Raquel Rodriguez. Plus, there will be a six-man tag match pitting New Day and their new ally Grayson Waller against The War Raiders & Penta.

Today’s show has a special start time of 2 p.m. Eastern, streaming live on Netflix worldwide. Here is everything that has been announced:

WWE Raw (Monday, September 1) —

  • Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio defends against AJ Styles
  • The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka & Kairi Sane) vs. Judgment Day (Roxanne Perez & Raquel Rodriguez)
  • The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) & Grayson Waller vs. War Raiders (Erik & Ivar) & Penta
  • We’ll get an update on Roman Reigns following the stretcher angle at Clash in Paris
  • There will be an update on the vacant Women’s World Championship

Roxanne Perez: Judgment Day is ‘one of the biggest factions in WWE history’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Roxanne Perez is grateful to be part of Judgment Day — a faction she believes is one of the biggest in WWE history.

Perez, a two-time NXT Women’s Champion, was officially called up to the WWE main roster this May and joined Judgment Day in June. She’s tag team partners with Raquel Rodriguez, with Perez replacing Liv Morgan after Morgan was forced out of action due to injury.

While speaking with Chris Van Vliet on a new episode of Insight, Perez reflected on joining Judgment Day.

“So much, so much,” she responded when asked what the faction has done for her career. “I think it’s like the perfect way for me to come into the main roster, especially with the history they have. And I think it’s one of the biggest factions in WWE history. They’ve been able to do so much in such a short amount of time.”

Perez said she feels comfortable being part of Judgment Day and is having a lot of fun being a heel. One of the benefits of being in the group is that you’re included in so many segments on Raw, though that can make for some busy TV days.

“Sometimes it’s like — go, go go, especially being a part of The Judgment Day,” Perez said. “I didn’t realize how many segments they have. And it’s like you’re in all of them, you’re in the guys’ segments, the guys gotta be in the girls’ segments. So it’s like all of us getting on the same page. And being like, ‘Well, the guys aren’t ready yet.’ ‘Okay, well the girls aren’t ready yet.’ It’s a lot, but I’m having so much fun. I love it.”

Perez, Rodriguez, Finn Balor, Dominik Mysterio, JD McDonagh, and Morgan are the current members of Judgment Day. WWE hopes that Morgan will be able to return from injury in the beginning of 2026. It remains to be seen whether Morgan will remain a heel or turn babyface upon her return.

When asked about her future goals, Perez said becoming a grand slam champion and main eventing WrestleMania are two things she wants to accomplish before the end of her career.

“I need to main event WrestleMania,” the 23-year-old Perez said. “That will just top off everything. And I’m sure you know, like, everybody does say that. If that’s not your goal — I don’t know, what are you doing? I have a feeling that it’ll happen.”

AAA Triplemania XXXIII live results: Four-way Mega title match

Posted on by Josh Nason

The first AAA Triplemania of the WWE era emanates from Arena CDMX in Mexico City, airing live and free on YouTube.

The headliner will feature El Hijo del Vikingo defending his AAA Mega title in a four-way against WWE main roster talents Dominik Mysterio, Dragon Lee and El Grande Americano.

In a street fight, main roster members and reigning AAA Tag Team Champions Angel & Berto defend against Pagano & Psycho Clown.

In a mixed trios match, Judgment Day’s Finn Balor, JD McDonagh and Raquel Rodriguez face Nino Hamburguesa, Mr. Iguana & Lola Vice.

The Reina de Reinas title will be on the line in a three-way as Flammer defends against Faby Apache and Natalya.

The Latin American title will also be defended as champion El Mesias faces El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr.

The card is rounded out by a Copa Bardahl match, similar to a Royal Rumble in terms of entrances but eliminations happen via pin.

Our live coverage begins at 9 PM Eastern.

**********

I am the perfect audience for this as I’m not a regular, if any, watcher of either CMLL or AAA, but I’m obviously very familiar with the World Wrestling Federation. Will this hook me? Read on and find out.

I found it notable that the WWE stinger that airs at the beginning of all WWE shows also aired here, even though the sale hasn’t officially gone through yet. That was followed by a really well done intro video with nods to the past, the current, and the future.

Within the first few minutes, this 100% felt like a WWE production. Is that good or bad for the longtime fans? That’s not for me to say.

AAA executives, Triple H, Nick Khan, and Shawn Michaels were all in the ring to start the show, leading into the Mexican national anthem. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Khan ever on WWE so this is quite a moment for nerds like me.

Walk-ins from all the major talent were shown as were the AAA announce team. Corey Graves, Konnan and JBL are on the call with Jesus Zuinga as our ring announcer. Konnan will also be inducted into the AAA Hall of Fame by Rey Mysterio.

And with that, we’re off.

Copa Bardahl match

As you read above, this is Royal Rumble-style in terms of entrances but eliminations are by pinfall only.

La Parka was the first entrant, coming in with a Thriller knock-off song and full dance routine which I certainly did not hate. AAA Cruiserweight Champion Laredo Kid (who has worked plenty in TNA through the years) was as entrant two. Kid got a near fall off a 450 which led to Joaquin Wilde from WWE as entrant no. 3.

Shortly after, Abismo Negro Jr. was no. 4 and impressive quickly with his power moves. Then, Taurus (apparently a new version?) was in at no. 5 which as someone that regularly watches AEW, is a strange visual to say the least. Aerostar was in next at no. 6 and took his time getting into the ring. It’s hitting me that this is the perfect match to start this show with so many new fans watching that have zero idea who is in AAA (like me!).

Laredo Kid was eliminated by Aerostar by tossing him over the top which I thought was just by pin only, but I’m learning as we go. That led to Mecha Wolf (former NWA Tag Team Champion) as no. 7 and Cruz Del Toro from WWE was in at no. 8. Wolf eliminated Wilde over the top after spraying mist in his eyes.

Then, things picked up as WWE’s Otis was no. 9, tossing Aerostar over the damn ring post to eliminate him. He then did a worm on Negro Jr. The fans were loving this. Pimpinella was out at no. 10 which was a sight to see and then some. Taurus was then eliminated by a double Pimpinella and Otis clotheslineand I am already loving this show. Otis then teased kissing Pimpinella before accidentally eliminating Pimpinella after getting dropkicked over the top rope.

Cibernetico was in at no. 11, followed by the one and only MICROMAN at no. 12 who seems destined to appear in WWE by year’s end. After fighting off elimination, Cibernetico was eliminated by Otis who picked Microman up and used him as a weapon to do so. Well, then.

No. 13? WWE’s Omos. We’ll see how his NOAH training prepared him for this moment. The remaining people in the ring then all attacked him one-by-one and got taken out one-by-one. This led to, yes, a Microman and Omos interaction in an image that needs to be seen to be believed. Omos then picked Microman up by his head and people shrieked with what he might do. Shrieked, I tell you.

He then eliminated Negro Jr. and Del Toro at the same time before the final entrant was revealed: Octagon Jr. who won last year’s Copa Bardahl. Otis took his shot at Omos and failed, but Microman took advantage and pinned Otis to eliminate him. Omos then picked Microman up high above his head and threatened to toss him into the stands, instead tossing him onto Negro Jr. and Del Toro at ringside to eliminate him.

Parka, Octagon and Mecha Wolf then teamed up to try and take Omos out, but then turned on each other while Omos just awkwardly hung out in the corner. Parka eliminated Wolf and Omos eliminated Octagon with a big boot while he was on the apron.

That left the first entrant and Omos. Parka teased eliminating Omos and had him teetering on the apron, but Omos grabbed Parka with a chokehold and simply pulled him up over the ropes to throw him to the outside for the win.

This match was a lot of fun with a good blend of AAA and WWE talent. Omos has apparently returned, but I could see him go into mothballs again until next year’s Copa.

Match Result: Omos won the Copa Bardahl

-Dragon Lee did a backstage interview in both English and Spanish, neither of which moved me.

-It was time for celeb crowd shots which includes Triple H, Nick Khan and AAA execs, someone named Pipe Punk, and Dr. Wagner Jr. who was sporting a tremendous fur coat and glasses combo.

AAA Latin American Champion El Mesias (w/ Dorian Roldan) defends against El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr.

Mesias is 50 and has held the title for 280 days with three successful title defenses. My guess is the 33-year-old goes over here, but what do I know? Mesias was out in an homage to Doctor Doom of Marvel fame.

I do give WWE credit as they are not shying away from the majority of the presentation being in all Spanish minus the English commentary team. I wonder how long that will continue. One thing TKO must love is all the logos on the mat which is right up their financial alley.

Commentary did a great job establishing Mesias’ background with the elder Wagner Jr. and why there is history here. Father did not love when Roldan attacked his son on the outside of the ring and neither did the fans. Mesias then threatened to rip his son’s mask off in front of him. Konnan leaned into his rivalry with Wagner Jr., siding with Mesias.

Wagner Jr. rallied after a double clothesline spot, firing up and nearly getting the win after a big splash and then again after a power bomb and Wagner Driver. Roldan jumped up on the apron and his father could take it no more. However, Roldan put on his old mask to taunt the father but got socked anyway.

Mesias hit his big finisher, but Wagner Jr. kicked out. He got distracted by the father on the outside of the ring and got superplexed followed by another Wagner driver that got the pin and his first title win.

This started out a bit meh and got really fun when Wagner Jr. got involved on his son’s behalf which just added to the heat. Konnan’s annoyance on commentary only added to the fun.

Vero Rodriguez interviewed the new champion after the match while Konnan called him an ass kisser. This was only in Spanish, so I have no idea what he said.

Match Result: El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. defeated Mesias to become the AAA Latin American Champion

-Chuey Martinez interviewed Judgment Day in the back but took off when Rey Mysterio Jr. entered the frame. They disrespected him in both English and Spanish.

-A Cricket ad with Penta aired. Never saw that in AEW.

-A celebrity named Natalia MX (an “influencer”) was shown. Like with their other properties, WWE is leaning heavy into that culture.

Judgment Day (Finn Balor, JD McDonagh & Raquel Rodriguez) (w/ Roxanne Perez) vs. Nino Hamburguesa, Mr. Iguana & Lola Vice

Back when I was watching Valerie Loureda compete on Bellator undercards, I wouldn’t have guessed her higher calling would be in WWE as Lola Vice but she’s absolutely perfect for it.

This was a party match which the fans loved, especially Hamburguesa as the babyface in peril and Iguana, because, well, he’s Iguana. Hamburguesa eventually got the hot tag to Iguana who cleaned house. As Iguana was running wild, Balor jumped up on the apron to reveal…Demonito, his own puppet done up as his Demon character. Iguana was perplexed and Demonito ate the iguana. Yes, that is a sentence I just wrote in 2025.

Hamburguesa then brought in two burgers and gave Balor one which led to an Iguana enziguri to knock him out of the ring. Hamburguesa then hit a tope on Balor and McDonagh after a Iguana dive, leaving Vice and Rodriguez.

Perez shoved Vice off the top which led to Hiedra running out but she accidentally hit Vice and then chased Perez to the back. Rodriguez then hit her Tejana bomb for the pin and win.

Again, this was a fun party match. The end felt kind of flat with the run-in, but it is what it is.

Match Result: Judgment Day defeated Nino Hamburguesa, Mr. Iguana & Lola Vice

-Brian “El Shulito” Calderon (a singer with 1.1 million Instagram followers) was shown.

AAA Tag Team Champions Los Garza (Angel & Berto) defend against Psycho Clown & Pagano in a street fight

At one point, both Berto and Angel seemed destined to be released as they had no real fit on the WWE main roster. Yet, this team has revitalized them and feels right. This AAA relationship came at a perfect time.

I was interested if this would be a WWE street fight or a AAA street fight (maybe they are the same?) and this felt like the former. It basically stayed in the ring the entire time and felt like a house show street fight with kendo sticks, garbage cans and tables. There was an impressive double press slam on Pagano through a non-Slim Jim table in the ring which led to more tables being brought in. Pagano speared the champions through a table as they were trying to suplex Clown through it.

Pagano and Clown were put through side-by-side tables on the outside of the ring after a Jericho-style springboard dropkick by Berto while Angel had both men ensnared on the apron. Got that? Pagano and Clown rallied with “barbed wire,” wrapping it around Berto, followed by a Spanish fly off the top by Clown to give the challengers the title win in a bit of a surprise. That led to other Clowns coming out to celebrate.

The loss ends the two-month reign of Los Garza.

I do enjoy a good street fight, but this didn’t do anything for me.

Match Result: Pagano & Psycho Clown defeated Los Garza to win the AAA Tag Team titles

Rey Mysterio inducts Konnan into the AAA Hall of Fame

Mysterio spoke in Spanish, but there was also an English translator who was nearly impossible to hear as both men were talking essentially at the same time. Of note, there were “Alberto” chants to which Mysterio said “I’ll bring him. Wait on me.” or something to that effect.

The video featured R-Truth, Norman Smiley, Road Dogg and Penta giving their props in addition to a lot of WCW footage. Konnan thanked a lot of people, yelled at someone to sit down in the crowd twice, and put over the WWE relationship.

Assuming an increasingly English-speaking audience is the goal for WWE with these shows, production needs to figure out how to make the translator thing work as two men talking over each other is distracting.

-El Grande Americano was interviewed backstage in Spanish.

-Vikingo was also interviewed and heavily booed.

-During the night, ads also aired for WrestleMania in addition to the upcoming Canelo Alvarez fight being promoted by TKO.

-Attendance was announced as a sold-out 19,691.

-Briadana Deyanara Moreno (influencer) was shown followed by Mascarita Sagrada, Fantasma and Lady Shani which was quite a visual transition.

AAA Reina de Reinas Champion Flammer defends against Faby Apache and Natalya in a three-way

A loss here would end a 735-day reign (!) as champion for Flammer, one that began in August 2023 but only has five successful title defenses. Natalya came out as the Nattie Neidhart Bloodsport version of her character, aka “The Low Key Legend.” I could see a title change here for Natalya which would give her something notable on the resume.

Apache had a pin on Flammer, but did a super slow count for which the story wasn’t explained. He then did a quick count when Flammer attempted to pin Apache so clearly there’s a story. The fans were also chanting something at each other which wasn’t explained on commentary. Perhaps also distracted, Konnan did randomly say during the match that he can’t wait to see what AAA is like under WWE’s direction in the next year, two years and five years.

Natalya nearly got the win on a quick count on Apache, but Flammer took advantage of a distracted Apache who had just hit a Michinoku driver on Natalya, rolling her up for the pin with a quick count.

Afterward, Natalya and Apache got into it again and had to be separated.

Like the crowd, I wasn’t into this. This went just under 11 minutes and felt a lot longer.

Match Result: Flammer retained the AAA Reina de Reinas title in a three-way over Natalya and Lady Apache

The next Worlds Collide show was announced for Friday, September 12 at 10 PM Eastern from Las Vegas, right after SmackDown.

AAA Mega Champion El Hijo del Vikingo defends against Dominik Mysterio, El Grande Americano and Dragon Lee in a four-way

Americano came out with a mariachi band and sang his way to the ring which the crowd absolutely loved followed by Lee with dragon wings and a Chinese dragon. Then, there was Mysterio, the reigning WWE Intercontinental Champion who was beloved. Vikingo was shown backstage getting props from Rey Mysterio Jr. and also his father who was also roundly booed.

Of note, commentary didn’t say a god damn word during the entrances which I love, love, love. Let the performers have the moment and let us take everything in. Based on the reaction, the people want either Americano or Mysterio. Also, can we give props to Ludwig Kaiser for speaking perfect (I think) Spanish? Who knew that speaking multiple languages was such a plus in today’s WWE?

Perhaps too jacked up about the moment, Lee was off early, missing some kicks and a dropkick into the corner. He and Vikingo teamed up on the not-so-heels before competing against each other. It’s so wild to me to hear Vikingo booed considering how loved he is in the U.S.

As noted several times on commentary, this was, indeed, non-stop action (Total Nonstop Action, perhaps?). They went a little too strong into how great a match this was instead of just letting the action speak for itself.

Things broke down on the outside as the not-so-heels put Vikingo through the English announce table (EAT?) before turning on each other which distracted them from a Lee tope through the ropes. This also knocked out the broadcast team so it was quiet for a while.

Judgment Day came out to distract Lee and hold him in place for a 619 but Americano broke up the pin attempt. The LWO then ran out to even up the odds and the commentary team came back. Two of Americano’s mysterious masked men then came out to aid Americano and nearly won by pinning Lee after a Blockbuster.

He then tried to load the mask, but Lee prevented it and dove onto all the interfering parties on the outside of the ring. He then hit Operation Dragon on Americano, but Vikingo broke up the pin and nearly got one of his own after a 630.

Mysterio then put on his own Rey Mysterio Sr. mask, loaded it up, dumped Vikingo outside and headbutted both Americano and Lee, nearly getting the pin on Lee after a frog splash until a masked man pulled him off.

That was revealed to be AJ Styles who hit a Styles Clash on his rival Mysterio and then left. Vikingo took advantage, hitting a 630 to get the pin and successful title defense.

PHEW.

This was a beautifully chaotic WWE-style main event that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Match Result: El Hijo del Vikingo defeated Dominik Mysterio, Dragon Lee and El Grande Americano to retain the AAA Mega title

Triplemania Final Thoughts:

For a AAA noob like myself, this was an extremely entertaining three hours, capped by a fun main event. The street fight and women’s title match didn’t do much for me, but everything else checked the boxes for me. The WWE production gave it a familiar gloss which is either good or bad depending on your viewpoint.

If I’m a AAA hardcore, I’d love to hear from you. What did you think of tonight’s show and did it assuage your concerns about the future? Hit me up on X, BlueSky or good ol’ email.

Judgment Day six-person tag match set for AAA Triplemania

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Finn Balor, JD McDonagh & Raquel Rodriguez of The Judgment Day are heading to Mexico City for a six-person tag match at Triplemania.

WWE posted a Spanish-language promo today setting up that Judgment Day will battle Mr. Iguana, Nino Hamburguesa & Lola Vice at the Saturday, August 16 event. The show is airing live on WWE’s YouTube channel in both English and Spanish.

Triplemania will be a big night for Judgment Day, who also have Dominik Mysterio competing in the main event. That main event is a four-way bout with El Hijo del Vikingo defending the AAA Mega Championship against Dominik, Dragon Lee, and El Grande Americano.

Vice — former MMA fighter Valerie Loureda — competes in NXT and has also regularly been working AAA dates to gain experience. One of her AAA partners here — Mr. Iguana — has made multiple appearances for WWE since his breakout performance at Worlds Collide.

This is the first Triplemania event since WWE announced its acquisition of AAA. An appearance by Rey Mysterio is set for the show, with him inducting Konnan into the Lucha Libre AAA Hall of Fame. It’s also been confirmed that there will be a street fight with Angel & Berto defending the AAA Tag Team titles against Psycho Clown & Pagano.

Penta & Bron Breakker vs. Judgment Day, New Day match set for WWE Raw

Posted on by Ian Carey

New additions have been made to the lineup for Monday’s edition of WWE Raw.

On Sunday, General Manager Adam Pearce published a video announcing a tag match pitting Intercontinental Champion Bron Breakker & Penta against Judgment Day’s Finn Balor & Dominik Mysterio. This comes after Judgment Day interfered in last week’s Intercontinental title match between Breakker and Penta.

Pearce also revealed that New Day’s Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods will be in action, though their opponents have yet to be named.

Pearce says in the video:

“Off of the chaos of last week, the Intercontinental Champion Bron Breakker teams with Penta to take on Judgment Day’s Finn Balor and Dirty Dom Mysterio. Plus Jimmy Uso, one-on-one with the World Heavyweight Champion Gunther. And after running their mouth in my office last week, New Day will be in action tomorrow night live at the O2. Plus AJ Styles, Logan Paul and John Cena face to face with Cody Rhodes. What will happen? Find out tomorrow night, it’s Monday Night Raw.”

Monday’s Raw is scheduled for the O2 Arena in London, England. It will air live on Netflix beginning at 3 p.m. Eastern time.

WWE Raw advertised lineup for Monday, March 31, 2025:

  • Women’s World Champion IYO SKY defends against Rhea Ripley (Bianca Belair special guest referee)
  • Gunther vs. Jimmy Uso
  • Logan Paul calls out AJ Styles
  • John Cena & Cody Rhodes face-to-face
  • New Day’s Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston in action
  • Intercontinental Champion Bron Breakker & Penta vs. Judgment Day (Finn Balor & Dominik Mysterio)

JD McDonagh provides injury update, timetable on potential WWE return

Posted on by Josh Nason

JD McDonagh is on the road to recovery after suffering a punctured lung and broken ribs in a late-January WWE Raw tag team match.

McDonagh spoke with Chris Van Vliet about the match, the injuries and his recovery in a new podcast released Thursday. He hasn’t competed since that Monday, January 27th bout with he and Dominik Mysterio against The Viking Raiders.

The injury occurred when he went for a springboard moonsault off the middle rope to the floor and landed on Ivar, but in the process, he hit neck-first on the announce table. He was checked on by doctors but waved them off. He blamed the injury on “the planning” as he hit the move on a different side of the ring than was originally intended. He said he had done the move on the announce table side before, but thinks he was “just was maybe a foot too far forward or a foot too far back and wiped out.”

“I was thinking ‘When is the next breath going to come?,'” later adding he thought the injury was just cracked ribs. He said adrenaline kicked in and that he was just winded as he continued to wrestle.

“The thought of stopping never entered my mind,” he said, saying he told the referee to tell Mysterio to just give him a minute. He said the referee took a lot of heat online, but that it wasn’t his fault as McDonagh said he was good to go.

He is back in the gym, doing low impact cardio and pilates with his full lung capacity back. He said his ribs are “good,” but he waiting for his bones to “knit back together” as he punctured his lung with his seventh rib. He hasn’t been back in the ring yet, but that is the next step.

His timeline is to return within another month, but that it’s up to the doctors to determine if that happens. He said he is jealous watching on TV every week, especially since WWE is heading to Europe for several weeks ahead of WrestleMania.