At a very early start time for those in North America, WWE presents Elimination Chamber this Saturday at Optus Stadium in Perth, Australia.
Some fans have expressed that the lineup feels slightly underwhelming for a stadium event, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it won’t be a good show. I can understand fans in Australia feeling a little slighted at the number of stars who aren’t on the card, however.
In particular, Bronson Reed not having a match, even on the kickoff show, seems like an odd choice to make. I’m expecting him to do something unannounced, possibly a run-in. While he’s not a star on the level of Rhea Ripley, he should still be featured. If there really is nothing planned for him in Perth, it feels like a waste.
I can also understand purchasing tickets to a WWE stadium show and expecting most of the biggest names to be there. There is nothing advertised for any current or former members of The Bloodline, WWE’s hottest angle in decades. There’s no Gunther, no Bayley nor IYO Sky, and just recently WWE revealed that due to a comical misunderstanding, R-Truth has traveled to Austria instead of Australia and likely won’t be on the show either.
With that being said, I’m still expecting this to be a fun show. Elimination Chamber will be remembered for Ripley getting all the flowers she deserves from her home fans. That might be the only memorable thing to take place, but it’ll be enough.
Below are betting odds and predictions for every match tomorrow.
WWE Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley (-8000 to win) defends against Nia Jax
Ripley is a massive favorite, but she’s going to do so much more than just win.
I’m expecting Australia to go even bigger for her than Puerto Rico did for Zelina Vega at WrestleMania Backlash. It’ll be downright touching. She is already a star, but receiving an overwhelmingly positive response from 45,000 in attendance will only make her a bigger one.
Matches involving Jax aren’t exactly bell-to-bell classics, but that’s not what they will be going for here. This isn’t a chance for Ripley to put on a five-star match; it’s her chance to be seen as the conquering hero who defeats the unstoppable heel. She’ll get an opportunity to do some big, impressive power spots as fans give her a top babyface response.
They’ve been keeping Jax strong for something big. She hasn’t lost a singles match on WWE programming since she returned and has defeated other protected wrestlers in the process, including Becky Lynch and Raquel Rodriguez. They’ve been saving Jax’s big loss for this very show.
Prediction: Ripley retains
Elimination Chamber match to determine WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins’ WrestleMania 40 challenger: Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton vs. Bobby Lashley vs. LA Knight vs. Kevin Owens vs. Logan Paul
As of this writing, McIntyre is listed as a -2000 favorite, followed by Orton (+500), Knight (+700), Paul (+1400), Lashley (+2000) and Owens (+2000).
The plans for this match were thrown for quite a loop when CM Punk tore his triceps at the Royal Rumble. There’s still a chance the winner headlines night one of WrestleMania against Rollins, but it feels like a match involving The Rock, or perhaps Bayley vs. Sky or Lynch vs. Ripley would be bigger.
All signs on WWE programming point to McIntyre winning this and then facing Rollins at WrestleMania. And if it’s the case that the as-of-yet unsigned McIntyre takes a sabbatical after WrestleMania, there is always Damian Priest and the MITB briefcase lurking in the background to take the title off him before he goes.
This match is not just about who wins, though. Stories will play out with Knight, Lashley, Owens, Paul, and Orton that will lead to WrestleMania programs. Paul and Owens look like they are going to work together through WrestleMania, so expect storyline developments from them and also the start of something involving two or possibly all three of Orton, Knight, and Lashley.
Prediction: McIntyre
Elimination Chamber match to determine the WWE Women’s World Championship challenger for WrestleMania 40: Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair vs. Liv Morgan vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Naomi vs. Raquel Rodriguez
Lynch is a -2000 favorite followed by Belair +500, Rodriguez +600, Morgan +1400, Stratton +2500 and Naomi +2500.
Based on what we’ve seen on WWE programming, Lynch is the obvious choice to win. Lynch will probably show up a little later on as well after Ripley has defeated Jax, leading to a staredown between champion and challenger to build excitement for WrestleMania. Michael Cole will scream that the atmosphere is electric in there, or something similar. It’ll be fun and everyone will have a good time.
There is an interesting dynamic here as it’s five babyfaces and just one heel. With Ripley and Bayley getting babyface reactions now too, WWE needs to turn some women heel soon. It could happen in this match.
We should find out more about non-title WrestleMania programs in the women’s divisions here as part of this. It feels like Belair is the most likely person to face Jade Cargill at WrestleMania as she’s the biggest star not in the title picture. That leaves Morgan, Rodriguez, Stratton, and Naomi who could start some angles on Saturday.
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions The Judgment Day (Damian Priest & Finn Balor) defend against New Catch Republic (Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate)
Judgment Day is listed as -2000 favorites to win and it seems likely that they will.
This should be the best bell-to-bell match of the show, but there might be some storyline advancements as well concerning Judgment Day.
It should be interesting to see where the faction goes in the next few months as some members are getting clear babyface reactions while others are not. Ripley is pretty much a babyface already and Priest is on his way. R-Truth is a babyface, of course, although his membership in the faction is disputed. Dominik, Balor, and JD McDonagh are clear heels. So, what happens? Who turns and who doesn’t turn? We might learn more in Perth.
Prediction: Judgment Day retains
Kickoff show: WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka & Kairi Sane) defend against Indi Hartwell & Candice LeRae
Betting odds for this match are not available, but Asuka and Sane retaining seems to be a safe bet.
Part of me wonders if Paul “Booker of the Year” Levesque would want to give Hartwell a fun moment in front of her home fans, but I don’t think he’s going to do it here. It feels important to keep the Bayley-less version of Damage CTRL strong and all of them having titles does just that. Fans will be given a chance to cheer for Hartwell, but ultimately Asuka and Sane are going to come out the winners.
– We now know the full lineup for this year’s men’s Elimination Chamber match.
Drew McIntyre, Randy Orton, Bobby Lashley, LA Knight, Kevin Owens, and Logan Paul will face off in the men’s Elimination Chamber match in Perth, Australia on Saturday, February 24. The winner earns a title shot against World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 40.
Owens and Paul were the last two wrestlers to qualify, defeating Dominik Mysterio and The Miz in their respective matches on SmackDown tonight.
– Tiffany Stratton and Naomi also qualified for Elimination Chamber tonight. Stratton defeated Zelina Vega in her qualifying match, while Naomi won a qualifier against Alba Fyre.
Becky Lynch, Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, Stratton, and Naomi have qualified for the women’s Elimination Chamber match. There’s only one spot remaining. A last-chance battle royal on Raw this coming Monday is set to determine the final participant.
The women’s Chamber winner will challenge for the Women’s World Championship at WrestleMania 40. Rhea Ripley, who currently holds the title, is defending against Nia Jax at Elimination Chamber.
Elimination Chamber takes place from Optus Stadium in Perth on February 24 and will stream live on Peacock/WWE Network starting at 5 a.m. Eastern time.
Here’s the updated card for the event:
Elimination Chamber match to determine World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins’ WrestleMania 40 challenger (Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton vs. Bobby Lashley vs. LA Knight vs. Kevin Owens vs. Logan Paul)
Elimination Chamber match to determine Women’s World Championship challenger for WrestleMania 40 (Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair vs. Liv Morgan vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Naomi vs. one wrestler to be determined)
Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley defends against Nia Jax
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions The Judgment Day (Damian Priest & Finn Balor) defend against Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate
The Grayson Waller Effect with Cody Rhodes & Seth Rollins
Paul Heyman had some words of encouragement for Logan Paul at the Royal Rumble.
The US Champion retained his title against Kevin Owens on the show in a match Owens wrestled with a broken foot.
During Wednesday’s episode of Impaulsive, Paul revealed what Heyman said to him backstage.
Paul said:
The position of the match was difficult. We were after the woman’s Royal Rumble and after the fatal four way with Roman Reigns, where he also retained his championship.
And Paul Heyman after the match comes out and everyone’s like chest out, they knew they just blew the f***ing roof off with Roman. Paul Heyman goes, ‘Come here, son.’ He motions me over. I’m like, ‘What’s up, Paul?’ He goes, ‘Do you want some motivation?’ I go, ‘Absolutely!’ He goes, ‘Follow that, motherfucker.’
He goes, ‘You can do it.’
Paul continued to say he was pretty beat up following his match on Saturday.
He continued:
Kevin, he’s ruthless, man, I’ll be honest with you. My chest is all still… he’s got fingerprints on my chest.
I’ll be honest, I underestimated him but I was playing chess and he was playing checkers.
WWE has announced Paul will be on this Friday’s episode of SmackDown. The show takes place in Birmingham, Alabama at the Legacy Arena.
WWE announced in November that Paul will be at the Elimination Chamber later this month in Perth, Australia as well. “Australia I’m coming back,” he wrote on X, announcing the news.
WWE United States Champion Logan Paul is set to appear on this Friday’s SmackDown show.
In a video promo that aired during Monday’s Raw episode, Paul was announced for the Friday, February 2 Raw.
Paul retained the US title at last Saturday’s Royal Rumble event, defeating Kevin Owens in his first defense since winning the belt at Crown Jewel last November.
The promo that aired during Raw also said that this week’s SmackDown will kick off Roman Reigns’ road to WrestleMania, but a Reigns appearance on the show was not specifically announced. Reigns retained the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at Royal Rumble in a four-way over AJ Styles, LA Knight, and Randy Orton.
Reigns is not featured in local advertising for Friday’s SmackDown in Birmingham, Alabama at the Legacy Arena at the BJCC.
The venue’s website lists Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre, plus Jey Uso vs. Dominik Mysterio for the event, likely in dark matches. Randy Orton, Kevin Owens, AJ Styles, LA Knight, Bobby Lashley, and Bianca Belair are also listed as appearing. Asuka, Jimmy Uso, and Solo Sikoa also appear in local advertising for the show.
With the Royal Rumble just two days away, WWE shot an angle on Thursday building up Logan Paul and Kevin Owens’ United States Championship match.
Paul and Owens got into a confrontation while Paul was working out at the WWE Performance Center and streaming live on Instagram. The angle included Paul throwing a bottle at Owens as he was walking away. The two brawled until being separated by coaches and other wrestlers.
Owens is challenging Paul for the United States title at the Royal Rumble this Saturday (January 27). Owens earned the title shot by winning a number one contender’s tournament. He defeated Austin Theory in the first round, Carmelo Hayes in the semifinals, and Santos Escobar in the finals.
The history between Owens and Paul dates back to when Paul first arrived in WWE. Owens laid out Paul with a stunner at WrestleMania 37 in 2021.
Since last month, Owens has had a cast on his arm due to a kayfabe broken hand injury. The cast has been part of the story for Paul vs. Owens at the Royal Rumble. After being mocked by Paul on SmackDown three weeks ago, Owens knocked out Paul with a shot from the cast. Paul threatened to sue Owens if he wears the cast in their match.
There was then a KO Show segment with Owens and Paul on last Friday’s SmackDown. Owens said he won’t need the cast to defeat Paul. After Owens took the cast off, Paul attacked Owens and targeted his hand.
Paul stated in his Instagram video today that WWE has renewed his contract. Paul signed a new multi-year deal with WWE in April 2023.
Kevin Owens is first in line for a shot at Logan Paul’s United States title.
Paul will defend his United States Championship against Owens at the Royal Rumble on Saturday, January 27. Owens secured the title shot by winning WWE’s US title number one contender’s tournament.
On SmackDown tonight, Owens defeated Santos Escobar in the tournament finals. Owens defeated Austin Theory in the first round of the tournament and Carmelo Hayes in the semifinals.
Paul was on commentary for the Owens vs. Escobar match. When it ended, he cut a promo making fun of Owens. That resulted in Owens laying Paul out with a punch from his right hand that has a cast on it.
United States Champion Logan Paul has been announced for Friday’s WWE SmackDown New Year’s Revolution episode.
WWE revealed on Raw during a video package that Paul will be at this Friday’s New Year’s Revolution edition of SmackDown where the finals of a tournament to decide Paul’s next challenger will take place.
It was also confirmed in the video package that Paul’s first title defense is set for Royal Rumble on Saturday, January 27. Paul will face the winner of the United States title contender’s tournament final between Kevin Owens & Santos Escobar set for this Friday, January 5.
Also set for New Year’s Revolution, Women’s Champion IYO SKY will defend her title against Michin, Butch & a mystery partner will take on Pretty Deadly, and Randy Orton vs. LA Knight vs. AJ Styles in a triple threat match to decide the number one contender to the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.
Friday’s lineup:
Undisputed Universal Championship number one contender’s match: Randy Orton vs. LA Knight vs. AJ Styles
United States Champion Logan Paul appears
United States Championship contender’s tournament finals: Kevin Owens vs. Santos Escobar
WWE Women’s Champion IYO SKY defends against Michin
Butch & a mystery partner vs. Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince & Kit Wilson)
Six days after returning to the ring at Survivor Series, Randy Orton will appear on tonight’s SmackDown from the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Though Orton was sidelined for about 18 months due to a back injury, he returned at Survivor Series as part of a team with Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso, Sami Zayn & Seth Rollins. They defeated The Judgment Day & Drew McIntyre in WarGames.
SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis invited Orton to tonight’s show after Orton appeared on Monday’s edition of Raw. Orton stated on Raw that he has unfinished business with The Bloodline.
Also tonight, Logan Paul returns to WWE TV for the first time since defeating Rey Mysterio for the United States title at Crown Jewel.
Kevin Owens is set to square off against Grayson Waller in one-on-one action. Owens teamed with LA Knight to defeat Waller & Austin Theory on last Friday’s SmackDown.
Our live coverage starts at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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– Kevin Patrick welcomed everyone into the show and he was on the commentary team with Corey Graves and Michael Cole. Bianca Belair made her entrance and a video package chronicling the women’s War Games match from last Saturday aired.
The Bianca Belair segment
This was pretty paint-by-numbers – WWE opening a show with a promo, a brawl happening and many entrances commencing. Nothing was particularly interesting and nobody sounded profound. But it did set the table for more between the women who competed in Saturday’s War Games match. Bayley’s absence was the only noteworthy element, but I suspect we’ll hear answers about that as the show continues.
The crowd chanted “EST” and Belair was happy about that. Belair said she it was great to be in Brooklyn. Belair said she and her team did “exactly what needed to be done” at War Games. Belair shouted out Becky Lynch, Shotzi and Charlotte. Belair said that while the win felt good, her war with Damage CTRL still isn’t over because she wants her title back from IYO SKY. From there, SKY’s music hit and Damage CTRL, sans Bayley, walked out.
Dakota Kai had a microphone and said it was great how Belair could get everyone to cheer for her. Kai told the crowd to shut up. Kai said SKY said earlier today that Brooklyn smells. Kai followed that up by saying SKY said Belair is already in over her head. Kai said if Belair wants another title shot, she’s going to have to go through all of Damage CTRL. Belair said they could all come and get it and from there, Charlotte’s music hit. Charlotte and Shotzi walked down the entrance way.
Charlotte said Belair isn’t the only woman coming for Damage CTRL. Shotzi said it seemed to her like there was enough Damage CTRL to go around and all the women brawled in the ring. The babyfaces got the better of the interaction, complete with Belair slamming SKY. Belair’s music hit to end the segment and the heels retreated up the entrance way.
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– Damage CTRL were shown walking backstage and they ran into Bayley. Kairi Sane vs. Bianca Belair was made for later. Bayley wondered why they didn’t tell her they were going to the ring. Kai said not to worry about that because they need Bayley to help Sane prepare for Belair.
Bobby Lashley defeated Butch [8:06]
Brooklyn sure does love them some Bobby Lashley. You would have thought CM Punk was walking through the curtain with the way they popped for Lashley getting the win. The match itself was fine and they gave Butch a couple nice hope spots, though it was nothing that truly had anyone buying into the idea that he might pull out a win. The Curious Case of Butch/Pete Dunne continues. He was a badass in NXT/NXT UK and you can’t say it’s necessarily a bad thing to bring him into the main roster mix alongside Sheamus and Ridge Holland. But now that Holland and Sheamus aren’t out there with him, he kind of feels like he’s on an island. Anyway, good work from both guys here and if Bobby Lashley wanted to run for mayor of Brooklyn, he’d win in a landslide.
Before the match started, Lashley took a microphone and was drowned out by “Bobby” chants. Lashley told Butch not to try and make a name for himself through Lashley. Butch slapped the hell out of Lashley and the match began. Butch jumpstarted the match and leapt onto Lashley, but Lashley threw Butch off him. Lashley whipped Butch into a corner. The crowd chanted “Let’s go Bobby!” Butch eventually cut Lashley off and dropkicked Lashley to the outside. While Lashley was outside the ring, Butch landed a moonsault from the second rope to take the show to a commercial break.
Back from the break, Lashley had control again inside the ring. Lashley held Butch in a vertical suplex, but Butch fought out … until Lashley met Butch with a high slam. Lashley threw Butch to the outside. Lashley rammed Butch into a ring post. Back in the ring, Lashley went for a spear, but Butch moved and Lashley ran into a ring post. Butch fired up and hit a double stomp onto Lashley’s arm. Butch then landed a Blockbuster. Ultimately, Lashley stopped Butch’s momentum and got in a powerslam for a good near-fall. Lashley yelled at Butch to stay down and after Butch slapped Lashley, Lashley eventually hit a wild spear to get the win.
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– Nick Aldis was shown in his office. Paul Heyman walked in and asked Aldis if he invited Randy Orton to SmackDown. Aldis said he did because he wants to sign Orton to a SmackDown contract tonight. Heyman asked if Roman Reigns knew about it and Aldis said their interaction currently meant Reigns would know. Aldis then asked Heyman what he’d do about it it if he ends up signing Orton. Heyman said, “Anything it takes.”
– Butch was shown walking backstage and Kayla Braxton showed up to ask Butch while Ridge Holland walked out on him last week. Butch said he didn’t know and he didn’t care because he was there to fight. Pretty Deadly walked into the frame and told Butch to not be sad. They said Butch’s career is a dead end and Butch attacked both guys … until they threw Butch into a road case and Butch was left lying.
– Santos Escobar was backstage and Cathy Kelley interviewed him. Escobar said he’s only finishing what Rey Mysterio started. Escobar said Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro are still blinded by Mysterio. Escobar said he’s going to put Wilde on the shelf “right now,” so to the ring, Escobar went for a match.
Santos Escobar defeated Joaquin Wilde [4:02]
A longer-than-it-needed-to-be squash for Escobar. I understand giving your friend some time to shine, and we all know Wilde and Escobar have been up and down the WWE roads together for years, but as Escobar continues to gain momentum as a heel, this should have been shorter (when was the last time you saw Wilde wrestle as a singles competitor on WWE TV in a meaningful way? It wasn’t yesterday and it wasn’t the day before that, either). I like keeping Escobar and Dragon Lee together coming out of Survivor Series because I think they could put together a series of very good to great matches, so the post-match stuff was a welcome development. This match, though? It was just kind of there.
Wilde started the match quickly with a dropkick. Wilde followed that up with an elbow and Escobar rolled to the outside, where Wilde landed a springboard splash. Wilde rolled Escobar back into the ring, but Escobar rolled out of it again and from there, Wilde landed another impressive splash. Back in the ring, Escobar cut Wilde off and draped Wilde from the top turnbuckle. Escobar then hit a running dropkick and pounded on Wilde before ripping off Wilde’s LWO shirt.
Escobar worked Wilde’s arm, but Wilde kneed his way out of it. Wilde got in some punches and then ultimately a dropkick to Escobar’s knee. Wilde followed that with a running knee to Escobar’s head. Wilde then landed a pretty rolling DDT for a two-count. Wilde ran at Escobar, but Escobar countered with a super-kick. Escobar then hit a Phantom Driver for the win.
After the match, Escobar pounded on Wilde until Dragon Lee’s music hit and Lee ran into the ring to run Escobar off. It looked like Escobar left, but Escobar appeared again and attacked Lee, until Lee fought Escobar off with a series of kicks. Lee hit a running dropkick and Lee’s music hit to end the segment.
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– Nick Aldis was shown backstage and Logan Paul walked over to shake Aldis’s hand. The show went to a commercial break.
– Aldis was shown in his office again and Adam Pearce came into the room. Pearce asked Aldis if he was really going to try and sign Orton. Aldis said he was going to do that. Pearce said he had a contract for Raw, too, and Pearce will try to sign Orton to Raw tonight as well.
The Logan Paul segment
There are far too many tournaments in professional wrestling these days (we can probably thank AEW for that), but I actually kind of like this idea because it’s not common for WWE and this so clearly plays into at least a couple ongoing storylines on SmackDown. Paul was crazy, entertaining, obnoxious and an anchor – everything he should be in a WWE promo. Combine that with Owens’s always-solid work and this was a lot of fun. Because they leaned so heavily into the idea that Owens will win the tournament and face Paul, I’m inclined to think that’s not where we’re going, but that could be a very entertaining match. We’ll see.
Paul started by saying “To every friend who stabbed him in the back and prayed on his downfall … where are you now?” Paul said the more people hope he fails, the harder he works. Paul said the harder he works, the more he wins. Paul shouted like the Tasmanian Devil and it was kind of funny, which probably wasn’t the desired effect. The crowd booed him. Paul said a champion is only as good as his challengers and he couldn’t give Mysterio a rematch because Mysterio is injured. Paul said he and Aldis created a tournament to name his next challenger. The tournament will feature eight superstars. Among those involved will be Austin Theory, Dragon Lee, Grayson Waller, Kevin Owens, Santos Escobar, Karrion Kross and an NXT superstar. Owens’s music then hit and Owens walked to the ring.
Owens soaked in some cheers as he stood in the ring. Owens called Paul being there a nightmare. Owens said the first time he saw Paul was 10 years ago on the app Vine and it took him six seconds to know Paul was a jackass. Owens then called Prime a “crap drink.” Owens told Paul that the nightmare is about to end because he’s in the tournament. Paul said he had been in the ring with the greatest boxer in the world and six seconds is more than he needs to KO Kevin Owens. Owens said Paul was clever. Owens said boxing is another world and the WWE ring is Owens’s world. Owens stepped to Paul, but Waller’s music hit and Waller came out with Theory.
Theory said they were standing in a ring with Paul, who knocks people out. Theory was mouthing off and Owens punched Theory out … again. Owens stepped to Paul and Owens’s music hit as the two stared each other down as the segment ended.
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Kevin Owens defeated Grayson Waller [10:52]
Grayson Waller really should send Kevin Owens a Christmas card because the amount he’s gained during these interactions over the last several weeks has done wonders for his main roster on-screen presence. Yes, he isn’t getting many wins, but he’s having good matches with one of WWE’s best. This was no exception and the story about Owens’s hand/arm was worked very well here – to the point where I wonder if they’ll carry it over to their next interaction (or, at the very least, Owens’s run in the tournament to crown a challenger for Paul). Paul was kind of a hoot on commentary here, too, even if he was subdued. His one-liners were on par with some of the great heel commentators. It might be nice if he had a bit of personality behind them … but, you know. We take what we can get.
Logan Paul sat in on commentary. Owens had control early and the action spilled outside. When they got back into the ring, Waller had the upper hand for a minute or three. Waller laid in some blows and hit an elbow drop from the second rope for a two-count. Waller went for a suplex, but Owens countered into a vertical suplex of his own. Owens went for a cannonball, but he stopped running when Waller rolled to the outside. Waller slammed Owens onto the commentary table, but Owens came back with a clothesline and a frog splash onto Waller from the apron onto the ringside floor.
Owens fired up the crowd, but Waller ran Owens into the ring post. Theory stomped on Owens’s hand while it was on the ring steps and from there, Waller worked on Owens’s hand. The show then went to commercial break. Back from break, Waller was still working on Owens’s hand and arm. Waller went for his rolling DDT, but Owens countered into a DDT of his own. Owens hit a headbutt and some chops. Owens then landed a cannonball and went to the top to follow up with a Swanton for a nice near-fall. Logan Paul called Owens “Otis on a diet,” which was funny. Paul slowed things down by going back to Owens’s hand/arm. Owens made it to the ropes for a break, but Waller went to kick Owens’s hand. Still, Owens moved and rolled Waller up for the win.
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– A video looking at CM Punk’s return aired and Punk will be on next week’s SmackDown. Bianca Belair made her entrance for the next match.Damage CTRL were shown backstage and Bayley was a little removed from the group. IYO SKY told Bayley to stay behind and the faction made their way to the ring.
Bianca Belair defeated Kairi Sane [10:26]
While you can probably say it’s predictable, I tend to like the story they are telling between Bayley and the rest of Damage CTRL. You can’t say she’s messing things up. Sane’s loss here wasn’t her fault; Bayley did all she could to help, just like she did at War Games, and it just wasn’t enough. The sympathy Bayley will ultimately receive as a result of all this kind of stuff will be worth the wait. As for the match, it was good, but clunky at moments. Both women are very good in-ring workers, but they didn’t click at times here and it showed, sadly. One of those Belair slams towards the end of the thing felt like a good, old-fashioned, “OK, let’s settle down and get the rest of this right” moment. They recovered well enough. One down for Belair. Who’s her next victim on the inevitable way to a SKY rematch?
Sane kicked Belair in the butt early on, but Belair responded with a shoulder-block. Sane went for a head-scissors takedown, but Belair flipped through it. Belair lifted Sane, but Sane punched out of it and engaged in a tug-of-war with Belair’s braid. Belair went to run the ropes, but Asuka tripped Belair and Sane took control. Sane then ran the ropes and Charlotte tripped Sane. The referee saw that, though, and the ref ejected Charlotte and Shotzi from ringside. Asuka tried to get in the ring and the referee saw that, too, so he ejected all of Damage CTRL from ringside, too. The show then went to a commercial break as the match went one-on-one.
Back from the commercial break, Sane worked a twisted Boston Crab before running Belair into a ring post. Before long, Belair rolled Sane out of a submission attempt. Belair fired up and slammed Sane repeatedly. Belair threw Sane across the ring and did the punches-in-a-corner spot. Belair followed that up with a springboard standing moonsault for a near-fall. Sane ran at Belair, but Belair caught her and dropped her awkwardly for a two-count.
Sane got up and hit a spinning back fist. Sane went to the top and landed an elbow for a two-count. Sane went for another back fist, but Belair cut her off and went for Jaded, but Sane rolled Belair to the outside. As a result, Belair hit Jaded on Sane, draping Sane over the guardrail on the outside. Belair tried to get back in the ring, but Bayley showed up and cut off Belair. Bayley was pumped and Sane went to the top, but Belair stopped Sane and hit the KOD for the win.
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– Next week, Lashley will face Kross and Lee will face Escobar in matches for the U.S. title tournament. Asuka will wrestle Charlotte as well. Plus, as we already mentioned, CM Punk will appear. The show will be the company’s Tribute To The Troops.
The Randy Orton segment
And the plot thickens. Orton being on SmackDown sets up a ton of stuff and at least keeps the Bloodline in an interesting position moving forward (yes, that entire thing had been in question in recent months as the faction’s story has been both sparse and spinning wheels). Giving Aldis an RKO was a nice touch, and the Brooklyn crowd more than held up its end of the equation not just here, but all night, really. Good stuff. Randy looks great. Roman has a reason to show his face again. And LA Knight is still over. Why complain?
Nick Aldis and Adam Pearce stood in the ring. Aldis announced Orton and Orton made his entrance. The crowd chanted Orton’s name and Orton played into it, hopping onto the second rope to get them fired up more. Orton took off his vest and threw it as they chanted “RKO!” Pearce started to talk and Aldis interrupted him and the two GMs kept interrupting each other. Pearce offered Orton a shot at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Aldis said he could offer Orton “the guys who took you out.” On cue, Paul Heyman said “Ladies and gentlemen,” into a microphone. Heyman walked out with no music and said his name is Paul … yeah, you get it.
Heyman said, “Look who’s back.” Heyman said Orton came home to look for revenge, but Heyman said there will be no RKOs this evening and there will be no decision made by Orton because the Bloodline is going to make the decision for Orton. Solo Sikoa’s music hit and Sikoa, along with Jimmy Uso, made their respective ways to the ring. Uso and Sikoa put the boots to Orton. LA Knight’s music hit and the crowd went nuts. Knight ran into the ring and took down both Bloodline members … until Sikoa pulled Knight outside and those two fought to the back. Inside the ring, Orton threw Jimmy to the apron and hit the draping DDT on him. Orton landed an RKO on Uso and Heyman looked on, angry.
The crowd chanted “Randy!” Orton asked for both contracts and picked up a microphone. Heyman said, “Go to Raw! You’re safe on Raw!” Orton threw the Raw contract away and signed the SmackDown contract instead. Orton threw the contract down on Uso, who was laid out in the middle of the ring. Orton had a microphone and said, “Hey, Paul. You can call Roman Reigns. And you can tell him, Daddy’s back.” Orton’s music hit and Orton jawed at Heyman. Aldis entered the ring to raise Orton’s hand and Orton RKO’d Aldis in a fun twist. Orton then posed on the second rope to end the show.
Jake Paul is “so proud” of his brother Logan for becoming WWE United States Champion.
At Crown Jewel earlier this month, Logan Paul captured the first championship gold of his pro wrestling career. He defeated Rey Mysterio for the United States title. It was just the eighth match of Logan’s WWE run.
“It’s crazy how fast he’s excelled and ascended to be the United States Champion,” Jake said. “No one could have expected Logan to be this perfect for WWE. I don’t think anyone there expected him to be wearing the belt around naked, either. But I guess that’s what you get when you sign up with the Paul brothers.”
Jake said it’s amazing to see how good Logan is in the ring.
“What Logan’s doing, it’s amazing to see how good he is at the sport,” Jake said. “I’m so proud of him. And this is just the start of what he’s going to accomplish in WWE.”
Logan made his WWE in-ring debut at WrestleMania 38 in 2022. At last year’s Crown Jewel, Jake appeared as part of Logan’s match against Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns.
Logan Paul will be in action when WWE comes to Perth, Western Australia in February 2024.
WWE has announced that Paul will be appearing at Elimination Chamber 2024, which is taking place from Optus Stadium in Perth. The premium live event is set for Saturday, February 24.
Elimination Chamber is the first major WWE show to be held in Australia since Melbourne hosted Super Show-Down in 2018. The Elimination Chamber event is in partnership with the Western Australian Government through Tourism Western Australia.
In what was his eighth-ever pro wrestling match, Paul captured his first championship gold at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia earlier this month. Paul defeated Rey Mysterio to win the United States Championship.
Paul vs. Mysterio happened just three weeks after Paul defeated Dillon Danis in a boxing match.
Crown Jewel was Paul’s fifth WWE match of 2023. He also competed at the Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, Money in the Bank, and SummerSlam.
Dave Meltzer has reported that, with the show taking place in Australia, Elimination Chamber is expected to have an early start time on Peacock for those in the United States.
Tickets for Elimination Chamber went on sale to the general public on November 10.
On his Impaulsive podcast, Logan Paul addressed a viral spot from his Crown Jewel match against Rey Mysterio.
Fans credited Paul for “saving Mysterio’s life” in the match. There was a spot where Mysterio almost came up short on a springboard moonsault attempt. Though the move almost went wrong, Paul was still able to catch Mysterio and stop him from landing on his head.
Paul said on Impaulsive that, after watching the clip back, he thinks he and Mysterio both made a mistake during the move. Paul was positioned too far back and Mysterio didn’t clear enough ground on the moonsault attempt.
“Look, I’m going to come clean because I’ve seen all these positive headlines. ‘Logan saves Rey Mysterio.’ The Mexican community is going crazy. They’re praising me, saying I’m some sort of [hero],” Paul said. “And so I’m like, ‘Dang, I’m being recognized for doing something cool? I’ll take it.’ But then I looked at the clip. And upon assessing my performance, while I think I did save Rey Mysterio — I think I also almost killed Rey Mysterio.
“I think I was too far back for the move, and I think he didn’t clear enough ground for the move. That’s what happened. Like, I was too far back and he didn’t clear enough ground. We both, I think, made a mistake. I had to catch him, I had to catch him. And I wasn’t going to not catch him. So like, truthfully, while I like the headlines and I like being gassed up like this, I was just doing my job. But I’ll take it. I’ll take the praise.”
Paul defeated Mysterio in the match to win the United States Championship. It’s the first title that Paul has held in professional wrestling.
Crown Jewel was Paul’s first match since defeating Ricochet at SummerSlam. Paul vs. Mysterio was set up for Crown Jewel by a callout that Paul issued after his boxing match against Dillon Danis last month.
On last Friday’s SmackDown, there was an angle where Santos Escobar turned against Mysterio. Mysterio revealed today that he’s undergone a successful knee surgery.
The new United States Champion was shown with his title belt on camera during Saturday’s pay-per-view. Paul held up a “shout out” message to Dominik Mysterio on his phone as well, although he misspelled Mysterio’s first name.
Paul was not the only celebrity in Madison Square Garden for UFC 295. Donald Trump entered the arena flanked by Dana White, Kid Rock, and Tucker Carlson before the show got underway.
Trump came out with Dana before the PPV started. The place went nuts.
Paul defeated Rey Mysterio to win the United States Championship at WWE Crown Jewel in Riyadh on November 4. It was just his eighth professional match and fifth singles match. His record is 3-2 in singles with wins over The Miz, Ricochet, and now Mysterio. Paul’s losses were to Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. He teamed with The Miz and defeated Rey & Dominik Mysterio at WrestleMania 38 and also participated in the 2023 Royal Rumble and Money in the Bank matches.
Logan Paul sounds as though he plans on spending more time in WWE.
Following his defeat of Rey Mysterio for the United States Championship at Crown Jewel, Paul was asked by ESPN if the title win means he’ll be on WWE shows more often.
“I think I have to,” Paul said of spending more time on WWE programming. “You’re going to have to watch Raw. You’re going to have to watch SmackDown. I’m going to make some surprise appearances and show these wrestlers who’s the real king.”
“I have a bit of occupational ADHD,” he continued. “So, wherever my attention goes, wherever the people are the most entertained. And at the moment, that is the WWE, and [I’m] just focused on building my brands and protecting this belt, keeping it around my waist.”
Paul also told The Daily Mail after his win in Riyadh on Saturday that he’s considering training at WWE’s Performance Center in Orlando.
“Imagine if I go to the Performance Center in Orlando and train with the best? I have access to the best resources. It might be something I have to do, I’m all about legacy, and perhaps my legacy is to be made to WWE,” Paul said.
“I’m so stoked that Triple H and the company believes in my like they do,’ he added. ‘Hopefully, I can make them proud and I know I will. He’s super receptive to my ideas. I’m a content creator – keyword creator. I like to make stuff, I come up with ideas. When I pitch my ideas, he’s all ears all the time.”
“We bounce ideas off each other, we go back and forth and usually land on stuff that’s pretty epic. It’s super collaborative and I like that they give me the freedom to be who I am in their company.”
Paul’s performance at WWE Crown Jewel was addressed by our own Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez on Wrestling Observer Radio on Saturday. They noted that at one point during the match Mysterio was about to land head-first following a caperana, but Paul was able to catch him before he hit the mat.
“(Paul) saved Rey’s life once,” Meltzer said.
“He slid in on his knees to catch this guy and save his life,” Alvarez said. “He did a hell of a job in this match.”
“Rey really owes him some thanks on that one because Rey could have really been hurt on that move,” Meltzer continued.
For the first time in his professional wrestling career, Logan Paul is a champion.
Paul captured his first WWE gold at Saturday’s Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia. Paul defeated Rey Mysterio to win the United States Championship. The finish of the match was Paul pinning Mysterio after using brass knuckles to deliver a knockout punch.
This is two straight matches where Paul has used brass knuckles to win. He also defeated Ricochet at SummerSlam after hitting a brass knux shot.
A member of Paul’s entourage gave him the brass knuckles to use during Saturday’s match. The knux fell to the floor the first time Paul tried to use them. Santos Escobar stopped the member of Paul’s entourage from picking them back up, but Escobar left the knux on the apron as he chased the entourage member away. Paul picked up the knux and used them as Mysterio was going for a springboard move after hitting a 619.
Paul made his WWE in-ring debut at WrestleMania 38 in April 2022. Mysterio was also involved in that match. Paul teamed with The Miz to defeat Rey & Dominik Mysterio.
Paul vs. Mysterio was made for Crown Jewel after Paul called out Mysterio last month. Paul issued the callout following his boxing victory over Dillon Danis.
On the final SmackDown before Crown Jewel, Rey Mysterio and Logan Paul will conduct a weigh-in for Saturday’s United States Championship match.
The title match was made after Paul called Mysterio out after defeating Dillon Danis in a boxing match last month. Paul is looking to win his first championship in WWE.
Tonight’s show was taped in Milwaukee last week. The episode will feature a singles match between Bianca Belair and Bayley. At Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia, Belair challenges Damage CTRL’s IYO SKY for the WWE Women’s Championship.
A Donnybrook Rules match is set for SmackDown. It will pit the Brawling Brutes (Ridge Holland & Butch) against Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince & Kit Wilson). Pretty Deadly defeated the Brutes on the October 13 edition of SmackDown.
Kevin Owens and Austin Theory will also square off. Owens had a backstage interaction with Theory and Grayson Waller last week, during which Owens knocked them out.
Our live coverage starts at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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– The “Then, Now, Forever, Together” bumper aired, and it still included the Ric Flair “Wooo!” So, there’s that. Afterwards, a video package chronicling all of last week’s Roman Reigns/LA Knight developments aired. Kevin Patrick welcomed everyone in and Knight’s music hit. Knight then walked to the ring.
The LA Knight segment
God bless that Milwaukee crowd for sticking it out for a segment they saw that was almost identical … what … two hours before this happened live? You can’t avoid having to tape two episodes in one night when “Saudi Arabia” is on the itinerary as the town you’re making tomorrow, but this lacked the type of go-home fire you’d hope for a promo segment selling the next PLE main event. Part of that was the crowd, part of that was the redundancy. But they did what they could and it wasn’t terrible. My only whining moment comes in the form of this: Nobody with two feet and a heartbeat thinks Knight is taking that title off Reigns tomorrow, so WWE really didn’t have a way to somehow heat this thing up in a creative way on the final TV program before the Big Show? All told, it just feels like everyone involved could have done better and the segment only gets a passing grade because of how much raw talent Reigns and Knight have on the mic at this point.
Knight soaked up some crowd love before saying “Let me talk to ya!” Knight started by saying 1,200 days as champion is impressive. Knight talked about how quick it can be that those 1,200 days end. Knight talked about how he dropped Reigns with a BFT last week. Knight said it will be a hostile takeover because Knight is coming to take over everything Reigns stands for. Knight said, “It will be the end of Roman’s reign, yeah!” On cue, Reigns’s music hit and out walked Roman with Paul Heyman.
The two jawed at each other as they stood in the ring, off-mic, and Reigns’s music was still playing. Reigns started by saying he typically starts by telling the town to acknowledge him, but they already know who he is (or this was the second SmackDown they taped in one night and at least Reigns had the tact to not put them through the whole song and dance again, but I digress). Reigns talked about how surprised he was that Knight stepped up. Reigns said Knight “managed his time wisely,” and now Knight has all the people on his side. Reigns gave Knight credit for that and said it’s not easy to do that in this day and age. Reigns told the crowd to chant Knight’s name, which the crowd did, and Reigns followed that up by saying this is the last time the crowd will do that.
Reigns talked about how what he does is cinema and he is a mega-star. Reigns said he turned the business into a billion-dollar industry. Reigns called Knight a “cosplay redneck version of my cousin,” and it was a lazy shot, but still kind of funny. Reigns said he’s going to leave Knight in the desert. Knight responded by noting how Reigns must feel invincible. Knight said he isn’t coming at Reigns from the same angle everyone else did. Knight said “he’s not there to finish something, he’s there to start something (yeah!)”. Knight said he will cosplay the guy who is going to kick Reigns’s ass at Crown Jewel. Knight said he’s a megastar. Knight said he doesn’t do warning shots, so if Reigns is going to take his shot, he better make sure Knight is done for good. Knight closed things with his catchphrase and WWE officials came out to separate the two as things got a little feisty to end the segment.
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– Austin Theory was interviewed back stage and said he’s used to taking hits and said he has a confident face and a face that everyone wants to see. Theory Kevin Owens has a face only a mother can love. Theory then made a comment about how Owens has a face where he would have to wear a mask on Halloween, but joke’s on you (bro). Halloween already happened.
Kevin Owens defeated Austin Theory [7:20]
This was surprising in the sense that this was clearly set up to forward a story between Waller and Owens. Theory taking a loss like that doesn’t feel common in WWE these days, and if anything, I would have thought it would have been Waller taking a loss like this first, setting up a match between Owens and Theory. So, that’s refreshing in its own weird way. Anyway, the match was fine. The package suplex Owens hit from the second rope to kickstart the go-home sequence was great and to be honest, Theory looked better here than he has in a bit when it comes to WWE TV in-ring work. A three-minute commercial break in a seven-minute match never allows a viewer to get into a groove with it, but it was what it was.
Grayson Waller sat in on commentary. The two locked up to begin things and Owens tried to attack Theory, but the ref broke it up as Theory went to the ropes. They locked up again and Theory went to the outside. Owens followed and Theory rammed Owens into the ring and the commentary table. Back inside the ring, Theory took control with a series of strikes. Theory went for another punch and Owens caught him, only to punch Theory and clothesline Theory over the top rope to the outside. Owens followed that up with a clothesline, taking Theory to the floor. The show then went to a commercial break.
When the show returned, Owens slammed Theory into the commentary table and jawed at Waller. Theory took advantage of that and ran Owens into the ring pole. Back in the ring, Theory chop-blocked Owens. Theory lifted Owens, but Owens fought out of it and ultimately tried a Stunner, but Theory pushed Owens away and landed a rolling Blockbuster for a near-fall. Theory stomped on Owens and worked him over with punches. With Owens on the second rope, Owens hit a wild suplex, which was followed up with a pop-up powerbomb. Owens landed a Stunner and stared at Waller as he got the three-count.
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– Cathy Kelley interview Bianca Belair backstage. Belair didn’t get 10 seconds into her promo and Damage CTRL attacked Belair. WWE officials, included Nick Aldis ran onto the set and broke things up.
– A video recapping the Street Profits/LWO stuff from last week aired. Logan Paul was shown walking backstage and he ran into the Street Profits and Bobby Lashley. Paul walked out of the scene and Lashley was talking up the Profits but B-Fab came into interrupt things and then walked off with Lashley to talk.
Charlotte Flair & Shotzi defeated Chelsea Green & Piper Niven [2:58]
This means Charlotte and Shotzi will get a title shot, so cool it on any idea that they are new women’s tag champs. Still, I kind of/sort of like the Shotzi/Charlotte pairing. Even if this is just a vehicle for Charlotte to put “tag team champion” on her resume, Shotzi seems to be into it, which is fun. Not so fun is Chelsea Green and Piper Niven, as champs, taking a loss that felt more like a squash than anything else. I understand that WWE wants to make Green into, essentially, the female version of The Miz, but damn, man. Give her a win every now and then (yes, I know she picked up a win on RAW this week, but that was her first singles win since coming back to WWE, right?). Champions should never look as weak as especially Green does – even if the sole intention is “fun,” whatever that means.
Look at that. Shotzi was teaming with a mystery opponent, and who could have guessed it’d be Charlotte Flair after what’s happened in recent weeks?! Why not just announce this team ahead time? OK, I’ll shut up. Anyway, the match started with Niven and Shotzi and Niven had her way with Shotzi. Green tagged in after Shotzi was vulnerable and Green worked over Shotzi with some boots. Niven tagged back in, but Shotzi worked her way out and got the hot tag to Charlotte, who hit a cross-body on both Niven and Green. Charlotte hit a series of chops on both Green and Niven. Charlotte landed a suplex on Green and then got her hands on Niven, but Green got a blind tag in … only to run into a big boot from Charlotte, which was enough for Charlotte to get the win for her team.
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The Solo Sikoa/John Cena segment
I don’t know what that 90 second stipulation was that Cena referenced twice – and I also don’t know why Cena all of a sudden didn’t have a voice – but damn, man. On his way out, Cena throws his best out there as he’s ready to head into the (presumed) final match of this latest WWE run. The Taz line was a lot of fun, and makes even a little more sense now that Excalibur actually spoke Cena’s name on Dynamite this past Wednesday. Sikoa has a ways to go on the microphone (still, don’t think he’s not capable; the guy wasn’t bad when he was on his own during his NXT run), but this was some of the best use of Cena the company has put out there since Cena decided to come home for a couple months. Short, sweet, poignant, effective. The raspy voice was a blessing.
Paul Heyman accompanied Sikoa to the ring. Heyman began by saying it’s the end of days for Cena. Heyman said it wasn’t the way he wanted it to be. Heyman said it’s not his fault and nobody should blame Roman Reigns. Heyman said Cena picked a fight with the Bloodline. Heyman said there was no way they would let Cena get away with it. Heyman noted how Reigns turned to the soldier and the assassin, which is Sikoa. Heyman suggested that Sikoa could someday be the Tribal Chief and Cena will be a victim of Sikoa. The crowd booed heavily. Sikoa whispered something to Heyman and took the mic for himself.
Sikoa asked Heyman why he would waste his breath talking to the crowd. Sikoa said they weren’t there to talk to the crowd; they were there to talk to Cena face-to-face. Cena’s music then hit and Cena made his entrance. Cena entered the ring and Sikoa said he’s mad he has to “wait until tomorrow to fight you.” Sikoa said he got orders from Reigns, and that order was to give Cena a microphone to be able to say goodbye to the fans while he still could. Sikoa said after the Crown Jewel match, Cena won’t be able to talk to the fans. Sikoa then gave Cena the microphone as the crowd chanted “Let’s go Cena!”
Cena said, “That’s it?” Cena asked Sikoa if he knew who he was in the ring with. Cena said everyone has “been waiting for Sikoa to talk for a year, and that’s all you bring to the table?” Cena’s voice was raspy. Cena said he’s going to say goodbye – but not to them, but for them. Cena said the only reason Sikoa got a job in WWE is because of his cousin. Cena called Sikoa a “bargain basement Taz ripoff.” Cena told Sikoa to tape his thumb extra tight because it’s going up his ass tomorrow. Cena said “that’s my 90 seconds,” threw the microphone down and left to end the segment.
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– Damage CTRL were shown talking backstage. Bayley said Bianca Belair has never learned her lesson. Bayley teasted SKY vs. Bayley at Crown Jewel, but then said it was a joke. Nick Aldis came into the frame and said that Damage CTRL will be barred from ringside for the Bayley vs. Belair match. SKY also reminded Bayley that Bayley couldn’t handle SKY if she wanted to.
Pretty Deadly (Kit Wilson & Elton Prince) defeated Brawling Brutes (Butch & Ridge Holland) in a Donnybrook Rules match [12:21]
A good WWE-style brawl with a somewhat surprising outcome. With two wins in this program, I have to think both teams move onto something else, but what will that be, exactly? Pretty Deadly moves up the card (in theory), but the Brutes take yet another loss, which at this point, makes them look like they have even less credibility than they did going into the match – and that’s a shame because the Brutes are supposed to be tough guys, but for one reason or another, they never seem to come up on the winning end. Even so, this was fine. It’s WWE. There will be no blood. The spots will be overtly safe. Nothing wrong with that last part, of course – nobody should ever risk their health for this stuff. But if you watch no-DQ matches elsewhere, you’ll get something different. These four did all they could with what they had. No complaints on the work.
The Brutes jumpstarted the match by attacking Pretty Deadly in the aisle as the camera did its slow motion thing during Pretty Deadly’s entrance. The action spilled into the ring and Butch and Holland hit stereo 10 Beats on both Pretty Deadly members. Butch obtained a pair of Shillelaghs and the Brutes worked over both Deadly guys with them. With Prince leaning on a bar set up at ringside, Butch went for his finger-breaking spot, but Prince turned that into a suplex. From there, Pretty Deadly took control and posed to the crowd.
In the ring, Pretty Deadly worked over Holland with kicks and then got a hold of the Shillelaghs. They both went to hit Holland with them, but Holland caught them and threw them both over the top rope. Butch came back into the picture and landed a moonsault from the top rope onto everyone – including Holland – to send the show to a commercial break. Back from that break, Prince hit a Tornado DDT on Butch while Holland slammed Wilson onto a garbage can for a two-count. Holland, weirdly worked a Boston Crab, even though this was essentially a street fight.
Prince went for the save, but Butch worked an ankle lock on Prince. Prince and Wilson locked hands and fired up. Prince kicked Butch away and hit Holland’s back with a barstool. Pretty Deadly followed that up with a clunky double-team move, but Butch made the save on a pin attempt. Butch then chopped the hell out of Wilson. Prince got back at Butch and an elbow strike. Prince went to the second rope, but Holland cut him off and slammed Prince. Holland lifted Wilson, but Wilson countered into a modified face-buster. Butch fired up, but Wilson stopped his momentum with a clothesline and all four guys were down.
Wilson went for something, but Butch cut him off and hit his fingers spot. Prince brought a Shillelagh back and hit Butch with it. Prince went to the top, but Holland cut Prince off and powerbombed Prince through a table on the outside. Inside the ring, Butch landed a boot to Wilson’s head for a good near-fall. Holland grabbed a table from under the ring and the Brutes set it up inside the ring. Wilson rolled away from them and went to the outside. Wilson then ran Holland into a keg. Butch and Wilson were on the second rope, but Prince showed up with a glass bottle and slammed it on Butch’s head. Pretty Deadly then hit their finisher on Butch through the table and got the pinfall win.
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– Nick Aldis was walking backstage and ran into Paul Heyman. Heyman told Aldis to have a lot of medical personnel on hand at Crown Jewel because this is the most savage version of Roman Reigns that anyone will ever see.
The Rey Mysterio/Logan Paul Weigh-In
There is nothing intelligent to say about this. There is nothing constructive to say about this. There is silly. There is pro wrestling silly. And then there is what happened here. God bless.
Nick Aldis introduced both competitors. It looked like they were doing this in a storage shed in the back. Paul weighed in at 213 while there were piped in camera sounds. Mysterio weighed in at 175. Paul and Mysterio jawed at each other like they would at a real weigh-in, but nothing really came of it. Mysterio took a microphone and then slapped Paul. Paul came back and punched Mysterio … who then took the microphone and hit Paul in the way Paul was hit at the weigh-in for the Dillion Danis fight recently. That ended the segment.
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– Next week, Carlito will face Bobby Lashley. And that’s about all they had to say about next week’s SmackDown episode.
Bianca Belair defeated Bayley [13:18]
These two worked well together. It’s not that often we see Bayley work singles matches anymore – and it’s even more rare that we see her work meaningful singles matches – but she showed here that she can still very much hang. That super-plex spot was a little scary, but in all, this was a good and worthy main event. I kind of like that Bayley has become a sort of gatekeeper for babyfaces in WWE and in that sense, has taken a half-backseat role in Damage CTRL. If nothing else, it works to help put the babyfaces over with a sense of credibility. Good work from both women.
Bayley threw a shirt at Belair and attacked Belair to start the match. Belair rebounded with a series of shoulder-blocks on Bayley. Belair landed a pair of vertical suplexes on Bayley before hitting a Will Ospreay-esque standing moonsault for a two-count. Bayley rolled to the outside, where Belair chased her. Back in the ring, Belair hit a trio of bodyslams. With Bayley on the apron, Bayley kicked Belair, which took Belair to the outside, which then took the show to its final commercial break.
Back from break, Bayley still had the upper hand and hit an elbow from the apron onto Belair on the outside. Back inside the ring, Bayley went for a cover, but Belair immediately kicked out. Bayley worked a chin-lock. Belair fought out and hit a back-breaker to even things out. Belair fired up and hit Bayley with a series of punches. Belair planted Bayley for a two-count. With Bayley on the top rope, Belair hit a rough-looking super-plex that Bayley only barely got over for. All of that resulted in a two-count.
Belair went for another moonsault, but Bayley moved and dragged Belair outside by her ponytail. Bayley rammed Belair into the ring post. Bayley hit an elbow from the top rope and got a near-fall out of it. Bayley went to the outside and cleared off the commentary table. Bayley lifted Belair for a powerbomb, but Belair fought out of it and Bayley ran herself into the ring post. Belair followed that up with a dive onto the outside and then rolled Bayley back into the ring. Belair went for the KOD, but Bayley rolled out and into a pinfall attempt. Belair kicked out and whipped Bayley witih the ponytail. Belair hit the KOD for the win.
After the match, Belair KOD’d Bayley through the commentary table and that ended the show.
